Micchi Versus the New World - Chapter 105

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Chapter 105

Yui and I rode on Kawa, following Kain back to the Arcane Ward. There Loraine was at the foot of the steps to a domed manor guarded by the sultan's soldiers. She was being blocked by two beastling guards, whose spears prevented her from getting any closer.

"I am Loraine Arselios, niece of Yusef Arselios and daughter to his brother Laeeq Arselios, and I demand to see the sultan. You will step aside to let me see my uncle," Loraine ordered them.

None of the guards took her seriously and laughed in her face.

"Loraine!" I shouted to her, and she spun around with surprise which quickly turned into shame.

"Lady Loraine, what are you doing out here?" Kain asked as we ran up to her.

"Please, don't stop me. I refuse to be scared any longer. I will speak with the sultan, and If they won't let me through, then I'll just have to force my way in." Loraine flicked her wrists, conjuring a small fiery explosion that blew both guards back.

In doing so, more guards poured out of the building to surround and keep her from going in. Now there were other mages mixed in, and everyone was poised to throw down.

"Oooooh! This is looking like a fight. Lemme get in on this!" Yui exclaimed.

"Stop this at once!" Kain drew his rapier and the new one recovered from his ancestor's tomb, wielding both at the same time which caused each blade to resonate. "This is no way to act and any more outbursts will force my hand. Loraine, Micchi, Yui— Stand down!"

"I think you forget who's got the bigger bite here. If Loraine wants to talk with the sultan, then I'm gonna join her and there ain't nothing anyone can do about it. So it's her choice," I said, putting myself in front of Kain, who didn't so much as flinch compared to our first time duking it out.

A familiar magic surged across the smooth stone pavement at our feet. Mildred waltzed in with a pipe to her mouth and nose pointed high.

"I would caution against lifting your hands at Kain," she warned me.

The tense standoff lasted until someone from the building Loraine was trying to get into showed up. Because it was dark, only a silhouette could be seen from the light illuminating his back. The voice, however, they couldn't mistake for anyone else.

"Sultan Yusef, I'm terribly sorry for the commotion. I'll get this sorted out right away," Kain said.

"What a noisy city you have, Prince Kain. So full of uncouth rabble rousers. Even those in positions of power lack civility. Allow me to show you how it is done. Form up," Sultan Yusef ordered.

The guards retreated partway up the steps and formed a barricade two lines deep.

"Now step aside. My niece wishes to speak with me."

They broke formation and framed the steps to let the sultan through. When he stepped out into the moonlight, another person followed him out who had to duck because of his giant size. A mountain of a dark elf, skin dyed a deeper black with tattoos, and wearing nothing but leather pants and metal gauntlets up to his elbows.

I moved forward, too. "Don't care who you shack up with, but your boyfriend better step the fuck back—"

"It's okay." Loraine turned to stop me.

Sultan Yusef nodded to the other guy to stay by the entryway.

"Oh, my dear niece. I expected nothing less of our bloodline that you have grown to become so beautiful. You wield your father's sharp eyes like daggers. Laeeq always had a way with glares that would terrify a sandworm," the sultan said.

Loraine shuddered hearing her old man's name. If I remember correctly, he bit the dust when they were trying to escape to Cynderace. No two ways about it that the sultan had a hand in messing up that plan. She pushed aside her weaker emotions to look him in the eyes.

"I'm not here to talk about my father. What's past is past, and I have long buried him in the Rolling Plains. I've found a new life here just like what he would have wanted, but there are some who would endanger my peace. What I want is simple— with everyone here as witness, I hereby renounce any claims to the Amarinth throne my Arselios blood and ancestry may hold. So please, uncle. Stay out of my life. If you don't, I cannot guarantee your safety," she threatened him.

The eyes of the sultan's own guards were switching between him and Loraine. Meanwhile, a proud grin flashed across my face.

Attagirl, I wanted to tell her.

It was her life to live, and anyone who wanted to fuck it up was going to get fucked up themselves.

"Such determined words filled with so much venom." Sultan Yusef chuckled and threw a look over his shoulders to his massive guard. "I must say, I am ashamed that you see your own uncle with such disdain. We are family after all. However, if it is your wish to cut ties with me, then who am I to tell you otherwise? Very well. You are no longer an Arselios. May both of us part ways upon roads of better fortune."

Everyone sighed as the simmering atmosphere began to cool down. Only Yui was disappointed that it didn't devolve into a fight. When the sultan turned to head back into his residence, I called out to him.

"She means it. You stay outta her life, or else all bets are off." I growled.

Sultan Yusef didn't turn around to humor me and instead shrugged his shoulders before heading inside. Kain gave me a stern talking to afterwards, but when he realized he wasn't getting through to me, just patted my back and was glad that I didn't blow a fuse.

I still had something I wanted to get done at the guild and dropped Loraine back home with Kawa.

