Chương 151: Book 3 Chapter 29 - Hello, My Name Is Victor

Dustin nodded, confirming everything Zoey had said. Victor stroked his chin thoughtfully as he listened.

"And she told you to evacuate immediately if I was unable to help? Not like, tomorrow or in a week?" he asked for the third time, still unable to wrap his head around it. They both nodded.

"She was scared of what Elsa would do to the estates if her meeting didn't go well," Dustin added for context. Victor pondered for a moment. The only way this all made sense was if Shian Yountal was not, in fact, a tier 7. If she was too weak to stand up to Elsa Undril herself, she may have gone to plead for mercy on behalf of her staff and employees. If that had failed, evacuating everyone really was the best option.

If Elsa had a bone to pick with House Yountal, anyone left at either estate was staring at their own doom if they stuck around. The sheer incongruity of it compared to the mental framework he had been viewing Shian and House Yountal through was the only thing causing him to hesitate. The situation Zoey and Dustin were describing to him didn't line up with his own knowledge of Shian Yountal. That being said, if he had to err, he would rather have it be on the side of caution. He made up his mind.

If Shian needed his help, who was he to refuse? It didn't hurt to at least speak with Elsa Undril. Maybe that would fill in some missing pieces for him, giving him a better understanding of the whole situation. If things got dicey, Victor had an ace in the hole that Elsa wouldn't be able to counter. He could simply teleport away then flee. Even if she was the better fighter, Victor could teleport, and she could not, plus he was faster than her.

He could run away ten times out of ten, and she wouldn't be able to stop him. He breathed in deeply then exhaled.

"Okay, I'll go speak with Lady Undril then," he announced. Zoey literally began to cry in relief, selling the fact that she was truly worried about Shian, and not putting on some kind of show. Dustin's shoulders also relaxed noticeably. Victor assumed that if they truly evacuated both estates, Dustin would head that up, which was a lot of responsibility. It seemed he was willing to cling to any hope that Victor might be able to help.

"I'm not sure how much help I'll be," Victor added, setting their expectations.

"I'm not much of a fighter. If Shian truly told you to evacuate in the case of my failure, then I'd start preparing for the worst right now. Get things in motion that would normally take time, so that you're ready to flee at a moment's notice." Dustin nodded.

"How long should we wait before beginning the evacuation?" Victor thought for a moment.

"If everything else fails, I am at least certain that I can get away. I promise to come back here and let you know how it went. Just in case though, if I don't return within a few hours, assume the worst." He left them sitting there with somber looks on their faces. Their initial hope at his agreement to help had been rightfully tempered by his final comments. Victor made his way to the Silver Serpent Clan headquarters in Portish. The clan branch stationed in Portish operated in all of the major cities nearby.

As such, most of their people were out working on contracts of one kind or another, but a few remained staffed at the headquarters building full-time. Victor hadn't interacted much with the clan, but he'd heard plenty of stories. Everyone had heard stories. His magic sense wasn't able to penetrate the wards on the building, but his domain sense was. The range on his domain sense was much smaller, but none of the building's wards were powerful enough to disrupt it.

Only another domain or domain-based artifact would be capable of that. He sensed protective wards on the door, along with two tier 3 guards stationed just inside the door. He could break through with ease, but it was more polite to knock. Hopefully this entire endeavor could happen without any need for violence. He knocked on the door softly, and it opened to reveal the two guards standing inside. Victor nodded to them politely.

"Hello, my name is Victor. I would like to request an audience with Elsa Undril." The guards looked him up and down. Victor had masked his tier so they would see him as a tier 4. He hoped they were more likely to let him in if they didn't find him a threat to their boss. Unfortunately, that didn't seem to be the case. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"No one sees the boss without an appointment," one of the guards said.

"Are you looking to hire the clan? If so, we have a clerk you can meet with to start the paperwork."

"Mmm, I wasn't really asking, I guess," Victor clarified.

"It's less of a request and more of a statement. I'm here to see Elsa." He let a bit more of his true power seep through, and the guards' eyes widened as Victor suddenly seemed like a tier 5, rather than a tier 4. He wasn't sure what the right play was here, he wasn't very good at this sort of thing. If this didn't work, he'd pull out all the stops and let them see that he was a tier 6. Tier 5 seemed sufficient, however, as the guard who'd been addressing him stammered out a response.

"Ah, f-forgive us, Lord Mage. We didn't realize you were… are you here on behalf of the count? We thought that the matter had been settled?" Victor had no idea what they were referring to. He shook his head.

