04 — Luciel’s Subterranean Scheme

04 — Luciel’s Subterranean Scheme

I immediately sent Kefin and his men to Dolstar to exchange intel and progress reports. The rest of us returned to the Healer’s Guild, where everyone welcomed us back.

“Anything happen while we were out, Jord?”

“Nothing in particular. We’ve got more than enough staff, so things are running smoothly over here.”

“Let me know if you guys need anything.”

“Come to think of it, we’ve been running a bit short on junk food lately.”

“All right, got it,” I laughed. “I’ll see what I can do.”

“So, who’re your friends?”

“The vespians. They’ll be helping us with the plan.”

“Vespians? You mean those vespians?! The honey kind?! They’re famous!”

“You know them?”

“You don’t?”

I definitely hadn’t seen any mention of them during my studies in Merratoni. After introducing everyone and going over a few things, I dismissed them all except for Lionel. Team Yulbo left for the fourth floor of the basement, and Dhoran, Pola, and Lycian for the third. Verdel and his group were helping Nalia, while Ketty, Milphene, and Creia headed to the mess hall. Lionel, Honeur’s entourage, and I descended to the first floor, where the vespians froze, gaping. Yeah, that reaction seemed about right.

“What do you think?” I asked. “This is our base of operations.”

“I’m simply amazed. There’s even a sun.”

“I was the same when I first saw it. Never thought I’d see a sky downstairs. All five floors are artificially expanded, just like this one.”

“I still can’t bring myself to believe my eyes. The air, the water... With just a few more plants, it would be no different than back in the forest.”

The prince’s attendants nodded in agreement.

“It’s good to see you’re impressed. And like I explained earlier, this building’s going to be my own private residence in the future, so you won’t have to worry about riff-raff coming and going.”

“This is incredible. Simply incredible. We’d be honored to join you in this plan of yours.”

“Thank you. The council’s already given me the license I need, so whether they like it or not, I’ll drag this city to prosperity kicking and screaming.”

The addition of the vespians altered things a little but for the better. With a few changes here and there, and the help of Dhoran, Pola, and the elves, things would really start to take off. Eventually, fields and orchards would stretch across the entirety of the slum district, right beneath their feet.

“Forgive me if I’m being insensitive to your people, but I was thinking about involving the ursans as well, for their knowledge in botany. Is that okay with you?” If not, we’d have to move forward without them. The vespians were too vital, and they were the only ones who knew the plan in its entirety, aside from Dolstar.

“Yes, of course. I hear they’re a very genial people.”

“Glad to hear it.”

I hadn’t seen any sugar beets, sugarcane, or other sucrose-rich plants in the book on flora I’d read in Merratoni. Based on my research, that was because Illumasia and Luburk had a monopoly on sugar production, and they made a killing off of exports. Everything from the means of production to where the stuff even came from was kept top secret.

Yenice’s exports, meanwhile, were getting beaten hard by local competition, according to Dolstar. Private cultivation of Yenice’s special spices and medicinal herbs drove the prices down, but the government wasn’t about to stop (not that they should have), so the future of the industry wasn’t looking very sustainable.

And that was where the ursans came in. With a bit of honey to sweeten the deal, I was sure they’d be on board before too long, and then we could use their knowledge to make Yenice a contender in the sugar trade.

“I do have one question,” Honeur said. “Can you really make this space as large as you say?”

“Yes. We’ve already tested the water and are making progress. We expect it to take three months in total.”

“I have no reason to distrust you at this point. Truly, placing our faith in you was the right decision!”

“Thank you for your kind words.”

I had wanted a plan B and maybe even a plan C, but in all honesty, this was the only thing I could think of. Our new benefactors didn’t need to know that, though.

In hindsight, I should have looked into interspecies relations beforehand. Actually, why hindsight? I could—and should—still do that. Interracial discrimination was what had spurred this plan in the first place, after all. Of course, that didn’t mean I was giving out free lunches. I intended to bind everyone to contracts, so that anyone involved would forcibly lose consciousness and wake up with a craving for Substance X if they ever acted dishonestly (those intimidated or coerced would be spared the punishment). I wished it wasn’t necessary, but people with power never reacted favorably to plots meant to even the playing field, so secrecy was crucial.

“So, you’ll create gardens and flowerbeds, which we will use to produce honey. We’ll have to discuss profit shares and the like later, but I am intrigued, sir.”

