Chương 63: Chapter 60: Duel

Immunis Lucien hesitated on his way out, when Mum called after him,"Not you. Sit down." The Immunis froze on the spot, while Mum rested on the couch after a thorough check on me. Finding nothing amiss, her gaze shifted to Lucien once more. Lucien swallowed his breath and, like an obedient child, quickly sat on the couch, hid posture was too rigid.

"Pumpkin, do you want to go to your studies?" I shook my head vigorously and sat next to her, clutching her arm. She stroked my head and finally leaned back, closed her eyes, and relaxed. On other occasions when Lucien came to settle the commissions, Mum had offered him beverages, even going so far as to guide him through a few questions he had about runesmithing. But right now, she showed no indication of acting the polite hostess.

"Tell me," she said, her eyes still closed.

"What is all this mess about?" Lucien tried to explain, saying that it was at the very last minute that Tribune Alexis decided to join him, as other times he mostly came by himself along with a couple of auxiliaries. Being from a middling Equites family, with merely the post of Immunis, Lucien had no way of defying a Tribune of high Patrician class. Even still, he overtly tried to steer Alexis from acting too imperiously, oblivious to what schemes were brewing in the young tribune's head.

"I even asked Centurion Arata for help, hoping he'd warn Alexis from acting recklessly, but that bullheaded man laughed it off, merely saying 'good luck'." That told us he was completely aware of what would happen. Mom shook her head.

"Forgive me if I overstep my boundaries," said Lucian, "but don't you think it is a bit reckless to offend someone like Alexis Daenerys? He might not be powerful, but he's just petty enough and has the support of his family to make trouble that might not be worth it..." Mum opened her eyes.

"The Daenerys family has no jurisdiction here," she said.

"It might become a bit tricky if your legion had a hand in it. They do tend to fish for any benefit they can get without paying a price, and that fool boy seemed like the perfect bait to test the water."

"I assure you the higher-ups are not involved in this," Lucian explained. While the legion would like Mum to make new, innovative fabricators, and would pay handsomely for them, they wanted this business relationship to evolve slowly. Perhaps they really wanted an artifact or two. Who doesn't, really? You could never have too many of them. But that was after many collaborations. After all, one simply couldn't get an artifact made through gold and silver leafs.

Alexis Daenerys found out about Mum and her capabilities and thought he could bully her into making anything he desired. The fool didn't understand that it would only get him on the blacklist of Artisan guilds like Dragonforge, Anvil, and many independent artisans.

"If the Empire is behind this," Mum thought out loud, "we can simply leave. We are already debating it. Wouldn't hurt if it was a year or two earlier." Lucien sat uncomfortably, wiping sweat from his brows every now and then, as though he were working in the forge, when the solitary figure of Father came in from his daily patrol. Unlike most others who were admitted into the local milites, Father never seemed to wear the standard wear of auxiliaries.

He didn't like the empire's colours, but the legions were all too glad to get someone dependable.

"Ashlyn, there was a strange man outside..." he paused, reading the solemn air of the room.

"What happened?" Mum told him. She excluded how rampant and disrespectful the patrician acted, but father's eyes blazed in fury, his palm reaching for the pommel of his sword when he learned about Alexis flaring his coercive aura with me present.

"Um, sir," Lucien said with great deference, as though afraid to offend our family anymore.

"I know you're powerful, but perhaps it isn't wise to strike at an imperial official."

"It isn't," Father agreed, "unfortunately for your imperial official, he just challenged me to a duel without knowing which tree he was barking at."

"That little—" Even Lucien failed to keep his temper in check, veins popping in his temples.

"If it were some random awakened, I might have overlooked it, but that fella now only flaunts his backing to oppress my family; he even dares to flare his malicious aura in the presence of my son..." I believed Father was overreacting on my part. While the reddish aura appeared ominous for a brief moment, far more malignant than any instances of aura manifestation I had encountered, Mum neutralised it aptly, not to mention the [Band of Protection] activating to protect me from any of the aura invading me.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. I guess he was worried about what would have happened if Mum wasn't there and the artefact failed to protect me. Still, I didn't think it could have injured me. Perhaps my concept of aura was shallow, but that tribune seemed only to have tried his hand at intimidation. However, that didn't mean I would feel pity for him when I'd watch Father thrash him for all he was worth.

Hell, if I had the power, I would have done it myself. Thinking about the words he uttered made my blood boil. As Mum didn't disapprove of Father's intention, we all crept out of the study room to face the young tribune standing near the wagon with a cold scowl.

"Set time and location," Father said, "I'll fight you." Alexis appeared ready to fight it out right now and repay the abuse he had been through, but a look at my mother faltered him, though the malicious glint never left his eyes. Poor fellow, he didn't stand a chance against my Mum and still believed he could do something to Father.

"A week from now on," grunted Alexis coldly.

