Chapter 18

  The next day, Drakkel received one important piece of information, one letter, and one invitation to meet. The information that Fargos had gathered was that the demonic artifact was going to be transferred to a guarded post near the palace as the fortress had become a target for the demons. The letter was from Master Som and it read,

  My Dear Sylas.

  I hope this finds you well. I am writing to make sure you weren't too uncomfortable after last night's activities. I heard you had to leave early for work. I wanted to let you know that the night was quite exciting for me as well. Even today, my legs are still sore and a pleasant feeling won’t leave me. If you ever want to go out with me again, I would not say no. Remember, my offer is still up for consideration!

  With Love,

  Som

  Upon reading it, Drakkel’s stomach turned. He crumpled up the paper and crushed it, using his demonic energy to destroy it.

  But in the next moment, a wide smile spread on his face.

  The tingling feeling in that man’s lower regions was the feeling of his manhood withering away. The pill that Drakkel had given him was retrieved from Lif by Fargos when he asked Illia's lieutenant to attack the fortress with a group of demons. It would first give a person vivid pleasant and erotic dreams, then a delightful tingling sensation would appear in their nether regions. Some days after, they would find that they couldn't get it up. Being a genius in medicine, Lif could create many medicinal concoctions. Among all the medicine practitioners, perhaps only Taliyah Raven could have matched his skill.

  With the thought of her, a pang of sadness traveled through Drakkel's heart. But he ignored it and moved on to other matters.

  An invitation was sent over from Lior Gaunlet requesting his presence in a few days. They were to meet at Ril Lita’s home which was located near the Lita Family’s main manor and Drakkel was to come alone.

  Among the main branch of the Lita Family, there was the oldest child, Ril Lita's sister, Rulo Lita, who married the Emperor, the middle child and eldest son, Gian Lita, then the youngest Ril Lita. Because he wasn't set to inherit the family business and title, Ril Lita was assigned odd jobs by the Emperor through his sister. When he wasn't working for the Emperor, he would spend his free time with scholarly pursuits or hanging around with Lior Gaunlet. Because they were both close to the Emperor and spent a lot of time together, most knew them to be good friends. As Drakkel was close enough to see them interact with each other, he thought there was more to it. This was only solidified when he arrived at Ril Lita's home and saw the two enjoying a conversation together.

  They were close. So close that Lior Gaunlet even had an arm wrapped around Ril Lita's shoulder and was leaning towards him, laughing about something he just said.

  Drakkel cleared his throat to get their attention.

  Ril Lita unabashedly removed himself from Lior Gaunlet’s hold and stood up. “Sylas! It’s good that you could make it! I apologize if the manor isn’t to your liking. I’m afraid I didn’t have time to prepare much.”

  Drakkel was in awe of this man. His manor was made of fine wood and embellished with gold. Colorful pastries, delicacies that could only be seen in the palace, sat in plates on the table, piled high. With such a lavish arrangement, how could Ril Lita still be so humble?

  Drakkel then observed the man’s look. He smiled widely but he appeared a bit nervous.

  Maybe he wasn’t used to seeing people who didn't desire at least this much.

  He really needed to extend his circle of acquaintances.

  “The setup is more than appropriate, Young Lord Lita, but, I'm afraid I won’t be partaking. Instead, I would like to get right down to business. Why exactly was I called?”

  Still sitting on his seat, but now supporting his head with a hand on the armrest, Lior Gaunlet took over. “I hear you’ve been spending a lot of time with the merchant Som and his cohorts. Since it’s been a while, I'm just checking in on your progress. Have you found anything on them yet?”

  Drakkel didn’t yet want to reveal that he had actually already retrieved all the evidence that Ril Lita and Lior Gaunlet would need, lest the men take them in before Drakkel got what he wanted.

  “Almost. If I could just get them away from their manors for a day, I can finish up and report the information to you.” Drakkel replied calmly.

  Lior Gaunlet’s narrow-eyed expression extended into a smirk. “That’s good! The perfect opportunity is actually right around the corner.”

  He threw a rolled up piece of paper to Drakkel and Drakkel purposefully failed to catch it.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  He did this because at the speed at which it was thrown, no ordinary person could hope to receive it. Drakkel still had to keep up appearances after all.

  The paper dropped behind him and with feigned concern, Lior Gaunlet said, “Sorry about that. I forgot my own strength.”

  Drakkel shrugged. “It’s no issue.” A smile played on his face as he continued, “I hear some low-level Sword Fighters struggle with that. Being an expert, you’re sure to master your own skill in no time.”

  Lior Gaunlet’s expression, which had extended into a small smile before, fell and twitched in annoyance as Drakkel calmly went to pick up the fallen paper.

  The tension in the room was high now. As if he felt it, Ril Lita stepped in. “Sorry about that, Sylas. He likes to tease people sometimes. I’ll make sure to talk to him.”

  With the paper in hand, Drakkel gave Ril Lita a warm smile. “No need. A grown adult like him. I’m sure he doesn’t need to be reminded of what's right and wrong. I mean, advice is for adults and discipline is for children! You shouldn’t treat him like the latter!”