My prospects were looking good. The queen had the final say, of course, but the prince’s approval had to count for something.

“Does that mean we have your support? When do you think you would be able to begin?”

“I believe a test run is in order, first of all. We brought some flowers from the colony with us. Could we have them planted somewhere?”

He was more prepared than I thought. As long as this trial went without a hitch, we’d be on our way.

“Of course. We have very capable elves and dwarves who are familiar with the land, so they’ll be able to help you.”

However, I wasn’t without my concerns. For one, there was the fact that spirits had the power to undo slave pacts. And as everything came to fruition, I wanted the others to grow attached to this place. I wanted them to be proud of what we were building and willing to continue working here of their own accord. To do that, I needed to develop a strong foundation.

I only had a year for my term on Yenice’s council. After that, I couldn’t even say if I’d still be in town. I needed someone like Jord, someone I could trust to leave everything to if I ended up going. And then there were the elves. Chances were they’d be staying behind, but before then, I needed to know if they were going to set out on their own or if they’d be willing to work at the guild. I’d already gotten the okay from the pope in case they tried to follow me when it came time to depart. Ultimately, it would be up to them, but I still hoped I would be able to build something they’d come to cherish too much to leave.

“Truthfully, there’s something I was curious about, Sir Sage. That being why women of the forest are enslaved to you,” the prince mused, interrupting my thoughts.

“Long story short, a slaver skipped town, and they’re a few of the people he abandoned at his shop. They hadn’t eaten or drank anything in days, so the Healer’s Guild took them in. I freed them initially, but for whatever reason, they preferred being slaves. So they’re staying with us for the time being.”

“Then they’re simply in your care.”

“I imagine they wanted to go back to being slaves because they thought they owed me something and because I treat mine well. I’m hoping they’ll get over it and be independent at some point.”

I glanced at Lionel. He smirked back.

“I see. I have only one more question.”

“Go ahead.”

“Why didn’t you have the elf help you fight the slime?”

The prince seemed sincere, but I didn’t have much of an answer for him. “Hmm, that’s hard to say. I guess I wasn’t familiar with her fighting capabilities, and I’d also asked her to investigate before we found it. She would likely have been in the way in the battle.”

“But elves can use spirit magic. Couldn’t she have provided long-range support?”

“I suppose so, but like I said, I didn’t have a grasp on what she could do. At the time, Lionel’s first priority was protecting me, and if Milphene had been there, his attention would’ve been divided. In a fight, the slightest hesitation or lapse in judgment can mean death. Personally, I prefer to avoid fighting altogether, though.”

“It was trust that motivated you?”

“Exactly. Lionel may be a slave, but he’s always watching out for me. I trust him completely. I’d even unbind him, if he ever lets me.”

“I’ve not finished repaying my debt,” the man in question remarked, although he’d more than repaid it as far as I was concerned.

“It seems I shouldn’t judge you the same as the humans I’ve heard about in stories,” Honeur said. “Your people are harsh masters, I’m told. Ones who take joy in stripping the rights of others.”

We sure had a nasty reputation. Still, negative rumors tended to spread easier than good ones, and they always left a stronger impression. I didn’t intend to follow in the footsteps of past tradition.

“I can’t speak to how slaves are generally treated—it’s not like there’s a handbook or anything—but I, at least, will never understand how someone can find pleasure in making others eat scraps off the floor.”

“Oh?”

“Felons and criminals don’t get much sympathy from me, but I don’t think anyone becomes a slave because they want to. Most of the time it’s due to no fault of their own. So why would I want those who choose to help me, despite all that, to hate life? I’d rather they be happy and motivated. Lionel says I spoil them.”

If I ultimately did leave Yenice at the end of my term, Lionel and Ketty would most likely be the only two I brought with me. Until then, I needed to create something that would last, and I could rest easy with Jord in charge of it all. I’d cut my ties with the other slaves by freeing them, and then their fates would be in their own hands, but the most I could do was give them a nudge towards where I wanted them to go.

Honeur smiled. “You really are a sage, Sir Sage! Just like in the stories!”

I finished giving them the rundown on everything, and then we moved to the guildmaster’s office, where we hammered out the details of scheduling, plants and flowers to cultivate, and the different kinds of fruit trees we could haul in from the forest.

＊

Meanwhile, in the mess hall, Ketty had put Milphene and Creia on the spot.

“Are you aware of the danger you put both Sir Lionel and Luciel in, elf?”

