Streamwood Town

The Giant's Rest Inn

"Hey, have you heard? Count Havent issued a proclamation to establish the North Territory Guard. They're recruiting soldiers now."

"Heard it, heard it. My cousin works as a stablehand at the military camp in Baiman City.

That battle a week ago... tsk, tsk, tsk, it was truly thrilling."

The young man with a hunting bow slung across his back held a wooden cup in one hand, one foot planted on a stool as he began speaking animatedly.

"According to my cousin, that battle was unimaginably brutal. Baiman City was nearly breached. While helping the defenders move supplies, my cousin glanced down. Guess what he saw?"

As evening approached, the tavern was packed. Nearly everyone turned to look over, and several impatient patrons had already begun urging him on.

"What happened? Hurry up and tell us."

"Hey, Vance, you son of a bitch, why'd you stop there?"

But Vance did not continue despite their curses. Instead, he drained the last of his drink and smacked his lips appreciatively.

"Damn it, Maki! Maki! Bring this son of a bitch a drink. Put it on my tab."

Vance took the drink Maki handed him and happily gulped down a mouthful. Then, not forgetting to thank the shop owner, Logins, he slowly continued amid the crowd's curses:

"After my cousin put down the supplies, he looked through a gap in the battlements. It scared him so badly he nearly pissed himself.

Oh, gods above, according to my cousin, there were so many ghouls outside the city that you couldn't see the end of them. At least a hundred thousand. Tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk. His legs went weak right then. Those ghouls were terrifying, and arrows hitting them did nothing."

"Bullshit. If your cousin's legs went weak, how could he see arrows hitting the ghouls without effect? And a hundred thousand? Streamwood Town only has a few thousand people. You really dare say a hundred thousand?"

Hearing someone question him, Vance's face immediately reddened. He turned to see which son of a bitch it was.

"Abby! What the hell do you know? You're a worthless loser who can't even beat a wolf. What could you possibly know? My cousin's a stablehand at Baiman City's military camp. He was right there on the wall."

The young man in a dirt-yellow tunic heard Vance humiliate him so openly and threw down his cup, ready to go argue with him.

But the listeners, eager to hear the story, clearly could not allow the two of them to ruin their pleasant evening with a fight. Under the pulling and restraining of the shop owner and others, Abby sat back down angrily.

Havent sat in a small corner of the tavern, dressed in worn leather armor. After several days of arduous travel, he had finally reached the town his teacher had mentioned, one of the Northern Frontier towns closest to Fort Province.

Streamwood Town was famous for its convenient waterways and abundant timber, attracting many passing merchants and professionals. Meanwhile, the nearby Hogal Mountains contained abundant magical beasts and magical herbs, making the local economy exceptionally prosperous.

Several days of the Northern Frontier's biting wind and sand had turned Havent's fair skin gray with dust. Combined with his equally shabby leather armor, even those most familiar with him would not have recognized the youth as the heir to Hailan Territory in the Northern Frontier.

Havent devoured his stew, occasionally dipping his bread into the broth before stuffing it into his mouth. Watching Vance begin again, he smiled. That fellow really did have a talent for storytelling.

"All right, all right, listen as I continue.

Let me tell you, later on, my cousin came down from the wall. Just as he was about to take a drink to steady himself, he heard the knights on the wall letting out cries of alarm.

He looked up and saw a dragon flying over. That dragon rammed a tower on the wall and knocked it down in one blow. A lot of knights and soldiers fell from the wall right then. If he hadn't dodged quickly, he would've been crushed by flying rubble."

Growing more excited as he spoke, Vance climbed onto the table and gestured wildly.

"I'm telling you, my cousin said that dragon was a full hundred meters long."

As he spoke, he held his arms level and waved them back and forth, indicating that it had truly been enormous.

"Tch, you say a hundred meters, and it's a hundred meters? Even the bards who come to the tavern say dragons are only a few dozen meters at most. Where could there be such a huge dragon?"

Vance turned his head and discovered that Abby was undermining him again. He immediately flew into a rage and pointed at Abby as he cursed.

"My cousin saw it with his own eyes! It wasn't some story made up by those bards who freeload for food and drink. You keep causing trouble, and I'll knock your teeth out!"

Seeing that Vance was genuinely angry, Abby immediately shrank back. Amid everyone's laughter, his face burned, and still unwilling to accept it, he muttered softly again:

"What are you so proud of? It was your cousin, not you. What's so great about that?"

Vance had been planning to continue his story and wheedle a few more drinks from the crowd. Seeing that guy muttering again, he immediately shouted:

"You damned bastard, what did you just say? What did you say?"

Seeing Vance jump down from the table and come over, Abby hurriedly tried to flee. But those nearby who wanted a good show did not want to lose their entertainment and began jeering:

"Hey! Vance, he said you're bragging. Your cousin is the stablehand at Baiman City's military camp, not you."

After downing several drinks in a row, Vance was already somewhat muddled. Hearing the others say that, rage instantly ignited in his chest, and he hurled his cup directly at Abby.

Focused on escaping, Abby did not notice the movement behind him at all. The cup struck the back of his head squarely. Abby cried out in pain and collapsed to the floor.

Vance staggered over and climbed on top of Abby, about to lay into him. But when Abby touched the blood at the back of his head, his own temper flared. He rolled over and threw the drunken Vance off.

The two began trading punches in the open space of the inn. The spectators instantly forgot the story and gathered around them, shouting.

"Oh! Damn it, Vance, throw a punch! Hit him, hit him! Win, and I'll cover your drinks for the whole week!"

"Little Abby, hit him, hit him! Show him what you've got! Knock Vance down, and Gina might even go on a date with you."

In the corner, Havent finally finished off five loaves of bread, a large bowl of stew, and a large bowl of creamy mushroom soup. Watching the two fight, he patted his stomach in satisfaction. Being full really felt wonderful.

Before long, guards entered and pulled the two apart, twisting their arms behind their backs as they escorted them out of the inn. After the innkeeper gave the guards several bottles of wine, he called for the staff to straighten the tables and chairs the fighters had knocked about. With no more excitement to watch, everyone returned to their seats and resumed their earlier conversations.

After resting for a moment, Havent stood and walked toward the innkeeper.

"Damn it, Little Bi. When those two wake up tomorrow, go collect compensation from them. Damn it, can't even have a moment of peace."

Seeing Havent approach, Old Soger waved a hand to send the staff member away. He had a favorable impression of this young man who could eat so much and spent generously.

"Oh, my honored guest, was the food to your satisfaction? Is there any other service you require?"

Havent let out a full belch and smiled at the innkeeper.

"The food was excellent, boss. Can I take a bath here? I think I need a hot bath right now."

Old Soger looked Havent up and down, revealing a knowing adult smile.

"Of course, my honored guest. And we also have skilled female attendants who can serve you."