Aison was unamused by my greeting, that was certain. He stomped into the room, and before the female guard reacted, Aison was already holding a dagger in his hand, standing dangerously close to Gudea, whose first feigned paleness was now being replaced by a more-or-less real one.

"Aison, calm down, several things are going on, and Maester Gudea here was about to tell me just who the fuck tried to kill me, as well as the reasons for it." Still sitting and with a wine-filled glass in hand, I explained. It may appear super cool and everything, but inwardly I did swear at Aison for arriving before I finished with Gudea and before I even thought of a suitable story for all this shit.

***

With some help from Gudea and a made-up story that he started and I finished, basically about an upstart merchant and some disappeared funds from the Guild, we managed to convince Aison that Gudea wasn't our enemy and that I wasn't just the random idiot. Okay, this latter maybe he didn't think but hinting that I knew something that he didn't was that - convincing Aison that I am more than just the odd worker of Zelindo's.

Lelani probably informed him of what I shared before, as Aison asked nothing as I related the contents of my talk with Gudea. He showed some surprise at me dabbling into the city's politics, but except for the glances and raised eyebrows at my comments about the conflict and plots, he only nodded, showing he knew.

"I understand, but now, I would like to return to what you said first, that you two were about to discuss who tried to kill you. Now that, that I would like to hear, entirely." It was only after all of my, with some commentaries on Gudea's side, that Aison spoke, sat down, and hid the dagger.

"About that..." Gudea had calmed down right as he understood Aison didn't plan to kill him right there, and while I am surprised at the spy for not trying to do anything but sit there, I have to applaud his self-countenance.

A pretty long talk about mages, or I should say, official mages, ensued between Gudea and Aison as the latter repeated the same Gudea had told me before, that no cloak of the Kingdom would do something like that. Or, at least, they should not.

But again, the same as before, it was clear that Gudea knew why this mage from the [Profound Tower] decided to go after seemingly worthless, and worse, allied targets. Thankfully, Aison wasn't an idiot either, and he asked directly in the same manner as I did before.

___________________________________________________

Before jumping to the reasons and other things, I should include the lore about the mage towers and the [Mage Guild] I learned from their talk and some more that I would discover later.

I had learned before that representatives of the towers, academies, free mages, and the [Royal Magic Institute] made up the [Mage Guild]. And now, I knew there was an inner hierarchy there as well, with the seven towers being considered far above the rest, them being the providers of the most powerful mages of the Kingdom and before of the Imperial territories of Throat, Midhill, Anear, and Neverc.

In fact, the towers were so superior that their members didn't require registering at the [Guild] to be considered official mages, filled up all the wizard positions for all nobles, and were exempt from taxes. They were even above the law, as no city or provincial court could judge them, only the noble courts and only in the presence of the offender's respective tower's representatives. And with the latters' having the last word in most cases, from what Aison mentioned.

Now to the towers themselves. Seven establishments, each with its color, name (most people called them by their color, though), philosophy, policies, and specialization. This latter reflected in their occupation of theirs after becoming Masters, plus the main element that their tower considered as the foremost. The only actual similarity between them except status was the Battlemages, a domain that, to a lesser or higher degree, every tower covered.

The one the talk mostly touched, the [Profound Tower]. With their color being brown and sometimes yellow, the Masters would be called Brown-cloaks. The principal element, which I discovered on my own skin, was Earth.

Most of the Masters would become a mix of a battlemage and an expert in minerals, crops, or other things related to their element. And this duality was the case for the mage that attacked me, as while a court wizard (that would be in charge of [Magic] defenses and firepower if needed), he was also the man behind the discovery of several mines.

The [Submerged Tower]. As the name suggests, it specialized in the water element and actually was underwater, somewhere near the coast of Neverc's county. Cyan, as what else with blue being the color of the Kingdom, was their color, and the Masters specialized in three different areas.

Leaving aside the Battlemages, the [Sumberged Tower] was a place of scholars, diplomats, and mages specialized in defensive measures.

The [Floating Tower]. Wind element, green or zephyr hues. Explorers and investigators. The only tower whose cloaks avoided noble and influential positions, preferring wilderness, ships, and even mercenary work. Judging by Azar, I could not argue anything about it.

The [Raging Fire Tower]. As stated directly in the name, their element was fire, and what color could suit them but red? Either full-time battlemages or specializing in destructive spells, a few Masters of the element were known to train martial skills, becoming actual weapons and magic warriors.

While most towers were related to nobility and would choose noble blood over commoners for recruits, the [Raging Fire Tower] was an exception, taking anyone who showed the required qualities. For this reason, most of their cloaks ended up in the mage corps of the army or even sometimes as knights, scouring for glory and status by force.

The [Living Tower]. With a mix of ivory and white colors, their main element was Life, but they were known for releasing several Death element mages as well, this latter using a whitish cloak with black taints. The only healers outside the Divine magic users of the temples, the mages of the [Living Tower], were experts in everything related to living, including dying.

