Walking through the streets of Iron Rock was almost nostalgic. A lot had happened since I was here. I saw this world as my home now. I had found love, made friends and owned a county, which I had yet to visit. While I still lacked any true long term goals, other than stopping Beira, life was good.

As we arrived at the palace, the duke was there to greet us. Apparently someone had run ahead and informed him of our arrival.

“Amaya, Lucy, it is great to see you!” He greeted us warmly. “I am not familiar with your… friends.”

“Greetings. This is Lilith, queen of the succubi and a demon lord. With her are Erin and Sir Francis. Then we have Shani, you might remember her.”

“Hi!” Shani waved.

“She has become our court elemental.” I continued. “Then there is Lily, captain of our maid knights and Adhira, one of our maid knights.”

His eyes lingered on Lilith. “Eh, greetings… your highness.”

“Hello, Duke William. I have to say, your guards were quite rude at the gate.” Lilith said.

The duke glanced at me, then back at Lilith. “We had a problem with Mantus, as you might know. Your companions, Amaya and Lucy,...”

“And Shani!” Shani interrupted.

“...and Shani saved our city. But we still had problems with some cultists. I hope you can understand our caution. I can offer you a place in the palace to stay and my servants will happily provide you with a feast.” The duke offered.

“It’s fine.” I said. “We were never in danger. Your men reacted professionally.” I assured him.

William looked relieved at my words. Meanwhile, I was staring at Lilith, hoping she would drop it.

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“That is satisfactory, for now.” Lilith replied. Although I got the feeling she wanted to extort the duke some more. Maybe she would do it in private. As long as she did not start hurting people, I was fine.

“Offering food was a good move. It usually works on Amaya.” Lucy said with a smile.

“You are a glutton yourself.” I teased.

“I learned from the best.” She replied.

I nodded.

“I can help with any preparations.” Lily offered.

“I could too.” Adhira offered. That was new. So far she had shown little interest in cooking. She seemed to be more into the stabbing part of being a maid knight.

“Splendid, follow me!” William said.

Inside his servants were already busy. He likely gave orders before he even greeted us. We started eating, drinking and spent some time updating him about the Empire, the Inquisition and the war.

“I am hearing some concerning things from Beravis.” Duke William said. “They might want a piece of the Empire. Their ambassador has asked for permission to sail troops past Iron Rock.”

The river was certainly the fastest connection between Beravis and the Empire. And Iron Rock controlled it. “Could they not just sail through the ocean?” I wondered.

The duke nodded. “They can but it takes considerably longer. If they wanted to acquire territory on this side of the mountains the river would be an important connection.”

“Are they making a play for Iron Rock?” I wondered.

“Not openly. I think they considered it but the Dominion and the Dwarven Kingdom are not as weakened as they hoped. If the Dominion would have sent more forces to the Empire they might have tried something.” The duke responded.

Well, it was not really our problem. And the situation seemed handled, for now. Beira was still our goal.

“I could offer you some help, for a price.” Lilith proposed.

The duke looked surprised. “Help? How?”

“It’s apparent that your city lacks mages. And a good information network. Succubi are good at both. We could help root out any lingering cultists and protect you from foreign spies.” Lilith explained.

“I do not think that working with a demon lord would be received well by the people.” He said. He also looked rather uncomfortable.

“Not even if the esteemed Amaya Delphinium would vouch for me?” Lilith asked, with a smile.

What? I blinked. Would I actually vouch for Lilith?

William glanced at me. Then he looked at Lilith. “We value our independence and we are pursuing an alliance with the Dominion and the Dwarven Kingdom…”

“Yes, an alliance. I offer you the chance to protect yourself. I offer you agents who work for you.” Lilith countered.

“No offence, but would they not work for you? And what would be the price?” He asked.

“They are my people but I would loan them to you. My price? Easy, acceptance, in time. I understand that demons are not trusted. My people can operate disguised, for now. But I expect you to be more open, towards succubi. I could offer a teacher for your academy. In time, we could shift public opinion. Iron Rock could become a center of magic. A place to meet demons, fey and other creatures. I can offer you a better future, a more secure future.”

“I will consider your proposal.” The duke replied. He did not sound very enthusiastic.

It was good pitch, I had to admit. But there was a good chance she would rule the place from the shadows. Also, was she influencing him mentally? I really should have a private conversation with her. Especially since she was using my reputation in her negotiations.