Arcane Innovator

Seeing the drunk man eagerly walking toward us, I instantly became alert as this smelled trouble - metaphorically and also literary. But at that moment, the man must have noticed me staring at him as he froze in his steps.

He quickly changed directions, and while pretending nothing had happened, he hurriedly scurried away. I couldn't help but smirk as he knew what was good for him, even in that state.

It was one thing trying to come after a lone woman. Still, it was an entirely different matter if she had an escort, especially someone dressed in expensive-looking clothes like mine. In a status-based society, angering the wrong person could very well cost you your neck.

Although he didn't look like he recognized me personally, he still had enough presence of mind to not risk it, and I was fine with that.

I lazily settled back into my chair, being quite pleased with how the situation resolved itself. Today was my day off, and I sought nothing more but to simply relax... I certainly didn't want to deal with any unreasonable people.

I glanced quickly at Helga, but it seemed she didn't notice anything, which was good. There was no reason to expose her to the ugly side of the city life so soon...

However, this newfound calmness didn't last long. The drunk seemed to pick out another target: a young woman in a light blue dress watching the nearby performers dance.

"Hey there, beautiful," the man slurred; his eyes, which gleamed with intense lust, were firmly fixed on the woman.

She quickly turned her head toward him with a scowl. "I'm not interested..."

The drunk didn't seem particularly bothered by her rejection and continued his advances. "It's a shame for such a pretty lady to be here alone..." He tried to touch her arm, but she managed to slip out of his reach before shouting, "Leave me be!"

I rolled my eyes at such an unsightly scene but decided to ignore it. 'Whatever, it's not my problem; let someone else deal with thi...'

However, before I had a chance to finish that thought, my sister quickly jumped to her feet and stomped in their direction.

I blinked a few times, taken by surprise, but then I once again became alert as this thing was quickly getting out of hand.

Helga took a step forward and planted herself firmly between the two of them, her eyes blazing with anger. "Leave her alone!" She shouted.

"Huh?" the man narrowed his eyes. "Who the hell do you think you are?! Don't meddle in other people's business, wench!" He spat out.

He then tried to brush Helga aside, but she didn't budge. Instead, she raised her fist and, being the strong village girl she was, punched him straight in his face while slightly tearing the edge of her expensive dress in the process.

The unpleasant crunching sound of a broken nose echoed across the area as the drunk widened his eyes in utter disbelief before he stumbled and fell to the ground, where his head collided with the hard cobblestone surface, and he instantly passed out unconscious.

I released a sigh as I loosened my clenched fist. I was ready to step in if things got out of control, but luckily, I didn't have to. But then I couldn't help but facepalm. 'What part about behaving like a proper lady does she not understand?' I thought in exasperation.

I was just about to quickly make my way toward Helga to take her away from the scene before things got even worse, as a crowd of curious onlookers was forming around us. 'There will be plenty of rumors after this, that's for sure...' I dejectedly realized.

But before I could take the first few steps, I caught the one sound I dreaded hearing - a soft, melodic laugh.

'Oh no...' I widened my eyes in horror. Right then, the Baroness de Fleur appeared seemingly out of nowhere, gently clapping her exquisite hands. "Oh my, what a spectacle!"

She quickly approached my startled-looking sister and promptly locked Helga's arm into hers. "I don't believe we have met, and I'm sure I would remember such a beautiful young lady, especially such a daring one..." The Baroness said, smiling from ear to ear.

"Ehm..." Helga cleared her throat and quickly darted her eyes around, trying to locate me. But she couldn't find me anywhere as I had already hidden myself deep within the crowd of people the moment I heard Lady Elisa's annoying laugh.

Observing my sister's startled expression with a slight amusement, the Baroness decided to take a step back and formally introduce herself. "Oh, please forget my manners. I'm Baroness Elisa de Fleur. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. And who you might be?"

Helga blinked a few times as she apparently had difficulty processing what was happening before finally realizing she was speaking with a noble.

She then hurriedly tried to perform an awkward-looking curtsy as she bashfully answered. "I'm Helga... I'm here with my brother and my friend..."

Lady Elisa glanced at her with a raised eyebrow. "Oh? And who is your brother?"

I instantly paled as I watched them from my hiding place. 'Oh no... Don't say it!' I screamed in my mind, yet my silent plea was completely ignored.

"My brother's name is Darian, and he is a real mage!" Helga said proudly.

Elisa's smile widened, and her previous mild curiosity was immediately replaced by a genuine interest. "What a wonderful coincidence! I was just searching for him myself! I wanted to invite him to my table to introduce him to some of my friends who are very eager to meet him..."

Helga tilted her head to the side in confusion. "You know my brother?"

"But of course! We know each other very well, and something tells me we will become good friends too." She then playfully winked at Helga.

Before my sister could react, Elisa locked her arm into Helga's again and said. "You must be parched after such an exhausting scuffle... Come let me invite you for a drink at my table. We can wait for that brother of yours together, and you will tell me all about him..."

She then dragged the bewildered-looking Helga away toward the area reserved for nobles and other dignitaries, which was located behind the tribune - the one place I was trying to avoid the whole morning.

I couldn't help but blink a few times in utter disbelief. 'Everything was so peaceful just a few moments ago. Why does everything have to go so wrong all of a sudden?' I wondered with a lost expression on my face.

Then I paled as I realized what they would probably discuss in there... I narrowed my eyes at the quickly disappearing silhouette of Lady Elisa. 'Get away from her! You'll corrupt her innocent soul!'

But once again, my silent plea was not heard. Now, the only way for me to get Helga back was to go there in person and most certainly have to suffer through another one of Elisa's famous tea parties.

I sighed heavily, wondering, 'What should I do now?' I absolutely didn't want to leave Helga there alone, as there was no telling what Elisa might do or say to my sister.

However, I also wanted to avoid going into the noble area myself since not only did I not desire another rendezvous with the Baroness, but thanks to my luck, I might also stumble upon Sir Roderick there.

While being deep in thought, I felt someone tug at my sleeve. I tensed up quickly, turning my head around, but then I exhaled with relief as I realized it was just Myra who seemed to finally find me after I disappeared from our previous spot.

She exclaimed. "There you are! I was worried as you both ran away and left me there all alone!"

A pang of guilt washed over me as I realized I seemed to have forgotten entirely about Myra in the whirlwind of events that happened in the past few minutes.

"Who was that woman? And where does she take Helga?" Myra asked with a puzzled face.

I leaned forward with a serious-looking face and whispered to her. "She's a certain noblewoman, but make sure to stay away from her; that woman is crazy."

Myra widened her eyes. "But what about Helga? We can't leave her there!"

I sighed. "No, we can't. I guess there is no other option but to fetch her ourselves..."

We then made our way toward the noble area, which was, at first glance, way more comfortable and opulent than the rest of the venue.

However, as soon as we entered, I noticed it was strangely deserted, with only a few people now and there. 'Hmm, that's weird... Where is everyone?' I thought before asking a nearby errand boy who told me that the Count apparently invited the most important guests to a private feast in the Fortress; among them was also the venerable Sir Roderick.

'Finally, some luck,' I thought happily as I gathered my courage and, with Myra in tow, headed toward one particular table where a small group of women were having a lively conversation...