Eifer bade the hooded individual wait until he was done with his prayer. Devotion to the gods would not be so lightly interrupted- not when he was their chosen emissary. It was only appropriate that they be given the appropriate respect for the blessings he had been bestowed.

  Only once he had given his thanks did he rise up and address the assassin with a pleased smile. "The Broker has done well. Was it you they sent to kill my competitor in Fuzier?"

  "Maybe. Maybe not," their muffled voice responded. "Here to collect the other half of the payment."

  "Yes, of course. Do make sure that whoever was sent is given a cut appropriately." He plucked out a bag of jingling coin and handed it over for the representative to palm. As it passed between, he had to refrain from a chuckle- that money had been taxed from good, honest working people in the Duchy of Viszal, commoners who probably didn't interact much with the dark underbelly underlying the bustling markets of above.

  But just like the gods above, there were two sides to everything. The prosperity built upon the graves of so many, his father's illness enabling his rise, the struggles of Gabion leading them to seek his aid. Only the Ten Divines could judge whether or not his actions were true and given his success, Eifer felt confident in saying they had. So he continued to act so.

  "You mentioned another job," the one sent by the Broker remarked. "Make your request."

  "Ah, unfortunately I think it best to let things cool a bit." He gave a slightly unamused gaze at the shadowy figure. "I did ask to make the assassination for this reason, but it would seem that my request was not honored."

  "The circumstances did not permit it. And you had said by any means necessary."

  Had he? Well, the man was not a divine. He was only a mortal with vices and wants. "Stick around regardless. I have a plan coming to fruition and will call upon the services of the Broker soon. I need only a few more signs from the gods to decide upon the final shape of my plan."

  "Very well. I will relay so to the Broker." The assassin slipped out the door and a moment later, his aide walked in without saying anything. Like they had vanished the moment they had exited. How curious, but then again, the workings of the Divines were mysterious things.

  Hm. Now how best to try and tempt an invite for takeover from that clueless vampire maiden of Gabion?

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  Teodor tried his best to bottle up both his worries and frustrations as he strode away from his father's office, feeling like he'd achieved nothing. He loved his sire, he truly did, but the duke's gaze was focused so forwards that he cared not for the rot seeping in from behind. He took the oath of House Cordis to be the empire's protectors so seriously that he'd forgotten what he was fighting to protect, thinking entirely as an isolated frontier lord instead of among peers who scheme and plot.

  The vampire heir had no doubt that the assassination had to have been a scheme being carried out by one of their other neighbors. Teodor didn't know which though, and knew better than to blindly accuse or suspect any in particular. There also existed the possibility that it was part of an internal power struggle, as the dead heir had been the sole inheritor of the aging ruler there. For their line to be suddenly broken meant that other claimants were now free to fight against one another to take the position, especially should the duke die without naming one. But again, that was assuming it to not be the work of outside meddling.

  Ugh. He almost could sympathize with his father now, the game of courts being something that had previously brought House Cordis low whenever they had attempted to join in. Better to be an outsider who stood beyond, reproachable, than one within who could be easily manipulated away from their duties, to waste the favor that the emperor of past had bestowed upon them for their duty. It was so, so tempting to agree in casting away such concerns to focus only to what laid beyond the wall.

  Yet Teodor couldn't. The courts of Kerezim were far away, but yet he couldn't forget the brief experiences in those halls. The fleeting bonds and promises he made with others so distant from the throne, yet struggling all the same.

  What sort of future duke would he be if he abandoned such ideals in the face of this opposition?

  The flapping of wings broke Teodor out of his thoughts and he noticed his sister there, frowning when she read a letter of correspondence that a raven had apparently delivered. It was nothing so unusual, but a dim ember of suspicion flared up within his mind. Hadn't the now-dead heir been his sister's age?

  Hadn't she also been writing a lot as of late? Or so Aunt Vio had mentioned. Best address this possibility. "Petula. How are you?"

  She started slightly and turned, tucking away the parchment she'd been reading. Maybe a little slightly guiltily. "A-ah. Brother, I'm doing just fine. Apologies, I've just had much on my mind as of late. You remember father has deigned to finally task me with a duty."

  "One that you are performing well at. It is no easy feat to replace all of our broken arms and armor." That was a truth, he'd once glanced at the numbers and instantly felt lost by all the figures. Petula certainly inherited a far better head for it. "If you don't mind asking, just who are you writing to and receiving from?"

  "Oh, just possibly iron suppliers." She coughed awkwardly, a tell that Teodor quite frankly didn't miss. "Just exploring our options, especially one for bargain. After all, ever since House Cordis lost our mine before the walls, we have had to make-do with terrible quality at premium markups."

  "I see. Have you informed father?" he casually asked and she froze, realizing the mistake in her lie.

  "Erm, no."

  "Do you not think it appropriate to first request permission from your rightful lord about such deal making?" He stepped in and his voice dropped an octave. "Listen. I have stronger suspicions as to what you're up to but, out of respect for your privacy, I won't push further. However, remember: what you do and say reflects on us too. Do not say or commit to anything without informing us, at the very least."

