Dividing the Spoils

Victor couldn't believe what he just saw. One second he thought that fool Bryce was about to complicate the already difficult situation by killing the archer girl, the next he had collapsed in a boneless heap and a man dressed in black robes had taken his place.

While he wasn't the most martially gifted of Lord Hubert's followers, Victor considered himself competent. However, he hadn't been able to follow the man's movements at all. It was almost as if he teleported.

He thought back to the confrontation in the Spire, where he nearly pulled a knife on that man. Seeing him in action, Victor was glad that his lord had ordered them to stop.

It would have been a disaster.

As if that wasn't enough, the man appeared to have a group of frightfully competent people serving him. The speed and efficiency with which they dispatched the martial arts students showed what they were capable of.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he moved forward to talk to the group. He had to clean Carson's mess up now.

Hopefully, they'll be amicable, since he suddenly found he didn't want to get on their bad sides.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mike laughed, "Somehow, I knew you were going to say that. Would it kill you to say thanks sometimes?"

Sera grumbled something under her breath, turning away with arms crossed.

He laid a hand on top of her head, "You've gotten stronger. I'm proud of you."

She brushed his hand off, but couldn't hide the blush of embarrassment that blossomed on her face.

He chuckled again, before turning to face a newcomer who was walking up. Mike recognized the man as Victor, the assistant to the slightly overweight noble he'd met in the library. Looking surprisingly calm walking through the aftermath of the short battle, he finally stopped next to the twitching body of the one called Bryce.

"What can we help you with?" Mike asked while keeping his gaze focused on Victor. From the sounds of it, his companions had fallen into supporting positions behind him.

Victor sketched a quick bow. "I'm here on behalf of Lord Hubert. He wishes to apologize for the trouble caused by one of his followers, and assure you that Carson," he motioned to the still form of the blonde haired noble, "acted on his own, and in fact, contrary to my master's commands."

"Understood, but that doesn't change the fact that your men attacked my household."

Sera stepped up beside him, raised a warding hand, as if to say 'I got this,' before starting to speak, "I think what my friend here is trying to say, is that this kind of incident demands some kind of...compensation."

Victor relaxed visibly. Evidently this was precisely what he was hoping for. "Indeed, miss. Lord Hubert has authorized me to offer a small gift from his personal assets, to express his willingness to start again."

"Lord Hubert is quite generous, please make sure to pass along our thanks. I hope that this unfortunate incident does not harm future relations between your master and ours." Sera replied with a slight smile.

[Ours?]

Victor frowned momentarily, but his smile soon returned. It happened so quickly, that Mike was half convinced he imagined it. "Lord Hubert will be most pleased to hear that."

"What's going to happen to them?" Mike broke in, motioning to the injured and unconscious martial arts students. A cursory glance indicated that none of them had yet perished, but a few of the more seriously hurt ones may soon do so.

Victor gave them a dismissive glance. "We have a team of medical specialists on the way. They will live. However, they have proved themselves unworthy for service in the Lothrain household, and indeed for attendance to the University in general. We'll make sure they are put to good use somewhere they can't do further harm."

His smile took on a slightly sadistic cast, "I think there is a garrison in the western Ash Mountains that is looking for some new bodies....I mean recruits. We'll see about accommodating them."

[Yeah, I should probably avoid pissing off powerful nobles in the future. It sounds....inconvenient.]

Figuring he would fall back into the role Sera seemed to be casting him as, he nodded once to say that was acceptable, before turning to walk away.

"My companion finds that agreeable. Thank you for your time."

Victor gave another bow, before turning to Cedric, motioning for him to stand. The bodyguard did so, no longer appearing to be in pain. The two of them started dragging the injured students into a loose pile.

Mike led the group away, back towards the dorms. Once they were no longer within earshot, he asked, "So, do you want to tell me what that was all about?"

The three of them exchanged looks, before Sera finally answered. "Just a noble fool who wanted to throw his weight around. We had a run in with him before, but it escalated this time."

"I see. Do you think this will cause any problems in the future?" He asked, cautiously.

"I don't think so. Judging from the way the Lothrains decided to handle it, they don't want to caused any strife with the Gravestons, at least not at this junction. The idiots don't seem to be particularly valuable to them, so they're willing to sacrifice them to keep the status quo. Indeed, they may be thinking of using this opportunity to strengthen ties."

Mike frowned, as he contemplated the implications. "What will happen if they find out we aren't working for the Gravestons?"

"Then we simply have to make them fear the four of us just as much." She said with a slight smile.

[Ooooookay, not disturbing at all. What the hell happened in last few days?]

He shook his head, dismissing his concerns. Worst case scenario, he would just have to apply himself to destroying a powerful noble family.

Once they had gotten back to the dorm and eaten dinner, Anna the manager flagged them down as they were heading upstairs.

"You have a package." She said airily, and pointed them to a locked chest, about 50 cm by 30cm in size. A note was attached, simply stating 'Courtesy of Hubert Lothrain.'

