Thursday afternoon. A private dining room at the Outgal Inn.
Midday sunlight entered through a large arched window, making the room feel warm and bright. On the large round table, the remains of their luxurious lunch empty plates and crystal goblets had begun to cool. After yesterday’s incident, the Alliance decided to hold an emergency meeting.
Illya sat with her back straight. Her long robe was emerald green with gold embroidery circling the collar and cuffs. The silk fabric flowed from her shoulders, touching the floor. A brown leather belt with a silver buckle was cinched at her waist. A thin, cream-colored veil covered her hair, tied with a golden ribbon at the back of her head. Across from her, Lord Emeric, Lord Valerius, and Lady Amara sat with grim expressions.
Lord Emeric let out a long sigh, his wrinkled hands resting on the table. "This is a disaster! A disaster, Lady Illya! Our reputation is ruined before we’ve even begun. Our first client, Baron von Geitz, has canceled his silk delivery contract!"
"My ship is still being held at the port under the pretext of a trumped-up inspection," Lord Valerius added, his voice laced with annoyance. "I’ve lost two days of revenue."
"And I," Lady Amara said sharply, "had to endure the mockery of Baroness Evangeline at the market this morning. She said our alliance is a joke."
Silence once again filled the room.
In the corner of the room, Zaefal stood with his arms folded in front of his chest. Rasie stood two steps to his left. Rasie turned her head to zaefal
"Are Martis’s actions within your predictions?"
Zaefal nodded "Yes. But not this quickly."
Rasie tilted her head "Why isn’t Martis attacking us directly? Why this way?"
Zaefal exhaled through his nose. "He knows we have support from a major organization. We’re lucky to have avoided the second scenario."
"The second scenario?"
Zaefal furrowed his brow. A vertical line appeared between his eyes. "The second scenario, Martis kills us directly. My investigation shows: he always kills anyone who opposes him..... But not us."
Rasie nodded twice. "Oh."
Zaefal smiled. The corners of his lips rose. "It’s rare for you to be this interested. Usually, you only want to know what to do."
Rasie smiled. Her teeth were visible. "Maybe I can use my head if I know the situation. Don’t underestimate me, Zaefal."
Zaefal gave a light laugh. "Is that so. Then what’s your plan now, my clever Rasie?"
Rasie’s body jolted. "I-it’s not like I’d come up with one right away. I need to think first!"
Illya, who had been listening to their complaints in silence, finally spoke up. Her voice was calm. "I understand you are frustrated because he is attacking our clients’ trust and trying to destroy our reputation..." Illya smiled and looked at them one by one. "To be honest, we had anticipated this would happen, but we just didn’t expect it to be this fast." She paused for a moment. "And if I may be honest, the current situation is quite advantageous for us."
"Advantageous?!" Lord Emeric asked, his eyes wide with disbelief. "What do you mean, Lady Illya?!"
Illya then turned to Zaefal. "Zaefal."
Zaefal stepped forward and placed three heavy leather pouches on the table. The heavy clinking of gold coins was clearly audible.
"ladies and gentlemen," Illya said. "Inside these pouches are ten thousand gold coins. Please use them to fully compensate Baron von Geitz for his loss, plus a bonus of one thousand gold coins as an apology for our ’negligence.’ Make sure the entire city knows that our Alliance takes responsibility."
The three people in front of her stared at the pouches, in disbelief. "Lady Illya... just how wealthy are you?" Amara murmured.
Illya then turned to Lord Valerius. "Lord Valerius, I will be doubling your operational funds for this month. Use it to hire guards from other guilds. Double the guards on all our assets. Show everyone that we are not afraid."
Lord Valerius was stunned.
Finally, Illya looked at Lady Amara. "Lady Amara, I want you to use the funds from me to do something more important. Starting tomorrow, spread the news. About our cheaper prices, and the full insurance guarantee from the Veyra family. Spread the news that yesterday’s attack is proof of Martis’s panic." Illya paused for a moment. "Can you do it, Lady Amara?"
Lady Amara nodded. "Of course, Lady Illya, of course."
"Thank you, Lady Amara." Illya then leaned back in her chair. "We will rebuild our name with money and trust. We will show Tyelven that we are a stronger, wealthier, and more reliable business partner than he is."
Illya picked up her water goblet and took a calm sip. "Now, about our counterattack..."
