There's a very big difference between a fixer and a district mayor.
Even in places where there is no real class, social status is a proxy for class.
The fixers always bowed their heads when they met the district mayor or tried to make some sort of a connection somehow but Osian was different.
Instead of being pleased to see him, or looking forward to seeing him, he seemed to be trying to figure him out.
'This guy. He's not an ordinary fixer after all.’
First of all, his appearance.
Black hair, black eyes, clear skin without a single blemish, and a chiseled face that looked like it was sculpted with painstaking care.
On top of that, he had a charisma and cuteness that made him look like he was literally born with it.
'What kind of aristocrat is he? Was there ever a nobleman with such impressive black hair in the first place?’
No, he could have been a nobleman from another country, since he had traveled all the way to Tirna and a very capable one at that.'His appearance is one thing, but the skill he's displayed on the way here is quite another.’
Especially in that white armor, blocking or deflecting every attack.
It wasn't magic, not by a long shot, but it seemed more along the lines of the 'superpowers' that mutants wielded.
‘I've heard that many noble houses that value pure blood will kick a mutant out of the family if he manifests his powers, so maybe that's how he got to Tirna.’
Albert was greedy.
'He's too good to keep as a fixer.’
Albert was tempted to ask Osian if he could join the city hall now but he managed his expression with desperate patience.
'She's not a child, and if she's risen to this level of power, she should know how to keep things in perspective.’
For now, his priority is to be alone with Princess Orlea.
I need to escort her and show the others that I'm a reliable ally.
Still, he was not satisfied, so Albert had a little trick up his sleeve.
"Come to think of it, I haven't asked you the name of the person who came with you."
Albert asked, smirking in a way that didn't match his lion-like appearance.
The corner of Osian's eye twitched at the sight.
‘I'm sure you've heard the reports and know I'm a fixer, but you're deliberately pretending not to, trying to sneak me into the mix?’
Osian could see what Albert was thinking.
Naturally, he planned to invite him inside the city hall and make a proposal the first chance he got but it wasn't a proposal that appealed to him.
With such a direct connection to the 33rd District Mayor, he would be able to start from a different position than most guards but in the end, he'd be an official under the city's thumb.
For some, such a position would be a lifelong goal, but not for Osian.
‘There's still so much to learn about this world.’
Starting with the man he met today, Underground Keeper.
He seemed to have some idea of Osian's identity and the incarnation of the ancient god that had been summoned by the two sisters.
In this changed world, there were traces of the game he loved and enjoyed so much.
'And that dream I had the other day. There are so many things I still have questions about.’
So he needed to travel more and see more.
For him, being a city official was like wearing shackles around his ankles.
If he was dragged inside, he might be forced to stamp even if he didn't want to.
The look in Albert's eyes was particularly eerie.
When you think of a mayor, you think of a middle-aged or elderly man, but Albert didn't look that old, despite his gruff appearance.
Being in charge of a district at such a young age doesn't usually indicate political savvy.
‘The type of person who likes to make friends, but gets tired of getting too close.’
As talented as he is, he's probably also very demanding of his subordinates.
Even if he was the kind of person who enjoyed a challenge, he definitely didn't want to get involved in that, so Osian decided to call it a day.
A wandering knight is never tied down.
"I'll take my leave."
Albert's eyes widened at Osian's words, as if he hadn't expected to hear them here.
Orlea's shoulders shook for a moment at the words but she didn't ask him why he was leaving.
‘I see. It was always meant to be.’
Orlea realized from the moment she had walked the path with Osian, that she must now fight a lonely battle.
If Osian were to leave, he could not be held back like a child, nor could he be coerced.
The one who would walk the path of a monarch must bear that weight.
"Thank you for being with me."
Orlea smiled wryly at Osian.
The others around her didn't seem to notice, but inwardly they were quite impressed.
One look at her expression and Osian realized he didn't need to worry about her.
"I'll see you next time."
Orlea's final words were simple.
After everything she'd been through, it would have been easy to be sad to say goodbye, but Orlea suppressed the emotion.
She could have told him to come back to her, or that she would reward him greatly.
In fact, she wanted to but she didn't.
It was much more difficult, Osian knew.
"Next time we meet, I expect to call you Queen."
Orlea's expression brightened at that.
"I must ask you one last question."
"What is it?"
"Who are you, and what are you?"
The meaning of the question was simple.
No ordinary fixer could be of this caliber. The same was true of his appearance.
There must be something hidden about Osian, Orlea thought.
Osian debated whether or not to answer the question in the affirmative, but decided to tell the little girl who had crossed the line with him.
"Listen."
Orlea swallowed hard.
"I am the last remaining Knight of the Sky in this world, the one who defeated the incarnation of the Evil God and brought down the Golden Castle. I am the strongest man who has cut the throats of demons, slain evil dragons, and finally cut down the gods who ruled the world."
"......!"
Orlea's eyes widened at the words.
Then she nodded in understanding and spoke softly to Osian.
"I see."
