valethehowl
patreon
IDWTBTHQ Chapter 129 - Getting Political
🕑 Added 2022-11-18 13:02:46 +0000 UTCSitting comfortably at his desk in his study, Marquis Eisen was going through his daily paperwork, with a mug of hot tea beside him and the lit fireplace keeping the room pleasantly warm.
At one point, the nobleman raised his tired eyes from the documents he had been reading and looked out of the window, resting a bit while taking a sip of tea. He then adjusted himself on his chair in order to be more comfortable and let out a long, satisfied sigh.
After the events of last year, it felt incredibly nice to finally enjoy a bit of peace and quiet without having to worry about some imminent catastrophe. Which was quite ironic, considering that for most of his life Eisen had always dreamt of wild and dangerous adventures. However, now that he had finally experienced the excitement of interesting times, he had found that he actually preferred boring but comfortable times.
Also, it didn't help that adventures came with a very high cost, not only in terms of lives and blood but also actual money. The confrontation with the goblins and the following all out war against the orcs had left quite a hole Brettholz's finances, to the point that the marquis had feared that he might have had to resort to indebting himself in order to pay all of his bills.
Luckily however, now that the war had passed, this monetary problem seemed on its way to be solved. For starters, the construction of the village of Newhaven —the home of the people who had migrated from the lands that now belonged to the goblins and the Vex— had finally been completed, allowing the residents to focus on working their new land. Thanks to the blessing of Praetheve that the Order of the Rose had imparted on the village, a bountiful harvest was expected by the next spring, allowing the marquis to finally take back the tax exception he had given to the colonists.
And speaking of taxes, the revenue he was getting from the goblins had also been a pleasant surprise. The little buggers had brought a huge supply of rare materials from the forest and had been steadily trading it on the Brettholz market. This had not only been directly profitable for the marquis in the form of transaction fees, but it had also drawn in a lot of merchants from the capital, generally increasing the profit of the city and therefore the tax revenue it generated.
And finally, last but not least, there was the Vex. Though Marcus was still exempted from paying taxes for his territories, the money he would make from selling his wyverns were a different matter. Not only that, but since Eisen himself was acting as a middleman between the Vex Queen and her clients, he was also entitled to a cut of the profits. While there hadn't been many sales yet, the recent war with the orcs had drawn a lot of attention on the Vex and it was only a matter of time before people would flock to buy those cheap and convenient flying beasts.
All in all, barring any unpleasant surprises the foreseeable future looked peaceful and bright, and when the marquis returned to his papers he was in a pretty good mood. However, before he could even get to the end of the documents he was reading he was interrupted by someone knocking at the door.
“Come in.” He said, without taking away his eyes from the documents.
One of the palace's servants entered the room.
“Excuse me milord, but there is a gentleman in the courtyard who asked to see you.” The man said.
“Who is it?” The marquis asked, still reading the papers in his hand.
“He introduced himself as Lando Orr, milord.” The servant replied.
It took a moment for the nobleman to process that name, but when he did he immediately raised his head and put down the documents, staring at the servant with a surprised expression on his face.
“Lando Orr, you said?” He asked for confirmation. “Is he an old man with a goatee?”
“Yes, milord.” The man nodded. “He also walks with a cane. He just arrived on board a black coach. Should I let him in?”
“No, I'll go greet him personally.” Eisen said, getting up from his chair. “You go tell the rest of the staff that we have an important guest.”
“Yes milord.” The servant nodded again, sounding a bit surprised by the amount of respect the marquis was showing to this guest, and wondering who he might be. After all, he didn't remember hearing about anyone called Lando Orr before.
That was not really a surprise because that name had ceased to be publicly relevant for at least two decades, and by now it was only known in academic circles. But before his retirement Magister Orr had been both the Prime Minister of Medelan and the headmaster of the Royal Academy, and one of the most important and prestigious figures of the kingdom. Even though he had long since retired and his fame had faded, it was only natural to treat him with the utmost respect.
