Chapter 86: Chapter 84 – A Gentleman’s visit

“The Field of Broken Pacts.” The man’s voice drifted across the room as he regarded the painting in front of him. “That is its name.”

A brief silence hung over the room.

“It was a battle that ended the life of countless thousands, and decided the fate of untold more. Accounts say even the very skies tore open that day, when the promises of those that came before dwindled into nothingness. It was a time when the hubris of man brought the gods low, yet all the same, when the character of man shone brightest.”

Scarlett moved her gaze to the unfamiliar painting hanging on the wall. It depicted a vast field with several armies on it; tiny figures in armor, spread across a large canvas of interconnected conflict, all pressing forward toward the basin of a deep valley.

“I make it a habit to always bring a gift when a guest in another’s home.” The man turned around, his eyes meeting hers. He held a surprisingly common appearance, with short black hair and dull brown eyes. If Scarlett were pressed to describe him, she’d say he looked much like your average middle-aged man. Exactly why he fit that description, she wasn’t quite sure. But it felt right, nonetheless.

“I hope it pleases you.”

Scarlett shot one last look at the painting. “…I was not expecting a gift. It looks to have been made by a master.”

The Gentleman smiled, leaning his cane against the desk. “The artist was famed for his unique work process. He would put months into each piece, working tirelessly for days on end until it was finished. All else was secondary; his only goal being breathing life into his creations. It was quite a sight to behold.”

The man sat down in front of the desk and gestured towards the seat across from him.

Scarlett watched him wordlessly for a moment, before walking over and sitting down in the chair. This was her own office, yet she still felt like the guest here.

“You are already aware of who I am. Nevertheless, an introduction is always in order.” The Gentleman brought up a hand as he tilted the front of his hat. “I am often referred to as The Gentleman. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Scarlett placed her hands on the table. “The sentiment is mutual. I am Baroness Scarlett Hartford. I have heard much about you.”

“I am sure you have.” The Gentleman gave a gentle nod, briefly looking around the room. “I hope you do not mind the sudden visit. I happened to be in the vicinity and there was no set date on the invite, so I took it upon myself to decide the occasion.”

“That is quite alright,” Scarlett said. “Although I will admit that I was not entirely certain you would accept.”

“It is not often that someone extends an invitation to me these days. I felt I had to repay the courtesy.”

The black-furred cat that lay on the desk in front of them let out a long meow.

“Oh my, you’re right,” The Gentleman responded. He looked up at Scarlett. “You’ll have to excuse my discourteousness. I almost forgot to introduce my fair companion here. This is Her Royal Highness Tazu’Ivhra D’lhemra Azidazcha Ma’hri Khinzanda, Sovereign over the Endless Jungles of Najjera, the Realm of Ji’Var, the Eternal Dominion of Za’gh, the Sands of Baajirr, and all of the sunbathed lands between.”

The cat let out another meow.

“Ah, and it appears she has approved of the window ledge outside. She will extend you the honor of it being added to her domain for all hours of the day that it’s graced by the light of the sun.”

Scarlett turned to look down at the cat as it seemed to straighten its back, preening with pridefulness.

“…How very magnanimous of you, Your Highness.”

The cat meowed once more.

“You can call her Empress.”

“…I see. Thank you, Empress, for this honor.”

Empress gave Scarlett a long look, then put her head down on the desk and started licking her paw.

“Now, then,” The Gentleman continued. Scarlett turned her attention back to him. “With the introductions concluded, shall we proceed to more pertinent matters?”

She inclined her head. “Very well.”

“As you were the one to summon me, I can only assume there was something in particular you wished to discuss? The fellows who approached me weren’t particularly forthcoming on that front.”

“I hope they did not affront. I had no other methods of contacting you.”

“Hmm, yes, they were rather suspicious, weren’t they? But it is quite alright. I am not one to judge others’ practices, and I understand it can sometimes be difficult to reach an itinerant man such as myself.”

“I am glad there was no issue,” Scarlett said, then paused, eyeing him for a moment. “…I did confer with the Vice-Dean of Elystead Tower at first, in the hopes that they could afford me their aid with the matter. But mentioning your name only seemed to aggravate the man.”

“Oh, you asked him first?” The Gentleman’s brows rose, and he showed a small smile. “No, I suppose the idea wouldn’t enthuse him much.”

“May I ask why that is? If you do not mind.”

