It was a mild summer's day. A sheet of clouds warded off most of the sun's sweltering heat, making both travelling and farming just a little easier on the tired hands of Dellwick's laborers.

Today, Eris paid a visit at the market.

She browsed for nothing in particular. All of their necessities were met, and there was hardly an item sold in a frontier village that would catch her eye. Or at least that was what she thought.

"Oh, hohoho, Madam Secretary!" a tubby man greeted her with a nasally bellow, "How rare to see you here! Looking for a souvenir, perhaps?"

It was the sole proprietor of Dante's crafts shop, a roving stall fitted straight onto a cart filled with all kinds of goods. He rubbed his hands at the mere sight of her, beckoning her to come to his store.

She replied, "No. And even if I was, I wouldn't be looking for it in your cheap-" But right as she was about to berate his shady wares, a single item, out the corner of her eye, caught her attention.

"Aww..." he moaned, "you know it hurts me whenever you say such terrible things. That fake jewelry controversy is a thing of the past! It's ancient history. Dante's Real Fine Wares now only deals in the most exquisite..."

Ignoring him, Eris picked up what seemed to be a tiny hair clip. It was just one amongst several others, but it drew attention to itself from the faint, cool glimmer it exuded against the crimson glow of the afternoon sun.

"Hm-hm...?" Dante leaned over his counter. "Something catch your fancy, Madam Secretary?"

"Where did you get this?" she asked, as she examined it. "I've never seen anything like this among your products."

"Hoho...? That is... Ah!" He chuckled, slapping his fingers on his forehead. "Dear me, that wasn't supposed to be on display! That's a premium item I usually sell to nobles! Still, you never fail to impress, do you, Madam Secretary? What a fine, discerning eye!"

"Drop it, Dante." She adjusted her glasses and glared at him from the side. "I'll say this only once. You better not be dabbling in stolen goods."

"Stol-!" He squealed. "Absolutely not, Madam Secretary! I would never think it! All of these goods are completely legitimate! You can carve that in my grave!"

"For all the things you've told me to carve on your grave, there'd be nowhere left to write your name."

"Oof!" He clutched his chest.

But it looks so beautiful... Different colors refract on its surface when turned against the light, and touching it like this, it even feels slightly warm... What is it? Some fine Jizzarian gem? And if it were stolen goods, he'd probably give it to me on a discount if I rub it in...

"So?" She glanced sharply at him.  "How much is this?"

His hand-rubbing intensified. "Oh hoho, ohohohohoho! I knew you'd take a liking to it, Madam Secretary. After all, a refined woman such as yourself ought to have a refined taste!"

Ugh... give it a rest.

"Well, since I do owe you a lot through the years, I'll give it to you at a special discount!"

Her eyes narrowed.

Knew it. I'll have someone trace your supplier one of these days, you damn fence. Tsk. If only I didn't have too much on my plate right now, I might even make a pretty penny, muscling into his operation.

Eris sighed.

But not just now.

"Right." The stodgy man nodded. "For you, Miss Secretary-"

Just one thing at a ti-

"-just 11 shillings and 50 pence!"

A nerve popped on her forehead. "Huh?"

Oblivious to her sudden change in mood, Dante went on with his spiel, "Ah! What a deal! I couldn't even give that offer to my best clients in Aubur- "

He would quickly learn, however, when she slammed her hand onto his counter. "More than 11 silver!?" She then tugged on his collar, pulling his face within inches of hers. "What sort of scam are you trying to pull here!?"

"Eeeek!" Dante squealed, "I-I-I don't know what you're talking about! This is absolutely fair pricing!"

"Don't give me that nonsense!" Eris held the hair clip before his very eyes. "11 silver for this small thing? What is it made of, gold!?"

"U-uhm..." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Mythril, actually..."

"Myth-" Eris's shoulder dropped. "...huh?"

"A-as I said..." He wiped the sweat off his forehead. "It's made of Mythril, Madam Secretary. That's why I usually retail it for 15 shillings..."

"Fif-!?"

For a moment, Eris loosened her grip, giving Dante the false impression that he could, at last, pull himself away, only to be yanked right back with a much, much tighter clamp over his neck.

"Eeeeek!" he squealed once more.

Eris now leaned over the counter, bringing her lips close to his ear. "Listen here. This goes even further the last time you tried selling fake gemstones. If this scheme unravels-"

"I-I'm trying to tell you!" he said with a pathetic, bleating voice, "My business is legit now!"

