Unsurprisingly, Naran’s designed meeting spot was underground. Mila had not once seen or heard of the man leaving his tunnels. The room was well-lit with torches. It had several large entrances that could serve as escape routes if the need arose.

From what Mila could tell, this was where Naran was doing most of his business dealings. There was a large table at the centre of the room with comfy cushioned chairs surrounding it. A large chandelier hung above their heads, and the walls were covered in tapestry depicting various landscapes.

The green carpet cushioned everyone’s steps. Mila stepped inside the room and looked at the group on the other side of it evaluating her.

In the middle of the group was a rough-looking blonde woman with a scarred face. The tip of her nose was missing, and there was a nasty-looking line running down her cheek, likely left by a sharp weapon hacking down.

Helly’s sharp eyes met Mila’s as the woman, who didn’t look older than her thirties, slightly nodded in greeting.

Mila returned the nod and moved deeper inside the room, letting the rest of her group follow. She and Isabel had chosen to wear masks. Her own was tailored from a simple black cloth, complimented by a cloak that obscured her body and face.

Isabel’s disguise was more striking. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time to get anything fitting for the girl. Usually, it wouldn’t be a problem, but most people were sent away from this area, leaving Isabel with little choice on what to wear. Isabel had refused to attend the meeting in her usual attire. Mostly due to fear, someone would quickly link her face with the terrible monocle Viola had given her.

Which left Isabel with a beautiful, deep blue cloak and the mask of a mountain demon of sorts. It was from some folk tale she was told. It did make her unrecognisable, but in Mila’s mind, it was a shame her girl’s face was now covered.

Andrew still looked at Isabel in confusion. He didn’t even question why Mila had masked herself, but Isabel usually didn’t do that.

In Mila’s opinion, it was a futile effort. Isabel should have told Andrew as fast as possible and let him get all the laughter out of his system.

The rest of Helly’s group, which consisted of a mix of important-looking but ultimately disposable men, gripped the weapons at their side. The four of them looked at Mila as if she had killed their friends, which she supposed was possible. At least they didn’t outright try to get revenge here and now. And judging from their twitchy attitude, perhaps they never would.

As Mila sat down at one side of the table, Naran entered as the last person. On his side, he only had a single bodyguard, Mila recalled seeing a few times at one of the entrances.

Was Naran so trusting Mila, Isabel, and Andrew would defend him if things came to blows? Or was he making a statement of how close they were? Perhaps their presence alone was a deterrent enough.

Naran held his head high. Both Helly and he were armed in proper armour. Not just a leather one, but actual metal that shone in the torch and candlelight. While Helly had a nasty-looking cleaver at her side, Naran sported his usual rapier.

Both bosses chose the seat at the centre of the table across from each other. Mila had Isabel on her side, who looked uncomfortable. On Naran’s other side sat Mortimer and Andrew, with the bodyguard taking position behind his boss.

Helly ordered her people to sit as well. She eyed her opponents, clearly wary of them. It took her a few seconds before she showed why she was such a pain to deal with for the locals of Stilag.

“I’ll pay three times what Naran does,” Helly announced while looking at Mila, Isabel and Andrew. She ignored Naran’s attempt to speak and continued. “If it is not about the money, I am open to any and all suggestions. I will do better than Naran.”

Despite Naran’s protests, Helly ignored him. In her opinion, he wasn’t the most important person in the room. She was just a step away from being rude to Naran.

And Mila could tell why. The woman was strong. Her mana moved smoothly and in great amounts. Despite Helly’s looks, her control over mana was immaculate. Mila suspected she was a much better caster than a close-quarter fighter. The amount Helly had at her disposal was also nothing to scoff at. It was almost twice as much as Naran had.

And it made Helly the most potent person currently in the room. It wouldn’t take Isabel and Andrew long to surpass her, but it wasn’t today.

Naran still tried to bring the attention of the dominant woman to him, but it was clear Helly wouldn’t budge until the people she addressed gave their answers.

“Not interested.” Andrew was the first one to turn her down. He habitually glanced at his shoulder, but Mr Crow was not there. The bird was spending the night with the wolf.

Isabel simply shook her head. She was still sulking.

Which left Mila to speak. “We are not here to bargain, Miss…” She paused.

“Call me Helly.” The woman was direct.

“Helly, it is. We are not interested in any offers you might have.”

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“Don’t be so quick to dismiss me.” Helly didn’t relent. “I didn’t come to Stilag with my hands empty. I have a sizable collection of valuable and rare works. I know a lot of people-”

“Not in Stilag.” Naran used the chance to put the woman a peg lower.

“Not in Stilag. But in other cities.” Helly waved Naran’s words away while her henchmen glared at the man.

“Still not interested,” Andrew spoke up. “Not after how you treated Mortimer.”

These words made Helly’s attention switch. Her eyes bore into Mortimer’s face, making the man tremble in fear. “Ah, then you are the young Cenpeno. Your father’s fame travelled far. And I heard you are quite a thief yourself. Not following in your father’s footsteps, then?”

Everyone on Mila’s side of the table looked at the woman in surprise, then looked at Mortimer, who coughed in fright. Helly noticed the shift and looked at her aides in askance.

