Exander walked a half-step ahead of me with his hands folded neatly behind his back, and chin tilted just high enough that you'd think he was secretly the Duke himself.
We moved through a long corridor with walls to my right lined with oil paintings of knights, hunts, battles, and the usual noble flex.
And to my left, wide windows that opened onto a sprawling garden full of manicured hedges, fountains glinting in the sun, and flowers in bloom like they'd been hand-painted by the gods.
Sunlight spilled in through the glass, blending with the glow of chandeliers that hung from the ceiling.
[Looks like a classic noble's mansion straight out of… well, every damn isekai anime.]
Every servant or maid we passed by dipped their head slightly to Exander.
And each time, I caught the way his shoulders squared just a little more.
[Yeah… he's loving this way too much.]
We climbed stairs, turned corners, crossed more corridors.
All of them were as extravagant as the last, until finally, we stopped before a massive set of double doors.
Exander turned back to me, his glasses flashing in the light, and said with all the gravity of a man announcing divine law:
"Don't forget to bow before the Duke."
I opened my mouth to answer, but the doors swung open before I could get a word out.
And the room beyond hit me like a staged play.
The room stretched wide and tall, built to make anyone who entered feel smaller.
Chandeliers glowing with mana stones, bright enough to make the sunlight from the tall windows almost redundant.
A carpet stretched from the doors to the desk at the far end, deep crimson and thick enough that my boots barely made a sound.
And at the desk sat the Duke of Cardella.
Golden hair, long and straight, parted neatly down the middle.
Blue eyes so sharp they looked like they could peel your soul apart just by resting on you.
His robes were immaculate, but not ostentatious. Woven with threads of gold that caught the light just enough to remind you he was still very much above you.
He didn't move. He didn't even blink at first.
Just sat with his hands folded over a stack of parchment, as if my arrival was just a detail in an already completed plan.
Exander cleared his throat. "My lord… Odin."
The Duke gave the smallest nod, and only then did I step forward.
[Don't forget to bow before the Duke.]
Yeah, yeah. I bent just enough at the waist to be polite, not an inch deeper.
When I straightened, those blue eyes were still on me, still searching. I'd had raid bosses with less pressure in their gaze.
Astoria and Faris stood off to the side, posture sharp as ever.
Astoria's expression was unreadable, her gaze flicking between me and the Duke with that same, strange yet familiar flicker in her eyes.
Faris, though… couldn't quite keep his shoulders from tensing. His gaze was on the floor.
"Odin." The Duke's voice was calm, smooth, but carried the kind of weight that came from being used to obedience. "The man who drew an entire horde onto himself and survived."
"Yeah, that was me," I said lightly. "Not my smartest moment, but it worked out."
One corner of his mouth twitched. Not quite a smile, but not quite annoyance either. "You understand, such feats attract… questions."
[Here we go.]
"I imagine so," I replied, keeping my tone casual, almost bored. "It was lucky timing, really. I was lost and wanted to impress the pretty lady I'd just rescued."
Astoria's brow twitched, just slightly, as though she wasn't sure whether to roll her eyes or smirk.
Faris, on the other hand, snapped his head up.
His knuckles whitened on his halberd, while the corner of his mouth tugged down before he forced it back into something neutral.
Yeah. He really had it bad for Lyra.
"Three Soul Armaments… " the Duke said then, gaze sliding onto the desk.
My rifle, my pistol, the shorty-40, and the Drone lay neatly on his desk.
And beside them… the broken sword.
My hand instinctively balled into a fist.
The Duke's eyes followed the motion, as he continued "… Unheard of. And yet you carry them as though it were nothing."
"Guess I'm that special," I said with a shrug.
The Duke didn't chuckle as he said. "Weapons this strange in design. And a man not of this city wearing equally strange clothing… who arrived just in time to turn back what could not be turned."
He paused while his eyes searched mine for any flicker.
"It makes one wonder… Where did you come from, Odin?"
I let a beat pass while keeping my gaze steady before answering. "I'm from a land called Endlessness. And the last thing I remember is that I was fighting in a war. A spell went off on me… a big one. Next thing I know, I woke up in a forest."
I exhaled slowly before continuing. "Believe me, Sir… I'm more worried about my presence here than you."
[Half-truths always sound more believable than full lies.]
"I see…" The Duke leaned back. "Endlessness. I can't say I've ever heard of such a place."
He turned, gaze sweeping over the others. "Exander? Astoria? Faris?"
Exander's lips pursed, his head shaking once, quick and curt.
Astoria's unreadable gaze flicked toward me before she answered, "No, my lord."
Faris just shook his head.
"No matter. What's clear is that your actions played a pivotal role in saving this city." The Duke said as his eyes flicked back to me, "For that, I offer my sincere thanks."
I gave a small grin. "A heavy pouch of coin and my gear back would be a little more appreciated. But hey… thoughts count too, right? Happy to help."
Their reactions came like ripples.
Exander's brows shot up in disbelief.
Astoria exhaled through her nose while those strangely familiar flickers in her eyes intensified.
Faris looked like he was biting his tongue to keep from scolding me.
"So," While I added casually, "when can I be on my merry way?"
That earned silence.
The Duke's lips pressed together in something that might've been a smile, or maybe just the final shreds of his patience.
"Leaving would be… unwise. This city already hails you as a hero. I cannot let you just walk away without appropriate rewards and commendations." He said before continuing.
"And there is another matter. You were bitten."
His eyes flicked toward my ribs. "The corruption in such wounds festers and twist minds if not treated… You've been given the paste, yes? But it is a temporary balm, not a cure. The Church of Liora will conduct a citywide cleansing once they have recovered their strength."
[Citywide cleanse… huh. Like a mass dispel. Smart.]
"Until then," the Duke continued, voice now a mix of calm warmth, " you'll remain here as an honored guest of Cardella. And once the cleansing is done… we can discuss your next course of action."
And I caught something beneath that calm warmth. Not quite a command. Not quite a suggestion either. But something in between.
[So that's how you're gonna play…]
"Hero, huh?" I muttered, eyes sliding back to my rifle on his desk. "Guess that's one word for it."
His gaze didn't waver. Mine didn't either.
Until he finally said, "Despite your strange circumstances, Odin. My instincts tell me to trust you... Do nothing to break it."