Chapter 96: Friends? rivals?
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Even though the moon was bathing the capital with its gentle light, the streets of the city were still bustling.
Music, dance, and games were filling every place and the crowd mood was at an all-time high.
At first glance, it was a noisy night market with an exotic atmosphere, but as one delved further into the narrow and intricate alleys, they would come across the black market that was only known to few people.
A pub was located at the end of the shady black market alley.
This was the zone belonging to the Gorfard family. The zone reuniting all the shady business and the red light district. Some people even called it the underworld.
All types of people were gathered in the pub.
Most of the men in the pub looked like they wouldn't hesitate to do all sorts of nasty things. Often, they drank with the prostitutes.
From rich merchants to popular gladiators, every kind of person could be seen.
But no matter how rowdy they were, none of them dared to climb on the second stairs. After all, this was the floor reserved for Vito Ferro, a member of a fallen noble family that now controls the underworld. At least in appearance.
The second floor of the pub was reasonably desolate, unlike the loud first floor of the pub.
Two people were present on the second floor. One of them was leaning on the railing while observing the moonlight, and the other one nervously sat on a chair close to a circular wooden table while continuously wiping his sweat.
If the people could observe the current scene, they would be stunned by fright, because Ferro, the 'king' of the underworld was the one sweating like a pig while observing the man standing.
Adjusting his monocle, the man stopped gazing at the moon and faced Ferro with a smile.
"It seems like your business is thriving."
Ferro, knowing that nothing good came out of this fake smile shuddered a little but answered, "This is all thanks to you, Sir Edgar. Without your help, I would have never been able to have such a control."
Edgar began to slowly walk toward Ferro and finally stopped once he was just a few steps away from him.
"I am happy that you did not forget that everything you have, everything you are, is thanks to us. Now, I need you to do a little something for me."
Shivering a little under the cold gaze and feeling like he was slowly being squeezed out by a venomous snake, Ferro gulped a little and asked,
"How may I help you?"
"How? Very simple. Give me all the records of the deals between you and the Gorfard family. Don't lie by telling me you don't have them."
Ferro, feeling goosebumps, clamped his mouth shut as he had indeed tried to deny everything. Struggling for a short while, he finally sighed in defeat and slumped in his seat for a few seconds before finally getting up and leaving the room.
A few minutes later, he came back with a recording orb filled with all his deals with the Gorfard family over the years.
"Could I ask why you need them?"
"Why…?" Taking the orb, Edgar gave his usual smile and said joyously, "Guess~!"
----
The sun slowly rose on the horizon and the mist of the night slowly dissipated under its light.
Standing in front the bowing Duke outside of the Sol's gave a polite smile before turning away, his group, having one more girl.
The previous night in the Traver mansion had been rather uneventful. The Duke had many children, but none of them had managed to reach the level of the heir. Since their rules were pretty clear.
As for Theresa, she had completely vanished and even using his mirror world didn't help him find her. Meaning that she wasn't even in the mansion anymore. Though he had an idea where she might be.
"Then, your highness, I bid you farewell. I hope that you had a pleasant night in my humble home."
"No worries. I was very pleased. Your hospitality warmed my heart. Then, have a good day."
This discussion now over, he turned and left, Milia and Setsuna following behind him and Nuwa standing between the two of them, her face emotionless and her steps steady.
Neither Setsuna nor Milia had been particularly happy by the introduction of Nuwa in their group. Her seemingly lack of respect for Sol further angered them. The only thing stopping them from lashing out at her was the fact that she might become Sol's partner in the future.
Feeling the freezing cold atmosphere behind him, Sol simply sighed. As long as it didn't lead to a fight, everything was alright.
He had already assured Setsuna that he wouldn't accept Nuwa as a partner if he thought she could affect them negatively.
Once they boarded the carriage, the way toward the tower was rather silent until Sol finally began to talk.
"Milia, did you find anything about Clara? Is she suspicious?"
