Valkyrie's Shadow

Chapter 5

“What do you think, Liam?”

What am I supposed to think?

“I think you look nice,” Liam answered.

Lady Beaumont’s delighted response suggested that he had provided the right answer, but something told him that it was the wrong answer at the same time. The young noblewoman twirled in place, her winter-themed skirts swirling out to expose her stockinged calves. Liam’s eyes went to the unpacked belongings strewn about the drawing room of the Countess’ solar.

“Are we ready to get going, my lady?”

“Not yet,” Lady Beaumont replied. “I’ve sent some men to call ahead and we must wait for him to return. In the meantime, we should take the opportunity to relax.”

“Shouldn’t you prepare as much as possible for these meetings?” Liam asked.

“I have been preparing for them since we left Beaumont Town to visit the mining villages,” the Countess answered. “Much of that preparation has gone up in smoke along with half of Re-Blumrushur.”

“There’s nothing else you can do?”

The young noblewoman tilted her head curiously, lightly touching the tip of her finger to her chin.

“…speculate? As reliable as they have been, our woodsmen aren’t ideal for gathering information in the city and the atmosphere in general has been subdued.”

“What about the rare materials we brought with us?”

Lady Beaumont put on a troubled look. She glanced at the aforementioned materials piled in the nearby dining room, smoothing her skirts nervously.

“You think someone will mess with you?” Liam asked.

“I know someone will,” Lady Beaumont said. “The part that keeps me fearful is that I can’t predict how. My studies as a scion didn’t cover the particulars of these pedestrian transactions – it’s something our retainers usually took care of.”

He had to admit that it was an unknown to him, as well. According to the Countess, one could submit a request to the Adventurer’s Guild to have the materials assessed. Alternatively, one could go to the Merchant Guild for the same service, but it was pretty much mandatory to take advantage of the Adventurer Guild’s muscle in Re-Blumrushur. As far as Liam’s experiences went, valuable materials conveniently disappeared into the hands of those in power in Fassett Town and the Sorcerous Kingdom’s Adventurer Guild was no longer the organisation it once was.

“If that’s the case,” Liam said, “why not have your retainers deliver the materials for assessment and sale?”

“I’m afraid they’re as clueless as I am when it comes to dealing with the Adventurer Guild,” Lady Beaumont replied.

“…is the Re-Blumrushur Adventurer Guild known for cheating its clients or compromising them in some way?” Liam asked.

“Not that I know of,” the young noblewoman sighed. “Fine. I’ll send Claire along with Reed…but could you please go along with them to ensure nothing goes wrong?”

She must have been incredibly worried if she was willing to give up her time alone with him. Claire left to summon Reed, who arrived with a half dozen men to move the materials out of the room.

“Uh…what do I do, exactly, my lady?” Reed asked.

“First and foremost,” Lady Beaumont answered, “make sure everything arrives at the Adventurer Guild safely. Claire will speak with the receptionist.”

Liam went to help move the materials while the Countess went over her expectations with her Maid. Outside, Reed had rolled out a covered wagon and stationed half of his men to stand guard over it.

“No told me that being an armsman was so stressful,” Reed grumbled.

“What part about it is stressful?” Liam asked.

“Any part where I’m put in charge of making expensive shit safe,” Reed answered. “The most valuable thing I’ve escorted before this was a boatload of cheap wine.”

“You seemed pretty relaxed on the way here,” Liam noted.

The woodsman scratched his chin.

“Hmm…guess you’re right about that. It’s gotta be the city. Feel all out of sorts here and half of everythin’ makes no sense.”

“Just focus on what you’re good at,” Liam said. “Even in the city, your senses are still way better than the average person’s. The job here is to protect the cargo and come back with the payment intact. Claire will handle the rest.”

“Why is that girl handlin’ the rest?” Reed asked.

“Probably because she’s the only civilian staff member of the Beaumont Household right now,” Liam answered. “Normally, it’d be a butler or at least a footman doing this sort of work inside the city. Just remember what I told you about how a noble household operates and we should be fine.”

