There wasn’t any further interaction with the knights in the bar. I ate my lunch and then took my leave, barely remembering what I even ate with how tense things were and then rushed back to the headquarters to share this new info about the knight order. While that seemed counterintuitive to let them know about it, it would be a good way to test their loyalty and they’d likely find out anyway. After all, knight orders functioned similarly to adventurer groups and would head to the local dungeon entrance in time and bump into the other members eventually.

At the headquarters, I found everyone already gathered chatting with each other. There was also a bunch of bags lying next to some of the unused stable rooms. Which meant that people were renting them out. Did the knight order buy a house or two then the tenants came here to stay or did merchants come along and I somehow didn’t notice?

“Good timing captain, we have some news,” said Jerry.

“I have news as well. There is a knight order that came into town. I bumped into them at Tom’s place,” I said.

“Same as my news then. You’ve already found out. However, this works to our advantage as they’re renting out our spare rooms in our headquarters. They apparently dislike staying in multiple places like splitting up between the rooms in Tom’s place and a few willing landlords. We made a deal with them and they’re all staying right here,” said Jerry.

Just as I had suspected, these rented rooms had something to do with the knight order. However, I didn’t expect it to be the knight order itself. With how hostile they were to me, I wasn’t too comfortable with the idea of them staying under the same roof as me. However, there was a problem if my math wasn’t wrong.

“I thought there were nine of them in the bar yesterday, not seven. So I guess they’re doubling up here?” I asked.

“Nope, all nine of them. Stephen and Matt are going to give up their rooms later today. They’re paying us more than enough for them to rent someplace else. The excess cash will go towards getting them new weapons or armor from Jeff so they’re fine with it,” said Jerry.

“I’ve been needing a new hatchet as this one’s gotten a lot of chips in it and I don’t mind staying at my old family’s place for a few nights. It works out well for me,” said Matt. His hatchet did look really worn out. Not sure why we didn’t have it repaired before, we should have plenty of funds for that.

“It’s annoying to change to someplace else when I’ve had my room all set up the way I like it. I don’t really know too many people in town so I might just have to stay in the upstairs of Tom’s bar, but the ruckus from downstairs would keep me up all night,” said Stephen.

Did he really dislike Tom’s place that much? The beds were far comfier and the sound could be drowned out with a few drinks and if that didn’t work, could always join the noise downstairs until it died down. Then again, people without this shield would get a hangover with that and they were always going to the dungeon early on. I was sorta envious of him because he got to sleep away from the hostile knights and in a comfy bed, or did he?

“No, Stephen keep your bed. I’ll move out of my room for the next few days and stay at Tom’s. I don’t mind the noise anyway. In exchange, keep an eye on the knights as they seemed a bit rude if not a bit hostile,” I said.

“Thanks, that’s a relief. I’ll keep my eye on them, but in my opinion, they’re just a bit prideful since they’re an actual knight order,” said Stephen.

Even when I tried hinting at how hostile these knights might be to us, he still thanks me for trading places with him. He couldn’t say I didn’t warn him when they turn out to be terrible neighbors. Not that I hoped he would die, just that he might suffer a bit from this situation. After all, these knights may be rude and hostile, but they’d have no reason to actually attack anyone.

“Truly a model captain, giving up his room for the newest member. I’ll go with you to Tom’s place since I haven’t eaten yet and pay for the nights you’ll be staying there,” said Jerry.

“Maybe we should wait a bit since the knights are still there,” I said.

I didn’t want those knights to know I was staying at Tom’s place. Nor did I want to bump into them at all. That was the whole point of staying at Tom’s, avoiding them until I knew if it was safe to be around them.

“Right, we need to clean out the areas you and Matt have been sleeping in so we can let them know it’s ready to move in if we bump into them,” said Jerry, misunderstanding what I meant.