The man brought his hand up to his chin, eyes drifting. “It was some years ago now, when certain members of that tower ended up holding an interest in some matters related to me. I do believe Rowley was among their numbers as well. Unfortunately they did not appear to be especially familiar with the concept of courtesy at the time, and their interest grew to be somewhat of an annoyance to me. If I recall correctly, it all resulted in me giving them a rather brusque admonishment. I imagine the circumstances would have to be rather dire for him or any of the others to try and contact me again.”

“I…see.”

Scarlett didn’t know what to say beyond that.

So this was the reason behind how Rowley had reacted? She hadn’t heard of anything like it in the game, but that didn’t mean it never happened. And the questline for contacting The Gentleman had been a pretty unique situation, so it wasn’t outside of the realm of reasonability that Rowley would have felt forced to act despite previous experiences with the man.

Still—even though she didn’t know exactly what counted as a “brusque admonishment”—Rowley’s actions felt like an overreaction. There were a million better ways to handle the situation. Just a simple no would have been better, for crying out loud.

Suddenly, Empress let out another loud meow. The Gentleman’s forehead creased as he looked down at the cat. “Mind your manners, Empress. We’re guests here.” His eyes turned back to Scarlett. “You will have to excuse her. She hasn’t had her milk this morning.”

Scarlett eyed the dark-furred cat. Empress looked back at her with those large, amethyst eyes.

After a few seconds, Scarlett returned her attention to The Gentleman. “Would you kindly open the second drawer on your left?”

The man arched an eyebrow at her, before opening the drawer and pulling out the gold bell inside. Scarlett held out a hand, and he handed it to her.

Its sound echoed out across the room as she rang the bell, then waited quietly for a while. The Gentleman’s and Empress’ curious gazes were fixed on her.

Eventually, the office doors opened and Molly stepped inside. “You called for me, my Lad—”

The woman stopped, eyes wide open as she stared at their end of the room.

“You know the Kindle spell, do you not?” Scarlett asked.

Molly blinked a few times, her focus turning to Scarlett. “Y-Yes, my Lady.”

“Good. Then have a bowl of fresh milk brought from the kitchen. Ensure that it is of a suitable temperature, and make haste.”

The servant had a confused look on her face, glancing at the cat resting on the table.

“…As you wish, my Lady,” she said after a moment and left the office.

Scarlett turned back to Empress and The Gentleman. The cat was giving her what seemed like a look of acknowledgment.

“I see you are a rather accommodating host,” The Gentleman said.

“You are my guests. It is only right that I take your wants and needs into consideration. Are there perhaps any refreshments you want, as well?”

The man held up a hand. “I am quite satisfied, thank you.”

Scarlett gave a low nod. “Then let us continue on. There are two topics I wished to discuss.”

“Ah, yes. Let us hear it. Empress here believed you were going to demand my backing in some temerarious pursuit or other, though I myself found that somewhat improbable.”

Empress let out a harsh cry, glaring at The Gentleman.

“I only say it as it is, dear. There is nothing wrong with reevaluating one’s opinion after meeting an individual.”

The cat turned away from him with what Scarlett could have sworn was an indignant expression.

She cleared her throat. “I presume you are aware that Beld Thylelion will open within a year?”

“I am.” The Gentleman nodded. There was no look of surprise—or anything like it—over Scarlett knowing the fact. “There are bound to be many who are interested in what is hidden there. As you’re bringing it up, I can only assume the same goes for you. It would be hard for you to accomplish much there, however, considering the other players that will be involved.”

“That is indeed true.”

“Were you hoping I would help you gain an edge over the others when it opens?” The tone he spoke in was the exact same cordial one as before, but somehow it caused the hairs on Scarlett’s neck to rise.

“…Yes. But not in the manner which you might think.”

Scarlett was in no position to make major demands of him. He would never help her with something like fighting the others to begin with, even if he could.

“What I want your help with is relatively modest. I want you to deliver a single article of mine, that is all. There would be no need for you to personally involve yourself beyond that.”

He seemed to consider her for a moment, his fingers touching the head of the cane resting against the desk next to him. “Whether or not that is simple depends on the article, does it not? I’m curious. May I see it?”

She shook her head. ”Unfortunately, it is not yet in my possession. When I acquire it, I would ensure it is provided to you immediately.”

He slowly nodded along. “I understand. You do not have to tell me more than that. I’ll refrain from promising anything until I have seen the item with my own eyes, but if I were to accept your proposal, what is it you would offer me in return?”

