The Void Wolf

The tensions thickened by the second and if they weren't calmed it was highly likely that a conflict would erupt.

“Now, now, gentleman. I would like to introduce myself as a humble merchant named Lowell. I don’t have some magnificent background but I ask, can’t we be reasonable on this historic day?” Lowell, a man who didn’t belong to any country, but rather the Merchant’s Circle stepped up to calm the atmosphere.

“Reasonable? You are aware that he maimed and crippled my subordinate.” Cyprian said as he kept his gaze on Ira.

“I didn’t really cripple him. All I did was tap his jaw and it fell off.” Ira was telling the truth...sort of. Normally, he reigned in his full strength just about all of the time to prevent a mess. It was highly likely that someone would explode in a meaty paste if he were to punch them full force. So when he ripped off the jaw of the Parvian man it could be considered extremely weak in comparison to his actual strength.

“Maybe the people under your...what was it again, House of Sores? Are just too weak.” Ira shook his head as if he pitied them.

“Ignorant bastard!”

“You really have no honor.”

“An idiotic kid who loves to talk, I see.”

“Gentleman, please.” Lowell tried to regain control, but his voice was drowned out.

Those men from the House of Swords lodged insults at Ira while Cyprian’s eyes narrowed. He attempted to twist the spirit sword slightly to wound Ira, but it seemed to be locked in place. It was lucky that the subtle gesture escaped the eyes of most people or else he would felt humiliated.

It was just too bad that Ira wasn’t ‘most people’.“Hey, Cyprian...Having performance issues? I can’t relate, but I’m rooting for you buddy.” Ira whispered intensely with a mischievous grin. Of course, his whisper was loud enough for many to hear.

The Parvian nobles under the House of Swords erupted in a one-sided shouting match with Ira. Meanwhile, the Tel’vian Officer remained in Ira’s grasp struggling to breathe while guards surrounded him on all sides.

“Last warning, put him down.” A Tel’vian man said.

“Or what?” Ira asked in a monotone voice.

The only one in Ira’s immediate proximity with any skill was Cyprian, but he had made the mistake of getting too close to Ira. Standing within arms or legs length of Ira was basically a guaranteed a fatal wound on a good day and a quick death on a bad one.

“Gentlemen! If you can even call yourselves that! What I see here is a bunch of children! If you were men, you’d settle this in the Colosseum!” Lowell’s voice echoed throughout the hall.

“Will you be there?” Ira asked as he dropped the Tel’vian officer who gasped for breath.

The spirit sword dissolved and Cyprian looked coldly at Ira, “I’ll be there.”

“Wasn’t talking to you. I was talking to him.” Ira tapped the Tel’vian officer with his foot, which drew harsh curses and one man who tried to charge out and stab Ira but was held back.

The Officer couldn’t respond because he knew he wasn’t skilled enough to take on someone on Ira’s level.

“Is that a no? I really hate people like you. If you’re not strong enough to fight then don't say anything.” Ira said aloud to warn those “talkative” types ahead of time. “Simple right?” He asked the officer who remained silent.

After catching his breath, the Tel’vian officer stood up and dusted himself off as if attempting to reclaim some dignity before he returned to his side.

“You’ll see me there.” A pale blonde man stood out amongst the Tel’vian group.

“...Uh...Ok.” Ira said without much enthusiasm. Ira didn't even know who the man was but he seemed to be important since the Tel'vians looked confident.

“I'll also be there.” Surprisingly it was an Elf who spoke. Ira looked at his face and seemed to recall a squad of Elves he ran into before. The Elf speaking was Athal, the son of a prominent Elven Clan Keeper, and someone who had a grudge against Ira. The report of letting an intruder escape damaged his reputation, and the Elves who were backing other candidates seized on that opportunity to blow the issue out of proportion.

“You guys seem kind of weak though.” Ira said to himself with a bit of disappointment.

“You put no one in your eyes and that’ll be your downfall.”

“You’re courting death!”

A few people commented on Ira’s behavior, but he didn’t pay much attention to it. With the commotion over, the atmosphere settled down. A few people began talking about who out of the group of individuals would be an important ally, while others began to place bets on who would win. There was a small minority who were inquiring about the history between Ira and the Elf. Elves didn’t normally seek out trouble so it was strange to see one being so aggressive.

Ira gave a brief glance to Rhys who nodded in thanks before he returned to his seat and started to eat like nothing happened. Avery took a sip of wine before she leaned over to speak to him.

“That Merchant is one to watch out for, it’s likely he’s working with someone in here. It can’t be the Diavol, Elves, Dwarves, or Dark Elves. So that narrows it down to the three human countries. The High Chancellor looked slightly unprepared when the Tel’vian officer stepped out so it means the officer is most likely working closely with the merchant…The one called Cyprian didn’t seem as if he was acting so it's clear he's not working with any of them.” Avery looked unimpressed at the act that was put on.

A lot of people realized that there was no need for a member of the Merchant’s Circle to be so altruistic. What was the Merchant’s Circle? They were a group that held more wealth than the three human countries combined. When there was a guaranteed profit they would move toward it like rabid animals, but they would never bow to someone since they were self-sufficient. The main reason the Free City had access to mana arrays was that they traded with the Grenitian Kingdom to procure them. If they hadn’t reached compromise where both sides were happy, it was likely they would’ve used more aggressive means to reach a trade.

“Give me a second, I’ll listen out.” Ira said before he closed his eyes and focused his senses solely on hearing.