However the marquis also had a second motive for his deference. He was aware that, unbeknownst to most people, Orr still held a substantial amount of power and influence, and he knew that it was best to treat the old man with due deference.
Eisen finally arrived at the courtyard and there, standing beside a luxurious black coach, he found Lando Orr himself, dressed in heavy black furs and leaning heavily on a black cane with a silver pummel. The former prime minister had short iron-gray hair that were stubbornly resisting against baldness, a battle that had been going on for countless years, and bushy, thick eyebrows that curved over icy blue eyes. Orr had an extremely serious, almost grim appearance, but when he saw the marquis he somehow managed to produce a genuinely warm smile.
“Lord Brett!” He saluted the nobleman, bowing his head lightly. “It's a pleasure to see you.”
“The pleasure is all mine, Magister.” The marquis replied. “Welcome to Brettholz.”
“Thank you.” The old man said. “Sorry for dropping in uninvited. I hope I am not bothering you.”
“Nonsense. It's an honor to have you in my house, Magister. Do come inside please. Can I offer you anything? Some tea? Or would you prefer some wine?”
“Thank you milord.” Orr bowed his head again. “A nice cup of hot tea might just be what I need.” He made a bitter smile. “Not that I wouldn't mind something a bit stronger, but sadly my stomach is not what it used to be, and I have to be careful with what I put in it.”
“As you wish, Magister.” The marquis said. “Is there anything else you need? Some refreshments?”
“I'd just like to sit down somewhere warm, if it's not a problem.” The old man replied. “Though my coach is very comfortable, it has still been a long voyage coming here from Rennhafen and I'd really need to rest my old bones.”
“It's not a problem at all.” The nobleman replied. “Follow me, please.”
Then, after giving a few instructions to his servants, the nobleman guided the old man back into his study. Once there, Orr took out his coat and finally, with a sigh of relief, sat down on an armchair in front of the fireplace.
“Really, this cold doesn't agree with my back.” He commented, warming his hands at the fireplace.
“Rest as much as you need, Magister.” Eisen said, sitting on another armchair. “And maybe, while we wait for tea to be served, you could tell me the reason for this unexpected visit.”
“Oh well, officially I'm just here on vacation.” The old man said, stressing the word officially. “A breath of fresh air in the countryside, away from the chaos of Rennhafen. Though I suspect that those who know me might assume that my actual reason for visiting Brettholz would be to research all the interesting specimens that have gathered here. After all, I’m kind of famous for my research on magical creatures, and word has got to the capital that an Arachne and a Goblin General, both near mythical creatures, reside in your territories. Not to mention these so-called Vex, which are an entirely new species as far as everyone knows.” He smirked. “Really, with so many interesting things you have here in Brettholz, no one should be surprised that I decided to pay a visit.”
“I see.” The marquis nodded. “Well, if that's the reason you came I personally have no objection, but you will have to ask your specimen if they are willing to be researched upon first. After all, they are citizens of Medelan just like you or I... well, actually only Trakk and sir Marcus are, but Anak'si is currently my guest and she shall be treated with respect as well.”
“Of course.” Orr nodded, and then he added: “I guess that in that case vivisection is off the table then. I'll make do with less invasive examinations.” He smiled to show that he was just kidding. “Anyway, jokes aside, I'd be really grateful if you could ask them if they are willing to be examined by me. Naturally I will try to be as delicate and non-invasive as possible, and I will respect whatever boundary they set.”
“I will do that.” Eisen said. “Of course, whether or not they will accept is up to them.” He paused for a moment. “And now that you've explained your official reasons for being here, may I ask if there is any unofficial one as well?”
“Why would I have any unofficial reason for doing anything?” The Magister asked in a suspiciously innocent tone. “Everyone knows that I have retired and left politics behind me. I might like to have a little chit chat with you while I’m here, but that’s just common courtesy. After all, not stopping for a friendly conversation while I’m passing through your lands would be just rude.”
