“Alright, I think we had enough fun for today,” Hamil stated, getting everyone’s attention.

  Both Saang and Mikella grumbled at his statement, the two having a lot of fun guessing where Mikella would end up. Apparently doing so was a matter of training for both of them–for Mikella’s Warp Jumping and for Saang to guess her potential enemie’s movements should they have the same thing.

  Zeke and Kote were just away enjoying the view, giving their remarks about the Mythril Skin Zeke was displaying at the same time. Apparently Kote had never heard of the metal, and neither did Saang and Hamil, something that piqued his curiosity.

  What really fascinated Zeke was when Kote spoke about an author of a super niche book regarding everything about how the skill is structured. In summary, skills are built in with limitations by the system, and the borders that creates these limitations is the current rarity of the skill.

  Skill books, whether Epic or below, always come in with some pre-built fences to ensure balance and limitations by the system. It just means that you can acquire a powerful skill without any training or requirements.

  However, skills that were raised from the beginning, particularly General Skills, have a greater control over their development than when initially granted by the Skill Book or the system in question. In other words, while it may suck to move right now, Zeke can gradually ‘teach’ the skill to work better as he raised it from Rare rarity to beyond. Of course, skill book-gained skills aren’t always gonna get limited–you just need a lot of spit and elbow grease to get it to do what you want.

  “Resources are up, and it looks like Zeke is all ready to go, so let’s–”

  Hamil stopped speaking, the sounds of something beating against the ground taking their interest. Zeke’s ears perked up when he heard what sounded like hooves beating the now lifeless ground. He stood to the side to notice what looked like a traveling platoon on horseback riding over to their side. His gut told him that he wasn’t going to like this as the members of the platoon wore similarly colored armored uniforms. They even had a flag displaying some insignia colored in bright purple and blue. It looked like something belonging to a certain organization, but if Zeke were to hazard a guess, it would belong to a noble of some kind.

  “Godsdammit, not this crap again,” Saang clicked her tongue, annoyance filling her voice. The other two men were more on guard and strewn with frowns.

  “Who are these guys?” Mikella asked, getting near Zeke. At this point, it was either to ensure his safety, or to ensure her own safety by putting him up. The latter is the most likely, considering that it was for the safety of not having to deal with anyone annoying to piss her off.

  “That flag marks them belonging to House Corran, a noble house of high standing amongst the other houses,” Kote said matter of factly. “They’re known to keep the peace around the areas surrounding this place, but we didn’t think they’d go this far in.”

  “Considering the tower exploding here, I’m more shocked they haven’t been utilized earlier,” Hamil said, his eyes narrowing. “Anyways, Zeke, Mikella–if possible, stay quiet. We don’t want the nobles or any of their lackeys to realize your special circumstances.”

  Zeke and Mikella nodded, already making some guesses for the reasons. Considering that Cronus put up plenty of insurance to keep their identities a secret, even putting them up with the secret agents working undercover as a top tier adventurer party, it would make sense that their identities being known would cause problems.

  That was all putting aside Zeke’s persona of a ‘Plauge Doctor’, but that had nothing to do with his circumstances. Not to mention, he was sure Cronus wouldn’t want a bunch of adventurers dying off.

  Eventually, the platoon arrived at their surroundings, some of their soldiers whipping their heads around the vicinity to see the absolute whiteness of the field around them. The horses that they rode on wore explicitly fancy armor that seemed not just decorative, but functional as well. Eventually after a few moments, one of the soldiers landed on the ground, his tall stance making it obvious he was the leader of the group.

  His armor was the only heavy plated one with enough decorations to make him stand out. If anything, it’s to assume he was the leader. That only made Zeke confused, considering that he’d be likely the core target should they get ambushed, but he supposed that highly decorative armor comes with some pretty substantial enchantments, but he put those thoughts aside as he unveiled his helmet to reveal a grizzly old man with a rough brown beard, following with short-cropped hair. His face had a scar that ran down his cheek, and wrinkles showing his age, but it was clear that he was a powerful Journeymen by his level alone.

  Warrior, Level 82.

  A High Journey? Zeke guessed. That was even higher than Cloud and Val’s levels. Then again, it just meant that he lived a long time while doing his duty, proving his strength and prestige.

  When he came up to the group, he shouted at them with a clear commanding voice.

