Gabriel Dawson rushed to Anika Wright and carried her in his arms. James Macdonald transformed his face from surprise to admiration and asked Alex in a whisper, “How could she move with that speed? I didn’t even see her! And she immediately detected Ghar and found out that Anika was a Mermaid? How?”
“Miss Olive Andrews is… a very special woman. She was once the fighting teacher of the Earl’s troops and was with him and my father in the war with ‘The Galtian Khaganat’. Despite her age, she is more than able to knock out all of us if we annoy her. Let’s try not to do that, okay?”
James Macdonald saw Alex gulping when his eyes met Olive Andrews’ angry look, and he rushed inside, following her. James followed him in silence, and as they went through the main door, a line of servants received them on both sides of the large hall that were doing a deep bow while greeting them.
“Welcome back, Earl Alex Brim! Welcome, fine guests! We are at your service!”
James Macdonald mumbled, “He wasn’t joking when he said the maids in a Noble’s house were all highly trained…”
Alex walked down the hall, smiling at the servants that were still bowing and looking down, disguising their smiles. He then paused and went to a young girl on the left side. He gently raised her chin and said, “No way! Eve Johnston, is that really you? What are you doing here? The last time I saw you, you were in the jail in Haukagil for kicking the butt of a City Guard! How in the World did you get here? And you are now a maid? You, of all people! Come here, you crazy girl!”
Alex hugged the young girl, who laughed while squeezing herself against him, and her contagious laughter made everyone smile. “Heheheh! Surprise! Big brother, it’s been a long time! Where have you been? I trained really hard to deserve a spot in this manor after leaving the Orphanage, and you have now ruined my composure completely! Miss Olive is going to be so mad at me because of you!”
Olive Andrews cleared her throat, and Eve Johnston immediately let go of Alex’s hug and returned to her bowing position. “I… I am glad to see you once again, Sir. I did as you told me. I gave up on my reckless life and went in search of a proper way of living when I came of age some months ago. I am still in training, but I hope one day to deserve a clear spot in this manor, and to be of some use to you.”
Alex did his best to remain serious, despite feeling like bursting into laughter because of the way Eve was trying to act like a properly trained maid. “Yes… I am glad for you. Keep up the good work and don’t slack on your training.”
“Of course, Sir, I will do my best.”
As they kept on following Olive Andrews along the hall, James Macdonald admired everything around them. An intricate and expensive-looking carpet where they were walking, huge tapestries on the walls alternating with paintings of probably long-gone family members of Earl Kayden, an immense chandelier on the ceiling full of small Magic Orbs that were glowing in white light and illuminating the entire room, and small candlesticks on the walls if the Magic Orbs lost their Magic.
A maid rushed to open the door at the end of the hall, and they all found themselves inside an immense room, with a long table for over thirty people.
An older man was seated in the chair closest to the door, and he got up with a smile. “Alex, my boy, you finally arrived! How have you been?”
They both hugged, with Alex having a hard time containing his tears. Earl Kayden Burke let him go and spoke with a frown, “Don’t you dare start crying. I am not finished yet! I may be gone in a couple of hours, according to your friend Suijin, but while I am still around, let’s rejoice! Olive, ask for a couple of bottles of our finest wine, will you? At least I can drink before kicking the boot, right?”
Olive Andrews made a slight bow and left, closing the door. Earl Kayden then looked at the others and said, “Alex, I believe introductions are in order. Unless going to the “Kingdom of Bouria’ made you forget your manners!”
“Of course not! Everyone, meet Earl Kayden Burke, also known as ‘The Terror of Khaganat’ because of what he did during the war. His mere name used to inspire fear in the troops of the ‘Khaganat’, but he is actually quite friendly.”
James Macdonald jolted and said, “No way… Sir… it is indeed an honour… I grew up hearing about your feats in the war… Is it true that you used to wipe out an entire division with only a gush of Wind Magic?”
“It was not only a gush of Wind Magic, but I did something like that a few times. It’s nice to hear that my name is still remembered, even after I abandoned so long ago that violent side of my life.”
One by one, they all introduced themselves, and when Ghar was the last one, she remained silent with her hood down. Olive Andrews returned with two bottles of wine that she poured into several glasses and gave to the Earl and his guests. Earl Kayden took a sip from his glass while staring at Ghar, with Olive Andrews standing near him with a serious look on her face.
He then asked, without even averting his gaze, “You are awfully quiet, Alex. I suppose it has something to do with that light brown woman over there. Who is she, besides being called Ghar, like you said? Because I could swear…”
Alex signalled Ghar to take off her hood, and as she did it, she stared at the Earl with a worried expression. She made a slight bow with a low growl, and she then hit her chest with her fist and said her name. Earl Kayden had his eyes wide open and slowly got up. He gently took the edges of the cape from her front, looking at the fur covering her breasts and her waist, completely dumbfounded.