“I am aware of the events that unfolded, yes,” Milphene replied coolly, “and I’m very sorry about that. However, I only acted as the great spirit bid me to. I trusted it would be in Mister Luciel’s best interest.”

Ketty glared at her, then turned her cold stare to Creia.

“Eep! H-Have I done something wrong too?”

“Why didn’t you say anything? Or Lycian, for that matter?”

“B-Because it was supposed to be in Mister Luciel’s best interest!” she blurted fearfully.

“Who made that claim? The spirit?”

“Yes. We were told that Mister Luciel would be able to resolve things quickly and easily.”

Nothing got past Ketty’s gaze, but this time, at least, Creia didn’t seem to be lying. However, the truth couldn’t solve this problem.

“Quickly? Easily? Did you not hear how wounded Sir Lionel was?! Milphene, you’d better start talking. I want to hear everything.”

“Y-Yes, ma’am.”

Milphene proceeded to recount everything that had happened in the vespian colony. Ketty listened quietly, slowly regretting her prior outburst.

It doesn’t sound like I could’ve been much help had I gone, she thought. Still, all this boils down to is that the Spirit of Tides put Sir Lionel’s life at risk, and I’m not about to let that slide.

Very few beastfolk cared enough to venerate the spirits, and Ketty was no exception, but she’d always known the role that faith played in people’s lives. It grounded them, kept them sane, gave them something to believe in. And she had never begrudged others for their beliefs. Until now.

“What do you plan on doing if this ever happens again? Blindly do as you’re told?”

Milphene said nothing, so Creia spoke up in her stead, “We can’t answer that question. I wish we could promise we would speak with the rest of you before acting, but all I can say is...we’ll try. As elves, we’ve grown up being taught that our memories are tied to our faith in the spirits. If it fades, so do our minds.”

Truthfully, Ketty didn’t really want an answer. She only wanted to plant the seeds so that they might think twice before obeying without question. She continued to stare down the two, eyeing them carefully. Her gut told her that Milphene was still hiding something.

“Fine. Milphene, you’re not technically a slave right now. What makes you want to work under Luciel so badly? With your talents, you’d make it just fine as an adventurer.”

The elf looked her in the eye. “Because I...still have a debt to repay.”

Ketty returned the gaze sharply. “And your spirits are fine with that, are they?”

“It’s a personal matter. They have nothing to do with it.”

Ketty thought she saw a hint of resolve in Milphene’s eyes. “Pray that it stays that way,” she warned. “Your gods mean nothing to me, and I won’t ask you to abandon them, but know one thing: if it’s between my masters or the spirits, I will not hesitate. This will not happen again, and I will cut down anyone I must in order to keep it that way. If you don’t like that, take it up with the spirits.”

Then the cat-woman left without another word. No one said a thing until she was completely out of sight.

“I never knew Ketty could be so scary,” Creia said.

“Neither did I. I don’t think she was lying, though.”

“Y-You mean she’d really hurt us?”

Creia trembled, a side effect of the usually friendly and capricious Ketty’s frigid glare. But Milphene had it worse. Sending Luciel to the vespians’ aid wasn’t the only request made of her by the Spirit of Tides. She had been given a mission: to bring Luciel to the woman chosen by the Elemental, the spirit above all spirits, before the Drakesworn.

Sworn to secrecy and without help, Milphene felt tears well up in her eyes. All she could do was guide him to the Spiritsworn as best she could.

＊

The next morning, I gave Dhoran and Pola all of the magic stones we’d procured and instructed them to expand the third floor basement to extend beneath the slums. I’d gotten permission from Dolstar last night when I sent Kefin and his team over to report. We’d been told to do as we pleased, but I wondered if that was just because he didn’t fully grasp the extent of our plan.

“I’d like to build an entrance in the slum itself, not just in here, but we’ll have to leave that for later when I’ve made contracts with everyone,” I said to the dwarves. “For now, work with Honeur while you get things organized.”

“Got it. I’ll get to diggin’,” Dhoran replied.

“I’ll harden the foundation,” Pola added.

“Honeur, Dhoran’s your man if you have any questions or concerns.”

“Thank you very much. I’m very excited to be working with you all,” the prince said.

Dhoran grunted. Pola nodded. They were dwarves of few words.

I directed my attention to the three elves. “I want you all to communicate with Honeur and write up the kinds of plants we can realistically cultivate and where to grow them. Show it to me when you’re done.”

