"Oh shoot." The artifact seller's left blue eye widened, and her face contorted into one of concentration.

Her hand touched the ruby communication mana artifact in her ear.

"Are you certain…?" She nodded her head at whatever was being transmitted to her. "Got it. I'll be right there."

She returned to face me and smiled apologetically.

"Unfortunately, I have an urgent matter to attend to and must pack up and leave," she said. "But I would be happy to have your business next time I'm in town. What was your name?"

"Luca Frey," I replied.

"Ah! Is that so?" A grin widened across her face, making the multi-colored artifact embedded in her upper tooth sparkle. Her eyes looked me up and down with renewed interest. "What a small world… I've heard about you. I've done quite a bit of business with your grandmother, Madame Ruth Arankagul."

"Is that so?" I felt a pang in my chest, realizing that my grandmother was alive but would die in just a few days.

"My name is Orla Rex," she belatedly introduced herself. "I'll be back in the capital in three weeks or so. Or, if you happen to be visiting your grandmother for the upcoming festival, you can find me selling wares there."

Huh. What a small world, indeed.

I wondered whether I passed her in the Town of Ascot in my last round.

"Well, I really ought to get going now." Orla pulled out a small silver flask and opened it. A fog of purple and yellow poured out and covered her tent, table, and wares. Then just as it settled over all her items, she closed the flask shut, with the fog and everything it was touching, sucking inside.

"Is that a Pandora's Flask?" I asked.

I had only seen one once in Grandov's possession. It fell into the category of unconventional artifacts with no distinct mana stones or runic scripture powering them. There was little understanding of how such irregulars worked, and even more curiously, they usually looked like unimpressive ordinary objects.

"Oh? You know your artifacts?" She smiled. "But this one is not for sale."

"Do you have more irregulars by any chance?" I asked.

Orla pulled a gray cloak over herself and stepped on the street beside me.

"I most certainly do," she said. "It's actually my specialty. Let me know if you want anything in particular, and I can source it."

She pulled out a small rectangular piece of thick paper with her name stamped on it in red ink that glistened in the light.

"Is this crushed red mana stone?" I turned the card in my hand, admiring how the light struck it.

"Right you are," she said. "How it's made is a trade secret, so don't ask. And they're not for sale; it's just the way I like to conduct business. As for how it works, you just need to tap and speak into it. And the ink will spread when I provide a response. Note that it's one-time use, so don't ask for anything useless or expect an overly long reply."

I further inspected the thick white card, turning it over in my hands. I glanced up at the young woman.

Just whom did I come across exactly? Who is this Orla Rex? I'll need to look into her background and ask my grandmother about her.

"Well, I really must be off now. Until another time, Luca." Orla tossed the hood of her cloak over herself and walked up the street.

"We ought to get going as well." I motioned for Henry to follow me down the alley, my hands continuing to grip the crystal box with Leona's egg.

Just as the carriage took off, I saw the Daylan servant turn the corner and walk down the street toward Ebony Alley. His enormous green hat and draped silk clothing stood out against the attire of West Genise residents. In his right hand was a cane like always.

Unfortunately for him, just like in the previous round, he was out of luck in obtaining a phoenix egg.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

"Young master Luca, welcome back," Remlend greeted the young man as he walked out of his carriage.

Remlend had noticed the carriage coming back to the manor, and headed into the courtyard immediately to attend to the young master, who had a morning most peculiar.

His eyes gazed at the crystal box with an egg in Luca's hands.

Just what is that?

"Your brother, young master Micah, was asking for you when you returned," he told Luca. "He's in his study at the moment."

"Ah, yes, I'll go there now," Luca replied.

Remlend walked beside Luca toward the manor and inspected the young man.

The foolish young master didn't appear to be present. The Luca before him had a completely different air about him.

Remlend heard from the guards about how Luca had killed Kaiden in cold blood this morning. Then, how he spent an insurmountable amount of time in Micah's office when they hadn't even spoken for the past three months. It was a rather drastic shift in behavior.

Just what has happened since last night?

It was a bizarre and unusual shift in behavior that Remlend couldn't explain. His job wasn't to report on Luca. Instead, his focus was Micah, Elizabeth, and Terrell Frey. However, his curiosity had peaked, especially given how Micah reacted to his younger brother's sudden shift.

Micah had always had a peculiar treatment toward his younger brother. But since this morning, he has been making some very drastic movements. Just what had changed that brought this about?

"Would you care for any refreshments?" Remlend asked, hoping to use that as an excuse to walk in and discover what Luca and Micah might be conversing about. "I'll have them brought over to the study."

"Yes," Luca replied. "Some light tea would be good."

"I'll have it ready right away." Remlend bowed and jogged ahead.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

"You were asking for me?" I entered Micah's study.

"Ah, perfect timing." Micah looked up at me from his table. He raised an eyebrow. "Is that an egg?"

"Yes," I replied, and placed the crystal box on one of the bookshelves.

I should have left it in my room, but this is fine too.

Micah didn't probe further into the egg either, but I got odd looks from the two other men in the room.