*
Orlea made her way to the city hall, heavily guarded by the guards of the mayor's office.
She didn't look back, having already said enough goodbyes.
Osian did the same.
‘That man.’
After organizing the situation and heading to the city hall, Alensia Hare couldn't take her eyes off Osian's retreating figure.
It was she who saw with her own eyes that Osian and the princess had escaped into the underground canal.
And then Osian had taken Orlea and made this mess.
Was it Orlea's idea? Not in Alensia’s opinion.
Osian, the man who had clearly set this whole situation in motion, refused to let either Orlea or Albert make a good enough case.
‘Even in the photo of the mayor and princess, the man deliberately moved into the blind spot so his face wouldn't show.’
It was a natural movement that no one else could see, but Alensia, who was watching him closely, could.
That made it even more puzzling.
‘I always thought he was an unusual fixer when I first met him, but this case confirms it. He's definitely hiding something.’
If he's deliberately trying to avoid being photographed, he's trying to hide himself.
Why?
Alensia immediately guessed the reason.
‘He doesn't want to be seen.’
She'd suspected it was a noble of some sort, but the way Osian was acting only confirmed it.
‘But with a skill like that, he's bound to be noticed again at some point.’
The sharp awl could be tucked away in his pocket, but it would be obvious.
A lone wolf, but a lone wolf nonetheless.
In Alensia's opinion, Osian was just that.
'But if he becomes Tirna's guard, the city may give him sanctuary. Someone of his caliber perhaps can become not just a guard, but an enforcer, my equal.’
Nay, it shall be so.
Alensia imagined Osian as an enforcer.
The city is huge, but so are its myriad threats. Tirna harbors even that threat, and she didn't like it.
She believes in a strict definition of justice that excludes all potential threats, and of course, there are never enough people to fulfill it.
‘Osian. I will have you inducted into Tirna's guard!’
Glaring at the back of Osian's head, Alensia turned to head for the city hall, only to meet the eyes of Mayor Albert, who was looking this way.
"......."
"......."
They didn't speak, but they understood each other with their eyes.
Albert nodded.
-Yes. I grant you permission. I trust you, Bailiff Alensia.
Alensia replied with a more determined expression.
-Yes. Leave him in my care. I'll be sure to bring him into the guards.
‘What?’
Osian shuddered involuntarily at the anxiety running down his spine.
*
"I've done wrong, please, please spare me!"
A pitiful scream rang out from in front of Violet Fox.
Osian, who had arrived just in time, looked toward the source, wondering what was going on.
There was a familiar face there.
Frenfitz, the man who had hired him to escort princess Orlea, was being dragged away by both arms by two rough-looking men.
Passersby stared, wondering what was going on.
Some were about to call for the guards, but when they saw the symbols on the two big men's shoulders, they quickly turned away and went on their way.
"Somebody help me, what about you, you?!"
Frenfitz's face turned white as he recognized Osian.
"I've heard the stories! Tell Princess Orlea that I saved her life!"
Frenfitz was filled with hope.
He received a hefty penalty for breaking the contract but Orlea would be more than happy to pay it.
"What are you talking about?"
"What?"
"Orlea's busy in the 33rd District talking to Mayor Albert, and she doesn't have time for you."
"What's that.......?"
Frenfitz yelled.
"Don't be ridiculous! What do you think I did, I hired you to save the princess's life, that's me! If you mess with me, can you handle the aftermath?"
"I doubt she'd feel the same way."
Osian jerked his chin at the two hulks.
"Princess Orlea doesn't even care about humans like this, so you can do as you please."
"Don't you dare, you bastard!"
As Frenfitz writhed in agony, one of the big men punched him in the stomach with a vicious fist.
That was the beginning.
"Ugh! Ugh! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
Punching, kicking, elbowing.
Frenfitz's face was crushed, and a few bloodied teeth fell to the floor in a heap.
When Frenfitz calmed down, two big men from the settlement brokerage dragged him to the ground.
Failure to pay the penalty for breach of contract would result in him being sold as an experiment somewhere, no matter how good the catch.
-Rattle.
The bell jingled cleanly as Osian opened the door to the Violet Fox.
"You've come."
Ronan greeted Osian as if he'd been waiting for him.
"Congratulations, my dear. You've completed your mission safely. I knew you would succeed, Mr. Osian."
"And the reward?"
Ronan held up the pendant.
His mother's memento that Frenfitz had surreptitiously stolen had been properly returned.
"Well done."
"......I suppose that's something I should say."
Ronan rose from his chair and bowed his head gravely toward Osian.
"I am indeed grateful. If it weren't for you, Mr. Osian, I would never have gotten my mother's belongings back."
Osian shook his head.
"You would have gotten them back someday. All I did was speed up the process."
"You're being flattering."
"Except that I'm still worried about something."
"Worried about what?"
"I don't know what Marquis de Debussy will do when he returns to the Kingdom of Carleon."
"Ah, you needn't worry about that."
Ronan's usual frown grew even longer.