The Life, Death, and Relife of the Mushroom Mage

Chapter 15

Mally stepped into the guild house and immediately noticed the royal livery of the Imperial knights. They were standing at the front of the information desk, talking to Mirabel, and Mally immediately turned and made a beeline for the board. It was unlikely that they did a request for C rank, but they wanted to check, just to be sure.
"Oh! There he is!" Mirabel said and waved to Mally. "Mally! Over here!"
Wait. What?
Mally turned, wondering when they found a chance to offend an Imperial, and thought about walking right out the doors, but they would likely be arrested for doing something like that, so they swallowed down their anxiety and made their way to the desk.
"Yes?" they asked, and Mirabel slammed her hands onto the counter.
"You didn't tell me you killed nearly twenty bandits!" she said. "I would have made you rank B right away!"
Oh... Oh, this was a problem.
"I. Uh," they said. "You probably wouldn't have believed me."
"I didn't know you had such powerful magic!" she said. "Mally!"
"I'm sorry, am I in trouble for something?" Mally asked, because they didn't think they were in trouble, but what did they know?
"No! You've been invited to the Imperial palace!" Mirabel said, and that was when the panic struck. Shit. How was Mally going to cover for themself? The Imperial palace? Seriously? "You apparently saved someone very important!"
"Oh, I, uh," they stammered as they tried to think of a way out of this. "I don't think I should go... I was just doing my job."
"Mally," Mirabel said in a whisper. "You saved the Saint."
Mally stared at her blankly, because oh, it had been announced. Welp.
"Oh," they said, stupidly. "I thought she was a priest."
"You need to go, or you'll make the guild look bad," Mirabel said, and Mally hesitated. "There's a whole carriage waiting for you out front!"
"Oh," Mally said faintly. "A carriage. I'm... uh... underdressed."
"It's okay! Really! They're not going to expect you to show up in fine clothes!" Mirabel said, and Mally flushed. This was getting out of hand. They were supposed to be avoiding the plot, and now they were meeting the Emperor? Was this never going to blow over? "Hurry and go!"
They needed to be done by six pm, or they would miss their appointment with the bookseller. The longer they stalled, the more of a problem this would be. They were well aware of that.
"Okay," they said weakly, and the two knights stepped forward.
"The carriage is waiting outside for you," one of the knights said, and Mally shot Mirabel a betrayed look, who just beamed at them. She was no help.
Dammit. They didn't even have Rat to ride. He was at the stable. They had been planning on taking him out today for a mission outside the city. They wanted to fight goblins. The quest would be gone by the time they got back. Really, their luck was just the worst.
They were led outside by the two knights, and they climbed into the carriage, intimately aware of the fact that they had bathed last night, but they didn't feel clean enough. The knights closed the carriage door behind them and mounted their horses, and they perched gingerly on the edge of the seat, feeling their heart hammer in their chest. They definitely did not feel great about this.
The carriage pulled off, and they tried to remember the last time they had ridden in a carriage. It was the day they pulled out all of their allowance and bought the spatial bag, right. They didn't know how to feel about it. This was terrifying. That was the day before they killed themself.
Their hands fisted in their pants, clinging to them tightly as the carriage rolled through the streets. They would probably be offered a reward. They had no idea what they would ask for. Maybe they would make it easy for them and just offer them something. They didn't want to be offered just anything they could choose for a reward. They wouldn't be able to think of anything.
Deep breaths. They knew it was a huge deal that they had saved the Saint. They should have thought that through. They really, really should have thought that through. But, Artesia had looked so pitiful. She had looked so pitiful, and they felt for her. Really, they did. That poor girl just wanted to survive without walking into death flag after death flag. That was all she wanted to do.
It was tragic.
Mally just wanted to survive, too.