"Your highness. I already got the report from the one who was with them back then."
Milia didn't use any names of her organizations as she didn't want to give important information in front of an outsider.
"We have enough information to judge that the elf is harmless. Though we will need a short probation period to be sure."
"So she had no hidden intentions?"
"Of course she had. Those prideful elves would never send someone who is still not of age out of the forest otherwise."
Sol's grimaced at this mention. Because of their incredibly long life span, Elves' perception of time was completely different from humans.
In their culture, no elf could leave the forest before their coming out of age, which generally happened at 50 years old.
"How old is she?"
"35."
Sol remembered Clara's childish antics and young-looking face before sighing once again.
'I really sigh too much lately.'
He had simply too many things to deal with at the same time lately.
'What's more, I didn't train at all lately.'
Technically, when adding the time spent in Medea's world it has only been about three days since his fight in the arena. But for Sol who was used to at least swinging his sword a few hundred times every day, this period of inactivity was beginning to make him antsy.
Thanks to his dragon heritage, even if he didn't train he could slowly become stronger even without training. But, this wasn't what he wished for. He had the talent of both humans and dragons. It would be a waste to not capitalize on those two talents.
"Setsuna, once we reach the castle, let's train a little before going for the date."
Setsuna gave a happy smile at this, her tail, swishing behind her.
Sol, seeing this, couldn't help but pat Setsuna on the head. He had a certain fondness for cute things and seeing his girls act like this always made him happy.
Milia, seeing this pouted and lowered her head to Sol, while she smiled thinly. He, of course, understood her silent plea and began to pat her with his other hand.
Watching this ridiculous scene, Nuwa kept her expression straight, but a glint of curiosity still resided in her eyes.
For as long as she could remember, she had never felt the things called love or happiness.
Even though her previous master, Theresa never treated her badly and in reality greatly took care of her, she simply couldn't feel any sense of kinship with her.
Instinctively she knew that this was because of her heritage. Her blood refused to bow down or to even close to anyone of lower rank than her.
This wasn't a question of power but of innate bloodline.
She didn't know what she was, nor how strong her bloodline was, but the fact was that she had never met anyone higher or even equal to her.
At least until now.
Focusing her gaze on Sol, she could faintly feel something in him that made her blood stir.
It seemed to be something similar but at the same time different. Her innate knowledge didn't give her enough information to judge the situation.
This was why she decided to follow him.
She wanted to know who she was.
She wanted to know what she was.
She wanted to know who her parents were.
If to obtain all that information she had to become the servant of this man, then it did not particularly matter.
She just wanted to know and for that, she was ready for any sacrifice.
This is how the carriage continued on the road.
----
"Sol~"
The moment he stepped into the tower, he immediately caught a purple-haired girl jumping in his arms.
"I missed you so much. You promised that we would spend some time together."
"I am sorry Lilin. I was a little busy."
The truth was that he also felt a little awkward with her declaration. But, now that she was in his arms, he realized that his worries were unnecessary.
He recognized that he did not particularly feel a strong love for Lilin. But, the simple thought of her falling in the arms of anyone set his heart ablaze in disgust and anger.
'I am truly becoming more and more possessive.'
"Your highness, you shouldn't forget that it's time to train as you promised."
The voice of Setsuna brought him back from his thoughts.
*Tch*
"Hey, Set, why are you bothering me while I am talking to Sol?"
Lilin, who was previously acting like a cute kitty in his arms raised her head and glared fiercely at Setsuna.
"Haha~I am sorry. I didn't recognize you after 2 years. I mean, it's been a long time. You should be happy that his highness didn't forget you."
"Heh, 2 years is indeed a long time, but I guess that it wasn't enough for you to finish things with Sol."
Lilin snickered, the innuendo in her words clear to everyone.
Setsuna, refusing to lose, begins à long tirade, and Lilin, who was just as headstrong, also refused to give up.