They were both loved and hated, expected and feared. And while so, there was no Count's court, no [Royal Army] headquarters without one of the cloaks of this tower.

The [Phasing Castle]. While the name was weird (no Tower either!), it was nothing more than a tower specialized in Utilitarian and, for the most part, Illusion magic. Their purple cloaks were rarely seen but were all around.

From researching new ways to utilize non-elemental magic to creating illusions capable of hiding towns, the [Phasing Castle] mages were not the most flashy or known for battle prowess but still occupied dozens of positions, some even working directly for the King or one of the Counts, their spells able to create or disappear entire structures.

The [Absolute Mana Tower]. This one was an exception to most of the statements about towers I knew. First, they didn't have a single color, using a toned-down mix of all the others for their cloaks. As for elements, they didn't follow any but mixed them, creating new spells, even new schools.

Giving birth to fewer Battlemages than other towers, each known one was very renowned, as the spells they used were absolutely unknown to both opponent and ally. As for non-fighting elements and ways, the [Absolute Mana Tower] was a place of scholars, alchemists, and sometimes experts of unusual paths such as the summoning of magic beasts.

Rumors also named the 8th tower - the [Nonexistent Tower]. And while both Gudea and Aison mentioned it as a rumor during their talk about cloaks and what they would or should do, I felt both believed it genuine. Maybe Aison even knew it was so. No idea what they did or worked on, but judging from all the secrecy and nonexistent stuff, probably nothing good to discover for the average person.

___________________________________________________

Now, back to the ongoing stuff.

With Gudea continuing dancing around the topic, Aison declared with a hint of irritation, "Maester Gudea, there will be no further talks until you answer."

A brief pause later, hearing no answer, he asked again, "Tell me why Master Renrith, an official brown cloak and the sole resident mage of the Viscount's court, attacked the men of the Guild, or better said, your men."

"...scare tactics." Gudea voiced in a low tone before continuing in a deadpan voice, revealing more about the internal games of the Viscounty, "Right now, the region is nearing an inner conflict. What before was just a tug of war behind the scenes, hidden from everyone, even the Kingdom's higher-ups, is about to become an open, weapon-in-hand confrontation."

*

Viscount De'pae was a staunch monarchist. Someone who risked everything in support of the crown. A man with grand plans to improve the region and the lives of the people within.

And after his death, his succesor, the current Viscount, Je'dacr Tra'lae, a puppet in the hands of Baron Farald of Old Anear, and by consequence, one of the many instruments in the hands of Count Szalai D'raec, the head of the Royal Council. All plans for the Chubu's region, occupying over half of the High Anear original County, were scraped, all resources sent to support the Council in its confrontation with the Kingdom's Throne.

After recounting what nearly everyone knew (even me by now), Gudea suddenly asked, "But how did it turn like this? Weak-willed as the current Viscount may be, didn't he spend over twenty years supporting his father from behind? Penning the discourses, preparing and working on the policies, helping advance the rule of the Throne?"

To the logical and unasked, "What would be the reason?" Gudea continued with the answer, at least the known one, "The marriage with Lady Aldona and her father's influencing the change." But as he finished saying that, he shook his head, looked at us two, and added, "And that is what everyone knows, but it is not the truth."

I will avoid recording the entire story that Gudea would reveal after that, only concentrating on the main issue. And what a particular fact it was!

"It isn't that Viscount Je'dacr didn't go after ladies or tried to get married because of his father. It is far from that. The truth is that he's not interested in women, as neither he is in men, but the latter we can ignore." Gudea would shock us, even Aison's eyes going wide at such revelation.

And from there, Gudea would continue with yet another story. One which I can also resume to a single point.

"Since the Chubu's Viscount rise, there was only one man who the Viscount considered an issue. A man who had both clout and position to interfere with the plans of the Viscount, no one else than Baron Farald." With just that, nearly everything clicked for me, as indeed, with the support of a Count behind the Baron, what could a newly appointed Viscount do?

And so, the explanation turned into an eye-opener. Viscount Je'dacr wasn't supporting the Council because of being a puppet for the Baron.

He went along the flow, biding his time, gathering information about the Council, and preparing for when he would have the right to depose the Baron. And no matter what support the latter had, he was still his vassal, and with a foolproof accusation of treason, not even his relative, Count Szalai, could do much to help.

As Gudea himself would state, "Seventeen years. For such a period, the people of Chubu suffered while the Viscount tirelessly prepared. Risking everything for the Throne. Nearly as his father did during the Cousin's war."

And now, the time had arrived. The Baron's shenanigans to start a war with the [Sharagzian Kingdom] were nothing short of treason, as officially, the [Kingdom of Neverc] not only had no such plans but technically was in an alliance with the dwarven people.

Here, all of the information I had on my hands, considered valuable, turned out to be significant but actually was outdated for the Viscounty. After all, the Baroness was genuinely preparing for war, but she was doing it for the Viscount, whose forces were not enough, ruined by his long-time playing puppet, and so would require hers to be able to face the Baron in case the latter chose to resist.

