"Lord Kernt, I hope ya liked the food. You can't find anything better in this country!"
His voice had a rough drawl to it, the kind that made it clear he wasn't from around here. A thick but oddly charming accent.
I turned around to see…a lizard man? It had been the last thing I expected, so I almost flinched a bit when I saw him standing to close. I had thought lizardmen stayed away from human settlements in fantasy settings, but it seems he was different.
"Yeah, the food was good, thanks." I managed to respond, masking my surprise well. The last thing I wanted was to accidentally offend someone because of their race…or species, or whatever the hell it's called.
He seemed to notice my confusion and smirked slightly, bowing low. His smooth, shiny green scales glimmered in the light as he spoke, his tail wagging lazily behind his back.
"First, let me introduce myself. My name is Guxanjux, a Commander of the Draconid Vanguard.I've been assigned as your trainer in close combat. Ah, and don't worry, I'm more than capable of making a hero like you strong enough to stop the Doomsday once and for all!"
Weird. He says he's a knight, but doesn't even wear any armor and has no sword on him. In fact, he just looks like a normal commoner with the way he's dressed in that brown vest and loose pants.
"Gu…Guxanjux?" I repeated, trying my best to pronounce his name right.
His face broke into a wide grin, before bursting out in a loud laughter. I wasn't sure what was so funny, so I let out a small, confused chuckle to play along.
"Bwahaha! You're probably the first human to come close to pronouncing my name correctly. Close, but not completely right!"
He slapped my back playfully, wiping a tear away with his free finger.
"Ye can call me Gux as well. Most do, since my full name can be hard to pronounce."
I smiled back, finding him to be a nice guy already with how friendly he was. "Alright, I'll call you Gux then. And I'm Erdan, so you can just call me that."
"Lord Erdan, then. If you're done eatin', allow me to escort you to the training chamber."
"Training? Already?" I asked, not really feeling up for any sort of physical exercise.
Gux laughed softly "No no, not yet. I simply thought it would be good for you to know your way around. I'll be training you thoroughly each day, after all."
Each day? This is a nightmare… I have to work out from now on!?
"I-Is it obligatory though…?"
"The danger you're going to face is nothing you should underestimate. A little bit of daily training is nothing compared to the actual fight. You have my word on that."
I knew he was right, but I still didn't want to.
Isn't there any Skill that would let me turn off my brain just enough to block off the exhaustion and pain from the exercises? That would be quite handy…
"Now then, please follow me, Lord Erdan."
"You don't need to add the 'lord' part…"
Either not having heard me or deliberately ignoring my words, he walked towards the door, expecting me to follow.
I glanced over at Mira for a moment, wanting to ask her if she wanted to tag along, but didn't have the courage to do so. A million scenarios of how I would somehow fail with a simple task like that came up, and due to my paranoid and cautious mindset, I decided against it.
Sigh…
Gux stopped and turned to face me, noticing how I was hesitating to move out of my seat. "Come on then, Lord Erdan. If we hurry, then I might have enough time for a little spar with you as well!"
"I think I'd rather stall in that case…"
Suddenly, someone else burst inside the room, startling me.
"Hey, Erdan! You in here? I heard you managed to cast a spell without an incantation!" a voice rang out gleefully, making me want to shrink back in my seat.
They were dressed in a pair of white shorts underneath a white coat, coupled with a red vest and a white shirt underneath. Their hair was pure white, with red streaks at the end.
"Oi oi, come on! Yer can't have him, boy-girl!" Gux barked at the newcomer, clearly not fond of whoever it was. "I was assigned as his trainer, so know your place!"
'Boy-girl?' Wait, does that mean he's not a girl? He really did look like one though…
The "boy-girl" in question was standing with his arms crossed and a smirk plastered on his face.
"Heh, I wouldn't want the hero to be tainted by your dirty lizard fingers, after all. He's better off with me, so hand him over!"