They voiced their assent. Before breakfast, I’d called them all to my office and had them swear to me under contract that they were to report any commands they received from the spirits moving forward. I’d had Ketty deliver a similar message the night before, but I felt that I needed to bring it up in person as well. Lycian had been butting heads with Pola in the workshop at the time, though, so my sudden reprimand had come out of nowhere for her, and she’d nearly started crying. Creia had flinched at the mention of Ketty’s name while Milphene apologized profusely.

What in the world did Ketty do to them? I wondered. Regardless, my demands were non-negotiable as long as they were slaves under me. I offered again to free them, but as always, they declined. The incident in the forest was water under the bridge on condition they never stood in my or the guild’s way, on top of informing me of any spirit-given messages. Should they ever break that promise, their slave crests would be nullified and disappear, and they were to never involve themselves with me again. But I hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

After saddling Ketty and Nalia with the duty of periodically verifying that their crests were still present, I shelved the matter. It was entirely possible that the spirits could nullify all these measures and contracts, but I chose to let my anxieties go for the time being. I didn’t think the ladies would be willing to try anything after I told them I’d sell them all off if even one of them stepped out of line.

Of course, I didn’t take all these measures lightly. Last night, I had convened with Lionel and Ketty and learned a bit more about the spirits and elves. Namely that it was possible for their crests to return after vanishing and that the spirits could involve themselves in altering memories. This troubled me for some time. Ultimately, I had decided that I needed to handle such an important matter myself, but Ketty had said it would be more effective for the elves to think I was more upset than I really was. So she had taken up the cross and played the villain.

After her discussion with them, she’d learned that the spirits’ power over others was proportional to the strength of the individual’s belief. The spirits couldn’t modify slave pacts of those with little faith. Personally, I didn’t find this all that helpful, since our current issue involved elves who were decidedly ardent in their devotion. Still, I sincerely needed them for my plan. They were vital to the orchard and our newly born honey production operation, so I really hoped they weren’t planning on betraying us anytime soon. If they did, I supposed we could always move forward without them somehow.

I remembered Ketty’s face this morning, how fake her smile had looked. How unnerving it was.

“Oh, they were an open book!” she’d said with a catty smile. “Just took some convincing.”

It sent a shiver down my spine. Whatever had spawned this side of her, I was certain it had something to do with how hurt Lionel had been yesterday.

In any case, the spirits were a tricky business. As elves aged, their faith grew, as lifetime after lifetime of memories compounded. Milphene herself was well over two hundred, so her love for the spirits wasn’t to be underestimated. After all, just as humans derived their magic from Crya the Divine, the elves borrowed theirs from spirits. And, well, I’d only been their master for about ten days. Between me and their deity, it was no contest, really. It didn’t take a genius to know who someone like Ketty would prioritize over me or Lionel. Then again, accepting something didn’t mean I had to like it.

I found myself longing for those quiet days in Merratoni, when I didn’t have to ponder the complications of loyalty and religion.

Anyway, back to giving out orders.

“Nalia, keep up your reading and writing lessons for the younger slaves.”

“As you wish.”

Lately, she’d been asking me if I wanted to join them for some reason, which I didn’t understand. I’d overcome my ignorance long ago...right?

“Kefin, you and your men are on watch around the guild. Yulbo and Verdel, weed out any renegades out there, but stay safe.”

“Understood!”

Good reply. They’d really turned over a new leaf.

“Lionel, Ketty, we’re paying the ursans a visit.”

The two promptly flanked me as we ascended to the ground floor, where we met Jord.

“We’re heading out,” I told him. “I trust you with things here, but let me know if you need anything. Any magic items, take it up with Dhoran. And don’t forget to take at least two bodyguards with you if you ever go out.”

“Same as always, I know,” he replied. “Can’t wait till we can go out to eat without a whole escort.”

“I’m doing what I can to get things stable ASAP. Then we can have a bite together.”

“Now I’m excited.”

“All right, we’ll be back later.”

“Sure thing. Leave the guild to us!”

I greeted folks as we passed them on the street, and they replied in kind. Nothing like a bit of friendliness to make a good impression.

Apparently, there were only a handful of robberies and assaults that occurred every year, and the Healer’s Guild alone had probably already met that quota. Kefin had looked a bit guilty when I made the tasteless joke but still warned that we should be cautious of ex-adventurers. I wasn’t so worried with Lionel around, though. If only we could extend that security throughout all of Yenice, but then the wolf-folk and dragonewts would be out of one of their jobs, so maybe not.

