chapter 61: Dangerous individual

...

"This is a crime, you know? Do you truly believe that the knights will let this go, and you'll go free?"

He expressed still maintaining a calm demeanour. He hadn't expected the woman to be capable of close-quarters combat. She was definitely no mere 4th circle mage.

Reniris, on the other hand, paused as she came to a realisation about what she was doing at the moment.

"Oh? I was merely defending myself after all, it was your subordinate that attacked me first and to think I was only here to negotiate"

She responded, giving the man a scowl and waiting for a response to her words. She now understood her actions may have been a tad reckless, and she let her emotions cloud her judgement; she also quickly understood she had just made an enemy of a noble and most likely wouldn't have any peace after this.

"Well, how about this then? I let you leave here, and we both forget this happened, Deal?"

He proposed, it was clear to him now that Irma was not going to be enough for this woman, which made him realise an oversight he hadn't considered when he came to this city and that being more reliable security.

"I'm afraid not; give me the name of the person who put the bounty up, and then I'll leave. Also, I have a witness with me, so I have the advantage here"

She said and pointed towards Luke, who had shoved himself in the corner of the room, trying his best to be invisible.

"Oh, well now, seems like we're at an impasse"

"No, we aren't"

"Oh yes, we are"

Count was quick to counter, and Reniris frowned deeper but said nothing and simply waited for him to explain.

"You see I'm a Noble, I can easily get enough false witnesses to testify against you in my favour, not only that but once it's known that, Luke over there owes me money, anything he says can be interpreted as him trying to wiggle out of his debt to me, So yes we are at an impasse"

The count explained and a smile showed on his face, he actually had the advantage but the woman was probably 5th circle mage and a capable fighter, something that was an incredible rarity and an unknown variable meaning her actions were unpredictable and the fact she was willing to even threaten him made it clear she was reckless.

"Hmm"

Reniris hummed, not showing much emotion, and her face returned to a neutral expression.

She had realised her own recklessness. Not only did she come here with little to no information on her enemy, but she disregarded his status, which is something that can cause problems down the line.

To add to that, she came here with no plan whatsoever, believing that her strength should be enough to get her what she wanted.

'To think I called Eon reckless'

She thought with slight amusement but resolved to not let him know of this blunder.

"Well since this is an impasse, then what do you suggest?"

She asked; the very fact he was insistent on their current situation being an impasse meant that despite having the advantage, he was hesitant to use it, either because he knew something she didn't or it was going to be tedious to do so, or his advantage wasn't so cut and dry.

"I'm glad you see it my way, I suggest–"

*Knock Knock*

The count was interrupted by the knock, forcing him to cut himself mid-sentence.

"What is it?"

"Apologies count, but there is someone here claiming to be Marquis Augustine, should I let him in?"

It was a female voice that informed him, and hearing her words, the count immediately frowned. This was certainly an unwelcome surprise.

'How did he know about this place?'

The count inwardly questioned. This wasn't his home, and it was just one of the many places he used for his own "amusement" and when he wanted to meet with the people who owed him money.

So how did the Marquis find out about it?

...…

Let's rewind time a bit just before Reniris met with the Count.

Eon found himself being welcomed into the house of Noble by a row of maids, all properly dressed in French maid attire and standing with proper posture. From what he could see, they were all at least above average in looks, with some having well-endowed figures.

"Right this way gentlemen"

A mature woman who portrayed an air of elegance and grace, and one Eon figured was the head maid, gestured him in, although June was with him, so she was also addressing him.

He walked through a hallway with walls that were lined with portraits and pieces of art. One particular portrait that caught his eye was an image of a woman.

The woman was incredibly beautiful, radiating a sort of ethereal beauty that would have men wage wars to win her favour. In Eon's eyes, the woman rivalled Reniris in pure beauty. She had a lithe figure with petite breasts, her skin was deathly pale bordering on white, and she had deep black irises that seemed to swirl around her pupil like a whirlpool of darkness.

Eon couldn't help but be drawn to the portrait so much that he stopped walking and stared at the picture.

"Like it? That's a painting that cost the Marquis a complete coin of Mithril, which is equivalent to 100 million ixe."

June informed. Mithril was a rare metal, much rarer than gold or platinum; as such, its value was quite high, but it wasn't just its rarity that made it so valued, but it was its durability; any blacksmith that isn't of Dwarven origin can never forge something out of it.

Mithril was also one of the reasons why the Hendrix Kingdom kept close ties with the Southern Dwarven nation and continued to trade with them.

"Who is she?"

The young Dragonoid curiously asked.

"An artistic recreation of the Eternal witch Alainn Maledetta, nobody alive today actually knows what she looks like; this was just made using historical accounts of what she supposedly looked like."

June explained, and Eon couldn't help but hum in curious thought, but his thoughts were interrupted by the head maid.

"Please gentlemen, let us not keep the Marquis waiting"

She expressed, and Eon complied.

Meanwhile, as Eon was making his way towards the Marquis, the man himself was in the hearth, with two of his wives sandwiching him on the 3 seater couch.

"You know he's more of a disgraced prince than an actual prince. There's no need to worry, so you gals don't need to be here"

He expressed, his Beastwoman wife clung to his arm and rested her head on his shoulders. She didn't particularly care what he was saying, so she didn't answer.

"A prince is a prince, my husband. You wouldn't want him to believe you don't think that highly of him, do you?"

The woman who answered was a slender woman with ginger-coloured hair and honey-gold eyes. She had a beautiful face that was littered with a small amount of cute freckles on her cheeks.

He couldn't say she was wrong. After all, when a guest with a higher position than you visits your home, it is considered polite to have your entire family present to greet them. Of course, there are exceptions, but overall, that's how it's usually done. It's done this way to show the guests that the whole family welcomes them instead of just you.

"Listen, Risa, this is going to be a–"

Unfortunately, he wasn't able to complete the sentence as the Beastwomen beside him suddenly jolted and stood up, her movements quick and sudden as she stared at the entrance of the room.

Her brows were furrowed, and her hand extended out to protect the people behind her.

"Lypine? What's the matter?"

The marquis questioned. He could see the tenseness of her body, and her tail hairs were standing on their ends, something that only happens when she senses a threat.

"Someone dangerous is coming"

She answered plainly while suppressing a growl. She also did her best to suppress the instinct of baring her teeth because that meant she was ready to fight, and that was rude, at least by human standards.

"Calm down, Lypine. I'm sure it's just June bringing our guest to us"

He explained and grabbed her hand before pulling her into her grasp to calm her down. However, her stiffness and tenseness did not go away, and she kept her eyes on the entrance, waiting for the threat she perceived to enter.

"You said it was the prince of the Dreyer Kingdom coming here, right?"

Risa asked, her brows creasing as she did so; she also silently tucked one of her hands under her dress and placed it on the small knife she kept hidden underneath; as a woman born to a house of knights, it was drilled into her to always keep something tucked underneath for self-defence.

"Yes but it's the failure Nathaniel, not anyone that should be dangerous"

.....