The nobleman noticed that the old man hadn't actually given a clear answer to his question, but that was probably an answer by itself.
While it was no secret that Orr still gave advice to the king from time to time, only a few members of the Crown's faction —like the marquis himself— were aware that the supposedly retired former Prime Minister also served their sovereign in a much more active role, covertly relaying the king's order under the guise of casual conversations and friendly advices. There was no actual proof of this, as the Magister went to great lengths to make his direct involvement ambiguous, but only a complete fool would have taken the old man's seemingly friendly suggestions as anything else than outright orders from the king himself. And since Eisen was no fool, he made sure to listen well to Orr's words.
“I see.” Eisen nodded thoughtfully. “So, what is it you want to converse about?”
“Well, for starters I want to congratulate you for your victory at Treval.” The Magister said. “That was a really impressive achievement, and it has sent waves through all of the Empire. I've even heard that the king himself is going to invite you to Rennhafen for this Midwinter Eve in order to publicly award you for your services.”
The marquis hadn't heard of any invitation yet, but he thought it was safe to take the Magister's word for it.
“That would be a great honor.” He replied. “But to be honest, I didn't really play much of a role in that battle. Most of the credit belongs to captain Yasen and my goblin and Vex allies.”
“How very humble of you to say so.” The old man said. “But still, as a human subject of Medelan and the lord of these lands, it’s only natural that you should be the one who will reap most of the credit.” He smirked sardonically. “And personally I believe that this would be the best solution for our kingdom as a whole. Knowing that a victorious and trusted commander is the one guarding our southern borders should really put most of our citizens at ease, something very valuable in these troubled times.”
“Ah, I see.” The marquis nodded, starting to understand the reason why the Magister had come to visit him. After all, having a proper lord of the kingdom, and one with close ties with the king to boot, being responsible for a great victory was much more politically advantageous than being defended by a group of non-humans who had just recently arrived in the kingdom.
Still, even if he could see the reason behind this policy, Eisen still didn’t really like it.
“I guess in that case I don’t have much on the matter.” He said, a bit reluctantly. “But I’d still like for the Vex and the goblins to receive part of the credit. After all, they spilled their own blood in defense of our kingdom, and they deserve to be rewarded for it.”
“Don’t worry marquis!” The old man immediately reassured him. “I’m sure that they will be given a proper reward. Besides, this arrangement is probably the most beneficial for them as well. After all, as newcomers to our kingdom, what they need more than prestige is acceptance, and having loyally followed one of our own nobles into battle is sure to earn it for them.”
“Well, if you say so Magister I guess I’ll have to trust you.” Eisen said. “After all, you have much more experience in this kind of thing than I do.” He paused for a moment and then asked: “So, just to be sure, what I have to do is to pretend that I was the leader of this coalition and give credit to the goblins and the Vex only as my valiant followers, yes?”
“In my humble opinion, that would be optimal.” The old man replied. But then he also paused for a moment and added: “However, it’s also my opinion that you should try to minimize the part that the Vex played in the battle. Recognize their contribution if you must, but don't focus on them too much.”
“Why?” Eisen asked, raising an eyebrow in puzzlement. “They did nothing wrong, did they?”
“Of course not.” Orr shook his head. “Quite the opposite, in fact. You could say that they performed a bit too well. Enough to make some people uneasy.”
“What do you mean, Magister?”
The old man remained silent for a moment, studying the nobleman with a thoughtful expression on his face.
“There have been rumors spreading around after the battle of Treval.” He then replied in a carefully neutral tone. “Rumors of a previously unknown race of insectoid creatures that appeared out of nowhere and absolutely destroyed the orc horde in the fields in front of Treval. And, still according to these rumors, these creatures are alien, devoid of any human emotion and absolutely deadly, and led by a Queen so powerful her sheer presence is enough to make people faint.” The old man smirked sardonically. “And now, they have made their nest in a remote region right at our border. As you might have guessed, these rumors are making a few people quite nervous, as they wonder what would happen should these so-called Vex decide to turn against us.”
