Chapter 31: A Negotiation with Hidden Motives

Avia was quite unfamiliar with the estate that—at least in name—belonged to her.

After all, she had never been to this place. As Wang Yu led his horse into the estate, the guard who had insulted her earlier walked before them to lead the way.

Wang Yu's steps were calm and steady. He had long since activated his inner eye, which was sending out invisible radar-like ripples and transmitting information about everything within a 15-meter radius into his mind.

The confrontation had already begun.

In these precious moments while he was able to openly scout the estate, Wang Yu deliberately steered Torrent as close to as many buildings as he could.

He noted the layout of the various buildings, storing them in his mind to facilitate his subsequent planning.

As he followed the guard toward the largest building on the estate—a spacious villa adorned in the refined, elaborate taste favored by the people of Aleisterre.

The entrance hall was particularly ornate. Quite a few attendants were standing at attention and greeted them formally as they entered.

Wang Yu narrowed his eyes. These attendants didn't seem like mere servants. Their behavior was impeccably polite and expected of their station, but the faint scars on their bodies and their muscular physique that their uniforms couldn't hide suggested a different sort of occupation entirely.

The guard nervously bowed and took his leave. A young, handsome "attendant" replaced him, stepping forward to lead Wang Yu and Avia further into the hall.

Avia dismounted from Torrent with Wang Yu's assistance. She patted his head and allowed it to trot off on its own, drawing a questioning look from a nearby attendant.

The young woman shook her head calmly, unconcerned. The attendant continued guiding them inside.

Behind Wang Yu and Avia, a few of the "attendants" exchanged glances with each other. "Well?"

"Just a knight squire. He has some fighting spirit, but his vortex is hardly perceptible. He's barely on the verge of becoming a knight-in-training. We can easily take him on."

"Then what gave him the guts to follow her here?"

"That's none of our concern. We're just here to do the job Decaphon hired us for—nothing more."

The "attendants" spoke softly with placid expressions on their faces. Not a single muscle betrayed the fact that they were conversing. To anyone else, it would have been nearly impossible to tell that they were having a covert exchange.

Wang Yu smirked. As he expected, they had underestimated his strength.

Their conversation was plainly revealed to his inner eye.

His ripples could pick up visual and auditory details within a 15-meter radius, capturing everything with startling clarity.

In addition, his fighting spirit was very strange because his body had learned how to produce it autonomously without the standard vortex in the lower abdomen.

In other words, he could generate fighting spirit throughout his body in a relatively uniform fashion, causing him to appear weak to anyone attempting to gauge his power from tracking the density of fighting spirit in his lower abdomen alone.

Their misjudgment was advantageous. Overconfident enemies were far easier to handle.

The villa was particularly large, and they arrived at their destination only after going through numerous corridors.

Wang Yu kept his inner eye active as they walked. He observed that the estate was only sparsely populated; most of the rooms were unoccupied, suggesting that Avia's mother had neither the means nor the interest to maintain such a large property.

However, Wang Yu also noted that several of the unoccupied rooms contained quite a few weapons and sets of armor.

These, he assumed, were owned by Decaphon's mercenaries, which he had either recruited or trained himself. A portion must have been sent to the frontlines, but it was impossible to gauge the number of forces who were still present.

The "attendant" respectfully stopped at an ornate wooden door and knocked. A commanding voice answered from within: "Enter."

Naturally, Wang Yu hadn't heard the voice before, but he saw Avia's expression falter and her brows knit together.

The man inside was Decaphon, then. Wang Yu also noticed something odd: the room seemed to block his void energy, reducing his ripple-enhanced vision down to a mere 3-meter radius.

The "attendant" opened the door as he beckoned for Wang Yu and Avia to enter. The room was as exquisite as expected.

Seated in the middle of the room was a nobleman, stereotypically overweight, swirling at a glass of fine red wine.

His fixed smile seemed superficially polite, but was in truth merely an insincere veneer. The difference between his expression and Avia's icy demeanor was stark.

Bookshelves, display cases, and various extravagances adorned the room. Several "attendants" were tidying up, though their muscular builds and the way they were glancing at Wang Yu and Avia betrayed their true natures.

Clearly, they were the reason Decaphon dared to meet Avia in private: a show of strength to deter Avia and Wang Yu from attacking him directly.

Avia's mother was missing, and Avia would have to get the information out of him. Wang Yu was only a squire at best. This knowledge lent Decaphon confidence.

