Chapter 130

Chapter 130

“You’re— Amelia the Unranked Adventurer!” Brynn exclaimed.

I frowned and glanced back at the rest of the room. Most of the patrons to the inn were still passed out. Which was good because I was trying to keep a low profile, and no one overheard the [Innkeeper]. I just shook my head.

“Please don’t call me by that Title. Just call me Amelia, Brynn.”

“R-right.” She took a step back as she stared at me for a long moment.

I watched as she looked me up and down like I wasn’t actually real. As if I was a figment of her imagination. Once she was certain that I was actually standing right in front of her, she took in a deep breath and closed her eyes.

“You... you shouldn’t be here, Amelia,” Brynn said in a low voice. She looked past me, before gritting her teeth. “Things have changed since you’ve been gone. Our city has been taken over by the [Hero King]’s forces, and—”

“I know all that,” I cut her off. I gestured vaguely towards the outside of the inn. “I kind of noticed all that when I was on my way here.”

The [Innkeeper] blinked. Then she shook her head. “That’s why you should go— leave Windrip. Things will be... rather messy over the next few days.”

I raised a brow. What did that mean? I exchanged a glance with Jax, looking if he knew what Brynn was talking about. But he was hardly even paying attention to the conversation. His gaze was sliding off the walls of the room as he wore an incredibly bored look on his face.

I sighed as I turned back to face the [Innkeeper]. “Messy how? What’s been going on since I’ve left? Is the Astrad Kingdom going to be retaking the city or something??”

“I... no— not much has happened after the [Hero King] attacked.” Brynn pursed her lips. “Many of the Kingdom of Kal’s soldiers garrisoned here are at least C-ranked. I’ve heard there are even a few A-ranks amongst them. And with Windrip’s proximity to Briar Glenn, the Astrad Kingdom can’t send a large army here to liberate us without losing a lot of their forces along the way.”

That was expected. I was told when I first arrived in Windrip that the city was less of a strategic importance for warfare, and more of a necessity because of the threat of monster attacks. It started out as a fortress at first, but eventually grew into a city, especially when Briar Glenn’s most dangerous threats were culled out.

So retaking Windrip was hardly on the list of things to do for the Astrad Kingdom.

“I know that the Kingdom of Kal has mostly... left us alone, but I wish King Jalen Astral does something about them soon.” Brynn sighed as she lowered her head.

“I see.” I nodded slowly at the [Innkeeper]. “Well, I’m not here to get involved in the war, anyways. I’m just here to find Evan.”

And that made her pause. “Evan? You mean Guildmaster Evan? The head of Windrip’s Adventurer’s Guild?”

“Uh, yeah?” I tapped a finger on my chin. “He went missing— or he was taken by the Kingdom of Kal as a prisoner or whatever.”

“That... did happen.” Brynn hesitated. “But how did you know...? No— why do you even care that he’s gone?”The initial posting of this chapter occurred via N0v3l.B11n.

“He’s a close acquaintance of mine.” I shrugged, before narrowing my eyes at her. “Why? Do you know something about what happened to him?”

The [Innkeeper] shifted back, clearly wearing an apprehensive look on her face. “I...”

I blinked. I turned to the Forsaken Archer, before glancing back at Brynn. “Is that true?”

“It... is.” She exhaled heavily. “It’s a very complex situation, and I didn’t even want to be a part of it. But I had no other choice. I was forced into it by Giles.”

“And Giles is...?” I asked.

“He’s in charge of the mercenaries hired by the Adventurer’s Guild,” Brynn explained. “Giles and his men were sent here to discreetly free Guildmaster Evan. And no one can know about any of this— not even that our city’s guildmaster has been captured by the Kingdom of Kal. That’s why the Adventurer’s Guild has been keeping a tight lid on this whole ordeal.”

I eyed the [Innkeeper] curiously. “But why all the secrecy? Why doesn’t the Adventurer’s Guild want anyone to know about what happened to Evan?”

“Because they do not want to be forced to take action against the Kingdom of Kal.” She shook her head.

“Typical,” Jax snorted. “What a bunch of spineless cowards.”

“It’s not cowardice—” Brynn gestured vaguely at our surroundings. “This war is already bad enough for Laxo. If the Adventurer’s Guild is forced to partake in it too...”

Her gaze darkened, and I watched as she closed her eyes. I could now see why she looked so sickly and thin compared to when I last saw her. I took a step forward as I placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Well, don’t worry about it. I’ll help free Evan, so that won’t happen.” I drew back as I pointed a thumb back towards the doorway. “And if you really want, I can bring you back to Wolfwater with me when that is all over.”

Brynn blinked a few times as she raised her head. She stared at me for a moment, before smiling. “I appreciate the offer, Amelia. I truly do...”

She raised her head as she stared at the ceiling with a soft gaze. Her eyes fluttered open and close, before she looked back down at the palm of her hand.

“But Windrip is my home— it’s my community. I grew up here in this city. I cannot just leave my friends and family behind...”

“I understand. That’s completely fair.” I took a step back as she shook her head.

Brynn steeled herself before pointing past me. “Anyway, if you follow Giles, he’ll lead you to Guildmaster Evan. They’re going to break him free today.”

“Today?” I looked back at Jax. “As in right now?”

The [Innkeeper] nodded. “That’s right. You should hurry because—”

And I heard the blast echo in the far distance. Like it was miles away at the very least. The ground shook for a moment— a brief tremor that jolted one of the unconscious customers awake. I glanced back as the Forsaken Archer furrowed his brows. He turned to me, and I swept past him as Brynn looked on.

“Alright,” I said as I reached for my sword. Jax trailed after me, unslinging his bow. “Let’s get going.”

With that, we headed out to save Guildmaster Evan.