I awoke a few hours later, this time feeling truly refreshed. Well, mostly refreshed. My throat was still a bit sore, but my arms and legs felt like arms and legs again. I got out of the bed, and finally realized that I was just in a shirt and boxers. I poked my head out the doorway and beckoned to a guard standing outside my door, who then called for a servant to resolve my situation. After getting a fresh change of clothes, I was ready for the rest of the day. First up next, according to the servant, was dinner with the royal family if I was feeling well enough to join.

  I was wondering if there would be other guests this time, but no, it was the exact same party as last time. There were still no guards in the room with us, but I passed by several patrols on the way, which was probably a sign of increased security. In regards to the food, it was also equally unextravagant, not that I’m saying that’s bad. We also sat in the same positions in the same room, and started with soup first as well. As far as noticeable differences went in the room, I counted only three. One, the table was new, which was unsurprising considering what happened to the old one. Two, Flora’s hair was braided on her left side. Leonora said she did it because it seemed fun and she thought it would look good on her. When I asked why it was just for Flora, Leonora said that her hair was too short and Tasha simply refused. In my opinion, it did look nice. Three, there were no assassination attempts to interrupt the dinner.

  After the dinner finished, the king invited me to join him in the bath. It took me a moment to realize that the king’s bath would clearly be different from a traditional one. But, how different? The palace was spacious, and did have a fair number of servants, but still fewer than one might expect given its sheer size. The space was filled up a bit by the great number of guards, which I was unsure if that was the norm. The food, although delicious, was modest in portions that were just enough to fill you up. The bath, when I finally entered it, was a surprise, but not so surprising at the same time. The walls and floors, unlike the rest of the palace, were made of marble and were clearly maintained on a regular basis. The water for the bath flowed from statues of plate armour knights holding vases. I was not sure what to think about that part. It was strangely fitting for the Iron Kingdom, but it didn’t seem to properly glorify these knights. Moving on to the bathing area itself, though, it had rows of steps going into the water to allow those to sit at different heights. Its size was big enough for a couple dozen people to comfortably position themselves around the perimeter.

  The two of us sat about two feet apart on the same side. The king was fully naked whereas I elected to have a towel wrapped around my waist. Being naked around other men was just something I never got used to, which made things awkward for me on more than one occasion during P.E. in high school. Unlike in high school, though, this bath had one more surprising feature. There was actually a servant there with us. Out of all the places in the palace, there was one in the bath. I don’t want to speculate too much on it, so I’ll just say it seems the servant’s only purpose is to serve drinks to the people bathing. There were even little trays to balance our drinks on. I would have preferred to not have any drinks for both sanitary and atmospheric reasons, but I relented to have just one cup. After nursing my drink for about ten minutes, the king asked the servant to leave. Finally, we can get to what this is really about.

  “Have you been enjoying your stay so far, Braith?” That was a surprisingly hard question considering the many different levels there were to consider. “Well, I suppose it’s a bit of a complex question,” he said with a laugh, correctly reading my hesitation.

  “Well, there have been a lot of things that have happened. At the very least, I can say it’s not bad anymore.”

  “Hmmm, I was still hoping to hear about more optimism.” I ended up giving him a funny look. “I jest. I can perfectly understand your answer. Ah…we may have only met a couple days ago, but I already think that we could become good friends.”

  “I am honoured to hear that.”

  “Are you really?” My lips fumbled around for a bit before answering.

  “Sorry, I was just saying something to fit the mood.” The king laughed.

  “That’s exactly another reason why I like you, Braith! You know how to act humble, but you’re not. A lot of the people I tend to deal with are always so focused on maintaining a certain image. It’s part of the reason why I don’t keep close advisors.”

  “You don’t have any advisors?” I asked with genuine surprise.

  “I didn’t say I had none. I just have no close ones. When there are issues that require specialized knowledge, I know who to ask, but I don’t want to put too much trust into someone who only shows me one side of them.”

  “I suppose that makes sense,” I agreed. An example from my past was also beginning to resurface in my mind but I pushed it back down.

  “You know, Braith, for saving my daughter’s life, I had planned to reward you with some jewels.” So, there was a monetary reward. “But, that is just so lackluster now. Tell me, Braith, what do you think is a sufficient reward for saving a king’s life, as well as his daughter’s twice?”

  “I…would not think sufficient would be the correct word. That would mean to quantify your lives, wouldn’t it?” I tried to choose my words carefully, but to be honest, all I wanted was some coin in the beginning. However, I guess now I was taking my own words seriously, as I was not sure I really cared about that anymore. Would a reward of gold make Tasha or Flora happy? The king smiled at me.

  “I knew I was right about you. If you were like most adventurers or treasure seekers, you would have demanded vast sums of coin or tracts of land.”

  “What would you have done if I did ask for that?”

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  “I would have given it to you. I am no ingrate, Braith; I have no qualms giving out such rewards to someone who has done as much as you have. However, I do not think I would ever invite such a person inside the palace again.”

  “I see. Well, after saying that to me, I’m not sure what I should even be asking for now.”

  “Do you have nothing you desire?”

  “To be honest with you, I’m not sure you could fulfill my greatest desires.” Even with all his power and wealth, there were limits to what he could do for me and Tasha.

  “Ah, I can tell how serious you are about that. That’s a bit of a shame, then. I really was hoping to give you a special reward. After everything I said, it does not feel right to simply give you gold or land.”

  “Well, I suppose I can ask Flora or Tasha if there’s anything specific they want.”

  “I’ve actually already done that.”

  “You did? What did they say?” That sounds like I missed out on something pretty important.

