"You should take this chance to leave at the back of the army. This doesn't involve you or your friends." Magar said to Chronos.
"We're coming with you Magar." Chronos firmly stated, his voice leaving no room for argument.
Nodding Magar led them down the platform and out of the army.
Following him were Carl and Jeromy. From Chronos's group he decided to take Chronos, Lyla, and Sariah. All of whom could play a key role in the upcoming negotiation.
From the baron's side there were the baron, his elderly butler and three mercenary captains along with the shady man that was leading the criminals.
"Shouldn't he be bringing a knight with him?" Chronos asked.
"None of his knights are as skilled or as powerful as Butler Gordon is, they're all flash and no substance, and both the mercenaries and the criminals have more powerful members amongst their ranks." Magar explained.
As both sides met in the center Magar cast a spell and a table with ten chairs made of stone rose from the ground. Which with the exception of the butler, caused the baron and his men to flinch.
None of them had sensed the magic's activation or casting until the furniture appeared.
"Please have a seat." Magar kindly offered.
"Hmph showing off your power in front of me." Baron Gustav muttered in frustration.
Taking their seats the baron took off his helmet, he was the second fattest man Chronos had seen with only the fat man from the Five-Fingers being fatter than him. He had brown hair and eyes with some patchy scruff on his face from where a beard had attempted to grow in and multiple chins.
The mercenaries weren't much better to look at but at least they didn't look like they might pass out from a short jog. While the shady man refused to lower his cowl, choosing to keep his appearance completely hidden.
Looking around the table Baron Gustav immediately complained.
"Why is there a common beast at the table?" He glared at the sun badger that was sitting in a seat with a small woman attached to it.
"We weren't able to separate it from our fifth person. Don't mind it too much, now what did you want to discuss?" Chronos brushed him off
He glared at Chronos wanting to make a bigger deal out of it, but Butler Gordon stopped him.
A victorious smile crossed the baron's face when Butler Gordon stepped up next to him holding an official looking document scroll.
Unfurling the document, he read from it. "By the power of the eastern council of nobility. Magar is to be placed under arrest on the suspicion of amassing an army in order to oppose and kill Baron Gustav Rosenholm. These suspicions were brought to light by the Rosenholm family and the nobles of the eastern plains. How do you plead?"
"This is not a judicial council, there is no reason to plead to anything, and I only gathered this army to close the tear that formed here." Magar immediately shut down their argument.
Baron Gustav sneered, "I don't see one of those fabled tears here. Clearly, you assembled this army to murder me!"
Now that the tear was closed, he was going to pretend it had never existed? Did this man want to get killed today?
Chronos glanced at the others and saw that Carl and Jeromy were glaring at the baron. If he kept insisting on arresting Magar, then the baronets and knights would kill him before Chronos's secret plan arrived. He just needed to stall them for a short time now.
Familiar with his antics and recognizing that it would be hard to change the barons mind, Magar changed direction, "Regardless of whether there was a tear here or not an army headed for Dracon Fen will soon pass by here. How do you know that these men weren't assembling to join them for military merit?"
"You gathered them to kill me! My word is all that is needed for that." Baron Gustav yelled in anger.
Butler Gordon placed a hand on the baron's shoulder, "Even if they were planning to join the army, that army won't arrive for another two weeks. That means that the only reason to build this army is to harm the baron and his people. Or do you have a letter to the contrary?"
This had been on such short notice that they hadn't had time to receive a letter from the earl allowing them to assemble and from the way the baron and the mercenaries were smiling it looked like they knew that.
Most likely they were planning to use this chance to force Magar to take responsibility for the made-up crime and arrest him which would cause a battle between the baron and the baronets. At that time the mercenaries would offer their services to both sides making a tidy profit while staying mostly on the sidelines.
But they couldn't do this without the earl catching wind of it and once he knew, it would be over for all of them. They must have someone in the Rosenholm family backing them up to block any negative messages from reaching the earl. That way they could escape before the earl's men arrived.
No matter, their actions wouldn't change anything in just a few minutes.
"During an emergency the local lords have the authority to act upon their own conscience and move troops to defend against an invading force or beast tide in order to protect the people. As stated in the defense of the land laws section c sub-section 37." Chronos's voice echoed around the table. "In other words, if the local nobility believes there is a suitable threat to the people, they have authority to act on their own."
Baron Gustav practically jumped out of his seat screaming at him, "Hired hands are not allowed to speak when their betters are speaking!"
"Is that so, then allow me to introduce myself properly." Chronos stood up and gave the bow of a higher noble meeting a lower noble. "I am Young Lord Chronos Beklaedning Ulv. It is a pleasure to meet you."
He gave them a smug smile as the butler and mercenaries turned pale at hearing his clan's name before sitting back down. Very few people that participated in war didn't know about the fame of the Beklaedning's.
But the baron's expression never changed, it seemed he didn't know who he was. From what the baronets had told him Baron Gustav had grown up amongst the capital's nobility, and the capital nobility didn't like admitting that someone was better than them.
Magar gave Chronos a long look before turning back to the table with a cold smile. Now that he knew who Chronos was it would change how he approached the main topic of this meeting. He could be a bit more aggressive than he usually was.