Chapter 174 - A Hand Played

Nate’s body froze at the Princess’s words. That she knew anything about his apparent feud with House Desmarais was cause for concern. His eyes flicked over to the Guard flanking the Princess. His glance didn’t go unnoticed and the tall swordsman frowned at him.

With a wave of her hand, the Princess cut through the charged silence.

“Excuse us for a moment, Valis.”

“Your Highness?” responded the Guard, his tone filled with concern.

“It’s fine, Valis. Nathaniel is an upstanding member of the Adventurer’s Guild. I will be fine.”

Though her tone was gentle, it was a clear command and the guardsman nodded, hand on his sword's hilt, before exiting the tent.

Princess Morgane watched him go, an odd look in her eyes. Nate tried to place it and after a second, guessed that it was sadness. Morgane caught him watching and the look in her eyes spread to the rest of her face, a sad smile gracing her lips.

“The heart is fickle, is it not?”

“It can be,” he acknowledged, still hesitant about this meeting and her opening salvo.

“Come, please. We have a few things to discuss.”

Surprised by her politeness, he followed her over towards the large table arrayed with maps. Sitting down in one of the uncomfortable wooden seats, he watched as she drew out a small star-shaped gem. Mana bloomed from the item and Conceptual Insight picked up on three concepts embedded within: Sound, Mana and Soul, all woven together to create a barrier around them. The Princess’s own anti-spying item.

He raised an eyebrow at her, mostly to see how she would react.

“One can never be too careful in my position, Nathaniel. There is always someone listening. Always. As one of those doing the listening, I should know.”

He conceded the point with a nod, keeping his thoughts to himself.

The Princess’s lips curled up into a smile that was a mixture of friendliness and amusement. His paranoia ratcheted up a notch in response.

“You are an odd case, Nathaniel. So, I am going to take an odd approach. I am going to be honest with you.”

The Princess paused and Nate got the sense that the black-haired beauty was gauging his reaction with her golden eyes before she continued. Conceptual Insight continued to buzz in the back of his mind, trying to figure out what Concept was emanating from her.

“A strike-team from House Desmarais arrived in the Capital recently,” continued Morgane. “The team included one of the three Platinum Retainers from House Desmarais. While present, they kept a very close eye on the city gates. They finally moved after a team from the Adventurer’s Guild left the Capital. A team that included yourself and your partner Kiri, along with the Eternal Grove, the son of Prefect Raoult, his partner, and two Gold-ranked bodyguards that have been seen previously in the company of the Prefect's son.”

Morgane paused for a moment and Nate kept his face schooled to show nothing as he waited for the Princess to get to the point. Seeing his lack of reaction, the Princess continued.

“The Adventurer’s Guild expedition that you were a part of returned to the Capital a little over a week later, missing the Gold-ranked bodyguards and looking a little worse for wear. My informants found signs of a battle around two days' ride from the Capital. A new grove of trees upon the plains made the location particularly easy to find. Though, I suppose the Eternal Grove doesn’t have a way to un-grow trees so we won’t fault him for leaving behind such evidence. No signs of any of the House Desmarais’ Retainers, though.

“So, I thought to myself, here is evidence of a strike-team from the weakest of Etrua’s Duchies, attempting to kill a team from the Adventurer’s Guild. Which begs the question, who is the target? The obvious ones would be the Eternal Grove himself or the Prefect’s son. They are the ones with the most political importance. But if the goal was to kill the Eternal Grove, why send only one Platinum against him? That seems foolish. The rumours around the elven Lord are that he is very difficult to kill and a single Platinum is almost certain to fail to prevent him from escaping. So, the Eternal Grove is likely not the target. Null Raoult then, son of Prefect Raoult and the holder of an Epic Class. That would put him on par with some of the stronger nobility, such as the son and heir of House Desmarais. Perhaps there is a feud between the two? Only, my people found nothing. The two have never interacted. They have never even met. It seems unlikely that Null Raoult was the target. Not impossible, but unlikely. Which brings me to you, and your partner Kiri.”

The Princess leaned forward, the wooden chair creaking as she shifted position.

