Her hands were trembling with anger. She never had anything stolen from her in her life. Maybe through sheer luck or the fact she was born as a noble but that feeling of being wronged consumed her from inside out. It was like a grasping hand wringing the life out of her heart.
"Miss?" The receptionist tilted her head slightly as she looked into Priscilla's appalled eyes. "Something wrong?"
"I…" She swallowed dry. Cold beads of sweat started to drop from her brows as she struggled to formulate words. "M-my pouch where I k-kept my coins is-"
As she was trying to explain herself, a large presence loomed behind her as an armored gauntlet appeared in front of her.
"It'll be a silver piece right?" A male voice came from behind her and as Priscilla glanced over her shoulder she realized there was a knight in full steel armor right beside her. "Lucina."
"Oh! Sir Reinhardt! What a pleasant surprise." The receptionist smiled warmly. "How did the extermination quest go?"
"A few hiccups. Elaine was wounded by one of the kobolds but it was nothing serious." His voice sounded muffled from behind the closed helmet. "Ah, um… I'll fill in the official form later. I have to get back to her."
Upon raising his gauntlet off the table, a silver coin was left there and Priscilla—even though she was nervous before, couldn't just let a stranger pay for her. If anything, making an adventurer cover a royal knight's mistake felt like an unbearable embarrassment.
"Ahem, good sir? I appreciate your concern but-"
"Reinhardt." The knight turned over his shoulder to look at her from the gap of his helmet. "Adventurers should help each other from time to time. When you make it big you can pay me a round of ale in the tavern."
He turned back and left while waving his left hand.
"I-" Her pride dictated that she continued, but deep inside she knew that refusing help would only make her mission take longer than necessary. So instead she simply bowed towards him as he left the guild hall before returning to the receptionist. "I apologize for my early behavior. I was robbed of my savings so I couldn't pay the fee."
"It's alright. The fee itself is more for the service than the material we are handing out." She slid the copper plate forward before pointing towards the door. "You've probably seen it but if you head to the right after exiting the guild, you'll see the blacksmith. Just tell him your name and he'll mark your plate with it."
Priscilla grabbed the metal plate and held it tightly on her left hand as she bowed slightly.
"Thank you. Miss Lucina."
"You are very welcome. Miss Priscilla."
With a smile, the receptionist bid farewell to the new adventurer as she exited the guild hall. Outside, the air felt more stifling than when she initially came to town. The gnawing sensation of having something stolen from her was not something she would easily forget as each step of the way to the blacksmith felt like a hurdle of its own as she pondered how she would deal with the lack of funds.
'And those were a couple dozen gold coins funded by the Queen herself!' She clenched her right hand in pure anger. 'Oh, the things I'll do to this pickpocket… even if you are a child, you can't simply steal things!'
Despite her anger, she knew there was nothing she could do about it if not hurry on with the guild's formalities. If worse comes to worst, she could always try her hand at adventuring.
'I'm a royal knight for goodness' sake… ugh… if Lord Leonard were to hear of this…'
She shook her head before taking a sharp deep breath.
"Hey lass!" A loud male voice caught her attention as she quickly glanced to the side. "Are ye a new adventurer?"
The one asking was a bald muscular man. He had tanned skin, black thick eyebrows and a pair of dark brown piercing eyes. He wore nothing on his upper body with only a pair of dirty trousers held by a cord of braid hemp.
'Don't tell me he's a beggar…'
He clearly couldn't read minds but her thoughts were obvious with the disgusted face she was making.
"Hey, just letting ye know. I'm the one responsible for the ol' smithery. I'll make ye pay double for engraving that thing ye carrying if ya keep starin' at me like that."
He pointed at the copper plate that was just peeking between her index and thumb.
"Ah."
After a couple of minutes waiting outside the blacksmith, the bald man came back from inside his shop with Priscilla's plate tied between two pieces of a thick hemp cord.
"Ye don't need it visible. Just keep on ye person when adventurin' lass."
"I am so sorry, sir Geralt. I just had my coin pouch stolen and-"
"Ah ya don't need to tell me. It been rough round these parts lately. Kids barely 'nough to fill their bellies."
'Huh…? Isn't Arrivaul supposed to be thriving now…?'
"What about the orphanage?"
"Lass, that thing ain't spitting out folk with upbringing like ye self. Poor nuns barely hav 'nough for 'em selves."
Priscilla's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Can you tell me where the orphanage is?"
"Aye, right that a-way lass." He pointed to the south part of the city with his cross pein hammer. "See that cross on top of that building over there? Twas a church until them nuns decided to take care o' the children.
"I see. Thank you, Sir-"
"Atata… no need to sir me lass. Good ol' Geralt is 'nough."
She smiled faintly before nodding shortly to him.
"Thank you Geralt."
"Aye lass."
She made her way across the central square towards the orphanage. She didn't know much about it, even back in Arcadia. All she knew was that her mother would often help with donations of food or clothes that could be used by other kids in need.
'This isn't part of my mission but… if it was the Queen, I'm sure she would do the same.'