Steel and Mana

Chapter 109 – Pion & Elena

"Are you sure about this, Mister Pion?" Polo asked, leading him nervously towards the city's one and only castle at dawn. The sun barely showed its top, still climbing higher and higher, when Pion nudged Polo awake, bringing him down to eat something and then be on their way.

"Yes, and don't worry about it."

"I do... They are scary and well-armed, and I don't want to look suspicious or get you killed... you are a kind man!"

"I am not here to look for trouble, and they are not unreasonable, aren't they?"

"They... um... shouldn't be."

"That wasn't utterly convincing, Polo."

"They did round up many people, but those who were innocent were released afterward. Just don't resist if they try to arrest you, Mister Pion!"

"As I said a million times already, it will be fine!" He answered while laughing, patting the kid's head.

Getting closer to the castle, most of the streets were empty, the same as the houses surrounding it. Although the latter was true for big chunks of the city. It enabled the cancerous bandit organizations to swell and fester without control, but it was for a different reason here. The previous lords simply wanted to avoid seeing the common people, so the surrounding districts were off-limits to everyone besides them, or they risked being flogged to death. 

Even with the change that Elena was bringing along, these empty streets would not be filled with people again, not for a long time. No matter if the whole city is cleaned up and every lawbreaker is punished for their crimes, the fact that no new people arrive and more of them die than born is a sign that Greyback was doomed to a slow, gradual decline and, finally, death.

Watching the thick, tall grey walls getting larger, seeing the pointy towers of the castle, Pion couldn't help but think about the palace back home. This one couldn't get close to its glory, and even if it was taller, his Sovereign's home was at least ten times as grandiose. It had color to it, flowers and trees decorating its gardens... it was almost alive. This? This was more like a prison... which, in turn, filled him with pride. 

"Stop!" Shouted a guard, arriving with his partner from the main, open gate, holding halberds in their hands.

With a quick scan, they were tall and muscular but still fell short compared to Pion by at least a head. Even then, neither of the guards exhibited any fear while approaching, showing that they were professionally trained. Pion could tell simply by watching how they took their steps, held their weapons, and by the few fresh chinks in their silvery armors, which were decorated with the emblem of a black crow in the middle. 

"These streets are off-limits without a proper invitation, for security's sake!"

"We know," Pion answered, nodding his head. "My name is Pion, and I am from Avalon. I am here to ask for an audience with your Lord if possible. Please relay this request to Her Lordship!"

The way he spoke was obedient but not subservient, something that would be improper for a common man or a mercenary. Even a noble's soldiers demanded a certain level of respect that had to be given, no matter what. Only those who stood equal to the noble's standing could dismiss it or ignore it completely, so it was no wonder that one of the guard's faces turned a shade redder, feeling Lady Elena was being challenged by a nobody. Yet, before he could flare up, his partner tapped his halberd on the ground, signaling him to hold his tongue.

"I see. What about the kid?" He asked, remaining calm and collected. He turned towards Polo, who was trying to look invisible before them but had little success. One glance was enough to make him turn his head down, counting the cobblestones, trying not to look up and face them.

"He is a local guide I hired because I do not know the layout of this city."

"Understandable." The guard nodded once again, and by now, his partner had also returned to calmness, finally remembering that they were ordered to keep a lookout for anyone coming from a place called Avalon. Whoever arrives, mentioning the name, should be treated as a guest of Lady Elena, no questions asked. "Please understand that the child can not come with you. We have orders from Her Ladyship that only the visitor from Avalon is to be invited into the castle's premises. With what has been going on, many hidden enemies could hide behind the citizens..."

"I am not a spy..." Polo murmured, looking hurt, especially because he celebrated the fall of the gangs who killed his parents.

"It's fine." Pion nodded, patting the boy's shoulders. "Go, wait for me in the inn; I will return after my business here ends."

"Yes..."

There was no way Polo could argue with him. Even if he felt Pion was a trustworthy man, the kid knew when to follow his orders and when to try and push his luck. This was not the time for that. 

"We will have to confiscate your weapons." The second guard added, finally finding a moment to speak up as the trio began walking towards the open gate.

"Naturally."

The two exchanged a quick glance, expecting a bit more resistance, thinking a brute-looking man like him wouldn't want to part with his weapon or display more opposition against it, but it didn't happen. Coming through the gate, they stopped at the first guard house, and Pion was surrounded by four others before he managed to take off his greatsword. They were all watching him, one hand the blade hanging from his back, something that could only be skillfully held by a two-handed grip when in the hands of one of theirs.

"Those muscles are not just for show, huh?" A sudden laugh echoed between them as their captain, Borbossa, appeared from the guard house. He was wiping his mouth from the breakfast he had abandoned after hearing the news that the mysterious Avalonian had finally arrived. It was time already because curiosity was killing him. Seeing him stand there was a big surprise. He was the same height as Pion, with similar bulging muscles under his plate armor—something that he did not expect to meet here.

"Yes, I have been training hard for it." Pion answered plainly and without fear, looking directly into the captain's jet-black eyes.

"Good, hard work is the foundation for any strong man to build his future! Come, Our Lady has been expecting you!"

"I see. I appreciate the welcome."

"The funny thing is," Borbossa continued, "That we don't know why we have to welcome you. Of course, it is not our place to ask questions..."

"Neither is it mine." Pion smiled at him amicably as the two began walking towards the castle, easily shrugging off the Guard Captain's covert inquiries. "It is the business between my Lord and yours. Just as you are her subordinate, I am in the same boat."

