[Melas] Chapter 145: Schemes (Patreon)

“Wait, but you didn’t even hear what I had to say yet!” I protested, even as Lashyn exited the room.

The Dwarf woman didn’t make eye contact with me, her bodyguards following her out. Gennady tried to stop me from giving chase. He grabbed me by the shoulder.

“Melas, she’s—”

“No.” I shrugged him off. “I’m not going to accept a non-answer. If you’re going to reject me, at least have the decency to give me a proper reason.”

Lashyn ignored me, already heading down the hallway. I ran after her, putting a hand out.

“I said: wait—”

Then one of her bodyguards stepped in the way. He was large, for a Dwarf. Taller than me. Which was rare for a Dwarf. He crossed his bulky arms and spoke in a clipped voice.

“Tha’s enough, girlie,” he said simply.

“I need to speak with Lashyn—” I tried to step around him, but he forcefully pushed me back.

I narrowed my eyes, and he placed a hand on a pistol on his belt. “I said that’s enough, or I’ll use force.”

“You don’t want to do that.” I didn’t make any threats. All I did was hold his gaze, and his brows furrowed.

“Alright, tha’s enough outta ye,” he started, trying to grab me again, but I snapped my finger.

A pair of bindings shot out and instantly wrapped around him. His eyes grew wide and he tumbled over, rolling on the ground like a fallen doll. I dashed around him as I called out to the Dwarf woman once more.

“Lashyn!”

“Oi, stop—” her other bodyguard shouted, reaching for his weapon.

But before he could do anything, Lashyn finally halted. She sighed, waving a hand wearily.

“Let her through, Askar.”

He blinked. “But…”

“I said it’s fine,” Lashyn said, spinning to face me. I came to a stop just before her, and she shook her head. “Ms Melas. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you from very many people. It seems you are one of the talks of the city, aren’t you?”

I folded my arms across my chest. “Yes. And it seems you’ve heard unflattering rumors about me, haven’t you?”

The Dwarf woman shook her head. She glanced around the corridor, making sure that no one was around. “The daughter of the Fiend herself comes to Jahar’taw seeking refuge. A heretic who wields magic. One who is actively hunted by the Church. Some would indeed find these traits to be unflattering.”

My eyes twitched at the mention of my mom— I was ready to defend her and any insults Lashyn was about to hurl her way. But surprisingly, the Dwarf woman smiled.

“However, I find those traits to be remarkable and admirable.”

I blinked. “What?”

“Not many people who have been born to such harsh and grueling conditions manage to survive and make it on their own. It is truly an impressive feat, Melas. I laud you for what you’ve accomplished before arriving in this city.” She smiled, and it was a genuine smile.

“Wait, so why…?” I pursed my lips. “Why’d you reject my preposition before even listening to what I have to say?”

Lashyn sighed, massaging her temples. “I was intrigued at first. However, circumstances have come up since then that have led me to, after reading through the business proposal, reject it outright. I simply felt that it would’ve been a waste of both our time if I entertained your idea when I was only willing to reject it.”

I was confused. Puzzled. Annoyed. A lot of emotions were going through me. “Reject it? But you just said—”

“I also said the situation has changed, child.” The Dwarf woman walked up to me, patting me on the shoulder. “I do hope things will resolve themselves eventually. Alas, for now, I am sorry but I cannot accept your proposition.”

I wanted to protest. I didn’t get any answers from this. But a voice drew my gaze away from Lashyn.

“We understand, Lashyn,” Gennady said, slowly walking up to us. I opened my mouth, and he continued, “Do contact us again if you ever change your mind. For now, we thank you for your time.”

He stopped me from saying anything else as the Dwarf woman grunted, “It was a pleasure meeting you again after so long, Gennady Usenov.”

With that, she took her leave. I watched as her bodyguards followed after her. The binding spell I had cast had dissipated long ago.

I glared at Gennady. “Why’d you just let her go?”

“This is business, lassie.” He shook his head. “You can’t force others to deal with you. What you can do is build good relationships so they will work with you in the future.”

My lips twisted. “Yes, but…”

“Don’t worry too much about it. You’ll find someone else to work with. I hear Akerke was interested, too—”

Gennady ushered me forward as I glanced back once. Luna scampered after us, licking her front legs as she walked. I felt something was off. I wanted to question Lashyn further, but unfortunately, I didn’t get the chance.

Hopefully, my other meetings would go better.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot do this for you, Melas.”

Akerke, the young Dwarf businessman who I befriended a month or so back, bowed his head as soon as he entered the room. It was a day after my meeting with Lashyn had gone awry. I spent the whole night ignoring that needling feeling in the back of my brain— the one that told me this was going to be a trend.

And, well, I shouldn’t have ignored it.

“But why?” I just stared at Akerke, not upset, not angry. Inquisitive. Calm. And internally screaming.

“My company ain’t the biggest, lass. And normally, such a proposition— one that could potentially reshape how manatech is created— would be like a present laid onto my lap.”

“And?” I pressed him further, but Gennady nudged me to quiet down.

“Well, and that would be great, if it takes off. But…” Akerke leaned forward conspiratorially. “I know, in good faith, that your product will never break into the market. Not for the nobility, and not for the average person. It is unfortunate, and I am truly sore.”

I sighed and sank into my seat. “I see.”

“Look, it’s not that I don’t believe you—”

“Princess Aishat is after me, isn’t she?” I spoke abruptly, and Gennady’s gaze snapped up.

“What?” He blinked.

Akerke fidgeted.

“She threatened to run your business to the ground and cut off all your connections if you distributed any of my products, right?” I asked, meeting the young Dwarf’s gaze.

