Smaller in diameter than the inn, or even the adventures guild, the Town Guard headquarters did not occupy that much land – however, layered with gray stone bricks, showcasing an intricate architecture and weaving circular corners into its design, the four story building stood proud, with the barred slits at its base suggesting at least one basement level.
It was adorned with multiple flags made of dark-blue fabric, all displaying the golden crest – two crossed swords, above which sat a sun symbol (albeit slightly different from the Sun Temple's one).
The heavy wooden double doors, which constituted the main entrance, were wide open, with a single brawny guard, wearing a scalemail and holding a halberd, standing watch.
As I got close, his eyes scanned me, before his hand extended forward, followed by a curt request.
"Your sword."
Of course, I didn't have much choice but to comply, removing my sheath from its holder, and passing it to the guard.
He stepped aside, letting me pass into a small hall, a few wooden chairs at its sides, and a wooden counter at its far end.
Behind the counter sat an older woman with brown hair, tied in a short ponytail behind her head. Her brown eyes, resting amidst the subtle wrinkles on her face, locked in a stern gaze.
"Please state the reason for your visit."
Her tone was cold and professional.
"I would like to make a report to the sheriff."
"What's the nature of your report?"
"I… escaped from Luskar. I was advised to report this directly."
The woman nodded, her face showing no outward reaction.
"Please wait here for a moment."
She stood up, and walked through one of the two doors in the back. I could hear her footsteps climbing a set of stairs, before another door opened - and closed again.
I was quietly sitting on the rough wooden chair.
Second after second passed, but the women didn't return, nor could I hear any sound coming from the upper floors.
Just as I felt the familiar feeling of nervousness starting to slither its way into my stomach, I heard the door on the second floor open again, followed by the same footsteps as before.
"The chief will see you. Please follow me."
Holding open the same door she left through, the woman motioned me to come, and so I did.
After climbing a short set of steep stairs, I found myself in a wide corridor.
I also noticed the sounds coming from outside, such as the chirping of birds, became noticeably more muffled the moment I stepped through the door leading to this floor.
"Last door on the left."
The woman pointed at the large door, the only one polished differently than the others and adorned by a few intricate engravings, situated near the end of the corridor, right before a circular stairway.
I quietly nodded, making my way to the door before knocking.
"You may enter."
The deep male voice radiated a feeling of confidence and authority.
I opened the door.
Before me was a massive wooden desk, with dozens of documents neatly arranged on its sides.
Behind the desk, putting away one such document, was a massive man, perhaps even slightly bigger than the Adventurer's Guild branch leader.
He looked middle-aged – perhaps his short, neatly trimmed hair, which was fully gray, made that impression more deceptive.
A few small scars could be seen on his rough skin, and his face, from the square chin to the distinct chick bones, heavy brows and piercing blue eyes, gave off the feeling of control and power, such that made a few droplets of cold sweat sneak onto my back.
Beside the man, who was wearing a regular cotton shirt, barely concealing the iron muscles bulging underneath, a massive set of plate armor - with the Valorian crest imprinted on its chestpiece - was hanging on a special stand, beside an even bigger two handed axe. While the armor was shining, as if recently polished, the many scratches and subtle indentations suggested it has seen its fair share of use, perhaps even recently.
From all the people I've seen until now, there were a few, like Bern, who felt significantly stronger than normal humans, and there was Harold, who looked like a classic tank from some video game, and was clearly on another level.
However, not one of them had radiated such an intense feeling of danger, subtle as it was – and this man was merely sitting at his desk in his casual clothes, sorting through documents.
"Sit down. I won't bite."
His words, voiced in a mildly amused tone, made me realize I've been standing at the doorway for several seconds.
The man, however, took no offense, clearly not stranger to this situation, and motioned at the chair before him.
Involuntarily gulping, I gathered my will, making my way to the chair in front of the man.
"So, you wanted to report something, did you not?"
"...I arrived in Valoria three days ago. I escaped from Luskar."
The man just silently looked at me for a few seconds, before nodding.
"And how did you arrive in Valoria?"
"There was a cave in the Gloomy Swamps. That cave had tunnels. I heard those tunnels were connected to Valoria. I don't remember where I went through, exactly, but at some point, I came out near a mine shaft."
Technically, not a single sentence here was a lie, even if the whole story could be interpreted differently than what happened to Sebastian.
Well, I really couldn't remember anything beyond him entering the tunnels. I did try to recall that part, but unlike most memories, which felt as if they'd return if I gave it enough thought, the memories between Sebastian entering the tunnels and me waking up in his body were completely blank.
It felt like a part of my memories was completely cut off – the only similar experience I could think of was opening that black book on the sofa.
Regardless, I could now claim to have no clue about how I got through the tunnels, and that would be technically true.
"A mine shaft… and that's where you met the Silver Claymore party, correct?"
Of course, he already knew. Even expecting this, I couldn't help but feel a mix of tension, and relief at the fact that I came here when I did.
"Yes."
"I see."
The man grew silent afterwards, his expression unreadable.
Just as I was about to speak, he finally spoke again.
"Whoever suggested you come here yourself did well. And so did you, to adhere to that advice."
"..."
"I do not believe you to be a Luskar spy, myself."
That was a relief.
"However…"
But I knew it was too early to relax.
"There are certain protocols for situations like yours. You, who know two Techniques, but are yet to step on a Path, are in a quite peculiar position. In situations like yours, there are basically three choices."
I listened intently to every word.
"The first choice is to undergo a simple true interrogation. In case you've never heard of the term, it means any interrogation assisted by elixirs, spells, or other abilities that allow for discerning the truth, such as [Command Of Truth] or [Chains Of Truth], among others."
