3rd Person POV
"Mo-monsieur Neuvillette?" The engineer called out shakily.
Just a moment ago the two had been discussing the state of Meropide's structure in piece.
The poor man couldn't fathom why the Iudex was suddenly surrounded by such a frightening aura.
His brows were furrowed and his eyes seemed to flash with pure rage.
The dragon took a deep breath and as calmly as he could called out:
"Claude."
He did shout as loudly as Wriothesely, but his voice echoed throughout the production zone.
The people around looked up for a moment, surprised by the sudden call, but soon went back to their own things, used to this uncommon way of getting hold of the boy.
Within just seconds Claude appeared in front of Neuvillette.
"Monsieur Neuvillette? Is there something I can do for you?"
"I'm going to send you to the surface."
"I've said before that I-"
"This is not a job offer. I want you to make sure Duke Wriothesely is safe and sound and come back to report it to me the second you've done so."
"Did something happen to His Grace?" Claude asked anxiously.
This question drew the attention of the engineers around.
Those who had been avoiding the conversation of the pair out of respect for the Iudex were now keenly listening in.
"Yes."
This time, it wasn't a maybe.
It was a strong yes.
"What-"
"I don't know." Neuvillette interrupted him.
He might have looked calm on the outside, but the dragon was fuming on the inside.
Someone dared to threaten Wriothesely's life!
Someone actually dared to touch his-
His what?
Friend?
Aquainctance?
Collegue?
Whatever Wriothesely was to him, no one should be allowed to harm him as long as Neuvillette lived.
But still, someone dared to do so.
This day truly was testing the dragon's patience, stretching it far beyond its limits.
Taking another deep breath he pulled a map out of his pocket.
He placed it on the table and drew a route through the city.
"Here. When you exit the fortress follow this route. If you feel like you got lost or aren't sure about where you are, you can show the map to anybody you see and they will show you the way."
"But-"
"This map bears my seal. Everybody within the Court knows it. They will not hesitate to help."
Still, Claude hesitated.
It didn't take long for Neuvillette to figure out the reason.
Ah...
Right.
The boy had never been outside to fortress. How could I have forgotten?
To burden him with such a thing-
"No. Amalie should be here still. Just give her the map and-"
"I'll do it."
"What?"
"I'll go to the surface. I'm much faster than Amalie after all."
Neuvillette wanted to refuse but his words died on his tongue when he heard Claude's next words.
"Trust me, Monsieur Neuvillette. I'll be back with news of His Grace in no time." He grinned.
And without waiting for the dragon's reaction, he disappeared behind a corner.
Just as Neuvillette was about to let out a sigh of defeat, the boy's head poked around the corner.
"If the Duke asks about what you're doing, what should I tell him?"
A bit surprised by the sudden question, Neuvillete wasn't sure what to tell him.
After all, he might do something that Wriothesely would call reckless and dangerous.
"Well, first of all, putting the Duke aside, you'll likely meet Lady Furina. If you do so, please ask her for an empty pearl."
"An empty pearl?"
"She'll understand what it means. As for the Duke, tell him that-"
~
Wriothesely's POV
"You might be wondering why I of all people would want you dead, Wriothesely." The man spoke as he circled around us.
The group of armed men had made all of us stand in the middle of the warehouse a bit earlier.
Why they have yet to start shooting is beyond me.
I lost my vision to them a while ago, but even if I had it, it would be of much help.
And to answer the man's last question...
No. I was definitely not wondering why he of all people would want me dead.
And that's because...
I have no idea who the hell this guy is!
I shot Timeo a questioning glance, but he too merely shook his head, completely at a loss.
"I have absolutely no idea, Your Grace." He mouthed.
I threw Trow a similar look, but her reaction wasn't any different from Timeo.
"I've never seen this man in my life." She mouthed.
So...
Who is this guy?
Aside from the fact that he's a stuck-up fool who holds himself like a proud peacock, I could say nothing else of him.
Well, maybe just one more thing.
This guy is most definitely an idiot.
If you want to kill someone, just do it.
Why hold a speech?
If this goes on for too long, he might just bore us all to death before anyone arrives.
"Let me give you a hint, Wriothesely. You. Ruined. My. Life!" He shouted angrily.
???????
Huh?!?
I did what?
Who the hell is he?!
Now I really want to know.
Just what the hell could I have possibly done to this guy?
"When they contacted me and asked me to take on the task of killing you I was elated!"
They?
Someone asked him to do this?
"And you know what, Wriothesely? Right now as you're awaiting your death, everyone inside Meropide is receiving the same sentence! Isn't it wonderfully to know that Meropide is being flooded as we speak?!" He laughed.
Wha-
I barely resisted the urge to grab him by the troath.
As my emotions got the best of me once again felt the small conch in my pocket pulsing.
"Your Grace, you worry too much." Trow snapped me out of my thoughts.
"I worry too much? How could I not-"
"Monsieur Neuvillette is down there." She reminded me.
Oh.
Right.
Pfft!
"Hahahahaha!"
I immediately burst out laughing.
"What? Have you gone crazy, Wriothesely?" The man asked, completely stunned.
No, no, no.
You're the one who should be called crazy.
Trow is right.
How could you flood Meropide in front of Neuvillette of all people?
He stopped the Primordial Sea not too long ago.
A few broken pipes won't be a problem.
And apparently, I wasn't the only one who found the threat funny.
"Pfft! Hahahahaha! You want to- Pfft! You want to flood Meropide- Hahahaha! You want to flood Meropide with Neuvillette right there. Pfft! Hahahaha!"