A scream pierced through the chamber as people began speaking at once, Ray raised his voice, trying to make sure the rest of what he said was heard. "The Xnarthan cast a truth spell to weed out who wasn't loyal to the Empire. After that, they killed everyone that didn't satisfy their loyalty requirements. "

A silence filled the room for a few seconds before once again emerging into a cacophony of voices.

"As expected of the Xnarthan, ruthless, but efficient. Do you know what they're going to do next?" the Rebel Queen asked.

"Yes, they're going to do the same thing to the Commoner's district." Ray said, causing a commotion.

The Rebel Queen rose up this time, but her pace was slower and contemplating than Ray would have expected given the situation.

"A truth spell in the Commoner's district?” The Rebel Queen looked more contemplative than alarmed.” Tell me, Ray, how did you come by this information?" she asked.

"Anita gave it to me." Ray said, now puzzled. "Why?"

"A truth spell of this magnitude is a massive undertaking, but it is also trivial to block. I would be able to do it easily if I knew it was coming. The Xnarthan know this, yet they are doing it anyway. Not just that, they told Trevor, whose wife is a known sympathizer.

I would be foolish if I didn't smell the trap. Tell your Aunt to be careful, the Xnarthan may be planning something against her. I will do my best to make sure that what I do does not point to them, but I doubt that will stop the Xnarthan. " she said.

Ray stood there, shocked. A trap? But why- no, the why was apparent. Aunty Ariana was an irritant to them. But why not just kill her? The Emperor had the power, and Aunty Ariana wasn't hiding like the Rebel Queen.

"What about our children? Do we not get our revenge?" one man said, screaming at the Rebel Queen.

"What do you think, Ken? Will I just sit here and do nothing?" the Rebel Queen said, turning her head towards her. Ray's senses screamed danger as she did so, her eyes conveying her intent clearly.

Ray realized something, the table might be round, the hall might be informal, but the Rebel Queen was still in charge. The Duke needed a large throne room and glamour to show his power, the Rebel Queen did it sitting on a simple wooden chair around a round table.

"I remember something about potions that increase the yield of crops. Is that deal confirmed?" the Rebel Queen said, turning to Ray.

"Yes," Ray said, trying to adjust under her piercing gaze. "The Dean has an entire set of potions for just this intent. I can have the recipes by tomorrow, after that we'll start production."

The Rebel Queen smiled, it was a bloodthirsty smile, something you'd expect from someone that was about to kill her enemy. "Now we can start burning their fields with impunity. I would like to see how the nobility fare when they are faced with starvation."

"Wouldn't they just get crops from the Human continent?" Ray questioned, somewhat confused. The Rebel Queen paused, making a disgruntled sound before taking a deep breath. "Yes, yes, they would. But at least it will cost them a pretty penny."

"Here, the Satyrs handed over the book some time ago with a warning not to go into these places without a lot of planning. Though I expect it won't be a problem to the person it’s going to. " the Rebel Queen.

"Tell the Dean if he ever wants to join the rebellion, the seat of Head Alchemist is open. I would love an Alchemist like him that can teleport things around the world."

Ray nodded, not sure why he was even surprised. The Dean's ability was very, very useful to an organization like the rebellion.

"I will be leaving then, I should get the recipes as fast as I can. After that, we can discuss prices." he said, leaving at a pace much slower than when he came in. A million thoughts swirled in his head as he walked out, barely noticing his surroundings.

The people around him got out of the way, a show of respect that he hadn't expected. Ray didn't feel particularly powerful, though he certainly was when put against the people around him. But in the end, he was too weak to actually have a say in this game.

Perhaps this was why the Xnarthan hadn't bothered with him, he was too weak, and they had bigger fish to fry. But even if the Xnarthan didn't want to kill him, what about the families of the hundred of people he had killed?

Ray sighed, putting the thought out of his head as he rushed home instead. At least, running seemed to clear his head a little. Rena, Marcus, Gordon, Nora, Torrin and a dozen others were waiting in the bakery decked in battle gear when he arrived.

"Well?" Rena asked, awkwardly raising her sword as a fire eagle appeared on top of it.

