Chapter 206

It would take some time for the new treaty to be fully ratified. First, the clerk had to ensure that no portions conflicted with the King’s Law and make the necessary adjustments.Then it would be sent to the beastmen for further review to ensure that nothing they did not want had been added. One last opportunity for changes would then be given to Eugene, and only after that would it be ready to be enshrined in local law.

Even that was only possible because Floria was a frontier territory, which afforded it more leeway in handling its internal affairs than everywhere else.

Nick found it interesting how both parties were pushing hard for a quick ratification, possibly before the Shadow reappeared and did anything to upset the balance.

The clerk had initially estimated that it would take several days, if not weeks, to lay everything out. However, Eugene quickly appointed several other workers, along with a few soldiers who had some experience in common law, to speed up the process.

He then wielded the cudgel of the law to push the beastmen into accepting more responsibilities than they would normally have been asked to, starting with providing more people to the local militia.

This had been a bit of a sticking point, as they had never been required to do so before and, in fact, were often discouraged from seeking such positions. However, Eugene’s point that if they wanted integration, they had to contribute resonated well with Elia, who eventually agreed to the stipulation, provided there was no forcible conscription.

Finally, after a full day and night, followed by another morning spent poring over ancient scrolls, volumes of common law, and relatively insignificant technicalities, both leaders had signed the new Treaty of Floria.

Nick soon understood that his role there was more symbolic than practical; he was the Lord's son, a friend of Elia, and had undeniably worked to protect the town in the past.

Unfortunately, that meant he couldn't leave until the proceedings were complete, regardless of how boring the whole thing was.

But he wasn't so limited these days that sitting in one stuffy room meant he couldn’t find ways to entertain himself. Casting his gaze outward, he quickly spotted two presences he recognized from his previous scouting.

“Still nothing?” A man asked, pacing nervously on the top floor of the house closest to the Town Hall.

“If you’d just give me some peace and quiet, I would be much faster,” another responded curtly.

Nick watched his efforts with a barely suppressed smile. It wasn’t the only group trying to eavesdrop on the proceedings, as several adventurers and curious townsfolk had attempted to find out what was occupying the Lord for so long, but these two were certainly the most brazen.

They had taken the effort to pay the family who owned that entire floor for a week, spending several silver coins, all for a chance to spy on the diplomatic talks.

It was even more entertaining because they were convinced this was about the crystal forest, rather than an unrelated issue of public order, and were completely baffled by their inability to break through the mysterious privacy wards of the Town Hall, especially since they couldn’t find anything beyond some basic silencing spells.

Nick had allowed them to continue longer than he probably should have, as he was learning a lot by observing a mage at work.

Initially, the man had set up a simple noise-filtering spell designed to redirect sound waves through the air toward them. Nick had disrupted it without even noticing, having taken control of the air within the room.

Then, he tried to cast a form of real-time divination, even using an enchanted mirror to enhance his chances, only to completely fail to connect to the ether.

Paradoxically, it was his proximity that was hindering him. If he had been on the other side of town, Nick wouldn’t have known to watch out for such surveillance, and wouldn’t have blocked the local ether with his spiritually charged mana.

It wasn’t an elegant solution, but he didn’t really have the time to establish a ritual, and it worked just as effectively.

Finally, the mage had grown frustrated enough to summon a familiar— a small rodent with silver eyes that he could see through. He was currently guiding it through the corridors of the Town Hall.

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Unfortunately for him, Nick had been watching the entire time, and it was simply a matter of redirecting some of his boredom into a weak to send the animal into a fit, disrupting the connection without even revealing himself.

“Gah!” The man shouted, clawing at his eyes as the sympathetic link backfired. “They have a powerful mage!”

Nick chuckled softly to himself, making a mental note to watch the two closely.

Eventually, the treaty was signed, and both sides were relatively satisfied. No one had gotten exactly what they wanted, but that was just good politics.

The two parties were soon released by Eugene, who stood up with a groan. “I want this added to our records immediately, but we can wait a while for the official proclamation. I have some business to take care of first.”

Fully aware of what he was talking about, the beastmen delegation didn’t voice any complaints. The treaty had already taken effect as soon as Eugene’s signature was added. They could afford to wait for matters to settle down a bit before news of it reached the populace.

Once they were gone, the civil servants were quick to excuse themselves. “Thank you for your hard work, Lord Crowley,” the clerk murmured, bowing his head. “If there is nothing else, I shall add this to the records and then get back home. I’m sure my wife has started a search party for me by now.”

