The absurdity hit him so hard he almost laughed. Almost.

  Instead, he exhaled slowly through his nose, forcing the words out with deliberate calm. “So, to summarize… the Empire takes ten percent of the profits for doing absolutely nothing.”

  Rufas gave a polite shrug. “The Empire provides permission, Vice Guildmaster. That’s more valuable than you might think.”

  Maurien let out a quiet, disdainful snort behind him. Kharnek just muttered something in Northerner that probably wasn’t fit for polite company.

  Ludger didn’t even bother asking the obvious follow-up, whether the Empire planned to offer any kind of escort, logistical support, or legal protection for their cut. The answer was already written in the smug neutrality on Rufas’s face.

  He leaned back in his chair, fingers drumming once on the table before stopping. “Right,” he said dryly. “Permission. How generous.”

  Torvares shot him a look, half warning, half approval. The atmosphere in the room thickened again. The diplomats and engineers stayed composed, but Ludger could feel the subtle edge in their mana, like a low hum beneath the surface.

  They thought they were negotiating with a child. But the twitch in Ludger’s temple had already faded, replaced by a small, patient smile that rarely meant anything good.

  Ludger’s hand, which had been resting on the table, stilled. Then he smiled. It wasn’t his usual faint, sardonic expression, this one was deliberate, sharp around the edges.

  “Alright,” he said, breaking the silence. “We’ll handle the logistics. The Lionsguard will manage transport, safety, and delivery.”

  Rufas raised an eyebrow, mildly surprised by how quickly the young vice guildmaster folded or seemed to.

  Ludger’s smile didn’t waver. “You’ll get your shipment. One thousand mana cores and five hundred kilograms of froststeel, every month. We’ll deliver without fail.”

  Linne leaned forward slightly. “Excellent. Then—”

  “But,” Ludger interrupted, his tone still smooth but carrying a steel edge underneath. “In return, you’ll provide us with support. Not financial, informational. We’re currently investigating a network of smugglers operating between the eastern mountains and the border. If you’re truly interested in clean trade, you’ll help us find the culprits on your side.”

  The Velis envoys exchanged a quick glance, Linne and Dalan looked uncertain, but Rufas’s faint smile didn’t budge.

  Ludger continued before they could object. “I’ll oversee the deal personally. Which means,” he said, rising slightly from his chair, “I’ll be traveling to the Velis League myself to finalize where and how the shipments will be delivered.”

  That made everyone in the room pause. Even Torvares’s hand stopped mid-motion as he adjusted his cane. Maurien’s brows rose slightly, though he said nothing. Kaela blinked twice, confusion flickering across her face before she schooled it into neutrality.

  It wasn’t like Ludger to act impulsively. The boy who measured every move like a chess player was suddenly volunteering to walk straight into the League’s territory, alone, and on their terms.

  Rufas tilted his head, that faint smirk of amusement growing a little wider. “That’s quite… spirited of you, Vice Guildmaster. The Empire must breed confidence in its frontier men.”

  Ludger shrugged lightly. “Confidence, caution, they’re both tools. Depends how you use them.”

  Rufas chuckled. “Then I suppose we should formalize this sudden enthusiasm.” He gestured to Linne, who already had a scroll and quill in hand. “Let’s write the contract for the deal, shall we?”

  Linne began unfolding the vellum sheets, the rune-ink shimmering faintly as she laid them on the table.

  Torvares’s gaze lingered on Ludger, searching his expression, but the boy’s eyes were calm, composed. Almost too calm. He’d seen that look before, long ago, in Arslan’s eyes before walking into a duel he couldn’t afford to lose.

  Maurien finally gave a quiet sigh. “Well,” he muttered under his breath, “this is going to get interesting.”

  Kaela shot Ludger a sideways glance and whispered, “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

  Ludger didn’t answer. Because whatever plan had sparked in his mind, it was already moving, one step ahead of everyone in the room. The negotiations dragged on for another hour, signatures, seals, mana-bound contracts, and redundant clauses that meant little to anyone but the bureaucrats who wrote them.

