“What do you know about any secret stashes of the guilds?”

After an enjoyable meal, Geneva and I take the lord to his office. Or more accurately, my office. I’m the one seated in the big chair while the lord stands before me, face drawn and shoulders slumped. On the desk is the black dagger Kierra looted from one of her opponents and perhaps the key to this whole mess.

“As far as I know, there aren’t any,” he responds, looking thoughtful. I suppose my little demonstration earlier has motivated him to be cooperative. “But they could easily hide such a thing. The guilds command…commanded a lot of authority. Their members, even civilians, would rather be detained or sanctioned than go against them. I tried to cultivate information assets but infiltrating their inner circles proved impossible.”

“So, the evidence says no but you don’t have much evidence.”

“Yes. Also, there are…stories. Legends and drunken claims about families that have been in the city since its founding. Families whose ancestors hunted the manabeasts that once ruled the land. Those stories speak of weapons made from their remains, powerful artifacts.”

I drum my nails on the desk. “But that doesn’t make sense. Enchanting is a new art.”

“Enchanting has recently entered the public eye, but there is evidence to suggest its origins are much older. It’s a powerful tool and power is often hoarded.”

He has a point. No, he’s right. Of course enchanting has been around for a while. My succubi know how to enchant and the Grimoires have been contracting them for centuries. At least one of them had to have successfully bargained for an artifact or at least enchanting knowledge.

[At least one, yes.]

I see. It’s the same thing as greater affinities. In theory, no one except the royal interrogators are meant to wield the mental affinity but any power worth their name has at least one mental caster secreted away.

The same goes for the light affinity. It is revered as the affinity wielded by the First Saint, the greatest hero of humanity. To the most fanatic believers, light casters are holy figures. Yet, the crown has people like Orphelia. As the lord said, power is always hoarded.

I cross my hands over my stomach as I focus. “So, let’s work off the assumption that the guilds have a secret cache of treasure, whether it’s gold, artifacts, or even the ancient enchanting techniques. Something substantial enough that they thought it could hold off the north should it come to war.” I turn to Geneva. “You’ve been spending a lot of time amongst them lately. You haven’t caught onto this?”

“It was a possibility I considered but there has been no hard evidence to support it, until now.”

“Mm. Then this isn’t something low-level or even mid-level hunters know about. I bet only a handful of the higher-level hunters know. Or it may have nothing at all to do with rank. It could be something like a secret group inside the hunters charged with maintaining their secrets.” Secrecy goes hand in hand power.

“If the knowledge or treasure was the property of certain families, their descendants may be the ones tasked with guarding the secret.”

“Then it’s a matter of tracking down those families and then interrogating them for the location. Enough for you?”

The succubus grins wolfishly. “You need only give the order.”

I flick my fingers at her. “Go on. Fetch.”

Lord Teppin shivers as she chuckles, only calming when she’s gone and the door closes behind her. “Do you not worry? Taunting that…creature?”

“Worry?” I scoff. “I’d be an idiot if I didn’t. She terrifies me some days. But I never worry that she’ll lash out. That’s not the kind of dangerous she is. You should be worried. There’s nothing to stop her from hurting you on a whim.”

“Except you.”

“Except me. Saints, if I wanted, she’d treat you like a king. Unfortunately for you and your family, you haven’t shown me anything worth that kind of consideration. In fact, you haven’t shown me anything worthy of anything but dismissal.” I lean forward, meeting his gaze and holding it. “And that is not good.”

“Why?” he asks after I refuse to elaborate, letting the silence work on his nerves.

“Because, if you have nothing to offer, then I’ll get rid of you. You’ve already seen what that means.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“…at least let my daughters go.”

“No.”

“They’ve done nothing!”

“That yappy one has done plenty but that doesn’t matter. Who cares if they’re saints or monsters in human skin? They are a problem.”

“How? I don’t understand. Neither can do anything to threaten you.”

“Simple. You ran.”

“…what?”

“You ran. You were my prisoner and you escaped. If people think they can escape my wrath, they’ll underestimate me. The hunters underestimated me and I had to destroy a city. What’ll happen next time? Will I have to level an entire region? Half the kingdom? Better two apparently innocent girls die now than thousands later.”

“But…” A hand rises to the lord’s head, as if his thoughts are too heavy. “For something like that…”

“It sucks, doesn’t it? It’s horrible and unfair.” Too bad the world doesn’t care about fair. The strong will do what they want and the weak have no choice but to accept it or become strong themselves. If our positions were reversed and the lord was the one with power over my family, I know he wouldn’t be merciful. “You should take the night and think about—"

“…you are interested in women, are you not?”

I pause. Lord Teppin makes a valiant effort to keep his expression neutral but it’s impossible. Tiny twitches near his eyes and the corners of his mouth give away how uncomfortable he is. “What are you suggesting?”