Watching the two princess bicker, Sol gave a gentle smile.
Only by observing this sight could he truly feel at home.
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Even though the moon was bathing the capital with its gentle light, the streets of the city were still bustling.
Music, dance, and games were filling every place and the crowd mood was at an all-time high.
At first glance, it was a noisy night market with an exotic atmosphere, but as one delved further into the narrow and intricate alleys, they would come across the black market that was only known to few people.
A pub was located at the end of the shady black market alley.
This was the zone belonging to the Gorfard family. The zone reuniting all the shady business and the red light district. Some people even called it the underworld.
All types of people were gathered in the pub.
Most of the men in the pub looked like they wouldn't hesitate to do all sorts of nasty things. Often, they drank with the prostitutes.
From rich merchants to popular gladiators, every kind of person could be seen.
But no matter how rowdy they were, none of them dared to climb on the second stairs. After all, this was the floor reserved for Vito Ferro, a member of a fallen noble family that now controls the underworld. At least in appearance.
The second floor of the pub was reasonably desolate, unlike the loud first floor of the pub.
Two people were present on the second floor. One of them was leaning on the railing while observing the moonlight, and the other one nervously sat on a chair close to a circular wooden table while continuously wiping his sweat.
If the people could observe the current scene, they would be stunned by fright, because Ferro, the 'king' of the underworld was the one sweating like a pig while observing the man standing.
Adjusting his monocle, the man stopped gazing at the moon and faced Ferro with a smile.
"It seems like your business is thriving."
Ferro, knowing that nothing good came out of this fake smile shuddered a little but answered, "This is all thanks to you, Sir Edgar. Without your help, I would have never been able to have such a control."
Edgar began to slowly walk toward Ferro and finally stopped once he was just a few steps away from him.
"I am happy that you did not forget that everything you have, everything you are, is thanks to us. Now, I need you to do a little something for me."
Shivering a little under the cold gaze and feeling like he was slowly being squeezed out by a venomous snake, Ferro gulped a little and asked,
"How may I help you?"
"How? Very simple. Give me all the records of the deals between you and the Gorfard family. Don't lie by telling me you don't have them."
Ferro, feeling goosebumps, clamped his mouth shut as he had indeed tried to deny everything. Struggling for a short while, he finally sighed in defeat and slumped in his seat for a few seconds before finally getting up and leaving the room.
A few minutes later, he came back with a recording orb filled with all his deals with the Gorfard family over the years.
"Could I ask why you need them?"
"Why…?" Taking the orb, Edgar gave his usual smile and said joyously, "Guess~!"
----
The sun slowly rose on the horizon and the mist of the night slowly dissipated under its light.
Standing in front the bowing Duke outside of the Sol's gave a polite smile before turning away, his group, having one more girl.
The previous night in the Traver mansion had been rather uneventful. The Duke had many children, but none of them had managed to reach the level of the heir. Since their rules were pretty clear.
As for Theresa, she had completely vanished and even using his mirror world didn't help him find her. Meaning that she wasn't even in the mansion anymore. Though he had an idea where she might be.
"Then, your highness, I bid you farewell. I hope that you had a pleasant night in my humble home."
"No worries. I was very pleased. Your hospitality warmed my heart. Then, have a good day."
This discussion now over, he turned and left, Milia and Setsuna following behind him and Nuwa standing between the two of them, her face emotionless and her steps steady.
Neither Setsuna nor Milia had been particularly happy by the introduction of Nuwa in their group. Her seemingly lack of respect for Sol further angered them. The only thing stopping them from lashing out at her was the fact that she might become Sol's partner in the future.
Feeling the freezing cold atmosphere behind him, Sol simply sighed. As long as it didn't lead to a fight, everything was alright.
He had already assured Setsuna that he wouldn't accept Nuwa as a partner if he thought she could affect them negatively.
Once they boarded the carriage, the way toward the tower was rather silent until Sol finally began to talk.
