"Give her a room and see to it that she has good change of clothes and assign her a servant." Ramius had a frown on his face the entire time he spoke.
He took a glance at Jerice but the girl looked stunned. It was as though she did not expect him to go that far for her.
"What is your name?" Ramius asked just as the overseer placed her hand on the door's handle.
She turned her head but did not look at the man.
"It's Eumy, sir." She answered.
"Very well. If I hear a word of complain about you from my wife, I make sure the name Eumy is wiped off from the records of creation." The way he spoke made her shoulder tense as she stepped through the doorway. She knew instinctively that he meant every word.
She had wanted to give Jerice a good scolding when they were alone, but that option had just been erased with a few words from the man.
"You really were serious about me from the start, weren't you?" Jerice asked, moments after the overseer had shut the door behind her.
"I was, and I still am."
"I can tell that you mean those words but I can't shake off the thought that you have no feelings towards me. Am I right?" Jerice noticed that the man spoke with sincerity but she felt something was amiss.
There was silence in the room. Ramius did not reply, for he did not understand what love truly meant for one's self and the person they claim to love.
"How about you live with me and find out the answer for yourself." After a few heartbeats of calculative thoughts, he replied with a smile.
Jerice studied him for while and offered a smile of her own. Now, her long awaited dream was going to come true. After all, she also did not love him, however, if he would make her dream come true, then being his wife was a small price to pay.
Meanwhile, a few hundred paces outside of Norco, four groups of cloaked individuals gathered for the second time. They all stood under the same oak tree.
One pressed his back to the bole of the ancient oak and spoke in a hoarse voice, directing his gaze to the man standing to his left.
"I take it that you sending word to us to gather once more means the task has been completed."
"Not entirely. I'm afraid the General Strategist has noticed our presence." When he spoke, there was no disappointment in his voice, only true words.
"What? It was a simple task of reconnaissance, how did you manage to get caught?" One of them with a dagger in one hand spoke with a tone filled with disappointment.
"The wine has already been spilled. What we should discuss is what to do about it, not how it was spilled. In the end, it does not really matter whether he noticed or not." The third chimed in, clasping his hands behind his back.
"You are right, it's only troublesome that he got involved, not that we don't have a way of dealing with unwanted guests." The one with his back pressed against the tree pushed himself forward as he spoke.
"Rest assured, brothers. I did not bring only bad news. I was able to locate the target and the Protector. I can say with confidence that this would be our easiest target yet."
"What makes you say that?" The fourth one spoke for the first time.
"The protector got into a fight earlier, and he lost pathetically against an ordinary brute. It's the maiden with him that seemed a little strange, but not to worry, she would not be an obstacle," the speaker said with a smile that stretched from ear to ear.
"Are you certain he is the protector? They are not to be looked down upon. And don't forget, this is a target that requires the four of us instead of the usual one person per target." The one nearest to the tree spoke as he stared at his comrades with a cautious look.
Protectors had always been known to be strong with unshakable will. It was unlikely that one would lose in a fight with a regular person.
"I'm certain, aside from Ramius, there are no more threats in Norco." There was silence for a while as they digested the new piece of information.
When he got no response he added.
"Our superiors might have been wrong in their analysis of the new target. Either way, I suspect they would leave Norco soon, we should prepare to welcome them with open arms."
"If what you said is true, then there is no time to waste, let's return for now. We will prepare to meet here again before sunrise tomorrow."
As they came into agreement of their decision, Aeloria looked at Hanon with a worried expression. They had arrived at the inn after discussing the plan with Krazel. However, Aeloria had yet to see a flicker of nervousness on his face.
"Aren't you nervous? What if the Thornsleeper turned out to be really strong?" If there was one thing Aeloria had learned from her encounter with the man in black, it would be to never judge the strength of person based on looks alone.
What if the person they were going to face turned out to be on his level? This was her only fear. Earlier, she had thought Hanon had a way to deal with them so she had put her mind at ease, but that was not the case at all.
"I can see the worry in your eyes, Aeloria. But do not fret, I will handle things like I've always had." Hanon assured with a small smile as he stared at the woman beside him.
Aeloria shifted slightly on the bed, worry coloring her tone as she spoke.
"That's making me even more nervous, you couldn't even beat that guy." Aeloria recalled how he had broken his fingers against the man's jaw and her worry only deepened.
"Of course I couldn't beat him, I have a weak body after all. I just did not find it necessary to use my abilities in a fight with an ordinary person." Hanon stared at the ceiling, speaking in a calm tone.
"You speak as though the outcome would've been different." Aeloria looked sideways but the man's confident expression did not change.
"It would've. You see, my abilities aren't meant to injure, but to take lives." Hanon's expression changed into a frown, but It was only for a moment before he straightened his expression.
Aeloria was about to ask about his abilities but when she saw the flicker of that bitter expression, she decided against it. It was an expression that appeared on one's face when they didn't like the words that came out of their mouth.
Aeloria stayed silent. She also had things she would rather not say. "Good night." After the silence stretched on for a while, she whispered.
"Sleep well," Hanon replied in an even voice. This time, his mind drifted not to the warmth of the maiden beside him, but to the inevitable battle ahead. He had his eyes closed, but sleep was the farthest thing from his mind.
At the same time, Krazel sighed as he lay on the bed.
"Come on out. I can't see you but I know you are there." Krazel sat on the bed as he scanned the room with wary eyes. Then his eyes settled on the window, that was when he noticed his presence.
The man leapt into the room with practiced ease, falling to one knee as he landed.
"I'm sorry, Lord Krazel, the young mistress was worried about your safety after she learned of your dream. She only sent me to observe and step in only when things turned dire." Krazel watched the man cloaked in black with analytical eyes. He had a black cloth tied around his forehead which gave him a peculiar look.
'One of my many mistresses yet the only one who cared about me and not my money. An affection even my wife can not replicate.'
"I told her everything would be fine, I can't believe she still sent you."