“That's...” Nonsense, the marquis wanted to say, but he stopped mid sentence as he realized that these rumors were actually correct, if only technically so. Besides, he could hardly blame other people for being scared by the Vex. He himself had been suspicious of them before he had gotten to know just how reliable and trustworthy sir Marcus was, and even then her minions still creeped him out sometimes.
“That's an understandable fear, I guess.” The nobleman begrudgingly admitted. “But it's unfounded. The Vex are completely under their Queen's control, and sir Marcus is one of the most honest and reliable individuals I've ever known. She would never willingly betray us.”
“I do trust your judgment on this matter, marquis.” Orr nodded, somehow looking a bit more relaxed. “And I'm sure the king will do so too. As for the general population, people get used to anything eventually so under normal circumstances these rumors wouldn't really matter in the long run.” His tone then became more serious. “However, I'm afraid that these aren't normal circumstances.”
“What do you mean, magister?” Eisen asked, starting to feel a bit worried now.
“Well... let's say that there could be a group of people that wouldn’t really like to know that a powerful military force like the Vex is loyal to you —and therefore to our king.” The old man explained. “And if some of these people happened to hold a lot of influence in our kingdom, then they could use these rumors to try and neutralize the Vex, one way or another.”
“Wait!” Eisen cried, looking alarmed all of a sudden. “Do you mean that the Council of Nobles could take action against the Vex?”
“I don’t mean anything like that.” Orr immediately denied, but his tone said otherwise. “I’m just making up a possible scenario.”
“Ah yes, of course.” The nobleman nodded, remembering that the Magister needed to keep a facade of neutrality. “So, what would you suggest I do?”
“As I already told you milord, I think that you should minimize the part the Vex played in the battle.” The old man replied. “I’m not saying you should tell outright lies, but try to focus on the other participants in the battle and be as vague and dismissive as possible when you talk about the Vex. Do you think you can do that?”
“I think I can.” The marquis confirmed. “Luckily sir Marcus does not really care for the spotlight anyway, so she shouldn’t be too upset about it.” He paused for a moment, remembering something. “Though that means that it's probably better to put our plan to sell Vex Wyverns on hold for now.”
“What do you mean, milord?” The Magister asked. “What was that plan?”
“Well, me and sir Marcus were going to sell some Vex Wyverns.” Eisen replied. “After all, they make for excellent flying steeds and are easy and cheap to keep. However, if you say that it's best to not to attract attention...”
“Well, I think that selling these Wyverns would probably be fine.” The old man said. “Provided, of course, that they won't try to eat people.”
“Oh, they won't.” The marquis smiled. “They are completely docile.”
“Then, by all means, you should take advantage of the Vex's current notoriety to try and sell as many of these Wyverns as you can. After all, seeing these tamed Vex specimens should help people get used to them.” He paused for a moment and then added: “Speaking of which, maybe it would also be helpful if you were to bring along the Vex Queen when you come to Rennhafen this Toathal. Watching her participate in a ceremony would surely dispel most of the mystery around her, after all, and it’d make her seem more harmless.”
Eisen looked at the Magister as if he had gone mad.
“I think that would be ill advised, Magister.” He said cautiously. “Sir Marcus’s aura is so strong that she really could make people faint with her sheer presence. If the Council of Nobles is really trying to make the Vex seem scary and dangerous, she would give them plenty of material to work with.”
“I see.” Orr nodded. “But apart from her aura, what is she like? Do you think that she'd make people uneasy even without her aura?”
“No, I don't think so.” The marquis replied, feeling a bit puzzled by that question. “She's a bit impulsive and she wears her heart on her sleeve, but that only serves to humanize her. And she isn't too scary looking either, quite the contrary actually. She's rather cute when she is properly dressed —though she doesn't like wearing elegant clothes.” He paused and sighed. “But that's kind of a moot point when her aura makes people dizzy when they are in the same room as her.”