"I'm sorry for going without you earlier," Loraine said at the door.

"You ain't got anything to be sorry for."

"You're not angry with me?" she timidly asked.

"For growing a pair of steel balls? Nah. You were scared shitless the other day, but you faced the bastard who ruined your life without flinching tonight. What's there to be angry about?" I grinned.

Loraine returned a warm smile. "Just another case of you rubbing off on me."

"Heh. Hopefully not too much. I ain't exactly the best role model. Anyway, I'll be back later, so tuck yourself and Kawa in without me."

Yui and I got back to the guild where half the members were in various states of sloshed, and the other half were two or three drinks away from joining them. A lot of dark elves and beastlings from the Ash'tar Branch were less so, maybe only a little buzzed.

"What's the matter, guys? The free booze ain't good enough?" I walked up a table of dark elves who were dressed in Amarinthian attire.

"Good tidings, Champion!" A dark elven mage raised a full glass of beer with all the foam gone. "We're only enjoying a slow night until the summit. No need to indulge too much in Cynderace Branch's hospitality."

They had no reason not to party. Why else would they be here? Just to waste breathing room?

No. That wasn't right. They were up to something.

"Well, you guys need anything, just lemme know. I'm best buds with the guild leader." I squeezed the elf's shoulders which made him squirm uncomfortably, then went to catch up with Yui before she went into her office. "You're handling the patrol routes for the Cynderace Branch during the summit, right?"

"Ugh! Don't remind me. There's so much to do, and I gotta make sure everyone's in the right place for the night." Yui sighed.

"I want you to hold at least 30 people back in the hall as reserve."

She caught on to the seriousness in my tone. "You got it, Anego."

People were winding down for the evening. Those who couldn't stay standing were being carried upstairs to their rooms. Others were being tossed out into the street.

I flagged Oaks down just as he was about to retire for the evening, and flagged him down by the door.

"Just heading home, boss. Did you need anything?" Oaks asked.

"I need to round up some extra hands. Was hoping you're still in contact with your old goons," I said.

"Is this… some sort of test?" He narrowed his eyes, obviously uneasy about having his criminal past brought up after trading it for a modest life.

"Got a hunch that a bunch of Ramaleiks wormed their way into the city. I don't like that one bit. A gang war's coming. Gonna need me extra eyes and hands where I can get 'em."

Oaks tightened his gaze. As someone who had dealings with and was afraid of the Ramaleiks, he reacted about as appropriately as I expected him to. Compared to that mafia family, he was just a petty street thug who peddled their shit. If they were around, then he had a reason to take it seriously.

"Most of them were locked up after we raided their compounds a few months back. Unless we can negotiate a pardon, I'm not sure we can count on them anymore." Oaks reminded me.

"I got an idea."

We went to the dungeons which were built underneath the city guard barracks. It was currently manned by an increased presence of guards because I put so many people behind bars a while back. There became less of a need to patrol the city and more to watch in case of a jailbreak.

A guard led me and Oaks to the warden's quarter, where we were given a cold reception.

"Go away! I'm busy! Visitations can wait until tomorrow morning!" the warden shouted from the other side of the door.

"Uhm… Warden Darryn… I don't think our guest is interested in—"

"Alright, step aside." I shoved the guard back, then kicked the door down and startled the warden, who was canoodling with an elven woman.

"L-Lady Micchi! I didn't know it was you who sought a visit," Warden Darryn stammered.

"Get out," I told the elf, thumbing over my shoulder.

She quickly gathered her things and left.

Darryn was another young noble human who climbed his way up on his family's back and had no spine himself. The only difference between him and others was that he knew I was the one who ran the show around here.

"How… How may I help you this fine evening?" he asked, pulling his pants up and walking out from his desk.

"I need all the no-life chumps I put away last time go free," I said.

"I'm sorry. What?" The warden blinked in disbelief. "All 134? I don't know what you need them for, but at most I can commute only a handful of their sentences. W-We're not exactly in the habit of releasing known criminals back onto the streets."

"Don't worry, I'll be conscripting them. Anything they do out there is on me. Either you let 'em out nicely, or I break 'em out. Make your choice, pal."

He gulped hard, then led us down to the dungeons where hundreds of prisoners were locked up. Many of which knew me by name and face since I was the one who put them there.

I nodded to Oaks to give him the go-ahead.

"It's a lucky day for you louts." Oaks growled. "We need people to take care of a problem. You have a good chance to get on Boss' good side. I suggest you take it."

"Ha! What the fuck makes you think any of us wanna do anything for ya? Got a problem? Go stick it up your ass!" A balding human with an eyepatch leaned against the bar and sneered, drawing laughter from the other inmates.

I grabbed the bars to his cell and ripped them open, causing him to step away and fall backwards in fear.

"It ain't up for negotiation, punk." I cracked my knuckles.