“What do you think about all of this Lucy?” I asked while we were inspecting our new room.

“I assume you are asking about the Dominion’s offer and not our accommodations. Personally I think we should go for it. It gives us a nice future in a decent country. And if the Empire is meddling with souls they need to be stopped anyway. I just wonder if they will make a fuss about our presence?” she replied.

“We stopped Mantus, officially they might even have to thank us for fixing their mistake. I just wonder if they will try anything underhanded. They might hold a grudge.”

Lucy shrugged. “Maybe they will try to provoke us in some way. Or embarrass us.”

“Provoke us, huh? I did not think about that. They could mistreat some slaves in front of us.” I sighed. “We will deal with whatever they throw at us. Together we will manage.”

“So what do you think about the reward? Looking forward to being a countess? Any great plans for your land?”

“Our land. It might be officially mine but we will manage it together. We will probably have to train soldiers to keep it safe. Maybe hire some adventures. Also, we need a manager. I have no intention of letting myself get chained to a desk.” No, that would be too much like my old life. “But that is in the future. First we need to deal with the Empire.”

The following days passed quickly. We explored the palace a little, had some chats with Loriel and experienced the amazing cuisine on offer. The other delegates arrived. Henry Brooks was a noble from Beravis and leader of their group. He was in his 60s but still looked rather fit. I suspected that he was a capable fighter. His short hair had turned grey and he had a goatee. The Dwarven Kingdom's delegation was led by Freyja Steelbender. She was a well proportioned and rather muscular woman. I would not be surprised if she was actually able to bend steel.

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All delegations brought a small number of guards. There was no word from the Empire yet but Loriel seemed certain they would appear. The summit began with a long speech from the duke, followed by a lavish meal and plenty to drink. I had a feeling this whole summit would involve a lot of eating. I did not mind. Surprisingly Lucy and myself were considered part of the delegation. We were not just guards or witnesses.

The second day we held our presentation. We included a visit to the destroyed area in front of Iron Rock. Hearing about a demon lord and seeing the devastation of the fight are different things. I even showed them the body of Mantus, which I still had in my storage. There was a lot more drinking on the second evening.

On the third day a representative from the Empire arrived. Coincidentally it was the day when the discussion about possible sanctions were to start. We were meeting in a large hall. There were five people from Bervis, five from the dwarven kingdom, the duke had one aide and Loriel only brought us.

The messenger addressed the room: “Greetings ladies and gentleman. I came on behalf of emperor Maximilian himself! He is shocked by the unfortunate events that occurred in Iron Rock. He is also deeply concerned about the possible conclusions drawn from this. When the vile treachery was discovered the honourable high inquisitor immediately rushed home to get reinforcements, to provide aid.”

Freyja snorted. “Seemed more like he was running from his own mess.”

“I assure you the Empire is not responsible for this. Our ranks were infiltrated and our people used to push an outside agenda.” He looked at Loriel. “The Empire was a victim in this plot.”

Henry spoke up: “And do you bring any evidence of this? Duke William has presented a lot of documents from the inquisitions base.”

“Ah yes. Surely Iron Rock has a lot of documents. Mostly things that were so conveniently acquired by the Dominion’s agents. Who also infiltrated the Empire’s embassy. An act bordering on war!” the messenger said.

Loriel raised an eyebrow: “Really? You are trying to convince people that the Dominion is behind it?”

“I am not accusing anyone.” the man said. “I am just pointing out who seems to profit and who was involved from the start. But I am not here to convince you. I am here to offer an invitation from the emperor himself! He is willing to discuss such an important topic in person. At a place truly worthy of a summit, Unitera our capital!”

Just like Loriel said. I suppose her spies were right.