I left Jertann and Zolast behind to handle their logistical and political challenge, happy to be able to foist the work on them. Unfortunately, that didn't mean I was free. I was already walking toward the small gathering that held the employees of my small operation.
They were waiting for me silently, with only Mahruss speaking, while Karak nodded. The guards and the gambling operators were standing silently, already learning the value of silence from their short stint — though I suspected the favor I was showing to Karak had some impact as well.
The reaction of the little team crafting was more varied. Young or old, they were shuffling in discomfort, their movements uncoordinated, showing how much their recent promotion had affected them. They were giddy as well, their fingers twitching, no doubt desiring to start the work immediately.
It was good.
"Follow me," I said as we joined the line, not waiting for Zolast and Jertann to finish their newest arrangement, even if it meant we were leaving most of our group behind as we mixed with the crowd, waiting for our turn.
As we waited, I gave Karak and Mahruss several tasks, Karak oversaw the construction and establishment of the outer town residence, while Mahruss went around and deal with the acquisition of construction materials. Or, more accurately, to escort our newly-promoted woodworkers to pick the construction wood to make sure no one tried anything.
I could have tried to get lumber from a nearby forest, but I didn't bother with it. If money could solve the problem, I much preferred to rely on that and save time.
"Are you sure you want to focus on building the outer town residence first, sir?" Mahruss asked. "Isn't inner-city residence more important?"
"Really? Why do you think so?" I asked, curious how well he would be able to answer. I could have given the answer quickly, but Mahruss was best among the bodyguards I had raised, and developing him a bit was not a bad idea. With many different operations, I would be probably sending Karak around a lot, and having a stationary leader for the outer town was a good solution.
And, some independent thinking was a good trait for a criminal underboss.
As long as it didn't get too independent.
"It… it's important for the prestige of the guild," he said. "The quality of our headquarters will impact how others see us."
"Exactly," I said, nodding. He smiled proudly. "Now, tell me, how important is to build a shabby, wooden headquarters."
"Not very," he admitted.
"Exactly. The outer town is already crowded, and as the news of a dungeon spreads, it'll turn into pandemonium. Now, tell me, how it'll help us to build a big headquarters."
"By giving us the funds we need," he said, nodding in understanding.
"Exactly," I said, then spoke just a bit louder, enough that the others would hear, lacing my voice with Charisma just enough to leave a lasting impression. "What we're about to build in outer town might look like an unglamorous task, but it'll be the foundation of everything we will achieve. Be proud!"
A little flattery never went amiss, I thought even as watched them straighten their backs.
However, before I could talk more, it was our turn, and a familiar voice called for us. "Stop!"
I turned, only to see a familiar face looking at me. The young man with the swordsmanship skill, that attacked me back at the camp. Clearly, his presence was intentional … but this time, he didn't have two friends behind him, but thirty.
They not only had the numerical advantage, but also had the better armament.
I was tense, but it was neither about their numerical advantage, nor the quality of their armament. They looked like looming advantages, but if the push came to shove, I could deal with both. At worst, I would have to reveal the existence of my magical sword, which wasn't preferable, but hardly the end of the world.
I tensed, because far away, I could see the old knight of the duke waiting and watching us with a few people I didn't recognize. His presence would have been alarming enough, but what truly alarmed me was the cloak he was wearing, hiding his armor from sight. I wouldn't have noticed him if it wasn't for my high Perception.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Suggesting he was waiting for me to make a mistake. A plot to damage us … maybe even to get rid of me completely. The plot itself was clear, especially when looking at the armband the swordsman was wearing, marking him as a squad leader. None of the others recruited from our camp carried that honor, which was made obvious when he got it despite his spectacular failure.
Not if they wanted him to create a scuffle, one that would turn into a fight, and aftermath, Night Blades would just excuse themselves as claiming it was a personal decision by him, maybe even executing him to appease Zolast.
However, not before Knight Artmiss intervened and found me guilty of the crime of attacking a guard, probably executing me while trying to take me prisoner. After all, who would care if a noble knight accidentally killed a fragile peasant for the crime of resisting the guards.
A simple yet dangerous plan. The only saving grace was that Artmiss' stance radiated boredom while the men next to him looked more enthusiastic; suggesting it was more a favor he was doing to Night Blades rather than something he wanted himself.
