CHAPTER 20: THE PATH OF RESTRAINT

"Is that all?" Nolan asked.

"Yes. You can begin your adventurer journey tomorrow. If you’re looking for work, check the hall’s signboard. You can pick any job. But first, you need to raise your rank from E," Ella explained.

"Well, that’s fine. But I want to ask you something." Nolan stepped closer and whispered, "Do you know where I can get clothes for my companions?"

Ella smiled, glancing at Linda and Celia. "Of course."

Neither Linda nor Celia understood what was going on.

As they stepped out of the Adventurer’s Gate, Ella gave Nolan directions. "Go to the right. You will find a wooden shop with a sign of large clothes hanging on it. That is where you will get what you need."

"Good. Understood. To the right," Nolan repeated.

Ella nodded, bowed slightly, and walked back inside.

Just as Nolan was about to head off, two men blocked his way. One was tall, dressed in a white tank top, with a sword strapped to his side. His name was Garrick. He stood firmly in front of Nolan.

"What is this guy doing here? Out of my way. It is already getting late, and I want to get some things," Nolan said, trying to step past him.

But Garrick blocked him again. When Nolan tried to move to the left, another man stepped in front of him.

The second man, Peter, moved toward Celia and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, why don’t you come with me? You can be one of my ladies."

Celia pulled back sharply. "Please, leave me alone."

Nolan’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Garrick.

Linda moved closer and held Nolan’s arm gently.

Garrick smirked. "Oh, look at this. A beauty. An elf. Rare to see one."

Nolan’s tone was cold. "I don’t have time. I don’t want to fight you."

"What do you mean?" Garrick scoffed. "You just became an adventurer today. You are rank E, right? I don’t know what kind of luck let you defeat those rank seven bandits, but I am rank D. Remember that."

Peter, who still had his hand resting on Celia’s shoulder, chuckled. "Yeah. And since you are just a newbie, we want you to understand something."

"Well, what do you want me to know?" Nolan asked calmly. "Because as you can see, I have somewhere to be."

"It seems you don’t understand what is going on." Garrick stepped closer, eyes narrowing. "Give me the ladies. Did you buy them? Or what are you planning to do with them?"

Nolan’s glare hardened. "Not what you are trying to do with them. I would never do that. You are disgusting."

"How dare you." Garrick snarled, drawing his sword.

He was about to slash at Nolan when Ella’s sharp voice rang from the guild doors. "Stop. What is all this noise?"

Peter quickly removed his hand from Celia, and Garrick hesitated before sliding his sword back.

"There is no problem," Nolan said evenly. He placed one hand on Celia’s shoulder and the other on Linda’s, then guided them forward.

Garrick and Peter stood still, fuming, their eyes burning with fury as Nolan walked away with the girls.

"How dare he talk to me like that, a mere rank E," Garrick muttered, fists tightening. "This is the first time a rank E has insulted me. He will regret this. Remember my name, Garrick."

Ella’s eyes lingered on them with suspicion. Without another word, the two men turned back and re-entered the guild.

"That was a close one. Let’s go," Nolan said.

"But Master," Linda spoke softly, "if they were troubling you, you could have defeated them."

Nolan sighed. "Yes, that is an option. But I told you, I want to stay low profile. I don’t want people knowing my true ability. I just want to live a normal life."

As he walked, he suddenly noticed he was holding both Linda’s and Celia’s hands. He froze, then quickly let go. "Sorry about that."

Celia tilted her head. "But why are you apologizing? There is no need."

"Well, I dragged you two along without permission," Nolan muttered.

Linda and Celia exchanged a glance, then both giggled softly.

"It is not a problem, Master. You don’t have to worry about that," they said together.

Nolan looked at them, smiling. "You two really are something else. Truly beautiful." He chuckled. "Alright, let’s keep going."

They continued until they reached a large wooden shop with finely decorated clothes displayed in the window.

Inside, they were greeted by a man with heavy makeup, striking a feminine pose as he waved delicately.

"Hello. How can I help you?" he asked in an exaggerated high-pitched voice.

Nolan blinked, staring. What the hell... who is this weird guy? he thought.

The man stepped closer, beaming proudly. "I am Cedric. Welcome to my store. How may I help you?"

"I’m looking for dresses for my companions," Nolan said.

Cedric’s eyes lit up the moment he glanced at Linda and Celia. "Oh my, these two beauties!" He hurried over to Linda, circling her like an artist admiring a canvas. "An elf... elegant, graceful. Yes, I have something truly worthy of you."

Then he turned to Celia, clapping his hands in delight. "And you! Strong, yet beautiful. I know just the outfit to match both."

But Nolan’s voice cut through the air, steady and serious. "Do you... know anything that can remove this collar?"

Cedric froze. His playful mask slipped as his gaze dropped to the iron clasp around Linda’s throat. Slowly, he leaned closer, his tone shifting.

"Oh... I see. That’s no ordinary collar. It isn’t active now, but it’s a slave collar. Very rare, and almost impossible to remove without specialized tools," he explained carefully.

"I see..." Nolan’s jaw tightened. "Then I’ll free them myself. Let me try."

He stepped closer to Linda, locking eyes with her. "Linda... trust me. If I can’t do it, I’ll stop right away."

Her calm nod came without hesitation. "I trust you, Master."

Nolan pressed his palm against the cold steel. A wave of dark mana surged up his arm, malicious and suffocating. His teeth clenched as he forced his power to respond.

"Time Break."

A flash of light flared from his hand. The black steel cracked, then shattered with a sharp metallic clang as the collar fell to the floor.

Cedric’s mouth fell open. "What... what in the world!?"

Before he could recover, Nolan turned to Celia. She tensed, but when his hand touched her collar, she closed her eyes in trust. Again the dark energy resisted, but Nolan’s power tore through it. The collar broke and disintegrated in his grasp.

Both women touched their necks in shock, free for the first time.

Cedric staggered back, his painted face pale. "W-who are you? How could you do that?"

Nolan straightened, brushing fragments of iron from his hand. He kept his voice calm, though his thoughts churned.

Damn... was that too much? I wanted to stay low profile. Did I just reveal too much of my power?