The man on her right, a veritable wall of muscles, wiped his veiny forehead from the sweat that suddenly sprouted on it. “Ahah, Boss, Mort is the best thief we have in our area. So when you asked for the best…”

“Explain.” Helly’s voice fell as she gave the order. Her presence seemed to radiate cold that made her people tremble in fear. They acted very similar to Mortimer at this moment.

The muscle mass wiped his face again. “The old Boss had orders.” He chose his words slowly. “We had to make Mort’s life hard but not touch him directly. His father had a lot of enemies. No one cared for little Mort enough to kill him, but… Making his life shit could leave a favourable impression on the big guys...”

The man next to the Muscle mass helped with more information. His beedy eyes swam as he searched for an answer Helly would accept. “When you, Boss, took over, we weren’t sure how long you would last. We acted on the old orders. When you asked for the best thief… Eh, we really didn’t have anyone better, but messing around with Mort seemed-”

“Enough!” Helly stopped the ramblings. “What the fuck, you incompetent swine? I see you need more re-education. We will see to it when we get back.”

The four of them now visibly shook in despair but didn’t dare to oppose their leader. Helly cleared her throat and turned back to Mortimer. “Then I take you actually don’t have the painting?”

Mortimer quickly shook his head, making Helly swear under her breath.

“What’s so important about that painting anyway?” Naran tried to insert himself into the conversation. He was upset his presence had been largely ignored this far.

“You sure would like to know!” Helly didn’t explain anything. “Keep your nose out of it, or the same will happen to what happened to mine and your arm.”

“Now, now, Miss Helly,” Mila was curious as well. There seemed to be more to it than first thought. “Can’t you share any information? Is it your vice, or is there truly more to it?”

This time, Helly didn’t outright refuse to talk. She measured Mila before opening her mouth. “It is a family’s heirloom.” She spat out.

“It is?” Mortimer slipped up and gathered everyone’s attention back on him. “I-I mean, I looked into it a-and it’s just a picture of another world.”

“What?” Andrew gasped audibly. “WHAT?” He looked at Helly, who frowned.

“What ‘what?’” She mocked but quickly stopped once she realised how it looked. “My granddaddy wasn’t from here.” She added.

“He was?” Andrew gaped. “What happened to him?”

The passion in Andrew’s words took Helly aback. She scrutinised him some more. “And why should I tell you?”

“I-” Andrew struggled to come up with an answer. “Did… Did he find the way back?” There was a faint hope in his voice.

“He didn’t.” Helly crushed that hope. “He did try. Gathered a whole bunch of stuff to try.” She added, now thoughtful. “Are you interested?”

The nod Andrew gave was too eager. Under her mask, Mila frowned. The woman had found her way into Andrew’s head. She had to stop them before the situation spun out of control.

Except there wasn’t a good way to do it. It was clear enticing them was Helly’s goal. But…

Mila stopped. Why shouldn’t they hear Helly out? “While an interesting offer,” She still chose to stall for now. “It is not a topic for such a wide audience. Trying to bribe us cannot be your only goal.”

“But it is the main goal.” Helly easily admitted.

Naran once again tried to interfere. “How shameless can you be? Do not forget you are still new to the city. There is much you do not know. By doing this, you will not gain any favours.” He gave a vague threat.

And unexpectedly, Helly nodded in agreement. “Exactly! These nincompoops are useless! Just look at the result of their actions! Two of my prepared places gathering forces were eliminated, and I don’t even know why! Nobles are trying to force me to obey their stupid rules, and the rest of the local street heads are treating me like trash. The city guard asks for way too much in bribes. Now, some new Inquisitors have started to sniff around, searching for Godess knows what. And apparently, someone took my painting!” She slammed her fist on the table, making it crack dangerously.

Done with the outburst, Helly calmed down. “So! I came here to see if we can work out an alliance.” She suddenly suggested. “You were once a Guard Captain. You know this shithole. You have proved yourself to be smart enough. I am confident in my strength. Even now, I am the strongest here.” She declared with confidence. “But I can’t do with only muscles. I need more.”

These words left an impact on Naran, who narrowed his eyes and leaned back. “An alliance? That is…” He licked his lips. “A rather sudden suggestion.”

“Yes, an alliance.” Helly agreed despite her entourage trying to protest. Just one look from her shut them up. “And we can work out something about my grandad's doodahs, as well.” She nodded towards Andrew.

Mila felt like the conversation was done. She prepared for a short discussion in which Naran and Helly would iron out an agreement.

But Naran unexpectedly added something new. “The is going to be a crackdown. Not by the guards. The military is about to move.”

That caught Mila’s attention. “When?”

“I don’t know. Soon. Some kid named Oscar demanded the criminal elements be destroyed. I didn’t think much of it, but the Temple supported him. So did the Military. While the nobles and the local guards are protesting, it seems the notion will be pushed through without their agreement.”

“Oh.” Helly’s face fell. “That will cause riots.” She stated with certainty.

“The nobles will not allow it. They will resist. And so will our side.” Naran grimly added.

Mila simply wished to be elsewhere. This mess was tiring her out.