Rufus sweated so badly he felt like he was going to drown his back in sweat.

“Fucking hell,” he thought. “Damn it, Einar. I know that they were stupid to do that here but don’t break their goddamn arms! It’ll be a pain to explain this to the Grand Duke! If the Grand Dukes finds out that his daughters had their arms broken, he will fly into a rage! I don’t care if they pick a fight with anyone! But please don’t pick a fight in front of this goddamn man!”

Rufus had met Einar back when they were chased by assassins sent by factions that wanted Einar dead. They had met Einar when he was strolling, the bystander who was going to be their meat to ward off the wolves turned out to be a sheep pretending to be a wolf itself. No, he was a dire wolf that tore the assassins who were after him with his dagger.

Rufus still remembers the day when Einar clad an entire alleyway with the blood of his enemies. It was a simple matter of engaging the enemies and making use of his abilities to dispatch the enemy. He saw Einar conjure obsidian knives from his hand and use strange runic spells to deflect the arrows coming from the assailants. He also wrote runic spells that became a lasso that dragged his enemies where he can stab them. He caught an arrow mid-air, and use it to kill the assassins.

Rufus could recall the stoic look of Einar as he calmly plows through his enemy. If Claudia didn’t attack Einar out panic, they would have gotten away. If Rufus didn’t wake up just in time before Einar can slash the throat of the future Queen. They would have an accident that would shatter the inner workings of the Tower of Nimrod.

Everyone was walking a thin line of ice. Rufus had thought to bait a sheep to the wolves only to find out that he had angered the great wolf instead. He could have threatened him that the army of soldiers, adventurers, mercenaries, and knights would come at him. That killing the future Queen of Nimrod would be a stupid move.

“You!” Rufus wanted to speak those words. But how could he when the man in question had no light in his eyes. He held dearly to a tranquil fury of madness that seems to be unmovable. It reminded him of the Dead Wardens of the North, the poor souls who had to unravel the dungeons of the ancients, men who had nothing to lose. He understood very well that cornered looking people like Einar would not be easily bullied.

Rufus had tried once, and it was his greatest failure. There are men out there in the world who cannot be bullied, threatened, manipulated, and bribed. They are the type of people that do not fear death. Facing death, they would gladly raise their arms to fight, not willing to go quietly in the night. They can be reasoned but doing so would take a lot of time. Rufus thought hard and tried and eventually ended up calming Einar down.

The current situation had Rufus sweating madly. Einar still hadn’t let go of the daughters of the Grand Duke.

“Grand Duke, so who invited his daughters?” Einar asked.

“Me,” Claudia said. “I was the one who did it. Einar, let them be, they mean no harm.”

Einar looked at the two. “Don’t do that again here, it can lead to misunderstanding and sometimes death.”

“Come now, you two, get up and let me see your arms,” Ruth said, dragging one of the sisters to the side. “Please don’t make our hearts jump like that!”

“I thought this was the clubhouse belonging to Claudia!” Wendy pointed out. “And why were we attacked when we were only playing a prank!”

“Motherfucker,” Rufus cursed inwardly. “I know that you are close but don’t fucking do that here! Claudia’s worries are because of you two retards keep doing this shit to her! She’s a Princess that is walking on a tight rope and under her are blades, and you two are the monkeys swinging towards her! Look at her! She’s sweating bullets again!”

“Claudia, have this man apologize to us,” Annie said, giggling.

Rufus could feel fury rise inside his chest. “Please let this man go, he is merely doing his duty. Please refrain from making him do anything that might hurt you two.”

Annie was about to speak but saw the look Rufus had. She moved near him and stared him in the eyes.

“What is it?”

“Annie, I know that we are friends, and I know that this is your way to keep Claudia always alert and at the same worry too much, and because you know how treacherous the people around her are; but for the love of all that is good don’t do that while Einar Elior is here!”

“Son of Lionel, and child of Selina?” She said blankly. “Ah, those two, I see, no wonder, the son is as fierce as the parents. I understand that but still, it hurts you know? I didn’t think that I’d get thrown down and have my arm almost broken here.”

“I will apologize later, and treat you girls a meal or two. So please understand that and explain it to Wendy as well, let it go, and I doubt you’d scare that man or have him apologized.”

“What’s up with that?” Annie said. “It’s not like you to be like this, Rufus. Ah, that man has the same look as that bastard. Is that it?”

“Yes, that’s why. You know how bad I am with people like them”

“I see now,” she nodded. “I’ll tell Wendy, and forgive us. Everyone is used to our silly affections, but it seems we were wrong to do that here. We aren’t unreasonable enough, and that man should be reasonable as well, I hope?”

“Yes, of course, he is, even I won’t put mad dogs near the Princess,” Rufus said, looking at Einar who was standing with his backs behind his back. As usual, his expression was solid.

karsev

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