"Don't take me for a fool. I know what Mythril is. It's an extremely rare mineral now found only in dungeons, already forged as swords and armor! There isn't even a single mythril blacksmith in all the world anymore! And you're trying to tell me someone out there melted one of those to make a mere hair clip out of them!?"

"W-well..." he scratched his head. "that... really is how it is..."

Damnit, this guy is stubborn! I can't believe his story. It has to be some obscure Jizzarian import he grabbed along his trade route.

Tsk.

But I've never seen anything like it, so I can't call out his bullshit...

"Look," he held his hands up, as though in surrender, "How about this, Madame Secretary? I give it to you at 10 silver, flat. Then, if it turns out to be anything other than Mythril, I'll give you a full refund. Anytime. Anywhere. No questions asked!"

Eris raised her eyebrows.

"T-take it as a token of goodwill!"

Anytime, anywhere, a full refund? Is he serious? He says that despite knowing I'd take full advantage of it?

Her eyes wandered back to the hair clip.

Could it really be...?

After a single moment of consideration, Eris finally backed off. "Fine." she said, with a dissatisfied look on her face, "But I'm keeping my eye on you. I do not want to handle another mountain of case files for your sake."

"Absolutely not! I swear on my honorable name, I shall never cause you any more trouble, Madam Secretary."

She sighed. "Fine, fine. Put that away for me. I'll bring you the money later."

A wide grin finally returned to Dante's face. "Splendid! Thank you for your business!"

"Mm." she nodded. She was about to turn around when she remembered what she visited him for in the first place. "Ah, and before I forget."

"Hm?"

She leaned once more over the counter and whispered, "You will want to cut your caravan routes for a short while."

Dante's brows furled, his eyes wide in shock. He, too, leaned in and, returning Eris' sharp gaze, whispered, "Now, Madam Secretary? It's in the middle of harvest season."

"That's precisely why."

His face contorted as he racked his brain over her words. And after a few moments, asked. "And it can't be avoided?"

"I'm afraid not..."

He let out a heavy sigh.

"...I will tell you first when it's safe to do business again."

"Ahh..." He crossed his hands. "Well, there's no choice, is there? I suppose it was just about time I took on a different trade route, anyway. Thank you for informing me, Madam Secretary."

With sly, slit eyes, she smirked. "Of course. That's part of our agreement, after all."

For the rest of the afternoon, Eris would visit several other merchants, though not all of them, bearing the same message.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Later, as the sun took on a deep, golden-crimson, Eris stepped into the local tavern. The store was popular among farmers and travelers alike as the place to wind down after a long day of hard work. From the moment Eris entered through its doors, a constant buzz of laughter and conversation filled the air.

Most of those in the tavern were middle-aged men, chugging away at their drinks and gobbling up their meals, all while having a big laugh with their peers.

Out of all of them, a single young woman, sat at the far corner, caught Eris' eye. Despite wearing a typical farmhand's clothes, the woman's thin arms and relatively fair complexion did not suggest farming as her primary occupation.

There she is.

Midway to her target, however, a man stepped out of his seat, and blocked her way. He gave off the heavy belch as he stumbled closer amidst the prodding cheer of his mates.

Nervous glances flickered from all around as the two met eye-to-eye. Or they would, if his red, groggy eyes could actually focus on her instead of zipping every which way.

"Hey, is he drunk?" a man whispered to another, "Somebody ought to stop him. Doesn't he know who that is?"

"S'no use." Another man shook his head. "Guy's had seven mugs in a row."

Whispers soon erupted from all around.

"Woah, looks like she's about to kill him!"

"T'least this looks a bit amusin'!"

Eris clicked her tongue.

I what a bother... all because she insists on staying in a place like this.

After a good minute of eyeballing her, the drunk man finally slurred out some words, "'Ey, you 'ave a fine look about'cha m'lady, would'ja mind buyin' me a drink?"

"Oy!" An onlooker heckled, "You're the one who's s'posed to buy the lady a drink, you git!"

Laughter followed from all around.

"Ah!?" The drunk man turned around and scowled at the first guy he saw. "Izzat right!? Who's got the money for that? If I had the money fer a drink, might as well buy one for meself!"

The laughter continued.

Eris sighed. She then took off her glasses and folded its hinges down.

"That's true," she said, as a tiny smile fell upon her lips, "if I did have the money for a drink, I'd rather buy one for myself too..."

