After the speech is done and I am officially a duke I spend some time chatting with the nobles. Surprisingly, they mostly just congratulate me and thank me for getting rid of Pine. It is strange seeing so much sincerity from the nobles, it is kind of creepy.

Marquis Rend says "Duke Ash, it is truly a pleasure to see you again! What you have done for this city is not something that can be repaid with a simple title!"

"What I did was to get Pine out of my way, not to be rewarded."

Marquis Rend says "Whatever the reason, we owe you. Most of these nobles will have forgotten about it by the time this party is over. However, I am not like them, I will remember. If you ever need my help, all you have to do is ask."

"Thanks, I will remember that."

Marquis Rend shakes my hand and then moves away so that other nobles can take their turn to talk to me. I really wish that Sarah was here, I don't remember any of these people. But instead of Sarah, I see one of my guards enter and head towards me.

Guard says "My Lord, there have been two more attacks!"

"What happened?!"

Guard says "Pol was attacked at his office and Myria was attacked while out in the city."

"Are they alright?!"

Guard says "Annya suffered a minor injury to her shoulder, several of Pol's staff were killed. All attackers are dead. Myria took a crossbow bolt to the leg, no other injuries. Lizzy was hit by several bolts but they failed to pierce her scales. All attackers are dead."

"At least they are safe! Move everyone to the inn and secure the area around it. I will be there soon!"

Guard says "Understood!"

The guard turns and quickly leaves, while I head towards Ambrose and Roddick. The few nobles who try to stop me to talk quickly back off when they see the look on my face. When I reach Ambrose and Roddick I quickly fill them in on the other two attacks.

"Ambrose, I hope I've been here long enough, because I am leaving."

Ambrose says "Yeah, it's fine. Go make sure your people are safe!"

Roddick says "I'm going to go find Borrik, maybe my magic can be of some help."

"Okay, I'll be at the inn."

Ambrose says "I'll go with Roddick, we will come to the inn if we find out anything."

"Alright."

Now that I have permission to leave I don't waste any more time getting away from the party. As soon as I am outside I take flight and head straight to the inn. As I come in to land I am glad to see beastmen patrolling the rooftops along the street.

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The assassins on the ground are easily dealt with, only the crossbowmen are a threat. If they can't get into position then any attack will be swiftly dealt with. Now I just have to wait and see if Borrik can figure out who they are.

Once I know who they are then I can get revenge, they will pay for harming my people! Attacking me I could forgive, but attacking those I care for, never! Whatever it takes, whoever is behind these attacks is going to die!

When I enter the inn I find the common room has been turned into a temporary infirmary. After figuring out the organization I move straight to those with the worst wounds and start using healing spells. By the time I am done healing them, those with the lightest wounds are already healed up because of my aura.

Sarah says "How did the party go?"

"About as awful as you would expect. How are you doing?"

Sarah says "I still feel like my skin doesn't quite fit right, but being active is helping. Thank you for bringing me back!"

"Don't thank me, if it wasn't for me you wouldn't have been in danger!"

Sarah says "Don't blame yourself. I chose to work with you and I don't regret it. I have been having a blast using your noble authority, and I don't plan to stop just because I died!"

"If you want to continue I won't argue. Without you everything in Illium would fall apart. Just promise me you won't go anywhere without guards?"

Sarah says "I promise!"

"Alright, let's head upstairs and check on the others."

When we get upstairs we find Pol, Annya, and Myria sitting around the table. Myria has her injured leg up on a second chair and a drink in hand, she doesn't look to be in too much pain. A glance into the bedroom shows Windy and the kids are sound asleep.

"Myria, Annya, how are you doing?"

Myria says "A little alcohol goes a long way!"

Annya says "It was hurting earlier, but for the past ten minutes or so it has been getting better."

Sarah says "It seems just being around Ash heals small wounds."

Annya says "Oh, in that case, thank you, Ash."

"No, I'm sorry you were injured! Pol, I am also sorry for the people you lost."

Pol says "They fought and died well. As outcasts they would have been proud to die in battle."

"Make sure the families of all the fallen are taken care of. Alright, Myria, let me heal your wound."

Myria says "Oh, do you want to see it?"

Then before I can respond she stands up and pulls her pants down to show me the wound. Luckily, she is wearing underwear, but it is still unexpected and catches me off guard. I admit that I enjoy the view as I reach out to touch her shoulder and heal her.

As soon as her wound is healed she starts dancing around happily, still with no pants on. While I enjoy the show I can't help but wonder where she got such cute underwear. Then I figure it out, Amarah is a summoned, she knows all about modern underwear.

Luckily, Sarah intervenes and manages to take Myria and put her to bed. It is a good thing, because I am not sure what I would have done otherwise. Unfortunately, dealing with a drunk Myria is definitely not a part of my skill set.

Annya says "Well, that was entertaining. What do we do now?"

"We sit tight, fortify our position, and wait to hear from Ambrose or Borrik."

Sarah says "Really? You aren't going to charge off to destroy them?"

"Destroy who? The assassins? They are all dead. Until I know who hired them there is no one to go after. But once I know who hired them, sooner or later they are going to die for this!"

Pol says "So, we just sit and wait?"

"Yes, for now. You guys should go to the other room and get some sleep. I will stay up and keep watch."

No one argues and they obediently head into the other room to try and get some sleep. They have all been through a lot, especially Sarah, dying and coming back must have been traumatic. I will have to keep an eye on her for the next few days to make sure she is okay.

Thanks to the bed no one has trouble falling asleep, I just hope it helps with dreams too. The guards report to me every hour, but there are no more attacks. Two hours before dawn Borrik finally shows up and he looks exhausted.