Translator: Cinder Translations
...
A soft knock echoed through the room, prompting everyone busy with cleaning to pause their activities.
Sevya furrowed her brows. As newcomers to Frand Port, they had no connections here. Who could be at the door?
Could it be McKinley?
Signaling her companions to prepare, Sevya cautiously approached the door and gently opened it.
"Why is it you?"
The figure at the door surprised her slightly—it was Ladia, the Green Witch, whom she had just met yesterday.
"It's me, and not just me."
Sevya immediately looked past her to see who was behind. Her heart raced as she recognized the local lord and his guards standing there!
She had seen Paul at the Customs Union's opening ceremony, so she recognized him.
"You followed me and actually sold me out?"
Fear and anger surged in Sevya's mind. Besides being confronted by the local lord, she was also terrified that she hadn't sensed Ladia's tracking at all.
The atmosphere in the air grew tense, and her companions behind her began making various gestures or muttering incantations.
Seeing this, the guards behind Paul quickly drew their guns, pointing them at Sevya and her group. Of course, the newly arrived witches had no idea what that meant.
"Hey, let's not make this sound so harsh, Miss Asitini."
At this moment, Paul, standing behind Ladia, suddenly spoke up.
"I'm here to visit you, with no other intentions. Please lower your defenses."
He tried to show a friendly demeanor.
"Look, I, as the lord, have personally come to see you. Doesn't that demonstrate my sincerity?"
Hearing this, Sevya's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and she waved for her companions to stop their movements.
Paul's guards also lowered their weapons.
They had just loaded their guns with ammunition, and the witches had no idea they had just wandered into a dangerous situation.
Sevya stepped aside, gesturing, "Please, come in, my lord."
Ladia entered first, followed by Paul and the guards.
Paul took a seat at a round table, with Ladia standing next to him.
He extended his hands, saying, "First, I want to make it clear that I welcome talents like you to the Northwest Bay, 'Alchemists.'"
Sevya remained unmoved, staring at Paul, seemingly trying to gauge his sincerity.
"I know you've just endured hardships in the Horns Bay, so you're filled with distrust towards everything around you. It will take time to heal."
Paul continued speaking, "To build trust from scratch between us, I guarantee you here that as long as you abide by the laws and pay your taxes, I will treat you like ordinary citizens and won't give you any 'special treatment.'"
Sevya understood Paul's implication—he wouldn't kill or expel them, but neither would he treat them as honored guests like some nobles obsessed with mysticism.
Ah, this is fine. Now, she and her companions can live peacefully, and her earlier proposal with the Green Witch was just a momentary impulse.
"Thank you, Lord Grayman. I swear here—I will abide by your laws and not overstep."
Sevya bowed to Paul.
After all, she had made a similar oath before Ladia; repeating it before this lord wasn't a big deal.
"Good!"
Paul clapped his hands and continued, "Additionally, I hope you won't use your… special abilities in front of ordinary people. If it causes a commotion, it will be quite troublesome for me."
Sevya nodded, replying, "You can rest assured about that; we don't wish to expose our identities either."
Paul then hesitated a bit, saying, "That's good. But since you possess abilities that others lack, I—"
Hmph, is he going back on his word so soon? Just now, he said he wouldn't treat us specially.
Sevya sneered inwardly.
"I expect you to report to my people once a week, just here in Frand Port. If you need to travel far—like returning to the Horns Bay—that's fine, but you must inform me in advance."
After saying this, Paul felt a bit uneasy. If they refused, he might have to resort to more forceful measures.
But Sevya felt a sense of relief after hearing Paul's words; although it felt a bit like being monitored, she found herself trusting this man a little.
She understood how witches were perceived by the world. If a stranger suddenly came along, saying they unconditionally trusted them, they would surely have ulterior motives—at least, that's what she thought.
With a soft sigh, Sevya walked over to her companions and whispered in the Bay language.
"I think this is acceptable! It's only right for them to be cautious around us."
"But didn't we come here seeking freedom?"
"Freedom? Would you prefer to live in constant fear elsewhere?"
"Right, sacrificing some freedom for a stable life seems worthwhile to me."
After a lively discussion, her companions ultimately agreed to Paul's proposal.
Sevya returned to Paul's side, saying, "Lord Grayman, my companions and I are willing to accept your proposal."
Her tone no longer carried the previous coldness.
"Very good!"
Paul nodded with satisfaction.
"There's no need for you to run around reporting; that might draw attention. Aren't you planning to open a shop? My people will come as tax officials."
"Thank you for considering this."
"This is merely a preliminary management measure. If your conduct earns my trust, you will eventually be able to live like the ordinary residents of Alden."
Sevya felt a surge of joy in her heart and bowed, saying, "Thank you very much."
"Alright! With that settled, I must be on my way. I hope you can quickly integrate into the life of the Northwest Bay."
Paul stood up, preparing to leave.
"Please take care, Lord Grayman."
Sevya accompanied him to the door.
Paul reassured her, "I believe the day will come when you can walk openly among people."
"Let's hope so. If only other authorities shared your enlightened mindset."
Through thick and thin, flattering words worked wonders. Paul burst into laughter, "Hahaha! I also think I'm one of the most open-minded people in this world."
Cough, cough! Sevya hadn't expected Paul to rate himself like that.
Ladia followed closely behind Paul, and as she passed by Sevya, she offered a warning.
"I hope when we meet again, there won't be any more underhanded tactics."
(End of the Chapter)
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