Cyrus stared at me in surprise.
"Huh!? This is a deal between us, isn't it, Ryuuko?"
"Not exactly. Antenora, can you introduce everyone?"
I thought she'd do a much better job than me since she was Lucrezia's head maid.
Antenora stood up and smiled. It was the second time I'd ever seen her smile like that, and by god, should she do it more. It would be a crime to just call it "beautiful."
The smile that Antenora currently wore was exquisite.
"I am glad to see that you have affirmed your loyalties before not only us, but also before an official of the human nation. I shall not forget this soon, Mikado Ryuuko of the Zaltsel clan. You do us a great honor."
As she curtsied, Lucrezia stood and did so as well. Priya hurried to follow suit, stumbling slightly as she got off the sofa.
Her clumsiness here was rather adorable, but it didn't feel like the right time for me to indulge in that observation.
"Uh... I'm grateful that you're all, uh, doing this, but I thought I made my intentions clear when I made that promise to Lucrezia. Sorry, I'm honestly not too good at this type of thing." I scratched the back of my head nervously, eliciting a smile of amusement from Antenora.
"Of course. I shall refrain from such elaborate demonstrations of gratitude in the future. Now then..." Antenora turned to a very confused Cyrus before continuing.
"Allow me to introduce Lucrezia reg Zaltsel, eighty-seventh princess of the Zaltsel clan."
Lucrezia faced Cyrus and curtsied again. "As one of the clans which hold a seat upon the Eastern Council, all deals which concern the future of the eastern tribes also concern the Zaltsel clan. Seeing as I am currently the highest ranking member of the Zaltsel clan present, all negotiations must be made with me."
Honestly, I was quite surprised that Lucrezia was now taking such a strong stance. Just a few moments ago, she had been willing to simply sit back and let me call the shots. In fact, I was pretty sure she would've just gone along with it if I'd agreed with Cyrus right then and there.
I frowned and deactivated [Psychic Citadel] as Cyrus began speaking with Lucrezia. I tried to focus my thoughts and form words with them, visualizing them being "beamed" to Antenora in an attempt to communicate telepathically.
"You certainly look constipated."
What a bitch. So we're right back to this, huh? And yikes, her mental voice sounds just as sharp as her real voice does.
I'm trying my best here.
"You do not possess telepathic capabilities. There is no need for you to attempt to 'send' your thoughts to me. I can simply read them from your mind while your mental shield is down. You certainly acquired that quick."
I squinted at her. She seemed to be having a lot of fun, because I could see the ghost of a smile just barely peeking through her stone-cold facade.
Shut up. I just wanted to ask why you guys weren't speaking up until now.
"Lucrezia considered you family, but she did not consider you a member of the Zaltsel clan. Not officially, at least. She wished to give you autonomy in your choice as you are still a human. If you had chosen to side with and assist the human without our input, it was not our place to interject in a deal made between humans."
So you can call her by name. I think you should do that. It made her a lot happier.
Antenora didn't respond to that thought. Her eyes slid away from mine, and she turned her attention to Priya who was taking the time to practice a few of the less flashy unarmed combat techniques that we taught her.
You still there, Antenora?
"...Regrettably."
So, uh, what exactly made you guys change your decision? Sorry, I'm really not well versed in all this political bullshit.
"You not only asked for our opinion, but valued it more than your own. That was enough to confirm where your true allegiances lay. The moment that occurred, it was no longer a deal between humans. It became a deal between the Zaltsel clan and a representative of the human kingdom."
Huh? Is that all? Of course I valued it more than my own. I mean, what Princess Sella is supposedly proposing would've affected the eastern tribes and cascaded onto the Zaltsel clan, right?
"Indeed. I am glad that you considered such an effect and chose to ally with us. Really, you have nothing to gain by doing this, which shows me the depth of emotion you have for Lucrezia. Perhaps it is a good thing that you were the one who bonded with her. However... You would do well to learn your status."
I'll, uh... I'll worry about that when we cross the Fissure. Peace out!
I reactivated [Psychic Citadel] before Antenora could respond. It was probably rude of me to do so, but she didn't look more than a little annoyed (which was pretty much her default state) and listening to Lucrezia and Cyrus talk about international politics was making my head hurt already.
I didn't need Antenora lecturing me on the Zaltsel clan's internal social structure and all that jazz. I'll cross that bridge when I get there.
Instead, I turned my attention to the discussion going on between Lucrezia and Cyrus. This sorta talk really gave me a real brain-blast, but I had a feeling they were at an impasse.
"And what of the centuries of slavery that you've subjected our people to, should they be unlucky enough to be captured? Simply abolishing slavery will not be just recompense for those who have lost their family to cruelty."
"Of course, Princess Sella would be more than willing to pay any reparations ne—"
"I am not talking about money. Normally, you may treat me as just another passer-by, unfamiliar with the ways of the world. But right now, I am acting as the eighty-seventh princess of the Zaltsel clan. Do not take me for a fool."
Honestly, Lucrezia's formal speech made her sound a little like Antenora. It was pretty scary, but maybe that was because I wasn't used to her talking like this.
