Take a right from the gate. The gate into this place. That was in the wrong direction. The Trashy Novel had mentioned that the Adventurer’s Guild was near the City Lord’s mansion. I doubted the city lord lived anywhere near the gate.


    But what did I know? There were many things that were similar to the world I had read, but many were just different enough. Like the Monarch of Justice leaving. I had not expected him to do that. I wasn’t even sure he had actually done that.


    The Monarch of Justice had not been clear. Or perhaps I was just hoping that I still had a Monarch to turn to. I took a deep breath, stopping for a moment to calm myself. This was not the time for such things. I would deal with that later.


    First I had to figure out how to survive.


    I turned right at the gate, staring at the street in shock. I had been so occupied by my conversation with Oak that I had not noticed this. Perhaps if I had turned my gaze a bit, I would have seen the large board that declared this to be the Adventurer’s Guild.


    The board really was a large one, and written in English for some reason. I stared at it, struggling to decide if I even wanted to consider the implications of this.


    There was a board written in English. The Trashy Novel hadn’t mentioned the language they used, so I had to admit some shock at this. No, not just some. I was shocked enough to stand in place staring at the board without moving a muscle.


    Perhaps that was why I did not notice the old man approaching me.


    “So, I am the first you visit.” the man said, bringing my attention to him. A number of questions swam through my head. I wanted to ask him if the sign had come from off world. Or if that was just the language they used.


    Perhaps this was something that had been donated to them. There were many among the Monarch of Justice’s supporters that were fascinated with his home world and would see its culture spread.


    But none of these were things I should ask a stranger. A stranger that was asking me questions and looking at me like he expected me to know what he was talking about. I did not.


    I looked at him with my mana sense, trying to see how great his mana cloak was. What I saw surprised me. The cloak was great, greater than any I had seen before. Ten times greater than Elena’s. I felt like my heart came to a stop.


    This man was a Rank 3. At least.


    I looked up, remembering what he had asked. This was the Adventurer’s Guild. The man thought I had come to visit him. So it stood to reason that this man was a member of the Adventurer’s Guild. And I knew there to be but one member with such power.


    The Head of the Adventurer’s Guild.


    Oh fuck. This was one of the most powerful people in the city. Heck, he was one of the people I wanted to avoid. Wasn’t he not supposed to be here? The man had been known to avoid his guild in the Trashy Novel. Looking for him was part of what had challenged Rowan.


    Why was he here?


    “I simply had some work with the Guild.” I answered rather honestly. I would have to be careful here. This had been foolish. I had thought that I still had time, that my presence and power were not yet known. That I could come to the Adventurer’s Guild without people coming to me.


    But now that I thought about it, it was obvious. Of course, they knew. I had not exactly been hiding it. Even the guards should be able to see my power. And what power player didn’t have a few policemen on their payroll?


    The man raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And what work would that be?”


    “I wished to inquire about a fish. I hear there is a reward on it.”


    The old man was suspicious. I could see it on his face. Telling him that I wasn’t here for him felt like a good strategy for the moment.


    “I see.” the man frowned. “There are many fish we give out rewards for. Perhaps I can help you with it.”


    The man began walking towards the building, clearly expecting me to follow. I considered walking away. The Adventurer’s Guild reward was important to my plans. That was true. But this seemed an even bigger trap. This was politics. I had lived with it for most of my life. And I knew not to engage in it so unprepared. Not without knowing a great deal more about this place than I did.


    The Empire’s court would have been easier. At least I knew the players there, and how they worked. This town was a big pile of unknowns.


    “Are you coming?” the head of the Adventurer’s Guild asked, turning around to look at him. The frown on his face had grown even deeper.


    “Could I perhaps beg leave of you in this matter? I just realized that I have other matters to attend to.” I replied. And I wasn’t even lying. I was doing something else. Not getting too involved in the local politics was a matter of its own.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    The man narrowed his eyes at me. Staring at me like I was a puzzle he could not solve. I did not like the look of his face.


    “What do you want?” he demanded.


    I looked at him sharply. “I do not understand what you mean.”


    “A noble child has entered this city of people long forgotten by the outside world.” he stated. “And within hours of entering the city, he is here at my door, but refuses to come in. I find myself wondering why.”


    I opened my mouth to answer, and then shut it. The old man had a point. I had been acting strangely. Perhaps it was the fact that I was trying not to think of something. I thought I had been very good at it, until I was reminded of it again.


    Now I couldn’t get the Monarch and his warnings out of my mind. But I really did have other things to do first.


    “I am simply attempting to see what the city holds. This is my first time here. And it really is a wonder. A town under a lake. Just who would have thought?”