Eugene cracked a smile and waved the man off, watching as everyone except the Crowleys and Darien filed out.

“Well, that went better than expected," he said after a while. “I almost expected Wulla to jump at my throat when I asked for the military contributions.”

Darien snorted. “Would have broken her bloody teeth on your neck.”

After all, Nick had not yet achieved a single meaningful hit against his father, and he was ninety-nine percent sure he could defeat Elia’s mother.

Elena rolled her eyes. “Alright, enough posturing. I’m sure you have enough backlog to work your way through before the Shadow comes and you have to step away again.”

“Oh, but I haven’t slept in two days!” Eugene complained laughingly. His face was completely free of blemishes, and if Nick hadn’t known better, he’d have thought he was fully rested.

Given his physical stats, he could probably go for weeks without a wink of sleep. Not that it would be comfortable, but he could. Nick, on the other hand, was starting to feel the effects of sleep deprivation.

Not enough to affect his battle readiness, but given that there hadn't been any attempts at spying on them for a few hours, he probably didn’t need to push himself.

“Welp, I think I might hit the hay,” he said, standing up.

Eugene turned to him, opening his mouth to say something before clearly remembering he was his thirteen-year-old son, and not a soldier. “Good job, go get some sleep.”

They all knew he was coming, of course. He had told them himself, and beyond that, when a Lord achieved Prestige, it was the only known time for a Shadow to appear in public.

It still took them by surprise. Nick had been working on that wind funnel idea he’d halfway developed while rushing toward his father and then reused to converse from great distances.

The underlying spell was very versatile, but he was uncertain whether to create a single general-use matrix that could be adapted to both outcomes or to invest more time and develop specialized matrices.

On one hand, they would be more efficient that way; there was no doubt about it. On the other hand, he was already wasting too much time, given his failures in streamlining his defensive magic.

A sudden void emerged in his senses, walking through Floria’s main road without any sense of urgency.

Nick noticed it only because he had been passively scanning the area, knowing it was where the majority of the foreigners were staying. Even then, he recognized it simply because he had sensed it up close once and knew it was supposed to arrive today; otherwise, it would have been very easy to miss.

“Mom, he’s here,” he warned.

Elena stopped mid-swing, letting the lead sword drop. She had commissioned it immediately after Eugene’s rank up, not wanting to fall too far behind. Nick had felt its effects on his shields, watching them crack under the immense strength she was able to wield it with.

“Let’s quickly clean up, then,” she said, already moving toward the new outhouse, or rather, the external bathhouse.

The destruction of the previous one had gone unlamented after a time, especially since they now had a whole pool of magically clean water that always remained at a comfortable temperature for bathing.

Unfortunately, Nick couldn’t indulge in it for long, as the Shadow was nearly at the Town Hall, where his father was busy with some paperwork. A quick message sent through the winds saw Eugene shoot up and start barking orders.

Hurriedly washing off the sweat from a morning in the ring, he put on some of the nicer clothes he had, grimacing at how they pulled in the wrong places.

Elena and he quickly made their way toward the town, passing startled farmhands who barely had the time to realize who they were, until they reached Floria proper, where they had to slow down.

By the time they arrived at the Town Hall, the Shadow had made himself visible, and the building buzzed with energy. This was an expected public event, after all. They didn’t get many of those, especially with such an august guest.

The Shadow was dressed similarly to before. He sported a dark, voluminous cloak that concealed finely crafted armor of the same color.

Nick couldn’t sense any mana from it, which only convinced him that it was heavily enchanted.

His hair was slicked back, revealing an imposing set of eyebrows and deep-set eyes, which added to his gravitas.

All in all, no one doubted that this was exactly who it appeared to be. He moved like liquid, oozing forward so smoothly that it was impossible to tell when he began each step.

Nick and his mother hurriedly joined the crowd, making their way deeper into the building by taking a shortcut reserved for the ruling family to reach the main chamber before the Shadow.

Eugene was already there, adjusting his ceremonial armor and fiddling with the straps of his sword. Elena quickly joined him, fixing his appearance and hair, which helped him relax. Nick settled in a step behind them, visible but not the center of attention.

Finally, a guard threw open the chamber’s doors and announced, “One of the King’s most Loyal Men, Knights of the Darkness and Shadowlord.”

There was a slightly awkward moment when the man realized he had no specific name to use, but the Shadow didn’t seem to mind, gliding into the room and taking in the scene.

Eugene dropped to one knee, and everyone else followed. “We live to serve the crown!”