Chapter 109: Meeting Penne

"Astonishing…"

Speaking to myself while I played around with the artefact that Sander produced. Contrary to the artefacts crafted by Huskarl, the item that I was currently holding didn't resemble a stone in any way or form. Consisting of five layers arranged in a pyramidal pattern, they were held by a simple wooden stand. Just like with the crushing artefact that he prepared to streamline the process of turning the charged stones into stardust, it required a fueling stone to be placed at the bottom of the stand and would activate upon pressing the upper part on springs together with the fueling stone.

According to the craftsman's words, this artefact would be capable of constantly pouring the flames for as long as it would be in an active state. The other limitation was obviously the energy capacity of the fueling stone, but with just a few of them held in one's pocket, this simple artefact most likely could curb the entire market of flamethrowers out of existence!

*Knock knock*

Hearing the familiar sound of the doors bending under someone's fist repeatedly striking it, I put the stone down.

"Come in."

Sitting behind the huge table in my office, I watched how the doors opened up, letting a group of seven enter the place. 

"Your excellency…"

Right after stepping through the doors, the four people that I could recognise instantly bowed their heads to me, followed by a slightly more sluggish reaction of the trio that I didn't know.

"You may raise your head. What brings you here? As I recall, you should submit the written report of the situation before answering in front of the capitule first, right?"

Even though I was perfectly aware of the circumstances that this group of adventurous young people had, I decided to pretend to be completely oblivious to them. After all, they were the ones trying to get a huge favour not only from me but also from the entire organisation. Making this any easier than they would naturally be for them would most likely prove to be counterintuitive in the long term.

"Sir, we submitted the reports already and the capitule won't gather for the next few days. I heard its due to how time-consuming their current tasks are. That's why I took the liberty to request this… audience?"

Stumbling upon quite a problematic choice of words, Tommy ended up using one that degraded… or rather, elevated my own position in the discussion at the cost of his own. While I wouldn't mind him going with seeing or even business meeting as this was the type of relationship that I had with his father within the capitule, or rather, the group of people that helped me manage the entire faction, I could also see the reasons for what he did as well.

"Speak your heart then. Was the dungeons too dangerous for you? Or maybe you are not satisfied with the treatment you received after going back? How about telling me what those young friends of yours are in the first place?"

Smiling gently to the group, I didn't even need to scan the aura of the trio that I didn't recognise. WIth how unexpected their appearance was, their strength was already gauged by at least half of the people they meet before entering my room. After all, even as the guests of someone connected to the faction itself, they had to go through the screening process before they would be allowed in my presence.

"Ah, I apologise for this lack of common sense of mine. I just assumed… No, nevermind. Guys, this is his excellency Ki… Marius. Your excellency, this is Keria, Distra and Penne. Their… initiative is the main reason behind my decision to bring them to this meeting."

Listening with my eyes focused on Tommy's face, I only continued to smile while playing with this recently made artefact of mine. From how the young man introduced as Penne quickly glanced over it before his face turned pale and with how both Keria and Distra continued to focus all of their attention on the item, I could tell that they knew its potential value. But out of those three reactions, it was Penne that made me curious about his train of thought. 

Even despite being the absolutely weakest in the entire group of seven.

"And what this initiative might be?"

Asking this question, I waited long enough for Tommy to open his mouth in an attempt to answer it, only to stop him by doing so by continuing myself.

"If they want to join the fa… join our glorious religion, all they had to do was to meet with one of the exe… priests."

With openly ridiculing the entire concept of my faction having anything to do with religion, I suddenly put Tommy in a tough spot. This was the advantage created by the discrepancy in what we knew about the situation and the knowledge of the other party. Perfectly aware both of everything that happened in the dungeon from the very report that they wrote, along with what they hoped to achieve by meeting with me, I could easily turn the knob of this meeting.

"Your excellency, if I may…"

And soon, this silly tactic of mine proved to be fruitful. Noticing how his benefactor was pushed into the corner with me putting the situation in the way I did, the young man that grabbed my attention even before I saw him face to face, stepped up.

"Feel free to talk. There is no need to be so tense."

Taking the liberty to utter words filled with more hypocrisy that I would normally be able to handle, I gestured at the man to get a bit closer. Noticing the look of uneasiness on the young man's face, I could tell that he was aware of how I was playing the entire situation.

After all, how could I hold it against them for being tense, when I was intentionally doing everything in my power to induce as much anxiety in them as I could without resorting to witchcraft? Thinking about it now, I had no other choice but to acknowledge the fact that the more I used those powers that Ayda taught me, the easier it was for me to manipulate the emotions of people around me, even when using only means accessible to any human alive.

"Your excellency. I came here with my friends wishing not to join the cult. I'm sorry for being frank, but I don't think any amount of bullshit would be welcomed in this room, in your presence."

Slightly lowering his head, Penne didn't hesitate while speaking up… Or rather, that's how he wanted to appear. Seeing his emotions as if they were in the palm of my hand, I could tell how taxing it was for him to speak in this manner in my presence.

"Go on."

Rather than scolding the young man for his courage, I only smiled gently before encouraging him to go on. Most likely only a few years older than him, it was quite strange to be in a position of such power over this group. But no matter how strange it was, I had the duty of making the most of this situation for the sake of the entire faction of mine.

"Sir… Eh, fuck it. I said there is no place for bullshit in this room so I will stay true to my words…"

Observing the changes happening to the young man's emotions was even more enjoyable than watching some a-grade movie. But I couldn't keep all my attention on him either. With just a single glance to his compatriots, I could tell that both Keira and Distra didn't seem to agree with the stance that their friend took. 

Yet another point to consider when deciding what to do with them.

"Sir, please forgive me my straightforwardness, but I don't wish to waste your time on flowery and worthless words. We came here because we saw the potential that those artefacts obtained by your faction have. While I do acknowledge how little we know about this new world that surrounds us, I don't think I as much as even heard about something that could hold greater potential than those artefacts. With that said…"

Raising my hand, I stopped the young man from finishing his sentence. Right now, he was about to reach the conclusion of his speech, the crux of his petition. But there was one thing that I already decided, that made it quite unfavourable for him to make any claims right now. 

Not in the presence of his friends or Tommy's group.

"For now, I would like everyone to temporarily leave the room. There are some things that I would like to discuss with this brave, young man… In private."

Putting an emphasis on the last sentence of mine, I sent a meaningful look to Tommy. Even though he wasn't a part of the capitule nor an executive himself, the son of my colleague wasn't an idiot either. With just a few nudges, pulls and whispers, he managed to free the room from the sparse crowd, leaving me and Penne alone.

"Okay, now that we can speak openly, let me tell you some harsh truth that you either are smart enough to realise yourself, or too naive to acknowledge. Those two friends of yours…"

Contrary to my pessimistic expectations, Penne didn't shudder when hearing my words but looked straight in my eyes instead.

"Yes, I know. Keira is cheating on me with Distra, who in turn feels obliged to support me despite my lack of strength. As infuriating and wexing it is, it's the only way to keep them around me. Without their help, I wouldn't be stuck with everyone else trying to grow with the usual means."

Even with witchcraft, it would be hard to guess the entirety of the situation. While I could faintly perceive Penne's anger, feeling of worthlessness and other faint emotions, figuring out the exact situation that caused those emotions to appear was beyond the scope of what I could do right now.

"Tell me. Would you be maybe interested in working directly under me?"