6. General Dissatisfaction

Agamennone had just finished changing and went to his usual station behind the counter. There, immediately bored, he switched on the small television set at one side of the counter, then changed channels until he found a show that caught his interest. He turned towards his colleague.

"Raemondo? What would that be?"

"Well... Raemondo is a programme about an old catman who tries to have his wife replaced and in the meantime he also has to help his neighbour's grandson solve the problems that he causes."

Timotea nonchalantly explained the synopsis to a rather skeptical Agamennone.

'What an idiotic plot...'

"Is it even funny?"

"Enough. Violante usually has a lot of fun with it."

"You think so?"

Agamennone was curious.

"She introduced me to it..."

"Then I think I will try to watch it.... So far of a TV show she watches I've liked one of them."

Timotea raised an eyebrow.

"One out of one? That's not a reliable reference."

"But one out of one is the same as 388537 out of 388537, isn't it?"

Timotea rolled her eyes.

"Not on a practical level, you know?"

"Of course I do. Anyway, I decided to trust her."

The man sat down to observe the show.

'It's not bad. Violante has strange but satisfying tastes...'

Distracted by the TV series, Agamennone briefly forgot about the question he had to ask his colleague. Only after about ten seconds did the man remember the reason for it.

"Listen, Violante told me you are good with the lingua franca. Could you teach it to me?"

The catwoman was confused.

"I can teach you... But how is it that you don't know the lingua franca?"

"I'm a misfit, am I not?

"Ah... Yeah..."

'Something doesn't add up... The lingua franca is taught to us early on.'

Timotea smirked.

"I'll teach you when you have the time!"

The ruler nodded, before turning his attention back to the TV screen.

"Still.. I don't know if I asked you this already, but how did you meet Violante?"

The cat girl looked at the man, who was focused on watching the show on TV.

"Um... By chance... We collided and got to know each other better afterwards."

The girl scratched her chin, thoughtful. She imagined the hypothetical scene, with Agamennone tripping ridiculously over Violante.

'It doesn't convince me that much. I'm sure there's a reason why they don't want to spill the beans...'

While the woman was thinking about how to continue, Agamennone caught her off guard.

'Nosy little wench!'

"How about you? How did you know her?"

The cat girl thought for a moment, taking advantage of the fact that the man was talking to her while staring at the screen.

"We were classmates."

The boy's face frowned.

"Don't think i am so dumb to forget that you two followed a different kind of education."

'He remembered! I thought i could fool him...'

The dark-haired woman gritted her teeth for a moment.

"We were actually classmates, but as children. We usually were part of the same playgroup. She would usually intervene when we had to decide what to do. In a way, she was our guide. But we couldn't help but notice that there was something strange about her. Not necessarily in a bad way... What am I saying... I shouldn't have gone on for so long..."

The woman smiled sheepishly at the end of her speech.

"She told me that kindness and affection can be powerful weapons."

The man continued to stare at the TV set, then he burst out laughing following a comical event in the show.

"Yes, it is something she could actually say. I don't understand where she learned them, but she has strong manipulative tendencies in her behaviour. And that's exactly what seemed strange to us, even then. I once talked to her about it, but Violante simply replied 'it's more efficient that way'. I don't even think she sees anything wrong with that, since she doesn't hide her manners that much. I think she is convinced that what she does is acceptable if it is not harmful to those she loves. I would prefer that she just drop this act."

The ruler laughed again because of the TV show.

"I don't care so much. As long as she doesn't stab me in the back... or in the front... "

Timotea smiled. In the meantime she was taking a logbook from a drawer.

"Back to us, let me know when you are free. You can just call me."

"I don't have your number."

"You can get it from Violante."

The young man turned his head towards his colleague.

"Why can't you give it to me directly?"

The dark-haired woman looked away, her face blushing.

"Because I forgot my phone at home and I don't remember the number..."

"Well... I also didn't remem-"

The boy covered his mouth. Timotea, however, did not seem to care.

"You too huh? Does your ego hurt from accidentally admitting it?"

The boy did not answer immediately.

"Uhm... Yes."