“Oh, I think I may have a solution for that.” The Magister said in a confident tone.
“Really?” Eisen asked, surprised. “What kind of solution is it?”
“A talisman.” The old man replied. “It should hide sir Marcus’s overpowering aura, allowing her to freely interact with people without making anyone faint.”
“I never heard of such a convenient talisman.” The nobleman said.
“Oh well, that’s probably because it’s an incredibly rare item.” Orr explained. “As far as I know, the only one left in the world is actually in the kingdom’s treasury.”
“That sounds like a very valuable magic item.” The marquis said. “Are you sure the king will be willing to lend it to sir Marcus?”
“It is an incredibly valuable item.” Orr replied with an amused smirk. “Priceless even. But the king is not just lending it. He’s actually willing to give it as a gift.”
“A gift?” Eisen's eyes went wide with surprise. “The king is giving away one of the kingdom's magical treasures as a gift?”
“Well, it’s not entirely unprecedented.” Orr replied. “He already did so once, back when he gave captain Yasen the Featherwind Cape.” He smirked. “Besides, since he can't give the Vex the public recognition they deserve, then it's only proper that he reward them in another way.”
“Ah... I understand now.” The marquis nodded.
And he really did understand, including the motivations behind such generosity. He remembered when Yasen had received his magical cape —in fact, it was on that occasion that he had first met the captain— and even back then he had been aware of the practical and political reasons behind that gesture. Not only did the Featherwind Cape perfectly complemented Yasen's abilities —usually the cape only allowed the wearer to glide in the air, but coupled with the captain's Djinni powers it made him able to actually fly— but it had also created a very tangible tie between the Aura Master and the king, one that the latter could easily use to gain prestige for whatever success the former would achieve.
Considering the stellar career that Yasen had since then, that had been a very good trade, and now it seemed that the king was trying to do the same with Marcus.
Eisen thought about it for a moment, and decided that this was probably a good thing. After all, since sir Marcus was a knight of Medelan she was technically already a subject of the king, and gaining further favor with the monarch wouldn’t hurt.
Besides, he thought to himself, the fact that he was the Vex Queen’s immediate superior meant that he too would benefit from this arrangement.
“Well, I’m sure that sir Marcus will greatly appreciate this generous gift. Her inability to control her aura was clearly bothering her.” He said. “And as her lord, I also give you my deepest thanks for the help you’re giving to one of my retainers.”
“Please marquis, save your thanks for the king.” The old man replied with a smile. “After all, I have nothing to do with these matters. I’m just speculating about a couple of things while I have a chat with you.”
“Ah, yes, of course.” Eisen nodded. “Well, in that case I want to thank you for your pleasant conversation. It was very enlightening, and I’ll try to do my best to follow your advice.”
“You’re welcome, milord.” The Magister nodded back. “And I’m pleased to know that there are people like you who are still willing to listen to the ramblings of an old man like me!”
Orr let out an amused chuckle, followed by the marquis.
Then, all of a sudden, someone knocked at the door.
“Come in.” Eisen said, and a servant entered the room, carrying a tray with a tea set on it.
“Your tea is ready, milords.” The man announced.
“Oh, thank you Otto.” The marquis said to his servant. “I’ll have a black tea with two spoons of sugar, as always. What about you, Magister?”
“Black tea is fine for me too as well. I’d like some milk in it if possible, and no sugar.” Orr replied.
As the tea was being served, no one noticed a miniscule figure scuttling out of the room from the now open door. It was a small spider, a rather common sight in the palace, and even if someone had seen it they probably wouldn’t have paid much attention to it. But despite that, the arachnid still took care to stay as hidden as possible as it traversed the corridors of the palace, heading towards the rooms that were currently occupied by Anak’si.
Anak’si was sitting on her bed, or at least she was as close to sitting as it was possible when your lower half was a giant spider.
