"Lord Kernt, I hope ya liked the food. You can't find anything better in this country!"
His voice carried a rough drawl, thick but oddly charming. Definitely not from around here.
I turned and almost flinched. A lizardman stood way too close. I had figured lizardmen avoided human settlements in fantasy stories, but apparently this one did not care about the trope.
"Yeah, the food was good. Thanks." I kept my surprise hidden. Last thing I wanted was to offend someone over their race… or species… or whatever term fit here.
He caught my confusion and smirked, bowing low. His smooth green scales caught the light while his tail swayed lazily behind him.
"First, let me introduce myself. My name is Guxanjux, Commander of the Draconid Vanguard. I have been assigned as your trainer in close combat. And do not worry — I am more than capable of making a hero like you strong enough to stop Doomsday once and for all!"
Weird. He called himself a knight but wore no armor and carried no sword. Just a brown vest and loose pants. He looked more like a commoner than anything official.
"Gu… Guxanjux?" I repeated, trying to nail the pronunciation.
His face split into a wide grin before he burst out laughing. I had no idea what was so funny, so I gave a small, confused chuckle to match.
"Bwahaha! You are probably the first human to come close to saying my name right. Close, but not quite!"
He slapped my back playfully and wiped a tear from his eye.
"Ya can call me Gux. Most do, since the full thing is a mouthful."
I smiled back. He already seemed like a decent guy. "Alright, I will call you Gux then. And I am Erdan, so you can just call me that."
"Lord Erdan, then. If you are done eating, allow me to escort you to the training chamber."
"Training? Already?" I asked. Physical exercise sounded like the opposite of what I wanted right now.
Gux laughed softly. "No no, not yet. I simply thought it would be good for you to know your way around. I will be training you thoroughly each day, after all."
Each day? This is a nightmare. I have to work out from now on!?
"Is it… obligatory though…?"
"The danger you will face is nothing to underestimate. A little daily training is nothing compared to the real fight. You have my word on that."
He was right, but I still didn't want to do it.
Was there any Skill that could just turn off my brain enough to ignore the exhaustion and pain? That would be perfect…
"Now then, please follow me, Lord Erdan."
"You do not need to add the 'lord' part…"
He either did not hear or ignored me and headed for the door, clearly expecting me to follow.
I glanced at Mira, wanting to ask if she wanted to come along, but the courage evaporated. A million ways I could mess up a simple question flashed through my head, and my paranoid brain decided silence was safer.
Sigh…
Gux stopped and turned back when he noticed I had not moved. "Come on then, Lord Erdan. If we hurry, I might have time for a little spar with you as well!"
"I think I would rather stall in that case…"
The door burst open again, startling me.
"Hey, Erdan! You in here? I heard you managed to cast a spell without an incantation!" a gleeful voice rang out.
The newcomer wore white shorts under a white coat, a red vest, and a white shirt underneath. Pure white hair with red streaks at the ends.
"Oi oi, come on! Ya can't have him, boy-girl!" Gux barked, clearly not a fan. "I was assigned as his trainer, so know your place!"
Boy-girl? Wait… so not a girl? He really looked like one though…
The "boy-girl" stood with arms crossed and a smirk on his face.
"Heh, I would not want the hero tainted by your dirty lizard fingers, after all. He is better off with me, so hand him over!"
While they argued over me like I was property, I just sat there, looking back and forth, praying I would not have to pick a side.
I hated decisions. Especially ones that involved people.
"Hey, brat, how about you scurry back to your dollhouse?" Gux shot back, shooing him like a stray cat.
"Huuuh!? YOU should go back to your swamp, stupid lizard!" he snapped, sticking out his tongue with hands on his hips.
While they glared at each other, Mira leaned in close and pointed.
"Master. You have already met Guxanjux, Commander of the Draconid Vanguard. The other is Ren, Second Division Mage. He is a halfling, which is why he appears younger and shorter than he is."
"Oh, alright…"
So the little guy was Ren. A halfling? I had pictured them as slimmer dwarves, but apparently not. Ren was not ugly at all. Kinda cute, even. Definite femboy potential.
Mhm. Keeping a spot open in the potential harem.
"Do they always bicker like this?" I asked her quietly. Anything was better than watching the stare-down.
"Yes. Ren harbors prejudice against lizardmen."
"Prejudice?"
She glanced up at me. "Simply put, he is racist."
"Ah…"
"As for Gux," she continued, "he embodies the stereotypical 'macho' male. In his eyes, Ren is a failure as a man due to his feminine appearance."
"Hey, Mira?"
"Yes, Master?"
"Is 'macho' really a word in this world?"
She shook her head slightly. "No, it is a term from your world, Master."
"I see… You probably heard it from one of the heroes then."
She nodded. "I heard it from my previous Master, when he told me about his world."
Her previous Master. From the little I knew, she must have had both good and bad times with him. But that raised another question: how old was she?
She did not look like one of the long-lived races. The horns made me think demon, but I doubted a demon would be allowed in a royal palace.