The conversations melded into a buzzing sound as Ira attempted to filter through them.

“I’ll approach his table and see if he’s willing to talk.”

“The Grens are weak. As for that Ira, it’s clear he’s pretending to be stronger than he is.”

“We’ll trust in the judgment of the First Prince, but the second and third can receive some small benefits just in case.”

“Send word to the Chancellor and tell him we’re willing to pay for a small version of the Airship. We’ll handle the cost of materials if they do the assembly...For good measure tell them that we’ll slightly support them during the talks tomorrow.”

“Where’s the silencing stone? There are quite a lot of Lycanthropes accompanying the Dark Elf Queen.”

“I’ve heard quite the interesting rumor from the Grenitian side. Bring out the silencing stone, this concerns plenty of people.”

“...If that’s true...war is unavoidable.”

“The earthquakes grow more frequent each day. The east is in danger of falling if they were to grow stronger.”

“We need to tell them about the City-Eater...Why are we wasting time here?”

“I need more wine…”

“A little bird told me that the Grenitian Fourth Prince isn’t as idiotic as he appears, prepare accordingly.”

Ira opened his eyes and readjusted his senses, while Avery spoke. “Did you hear anything noteworthy?”

“Airships. War. Earthquakes in the east. City-Eater. The First Prince. The Fourth Prince” Ira listed the topics that seemed the most important.

Avery interlocked her fingers as she went into thought. “The Diavol, Dwarves, and Dark Elves aren’t too important, so we can ignore anything coming from them for the moment. The Princes, on the other hand, seem to be seeking outside help to ascend the throne. If it's true then they really are beyond stupid, with the Kingdom’s current state it’s more likely for a foreign power usurp power and use them as puppets.”

“So what's the main concern?” Ira asked. Although he wasn’t an idiot, he was completely unskilled in matters such as the one taking place.

“Don’t trust anyone connected to the Merchant’s Circle.” Avery stated before continuing, “There are still too many details that need to be analyzed. So far, the enemy could be the Princes, a faction within the Tel’vian Empire, or an outsider with dangerous ambitions. Do your best not to fall into their pace especially on the first night, Ira.”

“I got it.” Ira nodded.

The banquet continued on with many white lies, rumors, and hidden power struggles. Ira took Avery’s advice and stayed away from any possible trouble. His lack of activity made many question his previously unrestrained display. Some decided that there was no point in approaching such a person and erased any notion of creating a connection with him. It looked as if no one wanted to form a relationship with Ira at the moment when so many eyes were watching, that was until a Dark Elf and a Lycanthrope approached his table.

“Pardon me for interrupting you. I am the First Prince of The Dark Elven Empire, Saren Meldara.” Saren introduced himself politely, while the Lycanthrope at his side trembled and breathed heavily.

“Your bloodline seems to be suppressing anyone who has an animalistic nature. I was curious to whether it was a result of the Red Moon?” Saren asked.

Ira looked at Saren and then to the shivering hairy man at his side. He was about to channel the Red Moon to surprise them but decided to hold off on it just yet. After all, if he was to reveal he was the owner of the Red Moon then everyone would try and curry favor with him.

“Yeah, something like that.” Ira answered.

“...Then...Do you maybe have any information about it?” Saren asked with hopeful eyes.

“...I do.” Ira said before he looked at the shivering sweaty man once again. “You uh...doing ok, buddy?” he asked.

“Y-Ye-Yes.” The Lycanthrope’s teeth chattered as he answered Ira while avoiding eye contact.

Ira chuckled before he reduced the effect of his bloodline resonance and at that moment the Lycanthrope let out a sigh of relief. Ira felt a minuscule connection to the Lycanthropes inside the Banquet Hall, but it remained at that. Harper was the only one in the world who had a direct connection to Ira’s bloodline, but its nature still remained Lycanthropic.

“Forgive me, if I’m overstepping my boundaries, but would it be alright if we spoke privately at some point during the Summit’s duration.” Saren asked.

Ira considered a few things before he nodded, “I’ll come find you if I want to talk...I’m not one for subtle wordplay so If you get on my good side, I’ll tell you a few things about that Red Moon you’re so interested in.”

“I swear on my name that I’ll do my best to assist you whenever I can. I hope to hear from you soon.” Saren said sincerely before turning around and going back to the Dark Elves. His Lycanthrope companion stared at Ira with reverence before he followed Saren.

“Well, I guess the Dark Elves are our allies.” Ira said proudly.

“I wouldn’t say that just yet.” Avery said from his side.

“Why not?” Ira asked.

“Notice that he swore that he would do his best to assist. The Dark Elves are a matriarchal society like the Valkyries. Any personal assistance he provides won’t be of any real use. They are still unsure of you so that promise was mostly a goodwill gesture.” Avery explained.

Ira’s proud expression crumpled under Avery’s explanation.

“It doesn’t matter, Ira. Since they were upfront with their intentions there is no need to doubt them. If you decide to reveal any practical information about the Red Moon, they’ll align themselves with you and by extension the Kingdom.” Avery added.

Ira nodded as he received insight on how things operated during events such as these. Wordplay played a huge part to his surprise. There were probably a few hundred empty promises being thrown around at that exact moment. After a few moments, he held a deeply profound look as if he realized a certain universal truth.

Ira opened his mouth most likely to share his newfound truth with Avery. “This fucking sucks.”