Alkimas Workshop (4)
Vark clutched his chest with trembling hands as blood poured from the wound. Watching the situation unfold, Velia finally recovered his composure enough to speak.
"I apologize for the discourtesy. Please show us mercy, Sir Akin."
The atmosphere was such that anyone who failed to bow their head might well lose it. Even Velia — a man whose influence stretched across the entire north — meant nothing before the authority of the Lord's Castle.
And the knight who had cut Vark down in a single stroke was none other than Akin Cradel, Vice Commander of the Ironblood Knights. Velia had sensed from the moment such a figure appeared in person that something extraordinary was afoot, but the words that had come from the knight's mouth exceeded anything he could have imagined.
The Lord's command? But why...
Why would the newly ascended 7th Lord be seeking him and Scarlet, master of the workshop? Hadn't the Lord only arrived in the city yesterday? Even more incomprehensible was the Vice Commander's demeanor. Anyone could see he was high-handed toward Velia's party, yet he treated Scarlet with conspicuous courtesy.
Velia felt a growing unease — a sense that something had gone terribly, fundamentally wrong.
The Vice Commander sheathed his blade without so much as a glance at the fallen Vark and took his place at Scarlet's side.
"We will depart at once."
The way he positioned himself was almost that of an escort. Scarlet, flustered, looked back at Tein and the elders.
"W-why are you taking the workshop master...?"
One of the elders had spoken without thinking, then clapped his mouth shut in alarm. After what had just happened to Vark for a single word of protest, it was only natural. This time, however, the Vice Commander answered in a courteous tone.
"Have no concern. His Lordship himself instructed us to escort the workshop master with all due respect. I assure you, no harm will come of it."
"..."
The elders had no choice but to accept it in silence. They had no more idea than anyone else why the 7th Lord would summon their master — but neither could they stand in the knights' way.
"S-Sister."
Tein staggered to his feet, clutching his arm. Scarlet saw this and was about to speak to the Vice Commander when another elder stepped forward.
"Go, Master. Don't worry about us. We'll see to Young Master Tein's arm at once..."
She hesitated, then nodded.
Knights took positions on either side of Scarlet, and more approached Velia. He let out a small sigh and looked back at Vark, who had managed to rise unsteadily to his feet.
"See to your wound."
And so the two of them were led by the knights straight to the Lord's Castle.
Scarlet passed through the main gate of the Lord's Castle and into the inner keep, looking around with a tense expression. The knights standing watch throughout the grounds radiated a severity so sharp it seemed it might cut just to look at them — and it was all utterly unfamiliar. As a mere outsider, she had never had any occasion to set foot this deep inside the castle.
When they reached the massive central building, an elderly butler was waiting at the entrance. He bowed his head to Scarlet in greeting.
"I am Ploto, the Head Butler. His Lordship is waiting. Please allow me to escort you at once."
He then glanced once at Velia before turning and leading the way. They passed through a long, wide corridor and up a flight of stairs, arriving at the highest floor of the building. Upon reaching the central hall of the top floor, they found a man seated in a chair, examining something, with a female knight standing behind him.
"...?"
A flicker of confusion and bewilderment crossed Scarlet's face. It was only natural — she recognized both of them. They were the unidentified customers who had visited the workshop that morning and purchased a Scarlet Potion, paying three platinum coins as if it were pocket change. And now they were here... doing what, exactly?
"Your Lordship."
Ploto bowed as he spoke. Scarlet stared at the man, her expression going blank. A conversation she'd had with Tein flashed through her mind — a half-joking exchange about the newly ascended 7th Lord.
"As you commanded, I have brought Scarlet, master of the workshop, and Velia, head of the merchant group."
He set down whatever he'd been examining, slowly turned his head toward them, and looked at Scarlet as he spoke.
"We meet again so soon, Workshop Master."
Only then did Scarlet grasp the full picture. She stood dazed for a moment before belatedly bowing her head.
"It is an honor... to be in the presence of the 7th Lord."
He then turned his gaze to the man beside her. Velia dared not meet his eyes, hastily bowing his head in greeting.
"To be granted an audience with the 7th Lord is the honor of a lifetime..."
The voice cut him off, ringing through the hall. That indifferent, ice-cold tone made Velia feel as though his heart had frozen solid. He had pieced it together by now — why the 7th Lord had summoned him and Scarlet together. The knights who had treated her with respect while remaining high-handed toward his party, and the way the Lord now spoke as if they were already acquainted...
Seized by a terror and sense of crisis unlike anything he had ever known, Velia desperately worked his mind, searching for the best possible answer. Then he dropped to his knees.
"I have committed a crime worthy of death, my Lord."