Illya looked at her three allies, who seemed a bit calmer now. "We will attack him where he cannot touch us."
She turned to Lord Valerius. "Lord Valerius, your land caravan fleet is the fastest, correct? But you always lack a stable supply of imported goods due to Vorlag’s monopoly."
Valerius nodded. "That is correct, Lady Illya."
"Good," Illya said. "Starting next week, the Veyra family will open a new logistics route. We will send the most valuable imported goods silk, spices, artifacts not through the port of Tyelven, but through a small port to the north, then send them directly to your caravan network. We will cut Tyelven out of the luxury goods supply chain entirely."
The faces of Lord Valerius and Lord Emeric showed shock. This was a very bold and unthinkable move.
"That will destroy Martis’s customs revenue...," Lord Emeric whispered.
"You are correct, Lord Emeric," Illya said. She then turned to Lady Amara. "Lady Amara, your second task is more subtle. You have many friends among the young merchants, correct? Start asking them questions."
"What kind of questions?" Amara asked.
"Questions like, ’Isn’t it strange that Vorlag’s ships are never robbed, while other merchants’ ships are always targeted?’ or ’I hear Lord Martis is very generous to the dockworkers’ union. No wonder so many ’accidents’ happen to his rivals’," Illya explained. "We will plant the seeds of doubt in everyone’s mind."
"Isn’t that dangerous, Lady Illya?!" Lady Amara asked.
Illya smiled and answered, "Trust me, Lady Amara, you will be fine."
Lady Amara then nodded. "I will try."
Finally, she looked at Lord Emeric. "And you, Lord Emeric, your next role is the most difficult. You must endure. Continue to accept the losses. Continue to apologize to clients. Continue to look weak. Be the bait for a while."
Lord Emeric looked pale. "You... you want me to be a victim?!!"
"I want you to be the trap for him," Illya replied. "The more Martis attacks you, the more he will look like a panicking tyrant in the public’s eye. And when his guard is down..."
Illya paused for a moment, then looked at Zaefal. "That is when the Royal Guardians will make their move."
At the same time. Martis’s private room.
Martis sat in a dark brown leather chair. Both his hands were folded on the table. Across from him, Wilas and Nila sat side-by-side on a long sofa.
"How was it?" Martis looked at Wilas.
Wilas raised his right thumb. A wide smile split his face. "He’s interesting, Boss! I bet on his name because of you and won a lot yesterday! Haha!"
Nilas hit Wilas’s shoulder. Hard. The sound of flesh being slapped was heard.
"Why did you even gamble?!"
Wilas winced. His right shoulder rose, protecting his head. "Ouch. Relax! It’s rare for the Boss to place a bet." He smiled at Nilas. "Why don’t you just try it for the next match, Nilas? Just once. Maybe you’ll win and after that you can..."
A hard slap. Nilas’s palm hit the back of Wilas’s head.
"I will not!"
Wilas rubbed his head. "Ouch! Don’t hit me! So fierce for a girl!"
"Stop, both of you." Martis’s voice was flat, low.
Wilas and Nilas stopped immediately. Their bodies went rigid. "We’re sorry!"
Martis did not move for five seconds. His eyes stared at the center of the table. His fingers tapped the wood. One, two, three slow taps.
He lifted his head. Looked at Wilas. "How does the person fight?"
Wilas leaned back. His back touched the back of the sofa. "He has a unique way of fighting. When fighting the Berserker, he used poison and kept dodging during the match."
"Interesting."
Wilas continued. "After that, he waited for the Berserker to use its mode and then used his Hunter ability."
Wilas paused. Two seconds. "But his ability... I’ve never seen it before."
"What did you see?"
"There was a purple energy in his sword. When he stabbed the Berserker, its power disappeared for a moment."
Martis’s brow lowered. A deep line appeared on his forehead. "Power disappearance? Are you sure?"
Wilas nodded. His eyes looked directly into Martis’s. "From my observation, that’s what it was like."
Martis tapped the table again. Five times. Slowly. His eyes did not blink.
Nilas and Wilas did not speak. They sat silently, hands in their laps.
Martis finally spoke. "Investigate him. Where he comes from. How long he’s been here. His level. Everything."
Nilas asked. Her voice was soft. "Do you want to recruit him, Martis?"
"Perhaps. I will decide after seeing his background."