I doubted I could have stayed in the camp if the latter was the case. A knight simply had too many ways to deal with me.
I needed to twist the situation a bit. "Yes, squad leader," I said with an exaggerated respect, while I gestured to Karak to stay back no matter what.
He froze a bit at my answer. "Is that all you're going to say, old man," he said. "Aren't you glad to see me again after your cowardly ambush!" In the latter part, he shouted, and I felt my group shuffle. Karak and Mahruss, in particular, felt like explosives ready to go off, but they weren't the ones that scared me the worst.
No, it was the ladies that I had hired as my team of blacksmiths. Three of them already grabbed their weapons, ready to address the disrespect toward me, and the rest was not too far away. I immediately reacted, extending my Charisma aura toward them to calm them. But it was too late.
One of the guards — one that was not from our camp — already noticed that, and started walking toward them. "Are you trying to draw your weapons," he growled and drew his weapon, walking forward.
I was lucky he was acting slowly to let the rest of the guards take a clue and move forward. It gave me a chance to intervene. "Of course not, honored guard," I said loudly. "They are just following your order and readying themselves for inspection." My tone paused them a moment.
More accurately, the subtle pressure of Charisma that accompanied it. The more I used Charisma, the more I understood why the nobles loved to use it. It was truly a shortcut.
It was unfortunate I couldn't just flaunt my Charisma like they loved to do.
While they paused, I pulled the sigil of the Quartermaster from my pouch, and spoke loudly, only by technicality not a shout. "However, I regret to inform you that it's an unlawful order. As the quartermaster of Dawn Hammers, a guild that was ordained by our grace Duke of Yoentia himself, we have the right to refuse inspection. Please let us pass."
The foreign guard with perception frowned immediately, realizing the trap I was setting up. Unfortunately, a subtle pressure of Charisma was all I needed to delay him for a second, letting their rash squad leader speak.
"I don't care, I don't see any pansy noble here," he growled.
I gasped, acting scandalized. Still, I was pleasantly surprised. I had expected to goad him a lot for him to start directly insulting the duke, and his arrogant response was a pleasant reaction.
But then, maybe I shouldn't have been surprised. I had seen this many times. Just passing a stupid young man a gun and a street corner as a territory would make him walk around like a peacock, convinced of his own immortality…
As for the arrogant young man in question, they must have allowed him to absorb at least one other skill stone, maybe some stat stones, enough to fuel his arrogance, hoping that he would make an ill-advised decision and attack me rather than insult the ruling noble of their new house.
Unfortunately, their tool rebelled.
"Y-you dare insult our noble guiding light!" I shouted loudly, even as I applied two Charisma tricks at the same time. One, I used to fuel his emotions of arrogance, fury, and inferiority, the other I used to make people surrounding us to pay attention to us. The latter was nothing more than a subtle flash, enough to avoid notice, while the former was a rough push.
"I don't care what a spoiled little boy thinks! What if he's a noble. It means he was lucky enough to be born rich. Would he have been exiled here if he hadn't been useless," he said, shouting toward the end.
"You dare!" I shouted, raising my halberd, ready to deliver a hit, but I didn't need to. Not when a magical blade flew toward us, faster than an arrow, glowing blue, and ended up buried in his head, silencing him forever. The rest of the guards, who were too shocked to react, finally reached for their weapons.
It was exactly the wrong move, because they just found themselves looking at Knight Artmiss, riding toward us with a stormy expression. I bowed slightly, and gestured for the rest of my team to do so. "For anyone that dares to insult their liege lord, there's only death!" he declared.
His shout was accompanied by the weight of the Charisma, pressing around us, forcing us to our knees. Admittedly, it was barely enough to tickle me, and I had no doubt that Karak could have resisted it if he pushed himself. Luckily, he was smart enough to realize just because he could do something didn't mean he should, and followed me to kneel in front of the knight.
After the knight delivered his declaration, I could feel his gaze on me, no doubt suspecting me of playing a role, but whatever the reason for that, he kept himself limited to a gaze. Maybe he thought I couldn't actually do much, maybe he thought attacking me would help Night Blades, who managed to destroy too much goodwill between them through the loose tongue of their squad leader to deserve his help.
Either way, he took back his sword and rode away. Only after he was away, I stood up and turned toward the other guards, an exaggerated expression of sincerity on my face. "Do we still need to go through an inspection, sir?"