He then made a serious face and said, “Alex might have his reasons for keeping you alive, and I will trust his judgement, but if you threaten someone while on my lands, I will slice you into tiny pieces and feed you to the wolves. Understood?”
Ghar slowly nodded with a long low growl, because even if she didn’t understand the language, she could perfectly see that she was getting a warning from someone way more powerful than her. The Earl then pulled the hood over Ghar’s head and tapped her left shoulder.
He walked to his seat again and asked, “So, tell me how you captured a female Orc, and why she acts and looks so different from every Orc I ever saw.”
I’m not sure why, but I have the impression she is a completely different species than all the Orcs who have come from Magical Voids up to this point. When we met, she was fighting with a big one, and while she was fighting, I got the impression she was used to facing them because she killed them quickly and swiftly, as if she had been doing that for all her life.”
Alex then told how they first met her, and Okami’s idea of finding a Spirit to make a contract with Ghar to act as a translator. In the end, Earl Kayden was looking at Ghar, who was still standing in silence next to Okami. He then signalled for her to join them at the table, and Okami sat right next to her, without stopping looking at her, fully focused on all of Ghar’s movements. Olive Andrews quickly exited the room and returned with a bowl of dried meat. Ghar looked at it, and she then looked at Alex with an inquisitive look.
He nodded, and she immediately grabbed a handful, eating the meat with such a delight that the Earl made a big smile. “She seems hungry, Alex. You didn’t give her any food until now?”
“I gave her some slices of dried meat while we were riding here, but it seems she is still hungry. Perhaps it has been a while since the last time she ate, or that’s the normal appetite of a female Orc.”
“Well, we can’t know for sure. Perhaps Okami’s idea is not as farfetched as it may sound. By the way, where is your little blond mess? Still nagging you, I hope?”
Alex answered while disguisedly glancing at James Macdonald, who was peacefully taking a sip of his wine, “You know how Shinatobe is. She really likes to mess with me. Talking about mess, we met a group that called themselves the Security Force of Baron Rowan Harvey, and they sounded full of themselves. I got the impression the Baron is gathering a few supporters in the Chamber of Lords, aiming for the creation of more Security Forces in an attempt to get more recognition and perhaps a higher Noble title.”
Earl Kayden understood Alex didn’t want to talk about Shinatobe in front of the others, and he didn’t push that matter any further. He slowly nodded with a serious expression. “You met them… Yes, I am aware of Baron Rowan’s intentions. Some of my supporters in the Chamber of Lords were already enticed to join his cause, but that guy doesn’t have a good reputation, mostly because he cares more about profiting from Magical Orbs than taking care of the people living on his lands. That’s why he is now deprived of people; they all got fed up with him and came to my lands. If it were not for the money he makes with Magical Orbs, he would be ruined by now. I can more or less understand his idea of creating more Security Forces to patrol Beliersia, but I just don’t like the idea of him being the one in charge of all those Forces, instead of the Chamber of Lords. He went there to say that the new Security Forces would be under strict supervision by the Chamber, but if enough Nobles supported him, he would be the one actually in charge, and that is a little dangerous, considering his character and greed.”
“His people are still trying to spy on our lands?”
“Only from a distance, until our troops drove them off. They still couldn’t find anything about our methods for making wine, champagne, beer, or grinding flour. Not to mention the crops, harvest, and industries. By the way, the automatic mountain got an update while you were away. It now has a few bellows feeding a bunch of new ovens in our brand-new blacksmith facilities. We can now make twenty blades per hour or ten scythes. Not bad, right?”
Alex gave a big smile. “Nice! That means there is a new shaft connected to the second watermill blade! What about ovens for making bread?”
“That as well. The new shaft is also connected to the sawmill, which cuts wood to sell and to burn in the ovens to make bread. As you can see, I wasn’t sleeping on the job! Well, not until my body started to fail, that is. So, can we have a private talk in my room? I have a few matters to take care of with you before my time is up. Don’t make that face, Alex. I had a very fulfilling life, longer than most people around. Olive, can you bring our guests some food and a few bottles of cold beer and a bottle of whiskey? I bet they never tried it.”
James Macdonald was looking at them, curious about all that conversation about new terms he was not familiar with. As Alex and Earl Kayden were leaving, he asked Olive before she went out of the room, “Miss Olive, what were they talking about? And what is that beer and whis… whiskey, the Earl said to you to bring?”
“Just two kinds of alcoholic beverages that we make around here. You should be thankful because both are quite expensive and only Nobles and rich Merchants can buy them, and even then, only for special occasions. We are taking care of changing the brewery methods by enlarging the buildings and containers to make the production cheaper, but we are still going to maintain high standards for the new production. We intend, in a few months, to sell cheaper bottles and send them to the ‘Kingdom of Bouria’, but in the meantime, you can all have a taste of what is, at this moment, a huge sensation amongst the Beliersia nobility.”