As I brought Lord Dominic to his bedroom, trying to ignore the stench coming from his body, I took a look around his mansion. It was sparsely furnished and had little to no decorations. The walls, floor, and ceiling were bare white stone for the most part.
Kiki seed embarrassed by this. She didn't say anything, and her stone face made it difficult to discern her thoughts. However, the more ti I spent with her, the easier it grew to get a read on her. Unlike House and Clan scions, she was never taught to hide her emotions.
In addition to the lack of decorations, I also noticed how quiet it was in the mansion. After spending more than a week in Eastwatch, I had grown used to the constant sound of music. To the point that I found its absence jarring.
More than that, Lord Dominic's mansion felt lifeless. Growing up in Sturm Manor, the sound of servants and retainers going about their business lingered in the air. It was an always present background noise. Lord Dominic's manor lacked that.
I already knew that Lord Dominic preferred the company of magical constructs over living people, but I hadn't realized what that ant until now. For so reason, the thought of living in a place like this, one that lacked the warmth and sound of the living, filled with loneliness. Maybe it was different for Lord Dominic, but I could never live like this.
After Kiki and I brought Lord Dominic to his bedroom, which looked almost as ssy as his workshop, I left him in her care and headed to the kitchen. While waiting for Anna and Cally to show up, I decided to cook sothing for everyone. At first I planned on just cooking for Lord Dominic, just in case he gave Kiki another nonsensical order that forbade her from feeding him. However, I figured I might as well cook for everyone. I an, why not?
To my dismay, the pantry was as barren as the rest of the mansion. Rather, there was food. However, there were no fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and so on. Instead, there were just coarse grains and dried at. It wasn't the bare minimum a person needed to survive, but it was close. Even Leroy and I ate better than this when we lived as adventurers, back in the Icefall region.
Earlier in the workshop, I had thought to myself that Lord Dominic needed a baby sitter. At the ti, that was half a joke. Now I realized just how true it was. Lord Dominic needed a caretaker. He was so focused on his work that he was incapable of looking after himself. Kiki couldn't do it. I didn't know what kind of contract she had with Lord Dominic, but it was clear that she couldn't disobey his words. He made it difficult for her to help him, so she turned to outsiders.
With a sigh, I decided to go out and buy so provisions. Along the way, I t up with Leroy and the two of us went out. I didn't buy anything too fancy, just the basics. However, that was still more than what Lord Dominic had.
Leroy seed a little upset I was going grocery shopping for a scion of another House, like a servant. It would be one thing if I were disguised. However, I was going out in the open.
? I found it a little amusing. No one would believe that a scion from House Sturm would lower themselves like this.
A little over an hour later, we returned to Lord Dominic's mansion. When Leroy saw the state of the pantry, his jaw dropped. I smirked at his reaction. Now he understood why I went out.
After putting the supplies away, I started cooking. At least the kitchen was furnished with the best kitchen enchanted items and cooking implents. A bit of a waste, since I doubted they saw much use, but I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
I kept things simple and made a fish stew. A few hours later, Anna and Cally arrived. Leroy went out to bring them in, while I stayed in the kitchen.
A few minutes later, Anna walked in, sniffing the air.
"That slls good," she said. "I already knew you could cook, but I thought you could only make simple dishes."
I gestured to the fish stew, which was shimring atop the stove. Every once in a while, I stirred it.
"This is simple," I said. "Just fish, vegetables, and a bit of seasoning."
Anna walked over and leaned her hip against a nearby counter.
"I have an idea," she said, grinning at . "For our first date, we don't have to go out or anything. Just make a al and I'll be satisfied."
I mulled it over before nodding.
"Deal," I said. "However, for our second date, we're going out. What's the point of having a beautiful fiancée if I can't show her off?"
Anna raised an eyebrow at .
"I thought you didn't like the idea of other n looking at ," she said.
I frowned.
"Good point," I said. "You'll have to cover yourself from head to toe."
Anna let out an amused snort.
"Doesn't that defeat the whole point of showing off?"
I shrugged.
"Everyone will just have to use their imaginations."
Anna and I looked at each other, before bursting out into laughter.
