Epic Of The Demonic Sage

"Then we'll be looking forward to traveling with you soon, Viscountess Blackshield." Lucius smiled and inclined his head.

"The same to you, Young Lord Asher." Viscountess Blackshield nodded. "Now then, will the two of you be staying here with me, or will you go elsewhere? You have already confirmed that I will be joining you guys tomorrow."

"Do you wish us to leave you alone, Viscountess?" Lucius raised a brow.

"I just find it strange that a young man is spending a lot of time with me instead of people around his age."

"I find myself interacting with people of various ages, Viscountess. I assure you that sometimes I find it easier to interact with people much older than me due to my interests lying elsewhere."

"That's true. Sometimes I do find it hard to believe that Asher is younger than me. He has grown so much in a year." Kiana said, joining the conversation.

"Hmm, while the two of you are here, I would perhaps like to inquire about the Masked Legion Mercenaries. You and your father, Count Inanis have spoken about how they turned the edge of the battle against Viscount Drew, but it is my first time hearing of them."

"Well, they are a group of mercenaries that I found myself meeting before," Lucius said. "I am sure that everyone is curious about where they come from, but it is something that they wish to keep to themselves privately for now. Are you interested in hiring them, Viscountess?"

"I am curious about their relative power. The fact that Count Gabriel has spoken highly of them seems to indicate a certain level of strength that is worth noting, but I do not feel completely comfortable with strangers entering my land if I do not even know where they come from or what lies underneath their masks," Viscountess Blackshield said.

There was a certain look in her eyes that seemed to indicate that she was also thinking about assassins at the moment. The fact that most of them were masked and hiding their face did not sit well with the Viscountess.

"Of course, I understand your reservations. I would like to vouch for their characters, and I hope that you would consider them. If not for your territory, then when fighting in the territory of others," Lucius said. "I think that will be much more comfortable to you, Viscountess?"

"Perhaps. If there was a fight in another territory, then I'll consider it. But that would require a conflict being in place first, before I was to find myself joining a battle," Viscountess Blackshield said.

Kiana and Lucius glanced at each other. It was something that many would perhaps hesitate in saying aloud but true to her nature; the Viscountess didn't have any reservations in stating her thoughts aloud.

"Truly." Viscountess Blackshield sipped her drink again and didn't say anything more.

For the duration of their entire conversation, it was mostly Lucius who had done an effort in speaking with the Viscountess and not the other way around. Perhaps it was finally time to leave the Viscountess and redirect his attention elsewhere.

Lucius glanced around the banquet and took in the ongoing proceedings. Count Gabriel was still speaking with Viscount Felldan.

One quick look at Viscountess Blackshield indicated that there was little to no joy in her eyes as she eyed the Viscount and continued to mull in her seat.

'I would ask her about her sentiments about Viscount Felldan, but this is something that I should save for a later time than anything else. Not to mention that Viscount Felldan is also keeping an eye on the current engagement as well.' Lucius thought.

As expected for Viscount Felldan, he was able to hold a conversation with Count Gabriel and engage with him properly, but also somehow managed to glance in his direction.

'Perhaps he is wondering what I'm speaking about with the Viscountess. Better to be wary than anything else.'

"Is there anywhere else you wish to go to, Asher?" Kiana asked.

"I am simply checking how everything has progressed so far," Lucius said. "I think this banquet tonight has been most successful, isn't it?"

"Yes, Asher. Even now Lady Alessa, Countess Lita and Baroness Hugh are still gathered together with the rest of the nobility. They are quite the stars of the ball," Kiana said.

"Ah, that reminds me to speak with her. Thank you for mentioning that, Kiana." Viscountess Blackshield raised her head and turned to the other women gathered.

While Viscountess Blackshield did not seem to have any actual interest in interacting with groups, and Lady Alessa was surrounded by a lot of people, she did not have any issue standing up and excusing herself.

With her gone, it left Kiana and Lucius together at the table, and the two sat down for a moment.

"Have you accomplished everything that you intended for tonight, Asher?"

"Yes, I've spoken with the five nobilities you mentioned earlier and invited them to our estate," Lucius said.

"Invited them?" Kiana said.

"We will be most welcoming with them, Kiana."

Kiana glanced at Asher and noticed the tone of his voice. In the past, she would have been bothered by the hidden meaning between his words, but now she had mostly gotten used to it.

In fact, she was appreciative of it because it meant that Asher was truly doing everything for the Inanis family.

"Of course, Asher. Please let me know ahead. What about your conversation with Viscount Felldan?"

"It has been most interesting. I appreciate your information about him," Lucius said.

"Yes. He is an important figure, after all." Kiana said.

'I noticed that she does not seem to speak about Viscount Felldan in a negative or positive light. It's mostly neutral. It makes me wonder if Count Gabriel is the only one who sees things in a positive light or even Countess Lita shares the same sentiment as him. Something worth noting about. I can't make any specific conclusions due to my lack of background.'

"And is there anything else that you wish to do, Asher?"

"In particular? At this moment? No. I will be awaiting the results of what we did for tonight."