"Ugh. What the hell happened?" Garrick asked while regaining consciousness on a bench inside the guild hall.
"Haha, what do you think?" William answered.
Osric sat quietly on the other side of the table. "Hey William. When's Richard coming?"
"He should arrive any minute. I'll introduce you then—
But don't you have anything to say to Garrick?"
"What for?" He asked while turning his gaze to Garrick.
"Didn't get exactly what you asked for?"
Garrick smiled. "Hah. Cold hearted bastard."
Osric didn't look amused.
"This is only okay because it was Franklin, but never do something as reckless as challenging a knight while working for me."
"Sure. I told you I'd follow you. But don't expect some kind of undying loyalty. I will still speak up if I don't agree with you. A contract is just a piece of paper in the end." He said while holding his forehead in pain.
Osric just exhaled.
"I'll definitely put you to work. Make sure to follow closely from now on."
'He'll be a lot more difficult to control than the others.'
William remained quiet awkwardly. 'Why did Paul have to leave early and leave me alone with those two?'
Fortunately for William, a tired looking long haired man with a bow strapped to him, walked inside.
"Richard!" William yelled with a raised hand.
"Argh. Why is this yelling?" Garrick complained.
Both Osric and the approaching Richard thought the same.
'Finally. They can meet each other now and Osric can give his own assessment.'
"Thanks for coming again. I want to introduce you to my party leader before we go on our mission."
William gestured at Osric.
Richard looked at him closely with his dull unbothered expression.
Osric could feel that Richard was unique like William said. He reached out his hand.
"I'm Osric."
He didn't add more.
Richard nodded and grabbed his hand.
"Thanks for working with him while I'm occupied. Let's all go on a mission sometime." Osric said with a faint smile.
"Sure."
Garrick introduced himself briefly before William and Richard headed off together.
"So what now?" He asked Osric.
"You first need to get your F-Rank adventurer badge."
"Alright."
While getting to that, Garrick kept thinking back to his spar with Franklin.
'How did he move so fast without mana?'
'Even though I have been defeated with one strike before by a knight, it wasn't nearly as fast. I could at least track his movements somewhat—
'There really is a huge difference between each Knight stage.'
'That bastard doesn't hold a candle to Franklin. Although he's still countless times more powerful than me, which pisses me off.'
The face of a rough young man with a bright smile came to his mind as a memory.
'Why did you change so much, my friend?'
Garrick's expression became solemn.
—
Getting his adventurer badge didn't take long.
After that, Garrick and Osric left the guild walked down the common streets.
"So what now? It's still a few hours away before the arena even opens."
The cold wind made Osric's ears almost fall off, so he put his hood on.
"To the inn I'm staying at. We need to eat something."
"Alright. I'm starving and I wanted to know where you stay at anyway."
It only took a couple of minutes to arrive.
"Oh, I know this place. It has good food. Since I plan on following you around, I might as well change my home to this place."
Osric didn't complain. This was beneficial for him too.
"Sure."
The inn was warm compared to the biting cold outside.
They sat down at a corner table, away from most of the noise. A serving girl quickly came over and took their order before leaving again.
For a short while, neither of them spoke.
Garrick leaned back slightly, stretching his shoulders before letting out a low breath.
"…So." He glanced at Osric. "You're really going through with it."
Osric didn't look up. "Yes."
A pause.
Garrick's expression didn't change, but his eyes sharpened.
"That's not a man you can outplay with tricks."
Osric finally lifted his gaze.
"I don't need to outplay him."
Another pause.
Garrick leaned forward now, resting his forearms on the table.
"You don't get it." His voice stayed calm, but there was no humor in it anymore. "You're not fighting someone who gets tired. You're not fighting someone who hesitates."
His fingers tapped once against the wood.
"If you make one mistake—just one—he won't give you another chance."