There was a long pause between the two of them, and the tension in the air grew tauter with every passing second. Even Priya was getting nervous now.
I coughed. "Sorry, but I am a fool. What's Lucrezia asking about?"
Cyrus regarded me uncomfortably. "Princess Lucrezia is asking for... a resurrection. Sorry, resurrections."
Oh. Holy shit.
That was something that I hadn't even looked at in the rulebook. I mean, I assumed it was possible since there were many spells capable of doing so in tabletop role-playing games, but it wasn't something I even wanted to consider.
Dying wasn't in the plan. Besides, I didn't even know what happened to souls. The rulebook had a basic explanation of the world's cosmology, but nothing further. In the end, it was truly a rulebook, not a lore repository.
"Those are my terms." Lucrezia said. "I wish for those who can be resurrected to be resurrected and for their abusers to be executed before all of the eastern tribes. If not, I shall not lend you Ryuuko's aid."
Honestly, I didn't know why Lucrezia was being so difficult about this. I couldn't follow half of the conversation, but I could tell that if this "Princess Sella" really was genuine about her plans, it would only stand to benefit both sides.
Perhaps it was a matter of pride, or perhaps I just couldn't see beneath the surface. I wanted this alliance to go through and completely fuck up that shitty God's plan to destroy the world, but I'd made my stance clear.
I was on Lucrezia's side. If it came to the worst, I'd just have to forcefully unify the continent.
"...Very well. However, I will have to consult with the Princess as this is not a decision I can authorize with only my own authority." Cyrus let out a long sigh and rummaged through one of the desk's drawers.
He placed a bird-shaped medallion in front of Lucrezia. In the center was a large golden gemstone that was charged with mana.
"This is a flugranz. They come in pairs," Cyrus explained. Essentially, the flugranz were one-time use teleportation devices. Each holder could use theirs to send a small item like a letter to the other holder, though this only worked once for each side. This allowed for an initial message and then a reply
Lucrezia took it and handed it to Antenora who then stowed it in a pouch by her belt.
Afterward, Lucrezia and Cyrus spent the next hour ironing out their terms while Antenora and I ended up playing with Priya. The office had a deck of cards laying around, so I taught the two of them some card games I knew from back on Earth.
Cyrus let out a long sigh of relief once the negotiations were finally over. "Well, if there aren't any more questions or issues, I'm going to go get some sleep."
Just as I was about to clean up the playing cards and bid him farewell, I remembered that there was one very important question.
"Hold on, Cyrus. One last thing."
"Yeah?"
"What's up with the barrier? Isn't it supposed to keep out criminals and individuals with high Corruption?"
"...Yeah? What's your point?"
"Why didn't it keep Lucrezia and the others out?"
Cyrus frowned. "What're you talking about? The barriers never worked against the eastern tribes. That's why they're even capable of raiding us."
"...So what exactly is Corruption?"
"You know, sometimes I wonder if you're actually human. Everyone knows that Corruption's how close a humanoid is to a Demon! Clearly, a Demon's already a Demon, so they wouldn't have Corruption! It's a measurement only for those on the western side of the continent!"
Lucrezia and the others weren't exactly pleased about his usage of the word "Demon", especially with how they'd just negotiated a deal that was supposed to slowly de-escalate the tensions between the east and the west.
I needed to know though, so I pressed on.
"I'm not sure what you mean. How close I am to the eastern tribes? Like, as friends or what?"
Cyrus shook his head, clearly baffled by my lack of knowledge. "No! Your behavior and ideals! That sorta thing. It was a system originally created by Goddess Krynera to weed out traitors in the west! Those who had high Corruption were regarded as sympathizers to the eastern tribes."
I was about to say how flawed the system was, but before I could, Lucrezia interjected.
"Krynera did not create 'Reputation.'" Lucrezia frowned.
"Huh? I'm not sure where you learned your mythology, but Krynera was indeed responsible for 'Corruption.'"
"You are saying that your Goddess was the creator of 'Reputation?""
"That's right. Krynera created the system of 'Corruption.'"
"...Just to clarify, you do mean 'Reputation', right?"
"Correct. I mean 'Corruption.'"
The two of them looked at each other in an extremely confused manner.
"I do not appreciate this joke, Cyrus Eavescrest."
"I'm not—Gah!" Cyrus threw his hands up in the air, defeated. All of his professionalism was now gone.
I decided that now was probably a good time to interrupt this discussion before it escalated.
"Hey, uh... There's a bunch of paper and quills here. Why don't you two write the words down instead of saying them?"
The two did as I said and looked at each other's writing.
Cyrus' eyes widened.
"Oh... No... This can't be..."
[Alert: [Rulebook] has detected a valid errata. [Rulebook] will now incorporate the new ruling. Please stand by.]
[Alert: You have learned the word "Reputation." [Rulebook] has learned the statistic "Reputation." Due to your modified Corruption, your Corruption will now be labeled "Reputation."]
[Alert: You have lost access to Corruption skills.]
[Alert: You have unlocked Reputation skills.]
[Congratulations! Your Corruption has been modified accordingly! Status: COMPLETE.]
Hell yeah.