Dungeon of Pride, Laplace

It was the case of her reputation preceding her. For a person of her stature to be bowing her head, one could imagine the impact it had. All the adventurers got up from their seat while her subordinates tried to stop her.

"Your Highness please raise your head, a royalty like you shouldn't be bowing their head".

Despite Alvara and the others telling her to stop, Cynthia continued to bow her head until her feelings were conveyed through her actions.

"We understand your highness, we will believe in you and fight. Please raise your head"…

"That's right, we have already witnessed miracles happening before our eyes. We already have full faith in you, there is no way our belief in you will waver at this point"…

"Yeah, we were prepared to put our life on the line since the beginning. Your Highness has helped all of us rescue our families back, our gratitude towards you couldn't be explained".

One by one, the adventurers started showing their agreement. The atmosphere of doubt inside the tent was quickly swept away bringing about a positive and optimistic change.

"Haha, to quickly win the hearts of others with just her action, only her Highness could do it. These old eyes weren't mistaken, she is truly the light of the Ellesmere royal family" her subordinates muttered in a low tone.

"Your Highness can rest assured that we will fight with all our strength. We will take back the tower town from them" With Blake's comment, the plan was set in motion.

"Un, I leave it to you all. Although I'm not proficient at forming battle strategies, I will also fight with you all. There is no need to worry about being discovered while sneaking inside the town, I have few connections I can make use of".

Although the number of merchants coming to the tower town has gradually decreased over time after the criminal organisation grabbed hold of the town, being the mistress of the largest guild, Cynthia still held a lot of influence.

If it's the merchants who owed her, they would no doubt help her once they knew she was alive. She can make use of her connection to sneak all of the adventurers in without getting detected.

Time passed by, every detail and options were discussed and little by little, a plan was coming to life.

It would not be long before these brave adventurers would throw the gauntlet of battle at the criminal organisations, toppling their tyranny and kicking them out of the tower town forever.

"Everything has been almost finalised. However, there is still one detail that is left. The date of the battle".

Every eye turned to look at Cynthia. If the adventurers here were captains and leaders of their team, then she was their commander-in-chief. This detail was something that only she could pick.

Cynthia glanced at Annette who gestured something with her hands before she stated. "How about three days from now?".

Blake and the others nodded their heads.

"That works, we will at least need that much time to prepare all the equipment and materials needed for the upcoming big battle"

One cannot fight a battle with blunt tools and equipment after all. Basic rules of adventuring— a weapon is not just a tool, it is your partner. You need to take care of it. The more well maintained and sharp the weapon is, the more it will respond to your commands. Your odds of victory is only as strong as your weapons.

—When going on an expedition always make sure you are well stocked on potions, antidotes, skill crystals, scrolls and various other things. You might not know what might happen in an unexpected situation. As such, having ample preparation is the sign of a veteran.

The adventurers not only needed to repair their weapons and armour, but they also needed to stock up on expendables that they already used in the recent raids. Three days would seem short finishing up all those tasks.

If it was before the adventurers would have trouble gathering even the basic equipment such as potions and scrolls. However, with the arrival of Cynthia, all those problems were easily solved.

She might have lost her place as the princess and her kingdom was devastated, but she still commanded a lot of influence and respect that she had built over time.

A few loyal merchants group who refused to believe that she was dead, came to the tower town to find her. Through their help, it was easy for the adventurers to stock up on their gear.

Before anyone knew it, three days quickly passed by.

.

.

At the dawn of the next day, a cavalcade of carriages carrying goods arrived at the east entry point of the tower town. Two guards who carried the badge of a green coloured viper in their armour, stopped the carriages for questioning.

"Which merchant guild are you guys from and what goods are you carrying?"

One of the guards asked. Although he posed a question to the driver, his actions showed no indication that he was waiting for an answer as he started ransacking the goods.

"Hoh? What's this Alcohol huh? Hmm, it's not bad"

The way he started drinking and taking some of the goods, it looked nothing short of robbery. However, the driver did not say anything. No, it was not that he didn't want to say anything, rather he couldn't.

The town he was entering was rather a lawless area with the criminals and murderers loitering all around the place. As such, if he valued his life, it was better for him to ignore the actions of the guard.

The two guards who obviously belonged to the criminal organisations, did not stop there, they started blatantly looting goods from all the carriages.

"Do you have the permit to enter?"

With a wretched smile on their face, they swiped their thumb and index finger in an obvious gesture.

Getting the cue, the driver quickly took a couple of gold coins and handed it to them.

"Hehe, we have received the permit, you can go now".

The horses neighed pulling the carriages forward. Just as the cavalcade was about to pass through the gate, one of the guards suddenly asked.

"Does all the carriages carry alcohol and food?".

The driver nodded.

Satisfied by the answer or perhaps with the harassment, the guards left to harass the others in the line. Had they been properly doing their duty and checked each and every carriage, they would have found out that, the carriages weren't just carrying food and Alcohol but instead something much dangerous.

Something that would create a huge commotion on this day, surpassing all their imagination. However, the guards were unaware about it, the whole town was unaware of what was about to happen.

As the decisive hour slowly drew near, the cavalcade of carriages continued forward and came to a stop in front of a particular building. The signboard in front of the building depicted a beautiful white palace and four bold words… Serene Palace Merchant Guild.

That's right, this was one of the buildings owned by Cynthia's merchant group. To be more exact, it was owned by her first brother after her presumed death. Now with the prince missing and the news of the princess returning alive the loyal subordinates which still remained in the guild, welcomed her happily.

The door to the building was pushed open and a man who appeared to be a butler walked out.

"All preparations have been completed, please park the carriages at the backside of the building".

On the butler's words, the carriages turned around and slowly entered the backyard of the building. The backyard of the building was a large space with big shacks built to receive the cargo.

Once the carriages came to a stop, the butler stepped forward and knelt with one knee.

"Welcome your Highness, we have been awaiting your arrival".

The tarpaulin covering the cargo in the carriages was pulled open and multiple people walked out of it. They numbered over fifty, leading them was a violet haired woman with a stunningly beautiful appearance.

She was wearing a long robe with light armour underneath to protect herself. Even though she was dressed in a common adventurer's garb, there was no hiding the inborn aura of nobility that she inadvertently released.

"It's good to see you again Blamenco. Are you doing well?" Cynthia greeted the butler.

Blamenco was one of the few loyal retainers of hers whose loyalty did not change side after she was declared dead.

Blamenco smiled, his eyes that contained relief, joy, delight and many other expressions continued to stare at his liege.

"I can't explain how good it is to see you again your highness. As you can see, the merchant guild isn't doing good. After your disappearance, the first prince took charge; however, His Highness barely had any knowledge about commerce. All he did was give us unreasonable commands and funnelled all the money he could squeeze from the guild into building his faction"

"As a result of which, many of our businesses failed, transactions halted and the market taken over. Right now, except for the branches located in the foreign nation, all our businesses have stopped"

"The conditions are even worse in places that were affected by the war, especially the capital. After the first prince bribed and poached over most of the employees the ones that remained either left the capital after the defeat of the royal family for fear of their lives or went underground. However, now that you are here, we still have hope. Not only the royal family can be revived, but the merchant guild can begin anew once again under your leadership. Your Highness, please command this old subordinate".

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