Chapter 100 - Leaving Ribenne (Patreon)

Almost three weeks passed before Arien finally adjusted to the Academy's new rhythm and found time to go into the city with Sari.

Normally, he would have spent Sul's Day in his room or at the training grounds, preparing for another week of torture, but Sari had become increasingly persistent, and she probably wouldn't be staying in Wayhold much longer. There was no telling when they would see each other again.

Besides, he was exhausted enough that a few hours in town might actually do him some good. So as they walked through the Sword District, he didn't feel particularly guilty about wasting time.

Well... only a little.

The district wasn't one of his favorites. He wasn't sure whether it was because of the overwhelming number of weapon shops, training grounds, or unusually tall, muscular warriors.

Probably the weapon shops.

Eventually they stopped at a stall selling roasted chicken skewers and sat on a nearby stone wall, watching the crowd pass. Most of the people looked like Explorers from every corner of the kingdom and plenty of places beyond it, easily recognizable by the absurd amount of weaponry they carried.

Arien saw more weapons in five minutes than he had during the previous two years. Swords, axes, crossbows, halberds, bows, maces, machetes, daggers, morning stars, spears, shields… One enormous orc even carried what looked like an entire tree trunk across his back. 

The people themselves were even more interesting. Humans and other races moved through the street with the alertness of veterans, soldiers, Explorers, or bandits, the distinction probably depending mostly on the circumstances in which you happened to meet them. Unlike in the Merchant District, nobody bumped into anyone. People seemed constantly aware of everyone around them.

I wonder what stories they could tell.

"How are classes?" Sari asked. "Your letters have been pretty short. And Will claims he only saw you in passing once this entire week."

"I told you, it's chaos. The Masters have it out for us. I barely have a moment to breathe."

"It can't be that bad."

"One of the Masters throws students out of class if he thinks they haven't practiced enough."

"Oh dear. That's cruel. What about those magical duels?"

“My opponent surrendered again,” he said bitterly.

That made three times now. During Magical Defense, everyone seemed perfectly happy to throw spells at him, but once the Arena matches began, even Rickard had refused to fight.

Honestly, Arien almost wished he'd been matched against Efie, Adam, or Senhal. Three walkovers had carried him effortlessly into the Tenth Division and guaranteed him four points at the end of the month, but he wanted to actually fight someone. It felt like it would be the perfect way to release all the stress that had accumulated over the past few weeks.

"Oh no. How terrible," Sari said, laughing at his expression. "It's a shame visitors aren't allowed inside the Academy. I'd love to see all these things you're always talking about."

"You know, places from stories are usually overrated. Most of my time is spent sitting in my room staring at empty air. You'd get bored quickly."

"Right, right. Because I can't see all that mana, I'm basically blind compared to you."

Arien decided to ignore the jab. "So, should we go eat somewhere in the Merchant District?"

"Aren't you already eating?"

"I mean a proper meal."

"Ah, boys..." she sighed. "Actually, I wanted to stop by a tavern nearby. Maybe we can eat there."

"A tavern?" Arien asked, surprised. "I was hoping for The Pheasant's Wing."

"And have me pay for it, right? I know you, you little miser. Maybe next time. Let's go to The Poisoned Goblet."

The establishment Sari dragged him to stood along the main street and looked far from promising. Its old porch held several broken chairs, a rusty sign depicting something vaguely resembling a goblet hung above the entrance, and old blankets covered the windows.

Why does Sari want to come here?

Inside, things weren't any better.

Half the room lay in darkness, divided by tall wooden partitions into cramped booths barely large enough for their battered tables and mismatched chairs. The only notable feature was a massive horseshoe-shaped bar stretching across half the room.

Several men well past their prime sat on stools along the counter beneath a mostly empty cabinet of liquor bottles. On the other side stood a pimply youth whose first mustache had only just begun to appear.

Sari took a seat at the far end of the counter, and Arien reluctantly followed.

“Welcome back, milady,” the young man said, his voice slightly unsteady. “Would milady like wine again?”

