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  On the way back, my thoughts were broody and dark. So much so in fact that my party members picked up on it.

  “Lock, you look worried.”

  “Mmm.” I replied thoughtfully to the Mage.

  I saw Kyrian and Skaris share a look. Skaris’ tongue flickered out, licking his lips before he spoke. Though his features were identical to a human except for the reptilian scales that spotted his body, the motion was much too close to an actual reptile off of a documentary to be entirely human.

  “He’ssss regretting the decssssision.”

  Kyrian gave me a sympathetic look but didn’t press.

  It was true.

  I gave my word to the Dwarves, or rather their leader, Doror Stonehammer, that I’d get them off this island.

  But how the hell was I going to pull that off?

  I had to ask myself why I’d done that in the first place. It’s not like I had any personal fondness for Doror except for his usefulness as a Master Smith. Oh don’t get me wrong, I feel plenty bad enough for the state that their lives are in. But now that we were out of the underground tunnels and walking through the angry red ashen-wasteland of this island, I was second-guessing myself.

  It felt like I was carried away by the moment, seeing the Dwarves live like that. Underground, without any hope for the future. They just drudged along, hammering their anvils without any purpose. Why? Because that was all they had left. They had no real enjoyment in life, no drink, no tasty food and was waiting for the inevitable slow death that came from sacrificing your children to a Monster too strong for them to kill.

  Just living day by day, without purpose, without meaning. Just existing.

  …Kind of like me in the day.

  Just sitting behind a computer, living day by day. Work. Home. Eat. Sleep. Rinse and Repeat.

  Holy hell, was I really that soft?

  So soft that I wanted to risk my life and the life of party to save this group of unknown people?

  Hell, I still didn’t know their full-story. I didn’t understand the depth of their pain and hurt. Just how much they went through. I knew the story, but I didn’t know the meaning behind it. We hadn’t spent enough time together for that. All I knew was that their story just rubbed me the wrong way and made me want to do something about it.

  Similar to the decision I made for the orcs, the decision to save the Dwarves came on impulse.

  “Mr. Lock.” Aurora said, sneaking up next to me.

  “Mmm?” I said, just as politely as the first time I said it.

  “I must confess that I am worried about the… particular method you will employ to convince Zenom Saintred.” She said.

  “It’s not just him we need to convince.” I replied.

  “Oh?” Skaris said from the side.

  “No, it’s not. Because no matter what Zenom chooses,” I bit my lip, thinking of the man’s shrewd face. “The Bishop will take the opposing side.”

  Aurora doesn’t make a lot of expressions. But I spent long enough with her by now to know when she was surprised. And a little bit impressed too.

  “You… have a better understanding of the situation than I thought you did, Mr. Lock.”

  I choked back a laugh, more out of amusement than actually finding something funny. “You wanted to give me advice, that perhaps trying to persuade Zenom isn’t the best option. That it might be best to go to the Bishop first.”

  “The idea did occur to me, yes. However, I don’t recommend going to either one first. Simply pointing out that there are other options.”

  “Other options…” I mulled, trying to think of all the factors.

  My goal was to get everyone’s OK on bringing the dwarves with us.

  For the adventurers, it was easy. All I had to do was tell them that all their equipment would be taken care of for the rest of the trip. Hell, some of them might even commission a piece or two, not even knowing that Doror was the Master Smith. Of course, it went without saying, that Doror wouldn’t take any commissions. But his people? What they did to earn coin would be none of my business.

  Zenom and the Bishop.

  The two opposing forces that were on this trip.

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  How could I convince both of them to bring the Dwarves onboard?

  We had the space. That was for sure.

  But what reasoning could I use?

  Zenom and the Bishop wouldn’t give two shits about the adventurer’s equipment. I doubted that they really knew the difference between a well-oiled sword and a blunt one. They just saw adventurer’s as tools and all the logistics that went into the upkeep of our performance was beyond the Bishop’s purview. Zenom might have some idea but at the end of the day, he wouldn’t like the idea.

  Why? Because they’re both from the church.

  Hell, I’d be lucky if they didn’t demand that those Dwarves swear allegiance to the Turina Empire and just conscript them into service for the rest of the trip.

  No, the humanitarian side was out.

  “You can ssseeee hissss mind working.”

