The rain would not stop.
South of Dawnlight City, at the Drunken Bear tavern.
The wooden door swung open, letting cold wind and rain rush inside. The drinkers at the bar hunched their shoulders.
"Damned weather." Knight Black unfastened his soaked cloak and tossed it to his attendant.
He strode over to an empty table and sat down, his muddy boots leaving two footprints on the floor.
Across from him, a tall, thin baron was trimming his nails with a small knife, not even looking up.
"Black, went to the army camp outside the city again today? Did you see our countess still putting those raw recruits through their paces?"
Black accepted the ale the proprietor handed him and gulped down half the mug.
"Where else would she be? She's there every day. The way she acts, you'd think she was possessed. Tsk, anyone who didn't know better would think that Swamp boy dumped her and she wanted to take it out on the soldiers."
Laughter erupted from several nearby tables.
"What do you mean, 'would think'? He did dump her!" The tall, thin baron drove his knife into the tabletop with a thunk, its tip quivering.
"My wife's cousin works as a cook in the castle. According to her, that fellow named Veylin ran off in the middle of the night!"
"Seriously?"
"Would I lie? Everyone in the castle is talking about it! They've even given Veylin a nickname: the Swamp Deserter!"
The laughter grew louder.
A newly minted noble who had made his fortune reselling timber leaned closer and lowered his voice.
"Do you think our countess has gone mad? She offended Count Philip and Viscount Valerius for a swindler, and now she's upset the Sunyang family too. And she's still drilling soldiers every day. Does she really