"You know, we are in the same boat, so... I'm not judging you."

Agamennone sighed, before returning watching the TV. Shortly after, a guard entered the establishment. It was the same guard that visited the duo the previous day. Timotea curiously watched the guard while still controlling the register.

"Agamennone, I'm here to remind you about the commission. Follow me."

The lord rolled his eyes.

"Huh... Still... Have you found out how your neighbour died?"

"Again? You should desist and learn to live with the idea of never knowing such information."

The guard gestured the young man to follow him while exiting the building. The lord followed him. The cat girl observed the scene, thinking.

'Wasn't his commission an easy one?'

*****

Agamennone was escorted by the guard to the training ground, where Volframio was waiting for him using his own helmet as a football. While leaving, the guard smiled maliciously.

"You... AGAIN!?"

The young man was already exasperated.

"Oh, my lord, are you ready for your training session?"

"I'm never ready."

The moving armour pointed towards a spear placed on the floor.

"Your weapon's ready though. Take it. Today's lesson are the fundamentals, with some physical exercises added to help you get in shape. Because i can tell you with a just a glance that you are out of shape."

"Yet I don't recall you mentioning it last time."

Agamennone slowly picked up the spear, manifesting little desire to do it.

"You know how it is, appearances can be deceiving. Now, however, follow my movements. We will go on with said movements until you have carved them in your mind."

The armour shrugs, before summoning a spear in his right hand. Although what he summoned was not a spear, but a broom.

"Nice spear... Plus if you're fooled by appearances, you can't tell anything from a single glance."

"Let's not waste time on details, shall we? Just follow my moves."

Volframio began to show his ruler how to practise a spear move. Agamennone, resigned, tried to imitate the move. He, however, failed to execute the move well.

"How the heck do you move? Do your eyes work or are they made of glass? You have to watch the movement of your hands! Try again!"

The man sighed, then tried the move again. He failed again to replicate the movement, causing discouragement in the guard.

"Again! Watch your hands!"

The ruler became frustrated

"You make it easy! Besides, why should I learn to fight. I am a ruler, not a guard."

"Because a respectable monarch must be able to contribute even in times of war."

"You say? What if I follow the model of Vittorio Emanuele III."

The armour remained confused.

"Whose model?"

Agamennone put his hand to his forehead.

'Yeah... He hasn't the faintest idea about who he is...'

"To make a long story short... He was a ruler who first approved to go to war and then when things went wrong he, like the real man he was, ran away."

Volframio gave a sarcastic clap.

"Nice ruler... Surely he must have paid the consequences."

Agamennone shrugged.

"True... Thanks to him the monarchy was abolished and his dynasty exiled.... But he almost kept his job... Well... His son, He realised he had drawn the wrath of his people so he abdicated to put a patch on it..."

"As well... Anyway, we don't want that kind of people, so commit to your training."

Volframio again showed the spear motion to the boy, who copied it again poorly. He expressed his displeasure by gently striking Agamennone with his broom.

"What is it that is not clear to you? When you do the stretch you pull your hands back! Simple."

Agamennone huffed blatantly, shaking his arms.

"And what am I doing!"

"You are making the wrong movements."

The ruler hurled his spear in front of him and tried to leave. The armour, seeing the ruler's reaction, became enraged, emitting steam from his helmet.

'What are you doing! Where are you going! Stay here! You have responsibilities you cannot shirk!"

The monarch did not even turn around, continuing on his way and provoking Volframio by turning his hand towards him and moving it as if it were a mouth. The guard became even more angry and decided to strike his superior by throwing a propelled fist aimed at his back. He hit him squarely, causing the ruler to fall face-first.

"OUCH!"

"This time I restrained myself pretty well. Now come back here and let's continue training."

The young man did not move.

'I hate this guy. If it were up to me, I'd fire him, but I'm sure that walking salami would put a spanner in my works with his bloody vetoes. I still don't understand what I did wrong to deserve all this agony.'

Seeing that the man was not moving, Volframio went to retrieve him. He also magically retrieved the hand he had ejected to strike him.

