*VOL.5 CH.274 OVER THE TOP.

The town of Mangst was big. It housed many adventurers and warriors wishing to earn money or to get stronger by hunting monsters inside the Raski Forest. It had its standard assortment of monsters, like Slimes, Horn Hares, Giant Bats, and Willow Wasps. But there were also the more powerful creatures that would come out of the forest and attack the village. Like the Emberhorns or Nightfangs.

Emberhorns were a type of monster that was a combination of a ram and a bear. They had horns that glowed like molten steel, and they could spew flames from their horns.

Nightfangs are wolf-like creatures with long, slender limbs and sharp claws. They have dark brown fur, red eyes, and a long snout. The most particular thing about them is their enormous fangs. It was similar to a sabertooth, but they were canines.

And then there were the monsters that didn't attack the town unless the humans were stupid enough to provoke them.

There were the Fire Salamanders, the Water Lizards, the Rock Geckos, the Tree Snakes, the Wood Sprites, the Leaf Spiders, the Moss Boars, the Vine Weevils, and the Fire Wolves.

All of these creatures would stay in their areas and wouldn't attack the town unless the adventurers or warriors ventured out too far and into their territories. But that didn't stop the occasional young adventurers who wanted to make a name for themselves from wandering alone into a territory they shouldn't have.

Most of the time, these idiots would get killed, and the others would learn a lesson. But that didn't stop this town from growing, as it harvested a monster parts market.

So, it was common to see the adventurers and warriors in the streets or at the taverns, talking about their next hunt or what monster parts they were selling to the local merchants.

Mangst had the typical shops and a brothel with some working girls. It also had an inn that was a tavern, a blacksmith, and a magic shop. There was also a small alchemist shop for recovery potions.

Quinus avoided the town for the last two days because he didn't want to disturb the Mayor with Prince Zane Stoneworthh by his side. But now that he was rid of him, he wanted to make an official visit to the Mayor.

It was a nice day, and the townspeople were busy, so it was surprising to see so many people standing outside the tavern.

Quinus had Sir George and his Knights surround them as Quinus dismounted and walked toward the crowd.

"What's going on here?" asked Quinus.

The townsfolk noticed him and immediately bowed. "My Prince," they said.

"What is all this commotion?"

"A woman has been arm wrestling all the strongest adventures! And she's not breaking a sweat! It's amazing!" the man said.

"A woman?" Quinus questioned.

"Yes, My Prince. And she's gorgeous! I think she's a bodyguard for this noble woman. A noble is renting the entire top floor of the tavern, and she brought her personal bodyguard."

"I see," Quinus said with a raised brow as he looked at Percy and George.

"Sounds like Lady Rya has been having some fun," Percy said.

"Well, let's not interrupt her fun," Quinus said with a smirk.

The crowd heard that and were curious. But their attention was drawn back to the tavern when the crowd cheered and clapped as a loud thud could be heard from another large adventurer losing to Rya.

"Ahh! My arm!"

"You have a good arm," Rya said with a smile. "But you'll have to try harder than that to beat me."

"You've been cheating! There's no way a woman with such skinny arms could possibly defeat me," the adventurer said.

"Cheating?" Rya questioned. "How have I been cheating? Are you saying you've lost because I'm a woman?"

"No! I didn't mean that," the man said.

"Come on, Gib! Let me have a crack at her," his friend said.

"Fine, but you're going to lose, just like the rest of us," Gib said.

Rya smiled while Lady Tayna was panicking in front of all these adventurers who were glaring at her.

"Rya?... Shouldn't we de-escalate things?... I told you that I only needed a few rooms, not the entire floor..."

"Tayna... They were looking at us like we didn't belong here all because of our getup. It's clean and expensive clothing. Not rags like most of them are wearing. Plus, I didn't like how they were eyeing you. Just because this is your first time doesn't mean they have the right to walk all over you."

"I'm fine, really, Rya. They can stare. I'm a noble, after all. So maybe we should change our reservation?"

"Hey!... You two can have your girl talk later! We are arm wrestling now," the second adventurer said.

Rya glared at the man. "Don't worry, Tayna, I've got this."