The hall fell silent. Velia kept his head pressed to the floor, waiting for a response. After a moment, the 7th Lord spoke again.
"Of what?"
"I coveted the secret arts and labor of the Alkimas Workshop, and employed every manner of filthy scheme against it. I obstructed the flow of materials, coaxed the workshop's clients away one by one, and — as I did today — threatened the workshop master and her elders."
Velia confessed his crimes in a smooth, unbroken stream. This was a man who had built a great merchant empire from nothing, armed with nothing but his wits and a nose for money. No matter how he turned it over, this was the method most likely to let him walk out of this hall alive. The Lord would know everything anyway.
Scarlet, standing beside him, looked down at the man with a faintly incredulous expression. The 7th Lord turned to her.
"So he says, Workshop Master."
"Ah... yes."
"What do you want from the merchant group?"
Scarlet's eyes met Velia's. He looked up at her with an expression of utter desperation.
"Workshop Master, please forgive me. I formally apologize for everything I have done, and I will make thorough restitution in whatever manner you see fit. I swear an oath that I will never again let greed blind me into working filthy schemes against the workshop."
Scarlet looked at him with a complicated expression as he pleaded, even raising his speech to a formal register. Then she let out a small sigh and nodded.
"...All right. For now."
She too found the situation sudden and bewildering. What else was there to say? The merchant lord was contemptible enough to make her teeth grind — but she had no desire to demand his head.
And just like that, the matter ended with an almost anticlimactic ease. The 7th Lord looked down at Velia.
"..."
"You may go."
Trembling, Velia rose from the floor, bowed his head, and followed Ploto out of the hall with a face drained of all color.
Left alone, Scarlet stood there, still looking dazed. The 7th Lord regarded her.
"You're wondering why I would help the workshop."
"...Yes, I am."
The merchant group's harassment, which had plagued her for so long, had been resolved in an instant by a single word from the Lord. It felt almost unreal. She was profoundly grateful — but she could not begin to fathom what motive he had for extending such help.
"The reason is simple. Your talent as an alchemist caught my eye."
"...?"
"The potion you crafted from your secret arts was quite impressive. I want you to devote yourself further to your research, so that talent of yours can bloom even more fully than it has. That's why I cleared away the nuisances around you."
Scarlet's expression only grew more puzzled.
"So what Your Lordship is saying is... that you showed me this kindness simply because you think highly of my ability, without wanting anything in particular from me?"
"That's right."
"..."
"If that doesn't make sense to you, think of it as a debt. There may come a time when I have need of your abilities. You can consider this help an investment toward that day."
To Scarlet, that explanation sounded even stranger. Could a Lord — of all people — ever have need of help from a mere alchemist like herself?
"If you have no further questions, you may go."
Dismissed, Scarlet was silent for a moment, then bowed her head deeply.
"I have received a truly great kindness. Should the day ever come when Your Lordship has need of my abilities, as you said... I will do everything in my power to be of help."
Having made her farewell, Scarlet followed Ploto — who had returned — out of the hall. She thought to herself that the new 7th Lord was a truly inscrutable man.
Having sent the two of them away, I finished the tea I'd been drinking.
His instincts are filthy sharp, I'll give him that.
The image of Velia dropping to his knees without a moment's hesitation brought a snort of laughter to my lips. Coming in that low from the start and spilling a full confession had rendered all the investigation I'd done on the merchant group completely unnecessary. The whole conversation hadn't even taken a few minutes.
At any rate, the workshop problem was settled. Velia now knew I was connected to it, so he wouldn't be insane enough to show any further ambition there — and I'd established a connection with Scarlet as well.
Of course, I had no immediate need of her abilities. But if I kept forming ties, one by one, with the NPCs who'd appeared as allies in the game, it might come back as a great help at some unexpected moment.
So now, what's left...
I folded my arms and looked again at the map I'd set down on the desk. There wasn't all that much time left until the next Lords' Council. The sooner I left, the better — I needed to find the next Mystery and leave the castle...
It's the route that's giving me trouble.
My top priority right now was to collect every Mystery located within Calderic's territory. And among those, what I needed most was a defensive ability. That made acquiring the Immovable Barrier my confirmed first priority — but I still hadn't firmly decided on the route after that. I'd be traveling across the whole of Calderic, so it paid to be careful.
"My Lord."
I was still turning it over when Ploto, the Head Butler, returned and called to me. I'd assumed he had something left to say about the workshop or the merchant group. What came out of his mouth was something else entirely.
"A guest has arrived."
"...?"
"The 4th Lord has come to the castle. He says he wishes to see you briefly."
I barely managed not to spit out the tea I was drinking, and slowly set the cup down.
...Who just showed up?