Viscount Morien

The next day, Allen changed his clothes, took his staff, and went to the lord's manor. Viscount Morien had just returned from the army, and when he heard that Allen had come to visit, he went to welcome him with great pleasure. "Good day, my lord. My name is Allen." Seeing Viscount Morien approach, Allen quickly rose and bowed to him.

Allen knew little of noble etiquette and had only read descriptions of it in books. Fortunately, Viscount Morien did not mind. He nodded to Allen. "I heard about your heroic deeds yesterday. Very impressive-you actually killed all those bandits single-handedly."

Cold sweat immediately poured down Allen's back at the viscount's words. What did he mean, killed all those bandits single-handedly? Frank had exaggerated far too much. Allen hurried to explain, "I'm sorry, my lord. Those villagers always like to exaggerate things. I only led them in defeating the bandits. I couldn't possibly have killed that many people alone."

Viscount Morien was not angry, since he knew rumors were always exaggerated in some way. Instead, he was pleased with Allen's honesty and praised him. "Regardless, the result is the same. You defeated the bandits, and that honor belongs to you. You should know we had been searching for that band for a long time, but those incompetent subordinates of mine were utterly useless. They couldn't even handle such a trivial matter."

Allen was somewhat surprised to hear the viscount speak of his subordinates that way. "My lord, perhaps they simply needed a little time..." Before Allen could finish, Viscount Morien angrily interrupted him. "I gave them an entire month, and those idiots did nothing but wander aimlessly around the area. Completely useless. Forget it. Let's not discuss that. Allen, you're a capable man, far better than those useless subordinates. I admire you greatly and hope you'll stay and serve me."

Hearing this, Allen knew they had reached the real business. He put on the appearance of someone who very much wanted to stay but seemed to have some unspoken difficulty. Viscount Morien suspected nothing and asked him, "What is it? Are you unwilling?"

Viscount Morien's expression had already begun to change as he said this, and Allen hurried to explain. "My esteemed lord, I'm very sorry. Although I would very much like to stay, as you know, I'm a mage apprentice. Before my mentor left, he told me to find him in Dalaran. I believe I must go to Dalaran to complete my studies. If you're still willing to accept me afterward, I would be delighted to serve you."

Allen had no desire to serve this viscount, but he could not refuse him outright. It would be disastrous if he angered him. As for the mentor he had mentioned, that was all a lie, intended to give Viscount Morien the illusion that Allen had someone backing him, in the hope that he would not act rashly.

Viscount Morien sounded somewhat doubtful after hearing this. "Oh, I hadn't realized Mage Allen had a mentor. May I ask his name and what sort of mage he is?"

Allen had no choice but to keep making things up. "His name is Victor Sacks, and he's an alchemist. This is a small gift he gave me when he accepted me as his apprentice." Allen took out his charged staff. Viscount Morien was not a mage and did not understand the difference between a charged staff and a true staff. Once he sensed the waves of magic emanating from the staff in Allen's hand, he had no choice but to believe him.

If Allen's mentor was a mage as well as an alchemist, he absolutely must not offend him. Who knew whether that mysterious mentor was acquainted with any important figures? His mentor had even given him a staff, which showed that he valued Allen greatly. At this thought, Viscount Morien began to abandon the idea of keeping Allen there. He smiled at Allen and said, "That truly is a shame. With your abilities, Allen, I would certainly give you a commander's position if you stayed. What a pity..."

Allen was somewhat surprised that Viscount Morien would actually offer such generous terms to keep him. But on further thought, he had probably only decided to win Allen over after hearing that he had a powerful mentor. Still, Allen put on a deeply grateful expression and said to Viscount Morien, "My lord, thank you so much for thinking so highly of me. If I return after completing my studies, I will certainly serve you."

Viscount Morien would never truly make him a commander. With such an important position, he would never trust anyone but himself. Still, to please Allen, he offered a few polite words. "It would be wonderful if you could come. Of course, your studies are the most important thing for now."