"I am here on behalf of House Yountal. I need to speak with Elsa Undril quite urgently, in fact. You have already delayed me long enough. Go inform her that I am here."

"O-of course, Lord Mage," the guard said, bowing low. He motioned to the other guard, who scurried off to do just that.

"Please come in and have a seat," the remaining guard said, opening the door wider. He deactivated the wards on the door, then waved Victor through. Victor stepped inside and sat in one of the chairs in the building's entry room. He was learning as he went, here. Apparently a show of strength was what worked on these clan members, rather than one of politeness and humility. Good to know. The guard returned a few moments later, and beckoned Victor to follow him.

"Right this way, Lord Mage. Councilwoman Undril will see you now." He followed him up two flights of stairs and down a few hallways to an open door. Inside sat Elsa Undril. Victor stepped inside, and the guard scurried off, back to his post. The door swung shut after Victor walked in, an acute display of mana control by Elsa. Her aura flared out, testing his own. An exploratory touch, a form of 'hello' between high-tiered mages when trying to establish a hierarchy.

It wasn't necessarily rude, but it wasn't as hospitable as he would have liked. He slapped her aura away with his own, meeting it with equal strength. Her aura was admittedly very strong, peak strength, in fact. Victor's was just as strong, and had been for over a decade now, ever since he'd reached the peak of tier 5. Elsa pulled her aura back and leaned back in her chair with a contemplative look. Victor took a seat opposite her.

"My door guard said your name is Victor?" He nodded. She studied him.

"I don't know all of the kingdom's tier 5s by name, so I don't believe I've had the pleasure of making your acquaintance before, Victor. Are you, in fact, from The Central Kingdom?" That was an odd question, but Victor nodded in response.

"I am. You would probably recognize my family name. Victor Stansen." Elsa's face paled slightly.

"Ah, I see. That does seem to explain quite a bit, actually." Victor looked at her in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" She met his eyes.

"I have long wondered where House Yountal originated from. They seemingly sprung up from thin air in Easton, and have grown at a rapid pace. It was clear they had outside backing, but until now I haven't been able to determine where from. House Stansen makes a lot of sense, now that you've admitted to it." He cocked his head to the side.

"You think House Stansen is backing House Yountal?" She shrugged.

"You said yourself that you're here on behalf of Shian Yountal, did you not?" Victor struggled with how to reply. He didn't have authority to claim that House Stansen was doing anything, much less getting involved with the Silver Serpent Clan, even if it might help Shian out of her current predicament. Also, he didn't want his family hearing about this unnecessarily. The less they knew about his whereabouts, the happier he would be.

That was a past he wanted to leave firmly behind him, if only to avoid the awkwardness. It was probably best to clear that up right away.

"Um. I'm not here representing House Stansen," he clarified.

"I'm just here as Shian's friend. To my knowledge, House Stansen has never backed House Yountal in any official way, although I can't say for certain. I haven't had contact with anyone in my family in quite some time." Elsa's posture changed, relaxing slightly.

"Oh. I see. While that leaves some of my questions unanswered, I will admit that it does bring me some relief. I wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of House Stansen, I'm sure you understand." Victor nodded. That was a wise choice, honestly. While he wasn't a fighter himself, the same could not be said of everyone in House Stansen. He could think of at least one other person in his family that would level the clan without much effort.

Up until Victor had been strong enough himself to go where he wanted and do what he wanted, he had relied on his house name to open doors and help him reach his goals. While magical talent wasn't always strictly hereditary, it did seem to help in some instances, and House Stansen had very good genes, to say the least. Victor's own advancement to tier 6 proved that point.

"I know that you are a busy woman, Lady Undril, so I'll get right to the point. Is Shian Yountal here? She appears to be missing, and I've come searching for her." Elsa's face scrunched up for a moment as she thought. Her finger tapped idly on the desk in front of her.

"She is," she said finally. Victor nodded.

"Might I speak with her? The matter is rather urgent, I assure you." He hoped that asking to speak with her would get a warmer reception than a demand to simply release her. Also, he wanted to speak to Shian first, and see if she truly needed his help. He still didn't have a clear picture of what exactly was happening here. Elsa pulled a hand through her hair as she studied him. She cocked her head to the side.

"You say you are her friend?" Victor nodded. She smiled in a wicked sort of way, and pulled something out from under her desk. The bracelet Victor had given Shian.