    The expression of suspicion remained on the old man’s face, but I could see he was reconsidering. A part of me, a big part liked that. There were few things I was good at. Speaking to people was one of them.


    I did not know how to fight, and really I ran away from it. The kind of warfare I preferred was imaginary, and conducted from inside the safety of my rooms. But I was good at talking. At least I hoped I was.


    I really didn’t have much else going for me.


    “Just moments ago, I was touring the streets.” I pressed the issue. Then I winced. That was not the best move. The lie was not easy to discover—I very well could have been taking a stroll instead of being lost. But that may draw attention to my encounter with the city guard. That could get bad.


    “I see.” the old man said. The expression on his face turned decidedly neutral. I found it funny. Now he was trying to hide his feelings, when he had been so clearly displaying them just moments ago. Then again, anger, suspicion, and other such feelings were hard to hide. For these were the kind of emotions that tended to make you less rational. I knew that from experience.


    “I shall take my leave now.” I said, stepping away. The old man did not stop me. I walked away, careful not to keep my pace too fast. I was not running away. If the old man thought I was running away, well, I did not know what he would do.


    That was the point. Perhaps he would try to take advantage of my fear. Or he would take it as a sign of weakness. There were a number of things he could do. To predict how a person would react, I needed information about them. And I did not have that.


    The guards did not look at me as I passed through the gate. The stiff expressions on their faces and clenched muscles told me that they were doing it on purpose. The word had spread. Not unexpected but…how the heck did they find out so fast?


    This was faster than gossip. I knew the guard would report my actions, but it was far too quick to have spread across the guard already. But it was not impossible. The guard at the gate could have been close friends with the guard I had threatened. Perhaps he had immediately gone to share the news with them, without even trying to catch the girl he had been following.


    Or whatever display of magic I had copied had been big enough that they had sensed it. That had been stupid. I should not have done it. I knew too little about magic.


    Hurrying along the poorer parts of the street, I headed for Miss Emily. This had just made my point. I needed information. And, to be honest, I needed to be less foolish.


    I had been going around randomly doing whatever seemed like a good idea. That wasn’t working. I had barely survived the rabbit, and really just because a Monarch had intervened. A Monarch that wasn’t going to do so anymore.


    If I continued like this, I would end up in one bad situation or another. Heck, I was already encountering so many of them. I had fallen into this bloody lake. Elena had injured herself, and kidnappers had decided to attack me after I healed her. There had even been a reward for healers.


    Then I went for a walk. Oak had followed me. I got lost and encountered that girl. And that spell. Then I met the Head of the Adventurer’s Guild. Fuck. There was even that bloodline ability. I had forgotten about that.


    This was just so much. I barely had time to deal with one situation when two others presented themselves to me. Like they were just waiting for me to pass by to encounter them.


    Like that girl I had just happened to run into.


    Wait. Fuck. That sounded like something Story magic would do. Yes, it very much sounded like what the Monarch had warned me about. Story magic was making interesting things happen. Just like in stories.


    I had been avoiding thinking about that. There had just been other things to do. And, well, it was a hard question I needed to answer to solve this. Find out what I wanted to do and direct it towards that.


    I hadn''t even been able to tell what I wanted to do on Earth, let alone here.


    The question felt unfair. I had been here for what, a couple of days? And now I was supposed to choose what I wanted to do for the rest of my life? I knew I didn’t have an answer to that question, so I had been avoiding it.


    But apparently I didn’t have a choice. Or was I presuming things? I really wanted to be presuming things. What had happened wasn’t that unlikely, was it?


    Yes, it was. In retrospect, I should have seen it then. Story magic had led me to this town. Oak had been placed so conveniently. A person that knew a way in, someone that would lead me here if threatened. Elena’s injury, the mana healing.


    How convenient. The healing should have alerted me. Elena had been healed, and then the power went away. Story magic was pushing me towards something. The girl, the head, the guard they were things that felt too forced. Story magic probably had a hand in them.


    What was it planning?


    Perhaps getting involved in local politics. That did seem like something it could do. Story magic followed stories, did it not? A protagonist unwillingly finding themselves pushed into local politics was common.


    I did not want that. Not just because of the danger, but specifically because I did not want to give Story magic what I wanted. But if I stayed here, then it would draw me in. Perhaps the Alchemist Guild would hear of a healer next and come seek me out. Or perhaps it would be the City Lord. I could not wait around for that.


    I walked into Miss Emily’s place. Elena was still sleeping. I did not know when she would wake, and I did not have time to wait. So I walked up to Oak.


    The man looked up at me, opening his mouth to say something. I cut him off. “Take me to where your poison fish is. I want to see what it looks like.”