The man, in his stupor, tried to focus on her, but couldn't quite do so. To his utter surprise, she then pulled down on his collar, bringing his face mere inches from hers. Her sharp, grey eyes reflected his own. He gazed into her deep, dark pupils, only to recoil in the next moment, as though leaping away from an abyss that threatened to swallow him whole. In his panic, his gaze fell on her lustrous lips. They glistened as if they were wrapped by fresh morning dew. Alas, there was no escape.

He was utterly captivated.

And as if to drive the stake through his heart, she whispered, with a warm, sultry tone, "...but I wouldn't say no if you bought me a drink."

Even as she moved her face away, he stayed still. His empty eyes remained fixed, resulting in him seemingly staring at the far wall for several seconds. His facial muscles had become so relaxed a fly could buzz into his mouth, hover around and zip out again. Indeed, it was as though his brain had completely melted.

She could not even tell if his face was bright red from the alcohol or her teasing just now, but either way, she was satisfied. With the man frozen in place, she effortlessly slipped past him, leaving him in the wind.

Having witnessed such a display, the onlookers could not help but to hoot and whistle. By their cheers, they egged on the poor drunk to buy her a drink - to which he easily caved.

"R-r-right away, ma'am!" he squeaked.

The man then bumbled over to the counter, begging the barmaid to put the next drink on his tab, to everyone's amusement.

In the meantime, Eris finally reached her target.

She sat across the table from the lady farmhand. And silently, she just stared at her, long and hard. The girl pretended not to see her, turning her face toward the wall beside their table, all the while taking small sips from her cup

Soon, the drunk returned to her with a fresh mug of beer. The experience seemed to have sobered him up a bit, as he then spoke with slightly less slur in his speech, "Here ya go, ma'am! A drink, on me!"

She slipped him a smile.

And he swallowed his breath.

She then arched backwards and towards him, bringing her hand over his cheek. This time, he obediently bent down and, following her light tug, brought his face closer.

Finally, she tapped him twice on the cheek and whispered, "Thanks. Free drinks are always the tastiest."

And just like that, she turned back around and left him to dry.

The raucous laughter reached a peak as the man stood there, frozen for what seemed to be an entire minute, baffled at what just transpired; at what caused him to lose a full mug of beer and, at the same time, go into debt.

He would complete his walk of shame, basking in the consolation of the tavern's regulars, who had thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment.

"Don't worry about it, champ," one said, "Happens to all of us."

Another then sighed. "Of all the people you could mess with, you had to pick the Secretary?"

"Well, I can't blame 'im."

"Nah. I'm drunk to hell and back, and I still won't do somethin' that dumb."

"Haha!"

Soon enough, the excitement died down, bringing the tavern's noise level back to normal.

Eris slipped her glasses back on.

Once her vision was restored to its peak clarity, she noticed that the girl was now glaring at her.

In response, she slid the mug of beer across, saying, "Here. I don't drink, anyway."

Without hesitation, the girl took the first sip, leaving a line of froth over her lips. Satisfied, she then said, "I don't remember you being this gaudy, Eris."

She then lifted her elbow and placed it onto the table, propping her head up by the chin. "I'm just blowing off some steam. Don't mind it."

"What's gotten you upset now?"

Her pupils batted to the side over her question.

I could name a few things, but...

She sighed. "Never mind me. I didn't come to chat."

"You never do."

"So, how's the part-time job?"

"The harvest is good, but the pay is terrible, regardless." The girl pouted. "And here I was, hoping for a raise after hearing the local bigshot lowered the taxes..."

"Hmm... is that so?" From her pocket, she pulled out a thick object, wrapped in cloth, and placed it between them. "Then I don't suppose you wouldn't mind doing some extra rounds?"

"Well, it depends..." The girl looked casually from side-to-side while she slid her fingers over the object. "I'll think about it?" Next, she withdrew her hand and brought it beneath the table. Then, with a single downward glance, her face clouded over with anxiety.

The devilish secretary knew that her gift would be irresistible. Letting her own inhibition go for a moment, her lips formed a slight smirk.

Covering her mouth, the farmhand then whispered in an exasperated tone, "Hey what the hell is this?"

"The downpayment."

"…Risks?"

"Nothing you can't handle-" Eris' smile instantly faded away. "-but failure is not an option."

The girl's face darkened in contemplation. Looking down, she twiddled her thumbs and rolled her head from side-to-side. And then, with one big gulp from the mug Eris gave her, she said, "Tell me more."

When she heard this, her lips took on a sinister smile. "I look forward to working with you again, Eckhart."