"Milia, did you find anything about Clara? Is she suspicious?"
"Your highness. I already got the report from the one who was with them back then."
Milia didn't use any names of her organizations as she didn't want to give important information in front of an outsider.
"We have enough information to judge that the elf is harmless. Though we will need a short probation period to be sure."
"So she had no hidden intentions?"
"Of course she had. Those prideful elves would never send someone who is still not of age out of the forest otherwise."
Sol's grimaced at this mention. Because of their incredibly long life span, Elves' perception of time was completely different from humans.
In their culture, no elf could leave the forest before their coming out of age, which generally happened at 50 years old.
"How old is she?"
"35."
Sol remembered Clara's childish antics and young-looking face before sighing once again.
'I really sigh too much lately.'
He had simply too many things to deal with at the same time lately.
'What's more, I didn't train at all lately.'
Technically, when adding the time spent in Medea's world it has only been about three days since his fight in the arena. But for Sol who was used to at least swinging his sword a few hundred times every day, this period of inactivity was beginning to make him antsy.
Thanks to his dragon heritage, even if he didn't train he could slowly become stronger even without training. But, this wasn't what he wished for. He had the talent of both humans and dragons. It would be a waste to not capitalize on those two talents.
"Setsuna, once we reach the castle, let's train a little before going for the date."
Setsuna gave a happy smile at this, her tail, swishing behind her.
Sol, seeing this, couldn't help but pat Setsuna on the head. He had a certain fondness for cute things and seeing his girls act like this always made him happy.
Milia, seeing this pouted and lowered her head to Sol, while she smiled thinly. He, of course, understood her silent plea and began to pat her with his other hand.
Watching this ridiculous scene, Nuwa kept her expression straight, but a glint of curiosity still resided in her eyes.
For as long as she could remember, she had never felt the things called love or happiness.
Even though her previous master, Theresa never treated her badly and in reality greatly took care of her, she simply couldn't feel any sense of kinship with her.
Instinctively she knew that this was because of her heritage. Her blood refused to bow down or to even close to anyone of lower rank than her.
This wasn't a question of power but of innate bloodline.
She didn't know what she was, nor how strong her bloodline was, but the fact was that she had never met anyone higher or even equal to her.
At least until now.
Focusing her gaze on Sol, she could faintly feel something in him that made her blood stir.
It seemed to be something similar but at the same time different. Her innate knowledge didn't give her enough information to judge the situation.
This was why she decided to follow him.
She wanted to know who she was.
She wanted to know what she was.
She wanted to know who her parents were.
If to obtain all that information she had to become the servant of this man, then it did not particularly matter.
She just wanted to know and for that, she was ready for any sacrifice.
This is how the carriage continued on the road.
----
"Sol~"
The moment he stepped into the tower, he immediately caught a purple-haired girl jumping in his arms.
"I missed you so much. You promised that we would spend some time together."
"I am sorry Lilin. I was a little busy."
The truth was that he also felt a little awkward with her declaration. But, now that she was in his arms, he realized that his worries were unnecessary.
He recognized that he did not particularly feel a strong love for Lilin. But, the simple thought of her falling in the arms of anyone set his heart ablaze in disgust and anger.
'I am truly becoming more and more possessive.'
"Your highness, you shouldn't forget that it's time to train as you promised."
The voice of Setsuna brought him back from his thoughts.
*Tch*
"Hey, Set, why are you bothering me while I am talking to Sol?"
Lilin, who was previously acting like a cute kitty in his arms raised her head and glared fiercely at Setsuna.
"Haha~I am sorry. I didn't recognize you after 2 years. I mean, it's been a long time. You should be happy that his highness didn't forget you."
"Heh, 2 years is indeed a long time, but I guess that it wasn't enough for you to finish things with Sol."
Lilin snickered, the innuendo in her words clear to everyone.
