A world of fantasy

Nobles

The young nobleman that stood before me wore black, expensive-looking clothes and an extravagant cape. There were crests on his cape identifying his nobility. He had black hair like my own and purple eyes. He had two swords strapped to his belt, and he was a very serious-looking man. He still looked young but was apparently over thirty years old.

"We are looking for a dangerous monster. Are you sure you don't want me to find someone else?" he looked at me with stern eyes. I put an innocent smile on my face and looked up at him.

"You won't find a better guide than me for the forest. I practically grew up in the forest. I have a great skill of avoiding monsters, so my end of the deal will be pretty easy. Although I hope you know I won't be doing it for free."

"I'll give you a gold coin for the service." That was a pretty generous offer to an orphan. A whole family could live off one gold coin for a whole year. I laughed at his offer. Do all nobles just try to throw money at their problems?

"I don't want your money. I want information."

He looked at me with a confused expression.

"Information about what?"

"Whatever you can tell me. Stories about your travels. What are the people in the capital like? I'm also curious about the history and government of the land."

"What would you do with that information?"

"I'm a child. There's nothing I can do. I'm just curious about the world. I enjoy stories from the people who pass through my village."

He stared at me like I was an oddity for a moment before he agreed and asked if we could leave early in the morning. I told him I would meet him here at the inn when the sun rose. He nodded his head, and I departed to go back home. I couldn't wait to hear the stories they had. I barely managed to sleep with excitement rushing through my body.

The next morning, I was up and out of the house before anyone else had woken up.

I wore a simple plain skirt and a white oversized shirt that I had tucked into my skirt. I had my pouch attached to my belt. Might as well gather some herbs if I was going out.

I strolled into the inn and greeted the innkeeper's wife at the front desk. She smiled at me and told me to go grab some breakfast in the kitchen. I did as she instructed, made myself a plate, and sat at one of the dining tables as I waited for the nobleman. Not long after I finished, he and his men walked down the stairs. He seemed surprised at first that I had actually woken up before him and was already waiting for him.

"Good morning." I smiled up at him, and he took a seat in front of me. He ordered some food and finally looked back at me.

"Good morning. You can call me Lord Arthur." Did I have to call this guy lord? It's probably some type of noble etiquette.

"Of course, Lord Arthur. You can call me Lily." He nodded his head at me before his food arrived and I sat quietly as they ate. When they finished eating, we made our way out of the inn and into the forest. As soon as we made it into the forest, I could feel Alaska and Drago following us close by. I used search magic to detect monsters nearby and directed them to walk in directions to avoid them.

Arthur wanted me to take him to the waterfall. It was a great spot to fish, and lots of monsters went there to drink water. The monster they are looking for was spotted there. I thought it was funny because my familiars and I would often go there to swim and catch tasty fish. It only took us a few hours of travel before we reached the waterfall.

"So what kind of monster are you looking for again? There's a pretty good chance I've seen it if it lives here."

"A white cat."

He said it so nonchalantly. My body froze when the words left his lips.

"A white cat?"

"Yes, a white cat."

"Did the cat do anything to cause trouble?"

"Not that I know of. We are just here to see if it is a danger to the village. If it's harmless, then we will leave it alone."

"It's harmless, so you don't have to bother with it. You should have asked at the inn. This was just a wasted trip."

The man who had not been paying much attention to me had turned to face me and started to study me.

"How would you know it's harmless?" He didn't look like he was judging me. It felt like he was more curious than anything.

"I know a lot about this forest. The Lion is harmless." I stared right into his eyes in a challenging manner.

"Until I have proof, I'm afraid I can't leave." His eyes told me that he only believed things with his own eyes. I could easily give him proof, but I didn't know if I could trust this man. He was a stranger, and he was looking into my familiar. I could refuse, but then they might end up sending more people to look for him. It would be best to cut the investigation off quickly.

"It's a secret, you can't tell anyone." I gave me one last stern look before I called out. "Alaska!"

The large white Lion jumped out from behind the trees and came to my side. He laid his large body on the ground next to me but kept his gaze on the group of men with me. They all had shocked expressions and looked like their eyes would pop out of their heads.

"I told you, he's harmless."