My room didn’t have anything in it so we just had to clean things up which didn’t take long. Matt’s room, on the other hand, was filled with a variety of knick-knacks and empty bottles and mugs lying about. By the way, despite calling me a model captain, Jerry, as the vice-captain, had no intention of giving up his room for Matt. I wasn’t sure if that was on purpose or he genuinely didn’t make the connection.

Chris, Matt, and Stephen started heading back to the dungeon for another run while Jerry and I went back towards the bar. On the way there, we bumped into the group of knights who were on the road to go towards the dungeon. I kept silent while Jerry talked with them about which rooms were theirs and what not. Thankfully, there wasn’t any sort of conflict and while they looked scary in their full plate armor and none too friendly, they remained peaceful.

A part of me wanted to be wrong about them. After all, it was just a gut feeling that they disliked me or even wanted to kill me. If I was wrong about that, it would be nice. There were also stories about how people stronger than you would give off an aura that made them seem terrifying. My feelings might just be due to me reacting to their strength. But that didn’t make any sense as everyone else seemed quite casual around them.

Once Jerry explained everything, we went our separate ways. While passing by them, one of the knights stuck their shoulder out and bumped into me, knocking me onto the ground. Why would he do something like that out of nowhere?

“Oh sorry, I didn’t see you there? Hope I didn’t hurt you,” said the knight in a monotone voice. The apology felt empty and meaningless. He did that on purpose and tried to brush it off as an accident.

I watched in shock as they moved on as if nothing had happened. Then Jerry offered his hand and helped me get up. He didn’t seem to care too much about what had happened. Either he was ignoring it on purpose to avoid conflict or he genuinely believed the knight’s story about it being an accident. Since he didn’t bring up anything about it in conversation, I didn’t either, choosing to keep quiet about it.

In the bar, we found Tom with a broom out, brushing a bunch of food scraps into a pile while one of the afternoon drinkers helped him wipe down the absolutely filthy bar table with a rag. The area was where the knights had been before and they had left a huge mess.

“What happened here, Tom? Looks like the lunch hour did a number on you. Hope you haven’t thrown everything into the pot for dinner yet as I’d like a portion even if it’s just some scraps,” said Jerry.

Poor Tom had to deal with this terrible mess and still people like Jerry would bother him about getting food past the usual serving times. As if I wasn’t torn about how I felt about Jerry enough already. I really needed to get my arm healed and pass this necklace over to him soon.

“The knight order that came to town recently wasn’t very refined in their eating habits. Which is nothing new, large groups tend to be messier than individuals. Just wish they tried to be a bit neater. Half the time it felt like they were deliberately spilling stuff or dropping it onto the floor. As for lunch, I haven’t even had the chance to throw the rest in the pot so you’re in luck,” said Tom.

They probably were doing it deliberately with how rude they were. What did they stand to gain by acting like this? Was this just how they usually acted, acting away the same as home? Or were their intentions more malicious? All I knew is that I just wanted them gone, and quickly at that.

Jerry happily dug into a portion of food Tom quickly slapped in front of him that was probably cold by now while I helped out with cleaning. It was the least I could do and was promised a free beer for the help, likely the reason the other bargoer was helping. I had to pass some time until Jerry set up the room with the funds for our knight order and he prioritized getting his fill of food first. Then again, I would also eat before dealing with a place to stay the night.

Once Jerry finished eating, he waved towards Tom and said, “How much would it cost for the captain here to stay for a week? The barn’s getting a bit cramped and we’re renting a lot of space for a decent price.”

“Captain eh? Is that what people are calling you now?” asked Tom of me while ignoring Jerry’s question. Captain was as good as name as any.

“At least the people in my newly formed knight order, as minimalist as it is, call me captain. Maybe one day I’ll deserve the name,” I said.

“I still don’t understand that business, but I’m fine with you renting a room for a week or so. Just make sure that you stay well, lend me a hand once in a while without having to regrow a new one afterward, and pay back your debts when you can,” said Tom. At this point, I might have actually had enough money to pay off my tab but as most of the finances were managed by Jerry, I wasn’t sure.