"Jokes aside," Anna said, wiping her eyes. "Why are you going this far for Lord Dominic?" She nodded in the direction of his bedroom. "I can understand calling for a healer, since he passed out." She gestured to the pot of fish stew. "However, why are you cooking for him? Lord Dominic is more than capable of looking after himself."
I shook my head.
"No, he is not," I said. "You must've seen the state of this mansion. Lord Dominic focuses all his attention on artificing and neglects almost everything else. This includes his own well-being. Soone needs to look after him, soone who isn't bound to obey his every word."
Anna shrugged.
"So?" she said. "It doesn't have to be you. You're under no obligation to help him. The two of you don't have a personal connection. Your relationship is a professional one. He provides you with a service and you pay him for it. That's it." She paused. "Unless you plan on changing that."
I nodded. Anna must've guessed my purpose.
"Part of it is because I feel bad for Lord Dominic, yes," I said. "However, I also want to take this opportunity to recruit him. Clan Sturm needs people. We need warriors for the most part, but also need other kinds of people." I gestured to the mansion around us. "A skilled artificer, one capable of creating and maintaining several magical constructs, would be a great boon."
Anna nodded.
"Fair enough," she said. "The problem is, how are you going to convince him to join Clan Sturm? From what you've said, he prefers the company of magical constructs over people. Not only that, but he's a scion of House Ironward. Yes, he branched off to form his own collateral family, but they aren't going to let you steal one of their people."
"I'll let Kaylee handle House Ironward," I said. "They're one of the Houses she wants to form an alliance with. She can work out so kind of deal with them."
While my companions and I were powerful, we couldn't be everywhere at once. We needed friends and allies to help us fight the demonic invasion. House Sturm wasn't enough. It was powerful, but it couldn't stand alone against the demonic invasion. No single House, or Clan, could. Neither could the Church of the Sun. However, an alliance of Houses and Clans working with the Church of the Sun just might be enough to drive the demons out of Lumina. That was the ultimate goal.
"As for Lord Dominic himself…" I grinned. "Leave him to ."
And Kiki. For my idea to work, I needed her help.
Several hours later, when evening arrived, Lord Dominic erged from his bedroom and joined the rest of us in the dining room. Kiki followed right behind him.
As with the rest of the mansion, the dining room had little in the way of decoration. It had a plain round wooden table, large enough to seat eight, and that was it. Still, it was enough for now.
As for Lord Dominic himself, the nap had done him so good. He looked much better than before. While there were still dark circles underneath his eyes, they looked less prominent than before. He had also bathed and shaved, making him more presentable. Together with the clean clothes he now wore, he looked like a changed man.
When Lord Dominic entered the dining room and saw everyone, he froze. I sat at one end of the table, with Anna on my right and Leroy on my left. Cally sat on Leroy's other side.
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To my complete lack of surprise, when Lord Dominic saw a bunch of strangers in his ho, he hid behind Kiki. The spirit let out a sigh.
"Kiki," Lord Dominic whispered. "There are people in my house!"
I already warned Anna and Cally about Lord Dominic's social awkwardness, so they were neither surprised nor offended by his actions. In fact, Anna seed amused.
"Yes, Master Dominic," she said. "I know. Lord Gabriel brought them in to help you."
Well, I only brought Cally in to help Lord Dominic. Anna tagged along.
"He did?" Lord Dominic asked.
"Yes, Master Dominic. He brought them while you were unconscious." Kiki gestured to Cally. "Lady Cally is a healer. Lord Gabriel asked her to examine you after you fainted."
Earlier today, after Cally finished examining Lord Dominic, she told that he suffered from malnutrition and sleep deprivation. Other than that, he was fine. He just needed to rest and eat well for a while. I planned on making sure that happened.
After all, now that I planned on bringing Lord Dominic back to Clan Sturm, I needed to take care of him. I couldn't let anything happen to my new artificer.
"I thought I told you not to summon any healers without my permission!" Lord Dominic said in an accusatory tone. "They always try to keep from my work!"
"I didn't, Master Dominic," Kiki said in a faux innocent voice. "As I said, Lord Gabriel did."
Anna leaned in closer.
"Lord Dominic knows we can hear him, right?" she asked, making no attempt to lower her voice. If anything, she spoke a little louder than usual.
Lord Dominic, still hiding behind Kiki, stiffened. I sighed.