Some time later, we made it to the ursans’ territory. Several residents scurried into their homes upon seeing us. I looked at Lionel and Ketty, but neither of them seemed to understand their behavior either. With nothing for it, we made for the speaker of their people—Bryan—but standing in front of his house were a few less-than-savory looking tiger-folk, talking amongst themselves.

I gave them the same greeting I’d given everyone else.

“Good morning.”

Finally taking notice of us, they quickly bowed in reply, then hurried away.

“Who do you think they were?” I asked.

Lionel put his hand to his chin. “No one pleasant. Perhaps Kefin should have his men look into it.”

“Yulbo’s on guard duty, so we oughta leave it to them,” Ketty added, grinning.

“I thought I asked them to suppress the troublemakers with Verdel’s team,” I said.

“I told ’em to focus on trailing any suspicious characters they spot.”

They could do that? Without getting caught? That ninjutsu they’d learned sure sounded handy. But I still couldn’t picture someone as lackadaisical as Ketty leading a shadow unit.

“Have any leads?”

“The centaurs, for one. Seems like they’re in cahoots with the tiger-folk somehow.”

That much already? They probably could’ve figured that out from Dolstar, but all the same, Ketty had a talent for this sort of work.

“Interesting. But could you please make it a habit to tell me these things ahead of time?”

“Whoopsie!”

I couldn’t stay mad at her. “All right, let’s find out what those guys were doing here.”

I knocked on the door, and it almost instantly flew open. Lionel stopped it inches from my face, but based on the strange squawk that came from the other side, I couldn’t say there had been no casualties.

Lionel slowly opened the door, revealing an ursan holding his head and stumbling back and forth.

“Is this the Bryan you referred to?”

Setting aside my surprise that he could actually tell ursans apart, I cast Heal and Recover on Bryan, then watched him slowly come to his senses. With an awkward apology, he finally invited us in.

“You seem to have your hands full.”

Bryan laughed languidly. “That tends to be the case when your people are a minority.”

I hadn’t noticed at first, but he looked tired. At the end of his rope.

“Would you be willing to trust me with some of your problems?”

He intensely furrowed his brow for a moment. Then a shadow fell over his face.

“I’m aware of your position on the council, Luciel, but this... This is a racial issue. Please understand.”

Did he think it wasn’t blatantly obvious that the ursans and tiger-folk had some sort of a power hierarchy in place? Even if there was no direct coercion going on, one was clearly under the heel of the other. Maybe that was making it hard for him to ask for help, but I couldn’t give it unless he wanted it, and convincing him with words wouldn’t do much good. This was a sticky situation.

I smiled at him. “If you insist. We’ll take our leave, then.”

“You didn’t have business to discuss?”

“I did, but if we can’t trust each other, I’ll have to save the matter of the hon—”

“Sir,” Lionel interrupted.

“Right, sorry. I’ll save things for when you have more confidence in us.”

I smiled again and stood up to leave, when Bryan suddenly sputtered, “H-Hon... Honey?! You can’t mean honey, can you?!”

“Not so loud!” I hissed with my finger in front of my mouth, glancing left and right. “This is extremely confidential, so be discreet. I’ll talk more once we have a mutual understanding.”

“Please, wait. Can’t you elaborate?” he whispered.

I hummed, pretending to thoroughly and carefully ponder his plight before taking out a small bottle and holding it just out of his grasp.

“I-It’s...”

“Honey,” I stated. “Come by the Healer’s Guild when you feel like trusting me.”

I gave him the bottle, which he timidly accepted. With trembling hands, he undid the lid, slowly dribbled some of the contents into his palm, and licked it. His eyes shot open and he began to shake horribly. After calmly replacing the lid on the bottle, he sprinted outside, started to glow, then exploded into his transformed state with an audible fwoof and a grizzly roar.

“Okay, that’s a lot bigger than he was last time,” I said.

“The beastfolk are certainly a diverse people,” Lionel commented.

“Seriously?!” Ketty howled. “That scared the jeepers outta me!”

So much for discretion, I thought. Once Bryan had had his fill, I would evidently need to reiterate that point.

Bryan’s “incident” still hadn’t subsided five minutes later, drawing the attention of some wolf- and tiger-folk guardsmen who came around asking questions. I ended up shaking them off by saying I’d given him some leftover honey, which seemed to convince them. Almost too easily, actually. Just how frequent an occurrence was this? I felt a headache coming on.

