All in Charisma (A LitRPG/Isekai Adventure)

An hour later, traveling at a good speed, they arrived at the Corrin estate. A different footman, older and grayer, greeted Myrelle and Justin as he opened the gate and led them up the drive.

Myrelle stifled a yawn as Justin helped her down from Atlas's back but didn't immediately step away.

"Well, Lady Myrelle," he said, "thank you for inviting me. I had fun."

"As did I," she replied, pausing to study his face in the moonlight. "When I first invited you, I have to admit I was being a bit impish. I thought it would be amusing to bring someone unconventional to shake up the usual crowd." She paused. "I didn't expect..."

"What?"

"I didn't expect to enjoy your company so much." Her voice softened. "You surprised me tonight. The way you handled yourself, the way you listened—really listened—when I told you about my Vault experience, for example. Most men just wait for their turn to speak."

Justin felt a tightening in his chest. "You surprised me too. You think quickly on your feet, coming to my rescue without it looking obvious. I've never had anyone defend me from someone like Lord Hammond with such skill. And here I was, thinking I was rescuing you from him."

"Hammond is a pompous fool, but he's not wrong about one thing." Myrelle's expression grew serious. "People in high society have… expectations. That said, after dancing with the Queen and meeting the Duke of Blackwood... you're no longer just a mysterious stranger from the Wildwood. People will be watching. Asking questions."

"Does that worry you?"

"It should worry you more," she said, though a hint of mischief sparkled in her eyes. "But it seems you've never been one to choose the safe path."

They stood close enough for him to smell the faint jasmine scent of her hair and see the way the torchlight caught the gold flecks in her blue eyes. The moment stretched between them.

"Myrelle," he said quietly, "whatever complications tonight has created, I want you to know this wasn't just networking for me. You weren't just a means to an end."

"I know."

Justin reached for her hand and kissed the tips of her fingers, an act that was perfectly acceptable given their stations.

"If you need anything at all, well, you know how to reach me."

"I'm counting on it," she said. "Good night, Justin."

As Lady Myrelle approached the front door, it opened to reveal Marienne, who had been ready to let her in. Justin hoped she hadn't overheard too much.

Justin descended the steps. He mounted Atlas and began the journey home.

After leaving the palace grounds with Atlas at a trot, Justin slipped his monocle back on, feeling more comfortable with its familiar weight. As he watched the landscape slip by, he was too tired to process the night's events. There would be time for that in the morning.

Within forty minutes or so, with Atlas's speed and the empty streets of Belmora, he was just a few streets away from home. Thoughts of bed spun in his head.

And that was when they struck.

A shadow appeared atop a building, a spear lunging toward him. Justin became alert instantly, activating Gentleman's Sidestep. He rolled off Atlas, landing lightly on his feet. Already, multiple figures were materializing from dark alleys—five or six of them, all heavily armed. He was completely surrounded and caught off guard.

He had no time to assess the situation. So he activated the Cloak of Shadows enchantment of his Jester's Roulette, hoping against hope he still had access to it, all while absorbing Atlas into his ring.

Shouts of alarm erupted as they searched for him, stabbing at empty air. Justin easily dodged, heading down the closest alley.

Fortunately, he found a metal staircase clinging to the side of one of the tenements and climbed to the top, minding his step. A timer in his interface revealed he had forty seconds left of invisibility.

For once, he was grateful for the Jester's Roulette.

On the tenement roof, he noticed two crossbowmen covering the street below. He almost wanted to leave them and gain distance, but instead, he approached cautiously to avoid detection.

As he moved closer, Justin studied the men carefully. At first glance, they appeared to be common sellswords—leather armor, well-maintained but unremarkable crossbows, the kind of mercenaries anyone with enough coin could hire. But as he studied them, he saw they were both of the Archer class, Level 13 and Level 15.

These weren't common thugs. These were professionals.

