“Look sir butler, I know that Immortal Warriors don’t have much of a reputation yet, but to suspect us based on the previous people who have come before us is quite unjust. My companions and I, after spending our precious time trying to find this object, have encountered nothing but trouble from the Caspallian house after trying to return a wanted item. First, we are met with a rude and questionable guard, and then we are suspected and threatened by a butler. My impression of this noble house is going down the longer I stay here, so I would prefer if you stopped wasting my time and took me somewhere to appraise the heirloom.”

Upon hearing Connor’s speech, the butler's face contorted as he flushed red in anger.

“Y-you! How can you show such disrespect to me and this noble house!”

Connor frowned deeply as he answered.

“Because respect is earned, not just freely given. And so far, despite the good things I was told about this family, nothing I have seen has given me any reason to respect you.”

Hearing this, the butler started to shout hysterically.

“How dare you! Guards, capture these fil-“

The young butler was interrupted by a shout from an older gentleman who was also wearing a butler’s uniform identical to the young butler; however, his hair was grey and swept back. His aura was far more dignified than the younger Butler who just radiated anger.

“What in the name of the gods is going on here!”

Hearing the voice behind him, the young butler turned around and started to explain.

“Mr. Clause, I apologise for the disruption, these two have come to the Caspallian mansion declaring they have possession of the lost heirloom, and have threatened Sir Hendrik and the Caspallian family that the Immortal Adventures will attack us if we do not confirm the validity of their claim.”

Upon the young butler’s words, Clause frowned and directed his gaze towards Connor with a look expecting an explanation.

“Good, I’m glad the head butler is finally here. I apologise for the disruption. I came to return the lost heirloom of the Caspallian family, however upon arriving at the gates I felt quite uncomfortable with showing this guard the item in question since I get quite a bad vibe from him given his blatant rudeness. So, instead, I requested to have a private meeting, to which I was told that a commoner like myself should go away.”

With a massive sigh emphasising his exasperation, Connor continued.

“After turning to leave, I commented on the guard's negligence to confirm the validity of my claim, which resulted in the guard unjustly drawing his sword on me.”

The rude guard’s anger flared at this point as he started to shout, beginning to claim that Connor was lying only to be silenced with a glare from the butler.

“Please continue.”

With a chance to speak again, Connor continued recounting the last few minutes.

“Well, after he drew his sword, I replied in kind, explaining that we are immortal and that his rude behaviour will only earn the ire of the other Immortal Warriors when they hear about this. The guard then decided to avoid this trouble and went to get this young butler here, who promptly continued to suspect me. Upon pointing out how unjust that was, he started threatening me again. And then thankful you turned up in time to resolve this fiasco.”

Letting out a deep sigh, the butler held his hand on his forehead.

“Very well. Hendrik, Oliver, you are dismissed. Return to your quarters at once.”

Looking towards the guard remaining at his station, the butler gave his orders.

“Hern, I want you to make a full report to me when you are off duty. I shall get to the bottom of this unbecoming behaviour.”

With a nod in acknowledgement from the guard, the butler turned to Connor, glancing at Marie who was currently struck silent watching all the fighting and debating going on around her, staying behind Connor not wanting to get involved.

With a bow in apology, the butler gestured towards the front doors of the mansion with his palm.

“Please come this way so I can confirm that you have the heirloom. I apologise for the disrespect that those two have shown. However, I do ask you to refrain from any comments that may seem like a threat, as many of those around this mansion have much pride in the Caspillian family and can get… quite worked up when hearing such things.”

Taking a deep breath to calm himself down, Connor flashed his usual confident smile.

“I can completely understand that sentiment, the group I am with is very similar, we take pride in our comradery and would react in a similar fashion if unjustly threatened.”

Giving a slight frown at the response while understanding the underlying message Connor was trying to convey, Clause led the two into the mansion whose interior was covered in extravagant décor as he guided them into a beautiful waiting room.

Sitting down opposite them after ordering the maids to bring some refreshments, Clause’s face turned serious.

“So, can you present the item to me so I can confirm its validity? The Lady of the house dearly misses the necklace as it is the only memento from her late mother, and I would personally be overjoyed if it really has been found.”