'My lord, I'm sure you are not unconscious, so get up and let's resume the lesson.'

The boy began to get up slowly, touching his abraded areas due to the fall.

'I'm sure that just complaining won't get me anywhere. They are not reasonable people, so if i want to achieve something i have to force their hand.'

The armour, seeing the man taking his time, tried to help him to his feet, but as soon as he touched him the ruler reacted.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

Volframio gasped and withdrew his own hand. Agamennone got up on his own, deciding to follow the armour into the training area.

"Now that you've done that stunt do you feel better? Then let's resume training."

Agamennone barely contained his own fury.

*****

At the guild, the emigrant trio stood in front of the counter and were talking to Timotea. The three were dressed in the guild's pea-green uniform.

"Now that you are ready you can look for some errands that suit you. I strongly advise you not to undertake errands suitable for experienced adventurers. It is true that Mr Oktavian is a B-rank adventurer, but the rest of you, regardless of your skills, are newbies. Those who want to overdo it usually take the first commission and fail to finish it. Literally. So please use your heads."

The trio nodded, in a not very synchronised manner.

"Thank you, Miss Timotea."

The trio then headed towards the notice board in search of a commission of their liking. Fränze was the first to come up with an idea, pointing at a commission.

"How about this one? It's a commission about hunting animals. It shouldn't be too difficult. What do you think?"

Heinz scratched his chin.

"It could well be done... But the compensation doesn't seem the best... Sixty silver coins for all the effort we have to put in... Setting traps isn't that easy either."

Oktavian pointed to another commission.

"How about this one?"

The bald man rubbed his eyes.

"That's a scouting errand for B-rank adventurers. Only you could do it, and only sober, which I don't think you're capable of being right now. You even drank coffee laced with cognac this morning."

"Plus I'm sure that running out of alcohol during an exploration could give him delirium tremens..."

Fränze cast a mischievous glance at Oktavian, who merely rolled his eyes. Meanwhile, Heinz eyed a third commission.

"In my opinion this is a good one. Temporary guards are sought for a price of two gold coins."

"Are you sure this is a suitable commission for us?"

The redhead was unconvinced by the proposal.

"Just read."

The bald man cut it short, then turned to the dog man.

"Do you have an objection?"

"I do not know if it is better than hunting."

Heinz looked at him with eyes at half-mast.

"The pay is higher and it is possible that we can have quiet nights."

Oktavian smiled slightly.

"No drinking on duty!"

The dog-man's smile faded as soon as he was rebuked by his comrade. Meanwhile, Fränze had checked the errand with his own eyes.

"Indeed, you have found a good commission. Maybe too good, but it's not like we have so much leeway that we can avoid risks..."

"Don't jinx it!"

"That's not my intention."

Oktavian and Fränze began to argue rather childishly as Heinz headed back to the counter.

"Listen Timotea. The three of us would like to accept the commission for the request of part-time guards. Is there by any chance any unwritten information on the advertisement?"

The cat girl shook her head.

"No, all the information is written in the ad. However, I'll now record that the commission has been accepted. I advise you to meet the client as soon as possible."

"Alright. Thank you."

Heinz turned around, before being stopped by the shop assistant.

"Wait. I'll give you a copy of the ad."

"Thanks."

The bald man took the ad copy.

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Heinz started to leave the guild, signalling his comrades to do the same. Fränze and Oktavian interrupted their discussion, which had in the meantime degenerated into poking and prodding between the two of them, and started to follow their comrade.

*****

The trio arrived at the meeting place written on the advertisement. It was a sumptuous palace with a majestic doorway above which was a sign that read: "The World of Perdition". Heinz took it upon himself to knock on the door. The latter was opened by a rather short grey-haired man.

"Hello. We are here to accept the commission and to discuss the details."

"I'm sorry but the mistress is not here at the moment. I can try to contact her to see if a meeting can be arranged."

Heinz nodded while Fränze let all her frustration show.

"Something that goes smooth no, huh?"

The grizzled man pulled out a phone and started to contact the mistress. Meanwhile, the trio looked on with a slightly confused air.

"I'm bugged by people who call themselves mistress or something similar."