Decaphon's smug expression was particularly disgusting in the context of his appearance and behavior.

"Ah, my dear niece! I apologize for not giving you a proper welcome on seeing you return," Decaphon said in a mockingly affectionate tone. He spread his arms in false hospitality.

"Come, have a seat." He gestured. An attendant pulled a chair out for Avia—though not one for Wang Yu, of course.

Avia sat, her face cold and unreadable. Wang Yu stood protectively behind her, playing his role as squire.

The girl's silence and icy look spoke volumes. She stared directly at Decaphon, waiting for him to continue.

Decaphon raised an eyebrow, a little surprised by her demeanor. Despite her young age, she seemed composed and skilled at hiding her thoughts.

He had deliberately put on an affected tone in order to spark anger, which tended to lead to reckless behavior that allowed him to manipulate his opponents.

Avia, however, didn't react at all. Still, Decaphon believed that he had such a dominant position that he didn't need to be cautious.

He continued, still in his sickeningly sweet tone, "My dear niece, have you considered the matter of your title and property? Would you be willing to transfer them to me under the Wartime Nobility Succession Act?"

Without waiting for her response, he smiled and pressed on, "My goodness, what a responsible young lady you are. You're already prepared to contribute to the kingdom by entrusting your estate to a more capable noble. I'm sure your mother must be very proud of you." Decaphon's face twisted with a smirk, his thinly veiled threat hanging in the air.

Avia's face was as cold as ever. Beneath the table, her hands were clenched so tightly that her knuckles had turned white—but even so, her expression betrayed nothing.

She calmly brought her hands to rest under her chin as she smiled.

"Naturally, Uncle, but we've just arrived after a long journey. We're exhausted. Perhaps we should deal with the proceedings tomorrow night."

Decaphon raised an eyebrow before he schooled his features again.

His niece was more collected than he had anticipated; she had barely responded to the threat. How... intriguing.

Decaphon sat back in his chair, a relaxed expression on his face. His mocking smirk made Wang Yu itch to punch him.

"It's been quite a while since I last saw my mother, and the transfer of assets you request isn't some minor issue, Uncle. Perhaps I should discuss the situation with her first."

"Oh, yes!" Avia continued, as if having received sudden insight. "If I can't talk to my mother beforehand, I may need to reconsider the planned transfer."

Decaphon was perplexed. Just what was Avia planning?

Couldn't she understand the situation she was in? How dare she make demands! Though her confidence was surprising, he didn't think much of it at all.

The feigned smile on Decaphon's face faded, to be replaced by a cold, rigid expression. He stared at the equally impassive Avia.

"My dear niece, you may be misunderstanding something. The transfer of these assets should be voluntary, not something you negotiate with your uncle."

Decaphon emphasized "voluntary"; he clearly had no interest in negotiation.

"Pardon me, but this is hardly a trivial decision, is it? I'd prefer to talk to my mother regarding how to proceed. After all, this is my first time setting foot in my baronial estate. That I've allowed you the use of my estate in my absence is, I should think, a sufficient sign of my goodwill."

Avia spread her arms helplessly. She continued to eye Decaphon dispassionately, even as the latter's face turned dark.

Her meaning was obvious: Decaphon was overstepping by implicitly assuming the position of lord without her consent.

Her ignoring this overstep was a favor in and of itself.

Decaphon's face grew dour. Nobles didn't take kindly to being disrespected, and it was clear that Decaphon was no objection.

"My dear niece, it seems that you aren't fully aware of your situation. Handing over your rights willingly may be a wise choice, you see..."

Decaphon snapped his fingers. The "attendants" who were cleaning the room turned, their dusters, rags, and buckets having been replaced by lightweight weapons.

They surrounded Avia and Wang Yu, leaving no doubt as to whom the weapons were meant for.

"Uncle, such threats of violence are unbecoming of an elder," Avia replied coolly. Behind her, Wang Yu drew his sword fearlessly.

Decaphon narrowed his eyes. He really didn't know what Avia was planning. Was she that confident in her abilities? Was she just putting up a front? Regardless, he would have to test her.

He raised his hand and flicked it downwards. His "attendants" closed in and blocked Avia and Wang Yu's escape routes.

"Don't be so hasty, Uncle. Perhaps you should have a look at this."

Avia remained calm as she waved her right hand, on which she had worn her Twinned Star glove. Magic power flowed out as an object hidden in the air appeared in sight.