"Baron Farald is partially aware, which is why you don't see a single Chubu's guard on the streets. The Viscount has been trying to dissuade the suspicions and sent them out, patrolling and leaving himself open, so the Baron thinks there is no risk for now." Gudea complemented the explanation before, at last, reaching the crux of the only question we had, the earth magic user, "Master Renrith may be the Viscount's Court Mage, but he has always been a Council man, so he is actually the ears and, lately, the stick of the Baron and the people behind him."

"The story is certainly interesting-" Aison spoke coldly, showing distrust about the matter, and after a pause, continued, "-but why would the so-called Council's stick attack your men? Aren't you the Baron's relative? The father of his sole heir, to be exact?"

"And have you, or the [Hounds] sniffing around, seen my so-called wife or that heir?" Gudea asked in a similar cold manner.

"What do you mean?" I am unsure if Aison's agitation as he asked was because he was indirectly pointed out as a [Royal Hound] or for neglecting the missing relatives, but the point stands. He jerked as he asked, quickly and with noticeable uneasiness.

"Since the small councils of the Viscount started two months ago, the Baron broke contact with me, fearing that I may jump sides, and Arnhild, along with Siad, was suddenly and strongly requested to visit and stay at castle [Old Anear]." Gudea answered without showing any emotion on the matter. Somehow I felt it wasn't for show, but the actual truth, he didn't care?!

"And have you?" Aison asked after taking a few moments to think.

"Yes." Gudea responded immediately and continued while slowly nodding, "It was the Viscount who approached me first, and I had been faithfully serving him, even marrying Arnhild, to give him a pair of eyes openly unrelated to him."

_______

I probably have to doubt the faithfully serving the Viscount part, as I know who Zanar, the true Gudea, serves. Yet, probably he wasn't lying about working for the Viscount. If the latter discovers such treason, implicates the Council, and creates a lot of chaos, the infighting in the [Kingdom of Neverc] will grow even further, maybe even spill out into a civil war.

Essentially, developing into something far more accommodating for the Empire than some mystic chance of a conflict with [Sharagzian Kingdom] war with unknown results. At least it seemed so to me, and without being able to ask anyone, or I would have to reveal Gudea's identity, I chose to believe I was, and continue to be, right.

_______

With Gudea finishing, several minutes, probably a quarter of an hour, would pass before anyone spoke again. The one to break the silence was Aison, who, after thinking everything through, stated his thoughts, "It all seems plausible, but at the same time, it can be a ploy, one that I don't see the reason for, with us two being here for reasons unrelated to your inner conflict. Still, as you revealed all this to us, we also have the right to ask for proof of your words."

"And there will be proof, tomorrow's-" Gudea paused at the last word, looking towards the window before correcting himself, "-no, on today's evening small council. The Viscount is asking for the Royal permission, and it would be fitting for a servant of the Throne to be present."

"You over-consider my position and work, I am but a simple helper, and the part about being a trainer and working for the Guild is the actual truth. But I am connected to them, indeed. So I will pass your words to the ones who take the decision." Aison could not negate his connection to the [Hounds], not now, but he still tried to downplay his role.

"I see, then let it be so." Gudea shrugged, showing that if Aison wanted him to believe, he would at least attempt to do so.

"As for me, I am just a passerby in Chubu and had, and still have, no plans to join any of this. Still, Master Renrith is a thorn in your side and one that I will be glad to help deal with, all in exchange for the two services I asked of you, Maester Gudea, before." With Aison finishing with Gudea, I considered it was time for me to finalize our pending business as well. And while I had no idea how I would help deal with that mage, I was neither planning to leave Chubu without doing at least something against the fucker.

"I remember promising you the help, and you will receive it, Maester Lindar." Gudea nodded deeply as if half-bowing.

In the end, he determined that during this day, he would visit the [Charm Pit] as planned, plus speak with Commander Foth, who remained blissfully ignorant of all the shadowy stuff between the Baron and Gudea, and investigate the kidnapping and slavery matter.

As for my meeting with the dwarves, the second (actually first) request, Gudea didn't reply openly, just saying that I should accompany him to the Viscount's palace today. "Taking part in the small court will be impossible for someone from outside, but in there, we may find a way for you to conclude the planned deal. Although, I feel they will not be in the mood for deals with what is going on."

"I understand, but the Ambassador and the Trade Representative of the [Sharagzian Kingdom] do know of the matter and have recently stated that I should visit them, with the utmost haste, if I can." I briefly smiled at his last commentary.

Ignoring the bewildered gazes both Aison and Gudea threw at me after my last words suddenly changed topics. Or maybe I should say that I went and dropped yet another bomb in the just-calmed down room, "Oh, and before I forget, today, or well, yesterday, there was another attempt at me, this one by sellswords. Would you two maybe know a woman..."