Their boots were enchanted and of high quality, far better than typical hired muscle could afford. More telling was their demeanor: disciplined and alert, scanning with an almost military air.

This level of organization and funding pointed to one of the major noble houses, most likely House Aurelian given recent events.

With just fifteen seconds left on his invisibility, he snuck away, leaping onto another building. Thankfully, the shouting from the streets below was loud enough to go unnoticed. He crept along the tenements and, after about twenty minutes, found his way back to an alley. He was now three or four blocks away, and it seemed the attack had been completely evaded.

He returned to the rear entrance of Summon & Supply, checking the courtyard for any danger. Nothing was apparent. He got inside using his key, then locked and barricaded the door. He quickly ran upstairs, rousing Alistair.

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Alistair took one look at Justin's face and sensed something was wrong.

"I just got ambushed a couple of blocks away," Justin said.

Instantly, the Paladin was up, donning his armor and hefting his longsword while Justin gave him the recap.

"Where are they now?" Alistair asked.

"They've dispersed by now, but..."

Justin described the Archers' levels, their professionalism, and the quality of their gear.

Alistair's expression turned grave. "The Aurelians. Going against the deal we made with the Templars. They thought they could catch you in the dead of night. It wasn't just an attack; it was a message. 'We haven't forgotten you. We don't like what you're doing. You're not important enough to have anyone miss you if you're assassinated. And we don't like you consorting with the Corrins.'"

"The question is, what do we do about this?" Justin asked.

"Of course, we'll let the Templars know. There's a lot going on with the business launch, but tomorrow I'll visit them. There will be consequences for this, though there's no evidence aside from your word, so the Aurelians will just deny it." Alistair paused. "Plus, the Templars don't like getting involved in what they consider family politics. An exception was made for us last time, given the importance of our mission, but if we keep going to the Templars, they're just going to call it off."

"Is there any possibility it's not the Aurelians? What if it's Valdrik himself? Or someone I offended at the masquerade?"

Alistair's eyebrows shot up. "Did you offend someone at the masquerade?"

"Nothing that's worth my life, I assure you. I did get into a verbal sparring match with a young lord, but he hardly seems like the type to have the resources for something like this. And how could he have found out where I lived and set it up so quickly? This was planned well in advance. It was an operation. Without my enchantment from the Jester's Roulette..."

He trailed off, leaving the rest unsaid.

"It's quite disturbing," Alistair said. "The Aurelians are the only ones who would have had the time to track you to this location. You can't go anywhere alone now, Justin, especially at night. For better or worse, we have to treat you as if you're a high-ranking member of one of the great families because that's how they see you."

"I just don't understand why," Justin said.

"They see you as a threat," Alistair replied. "After what happened in the Floating Market, perhaps it's Blithe behind the attack."

That was an angle Justin hadn't considered. "Yes, I can see that. And all the ladies working for us—they're basically witnesses to the Aurelians' operations in the Floating Market. But if they get rid of me, and perhaps Lila..."

"We should check on her," Alistair said.

They went to her room and found Lila sleeping. Thankfully, the windows had bars on them—the universal sign of a bad neighborhood. But it seemed the attack was targeting just Justin.

When Lila woke up, they explained the entire situation. She frowned the entire time.

"This is horrible," she said. "Are you all right, Justin?"

"Fine. A bit shaken, but I'll be okay."

"I don't want to be the one to say this," Alistair said, "but the Aurelians might end us before Valdrik even gets the chance. They've demonstrated they're not going to back down."

"Are you suggesting we give up?" Justin asked. "That's the last thing we should do."

"Not give up," Alistair said. "Just reassess and refocus. Playing the hero has consequences. The key is to do as much good as possible without stirring up trouble."

"Well, too late for that now," Lila said. "We've drawn the battle lines and are in position. Now that this attempt has failed, they can't resort to such tactics again. And Justin, nothing prevents you from telling others about the attempt on your life, even if you don't directly name who was behind it. It will make people start asking questions."