“That will depend.” Scarlett met his eyes. “What would it take for you to agree to this arrangement?”

This was the first time she’d been in a situation like this. Even with all of her game knowledge, she had no idea what she could use to convince him. None of the information she held would work as payment for him—as far as she knew—and there were no items she could get that would interest him. When it came to her current plans, this part was without a doubt the biggest unknown. She was solely relying on the possibility that there would be something he wanted.

The deal with the Hallowed Cabal had been a gamble as well, but there she had at least been aware of the cards in the opponent’s deck. Here, it wasn’t much different from going in blind.

The Gentleman studied her for several seconds. Finally, he reached up to remove his top hat, placing it on the desk in front of him. “A favor.”

Scarlett's eyes followed his hands as he dusted off some nonexistent dust from the rim.

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“A…favor?” she asked.

“The request itself is not difficult, as you said. A favor will be enough of a payment, if I do indeed judge the request acceptable. Sometime in the future, if I ask you to repay this favor, I would simply like for you to uphold your end.” He smiled. “Don’t fret. I doubt I’ll ask for anything absurd, if that is what you’re thinking.”

“I was thinking nothing of the sort. In fact, I believe this is more than a satisfactory arrangement for me.”

Truth was, she had little choice in the matter. Not knowing exactly what his request would be made her a bit disconcerted, but it wasn’t as if she was making a pact with a demon this time. And she had to get his help here, no matter what.

“You have my word that, when the time comes, I will uphold my part of the bargain.”

A knock sounded out from the door as Molly returned, pushing in a serving cart with a single bowl on it. The woman moved quietly as she passed Scarlett—stopping only for a moment to glance down at Empress—and placed the bowl down in front of the cat.

Empress gave it a look, let out a long meow at the woman, then moved over and happily started licking the milk inside the bowl.

Molly watched on for a while until Scarlett waved her away.

Empress let out another meow after the woman had left the room.

“Oh? Is it that good?” The Gentleman looked down at his feline companion. “Then perhaps I should leave you here. That way, you can keep enjoying their milk until next time I come here.”

The cat stopped for a moment to hiss at him, then returned to her meal.

He chuckled, turning his attention back to Scarlett. “If an accord has been reached, then shall we move on? I believe you said there were two points to discuss, yes?”

“That is correct.“ Scarlett folded her hands. “I will be blunt. I wish to enter Freymeadow.”

“Ah.” A look of understanding appeared in his eyes. “Now I see.”

Freymeadow was a small village that was related to a certain questline in the game. It wasn’t actually too far away from Freybrook, so reaching the place wouldn’t take long. But entering it was a completely different matter. There was a set way of doing it—requiring a specific item that could only be found in a side room inside a dungeon that was locked behind several other questlines—but reaching that point would take a long time, even with Scarlett’s knowledge. Those questlines were also a tad too high-level for her party. With Garside’s help, they might have been able to clear some of them, but it would still take far too long.

That’s why she’d thought of seeing if she couldn’t simply skip all of that and just ask The Gentleman for help. If there was anyone who could help in this situation, it was him.

The person in question tapped his finger against the top of the hat on the desk. “I would like to rescind my previous words. I suspect I know what it is you want me to deliver, and I can tell you now that it won’t be an issue.”

Scarlett looked at him. “Truly?”

“Indeed.” He showed her a cunning smile. “It’s rather clever of you, Baroness. Your plan will in all likelihood work, as well. Although I cannot say I envy the path you will have to take to reach that point.”

His attention seemed to shift as his eyes wandered away from Scarlett, and he gazed at the wall behind her with a thoughtful expression.

Then he let out a short laugh. “How serendipitous. It makes one wonder…”

Smile still on his face, he caressed Empress’ back with his hand. “Dear, could you go and fetch it for us?”

The cat turned away from the bowl of milk to shoot him a dirty look.

“Now, now, don’t be like that. The milk will still be here when you return. And I’m sure the Baroness here won’t mind heating it up again if it were to turn cold.”

Empress meowed.

“That is no way for a lady to speak. Especially when our host has been so gracious.”

The cat glanced at Scarlett, then back at The Gentleman. After a few seconds, she strode over to the desk’s edge and leaped down onto the floorboards in a single, graceful motion. Scarlett watched on as Empress crossed the room towards the door—which silently opened before the cat—and disappeared out into the hallway.

