The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son'-Chapter 388 - Starting One Process While Interrupting Another

Chapter 388: Chapter 388 - Starting One Process While Interrupting Another

The final briefing with the fort’s command staff dragged longer than seemed necessary, filled with repetitive concerns about supply lines and the slow work on copies of the sigil patterns that Elua er Goltbred had left for them to apply to their wagons. Qatrand maintained a semblance of proper attention while thinking of travel times back to her home city.

"Commander, I still need to handle another family matter before I redeploy."

The request was reasonable enough, as many cultivators were making final personal arrangements before the next phase of war operations. The trains that were starting back up their runs were moving civilians inward for the most part, but they still required defenders. Commander Huri nodded and assigned the Yecine to such a post without questioning the details out in the open.

The fox waited patiently as she gathered her personal effects, amber eyes tracking her movements with a more distinct intelligence than it possessed in the weeks before. It had shown up to her room at dawn, looking tired and clutching a silk bag. Qat was a little impressed that it had thought to safeguard the Echo Coin with this method, but figure it was as expected from something designed by her wife.

"Lets go. You can ride on my shoulder if you’d like."

After being snubbed for the swordswoman’s offer, it trotted ahead of her through the fort with a clear direction in mind rather than following. It had no particular desire to sit on the shoulders of some male! Even if they were being nice to it... even gave it some tasty meat before letting it rest.

It decided it might not snap at the black clad cultivator if they tried to pet it’s tail later. Perhaps.

⟠ ⟠ ⟠

The evacuated city felt hollow, buildings standing empty with shuttered windows and barred doors. Military patrols had not quite resumed, though because of the disappearance of the heiress... there was a Void Defense Society member stationed at the train station. Answering their questions added more time to get things done and get back to the fighting.

’But no one else should be here.’

Which made Klaytei’s presence near the market district... distinctly out of place. The personal servant walked with obvious nervousness, checking over her shoulder and starting at small sounds. When she spotted the figure approaching, she froze at frist before relief flooded her features.

"Master Qatrand! Oh, and that fox. I guess it found you easily enough, huh? I was hoping you could help me find... er, that is, first I need to speak with you about the estate."

"You’re supposed to be with your family still. Voidlings are still a danger. What are you doing here for?"

She sensed no threat from the mortal, but a calloused hand found the hilt of her heavy blade anyway. The woman’s hands twisted in her apron as she glanced around the empty street and the fox settled down beside a nearby doorway, sensing their talk might take a minute.

"It’s a long... well, no it’s actually a pretty short story and I’ll get to it - but there’s something wrong that is more important to tell you first."

"Tell me."

"Someone has been placing items on the estate grounds after it was evacuated. Documents, rationed goods, and artifacts that don’t belong there. Dima noticed something related to the branch’s land leasing agreement first."

Qatrand immediately felt a cold weight settle in her stomach. Political maneuvering during wartime was common enough, but targeting the Goltbreds when Elua was absent showed particularly poor timing. Or auspiciously good timing... depending on perspective.

’I wouldn’t have heard of this right now if things hadn’t happened as they had, would I?’

"What kind of items?"

"Goods that are illegal to hoard during wartime."

Seeing the serious expression on the woman’s face, the Yecine was sure she wasn’t lying.

"More than that, falsified acquisition records that don’t match ledgers have been left in multiple official places. Paper trails suggesting war profiteering to any investigation."

"And the timing of their appearance?"

"Hard to tell, but I know the things I’ve found at the estate were not there when I locked up. I was the last one to leave. That’s why I was hoping you could get a letter to the young miss for me on what we’ve found so far."

She was actively investigating and planning countermeasures in their name. To the teenager, Klaytei had always seemed protective of the heiress and Goltbred household in general. Enough that at times she envied having someone like her on hand - not just reliable but with her own personality.

’The people El keeps around her are always good.’

"I’m heading to my wife’s other house to handle some arrangements. Come with me. There’s something you can help with... and we can discuss other things properly."

The fox perked up at the mention of heading to their destination. It rose to its feet with an obvious sense of anticipation. But the servant showed off a reluctant face.

"A-actually, I was sort of looking for someone. I think she was going to go break into the Ironclad Order and check their records next... so if you could go stop her or help her?"

Hands covered both sides of her head as Klaytei wondered how she had ever goaded Dima into that. There were times that her Princess really was so unreasonably pliable! And then once the former liaison made up her mind, all the backtracking and attempts to stop her in the world didn’t seem to stop her.