Setsuna, refusing to lose, begins à long tirade, and Lilin, who was just as headstrong, also refused to give up.
Watching the two princess bicker, Sol gave a gentle smile.
Only by observing this sight could he truly feel at home.
Even though the moon was bathing the capital with its gentle light, the streets of the city were still bustling.Music, dance, and games were filling every place and the crowd mood was at an all-time high.At first glance, it was a noisy night market with an exotic atmosphere, but as one delved further into the narrow and intricate alleys, they would come across the black market that was only known to few people.A pub was located at the end of the shady black market alley.This was the zone belonging to the Gorfard family. The zone reuniting all the shady business and the red light district. Some people even called it the underworld.All types of people were gathered in the pub.Most of the men in the pub looked like they wouldn't hesitate to do all sorts of nasty things. Often, they drank with the prostitutes.From rich merchants to popular gladiators, every kind of person could be seen.But no matter how rowdy they were, none of them dared to climb on the second stairs. After all, this was the floor reserved for Vito Ferro, a member of a fallen noble family that now controls the underworld. At least in appearance.The second floor of the pub was reasonably desolate, unlike the loud first floor of the pub.Two people were present on the second floor. One of them was leaning on the railing while observing the moonlight, and the other one nervously sat on a chair close to a circular wooden table while continuously wiping his sweat.If the people could observe the current scene, they would be stunned by fright, because Ferro, the 'king' of the underworld was the one sweating like a pig while observing the man standing.Adjusting his monocle, the man stopped gazing at the moon and faced Ferro with a smile."It seems like your business is thriving."Ferro, knowing that nothing good came out of this fake smile shuddered a little but answered, "This is all thanks to you, Sir Edgar. Without your help, I would have never been able to have such a control."Edgar began to slowly walk toward Ferro and finally stopped once he was just a few steps away from him."I am happy that you did not forget that everything you have, everything you are, is thanks to us. Now, I need you to do a little something for me."Shivering a little under the cold gaze and feeling like he was slowly being squeezed out by a venomous snake, Ferro gulped a little and asked,"How may I help you?""How? Very simple. Give me all the records of the deals between you and the Gorfard family. Don't lie by telling me you don't have them."Ferro, feeling goosebumps, clamped his mouth shut as he had indeed tried to deny everything. Struggling for a short while, he finally sighed in defeat and slumped in his seat for a few seconds before finally getting up and leaving the room.A few minutes later, he came back with a recording orb filled with all his deals with the Gorfard family over the years."Could I ask why you need them?""Why?" Taking the orb, Edgar gave his usual smile and said joyously, "Guess~!"----The sun slowly rose on the horizon and the mist of the night slowly dissipated under its light.Standing in front the bowing Duke outside of the Sol's gave a polite smile before turning away, his group, having one more girl.The previous night in the Traver mansion had been rather uneventful. The Duke had many children, but none of them had managed to reach the level of the heir. Since their rules were pretty clear.As for Theresa, she had completely vanished and even using his mirror world didn't help him find her. Meaning that she wasn't even in the mansion anymore. Though he had an idea where she might be."Then, your highness, I bid you farewell. I hope that you had a pleasant night in my humble home.""No worries. I was very pleased. Your hospitality warmed my heart. Then, have a good day."This discussion now over, he turned and left, Milia and Setsuna following behind him and Nuwa standing between the two of them, her face emotionless and her steps steady.Neither Setsuna nor Milia had been particularly happy by the introduction of Nuwa in their group. Her seemingly lack of respect for Sol further angered them. The only thing stopping them from lashing out at her was the fact that she might become Sol's partner in the future.Feeling the freezing cold atmosphere behind him, Sol simply sighed. As long as it didn't lead to a fight, everything was alright.He had already assured Setsuna that he wouldn't accept Nuwa as a partner if he thought she could affect them negatively.Once they boarded the carriage, the way toward the tower was rather silent until Sol finally began to