"I see, I see. It is not for us to know the big players' moves, ahaha! I totally get that!" He added with another laugh, but Pion knew he was simply dropping the topic out of respect for his Lord and not because he was intimidated by Pion's possible background.

Even if Pion came from another noble family, the worst-case scenario would be that he was a soldier in the service of another duke, which would mean they were on the same level. It explained a lot to Borbossa, and in his mind, he already put Pion as an agent of another Duke. It was the only logical reason why he was so calm and unbothered by the situation. And... There was the fact how huge he was. No regular soldier could grow this big, and he had to be in the favor of someone powerful to afford to raise up somebody like him.

When entering the castle, Pion could see even more guards standing by, holding different weapons and watching him like a hawk. Even if their heads refused to move, their eyes followed his every step until he was out of their sight. When arriving at a dining room, maids appeared from a side door, bringing in snacks and tea, which Pion did not refuse. It was finally a bit better food than in the inn, so he happily sat down in a chair, but he accidentally broke off its armrest while doing so.

"..." For a moment, he didn't know what to do, looking at the maids and the almost grinning Borbossa before simply putting the two pieces onto the table and standing back up. "It is best if I remain on my feet."

"The furniture in the castle is old, so please excuse us for it," Iria, the Head Maid, declared with a bow. She hurriedly picked up the broken remains and quickly made them disappear along with the chair itself. 

"Keeping history around is never a bad thing." Was Pion's answer, slightly raising the maid's eyebrows, making her reevaluate the man she thought was nothing but a brute. It seemed that whoever the Lady was meeting with was not a simple man.

Pion didn't have to wait too long because Elena appeared after only ten minutes. She was elegantly dressed in a one-piece and walked in slowly, shaking her hips with every step. Her pink eyes measured Pion the moment she noticed her. 

"Huge..." she thought to herself, surprised because so far, she had only known Borbossa to be like this, a giant in her eyes. "But he is younger than I expected... and not bad-looking. Iria said that he is also not as stupid as he looks... hmm..." While thinking, Pion's mind played the same game, trying to measure her, thinking slightly differently.

"If the Sovereign could turn her into a concubine, we could rule this city without effort..." He bowed slightly to greet the new Lord of Greyback while thinking about it, not letting his reflections betray him. "Lady Kustov."

"Mister..."

"Pion. Just that. My background is not that important to have a surname."

Of course, Elena was not buying it, thinking that Pion was also not his real name, but she would not voice her concerns at all. Instead, she accepted it as facts, engaging in a shallow, protocol-following talk between nobles, not wanting to jump the gun too early and potentially raise alerts in her guest's mind. She wanted to loosen his tongue and let him spill the beans by himself. 

On the other hand, Pion was well aware of this and found it hard to keep up with etiquette, rethinking every word he said twice before answering. This mission was proving to be more challenging than sneaking into an occupied enemy city, exhausting all his mental capacities because of the curveballs Elena was throwing at him throughout their conversation. She was way too dangerous with her tongue. If not for mentally preparing, Pion was afraid he would have spilled some secrets that were not for Elena's ears... not yet, at least.

"Damn it, how cautious you can be?" Elena grumbled in her mind, trying to make her partner reveal where this Avalon was, but she just couldn't get enough information from him or from where he traveled and entered Greyback's territory. Was he trained in espionage? Or something? He was always taking his sweet time before answering, masking it with drinking or taking a bite and chewing his portion before continuing... he had to be an experienced spy!

"Your Lordship, I think we should focus on why I am here." Pion exclaimed softly, hiding his desire to cry and run away, thinking nervously if he had already screwed up or not.

"True." Elena nodded, looking at the others in the room. "Leave us alone."

"But!" Borbossa and Iria yelled at the same time, "My Lady-"

"I am ordering you," she repeated, sounding stern. In her eyes, she had no tolerance for fighting back against her words. It told them she would not repeat herself again.

The maids and soldiers left the room with anxious, heavy hearts, but the moment the doors closed, they were glued to them, holding the doorknobs, ready to burst in at the slightest noise or sign of trouble.

"Here." Elena whispered, pulling out her father's letter from within her bosom, surprising Pion for a moment. "This is a letter from my father, Duke Garbank Kustov, to your... Sovereign." Pion was surprised to hear her mention Leon's title, but that also meant the noble they saved was trusting his daughter. 

"I am glad to hear he is doing fine." He answered, leaning closer, taking the letter, examining it, noting that it was not opened by any other hand before reaching him. "His injuries were nasty, to say the least."

"You... you saw it?" Elena gasped, becoming stiffer, wanting to hear more.

"Yes, I was there, under the lead of my Sovereign, when we saved your father. I carried his unconscious body."

"I... I... I should thank you..." She stammered suddenly, not knowing what to say, but that feeling was gone swiftly when she saw Pion pocketing the letter without opening it. "Wait, you are not going to read it?"

"This is strictly between Duke Kustov and my Sovereign. I have no place to know more. I can simply deliver this message back home and finish my mission. That is my role, and that is alone."

"What if you are attacked? And they rob you of the letter? Wouldn't it be better to memorize it and burn it?"

"Lady Kustov..." Pion smiled, showing his ferocious side, which made her flinch and feel incredibly small in his presence. "If anyone wants to take it from me, they would first meet death. Even if I didn't manage to kill them, I would destroy the letter and die along with it. This little item," he continued, slipping it into the insides of his vest, "either reaches my Sovereign through me, or it will be destroyed. These are the only options."

"You would die for a letter... this easily?"

"I would die for my Sovereign and for Avalon." He answered without hesitation, maintaining his steel-like gaze, "And I would do it while smiling."