Days.

It had been several days since Cyrus had gotten out of the forest and left wandering. They had no goal or a place to go, and with the lack of memory, they absolutely had no idea where they were heading. With no resources, they just managed by eating nearby fruits and berries they found on trees and bushes. 

During those days of travelling, they hadn’t spotted a single town, city nor any kind of person. While Cyrus found that concerning, they didn’t mind it much as they got to enjoy the scenery of the nature surrounding them.

*GROWL~*

They stop in the middle of the road, and look down on their stomach with a gloomy face.

“Damn.. I’m so hungry…” They mutter to themselves in annoyment.

With nothing else to do, they just kept walking forward. Crying mentally in hopes of finding a small town or even just people to ask help from! They started praying to gods, only to realise that they didn’t remember any.. But it still didn’t stop them from trying.

‘O’ please bless me with a miracle, dear gods. Please, anyone will do..!’ Something like that went on their mind.

Cyrus walked a few more steps and noticed someone with a horse alongside them. Surprisingly one of the gods had listened and answered their prayers. It was Cyrus’ lucky day!

Cyrus’ eyes sparkled with excitement and rushed over to the person. As they got closer, they noticed that it was a young man with a fancy dark suit that almost made him look like royalty. He was holding a leash that was attached to a black horse next to him, and on the other hand he was holding a paper that seemed like a map.

They proceed to approach him. “Um, Hello! Sorry to bother you but–”

“Yes, as you can clearly see, you are indeed bothering me.” The young man interrupted Cyrus. “How about you just go back on your own path and leave me on my own.” He then waves his hand, telling Cyrus to go away.

Cyrus forced a smile, but inside their mind they were beyond annoyed and angry. They couldn’t believe that the young man had the audacity to cut them off without even listening to them till the end. They couldn’t let him win this battle, so they kept hovering around the person. 

“H-hey!!” Cyrus tried to get his attention.

The young man kept inspecting the map without acknowledging Cyrus, who was desperately trying to get his attention. Moments pass and the young man rolls his map and puts it away in the black leather saddlebag that his horse was carrying. 

The young man’s brows started to frown more and more as Cyrus hadn’t stopped trying to get his attention. He packed the rest of his belongings in annoyance and hopped on his horses’ back.

He sighs and breaks his silence. “If you’re looking for a town, there happens to be one a few kilometres north from here.”

“...!” Cyrus gasped in surprise because they didn’t think they would actually give them a response. “..Which way is north…?” They asked hesitantly with a smile.

“...” The young man looked even more annoyed and just pointed to where the north was.

“Oh, thank you!”

“Also, that town offers pretty easy jobs with decent gold. You should check it out, since it seems like you could use some new equipment.” He says with a smirk. Then takes his leave with his horse.

“...” Cyrus was dumbfounded and was stuck in place, triggered by his response. They hadn’t met someone as rude as him… Or maybe they had, but their current state didn’t allow them to remember. 

Although they were infuriated by the young man’s regards, they still decided to take his advice and head towards the town.

.

.

After walking for a while they were greeted by a gate with a sign on top that said:

“Welcome to Rosalton Town of Solis”

At first glance, the town was beautiful. It was filled with small western-like buildings and had an outside marketplace filled with people. The population were only humans, so Cyrus got a lot of glances from people, because of their traits that made them stand out. Unusual hair colour, ears and tail.. And maybe even their clothes. Though they were nervous, they didn’t want that to stop them from being there. They started to look for someone to look for jobs from. 

After walking around for a bit, they noticed a crowd gathering around a person who was speaking loudly. It seemed like there was some kind of protest going on. Curiosity won over Cyrus and they approached a lady carrying a basket full of fruits.

“Uh, Excuse me..?”

The lady turned to face Cyrus and her face immediately frowned. She sighed and crossed her hand.

“What is it?” She asked bluntly.

“Oh.. I wanted to ask if you knew what was happening over here..?”

The lady sighs. “Some Noble Knights from Solis and Eristal have gathered here to investigate the recent incidents that have happened in the course of these past few days.”

Cyrus mouthed the word ‘incidents’ with a weary tone. “May I ask what kind of incidents?” They proceeded to ask more.

“It’s about the one where monsters have been mysteriously appearing and killing and townspeople suddenly either disappearing or being killed. There has been some speculation about some demonic practices being involved…” The lady picks an apple from her basket. “This has been all over the news in every nation of Arun. You should keep up with the times, lad.”

“...Right.”

“Anyways, the townspeople are protesting against the incompetence of the knights. I understand how they’re feeling. This has been going on for far too long…”

She hands the apple to Cyrus and suggests them to leave the town before anything bad happens.

Now, Cyrus had a stubborn personality and didn’t feel like leaving yet. Something about the incidents resonated something deep inside of them, so they wanted to know more about the case. And what better way would there be than ask the knights themselves. To get an audience with them would be tricky. They had the word ‘noble’ as a title after all. 

So after some ‘heavy thinking’, Cyrus had come up with a master class plan to meet with the noble knights. Now, if only they manage to execute the plan perfectly…