After Kyla left, there was silence in the room for a while, with some awkwardness. Roland, Zayne, and Elin didn't know how to respond, so they just waited for Alden to make his move.
"Agh, I think I owe you an apology for that scene. Perhaps you think I should have done it later so as not to take our argument to the public, but you have to understand me, she should remember this lesson forever." Alden sighed, shaking his head. He had a complicated look on his face, not at all as cold as when he talked to Kyla.
'Well, he is her brother after all, right?' Zayne muttered inwardly, understanding how Alden felt, 'I could hardly be as rude to my sister, but his situation is different, moreover, Kyla is actually somewhat to blame for the death of those knights.'
pαndα`noνɐ1--сoМ "Don't worry. We understand that the situation is complicated. I have personally seen the corpses of the knights and I can tell you that they died in a brutal way, however, it happened in battle." Roland said seriously as he looked at Zayne.
"Yeah, I happened to see them fight. They actually went there to save her." Zayne nodded. He chose to remain silent about what the last knight said before he died.
Alden took a deep breath, tapped his fingers together, and his gaze became serious again. He looked at Zayne and said, "Zayne, I've heard about your progress, rumor has it that you've become a hero in Chaos Hearth, near the Landow Village."
Zayne didn't say anything back, he just scratched the back of his head confusedly.
"Hahaha, it's true! This guy has exceeded all my expectations, even my wildest ones!" Roland exclaimed, patting Zayne on the shoulder, he wasn't being modest.
"Pfff, I actually fought all the way too." Elin snorted with her arms crossed over her chest as she looked away.
Alden smirked, "Miss Elin, you've been trying to get here for a long time and now you've succeeded. Don't think I've forgotten about you, but you must realize that your successes at Chaos Hearth have fallen in Zayne's shadow."
Elin glanced at Zayne and without indignation said, "I agree. I couldn't have done as well as Zayne, it's true."
"Fine." Alden nodded, "Zayne, I have a job offer for you. However, that's later, first I want to thank you."
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Hmm? For what?" Zayne was puzzled. All this time, since the beginning, he had been getting awards all the time, so it was strange to him that Alden wanted to give him anything else.
"Hahaha, I didn't think you'd be so humble." Alden laughed with pleasure, "Is it not obvious? You killed the Terror Grade Monster, and you saved my sister. All three of you will get what you deserve, but you Zayne first. Tell me what you want."
"What do I want...?" Zayne muttered, looking at Alden.
"Yeah. Some kind of equipment, maybe? Perhaps you want some kind of title? If you want a woman so you don't get lonely at night, I can provide that too." Alden said calmly, with a slight wave of his hand.
The last words made Elin frown, but Veronika didn't even blink, there was no emotion on her face at all.
[One of your quests has been changed!]
[Invitation from the Redfall Family
Alden, the heir of the Redfall Family has decided to reward you for defeating the main monster in Chaos Hearth.
Choose the reward you want].
"Money."
"Agh...?" Alden was puzzled, "What did you say...? I didn't hear."
"Money. If you want to reward me, it would be best to give me money. That's what I need most." Zayne said seriously, staring intently at Alden.
"Hah, I didn't expect you to ask for something so simple. Well, I'm not going to go back on my word. If you say so, I'll grant your wish." Alden smirked as his ring shone brightly.
Two pouches with Gold Coins appeared in his hand, as well as one Platinum Coin, which he tossed to Zayne.
Zayne caught the coin with ease and squeezed it in his palm.
"So much..." Zayne muttered in disbelief, staring at the Platinum Coin with his eyes wide open.
"Yeah. Think of it as a double award. Now you, Roland and Elin, this is for you." Alden said as he tossed them the pouches, "Here's 250 Gold Coin each, I think that's enough."
[Invitation from the Redfall Family - Quest Completed!]
[You have been rewarded personally by the heir of the Redfall Family and now know Alden personally! Your reputation in the Lax River Region has increased by 100!
Your merchant discount has increased to 15%!
The noble families will now treat you with more respect and try to establish a relationship with you].
Elin's eyes sparkled as she gripped the pouch tightly with both hands. She had never held so much money in her hands before, and neither had Zayne. Roland calmly slipped the pouch into his pocket.
"Now let's move on to more important matters. Veronika, show them." Alden waved his hand.
"Sure." Veronika nodded as her ring sparkled.
A map appeared in her hands marking all the relevant points, from lakes to major cities to potentially dangerous places.
Tap.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmAlden pointed to a place that was just north of Red Feather City.
"This is where the Orc Dungeon is located. Our Mage rates It at a low difficulty, only Tier One, however, their numbers are enormous." Alden said quietly.
"Orcs...?" Roland muttered, "You want us to deal with them? Hmmm..." Roland frowned thoughtfully, "Is that really necessary? Just send in a squad of hundreds of knights and be done with it. The orcs won't be able to resist."
"Wait Roland, one thing at a time. I was going to do as you suggest, but just a few days ago, important information came in from the Lareso Family. Their Oracle spotted something that could put an entire city in danger." Alden's look turned serious.
Roland gave him a puzzled look.
"We don't know how it happened, but the Orcs found a way to summon Chaos Hearth." Alden sighed.
Roland shuddered as well as Elin.
"Chaos Hearth... another one?!" Elin exclaimed with fear in her eyes. She didn't want to go through this again.
Zayne, on the other hand, was silent. All he thought about was the fight with Three-Eyed and how he was first attacked by a wolf.
'Fear... Will I find something out there that can scare me?' Zayne inwardly muttered as a mad smile appeared on his face.
"Then we must destroy them immediately! If the squad is ready, I'll go right now!" Roland exclaimed, pounding his fist on the table.
"Mr. Roland, you realize that Mr. Alden would not delay if there was no reason to, don't you?" Veronika said calmly, holding her hands behind her back.
Roland took a deep breath, gradually calming down, "Agh... Sorry, I just haven't fully recovered from the last time, so... What's the plan?"
Alden glanced at Veronika, "The Oracle of the Lareso Family is tracking their actions, so by his calculations, the Orcs want to summon Chaos Hearth in three days. They'll need that long since they're aiming for Tier Two, with a Terror Grade Monster."