“She can be quite the feisty one,” The Gentleman said.

Scarlett turned back to him. “It would appear so.”

A silence fell over the room as the two of them looked each other over.

For some reason, the stillness made her feel uncomfortable.

“Would a favor suffice as payment for this as well?” she asked.

The Gentleman gently shook his head. “There is no need for any reimbursement this time.”

Scarlett blinked. “Are you certain?”

What, so she was getting this for free?

“I believe in equal transactions, and it would be unfair of me to demand payment for this. I am only ensuring that an heirloom is returned to its rightful owner. That is hardly deserving of compensation, wouldn’t you say?”

She couldn’t help the frown that grew on her face. “I am afraid I do not quite understand.”

He massaged his chin. “No, I suppose you would not. Let us put it like this instead.” He held up a finger. “When your business in Freymeadow is concluded, present the item to the person you meet at the end there. That will work, as well. You could even consider this the payment, if you so wish.”

“And that would suffice?”

“That would be more than enough.”

“Very well. Then I will do so.”

That much shouldn’t be too hard.

“I am glad we seem to have resolved that.” The Gentleman nodded. “I am eager to see where you will bring things in the future. I’m certain there will be lots of interesting events unfolding around you.”

Scarlett stilled. “…You appear to know a lot about me.”

“Quite the opposite, in fact. I know frighteningly little about you. But that alone tells me much.”

She stared at him.

What could he discern from only that? Might he actually have information about her situation?

“Perhaps, do you—”

“Well, let us not dwell on those matters,” he said before she could continue. “I could not help but notice the clutter outside.”

He gestured towards the right wall, though there was no window to the courtyard. “Are you perhaps renovating?”

Scarlett reined back the annoyance that arose at his interruption. She wasn’t going to tell The Gentleman—of all people—off. He had been completely aware he was cutting her short. If he didn’t want to continue a topic, there was nothing she could do about it.

“We had an unfortunate encounter with some contentious individuals last night. The situation was resolved, but regrettably, not all damage to the estate could be prevented.”

“That is a shame. This is a beautiful home you have here.”

“Thank you.”

“I can tell there is much history here, and that it has seen many owners throughout the years. I am sure you won’t be the last.”

“One can only hope.”

He let out a calm chuckle. ”Yes, hope is always good to have.”

She held her eyes on him, wondering what to say next. Suddenly Empress jumped up on the desk beside her, the cat now holding something in her mouth.

Scarlett hadn’t even heard the door open.

“Thank you dear,” The Gentleman said as Empress placed the item on the desk and went back to her bowl of milk.

Scarlett looked at the object. It was an old hairpin made of silver. Several rubies were affixed to its head, where the metal had been twisted in the shape of a leaf. There appeared to have once been letters carved onto its side, but those had long since faded away. Even the silver itself clearly hadn’t escaped the passage of time, marred on several spots by a dark, orangy tin.

[Forgotten Hairpin (Unique)]
{This hairpin once belonged to a noble young lady. Both have long since been buried by the sands of time}

She carefully picked it up, examining the hairpin in her hand. In the game you found a bracelet. But considering The Gentleman was the one who gave it to her, this would most likely work just as well.

It did make her wonder where Empress had gone, though. Scarlett didn’t know the limits of the strange cat, but even The Gentleman would probably have had to spend a bit more time than that if it was the bracelet he’d gone to get instead.

The man put a hand into his black suit jacket, pulling out a grey pocket watch. “I think that is about all the time I have for today.” He picked up his hat, placing it on his head, then shot Scarlett another smile. “It has been a pleasure meeting you, Baroness. I’ll make sure to visit and pick up that item of yours when I have the time, so don’t worry about contacting me.”

“If you say so. It has been a pleasure meeting you as well.”

As he stood from his chair, Empress turned back to him and let out a short meow.

“Let’s not bother the Baroness any further, dear. I’m sure we can find something for you later.”

The cat’s response was an annoyed flick of the head as she walked up to the edge of the desk and leaped down onto the floor.

“Thank you, dear.” The Gentleman looked back at Scarlett, tipping his hat. “Till next time, my Lady.”

“Farewell.”

With that, The Gentleman picked up his cane and rounded the desk, walking towards the room’s exit along with Empress. Scarlett remained in her seat as the door opened and closed behind her, staring at the large painting that now hung across the back wall of her office.

Unlike a lot of other things she had encountered lately, that had gone surprisingly well.

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