The knights weren't talking to them, and they felt like this wasn't very fair. The plot was insistent on dragging them in against their will. Was it the emperor that was going to greet them? No, with the way things were going, they would have to deal with the second ML. Fantastic. The original second ML, who didn't have all that of a presence in the manhwa. Damn Crown Prince. Well, he wasn't the Crown Prince right now, but he would be in... two years? Maybe? Something like that? They didn't remember.
Fuck, this was annoying. This was so annoying. They would have to do the most to not out themself as being trained in etiquette. What if they could tell they were overcompensating? Oh, gods, they were so fucked. They would just have to get in and out of there quickly.
With a deep sigh, they slumped forward and put their hands over their face. This was a fucking crisis. This was a goddamn crisis. They were headed to the palace. Why the palace? This was...
This wasn't working.
They almost wanted to jump out of the carriage and run, but that would raise way too many red flags. No, they would just get through this as quickly and painlessly as they possibly could. That was the only option here. Be boring, uninteresting, and raise no red flags.
Yeah. They could totally do this. They could totally do this.
....
The Imperial palace was tall and imposing. It stretched out over several miles, and they were not taken to the main palace. Instead, they were taken to a side palace, and that basically cemented it for them. They were here to be meeting the second ML. Which was just fucking fantastic. It was absolutely fantastic. They were going to die, they were sure of it.
"This way," the first knight said, and they stepped out of the carriage and looked up at the lavish palace. He led them towards the stately red doors, a show of luck, and pushed open the doors. They were led inside, violently aware of tracking mud on the carpet. Their boots weren't muddy, but they were still anxious about it.
They walked through the twisting halls, up some stairs, and the knight paused at a door.
"This is the first prince's study. You should kneel and greet him as Your Highness," he said, and Mally nodded.
"Understood," they said, and he pushed open the door. Mally made their way inside, and the prince was sitting on a sofa with Artesia across from him, sipping on tea. Without a word, they dropped to one knee and bowed their head.
"Your Highness. Your Holiness," they said as the knight loomed behind them, and the prince gave them a broad smile.
"Mally Mack, correct?" he asked, and Mally lifted their head.
"That is my name, Your Highness," they confirmed, and he set his cup on the saucer without so much as a sound and set it down.
"Stand up, man. There's no need to kneel. You saved the Saint," he said, and Mally came to their feet and stood there awkwardly.
"Hi, Mally!" Artesia said with a little wave, and Mally inclined their head.
"Hello, Your Holiness," they said, and she frowned at them.
"Call my Artesia," she said, and he stared at her.
"No, Your Holiness," he said, flat, and she pouted at him.
"It would seem you two became great friends on the road!" the prince said, and clapped his hands together. "That's good! So, Mally, I was thinking of speaking to my father to present you with a title and some land---"
"No, thank you, Your Highness," Mally said immediately as panic leapt in their throat, because they just escaped from the trappings of nobility, and they were not about to do it again.
The prince paused, looking a little shocked, as though he hadn't expected that.
"No?" he asked. "You saved the Saint."
"Begging your pardon, Your Highness, but I would not make a very good noble," they said as they flushed.
"Of course you would make a good noble!" he said, and Mally flushed and bowed.
"No, thank you, Your Highness," they said. "I would prefer to remain as an adventurer. I don't have the head to run a barony or county."
The prince paused, and then he smiled.
"Well, what do you want instead?" he asked, and Mally paused. What did they want? They didn't...
Oh.
Duh.
They were worried about housing.
"A furnished townhouse," they said, and the prince blinked.
"A furnished townhouse?" he asked, and they nodded firmly.
"And I would like to choose the furnishings," they said, and he blinked a few more times.
"That's it? That's all you want?"
"Yes. And waived property taxes for five years," they replied, and he stared at them. "It's far less expensive than a title and land, and you won't have to ask the emperor about it."
They would rather not get the notice of the emperor.
"Oh... Alright," the prince said after a long, awkward pause. "I can do that."
Success. They had a living situation worked out. They wouldn't have to stay at the inn any longer.
