Chương 430: Chapter 425 - Bargains

"Scarlett, is it just me, or are they looking at me like I ate their cats?" Rosa murmured, leaning closer while glancing at the group in front of them. Scarlett didn't look at her.

"After your performance yesterday, I fail to see why that surprises you," she replied coolly.

"And do not sit on my desk." Rosa was perched half on Scarlett's desk in her office, one leg swinging idly, while Slate stood motionless to Scarlett's left. Rosa had been the only member of her group to volunteer to be present for this meeting. Slate was here because Scarlett had asked her to be. Opposite them, standing in a tight cluster at the centre of the room, were Skyler and the rest of her party.

They were fully armed, dressed more like they had arrived for battle than conversation, and Scarlett would've had to be blind not to notice the looks they were giving her. Those directed at Scarlett herself were mainly from Briana and Oveth. Briana watched her with a rigid tension, jaw set and eyes sharp with barely restrained hostility. Oveth's gaze was more measured, a careful blend of caution and curiosity, though his actual expression remained obscured by the enchantment shadowing his hood.

Rosa, meanwhile, was receiving the brunt of Skyler's and Melody's attention. Both looked deeply uneasy with her presence, as though expecting her to unfurl wings or horns at any moment. Princess Regina was the only one maintaining a mostly neutral expression, which Scarlett appreciated. At least her sister had someone among her companions who looked like they'd be able to conduct a decent negotiation.

"So," Scarlett said, "you have had a night to confer and consider my proposal. I trust you have reached a conclusion?" Every gaze in the room snapped to her.

"Ouch!" Rosa yelped, springing off Scarlett's desk and clutching her backside as though she'd been burned. She shot Scarlett a sharp, deeply offended look. Scarlett did not react. The woman had been told not to sit there. If Rosa insisted on ignoring that, she could deal with a little heat. Skyler's eyes flicked between Scarlett and Rosa, as if visibly recalibrating.

"We have discussed your offer, Baroness," Princess Regina said, keeping her attention on Scarlett.

"We would like some clarifications and assurances, but we are not entirely opposed to it."

"I am pleased to hear that, Your Highness."

"That form of address isn't necessary here. You can call me by my name, or simply 'princess', if that is preferable." Scarlett regarded her for several seconds.

"…No. I do not believe I will." Skyler glowered slightly at that, but Regina only gave the woman a small shake of her head. Scarlett suppressed a flicker of amusement.

"Very well," Regina said.

"How you address me at present is your prerogative. We all understand that, had you wished to, you could have killed us yesterday with very little consequence. We are…grateful that you chose restraint."

"It is good that you are." Scarlett rested her hand against the armrest of her chair, idly tapping a finger.

"Many fail to recognise mercy when it is extended to them. I would have been disappointed if Your Highness' pedigreed upbringing had amounted to so little." Skyler opened her mouth, then stopped when the princess raised a hand. Scarlett kept watching them both. Today, she had come prepared to lean rather heavily into the haughtiness.

The instinctive part of her that wanted to treat the princess with an extra degree of respect made the act marginally more difficult, but that also made it easier to remain entirely in her 'noblewoman' persona. Which was her goal. She imagined Skyler and the others had formed all sorts of impressions after spending nearly a full day within her domain. Some of those impressions might even have been positive.

That was why she wanted to temper them by firmly cementing in their minds the kind of person Scarlett Hartford was. It was… oddly novel, needling her younger sister like this. It wasn't an entirely unfamiliar experience—she experienced something similar whenever she overwhelmed Evelyne with one of her more 'excessive' displays—but this was different enough that she could understand why certain sibling relationships seemed to revolve around picking at each other.

Though admittedly, the effect was somewhat blunted by the fact that Skyler had no idea who she really was.

"Returning to the matter at hand," Scarlett said, "what questions do you have? Once those are resolved, we may discuss the specifics of my request. I may also wish to hear from your hooded companion at the back." Her gaze settled on Oveth.

"To begin," Regina said, "can you swear that the Tribute will be safe with you, and that her abilities will not be used to harm the empire or innocent people?" Scarlett returned her attention to the princess.

