Jaygak’s eyes fell across the group. There were the Iyrmen, of course, including Jurot and Kitool. ‘Ray Vonda remains as the temple. Jurot, Kitool, and I are here…’

  “It will be fine,” Kitool said.

  “Are you sure?”

  “He is walking with the Hope, and we know whin he is pr.”

  Jaygak gnced around them. Adam had told them to gain honour for their kills, and while the adventurers had grown lively upon seeing the amount of hydra they had brought back, as well as the Ray apanying the Iyrmen, it didn’t seem like a good idea for them to leave Adam be.

  “If Adam causes trouble, we may have our fun,” Jurot added, his arms crossed as he allowed the teen Iyrmen to expiory to the guild, the Ray apanying them to moderate.

  “Do you want him to cause trouble?”

  “Adam will cause trouble whether he wishes for it.”

  Jaygak exhaled, uo deny that. ‘How much trouble Adam cause while with the Fourth Hope?’ It wasn’t that she did not believe it, but rather, she wao imagine how much trouble Adam could cause, and what kind of trouble he could cause while in the Hope’s prote.

  ‘…’

  The Hope would protect Adam, wouldn’t she?

  Did the Hope o protect Adam, or did someoo protect the Hope from Adam?

  Quest plete: Hydras, Hydras, Hydras and More HydrasXP Gained: +250XP: 14 800 -> 15 050

  The intense aura filled the air as the two groups met. Adam remained within his heavy armour, beside the Hope and her Rays, while the knight and her panions gred towards Adam, each adorned in full pte armour.

  “I do not know if you have ce, or if you are fool, but how dare you-,”

  “Yes,” Adam replied, stepping forward, before noting the way the guards reacted, each grabbing at their ons. Adam stopped, tying his hands behind his back, standing taller, as though daring them to draw their ons. “I am as stupid as I am ceous, and I dare.”

  “Your head is held too high while within the realm of our Marquise,” Sir Olivia stated, stepping towards him, the guards following after her, but she stopped upon seeing the Hope stepping forward, beside Adam. “I have heard that your order has stepped in to mediate.”

  “We are not to mediate,” Hope Willow replied. “It is the Marquise who believed she could step into the matters of the order.”

  “Do you io step forward here?”

  “This matter is between the Order of Life’s Rose and the Tiderock family.”

  “…” Sir Olivia eyed up the taller woman, their eyes meeting through their visors. “Even if you are from the Order of Life’s Rose, you ot behave so inappropriately withi Port.”

  “What inappropriate behaviour have we dispyed?”

  “The matter of this wicked fiend’s behaviour has gooo far. He killed several nobles.”

  “That’s a lie,” Adam said, quickly, his voice filling with uncharacteristic desperation. “It was my brother and Kitool who killed the nobles, not me! I wouldn’t dare to cim such credit from Iyrmen.”

  “You…” Sir Olivia paused, prehending Adam’s desperation. Though it had filled her with delight, there was something else about the desperation which seemed queer.

  “The First Hope stated as such,” Hope Willow said, her voice low and firm. “It was the Order of Life’s Rose with showed such grace to the Marquise, while she did not show the appropriate respect to our order.”

  “The group has kidnapped someone in the employ of the Marquise.”

  “Who is that?”

  “A boy by the name of Alex.”

  “That boy was uhe order’s prote before he was in the employ of the Marquise,” Willow stated, standing a little taller. “It is the Marquise who covets that which is uhe order’s prote.”

  “You io protect the child?” Olivia’s voice grew darker.

  Hope Willow stepped forward towards Olivia, the woman t over the knight. “Yes.”

  “Do you know what that boy is, Hope?”

  “Mother Soza embraces us all.”

  “Even the demons within the group’s employ?”

  “Yes,” Willow replied, not missing a beat. “The demons are currently tempered by Ray Vonda.”

  “I did not expect to…” Sir Olivia paused. Though she had verbally sparred with the Hope, something passed through her mind. She was certain she khe name Vonda. ‘Vonda?’

  The fshes of the priest filled her mind, the young woman whose lower fad neck had been burnt, a woman who was referred to as Sister but barely a week ago. “Ray Vonda?”

  “Ray Vonda has been tasked with watg over the group to ehere are no plications, and I will personally escort the group,” the Hope stated, her voice still firm. “The Marquise will answer for assaulting the group while it was uhe order’s prote.”

  “If the children were uhe order’s prote, it should have been made more obvious.”

