Conviction

After another long night, extending well into the morning, Paul was enjoying a short rest as he waited for Baroness Lawrence to arrive. The latter had agreed to meet him within the Inn's lounge, so he was lazing about on one of the sofas, absentmindedly caressing Yae in her petite fox form.

*tok* *tok* *tok*

Following the gentle rattle, the voice of Noelle could be heard stating, "Baroness Lawrence and her escort have arrived."

Rising to his feet, Paul relocated to the head of the rectangular dining table while Yae made herself comfortable near his feet. Only then did he respond, "Send her in." in a curt, authoritative tone.

With Paul's permission, Christina, wearing an expensive-looking pantsuit, made her way into the room. Accompanying her was a remarkably short girl with similarly pink hair styled in a ponytail. She had on a pink, fur-lined crop-top, baggy shorts, a thick waistcoat, oversized gloves, and leather sabatons, but the thing that stood out the most was her gigantic ax. The shaft was nearly as long as she was tall, and the head was at least 80cm across.

Noticing the surprise on Paul's face, Baroness Lawrence placed her hand on the much shorter girl's head, rustling her hair as she said, "This is my close friend and bodyguard, Rarona Labrys. As I'm sure you've guessed, she's a Dwarf."

Batting away Baroness Lawrence's hand, Rarona retorted, "Who's your friend? I'm only here because I didn't feel like being treated as a breeder to bolster my people's numbers. Don't get ahead of yourself."

Disregarding Rarona's retort, Baroness Lawrence mused, "As you can see, we're close enough to banter like childhood friends. Thank you for letting her participate in today's meeting."

Waving his hand, Paul said, "Go ahead and take a seat. I'm not really pressed for time, but there are other things I could be doing right now. Let's get to the reason for your visit."

Following Paul's suggestion, Baroness Lawrence took a seat at the opposite end of the table. Rarona stood behind her and off to the side like a proper bodyguard, but she had a disinterested look as she scanned her surroundings and eyed the nearby hearth.

Leaning forward slightly with linked fingers, Baroness Lawrence revealed the reason for her visit, stating, "I wanted to meet Sir Paul for a multitude of reasons. First and foremost, I wished to see what kind of person could win the heart of 'that' woman. Secondly, I wished to get closer to the man who serves as the spiritual backbone of our operation. I figured that if I could gain your favor, I could improve my position and accrue an even greater fortune. There are quite a number of additional reasons, but those are the main three."

Raising his brows, Paul remarked, "I gathered as much during the auction, but you're as bold as you are beautiful. If I weren't already enthralled with more than fifty women, I might have jumped at the opportunity to be your suitor."

Though it was very slight, Paul noticed Baroness Lawrence's eye twitch when he mentioned being entangled with more than fifty women. Such a number wasn't insurmountable, but if she wanted to secure a position at the 'top,' it would take tremendous time and effort.

Adopting a business-like smile, Baroness Lawrence remarked, "That's quite the amount. It's a testament to your capacity as a man that you're able to keep so many without any serious issues. Have you no intentions of marrying?"

"That's for them to decide," replied Paul. "All I really know how to do is train, fight, and make promises. I leave everything else to people far more capable than myself."

Narrowing her eyes slightly, Baroness Lawrence pointed out, "Staying alive and knowing how to delegate are two of the most important qualities for any good leader. If it were possible to handle everything alone, there would be no need for Emperors, Kings, and Generals to have Counselors, Ministers, and Knights."

"And where do you see yourself in that equation?" asked Paul.

Sitting back in her chair, Baroness Lawrence closed her eyes and replied, "I simply never wish to be at the mercy of people who willfully ruin others and then expect them to be 'grateful' for the opportunities they provide..."

Opening her eyes, Baroness Lawrence asked, "Is Sir Paul familiar with my family's situation?"

"Only the basics," replied Paul. "I know your family was nearly ruined by a Viscount who was later dealt with by Lady Fontaine. I never pried into the specifics."

Nodding her head, Baroness Lawrence appended, "A dungeon opened in one of the depleted mines my family used as collateral. Because of that, the Viscount in question tried to force us to hand it over, not to repay our debts, but to cover the 'interest.' When my father refused, the Viscount joined hands with several other families and the Adventurer's Guild to put pressure on us until we eventually collapsed..."

Interrupting the explanation, Paul asked, "Why didn't they use a Platinum Coin to acquire the mine? Better yet, why didn't your family sell the rights to the Adventurer's Guild? If I recall correctly, even an F-Rank Dungeon is valued at around 40,000AGC."

Since the structure of a Dungeon contained trace amounts of orichalcum, mithril, and other rare minerals, even F-Rank Dungeons could yield a fortune to those with the means to process them. The downside was that unless you owned the land before the Dungeon appeared, it automatically fell under the jurisdiction of the Adventurer's Guild.

Adopting a faint smile, Baroness Lawrence remarked, "It seems you aren't too familiar with Milishion's laws and the many loopholes therein. Articles and property used as collateral cannot be acquired using Platinum Coins. As such, most families offer the deeds to their primary estates and many of their most important assets as collateral when taking loans. As for why my family didn't sell the Dungeon to the Adventurer's Guild...they couldn't afford it."

