Without hesitation, I sent another message to Diane, informing her of my discovery. After all, if Bella was a Fallen like myself, that could mean only one of two things. Either she was a secret informant planted by Castellan to monitor us, or she was hiding her status like Diane and I. However, I wouldn't expect the League of Assassins to supply her with a Status Charm like they did us. Perhaps there was someone in Evergreen that could make them as well?

Either way, it was important that we get to the bottom of it. At least, that was my intention. However, after I told Diane, she scolded me for peeking into a woman's room, despite my suspicions. Afterwards, she suggested that we not confront Bella immediately, but rather wait until we were out of the city on a hunt, when nobody would be around to listen.

Although hesitant, I agreed that it was a smart decision. If she was really hiding her identity from the city, then revealing it now might unjustly put her in danger. Thinking back, she seemed to be looking for a way to safely leave, so she was probably trying to escape this place.

As for how she was hiding her brand, that was easy to figure out. A simple Disguise skill would be enough to change the brand, just as I used to. If her mana started to burn out, she could use the convenient excuse that her player was logging in, making it briefly glow before hiding it with a helmet.

Though, the people around here would have definitely noticed if her power suddenly stagnated. Most likely, her trait is one that will let her get increasingly more powerful over time like mine. Though… probably not to the same ridiculous degree. I thought to myself, curious what sort of trait she had. Since she was an archer, maybe it was something that increased the power of her bow skills the more she fired her bow? I'd have to ask her once we confirmed everything.

After about an hour, Diane sent me a message, telling me that she had to log off early. She had her weekly appointment tomorrow, and needed to wake up early for it. Since we had discussed it before, I also dimmed my brand. Afterwards, I continued to train my Hawkeye-X and Ghost Zone. Since Castellan said he'd send people to us, I didn't want to run around. Besides, it looked like Bella hadn't recovered her mana from holding her disguise for so long.

Another hour passed with my training, before I noticed Castellan walking towards the inn with a group of six other elves. Of them, four were beautiful women, and two were young men. They all had expectant looks on their faces as they entered the inn, after which I watched them split up. The two young men moved towards Diane's room, while Castellan and the women approached my door.

I dismissed both my skills that I was training, just in time to hear a knock on my door. "Mister Drake. I've found the assistance that I promised." The mayor's voice called out, and I rose to my feet to open the door.

When Castellan saw my dimmed brand, he didn't look disappointed. Instead, he simply held the same smile as usual. "My apologies, did I come at a bad time?"

"It's fine." I responded in kind, putting on a smile of my own. I wanted to make it look like my 'Chosen' was more friendly than my 'Player'. "My Player just logged out with Diane. They've got something to do in the morning." After saying that, I looked past Castellan at the four women behind him. "Are these the people that you were talking about? I didn't think you'd walk around without guards."

Castellan nodded his head confidently. "Of course. Each of these young women are quite powerful. More than enough to protect someone like myself. Would you ladies care to introduce yourselves?"

"Before that." I held up a hand. "Would it be alright if I take a picture to send to my Player? If he logs back on later, I want to make sure he knows who everyone is."

The women all seemed pleased by that, subtly adjusting their postures as if presenting themselves for display. I pretended not to notice, taking the picture as they began to introduce themselves.

The first was a slender woman with green hair and brown eyes. "My name is Valerie. I specialize in using Wood Magic skills for recovery and support."

The second had light blue hair and green eyes, with a more curvaceous figure. "I'm Brianna. I know a few wood-based offensive skills, such as creating arrows and simple constructs, or launching thorned spears." Judging by her self-description, she was probably one of the ones Diane mentioned, someone who had to quickly learn the skill from another without the time to master it.

The third had red hair and blue eyes. Though her figure seemed average by elven standards, she was still undeniably a beauty. "I'm Clarissa. Castellan said that you were looking for a reinforcement skill? Mine lets you increase your defense and recovery speed as long as you are standing on a natural surface."

Finally, the fourth girl had shorter, brown hair and green eyes. Her figure was more toned, and her tone more assertive. "And I'm Jana. I'm typically the Martial trainer for Elvenwall, so I've got plenty of skills that I could help you with."

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I nodded my head, making sure to keep my smile on my face. Clearly, this was about more than just having me select them by their skills. Each of them had a different look or temperament. Castellan was just as interested in my taste in women as he was in my preference for skills. However, I had to take this seriously.

Looking at Brianna, I first questioned her. "Your creation skill, is it Magic or Martial? Also, how advanced can the creations get?"