"On this point, Fränze, we agree. One who calls herself mistress will be of the kind that the baroness is."

The trio shuddered at the mere thought of the baroness. Meanwhile, the telephone conversation had begun.

"Excuse me mistress, I wanted to tell you that some adventurers have arrived for the errand you've commissioned to the guild..."

As the discussion went on Oktavian started his own conversation with his companions.

"Look, what do you think this mistress looks like? Do you think she has big boobs?"

Fränze looked at him scornfully

"What kind of a conversation are you making! And then I remind you that you are married."

Heinz nodded.

"We left a crazy woman. At the moment all I care about is that a woman is mentally sane."

The dog-man snorted. He pulled a flask out of the pocket of his red trousers, which was seized by Fränze as soon as he was putting it to his mouth.

"Really? We're working! Get some treatment."

Heinz snorted.

'These two are so childish...'

Meanwhile, the grizzled man's telephone discussion was coming to an end.

"Yes, alright. I'll have them sit down then."

The grizzled man, of demonic species, ended the conversation and put the phone in his pocket.

"I spoke to the mistress. She will send a trusted person to take care of your recruitment."

"A trusted person? You are not a trusted person for your 'mistress'?"

Heinz scratched his head, unconvinced by the situation.

"Normally I would be, but lately the mistress wants to bring her youngest daughter into the family business. The latter doesn't seem to have any long-term plans so the mistress wants to give her daughter a little insight into the family business."

"The mistress' daughter huh? Of course nepotism is everywhere."

"Oktavian, I don't think you can call it nepotism when it comes to family businesses."

Heinz looked at the dog man with eyes at half-mast.

"Gentlemen, you may take a seat. Also, if you like, I can show you the place. We have about twenty minutes, so I strongly advise against you engaging as clients. By the way, my name is Augusto."

The grizzled man shook hands with the three adventurers. Heinz took the trouble to make the introductions.

"I am Heinz, the not so sweet maiden is Fränze and the dog man is called Oktavian."

The four, as they introduced themselves, exchanged classic smiles. Then the man escorted the trio of adventurers inside, making them sit in a comfortable waiting room.

"So, what business is this?"

The redhead and the dog man looked at the bald man curiously.

"Isn't it blatant?"

"Hehehe... The miss is right, Mr. Heinz, it's obvious that our business is a brothel."

Oktavian smiled mischievously.

"You are married! Plus with all the alcohol you ingest you'll be impotent."

"I am not impotent!"

The bald man ignored the discussion between his companions and continued the business discussion.

"Just ignore them, they always do that. Anyway... What do you need part-time guards for?"

The grizzled demon sat down and crossed his arms,

'You see, the mistress is having problems with some of her rivals.... One, actually. But a very annoying one. She has decided to investigate some recent misdeeds suffered by her and her company, and she has decided to rely on her trusted security guards to do that. You will have to replace them on ordinary control duties while they are on a 'special mission'."

Heinz scratched his head.

"Alright, that makes sense to me. We're in. But do we really have to wait for the commissioner's daughter?"

"Yes, but it won't take long. She should arrive in a quarter of an hour. In the meantime, as I said, make yourselves comfortable. Would you like something to drink?"

"A be-"

Fränze abruptly covered her colleague's mouth.

"NO DRINKING ON THE JOB!"

The redhead, after shouting, began to laugh hysterically, covering her smile with her hand.

"C-could... g-give us some tea.... hehe..."

The demon rubbed his hands together before standing up again.

"Alright, three cups of tea are coming."

The grizzled demon left towards a small room.

*****

The demon was serving tea to the trio of adventurers. Fränze took her cup, blew on the tea to cool it down and took a sip.

"Honestly, I feel a little embarrassed working in a place like this."

"In my opinion this seems the place for you."

Oktavian laughed at his own statement. Fränze became angry and, seeing that the dog-man was in turn about to drink his tea, she nudged the cup, causing the hot tea to fall on him.

"OUCH OUCH OUCH! ARE YOU A FUCKING MORON?!"

"The next time you'll think twice before you open your mouth!"

