“All you do is sleep. How is it that you’re tired all the time?” Minerva was right beside him in her ethereal form. She made it so that only Alessandro could see or hear her.

“Honestly, my lady, I don’t even know. Could be the courting ladies or servants keeping me up, or my nights of studying ather magic. I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is.” He smiled at his deity who rolled her eyes at him.

“Are you still mad at me for not going to Noin earlier?”

Minerva said nothing and sat with her arms crossed looking away from him. Alessandro was finally heading to Noin to select a warrior for him to add to his roster. He was currently in his royal carriage; a method of travel he quite hated.

“We could be there much quicker if we just summoned one of my chariots!” Minerva also hated this slow method they were using.

“Unfortunately, my lady, I have to keep up the appearance and facade of a sleezy noblemen.”

“Facade?” Minerva snorted in a small laughter. Alessandro looked at her and furrowed his brows; he then also looked away from her and crossed his arms. The two were both upset at each and did not want to speak to one another.

“My lord, we are here.”

Radcliffe was currently the driver of the carriage. The son of a warrior, Radcliffe was born with a warrior's body. He wasn’t the brightest when it came to other things than fighting, but that was what made him perfect to be Alessandro’s guard.

After losing his eye, Radcliffe spiraled into a great depression, he needed to learn to adapt to life and fighting without it. Something he just didn’t have the capacity to do. He had lost his purpose, the only thing he knew and what his body was created to do.

This was until the young lord Alessandro appeared before him, changing his life. He didn’t understand or comprehend why the boy wanted him to be his bodyguard. He was unfit to fight. How could he protect any lord?

The boy told him not to worry, instead to trust in him that he would teach him how to live as a warrior again. It was strange, hearing his words, Radcliffe wanted to believe him. To believe in the young boy who was not even half his age or had any experience of the real world.

“I ask you, do you heed my call?”

When he accepted the call, his life changed; it didn’t revert to how it was before he lost his eye. Now, his life improved under the young lord’s training regime and he felt stronger, listening to his advice and tactics, Radcliffe was able to improve how he fought with one eye. Heck, he fought even better than he did before.

His lord even gave him one of his family's heirlooms: Ancile the unbreakable shield. Radcliffe was indebted to his lord, he gave him a second chance at life and made it better.

Of course, it was all a front. What Alessandro told him to do did help him out, but it wasn’t the true reason Radcliffe succeeded in his life.

It was Alessandro’s Tactician Role ability that gave him that second life. Minerva empowered Alessandro, and in turn, he empowered Radcliffe to do the impossible. Alessandro was the “Deity” and Radcliffe was the “Retainer” the official term being, sub-retainer.

There was no man in all the kingdoms more loyal than Radcliffe. In due, this was part of Alessandro manipulating him with his abilities.

“Thank you, Radcliffe. You know the deal, stay here and look after the carriage.”

He didn’t object or even say anything in response. He just nodded with a fierce loyalty; it caused Minerva to arch her eyebrows.

“Shouldn’t a faithful bodyguard be with their lord?” she asked.

The two walked through the gates of Noin, Alessandro said nothing back to his deity and instead smiled and waved to the people that recognized him.

A soldier of Noin came and saluted at him. “Lord Alessandro, Neco of the Trinity is waiting for you at the primary slave grounds, sir. Please follow me.”

Alessandro nodded to the soldier and motioned him to lead the way.

“I have a good relationship with the Trinity, bringing in Radcliffe shows I don’t trust them. Plus… I don’t need protection.”

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Minerva smiled and allowed her retainer to continue with his plans. As the group arrived to meet with one of the Trinity, Minerva got to see up close one of the rulers of Noin.

Neco was a woman, she was incredibly tall, almost as tall as Minerva and Nuada, who were both around seven feet tall. She was muscular, more so than an average woman would be if they dedicated their life to gain pure muscle and only muscle.

Neco was half Goliath and half human, which is why she was pure muscle and tall. Yet, you could still see that she was a human woman. She jogged and grabbed Alessandro in her arms and squeezed him tightly.

“Oh, Alesso, it’s so good to see you again!” She kissed his cheek, as she crushed him in a hug.

Minerva stood dumbfounded, truly her retainer was a sleazy old man taking advantage of the situation of being in a new world.

Neco placed Alessandro down, fixing the clothes she had crumpled up in her hug.

“Yes, it is very good to see you as well. I have come for my reward, Lady Neco. I successfully derailed the talks of war, and now I want my pick of any slave.”

Minerva had been kept out of the loop, mostly because Alessandro thought it was funny to tease her this way. He still hated how she scared him and tortured him with the bullet.

This was justice… or petty revenge.

Neco smiled and guided Alessandro into the primary slave grounds. Most of the slaves were waiting around. It seemed they were given work off today for Alessandro to evaluate them.

“We asked the best of the best to be here today, take as many as you want and who ever. We will not step in to stop you this time,” Neco said, whispering into his ear she gave him a playful lick causing Alessandro to jump slightly. Minerva grunted in disapproval and to make Alessandro start evaluating.

Alessandro looked around the field, noticing the injured slaves and soldiers. He smiled and turned to Neco.

“Neco, my love, I noticed a few slaves and soldiers have been injured. Did something happen?”

Neco looked away from Alessandro charming eyes, “Wellll… I don’t know if I should say anything.”

“Neco, this is me. I have always been on the side of the Trinity. Was Noin attacked?”

