"Before I talk about that… I think we need to settle your friends. Are they the ones who saved you? They must be rewarded!"
Albert's eyes softened as he glanced past Rayven to the three figures who had been quietly observing their conversation.
Then, Rayven swiftly introduced Miki, Nara, and Thyruz.
"They're the ones who saved you?" Albert asked again, his voice was steady now, but still carrying traces of relief.
Rayven thought for a moment. After all, it was indeed too suspicious how he managed to survive the attack that aimed to kill their group.
After looking at the three to give them a signal, Rayven turned to Albert and nodded. "Without them, I wouldn't be standing here."
Miki and the others understood what Rayven wanted to happen and didn't speak.
Rayven then mentioned that Thyruz was an Enchanter, while Miki and Nara had come to the city to attend the Sword Competition.
"Ahhh… Thank you for saving my nephew. Sir Thyruz, Miki… Nara… Right, I'll handle your registration for the competition. Although we're having some troubles, we're still one of the sponsors of the event." Albert said.
After that, he turned to one of the guards who had been lingering nearby…
"Jalen! Take the horses to the stable and see that they're properly fed and brushed. Then have the servants prepare guest quarters—three rooms, clean sheets, fresh bathwater, their food, and all."
The guard snapped to attention before nodding quickly. Soon, he was running toward the stable.
Albert then turned to Rayven's companions again.
"You have the gratitude of the Holt family. You'll be given proper accommodations here for as long as you wish to stay, and the Golden Coast will see to it that you are rewarded for your efforts."
Nara was about to politely refuse, but Albert raised a hand while smiling faintly. "This is not a bribe, nor is it charity. It's payment for a debt that can never truly be repaid. Take it."
With that, he gestured toward a well-dressed steward who had emerged from the building.
"Bring them to the guest wing. And send for the treasurer... I want three pouches of silver coins, twenty each. That should at least cover their supplies for the next few weeks."
The steward bowed and began guiding Miki, Nara, and Thyruz toward the main hall.
Thyruz gave Rayven a single, unreadable glance before following…
Rayven remained with his uncle as he watched them disappear into the building.
Albert then exhaled slowly and looked at Rayven.
"Come. We'll talk in my office."
They entered the building together, passing through a room filled with ledgers and old maps. Several clerks and merchants paused mid-task, as their eyes widened upon seeing Rayven.
They recognized him immediately.
By the time they reached the office on the second floor, Rayven had noticed some small signs of neglect everywhere. The ink on the ledgers was smudged in places, and the quills were dulled and worn.
There was also the smell of old paper and dust around. Lastly, the furniture was expensive, but it clearly hadn't been maintained at its peak.
Albert's office was large, but the desk was buried under stacks of papers and sealed envelopes. He then motioned for Rayven to sit, then closed the door.
That was when his smile faded completely.
"You asked why the Royal Trade Bureau didn't help us?" Albert finally said as he leaned on his chair.
"Yes… The Veltham family shouldn't be attacking us openly…" Rayven replied.
Albert wryly smiled as his hand went through his hair in frustration.
"You're right… The Accord of Zevarian says that it is a criminal offense for any noble or merchant house to directly sabotage another's trade operations through armed assault, theft, or destruction of goods. The punishment, at least on paper, is severe—heavy fines that could bankrupt even a Count's estate, revocation of trade rights, and in extreme cases… stripping of noble titles."
Rayven gently nodded as he had read this from the books that his father had given him as well... "Then shouldn't we just report them?"
Albert let out a humorless laugh as he shook his head. "If only it were that simple. The Royal Trade Bureau, those are the ones who enforces the Accord, does not act on rumors or suspicion. They demand evidence. Names, witness accounts, seized correspondence, signed orders... or solid proof that the sabotage was orchestrated by the accused house."
He turned toward the window and sighed. "The Veltham family isn't foolish. They use intermediaries like bandits without affiliations, mercenary companies with forged papers, and in this case… even beasts. There's no paper trail, no direct witness that can tie them to the attack on Team Five. The fact that we couldn't even retrieve the bodies means we have even less leverage."
Rayven sat in silence for a moment, piecing it together.
"They're hiding behind the gaps in the law… This is not easy even for them. Are they mobilizing mages?"
Albert nodded grimly. "Yes… We should've invested more in Mages, even if we had to spend hundreds of thousands of gold coins. But it's too late now. If we accuse them without proof, not only will the Court dismiss our claim, but the Velthams could counter-sue us for defamation. That would give them legal grounds to seize some of our assets. In other words, without solid evidence, we'd be handing them a sword to cut us down further."
'Just how powerless are we?' Rayven couldn't help but complain in his mind as he felt that his family seemed to be incompetent.
However, he controlled his emotions as he was still unaware of the full situation.
After all, there might be other important matters to consider that weren't fully revealed to him just yet.
"The Velthams have been playing this game for years, Rayven. They stay just within the shadow of the law, never giving the Court enough reason to touch them. And unfortunately, the Crown itself only steps in when a matter threatens the stability of the entire kingdom, not when two merchant families bleed each other in the shadows."
That last statement seemed to be true… It seemed that Golden Coast Trading's connection to the nobles wasn't as solid as the Veltham Family's.
Rayven shook his head at this thought before he finally spoke…
"So, if we want justice… We'll need proof."
Albert met his eyes and gently nodded. "Proof… or enough strength to make the Velthams think twice before touching us again."