Podros could be described either as beautiful and scenic or dingy and seedy. It all depended on where in the region you were. If you were close to House Hilington, then you'd wake up surrounded by lush farmlands, fragrant orchards, and well-dressed men and women from well-off Great Houses with histories dating back to the creation of Aspia. If you were closer to House Greaves like I was, well, you'd see what I was seeing right now: brick roads that hadn't been cleaned in days, streets lit by poorly maintained lanterns and the drunken townspeople walking with the adventurers they were sleeping with, and the smell of grilled meat mixed with the stench of vomit and that made this place home. For anyone who hadn't grown up here, it may as well have been the Wastelands. For the rest of us, it was your standard evening.
To my credit, I really did think over Lyra's words about bringing on some more people. My apprehension hadn't left. Deep in my heart, I truly believed that the two of us were enough to defeat the Demon Lord once and for all. Logically, though, I'd come to understand that was complete bullshit. We were two people going up against an army of at least two hundred. It was a testament to our strength that we were to he point where we could whittle that down and isolate the Demon Lord, but we weren't strong enough to capitalize on that opportunity. We needed people we could trust to be there with us during that final battle who could ultimately help us defeat the Demon Lord once and for all.
Once I'd come to that reluctant conclusion, my mind began to wander towards possible teammates. Meredith the Life Warden was the obvious first choice. At her peak, she's the most powerful person in Aspia, surpassing even the Demon Lord. Unfortunately, Isobel Greaves' illusion magic is always too much for her to face. There was also the Aspian Quartet, though they'd notoriously broken up around… now, actually. Maybe there was something there? We'd have to travel all the way to–
"Excuse me, are you the adventurer Lloyd May? A few of the adventurers in the Guild Hall were talking about you earlier."
I turned to find a well-put-together man dressed like a butler holding a rolled-up scroll. I nodded at the man. "That's me. If you have any mission requests, leave them with the Guildhall. I'll look at it tomorrow. I'm just out for a walk right now."
The man shook his head. "No, this isn't that. I'm here to offer you an opportunity." He unfurled the scroll, ushering me to his side. "As you may know, House–"
"Are you kidding me?! This is where you've been? Handing out fliers like House Greaves is some item at a yard sale?!" A strangely familiar feminine voice called from the distance. Whoever she'd been talking to tried arguing back with her, but the woman's shouts barreled over their words before they could so much as finish a sentence.
"Ah, we should wrap this up." The man beside me suddenly said, his voice agitated. "Read this scroll on your own time. Preferably indoors. Thank you! Have a nice day!"
I didn't even get a chance to thank him for… that. He bolted before I could. As I looked over the scroll he'd handed me, it became clear to see why that was.
Great House Buyout – House Greaves
Six Hundred Thousand Gold minimum.
Become the owner of the historic Great House today! Opening Date: Tomorrow at Sunrise. Light refreshments will be available.
This was the sale of House Greaves! Well, the attempted sale of House Greaves. After getting run into the ground by the incompetent son of Alexander Greaves, the former Great House was put up for sale. No one bought it, forcing the family to abandon the Great House and leave it in the care of Isobel Greaves. She attempted to bring it to its former glory, but no one took her seriously. House Greaves may as well have been a Fledgling House. Angered, she ventured out to forge partnerships with anyone who could benefit House Greaves.
The Demon Lord was the only one willing to negotiate.
In the end, House Greaves turned into the House of the Unblinking Eye, the strongest Great House in Aspia. In a sense, Isobel ultimately got her wish, even if it cost her humanity. This was the first time I'd been so close to the event, though. I suppose Lyra and I usually slept through it.
But wait a minute. How much was it? Six hundred thousand gold? We… Lyra and I had that much. We made that much in a week! That was interesting. Very interest–
"What do you think you're doing with that flier?!" That same feminine voice called. She was far closer than she had been just a moment– "I'm talking to you!"
Before I could understand what was even happening, Isobel Greaves, head of the House of the Unblinking Eye, was standing right in front of me, purple eyes boring into mine! The black haired woman wore a simple black dress with tall black boots, lines of black mascara cascading from her eyes like she'd been crying. No, she hadn't been crying. She was crying!
"A man handed me this flier a little while ago. I didn't want to be rude, so I looked it over." I tried, doing my best not to show any apprehension.
Isobel frowned at me. "You're being rude by humoring such a foolish offer!" She jabbed a finger into my chest, a new batch of tears flowing despite the fire in her voice. "How dare you! House Greaves is not yours to consider. Remove the idea of buying it from your head right now!"
I had to play my cards carefully here. Isobel Greaves hadn't yet encountered the Demon Lord's Royal Scientist, so she was barely a 3-Star Adventurer in terms of strength. Still, I didn't want to say something that would embolden her to speed things up! More than that, I was a 5-Star Adventurer. You didn't reach that rank just by being strong. You got it by having a good reputation in Podros. That meant being kind, courteous, and generous with those you encountered. A good reputation was the difference between getting offered high-paying VIP missions and those low-paying, mind-numbing collect-a-thon missions. Plus, Clerics were usually slow to revive people with bad reputations. Likely because they never tipped.
Taking that all into account, I decided that my best course of action was to not treat her like the woman who ultimately becomes the Demon Lord's right hand and instead to treat her like I would any other belligerent woman who'd approach me like this.
I placed my hands on her shoulder, smiling softly as I looked her in the eye. "It was never my intention to upset you. You can have the flier back…"
"...Isobel," She said, sniffling back tears. "Isobel Greaves."
"That's a pretty name. I like it."
She looked up at me and frowned, though a hint of a smile seemed to be trying to form. "Now is hardly the time for flattery, Lloyd May."
"You know my name?"
"I overheard my foolish butler say it earlier."
"Ah, right. Well, how about this: I'll walk you home and you can tell me everything that's been going on with your Great House. I'm curious."
"And what does it concern you?"
"It doesn't, I admit. But, you clearly care deeply about it, and given your anger, I can only assume you have no one to vent your frustration to." I moved to her side, extending my arm. "Come, we can take the long way. I'll lend you my ear."
"Did.. father put you up to this? Are you on some sort of mission or quest or whatever you adventurers do?"
"I've never met your father in my life," I lied. I had met him a few times. His urn was kept in Demon Queen Isobel's throne room.
Isobel muttered something to herself before ultimately accepting my arm in hers. "Fine. You know the way to the House, correct?"
I nodded. "Don't worry about that. Like I said, we'll take the long way. I know a pathway through some farmland that's quiet and scenic. If we're lucky, we might get to see some livestock."
She sighed. "That… would be nice. Lead the way, Lloyd May. Do anything foolish and I'll kill you. Don't underestimate my strength."
"Believe me, I won't!"