I could always request that Jerry use some of the money to pay it off, but there were things like Matt’s new weapon that took priority. He always seemed to be keeping a tight hold on the group’s cash and I wasn’t completely sure about that. Sometime I would have to confront him and make sure he wasn’t embezzling. As for right now, there weren’t any signs of money disappearing, in fact, there was plenty of cash in our so-called war chest with the new tenants. So, I was content to think of him saving up money to build a new, proper headquarters, or have enough money to buy a divine item of Sanae Patil the next time the merchants came through.

Since that one jewelry merchant knew of my affiliation, he probably would try to buy any relevant divine items for me. I would do the same for him in the dungeon, but my chances were far more slim and random than his. Nothing I could do but find some other divine item or maybe an enchanted one I’d be willing to part with along with some cash to buy it if he finds any.

Jerry and Tom began negotiating the price while I focused on my free beer, which always tasted better than a paid one even if I had the cash to pay for it. They quickly agreed upon a price that was probably in Tom’s favor. Which was fine as Tom had given me plenty of free things and I owed him a lot, so him fleecing me a bit when I had money was no problem. In fact, if it was still in Jerry’s and as a result, my favor, then my debts to Tom, monetary or morally, would increase.

“Alright, now that we’ve got your room set up, would you like to come with me as I get a new hatchet or something similar for Matt or will you try challenging the dungeon again?” asked Jerry.

“I’ll go with you to Jeff’s place as I haven’t been there in a while and I also picked up a few ores in the dungeon. Might as well pay for the weapon with those and keep a bit more cash on hand,” I said.

I had only challenged the dungeon out of boredom and to try out the fishing technique. My hand was still a bit small and awkward to use so I thought it’d be best to rest one or two more days. The more I rested, the faster my hand would heal. Or at least that was how I expected it to be. Honestly, I had no idea how it worked but I had done more than enough work for today.

Most members of our knight order would only bring back one ore or none at all each day, mostly due to being unable to find a good dungeon after a bunch of attempts or tiring before the fishing or grinding would bear fruit. Just by grabbing two ores in this one day, I was pulling just as much weight as Stephen for the whole week, making up for my time off.

When we reached the smithy, we noticed something a bit strange. The door was partially opened which would normally send Jeff into a fit of rage as he shut it immediately. Even if Jeff left the smithy for a time, he would close it up and lock the door to keep anyone from prying it open and letting out the heat. Even Jerry saw this as serious as he ran up to the door and peeked inside.

The smithy was a complete mess with tools, scrap metal, and ores lying all over the ground. Jeff was rushing around the place, trying to clean things up and putting everything back in the places he always kept them or expected them to be. With this much of a mess, he had likely been too busy to even notice that the door was cracked.

“Jeff are you alright? The door was open a crack,” said Jerry.

His words seemed to send Jeff into even more of a rage as he threw a piece of metal he had been putting away across the room. It might have been better to just ask what had happened and left out the part of the door. After all, he would have never found out if not told. We could have just closed the door behind us with him none the wiser.

“No, not alright,” said Jeff, which was obvious from the state of the smithy.

“What happened here?” asked Jerry, another silly question.

“Who did this?” I asked.

“Followers of Mans Tontrau. Messy pricks they are. They bear a grudge,” said Jeff.

The knight order from before again. This time it couldn’t just be explained away by them being in a group and messy eaters. They were purposely trashing places. But why would they bear a grudge if they’ve never been here before?

“A grudge?” asked Jerry, finally bringing up a good point.

“Against my god. And by extension, anyone related in some way,” said Jerry.

Against Jeff’s god and if I remembered correctly, his god was allied with mine which is why he made me that belt and sheath. If Mans Tontrau was hostile with Jeff’s god, it stood to reason that he was hostile to my goddess. This explained everything. I was not paranoid. They acted upon the whims of their god to an extreme. Since they couldn’t attack me or Jeff in town, they were instead rude to us and made messes.