"I can swear that the Tribute will be safer with me than with most, and that I have no intention of using her in the manner of the Hallowed Cabal or similar factions. I do, however, intend to make use of her abilities for my own ends. I am simply not foolish enough to do so at the expense of the Graenal Empire's stability." She inclined her head slightly.

"I am a noble of the empire, after all." A faint frown creased the princess' brow. She glanced briefly at Slate.

"Do you have examples of how you intend to use her?"

"None that I care to share," Scarlett replied. The princess was quiet for a moment.

"And we have no means of compelling you, in any case."

"Correct, Your Highness."

"Moving on, then," Regina said, "according to Skye, you were willing to allow us access to the Tribute. To verify her condition, or even use her abilities."

"This is true."

"Would you be willing to do so before we undertake your request, should we accept it?" Scarlett considered that.

"Depending on the circumstances. Do you have something specific in mind?" Regina shook her head.

"No. I was simply asking."

"I see."

"As for the task itself, you wish us to investigate the Undead Council's activities in the Unresting Steppes?"

"Precisely."

"What, specifically?"

"Now, that is a good question." Scarlett allowed herself a faint smile. She shifted her gaze to the robed figure at the back.

"Ovethatake." Both Regina and Skyler turned. Oveth met Scarlett's gaze.

"Tell me," Scarlett said, "what is the Undead Council constructing?" He studied her in silence for several seconds.

"They're building citadels," Skyler answered in his place, turning back to Scarlett.

"Wait, was that all you wanted to know? If so, we've already finished your quest. We've seen their citadels." Scarlett's eyes narrowed slightly.

"You have?"

"Yeah." This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. They'd been that deep into the Steppes? That was actually news. Though perhaps not entirely unexpected.

"The fact that the Council has rebuilt most of their citadels is not unknown to me," Scarlett said after some consideration.

"The Shields Guild is aware of them, and I would be surprised if the empire is not already preparing for any attempt to breach the Everdust Barrier en masse. What interests me is what they are building besides those citadels." Her gaze returned to Oveth.

"I have been informed of a structure far larger. Something more…ambitious. Unfortunately, however, the accounts I have received fail to describe it properly." She genuinely wasn't sure what the Council was up to over there. Arnaud Astrey had told her about the structure he'd glimpsed while scouting the Steppes, but it lay beyond anything she remembered from the game. Several faint frowns spread through Skyler's group.

"Do you recognise what I am describing?" Scarlett asked. No one answered at first.

"We did see something," Regina said after a while, sounding uncertain.

"When we infiltrated one of their citadels, there was…something wrong with it. We could tell it was drawing and collecting power. Vast amounts of it. But we couldn't tell from where, or why." She hesitated.

"At times, in the Steppes, we thought we saw a tall tower. But it was only ever briefly. And it was difficult to remember clearly." She turned to Briana.

"You thought you saw something else, didn't you?" Scarlett shifted her attention to the Oathbound knight. Briana looked back at her, not frowning, but clearly thinking.

"It was a spine," she finally said.

"…A spine?" Scarlett repeated.

"Yes."

"To be clear, do you mean a literal spine?"

"Yes."

"Of bone?"

"I don't know. I only saw it once. The rest of the time, it looked like a tower." Scarlett fell silent. That was…confusing. Confusing and disturbing. The fact that whatever stood in the desert resisted clear perception was troubling enough, but the apparent inconsistency of its form suggested something Scarlett couldn't place within the frameworks she knew to expect. And a spine… That was strange. She turned back to Oveth.

"What do you know about this?"

"He knows as much as we do," Skyler cut in.

"He left the Council years ago." Scarlett glanced at her, then back to the robed man.

"Do you agree?" Oveth still didn't speak for some time. When he did, it was only a single word.

"Apotheosis." Skyler and Regina both paused, turning towards him.

"The Council seeks divinity," the man continued.

"Divinity unconstrained by the limits of the current pantheon. You are aware of this?" Scarlett lowered her head slightly.

"I am."

"Do you know their method?"

"The Tribute of Dominion."

