☀️ Arselia and Akonia

— And that's true, — Alaria nodded approvingly, — and I have similar experience with my brother, actually. I don't know if it's noticeable, but I can stand up for myself, — the Tanarian smiled, bending her right arm and tensing her muscle, demonstrating the results of her training to her interlocutor, — before I developed my culinary talents, I was doing something similar. Of course, I'm not a very good guide, so it was limited to protecting my clients from various bandits and monsters.

— Ha-ha... — The nurse flinched slightly at the demonstration of forty-six units of strength. — That's very commendable. Preventing injuries is much better than treating them afterward.

— And how is it? I suppose you've had a lot of work in the last couple of weeks.

— That's right. Many patients, and even my colleagues, still haven't fully realized what really happened that day. But despite the amount of work, I still manage to get a good night's sleep, so it's not a problem.

Erephir, in turn, offered the woman a light knightly bow. Armed with a spear or not?

— Goodbye, lady! Hello, master!

The unarmed woman disappeared on the other side of the entrance door.
— Interesting lady, — the craftsman commented after her, — and how are you doing, Erephir?

— No, thank you, — he smiled. — I appreciate your offer, but I prefer the freedom of choice that a mercenary has. Greater flexibility in decisions and actions, I can help those who are rarely helped by professional warriors. If our army protects Welfern on a state level, then people like me work on a more personal level. And both are certainly important, but I prefer an individual approach.
"And mercenaries can also use dubious and unpopular methods that wouldn't work for soldiers, which is also valuable."

— Too bad, too bad... I guess I'll have to punish you here and now!!!... Ahahahaha, just kidding, brother. Everyone has their reasons, and forcing someone who doesn't want to join the army... That's what bandits do, who wouldn't go to the front themselves. You know, there's a saying? The further a person is from the front line, the more they advocate for war, and that's the case here. Although there are exceptions in the form of true warriors, but you won't find them among politicians. If they were warriors, they wouldn't be sitting around doing nothing, would they? Well, I won't keep you. Good luck with your mercenary activities.

The man leaves.

Added 6 minutes ago

—A sailor?... Well, that's quite possible. I have no disappointment with the current world situation, that my life coincided with his reign. We should hope that he managed to survive.

—Hmm... I just realized that His Majesty is the father of Her Ladyship. No, no, don't think I've lost my mind because of the curse. It's just... I've been wandering around like a black cloud all week, thinking about this incident, but when I was in front of a person whose family was attacked even earlier than mine, I didn't even think about it, only about myself. Hmm, I still have a lot to learn in this world.

— Have you heard of a store called "Fennel"? I had a chance to get to know its owner a little when the "Thunder" last stopped in the port, and she told me an interesting story about Princess Naria, who supposedly grew up without friends and no one loved her, neither her mother, nor the servants, nor the guests, nor even her peers, except for her father. So I think that even though she still behaves calmly, she is probably very worried deep down... Well, we people are creatures that, whether we want it or not, always focus our attention first on our own problems, and only then on others.