He at least hoped it would be the case. Routine procedure or not, they were sitting on top of a lot of ‘expensive shit’, as Reed so eloquently put it. Liam didn’t foresee any problems delivering the materials, but word of such a lofty transaction would almost immediately get out. While the Adventurer Guild might have claimed impartiality when it came to disputes between Humans, Adventurers just loved to banter and gossip. The chance of them keeping their mouths shut about such a notable event was pretty much zero, making everything a race to get what they needed before someone else got in their way.

“On second thought,” Liam said, “be careful on the way back. Coin is easier to steal than all this bulky stuff.”

“Uh-huh.”

Liam left Reed and his men to finish securing the wagon while they waited for Claire to show up. As the minutes passed without any sign of the Maid, Liam returned to Reed, who had taken up the driver’s seat.

“Did any of your guys go out into the city last night?”

“Nah. We were exhausted from the trip. Probably better off askin’ Olin’s boys – they hardly did any work for the last week. By the way, I don’t think they much like us anymore…”

“Us?”

“Me and my men,” Reed said. “I mean, they were never nice to us, but they still saw us as one of them in that stuck-up way of theirs.”

“Do you still want to be a part of their group?” Liam asked.

“Even if we were just useful thugs, it’s not as if we suffered under them. We were with ‘em for a long time; it’s a shock that they could change their tune so quick.”

It didn’t seem all that strange to him. Countess Beaumont had a point about the difference between urban and rural society in the Kingdom.

In particular, vagrants such as spares and unskilled labourers eking out a living in urban centres didn’t have the same relationship as rural tenants did with their lords or artisans did with their guilds. Their priorities lay along the lines of day-to-day survival and that demanded a moral outlook that those who enjoyed membership in one establishment or another would find distasteful. Loyalty was a weakness in a world where yesterday’s friends could very easily be today’s enemies. The dynamic between Reed’s group and Olin’s thugs portrayed the differences quite well.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Liam said.

“What question?” Reed frowned, “Oh. I’d prefer the more reliable option. Right now, that seems to be working for House Beaumont.”

“Is being a retainer enough, or do you want land?”

“A tenancy would be nice for sure,” Reed replied, “but that might be asking for too much.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Because it’s land, yeah?” The woodsman said, “The only way to get more is to carve out a piece of the frontier. That involves driving out whoever lives there and having enough coin for development. Well, the ‘development’ part wouldn’t be so hard: I’d just like a nice little plot of woodland to raise a family on.”

“That doesn’t sound unreasonable,” Liam said. “You guys just helped thin out the frontier last week.”

“Guess so…”

“Sorry for the wait.”

Claire emerged from the manor’s front door, dressed in a Maid’s uniform that had been dug out of storage. She cast a dubious look at the overcast skies before flipping on the hood of her mantle and walking out to join them.

“Did Lady Beaumont give us some other things to do?” Liam asked.

“No, she wasn’t satisfied with how I wore my uniform. We fixed my hair, too. What do you think?”

The Maid stood shyly before him. Her mantle covered pretty much everything, so he couldn’t offer much in the form of constructive criticism.

“I think you look nice,” Liam said.

Claire’s beaming smile threatened to drive away the heavy clouds hanging over the city. For the second time that day, Liam wondered whether his answer was as safe as it seemed.

After helping Claire climb onto the driver’s seat beside Reed, the wagon proceeded at a careful pace out of the Beaumont Estate and through the upper city. Liam had familiarised himself with the layout of Re-Blumrushur overnight, but the daytime activity he now hoped to observe was scarce. They passed a grand total of two Maids and three times as many footmen before reaching the entrance to the lower city. The sentries at the gate nodded to him as the wagon slowed to pass through the gatehouse.

“Good morning, footman.”

“Good morning, captain,” Liam replied. “Were there any problems delivering the rent last night?”

“Lord Reginald tallied the numbers as soon as everything arrived at the castle,” the sentry captain replied. “He was in a good mood for the rest of the evening.”

“House Beaumont is glad to be of service,” Liam said. “We can only wish Lord Reginald the best of luck with this monumental task.”

“It will be a monumental task indeed,” the sentry captain sighed. “By the way, what are you carting out here?”

