Chapter 281   - Old Tower Master

"Wait there must be a big mistake, we're adventures look?" Martha said as she pulled out her tag. "We were on a quest to subjugate the Harpies when they chased after us."

The guard looked at Martha with suspicion and then looked at the Harpy on the ground.

"Where are the rest of your members?" the guard said, "Who is in charge?"

"We are all that's left, He is the one that led the group," Martha said pointing at Rick who was just getting up off the ground.

"What lies, I didn't lead no group, if you check I am only a C rank but one of them is a B rank, they just wish for the death of the other Guild members to be pinned on me rather then them," Rick replied.

Rick knew that there were many members in the party from different guilds, some small, some big and usually when something happened like this. The blame would all fall on the commander. A guild usually would have to pay for the dead member or sort out the disputes and even though the Underdog guild was large, they couldn't afford something like this on their shoulders.

"What lies, Roy, tell him," Martha said.

Roy started to hesitate for a bit before answering, he didn't have the protection of a guild backing him, in his heart, he was afraid that if he said something against the Underdogs, they would target him.

But then the thought of the mistreatment he received while in the group. Rick deserved everything he could get.

"It's true, that man was our commanding leader," Roy said.

The guard looked at both of them for a moment.

"This matter will need to be settled between yourselves, the city doesn't have time to play mediator between the two. However, an investigation still needs to take place to decide whether you willingly lead the harpies to the kingdom. Although your lives were on the line, your actions could have harmed all the people in the city."

The guards then tied up each person with rope with their hands behind their backs and that included, Rick and Roy.

"Should we fight back?" Jack asked.

"No, that would just cause us even more problems," Martha replied.

"I demand a meeting with the queen," Lenny said.

The guards started to laugh.

"You have heard too many stories, not anyone can just demand a meeting with the queen, why would she come out for such a little thing like this?"

"Tell her, that her old friend Lenny is involved and I assure you she will come running out."

The guards laughed once again, who was this old man they thought. Why would the Queen know someone like him who looked like a street beggar?

But then a female in a black robe stood behind them and had come out.

"Untie that man at once!" Mia commended.

"But miss, they could be criminals working for the Shadow."

"Huh, is that one of the tower masters!" Rick said surprised.

The four Tower masters were known to be the strongest people inside of Roland academy and that included the city itself. They were well known but in name and description only. They would spend most of there days stuck up in their towers doing research of some sort hardly to be seen.

"Do you not know who that man is!" Mia said, "That is the old tower Master Lenny Steel."

"What, that's impossible, Lenny steel was an old mage, at least a hundred years of age and if my memory serves me right, he didn't look like this?" the guard said.

"His appearance has changed, he looks younger that's for sure but I wouldn't forget who he was for a second," Mia said. "It's been a long-time old man."

"You too Granny," Lenny replied.

A vein on Mia's forehead started to bulge but she quickly calmed herself down and simply smiled. It had been a long time since she met an old friend and she wasn't going to let a single comment like that ruin her day.

"Here let me do the honours of untying you," Mia suggested.

She then went behind Lenny and started to perform fire magic, the ropes started to slowly burn away but continued into Lenny's wrist.

"Wait, wait! You're burning my wrist!" Lenny screamed. "Is this because I called you Granny, but it's true you're nearly the same age as me."

The guards began to untie the rest of the group and allowed them to leave freely on the order of Mia. Although she wasn't part of the Roland army herself, the tower master, by order of the queen, had a rank just underneath the queen herself.

As long as the order was within their power, the guards were to follow.

Martha who had overheard the whole conversation was finally starting to understand. That was why Lenny had such a good relationship with the queen. Being a tower master, he would often meet with the queen to discuss things at the academy.

Not only that, but it finally explained why Lenny was so good about magic and had so much knowledge.

With everything now over, Martha and Jack had decided to head back to the inn. Lenny had decided to head out with Mia to catch up on a few things and said that they would do what was needed to be done tomorrow.

After all, it had been a long day and Martha needed to be rested for what was to come.

Roy had said his thanks and his goodbye to the others. The whole experience was a shock to him and he no longer wanted to be an adventurer. He decided he would go back to his home town and help his family out on the farm.

While Lenny and Martha were resting in their bed, they looked at their haul. Overall the group had obtained two King class beast crystals and forty basic tier crystals. The two of them couldn't stop smiling as they looked at the items.

But while Martha and Jack were celebrating, Rick, on the other hand, was not. He had gone back to his guild master to report on the quest today.

"So you have come back not only with two members less but also with nothing to show for it." The man speaking to Rick was even larger than Rick himself. In his right hand, he held a large club and on his head was the hood of a wolf, made from a real advanced tier beast.

"Boss you don't understand, I had the king tier beast crystal in my hand, but they stole it from me. After everyone had perished away in the quest, I was the only one that wasn't part of their guild there I had no chance to fight back." Rick replied sweat running down his face. He was frightened of what was going to come next.

"They stole from us!" The man shouted as he hit his club down on the floor. The room shook in response to the powerful blow. "That king beast crystal is what this guild needs to rise to the next level. No one is allowed to steal from the Underdog guild. We shall make these people pay with their blood."

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Special thanks to Fenrir2040, ShiroDN, Electric_kid15, Nwabuisi_Ifeoma, Ahmed_Kabir_7439, and DarkShadow_DS for the gifts these really support me in making my story.