Arriving at the bar, Seifer sat down and ordered a whiskey. An hour later, he smiled slightly as he saw Orion entering the bar. He looked just like his father except he had green eyes not blue.
Orion Harkes wasn’t a bad actor, he simply sat down a few seats away from Seifer and ordered a drink. For a while he just drank his beer until he pretended to suddenly recognize Seifer and moved to the seat right next to him.
“Seifer Nox, right? My father’s told me about you” said Orion.
“Yes and you are Orion Harkes?” said Seifer while activating the Careless Concoction.
“That’s right. So, have you decided to join the mission?” asked Orion
“I’ll have an answer for your father by tomorrow. Although I must admit that I am leaning towards a no” replied Seifer, making Orion furrow his brows.
“May I ask why? This is a brilliant opportunity” he said.
“Indeed but it is also a dangerous opportunity. Just a few months ago, I was a mortal. I don’t think I should do something like this without gaining more experience” replied Seifer.
“There is always an element of risk to being a Transcendent, Lord Nox. With great risks come great rewards!” said Orion passionately. Being of the War Guild, he didn’t have to fake that belief.
“I understand, but I still think I should gain more experience” said Seifer.
“You will have three and a half months before the mission begins. In that time, you could gain all the experience you need by joining the War Guild” said Orion.
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"You are a member of the War Guild, Lord Harkes?” asked Seifer and with that, he had turned the topic of the conversation from the mission to Orion’s experiences in the War Guild.
It hadn’t been difficult to get Orion to start talking about something he was so passionate about. Seifer’s conversation skills and the Careless Concoction worked their magic and a few minutes later, Orion had forgotten his initial goal.
“Exploring Dungeons with your team is one of the most thrilling things you can do, Seifer! And the benefits are plentiful!” said Orion excitedly.
“I’ve been wondering, how is it that you are okay with sacrificing a good chunk of your profits in the Obsidian swamps just to establish good relations with me?” asked Seifer, changing the topic once he felt that the potion had taken effect.
“As if father cares about my profits. He loses nothing and gains everything, you and I are the ones pulling the short end of the stick” Orion said with a snort.
Seifer smirked at Orion’s reply. Ominous as it was, it did show the efficacy of the potion. An Orion with his wits about him would never have said that, especially the part about Seifer being unlucky as well.
“I understand. My father and I have also had our problems” lied Seifer. In truth, he had never known his parents and had always considered his Aunt Anna to be his mother.
Orion then went on a long tangent about his father. Seifer was a bit surprised because in his last life, Arctuturus Harkes had sacrificed his own life to save Orion.
“Is he that bad? He was so polite when he approached me” said Seifer, choosing the best phrase to make Orion reveal even more.
“Bah, he has a silver tongue whenever he needs to make use of someone. They get swept up in his charm and don’t live to regret it” muttered Orion.
“With the way you describe him, I half expect him to kill you for some ritual” said Seifer, just throwing out a wild guess.
“Ironic that you would say that” said Orion with a laugh.
How cliché Lord Harkes thought Seifer with a wide grin, a grin that was truly unbefitting of someone who had just discovered that they might be murdered for a dark ritual.
Two hours later, Seifer left the Golden Dragon and went back to the Nox Castle. Orion would not remember anything he had said under the influence of the potion, but he would assume it was simply due to the alcohol. Arcturus would be none the wiser to the fact that Seifer was aware of his plot.