For a week, Balkania celebrated the defeat of the Demon King. And the culmination of this weeklong celebration was a city-wide parade involving Dubrovnik, the King of Balkania himself. Sombor, as the man who delivered the final blow, was to be the showpiece alongside His Highness who would honor him in front of the entire populace.

  Yet the paladin did not welcome the gesture. As he walked through Balkania’s Adventurers’ Guild Hall, he could only grimace. The crowd stopped their activity as soon as they saw him walking with Tirana, his companion and now fiancée.

  Whistles and cheers rang through the hall. A young adventurer, waving his arm as if to pound on something, cried in jest, “Live, damn you!”

  Soon after the Demon King was defeated, conflicting stories came out regarding his defeat. The most popular was how Tirana stood side-by-side with Sombor in that climactic battle until the end; Sombor the paladin kept the Demon King at bay, and Tirana the mage knight dealt the final blow with her fire magic. Afterwards, she collapsed out of exhaustion… only to be revived by a kiss from her beloved Sombor.

  It was a great story. There was only one problem: it never happened. Yet when Sombor and Tirana first heard of it, they were content to let sleeping dogs lie.

  The true story - how Tirana abused the raw Phoenix Salts leading to her collapse and seeming death in the final battle, how Sombor cried in agony when he thought he had lost her - eventually came out. Of course, it was only a matter of time before somebody talked; there were too many witnesses.

  Tirana smirked, lightly bumping Sombor with her elbow. “Ease up, boss. Personally, I think the real story is much more romantic.”

  Sombor narrowed his eyes. “I sounded like a fool.”

  “If you think you were a fool,” Tirana began, “what about me? I was the one who did wrong.”

  “Fair enough,” Sombor said. “We were both fools in our own way. Though please don’t call me boss anymore, I think we’re past that.”

  Tirana’s face turned red. “Right, apologies.”

  And thus, the two went off to the Guildmaster’s office.

  ***

  Pellas frowned. The Guildmaster of the Balkania Adventurers’ Guild was sifting through the paperwork outlining the resignations of both Sombor and Tirana. In all honesty, he was loath to see two of his best adventurers go, but after he heard stories of Tirana’s abuse of raw Phoenix Salts and near death, he couldn’t say that he didn’t understand. Every now and then he would look up to the two adventurers in front of him before looking back to the papers, as if hoping that they might change their minds.

  Tirana fidgeted. “Something wrong, Master Pellas?”

  “No, no,” the Guildmaster responded. “Everything seems to be in order. That said….” He turned to Sombor. “Are you sure about this, Sir Paladin? Tirana is one thing. After all she’s been through, she needs to step away. But you? There’s no reason why you can’t remain an adventurer for us. You did say that the Demon King will return in ten years.”

  Sombor shook his head. “I’m afraid my decision’s final. I want to build a life, a family, with Tirana. And my having one foot still in that world… that wouldn’t be right.”

  Tirana smiled as she heard this.

  Sombor continued, “As for the Demon King, his disappearance meant the emptying of dungeons and the disappearing of monsters from the roads. This is the best time as any for rookie adventurers to gain experience and hone their skills. Yet I shall do all I can to keep my battle instincts sharp.”

  Stolen story; please report.

  Pellas furrowed his brows. “And how do you intend to do that?”

  Sombor said nothing; he hadn’t thought of that yet. For so long, battles and adventures were all he knew.

  Pellas sighed. “Just as I figured. That’s why I’ve taken the liberty to call up my contacts in the city. During the Demon King’s invasion, the deputy was badly hurt by a gargoyle. He survived, but now unable to fulfill his duties.”

  Tirana smiled. “I think I know where this is going.”

  “Me too,” Sombor added. “I will gladly take that position. Keeping the peace is no dungeon crawling, but it is no less noble of a vocation.”

  “Good,” Pellas said. “I’ll be sure to let the Sheriff know. He’ll be glad to have you.”

  Sombor reached out a hand. “Thank you, Master Pellas.”

  Pellas shook the paladin’s hand. “No problem. And don’t think that you’re adventurers no more. Once an adventurer, always an adventurer. And that goes for you too, Lady Tirana!”

  “Me?”

  Pellas put his hands on Tirana’s shoulders. “The Demon King is dead and you’ve got yourself a husband-to-be. But you still have unfinished business.”

  Tirana nodded weakly. “I-I know.”

  ***

  If Sombor and Tirana thought they could just walk out of the Adventurer’s Guild, the place they had spent much of their years in, quietly and without anyone noticing, they were sorely mistaken. As soon as the two left the Guildmaster’s Office, they were confronted by a crowd of adventurers. At the helm were two people; the first was a hulking man with hair red like fire, the second was a petite woman with light azure hair. The two made for a contrasting couple, just like Sombor and Tirana themselves. Just as well, for they knew the two well; as adventurers, the four of them were rivals in all but name.

  “Som,” said the redhead man; Osijek the Berserker. He was frowning, as if holding in something that was begging to run loose. It was only the grasp of his companion the azure woman - Zara the Vestal - that stayed his hand.

  “Osi,” responded Sobor. He resisted the urge to look away.

  “Rana,” said Zara.

  Tirana looked down. “Greetings, Zara.”

  Osijek stomped his foot, the force was such that everyone felt it. Sombor assumed battle stance, as if expecting the berserker to attack - a reasonable bet. But instead he laughed heartily; and everyone in the room looked to one another in shock. The berserker looked at the paladin straight in the eye. “So that’s how it is huh, Som? Whatever happened to the whole knight-errant crap?”

  Sombor smirked. “Change of plans.”

  Osijek’s frown deepened. “Tch….” Yet after a moment of silence, uncharacteristic for the berserker, his frown soon turned to a grin. He took both Sombor and Tirana in a hug, each in one arm. “If you two lovebirds ever need a hand, feel free to crawl back here. Just don’t expect a hero’s welcome.”

  Sombor breathed a sigh of relief. He had expected more resistance from the berserker, but he should have known better. After all, Osijek and Zara had been Sombor and Tirana’s companions in their incursion into the Great Balkania Dungeon. If Osijek and Zara hadn’t kept the Forces of Darkness at bay in the final floor, then Sombor and Tirana wouldn’t have been able to confront the Demon King at all. For days, the paladin had tried to set the story straight, to give much needed glory to the other pair - it would only be fitting as Osijek and Zara were an adventuring duo on the level of Sombor and Tirana, if not even better - yet neither the berserker nor the vestal were keen for that kind of attention.

  It was Tirana who spoke up, “Thanks, Osi. You’re not as mean as you pretend to be.”

  “Bah,” responded Osijek. “Save the flattery for your husband, Rana. He needs it.”

  Tirana couldn’t help but look away, her face red.

  And with that, both Sombor and Tirana were ready to move on. But not yet, as Zara approached Tirana; she took her in a hug. The vestal smiled at the mage knight. “You did the right thing, Rana. I am proud of you.”

  Tirana smirked. She moved to Zara’s ear and began to whisper, the voice was so low only the two of them could hear it: “Osi and Som, they’re the same, so focused on what’s ahead, always moving towards the next problem to solve. Left to themselves, they won’t slow down… ever. If you want Osijek, you have to take some initiative.”

  Upon hearing these words, Zara flushed.

  As for Sombor and Osijek, they looked on curiously; both men could only wonder what words had been exchanged between the women.

  Meanwhile behind the walls in the Guildmaster’s Office, Pellas had been eavesdropping on the conversation; he sighed in relief. He was glad that he didn’t have to step in to knock some senses into the heads of every adventurer in Balkania City. After all, there were still some paperwork to be done.