Heinz laughed as he witnessed the scene. The demon also laughed, although he tried to remain composed. The redhead huffed.

"Coming back to us, I was saying that the idea of working here doesn't really make me comfortable."

"I can understand that, miss."

The four of them set about drinking tea.

"When is this chick coming?"

"Messer Heinz, she should be here any minute."

Just then from the entrance of the shop appeared the woman in question: Violante. She sighed as soon as she crossed the doorstep.

"Good evening Miss Violante. Are you ready for your assignment?"

The girl rolled her eyes.

"Let's make this quick."

"Sure."

The demon made the girl sit down.

"Well, let us make the necessary introductions. This is Violante, the mistress' daughter..."

Violante greeted the trio by waving her hand.

"And they are the ones who accepted the commission."

"Hello, I am Fränze."

The redhead tried to make a good impression.

"I am Heinz. We have the same hairstyle."

Violante burst out laughing.

"He, on the other hand, is Oktavian, he is currently in a bad mood because of a stupid quarrel he started."

The girl looked at the dog-man, then her expression turned menacing.

"Good fences make good neighbours. If you try to do anything to the employees, be aware that I or my mother will know it; in which case consider yourselves deceased.

Fränze and Oktavian were surprised by the tone used, Which among other things distracted from the girl's lack of fluency in speaking the lingua franca. Heinz, on the other hand, tried to play it down.

"Is it necessary to start in such a hostile way?"

The girl nodded.

"It is necessary to nip any ill ideas in the bud. Don't take it personally, though."

"Well... It's not easy not to take it personally after a threat of this magnitude."

Fränze was rather flustered and not quite at ease. Violante decided to take some countermeasures.

"I think I got off on the wrong foot.... But I don't think you would have taken me seriously if I hadn't acted that way..."

The grizzled demon smiled under his moustache.

'She looks nothing like her mother.'

"I see what you mean. Though maybe you could have not included that at the very beginning."

Heinz continued sipping his tea.

"Back to us. Your task is simple: all you have to do is check the customers, take their credentials, and make sure that they aren't a nuisance. Anyone who does not comply with the code of conduct posted on the front door, on the counter, and on the ramps of stairs without reasons is to be expelled. That is all. I wish you good luck."

The girl let loose a gesture of satisfaction, flapping her hands.

"If you have nothing to ask I'll leave. I think you already know that my presence here is completely unnecessary and that Mr. Adalgiso here could have told you everything I said. I owed mama a favour. So, goodbye."

The girl got up and walked towards the entrance. She stopped in the middle of the way.

"As i said, the task is simple. If you fail it, your reputation will drop a lot. And I have already said what happens in case you are deliberately disruptive..."

The succubus waved goodbye to everyone present and left the building.

'I don't think I made a good impression. At least I hope they don't get into their heads to do as they please with the employees.'

In the hall the trio was still digesting the discussion.

'I owed mama a favour...'

Oktavian began to mimic the girl mockingly.

"If you take away the abrupt way she told us what to do, it's not like she was that unreasonable."

Heinz continued to sip his tea quietly.

"I would have preferred her to be less aggressive in her manner, but as Heinz said, she didn't order us anything unusual."

Fränze sighed, then she too took another sip of tea in her cup.

"Perhaps it is the culture of this place to be far too direct..."

The bald man began to scratch his head, then turned towards the demon.

"Am I right, by any chance?"

"I believe you have only encountered direct people. From experience I can tell you that there are people who are not so direct. The mistress is one of them. She may have the opposite habit, and is perhaps even more annoying. But don't tell him I said that...".

Heinz went back to his thoughts.

"Still... The girl didn't tell us when to start!"

Fränze opened her eyes wide and covered her half-open mouth.

"She wanted to leave right away."

Oktavian continued to be in a bad mood.

"Technically she also said to ask her any questions. It was dumb of us not to have taken advantage of that."

"You're right Heinz, but when one talks like that it doesn't stimulate the urge to ask questions."

Fränze smiled nervously.

"I'm sure you know that from experience, since when you're on duty you scare everyone. Do you know you are nicknamed the 'scarlet hag'?"