  “They were both rather adamant about refusing my rewards. I especially wanted to reward miss Flora since she healed my neck after that attack. When a doctor came to check on my condition, he noticed the small scar just over an artery. I likely would have bled to death if not for her immediate aid.”

  “Yeah, she’s a real lifesaver.” I unconsciously smiled, pleased that Flora was getting some deserved praise.

  “I could not agree more. She was also the one who tended to you first after you collapsed.” I already knew about that because of the Thousand Bolts, but I was unsure if I should have acted a bit surprised anyways. No, it was something I would have expected from her anyways. I just smiled again in response. “I haven’t said it yet, but I want to tell you I am very glad to see how well you have recovered.”

  “Thanks. Also, I’m sorry about how awkward it has gotten for you to try to give something to someone.”

  “Hmph, I’d say! I relented to their refusal in the end because they said they were fine with just rewarding you instead. That was why I felt like I needed to provide you with something truly special.”

  “Well, I mean, there are a lot of things I want, but they are things you can buy with gold, and it’s not like I really need them. I’d feel awkward about leaving the kingdom with a load of gold.”

  “Hmmm, Braith, you keep mentioning leaving the kingdom, so may I inquire where you are in a hurry to go to?”

  “Somewhere in the Dridam Plains. Well, that was the initial plan. I mean, no, that’s definitely where I need to go.” After everything I’ve gone through, now was not the time to waver.

  “That is not very far from here. Did you enter through the kingdom’s southern border?”

  “No, I came in from the north.”

  “But, that would mean you were headed in the opposite direction.” I paused to think. I basically came to Brennan to flee from the True-Bloods and to rest for a while. Well, I also had thoughts about tracking down Dennis’ killer as well as going to Deimos. Now that I think about it, have I already been in Brennan for too long? “You can ignore that last comment of mine, Braith,” the king said to me while I was still lost in thought.

  “Huh? Uh, sorry, the reason-”

  “The reason is unimportant.” The king smiled at me reassuringly. “Braith, I have just thought of something that may be very suitable for you.”

  “What is it?”

  “Hmmm, it’s actually something I thought of earlier. It was something I was somewhat hoping you would ask for but I will just say it now. Braith, are you a true Outlander? Are you not a citizen of any kingdom?” I guess the king felt it was time to confirm what I meant by my words when we first met.

  “A true Outlander? Well, I lived in Holtzan with Tasha for eight years, but I was not born there.” If I were to elaborate, I was not born anywhere in Midgard which would probably make me even more of an Outlander than anyone else. That was obviously something better left unsaid, though.

  “In that case, I would like to make you an official citizen of Brennan and knight you.”

  “A knight?” Huh, how did I forget such a common reward in hero stories? Oh, right…hero stories.

  “Yes. Hmmm, of course, I cannot make you a knight right away. You must begin as a squire, but that shall be no real obstacle. I will have you become a squire to the Captain of the Iron Knights and expedite the process as much as possible. You don’t require physical training and we can skip most of the lengthy political training. I am sure I can officially knight you in only a few months instead of several years. In the meantime, I will arrange a residence to be given to you. Something with more than ample space for you and the two girls. A nice place within the capital, of course, as well.” The king was looking cheerful about his idea, which made it a bit difficult to refuse my reward.

  “I’m sorry, but I cannot accept that.” The king looked confused for a few seconds.

  “Why? Does it have to do with this kingdom? Is there something you dislike here?” I was about to give my response when he cut me off. “Is it because of the Harbingers?” That last question was a surprise. Both because I wasn’t thinking about them at all and that the king’s tone darkened.

  “No, it has nothing to do with any of that. It’s just that I have to leave soon.”

  “It is only a few months. Surely you could continue your travels after that.”

  “No, I can’t.” True-Bloods be damned, I will not allow another detour. I am going back to the north and going to the Dridam Plains.

  “I understand,” the king began, after a period of silence. “In that case, perhaps when you are finished then?”

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that either.” The king paused for another moment.

  “Is that because there is somewhere else you have to go afterwards? Or are there other reasons as well?” I mulled over my words for a moment.

  “Your Majesty…I would not make a suitable knight.” I didn’t want to be anything that would make me representative of any nation. The things I have done, and probably also the things I was going to do…I wanted that to be mine alone. I did not expect to accumulate such a burden when I first set out, but it was something I had to own up to. The king finally let out a sigh after studying my expression.

  “I can tell your mind's made up on that matter.”

  “It is, but I now know exactly what to ask of you.”

  “Really? What is it?” The king’s mood improved almost instantly.

  “You don’t have to make her an official citizen, but I want you to allow Flora to live here and make sure she is safe and well-protected.” It was time for me to live up to one of the responsibilities I had nearly forgotten about.

  “That would be no problem at all. Is there anything else?”

  “No, as long as she can safely live here.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yes, I don’t really need anything else.”

  “Very well, I swear to you that I will fulfill that wish of yours and give her permanent residence in the palace. I am even especially glad to do this for you; I believe my daughter has taken a liking to her and I think they can become good friends.” I had no idea about how close the two had gotten, but I took him at his word. That should also mean that this was logically the correct decision.

  “That’s good to hear.” The king let out a sigh of relief.

  “I believe I have soaked long enough for now. How about you?”

  “Just about the same for me. I’ll probably leave in another couple of minutes.” The king nodded and left before me. I remained in the bath to dwell on my thoughts and decisions for a little longer. I felt like I had made a very important resolution, and even though it made sense in my head, it didn’t make me feel glad at all. In fact, it felt more like I had made a huge mistake. But, that couldn’t be right. I was being faithful towards my true objective. This was the optimal decision. Only a foolish, cowardly, indecisive, and selfish person would be regretting this.