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“A variety of forest products that need to be assessed,” Liam said. “I believe the offices in the main plaza are still open…”

“They are. I strongly suggest using the Adventurer Guild over the Merchant Guild. Ever since Lord Reginald expressed his resolve to personally oversee the city’s reconstruction, we’ve been plagued by various forms of resistance from those filthy Merchants and their affiliates.”

“That’s what my lady suspected, but it’s good to hear confirmation from House Beaumont. Have a good morning, captain.”

“And you, footman.”

The sentry captain signalled for the portcullis to be raised. Commonfolk materialised as the resulting racket echoed down the scorched streets. The gatehouse staff immediately acted to disperse the gathering crowd.

“This is as far as we can cover for you,” the sentry captain called out to them. “I hope you and your men are ready to keep the riff-raff at bay.”

Reed guided their wagon through a path forced open by the city militia. He urged their horses to a trot as they tried to stay ahead of the desperate throng.

“Spare us some bread!”

“Food, please!”

“My family has barely eaten since the fire!”

“Work…does your lord have any work for us?”

The people’s pleas pelted them from all sides as they rushed to the main plaza. Liam struggled to maintain his cold expression as their cries washed over him.

What in the world is House Blumrush thinking?

If Re-Blumrushur was ruled by House Blumrush, then they should have been taking care of their people. Instead, the notorious house seemed intent on letting hardship cull the population. At best, the move could be considered along the same lines as Countess Beaumont’s cold calculations.

Some degree of starvation was inevitable, so the nobility prioritised the preservation of industry over all else. Food and fuel were necessary for survival and a speedy recovery, so the tenants of the rural territories received preferential treatment. The skilled artisans in the towns and cities would probably get by since they made enough to live comfortably under normal circumstances, but everyone else would struggle to make it. In the Azerlisian Frontier alone, tens of thousands would be buried by winter’s end, but the perpetual influx of spares from its territories would see those numbers quickly replaced.

To House Blumrush – and perhaps many of its vassals – starvation was a convenient, self-correcting mechanism that cut short-term costs. All they had to do was be stronger than any potential uprising while it worked its deadly magic.

“Looks like we made it,” Reed said.

Ahead of them, a different group of armsman rushed forward to clear away the commonfolk tailing their wagon. While House Blumrush had an entire regiment in Re-Blumrushur, they could only secure the most important parts of the city. No – it was more accurate that they only cared to secure the most important parts of the city. The main plaza, which contained the most important civilian offices – including those of the Merchant and Adventurer Guilds – was one such locale.

Their surroundings abruptly transitioned from the burnt-out shells of workshops, warehouses, and apartments that characterised most of the lower city to the well-kept stone offices of the main plaza. The multitude of people trying to shelter inside the ruins of their homes were similarly absent, replaced by a handful of household retainers and well-dressed Merchants going about their business. Reed turned their wagon in the direction of a building with the sign of the Adventurer Guild hanging above its entrance, which occupied the plaza’s north end.

“I don’t get it,” the woodsman said, “how are we gettin’ around the city so smooth?”

“What do you mean?” Liam asked.

Reed stole a sidelong glance at a pair of armsmen posted along their path, waiting to pass them before he spoke again.

“This is Re-Blumrushur, ain’t it? You always hear stories about people minding their own business bein’ shaken down and such.”

Liam hadn’t personally heard those stories, but he had no reason to believe the woodsman was lying. He was also pretty sure he had the answer to his question.

“All those stories you hear are probably from people on the wrong side,” Liam said.

“The wrong side?” Claire frowned.

“I’ve mentioned it a few times,” Liam told the woodsman, “Lady Beaumont has, as well. You’re a part of the aristocratic establishment now. Well, Reed and his gang were born into the establishment as members of tenant households, but they left it for a while when they worked for the Eight Fingers. To top it off, you’re all retainers of the Countess. That means you’re part of the collective ‘face’ of House Beaumont, which is sworn to House Blumrush.”

“Does it truly mean that much?” The Maid asked.