"At the Institution compound." Father nodded as Alexis turned away with a cold humph, uncaring about the task he had come with. Lucien could only sigh.

"Perhaps it's not a bad idea," Mum said with a shake of her head, "to give him a lesson his parents failed to deliver, though I fear it will hardly teach anything." Her gaze turned to the wall of hardwood boxes and then to the Immunis.

"Before you leave, let's settle this deal with them." Lucian nodded, tracing a clumsy hand through his hair.

"While the artefact had been Alexis' idea, the legion does have some design on getting some higher-grade equipment. We need it desperately. I don't know how much you have heard, but the rise of rifts has been continuous since the last time we resolved the issue here in Karmel." Not getting an answer from Mum, he continued, "Of course, you can renegotiate the contract, and the legion will compensate far more handsomely, even better terms than what the various crafters' guilds offer."

"Perhaps the situation is as dire as you paint it to be, if they can bear parting ways with their treasury," Mum muttered, though she didn't outright promise anything. Once again, she gestured for us to return to the study room. She finally took a sip of her tea, deep in thought. Immunis Lucien waited anxiously, forgetting his tea.

"Whose legion is working as the vanguard around here?" Mum asked.

"Primus Plius Selene's," said the Immunis. As though remembering something, he quickly added, "We have been stretched thin on more than a few occasions, where Sir Nikolas Aelius's legion assisted us."

"Smart," Mum lifted an eyebrow, "putting a name I'm familiar with to ease me." The grown man practically blushed at her words, sipping the beverage hastily. The Plius Nikolas Aelius here was none other than Rosalyn's father, who had visited with my grandmother not long ago.

"Still, Sir Nikolas is one of the few folks in your legion who still has my respect," her lips quirked upwards, "and Selene is not half bad, despite her ill temper."

"Is that the woman who set our camp on fire?" Father chimed in, surprisingly.

"Who else?" Mum laughed, scratching her nose.

"Didn't know she became a Primus Plius… How long has it been? A decade, almost."

"I didn't know you were familiar with Plius Selene," Lucien said.

"There are only so many of us advanced to Fabled class," Mum said, finishing her tea.

"Now, back to our topic. I think I have made it clear, I won't be crafting anyone any artefact—at least, not squandering my own essence threads."

"You did," the blond man paused.

"Not squandering your own essence threads? Does that mean you aren't against crafting an artefact when the essence threads are provided by someone else?" My eyes widened at the implication, and then I felt stupid. Of course, it should have been possible to craft an artefact with not just the artisan's essence threads. The way Mum had sacrificed her own for my bracelet gave me the misconception, not to mention she was still withholding any information on how the actual process went.

"It depends on your sincerity," Mum said, leaning back, "same with fabricators of elite classes and higher." A breath of relief escaped Lucian's lips, but Mum waved her palm. She wasn't finished.

"I'll give you one week to prepare for the sincerity. Just in case you're not aware, gold and silver don't hold my interest much. Hmm…" She paused, her eyes darting to me.

"Fortunately for you, I'm in dire need of some materials."

"As long as it is within our reach, I'm sure we can come to a term."

"A fully intact Dusk Essence Seed," Mum said, "the higher the grade, the better." Lucien was flabbergasted, the mild relief he felt a moment ago evaporating into thin air.

"What?" Mum smirked.

"Did you think you'll win me over with some broken pieces of moonstone and nethersteel?"

"Still, a dusk essence seed... It is one of the rarest essence types there is." Lucian met her gaze, but something in Mom's look hinted that there was no negotiation to be had. He sighed and shook his head.

"I'm not nearly high-ranked enough to say anything about it. I fear even Tribune Alexis isn't."

"That's why you have a week. I'm sure you have a way to contact your superior." With that, we crept on the way towards the workshop to offload all the repaired wares. I practically forgot that in a moment my pocket would overflow with silver leafs, as a question gnawed at my throat since Mum asked for a Dusk Essence seed.

"Why do you need a dusk essence seed?" Mom spared me a look, her hardened expression melting at once as she looked at me.

"The answer is not too difficult to figure out, pumpkin. I think you already know what I want to use it for." The only aspect in which dusk essence was unparalleled was healing and longevity. While it should be nigh impossible to graft on longevity, healing was still one of the most significant aspects for a combat-class awakened. At once, a realisation came to me.

"You want to make another artifact," I said, clenching my fist.

"Don't get so worked up, pumpkin," Mum chuckled.

"I won't strip off a large number of them like I had to in that bracelet of yours. My healing aspect is all but secondary to having any greater effect on you as pure dusk essence would. I'm even certain it can be grafted." She ruffled my hair.

"You see, pumpkin, even after an awakened dies, their essence seed bears most of the essence threads they had cultivated throughout their lives. Unless they died through some strenuous way that impacted their core, it is possible to craft an artifact from them with a bit of flourish and restoration."