"The Rebel Queen will handle it.'' Ray said, "The attack is useless when used against someone powerful enough to resist."

"Now that doesn't sound like the Xnarthan I know, they're usually so up top about these things." a surprising voice said from the top of the stairs as Aunty Ariana descended, dressed in red from head to toe.

Ray looked up at her, not sure how to break the news. "The Rebel Queen thinks that they want to blame you for it failing. Uncle Trevor leaking the news does count as treason."

Aunty Ariana smiled, as if this was a good thing. "Now that sounds more like them." As if noticing his confusion, she turned to him, gently shaking her head. "Come on, Ray, you know this. What is more dangerous than a clever enemy making a sly move?"

The answer dawned on Ray, making him want to slap his face. Why didn't he see it before? "A clever enemy making a stupid move, there's typically another move hidden within. And since we can't see it coming, we can't counter it."

"What are you going to do now?" Nora asked, turning towards Aunty Ariana. Ray couldn't help but notice a certain amount of authority in her voice.

"Hmm, nothing much, I will just host a small dinner party and invite the Xnarthan over. Ray, you should come. And bring this lovely girl, Nora, was it? The Xnarthan will be quite shocked to see her." Aunty Ariana said, smiling slyly. "I will be sure to record their faces when they see a Tier 11 commoner that they haven’t heard of before."

"I don't think that's quite possible, but I will ask Mother anyway. I know she'll be quite pleased by the look on their faces, too." Nora said, not missing a beat.

"Oh? Do I know your mother?" Aunty Arian said, raising an eyebrow.

Ray coughed, bringing their attention to him. "Nora is the Rebel Queen's daughter and heir."

"And your first reaction to this attack was to come to the bakery? Oh my, how interesting. I think I will have a little meeting with your mother after all." Aunty Ariana said, smiling so widely that Ray was afraid she was going to eat Nora up.

"I am sure she will be happy to meet the famous Marchioness Salazar." Nora said, plastering a fake smile on her face.

"Well, I must be off, I have a party to prepare for! How long do you think till the Xnarthan attack?" Aunty Ariana asked Nora.

"A few hours? I don’t have any idea, ma’am." she answered, her confusion apparent.

"I will just have to keep it long, then." Aunty Ariana said, as she pressed a bracelet. A swirl of purple mana surrounded her, teleporting her home.

Ray headed up, intent on calling the Dean.

"What do we do now?" Rena asked.

"I just made a little deal with the rebellion. The Dean will give us some recipes for potions that will help crops grow. The rebellion will buy them." Ray said, prompting them to look at him blankly.

Rena was the first to connect the dots. "The famine! Are you telling me we're going to be a major supplier there? Oh, we're going to make bank!"

Nora coughed. "I hope you'll set the prices a little low at least, the rebellion isn't made of money you know."

"Just set up a black market and sell food for cheap. Don't give it away for free. I am sure the Satyrs can teleport money too." Ray suggested, continuing up the stairs. The discussion continued, but he wasn't a part of it anymore.

Picking up the communicator, he poured mana into it, calling the Dean.

"Ray, what happened? Ariana just told me she is having a party and wants a hundred bottles of quality wine. I don't know why she thinks I have them." he said.

"Can’t you just teleport them?" Ray asked, thinking of the Dean's ability to teleport things. Aunty Ariana could easily provide the money.

"I am not her personal teleported, you know…" the Dean replied.

Ray decided to walk out of that conversation. "The Xnarthan massacred Army recruits, and are apparently trying to frame Aunty Ariana. So now she's throwing a party for them.

A short silence followed before the Dean replied. "I think I'm going to get some extra spicy liquor this time. A few barrels of Dwarven ale mixed Elven drugwine should do it. Just tell your aunt not to drink any, she'll have a good show to watch."

Ray was starting to reconsider if he even wanted to participate. The arena was too dangerous, he hadn't seen Dwarven ale or Elven drugwine before, but neither sounded like something he wanted to drink, let alone mix. On the other hand, there was the possibility of watching some very drunk Xnarthan bumble around. At least it would

be a memorable party.