The Infinite Bk. 03 Ch. 03

For a barkeeper to speak that way to two princes was inconceivable. He had clearly dealt with them before, but did he not know who they really were? More likely, Cyrilo's influence and leverage on the kingdom were even more substantial than Noah thought. Whatever force gave Lucius the authority to oppose them seemed to stop just short of physically throwing them out. The four boys seemed to know that and laughed while they took a table for themselves. At the very least, it got Seraph away from Noah.

"This is the Knight's Sheath, right? Well we're knights in training," said Galvin. He then snapped his fingers at Sophia. "Get us some drinks."

Daniel leaned over to Noah. "Who the hell are these guys?"

"A royal pain in the ass. Go upstairs and tell Cyrilo."

With Daniel gone, Noah considered leaving and decided against it. Throughout the ages, watching drama unfold was one of his oldest hobbies. A little live theater often helped stave off his boredom. He just had to hope his front-row seat didn't set him in the splash zone. If things turned sour for him, he'd just turn invisible and leave out the back.

Sophia approached the counter, and she and Lucius exchanged a glance unbecoming of total strangers. There was sympathy in his anger. At the very least, it seemed like this wasn't the first time Galvin brought her here. Lucius looked past her to the four cadets. "You're not getting anything. Leave now."

Madam Cyrilo came down moments later, having regressed to her middle-aged years. She bore a look of stern agitation, the same scornful glare that Noah had received during the Red Revelries. Behind her was Daniel, fearful of that look.

"Princes Seraph and Galvin, I thought it was made clear that you are not welcome in our establishment. All privileges of the Knight's Sheath have been revoked, and I must ask you to leave."

"Madam Cyrilo, must you overreact so often?" said Galvin. "I'm willing to overlook our earlier disagreement and continue gracing you with our patronage."

"The Knight's Sheath will function without your patronage. If anything, it will flourish."

"We're here to drink and have some fun. It would not be in your best interest to deny us. Right, Brother? Is this the kind of behavior you would expect from a quality hostess? I'd say we deserve better than this, don't you think?"

"It's downright ungrateful," Seraph said. "I heard there was some great singer here. Have him put on a show for us." He spotted Daniel. "It's you, isn't it? Get on stage and entertain us. And give us some women."

"You are in no position to be making demands," said Cyrilo.

Seraph got to his feet. "No position, you say?"

"You really want to cause trouble here? Two princes, a future marquess, and the son of a shipping magnate getting into a fight in a brothel will be the talk of the town. My indiscretion thus far has been a professional courtesy, but not even the king would so foolishly antagonize me. I suggest you four rethink the power and authority you believe yourselves to have."

"Seraph, I don't think she's giving you the respect you deserve."

Seraph approached her, and the air became heavy with mana. "I promise you, my power and authority are very real, though they are far beyond your understanding. You stand before a man blessed by Lord Lumendori himself. My demands are divine proclamations, so when I tell you to do something, you do it! Now, you!" He reached out to grab Daniel. "Get on that stage!"

A mighty hand grabbed Seraph's arm, prompting him to turn around and face Gideon. His fiery red hair matched his fierce glare, and his posture was guarded, ready to attack and defend.

"I'm not talking to you, weakling."

"You have so much pride, but no honor. As a warrior, I can't sit back and watch this shameful display go on."

"Let go of my arm, or I'm going to break yours."

Noah sighed and cast both of his spells. Daniel was too valuable to risk getting killed in a crossfire, so he decided it was time to step in. With his illusory clone remaining in his chair, Noah, now invisible, walked over to the center of the parlor, pulled out a small clay bottle, and poured its contents onto the floor. He fanned the air with his hands, and the smell of the liquid flowed through the room. The effect was instant, bringing the imminent fight to a halt as everyone grimaced in revulsion.

"What is that smell?" they all asked each other. Even in this Medieval society, it was a stench that made them cover their noses, and its random appearance was frightening.

"Galvin, let's just go someplace else," one of the yet-unnamed cadets said.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Come on, we don't need this shithole brothel. The rest of you can wallow in this nauseating dungeon."

Sophia and the four boys made a hasty retreat, leaving everyone else to suffer the horrid stench.

"That was Noah, I'm sure of it," said Seraph as they stepped out into the street. "He's so close, and I can't even kill him. It's ridiculous that I should have to follow a damn law for regular weak people."

"I agree, but you shouldn't concern yourself with someone like him," Galvin warned. "You'll get to fight him sooner or later, and you already know you can beat him, so why rush into it?"

"That's not good enough. I may have lost to that elf bitch, but I'm still the strongest cadet. I don't want anyone to even think my supremacy can be challenged."

"It's not so bad. Just wait, and soon enough, you'll prove to everyone that you are the best. I keep telling you, Brother, you should just leave all the thinking to me. Someone with your power shouldn't waste his time making menial decisions."

