Eventually, finally, we reach a door at which the butler knocks. A soft "Come in," echoes from within the room, and the butler promptly pushes open the door.
Sitting in a large, stuffed armchair that seems to be far more intended for comfort than any we have thus far encountered, is a frail, old man. Atop his softly wrinkled face is only wispy, white hair. Around his eyes are lines that either indicate a great deal of squinting or smiling, and based upon his lack of glasses or blemishes from the sun, despite the impression of his master that the butler gave me, I assume the latter.
His eyes are a soft blue, his teeth, displayed in a faint smile, pearly white. His skin is pale, though not in any way that could be construed as sickly, a soft color. The only aspect of him that would leave me inclined to consider him a sorcerer is his clothing, which is still far less gaudy than I would have expected from the owner of this house, a gray robe speckled in softly glowing yellow dots that pulsate as if by magic - or, I suppose, [by] magic of some sort.
The butler promptly bows before him, forcing me to accept this kind-looking old man as the master of this house. [Not what I was expecting of a man who charges ten gold for a few minute visit, I must admit,] I think, while giving a gentle, differential bow to the man.
"Ha ha ha, no need to bow!" he says, his smile widening further with what appears to be genuine warmth. [Probably an act, one must never trust the ways of man, every step is a method of manipulation, politeness and humility the most clear example of all!]
I give a smile in return, replying "How could I not bow, I am before the lord of the house with a desperate request, to not display at least some of the great respect you deserve, how could I ever petition you to provide me your services?"
"Hmm, well said. Then let us talk business, what is your need?" he asks, abruptly turning serious.
"Well, I would rather not say in front of an observer…" I say, glancing to the butler.
"Oh, don't worry about him, he has been my trusted butler for decades, he has heard the secrets, weaknesses, and ailments of even royalty without ever a slip of his tongue, rest assured that your secrets are safe with him."
"In that case, I will delay no further, I was tricked into submitting to the naming if a powerful sorcerer, I desperately wish to be free of this, either by having my name overwritten or removed, I don't care which."
"Hmm… I'm assuming that this sorcerer was quite powerful if you feel that I am necessary to solve your problem… While removing your name would be easy, I am reluctant to put myself against another strong sorcerer… if I may request your honesty, what are the odds that he searches me out to find trouble with me?"
I think this over for a moment, genuinely considering. In the end, I shrug, saying "I am unsure. However, I do not think it is overly likely."
"Well, if you say so, I'll believe it. Other than that, know that I will not name you myself, I tire of bonding others so closely to me, I will remove your name leaving you nameless, you will have a certain degree of vulnerability afterwards to mages until you find someone suitable to name you. Do you understand this?"
"Yes, sir, I was nameless much of my life before falling prey to this sorcerer's trickery, I know how to navigate it. So, then, the only question is price. How much will you charge?"
"Well, the standard fee for removal of a name is two hundred gold, though I have not despised my time interacting with you, I shall discount it to one hundred ninety gold, so an even two hundred after the consulting fee, how does that sound?"
My heart sinks after hearing this. "Two hundred? Hmm…" [I have a little over a hundred gold in coins, add on the gear I took from that governor, I could probably get to one hundred fifty, maybe one seventy five if I found somewhere to pawn it. At that point I could sell my dimension ring and cover the difference… And, of course, there's always the option, however bad an option it may actually be, of selling Reinhart's sword, that could fetch well over the necessary amount…]
"Do you accept valuable items as a replacement for gold?" I continue. "I only have about a hundred on me, but I have a large collection of decent gear worth over a hundred in its own right."
"Well, to be honest no, not items less than legendary in rarity usually."
[Hmm… I could give him Reinhart's sword and be free of this curse here and now, but that would leave me without my most valuable weapon. I guess I am a spellsword, the weapon is basically useless for that, but I still feel like it's too useful to sell. But on the other hand, if Lector were to show up tomorrow and take all my skills and my possessions, wouldn't I feel pretty stupid?]
Finally, I sigh. "Well, in that case, I'll be back in the near future, no more than a couple weeks. My apologies for wasting your time."
"Hm? There is no waste to my time, this is merely a consultation and appraisal, so long as I get the ten gold, all is well. In fact, I'll keep our special price for one month, as long as you return in that time you need only pay the additional one hundred ninety gold. How does that sound?"
I give a slight bow, responding "Most generous, thank you" as I hand him the coins.
"Well, I hope to see you within that time." He then nods to the butler saying "please escort him out."
We make our way back through the maze of passages, our route the same except for the obvious inversion. I am honestly still amazed by how much artwork is on display here, this private collection would dwarf any museum in quantity alone, and the quality appears to me to be quite exquisite.
The butler takes me to the door without saying anything, only to wish me the best of luck before closing the door behind me.