  Lior Gaunlet stood up and loudly made a sound, hmph!

  He swung his arms around and placed his hands behind his back. “You should be careful, Sylas. Your intimate affairs with Merchant Som have already reached the public! Should someone with such a reputation be rebuking me?”

  Drakkel laughed. “First, you know exactly why my reputation is the way it is. Second, what is reputation?”

  He took a step closer to Lior Gaunlet. “Where I come from, reputation isn't everything. How do you think our ruler managed to conquer her court while yours remains a slave to his own!”

  “How dare you!” Lior Gaunlet spat.

  He walked closer to Drakkel and continued. “You may be a visitor here, but you will not be allowed to speak ill of our Emperor!”

  Drakkel's face was relaxed as Lior Gaunlet yelled at him. But someone else couldn’t take it.

  “He doesn’t understand, Lior! Don’t bully him!” Ril Lita yelled.

  “Yes, you shouldn’t bully me.” Drakkel mocked.

  Lior Gaunlet’s body tensed up and his mouth formed a grimace. His eyes reddened with rage as he instinctively grabbed the front of Drakkel's robe.

  Just as he was about to beat him, someone had placed a hand on his arm.

  He slowly shifted his head to the side.

  Upon seeing Ril Lita’s worried expression he clenched his raised hand into a fist. His face scrunched up for a moment, then he took a breath, released Drakkel, and walked back to his seat.

  Once he was seated, Ril Lita stated, “Sylas, Lior called you here to check on your progress and I wanted to invite you to my sister’s celebration of increasing her rank and becoming a named consort. There will be nobles, scholars amongst whom is the younger brother of the Clan Leader of the High Mountain Glaive Clan, and even a special guest from the Golden Peak Swords Clan in attendance. Seeing as how you’ve helped us so much so far, I thought I would give you a chance to make connections in return.” He slightly bowed his head and in a guilty tone, added, “Also, I'm sorry that you were treated in such an unrespectable manner. I will make it up to you when I see you next.”

  Drakkel was impressed at the guest list, but something more intriguing caught his attention. He glanced around and saw an interesting expression upon Lior Gaunlet’s face. His eyes were slightly twitching and a glower was forming upon his lips. He tried to pretend he didn’t care, but Drakkel could see. After what had happened, he really wanted to poke fun at the man. He actually was more interesting than he originally thought.

  “Ril…” Drakkel stepped up to the man and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. If one were to look now, they would be the picture of friendship. One might think there was a deep camaraderie between the two. “What is repayment between friends? Besides, I wasn’t offended at all! Everyone knows Lior Gaunlet has a hot temperament. Making him mad is like adding oil to a fire, one couldn’t be surprised if they were burned as a result!”

  Seeing that neither he nor Ril Lita were addressed by their proper titles, Lior Gaunlet was fuming.

  Ril Lita answered, “I’m grateful for your understanding, Sylas. If you like, when not in public, it's fine to call me Ril.”

  Drakkel smiled and looked to the side. When his eyes landed on Lior Gaunlet, It was like watching a volcano about to go off. He wanted to continue, but decided against it. it would be too much trouble to deal with the aftermath.

  Drakkel stepped back and bowed. “I thank you for inviting me to your nice home, but I have to take my leave now.”

  “You won’t even take some pastries along?” Ril Lita asked with concern.

  Upon looking at the sweet-scented pastries that laid on the table, Drakkel’s eyes narrowed. “I’m afraid I don’t eat things that are too sweet.”

  “Then you can take them back and give them to your assistants if you would like.” Drakkel was about to push back more when he realized something. Ril Lita was persistent. Perhaps he wouldn’t let him go without something in his hands. It might have been some sort of noble custom. To save his face, Drakkel stated, “Then I’ll accept them. In fact, may I have them all?”

  At this Ril Lita brightened up. “Of course! I will have someone wrap them up for you. You can either wait here or in your carriage.”

  Drakkel took another glance at Lior Gaunlet.

  Returning his gaze to Ril Lita, he said, “If you don’t mind, I would like to wait in my carriage. I’m afraid someone can’t stand my presence any longer and I don’t wish to see you two fight over me.”

  At that moment, Lior Gaunlet’s thoughts were written all over his face, fight over you? As if!

  Ril Lita glanced at Lior Gaunlet whose angry expression was only growing angrier. After a moment, he turned back to Drakkel and bowed. “I’m very sorry about this.”

  Drakkel waved a hand in the air to show that Ril Lita shouldn’t think much of it and thanked him one more time before walking away.

  As he walked, he could feel the murderous gaze of another trained on his back.

  If he stayed a moment longer, he felt as if someone would try to remove his head from his body.

  Drakkel waited in the carriage for Ril Lita’s servants to arrive with the pastries, then he made his way back to the inn.

  Upon arriving, he handed some out to the demons who liked sweets, then had the rest brought to Palta Stone’s shop for the embroiderers.

  When he returned to his room, he stared at the invitation.

  In a few days, Gian Lita would host a party in the main manor to celebrate his sister’s new rank. By then, Drakkel would capture each of the three merchants he was in contact with and get the information he needed.

  Then he would promptly make his escape.