The dog-man laughed. Fränze glowered at him.

"I know. I know I don't have the best temper, like you on the other hand. I admit I'm tough at work, but I don't think I'm a hag."

The redhead, despite her self-consciousness, put her arms on the coffee table and put her head between her arms.

Heinz rolled his eyes, before turning towards the demon.

"So... When do we start the job?"

"We'll let you know. To avoid any issues of this kind we were waiting until we had replacements before we started our mission. If you leave us a phone number we can call you, otherwise we will send our news to the guild."

Fränze pulled her face up from between her arms. Her eyes were watery. She turned towards Adalgiso.

"I'll give you my number."

Adalgiso and Fränze exchanged the telephone numbers of the woman and the establishment.

"Alright. You are now free to go. And if you have any more questions at this point you can call. But I don't think there are any more questions to ask."

The demon waited for the group to get back up, with Oktavian finishing his tea in one gulp, before walking them to the exit.

*****

Agamennone sat on the table staring at a history book. He was in a very bad mood. Next to him sat Violante to keep him company.

"But what does it matter to me that Ermenegilde IV of the kingdom of Aemi was stabbed and killed by his seven-year-old son Théodore VI by mistake and that this caused the entire dissolution of the kingdom in only four months of violent succession wars?"

The girl smiled.

"Don't you think it is a peculiar event?"

The young man snorted.

"Yes, it is, but at the moment the fact that I have to learn certain things compulsorily takes away all the hilarity I would normally get from learning about an event of this kind."

"I can understand. However... Why did you want me to keep you company?"

The girl smiled mischievously, causing a slight annoyance in the young man.

"Stop it with these expressions.... You almost look like you want to jump me at any moment..."

The succubus blushed, laughing nervously.

"A part of me wants to jump on anyone I find interesting.... Another part of me finds it reprehensible. I try to find an acceptable compromise. Back to us... What do you need me for?"

The young man looked down at the book in front of him.

"Basically, I need you because you know more things than I do. In second place... I am already sick of studying. And that infamous bastard of a walking bresaola and his aluminium can friend have annoyed extensively. Plus I'm working as well. I'M FED UP WITH ALL OF THIS!"

The girl blinked rapidly following the sudden emotional outburst.

"I assume you are not used to a high workload."

The young man rolled his eyes.

"And I don't want to be used to it. EVER!"

The girl continued to merely observe Agamennone.

"I want to get out of here. I can understand that you do not want an absolute monarch and that you do not want me to be a tyrant but I am not interested in being a lackey for those two. At this point I'll leave."

"I can understand your dissatisfaction but think for a moment.... You have nowhere to go! It would be suicide."

The girl was getting worried seeing her roommate fidgeting. Agamennone suddenly stood up, resting his hands on Violante's shoulders.

"I've got it! I'm getting out of this dump and getting the adventurers' guild to rent me a room."

Violante laughed nervously.

"Apart from the fact that adventurers are notorious for having sky-high rents, plus with your current salary and skills you'd definitely go into debt. We would have to keep supporting you, but..."

The succubus looked him straight in the eye.

"At that point what reason would we have to keep you...? My mother supports you because you are our ruler. I could always convince her to keep supporting you.... But I have no reason to comply with your request."

Agamennone grew angry.

"AND WHY WOULD YOU NOT COMPLY WITH MY REQUEST?"

The woman smiled uneasily.

"Because I am interested in being your friend. And I prefer to have my friends close to me."

The man gave a slight instinctive nudge to the woman.

"And I thought you were normal. Instead you're just as deranged as everyone else. And why do you have this thing for me anyway?"

Violante blushed and stiffened herself.

"I never said I was perfect. And anyway, the reason I want you around is because I pity you and I feel like helping you! And if you leave I can no longer watch over you."

"I knew about guardian angels, and not guardian demons. In addition, I also understand that you consider me the equal of a puppy dog."

Violante sighed.

"I don't deny that. But try to understand my reasoning. You are both frustrated and not thinking straight. You are not at all self-sufficient at the moment nor can you expect to become so any time soon, especially given your situation."

