NOVEL NEXT Arc VII Chapter 11
VII
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Arc VII Chapter 11
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17th Aqua Solar XI AAC 753
"..." Felix studied the man intently. Eszett ... Not even a proper name. The name was certainly merely a cover. Nothing more. It was already much that he graced them with his face.
The spymaster turned to him. "You're late, Lord Felix. I know you nobles have got your own ways, which is fine as long as you keep paying me, but still, I don't like being kept waiting ..."
Felix dismissed the man's complaints. "I am afraid that it was unavoidable. I had to shake off a few prying eyes on the way. Some of them proved to be rather ... persistent. At least, more than I am used to around here."
"Hmm ..." Eszett merely snorted in reply, scarcely amused. Quite the contrary. "Trust me, you aren't the only one. Far from it. Two months ago, some clueless idiots had the bright idea to try their luck with the Duke's precious daughter. Thanks to these fuckers, things've changed. The Duke and his men have tightened security everywhere. You can't get anywhere these days. At least, not without raising suspicion. It's bad for business. Makes things much harder than necessary. More than they used to be."
"I would imagine ..." Felix ignored the man's invectives with his usual stoicism, his hands folded behind his back. Eventually, he took a seat, claiming one of the chairs. "That being said, I think that we have much to discuss. Do you have the information that we have asked for?"
Eszett scoffed at him half heartedly. "Obviously. Do you take us for some amateurs?" His hand produced a stack of paper from his bag, her dossier, presumably. "The men had an easy time with her. Not the most secretive target. From what we can tell, the girl still needs to learn to cover her tracks."
"I see ..." Felix took the stack of paper into his possession, a quick glance flipping through the pages. Despite his claimed knowledge, the most important piece of information still eluded him. "Indulge us, then, what can you tell us about her?"
Eszett took a gulp of his beer, his expression bored. "Depends on what you wanna hear. Female. Young. Blonde. Blue eyes. Quite the good looking lass, from what they've told me. Name, Angelika. Surname, currently unknown. I'm sure we could get it through the guild archives, but I doubt it'd be worth the risk. Age, estimated between twenty and twenty four. Take or give a few years.
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Based on her dialect, she's probably from Mähren, most likely from around Lilienthal. Her accent is strong. Her background, meanwhile, they say she's some runaway girl with some weird ideas in her head. They also say she might be the daughter of some low ranking noble, probably a knight, maybe even a baron."
Felix furrowed his eyebrow, feigning ignorance, feigning surprise. "The daughter of a knight, maybe even a baron, they say ... And what do you think?"
"..." Eszett lunged for his beer. The foam clung to his mouth. "Judging by her gear and not forgetting her skill, I wouldn't put it beyond her. I think there's some truth to it. The lass is strong. Far too strong. Even for a silver rank.
The lass got here about ten months ago, during winter. Either Glacia Solar or Lunar. We aren't absolutely sure. All this time, she's been living in an inn, the Black Eagle to be precise. She's got a nice room there. Good inn with a good reputation, not to mention, far from cheap. Certainly not what you'd usually expect, and certainly not a place for the common rabble.
The girl joined the adventurer guild soon afterwards. She got a letter with her. Some noble had given her a recommendation. The Guild Master even received her personally. I don't need to tell you that's unusual. Which means the girl has got both money and connections. From where and how, who knows. We were doing some digging, but without success. The guild staff was more tight lipped than usual. They wouldn't sing.
The lass's been working as an adventurer ever since. They say she's an excellent fighter. Agile, skilled, and fast. And a potent fire mage, no less. She has a good reputation. Strong. Reliable. Gentle. Well liked within the guild. Maybe a tad naive, though. Even then, she mostly keeps to herself. She's running most of her missions alone, rarely in groups, or in parties. They think she's keeping her distance. That she's issues with trusting people. Or maybe she's just some two faced bitch, eh?"
"... ... ..." Felix listened carefully. It was probably the former. Betrayal ... Betrayal was a poison that lingered. Longer than one might suspect. He could relate himself.
Eszett proceeded, "The guild promoted her to silver rank less than three months ago. From what we've heard, she passed the exam with ease. She then decided to join the guild mentor program. The guild took her without a second thought. They've even assigned her a party. Two boys, one girl, according to our information.
She's been looking out for them. They've been training together for the last two weeks, by now. Every single day, from Tyrsday to Fryday, except for the weekends. Saturday, Sunday, Monday are free.
They're meeting each morning in the yard for training, from nine to twelve. Then a lunch break. Afterwards, a few missions here and there during the afternoon. Just the usual run of the mill errands. Nothing exciting.
One of her boys is from the Schwert family. Former noble house. Now disgraced. They say he's very talented. The other boy appears to be his friend. Talented as well. Still, their combat potential is negligible. They shouldn't pose any difficulties ..."
"..." Felix understood. The implications of his words did not escape him. His message was more than clear.
"The girl, meanwhile, ... Nothing interesting we've found. Just some nameless street urchin. Though, Angelika seems to have taken a liking to her."
"Has she?" Felix remarked. It was clear where this was going ... A potential weak point, if not more. Possibly leverage against her. Leverage that they could use.
Eszett nodded. "Yes, as far as we can tell, she is quite fond of the girl, despite the latter draining her financial resources."
Felix raised his eyebrow. For a change, genuinely curious, not to say, mildly amused. "How so? What is the girl doing to be so financially destructive?"
"Well, ..." His curiosity startled Eszett whose expression remained unmoved. "From what we've been told, her drinking habits are on the more expensive side. Her daily hot chocolate consumption is ... considerable. Two, three, four, five cups of hot chocolates every day. That's two kreuzer apiece, even a taler. And the little glutton keeps asking for more."
"... ... ..." Felix blinked, his confusion apparent. Hot chocolate was admittedly a luxurious commodity with cacao being an import from the South, but for hot chocolate and a voracious little girl to be the cause behind financial hardship ... That was certainly a novelty, even for him. And he had seen a few things in life. "Hot ... chocolate ...? Are you serious?"
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