She was quite bored at the moment. Though the marquis treated her well —certainly better than the oni— he still refused to let her wander freely. She could get out for a stroll only a few times per day, but even then she could only do so if accompanied by a guard and she wasn’t allowed to get too far from the palace either. For the rest of the time she was confined to her rooms, which, albeit very comfortable, were starting to feel like a prison, a sensation reinforced by the fact that she was kept under almost constant surveillance. At least two guards were always stationed outside of her room, not to mention that old telemancer called Hoggs, who magically inspected her rooms at least once per day, searching for anything that the arachne might hide.
This invasion of her privacy greatly annoyed Anak’si, and to make things worse she didn’t even have much to do to pass time. Things like the internet and television were unheard of in this world, and she couldn’t even read books and newspapers because, as she had discovered, she didn’t actually know how to read in Imperial, despite being able to speak it perfectly. That discovery in particular irritated her to no end.
“That’s bullshit.” She thought. “Why couldn’t my Gift of Tongues work on written languages? I mean, it’s not such a stretch that if I can speak a language I should be able to read it as well!” She clicked her tongue in annoyance. “Stupid god brat.”
She sighed and adjusted herself better on her bed, trying to find a more comfortable position. It was then that she felt a familiar tiny presence entering the room.
She immediately turned and saw a small spider crawling on the wall, coming from a small hole hidden near the ceiling.
“Why hello my little darling.” She whispered, lowering her hand on the ground. “Come here.”
She smiled as she watched the tiny arachnid scuttling towards her and climbing on her hand. Having been able to gain at least one minion right under Hoggs’s and the marquis’s noses made her feel quite vindicated.
It hadn’t been easy though, and actually it would have probably been impossible if not for Arag’s help. It had been the Spider Goblin who had brought the spider to the Arachne, and it had also been him who had dug a small hole in the wall to allow the little arachnid to come and go unseen, hiding from the telemancer’s searches.
Sadly, that had been all the help that Arag had been able to give her. Since he was still pretending to be loyal to the Goblin General he couldn’t just disappear and come to visit her too often, lest his former master would get suspicious, and that meant that she had only seen him once ever since she had arrived in Brettholz.
That left Anak’si with just one small spider as her only minion in Brettholz. She of course wished she’d command more manpower, but luckily she couldn’t really complain about its quality.
The small spider that Arag had captured in the forest had proven to be an excellent spy. Not only it was leagues smarter than most animals, capable of understanding many human words, but it was also very inconspicuous, looking no different than a normal household spider. That allowed it to freely wander the palace without getting much attention, except for the occasional servant who tried to stomp it.
She raised the spider to her eye level, watching it intently for a moment, and then she closed her eyes and concentrated on the mental link between them.
“Good boy.” She murmured. “Now, let me see what you discovered.”
She remained still for quite a while as the spider opened her memories to her. A few details were quite fuzzy, as the mnemonic capacity of the small arachnid wasn’t exactly the best, but in the end Anak’si still managed to get a good idea of the conversation that had happened between the marquis and his mysterious visitor.
“Interesting.” She thought. “So there is some kind of power struggle going on in Medelan, and the Vex are apparently going to be caught in the middle of it. Not really surprising to be honest. That Marcus gal seems to be really powerful, just like all of us reincarnators, and of course the humans would try to either use her or eliminate her.” She smirked. “That’s exactly the reason why I wanted to build a good power base before contacting civilization! It’s nice to know that I was right!” She paused her gloating for a moment, and scratched her head. “Now, the only question is how do I take advantage of this information?”
She then continued scheming and planning, trying to make up various scenarios in her mind, her boredom finally forgotten for the time being.
Comments
Valentino Conti Angeli
Thanks! I'm glad you like it!
JulesBeHere
Great chapter! :)
Nilbog
ok so basically Marcus' clone is going to be summoned to Eisen's mansion and gifted the treasure which it'll give to OG Marcus or OG Marcus willbe summoned to Brettholz
