Chapter 263: The Absent Lord

CLINK—

A Civil Servant from Carolina tapped his glass, and the room fell silent. This usually meant the host was about to make their entrance, and Ron would soon be having a friendly meeting with the Lord of Carolina.

But everyone present waited for quite some time, and still, there was no sign of the Lord of Carolina.

"Ahem," the Civil Servant coughed, concealing his embarrassment. "Lord Ron, we've just received word. Unfortunately, our Lord has suffered a relapse of an old ailment today and is therefore unable to attend this banquet. For this, we offer our deepest apologies."

"However, a message has come from the Lord's residence. She welcomes you to visit anytime within the next two weeks. During this time, she also cordially invites you to tour the city-state. We will assign someone to accompany you to ensure you are treated with the respect due to your station, no matter where you go."

"I am a Lord who has traveled a great distance to pay a visit, yet I am unable to meet her in person. I consider that an offense in itself," Ron said, his expression darkening upon hearing the Civil Servant's words. "Not to mention, I came this time in good faith, hoping our two houses could reconcile and clear up any misunderstandings."

"But your actions seem designed to create misunderstandings, wouldn't you say?"

"Our legion is currently camped on the outskirts of this city-state. Are you asking to be attacked again?!" Delaford yelled, stamping his foot. It was something Ron couldn't say, but the Goblin Hunter had no such reservations.

"Calm down, please calm down!" The Civil Servant from Carolina was instantly flustered. He was a man of words, and this was the first time he'd encountered a guest who made direct threats of violence. "This... it truly can't be helped. Our Lord has indeed been unwell lately and is unable to receive your party. However, we are willing to offer some compensation, if you would consider..."

"In that case..." Ron mused, feigning contemplation. "I hear Carolina has several talented individuals and Sages. Since I cannot meet with your Lord, I would like to arrange to visit them instead. What do you think?"

This was an easy request. The Civil Servant's face immediately broke into a smile. "Of course, of course. We will make all the necessary arrangements. But who did you plan on seeing first?"

Ron reached a hand behind him, and Silvia and Seymour immediately handed him a list. It was a short list, but every name on it was a prominent figure in Carolina—after all, the only names the two would have remembered from their time as slaves and apprentices would be the most famous ones.

The Civil Servant took the list and, after a glance, breathed an obvious sigh of relief. 'It seems Lord Ron did some research before his visit, but not much. Most of these so-called "prominent figures" are just gimmicks; they don't touch upon Carolina's core interests.'

'Take Henry Robertson, who's here today. He's repeatedly claimed to the city-state that once his research is complete, it will greatly alleviate the shortage of slave resources, but to this day, it has yielded nothing.'

'If he enjoys making social calls this much, then by all means, let him go.'

Ron exchanged a look with Silvia and the others. They agreed it was best not to get straight to the point just yet, so for now, they simply chose two unrelated individuals to meet with over the next few days.

"While Lord Ron is willing to overlook your discourtesy, I feel I must press the matter."

As the crowd dispersed to continue mingling at the banquet, the Civil Servant from Carolina had just breathed a sigh of relief when he saw a Tiffling approaching him with a polite smile.

"And you are?" The Civil Servant was taken aback. He recalled seeing this person on the delegation's roster, but his name was far down the list, meaning he was clearly not a key figure. 'So why is he approaching me?'

"Director of Intelligence, Quest," the Tiffling said, raising his glass to the Civil Servant, making no attempt to hide his identity. "I also spent over a decade as a Spy in other city-states."

"You may remember the Alliance fisheries corruption case. I led that investigation."

"Oh!" As Quest introduced himself, the Civil Servant gasped in recognition. "So it's you! Mr. Quest, I've heard so much about you!"

"My colleagues have spoken of you. It was thanks to your mediation that Carolina was... whitewashed. No, exonerated. No..."

"Clarified the flow of all funds," Quest corrected, clinking glasses with the Civil Servant. "That so-called 'corruption case' was a complete frame job from the start, was it not?"

"After all, according to my investigation, every single fund had a legitimate destination and was fully traceable."

"Precisely!" The Civil Servant wiped the cold sweat from his brow. 'Even though it was ancient history, he knew he shouldn't have misspoken in a setting like this.'

A flicker of impatience crossed Quest's eyes. Back then, he'd done all that to exonerate his former employer; Carolina was just a loose end that had to be dealt with. But since he now held this piece of leverage, he didn't mind using it to build some rapport with the Civil Servant.

"I was merely doing my duty in that affair," Quest said with a smile. "And it's the same now. My Lord is somewhat displeased with your city's attitude, so I am obliged to make some inquiries."

"Out there, in public, there are some things you couldn't conveniently say, my friend. But now... can you be frank? Why did the ruler of Carolina *really* not attend this banquet?"

The Tiffling stared at the graying Civil Servant before him. "Between you and me, as I recall, your Lord is just a puppet for a few big slave owners, isn't he? Isn't attending banquets like this his job?"

"How can you say such a thing!" The Civil Servant flared with anger for a moment, then quickly pulled Quest aside and lowered his voice. "You're in the backwater that is Delusional Land, so I suppose your intelligence isn't as up-to-date as it would be within the Alliance."

"This matter actually has a great deal to do with your Lord. After the previous peace treaty, our former Lord faced immense dissatisfaction from many 'citizens'—the slave owners—who believed he had conceded far too much to your side."

"But since he was still the candidate most tolerable to all factions, and they hadn't found a replacement, they allowed him to keep his position for the time being."

"Until a female Elf appeared."

The Civil Servant took a deep breath. "She is a powerful Mage. Upon her arrival, she convinced a small clique of the most radical citizens to support her and issued a 'persuasion' to the former Lord, demanding he abdicate."

"The two factions erupted into a violent conflict in and around the Lord's residence, which ended with the former Lord and his supporters being imprisoned. So, we have a new Lord now—an Elf!"

"However, it seems she suffered considerable injuries during the conflict, so she's been reclusive for the past month or two. But frankly, I thought she would at least attend this banquet. I never expected she would refuse."

"Things are certainly turbulent here," Quest said, nodding with feigned sympathy. "But people like you don't seem to have been affected. Was her purge aimed only at the slave owners?"

"Oh, Mr. Quest, you—forgive me, you're not 'one of us,' so you may not understand our duties," the Civil Servant said, smiling as he drained his glass. "We are Civil Servants. We exist only to carry out the will of the city-state and ensure it is enacted."

"No matter who holds power, why would they want to purge us when we are merely executing their will? We are but humble instruments of the state, vessels to hold the fruits of their 'careful deliberations'."

"But for that very reason," the Civil Servant suddenly frowned, looking at Quest. "Could you be frank with me in return, to set our minds at ease? Is Lord Ron's visit this time truly just a gesture of goodwill?"

"I've heard things about Delusional Land... that even goblins can have a seat at the table? My colleagues and I are worried that your arrival might spark certain reforms that will ultimately lead to a 'collapse of order' in Carolina."