Rya's Golem had the appearance of a human figure adorned in a sleek ensemble of white leather armor that evoked imagery of ancient Greek or Roman soldiers, accentuating the contours of her legs. The woman's form-fitting breastplate accentuated her cleavage, drawing attention to her feminine features. Her hips boasted a graceful, wide curve, adding to her unmistakable allure.

She was armed with two short swords tucked into a sheath holstered at her lower back. Tayna was dressed in a sky-blue dress with a skirt that stopped midway on her thighs. The dress was complemented by a white leather breastplate, which was looser and didn't fully conceal her breasts. Her skirt was designed with carefully placed slits down the middle, not only to showcase her legs but also to provide ample freedom of movement. Concealed on the inside of her upper thighs were two compact daggers, while her primary weapon resembled a Roman Gladius sword, complete with an exquisitely decorated handle. Additionally, she carried a petite circular shield with a diameter of 14 inches to ensure her protection. Tayna's appearance was a stark contrast to her usual noble countenance. In place of her usual refined look, she exuded the aura of a warrior princess. The sight of Rya's Golem added an otherworldly element that captivated the onlookers, who couldn't help but perceive them as divine goddesses embodied in human form.

"Hah!... Glare at me all you want, little greenhorn... Those five guys must have gone easy on you because of your pretty face... But I won't hold back..." The large bearded adventurer said as he grinned at Rya.

Rya placed her elbow on the beat-up wooden table and raised her hand, waiting for him. "You know they were trying, right? I had to stop myself from breaking their arms."

"Ha!... Big talk from such a little girl. Now I'll have to break your arm for embarrassing them," the big man said with a grin.

"Rya... maybe we should just go. We can have a meal somewhere else."

"Where's your noble pride, Tayna? You know you want to see this guy get put in his place."

Tayna was worried because no one else knew they were here in Mangst except Rya, Dalia, and Nieren, who were safely in the Royal Palace. Even though Rya's consciousness was controlling her Golem from miles away, if her golem was destroyed, then she would be on her own. Tayna was concerned since she had no one else to turn to. Maybe she could go to the Mayor, but they never met before. Tayna knew she wouldn't be able to protect herself if this got serious.

"Alright... Don't say I didn't warn you," Rya said with a wink, making the Adventurer laugh even more.

"This is going to be so much fun," the Adventurer said as he positioned himself in a chair across from Rya and grabbed her hand.

Gib placed his hand on top of Rya's and his friend's hand as the judge. "Alright... Once I lift my hand up, we'll start."

Rya looked over to the other adventurers and nodded. They all looked like they were ready to join in at any moment, but none of them wanted to get on her bad side.

"It would be fun to arm-wrestle all day, but I will make you my last customer today. My friend and I are here to hunt monsters to grow her mana vein, not play games with idiots."

"Ha!" the man laughed.

"Let's get this started." Gib lifted his hand and started the match.

The large man grunted and pulled down on Rya's arm with all his might. His biceps flexed, and his forearms bulged as he channeled his mana into his muscles, but no matter how hard he tried, Rya's arm didn't move.

"Oh? Are you going easy on me too?" Rya teased.

"Damn it! I don't believe it," the man growled and pushed with all his might, but his muscles were already burning.

"No way! Stop playing around with her, Dak!" a female adventurer shouted.

"Come on, Dak! Just crush her," a man cheered him on.

Rya faked and yawned as Dak was sweating profusely.

"Damn it! Why can't I budge your arm," Dak screamed as he struggled.

"Maybe because you're weak?... If you want, you can use two hands?" Rya mocked Dak.

"Shut up!" Dak growled as he tried using his body weight to push down her arm, but it was like he was fighting a large boulder.

"I'm not holding back," Rya warned.

"You bitch! I'll crush your hand!" Dak bellowed as his face turned bright red.

"Oh no, the big man's going to break my little hand," Rya teased before her hand moved an inch backward.

"HA! I HAVE YOU—"

Rya's golem tightened her grip and slammed the man's arm on the table with ease. This caused Dak to go tumbling over himself and rolled into another table, knocking all the drinks over him and the customers.

"Ahh!" yelled Dak.

"What the hell, Dak?"

"Damn, now I have to clean that up," an annoyed woman said.

"I thought you said she wasn't strong?" Dak accused his friend Issy.

"I didn't think she was that strong with an arm smaller than mine. Where does she hide all her strength?" the female adventurer questioned.