While they argued over me like I was some object they owned, I simply sat there, looking between the two and hoping I wouldn't be forced to choose between any of them.
I'm a pretty indecisive person, and I hate choosing between people the most. In fact, I hate anything that requires me to think more than necessary.
"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 said, sticking out his tongue, hands on his hips.
While the two had an intense stare-off, I noticed Mira leaning in close to me, pointing over at the two.
"Master. You have already met Guxanjux, Commander of the Draconid Vanguard. The other is Ren, Second Division Mage. He's a halfling, which is why he appears younger, and shorter, than he is."
"Oh, alright…"
So the little guy was Ren, huh? And a halfling? I had thought they were the less fat versions of dwarfs, but it seems not. Ren, on the other hand, wasn't ugly at all. I dare even say he was kinda cute. The potential to become a femboy!
"Do they always bicker like this?" I asked her, not wanting to kill the flow of our conversation when the only other option was to watch those two glare at each other.
"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's a term from your world, Master."
"I see… You probably heard it from one of the heroes then."
She nodded in response. "I heard it from my previous Master, when he told me about his world."
Her previous Master, she says. From what little I know, she must've had both good and bad experiences with the last hero. But that only raised another question: just how old was she?
She didn't seem like one of those long-lived races you usually see in fantasy. The closest comparison I could think of was some kind of demon, but I doubted a demon would be allowed inside a royal palace.
Then again, it wouldn't be unrealistic for a hero to enslave one of the so-called evil races.
I shoved aside the thought that asking a woman's age was "rude," along with the worry of digging up painful memories, and finally decided to just ask her.
"Hey Mi-"
"That's it! I challenge you to a duel!" Gux suddenly bellowed, cutting me off and shattering what little courage I'd managed to gather.
"Is that so? Very well, I accept!" Ren answered without hesitation.
I noticed Mira sigh softly before turning her attention to me, having heard me start to speak.
"You were about to say something?"
"Ah, no… it's nothing."
That interruption had completely killed my resolve to ask her, so I pushed the question to another time. I also couldn't help but think that it was kind of her to prioritize wanting to hear me out rather than adress the ruckus those two dimwits were causing. A small detail, but one I caught. I was probably just overthinking it though.
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 at Gux and Ren, waving a fist at them.
Both of them were startled at his outburst, with Gux looking like he was caught stealing and Ren whipping around to face Mernel.
"B-but Master, he started it first—!" Ren shouted, his voice cracking slightly while pointing at Gux like a kid.
"Some of us are busy doing work—" Mernel began, only to stop when his gaze landed on me. His eyes widened briefly in surprise, before he straightened up and gave a curt bow.
"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 slightly, and he gave another bow. "You are simply too merciful, my lord. 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.
Mernel clearly held the highest authority over them, which was clear by how quickly they shut up.
Ren called Mernel "Master", which might mean he is Mernel's apprentice or something along those lines. From what Mira told me earlier, Ren is part of some Mage division, so he was obviously a mage.
If Ren has Mernel as his teacher, then that would mean Mernel is quite good at magic. And if he had a high authority, it was likely he was some kind of court mage or whatever the role was called in this world. It's just a theory, but it made sense.
I followed Mernel out of the room, glancing back at Mira who met my gaze and started to follow to as if sensing my unspoken request. I did tell her that we would look around the castle together earlier, 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 forgot most of what he said just a few seconds later.
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.
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 were close to 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-recived by the Ucliat devotees for obvious reasons.
Ah, and the religion was called Ucliatism, which was quite a straightforward name.
As we reached the entrance to the chapel, Mira spoke up in her usual flat 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. I was probably the last person who would fall prey to greed though, since I don't want anything materialistic (other than getting my PC back).
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, so I didn't. 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 somehow felt like I'd regret this later as well.
I tend 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've 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 again. I'd rather sleep on the floor!
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.
I took a deep breath, taking a step forward, ready to confront the wolf-beast.