Ria sat on Hikari's shoulder.
"So that's just how it is. We'll simply be the backup party for the raid. Given how you had been holding the front all this while, we would be entitled to a share of the final spoils of the raid. The corrupted crystals we and our allies gathered so far would be ours. It's convenient that the Silora priests showed up. Really cuts down on the purification costs."
"nice"
Hikari stood still by the side of the road as the caravans carrying troops and supplies lumbered past her.
It was congested, but if she took the country road which she certainly would if she was returning from a mission, her boots would get soiled when her lady may need her to present herself in them.
"Support party?"
"Yep. It's exactly what it sounds like. We won't be joining the main raid party which would be going down the shaft. We'll mainly be providing logistical support and as a rescue party on the off chance things go south for the main party."
"I see."
"Were you hoping to be part of the main party? I deliberately stayed out of it. There's just no sense in sending you down there. Just the cost of maintaining your armour and weapons would easily outweigh whatever spoils we hope to recover from a bunch of old ruins that had been looted out of even its stone. Not to mention the shielding enchantments from the Silora priests we would have to pay for to cover your huge body. Better off spending that money on better food for you."
"Ah."
The last wagon passed her. There was a stretch of open road for her to march on.
Hikari took the opportunity to move as she could already see the next convoy up ahead.
"It's strange. Historically, it was always the same three houses including ours that took the burden of bracing the depths whenever the hive showed up. There just isn't any money to be made from the raid since the abandoned city had been long looted clean of its relics."
Thud. Thud. Ria held on tight to Hikari's hair as she marched along the road.
"In fact, the heads of our houses always had to go to Moradale to haggle for some form of recompense. The laws are complicated, but essentially we are arguing that we are a border territory. The terms of the Moradale accord binds the houses to offer material and financial support to the border territories if they had to defend themselves."
"Hm?"
"Yes, hm indeed. But this time, they seemed to be falling over themselves for a spot in the raid party. I bet it's just to curry favor with the anointed one. She caused quite a stir when she showed up."
"What is an anointed one?"
"Well, they are the chosen ones of Silora, or that's what the order officially claims. Their rank within the order is akin to a head of a house. And in fact, they are equivalent to heads of houses much like my father. They have their own territories which they independently run."
"Woah."
"Aurora LinenPerch. That's her name. There's a direct zeppelin route from Moradale to her parish. There's a Silora cathedral in Moradale which she often takes residence in. I would say the size of LinenPerch territory is about an order of magnitude bigger than ours. No wonder all those houses who never showed up for us are trying to suck up to her right now."
"Baddies."
Hikari stopped again for another convoy to pass her.
"Anyways, forget about all that. That has little to do with us. We simply don't have nearly the prestige to take part in their crusades. Whether it is to recover a super valuable artifact deep in the mist or cleanse a whole territory for recolonization. That's where the real money maker is. His Lordship is likely looking for clients right now. It has to pay just enough to raise your tuition for the spire academy."
"Hard work."
"Yes, I'm thinking of a welcome party for when he returns. He had been working day and night in his office in Moradale. As for us, we have work to do. The trade agreements between Herdial and the Moradale territories had been all but dissolved. We still need to restore some form of trade with Heridal to secure a revenue stream for our house. Those farms and steel production you and Ella built. That's more than a good start."
"Nice."
"Oh, and the leftover steaks from the meeting, I'll be sure to get the waiters to bring them to your chambers. Then we can… um… I mean we can… "
"Of course, my lady."
…
Marbled floor. A mysterious figure walked along the hallway.
The sides were crowded with the delegations of various Herdial factions.
There was a certain tension in the air. Whispers.
The groups huddled together. Most use sound barriers to engage in secret discussions out in the open.
They quietened down as the figure walked past them but otherwise paid no heed.
The figure reached the outside of an auditorium. A circular ring around the main hall that houses the Herdial senate.
He stood in a corner. The massive door to the main hall stood across him.
Beside it, the figure's own faction was engaging in their own secret discussions.
Discussions that did not include them.
The figure thinks nothing of it. It's not as though the ostensible colleagues had been this way just yesterday.
Dong! A bell rang. The massive door creaked. The delegations began drifting towards the door while continuing their private discussions.
It took minutes for the massive door to open.
None were in a hurry to get through.
They strolled through the door in drips to their allotted seats, keeping their distances from their peers in other factions.
The delegations were seated.
More whispers. The figure sat in his seat quietly while throwing glances around the room.
The seating was organized by faction.
Flags planted in each section. The merchant guilds. The Herdial royal army. The hearthstone house. The farmer's unions. The slayer's guild. The alchemists guilds. Three great fortresses that defend Herdial.
The mass of delegations amounts to a small army.
Murmurs filled the chamber as each delegation took their seat.
The tension in the room remains.
There were no physical partitions demarcating where each faction seats.
The members sharing a border sat beside each other coldly.
They sat in a wide semi-circle.
There was a stage with a giant seat.
The banner of the royal house on either side.
Dong! Dong! Two bell rings. The hall fell silent.
The curtain in the back was unveiled.
A giant woman in robes walked out from behind the stage and sat down.
Vines of flowers wrapped around her robes like a garden.
Her steps were gentle despite her size.
An old scribe at her knee height made his way to the front of the stage.
He placed a heavy book on the pedestal.
Dong! The bell rang again.
"The… delegate… from Elai… may speak…"
He announced in his feeble voice.