Rya smirked at the adventurer's group that challenged her and Tayna.

"That's my secret," Rya replied.

A bunch of adventurers were grumbling to themselves, but Rya could hear them clearly.

"What a weird chick. I've never seen a female adventurer that has the body of a high-class prostitute but has the strength of a cave troll... Somethings not adding up."

"I can't believe she's stronger than me."

"Maybe we should teach her a lesson when she tries to go out to the forest?... I mean, they haven't gone through any initiation to join the guild, so why should we let them have any of our hunting grounds?"

"I don't know... That other lady with her screams nobility... We could get in trouble if we hurt her bodyguard. Besides, what's a noble doing out here?"

Rya heard the men talking, and she shook her head.

'Oh, if only they knew I have five more of my golems running around the forest collecting monsters for Tayna to slay... I guess I'm doing the same thing that the Sorellians did for me when I first came to Tertius... It's funny how that works.' Rya thought as she was about to stand up from her seat, but a new challenger appeared, causing everyone to go silent.

"Well, you've been having some fun," Quinus said.

"Huh?... Quin?" Rya blinked, surprised.

"Y-Your Highness!?!" Tayna stuttered when seeing the Prince showing up from out of nowhere.

"Hey, I want to fight her too," Quinus smiled.

"And keep your friend waiting? How rude of you," Rya said sarcastically.

"I'm done wasting my time with that piece of filth. But this is a pleasant surprise, even though it's not the real you that's here. It's so weird seeing your...new appearance," Quinus said as he sat across from Rya.

"Well, I didn't want that usual attention I would get when coming to a new town... It's weird, but it makes things easier for Tayna and me," Rya explained.

"Oh, Lady Tayna, huh? So, is she ready to hunt monsters, finally? I must admit, she looks like a noble warrior now," Quinus said as he glanced at Tayna, which made her blush in embarrassment.

"Yeah... We need to grow her mana vein so she can learn some Maja techniques. She has the basics down, so it was time," Rya nodded.

"Well... I'm sure Johan would be excited to see you in that getup, Lady Tayna," Quinus teased.

"Y-You're just saying that to tease me... Johan wouldn't..." Tayna blushed and looked away.

Quinus grinned, "You should try it out of the blue one time, Lady Tayna... I'm sure he would be surprised in the best way," Quinus chuckled.

"Tch, shut up!" Tayna snapped.

"Hahaha," Quinus laughed.

"Stop teasing her, Quin... You said you wanted to arm wrestle me? Well, let's get it over with... But do you need me to hold back, Your Highness? Or do you wish to lose that easily?" Rya teased.

All the bystanders mumbled at how casual the Royal Prince and woman were interacting with each other.

"Well, that's kind of you. But you don't have to go soft on me for my account, Lady Rya," Quinus chuckled as he put his elbow down on the table and offered his hand.

Rya smiled as she eagerly accepted the offer, tightly holding Quinus' hand and readying herself to take Quin down.

"I won't go easy on you, Your Highness. You asked for this," Rya chuckled.

Quinus smirked as he tightened his grip on Rya's hand. That's when he noticed that Rya's mana that stabilized her golem wasn't as strong as it would have been if Rya had been within eyesight of them. It wasn't enough to weaken it physically, but mana-wise it could be compromised if someone had a strong enough Mana Vein to overpower the golem's mana.

"It's not wise to fight your opponent from afar, Lady Rya," Quinus smirked.

"I can see my opponent just fine, Your Highness," Rya said as she began to push against Quinus' hand and was slowly gaining the upper hand.

The bystanders watched as the prince was losing, and the crowd got louder.

"I have to admit. Your strength is quite formidable, Lady Rya. But you have one weakness that you should know," Quinus grunted as he pushed back against Rya's golem hand.

"And what is that, Your Highness?" Rya asked as she was slowly gaining the advantage.

"Your mana is too thin," Quinus smirked.

The golem suddenly felt Quinus' mana flowing into her hand and traveling through her forearm. Quin was channeling his mana through the golem's arm as if it were her weapon, and before Rya could respond the bicep started cracking until her arm came off as Quin smashed the back of her hand down on the table.

The adventurers and knights were shocked that the Royal Prince won and the golem's arm was still in his hand. But the thing that caught the Adventurers' attention was the fact the open wound was rock, and not flesh or bone.