  Petula slightly tensed, but relaxed when she realized her brother wasn't going to fully expose her. "I-I see. Rest assured, I haven't made any such oaths or promises, regardless of topic."

  "Keep it that way. Should you learn anything of importance, then come talk to me," he half-ordered. "Together, we can frame it in a way that might finally convince father to look to our neighbors, instead of just what could be in the west."

  The idea certainly seemed to appeal to Petula and she gave a small nod of the head. Before Teodor could ask if he could read the letter to better coordinate with her, a servant came up then and approached Petula. "My lady, the Captain of the Guard is requesting your presence. Apparently something of value has been brought forth that requires your attention."

  "I see. I will be present shortly. Brother, I must tend to one of my few duties now."

  "Very well. Take care."

  -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------?

  I think I might've overdone it when Hans almost fainted when Kuch and Mordred presented the carapace parts as proof of their hunt.

  Gunther was summoned some time later to provide a second opinion, the Eber Marauders having another day off, and started cursing up a storm at the sight. "You've done it now!" he ranted at the bemused adventurers. "Do you know what you've just dragged in?!?"

  Mordred's head tilted slightly. "A pretty big bug?"

  "A giant spider! Do you know how hard those things are to kill!" the mercenary ranted and motioned for everybody to step away a safe distance from the loot haul. He drew his sword and swung down against the material, only for the weapon to actually bounce off with a loud crack. Kuch winced at the sight of a large chip now in the blade made of likely poor iron. "These things are so hard to kill that any sighting of them requires a concentrated military deployment to exterminate, levies included!"

  What? These things were treated as seriously as a military operation? I mean, I knew that these things were probably a fair bit stronger than average, but to require an entire mobilization includes conscripting peasants?

  "Surely you're being a little overdramatic," Kuch weakly mentioned for me, voice echoing in their helmet. "Could a few mercenary bands not do it instead?"

  Gunther muttered and grumbled under his breath, rubbing his stubble in thought. "Maybe. The Eber Marauders had tackled some similar threats before in the past." A shadow fell over his face. "We'd usually take a lot of losses in the process though. The venom would probably also render more of us totally crippled and force an early retirement."

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  What in the world was he going on about, it was a mild paralytic. Maybe if you were a full new player that your jester of a friend dragged into an endgame area as a prank?! Like one of those free accounts- wait. Hold on.

  Pin that. Speculate later. Focus on the now.

  "Listen, you two, this time I can't overlook what you've done," Hans told with a very long sigh. "Forget selling this on the markets, bringing this directly to House Cordis's attention. Guess you'll be able to finally meet Lady Petula. Gunther, thanks for confirming it's real."

  "It's not everyday I get to see to see something that blows me away. But figures it would've come from you two."

  We were 'escorted' from the guardhouse and to the castle for this. It was interesting for me, being the second time I've gotten this close since my first foray out here with my bird construct. I studied the stone fortress with mild fascination, noting the absolute focus on purpose instead of appearance. It did look sturdily built too, maybe even more well-kept than the wall. I suppose that since it wasn't subjected so often to the monster tides as much, it probably wasn't so worn out or rebuilt so many times. A decent second line of defense or holdout position should the outer defense fail, I guess.

  Ironfist would've probably had some unkind remarks though, and he wasn't entirely wrong- ugh, out of my head, you dwarf hold maniac!

  Mordred looked thoroughly bored all the way, letting out a suffering groan upon being shown into another office. "What's the point of having so many rooms for talking and business?" she complained, shaking her head. "In separate buildings even!"

  "It's the difference between nobles and commoners," Kuch patiently explained while Hans went to stand outside to wait for our apparent contact. "For the latter, they will come to you. But for the former, you will need to go to them."

  "Urgh, boring. Just put it all in one place, why don't you?"

  "It's certainly not an awful idea to centralize all the bureaucracy for ease of access."

  "What does that word mean?" a new voice called out and we turned to see a vampire woman entering into the room now. I was surprised by the fact she didn't actually match up with the image of a refined noble lady, but more like another sort of well-armed commander that could've very well be found in a leadership tent somewhere. Though I guess it made sense that House Cordis was a very militant line given that they placed a lot of focus on their defense of the wall. Hans slipped in behind her entrance. "'Bureaucracy,' that sounds interesting."

  Ah, right. That was a modern term, wasn't it. "It's a way of referring to the system of paperwork and busywork that defines an organization," I defined through Kuch for her benefit. "Imagine something like how the city guards would make reports that eventually the duke will read."

  "Oh, I think I understand it now. Thank you," she pleasantly told before introducing herself. "I am Petula of House Cordis, daughter of Duke Gregori of Gabion. It is an honor to meet you, honored noble mercenaries from the western kingdom-"

  "We aren't nobles," Mordred complained aloud. "We're adventurers."