"And preferably don't put it in a high income area," they added. "A mid income area is better."
"I'll... put you in contact with my aide, Baron Highguard," the prince said, and they nodded.
"Thank you, Your Highness," they said, and Artesia clapped her hands together.
"Would you have tea with us?" she asked, and Mally balked, because they thought she had etiquette lessons.
"That is inappropriate, Your Holiness," they said immediately as the prince sat back.
"I don't mind," he said and took a sip of tea.
"I don't know any etiquette," Mally lied. "I would only embarrass myself."
"Oh, no one cares in here!" Artesia said as the knight's eyes bored into the back of Mally's head.
"I actually have a later appointment today, and need to get to it," Mally said, and Artesia's eyes widened.
"Oooh, do you already have a date for the festival?" she asked, and Mally paused.
"No," they said flatly, and did not elaborate.
"You're right. He is a peculiar fellow," the prince said, and Mally flushed.
"I beg your pardon?" they asked, and the prince laughed.
"It's not an insult. You're funny, Mally. Come have tea with us," he said, and Mally could see it in his eyes. It was not a polite request. It was an order.
Uuuuggghhhhh.
They hesitated as the knight continued to stare at the back of their head, likely considering decapitation and how easy it would be. Taking a deep breath in, they stepped forward and sat down, and Artesia clapped her hands, completely clueless of the air. She was so stupid sometimes. She really put Mally on the spot with her request.
"Can we get another cup for our friend here?" the prince called, and the maid stepped forward and poured Mally a cup of tea. Mally stared at it, and then they leaned forward and took it and took a quiet sip, making sure to make no noise. They weren't sure of the rules here, but it would be better to follow proper etiquette than not, because that knight was still staring at them.
"Now, Mally. You're an adventurer?" the prince asked, and they set down the cup of tea.
"Yes. I am."
"What rank are you?" the prince asked, and they swallowed.
"C rank, currently, though I anticipate I'll move up to A rank soon," they replied, and the prince tilted his head.
"You took out twenty bandits. Why so low?"
"The guild goes off of a merit system," Mally replied, and the prince hummed.
"That's interesting. I hadn't ever had the chance to have a conversation with an adventurer before."
"Well, I imagine there are not many chances to brush shoulders," Mally said, and the prince laughed.
"True enough. Honestly, when I was a boy, I often dreamed of becoming an adventurer."
"I think many children dream of being adventurers," Mally said, and the prince propped his chin in his hand as he stared at Mally with knowing eyes.
"You're very well spoken for a commoner," he said, and Mally froze. Their eyes flicked to him, and then they coughed.
"My apologies, Your Highness," they said, and the prince laughed.
"Don't apologize. I find it interesting," he said, and Mally looked back down at their cup of tea. It was a very good blend. They didn't dare put any sugar in it.
"Mally was trained by a retired knight!" Artesia said, and the prince tilted his head.
"Oh? Why did he retire?" he asked, and Mally swallowed.
"He lost an arm," they said. "Training accident."
"Which arm?" the prince asked, and Mally looked to the side.
"The left one," they said, and hoped Tres never lost an arm. They had loved him in place of their father. He was the only one that ever showed them any affection.
"Well, that's just a tragedy," the prince said. "He must have trained you very well. Can you read and write?"
"I can, yes," Mally said with a glance to Artesia. "He taught me. Told me I'd need it."
"Hm. I see," the prince said and turned back to his tea. "You certainly found an interesting one, Your Holiness."
"Ah..." Artesia said, and oh, was she now catching on to the awkward air? Airhead. "Yes, I think I did."
"Drink your tea," the prince ordered Mally, and they leaned forward and picked up the cup of tea to sip at it.
Gods. This was a trainwreck. They wanted to get out of here.
Courage. They had to have courage.
Fuck.
They needed to go to the bathroom.
Why was the prince so interested in them, anyway??