[Duel in the middle of a banquet - Quest Completed!]

[You defeated Trus Goren in a fair fight, leaving your opponent no chance to win! You did it in front of dozens of nobles, so now you have a certain reputation in the highest circles of the Red Feather City!]

[Received 150 Exp!]

'Not much, though it wasn't difficult at all, and I didn't do it for the experience...' Zayne muttered, heading towards Elin who was looking at him with a deep gaze.

"Zayne... Thank you..." Elin muttered as she pressed her palm against her chest.

"Sure. I can't let some arrogant nobleman get around my archer, can I?" Zayne smiled as he took Elin's hand, which immediately threw her into heat, "I don't know the whole situation, but you absolutely did not need to go to the banquet with him. If you didn't have a decent option, you could have just asked me."

For a second, Elin looked at Zayne as if mesmerized, then she said, "I wanted to... but you did go with Mrs. Lucia... Would you have gone with me without even considering it?"

Zayne shook his head, "Elin, it's not that simple. If you had asked me first, I absolutely would have refused Lucia's offer, but if it were later, I wouldn't have broken my promise. You should understand that."

Elin nodded deeply, she wished Zayne's answer would have been a little different, but she respected that he was so serious about more than just her.

Clap.

Alden's powerful clap stopped the whispering in the crowd and caught everyone's attention.

"I think everyone will agree with me that the battle was impressive, though rather bloody, let's be honest, we've all been waiting for this, haven't we?" Alden smirked as he pointed at Zayne, "Mr. Zayne is the obvious winner, I don't think anyone would argue with that. Now, help Mr. Trus."

At the same moment, several men ran up to Trus and quickly led him away, they had to work hard to get the sword out of the ground and free Trus's leg.

"Hahaha, that was a great fight!" Roland walked over to Zayne, laughing with pleasure. Veronika, was with him, holding his hand.

"It was nothing special. Of all the fights, this was the easiest. I think anyone could have handled it." Zayne shrugged.

Step. Step. Step.

Geir didn't stand aside as he congratulated Zayne, " Congratulations! Now I'm sure we can accomplish our mission without any difficulty! It will be simple!"

"Hey... You don't have to talk about it so loudly." Liza frowned with a reproachful look.

"Agh... you're right... I just can't help myself..." Geir sighed while shaking his head.

"Well, I completely understand Geir's feelings, it was actually an exciting duel... Without it, the banquet would have been too boring." Lucia said with a slight smile before she walked over to Zayne and pressed against him, "Mrs. Elin, I'm sorry, but tonight Zayne is mine alone."

"Yeah... Of course, I understand..." Elin muttered with a slight nod.

"I think we should all relax a little and continue to enjoy the banquet." Veronika said calmly, giving Zayne and Elin each a glass of wine.

"You're definitely right!" Roland exclaimed and with a broad smile on his face drained the glass of wine in one gulp.

Gradually the atmosphere returned to normal, and all that was left of Zayne's fight was the discussion among the nobles.

Alden stood in the middle of the hall and with narrowed eyes watched several people who seemed to be arguing with each other. They were all well familiar with Trus, and from this show, Alden got a sly grin on his face.

'I wasn't expecting this at all, but thanks to Zayne, tonight's banquet helped move the pieces along. These two families have been boring me for a while now, it's too early to do anything about it, but the important thing is that the first step has been taken.' Alden pondered as he glanced at Zayne, 'I don't know if I can claim this, but Fate is really keeping an eye on this guy. It's like he's the catalyst for all things... like he's the reason the gears finally start moving.'

Over the next few hours, the banquet gradually came to its logical conclusion, and everyone returned to their homes. Only one important thing happened at the banquet, so the whole town was filled with rumors and discussions about Zayne's duel as well as about the power of the mysterious Traveler.

...

The next day, Zayne and the others headed to Redfall Family Manor again, but not to the banquet, but to the training ground, where Alden, Lucia, Victoria, and Liza were already waiting for them.

"Oh, you've already arrived. You don't seem like the kind of person who likes to be late, do you?" Alden said with a slight smile as he looked at his watch.

"Heh, with Roland's schedule, it's just impossible to miss anything. Sometimes he can be really strict..." Zayne muttered as he sighed, "The morning started with a hundred push-ups, and not just for me... Poor Rina... I really feel sorry for her..."

"Roland, after all, is one of the strongest commanders in all of Red Feather City. I'm glad I was able to talk him into working for me. It was the best deal of my life." Alden chuckled as he looked at Rina, who walked into the room. Rina sat down on the couch with an exhausted look and closed her eyes.

"Alden, why did you gather us here?" Zayne asked.

"Hmm? Didn't Roland tell you?" Alden raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Whatever, your squad is about to have a training session. Nothing fancy, just basic stuff to get you toned up before the mission starts."

Zayne nodded and turned around, everyone was there, even Geir, who was talking to Liza about something, but one was still missing.

Crackle.

The door opened as Rea stepped inside, still with the same massive hat that was much bigger than her head.

"Rea..." Zayne muttered.

Rea walked up to him, nodded, and said, "Hey, how was the banquet? I hope you enjoyed it?"

"Oh... Yeah, it wasn't bad, especially the wine. I've never tasted anything so good." Zayne spoke with a slight smile, "By the way, why weren't you there?"

"Lucia tried to force me, but I just don't like such crowded places. I'm sure there wasn't anything interesting there." Rea said calmly, not at all arrogant like before.

"Well, something like that." Zayne awkwardly scratched the back of his head, "Hah, you're acting totally different today, did something happen?"

Rea remained silent until she said, "Nothing much, I was just in a bad mood yesterday, that's all. I have a right to make mistakes sometimes, don't I?"

Zayne smirked, "Sure, no problem."

Rea snorted, adjusted her hat, and headed for the training field.

Clap.

Alden clapped his hands, "Alright, now that everyone's here, it's time to start practicing!"

Everyone nodded and headed for Rea, who happened to be first. Zayne was last and was stopped at the last moment by Lucia.

"Zayne, don't rush, before you start, I want you to take a gift from me." Lucia said modestly with a slight smile.