Aldrich and the others returned to the inn each having their own thoughts about the earlier meeting.
It was an interesting meeting to be sure. Aldrich graciously accepted the recommendation letter and had no intention to refuse outright.
When they got back to the inn they sat together in Aldrich's room to discuss what just happened.
"Weird, why'd he give all of us the recommendation letters? Wouldn't it be normal to ignore us and focus on Aldrich and Nathan?" Frank asked.
"Maybe he didn't want to single us out because it would be rude?" Nathan answered.
"I don't think so, did he look like he gave a damn about being rude?" Hellen shot back.
"Maybe he didn't want to tear a rift between us?" Emma suggested.
She finally started talking again, little by little. Aldrich was glad that she was recovering alright, after all she got beaten badly in both quests so far.
"Wouldn't it be better for him if he made a rift between us?" Aldrich asked rhetorically, "I think he didn't mind taking all of us, maybe he could tell we were cut above our peers."
"Or maybe he didn't care about wasting the recommendation letters…" Frank added to which Aldrich nodded.
Indeed that might've been an acceptable loss for him. Or rather to the Benthos family in Izzram.
After lunch Aldrich went to visit Irene and check up on Huzon. Well, they spent most of the time making out. So technically he did go to take a look at Huzon.
The next day a letter was slipped under his door. After reading it he put on his clothes and took a carriage to the fish market where another carriage was waiting for him.
In the carriage lord Garon Altemir and his eldest son, Harry were waiting for him. They didn't say anything until carriage was driven out of town and into a clearing in the woods that overlooked the town from above.
Lord Garon opened the shutters and allowed the breeze of the sea into the carriage, it was cloudy so the sun wasn't too hot.
"I was surprised the lord has summoned me so." Aldrich said indifferently.
He could feel that the coachman driving the carriage was a Crestmaster, and he wasn't trying to hide it. Perhaps intentionally so.
"I did not mean to be so secretive but the inquisitors are a paranoid bunch. I guess it comes with the job."
Aldrich narrower his eyes but otherwise remained silent, he did not comment nor show a visible physical reaction.
"… I wanted to say that we've taken care of the enslaved pirates loot. I didn't expect that such a danger was lurking right under my home." Lord Garon moved on to another subject of his own accord.
"I'm glad it didn't take long. If so then we'll take our leave soon, if that's alright."
"Yeah, as we agreed here's the eight gold. Once again you did a great job."
"Thank you my lord, we only did what we thought was right."
Aldrich took the pouch and stashed it away. But he didn't get out nor did he say anything else, he just waited letting the silence rest between them.
He was comfortable in the silence, he didn't mind the quite ever since he was a kid, in fact he enjoyed it at times and at others he hated it but knew to endure it.
"I heard that you met with the inquisitors yesterday," Lord Garon said, "how was it? They didn't mistreat you, I hope."
"The inquisitors were most accommodating. They paid us our dues, even more than we deserve and even offered us some recommendation letters to a guild in appreciation of our good deeds."
Aldrich sneaked in the details that the lord wanted to hear about. He made sure that he didn't badmouth the inquisitors and at the same time he didn't lie to the good lord.
Plus he hoped that he could get a better understanding of the situation by revealing this information.
"Recommendation letters, huh. You must be wondering why they would do such a thing? The other provinces do not wish to see Vorian rise again."
"Hm?" Aldrich didn't understand, truthfully he was lost. What did this have to do with that? Did he miss something?
No, it's a direct answer but there's something between the lines. The inquisition was made up of people and so it could not be truly neutral.
The inquisitors working there had ties and people outside of the inquisition, they had their own interests and leanings.
"Talent?" Aldrich muttered causing lord Garons eyes to gleam with approval.
They didn't wish to see Vorian a suppressed province produce talents and promising people. To them it was a matter of danger.
With Vorian and Melowar taking a backseat the others provinces had to fill in the power vacuum.
If Vorian and Melowar returned to the good graces of the Imperial Citadel they would be put in place to lose the power they came to enjoy.
"Last year the Sword Saint was promoted to Captain of the Crownsguard. His promotion to that position has indicated a return to normalcy."
The Crownsguard were a force tasked with protecting the Emperor himself. The Sword Saint, a Vorian, being the captain meant that the Citadel has begun making moves to restore things back to normal.
The Sword Saint could not be stopped no matter how they tried, he was a living legend.
Even though he fought on the wrong side in the war, even his enemies could not help but respect him.
His first and only defeat was on the hands of the First Sword, the previous captain of the Crownsguard.
The Emperor was injured in that battle but he ordered for the Sword Saint to be spared and commanded for Archbishop Paston, his personal healer to tend to the Sword Saint's wounds first over his own.
And the rest was history.
His story from when he first picked up a sword was sold as books and then as theatrical plays.
At bed time he heard that mothers would tell his tales. Not that his mother ever did something like that.
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