“My daughters…” He swallows heavily. Oh, this must be hard. I’m both disgusted and amused by this turn of events. He’s really doing it, isn’t he? “They’re very beautiful.”

I wouldn’t go that far. Kierra is very beautiful and they don’t compare to my wife. However, I’ll admit they’re better than average. “They don’t take after their father, no.”

He frowns briefly but quickly smothers his displeasure. “They are well-bred, with impeccable manners and a proper education. Leena is a sweet girl with a generous heart. Villarey…she’s got a sharp tongue but—"

“Stop.” I hold up a hand to further discourage him. “While I understand how desperate you must be to try and sell your daughters to the woman who has ruined your lives and is threatening to kill you, I’m not interested. You’re wasting your breath. You’d be better off getting some sleep. Maybe with some rest, you’ll be able to come up with something less inane. Go,” I command when he opens his mouth.

The lord bows his head and stiffly walks out of the office. I chuckle as the door closes. “What a day,” I mutter. Just as I start to relax, there’s a knock on the door. My first reflex is to tell whoever it is to go away but my next breath tells me its Alana. “Come in.”

I trust my senses but I’m still gratified to see my favorite blond step into the room. My brows go up as I note the bottle in her hand and a deep breath reveals what it is despite the seal of its top being unbroken. “Where’d you get the shroom juice?”

“Sent Bell for it.” My gaze moves to her thigh as she perches on the edge of the desk. I notice the lack of cups but Alana isn’t bothered, drinking straight from the bottle before passing it to me. We trade sips in silence until she eventually asks a question. “The Teppins. What are you going to do with them?”

“I’ve got no clue. Honestly, I’d love a good idea.”

“Let me handle them.”

“Sure.” I lean forward, placing my chin in a palm as I grin at her. “Lord Teppin remarked that his daughters would make excellent concubines.” I burst into laughter at the look she gives me. “See? I need ideas.”

“I thought we could make them our mouths.”

“Huh?”

She takes a long swig of her bottle. “I’m sure there are a lot of people out there looking to get even. People who are going to do their best to screw us over.”

“I think we proved they can’t do anything.”

“Which is why they won’t come after us directly.” She points a finger at me. “Imagine there is an enemy you want to destroy but it is far beyond your power. What do you do?”

“Run.”

She rolls her eyes with a huff. “Lou.”

“Fine, fine. So, I’m an idiot that’s going to fight a superior enemy instead of running. Or not. Pay someone else to fight them.”

That’s apparently the answer she’s looking for as she nods. “Exactly. The hunters failed to stop us, but I doubt they’ve given up on the city. So, if they want to bring us down, they’re going to need help.” She raises three fingers. “There are only three places they can go to find support. Summer Spire, Rosentheim, and Graywatch.”

“Graywatch? You’re kidding.”

“They’re a bunch of crazy pirates. As long as there’s a payday involved, they don’t care. Look at Arthur.”

“Point taken. Then? You want to send the Teppins out to, what? Warn the leaders not to get involved? I don’t think they’re the best ones to speak on our behalf.” Wouldn’t that be the perfect time to sabotage us?

“Just Lord and Lady Teppin. Unlike Yulia, they actually have experience in negotiating and diplomacy. After all, their family has managed to survive the tyranny of the guilds for generations.” She takes a long swig of the bottle. Then a second one. Guess she’s not interested in sharing anymore. “The daughters stay behind. Insurance to make sure they do their jobs properly.”

“Hm. I don’t hate the idea, but it seems like an unnecessary risk. We could grab a few succubi to play messengers. They’d be a lot more trustworthy and far better at the job.”

“Yeah? Those things are trustworthy now?”

Another excellent point. “They won’t plot against my well-being at least.”

“It’ll take time for them to move but we can send the Teppins out tomorrow. More importantly, it gets them off the estate and out of our way.” She shrugs. “What else are they going to do besides being eyesores?”

“How about this? We’ll do both. The Teppins first, so the guilds don’t get a head start and then a few succubi to make sure they aren’t messing things up. Sound good?”

“Mm. Yeah.”

“I’ve gotta admit, I didn’t expect this kind of plan from you.” It’s a bit too devious for my straightforward knight.

“It’s not my plan. We were talking around the table after you disappeared.” I assume that we refers to all three of my lovers. “I volunteered to come in here so I could do this.”

I push back the chair as she comes around my desk, opening my arms when she shows no intention of stopping. To my surprise, she helps herself to my lap, laying her head on my shoulder. After a beat, I realize this isn’t that kind of advance and wrap my arms around her in a hug. She sighs, shoulders sagging as she melts into me.

“I’m tired,” she mumbles.

“It’s been a long day,” I whisper back. Saints, has it been a long day.

“We can go to bed soon. I just…need a few moments.”

My answer is to gently rub her back.