The boy looked at her with eyes at half-mast, still agitated.

"As I said, you can support me from distance if you really want to. Instead, I didn't like you forcing my hand. I only yield if it suits me to yield, and you don't scare me."

The girl burst out laughing.

"I don't scare you? But if the first time you saw me you broke into tears and were all shaking..."

Agamennone pouted, causing even more hilarity in the woman, whose expression then turned suddenly darker.

"Agamennone... I... I feel responsible for how your situation may develop. If I fail to protect you and raise you, the consequences could be huge. For all I know the entire kingdom could fall, at which point my life and that of my family would be effectively over, being the ones responsible for the collapse. We are in a symbiotic relationship, we need each other. If it were up to me, I wouldn't even think about using aliens."

The boy snorted, scratching his cheek.

"You're not all that credible at the moment, and you don't inspire me all that much confidence. But I recognise that you have been very useful to me. Let's see if I can force my hand with you too... I will desist from my rebellion ambitions if you help me keep that pair of pests at bay."

Violante rubbed her head, letting out a sigh.

"I don't think I can do anything about them, being the regent and the head of the guards... I'm sorry. If you want to, though. I can console you."

The girl smiled warmly.

"However... My mother might be able to convince them. The problem, however, is convincing her. I may be her daughter but on certain topics she is inflexible. I will try to talk to her, but I make no promises."

The man rolled his eyes.

"Alright. Now I have to resume reviewing the history of these statelets. You just stick around if I need to ask you something."

He sat back down and started reading again. The girl nodded and sat on the sofa to watch something funny on the TV.

Shortly afterwards, the girl's phone began to ring. She, slightly surprised, answered the phone. It was her mother.

"Hi mama."

"Hello daughter. How was the little job I gave you?"

"I'm sure that Mr. Adalgiso has already told you."

"Indeed he did Violuccia... But I would still like to know my little daughter's opinion. Mama will be very busy these evenings. I know I asked you to do me a favour which you unwillingly did. So if you have any complaints to say I am giving you the opportunity to say them to me."

The girl began to fiddle with her hair.

"I have no complaints. However... I don't think I made a good impression."

"What did you do? Did you threaten our temporary employees again?"

Violante did not answer. She looked at the television screen for a moment as her face blushed slightly.

"Your silence admits your guilt. I understand that you care about the regular employees, but by making threats you put yourself on the same level as those guys you dislike because they ruin my reputation. Luckily these adventurers were understanding. But in the future you must dissimulate better and not protect employees like a dog protects its home."

The girl sighed.

"I know... It seems to me the most effective way to protect them though.... Alright. I understand, I'll try using less intimidating methods. However... I would like to ask you a favour."

"Go ahead sweetheart."

"You see... Agamennone is not reacting well to the pressure imposed by the higher ups. Can't they loosen their grip for a moment?"

The voice on the other end of the phone became suddenly serious.

"No way, my child, don't be moved by sympathy. He doesn't seem to be in a bad situation to me. You too know that when one is too accommodating then people take advantage of it. It's only fair that he does his part, and it's only fair that your wanting to help him doesn't become something he can exploit."

The girl sighed.

"Alright mama... But what if he turns his back on us?"

The woman went back to speaking in her motherly tone.

"Right now the one with the most to lose is him. In the worst case we will find a way to neutralise him before he becomes a threat. Not that this is a situation I favour. Alright? Now, if you have nothing to add, I'm busy. Mama loves you. Bye."

The woman ended the call. Violante remained silent for a few seconds before turning to her roommate.

"Mama said you have to behave otherwise there will be consequences."

The man did not comment, continuing to study the contents of the book. The girl went back to watching TV instead.

*****

The baroness lay uncomfortably flat on her throne. She was lying bare-bottomed while a bare-chested muscular man was whipping her rather violently. She was not happy.

"You call that whipping? you pussy! Know that if you don't do things right your fucking family will pay dearly."

The man gritted his teeth and bowed his head, merely following the woman's advice.

At that moment a guard entered the room, announcing his presence.