Rya looked down at her arm before looking up at Quinus with a raised brow.

"Huh... Well that is interesting," Rya said as she was intrigued how Quin pulled that off.

Quinus handed the golem's arm back to Rya, and she took it with her other hand.

"I was able to destabilize your mana with my own... It seems the further you are from—Well, the source. The more susceptible to other's mana. From this distance, I don't think anyone but me could do that to you," Quinus said with a grin while he watched Rya's severed arm getting absorbed into her body until she regrew a new arm.

A few adventurers crapped their pants, and nearly every one of them ran out of the tavern and into the streets.

"Screw trying to initiate them! That one is a monster! I'm getting out of here!" A man yelled as he was running for his life.

"She's a fucking Demon, man! Let's get out of here!" Another man screamed as he ran to catch up to the other adventurers.

Rya had to hold back her laughter.

"That's more to what I'm used to," Rya grinned.

"I mean, I would have freaked out if I as a open wound with nothing but dirt and stone," Quinus smiled.

"Yeah, well it's good to know that my helpers could be taken down by folks with strong enough Mana Veins if they venture out too far," Rya shrugged.

"Hmm?... Your little helpers have been busy around here lately... I see them running around the capital from time to time. Especially when my uncle Alaric is around," Quin said as he sat down next to Rya and ordered some drinks.

"Ah... Yeah... I've been keeping something close to my chest the past couple of days but I think it's okay to tell you what's up... You three can join if you want to," Rya said while glancing at Sir George, Percy, and Tayna who all looked at each other and sat down.

"Okay... I'm planning on turning up the pressure on your favorite relative... My little helpers found the locations of their gold stashes... And they will be hit in three hours. So if someone is acting a little erratic... That's why," Rya said with a grin.

Quinus couldn't help but smile, 'So uncle's secret cash is getting drained tonight... That will be good. Uncle Alaric has been holding his breath on a war. But with the money being drained... He'll have trouble maneuvering his plans.'

"Wait... Are you serious?" Percy asked as he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Aye... Of course she's serious, Percy. This is Lady Rya we are talking about," Sir George said.

"Is that a good thing? Wouldn't he try to retaliate?..." Tayna asked in disbelief.

"Maybe... But he'll have to move sooner rather than later if he's going to pull a fast one... But this will give me an excuse to go after him once he makes his move... Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are, Milady," Quinus said as he kissed her hand.

Rya smirked, "Yes, but it never hurts to hear it again."

"My dear, you are the most beautiful and gorgeous creature I have ever seen," Quinus smiled.

'This fucker... If only this it was my real body, then I would fuck him right here and right now... Haah... I hate being stuck in the palace,' Rya thought as she smiled, "So where is that Prince Charming? I want to meet him."

"Oh... I sent him back to Duval... I don't care what he tries to do. I'm done listening to his insane ramblings," Quinus said as his drink arrived at their table and he took a big sip.

"Hmm... It's for the best... But it's a shame that he won't be hunting Monsters... Sometimes accidents happen... Maybe another time," Rya said as she drank her wine.

Quin, Percy, and Sir George looked at Rya with a raised brow.

"Can you even taste the wine?" Sir George asked.

Rya put down the empty cup, "Nope... But it's all for appearances sake. But it would be amazing if I could pull that off... And it was a very expensive bottle of wine," Rya smirked as she took Quinus' cup and finished his drink.

"I'm pretty sure you're going to break his bank, Milady," Tayna laughed.

"Don't worry... His uncle will pay him back... Now, we should get going, Tayna... I want to get your mana vein grown a bit before I let you try to fight a Monster... But we will go over the basics," Rya said.

Tayna nodded, "Okay, milady. We can head home after that," Tayna said.

Rya nodded, "Of course... Are you guys going to join us?"

"If the lady is asking for me. I would gladly join," Quinus smirked.

"Sure. Why not," Percy said.

"If my prince is going, then so am I," Sir George said.

"Nice... What about the other three knights? Do they need to be present?" Rya asked.

"No. We'll let them have a break until we come back from the expedition. We will take our mounts and we should be good," Quinus said.

"Good. Now, we should be going," Rya smiled.

Quinus, Percy, and Sir George are escorting Rya and Tayna to the Forest.