Brianna seemed to have anticipated such a question, laughing lightly to show off her figure. "It's a Magic skill, but I heard that shouldn't be a problem for you to learn one or two. As for how advanced, I've only heard of people reaching the master level, able to construct small buildings with a single cast."

When I heard that, I was naturally interested. I had no need to be able to create arrows, since I had Empty Bow Expertise. But, if I could create a small house for Diane and I when traveling, that would be excellent. So, I looked at Jana. "In your opinion, if someone turned a skill like that into a Martial skill, would the structure be persistent, or only last as long as the user focused?"

Jana didn't even need to think about it, showing that she truly was an expert in the field. "Elemental manipulation abilities are pretty rare among Martial skills! For something like this, it really depends on the nature of the skill. If you're creating the wood out of nothing, it will only last as long as the skill itself. However, if you're shaping something that already exists, it will persist."

Listening to her explanation, I nodded my head approvingly. Castellan watched with a small smile, seeing that I was done with my questions. "So, would you like to receive training from any of them?"

Without reservation, I nodded my head. "Yes, sir. Of course. I'd really like to learn the skill that Brianna mentioned, as well as Clarissa's. And Jana sounds like she would be able to help both my Player and myself fortify our general skills."

Valerie seemed somewhat disappointed that she wasn't chosen, offering a little pout. Though, she didn't honestly seem that surprised. I had mentioned from the start that I couldn't directly use Magic skills. Since they also brought someone else with a reinforcement skill, I could only assume that she was here to confirm that information, as well as see if she fit my tastes. Even if I couldn't use the skills, I might have chosen to study under her just to get to know her.

"Excellent!" Castellan nodded in satisfaction. "In that case, I'll have these two give you quests for their skills, and you can begin personal training with Jana whenever you are ready."

Brianna and Clarissa both nodded their heads, sending me quests that they had clearly already prepared beforehand. For Brianna's skill, Basic Wood Control, I needed to carve an item out of wood without the use of other skills. Meanwhile, Clarissa's Fortitude of Nature skill required me to meditate on a natural surface for one hour.

"If you need any advice with my skill, be sure to let me know." Clarissa smiled warmly, waving her hand as she turned to leave with Castellan and the other two. Only Jana was left behind, hands on her hips in a confident manner.

"You might as well add me to your friends list." She said. "It'll be easier to get together to start training after you've finished their quests."

My smile shifted to more of a troubled look, and I shook my head while delivering my prepared excuse. "Sorry, my Player restricted my access to our friends list. I kept adding people to it, and he preferred to have as few people listed as he could."

Jana clicked her tongue. "You too, huh? Any other restrictions I should know about before we train? It'll be easier to plan a training routine if I know what your restrictions are."

Thinking it over, I nodded my head. "I have only a single death limit." I told her, using that to dissuade her from any training that would involve lethal damage. I couldn't risk one of my skills or traits dropping if she went as hard on me as Kelly did. "If there's something strong enough to kill me, my Player doesn't want to risk it being able to keep looting my inventory with repeated deaths."

"Makes sense." Jana nodded in understanding. "With your trait, you probably don't usually run into things that are a real threat. In that case, if you need me, ask around for my office, and anyone in town will direct you to me. It'll be better to start training after you've learned those two skills from the others. I'll take a look at what skills you have then, and see what there is for me to teach you."

After she said that, she turned to leave, making sure to add an extra sway to her step, as if seeing how I'd react. Once she was out of sight, I closed the door, pinching the bridge of my nose and taking a deep breath. I couldn't hear anything from the next room over the entire time. Either Diane's conversation with the two trainers ended quickly, or these rooms were spectacularly soundproofed.

Though, knowing Diane's Chosen, she probably turned them both away for now. Her talent with stealth was not nearly as good as her player, so she would have asked them to return in the morning, after she logged back on.

As for me, I walked down the stairs to leave the inn, earning a delightful farewell from Patricia. As I approached the gates, one of the guards stepped forward, a bow strapped to his back. "Good evening, sir! Would you like an escort out of the city?" He asked, clearly used to low level players that needed help fighting. Still, he didn't seem upset with this arrangement.

I shook my head. "There's no need for that. I won't be gone too long." I said, using the same warm expression that I showed around the trainers. "Does the gate close at night like in other territories? Just in case my training is extended."

"No need to worry." The man laughed. "There are guards stationed at both sides of the gate at all hours. Once you show up, they'll let you back in without any problems."

Although slightly surprised, I nodded, stepping past the gate and heading towards the trees off in the distance. While not a dense forest, there was enough wood for me to do a simple carving. And for meditation, I could just meditate on the ground outside the city's wall.

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