Rise of The Holy-Realm Rebel

'I can't believe I'm doing this.' I shook my head Inwardly, wearing a dark expression as a man dressed in what was a uniform belonging to the Empire, led me through an entrance into the courts of a certain mansion.

Waving and signaling at other soldiers who merely nodded, he led me around the mansion's large compound to a stable not too far from a training ground.

"Here. This is where you'll be working for now. If you do well you might find better paying jobs," he stated blankly.

"Those are the tools provided for your job. If you need clean water you can draw it from the well not too far from here," he said, pointing at what looked like scraping tools, a couple of metal basins, and rags. They particularly looked dirty. And of course, they were… after all, I would be working within the walls of the Town-Lords mansion... as a stable hand. I was to rid the stables of horse dung.

A repulsive task, unbefitting of my identity. But what could I do?

To understand my current predicament, I would need to retrace the events that started three days ago—the day after we arrived in Yarub. Nothing spectacular had happened the night we arrived, but by sundown the next day, Eiko's leads had increased.

Thanks to her information-gathering skills, and the money she had which helped in greasing the palms of her informants; she stumbled upon what could be considered a break-through for our mission. Quickly at that.

"I might have found him," she had abruptly announced when we gathered within the inn's dining. Having left Nura to my care after ensuring that we did not leave for any elaborate location, that meeting served as a sort of relaxation.

All morning Nura's very presence had caught the attention of many suspicious-looking individuals. It had been up to me to ward them off with glares and cold stares, but some persisted.

That was a different story now. Eiko didn't reveal the weight of her presence, but any seasoned fighter could discern the air of strength she carried. It was almost overwhelming. She at times felt like a wild beast in human clothing.

For a lady, Eiko was built, although not as tall as I was, she walked like a tank—Probably due to Knightly training. Confidence had been drilled into her very steps.

Both sisters nearly looked identical, except that Eiko had a deeper shade of orange hair than her little sister. Her features also carried maturity. She was a decade older than Nura after all. Still, it was clear that they were siblings just by their faces.

To not attract too much attention they had their heads tied with scarfs. It was still strange to see since most did not do it, but the addition of my joining them forced people to believe we were some sort of group.

My crimson hair would stand out too much. Plus it was as long as a lady's. A feature no man I had met so far held.

"Really?" Nura's eyes lit up at her sister's announcement, even if I only furrowed my brows to ask a question.

"Where? And how good are our chances?"

Seeing her eyebrows quiver at my words, I knew we couldn't have high hopes.

"I confirmed that someone with his description had been seen within the town's walls, but… he's also popularly known for being around the town lord and the empire's men."

The air turned pensive at that point. Thankfully we sat at a rather secluded spot within the inn's dining. The chatter of the other customers also drowned out our conversation.

"I had no idea how we can confirm his presence within the lord's mansion, but I hope to find something by tomorrow," she sighed. "We might also need to manage our spending for a bit, those informants had not been pretty about their prices," she shook her head, and Nura could only giggle; standing to playfully massage her sister's shoulders.

On that note, we got ourselves food. Thankfully it didn't cost much.

Something happened at some point though. An annoying occurrence that ended up proving fruitful.

"Oi! You!" Some suddenly yelled from behind, catching our attention. I turned since I backed the rest of the hall only to find a group of four hefty-looking men standing above me.

Confusion seeped into my thoughts, but I immediately understood why they had come. All four of them happened to be men I had glared at less than an hour ago.

'Trouble already?' I remarked inwardly, catching a glimpse of Eiko's confused expression. She threatened to speak, but I shook my head a bit to ward her off. Her expression still carried confusion but she decided to let me handle it anyway.

"I'm talking to you" The leader of that confrontation called out again, disdain in his tone. He placed his hand on my left shoulder and I felt fury explode in my chest, resulting in a cold glare that landed on his hand and seemed to pierce it.

He flinched withdrawing for a bit. He had sensed bloodlust. 'He's not dumb,' I commented, calming myself. Picking my sword wrapped in brown cloth, I stood to face the group.

He had a... funny smell.

An unpleasant one too.

I hid my disgust.

"What can I do you for?" I asked, allowing my gaze to sweep across the rest of the dining. There were no less than twenty others within it, but they all had their faces bowed and caution oozed out of their figures.

'Hierarchy?' I wondered. It looked like it.

"You seem to have a problem with us, and we'd like to talk about it… outside," the muscular leader explained, folding his arms in a bit to cover up for flinching.

"Oh?" I asked and he nodded, the others following suit. Normally I would not bother, but a part of me had to prove to Eiko that I was indeed reliable. I had seen how uncomfortable she looked leaving Eiko with me. These men would prove the perfect opportunity to announce my worth.

"Okay then," I responded, and the three others revealed smug grins. I was a fool to them.

"Alright follow us," he said, turning to leave.

Eiko and Nura threatened to follow, but I raised my hand, revealing a relaxed smile as I spoke.

"You don't have to worry. I'll deal with this quickly and be back."

I enjoyed the suppressed shock I discerned in their features.

"I'll make this snappy," I assured, following behind the quartet. Except now my countenance had fallen cold.