"Lord Dominic," I said, feeling like the host instead of a guest. "My companions and I were just about to eat. Why don't you join us?"
When it beca clear that Lord Dominic wouldn't wake up right away, my companions and I decided to save the fish stew for dinner. Instead, we ate a simple al of porridge that I whipped up. As for the fish stew, I put it in my inventory ring so it wouldn't get cold.
Lord Dominic peeked out from behind Kiki and focused on , ignoring everyone else.
"I apologize, Lord Gabriel," he said. "My kitchen is unable to cater to soone with your refined palate. I have rather simple tastes, so I have nothing in my pantry except for coarse grain and dried at. So I suggest you dine sowhere else."
Huh. I hadn't expected him to outright admit it. Then again, since he was all but telling us to get out, perhaps I shouldn't have been surprised.
"No worries," I said, giving him a bright smile. "I procured so supplies earlier. They should last us a while."
Lord Dominic blinked at in surprise.
"'Us?'" he asked.
I nodded.
"Yes," I said. "I have a… proposition for you." I gestured to the chair opposite mine. "However, you must be hungry. So, let's talk after dinner."
Lord Dominic's stomach grumbled.
"I am famished," he admitted.
As soon as Lord Dominic sat down, Kiki started setting the table. An awkward silence fell over the dining room as Lord Dominic tried to look anywhere but at and my companions. anwhile, Anna appeared amused by our host's attitude, while Cally looked annoyed. Well, that wasn't much different than usual for her. As for Leroy, he maintained an indifferent expression as he kept an eye out for danger.
When Kiki finished setting the table, I pulled the pot of fish stew out of my inventory ring. A delicious sll flooded the dining room, and Lord Dominic's stomach grumbled again. He stared at the pot of fish stew, almost drooling.
Kiki took the pot and served everyone, starting with Lord Dominic of course. After she finished, everyone started eating while Kiki stood behind her master. No one said a word throughout dinner. Lord Dominic was too focused on inhaling his food and no one else felt like talking.
When we finished eating, Kiki cleaned up the table. As she worked, a tense silence filled the air as Lord Dominic and I faced each other. I smiled at him, while he gave a wary look in return.
"Earlier you ntioned you had a proposition for ," Lord Dominic said. "What proposition? What do you want from ?"
I held up two fingers.
"Two things," I said. "First, I would like for and my companions to stay here for a ti."
Lord Dominic's eyebrows rose.
"What?" he blurted out. "Why?"
I gestured to our side of the table.
"For your sake, I won't go into all the details right now," I said. "However, I'll say that my companions and I have… Well, let's just say we provoked so powerful people and we need a safe place to stay."
At first I hadn't wanted to involve Lord Dominic in our troubles. However, since I planned on bringing him back to Clan Sturm, I saw no reason not to anymore. The demonic invasion was everyone's problem, whether they knew it or not. Exposing Lord Dominic to it early on would help him prepare for when things go worse.
"How is that my problem?" Lord Dominic asked, flabbergasted. "Whoever you provoke, or whatever trouble you get into, has nothing to do with . I'm not involved in any way."
I grinned at him.
"Oh, but you are," I said. "Why do you think I asked you to make the Eyes of Truth?"
Lord Dominic flinched when he heard the na.
"Are they… Are they alright?" he asked.
I nodded and gestured to Leroy, who pulled out the Eyes of Truth and placed them on the table. Lord Dominic visibly relaxed when he saw them.
"As you can see, they're in good condition," I said.
"Good," Lord Dominic said. "Still, I don't see why I should get involved in whatever it is you're up to, Lord Gabriel. I just made the Eyes of Truth. Whatever you do with them is your business, not mine."
Anna placed her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her palm.
"Isn't it obvious?" she asked. "You're already involved, whether you want to be or not. Once the people we're up against find out that you helped us, they may retaliate. Rather than facing them alone, why not join forces and deal with them together?"
Lord Dominic's jaw dropped. Did I feel bad for coercing a socially awkward nerd who just wanted to focus on artificing? A little, but not enough to stop.
"That wouldn't happen, would it?" Lord Dominic asked Kiki.
The spirit shook her head.
"I don't know, Master Dominic," she said. "While the possibility is low, it still exists."
