Chapter 413: Something Precious

"First off, I have no intention of making Golden Fortune Corporation pay the full price for responding to our call. So House Arcanis will compensate you for the cost of your manpower and materials, and will reward you for your efforts."

Lord Evrard paused, measuring the weight of the words to follow, then went on.

"In the meantime — based on the preliminary reports I have received — I am prepared to pay two thousand five hundred gold coins in base compensation, along with an additional one thousand five hundred as a formal reward for your contribution."

His tone became a little more serious as he added:

"But as you know, Frostgrave took a heavy pounding during the siege and we’re still trying to gauge the full extent of our losses. With that in mind, I hope you’ll understand if we pay half now and the rest once we have a better understanding of our finances."

Ruvian nodded.

He understood that rebuilding Frostgrave would require considerable funds. So, he had no reason to object to Lord Evrard’s proposal.

Furthermore, the Golden Fortune Corps had suffered no major casualties and arrived during the later stages of the siege, thus the amount was already quite generous.

Of course, their contribution to destroying the Nightbloom Spawners had been crucial to their victory, but even so, Ruvian found the offer more than reasonable.

"Thank you, my Lord. I believe that’s a fair offer."

"Good," Lord Evrard nodded. "Beyond the financial compensation, I’m also prepared to grant the Golden Fortune Corporation certain privileges within House Arcanis’s territory.

"Your people have proven their worth, and I see no reason why our relationship should end here. Is there anything in particular the Corporation might find useful?"

Hearing that, Ruvian smiled inwardly.

’As expected...’

He had already anticipated that Lord Evrard might offer something beyond monetary compensation. In fact, even if the older man hadn’t brought it up, Ruvian had been planning to make a request of his own.

With Frostgrave having suffered considerable damage during the siege, House Arcanis would certainly need plenty of materials and equipment for the repairs.

And if he could secure those supply contracts for the Golden Fortune Corporation, they would gain a foothold in the northern market while House Arcanis would have a reliable supplier to work with.

Having reached a decision, Ruvian looked toward Lord Evrard with a smile. "Actually, my Lord, there is something I would like to propose."

"Oh? Well, let’s hear it."

"Then... would House Arcanis be willing to permit the Golden Fortune Corporation to establish an official trading branch in Valcavein? And if possible, I would also like to request priority consideration for future supply contracts."

"A trading branch in Valcavein, along with priority consideration for future supply contracts?" Lord Evrard repeated, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Ruvian nodded.

"Yes, my Lord. As you know, Frostgrave will need a lot of resources to be rebuilt, and I think the Golden Fortune Corporation is more than capable of supplying them."

He stopped for a moment, then continued.

"Also, opening a branch in Valcavein would give us the opportunity to provide House Arcanis with a steady stream of materials, equipment, and other necessities at reasonable prices.

"In return, the Corporation would have the opportunity to grow its business in the North. Of course I don’t want the exclusive rights to those contracts, just that we get a fair crack of the whip when those opportunities arise."

Lord Evrard listened to the explanation, and leaned back a little in his chair, tapping his fingers on the table as he thought over the proposition.

Then, he finally nodded after a moment’s consideration.

"Very well. I can see no reason to refuse your proposition. But I will still have to talk over the details with my advisors before I can give formal approval. I hope you understand that."

Ruvian returned a polite smile.

"That’s perfectly understandable, My Lord. Before we go any further I also need to inform the Corporation of what we’ve been discussing."

"Good. Then I think we have an agreement."

Ruvian nodded slowly.

With the Corporation’s affairs settled for now, Lord Evrard turned his attention toward Calyra. After looking at his daughter for a moment, he returned his gaze to Ruvian.

"Now, about the wager that both of you made with each other..."

Ruvian immediately stiffened.

He had already prepared several arguments to convince Lord Evrard to let Calyra join the upcoming dungeon expedition.

After all, knowing how protective the older man was of his daughter, he had expected this to be the most difficult part of their discussion.

However, suddenly....

"I’ve given this matter considerable thought, and while I still have my reservations, I believe my daughter has already proven herself capable of making her own decisions."

He paused briefly, glancing toward Calyra before looking back at Ruvian.

"So, I’ve decided that I won’t stand in her way. You have my permission to take Calyra with you on the dungeon expedition."

’Huh?’

Both Ruvian and Calyra stared at him in disbelief.

[You have received +2,000 Plot Points!]

*****

[Lord Evrard’s POV]

The remainder of the dinner passed fairly peacefully, with Ruvian thanking Lord Evrard once more before accepting his invitation to stay the night at the estate.

Calyra had excused herself a little later as well, and only her parents remained to finish their conversation.

