The following morning—
Osric opened his eyes before sunrise.
After spending a few moments gathering his thoughts, he quietly got dressed, buckled his sword to his belt and left his room.
The common room of the inn was already unusually lively.
Traveling merchants, adventurers and even a few mercenaries filled the wooden tables.
Almost everyone seemed to be discussing the same topic.
"…I'm telling you, every last one of those smaller gangs is finished."
"No way."
"I saw the heads myself at the Mercenary Guild."
"The bounty board's almost empty now."
Osric slowed his steps.
Another voice joined the conversation.
"It was Harold."
"Harold?"
"You know…"
"The former underground arena champion."
"His company hunted them down all night."
Someone else whistled.
"Just one mercenary company?"
The first man nodded.
"Harold's Ash Company."
"They wiped out every remaining gang that tried to take over after Stoneclaw collapsed."
"They even looted their hideouts before turning in the heads."
Several adventurers laughed.
"That's one way to make money."
"And quite a reputation."
Osric quietly ordered breakfast before sitting down alone near a window.
As he ate, he listened.
The same name kept appearing.
Harold.
Harold's Ash Company.
The former underground arena champion had become the talk of Ashbrook overnight.
Osric wasn't particularly surprised.
When Stoneclaw collapsed, someone ambitious was bound to seize the opportunity.
He simply hadn't expected someone to move so quickly.
Nor so thoroughly.
He thought back to the information he had purchased from the underground broker shortly before entering the arena.
Harold.
Late thirties.
The strongest apprentice knight in Ashbrook according to many.
Captain of Harold's Ash Company.
Ambitious.
Wanted to overthrow Baderon and take control of the Mercenary Guild.
Unlike the current guild leader, Harold despised serving House Greydell and preferred earning his wealth through strength and freedom.
He was also known for one other thing.
He actively sought talented people.
'Interesting.'
Osric took another bite of his breakfast.
'If he truly eliminated every remaining gang in a single night, then his company is even more disciplined than the broker's information suggested.'
For now, however, Harold wasn't Osric's priority.
There were still two people occupying his thoughts.
Hawise.
And Mabel.
Osric finished his breakfast in silence.
He had already made his decision.
His revenge against Hawise and Mabel would wait.
There were more important matters to focus on first.
His party.
His future.
And gaining enough control over his own life that nobody could ever force him into helplessness again.
Once he achieved that—
He would settle the score.
⸻
Over the following week, life in Ashbrook slowly began returning to normal.
The collapse of the Stoneclaw Gang remained the city's biggest topic of conversation. Harold's Ash Company earned widespread recognition after hunting down the remaining gangs and collecting countless bounties, while House Greydell kept an unusually low profile. Rumors about Reginald's punishment eventually faded, and Franklin became busier than ever reorganizing the Adventurers' Guild after receiving additional support from the castle.
Osric spent nearly every day inside the library. One book after another broadened his understanding of mana, history, noble families and the wider world beyond Ashbrook. By the end of the week, even the lingering injuries from his fight against Piers had finally healed completely.
Garrick also focused entirely on recovering from his wounds. He continued visiting the infirmary while occasionally supervising Dustin's training, and by the end of the week he was finally fit to fight again.
Jayson remained under Franklin's guidance. Together with Dustin, he completed several more simple E-Rank missions around Ashbrook while continuing his daily training. Both young adventurers gradually became more confident through the constant experience, though Jayson definitely more.
William continued accepting hunting missions with Richard whenever possible. Their teamwork steadily improved, and although Richard remained distant, he slowly began lowering the walls he had built around himself over the years.
Meanwhile, Paul balanced his time between helping Carol at the bakery and studying whenever work allowed, making sure he wouldn't fall behind the rest of the party.
By the time the week came to an end, everyone had grown in their own way.
One week later—
Osric closed the book in front of him.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
It was finally time.
His party could begin operating together as a true adventuring party.