  "Ah, my mistake. Forgive me, your visage is quite striking otherwise." She moved around to take a seat at the desk in the shuttered office. "I hear though that you've also made quite striking contributions as of late. Hans says that you were the ones who brought potions?"

  "We were," Kuch confirmed and I smirked, being the one who made them.

  "And you now also bring giant spider parts?" Some of the pieces were laid out on her desk, courtesy of Hans, and she felt them up. "My, they feel very strong. I'm no specialist though."

  "We hunted them ourselves," the dragon absently mentioned, as if she hadn't panicked while doing so. "They were annoying." Funny way of saying she ate webbing.

  "I see. And yet you want access to our blacksmiths for iron, in spite of it all?" Petula raised an eyebrow, studying the two in her office. "That's quite a change of pace, is it not? What are you trying to do now?"

  I guess it made sense that she was a bit suspicious. We were sort of speed running trying to get into the good books of House Cordis, so maybe they could sense there was an ulterior purpose of sorts. Well, that much was true yes, but I wanted to stress more than anything one thing: we were on their side.

  And what better way to do so than a present of 'ancient knowledge?'

  "We seek only to better the lives of everybody in Gabion," Kuch declared, producing the notes I had prepared on [Ferment]. I even made sure to apply some wear and tear to them to make the pages look old and weathered to lend credibility to the story. "We've uncovered some interesting information, and wish to try something out in the west. In that vein, we've also verified some of these possible ancient secrets and would like to share them with you."

  Mordred, please don't scrunch up your face like that, they'll definitely notice you're trying to avoid laughing.

  Petula thankfully seemed to not notice and took the notes gently, reading through with a surprised look. "[Ferment] is a skill that could be used this way?" she asked, looking quite intrigued. "I've heard it from the kitchen staff how it only makes things go bad and grow weird things."

  "Sometimes though, what happens is actually quite beneficial. We've tested it ourselves and found it to work so." Now for the proof of such. Kuch nudged their companion who reluctantly withdrew a roll of slightly hard fruit bread that I made for them all. "Please, have a slice and tell me what you think."

  Hans at least had to voice his objection to do his job. "It could be poisoned. We should bring in a taste tester-"

  "No, don't bother," the vampire noble told and ripped off a chunk of my bread. Huh, either she was reckless or brave to do so on faith and nothing else. She looked at it, slightly perplexed like it might bite, then took it into her mouth.

  And immediately squealed. "It's so good! This is the power of [Ferment]?! It's completely unlike the hard bread I've had before."

  "That, and some seasonal berries," Kuch mentioned, smiling beneath the helm. "Hans, want a bite?"

  "I really shouldn't. But well, if my lady drops dead later, I'll probably be blamed, so here goes." He took a piece too and chewed, eyebrows shooting up almost to his hairline. "And I thought you were out of surprises for me. Guess you've got plenty more from where that came from."

  "And to think, this ancient knowledge was lost to us?" Petula wondered aloud while taking another slice to snack on with her fangs. "Was it something our ancestors had forgotten? I have to ask, where did you recover this knowledge from?"

  Oh, um, I didn't think my cover that far. From the ground was probably a stupid response. From a dungeon would...probably give them heart-attacks. Let's see, actual ruins around here...oh, of course.

  "There was an abandoned settlement to the west, near the mountains that we found it in. I think it was an iron mine of sorts."

  Petula choked mid-bite, causing the guard captain to hurry to her side. But she waved him off after a difficult swallow, one in which she emerged with hard eyes. "You found it?! The lost mining town of House Cordis?!"

  It had been theirs? I guessed that made sense. "I guess we did. It's mostly destroyed now though."

  "That's still an incredible find! The only other iron mine is a few regions away, and barely any of the best ore reaches us!" Petula excitedly turned to the guard standing there. "Go, fetch Lady Vio. She knows more about the history more than me and should be able to verify whether or not an expedition to recover some more lost wisdom of the ages!"

  "I will do so at once, my lady," Hans told and slipped out the office.

  Oh dear. If that comes to be, I should probably plant a few more little clues around the ruins to make sure the expedition isn't just a total waste.

  "Ah, but you two- you wanted access to our blacksmiths for iron, you said? Then go ahead, I give you permission to do business with them however you like!" the noble proclaimed with a grin. "I ask only that you continue to support House Cordis however you can."

  That was perfect. I was tempted to ask for permission to stay and nag the incoming historian about more knowledge of the world, but decided that might be pushing it a bit too suspiciously. Plus, I didn't know where that court mage was- as much as this doll of mine should be safe from [Detect] thanks to armor, I didn't want to take the chance. "Thank you for your endorsement. We will be excusing ourselves now."

  "Of course, and I must say, this bread is excellent-"

  "It's also mine!" Mordred finally retorted, moving the remainder of the loaf out of arm's reach. She also reinforced her point by taking a good chunk to stuff into her mouth. "Go and make your own!"

  "A-ah, but it's tastes so good-!"

  "T-that it truly does-!"

  Everybody in Lighthouse, please don't look at me with those eyes. I didn't meant to get people of this world addicted to my cooking!

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