  “Lock, thinking? Everyone, be careful.”

  Stole laughed obnoxiously at the bit and even Aurora’s eyebrows rose in amusement. Darwin was the only one who didn’t get it, still trying to get down on all fours and examine every bit of ash there was. I couldn’t join in, too much was on my mind.

  ***

  “You are late.”

  Zenom stood with his arms crossed in front of us. There was a deep scowl on his face, only matched by non other than Borealis who was next to him.

  We’d arrived in the camp only to find that most of the adventurers were back. The adventurers had broken up into loose groups without prejudice for which party they belonged to. Being stuck out here on the island together had lowered the social barrier a lot. Priests, Priestesses, adventurers and Sailors all walked about together. Doing their own jobs but still mingling on the side.

  The general mood of the makeshift camp was that the tension was a lot lower. It looked like not being on the seas in which titanic horrors lurked just beneath the waves and the absence of the threat of imminent death at any second had loosened people’s anxiety. They walked about and if I didn’t know any better, this could’ve passed off as a nice expedition with adventurers and the church. No daggers behind anyone’s backs, no deceit and no chance of betrayal.

  If only.

  I must’ve lost myself in those thoughts a moment too long. Because I missed what Zenom said next.

  “I asked, do you have an explanation for this?” Zenom said sternly. “If you were gone for even a few more hours, we would’ve had to send out a search party for you.”

  If he was on our case for something as minor as being tardy, there was no way I could bring the Dwarves here.

  “Are we? I didn’t know there was a deadline that we had to return by.” I kept my voice cool and logical. There was definite heat under Zenom’s own demeanor and I didn’t want to get on his bad side.

  Any more than I already was, I mean.

  “The rule was-”

  “The rule was to bring back three [Fruit of Clear Mind] per party member. Each day. We’ve been gone for what, two days?” I gestured over to Stole. “Stole.”

  There was no point in dragging this out. People were stopping to look and they were starting to whisper amongst themselves. I had to think about my party’s wellbeing too. Skaris looked hungry and Stole was about to fall asleep on her feet. None of us had anything except piss-poor liquor and mushroom soup the last two days.

  Stole came forward and took out a satchel from her Dimension Ring. She laid it down at my feet.

  “Two days of expedition, three for each Party Member. That’s what? Thirty six fruits?” I carefully opened the satchel so that everyone there could see it. “There’s more than seventy fruits in there.”

  If Zenom was surprised, he didn’t show it.

  His boot left deep grooves in the soft beach-sand as he walked over. The Holy Knight knelt, inspecting the fruits. He picked one out, holding it to the Sun’s light. Zenom nodded to himself and placed the fruit back in the satchel, giving a curt nod to one of the priests who were watching. The priest hurried over, took the satchel and disappeared into the crowd.

  “My party needs rest. Is there anything else?”

  “No, you all are free to go.”

  But as soon as I turned around, Zenom called out, “Except you, Slaveborn.”

  “Ssslaveborn?” Skaris said, his voice low.

  I shook my head. “I’ll be fine, you guys go on ahead. Rest.”

  Zenom waited till my party packed up their things and left. It was only after seeing them walk away that I realized just how tired they were. We’d trekked through this island while being half-buzzed on alcohol –a necessity to save on [Fruit of Clear Minds] and to stave off the effects of the Special Field–, raided the lair of a Grade-5 Boss-class monster, explored a hidden Dwarven City and then ran all over the island gathering up these fruits.

  And we survived.

  That post-survival clarity, the relaxation of the body and mind that comes after an expedition is unlike anything else.

  Watching them drudging away, I could only think that I’d pushed them hard.

  They deserved this rest.

  “Come, walk with me.”

  The crowd had mostly dispersed. I watched the Sailors running back and forth, carrying lumber. Back on earth, it’d take months to get wood ready for shipbuilding. I think I saw a documentary on it once. Just drying it takes forever. But here…

  Well, here there’s magic.

  Most of the ships that had been damaged in the[Moonyohuh (文鳐魚)] attack were in the midst of being fixed. Actually, in my own inexperienced eyes, they looked good to go.

  It had only been two days and if the repairs were going this smoothly, I needed to find a way to bring the Dwarves on board. Fast.

