The room they brought Alexis to was quieter than she expected, and so was the conversation.
"Can I ask how your clan is doing in the empire?"
She had walked in still operating on the assumption she understood what this meeting was about. That question dissolved it.
"You don't have to feel pressured," Alice added from beside Ashen, her voice carrying a gentleness that Alexis hadn't anticipated from someone with that quality of composure. "If you'd rather not answer, we won't push."
"No." Alexis shook her head. "It isn't a secret, particularly."
"Before we go further then, we didn't quite catch your name in the meeting."
"Alexis." She found her voice dropping into a softer register without deciding to. Something about the proximity of this woman had that effect; it was like sitting near a big sister or a close relative. "And you, I already know. Alice, and the lord."
"Ashen," he offered.
She nodded. "I'm glad to meet you both properly."
She cleared her throat. "As for my clan… it simply doesn't exist anymore."
A brief silence followed that.
"...Doesn't exist," Ashen repeated, testing whether they'd heard correctly.
"After the death of our last queen, Aurenne, and our entire army, the clan at home didn't survive what followed. Queen Aurenne fell to the Narkals, two hundred years ago, along with the forces she led. When that news reached the empire, our rivals saw their opening."
"It seems like the empire is not as united as they look after all.' Ashen thought.
Upon second thought, the revelation was reasonable. Humanity as a single race struggled to avoid conflicts. So how would a coalition of diverse races with different cultures and traditions fare?
Alexis offered a faint, bitter smile, already aware of the thoughts flickering behind their eyes. "Our clan held considerable influence, but influence and enemies tend to accumulate together. Queen Aurenne was the clan's guardian and its last line. When she was gone, and the army with her, there was no defense left. It was only a matter of time."
"...I'm sorry for making you remember such a tragedy." Alice took her hand and consoled her soothingly.
Alexis was finding more and more comfort in her presence. She unconsciously leaned in, "It's fine… back then, I was in the empire's capital, so I was spared, unlike the rest of my brethren."
"Does that mean that you are the last foxkin alive?" Ashen asked, and Alice shot him a look for his insensitivity.
"No. There are at least a dozen still around, but you can say that I became the most successful among us." Alexis didn't seem to mind and answered him with a smile.
By now, she had long realized that the duo was really curious about her clan's circumstances, not lusting over her. embarrassment slowly surged through her, but she didn't dare show it outwardly.
"Miss Alexis." Alice's tone stayed warm. "Thank you for sharing this. Your companions are probably wondering where you've gone. We'll speak more another time."
"Of course." Alexis stood, offered a small bow, and left.
…
Ashen watched the fox woman leave, lost in thought.
"What's on your mind?" Alice's voice brought him back.
"Hmm… don't you find this whole thing fishy?"
"Of course." She spoke as a matter of course. "For one, their timing is too suspicious. We were having trouble with the procurement of weapons, and they brought dwarves just like that."
"...Not to mention that," Ashen added, hinting at the Mithril mine.
"Yes, that can only bring out its full use with dwarves in play. What's more, they are suspiciously docile. "
"Yeah… 'we are not making demands, just requests' he says… like that would fly, coming from a mighty empire toward a budding territory like ours," Ashen added sarcastically.
"Then why did you easily accept their proposal?" Alice tilted her head.
"That's easy. No matter how dubious their motives are, the proposal itself is eminently beneficial for us."
"Hmm… A wise fish takes the bait, yet leaves the hook to starve. Is that it?"
"That's my lovely girl, you understand me best." He smiled, "We just have to be wise fish."
"Uh huh. We're playing with fire." Alice didn't look particularly worried despite saying that.
"They already came onto us. If we want to have a chance of knowing their motives, our best bet is to be proactive. If we played it safe and rejected their proposal, who knows what other plans they might come up with?" Ashen explained.
"True. At least, this way, we have the territorial advantage." Alice agreed.
By inviting them willingly, they can observe them as much as they were observed. Ashen just had to guard the Mithril mine's location and slowly investigate their purpose in the meantime.
"That tigerkin… he might be a breakthrough point."
"How so?" Alice did not follow.
"He looks like the guy who would visit a brothel first thing. Let's call Bonnie. Maybe we will have a surprise," he smirked.
"Oh. " It's a simple plan, but that could work," she raised an eyebrow. There were no drawbacks, so she naturally agreed.
⛧
⛧
⛧
The plan met a wall within the first day.
The tigerkin, as it turned out, had found his own preferred destination the moment the convoy settled in, and it had nothing to do with the territory's available entertainment. He was in and out of Alexis's room with exemplary dedication.
After that particular development, Bonnie was a non-starter.
Thankfully, aside from that, the agreement went unexpectedly smoothly. Extremely so, and suspiciously so.
The dwarfs worked diligently, pumping out weapons the soldiers could only dream of obtaining otherwise.
Aside from that, the plan drawn by Alice for the infrastructure of the territory was progressing at an astonishing pace, with the addition of the dwarven folk.
Paying them had required creativity since human currency wasn't the relevant medium, but the material exchanges Ashen improvised had landed well enough, and the dwarves seemed content.
Though he wasn't complaining. The efficiency of those little guys left him utterly satisfied for any whining to surface.
Either way, that didn't make him let his guard down. Every movement of the demihuman convoy was constantly under his supervision.
Daily reports arrived at his desk, detailing their interaction and activities. But instead of making things clear, that only plunged him into even more confusion.
"This is perfect… a bit too perfect. What am I missing?"
What he failed to consider was simple: their motive was nothing more than to earn his goodwill.
But to him, the idea that a behemoth like the empire would go out of its way to cater to someone like him was laughable. And so, for now, Ashen remained trapped in his own confusion
Tok…Tok..
The knock was unnecessary; he already knew who it was. Seraphine's warm mana signature was as clear as the sun to his senses.
"Sera, come in."
"Alright!" The cheery voice arrived before she did.
Seraphine followed with an equally cheerful expression.
"Ash! I missed you!"