  When it was finally done, Linne rolled up the signed scroll and sealed it with a small rune of verification. The faint pulse of magic that followed confirmed it: the deal between the Lionsguard and the Velis League was now official.

  Rufas stood, his grin poised and polite. “Excellent. Then we’ll expect you on League soil soon. I’ll have our border officers informed that you and your caravan are to be granted entry without delay.”

  Ludger nodded, equally calm. “We’ll leave tomorrow morning.”

  Torvares turned his head slightly toward him but said nothing, at least not in front of the envoys. The Velis delegates bowed lightly, then exited, their boots echoing on the marble floor until the doors shut behind them. Silence lingered for a long moment.

  Maurien exhaled slowly. “That was either the smartest or the most suicidal move you’ve made yet, boy.”

  Ludger gave a small shrug. “Guess we’ll find out which soon.”

  Kharnek chuckled under his breath. “If he dies, I call his share of the ale.”

  Kaela rolled her eyes. “If he dies, his mother will kill all of us first.”

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Torvares, however, didn’t speak. His silence followed Ludger all the way back to the Torvares villa that evening, through the quiet halls and up to the private study where the firelight painted the old noble’s face in shades of orange and gold.

  When the door closed behind them, he finally turned.

  “What,” Torvares asked quietly, “were you thinking?”

  Ludger leaned against the doorframe, unflinching. “That if I go to the League, I’ll find the truth faster than waiting for reports to trickle in from spies and merchants. They’ve done their homework on us; I want to see what they’re hiding on their side. We don’t have proper intel beyond those mountains”

  Torvares’s gaze hardened. “You’re not a trader, Ludger. You’re a child walking into a den that eats its own. And you just gave them what they wanted, your presence, your trust, and a reason to study you up close.”

  “I know.”

  “Do you?” Torvares’s voice rose slightly, not in anger but in frustration. “Because if anything happens to you there, this won’t end as a missing person case. It’ll be a diplomatic crisis. The moment the Lionsguard’s vice guildmaster vanishes in League territory, the Senate will twist it into justification for whatever madness they’ve been scheming.”

  Ludger crossed his arms. “Then we’ll make sure I don’t vanish.”

  Torvares sighed deeply, turning toward the window where the rain had begun again, faint and rhythmic. “You’re too calm for someone walking into the lion’s mouth.”

  “I’m not walking,” Ludger said, eyes steady. “I’m digging.”

  Torvares looked back at him, studying the boy’s unreadable expression, the same composure that Arslan once wore before heading into battle.

  “Digging?”

  “For roots,” Ludger said simply. “If we don’t know how deep this rot goes, we can’t stop it.”

  Torvares was quiet for a long moment before giving a tired, resigned smile. “You sound like your father, that reckless attitude is finally coming to light..”

  Ludger smirked faintly. “He’d take that as an insult.”

  Torvares chuckled, then sighed again. “Fine. You’re free to go. But take the others, Maurien, Kharnek, Kaela. And for the love of the gods, don’t start a war while you’re there.”

  “No promises,” Ludger said, turning toward the door. “All I do is in self defense.”

  Torvares’s voice stopped him one last time, quiet but firm. “If the League tries to bind you in any way, contracts, oaths, marks, burn the paper, not the bridge.”

  Ludger glanced back, a faint glimmer of humor in his eyes. “Noted.”

  Then he left the study, already planning the next day’s departure, and the storm that would follow it.

  Ludger stood by the fireplace of the Torvares villa’s lounge, the last embers flickering low as he looked over the group assembled before him. The day’s tension still hung in the air, ink barely dry on the contract that bound them to a deal half of them didn’t trust.

  He crossed his arms, eyes steady. “Alright,” he said, tone even. “I’m leaving for the Velis League at first light. Who’s coming with me?”

  Darnell was the first to answer. He gave a slow shake of his head, expression firm but regretful. “Not me,” he said. “I’m not part of the Lionsguard, and it’d raise too many questions if a officer suddenly walked into foreign territory. The Senate would smell something before you even crossed the gate.”

  Ludger nodded, unsurprised. “Fair.”