Mike took the key Anna proffered, and opened it. Inside was a pile of gold coins. Closing it quickly, he carried it upstairs.

After counting it, he was able to determine that the chest contained 1,232 golden wrens, a small fortune, even by noble standards. To call this a 'small gift from his personal assets' was ridiculous.

"What do you think this means?" He asked Sera.

"Huh?" She was staring at the pile of money with a rapt gaze that betrayed her thoughts.

Mike forcibly turned her head. "This money. What are they trying to tell us?"

She frowned in consideration. "They are clearly trying to impress us with their wealth. It could be a means of warning us against trying to go against them. Alternatively, it may be their attempt to show how valuable of an ally they can be. It's a little hard to say with nobles. They like to keep things ambiguous."

Mike shrugged, "Well, I won't worry about it too much, then. So what are you going to do with it?"

She gave him a look, "You mean my share? I have a few ideas, but I think I want to explore the market a bit before making my decision. What about you?"

"Nah, I didn't do anything to earn it. It was the three of you that got caught up in this mess, so I think you should figure out how to split it three ways. Besides, I don't really need the money."

Brenden cut in, "What are you talking about? You go through weapons and armor like crazy, your familiar will probably have massive food requirements, and didn't you just start practicing Alchemy? I've heard that it takes a few years of practice before you succeed often enough to turn a profit."

"Meh," He replied carelessly. "Most of that is being covered by the scholarship and stipend the Count is providing. I'm doing just fine, monetarily. That does remind me however, I have a few things for the three of you."

He pulled out his extradimensional sack, and withdrew three vials of the Low Grade Panacea, the Fortifying Ice Tonic, and two of the Tier 1 Mana Potions. "I had some luck in my classes, so I wanted to spread the wealth a bit."

"What's all this?" Sera asked, eyeing the bottles suspiciously. "Some kind of poison?"

"What? No. These are potions for each of you. I would recommend keeping them on your person for the time being." He said while handing each of them a vial of coppery liquid.

"What is?" Tal asked curiously, although her subtle excitement suggested she already had an idea.

"These are Low Grade Panaceas. You can use them to treat illness or poison-" He started explaining, before being interrupted.

""WHAT?!"" Brenden and Sera yelled in unison.

"You mean that stupidly expensive medicine that's supposed to be able to cure any disease in minutes? That Panacea?" Sera asked, slight stupefied. "And you just happened to make it in a beginner's Alchemy course?!"

Taking a step back from her intense interrogations, Mike answered, "I suppose? They gave us the chance to do some experimentation with the ingredients in the supply closet, and I got lucky, I guess. It's still only low grade."

"Do you have any idea how expensive a panacea, even a low grade one, can be? Just one of these is worth hundreds of gold, easily." She paused for a second, as if finally listening to the words coming out of her mouth. "Say, do you think you'd be able to make more of these?"

"Probably, but I would need to have the same ingredients again. I searched the entire supply closet and couldn't find another Desiccated Basilisk Liver. The rest was more commonplace."

Sera stared down at the vial in her hand, evidently working through the economics of the situation.

"Are you sure about giving this to us? You are already letting us split the noble's payoff money, and we really haven't done anything to earn our keep so far. This seems a bit much." Brenden spoke up in a slightly hushed tone.

"What's wrong with making sure my friends can cure themselves if they get poisoned, or are stricken down by illness?" He asked in a somber manner.

The group lapsed into silence for a few moments.

"Besides, I made this stuff by accident, and I don't really have a need for it myself. I think I might be functionally immune to disease by this point, and anything I don't resist can be cured with Healing Magic."

Sera made a slightly disgusted noise in the back of her throat, before walking into her room. The group could distantly hear her yell, "IT'S SO UNFAIR!"

Brenden just sighed, as if this was to be expected. "Yeah, not really feeling guilty about this, anymore. So what's the rest of these?"

Mike handed Tal two vials. "These are Tier 1 Mana Potions I got from one of my instructors. Are you familiar with them?"

Tal nodded, "Thanks."

"I have more if you end up needing them. Just let me know." He picked up the last vial. "This is a Fortifying Ice Tonic, which allows you to stand extremely low temperatures. Supposedly, it also has a chance of unlocking the Cold Resistance Skill. I was trying to decide who to give it to, and I'm leaning towards Brenden."

"Me? Why?" The beastman asked a little surprised.

"Well, you're the vanguard, and therefore the most likely to be in the midst of combat. If we come across a monster that can use cold as a weapon in some way, you would be the one most likely affected."

"Agreed." Tal added her own opinion, before moving into her room.

Brenden sighed, "That makes sense, but what about you? Why don't you use it on yourself?"

Mike yawned, and tossed the vial to Brenden, who caught it in a panic, juggling it for a few seconds before securing it.

"It shouldn't be hard for me to unlock the skill, just a little painful. Anyway, it's been a long day, and I think I'm going to head to bed early." He said, walking into his own room.