"Forgive me, Lord Hamilton, but does a bounty hunter need a license?"

Raine was genuinely confused.

"Hah! It seems I need to explain."

Hamilton smiled.

"If you were a noble's son, you naturally wouldn't need a Bounty Hunter License. For a commoner, however—especially one who intends to rely on bounties for income—the license makes many things far more convenient."

"First, it is recognized throughout the Empire and permits you to carry weapons openly, day or night. Otherwise, under imperial public security regulations, commoners may only keep weapons in their homes except under special circumstances."

"Furthermore, if your accumulated bounty earnings eventually exceed 100 Gold Coins, you may apply for intermediate bounty hunter certification and gain the privilege of riding a horse."

Raine stared at him.

Official permission to carry weapons at all hours—and even to ride a horse?

Those privileges were normally reserved for nobles, yet bounty hunters could earn them as well.

Martial strength truly was the surest path to climbing the social hierarchy in this world.

"The Empire strictly limits the number of Bounty Hunter Licenses it issues," Hamilton continued. "As it happens, I still have one recommendation slot available."

Raine fell into thought.

Of course the opportunity tempted him. The right to bear arms, the privilege of riding, and the ability to earn substantial amounts of gold were all but essential to his path toward transcendence.

Even if he became an estate guard or a Night Watchman, his salary alone would never cover his training expenses.

But Hamilton had made it clear that the recommendation was scarce. No benefit this valuable would fall into his lap without a price.

The sheriff's implication was obvious.

The difficulty was that Raine had already accepted Miss Claire's goodwill. Joining the Night Watchmen immediately afterward felt questionable.

After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Lord Hamilton, I'm deeply grateful for your regard. However, I've already promised someone that I may become a certain lord's retainer in the future, so..."

Hamilton burst into laughter before he could finish.

"So that's what you're worried about."

"Relax, Raine. The two do not conflict. No matter whose retainer you become, as long as your liege is an imperial noble, that person ultimately owes loyalty to His Majesty, Emperor of the great Dragonic Empire."

"Take me, for example. I am both the sheriff of Goldflash Town and a retainer of Marquis Cadan. My office within the imperial system actually improves my standing with the Marquis."

Raine stared blankly for a moment.

That was allowed?

What happened to *my vassal's vassal is not my vassal*?

Then he understood. The Dragonic Empire was not like the divided feudal kingdoms of medieval Western Europe from his previous life. Imperial authority here was highly centralized, and the Emperor naturally stood at the apex of every subject's loyalty.

After a little more explanation from Hamilton, Raine grasped the arrangement. Imperial nobles were happy to see their retainers hold administrative posts within the Empire's government.

"By the way, Raine, you haven't formally sworn an oath of fealty yet, have you?" Hamilton asked.

"No, I haven't."

Raine considered his agreement with Claire. There had been no formal oath or ceremony between them. Her exact promise was that he could become her retainer if he advanced to Knight.

"Then improve your strength quickly. It would be best to swear loyalty as a guardian knight rather than an ordinary retainer," Hamilton advised.

"Lord Hamilton, what's the difference?"

Raine was confused once more.

He had absorbed an enormous amount of information today, but that only made him more certain the visit had been worthwhile. A short conversation with Hamilton had taught him things he could never have discovered alone.

This was the barrier to knowledge created by differences in social class.

"Simply put, the initiative lies with a different party. You can serve as guardian knight to many people, but you can only be one person's retainer. You'll understand the details later."

"Thank you for explaining, Lord Hamilton. In that case, I gratefully accept your offer to join the Night Watchmen."

Raine added, "I'm still undergoing page-boy training, though. May I wait until it concludes before joining?"

"Of course. The training program at Habsburg Estate is quite good. You'll have the opportunity to learn archery there as well."

Hamilton was clearly familiar with the program and knew that this cohort would receive bow training.

"However, if I need you for something before then, you must respond immediately."

"Of course, Lord Hamilton."

The meeting ended on cordial terms.

Raine carefully put away the gray pouch containing fifteen Imperial Gold Coins, bid Hamilton farewell, and left the town administrative hall.

The small fortune in his possession filled him with delight, but thoughts of the Hyena Gang quickly soured his mood.

Cole, the gang's leader, was Blackbeard's older brother. He hadn't seen that coming.

Strength.

He needed to become stronger—and quickly.

Until now, he had lacked money. With fifteen Gold Coins in hand, he naturally wanted to improve his family's living conditions.

He had already prepared an explanation. He would say that he had provided Lord Hamilton with crucial information about the child disappearance case and received two Imperial Gold Coins as a reward.

He would also tell his family that Hamilton had promised him a position with the Night Watchmen after his page-boy training ended.

That would put their worries about his future to rest and lift a burden from the entire household. It would also allow him to spend those two Gold Coins openly.

It was still early—not even nine o'clock—so Raine decided to visit the blacksmith shop and earn more Class EXP.

The thought of the shop reminded him of something.

He had money now.

He could finally pay Blacksmith Boris to teach him genuine forging techniques.

Before, he simply hadn't been able to afford it. Now it was merely a question of paying a considerable tuition fee.

The expense would clearly be worthwhile. If proper instruction greatly increased his EXP gains, his Blacksmith Apprentice class would advance much faster and provide a firm foundation for forging his own equipment later.

Growing excited, Raine hurried through the streets to the blacksmith shop.

The ceaseless clang of hammer on iron greeted him as he entered. The apprentices were busy with their usual tasks, while Blacksmith Boris was forging horseshoes.

Raine's eyes lit up.

Horseshoe forging combined with Hoof Trimming would give him the complete set of skills.