Such a petty course of action, but it worked. I was angry at them and also afraid of being alone with them. It was the right course of action to sleep at Tom’s from now on. Best to also make sure they wouldn’t find out I was there as there was nothing to stop someone from climbing up as demonstrated by the people in my knight order. Even worse is the fact that they might do bad things to the people who stayed at the headquarters. I needed to warn Jerry and Chris about this.

“Jerry, we need to go to the dungeon and warn the others. Mans Tontrau is the divine of the knight order in town and they might damage the headquarters or other things in the name of their god. My goddess does not have a good relationship with their god,” I said to Jerry as urgently as I could.

“Are you sure about that? I mean maybe they just got annoyed with Jeff not talking enough and people make messes at Tom’s bar all the time. We shouldn’t come to conclusions so quickly,” said Jerry.

In such a desperate situation, Jerry still had doubts? We were literally an informal knight order under a divine hostile to ours and it wasn’t like we could hide that fact. They saw me with Jerry and the whole town knew about the knight order no thanks to lots of drunken bragging. It wouldn’t take much for them to make the connection and take action to sabotage us.

“What would I have to do to convince you of the importance of this situation?” I asked Jerry.

“Well, technically we’re not officially a knight order as the only person with any divine items is you,” said Jerry while looking at my necklace, “Perhaps, I could be convinced by being a bit more involved. I know you need to finish healing your hand but you were able to do a dungeon run so maybe I can have it during dungeon runs while you hold it at night to finish the healing process?”

He made no attempt to hide his desire. Without a divine item, he didn’t feel like a true member of the knight order nor was he truly loyal. His suggestion was good but it still annoyed me. This situation was obviously important but he held out on purpose to force my hand. I could do it all myself but without Jerry’s support, it would be much harder as he was acknowledged as the true leader of the group, vice-captain or not.

I reluctantly took off the necklace and pass it over to Jerry. My neck felt weird without it after wearing it for a week and immediately felt the itchiness from my hand healing disappear, replaced with a feeling of tightness as if my skin wasn’t long enough to cover everything. Yet, my hand functioned just fine without any stiffness. I still wanted to heal it fully at some point.

Jerry held the necklace by the cord as the symbol of Sanae Patil shone in his face. He was fascinated yet didn’t put it immediately on, even frowning a few times. If he put it on, he’d never be able to wear another divine’s item and would be considered my divine’s follower. Or not, I wasn’t totally sure how divine items worked as I might be able to wear another divine’s item if I just didn’t use the shield for a while. After a few minutes of contemplation, Jerry put the necklace on and became an ally I could hopefully trust.

“What now?” I asked Jerry.

“Do we know for sure that Mans Tontrau is hostile with Sanae Patil?” asked Jerry.

“No, but I know we’re allied with whatever divine Jeff is with and his divine is hostile with Mans Tontrau,” I said truthfully. It was a logical assumption.

“Is there any way to make sure?” asked Jerry, still trying to worm his way out of helping after receiving the necklace. Or perhaps trying to avoid causing hostilities where there were none.

“We could ask Sanae Patil ourselves in the temple. Not just me, but even you can do it with that necklace. Just pray while kneeling with your hand over the symbol. Works in any temple or place of worship apparently,” I said.

Without another word, Jerry started heading towards the temple. I followed along as I wanted to check myself if my assumption was correct. It would be nice to say hi to Jeoffry and check my progress on the quest to heal my liver. For all I knew, I might have already completed the quest with the informal knight order and adding Jerry to the membership officially with the necklace.

When we reached the temple, like Jeff’s smithy and Tom’s bar, there was a mess that Jeoffry was dutifully trying to sweep up. Dust and dirt boot prints covered the floor of the temple. We didn’t even need to ask Jeoffry to know what happened and he wasn’t in the talking mood. The two of us found a quiet corner and started praying. I wondered if it would be different for Jerry since I was granted a quest or if it was simply the same for everyone.