"And that's your report?"
"Yes, sir."
"I see. We'll send out a few patrols for The Bowel Hunter, see if we find her skulking anywhere in the capital. For all we know, she was just passing through and came across you on the way. If she was, the last thing we'd need is a panic for nothing."
"That said though, I do have actual business to attend to. You'll fade soon enough, but I'll be excited to see you again."
"Yes, sir."
The stern man sat at the desk took in a deep breath and sighed.
He was an older man with a chiseled face and close-cropped green hair, his eyes were blue and sharp, the kind that stared through the person that their owner was talking to.
All-in-all, with his intensely stern features and imposingly muscular frame, the man cut quite an intimidating figure.
Though from where the freckled swordsman stood, he thought he could almost see a hint of fatigue in the man's form.
The seat of Knight Commander was certainly a lauded position, but no one could say that it was an enviable one.
"You'll be free to go in a moment, but first, I wanted to tell you. You're going to start taking days off."
The standing greenette blinked and tilted his head slightly.
"Sir?"
The seated officer raised a hand and, when assured that he would not be interrupted while saying his piece, continued.
"Stop looking at me like that. It's not just you, I've told Reinhard to do the same."
That was both surprising and unsurprising at the same time.
"In the time that you two have been under me, you've both accomplished a great deal. That said, I've not seen either of you take any personal days in that time. That's unhealthy. You might be immortal, but you're not invincible. You need to take breaks and let your mind settle or you're going to crash, and we can't afford that so close to the beginning of The Royal Selection."
And, as much as he hated the idea of not keeping busy, he couldn't deny that the man had a point.
"So, you and Reinhard will not- and I'm saying this as your Captain- will not be working for the next two days, outside of an active emergency. Am I understood, Izuku Midoriya?"
The older man stared daggers into the younger man before him.
For his part, Izuku simply offered a bow and replied, "Understood, Captain Gildark."
"Good, now get out of that bloody uniform before you cause another panic."
And so, minutes later, the off-duty knight stood outside the Royal Guard's guardroom in unbloodied plain clothes.
He looked at the men standing guard at the entrance, they stared forward, acting as though they didn't see him.
He sighed and began walking.
His destination: Nowhere in particular.
Two days off, huh? What do I do if not work?
Izuku wasn't the type to take days off.
Work took precedence over his personal life, nine out of ten times so leisure activities were hardly in his wheelhouse.
I also don't like the idea of sitting back while Elsa is skulking around.
" -I do have actual business to attend to."
Especially with a statement as ominous as that hanging over my head. Though, if I investigate, the Captain will find out and I'll get in trouble.
Marcos Gildark was a man who commanded respect and if he gave an order, he expected that order to be followed.
So unfortunately for Izuku, that meant that he had no choice but to slack off for the next day or so, lest he be ordered to take a week off next.
He sighed again.
His sword clattered at his side as he ambled through the city streets.
Bump!
The sidewalk was crowded enough for people to bump into each other regularly.
"Oh, sorry about that."
"It's fine."
A busy day today too, huh?
The royal capital of Lugnica was divided into five districts.
The first district was made up of royalty, while the second district was filled with nobility and the incredibly wealthy.
The third layer was comprised of individuals dedicated towards commercial and economic prosperity and craftsmen. A market district.
The fourth layer was for the general folk, some might call them 'the middle class', while the fifth layer was literally named the 'Poor District', home to vagrants and those stricken by poverty.
If one was lost, all one would need to do to find out where they were was pay attention to their surroundings.
"Fresh Tatoes here! We've got fresh Tatoes! A sack's for ten copper coins!"
"Anybody want some Fluffy? Three copper a cone! For any little 'uns, two copper!"
"We got Coff straight from Vollachia! It'll keep you on your feet! A special deal, two sacks for one silver coin!"
He was in the third district.
There was none of the supercilious snobbery of the second district, nor the overwhelming penury of the fifth.
If he turned and threw a rock lightly in any direction, he'd likely hit someone trying to sell him something.
That ruled out the fourth.
His wandering had taken him straight into the center of commerce in the capital.
GRRRRRRRR!
And not a second too soon, he was famished.
After he got changed, he was pretty much pushed out of the guardroom without even being given the chance to stop by the mess hall.
At the very least, he was allowed to take his sword and coin purse.
Let's see, I've got… one two three, seven copper, ten silver, one gold. More enough for a hambulgar, if I were in the mood for one, that is…
A flash of red in the corner of his vision stopped him in his tracks.
GRRRRRRRRR!
His body moved before his mind could catch up.
Before he knew it, he was stood in front of a small fruit shop, with an older man and a small girl looking at him.
The man had green hair that was slicked back and held tightly together by a headband. He was also rather firmly built, as Izuku could see from his frame.
"Ah, how can I help you there?"
Izuku looked over the stock available.
Banas, tometoes, milons, and…
"I'd like ten appas, please."
The man gave him a grin. He couldn't feel any malice, but he'd be lying if he said that the scars on the man's face didn't make him look incredibly thuggish.
"Great choice!" He turned to the small green-haired girl sat atop the stand, "Oi, Plum! Bag ten appas for the boy, would you?"
"'Kay!"
The small girl, Plum, set to the task immediately.
The fruit seller turned back to him.
"Alright, ten appas will be about ten copper coins. You've got that, right?"
He didn't, but that was no problem.
He reached into his coin purse and retrieved a silver coin, holding it out to the fruit seller.
The fruit seller looked at the coin and then turned his gaze to Izuku like he had grown two heads.
The young knight simply smiled and kept the coin held out in front of him.
Crunch!
The ripe red skin tore well, giving way for the vicious bite to dig into the white flesh beneath.
The taste exploded over his tongue and he felt the tips of his lips quirk upward slightly.
He always liked appas, whether it was because of the color or taste, he didn't know.
"-fruit of knowledge."
But they always made him feel nostalgic for some strange reason.
He stepped out of another person's path as he walked along the street.
Yeah, no matter which way you slice it, it's really crowded today.
Looking around, he could see a number of different features.
Dog ears, cat ears, scales, and tails.
The capital city was diverse. It had to be, seeing as it was home to over 300,000 people.
Honestly, in the crowds, they all sort of blended together: human, demi-human, rich, poor, the working man-
Bump!
"Sorry about that, bro!"
"Watch where you're- hey, wait. My money! Thief!"
-and the common thief.
And just like that, Izuku was off.
After all, he wasn't working, just being a Good Samaritan.
Another short one, I'm kind of following the WN in regard to length for these chapters. At least they're weekly, though.