Reborn As Noble

An hour later.

Outside the gate.

Mikhail stood before the captain of the elven guard, who was carefully examining the travel documents. Jaigar, Gorak, and their party members leaned against the carriages, some of them looking bored, others subtly scanning their surroundings.

”Hmm...” The captain glanced at the document, then looked back at Mikhail.

”Your documents appear to be in order, but there is one issue. You lack the required travel stamp from the Beastkin Nation. You only have the Dwarven stamp, which is not considered sufficient for entry into Elven territory without additional verification.”

Mikhail scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile, his tone smooth and apologetic.

”Ah, I see... I apologize for the oversight, Captain. We were inspected earlier by one of your patrol leaders. He checked our documents and our goods thoroughly before allowing us to proceed. I believe he was satisfied with our papers.”

The captain raised an eyebrow. ”Oh? You mean Warden Faelar already checked you?”

”Yes, sir.” Mikhail nodded, maintaining his friendly, easygoing demeanor. ”I didn’t catch his name at the time, but he was quite thorough. He inspected our cargo and all our people before allowing us to proceed.”

The captain nodded before glancing at Mikhail. ”Very well then. Let me verify what you’ve claimed with Warden Faelar. If he indeed cleared you, then there should be no issue.”

Mikhail tilted his head in confusion before nodding. ”Yes, sir. Of course.”

”Mm... Wait here while I confirm this.” The captain gestured for Mikhail to remain in place before turning and heading toward the guard post.

Once the captain turned and walked toward their post, Mikhail’s mind began to race.

I wonder how he’s going to verify that?

Isn’t Warden Faelar and his team out on patrol?

Does that mean this captain is going to send a messenger to find him?

If that’s the case... we’re going to be waiting here for a long time.

He let out a quiet sigh.

Looks like we have no choice but to wait. I’d better inform Sir Jaigar and Sir Gorak about this delay.

He glanced nervously toward the carriages.

Let’s hope they don’t get too angry about the wait.

Just as Mikhail was about to turn, one of the elven guards called out.

”Hey, human, where do you think you’re going?”

Mikhail turned and let out a sheepish grin. ”Ah... well... your captain said he needed to verify the information with Warden Faelar. I thought it might take some time, so I was just going to inform my people about the delay.”

”Huh? Did the captain say that?” Another guard tilted his head in confusion.

Mikhail scratched his cheek nervously. ”Ah... no, he didn’t exactly say that. But it’s normal, isn’t it? It might take a few hours for him to send a messenger, locate the warden, and get confirmation back.”

The elven guards looked at each other before bursting into laughter, one wiping tears from his eyes.

”Bwahahahahaha!”

”Oi, oi!” The other guard said to his friend, trying to regain some composure. ”You must remember your manners! We are elves! Refinement is our virtue!”

The first guard continued laughing, shaking his head. ”I know, I know! But that was funny! He thought we’d take hours just to verify a simple check!”

Mikhail tilted his head in confusion, his expression polite but puzzled. ”I beg your pardon... what do you mean?”

The other elf who was nearby just shook his head and exhaled, watching the two guards who were now rolling on the ground, clutching their stomachs in laughter.

”Just wait there. This won’t even take a few minutes to confirm.”

Mikhail looked even more confused, his brow furrowing. ”Did the captain have a flying skill? Or did he just... teleport or something?”

The third guard tried his best to stifle his laugh, his shoulders shaking. ”Pfft! Captain... fly?”

The other two guards laughed even louder, their voices echoing across the gate, drawing the attention of the guards on the tower and even those on the battlement.

”No, no...” The third guard smirked, his voice dripping with amusement. ”The captain doesn’t fly. He jumps to the sky and calls the wind to carry his voice.”

Everyone burst into laughter again, the sound carrying across the open area.

At a distance, Jaigar and Gorak, along with their party members, watched the scene unfold with growing irritation. Jaigar’s jaw tightened, and Gorak’s eyes narrowed as they observed the elves laughing among themselves.

Jaigar mumbled under his breath, his voice low and filled with venom.

”I really want to kill them all...”

Gorak gave him a side glare, his tone sharp but controlled.

”Don’t. We can’t do that. Even if I want to, since these lowly races are getting on my nerves, we must be patient. If we blow everything up now, we won’t be able to get inside or meet this ’Beggar Jee.’ We need to stay calm and follow the mission.”

Jaigar’s other party member leaned in and whispered softly, trying to calm him down.

”Please, Leader. Calm yourself. Focus on the mission. Sir Vane will be furious if we fail because of our anger.”

”I... I know... but still...”

Gorak exhaled, his voice carrying a cold edge. ”Just be patient for now, Jaigar. Once we meet this ’Beggar Jee’ and proceed to Armand, we can start killing any elf we find. But not here. Not now.”

”Ugh...” Jaigar gritted his jaw, his eyes burning with suppressed rage. ”I don’t need you telling me what to do, Gorak. But because of the mission, I’ll hold back. For now.”

The captain arrived a short while later, his brow furrowing as he saw his guards laughing, some of them stifling their laughter with shoulders shaking hard, others turning away to hide their grins.

”What is going on here?” the captain asked, glancing at a nearby elven guard. ”What happened? Why is everyone laughing?”

The guards just shook their heads, stifling their laughter even harder, making the captain even more confused. He shook his head and exhaled, turning his attention back to Mikhail.

”I’ve already contacted and verified the details with Warden Faelar. What you said is true. He confirmed that he inspected your documents and goods.”

Mikhail’s eyes lit up, and a hopeful smile spread across his face. ”So... can we enter now?”

The captain shook his head slowly. ”I’m afraid I can’t let you pass without a proper guarantee. The documents still lack the Beastkin stamp, and without it, I cannot authorize entry.”

Mikhail exhaled, his shoulders slumping in disappointment before he looked up at the captain again. ”Is there nothing we can do to make this work?”

The captain shook his head firmly. ”I apologize, but there is nothing I can do to help. The rules are clear.”

Mikhail glanced back at Jaigar and Gorak, then turned to the captain once more.

”Can we at least meet someone inside? I believe his name is Jee.”

The captain’s eyes narrowed slightly. ”Ah... you mean Beggar Jee?”

( End Of Chapter )