“You are a hybrid crafter. At least, that is what they say. A hybrid crafter who won the Guild entrance Tournament for the Royal University. An individual who somehow ran afoul of Fabien Lussier, a noble known to frequent the shop of one Caroline Lambert, an Epic-Classed Enchanter, both of whom are missing and presumed dead. You see where I am going with this?”

Morgane raised one dark eyebrow, her expression more curious than accusatory.

“I think I do,” Nate replied quietly.

He refused to give her more information, but it was clear she was well informed, and worse, smart enough to connect the dots. She was obviously building to her conclusion, drawing him in with her explanation and the information she had gathered on him. He had a pretty good idea of where this was going to end. He just wished it wouldn’t. Sooner or later, someone was going to realise how unusually strong he and Kiri were for their supposed levels. It had just been a matter of time.

“So, an eleven-man strong strike team consisting of Golds and a Platinum, against one Platinum, two Golds and four Silvers. Who would win? Most would bet on the strike team. Yet, they’re the ones dead…”

“Presumed,” Nate interjected, eliciting a smile from the Princess.

“They’re the ones presumed dead, while the Silvers live. All of them. Null Raoult and Brittany Lavaud, while both skilled, are somewhat known quantities. They have lived in the Capital most of their lives, and their progression is consistent. You and Kiri Beaufoy are unknowns, coming to the Capital from the very edges of Etrua. Supposedly you have some mysterious and powerful teacher for your Spatial Mage Class. Do you know what I think, Nathaniel?”

He took a deep breath. Finally, they had come to the crux. Finally, the Princess would make her play. His mana was already swirling inside of him, ready to activate his Mana and Spatial Release items and teleport himself out of the tent. He would never be put in a cage again.

“I think that you possess a Legendary Class. I think House Desmarais recognised the threat you posed to their position. Rightly so, might I add, if my Father were to get wind of you. And I think they made a desperate play to take you off the board. How am I doing?” the Princess asked serenely. 

Nate ran through his options in his head as his mana continued to swirl, ready to be unleashed. She was wrong, of course. But only because she likely couldn’t conceive of the idea of someone having a Mythic-tier Class at his level. She also hadn’t moved to suppress him, though of course she could have any number of powerful items in her spatial storage. She had also given them privacy, apparently unwilling to share this conversation even with her most powerful Royal Guard, as surely the two swords on the man's shield were indicative of his rank and skill-level. In Etrua, power was everything, after all. 

So, what were his plays? He could run now, effectively confirming her suspicions. It would mean fleeing Etrua. Kiri would be forced to choose between him and Coralie. He would have to give up the workshop, though he could gather the contents and supplies. Jacque and the kids he had brought in as pupils would likely be able to continue using the shop. 

He didn’t know where that would leave Aisling or Evindal, but he felt oddly certain Luc would follow him. His mentor had no great love of Etrua, even though he was born and bred there. The man's loyalty was mostly to wealth. So, he would go wherever Nate did for as long as Nate would have him. 

Britt could go either way. Would she up and leave Null? Nate had his doubts. It would set him back quite a bit, but he would be free and he could continue to grow. With enough time and preparation, he could hole himself up somewhere in the wilds. Sneak into cities to trade and collect what he needed before vanishing again. It would be a lonely existence, he realised. 

With only Frick, Luc and Kiri for company, he could already see how it would play out. It would be fine at first, but Kiri would go stir crazy. She would fight and argue with Frick, who couldn’t help but needle people. That would progress into fighting with Luc, who would probably end up giving away their location by visiting every single brothel or inn within a radius of their hideout. It wouldn’t last. While he could make their hideout almost unassailable, between Illusions, wards, and the many other Concepts he could bring to bear, ultimately he needed a supply of mana. Someone would have to go out to get it. He wouldn’t leave those he cared about in the lurch. He would be drawn out, from his lonely existence, and eventually overwhelmed. Because in the end, he didn’t want to be alone, so he wouldn’t sever all his ties.

