Crimson Vale County was running on borrowed time, but it was time nonetheless and right now was the best possible moment to make the most of it. Karl pondered on the information Aurelia had provided and kept silent for a moment.
"He's not a vampire, is he?" He asked, feeling as if he could grasp on to something.
"No, he's not." Aurelia confirmed. "He's a mage."
Karl felt his smile widen slightly. This was expected, it wouldn't be wrong to say he was waiting for a chance like this to arise. With the current weakening of the Crimson Vale, it proved a hole in Night Realm's defences, that could not only be exploited by other nobles, but outside forces also who sought foothold and to expand their reach.
"Go on." His uncle prompted his daughter.
Aurelia took a deep breath and recounted her tale from the beginning. After meeting this Edward, he had taken a ponderous moment ot emphasize their current weak position. He listed all the avenues they could be exploited from, all they ways their trades would be affected and everything that could go wrong. He made sure to stress on his level of importance, and although the knowledge was something they were aware of, being exposed like that had hit Aurelia with overwhelming intensity.
It spoke of their level of desperation that they were willing to grab any straw extended their way. While Karl still had some reservations over jumping the side, those thoughts had grown weaker over time. That was until he suddenly found himself with the grimoire.
"He told me he has access to the outside." She stated. "That his organisation was willing to provide help, but they would need to meet you in person."
Seeing her stare levelled at him, Karl felt uneasy. Ronald confirmed why he felt so.
"It's a trap." He said. "I don't know whether a result of Aamon's machinations, or someone else, but it's clearly intended for your demise."
"I thought so too," Aurelia interrupted, "until he showed me this." Saying so she pulled out a golden leaf from the pocket of her blazer. It was the size of her palm, with shiny exterior that seemed to glow slightly.
"Golden Leaf Emporium!" Ronald cried, his eyes wide. "That's not possible."
Taking the token from her hand, he checked it thoroughly by turning it over and over.
"It's real." Aurelia confirmed. "He was even willing to take a spirit oath."
Karl put his hand forth and the man handed the leaf shaped amulet to him. He could feel a pulsating well of mana within, causing a persistent effect of light radiating outward. There was something else there too, but he couldn't quite grasp at it.
"It still doesn't change anything." Ronald spoke. "Even if they do nothing underhanded, we cannot trust them on anything else. If they want to help us, they would surely have absurd demands for us."
"That's true." Karl nodded in agreement. He had deduced something similar. It was basic logical reasoning of 'nothing is truly free in the world'. And with the current circumstances of Crimson Vale, they would surely push him into accepting their unreasonable demands. The only thing was, he wasn't as helpless as he looked.
"We will go." karl's words brought both the father and daughter duo's attention on him. He smiled slightly. "Aurelia and I will visit this place called Earth."
Ronald seemed to be having a hard time accepting his decision, as if he couldn't believe Karl would consider something like this. "But, my Lord, you know this is a trap." He insisted.
"Didn't you teach me uncle: that one should never count their victory without defeating their enemy." Karl countered.
"Yes." Ronald nodded. "But this won't even be a fight. Crimson Vale has nothing to offer to Golden Leaf Emporium. Aside from our fealty, but that's worse than the death."
Karl shook his head. "You misunderstand me." He sighed. "Crimson Vale might not have much to offer, but that doesn't reduce my bargaining power. You have trust me on this one."
Ronald give him a hard stare and Karl could understand why. He had proven himself worthy of taking the mantle of a Count, but even men older than him bent under less pressure. The man was worried that he might do something that would cost him dearly. Knowing his uncle's personality, the man wouldn't back down until he provided more than verbal comfort.
Karl sighed. "Alright, let me show you what I meant." He stood up and moved to his trunk, opening the storage to pull out a small wooden case. He closed the trunk and walked back to his seat, resting the case on the table. "This is our bargaining chip."
"What is it?" Aurelia asked.
Karl opened the case to reveal two rows of glass vials with blood red liquid giving off golden sheen. "Blood Cross Potion." He announced.
"And this helps us how?" Ronald asked, clearly not understanding the implications of the name.
Grinning widely, he leaned back. "This is a potion, but not just any potion."
"I can see that." Ronald stared confused.
"Yes, but you can't see the effects." He said. "It's an enhanced version of the Health Raise Potion."
As the realization set in, he watched his uncle's reaction shift from confusion to shock. That pleased his ego more than he would admit, and he relished in the moment.
"How much of this do you have?" Ronald asked, a bit frantically. "If we sell this to Golden Leaf, we can recover from our losses, which would provide precious time to stabilize our territory."
Karl felt his grin falter at that. "Um." He hesitated. "This is everything I own."
It took a moment for Ronald realize that he hadn't heard wrong, having to confirm with his daughter who was still eyeing the potions.
"But..." His uncle paused, considering the words. "Even if they are better than the standard one's, unless they can revive a dead person, this much is nowhere near enough to garner their support."
That was something Karl knew, and felt distressed about. However, working under the time constraints left him with little avenues to choose from.
"I know." He nodded. "But I have a plan."
The room fell into silence, each frustrated at their helplessness. Aurelia picked the case and fiddled with the potion vials. She frowned. "Am I missing something here?" She asked. "Where do you get these from?"
Ronald also started at Karl, expecting an answer to his unvoiced query.
Karl was hesitant. Cinis had insisted the secret of grimoire remain just that, secret. Unless he grew powerful enough to ward from all the threats, he could never allow this secret to leek. But now that he was with his family, people he trusted and people without whom he would be nothing, he felt that keeping anything from them was a betrayal to their trust.
"Is it from the dungeon?" Ronald asked. Karl reluctantly nodded. "I understand." He nodded. "We will not ask anything about this. However, be careful. Sometimes you're granted blessings, but those blessings come with a hefty cost. I trust that you will make the best decision."
Karl nodded, immensely grateful. Not just for the man not pushing the subject but also about the trust he was showing in him. Having spent years with his Uncle, he had come to understand how he looked at things. If there was anyone more distressed about the state of their County, then Ronald would be it. The direction they were heading in probably grated at him, but more at having failed the promises he made to his parents.
"You want me to handle the affairs while you and Aurelia are out of the county?" Ronald asked.
"I would appreciate it." Karl replied. "Also, please call Darren back home. I expect things to heat up when we get back, and I don't want to appear more vulnerable than I already am."
"I understand." His uncle assured. "What's the follow-up?"
Hearing his question, the duo turned to look at Aurelia who raised a brow at the attention before remembering the question.
"Oh, about that," She said, "Edward said he would visit tomorrow. I asked him to come with me, but he seemed to have something else going on."
"Tomorrow, it is." Karl confirmed, and Ronald gave solemn nod.
"I still need to tend to some matters," He said. "Aurelia, visit me at the earliest you can. We need to discuss about your expedition in detail."
Aurelia nodded. "I will come to you as soon as possible, Father."
Ronald nodded, bowed lightly to Karl and left the room. The door closed shut and an awkward silence descended.
"It's good to have you back." Karl mentioned. "I know I've said it before, but I feel relieved now that you're finally home."
"That's endearing to hear." She smiled. "It wasn't easy being out there. Especially getting the first-hand look at all the destruction that had been wrought. At times, I even felt enraged enough that I wanted rush straight into Aamon's territory and lop his head off."
Karl laughed at that. "It's good thing that you didn't," He said. "How could we have our sweet revenge if it was over before it even began? Though I have to thank you for everything you did, I really appreciate it."
"Oh!" Aurelia pouted. "You always say that, but I never felt appreciated enough."
"Maybe this will help." Karl leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead.