Chapter 65: The Plot Closes In
Mayena was a typical fortress city: cramped, robust, and dull.
Therefore, Arthur had no intention of lingering the Far-Seer Mirror was in the adjacent room, and once he finished communicating with Triss, he could leave.
However, the sorceress operating the portal kept staring at him. She was a petite woman who looked no older than twenty. Of course, according to Kolgrim, she could just as easily be a two-hundred-year-old monster.
In any case, this woman was observing Arthur with her flawless, pale hazel eyes, but without any hint of flirtation.
"Do we know each other?" Arthur asked curiously. He hadn't sensed the 'insects circling' feeling, which meant she wasn't trying to pry into his thoughts which was quite courteous for a sorceress.
"You don't know me, but I have certainly heard your name Arthur Dayne, the youngest Knight of the Throne."
The sorceress extended a hand to Arthur, her expression serious: "Keira Metz, Royal Advisor of Temeria."
Another Royal Advisor…
Keira's palm was surprisingly soft, but her finger bones were hard, like gripping iron wrapped in fine leather.
"How is Merigold doing these days?" Arthur wasn't in the mood for pleasantries. According to Rience's logbook, there was an escaped werewolf nearby, and he planned to deal with that before heading south.
Keira's movements were just as concise. She handed him a small box: "Triss has been very busy and couldn't come see you personally, so she entrusted me to give you this."
Arthur took it and saw it was a communicator. It seemed Triss had nearly finished cracking the runes on the first one.
"How did you know you would run into me here?"
Arthur wasn't truly curious about that, as Triss knew Marala and her son were heading to Foaming City. He was more concerned with the actual relationship between Keira and Triss Were they allies? Or just casual friends?
As the question left his mouth, the atmosphere suddenly turned strange. Keira removed her flat-topped hat, releasing a cascade of pale golden hair:
"If you are so interested in me, why don't we find somewhere to talk more intimately say, my bedroom? Mayena is small, but as the resident sorceress, my quarters are quite comfortable."
Arthur was startled. The petite woman looked so frigid, yet her words were so aggressive!
In his confusion, the frost on Keira's face suddenly dissolved, and she bent over laughing, pointing at Arthur: "Your face! Gods, you must be Chulan!"
Arthur subconsciously touched his cheek; it was burning hot.
Keira didn't let him off the hook, advancing step by step until she cornered Arthur against the wall, stopping only when she was practically plastered against him. Arthur's breathing grew rapid. He just noticed that while her waist was slender, her bosom was very generous this body, in a different context, could be lethal!
"Ahem! Ahem!"
A familiar cough sounded from the communicator in his hand. Arthur jolted as if electrocuted, flashing away from Keira's envelopment.
Dandelion and Zoltan let out a loud sigh, and Kolgrim silently dragged both of them out.
It was Triss's voice: "Metz, don't tease the boy."
Keira chuckled heartily: "Merigold, I honestly didn't realize you were so quick to learn in other things besides magic. No wonder everyone calls you the most talented sorceress in a hundred years."
Triss: "You're overthinking it. I haven't done anything to him yet."
Arthur's heart, which had just calmed down, surged again. 'Haven't done anything to him yet' does that mean she plans to? When did I become such a desirable catch?
Suddenly, Keira burst into loud laughter again:
"Triss, you really should add image transmission functionality to this communicator. The boy's face is absolutely hilarious! I'd wager five crowns he's thinking right now, 'If I have to choose between the two of them, I still prefer Triss!'"
...
The two 'disrespectful' sorceresses teased Arthur for a good while before finally getting down to business.
The reason Triss had Keira relay the communicator was that a major incident had occurred in Vizima.
Rosa, a duchess of high standing, had suddenly left her estate in Vizima, only sending the mayor a divorce decree bearing the ducal seal.
Most noble marriages were unions of wealth or power, so a divorce shouldn't have been a huge matter. But Rosa was different; she was the sister of Prince Erland. Her marriage to the Duke symbolized the submission of the Principality of Erland and carried significant political meaning.
Therefore, even though the saying 'The wind can enter, the rain can enter, but the Duke cannot enter' had circulated within half a year of the marriage, their union remained as solid as the granite steps before the palace.
Now, the Duchess's sudden and unannounced departure reeked of conspiracy, as obvious as a louse on a bald head.
"So, is the King planning to summon me for war preparations?" Arthur didn't have much aversion to fighting. If the intensity of the combat was low, his horsemanship and swordsmanship were more than enough to ensure his safety. And if someone played foul and sent him on a suicide mission… he was confident he could escape.
His only hesitation was that his Dragon Shout was just one werewolf short of unlocking; setting that aside felt immensely frustrating. Should I just kill the Ghoul Chieftain and see if that's enough?
In the dense woods, the Ghoul Chieftain suddenly shivered, tossing aside the bean cake in its hand to gnaw at its wooden cage. But the next second, the murderous intent that had appeared from nowhere suddenly vanished. The Ghoul Chieftain spat out the wood chips and leaned back against the bars, resuming its chewing of the bean cake.
Inside the room in Mayena, Triss's voice echoed: "It probably won't escalate to a civil war, but you had better get out and hide for a while first."
Arthur frowned. While he did plan to travel around, it wasn't to hide from anything. Besides, what did the Duchess's divorce have to do with him!
Keira explained: "We received word that several of Rosa's lovers are heading to the Principality of Erland, intending to file a lawsuit against you there."
"These men are powerful nobles. If they unite, even the King would have to weigh his options carefully."
"Sue who? Me? On what charge?" Arthur was incredulous.
Keira shrugged: "The rumor is that you made improper advances toward the Duchess."
"But I was only in Vizima for one day, and Triss and the Mayor were with me the entire time!" Arthur wasn't overly worried.
But Keira was serious: "Don't be so optimistic. These men are Knights of the Law. If they want to, they could successfully sue you for assaulting a pig twenty years ago."
"The only reason they haven't filed suit yet is because they are waiting for the jury to arrive and, incidentally, the jurors are also all the lovers of Lady Rosa."
Got it. It's a matter of 'I remember it vividly, but I can't quite recall the year it happened.'
Arthur was practically choked by laughter: "That's preposterous! I don't even know that Rosa, let alone her paramours!"
"Arthur! Mind your language! If you ever have the misfortune of standing in a court that has already been rigged against you, that kind of attitude will put you in an even worse situation!" Triss's voice on the communicator was stern.
"Alright, I'll be careful next time." Arthur perfunctorily admitted his mistake, but in his heart, he was determined: if these people truly came looking for trouble, he would just cut them down.
......................
I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to those who support me on this journey. Your contribution make a real difference!
As a patron, you unlock:
Exclusive Access: Get advanced +120 chapters ahead of everyone else.
👉 Join now: P-a-treon/Chaos_God
(Just remove the- hyphen to access normally)
Thank You so much For your Support and for Reading!