Allen chatted with Viscount Morien for a while longer, then finally brought up the matter of a travel pass. Wanting to please this young man, Morien readily agreed. At noon, Allen left the lord's manor despite Viscount Morien's attempts to persuade him to stay. He truly did not want to remain there any longer, for fear of giving himself away.

After leaving the lord's manor, he went to the administrative office. Hearing that he was the lord's honored guest, the official there did not make things difficult for him. He readily stamped the papers and issued his documents, and before leaving, Allen slipped the official some silver coins.

Allen returned to the inn in excellent spirits. Still, to avoid complications from delaying too long, he decided to leave the next day.

The next day, Allen first visited Gorrick and the villagers, then headed straight out of the city. Once outside, he made directly for Kaltz War Fortress. The journey from Morien to Kaltz took only about two weeks. Earlier, as soon as Allen had reached Morien, he had obtained a new map. This was something he had to do whenever he reached a new place, since maps provided in different places generally differed. They were only accurate in the surrounding area, with large discrepancies farther away. The main reason was that Allen could not obtain official maps; this was all he could expect from ones bought at a market.

At noon, Allen sat beneath a large tree and studied the map carefully. He discovered that Darend Farm was nearby. It sounded like the estate of a noble named Darend, and the farm lay directly behind Kaldz War Fortress. After some thought, Allen decided to take a look at the farm first, since it was on his way anyway.

After resting for half an hour, Allen set off again. Almost nothing happened along the way; he did not encounter even a single bandit. But considering what a warmonger Viscount Morien was, this area had probably been swept more than once. Before long, Allen left Morien's territory.

A week later, Allen arrived at Darend Farm with a band of hired soldiers. He had met them a few days earlier, and they had told him they were employed by Kaltz to assist Commander Hannes in defending the surrounding area. Since Allen was also heading to Kaltz, he traveled with them.

To learn about the situation in Kaltz, Allen began chatting with these hired soldiers. They were much like the adventurers and mercenaries he had met before. However, hired soldiers generally served nobles, and their work mostly involved protecting and assisting them, unlike adventurers and mercenaries, who did all sorts of work.

Because of the nature of their work, hired soldiers were often much stronger than ordinary mercenaries and adventurers, and earned more money as well. Most also traveled in groups; it was rare to see just one or two hired soldiers on their own. Allen also asked what their main task was on this trip to Kaltz. But the hired soldiers had rules about keeping their employers' affairs confidential, so none of them told him.

Still, it was easy enough to guess. At a border stronghold like Kaldz War Fortress, what else could there be besides war? This was not good news for Allen. If the border was sealed, he would not be able to get through even with travel papers. Allen was anxious, but there was nothing he could do. He would find a way to ask around once he reached Darend. Something as major as war breaking out at the border could not possibly be kept secret.

Finally, a week later, Allen and the hired soldiers reached Darend. Darend was still flourishing, with no sign at all that war was about to break out. After entering the town, Allen first found an inn, then went to a tavern and ordered a cup of fruit wine. He sat there without drinking it, listening instead to the conversations of the mercenaries coming and going.

Not long after Allen sat down, he heard a booming voice nearby. "Innkeeper, hurry up with the booze! I want genuine dwarf-brewed spirits. If you dare water it down, don't expect to get a single coin out of me."

Allen turned and saw a dwarf adventurer. This was not the first time Allen had seen a member of the dwarven race. They had several distinctive traits. First, most were very short, standing around 1.3 to 1.4 meters tall. Yet they were by no means frail. Because dwarves enjoyed smithing, each had sturdy limbs and a powerful body. They were practically born warriors.

Second, they all had full beards, which they reportedly began growing in childhood. The quality of their beards mattered greatly to them, since among dwarves, a handsome full beard gave one a considerable advantage in finding a mate. Their beards were equivalent to human looks. (More than half a dwarf's face was hidden behind his beard, making it impossible to see what he looked like. One could only judge by the beard.)

Third, dwarves were generally forthright and straightforward, even stubborn. But one must never assume they were easy to deceive. Dwarves hated deception above all else, and those who dared cheat them were often beaten to death with the great hammers in their hands. At the same time, they could be called the most common race in human kingdoms, since many enjoyed adventuring and had left their traces throughout the world.