’That bodes well for me at least, though. If I can just make her look at me that way...’

⟠ ⟠ ⟠

"Is that the same fox from last time?"

"Yes. It needs watching for the next few months and you’re probably the best person for that job."

The woman lied shamelessly to rope Dima into the middle of it all and... knowing the details of what her mint-drop said was going on between them, Qatrand didn’t correct her. She had been found probing the sigil alarms of the swordswoman’s Guild - and stopped her before she committed a crime.

On the way back, Qat had given a bare minimum explanation of what was going on with El. The fact that she was missing, but that Qat had received a message assuring she would only been gone some months. That this part was a secret that shouldn’t be shared to any investigators.

Surprisingly, neither of the two woman had asked a lot of questions about that after Qat spoke. When thinking about how to keep them quiet, she honestly expected there would be feelings of suspicion about why she knew what she did. Or that Qatrand herself might have been... involved in something darker.

’Working with Leysah has me thinking of that terrible partner El talked about before. But not everyone thinks of others like that.’

Unlocking the door and moving into the familiar home turned workshop, everything felt too quiet... too empty without the little leatherworker making noise. The fox squirmed out of the arms holding it to the servant’s chest before making directly for the cultivation room as if it knew the layout.

Dima followed more hesitantly into the place, feeling a sense that the area itself did not want her there. She took in the surprisingly modest furnishings and personal touches that marked this as a more lived in place than she would have expected from such an ’extra’ little home. Books on cultivation theory - the most accurate ones available gathered for her disciples to read when visiting - were mixed with romance novels.

Those of course were placed there by Klaytei to peruse whenever the heiress didn’t have a particular use for her. Qat placed her hand on the door to the room that needed to remain private and looked back at the two women with her pigeon blues.

"Wait here for a few minutes. I’ll be back out."

With deft hands, she placed the mirror face up on the cultivation room’s centerpoint and put the Echo Coin on top of it. The fox immediately sat before it while gathering the Avatar’s spirit pulse. Since the creature was fairly limited, the construct needed to arrange everything in as small and discreet bursts as it could.

As it started its work, the swordswoman went and hid the realmshard in the most secure location in the room... according to her wife. The message of instructions delivered via Skydancer had reminded her of the spot.

"I’ll bring the other illusory training tool soon. I plan to pick it up while taking Dima to see inside the Guild. Then I’ll be back for the other steps whenever I can get breaks from the strikeforce."

The fact that she was ’talking to a fox’ barely phased her, though she did think most would consider it odd. Most of them didn’t have the technical understanding of what her El had done to the creature or that what she was talking to was the emotionless spiritual construct attached to it.

It had already begun some sort of activity, its yellow eyes reflecting a tiny inner glow as it stared at the two items. Not the dramatic spiritual transformation Qatrand might have expected... but a subtle shift in the mirror suggested that the slow and complex work was beginning. ƒгeewёbnovel.com

The process would take months at the current estimate, but the fox would handle most of the work. Qat just needed to make sure it had all the materials and safety it needed. Which she was providing in a lot more effective way that she expected she would be able to.

"I know Elua has allowed you access, but please do not sneak Miss Dima inside to see. You just need to make sure it’s fed, safe, and has access to this room regularly. Don’t interrupt what it is working on if you go inside to check on it. Understand?"

The raven-haired cultivator received a nod before the questioning started.

"And the estate situation?"

"I plan to start coordinating with Lirades er Yecine when I return from the next deployment. If she contacts you before I do, answer everything about that problem... but nothing about what is going on in here."

"Understood. Is that really it?"

Qatrand gestured to Dima to follow and paused at the door, intending to take her to look into records personally. The Yecine ’heir’ glanced back at the woman who had just accepted responsibility for guarding some of their most important secrets.

"Thank you. For staying behind. For noticing the problem. For all of it."

"Of course. The Goltbreds helped save my family from destitution when I was hired. The least I can do is help protect the interests of their daughter while she’s away."

The simple loyalty in those words reminded Qatrand why Elua had chosen her people so carefully. Even absent, the illusionist’s network of genuine relationships provided strength that no political maneuvering could easily overcome. Even the person she led to ransack the official records of the largest martial Guild in their region was trustworthy.

’She has never once flirted with me after El hired her. She’s a good person. I hope my wife realizes that and doesn’t continue to hold it against her...’

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