Lord Dominic slumped and lowered his head for a few monts, before he raised his head again and glared at .
"You tricked !" he shouted, standing up and pointing a finger at . "This was all part of your plan from the beginning! Let guess. You want to use this situation to your advantage in order to ensnare and force to work for you."
I blinked at him in surprise. I an, he was right. That was my plan. How did he figure it out so fast? Had sothing like this happened to him before?
"Well, you're not wrong," I said. "For the most part. In the beginning, I hadn't planned on involving you at all. However, when I noticed how terrible you are at taking care of yourself, and realized the benefits of having an artificer of your caliber join my side, I put together a little plan." I made a dismissive gesture. "However, we can talk about that later. Let's focus on the problem at hand." I gestured to Lord Dominic. "Letting us live here for a ti benefits you as well as us. You get people who can help look after you, and we get a safe place to stay."
Other than recruiting Lord Dominic, that was the main reason why I wanted to stay in this mansion. It had enough magical and physical defenses to hold off a small army. While I hoped it never ca to that, I wanted to prepare for the worst possible scenario.
"I don't need anyone to look after ," Lord Dominic said in a dismissive tone. "I'm more than capable of looking after myself."
I raised an eyebrow at him.
"Please," I said. "Even you don't believe that, do you?"
Lord Dominic opened his mouth, but paused before he said anything. After a mont, he closed it again.
"Alright, fine," he said in a subdued tone. "You're right. I get too lost in my work. However, that doesn't an I need you. I have Kiki. She looks after ."
I let out a snort.
"No, she can't."
Lord Dominic narrowed his eyes at .
"Don't you dare insult Kiki," he said in a low voice. "She is the most important person in my life. Insult her again, and I won't stand idly by. I don't care if you're a Sturm."
From the corner of my eye, I noticed Kiki glance at Lord Dominic in surprise. Surprise, and joy.
"I didn't insult Kiki," I said. "I know from firsthand experience how capable she is. However, she is bound to obey you." I hardened my expression. "She does her best to look after you, but your orders have restricted her actions to the point where she can only stand by and watch while you destroy yourself." I narrowed my eyes in return. "How do you think that makes her feel every ti you lose yourself in your work?"
Lord Dominic started, before he looked at Kiki.
"Is this true?" he asked.
Kiki looked away from him and didn't say a word.
"You could retract your orders and stop restraining Kiki's actions," I said. "However, there's no guarantee that the sa situation won't occur again." I softened my voice. "Let us stay, for Kiki's sake if not your own."
Lord Dominic continued to stare at Kiki.
"What… What do you think we should do?" he asked her.
Kiki didn't respond right away.
"I think you should agree to Lord Gabriel's request," she said. "I don't want to feel that helpless ever again."
Lord Dominic studied her for a mont, before sighing.
"Fine," he said. "I agree to your request, Lord Gabriel. You and your companions can stay here." He pointed a finger at . "However, keep to yourselves as much as possible. I prefer my solitude."
I nodded. A fair request.
"And no matter what, I won't work for you," Lord Dominic said. "Nothing you say or do will change my mind."
I smiled at him.
"Ti will tell," I said. "However, we'll discuss the matter at a later ti."
Lord Dominic grumbled under his breath.
"Why do I feel like I made the biggest mistake of my life?" he muttered to himself.
I wanted to make a smart ass remark, but kept it to myself. Lord Dominic agreed to let us stay in his mansion. No need to make him regret his decision just yet.
"Well then," I said, standing up. "With that out of the way, shall we move on to the next order of business?"
Lord Dominic gave a wary look.
"What do you an?" he asked. "I already agreed to let you stay here. What more do you want?"
"The Eyes of Truth, of course," I said, gesturing to the glasses. "That's why I ca here in the first place. Don't you want to show off what they can do?"
At that, Lord Dominic's expression lit up.
"Of course!" he said. "Follow !"
With that, he turned and left the dining room. His sudden change of attitude gave ntal whiplash. I glanced at Kiki, who seed unsurprised by any of this. So, this was a normal occurrence for him.
I glanced at my companions, who looked as flabbergasted as I felt.
"Shall we then?" I asked, grabbing the Eyes of Truth.
They nodded, before we all followed after Lord Dominic.
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