What if he didn’t run? The Princess had her suspicions, but he hadn’t confirmed them. What would she do if he stayed? Try and bribe him? Hire him? So far, his encounters with the Nobility had been almost entirely negative. But she had yet to try and force him to do anything, and had, at one point, come to his defence. Of course, that could have just been a play on her part. For all he knew, Guard Inspector Koriolos had been sent after him by her. That was his paranoia speaking, but just because you were paranoid didn’t mean they weren’t out to get you. He had definitive proof that people had in fact been out to get him. Caroline, Fabien, House Desmarais. All of them had literally been out to get him. So, he wouldn’t give the Princess his trust. But, what other option did he have except to let this play out? 

Holding back a sigh, he locked eyes with the Princess, his green meeting her gold. “What do you want, your Highness?”

“I want many things, Nathaniel. But mostly, right now, I want to know why you’re here.”

Nate’s brows furrowed in confusion.

“You took a job as a part of my healing corps,” explained Morgane, her body tensing ever so slightly. “Except, as far as I know, you lack a healing Class. Runecaster and Space Mage is what my informants tell me. I don’t believe them, of course. Legendary veils are rare, but not unheard of. I myself possess one, after all. So, why would a Legendary Class holder, a status which puts you on par with the members of the Etruan Royalty, join my army and then join a division they have no evident skill for?”

Nate blinked a few times, dealing with the surprise of the question. He could see how it must look from her perspective. It was like he was trying to slip into her army, which meant the most likely reason was to sabotage her efforts or potentially even assassinate her. Taking that a step further, he thought she must be very confident she could beat him then, since she had effectively sealed herself in her tent alone with him. Thinking it through, he decided a little honesty might calm the rising tensions.

“Because Kiri’s girlfriend was forced to join your forces by her mother,” Nate stated calmly. “And I didn’t want to kill commoners.”

The Princess leaned forward, resting her armoured elbows on the table and staring at him, “Prefect Allais’s daughter, Coralie?”

Nate nodded.

“The Prefect has been attempting to curry favour with me,” mused Morgane. “And with what my informants have told me about Kiri Beaufoy, I can see why she would follow Coralie Allais.”

The Princess paused for a moment, rifling through some papers before she ran a finger down a single sheet, pausing on what Nate could clearly see as Kiri’s name.

“Guard duty. She will be one of the personal guards of one of our supply personnel. Seems your partner also has no interest in fighting against Asmuisil. A feeling we all share.”

Nate’s eyes narrowed. There were two interesting points in those statements. Why did the supply personnel need bodyguards, and why did the Princess not want to fight Asmuisil.

His reaction must have been obvious because the Princess smiled at him, “You’re wondering why I don’t want to fight Asmuisil?”

Nate nodded, “It was my understanding that this was an opportunity for you to become the heir to the throne? That the King was using this war as a test for you and two of the Princes.”

“You don’t know much about our politics, I take it?” she asked.

“I…didn’t see a reason to learn much about them,” he admitted. His concerns had always been his art, his friends and sister, and his understanding of runes. Politics had never played into it.

“You do yourself a disservice, Nathaniel. Especially given your presumed tier. The politics of a nation impact everyone, from the most powerful to the least. Whether or not you care about politics, I assure you, it cares about you. It cares about every facet of your life.”

Morgane sighed and leaned back in her chair, the wood creaking again, “I have a little longer. And for a Legendary Class holder, I can spare a little more of my time. Take this as a small sign of the peace I desire between us, Nathaniel. Trust that, even if you don’t trust me. If it was my decision, we would offer peace terms and cede land to Asmuisil.”

Nate tapped his fingers against one of his bracers, the dull thuds muted by his robe covering them, as he tried to ignore the constant buzzing from Conceptual Insight, “Wouldn’t that dilute your family’s power?”

“What is the point of power if it’s not serving the purpose that was intended?” countered the Princess, steel leaking into her voice. “My family came to rule Etrua with a single promise. That we would consolidate enough power to carve out a place for Etrua and protect its people and its interests. We have perverted that promise. Etrua is a powerful nation. We have prospered, and the people have suffered for it. Power concentrated in the hands of a few to the detriment of the masses, who are left to subsist on the scraps. Scraps which grow smaller and smaller with every passing year. I do not want to fight Asmuisil, because Asmuisil is everything I wish Etrua was.”