“Yes. And a second glass diluted with water for my brother. Also something to eat.”

“Uh... I think we've got potatoes with sausage.”

“That'll do.”

Arien groaned inwardly.

My Pheasant's Wing… 

"Is this some kind of revenge?" he decided to ask bluntly once the youth disappeared into the back room. "I know I haven't had much free time recently, but I really couldn't get away."

"What?" his sister asked, surprised. "Oh no. Don't worry, Arien. I understand that studying at the Academy isn't exactly easy. If only you could hear the stories people tell about you all around town."

“What stories?” he asked.

“That you summon the dead, drink children's blood, and conspire with the Abyss. The usual sort of thing.”

“What?! That's nonsense!” Arien stared at her, trying to decide whether she was joking.

"Arien, you have a huge estate right next to the city that nobody is allowed to enter, where people have been practicing magic for over a hundred years. What else did you expect? Of course, most people don't actually believe it, but that doesn't stop them from inventing new stories."

"But it's still stupid. Most army mages and healers are recruited from the Academy. I can understand people in Ribenne not knowing any better, but here in Wayhold?"

"You don't need to convince me," she said, still laughing. "And as I said, hardly anyone truly believes those stories."

The food arrived quickly, apparently reheated from something prepared earlier. Arien practically inhaled his portion, washing it down with wine in the hope that the sooner he finished, the sooner they could leave.

Sari seemed in no hurry. She sat quietly, sipping her drink while several more customers entered, ordered beer, and drank in silence.

After a while, Arien realized what had been bothering him since they arrived.

Nobody was talking. Even for a tavern, the place was unnervingly quiet.

“Shall we go?” he finally asked.

"What, you don't like the place?"

"It's awful. I have no idea why you brought me here."

“Because it'll be mine soon. I've already signed the necessary papers. Starting next month, I'll begin leasing it.”

“What?!”

Arien stared at her, waiting for the joke, but her expression didn't change. He knew that look well enough to realize she was serious.

Why would she buy this place? And how?

“Oh, you have no idea how long I've been waiting to tell you just so I could see that face,” Sari said, bursting into laughter.

Maybe she was joking after all.

“I can practically see the questions going through your head. What? How? Why? Has she gone mad?”

“Sari, be serious for a moment.”

“Fine, fine. But you'd have done exactly the same thing. Now, where should I start?” She leaned back against the counter. “You know, I wasn't completely honest when I said I came here to see you. Oh, stop looking at me like that. Of course that was a nice bonus, but travel for weeks just to earn the privilege of going out with you for a few hours a couple of times? I know you have classes, Arien. I've already said I understand. But everyone has their own life, right?"

She paused.

“After Lady Vylda died, it turned out she'd left everything to me. Wonderful, isn't it?”

"Uh... well, I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. If I remember correctly, her family had forgotten about her long ago."

"Oh, they remembered her very quickly once they heard the news, believe me. Lady Vylda anticipated all of it. She also knew that I hated Ribenne."

"Really?"

“Arien, was there anything positive about that town?”

“Well...”

He tried to think of something. Ribenne was small, everyone knew everyone else, and it had once been the center of its own world. Honestly, though, he'd probably go insane if he had to spend the rest of his life there.

“You were there.”

“See? You can't name a single thing that would make you want to go back. I wasn't entirely happy when you and Alia left. Of course, I don't blame either of you. I'm proud of everything you've achieved. But you left, and I stayed behind with Lady Vylda. By then, her health was steadily declining, even though her mind stayed razor-sharp until the end.”

Sari paused and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

“In her will, she wrote that I should sell everything and get out of Ribenne. She knew me well. She'd already arranged most of the contracts beforehand, so before her family managed to file a complaint accusing me of stealing her property, most of the estate had already been converted into cash and deposited in a bank in Jakar.

"But you know what Ribenne is like. The townspeople already disliked me before that, especially the women. With Vylda's relatives constantly sending complaints to the council and Terlis demanding money from me for 'protection,' I sold the remaining scraps for next to nothing and left."

