Re: Tales of the Rune-Tech Sage

Chapter 907: Reality of Vacation II

CH907 Reality of Vacation II

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Havel remained within the City of Ashes.

Unlike Alex’s other retainers, Havel had no home to return to.

He and many others of his Noble race had been brought from the Sage Shadow Plane by a noble elven house of the Elarion Empire.

They had been brought over by the elven noble house, treated like sub-elves by the Elarion noble houses, and eventually sold like goods to rich individuals across Pangea who had developed an ‘appetite’ for elves.

The Elarion elves were cognisant of the allure many other Pangean races had towards them. One of the ways they managed and took advantage of this was by acquiring and selling elf-like races on the black market.

While the Elarion elves wouldn’t sell fellow elves of the Empire, ‘sub-elves’, who were seen as lower than dirt, didn’t receive such privileges.

Once the noble house which had attacked Havel’s Sage Shadow Plane began suffering losses because they couldn’t take down the Plane as easily as they had thought, their scions proceeded to vent their frustrations upon the sub-elf slaves they had acquired from the Plane.

How dare sub-elves like them resist the arrival of their oh-so-great, pure-blooded elven house?

Then, as the losses increased further, they went even further by selling these slaves to other races who had developed a taste for elves, whether as food, sex slaves, or worse.

Since, unlike the Elarion elves, most outsiders didn’t know the difference between the ‘sub-elves’ and elves, the trade went on smoothly—but in the shadows, of course.

While Elarion nobility didn’t care for these ‘sub-elves’, it was still not a good look to have ‘their kind’ being sold openly.

They maintained that level of class above humans.

Havel was one such sold slave, which was what cultivated his hatred for Elarion elves.

This specific distinction had only entered the man’s mind after spending time with Eleanore.

Due initially to their difference in station, Havel buried his hatred for elves when dealing with Eleanore. But through their expedition, the respect he had for Alex and his wives allowed him to transcend his hatred, enabling him to separate his hatred for the culprits from innocent others.

Havel had no home to return to, so he spent his vacation within the City of Ashes, pretending to be a wastrel who went from one tavern, casino, and brothel to another—not necessarily in that order.

This self-destructive method of relaxation perhaps silently spoke of the darkness hidden deep within his heart.

Unlike the other four retainers Alex chose from his family’s Agoge, Silver Blackbolt didn’t have the identity of an Outer being.

Though originally brought to Pangea from another Plane, the progenitors of the Blackbolt family were not only loyal retainers recruited by the Pangean noble who arrived on their Plane, but the fact that they were human, identical to Pangean humans, made it easier for them to assimilate into Pangean society.

After living on the Plane for a couple of centuries, the Blackbolts were essentially viewed as Pangeans by most—as only a few still remembered their Outer origins.

Though not practically considered part of Pangea’s nobility, the head of the Blackbolt family does hold a knight’s title granted by the Count House that brought the family progenitors to the Plane all those years ago.

Even though the Blackbolts were no longer in direct servitude to the family, their Knight’s title was still recognised and renewed upon an evaluation of the performance of a scion of the family.

Unfortunately, the relationship between the Blackbolt family and their host noble had soured over time, and in this generation, it was likely that the link would break down completely.

As a solution, the elders of the Blackbolt family had planned to marry the best daughter of the generation to a scion of the noble house, even if it meant the daughter being reduced to a concubine of some fourth- or fifth-born scion.

As long as the link was established, the elders saw it as a good deal.

And in this generation, Silver was the daughter picked as the sacrifice to this marriage union.

However, rather than accept the deal, Silver made the elders a counteroffer. If she could get into the employ of a higher noble and build a bridge to the noble for the family, the elders would give up the thought of marrying her out.

Not trusting that the elders would agree, Silver snuck out of her family estate, eventually joining a unit under the Fury Army. From there, she managed to get into the Fury family’s prime Agoge for training and eventually came under Alex’s employ.

Unlike Alex’s other retainers who returned home for vacation, Silver technically returned home to get rid of the nuisance hanging over her head.

As one of Alex’s valued retainers, Alex sought to solve her family’s delicate situation.

Of course, though the scion of the infamous Mad Earl, Alex didn’t intend to use force or noble rank to solve Silver’s situation with the Blackbolt family and the larger Count House above them.

Instead, Alex sent Silver as his envoy and messenger to both houses, subtly showing her importance.

After the usual noble hogwash, Alex proposed a mutually beneficial trade agreement that would bind himself, the Count House, the Blackbolt family, and a quiet subsidiary of the Golden Palace operating in that region together.

The agreement sought to bring both the Count House and the Blackbolt family enough profits that would last for five years, if not a decade.

In the face of such benefits, a minor matter of putting aside a marriage that was still just a mere discussion was not worth mentioning.

And thus, the matter was settled with a few strokes of the pen from the Silver Tongue.

The fact that Silver was able to move the heir of a noble who ranked higher than their own liege raised Silver’s importance within her family, and none of the elders spoke anything about the marriage talks.

Well, beyond some who advised her to warm the young master’s bed if the opportunity arose, which, of course, Silver didn’t even pay any mind to.

However, the Blackbolt elders still thought of other ways to try to strengthen their bond with this Earl scion.

One of these included sending more members to Alex.

While Silver was a family prodigy, the other members too were not too far behind. While they might not draw the young noble’s attention, the elders believed they could very well become officers in the young master’s archery or ranged unit—something Silver agreed with.

With this ‘minor matter’, one that had hung over Silver’s head for years, settled, Silver was finally about to enjoy her vacation with her immediate family.

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