  “My name is General Tristan Corran of House Corran,” The man said, showing pride and honor in his voice as he spoke to them, his high stature making it easy to look down on them. “We were ordered to travel here to find out the source of the explosion, only to find that the area surrounding here has completely died, devoid of color. Might you all explain the situation? In full detail, without anything missing, of course.”

  He added that last bit as though it should be obvious, and Zeke can’t help but feel guilty since technically speaking, they did cause this. However, the way the man looked down on them just by his attitude and expression alone made Zeke seethe a little.

  It reminded him of the nobles that talked Mikella down back then, and this man was reeking with the same pompous attitude.

  Thankfully, Hamil walked up forward, greeting the man with a gentle smile.

  “Greetings, General Tristan. I do apologize for having forced you travel such a long way to see this travesty. As for what had happened–we had traveled here for adventurer business to take down one of the towers we surmised to be responsible for the mana issues occurring across the region. We had every intention to ensure safety around the tower, but when we finally dealt with the tower, it resulted in this explosion. Thankfully, there was nobody around but the monsters that have been affected, and we plan on reporting this to the guild as soon as we recover.”

  “You expect me to believe that the tower here had caused this much destruction? For what–what have you done to cause such a thing?” Tristan ordered, his brows furrowing. He looked like he had been sorely lied to.

  “We have done nothing but to get rid of the tower. We managed to find out its source, or at least what made it appear in the first place, and dealt with it like we would a monster.”

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  “And how exactly did you do that?” Tristan asked again.

  “I’m afraid that is not part of the contract. All of us here have signed that we do not disclose anything we have found about the tower to anyone other than the client. I hope you understand.”

  “Oh, I understand plenty,” Tristan said coldly, and gestured with his head to the group behind him.

  Suddenly the armored soldiers stood their ground and unsheathed their weapons, aiming at the party. Zeke went on edge with Mikella pulling out her sword. But Kote quickly put them at ease with a raise of his hand, staring hard at them.

  ‘Don’t move a muscle’, his eyes relayed to them. Zeke turned to Mikella, and she in return frowned harder as she put her sword away. Thankfully, that made the soldiers loosen their weapons at the sight, but their tips were still aimed at them.

  Swords and spears, and even daggers and axes were pointed at them. Zeke could feel an array of diverse powers forming at their side, showing that they were ready to pull out their skills if need be. Considering that all the soldiers here were around level 70 and above, and Zeke only just barely recovered his mana for a simple ride, they would have a very hard time if they were to fight them all now.

  “I deem you all responsible for the explosion caused here,” Tristan said without remorse. “And we will take you into custody for the suspicion of working against Arcelot. You will come with us, without question.”

  Zeke, this isn’t good… Mikella whispered. I’m getting Zacharia vibes all over from this guy.

  Zeke winced at the memory of Zacharia pulling this crap on them, then forcing them to land in jail after finding out about their true identities. Something told Zeke that Mikella would rather do whatever she can to avoid that, and quite frankly, Zeke was already making up a plan to make it easier for them both.

  But as soon as the soldiers were approaching them, ready to take them in–Hamil let out a long, almost prolonged sigh in frustration.

  “You really had to keep pushing, didn’t you, Tristan?”

  Hamil stated, even speaking with Tristan in that casual tone he always had. The professionalism was gone from his voice, and now he looked like a tired veteran that was dealing with a bratty kid. He opened up his storage bag, and before anyone could say otherwise, he pulled out what looked like a rolled parchment and unfurled it.

  It looked like an official document of some sort, and from that document, something began to glow at the small corner of it. That glowing sigil looked like a marking, and a rather prominent one at that as it made even Tristan’s eyes widened in alarm.

  “T-That mark… it couldn’t be–”

  “We are under orders of Lord Cronus of Arcelot to investigate the tower here,” Hamil said, his voice now resolute. “As such, me and my companions went ahead to investigate. Once we discovered its danger, we went and destroyed it. I hereby declare General Tristan of House Corran to be against Lord Cronus’s orders, thereby endangering those of Arcelot.”

  The instant Cronus’ name was mentioned, the other soldiers in the platoon practically shivered, their feet scuffling about nervously. They didn’t plan on being here today only to be told that they were going against the literal lord of the country.

  Tristan, thanks to his helmet being off, turned pale at the mention of the lord, but he quickly composed himself, displaying what Zeke would describe as the fakest smile he ever saw.