“Of course it does,” Liam answered. “The power of the nobility comes from the united front they put up against threats to that power. House Blumrush’s current priority is to rebuild the city and they need the support of their vassals to do it. That’s why Lady Beaumont went along with the special reconstruction levy. By declaring her support for House Blumrush, House Blumrush has to treat her as a friend and that makes things a lot easier for us while the city’s completely under their control. If they don’t, she can use their treatment to justify withdrawing her support and that would affect how the other houses in the territory interact with Lord Reginald.”

“Your explanation is giving me a headache,” Reed said. “So, basically, House Blumrush is treatin’ us friendly ‘cause we’re goin’ along with their plans and they won’t try anything funny for now ‘cause that might screw ‘em.”

“Pretty much,” Liam replied. “Also, since we’re on House Blumrush’s side, their enemies are our enemies…and Nobles will continue to compete with one another in ways that won’t rock the boat.”

“…right. Didn’t I just mention this is givin’ me a headache? Y’know, for someone who grew up in some shithole of a town, you sure know a lot about this stuff. They don’t even suspect you’re not one of ‘em.”

“I guess it does seem strange,” Liam admitted. “I guess a lot of my work involves Nobles in some way. Maybe that’s why I got this assignment.”

It wasn’t just a product of his work experience, of course. Ijaniya’s training included how to infiltrate all sorts of organisations for any conceivable mission he might undertake. Then there was the fact that he had just so happened to fall into the laps of four ‘big sisters’ who were all noblewomen.

The wagon slowed as it approached the front of the Adventurer Guild. A quick scan of their surroundings revealed more than one set of armsmen and several groups of plainclothes men looking curiously in their direction.

“Not in the front,” Liam said.

“Eh?”

“We don’t know how long this will take. Taking up the front for too long might annoy people.”

“Alright.”

Reed guided the wagon into a side street. Liam noted the annoyed expressions in the plaza as their vehicle disappeared around the corner.

“Bring us closer to the back entrance,” Liam said.

“There’s a back entrance?” Reed asked.

“It should be in that alley up ahead,” Liam answered. “Big buildings always have at least one utility entrance.”

“Were those folks watching us that big of a deal?”

“Who knows,” Liam shrugged. “The point is we need to make people work for their information. Set a couple of men at the entrance to the plaza, two at the entrance to the alley, and eight to block the side leading to the rest of the city. Don’t get too close to the armsmen there. Everyone else can loiter around the wagon to block any distant views of our cargo. Remember the faces of anyone that still tries to figure out what we’re carrying despite our setup.”

“What if a patrol comes around?”

“Then they come around. Don’t give them any excuses to inspect our stuff. Oh, and don’t feather any thief-takers that show up on the rooftops.”

The positioning of their escort implied that they were wary of the ‘riff-raff’ stocking their noses in House Beaumont’s business. Practically speaking, it kept almost anyone from observing them without interacting with the woodsmen. Their only weakness was observation from above.

As Reed went to carry out his instructions, Liam turned to Claire, who was visibly steeling herself for her task.

“Ready to go?” Liam asked.

“No,” Claire answered. “I’ve never done something this big before.”

“It’s a routine thing,” Liam told her. “The Adventurer Guild staff will have done it thousands of times.”

“But I haven’t done it at all…”

Liam held out his hand to the nervous Maid. She wouldn’t let go after he helped her down, so they ended up going into the guild’s main entrance hand-in-hand. To Liam’s chagrin, those within didn’t miss their awkward entrance. He shook his hand free to pull back the hood of his mantle. Claire followed suit.

There are more people here than I thought there’d be.

There were no Adamantite-ranked individuals, of course, as Blue Rose was based in the capital and Red Drop operated in the northwest. He couldn’t see any Orichalcum tags either, but there were at least four Mithril teams present and two dozen lower-ranked teams sitting at the tables and benches furnishing the hall. Judging by their visible equipment, every team was specialised for operations on the densely forested frontier. At least one member of each team casually eyed their progress through the building.

“…representatives from House Beaumont? Welcome. How may the Adventurer Guild assist you?”

It took a moment to realise that the smiling receptionist at the front counter was addressing him.

Well, that was a stupid oversight.

Claire was officially the only member of the Countess’ civilian staff, but the receptionist didn’t know that. Since Liam had come along with her, he had become the ‘footman’ in charge of conducting House Beaumont’s business.