Then again, a hero could probably enslave anyone, even an "evil" race.
I shoved aside the "asking a woman's age is rude" rule and the fear of painful memories, and opened my mouth.
"Hey Mi—"
"That is it! I challenge you to a duel!" Gux bellowed, cutting me off and killing whatever courage I had scraped together.
"Is that so? Very well, I accept!" Ren answered instantly.
Mira sighed softly before turning to me. "You were about to say something?"
"Ah, no… it is nothing."
The interruption had murdered my resolve, so I saved the question for later. I also noticed how she had prioritized me over the chaos those two were causing. Small detail, but I caught it. Probably overthinking again.
The door slammed open once again, and there stood Mernel, though he was far different from how he usually was.
"You two, quiet down at once! Do you not have any respect, fighting like barbarians in the royal palace?" he shouted, waving a fist.
Both of them jumped. Gux looked guilty as hell, and Ren whipped around.
"B-but Master, he started it first!" Ren shouted, voice cracking while he pointed at Gux like a kid tattling.
"Some of us are busy doing work!" Mernel began, then stopped when he saw me. His eyes widened briefly before he straightened and bowed.
"Lord Kernt, allow me to apologize for their actions. I assure you they meant no harm."
"It's fine, really. Thanks anyway, Mernel," I said with a sheepish smile.
His expression softened. He bowed again. "You are simply too merciful, my lord. You still do not know your way around, correct? As you may be staying here for a prolonged time, it might do you well to learn the layout so you will not get lost over a simple stroll. Now, allow me to show you around the castle in their stead."
He gestured dismissively toward the now thoroughly chastised Ren and Gux, who both suddenly found the floor very interesting.
I followed Mernel out, glancing back at Mira. She met my eyes and started following without a word, like she had read my mind. I had told her earlier we would look around together, after all.
Mernel explained the different facilities and rooms in the palace as we passed by them. I would just nod along and pay attention, though I'd forget most of what he said just a few seconds later. The palace was gigantic, probably the size of a small town by itself. At least as far as I could see. Clearly royalty here were swimming in money.
The hallway walls were covered in beautiful red velvet, with intricate golden patterns and tapestries lining them. There weren't many portraits, just a few that I guessed depicted nobles, big shots, or maybe even previous kings or queens.
Mernel noticed me looking at a particular portrait of what I could only assume was a queen. I weren't really into older women that much, but I had to admit that she certainly had some good looks. Then again, my tastes in women are usually more generous compared to others I know.
"Do you know who this is, Lord Kernt?" Mernel asked, his hands behind his back as he faced the painting of the woman.
I simply shook my head in response, and he continued with a smile.
"It's actually Queen Elisabeth."
"Oh, really?"
I looked at the painting more and then looked at him in slight confusion. "But if she has a painting of herself, why did she hide behind that red…velvet thing? Is she sick or something?"
Mernel simply chuckled softly, shaking his head softly.
"Ah, it's quite complicated, and this is hardly a place to discuss it."
"Oh, I see. It's fine tho…"
Mernel continued to show us around the palace (with me occasionally forgetting that Mira was with us due to her lack of presence). He showed us the courtyard and a grand library in the vicinity of my bedroom, the guardroom, the storeroom, cellar, and lastly, a chapel.
I wasn't exactly a religious person, but I did believe that there was a higher being. Still, I was never a fan of religions in fantasy worlds since they were quite nonsensical.
Funny enough, my very abilities were received by the apparent god of this world, so there wasn't much I could say about it.
Mernel had explained that most countries worshipped Ucliat, but there were also a handful worshipping other deities. They were usually not well-received by the Ucliat devotees for obvious reasons. The religion was known as Ucliatism, which was quite a straightforward name.
As we reached the entrance to the chapel, Mira spoke up in her usual calm tone. "You go ahead Master, I will wait here."
"Ah, alright." I responded with a nod, respecting her wish and heading inside with Mernel.
Once we entered the chapel, it immediately reminded me of a mix between a catholic church and something else I couldn't quite put my finger on.
Then my eyes landed on the back of someone at the far end of the room near the altar. Whoever it was seemed to be holding some kind of book. Mernel took a few steps forward and called out.
"Good day, Marcel! It's rare to see you around here so early."
The man turned his head over his shoulder, his eyes widening in recognition as he turned and walked towards us. "Ah, if it isn't the Court Mage Mernel. And the hero himself too! It's a pleasure to meet you."
He stopped in front of me, grabbing my hand with both of his as he shook it with enthusiasm.
"It's an honor to meet you, Hero Kernt. While you may not have achieved anything worthy of such recognition yet, you must understand that someone blessed with gifts from our lord is not to be treated lightly. I expect great things from you, Hero!"
Ohhh, that explains why heroes are so valued. It seemed like I was special because I was 'favored' by their god or something.
"Ah, uhm, thanks sir." I replied with an awkward, slightly forced smile.
