Family business 55 (Patreon)

Family Business

Chapter 55

-VB-

Vayne and I stood before the king in a private meeting.

He beheld both of us.

“I am … surprised that you are here with him, Lady Shauna.”

Vayne was infamous before she disappeared at my hands, so her reappearance with me was not only controversial but also suspicious.

“I’ve learned that there are bigger threats that need to be managed first, Your Majesty,” Vayne replied.

Since nothing she did was technically against the law once it was proven, then, that all of her targets were magicians, she was legally in the clear.

Of course, being legally in the clear didn’t stop someone from being ostracized.

“And you, Duke Jorasmang-Crownguard. Are you willing to sponsor her?”

“I am, Your Majesty.”

He looked at me for a moment before he sighed, looking as if he just aged a decade more. Or I guessed that it really just made him look as old as he really was.

“You’re causing me a lot of trouble again…”

I grinned, because I knew that I had just enough leeway to be playful here. “Aww, but wouldn’t it be nice to have her on our side? The greatest magic hater working for the greatest magic advocate since the founding of Demacia…?!” I asked in a scandalous tone. “What kind of relationship could they be in!?”

The king’s face contorted as he imagined the scandals that would haunt him for the next year.

This was when Xin Zhao stepped up. “Your Majesty, I also think we should use this event to certify the Sentinels of Light. Allowing a group of highly trained fighters to roam freely would be ill-advised.” He glanced at me and I nodded in agreement.

The Sentinels of Light was the closest thing Runeterra to Interpol if said Interpol only cared about one location and the shenanigans associated with that place. Having them on Demacia’s side would mean that, eventually, they would be feeding Demacia information from around the world simply because certification and inclusion of the Order into Demacia would mean paperwork.

Even the Magesseeekers had to file paperwork, noting down the six W’s (who, what, where, when, why, and how) for each of their operations and patrols.

Being a secretive and violent organization didn’t spare the Magesseekers from paperwork. Or taxes.

You think they just confiscated shit and kept it to themselves? Some of the stuff they confiscated are just random shit like rocks. Pretty rocks worth a fortune but still rocks… that needed to have paperwork done, taxes written off, and/or sold off on magesseeker auctions.

Those were a thing, yes.

They also still paid taxes. All of their higher-ups, their employees, the actual magesseekers, and their fucking janitors. Speaking of which, the only people who didn’t pay taxes were the criminals and the royalties.

Ah, I went off on a tangent.

“Duke Jorasmang.”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“I will not endorse the Sentinels of Light.”

I looked at the king in surprise but thought better about questioning him right at this moment. Vayne was not considered to be someone close to the king in the first place, so questioning his decision right now would be disrespecting the king instead of clarifying the reasons.

Instead, I bowed. “If that is your will, Your Majesty. And about our acquaintance here…?”

He glanced at her for a moment before tilting his face slightly downward. “While it is imperative that the world knows of Demacia’s participation in beating back the Black Mist, I want the people of Demacia to know that our role was critical more than anyone else’s. Is that understood?”

Ah, he wanted us to fudge the story a little.

“If that is your wish.”

“Good. We will arrange for an awards ceremony. You, as her liege, would be expected to take part. Dismissed.”

Vayne bowed once before both of us left the room.

“Marr.”

I paused as the doors behind us clicked close, and turned to look toward Garen. “Garen. What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to see you… and her.”

Vayne nad Garen glared at each other.

Ah. The former was a violent vigilante while the latter was a hero. Of course, the two of them would not like each other.

“Have you met Vayne Shauna? She has been my vassal for some time.”

Garen hummed, glaring at her with his narrowed eyes. “This is the first time I’ve heard of her being your vassal.”

“It’s an unofficial thing.”

“I see. And why should I trust her with your life?”

Vayne snapped at hearing Garen questioning her loyalty and competence. “Would a spar in the courtyards prove my competence at the very least?” she asked him, and Garen snorted.

“Oh, give her a chance, Garen,” I replied. “She can kite you all day long.”

Garen must have thought for a second that I was going to say that she was worthy or something like that and not tell him he was going to get his ass beat, because he was about to turn away before freezing.

“Kite?”

“Yup. Keep you at bay while constantly hitting you with her bolts,” I said. “See, since I’m her lord, I make sure she gets the best equipment she can as well as supplemental potions that can temporarily improve her natural abilities if only for a minute at most. So if you were to fight her as if you would on the battlefield…”

“I would never reach her, you believe,” he asked me.

I shrugged. “Maybe you’ll reach her, but she has a way to disengage that may make you think twice about engaging her without a shield. Which would slow you down.”

He hummed as we got into a familiar territory for him: the battlefield. “On a battlefield, however, I would not be by myself.”

I nodded. “Exactly. Vayne here would do better as a saboteur than a frontline combatant or even support. She has a nasty trick up her sleeve, and ambushing people is her thing.”

“You make it sound like I’m some sort of a cowardly ruffian, milord,” Vayne protested lightly.

“... Well, you did break into my house.”

Garen glared at her again, reminded once again that Vayne came very close to killing me. Distance-wise.

Vayne rolled her eyes. “What’s a few home invasions between friends and family?”

I deadpanned at her.

Rolling my eyes, I walked away, Vayne quick to follow my heel.

I got Vayne to be recognized, gained more influence, and even introduced her to Garen without having him lobe her head off.

All in all, this was another successful day.

Now, I better get home or my wives and children will miss me dearly.