-Callia-

  The trip from the capital to the Calibran was relatively unremarkable other than one notable encounter. The woman who reported Callen and me to the guard at the gate was pulling a now empty cart away from the city. It seems while we were in the city going through all kinds of trouble, she went back, retrieved her goods, sold them, and was now heading home. With the knight sitting in the cart below me and the pullers in front, I didn’t want to cause a big scene, but that lady had caused us severe issues for almost no reason. Conveniently, I didn’t need to make trouble. Various monsters had been throwing themselves suicidally at the cart for the better part of the day, and her presence up ahead didn’t change that. Since I had handled all the monsters thus far, I chose to let two get a bit too close to the woman. I waited until she was freaking out with her stick in defense to smoothly snipe both monsters and crack the wheel of her cart.

  I gave her a warm smile as the professional cart runners easily passed her. Watching her frustration dragging the cart with a broken wheel felt like enough justice for someone whose guilt was still rather questionable. All that was certain was her report of us robbing her was a false statement, but the majority of the guilt was still with the guards who wanted to enslave us. The knight riding along with me just looked at me with a raised eyebrow but said nothing. I wanted to justify myself, but explaining the whole circumstances might just blow the issue out of proportion. With my revenge served and no great issues raised, we arrived in Calibran.

  This city was unique in that instead of walls, the entire city was built on a massive stone. Not a normal stone either; it was like someone took a smooth river skipping stone and then scaled it up massively. Around the edges large elevators functioned to raise or lower people into the city, but we weren’t destined for the city proper. Instead we circled around the city and into the harbor region in the back. It wasn’t much different from other regions, except I noticed the guards weren’t using metal armor. They had layers of thin leathers wrapped around their body. The style vaguely reminded me of the Under Armour that the Queens smiths had made for me.

  Seeing a female guard walk by in the skin-tight armor made me feel rather self-conscious. I shook it from my mind. Different cultures, different styles. We hadn’t technically left the central region yet, but it was clear that there was significant bleed-over at the neighboring city. The knight accompanying me took the lead in making arrangements. As a knight of the capital acting on a queen's orders, it didn’t take long until the captain insisted I get into a large safe that was going to be loaded onto the ship. I looked between the man and the safe. Noticing inside it was a box of food, a barrel of water, and an empty barrel for relieving myself.

  “This is a joke, right?” I raised my eyebrow at the nervous captain, who just awkwardly rubbed his hands together.

  “Well, you are chosen, right? All kinds of monsters will be drawn if we let you on deck. There are many stories of sailors who took pity on a chosen only to find the ship swarmed by fishmen or one of the deep dwellers attacking. The box is prepared by the paladins and added if necessary.” The man nervously wiped sweat from his forehead. “Usually the paladins convince the chosen.” I lightened my glare looking back at the metal box they wanted me to spend a week trapped inside. I looked back at my escort, who seemed amused by the dilemma.

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  I groan and deflate. After experiencing the swarms attack the raft, when Callen popped out of the cabin, it made sense to take a measure like this. Still, if worse comes to worst, I just go home and be done with the whole trip. The fact that I had a magic gate to escape into in the event my box was sinking was enough for me to tolerate it. That and the fact that I wouldn’t actually need to tolerate having a bucket of shit next to me for the whole journey. Dumping shit into the void was one of the first tricks Callen had mastered with void shift.

  I slowly walked into the box, glaring at my escort and the nervous captain the whole time. The knight just looked more amused, while the captain looked ready for a heart attack. I heard the groan of wood from what must’ve been a loading crane straining under the weight of the box. While everyone outside was struggling, I decided it was renovation time again. Considering how often it was coming up, I might just get a skill like renovation instinct or something. However, that thought immediately made me shudder. I didn’t want to enter a house, and the first thing my gut tells me is to adjust the painting one millimeter to be perfectly level. I immediately double-checked my status and experienced relief that the skill hadn’t appeared.

  The awkward shifting of the box finally came to an end, and the sound of people struggling outside came to an end shortly before the gentle swaying of the boat confirmed our departure. I flopped into my fancy bed and stared up at the grey ceiling, wondering what I had done to deserve this. If only the king hadn’t ordered me to go to the citadel, I could’ve just gone home and spent my time mastering mana suppression without this whole ordeal. Still, becoming a paladin sounded cool as long as it didn’t interfere with doing what I wanted later. I pulled out a box of chocolates the queen had given me during my stay in the capital and munched while focusing on Callen so that I could precariously live through him temporarily.

  The feeling of Callen hammering metal immediately bums me out. I nearly forgot that Callen liked to spend his every waking hour in a box not so different from mine crafting. That, however, inspired me not to completely waste my time doing nothing. I pulled out Dad’s spear, which was finally starting to look like a spear again. Time to get artsy!

  Yeomarr and Jonas

  Yeomarr glanced back at the paladin Jonas heaving with exhaustion from the extended running. When they started, she had been the one unable to keep pace, but as they went, she easily found plenty of game, and her emaciated body recovered. Now she was back at full strength, and Jonas was unable to keep pace as she darted back and forth, urging him to hurry. After countless times catching up, he didn’t pay any attention until she let him pass. He slowed to look back and noticed her staring upward with an expression of disbelief.

  He let himself smirk as he turned back to the path. On the horizon the citadel stood. Even here miles away, the magnificent bastion shone under the sun’s light like a lone mountain. Just ahead he noticed the edges of Shadow Town. Named such because it was built in the figurative shadow of the citadel. The wastelands to the south were infested with sandworms, golems, and even numerous elementals. If the monsters weren’t drawn towards the citadel, then the town would’ve become rubble long ago. Every legendary monster seeking to enter human territory chooses the south. It was the only path that lacked natural obstacles, and the first challenge to any of those beasts was if they could resist the allure of the chosen.

  With their goal in sight Jonas got a burst of strength to continue pushing forward through the punishing desert heat. Yeomarr had no issue keeping pace, but the sight of the citadel had calmed down her earlier gloating. They arrived at the gates and were immediately greeted by another team of paladins. Captain Sorbeck and his men were just about to leave to investigate the death of Captain Korin. Jonas did not delay in delivering the urgent news of the knight-level demon last known to be at the castle of Duke Harlanou. Immediately he and Yeomarr were escorted into the citadel, where an emergency session was called to order.