The Duke's Return

Azu sheathed her sword and came back.

She'd apparently spent everything she had. She was swaying on her feet, so Yohane wrapped an arm around her shoulders to steady her.

A monumental victory. He'd let her rest for a good while after this.

The other two had done excellent work as well.

He made sure to let them know.

"Well, that turned out all right."

"Yeah. A total wipe was a real possibility, after all."

"I'd rather not, thanks."

He looked around at the aftermath.

The red-hooded man was dealt with, but the ducal estate was in a sorry state.

The meticulously maintained gardens had been torn apart by the statues, and though the fires had already been extinguished, the buildings had sustained damage from the fire magic as well.

Patches of soil had vitrified from the extreme heat.

The guards were conducting a headcount. Once that was done, they carried the critically wounded into the manor, and those still on their feet began the cleanup.

Several men were hauling the wrecked statues off to the side.

Lady Anatia issued orders to the guard captain and the maids who had regained their footing.

With the Duke absent, she had to step up and hold everything together.

Once she'd finished giving instructions, she walked over to them.

"Thank you for protecting me. And for your help repelling the intruders. I am deeply grateful."

She lifted the edges of her skirt and dipped into an elegant curtsy.

"Nah, just a little something extra while we were in the neighborhood. Besides, there were casualties."

The maid who had gone to call for help had been found by the red-hooded man and killed.

"Yes. We lost guards as well. They deserve a proper send-off."

"We happen to have a cleric with us. If a few words of farewell would help, we're happy to oblige."

"… Which god does she serve, if I may ask?"

"Not the Church of the Sun God, if that's what concerns you."

Yohane took Elza's rosary in hand and showed it to Lady Anatia.

She visibly relaxed.

At present, there was no definitive proof that the attackers belonged to the Church of the Sun God.

Testimony was all well and good, but as evidence it was weak.

They needed irrefutable physical proof.

Personally, Yohane considered it all but certain, but people in positions of power couldn't act on hunches alone.

Then again, having been hit this hard, the Duke would likely act regardless.

Lady Anatia had just been attacked by what appeared to be Sun God operatives, so having a Sun God cleric preside over the memorial rites would indeed be a poor fit.

He understood why she'd felt compelled to ask.

Elza offered words of parting and prayed for the peace of the fallen.

Everyone bowed their heads in a moment of silence, seeing the dead off.

The cemetery was some distance from the estate, so beyond this point, it was in the Duke's people's hands.

Repairs and materials would be needed too, but a ducal house would have its own contracted merchants.

He wasn't about to step on their toes.

"Your aid in battle, and now a cleric's farewell on top of it all. You have my sincerest thanks… This is a token of my gratitude. Please accept it."

Lady Anatia unclasped the necklace she'd been wearing and placed it gently in his hands.

He accepted it with both hands, with due reverence.

It was a rainbow diamond necklace.

Small in size, but worth a considerable sum.

"I accept with gratitude."

Rainbow diamonds were said to bestow good fortune on their owner and could only be obtained deep within certain specific labyrinths.

He couldn't exactly liquidate a gift from a duke's daughter, but displaying it in the shop might lend a touch of prestige.

And it would serve nicely as a good-luck charm for business as well.

Beyond that, there was nothing more they could do here.

They'd made a connection, but turning it into a commercial relationship would be a stretch.

The best he could hope for was being waved through the door next time he came to pay his respects.

The conversation with Lady Anatia had just reached a natural pause, and Yohane was thinking about heading out, when a commotion erupted at the entrance.

Ah, the grand gate had been mangled beyond recognition.

That was going to cost a fortune to repair, he thought idly, just as the Duke returned. A substantial contingent of soldiers trailed behind him.

He came striding toward them at just short of a run, listening to his butler's briefing as he walked.

Without breaking stride, he swept Lady Anatia into an embrace.

"Thank heavens you're safe. I thought the guard detail I left behind would be sufficient, but I never imagined something like this."

"Father, please. We have guests."

Only then did the Duke seem to notice them.

His worry for his daughter must have blinded him to everything else.

Yohane had no daughters of his own, but if anything happened to the members of his household, he'd probably panic just as badly, so he wasn't inclined to hold it against him.

The presence of people who were always there, suddenly gone. That kind of loss was unbearable.

He'd learned that from losing both parents, and one other. He understood the pain all too well.

"You… you're that man from before."

"I'm honored you remember. Yohane, a merchant who stocks just about anything."

"It seems my daughter owes you a debt. And the Anti-Magic Orb found its way to Anatia, I see."

"Indeed. Glad to hear it proved useful already."

Had they arrived any later, what would have become of Lady Anatia?

The Duke would not have made it in time.

Abducted by men like those, her very life could have been at risk.

The Duke's escorts were at the gate, conferring with the guards.

Among them were some who looked like former adventurers.

By taking his best fighters with him, the Duke had inadvertently left the estate's defenses thin.

If they'd been at full strength when the attack came, the outcome might have been different, but the world had a way of never cooperating.

The Duke extended his right hand for a handshake. Yohane clasped it without hesitation.

It was virtually unheard of for a nobleman to extend his hand to a merchant… a mere commoner.

It was, Yohane believed, a gesture of genuine respect.

"What became of the perpetrators?"

"I'll leave the details to your people. He was reduced to ash, with only some of his clothing left behind."

"And those statues… Sun God statues, are they? I'd heard the rumors, but I never believed something like that could actually move."

Even those who'd been present had witnessed one inexplicable event after another, so no amount of explanation was going to fully satisfy the Duke.

Yohane walked him through every detail from start to finish before they were finally released.

Every point of uncertainty was cross-examined, which made for an exhausting debriefing, but one didn't say no to a duke.

Beneath his composed exterior, the man was surely seething with fury.

Whether it was his station that compelled him to keep it in check, Yohane couldn't say.