"I heard a brothel near the theater just opened. We should go there," said one of the two other cadets.

"I know that place, Henryk. You just want to go there because all the girls are dwarves," the other retorted.

"Fine then, Mark. You can pay wherever we do decide to go."

"We should go to Flannery's. He doesn't have enough backbone to refuse us."

"We're going to the slums," said Galvin. "I bet we can find something to play with there, something that can't fight back."

Back at the Knight's Sheath, the stench had yet to improve.

"Ye gods, it smells worse than me ma's goblin stew!" said Foley.

"What in the world is causing this?" Cyrilo exclaimed.

"Monster repellent, though I've found it works just as well on humans," said Noah.

"You did this?" Daniel asked.

"It saved my life before, so now I make sure to carry some with me whenever I walk the streets. All it takes is a simple change in smell to activate our primal fears, like our revulsion to death and rot."

"And you couldn't think of anything better than pouring it on my floor?!" yelled Cyrilo.

"Oh relax, it's neutralized by alcohol. Lucius, give me some strong liquor. Besides, this is a good thing."

"Says the boy who doesn't live here..." she muttered.

Noah walked over to the counter and retrieved a bottle of clear spirits from Lucius. "If you had forced them out, they'd probably return, seeking retribution. Instead, they'll walk away, laughing at us being stuck with the smell and patting themselves on the back for wisely leaving the foul brothel with the surly staff. Let them feel like they got the last word, and they'll quit while they're ahead. If not, then at least I've bought you time to come up with a plan for if they return." He emptied the bottle onto the repellent, and the stench eased. "Have one of the maids mop this up and spray some perfume, and it'll be fine in an hour."

"For someone who fought Lady Zodiac, this is real low," said Gideon.

"You should be avoiding trouble, especially while in that uniform. You don't want to get kicked out of the academy after your first week, do you?"

"He's got you there, boy-o," said Foley.

"Well, not the method I would use, but they are gone, and I thank you for that," said Cyrilo, once she was able to lower her hand from her nose.

"What is the story between you?" Noah asked.

"I'm sure you can guess why I don't want Prince Seraph in here. He's a violent brute that answers only to himself. As for Prince Galvin..." She uttered the name with pure hatred. "He never paid for the girls and he'd always beat them terribly. He got off on hurting them. That woman with him? He'd make her stand in the corner and watch. Poor dear. I sought an audience with the king and let him know what his son was doing. He knew better than to dismiss me as an ordinary citizen and said he'd put a stop to it. For a while, whatever he did seemed to have worked.

Regardless, I'm not too worried. I've been dealing with unruly clients since before you were born. They all end up on their butts in the street."

"Well Seraph has a bone to pick with me, so it looks like we're in the same boat. I'll be around. Just make sure Daniel doesn't end up washing ashore again."

He returned to the table and began scooping his gonlief cigarettes into one of his pockets.

"You are going to pay for those, aren't you?" Cyrilo asked.

"You can foot the bill to Bella. By my math, she owes me some money."

----------

Alexis sighed in relief from the warmth of the water. Her arms felt like dead weights, and her hands were throbbing, even after going to the infirmary.

"Did you spend all day training again?" Sophia asked as she entered the bath.

Alexis gave a tired smile. "I have to get stronger, and I'm in luck; Lady Zodiac was happy to give me some pointers on my swordplay. Don't worry about me; I'm used to training like this."

"It's my job to worry about you, just like it's your job to worry about me. Please, be careful in your training. If you push yourself too far, you could get hurt or killed, or even worse..."

"What's worse than being killed?"

Sophia flashed her a teasing smirk. "I have nightmares of you turning into a big muscular hobgoblin from all that exercise. Buff is not a good look for you." They shared a laugh, and Sophia sat next to her with their arms touching. "Stay a little soft, for me."

"Ok, I'll take things a bit easier."

"By the way, I happened to meet that boy you always sit with. He came into the infirmary and I patched him up."

"Oh, you met Noah?"

"Wait, HE'S Noah? He's the one who fought Lady Zodiac?"

"That's right. We met on the way to Colbrand, and he helped me slay a pack of ogres."

"I can see why you like him."

Alexis sighed. "I like him only as a friend, and I respect him as a warrior who fought by my side, that's it. You know I'm not interested in... well..."

"Does he know?"

"Of course not. I barely know him. I can't tell him something like that."

"Well, has he tried anything? Said anything?"

"No, strangely enough. He hasn't shown any interest. It's been really nice, actually. Each meal, we sit at our usual spot, chat a little bit, eat, and that's it. I fear the day the curtain drops and his intentions are made clear, when he'll voice feelings I can never return and everything changes, but for now, it's just nice having someone to sit with."

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