Negotiations with the Duke

The atmosphere on the way to the duke's manor was quite tense.

Numerous armed soldiers were moving about in a hurry.

The mood was completely different from before we'd gone to Iselia.

I could guess why, but the details would become clear with some investigation later.

For now, the priority was reporting to Duke Dantarg about what had happened.

Thanks to Orleans, we were waved through without question.

We'd promised to report when we returned, so we informed a maid of our arrival and waited.

The area around the manor was strangely quiet.

People came and went, but it looked like the bare minimum.

"This way, please. The master is waiting."

The maid guided us inside the manor and to a room in the back.

Inside, Duke and Duchess Dantarg sat waiting.

The maid bowed and quickly took her leave.

"Now then, let's skip the pleasantries. We know each other well enough. Please, give me your report."

"Understood."

At his invitation, I took a seat on the sofa.

When I nodded to the duchess, she returned a warm smile.

She seemed pleased about the soap and perfume.

I gave a brief account of what had happened since arriving in Iselia.

For handling the storm, I said we'd weathered it with magic until it passed.

In truth, only Elza knew what had actually occurred, and beyond having destroyed a magic tool, even she didn't understand the details.

The duke's expression darkened slightly when I got to the part about Iselia being attacked, and he held his head in his hands.

"Those shortsighted fools. If the royal they're following is inexperienced, it's their job to advise her, not go along with it. And I'm sorry you were dragged in. I thought if you were there as guests, they wouldn't try anything reckless, but using you as decoys and making you guard the gate… His Highness really does push things. When I heard you'd been attacked, I nearly had a heart attack."

"No, they did receive us well. And they were clearly short-handed, and as a result, I got the iron ore at a good price."

"Hah, that's right, you're a merchant. Sharp enough to secure your own profits. Anyway, you have my thanks. Between this and the Fire Dragon incident, you've been a tremendous help. I repaid you for that, but now I owe you again."

The conversation with the duke proceeded in a relatively cordial atmosphere.

Some parts of the report made him frown, but that wasn't my concern.

When I handed over the letter from Kelves, it seemed to have something particular written in it.

"Name one thing you want. If it's within my power, I'll grant it. Just so you know, this also serves as hush money. Princess Tianis, who gave permission for this trip, is one thing, but don't go spreading word about any of this to anyone else."

"I understand. I value my life, after all."

Though they weren't visible, there were surely assassins somewhere in this room.

Whether they were as skilled as Gloria, who'd stood beside Kelves, I didn't know.

But acting against the duke's interests would make an enemy of him.

"If you understand that much, that's one less thing for me to worry about. So, what will it be?"

"In that case, I'd like to recruit Orleans for my operation."

"Hmm…?"

This must have been quite unexpected; the duke's response was halting.

He'd probably anticipated a request for customs exemption or some other reward.

From the duke's perspective, Orleans was just a girl he was looking after from the estate.

As promised, he'd had her educated and given her work experience through menial tasks.

Her status as a spirit priestess whose role had ended might be valuable to mages, but for a duke commanding an army, it wasn't that significant.

If he had a mage on par with Alexia who was deeply versed in fire magic, it might be different, but Orleans's treatment suggested he didn't.

"Come to think of it, you were the one who rescued her. Have you grown fond of her?"

"Perhaps… I have. But she's also talented, regardless."

"So my reports say. Impressive for her age."

"Why not let her go?"

The duke had been wavering, but the duchess spoke up.

"My lady…"

"I knew she wasn't being treated well among the staff. If I'd stepped in, it would only have made things worse, so I couldn't do much for her."

"No, my lady, you've been very kind to me."

"And you want this too, don't you?"

"Yes. I want to repay my debt to the one who saved me."

Orleans bowed her head as she said this.

It seemed the duchess had been looking out for her after all.

I felt relieved that she hadn't been entirely alone.

Her position had made it impossible to intervene directly, but having even one person on her side made all the difference.

"The estate's management has improved since she arrived. That alone made the education worthwhile. People should be where they can thrive. Bringing her here just because she had ability was too forceful."

"That was meant to be a kindness, but… Fine, fine. Orleans, was it? If you want to take this girl, do as you please. She's no longer a serf. She's an Imperial citizen now, so I'll ask that you treat her with due respect."

"Of course. I won't let her want for anything."

"Then so be it. But that hardly counts as a reward. All I'm doing is granting permission for something she wants. I don't mind one more request. If His Highness had died, things would have gotten quite messy."

"The activity outside gives me some idea."

The news of the attack on Iselia must have reached them.

The price of their relief at confirming he was safe, so to speak.

If that was the case, I'd make my request without hesitation.

"Then would you permit me to purchase iron ore? I'll pay fair market price, of course."

"As long as it's not excessive, I'll allow it. The Kingdom was always a good customer."

The duke flashed a grin.

With the sea route now open, iron ore would circulate more cheaply within the Empire, but the price for the Kingdom wouldn't drop.