He patted my shoulder firmly, a polite smile still plastered on his face.
"Such a polite young man too, aren't you? A word of advice: don't let your greed corrupt you. It has happened more than you think with the previous heroes."
"Ah, I kno–… I mean, I will be careful." I corrected myself quickly, not wanting to seem too dismissive towards his sincere advice.
The priest patted my shoulder one last time before holding his hand out for a handshake.
"I should probably introduce myself. I'm Marcel Kirshinov, the head priest here. If you have any questions about your duties or about our lord, don't be afraid to visit."
Kirshinov? That sounds oddly similar to a Russian surname…
I shook his hand in return. "Yeah, I'll keep that in mind."
He gave me a small nod and let go of my hand, clasping his own behind his back. "I won't keep you here any longer. I'm sure you're busy learning from Mernel."
"Ah, yeah. It was nice meeting you though." I replied with a smile, waving at him as I walked out of the chapel with Mernel.
Perhaps I had been too friendly with Marcel, because I swore I heard Mernel chuckle softly next to me.
I then remembered that Mira had been waiting near the entrance, looking left and right but not seeing her.
"Master."
"Huh?"
I looked down at the source of the sound just to find Mira sitting against the wall with her knees drawn up to her chest, looking up at me with that same unreadable expression she always had.
It didn't seem like she was in distress, and I didn't really dare to ask what she was doing down there, so I let it be. Neither did Mernel, who walked on ahead. "There is one more place I need to show you, hero. Follow me."
I looked at his retreating back, turning to Mira and hesitating before reaching out a hand to help her up.
It felt weird, and even wrong, since I didn't usually interact much with people if they didn't interact with me first, but I did it anyway.
I tended to regret not making choices that will push me out of my comfort zone, no matter how small. It was something I developed recently due to my tendency to take the easiest route each time. While I prefer walking a path I'm comfortable and used to, I sometimes want to take an alternate route and experience something interesting.
But that's not important. What's more important is that she just ignored my hand and stood up, brushing her skirt off. "Thank you, Master, but I can stand on my own." she said with that same blank look.
I showed her a bit of kindness and she's already showing me an attitude, huh? Well, damn her!
That thought quickly passed by though as I saw her give me a short bow of appreciation, and I came to just feel a bit embarrassed, rubbing the back of my head unconsciously.
"R-right. Let's catch up with Mernel then, before we lag behind too much."
After a bit of walking, we arrived back to where my room was.
"Didn't you say you were going to show me something? We're just back to my room…" I trailed off, hoping I didn't say anything stupid. I was quite self-conscious about how I said things.
Mernel smiled softly in response, gesturing inside while caressing his grey beard with his other hand. "Hero Kernt, we took the chance while you were out to and prepared a little gift for you."
"Really? But I've already gotten so much, so I don't really need more…"
He put a hand on my back, lightly pushing me forward. "Ah, don't be shy! It's only natural we help you settle in and make your life here comfortable for you to help us in a calm state of mind! Or something like that."
Ah. So it was a technique to make me not miss my home or something? That's not possible unless you provide me with a computer and unlimited internet access!
Swallowing lightly, I pressed down the doorhandle and slowly opened the door, wondering what my new 'gift' would be.
"…"
I had opened the door, expecting something good but unusual considering how my day has been so far, but even this was a bit too much. In front of me was a wall of black fur. Looking up, I saw what it truly was.
A massive, wolf-like beast was sprawled across the floor, it's tail wagging and eyes staring right at me. I stared back blankly, unable to process whatever this giant beast was, before slamming the door shut.
"Mernel?"
"Yes, Lord Kernt?"
"Wha...what's that?"
He simply clapped his hands together and smiled reassuringly.
"Ah, that's your familiar! Or future familiar to be more accurate. Only heroes like you can tame them, and it will be useful for your journey. Quite the honor, if you ask me."
"Tame it? H-how…? Don't I need some Skill or something?"
He simply waved a hand dismissively. "No need, no need! Just… be yourself."
Bro…I was not going to go inside that room. I'd rather sleep on the floor! And what's with his attitude? He was being all mentor-like just moments ago!
I took a step back, accidentally bumping into Mira in the process. "Ah, sorry." I muttered quickly. Mira just looked at me with that same unreadable expression, before suddenly speaking up.
"Master, do you want me to accompany you during the taming?"
I looked at her for a moment, surprised by her offer, and then quickly stuttered out an answer.
"Y-you will? I'd appreciate it! Thank you!"
She gave a small nod in return, turning around and already entering the room before I could prepare myself mentally.
"W-wai-"
"Let's head inside, Master. I wouldn't recommend leaving a beast like that untamed in the palace."
Why is it even here without surveillance in the first place!?
Having no choice, I stepped into the room too, pretty much hiding behind Mira. She just stepped to the side when she saw me standing behind her, making it clear that I had to approach the beast myself.
Dammit, I guess I have no choice.
I took a deep breath, taking a step forward, ready to confront the wolf-beast.