At last, after a long and tiring day, Lord Evrard and Lady Clarissa retired to their chambers. It was late at night now, and most of the Arcanis estate was quiet.

Lord Evrard sat on the edge of his bed inside his chamber and loosed his collar with a tired sigh. Lady Clarissa reached past him and laid her hands on his shoulders.

She started to massage his back.

"You’ve been quiet since dinner dear," she said with a little smile.

Evrard closed his eyes momentarily, relishing the soft pressure of her hands.

Then he hesitated a moment and said.

"Dear, do you think I did the right thing today?

Clarissa’s hands paused briefly before continuing.

"You’re talking about Calyra, aren’t you?" she asked, already having a good idea of what was troubling her husband.

Evrard nodded slowly.

"I know she has gotten stronger," he said, his brows drawing together. "But knowing that doesn’t make it any easier to let her go into danger again."

He sighed, looking down at the floor.

Clarissa smiled softly and gave his shoulders a reassuring squeeze.

"You can’t protect her from everything forever, sweetheart, no matter how much you want to. There comes a time when we, as parents, have to learn to trust our children and let them make their own choices."

She stopped for a moment, then went on, with a warmer smile.

"Besides, isn’t this what Calyra herself wants? It’s been so long since she last expressed what she truly wanted, and this is only the second time she’s done so... I believe you’ve made the right decision."

Evrard slightly chuckled.

"That’s rather surprising, coming from you, dear. Weren’t you just as opposed to the idea as I was? What made you change your mind recently?"

Her hands slowly came to a complete halt, as though something had just crossed her mind.

"Well, dear, there is something I’ve wanted to tell you."

"Mmh? What is it?"

Clarissa paused for a moment before continuing.

"To be honest with you, a few days ago, I suddenly had this strange feeling that we should let Calyra go on this expedition."

Hearing that, Evrard raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"Haa... I don’t know either, dear."

Clarissa shook her head slowly, her expression growing somewhat troubled.

"I can’t quite explain it, but ever since you brought up the expedition... I’ve been having this strange feeling. I didn’t think much of it at first, but... the more I thought about it, the stronger that feeling became."

She paused briefly, lowering her gaze.

"It’s as though something is telling me that we should let her go, even though a part of me still wishes to keep her close."

"..."

"You’ve noticed it too, haven’t you? Ever since that day, Calyra hasn’t quite been herself anymore. And perhaps... neither have we."

Evrard fell silent again at her words.

Of course, he had noticed.

He knew something had been going on strange with his family ever since that dungeon incident years ago.

For some time now, he too had been troubled by that same inexplicable feeling, as though he had once lost something incredibly dear to him.

In fact, perhaps that was why he had become so protective of Calyra.

Deep down, there was always this lingering fear that if he wasn’t careful enough, he might lose something precious to him once again.

But what exactly had they lost?

No matter how hard they searched their memories, they couldn’t find an answer.

"And also... there’s something else that’s been bothering me," Clarissa suddenly added, interrupting his thoughts.

Evrard turned his attention back toward her.

"What is it?"

"...Ruvian."

"That boy? What about him?"

Clarissa paused briefly, seemingly searching for the right words.

"I know we’ve only just met him, and there’s still so much we don’t know about him... but for some reason, whenever I look at that boy, don’t you feel strangely reassured?"

"Reassured? In what way?"

"That’s what I find strange as well," Clarissa admitted with a faint smile. "It’s almost as though we’ve known him for a long time, even though I’m certain we’ve never met before."

Evrard raised an eyebrow, then joked.

"Haha, are you saying he reminds you of someone?"

"Oh, no, not quite..."

Clarissa shook her head slowly.

"It’s difficult to explain."

She paused, her expression growing thoughtful.

"Remember what I said a long time ago, about feeling as though we’ve lost something precious?"

"...Yes? What about?"

"I feel like we’re about to learn about it soon."

"..."

"Yes. I know it sounds strange."

She gave a helpless smile.

"But whenever I think about Calyra going on that expedition with him, that uneasy feeling of loss seems to lessen a little."

Hearing that, Evrard furrowed his brow. Honestly, he wasn’t entirely convinced by his wife’s explanation.

Even so, he had been married to Clarissa long enough to know that she rarely spoke of such things without giving them considerable thought.

After a moment, he let out a quiet sigh.

"Well, I can’t say I understand everything you’re telling me, dear."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"But if you truly feel that way, then I’ll trust you."

Clarissa smiled gently.

"Thanks, dear. Still, I certainly hope my feelings about this turn out to be right."

Evrard turned toward his wife and gently reached up to caress her cheek.

"I’m sure it will."

Then, with a tender smile, Clarissa leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.

──────── ? ────────

[Chapter 413: Something Precious]

Plot Points = 289,500