Fingers drummed on the finely carved desk, reverberating through the room. Wood tended to do that, bouncing the acoustics and generally making the location louder. A small price to pay for opulence.

His entire manor was much the same. Practicality gave way for impressive at every possible turn, from the gold chandeliers to the silver cutlery. And yet, what sat in front of him was an affront to everything he’d cultivated, his family had worked so hard for across countless generations.

“How is this possible?”

The question had several potential recipients but no valid answers. At least, Baron Thruce von Heirspleit didn’t expect to receive one, but his servant attempted nonetheless.

“As requested, I went undercover to investigate the prison and found these for sale. Everyone was eating them, even some of the wealthier prisoners. They must be quite addictive, yet no one in your employ could find anything unsavory about them, magical or mundane. In fact, your head chef requested to meet whoever made it, stating he’d do anything for an opportunity to apprentice under a true master chef.”

Thruce was quiet for some time as he processed this information. The object of discussion was the pie sitting before him, but the real topic was the cook that had made it.

“He’s over fifty years old and a level forty-seven pure cooking class. What could he possibly have to learn from a goblin?”

The words held no heat despite the baron’s intentions. It was hard to disparage a cook while smelling his cooking, even if the one that made the food was just a goblin. After all, the scent of this pie was overpowering even hours after it had cooled. Just how tremendous would it taste?

“Your head chef implored me to acquire another pie and bring it to you for tasting. It has been tested for any and all poisons, magical and otherwise. According to him, one bite will be all that is needed for you to understand.”

Thruce was conflicted. On the one hand, it was his responsibility as the Baron of Berics and Gotthaven as a whole to ensure that his estate held the best of everything that it could, and that extended to cooks and food both. But on the other hand, no nobility could house a goblin and remain unscathed in the public eye, let alone one that he had already publicly arrested and sentenced to death. His reputation couldn’t handle that.

Would it be better to simply remain ignorant and never eat the pie? Surely it would behoove his mental health to pretend that he remained superior to all others in his territory. After all, if he knew and acknowledged the goblin as the greatest cook alive, then what? Could the meals from his head chef ever measure up again? Would others, potentially even those under his employ, think less of him for his estate being inferior in any way to a goblin?

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

No, that would as surely undermine his authority as outright employing the monster would. Because while his family was old and powerful, the rank of Baron remained low. The von Heirspleit family had acquired a downright massive amount of wealth and influence for their rank, but it remained just that. Their territory, riches, and everything else were closer to a Count family in size, but they remained Barons to this day due to a grudge several hundred years old.

Were he to provide such potent ammunition to his powerful detractors, it could ebb away at his influence. Even if it were by a tiny amount, such an outcome was unacceptable. He refused to be the first Heirspleit to make their power less, not more. What’s worse, his requested executioner from the church was set to arrive within a day, and his entire prison structure had been upended by a goblin. He was in a lose-lose situation here and didn’t like how it felt.

His silver fork stuck into the crust in order to retrieve a small piece of pie for tasting. But as soon as he had taken one bite, all other thoughts faded away. It took every ounce of self-restraint he had to stop himself from devouring this meal like an animal.

“How is this possible?”

The same words and yet an entirely different question from before. There was a term that he had heard from one of the adventurers he’d once hired. The idea was when your opponent placed you in a position where you could only go down one of two roads but both would result in your total loss. The man had referred to it as “forking your opponent.”

Thruce could think of nothing that better encapsulated his situation.

“I truly am forked.”

“Sir?”

His servant looked at him with concern while his mind continued to race. There had to be a way for him to turn this around, if only he could find it. He activated his skills to accelerate his thinking speed and find the optimal solution. Never before had they let him down, and today would be no exception.

A smile crept onto his face as he began to formulate the beginnings of a plan. It was possible, though quite unlikely, for everything to work out, but it had to be done carefully and quietly. If he could somehow employ the goblin in secret, then no one would know the shame he’d been caused. A prison break would reflect poorly on his managerial skills as the city’s ruler, but it would be quickly forgotten so long as the damage caused was small enough to gloss over. Sending the representative from the church on their way after handing them some apology payment would also potentially improve his relationship with the church rather than harm it. They did like it when they were paid for their ‘holy services,’ especially when they were never performed in the first place.

This could work; he just had to get the goblin to escape his prison without letting anyone else know that’s what he wanted. Then he could send a representative that he trusted after the escaped monster to relay an employment opportunity to it. Everyone had a price, and he suspected that saying extended to goblins.

Everything should follow so long and I can get the first domino to fall. What if…

A smile fought its way to the face of Baron Thruce von Heirspleit before he steeled himself. He stood up and turned to look out the large, ornate window behind him. The slight pinkish hue behind the wall betrayed that dawn was coming to his city.

“The goblin will be executed tomorrow night. Ensure that you inform the guard captain and those at the prison that they are to prepare the prisoner for execution in the morning. Tell them that I’ll leave the details to them as I have complete faith in their abilities.”

The servant nodded before standing and making his leave. That should get things started off just fine. Now he just needed to find someone reliable to work as a mediator…