"Sounds like a trap." As soon as Monty and Lumine exited the eting room, Regalia voiced her concern about this eting with the strange twin elites. Anxiously tapping her feet beside Raven, she stared at his back while everyone around the round table stared at her. "’Co follow us alone in this new and unfamiliar city’, if that’s not a setup for a trap, then I don’t know what is."
"I already used the sword of judgnt on the twins," resting his hand on the desk, Adith tapped it a few tis with his index finger. "I asked them if they want to hurt us or if they will lead to sothing that will hurt us. Their answer was no, and the sword didn’t injure them beyond a simple cut. If they were lying, its skill would’ve killed them on the spot."
"Has that sword ever actually killed soone? How do we know that it even works?" Regalia asked, her eyes narrow at the blade dangling by Adith’s side.
Raising his hand, Raven broke the quarrel before it could root further. Looking around at his party mbers and the rest of the crowd gathered within the eting room inside the first Trident, he tried to assess everyone’s ability to handle this situation. Helga and Regalia were both unfit for such a mission, and the sa held true for Maria due to her volatile nature. Alia and Ophelia were far more promising for diplomatic talks, but a lack of true combat prowess disqualified them as well.
The monster girls, including Riyanzah and Seraphim, were also out of the question. Victor couldn’t be sent too far from the ships either, leaving only a handful of other options, which were far from ideal. Most of them would act as bodyguards to the lone person capable of handling nobility. Although, while staring at them, she picked up on Raven’s idea, but wasn’t too happy about it.
"Dealing with another pompous pair of nobles?" Scoffing at the thought, the Red Madam rolled her eyes. "Oh, please, young master Phrodite, I would rather graze on frosted blades of grass that would cut my tongue off the appendage."
"I would go myself, but I suspect that this eting is a distraction to get my main crew and away from the Tridents. If I go and sohow the teleportation thod is blocked again, like the ti Athenia was attacked, we might only return to a pile of bodies or worse–seven thousand horrors with these ships themselves turned into one." Upon hearing his reason, a new sense of dread washed all expression off everyone’s faces. They hadn’t thought so in-depth about this eting, and that showed in itself how Raven’s instinct, aided by a silver of Nightsilver, set him apart from the rest.
"There’s another reason I want it to be you and not soone else," reaching into his pocket, Raven produced the red devil’s potion and placed it on the table. "You will have to drink this. It should ensure that death won’t greet you today, and if it does, you won’t die, and the one who tried to kill you will have to pay. As for the reason itself..."
Glancing around the room once more, Raven studied everyone’s attire and mannerisms. So were as crude as they could be, others were dressed for the job and not for appearances, and then there were a handful like the Red Madam, the Mistress, and Robin, dressed sensibly with their clothes reflecting their stature or upbringing.
"I want you to leave an impression on these ’elites’." Bringing his attention back to the Madam, he leaned forward in his chair with his fingers intertwined. "I want you to make them realize that we’re not just a band of adventurers anymore or a blood-crazed general, but a legion with diplomats, soldiers, and then the blood-crazed general and his companions. Open the doors of options and make them squirm as they’re forced to choose. I do not wanna kill everyone, but every ti we set foot in these places, soone sohow tries to drag us into a battle."
Looking at the Mistress, he leaned back again.
"And with the Mistress on your side, along with the bodyguards I will be assigning you–I want you to be the ssenger of house ’Phrodite. The less I show up to these places myself, the greater chance we have of swaying the people and their rulers to our side." Sliding the potion in the Madam’s direction, Raven wore a faint and sowhat eerie smile. "We are a walking castle, a kingdom of flying soldiers, and every kingdom needs a ssenger–and your tongue, Madam, is as sharp as your clipping scissors."
Considering it all with her eyes staring right back at the hero, the madam could see what Raven was trying to do. His presence and that of his companions were bound to unnerve the citizens of any kingdom that they visit, especially with all sorts of rumors about them floating about as being these mindless brutes that kill everything and everyone. Thus, if the people instead saw an aged lady of her posture and tongue, accompanied by the lesser servant of the ’crazed hero’, perhaps then they would be more inclined to see their etings throughout freaking out at the re glance of the enemy.
"Well, I thought I had left my dealings with nobles behind. But if such is your wish and such is how I can serve aboard this vessel, then so shall it be." Bringing her right hand in front of her face, the Red Madam stared at a bejeweled ring on her ring finger. "Ti to dress for the occasion. Do pick a fine line of bodyguards, master Phordite, because I do not intend to die at the hands of so nobles."
"Is that a flicker of my old friend Valentina I spy?" Shooting a sharp glance at the Mistress as she addressed the Red Madam with her true na, Valentina squinted deeply. "Sorceress O’Hare, Mistress of the throat slitting thread~."
"You call that again, and I might try and brush up my skills against you foul demon wench," the Madam shot back.
Confused by their interaction, Raven turned his head towards Helga, but even the Valkyrie appeared to be at a loss. Shrugging her shoulders, she relayed her own bewildernt over the matter.
"In any case," slamming his open palm on the table, Raven brought everyone’s attention back to him. "Take the potion and keep it close. Drink it if you feel like you’re about to stub your toe; do not take any chances. In case everything goes smoothly, you teleport back to this ship. But if it does not fight and if you still can, teleport back while the bodyguards do their duty."
"What if those elites do not want to talk to , and they still ask for you to be present?" The madam asked, to which Raven extended a hand towards the Mistress.
"Then she will help you." Looking at the succubus, Raven spoke in short but concise sentences. "Illusion magic. Rember, we’re working together now. Do not make a ss, and don’t use your powers to manipulate potential allies. It does not work–Mono made that clear for ."
"As you say, my liege," laughing at her own words, the Mistress waved dismissively at Raven. "I won’t ss up, don’t worry."
"I wish I could believe you on your word alone, Mistress." To his words, the Mistress chuckled so more.
For the rest of the eting, Raven picked Madam’s bodyguards and assigned them different duties. A few hours had already passed since Monty and Lumine’s return from the city, but it would be a little longer before the convoy to Alliance was ready. Not because they were too long with their preparations, but because Raven had ordered certain arrangents to be made for the envoy’s trip.
Enough of being seen as just a group of adventurers or a simple army. And to et that end, the port city of Alliance was in for a lavish treat.
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