The stew was particularly good that night.
Thiriel ate in silence, half-listening to the conversation between Caethiriel and Arielle.
His sister spoke animatedly about the plants in the inn's garden, which she had begun to tend to in her spare time.
Arielle nodded and offered advice on which were medicinal and which were simply decorative.
It was... pleasant.
The word felt strange in his mind.
In his previous life, dinners had been political affairs. There had never been time to simply sit and enjoy a meal.
But here, in this small inn room, with his sister laughing and Arielle smiling with that shyness she still hadn't quite overcome.
He felt only peace.
Three knocks at the door interrupted the moment.
Thiriel placed his spoon in the bowl and stood up. Caethiriel and Arielle exchanged glances as he crossed the room.
Upon opening it, he found one of the inn's employees. A nervous young man who wrung his hands as he spoke.
"E-excuse me, Sir Thiriel. There is a messenger downstairs. He brings a letter from the city governor."
Thiriel frowned.
"From the governor?"
"Yes, sir. He says it is urgent."
Interesting, he thought. What would the Governor of Oakhaven want with an Iron Rank adventurer?
"I will be down in a moment."
The employee nodded and disappeared down the stairs.
Thiriel returned to the table. Caethiriel looked at him with curiosity.
"The governor?" she asked. "Why would he look for you?"
"I don't know yet." He picked up his cloak from the back of the chair. "But I'm going to find out."
Arielle half-rose.
"Do you want me to...?"
"It's not necessary. Finish your dinner. I won't be long."
He went down the stairs toward the inn's lobby. A man dressed in the clothes of a city official waited by the counter, holding an envelope sealed with red wax.
"Thiriel?" the messenger asked.
"That is me."
The man handed him the envelope with a brief bow.
"From Governor Aldric. He awaits a response."
Thiriel broke the seal and unfolded the letter. The calligraphy was elegant, excessively ornate.
Dear Mr. Thiriel,
Your reputation as an exceptional adventurer has reached my ears. It would give me great pleasure to meet with you to discuss an opportunity that would benefit both parties.
I expect you tomorrow at noon at the Adventurers' Guild headquarters, where I have arranged a private room for our conversation.
With the warmest regards, Aldric Vorn, Governor of Oakhaven
Thiriel reread the letter once more.
"Tell the governor I will attend," he said finally.
The messenger nodded and left without adding anything more.
That night, Thiriel hardly slept, thinking about the meeting. Governors did not invite low-rank adventurers to private meetings without a reason. And the reasons of politicians were rarely simple.
What does he know about me?, he wondered. And what does he want in exchange for whatever he is going to offer me?
The next day, he arrived at the guild fifteen minutes before noon.
The interior was relatively quiet at that hour. Some adventurers were having a late breakfast, others were checking the quest board. No one paid him any special attention when he headed toward the stairs leading to the second floor, where the meeting rooms were located.
A guard in polished armor waited for him in the hallway.
"Thiriel?"
"Yes."
"This way, please."
He led him to a dark oak door and opened it for him.
The room was more luxurious than Thiriel had expected. Thick carpets covered the floor. Tapestries decorated the walls. A mahogany table occupied the center, surrounded by chairs upholstered in velvet.
And behind the table, occupying the largest chair, was Governor Aldric Vorn.
He was exactly what Thiriel had imagined.
A fat man, with rosy cheeks and small eyes that sparkled with cunning. His fingers, plump and adorned with gold rings, drummed upon the surface of the table.
His smile was wide, excessively friendly.
"Ah, the famous Thiriel!" he exclaimed, rising with surprising agility for his size. "Please, sit. Can I offer you something? Wine? Water?"
"Water will be fine."
The governor made a gesture and a servant appeared out of nowhere, pouring two crystal glasses with fresh water. Thiriel took his but did not drink.
"I must say," Aldric continued as he settled back into his chair, "that your rise has been... impressive.
From Bronze to Iron in two months. The alpha wolf. Missions completed at a pace that no other adventurer has matched." He made a theatrical pause. "You are exactly the kind of person this city needs."
Thiriel did not respond. He only waited.
The governor seemed to understand that flattery would not work.
"Well, I'll get to the point." He leaned forward, his expression becoming more serious. "A week ago, one of my scouts discovered something... interesting. To the south of the city, near the empire's main river, there is a cliff. And on that cliff, hidden for who knows how long, there is a cave."
Thiriel raised an eyebrow.
"A cave?"