With a nod, Connor brought the item out of his inventory, the medium sized damaged box appearing in his hands as he placed it on the table.

“We found it at the depths of the water at the end of the main quay in the docks. The box has received some water damage and the heirloom needs some polishing, but other than that it remains undamaged from what my untrained eyes can tell.”

Opening the box, Clause gasped as he reverently took the beautiful ruby necklace out of the box, the signs of nature’s influence obvious on the item. The necklace looked slightly worn with algae growing over the metal. The ruby that was the centrepiece of the jewellery was massive, making Connor wonder how heavy the necklace must feel when worn.

Bringing the necklace up to the light, Clause carefully examined the item before a massive smile appeared on his face.

“It seems your words were indeed correct; this is the missing heirloom from 6 years ago. I must inquire, how were you able to locate this item having not been in this world for long?”

Having expected this question, Connor repeated the explanation that Chester suggested he use.

“Well, you see, the head of our group has the ability to foresee events that happen in the future and identify the location of certain things in the present. One of the many tasks we were given by our leader when arriving in this world was to find and return this item to the Caspallian family.”

Resting his thumb and finger on his chin, Clause sunk deep into thought. After a brief moment of silence, he then spoke out with a certain undertone of confidence in his voice.

“I see, very well. Please excuse me for a minute so I may relay to the Marquess this great news.”

After walking out, two maids came and served Connor and Marie tea while they waited. After a short 5 minutes Clause returned, walking behind a well-dressed man. His attire clearly sets him apart as a noble, his shoes were made from well polished leather and his neat suit held traces of fashion trends from older time periods on Earth such as the layered ruffles on his white shirt.

Walking in with a massive smile, the man made his way over and introduced himself.

“Greetings, I am Marquess Jasper Caspallian, a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

After confirming that he was right about the man's status, Connor flashed Marie a look, standing up and bowing. Marie quickly realised the meaning behind Connor's glance and followed him into an awkward bow.

“Greetings Marquess Caspallian, my name in this world is Eagle, but please feel free to call me by my given name, Connor. I am a Representative of Duke Branford, the lord of a Duchy in the homeland where we Immortal Adventures live. Next to me is Marie, one of my close comrades.”

With his eyes opening in mild surprise, Marquess Caspallian bows his head slightly.

“Oh, you are representatives of a duke? That’s quite unexpected, I was unaware the Imporal Warriors followed such a similar system of governance. I apologise for the disrespect my guard and junior butler showed you earlier.”

Connor puts his hand up to stop the Marquess from apologising.

“No need for such concerns. The way we govern ourselves is not as simple as an aristocracy under a king, but that is a complex topic for another time. There is, however, a separate issue regarding the guards which our leader asked us to inform you that they will personally visit at a later date to speak to you.”

With a raised eyebrow, Marquess Caspallian made a comment regarding his increasing curiosity as he sat down.

“Oh, might this have something to do with the ability of future sight that helped you find the missing necklace?”

With a confident smile, Connor gave a single nod.

“Indeed. Our leader will come over to see you within the next week, so will send someone to inform you in advance.”

With a pleased smile, Marquees Caspallian leaned back into the sofa.

“The way you are talking about your leader makes them seem quite… mysterious.”

With a self-deprecating laugh, Connor agreed.

“Yes, you're certainly not wrong. You see, when we first travelled to this world, we all arrived in random locations. However, on our group’s descent we met with a goddess named Fortuna who claimed our leader encountered some… trouble shall we say, and we can’t yet confirm their situation. I am not sure if that actually was the goddess Fortuna or not, but until I see proof of what she claims I am not jumping to conclusions."

With a slightly bewildered yet approving nod, the Marquess replied.

“The goddess of fortune?! My word, that is quite some tale. Well, I commend your pragmatic attitude, it will help to take you far in this world. Anyway, let us leave those issues for later. At the moment, we still have your reward to discuss.”

Giving the Marquess a confident smile, Connor spoke first, taking the initiative for the coming discussions.

“I saw that the guild was offering a large 120 gold reward for the successful return of the item, however, we have a slightly different proposal. Instead, we ask for just 20 gold, a favour, and the chance to discuss a particularly lucrative business deal.”