“Why didn't you tell me?” Arien asked. He had no idea his sister had been forced to stand against practically the entire town.

“You don't tell me everything either.” Sari put a hand on his shoulder. “And what were you supposed to do from here? Worry?”

“Suffering alone isn't exactly a good solution either.”

“I was sad about Lady Vylda. The rest didn't matter much.”

She waved the subject away.

"Anyway. I came to Wayhold and finally found what I wanted."

“Really? Don't take this the wrong way, but this tavern is terrible. Wouldn't you rather buy a little house by a lake somewhere and live peacefully?"

"Oh, Arien. First of all, I love running a tavern. You have no idea how satisfying it can be. And second, this place has enormous potential. It just needs a few small changes here and there. You'll see. It'll be wonderful. And getting this opportunity was thanks to you as well. It must be a sign."

"Thanks to me?"

“You introduced me to Lady Porietta, and this tavern belongs to her family. The previous tenant died half a year ago, and they were planning to sell it. When Pori heard I was looking for somewhere to start a business, she remembered this place.”

Sari smiled.

“After that, things moved quickly. I signed a five-year lease with an option to buy. And before you start worrying, House Miley isn't expecting anything from you in return. I made that clear.”

"If you say so," Arien replied, unconvinced, glancing uneasily around the room.

“Oh, Arien. Trust me, I did my homework. Do you think I spent the whole month lounging around the estate?”

“If I were you, I wouldn't hesitate. Sometimes I dream about doing absolutely nothing for a few days.”

“No!” she laughed. “I spent nearly a month wandering through the districts and talking to all kinds of people. I probably know the city better than you do by now. This place has enormous potential. Most taverns are in the Merchant District, where competition is fierce. Things are much calmer here. The larger tavern chains tend to avoid this part of the city because they don't want to deal with such difficult customers.”

“And you can?”

“You think farmers were easy customers? Besides, I'm not asking you for a loan, am I?”

“That's good, because I'm broke at the moment.”

“I told you, I don't need a loan.”

“Well...” Arien gave her an innocent smile. “I wouldn't mind getting one. I've got some major expenses coming up and—”

“Arien...”

“Alright, alright. I'll come back once this place starts making you piles of money.”

"The first month will be spent renovating this ruin. After that, I hope things will get easier. Maybe in a year I'll start turning a profit."

“I'm glad you're staying in Wayhold,” he said sincerely.

“So am I.” Sari sat up straighter, already talking faster. “I love this city so much! So many people. So many stories!” She gestured vaguely toward the street outside. “And nobody cares about me. I can be an old maid and nobody even blinks. Everyone's too busy with their own lives. And there are so many handsome men! You know, I'm seeing someone right now, and let me tell you, the difference in quality between Ribenne and the capital is unbelievable.”

"Please spare me the details. So, can we go now? I'm sure you'll turn this place into a world-famous tavern, but right now it's a dump. Maybe we could stop by the Inventors' District on the way back?"

“Nice try. I still haven't chosen all the furniture. You're helping me.”

“Oh no...” Arien groaned in horror, already picturing hours spent wandering through furniture shops.

By the time Arien returned to his room that evening, he was so exhausted he nearly fell asleep in the shower. Once he finally collapsed into bed, however, he had to admit that going out with Sari had helped. Tomorrow's magical training no longer seemed quite so terrible.

Even another lesson with Vizimir sounded preferable to spending an afternoon comparing fifteen different kinds of chairs and tables.

I know some of you were hoping Sari would become an Explorer someday, but the world is what it is. I wanted to be a firefighter when I was a kid, too, and now I'm stuck working a boring office job. :)

Thanks for all the questions for the Q&A!

Next week on EoN:

Monday → Chapter 101 ChallengesTuesday → Chapter 102 Propel DuelsWednesday → Chapter 103 Another DayThursday → Chapter 104 You are the ElementFriday → Chapter 105 The Mad Wizard