  Next came Kharnek, who grinned wide enough to show his teeth. “You don’t even have to ask, boy,” he said, slapping his chest. “I’ll go. First northerner to cross two empire borders in one lifetime, ha! When I come back, I’ll have another story to make everyone choke on their ale.”

  Kaela muttered, “You’ll probably drink the whole way there.”

  “That’s part of the story,” Kharnek said, beaming.

  Maurien leaned back in his chair, eyes half-lidded. “I’m going as well. I didn’t plan for this to turn into a diplomatic mission, but the negotiations touched too close to what I’ve been investigating. If there are answers waiting in the League, I’ll find them there.”

  Ludger gave him a small nod of approval. That one was expected. Then his gaze shifted toward Kaela, who was lounging by the window, arms folded and cloak draped loosely around her shoulders.

  “And you?” he asked. “You’re not part of the guild.”

  Kaela tilted her head, a playful smile touching her lips. “True. But how often does a girl get a free international pass? You don’t say no to that kind of opportunity.”

  Ludger studied her in silence for a moment, his eyes narrowing slightly. “You plan to tag along just because it’s convenient?”

  She met his stare, unflinching. “Let’s say I’m… considering my options. If I see that the Lionsguard delivers on what it promises, I might actually join. Seeing is believing, right?”

  Ludger’s mouth curved faintly, though it wasn’t quite a smile. “If that’s the case, then you’ll have to pass my very strict evaluation criteria first.”

  Kaela arched an eyebrow, amused. “Oh? And what’s on that list?”

  Ludger’s gaze flicked briefly from her eyes to her cloak, then back up again, deadpan. “Plenty. You’re lacking in more ways than one.”

  Kharnek burst into laughter, a deep, rumbling sound that filled the room. Maurien smirked quietly without looking up, while Darnell muttered something about how he suddenly didn’t envy Ludger’s job.

  Kaela’s smile twitched, somewhere between irritation and disbelief. “You know,” she said dryly, “most people try not to insult a woman they’re about to travel across the country with.”

  Ludger just shrugged. “Most women don’t dress like they’re going to fight crime and cause it at the same time.”

  Maurien finally stood, still smirking. “Alright, enough banter. We leave at dawn. If anyone’s still sober by then, it’ll already be a miracle.”

  Kharnek raised a bottle in salute. “No promises.”

  As the group dispersed to make their preparations, Ludger stayed by the fire for a moment longer, watching the flames die down to glowing embers. Tomorrow, the real work would begin, and he’d need every one of them, flaws and all.

  That night, when the villa had quieted and the others had gone to rest, Ludger stayed awake by candlelight. The flame flickered against the pages on his desk, painting long shadows across the ink-stained parchment.

  He’d written countless field reports, mission debriefs, and tactical notes before, but this one felt different. More personal.

  The first few lines came easily, written in his sharp, deliberate handwriting:

  To Mother, Father, and the twins —

  I’m leaving for the Velis League tomorrow morning. This isn’t a mission ordered by Lord Torvares or a political errand. It’s something I chose to do.

  He paused, the nib of the quill hovering above the parchment before he continued:

  I know how this sounds, and no, I’m not being hotheaded. I’m not charging into danger for pride or stubbornness.

  I’m doing this because I want to surprise them, the League, the Empire, and anyone else who’s been pulling strings from the shadows. They’ve spent too long setting the board. It’s about time someone flipped it over before they caused more problems.

  His hand moved a little faster now, the words flowing steadier:

  If anyone can walk into this mess and come back in one piece, it’s me.

  I’ll be careful, and I’m not going alone. Maurien, Kharnek, and… Kaela will be with me. (Don’t ask about her outfit, mother.)

  This isn’t about reckless courage, it’s about seeing things with my own eyes. I want to understand what kind of world the Empire and the Velis League really are. How they treat people who can stand on their own feet. How they treat me.

  He signed it simply:

  — Ludger

  Then he folded the letter, pressed a small wax seal with the Lionsguard insignia, and waited by the hallway until Darnell returned from the watch rounds.