It took thirty whole minutes for Bryan to return to his normal form. The ursan was now before me in his miniature state, made even smaller on account of the fact that he was groveling on the ground. I’d confirmed that the sage (the one every Yenitian knew) was the one who had popularized this little display. And now I knew without a doubt that he had not only been reincarnated like me but was also Japanese.

“Listen, get off the ground. You surprised the crap out of me, but I’m not mad.”

“I’m lost for words. I’ve never had such rich, pure honey—honey so magically charged. You could earn the loyalty of the entire ursan people with something like that!”

It was that high quality? I knew honey was rare, but I didn’t think it’d win them over that easily. Boy was I glad I’d helped those vespians.

When asked about the tiger-folk from earlier, Bryan opened up like a book. His prior hesitation had vanished.

“As you know, Yenice is currently home to ten beast races, but that wasn’t always the case. It used to be fourteen,” he explained.

“What happened to the other four?”

“The taurians and centaurs left for the east. Rumor has it they’ve made homes in the forests of Blanche. The ivoris people supposedly live in the Shurulian woods. As for the primatians, some say they took to the west, for uncharted territory, but that’s all I know. One thing ties them all together: they didn’t simply leave Yenice. They were driven out.”

“What? The council told me they were greedy and territorial. That they couldn’t stand being tied down by the city or the other races.”

Bryan shook his head. “No one builds a village in the monster-infested wilds for selfish gains. No, they were persecuted, flogged, until they were forced to leave. There were too few of them to fight back.”

“Don’t tell me those tiger-folk were trying to do the same thing to you.”

“No, no. They were ‘reminding’ me to continue supplying the Doctor’s Guild with herbs, not to cooperate with you, and to keep quiet.”

“And if you end up ‘forgetting’?”

“I imagine we’d go the way of the centaurs.”

Whatever way that was, I didn’t want to find out. Seriously, though, what was with the tiger-folk? Shahza wasn’t the only bad egg, it seemed. Sure, there were probably decent people among them, but I’d really appreciate it if they stopped constantly preying on the weak and outnumbered. They didn’t have to take the “beast” in “beastperson” so literally. As things stood now, the dragonewts were looking a whole lot nobler.

“Are your people satisfied with the current state of affairs?”

“We ursans aren’t fighters,” he admitted woefully. “We have to be satisfied. As long as our homes aren’t being attacked by monsters.”

“What if I told you there might be somewhere else you could live? Somewhere much safer.”

“Well, I’d ask where this dreamland was and how to get to it.”

“Noted. A messenger will show up tomorrow night. Follow their instructions and come to the Healer’s Guild. I’ll have to bind you to secrecy with a contract, but you have my word that I have the ursans’ best interests in mind.”

“You mean that, Luciel? Sir, our people are in your hands!” Bryan lowered his head. They must have really been at their wit’s end.

“You’ll have to see it all for yourself. Until then.”

He escorted us out, then we headed for the Adventurer’s Guild. On the way, I made a point to gather other opinions.

“What do you two think?” I asked my companions.

“I believe we can expect the ursans’ support with the plan. At the cost of antagonizing the tiger-folk, that is. I expect we’ll butt heads. The consolidators of power are always loath to loosen their grip.”

I nodded in agreement.

“Heads might hafta start rollin’,” Ketty snarled with a nasty grin. Someone was apparently still in a bad mood after yesterday. Enjoying the battlefield didn’t mean she took lives lightly.

“Let’s not,” I said. “Yenice’s current power balance is going to get a little unstable, though, that’s for sure.”

“They’ll have to be made to conform one way or another, as with the policies Grandol adopts. It’s only a matter of time.”

Since when was Lionel an expert on Grandian politics? I really had to uncover that guy’s past at some point, but until then, I liked having him as a bodyguard.

“You just do what you gotta do,” Ketty mewed. “The two of us’ll keep you out of trouble.”

“Thanks. I appreciate that. Really.”

They looked at each other and smiled awkwardly.

“Sudden gratitude always feels strange.”

“You really know how to keep a kitty on her toes.”

“Come on,” I said. “Let’s get a move on.”

That slaver had really hit the jackpot with these two. And with the other three, for that matter. I didn’t feel like venerating a slaver, though, so I chalked this one up as another point for Monsieur Luck.