"Lady Domizia, there is an adventurer eager to speak with you about the commission."

The woman quickly went from being sexually aroused by the repeated whipping of her bottom to being extremely frustrated.

"Dickhead, just now did you have to piss me off? Fuck you and that adventurer. You try something like that one more time and I'll pound your ass!"

The guard, dumbfounded, walked away.

"How much that fucker pisses me off. Always annoying me at the most inopportune moments. And you whip harder, you pussy!"

In the entrance hall of the palace, meanwhile, the guard was arguing with the adventurer, who was furious.

"I'm sorry, but the baroness is busy."

"What do you mean she is busy? Isn't she the one who started the commission? If she doesn't want to meet me then I'll leave, but know that I will tell my colleagues, who will not agree to help you anymore. Go and tell her when she's finished doing whatever it is she's doing. In fact, tell me what she's doing that's so important."

The guard blushed.

"She... She's getting her bottom whipped."

"Ah... For that... And she refuses to hire people for HER errand for such nonsense? Does she acts or is she really like that? What a moron. Bah, it's best to avoid such scum."

The adventurer spat on the floor before storming off. The guard looked on resignedly. He returned to the baroness, still intent on continuing her erotic game. She became nervous again.

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT NOW, DICKHEAD!"

"I wanted to tell you that the adventurer has left."

"Fuck him! Now go away or I'll piss in your mouth."

The guard left.

'I can't stand this hag.'

The woman meanwhile continued to be whipped.

"Now I'll show that fucking adventurer!"

Shortly afterwards the woman turned towards the man she was coercing into satisfying her cravings.

"Listen you booger! I need you to do a fucking task for me. That slut of a captain of the guards of this barony has disappeared and I don't know where the fuck she is. Find her for me and I won't stick a mace up your and your wife's ass. Do you understand?"

The man who was whipping her was now exhausted, not so much physically but psychologically. He replied in a low voice.

"All right your highness."

The woman became more nervous.

"And show some fucking determination! Now get out of here and go find that chick. You have until tonight to find her!"

"Your highness... do you happen to have any clue as to where she might have gotten herself into?"

"Your fucking business! You're the one who has to find her! If I knew where she was I certainly wouldn't have asked the first asshole in front of me to find her!"

The man decided to leave the room meekly, beginning to cry in the process.

'I have to hold on for my family, otherwise they will meet a bad fate. But she gave me an impossible task.'

However, he momentarily froze when he heard a masculine voice coming from the hallway.

"YOU STUPID WENCH! I'VE HEARD YOU! TRY TO DISPOSE OF HIM AND I'LL CUT YOUR HANDS! KILLING HIM MEANS I CAN'T USE HIM ANYMORE AS AN 'EMPLOYEE'!"

In front of the desperate guy appeared a blonde muscular man with a neat short beard. The 'employee' approached him and kneed in front of him, still crying.

"Thank you boss!"

Only to be slapped in the face. 

"You heard her, right? MOVE!"

The 'employee' left in a hurry, while the baroness was annoyed by this turn of events.

"Cousin, you're such a party-pooper..."

"SHUT UP YOU MORON!"

The woman stopped immediately after being yelled at.

"I'll let you do everything your empty head wants to AS LONG AS it is not detrimental to my incomes. KILLING MY FUCKING SLAVES IS DETRIMENTAL!"

The blonde man was breathing deep but fast, while the woman rolled her eyes.

"You're lame. Slaves are made to be fucking killed..."

"No, they are not! Now, do what you do best: Nothing useful! And don't try to diminish my income. Other than that i'll give you freedom to do whatever you want. Don't mess with me, you dimwitted idiot!"

The man left immediately after finishing his sentence, still showing anger through his body. The woman waited, seamingly stoically, the moment he left. Then she picked up her throne and threw it to near the entrance.

"Stupid fucking cousin. I'm the fucking leader of this place. I CAN DO WHATEVER THE FUCK I WANT! YOU CAN'T CONTROL ME COUSIN!"

The baroness then decided to sit on her throne, forgetting that she threw it just seconds before, and fell to the ground with the grace of a boulder falling from a cliff.