I didn't know such abilities existed in this world, but it did make sense in hindsight. So far, this sounded fairly simple, even if slightly risky…
"Of course, this procedure would be at your expense, and take place in the closest city – Silverveil, in your case. I presume you'd choose the least expensive option, which is requesting the services of a Paladin who can cast [Command Of Truth] or [Aura Of Truth]. Since the process is handled by the city, you'd only have to pay a fixed base fee of 50 gold."
From the moment I heard the words 'your expense', to the moment I heard '50 gold', my mood had continuously dropped from cautious optimism to utter bitterness.
I currently had about 30 gold, and I understood just how hard it was to earn 10 of them.
I could probably get the remaining 20 given time, but time was the one thing I lacked.
I felt like I'd be forced to risk my life with multiple solo requests just to break even.
This was an option I could choose, if I were to be given some time, but I currently hoped to get a better option.
"The second choice is voluntary conscription. You shall be drafted into a special unit, and serve for two years."
Likely noticing that my face began sinking even deeper, he added, with a mild note of bemusement.
"Don't misunderstand. Valoria isn't Luskar, and voluntary conscription is not without merits. You would receive a base salary of 1 gold per week, even before considering the free food and shelter. More importantly, the Valorian Army has always invested in true talent. From training and equipment, to Path guidance, spellbooks, and Technique manuals…"
He subtly narrowed his eyes.
"Someone like you might actually thrive there."
His second offer sounded very tempting.
Had I been simply thrown into Sebastian's body without any further restrictions, I might have even considered it a great offer.
However… I just could afford to spend that much time.
Even two years would leave me with less than a third of the time remaining, and if I knew anything about the military, to get the real good stuff, you'd have to sign away far more than 2 years of your life.
Seeing my lack of reaction, the man simply shrugged his shoulders.
"Of course, as I said, the second option is fully voluntary. Just keep it in mind for now."
"..."
"As for the third option, mentioning it is mostly for protocol in your case, but if you have a guarantor-"
My eyes lit up at the word – something the sheriff did not fail to notice.
"Oh. How interesting. Do you happen to have someone?"
I readily nodded.
"Is he a family member, at most twice removed?"
"No."
"I see. Someone you know?"
"...no. He is actually a friend of my father."
"Hmm… and that man, does he know you? Has he ever seen you?"
"...no. I was told to show him something if he doesn't recognize me."
"I see. This man, does he reside nearby?"
"He owns a shop in Valor's End."
The man just silently nodded, his gaze suggesting deep contemplation.
"That.. would be enough, wouldn't it?"
The hope in my voice was palpable.
After over a dozen seconds of silence, he asked me an unexpected question.
"Valor's End… do you know the history of that city?"
"I… heard it used to be Valoria's capital."
"Indeed. Have you heard the story about how it stopped being our capital?"
I shook my head. Even my knowledge of it being the old capital was based on a single detail from Sebastian's memory.
"A long time ago, we had a nation bordering us to the east, called Malaknia. It still exists, but over a century ago it lost much of its western territories to a rebellion, which had long formed the Malkaria nation that borders us today."
His voice grew solemn.
"Regardless, nearly three centuries ago, the Malaknians staged one of the most devastating assaults in our kingdom's history. The bards sing of the bloodthirsty monsters, exiting the city sewers in droves, bringing chaos and bloodshed in their wake. They sing of the city's magic defenses failing. They sing of the Malakarian bastards who followed the wave of monsters, devastating the royal knights, and slaying the last king of Valor's Edge."
He narrowed his eyes.
"But the stories often omit other things. Things that people like us, who have taken an oath to protect this kingdom, engraved in our hearts."
A shade of bitterness laced his words.
"They do not tell of the countless little failings. Some known, some presumed. Some stemming from corruption and greed, others from fear, others from mere boredom and negligence. Failings that, together, prevented the city from discovering the storm brewing right under its nose. Countless small shortcuts that culminated in one of the biggest, bloodiest defeats in Valoria's history."
The sheriff, who had been looking into the distance, turned his eyes to me again. There was no hostility in them, but a burning flame of resolve and duty.
"I have said so before – I do not believe you to be an enemy of our kingdom. I also appreciate you coming here of your own initiative. Whichever choice you make, I shall do what is within the boundaries of my discretion to aid you. But I shall not bend protocol."
His expression was resolute.
"Valor's End is over a month away by carriage, even more given the stops, with no direct route from Pine Harbor. I can not assign you a personal escort for such a journey – or rather, a true interrogation would be much cheaper."
I inwardly sighed. If nothing before, those last words erased the last traces of hope from my mind.
"If a letter to that man won't be enough for him to personally come here and fully guarantee both the identity of your father, as well as yourself, then consider a different choice."
It was clear to me the sheriff would neither relent or compromise on this issue. And I held great doubt regarding Glenn's willingness to make his way here based on such a letter. Plus, I didn't even know whether his word had enough weight to even be of help, nor did I know whether he would guarantee my father's identity, who explicitly told Sebastian to never tell a soul about him.
"How long do I have to get the money for the interrogation?"
"How much are you missing?"
"Less than half."
"Hmm… in general, the person is given a week - more than enough to attempt to secure a loan. However, I presume your adventurer registration wasn't for show. I shall give you one month - that should be more than enough."
"I'll have the money by then. Thank you, sir…?"
I finally realized I never got to ask his name.
"Brondel. Brondel 'Blightbane'. You can call me sheriff."
"Thank you, sheriff."
"Good luck, Sebastian."
With those parting words, the sheriff reached for a pile of documents, and I could finally leave this office.