"And if they cannot obtain it?" Scarlett frowned.

"Do they have another path?"

"I don't know," Oveth said. In the dimness beneath his hood, the shadowed outline of his face shifted faintly.

"Do you believe in other ways to manufacture fragments of mortal divinity?" His gaze held on her, almost as if he was suggesting something. Her frown deepened.

"Tell me plainly. Do you know what Ustrum is constructing in the Unresting Steppes?" A flicker of surprise crossed Regina's face at the name of the legendary imperial arch mage. Oveth shook his head.

"I do not." He raised one thin, withered hand, its skin dry and stretched tight over bone, and pointed towards Slate.

"Have you asked the Tribute?"

"I have," Scarlett said.

"It does not know?"

"She does not." Scarlett turned slightly.

"Slate. Tell me what the Undead Council are constructing."

"I do not know," Slate replied without emotion. Scarlett looked back at Oveth.

"Her knowledge is not absolute. Some things she must witness directly to understand. Others remain beyond her, even then." Given that the Council had already deviated from Fate's trajectory before Fate itself was severed, Scarlett strongly suspected Slate's insight into their actions was inherently limited. She still wasn't entirely sure whether the girl's ability stemmed directly from Fate or from something adjacent to it, but there had to be some connection.

"Then the only way to know for certain," Oveth said, "is to investigate it firsthand." Scarlett nodded.

"Which is precisely what I am asking you to do. It is in all our interests that the Council does not succeed in their ambitions, and for that, we need information." Her gaze moved across the group.

"I suspect you would agree that, with your particular composition, you are better suited to this than most." Oveth nodded.

"You are not wrong."

"Then the question becomes whether you believe this is worth accepting as a task from me." No one spoke right away.

"…Just to be clear," Skyler said, looking at Oveth, "do you really think this is as big a deal as you made it sound earlier? Because before, you were way more focused on the Tribute than all this." Oveth turned to her.

"Their actions do pose a threat. And I don't think Baroness Hartford is wrong, or misleading. My stance on the subject…remains unchanged." Skyler's brow knitted. Her mouth tightened, a familiar crease forming near her eye. She glanced at Regina.

"And you?" The princess was silent for a moment.

"I…" she began, a trace of hesitation showing.

"I leave the decision to you."

"That's not what you said earlier."

"I changed my mind."

"No, but I'm not—""Trust your judgement, Skye," Briana said, her tone firm, even as her wary glare at Scarlett never fully faded. Skyler stopped short. Her gaze moved between them, the sudden conflict clear on her face. Or at least it was clear to Scarlett. Finally, she turned to Melody, who'd remained quiet the entire time.

"Mel? Got anything to add? You didn't really say much when we talked earlier." Melody stiffened, as if she hadn't expected the attention to fall on her. She blinked several times, mouth opening and closing without sound.

"Ah—" she breathed, eyes lifting towards Scarlett. Scarlett met them, but said nothing. They had already spoken, and there were still matters separate from this that they needed to finish, but Scarlett didn't want to influence her here. She did not mind manipulating the others a bit if necessary, but not Melody. Not on this. After several seconds, Melody's hands tightened in the folds of her robes. Her gaze dropped to the floor.

"I…say yes." Scarlett's eyes widened, just slightly. She had maybe expected Melody to say that she trusted her. She had not expected a simple, direct 'yes'. Skyler looked caught off guard as well. She stared at Melody for a moment, then rubbed at her face and let out a breath. She glanced at the others, then back at Scarlett.

"…Alright. Sure. Maybe we'll accept it. As if you were actually giving us a choice." Scarlett arched a brow.

"I most definitely was."

"Yeah. Sure." Skyler waved a hand.

"Whatever." She straightened, fixing Scarlett with a look.

"But if we're doing this, we need to talk rewards. You said you'd compensate us properly. You're a noble, this place is huge, and I'm guessing you're not exactly broke. If you're hiring us, you'd better expect to pay well. Empty those fancy pockets." Beside Scarlett, Rosa let out a quiet laugh. Skyler gave her a slightly puzzled look. Scarlett suppressed a tiny scowl.

