Just as he was about to strike, I kicked the food table toward him and leapt forward, slamming my knee into his face.
"Argh—Damn it, you coward! Fight like a man!" he yelled, reeling back in pain.
I shrugged, "Says the guy who drew a sword on an unarmed person."
Before he could regain his balance, I swept his legs with a sharp kick, sending him crashing onto his back.
_CLANK!_
The door burst open as a couple of patrolling knights stormed into the pub.
"What's going on here?!"
They were met with the scene of me standing over a fallen man—Luke Ironart, apparently.
"He attacked me with a sword. I just defended myself," I said calmly. "Ask anyone here, the whole pub saw it."
One knight glanced around while another leaned in to whisper something to him. They helped Luke to his feet.
"Come with us. We need to get this situation checked out," one of them said.
"Why?" I asked. "I wasn't the one who pulled out a sword."
The knight narrowed his eyes. "Sir, don't make this harder for yourself. Do you even know who he is? That's Luke Ironart—from the Viscount Ironart family."
He drew his sword slightly, just enough to make a point.
"Don't make us use force."
...
Luke chuckled, blood still on his lip. "Now you realize what you've done? You attacked _me_."
I stood there silent for a moment—but not out of fear. I understood what this was now. This wasn't about justice.
This was politics.
If this is how you want to play… then let's play.
"Before you go further," I said, raising my voice enough for the entire room to hear, "I'll give you all one warning. I'm **Alve Westberg**, recently and _personally_ appointed as the **Royal Accountant** by **His Majesty King Leontius Armenia** this very morning."
I bent down and picked up the paper Luke had thrown earlier—the one declaring his dismissal.
"As this letter clearly shows, the previous accountant—_this guy_—is no longer needed. He was summoned to the palace tomorrow morning. If you wish to proceed, knowing this, then either you believe yourselves to be _above the King_... or you're prepared to deal with the consequences."
The pub went dead silent.
Even the clattering mugs and quiet conversations ceased. The frustration on the knights' faces was hard to miss.
Luke snarled, "What are you doing?! He _attacked a noble_! I'll have my father deal with him personally!"
Just then, a voice rang out from the back.
"Hey… Isn't that the guy who helped the Hero Party in the recent dungeon?"
Another one followed. "Yeah, I heard he saved one of them too. That's him."
Some Adventurers. Nice timing.
The second knight stepped forward awkwardly, placing a hand on Luke's shoulder.
"We… apologize. It seems there's been a misunderstanding. We'll be leaving now."
He nodded to the bartender, then quickly started dragging Luke out of the pub while Luke protested loudly.
…
So much for a quiet evening.
With a sigh, I walked over to the counter, placed a **gold coin** on it, and nodded to the bartender. The food was worth silver coins at best, but considering the mess I'd caused… I figured I owed them the peace offering.
"Sorry about the scene."
I stepped out into the cool night air.
"Let's just head back to the Hero's Mansion and call it a day..."