Decaphon narrowed his eyes the moment he saw it. He immediately motioned for his "attendants" to stop.

The dark expression on his face melted away, replaced by his signature smirk. Inwardly, he cursed Avia for her cunning.

Floating in the air was a metallic, eyeball-like object with a mechanical iris, which was silently scanning its surroundings and recording everything in sight.

This Alchemical Eye was a device designed for recording and transmitting information. For a little additional gold, it could be equipped with special features—like invisibility.

Avia's Alchemical Eye was equipped with precisely such a feature, a second-tier Invisibility spell that rendered it nearly undetectable to most as it recorded and transmitted everything.

"Very well, then. Considering the circumstances, I suppose I should oblige my niece's small request..." Decaphon made a gesture, signaling for his "attendants" to stand down.

Though everyone knew that the Wartime Nobility Succession Act was nothing more than a farce, as was the stipulated "voluntary transfer," nobles couldn't violate these acts so brazenly.

The Alchemical Eye that Avia was using served as insurance against Decaphon's actions.

Decaphon had no idea where the Alchemical Eye might be transmitting its recording to. He would have to either destroy it or ambush Avia instead—an overt move seemed impossible at the moment.

"Of course I'm willing to hand over my rights to my esteemed uncle. If I can see my mother beforehand, I believe tomorrow night would be an ideal time for the transfer," Avia reiterated, calm and composed.

Decaphon seethed at being cornered in this fashion, but as a noble with a businessman's mind, he knew that acceding to her demand was the best course of action.

He would get what he wanted at the cost of a mere conversation.

"Very well. How can I refuse my dear niece's request?"

He faked an exasperated smile as one of his "attendants" passed him a crystal orb.

He placed a mana stone beneath it. As the stone's magic power drained, the ball began to emit a magical glow.

An image appeared within the crystal ball, showing a small, dimly lit room.

The room was modest and the view within the crystal ball limited. Only a relatively clean bed was within sight. A beautiful, mature woman lay resting.

"Mother!" Avia cried out inwardly. She trembled involuntarily at the sight of her, though she quickly composed herself.

The crystal ball showed none other than Avia's mother, Lady Mira Svein.

"Lady Mira, your daughter's here to see you." Decaphon's hateful voice rang out beside Avia, his tone filled with a nauseating mirth.

Avia's mother opened her eyes, then widened them in surprise upon seeing Avia's features.

"Avia, you shouldn't have come!" Mira's gaze of shock was quickly replaced by deep concern.

She worried deeply about the dangers Avia was facing given her current status as a hostage.

"Don't worry, Mother. You're far more important to me than a title. I intend to transfer my assets to my uncle tomorrow." She smiled comfortingly.

Decaphon smiled in satisfaction. After the transfer, Avia would be at his mercy.

Mira understood just what would happen to Avia thereafter. She glanced anxiously at Avia, uncertain if she could safely warn her—only to suddenly pause.

Meanwhile, Avia cut off the transmission. Her gentle expression vanished, replaced by the same cold demeanor as before.

"Not in the mood for a longer chat?" Decaphon asked with mock sincerity, clearly relishing the fact that his niece was in a bind.

It was clear she didn't want to reveal her plans to him; that was why she had cut the conversation short.

"I'm tired," Avia said coolly. "Please get me a place to rest. Right—my mother hid the title deed to the estate, along with other documents, in a secure location. You must not have found them yet, I'm sure. Except for my personal identification, I've arranged for my horse to bring these documents out of the estate. Keep that in mind and ensure my mother's safety. With that in mind, let's conduct the transfer tomorrow."

The young woman's "passing remarks" caused Decaphon's face to darken again. She really had prepared well for this meeting, hadn't she? Even so, tomorrow night, she would be done for. His plan would trump over hers.

With that thought, Decaphon smiled again. He signaled his "attendants" to escort Avia to her quarters.

Outside, the rain began to fall in earnest, a soft pitter-patter turning into a heavy downpour. Both parties departed from the hallway, each with their own schemes unfolding in the night...

Meanwhile, Mira sat stunned in the room in which she was confined. The last transmission from the crystal ball lingered in her mind. She had noticed Avia's dark-haired squire's lips moving subtly.

Crystal balls transmitted signals in the form of magical energy—signals which Wang Yu's ripple ability could produce.

Beside her ear, clear as day, Mira had heard the following message: "I am Avia's knight. Please enter a state of meditation. I'll be coming to rescue you."