"I did say I would compensate you in proportion to your results," she said.

"That remains true. And since it would benefit neither of us if you undertook this and failed, I will also ensure that you are properly equipped." She opened a drawer in her desk and withdrew a stack of papers etched with precisely seared characters—maps and notes concerning the Unresting Steppes—then spread them across the surface.

"First, however, we will review our available information." She began outlining what she already knew of the Undead Council's activities in the Steppes and the structures they had established there. Some of it came from reports and intelligence she had gathered since arriving in this world. Some of it came from memory — dungeons, locations, patterns of movement, things she remembered from the game.

She'd supplemented that with what she had learned from other sources, cross-referencing details wherever possible and confirming specifics with Slate when her abilities allowed it. She had Skyler's group fill in the gaps with their own experiences. Routes they had taken. Places they had avoided. Which citadel they had infiltrated, and when.

Scarlett wasn't particularly surprised to learn that they had cleared several of the dungeons she knew existed in the region, though she made no effort to explain how she had known of them herself. Together, they gradually sketched a revised outline for how a return expedition into the Steppes would need to be approached. Scarlett and Regina did most of the talking. Oveth added observations whenever the discussion turned to magic, concealment, and the Council's defences.

Skyler mostly stood off to the side with her arms crossed, watching Scarlett with what was probably meant to be open scrutiny. Only once most of the planning had been covered did she speak again.

"So," Skyler said, "rewards. What are you offering?"

"Skye…don't be rude…" To the surprise of most, Melody was the one who murmured those words quietly. Skyler looked at her.

"Skye," Regina added with a thin smile. Skyler turned between the two of them, looking momentarily at a loss. Finally, she exhaled, rolled her shoulders, and turned back to Scarlett with a slightly less combative expression.

"… Mind telling us what you had in mind?" Scarlett took her time responding, observing her sister. In the span of a single day, she'd seen more sides of Skyler than she had in years. The dejected, withdrawn side. The contrarian, stubborn one. The reckless, defiant one. And, through some fleeting impressions carried by the Loci's senses, glimpses of the awkward yet sociable nature beneath it all. It made her quietly glad to see that, despite everything, this was still very much the Skyler she remembered.

Eventually, Scarlett shifted her gaze and met Rosa's eyes. The bard grinned at her, lifting both eyebrows. Scarlett came very close to sighing. She still wasn't entirely sure why she'd done it, but somehow, last night, she had ended up asking Rosa for advice on how to 'reward' Skyler and the others. It had been a slightly stupid, Amy-tinged impulse, driven less by strategy and more by a quiet want to let that part of herself get closer to her sister, even if it was only indirectly.

Of course, the moment Rosa became involved, things had escalated. Rosa had gotten ideas. Enthusiastic, theatrical ideas. And Scarlett, in a moment of questionable judgement, had humoured rather than stopped her, letting Rosa take the reins for what would come next. Right now, she mostly regretted that decision. … And yet, a part of her was undeniably looking forward to it anyway.

"Let us move on to the treasury, then," she said, rising from her chair. Skyler blinked.

"Wait—treasury?" Regina suddenly gave Scarlett a more scrutinising look. Briana shifted, almost stepping in front of Skye on instinct.

"Yes," Scarlett replied.

"The treasury." She lifted her hand. The Loci responded to her action, and the room changed. Wooden floorboards and shelves vanished in an instant, replaced by smooth stone. Array-etched walls closed around them as they reappeared in one of the western wing's basement chambers, in the space that had once served as the estate's unofficial armoury. As of this morning, it was now the 'official' treasury. Skyler drew in a sharp breath. Even Oveth paused.

Gold lay scattered openly across the chamber, piled in shallow drifts and stacked in coffers that hadn't been bothered shut. Weapons and artifacts lined the walls, mounted or sealed behind thin planes of magic. A handful of pedestals held valuable relics, tomes, and busts. Between them stood several paintings, and scorched into the stone of one wall was a vast array of glyphs and channels, densely complex and interwoven into a single megalithic design that looked more like excess than function.

"Let us see what, in here, you may prove yourselves worthy of," Scarlett said.