Beside Micah stood Julius, Crown Princess Evelyn's guard mage with an Intelligence of '4.' There was another man whose face I recognized, having seen him around the manor, but I did not know his name. The man was in his mid-forties, with piercing gray eyes and an aura of a man that could converse with aristocrats and mobsters alike in comfort.

"This is Julius, and this is Ridley. Both are mages that I consider in high regard," Micah explained. "I was just showing them the blueprints of the Krok Tomfrees' orphanage buildings."

"Some orphanage it is…." Ridley mumbled in a raspy voice. "I always thought that man seemed too clean for his own good. You can never trust someone whose hands appear too clean."

I gazed at Ridley's crossed arms and noted that his hands were rough and his fingers stained black. It was peculiar for a mage.

Just what type of magic does he specialize in?

Micah glanced up at the clock.

"Based on Luca's notes, we should go to the location in an hour and a half. That's when security is lightest."

"I recognize this name." Ridley picked up one of the parchment papers from the table. "I remember when he was just a teenager. Charming lad. I didn't realize he went off to work for the Spiders of all places. Shame, such talent going to waste."

"Is anyone else coming, or is it just us four?" I asked.

I knew Julius was a mage to be reckoned with, even if he was an idiot. I suspected that Ridley was no joke either, but it still felt sparse against a branch overseen by the Spiders.

"Four of us? Hah!" Ridley scoffed. "You and Micah will stay in the carriage while we wreak havoc. Julius and I will manage just fine on our own."

I blinked in surprise.

"But they have six guards. Two of which are mages," I said.

Ridley tapped the paper in his hands. "Yeah, and I know one of those mages. He was a snot-filled brat when I met him. Talented, sure, but there's no way he could have flourished if he went to work for the Spiders. I suspect this other lady here is no different."

"Ridley is right," Micah said, and pushed himself up from the table, cluttered with maps and parchments. "Even if they're mages, if they are guarding children, I doubt the Spiders allocated their best task force for such an otherwise simple task. Especially when there haven't been any past attempts to take the kids, at least none that made the gossip rounds."

"Krok Tomfrees' reputation was good enough a defense so far," Ridley said, and tossed the paper back on the table.

I glanced at Julius, who hadn't added anything to the conversation. Instead, he gazed down at the table and its contents blankly.

Can he even comprehend what's on there?

The more I thought about it, the odder it was that a royal mage that was regarded well enough to protect the Crown Princess of the Adovorian Kingdom yet had an Intelligence score of a mere '4'.

Perhaps there's more to him beyond the low Intelligence? Are there other stats?

"I just need to set a fire here and here, right?" Julius asked. He pointed to two locations on the map.

"That's right," Micah nodded. "Just blow those areas up, and that's all you need to do."

Julius nodded his head and crossed his arms.

"I can do that," he said.

Or perhaps the Crown Princess knew how to properly direct Julius, just as Micah was doing now? If the instructions were simple enough, maybe it didn't matter how low an Intelligence he possessed.

Knock. Knock.

"I have brought tea and food," Remlend's voice sounded.

"You can enter," I called out.

 

* ~ * ~ * ~ *

 

Remlend rolled in a cart with the teapot and cups, along with some easy-to-consume food, as the hour was nearing lunchtime.

He ignored the piercing stare from Ridley, who was one of the few people that seemed to notice Remlend's presence. It was unsettling. Remlend was used to being a wallflower that blended in with his surroundings. However, he didn't feel threatened by the stare. In the entire time that Remlend had served the Frey family, there was never so much as a whisper about Remlend working any other angles, so Remlend took the stare as just a peculiar oddity, rather a valid concern about his double job being exposed.

"This is a white tea from the southern region of the Barakian Empire," he explained, and poured the cups. "It arrived only yesterday."

Micah picked up his cup and took in the fragrance.

"Father will be pleased," he said. "There's been a demand for this type of tea as of late, especially with the demise of tea crops in other regions."

Remlend glanced at the table full of papers when he felt Ridley's eyes shift away from him at Micah's words.

B-18?

He noted the coordinates on the large map written out, and his mind worked through what notable buildings and people lived there.

Perhaps…?

Along with the presence of two powerful mages in an obvious attack meeting, Remlend had a good suspicion as to what was being discussed. However, he didn't dare look again to confirm any other details on the table. Ridley's piercing stare was back on him again.

"I'm starving." Julius walked over and grabbed one of the sandwiches from the cart.

"Young master Luca, is there anything else I can get for you?" Remlend asked. He looked toward Luca specifically, as he was the excuse he used to enter Micah's study.

"No, you may leave," Luca replied. "Thank you."

"Certainly, young master." Remlend bowed and left the room.

He walked back toward the servants' quarters and passed Denise. She was coming out of Jasper's room with dirty dishes. A slightly sickly sweet scent wafted from them.

Remlend nodded and smiled politely at her.

Well, it's none of my business. And I doubt my employer will care if some shoddy orphanage collapses. But I suppose I ought to still report to them on Micah's unusual movements.