Neco shifted her expression; she tried her best to hide any tells that Alessandro would pick up on. But she knew she had failed, Alessandro's keen eye and skill of deduction was just too strong.

Plus, unbeknownst to her, he already knew what had happened.

“Some small rag tag army busted through the gate. Honestly, we talk to everyone and their memories of the event were hazy. But the army succeeded in entering and harming Noin and its pride.”

Yes! His spies’ information was adding up; he needed to make sure to reward Geovanni.

“What did they want?” he asked.

“Some slave they said was the heir of their royal family. The main soldier declared they would return for vengeance. Ha! I’ll like to see them try when the Trinity is truly there ready to fight.”

Alessandro quickly pulled out his pocket notebook and portable feather pen. He turned Neco around and used her muscular back as a table to write on.

“So, you're saying a main soldier? I’m assuming this means he or she was the strongest warrior in that army?”

She nodded and hummed in agreement seductively.

“And this so-called slave. Name?”

Neco pondered for a bit. “Honestly, I didn’t know the kid. Hughes knows but he’s been gone awhile, I think he’s currently in Tir for the time being…. Oh, I think the royal family name is Machado.”

“Direction they were headed?”

“My men say they headed west towards Tir, near a small village called Soppio. We already checked in that direction, though; Soppio is clean, plus we have a treaty with them.”

Alessandro raised his eyebrow. Neco could feel his raised brow without even needing to see it. “Treaty?”

Neco sighed, “You better meet with me before you leave after all of this.”

“Oh I will. You rewarded me, so I will reward you,” Alessandro said with a wicked smile. Neco blushed red.

“Boooo you suck, manipulator, gas lighter, jerk!” Minerva comically stood next to Alessandro’s ear booing him and his “methods.”

He turned his head to her and mouthed out, “This is what you get by picking me.” Which was true, but Minerva made it her mission to annoy Alessandro this way.

This was justice… or petty revenge.

“Soppio’s mayor came to us with a few men and showed us weapons of unbelievable craftsmanship. They bargained to sell us these weapons at dirt cheap prices for immunity from attacks, pillages, and to not take their women and children as slaves anymore. They also came and brought over slaves we took from them the last few months.”

“Sell? Why wouldn’t you, Hughes, or Polan just demand the weapons for free and just enslave whoever made them?” he said with confusion.

“Oh, you know us so well, love. Of course, we said that. But the mayor told us that these weapons were forged by four blacksmiths, and they already made a treaty with Tir to supply them with weapons as well.”

That didn’t make sense to Alessandro. If Soppio already had a business contract with Tir that provided them with protection, why would they then come to Noin and sell weapons of quality at such a low price point?

“I can feel you thinking back there. That’s why Hughes went to Tir; he’s trying to figure it out as well. We can’t do anything against Tir for the time being, they are allied with the other kingdoms as you know. We still aren’t ready for war yet!”

Noin was currently doing its best to harbor materials and manpower, hunting for the best slaves to train as warriors. Alessandro with his abilities would tell them which ones would be the best fighters, and then they would train the slaves to be warriors.

With the added benefit of Soppio’s extraordinary weapons at a low price, they were coming closer to be able to launch an attack on either Tir or Daan. They wouldn’t need to worry about Elena. Behind the scenes, Alessandro was making sure that the kingdom of Elena would side with Noin.

Or so they thought.

“So, Hughes is going to see if Tir is really protecting Soppio, for now we are reaping the benefits of the Soppio deal. Those four blacksmiths are phenomenal, they produce amazing weapons in such a short time. Trust me, Alessandro, we’ve tried to find one subpar weapon in their batches.”

Alessandro quickly wrote down all the juicy information he was able to get from Neco. His notebook had these key notes written after he was done:

Machado royal family, could this slave be a retainer?

Or maybe the main soldier is the retainer whose background and role has to do with saving the slaved noble? Either way, one of these two are a retainer. Guaranteed.

Track down Hughes, ask for more info on the slave noble.

Soppio, four blacksmiths, have a business deal with Tir for protection. Yet also have a business deal with Noin. Why not enforce the protection of Tir? Noin cannot do anything against the might of Tir, the main kingdom that wishes to eradicate Noin and slavery.

Putting away his notebook, Alessandro kissed Neco on the cheek. “Thank you, Neco, now let’s choose my faithful new heir shall we?”

Minerva was lost in thought reading his notes and listening to the words of the barbaric woman. “Alessandro, I think you’re missing something with Soppio.”

He slightly turned his head to her, he was currently already walking with Neco going over the slaves that had gathered. He mouthed, “What do you mean,” to her. He pointed to his ear, signaling to her that he would be able to listen at the same time he spoke and listen to Neco.

“If what the brute slaver said is true about the quality and speed of the four blacksmith skills, they can’t be overlooked. One of them could be a retainer.”

Alessandro smiled and pointed at Minerva, shaking his finger at her in a gesture of “you're on to something.”

He opened his pocket notebook again and quickly scribbled:

Soppio blacksmiths could be have a retainer in their group…

He then placed the feather of the pen near his mouth, lost in thought once again. Alessandro had always been a person who thought outside the box. That’s what made him ascend and stay alive as long as he did in the mafia world.

So, he decided to think once more outside of the box that was the fantasia world and the Tryfing. He quickly wrote another sentence.

Or the four blacksmiths are a front… and there is only one.

He smiled again and looked at the slaves waiting for his judgment.