  “Delas’ party came back wounded.” Zenom said nonchalantly, as we walked through the camp.

  “Oh?” I’m usually not someone who smiles often. But this time, I had to fight to keep my expression controlled.

  The last time I had seen Delas’ party, they were in the middle of being swarmed by Grade-7 monsters that I summoned through the [Neung-uh’s Ocarina]. I had secretly hoped they would die but they were skilled adventurers in their own rights. The way that Zenom said it so nonchalantly was indicative that there was no death either.

  “Yes. Rather badly.” He turned an eye on me, his steps slowing slightly. “Did you have anything to do with that?”

  I hated the fact that I had to look up to meet his eyes. “No, I didn’t.” I gestured all around us. “This island is a dangerous place. You’ve experienced it firsthand.”

  Zenom nodded immediately. “So it is.” He began walking again, and I followed. “People were worried when you did not return.”

  “My party can’t have been the only ones who stayed out for so long.” I said defensively.

  “On the contrary, most parties went out for one day and returned within a few hours. Today, we are nearing the end of the second day and Borealis’ party actually decided to stay in the camp. Only yours and Arione’s party was the one to take up an actual expedition.”

  I shrugged. “Their choice.”

  It did strike me as odd, but I dismissed it. I wanted to get this conversation over with and get back to my party.

  “I’d like you to get to the point now.”

  Zenom sighed and nodded. “Many people were worried about you. And some were even… wary, that a capable adventurer such as yourself would meet an end on this expedition. It did not have a good look.”

  “...that’s your point?”

  “My point, Slaveborn,” He said with a bit more force, “Is that there are eyes on you. You have earned the respect of the Adventurers, a majority of the Clergy here and even my own and Borealis’.” He turned to look at me, those blue eyes and blonde hair cutting a striking figure. “You must set an example.”

  …What? Where the hell was this coming from?

  “I don’t understand what you mean.”

  “Do you truly not?” Zenom was searching my eyes for something.

  “I don’t.” I grew frustrated. “There is no reason for me to set an example.”

  “Is there not?” Zenom said cooly. “The majority of people on this expedition are human. You are an adventurer who can employ [Aura], the only one who does not have connection to the Empire. You’ve proven yourself to be capable in numerous situations, again and again. You’ve displayed your competency in both combat, wit and strategy; not to mention Leadership.”

  “I cannot have you disrespecting the rules that I place so blatantly.” Zenom finished. “A Knight of your status-”

  “I’m not a knight,” I said, scowling. “I’m an Adventurer.”

  “You wield Aura.” Zenom shot back. “You are human. You are Knight enough. There is no doubt in my mind that once this expedition ends, you will be invited to Turina for a reward.” He gestured at the camp and the people running around like worker bees. “An expedition of this scale, people will talk. And people will hear. And people will wonder.”

  I gritted my teeth.

  That wasn’t necessarily welcome news.

  I knew how MSS worked. With more attention came more dangers. Monsters aren’t the only dangers in MSS. The denizens of MSS are just as dangerous, if not more so.

  “I simply wanted to lay it out plainly for you, Slaveborn. That you have placed yourself into a position where many eyes are on you.” Zenom turned so that he faced me, blocking me from walking further. “You wanted influence within this expedition, well now you have it. Albeit, unofficially. But with that influence, comes attached the strings of holding up the laws that hold this expedition together. Do you understand?”

  “...I do.” I said.

  Zenom had a point. There were too many on this expedition for anarchy to reign supreme. People had to follow orders, stick to the rules and there should be no exceptions. I knew that I had garnered some respect among the people, but had no idea that it was to the extent that Zenom was saying. If it was true, the precedents I set could be deadly in the future. If we were to face a Monster wave for example… every man would have to carry their own weight.

  Which put Zenom in a tough spot.

  I was his most useful tool, yet the most unwieldy.

  …Could I use this?

  Zenom nodded at my answer and turned, walking away.

  I turned too, heading towards the Adventurer’s quarters. Stomach be damned, I had to hit the hay.

  But I couldn’t help but smile.

  Because Zenom just gave me a hint on how to bring the Dwarves into this fleet without a fuss.

  Well, maybe a little bit of fuss.

  Update will resume thursday. I apologize for the inconvenience. Please pray for those who suffered in the Fires.