As they walked onto the property, she knew she hooked in a big fish when she saw the estate. The space it occupied was more than the slums she inhabited. It was larger than some of the estates of her previous clients she served as a mercenary and those men were rich. As she walked down the property, with the little boy still close to her, she couldn't help but relax.

("Well, it seems I won't have to worry about cash for a while.")

The maids soon parted Albus from Avis and one maid led her towards the main building, where his father was located.

"Aren't you bringing the kid?" Avis asked.

"Oh, don't worry, his father will meet with him shortly."

("I'm pretty sure you'd immediately want to see your kid after he ran away but I'm no parent I suppose. Maybe he does this often?")

They entered the building and went up the stairs. They walked down the hallway and entered the room at the end. It was a study, with a blonde-haired fellow sitting at a desk reading a book.

"Have you found hi- Janet, who have you brought with you?" The man asked.

"My Lord, this was the lady who found your son."

He looked at her for a moment before immediately standing and running towards her.

He grabbed her hand and started shaking it. "Oh Michael, is that so? Thank you, thank you so much for finding my sweet young boy!"

"Yes, well I'm happy to help."

As he shook her hand he took notice of the scars on it.

"Oh, are you an officer or a guard?" He asked.

"No. Don't worry, they're from an old line of work I used to do."

"I…I see. I suppose it would be uncouth to let you go empty-handed. How much gold would you like?"

"(Well, this could work but I'm not sure the amount he'd give me would be enough to live off for more than a few years.) Actually, I was hoping you could give me a job."

The man stared at her blankly for a few moments.

"Ha, a job eh… you don't have many people asking for those, misses?"

"Avis Latrodectus."

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"Avis? Hmm, that name sounds quite familiar."

The maid in the room bent over and started whispering in the Lord's ear.

("Tsk, what a nosy bitch.") she thought to herself.

Surprisingly his expression remained unchanged even after hearing what the maid had to say.

"Now, Avis, what might you want a job with me for?

"(Tsk, guess I'll play to his emotions for a few moments.) Well, ever since I saw your child, I couldn't help but worry about him."

Strangely enough, he opened his eyes when she stated this almost in shock. Was it that unbelievable?

"(Tsk, maybe I need to be more convincing.) So, I'd like to be here for the boy to make sure he doesn't run away. I can tell you for a fact he seemed to be quite fond of me on our way here. Plus you wouldn't believe it but I saw one of your maids slap him across the face as if it were nothing. Can you believe such a thi- Um, Sir?"

The lord had been sweating profusely when she mentioned the maid slapping Albus.

"Is it that hard to believe?" She asked.

"No, no, no, I'm shocked one of my maids would do such a…" He paused for a moment and his tone changed.

"Tell me Avis what was your former occupation? I just want to confirm what I heard from Janet here was accurate."

She clicked her tongue in annoyance but the sound wasn't loud enough for the others to hear.

"I was a debt collector." She responded weakly.

"Now is it true how that boy reacted to you?" He asked.

Avis and the maid both looked at him strangely.

"Yes?" She responded.

("This is the first time in quite a while he's latched onto anyone. That little bastard, if only I could kill him without getting my hands dirty. Those bastards already find me suspicious because of how that other bitch died. But fucking hell, I have to be careful even here about how I treat that brat. Who knows how the family as a whole would treat me if it was leaked what I did to the boy? But I can't stand that little bastard being happy. Should I perhaps have her killed and dangle her body in front of him every so often? No, I can't imagine her going down without a fight. Wait a minute, she is a debt collector.") The lord thought for a few moments before getting an idea.

"Excuse me, Avis, I think I have a job for you."

"Really?" She asked, "(Damn, that spiel actually worked.) If you want, I can tell you who I saw slap him, I'm pretty good at recognising faces."

"No, that won't be necessary." He responded. "But I would like to hire you if you are willing to follow my orders. And don't worry it's nothing lewd."

"Sir, I do want to make it clear that if you want me to be a guard, I'm fine with it."

"Oh, no, I'm staffed pretty comfortably on that front. What I want you to do is… rough my boy up every so often."

"Excuse me, sir?" She asked.

"Can you not?" He quickly responded.

"No, I can, but this seems like an odd thing to request."

After seeing her budge on that point, he was convinced she didn't quite have her morals in check. He wore a devilish grin on his face and continued to negotiate with her.

----------------------------------------

"I suppose a paycheck is a paycheck. So just make sure he's alive?"

The lord was now all smiles and looked at Avis with respect. "That's right. You're more agreeable than I thought."

"Well, I was a mercenary a few years ago so, this wouldn't even come to mind as one of the worst things I've done in a few years."

"Is that so? I suppose having a stable income will make this easier than breathing for you." He chuckled.

"(Tsk, this is why I hate rich bastards like you. You think we enjoy shit like this?) Rest assured, as long as I get paid I have no problems doing this."

("Hehe I can't wait to see the look on that little bastard's face when the woman he was clinging onto starts treating him like shit. Oh man, I might have to get Janet to create a portrait of his miserable little face one of these days.")