talk."Milia, did you find anything about Clara? Is she suspicious?""Your highness. I already got the report from the one who was with them back then."Milia didn't use any names of her organizations as she didn't want to give important information in front of an outsider."We have enough information to judge that the elf is harmless. Though we will need a short probation period to be sure.""So she had no hidden intentions?""Of course she had. Those prideful elves would never send someone who is still not of age out of the forest otherwise."Sol's grimaced at this mention. Because of their incredibly long life span, Elves' perception of time was completely different from humans.In their culture, no elf could leave the forest before their coming out of age, which generally happened at 50 years old."How old is she?""35."Sol remembered Clara's childish antics and young-looking face before sighing once again.'I really sigh too much lately.'He had simply too many things to deal with at the same time lately.'What's more, I didn't train at all lately.'Technically, when adding the time spent in Medea's world it has only been about three days since his fight in the arena. But for Sol who was used to at least swinging his sword a few hundred times every day, this period of inactivity was beginning to make him antsy.Thanks to his dragon heritage, even if he didn't train he could slowly become stronger even without training. But, this wasn't what he wished for. He had the talent of both humans and dragons. It would be a waste to not capitalize on those two talents."Setsuna, once we reach the castle, let's train a little before going for the date."Setsuna gave a happy smile at this, her tail, swishing behind her.Sol, seeing this, couldn't help but pat Setsuna on the head. He had a certain fondness for cute things and seeing his girls act like this always made him happy.Milia, seeing this pouted and lowered her head to Sol, while she smiled thinly. He, of course, understood her silent plea and began to pat her with his other hand.Watching this ridiculous scene, Nuwa kept her expression straight, but a glint of curiosity still resided in her eyes.For as long as she could remember, she had never felt the things called love or happiness.Even though her previous master, Theresa never treated her badly and in reality greatly took care of her, she simply couldn't feel any sense of kinship with her.Instinctively she knew that this was because of her heritage. Her blood refused to bow down or to even close to anyone of lower rank than her.This wasn't a question of power but of innate bloodline.She didn't know what she was, nor how strong her bloodline was, but the fact was that she had never met anyone higher or even equal to her.At least until now.Focusing her gaze on Sol, she could faintly feel something in him that made her blood stir.It seemed to be something similar but at the same time different. Her innate knowledge didn't give her enough information to judge the situation.This was why she decided to follow him.She wanted to know who she was.She wanted to know what she was.She wanted to know who her parents were.If to obtain all that information she had to become the servant of this man, then it did not particularly matter.She just wanted to know and for that, she was ready for any sacrifice.This is how the carriage continued on the road.----"Sol~"The moment he stepped into the tower, he immediately caught a purple-haired girl jumping in his arms."I missed you so much. You promised that we would spend some time together.""I am sorry Lilin. I was a little busy."The truth was that he also felt a little awkward with her declaration. But, now that she was in his arms, he realized that his worries were unnecessary.He recognized that he did not particularly feel a strong love for Lilin. But, the simple thought of her falling in the arms of anyone set his heart ablaze in disgust and anger.'I am truly becoming more and more possessive.'"Your highness, you shouldn't forget that it's time to train as you promised."The voice of Setsuna brought him back from his thoughts.*Tch*"Hey, Set, why are you bothering me while I am talking to Sol?"Lilin, who was previously acting like a cute kitty in his arms raised her head and glared fiercely at Setsuna."Haha~I am sorry. I didn't recognize you after 2 years. I mean, it's been a long time. You should be happy that his highness didn't forget you.""Heh, 2 years is indeed a long time, but I guess that it wasn't enough for you to finish things with Sol."Lilin snickered, the innuendo in her words clear to everyone.Setsuna, refusing to lose, begins long tirade, and Lilin, who was just as headstrong, also refused to give up.Watching the two princess bicker, Sol gave a gentle smile.Only by observing this sight could he truly feel at home.
