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I\'m glad to see that she gets this cheery just from spotting me, but I\'m even more delighted to see that she can suppress such obvious giveaways of her inner thoughts. It could be a great detriment in many scenarios.

One thing is for sure, though, and that is that she is a goddamned adorable girl. I want to kill that Ian guy more and more with each passing second I spend in her presence. Well, his time in the limelight will come soon enough.

Once Blossom reaches us, the sounds of the rest of the party begin to filter through the trees. Unlike the quiet and stealthy Blossom, the new arrivals make a cacophony of noise. Twigs snap underfoot, branches rustle, and the occasional yelp or curse rings out. It\'s clear these people are not used to the forest terrain.

I suppress a mocking grin as I watch their clumsy progress. One of them trips over a root and nearly falls, another gets tangled in a low-hanging branch, and a third seems to be swatting away imaginary insects. They are city dwellers, through and through, their discomfort in the wild evident with every step.

Soon, we find ourselves surrounded by a squad of guards, clad in polished armor that glints in the dappled sunlight. Their presence is imposing, but we remain seated peacefully on the patch of grass. The guards part, making way for a man luxuriously dressed on a thoroughbred black horse.

The horse is the true picture of a magnificent creature, its coat gleaming and muscles rippling with every movement. I\'ve honestly never seen a horse in my life in person before, and I\'m a bit mesmerized by this gorgeous animal.

The man, however, is an afterthought compared to the magnificent steed. His finery is almost garish against the backdrop of the forest, and I can\'t help but focus on the horse instead as it steps gracefully forward.

"What a beauty," I think out loud.

Everyone around me startles, a guard even gently tells me to \'shut the fuck up.\'

When I glance around and see the noble guy\'s wide eyes, I realize my mistake. "My sincerest apologies. I meant the horse, not you, my lord."

I hear an exasperated sigh and see Ayame shaking her head dejectedly from the corner of my eye.

"Ah, that is not to say that you don\'t look good. Just taking a glance at you is enough to know that you are from a different breed than the common rabble, my lord." Naturally, I don\'t think that, but buttering him up a bit can\'t hurt, especially after my careless blunder. The horse is just too majestic and I was in a momentary trance.

"Alright, that\'s enough. Are you Quinlan, the one who assisted this slave in clearing the monster infested area?" He asks, pointing at Blossom.

"I didn\'t assist her, my lord. I cleared the entire camp with my companion," I glance towards Ayame before continuing, "this adventurer slave only arrived to the grand finale. The two of us have slain over forty goblins and three hobgoblins.

Furthermore, while Blossom was important in defeating the war troll, it was my companion who dealt the most damage to it and also was the one to finish the monster off."

Words and context are important, and I could tell from his attitude that he wished to paint us as mere assistants to claim that the quest he put up in the adventurer\'s guild was the reason for clearing this infestation.

"Don\'t joke around, outsider! You and your slave in your filthy garbs without a single armor to protect your bodies are responsible for all of this?" A guard speaks up. His armor has slightly more decorations, signaling a higher standing among the ranks.

"Were you here to state things with such confidence? Maybe we pulled off the fight of our lives. Just ask that dog-girl. She is not my slave, she has no reason to lie for me."

She speaks up before they even get the chance to mount a response. "It\'s true… Blossom arrived after she heard the loud roars of the troll, by then all other monsters had been vanquished. Blossom attacked the troll from behind, but the troll was more resilient than she expected, and as a result of her blunder she was thrown to the ground, after which Blossom couldn\'t move for the rest of the fight.

It was the other slave with the sword who decapitated the troll, not Blossom."

What a good girl. I will be sure to give her lots of head pats and belly rubs once everything is settled.

I can hear a loud, annoyed click of the lord\'s tongue. The guards heard the story, the captives heard the story, I wonder if he is still shameless enough to attempt claiming credit over the outcome of this battle.

After a few seconds he sighs and smiles elegantly, "then I owe you my gratitude, warrior Quinlan. I apologize for the late introductions, my name is Eric Winterwood, son of Alaric Winterwood, first in line to inherit the county of Winterwood. Yes, Aldoria is the capital of our territory, in case you were wondering."

After saying that he begins dismounting his horse with the help of two of his henchmen. I examine this Eric guy better, trying to glance at his inner thoughts.

He looks decidedly average in appearance, with unremarkable features that would easily blend into any crowd. His hair is a plain shade of brown, neatly trimmed and styled, and his eyes are a nondescript hazel. His face, neither particularly handsome nor unattractive, is clean-shaven and carries an air of practiced neutrality.