"We can talk about this in the morning," Alistair started to say, then paused. "Actually, no. We need to hash this out now while it's fresh. We can't afford to be reactive anymore."

Lila sat up straighter. "Right. What's our plan here?"

Justin watched them both. "First, I need to fill you in on what happened at the masquerade. There were significant developments."

He quickly recounted the evening's events—the dinner conversation, his possible breakthrough about channeling his Charisma, the various nobles he'd met, and finally the revelation about dancing with Queen Eleanor herself.

"The Queen?" Lila's eyes widened. "Justin, that changes everything!"

"How so?"

"Royal attention is protection," Alistair explained. "The Aurelians can't simply make you disappear now. Too many people know you exist, and you have implicit royal approval."

"So why on Eyrth would they try to assassinate me?" Justin asked. "They can't be that stupid."

"It's not that they're stupid," Alistair said. "I suspect this operation has been in the works for quite some time. Perhaps they couldn't get the cancellation order in time, or maybe they simply decided to take a risk before your star rose too high."

"Desperation, then," Lila said. "I can see that. And you said you didn't meet any Aurelians there? Nobody giving you dirty looks?"

"Not that I noticed." Justin shook his head. "So, how do we capitalize on this?"

"We accelerate everything," Alistair said. "First, I contact the Templars immediately about the attack first thing tomorrow. It violates their truce, and they can't ignore an assassination attempt."

"Second," Lila added, "we inform Lord Corrin. An attack on Myrelle's escort is an indirect threat to House Corrin, making this political."

"And third," Justin said, catching on, "I accept Lord Blackwood's offer as soon as possible. Royal connections are our best shield."

"Exactly," Alistair said. "But we also need to manage information. We won't directly accuse the Aurelians—we'll simply make it known that there was an attempt on your life and let people draw their own conclusions."

Lila nodded. "We need to launch the business immediately. The more visible and connected we become, the more dangerous it will be for them to act against us."

"What about security?" Justin asked.

"No one travels alone, especially you," Alistair said firmly. "This might make it difficult to launch, but no one should leave without some sort of guard or escort. Maybe at some point, everyone in the company can get a class—even if it's not something business-related, it should be something that can be used for their own protection. Then we reassess in a few weeks."

"The irony," Lila noted, "is that their attempt to intimidate us actually gives us leverage. They've overplayed their hand."

"Assuming we can prove it was them," Justin said.

"We don't need to prove it in court," Alistair replied. "We just need enough people to believe it. In politics, perception often matters more than proof."

"So," Justin said, "our immediate priorities are to contact the Templars, inform Lord Corrin, reach out to Lord Blackwood, and launch the business while spreading the word about the attack?"

"And tell the team," Lila added. "They deserve to know the risks, and we need everyone alert."

"There's one more thing," Alistair said thoughtfully. "You should accept some of the invitations you received tonight. Every social connection makes you harder to eliminate quietly."

"Even Lord Tennyson's adventuring offer?" Justin asked with a slight smile.

"Especially that. A young lord's friendship may seem trivial, but it's another thread in the web that protects you. It's better to form that connection than to let the Aurelians weave their webs against you in the background."

Justin felt some tension leave his shoulders. Having a plan helped. "So the plan is to turn this attack into an opportunity. I like it."

"They wanted to send a message about power," Lila said. "We'll send one back."

"All right," Alistair said. "I'll take first watch. You two get some rest. Tomorrow we move quickly."

As Alistair left them, he and Lila climbed into their separate beds.

"You have them scared, Justin," Lila said. "They're afraid what you know could bring them down, or at least severely weaken their position."

Justin realized she was right. "We have to play this carefully. But I'm glad to have both you and Alistair on my side."

"Good night, Justin."

"Good night."

Justin closed his eyes with his cane in hand.

The Aurelians had tried to snuff him out before he could become a bigger problem.

Instead, they had given him even more reasons to step fully into the light.