"Not just any cave." The governor's eyes shone with scarcely concealed greed. "According to the symbols found at the entrance, it belonged to a mage. An ancient mage, from the times before the founding of the great academies."
That caught Thiriel's attention.
Ancient mages were legends. It was said they had mastered arts that the modern world had forgotten. Their lairs, when discovered, contained invaluable treasures: artifacts, scrolls, magic crystals of incomparable purity.
And manuals.
"Why are you telling me this?" Thiriel asked, keeping his voice neutral.
"Because I need help to enter." Aldric leaned back in his chair. "The scout who found the cave... did not return after his second trip. I sent a group of Silver Rank adventurers to investigate. They did not return either."
Interesting, Thiriel thought. A cave with unknown dangers.
"I need someone exceptional," the governor continued. "Someone who can survive where others have failed. And according to everything I have heard, you are exactly that someone."
Thiriel considered his options.
It was clearly a trap. Not in the sense that the governor wanted to kill him, but in the sense that he was being used as a disposable tool. If he died, Aldric lost nothing. If he survived and brought back treasures, Aldric would take the lion's share.
But it was also an opportunity.
"What would I get in return?" he asked.
The governor's smile widened.
"Three hundred gold coins. Paid in advance."
It was a considerable sum. More than what most Iron adventurers saw in a year.
But it was not enough.
"There is something else I want," Thiriel said.
"Oh?"
"If there are magic manuals in that cave, I want access to them."
The governor's smile faltered.
"The manuals would be... extremely valuable. The imperial academy would pay—"
"I don't care what the academy would pay." Thiriel looked him directly in the eyes. "I want access to the manuals. To be able to study them before they are sold. To copy whatever interests me."
Silence stretched between them.
Aldric studied him for a long moment. His fingers had stopped drumming. He was evaluating the possible outcomes.
Finally, he nodded.
"Very well. You shall have access to the manuals. One full day to study them before they are taken away."
"I accept."
"Excellent." The smile returned to the governor's face, though now there was something else behind it. Something that Thiriel could not quite identify. "The expedition will depart in a month. That will give you time to prepare. You will receive the specific details a week prior."
Thiriel stood up.
"Then, if there is nothing else..."
"No, no. That is all for now." Aldric waved his hand in a gesture of dismissal. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Thiriel. I expect great things from you."
Thiriel nodded and headed toward the door.
He did not see the way the governor's smile faded as soon as his back was turned. He did not see the small eyes narrowing with an expression that was impossible to decipher.
When he left the guild, the midday sun bathed the streets of Oakhaven. Thiriel breathed deeply, processing the meeting.
One month, he thought. Enough time to prepare and investigate.
Because he did not trust the governor. He did not trust anyone who smiled so much while talking about expeditions where others had died.
"Brother!"
The voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
Caethiriel was running toward him from the other side of the plaza, with Arielle following her at a more moderate pace. His sister reached him panting slightly, a huge smile on her face.
"How was the meeting? What did the governor want?"
"A job," Thiriel replied. "To explore an ancient cave. In a month."
"A cave? Is it dangerous?"
"Probably."
Caethiriel frowned, but before she could protest, her expression changed.
"Well, if it's in a month, then today you don't have to worry about it." She took him by the arm. "Arielle and I want to go for a walk through the city. There's a new market near the river that they say has interesting things."
Thiriel looked at his sister. Then at Arielle, who had stopped a few paces away, her cheeks slightly flushed.
"I don't think—"
"Please." Caethiriel put on her best pleading expression. "You've spent weeks doing nothing but training and hunting beasts. A day off won't kill you."
Thiriel opened his mouth to refuse.
But then he saw something in his sister's eyes. It wasn't just a childish whim. It was genuine concern. Concern for him.
And he remembered the feeling of dinner last night. The peace. The warmth.
One day, he thought. Just one day.
"All right," he said finally.
Caethiriel's smile lit up like the sun.
"Great! Come on, Arielle. The market closes early."
She took Thiriel by one arm and Arielle by the other, dragging them toward the main street.
Arielle cast a glance at Thiriel over Caethiriel's head. There was something in that look, a mixture of nervousness and something softer, warmer.
Thiriel looked away.
But he did not let go of his sister's arm.
And as they walked toward the market under the midday sun, for a moment, just for a moment, he allowed himself to forget all his plans.
For a moment, he simply walked.
With his sister.
With Arielle.
As if he were a normal person.