The next morning, Dana led the ladies to the Dungeon first thing in the morning, clearing the monsters to collect loot for the blacksmith.

So, it was the Guild Notification that told Karl something big was happening.

[Guild Member Ophelia has reached Monarch Rank]

[Guild Member Lotus has reached Monarch Rank]

[Guild Member Tessa has reached Monarch Rank]

Three advancements in one Dungeon run? That was cause for celebration.

Karl was about to notify someone, then realized that everyone in the compound, other than the caretaker, was part of the Guild. They had all seen the notification, and the Kitchen staff had started to prepare a feast in their honour.

Hardly a week with the new bracers, and they were all advancing to the Monarch Rank.

But there was limited time before they got back.

"Abbie! I’m going to run and get fancy baked goods, you do the essentials and the dinner." Karl called before heading out of the house.

"Got it boss. Pick the things that take the longest to make."

At a walking pace, it was a bit over ten minutes to get back from the Dungeon. They might not be leaving immediately, but even Karl would have to hurry to the bakery if he was going to get back before the earliest part of their possible arrival window.

They also started to prepare the tea. Well, if you could still call it tea the way that Lotus liked it. She added a heavy dose of matcha and spices to milk tea, to the point that you could only vaguely tell that there was tea in the beverage.

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But it was low caffeine, and Tessa had approved it, so they always had it on hand unless Lotus forgot to refill the jars when they got low.

Karl was back quickly, and began setting out cakes, each decorated with an individual name, then a fourth cake with the words "Emergency Cake for Accidents" written in icing.

That made the kitchen staff laugh just as much as the staff at the bakery had laughed while writing it.

"They said to keep them in the cold storage because the cakes were still a bit warm." Karl warned.

"Got it boss. Did you get the other stuff?"

Karl nodded. "I got the fancy cupcakes, an entire tray of baklava and a box of éclairs."

"That will do. We made a huge bag of caramel peanut popcorn this morning, for movie nights. We’ve also got buns baking, we already had a roast going, and now we’re starting on the sides. It will be ready for lunch as planned, but they’ll be back before then, so we could maybe start with the cakes?" The demon officially called One, the leader of the trio of Abbies that worked the kitchen, explained.

Karl smiled and patted her curled horns. "Good work. I knew that I could count on you in an emergency. Now we just have to wait for them to get back from their Dungeon run, and we will be good to go."

Karl walked into the front room, where a customer purchasing anti-aging cream was giving him a curious look.

The kitchen wasn’t soundproof, and Karl had left the door open in his hurry to get everything sorted. So, they had likely heard the last half of his conversation.

"Three of our members made Monarch Rank today." Karl explained, and the elderly Demoness smiled.

"Oh, that is a wonderful bit of luck. All on the same day. Are they all Guild Members, or will they be registering at the Castle?" She asked.

"Register?"

Davis realized that Karl didn’t know a moment after the lady realized that Karl wasn’t local.

"Oh, I forgot that you were new here. Everyone who makes Monarch Rank is supposed to register with the Castle, so they can be properly accounted for if the Militia is called to duty. You were here for the attack on the dock, so you know that it doesn’t happen often, it’s more unofficial. ŔÄΝÔΒĚȘ

But that’s the rule, and it gives them an excuse to meet the Noble Ladies, or Gentlemen, of the Castle and the inner district." She explained.

Davis chuckled. "Well, they are all Guild Members, so they don’t have to go in person, we can send a runner. But two are Priestesses of the Dragon Gods, I don’t know what their rules are about fraternizing with Demons."

Karl wasn’t sure about that either. However, he suspected that most of the ’rules’ were more like ’guidelines’ unless they directly contravened their patron’s principles.

The old woman laughed. "The rules are flexible. You know old Ironjaw from Khuld is married to a War Cleric."

Karl had no idea where that was at first, then realized that it was a coastal city to the south of them by about a hundred kilometres. It was marginally smaller than Drodh, but still a massive city by Golden Dragon Nation standards, with over a hundred thousand people.

Davis smiled. "I had forgotten about that. The woman is so scary that she seems more like a Wrath Demon than he does."

"Only because you rejected her daughter’s proposal." The old woman joked.

Karl chuckled, and Davis glared at him. "Don’t mock my pain. That girl is even more terrifying than her mother. She killed four suitors during the competition for her betrothal. No way could I have beaten her in a fight."

The old woman scoffed. "You still don’t understand Wrath Demons, do you? She would have let you win after you put up a good enough fight. After all, she wanted you to win."

Karl smiled. "It sounds like the Wrath Demons here and the Orcs from my homeland have a lot in common. Any good Orcish woman would be insulted if her intended wasn’t even strong enough to put up a challenge in a fight."

Karl heard the kitchen staff snickering, and Davis stood up straighter. "Easy for you to say. You have limited invulnerability, and I am a merchant. But she’s a Paladin of the Red Dragon God, and a four-metre tall Wrath Demon. Even if I won the challenge, what about every day after that?"

Karl shrugged. "Ask the sailors. They seem to have some plan, the way that they keep hitting on Ophelia."

The old lady paid Davis for her purchase. "I think that the plan in that case is to die happy. Not one that a young fellow of a wealthy family considers."

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