Chapter 23

(A/N: I'm going to switch the POV to the third person. Hope you guys like the change)

"Dragon Queen?" Mercury repeated. "What does it mean?"

"I don't know." Daenerys shrugged her shoulders. "I thought you mighta known what it was."

"I got no clue." Mercury told her. "Maybe it's exclusive to you?"

"It's not what I wanted..." Daenerys sunk her shoulders. "But it does seem to have some good skills." she quickly perked back up.

Turning towards Makoto, Mercury placed a hand on his hip. "You pick the class you wanted?" he asked her.

Makoto nodded her head with a content smile.

"Alright." Mercury turned towards the door. "Let's find a place to stay the night."

"That won't be necessary." a new voice said, getting their attention.

Turning towards the source, a female demi-human wearing black robes stood a few feet away. "I was instructed to show you to your new house."

"House?" Mercury repeated.

"Indeed." the woman nodded. "If you're going to be staying here, the higher ups went ahead and prepared a home for you and your companions."

Makoto looked to Mercury while Daenerys' eyes widened at the news.

"I will escort you to your new home whenever you're ready." the woman added.

Mercury slowly rubbed the back of his head. "Thanks but I don't really think that's necessary."

The woman waved her hand back and forth, dismissing Mercury's statement.

"They insisted." she told him. "As a good friend of the Shield Hero, they wanted to make you feel welcomed."

Daenerys and Makoto both stared at Mercury, waiting for his answer.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt to check the place out."

The woman smiled as she placed her hands together. "Excellent. Please, follow me."

Walking with the woman, she led Mercury further into Siltvelt where the more wealthy people live. Passing by countless mansions, the four continued down a dirt path.

At the end of the path was a mansion much larger than the rest. A giant fountain sat in the middle of a patch of grass with the dirt path circling it.

Walking right up to the front door, the woman stopped and held a key out to Mercury.

"Your new home."

Taking the key, Mercury was at a loss for words. "I, heh, I... This is all mine..?"

"Indeed." the woman nodded. "You should find everything to your liking."

With that, the woman began to walk back the way they came.

Mercury was dumbfounded. He had never lived in such a luxurious place before. His family back home was always living paycheck to paycheck so this was definitely a welcome change.

Putting the key into the lock, Mercury gave it a turn before opening the set of double doors. He was met with a large room that had a grand staircase leading upstairs with a hallway on both the right and the left. On the lower floor, the right passage led to the kitchen while the left led to the massive living room.

There were hallways on either side of the main entance with rows of rooms lining them. At the ends of both halls were spiral stairways leading to the second floor.

Stepping inside, Daenerys couldn't contain her excitement as she began bolting around like a child on Christmas day. Makoto stood in awe, her mouth agape as she looked around from the countless paintings to the massive chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

"This place is huge!" Daenerys exclaimed.

Focused on Daenerys, Mercury didn't notice the footsteps that approached him from his right.

"Sir, Takamaki." a woman's voice said softly, drawing Mercury's attention.

Looking to his right, two maids, both demi-humans, one appearing to be a tiger with a set of ears and tail and bright orange hair that flowed down to the center of her back, and the other being a wolf with grey hair that ended just below her shoulders.

Mercury placed a hand on his hip. "Who're you?"

"We're the maids that were hired to keep this mansion in tip top condition!" the wolf demi-human said with a nod.

The tiger folded her hands in front of her as she bowed. "Forgive her informal behaviour. She hasn't had much practice." standing upright, the tiger placed a hand to her chest. "My name is Fiona Everdeen." she then gestured to the wolf. "And this is-"

"Kyrie Silva!" she said proudly. "At your service!"

Fiona closed her eyes as she shook her head with a soft sigh.

"I didn't hire maids..." Mercury told them.

"The higher ups hired us, sir." Fiona told him, folding her hands in front of herself once more. "We were instructed to keep this mansion clean and to do as you said. They want you to be as comfortable as possible."

"Well, I am quite-"

"I've finished cutting the bushes." a new voice said as a human girl, no older than eighteen, walked into the room. Her uniform was messy and stained with dirt streaks. Completely different from Kyrie and Fiona's uniforms. Her blonde hair was covered in dirt with a few leaves and branches tangled in it as well.

As soon as she made her appearance, Mercury felt the tone in the room shift as the other two maids glared at the human girl.

"Did you make sure the bathrooms were clean?" Kyrie growled at the girl.

"I...I cleaned them when we arrived..." the blonde haired girl nervously fidgeted.

"Then clean the kitchen!" Kyrie growled.

Seeing Mercury standing in the room, the girl slowly approached. "Is he the Dagger Hero?"

Before Kyrie or Fiona could speak, Mercury stepped forward and passed the two maids. "I am." he said with a warm smile. "I'm Mercury Takamaki." extending his hand, the girl flinched. Noticing this, Mercury's brow furrowed, wondering why she was so timid.

Reaching out to take his hand, the blonde girl shook it. Her grip was delicate, as if she was holding a feather.

"My name is Christine Valentine."

Taking a step back from Christine, Mercury realized just how tired she was. She looked exhausted and on the verge of collapse. She had bags under her bright green eyes, and her knees wobbled ever so slightly.

"You look tired." Mercury told her. "Why don't you shower and get some rest?"

Christine shook her head at the offer. "I still have so much to do and-"

"That can wait." Mercury interrupted her. "You won't get any work done if you're eyes won't stay open. Besides, you have colleagues that can help you out. They'll finish what you need to get done. As for now, get some rest. You look like you earned it."

Christine stared into Mercury's eyes. "Are you sure, master Takamaki?"

Mercury nodded his head. "You don't have to call me that, by the way. You could just call me Mercury."

Smiling at his kindness, Christine turned around to do as he said.

Once she was gone, Mercury glanced back at the other maids. "Could one of you show me around?" he asked.

End of chapter 23