  “Now, now, let’s be reasonable,” Tristan said, his voice raised by an octave. “This was all just a misunderstanding. There was no way House Corran could have realized that this quest was of such importance. Why, we weren’t even told of such a thing! Can you honestly blame House Corran for misunderstanding such an important quest, especially after witnessing the chaotic events that were done here?”

  Zeke was amazed at the audacity that this man could quickly switch from being authorative to practically begging for mercy in the same instant. Still, another part of him agreed that if the noble himself wasn’t aware of it, it would only make sense that the ones who were around the explosion would be responsible for the mess.

  Hey, did you notice that he keeps saying ‘House Corran’ instead of just himself? Mikella whispered back to him, actually bringing up a good point.

  I’m guessing he must have come here to find out the cause and catch some brownie points. Now that he could get in trouble, he’s trying to bring the entire House into it to avoid punishment. Maybe even make it easier for them all–like dispersing the blowout to make it easier or something.

  Yeah, I figured, Mikella nodded, experly hiding her gesture from anyone else. There was that sneering look on her face that told him everything about how she felt. Having to defer to a higher power to avoid the consequences of your own actions, even leading those consequences to your loved ones to avoid hurting yourself, was at the top of Mikella’s personal shit list. Zeke can only nod in approval to that.

  They really couldn’t do much else except speculate Tristan’s reasoning, but Zeke was appalled at how quickly he deferred to his House. Wouldn’t he still get in trouble with his household if they found out about this? Then again, this wasn’t their problem, but it was interesting to see the result.

  Hamil, who listened on to Tristan’s words, nodded his head in affirmation. “Of course, I believe this went on a bit too far for any of our liking. So, how about we rewind time a bit and just leave it at that? I’m certain that all of us could get away with neither any reports to write about or any punishment involved for the mission’s results, yeah?”

  “Y-Yes, of course,” Tristan agreed, though his face soured a little. “However, I will have to put this up with Lord Cronus himself. All of this could have been greatly avoided should we have been warned beforehand…”

  “I swear to you that this will reach the Lord’s ears by the end of the day. Do not worry, General Tristan. I’ll also make sure to mention to him how quickly House Corran investigated the matter as soon as trouble arose. Even for other noble houses, they tend to lag despite the danger to their territory. I’m certain the House would be greatly praised, and perhaps rewarded, for that.

  “...Do be sure to do so,” Tristan said, though there was a heavy doubt in his words.

  Moments after, the platoon finally left the field, most of the soldiers left feeling disappointed that they couldn’t find any action. On the other side, the otherworlders let out a feeling of relief after seeing the platoon leave without much trouble. They still couldn’t get over being imprisoned unjustifiably from before.

  “Whoo, sorry you guys had to go through that,” Hamil shook his head, letting out a heavy breath and releasing all the tension in his body.

  “Doe this happen often?” Mikella asked, still looking over at the platoon riding away on their horses.

  “Rarely, but when it rains, it pours,” Saang said, the entire time showing that same frown since they talked with the noble. “Every single time something like this happens, the nobles from any Household come up and act like they own this and that, trying to get any snippet of credit for their own gain.”

  “And I’m guessing anything troubling would pass on to anyone that just happens to be there?” Mikella pointed out, receiving a nod from Saang. Mikella spat to the side in disgust. “Fucking douchbags.”

  “Heh, douchbags…” Kote chuckled. “I don’t know what that means, but it sounds hilarious. Mind if we use it?”

  “Go all out,” Mikella grinned.

  “That document you put out,” Zeke asked, turning his question to Hamil. “Did Cronus give you that?”

  “Yeah, but now I gotta write a report for using his mark,” Hamil grumbled, brushing the back of his head. His eyes told a tale that it would not be a pleasant time. “Still, it’s ten times better than resting in the slammer for who knows how long… Zeke, mind giving us a ride? I really rather not walk back after this.”

  “Sure, I owe it to you after all,” Zeke smiled. “Get ready guys.”

  Zeke instantly prepared his formerly Barrier Car now turned Ethereal Car for the party to ride on. Once that was done, they rode off towards the sunset–or whatever that the Studded Star calls itself during the sundown. Meanwhile, everything whirled in Zeke’s head kept replaying itself, trying to make a connection to it all.

  He could only conclude that this would only make it worse for the next towers they would tackle.