Blinking in surprise, Paul was prompted to ask what Baroness Lawrence meant when the latter beat him to the punch, her expression containing a hint of melancholy as she revealed, "The rank of the Dungeon in question was S, effectively making it priceless. More importantly, as it was used as collateral, we couldn't simply sell it at our convenience..."

"Ah..."

Realizing the real reason behind House Lawrence's fall, Paul's expression morphed into a frown. Dungeons that fell under the ownership of a group or organization needed to be regulated and patrolled by their own people. Failure to keep the Dungeon in check could lead to all kinds of fines and penalties, ultimately culminating in the Dungeon being seized to 'protect' the local populace. In other words, the enemies of House Lawrence just needed to wait, and the family would eventually be ruined.

Nodding her head, Baroness Lawrence's tone was somber as she said, "Indeed. We managed to hold out for seven years and even resorted to sealing off the Dungeon's entrance, but the monsters within eventually broke free. The resultant monster wave killed hundreds, but despite most of the victims being people we hired to stem the outbreak, my father and eldest brother were held responsible and executed. After that, well, let's just say there were a lot of greedy and outright wicked people seeking to benefit from my family's destruction. If not for the grace of Lady Fontaine and the backing of our mutual friend, I would have been lucky to become a simple slave."

Contrasting the severity of her words, Baroness Lawrence regained her usual smile. She wasn't looking for sympathy, pity, or consolation, so before Paul could respond, she said, "And that's what brings us here. A few other things happened along the way, but I've never been the type to dwell on the past. Rather, now that I've been given the opportunity, I intend to keep rising until there's nothing but clear skies and an endless horizon in my view."

Pointing at Paul's face, confidence burst from Baroness Lawrence like a battle aura as she asserted, "That's where you come in. With the power at your behest, it's only a matter of time before you stand at the pinnacle of this world. I may not be able to compare to 'that' woman, but I'm certain I can meet your expectations. Lend me your support, and I'll one day hand you the entire Milis Continent on a silver platter."

Though she might not be able to pull it off with her natural lifespan, Baroness Lawrence was confident she could conquer all of Milishion if given a Vision. Her and Paul's mutual acquaintance, Ningguang, had told her the only way to acquire one was by receiving the former's favor. Thus, in exchange for eternal life and various other benefits, Baroness Lawrence was prepared to yield him everything but her ambitions...

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As he wasn't sure what Ningguang had planned for Milishion, Paul told Baroness Lawrence, who later asked him to call her Christina, that he could only make a decision after discussing the matter with the relevant parties. That included the girls traveling with him, so he eventually saw her and Rarona off after promising they would meet again before his departure.

"Your popular phase is never-ending," mused Yae, having returned to her human.

Shaking his head, Paul's voice was uncharacteristically calm as he replied, "She simply sees me as a means to an end. I don't mind, but I'm no longer willing to jump through hoops for every woman with a sob story. I already have enough problems dealing with the politics of the Asura Kingdom. I'm not in a hurry to become entangled with those of Milishion..."

Moving closer to Paul, Yae nestled her head against his shoulder and whispered, "You've grown..." in a wistful tone. "If it was before your stay in the Demon Continent, you might have been convinced to marry her on the spot. I'm proud of you..."

Resisting the urge to scrunch his brows or roll his eyes, Paul gave Yae's butt a light smack and said, "I already have a mom. I don't need another one..."

Spurred by Paul's words, Yae grabbed his arm and gazed up at him with her electro-purple eyes, musing, "You'll need to do more than smacking my bottom to convince me. We both know how close you and your mother are..."

"..."

Unable to refute Yae's words, Paul fell silent for several seconds before surprising her with a princess carry. He had nearly 'forgotten' about how intimate Asuran Noblewomen were with their sons, but Yae's words had brought the memories rushing back. Thus, even though it was the middle of the day, he intended to 'punish' her thoroughly...

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Observing the departure of Christine and Rarona from his perch more than a dozen kilometers away, a skull-faced man wearing an eyepatch mused, "That boy is remarkably popular, isn't he? At this rate, you won't get a chance to show your skills."

Furrowing her brows, a petite, red-haired woman with distinct demonic horns protruding from her shadowy hood retorted, "You're not faring any better, Sir Death God..."

Shrugging his shoulders, the Death God, Randolph Marianne, replied, "His security is even tighter than a traveling monarch's. At this rate, a head-on approach might be our only option."

"Our?" questioned the red-haired woman. "My job was to seduce and leave him vulnerable. If you intend to attack them head-on, count me out."

"Are you sure that's the wise?" asked Randolph. "If you don't at least try to attack them, those bastards from the Church really will hunt you down. As a halfling, you don't enjoy the same protections as the other members of your species. Isn't that why you became an assassin in the first place?"

"..."

Instead of responding to Randolph's words, the red-haired half-succubus furrowed her brows and lowered her gaze. The real reason she became an assassin was because the man who purchased her happened to work for a criminal guild. However, as Randolph pointed out, that was only possible due to her mixed blood. Succubus Slaves weren't unheard of, but if it were discovered that one was being imprisoned against their will, it would lead to an international incident.

Understanding she didn't have a lot of options, the red-haired assassin raised her head to meet Randolph's singular eye, asking, "What do you need me to do...?"

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(A/N: Christina is a woman of conviction o_o...)