“I… am not supposed to say anything,” he finally said. “But hypothetically speaking, if you had a hunch that someone is plotting against you, I would wager your hunch is correct.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Mhm. Thought so.” Then I stood up, bowing my head at Akerke. “Thank you for your time.” I started out of the room and took my leave.

Gennady sputtered, glancing between myself and Akerke. “I—” he called out to me, then quickly turned to his friend. “I appreciate you coming out here. Let’s have dinner next time.”

Akerke nodded, not really facing my direction. Meanwhile, Gennady gave chase to me.

“Lass, what’s going on?” he asked, more puzzled than anything. “Why is Princess Aishat out to get you?”

“How should I know?” I scoffed, not meeting his gaze. “She doesn’t like me for whatever reason. I thought it’d have just been some petty drama that would be resolved without issue, but it seems like she’s escalating her actions.”

“You think Princess Aishat, the daughter of King Adilet of the Taw Kingdom, is feuding with you, but you don't know why she’s feuding with you?”

“That’s exactly right,” I said nonchalantly.

Gennady walked in front of me and crossed his arms. “Don’t you think that’s a bit of a big deal? That you shouldn’t be treating it this casually?”

I walked around him, followed by Luna. “Why not?”

“Because,” he said, placing an arm out to bar my path, “Princess Aishat is greatly influential. If she wants to, she can cut off any opportunity you’ll ever have for conducting business in Jahar’taw. Ever.”

“I know that.”

“So, what are you going to do?” His eyes narrowed.

I shrugged. “Go back to my room. Eat some dinner. Share some of the leftovers with Luna here.” I gestured at the black cat, and Gennady snorted.

“Firstly, you don’t leave behind any leftovers.”

“Hey!”

“Secondly, what are you going to do after that? Just give up?”

I cocked my head. “Yes?”

“That’s it?” His brows creased in annoyance. “Your biggest breakthrough— one that can revolutionize the world— or at least, how we approach manatech and the creation of mana tools, is just going to be given up, just like that?”

“She’s a princess, Gennady,” I stated the obvious. “I’m someone seeking political asylum. I’d rather not bite the hand that feeds me.”

Gennady crossed his arms. “You have a future, lassie. You can’t just live here in the protection of the MTC forever. One day, you’ll have to go out and live your life. You’ll need your own capital to ensure you’re protected.”

“Or I could just live a simple, quiet life. I don’t need to be the center of attention. I could just quietly work as a barmaid or a waitress in some backwater tavern in the middle of who-knows-where. That’s not a bad life at all.”

“You’ll still be hunted, lass. You’ll still be scorned. If others find out about your past or your history, you’ll be reviled. Sorry to say, but you’ll never have your quiet or peaceful life,” he said, shaking his head. “But if you pull through with this invention of yours, you’ll make a name for yourself. Just look at what happened with Bertrand.”

I furrowed my brows. “Don’t you hate him?”

“But he’s the perfect example of someone who has swayed public opinion to favor him. His inventions, while controversial, had once been thoroughly lambasted by the public. I added fuel to that fire, yes. But when Bertrand arrived in Jahar'taw for the very first time, he had no support. He had no backing. Only Adilet saw anything in him.”

That… was quite similar to my situation right now. Just as he had granted Bertrand the protection of Taw, King Adilet had given me his word that he wouldn’t let the Church take me. But I never knew that Bertrand was so scorned.

He seemed popular enough. Everyone in the MTC respected him. Princess Aishat stared at him with admiring eyes. Was he really once so hated?

“But once Bertrand proved his use to the MTC,” Gennady continued, “public perception changed. People began to view him in a positive light when exposed to his genius. This could be your future, lass. You no longer have to live in such a solitary place, away from others.”

I shifted uncomfortably. “This is hardly solitary,” I countered. “I interact with others all the time.”

“So do prisoners and slaves. But you’re never allowed to leave this place. Tell me, Melas, do you truly consider this living?” His gaze borei into me, and I hung my head. “I don’t believe you’d wish to live the rest of your life, trapped in some institution, unable to leave, rarely able to meet your friends beyond. Sevin. Elda. Even Lsa and Jack have said that they missed you.”

“They do…?” My eyes widened.

“Yes.” Gennady nodded. Then he took in a deep breath. “I’m not going to force you to do anything you don’t want to do, lass. I’m just going to tell you not to give up so easily. There is a reason why you wanted to do all this in the first place, right?”

That was right. On one hand, I had occupied myself with this just so I would have something to do while trapped in the MTC. But on the other hand, I had hoped to open up the minds of the public to magic— and of course, to make some money on the side, too. It could perhaps grant me more freedom while within Jahar’taw.

I had many hopes. Many aspirations that drove me down this path. I wanted to see it through. So, I nodded.

“Right,” I said. “You’re right, Gennady.”

He smiled. “Glad you see it too.”

“But how am I going to fight back against Princess Aishat?” I placed a hand on my chin, and Gennady frowned.

“That… I am not sure. Perhaps I can arrange a meeting with Erzhan?”

“Wait.” I raised a hand, stopping him.

I thought about what Gennady said about Bertrand. Then I thought about all my options. Right now, the best option I had was speaking with Erzhan. However, I didn’t think it would go over so well, even if I was more familiar with him.

Lashyn and Akerke were friends with Gennady too. And Lashyn found me intriguing, while Akerke was someone I was vaguely acquainted with. Both talks didn’t go well. So, it was likely going to be the same outcome if I spoke with Erzhan too.

I had to have other options. And… I did. I just didn’t consider it an option. In fact, it was the first ever option I’d been given. I remembered what Aniyar told me. What he offered.

And I raised my head as Gennady’s eyes bulged at my suggestion.

“I think I’d like to speak with the King of Taw.”

Author's Note:

Gib thoughts!