“We have materials to assess and sell,” Liam said. “Our wagon is parked near the alley.”

“Understood,” the receptionist replied. “I must inform you that the Adventurer Guild charges a service fee for both the assessment of goods and acting as a neutral participant facilitating sales to the relevant parties. Those parties may also demand a fee depending on how difficult your requests are to fulfil. Does House Beaumont find this acceptable?”

“Have the fees changed since the fire?” Liam asked.

“No.”

“Very well,” Liam said. “We’ll be waiting outside.”

Back outside, they found that the drizzle that had accompanied them on their trip to the Adventurer Guild had intensified into a downpour that sent streams of water pouring off the tiled rooftops. It was a blessing that greatly reduced visibility, but no one appeared to be particularly pleased about it. Liam hoped it would give them the excuse to move their stuff out of sight entirely.

“That receptionist seemed prickly for some reason,” Claire said. “Did I do something wrong?”

“Probably not,” Liam replied. “That’s just how the Adventurer Guild is. They insist on being recognised as an independent organisation, so they act like they’re the ones in control whenever they can.”

“It just felt rude to me,” the Maid said.

“It doesn’t matter so long as we get what we came for,” Liam said.

If he were to guess, the nature of the Azerlisian Marches also influenced the behaviour of the Adventurer Guild. The way that the receptionist addressed them suggested that they expected trouble from House Beaumont if they gave them any wiggle room whatsoever. Whether that was because they had a history with them or it was due to their experience with the local aristocrats in general, he couldn’t tell.

“What happened?” Reed asked.

“The receptionist was just being uptight,” Liam answered. “We’re waiting for them to send someone to us now. Anything interesting going on out here?”

The woodsman glanced at the eaves overhead.

“We had a fellow in Blumrush colours watching us from the roof over there,” Reed said. “He made himself scarce when it started to pour.”

What a lazy guy.

If that was the quality of his ‘opposition’ then he had little to fear. He had fully expected teams of experienced agents to contend with since he was dealing with one of Re-Estize’s Great Nobles. Then again, considering the amount of cost-cutting House Blumrush displayed, it might have been an overestimation on his part.

“Someone’s comin’,” one of Reed’s men called out.

A minute later, a middle-aged man adorned in eye-catching finery came from the direction of the plaza, sheltered by a parasol being carried by a boy slightly older than Liam. The rain failed to wash away the scent of perfume that preceded the pair.

“Pierre Ulenieu,” the middle-aged man said as he stuck out his hand.

The man was clearly addressing Liam, so he took his hand and gave it a firm shake.

“Liam. House Beaumont.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Mister Liam.”

“And you, Mister Ulenieu. The weather’s taken a turn for the worse, so would you prefer to continue our business inside?”

“Took the words right out of my mouth,” Pierre grinned. “I was born and raised here, but the rain’s still a bit much for me.”

“Then I’ll have my people move the goods once you secure a private room in the Adventurer Guild,” Liam said.

“I’ll send my Apprentice to guide you to the back entrance once we’re ready,” Pierre said.

With that, Pierre and his Apprentice rushed back up the way they came. Reed frowned at their retreating backs.

“That guy’s a Merchant,” the woodsman said. “I thought they’re supposed to be our enemies…or is he a smuggler?”

“I don’t think smugglers wear so much perfume that you could track them by scent alone,” Liam said. “That guy’s probably from the Merchant Guild. I doubt the Guilds would approve of him dealing with us. The Adventurer Guild probably chose a guy they knew would be willing to break the rules, and that guy knows other guys who will also break the rules. That’ll probably cost us extra, but they’re the ones who will be in trouble if they get caught.”

“So…a smuggler?”

Liam smiled despite himself.

“Pretty much,” he said. “The difference is that House Blumrush would probably confiscate this cargo if they caught someone smuggling it. The Guilds might send Assassins instead.”

“That can’t be true,” Claire shivered. “Why would anyone be killed over something like this?”

“Well, if you consider what’s going on right now,” Liam said, “breaking solidarity is basically treason. Traitors are executed, yeah?”

The pitter-patter of the rain filled the silence as everyone stared at him. Was it something that he said?