  “Ray Vonda specifically stated so,” Adam said, raising his voice. “She said it right to your face, knight of Tiderock. Ray Vonda had pced the children uhe order’s prote, and it was the Marquise who did not respect the Order of Life’s Rose!” Adam poi the woman accusatory, making sure he voice carried around them.

  “I would not take the words of a criminal so seriously.”

  “Do you see this, Hope Willow?” Adam asked, gng towards the woman, gd he was wearing his helmet so no one could see the grin on his face. “The Marquise’s knight is calling me a criminal for assisting your order in defending the children within your care! I ask you, Hope Willow, where is the justi such words?”

  ‘How much trouble will you cause?’ Willow asked. “Indeed, it is beh the Marquise and her knights to state such. Will the Marquise state that Ray Vonda is a criminal for defending the children who were uhe Order of Life’s Rose prote?”

  “We shall see whether the child was uhe prote of the Order of Life’s Rose or the Marquise first.”

  “I ’t believe the Marquise would threaten those uhe prote of Life’s Rose,” Adam said, raising his voice. “It was even the mercy of Life’s Rose which raised the nobles who raised their trea-,” Adam began before Willow turned swiftly to gre at the young half elf, realising he was going to let words spill which would prove to be difficult to deal with even to Life’s Rose.

  Adam cleared his throat. “Even though the nobles died valiantly while reag for those within the prote of Life’s Rose, it was the mercy of Life’s Rose, whose hearts are er thahe gold of justice, which brought them back to life, but even now the Marquise has brought her knights to stand against the valiant Hope!”

  Sir Olivia wondered why Adam was being so awkward about his speech. He was a terrible actor, and it wasn’t as though the oners would believe his words. Though…

  Her eyes gnced around, noting the way the nearby onfolk were staring at the group. ‘I am standing against a Hope…’

  Meanwhile, it was at the estate of a partioble that a servant passed along a letter, before handing it to the head maid, who swiftly brought the o her liege.

  The Duchess allowed the head maid to open it and read it to her.

  “The Marquise has sent Sir Olivia and a small group of house guards to the temple where the United Kindom had left part of their group, including the child which is assumed to be a Sorcerer. It is presumed that they may be sent io track the Executive, Adam, who does not hold the protes afforded to him by the Iyr.”

  The Duchess sed through her own dots, signing the bottom of the dot, before beginning to stamp her seal within it. “It should be expected the Marquise has prepared to act. She will no doubt move her knights withiy, though that may lead to some terrible sequences if the young man does not obediently follow her.”

  The Duchess hahe letter to one of her servants. “To Sir Landon Littlesea,” she said, before holding her hand out for the letter with her gloves hand, before reading the note herself.

  “It would not be right for me to believe such a group will act quite so predictably, not after the rumours of the return of the Marshal of the East, who had retury handed…” The Duchess had no idea how the group had retury hahough it was said that they did some face to face with a Hope. However, was it truly so simple? Their armour seemed to have gohrough the signs of battle.

  The Duchess sensed something else had happehough what happehen was truly only known by those who were there. ‘Perhaps I am thinking too mu the matter. The group came across the First Hope, and not even the Marshal of the East would dare to csh bdes with him.’

  However, the Duchess had noted something peculiar. A rumour in which two knights had been sin during a frontation, something which ainting the Executive in purple as a criminal. It had beguly, and had passed through her ears several times, but she wasn’t sure what the Marquise was trying to do, not when it was obviously a ridiculous rumour, one which reeked of desperation.

  ‘Regardless of how the Marquise wishes to py, I ot allow her to set the pieces as she wishes,’ the Duchess thought. ‘My preparations should suffice.’

  It wasn’t as though Adam enjoyed killing nobles.

  “What justice is this, Hope?” Adam asked, trying to create a bigger se, so the rumours could spread far and wide. It wasn’t that he wanted ao believe his words, but rather the murkiness of the situation could be used by the group.

  “Hey!” shouted a voice, before the figure cleared his throat. “Excuse me, would you mind keeping it down?”

  ‘Eh?’ Adam thought.

  The figure was heavily armoured, wearing full pte armour, armour he had rushed to don upon hearing the he group had returned. It was finely made pte armour, and stamped within the armour was a symbol of East Port, not of the Eastsea family, but the city itself. At his side was a bde ed within a scarf, though even through it, everyone could see the bde was made of stone.

  Adam does a little trolling indeed.