The air in the hallway outside Teressa's room was so thick with tension and secondhand embarrassment that it felt like one of Verra's density spells had gone haywire. The rhythmic sounds from behind the heavy wooden door, the soft, frantic friction of silk against skin, and the breathless, high-pitched moans that carried Eon's name like a desperate prayer, continued unabated.
Eon felt as though his newly shaven face was literally radiating heat. He could feel the eyes of his companions burning into the back of his neck. Liam looked like he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole; Verra was staring at her own fingernails with intense, vibrating focus; and Elsa… Elsa was staring at the door with a terrifying, icy stillness that made Eon wonder if she was calculating the trajectory needed to throw a dagger through the wood.
But it was Hans whose reaction was perhaps the most painful to witness. The old butler, a man who had served the Edger family with unwavering dignity for decades, had gone as pale as a ghost. His mistress, the Countess of the very house he protects, is currently… well, the audio evidence was irrefutable. His shoulders slumped, and he looked down at his polished boots, the shame radiating off him in palpable waves.
"Ah… Eon… please…"
Another moan, louder this time, drifted through the carved panels.
Eon didn't wait for a third one. He cleared his throat, a sound that came out more like a strangled squawk than a command. He turned on his heel, his movements jerky and uncoordinated.
"Right. Well," Eon managed to whisper, his voice cracking slightly. "I think… perhaps… the Countess is… very busy with her… meditations. Yes. Meditations."
He looked at the group, his eyes wide and pleading for someone to play along.
"Let's come back after some time," Hans said, gesturing wildly toward the staircase. "What do you all say? Ground floor? Meeting room? Now?"
No one argued. There was a collective, hurried nod from everyone present. Even Elora, whose fury had momentarily been eclipsed by a sheer, soul-crushing blush that reached the collar of her dress, simply turned and began walking, almost running, away from the West Wing. The ladies of the group moved in a tight, silent formation, their eyeswere fixed on Eon.
They descended the grand staircase in a funeral procession of silence. The only sound was the clicking of boots on marble and the distant clatter of a Denares soldier's armor in the courtyard. Eon felt the weight of his dignity crumbling into dust. He had spent all morning trying to look like a revolutionary leader, and now his inner circle had heard the Countess treating his name like a favorite toy.
'Arggh. Why? Why now?' he screamed at himself internally. 'Why is she so careless. Everybody knows now. Fuckk. Every wieght of words I created till now, is now on the mud because of her. '
They reached the ground floor and ducked into a smaller, more private meeting room adjacent to the dining hall. It was a comfortable space, lined with bookshelves and centered around a large, circular oak table. Hans, ever the professional, moved instinctively to pull out chairs, though his movements were still stiff with lingering shock.
As they took their seats, the silence stretched for another minute. Eon sat at the head of the table, his hands folded in front of him. He looked at Elsa, who was sitting directly across from him. Her silver eyes were unreadable, though there was a slight tension in her jaw.
"So," Eon said, his voice finally regaining some semblance of its usual baritone. "Potions."
He threw the word out like a life raft in a sea of awkwardness.
Elora, who was sitting to his left, let out a long, shaky breath. "Yes. Potions. Let's… let's definitely talk about something that doesn't involve Eon's name."
She was still red, but the "Denares Noble" mask was slowly sliding back into place.
Eon turned to Hans, who was standing by a sideboard, preparing a pitcher of water. "Hans, I ordered you to begin gathering the specific herbs and minerals I listed. The ones required for high-grade recovery and Stamina-regaining solutions. Were you able to find them?"
The butler took a deep breath, visibly forcing himself to return to "business mode." He stepped toward the table, clutching a small ledger.
"Yes, Master Eon," Hans replied, his voice steadying. "I've been coordinating with the remaining garden staff and the few scouts we have left for some time. We managed to find the primary ingredients, Silver-leaf Ferns and Blue-cap Mushrooms, in much larger quantities than I initially anticipated."
Eon leaned forward. "That's good news, isn't it? Then Why the surprise?" he asked seeing the troubled look on hans face.
"The problem remains at the core, Master," Hans said, his brow furrowing. "While we found them, they are concentrated just across the border of this estate, on our neighboring town of Count Hyra's estate. It seems the soil there, enriched by the mountain runoff, is perfect for these particular magical flora. They are technically our neighbor, but their lands are far more prosperous than ours."
Eon tapped his chin. "Count Hyra. I've heard the name. Teressa mentioned him once. He's a merchant-lord, isn't he?"
"Correct," Hans explained. "His estate is the hub for the regional trade routes. More importantly, his son, Neir, is the one currently in charge of the local Merchant Guild branch. He is… well, he is a friend of my daughter's. They grew up together before the Edger house fell into such… difficult times."
Hans hesitated, looking at Eon. "Getting those ingredients via a trade agreement shouldn't be an issue. Neir is a pragmatist, and he holds a certain level of loyalty to the old ties between our houses. However, we have no liquid capital. No gold to buy in the bulk you require. Neir might agree to a loan for the raw materials, but we would have to pay him back with heavy interest once the goods are processed."
Eon leaned back in his chair, his mind already calculating the margins. This was the part of his old life, the grind of survival in a capitalist hellscape like Seoul, that was finally becoming useful.
"I've asked around the market," Eon said, his eyes flashing with a cold, calculating light. "The prices for standard recovery potions in this kingdom are absurd. They're treated like luxury goods, sold in tiny vials for the price of a small house. In comparison, my alchemy skills, and the efficiency of my Crafting skill, allow me to produce potions of a much higher grade. And I can make them in large quantities if given the time."
Everyone except Elsa, Elora and Verra looked at him as if he was spouting nonsense, when he talked about skills and such. But nobody said anything. They knew at this point Eon was not like your usual Magic caster. His magic is strange.
Eon looked at Hans. "Getting money won't be an issue. If I produce a superior product and sell it at even sixty percent of the current market value, the volume of sales will be astronomical. People will flock to buy them. We won't just be participating in the market; we'll be owning it."
Hans looked worried hearing that. "Master Eon, I understand the logic. But… wont the market of potions crash if you do that? The Alchemists' Union and the local potion-makers, many of whom are backed by the nobility, will turn on us instantly. Even Neir, despite his friendship with my daughter, won't be able to stop them if the merchants rebel. They see price-cutting as a declaration of war. We can't afford to make an enemy out of the Merchant Guild, not with our current strength."
"He's right," Elsa interjected, her voice sharp and pragmatic. "We are currently surrounded by an army that is technically our ally only because of a fragile lie. If we provoke the Merchant Guild, they can cut off our supply of food, iron, and basic necessities before we even finish our first batch of potions. Gold is a weapon, Eon, but it's one that requires a steady hand."
Eon nodded, acknowledging the point. "I'm not suggesting we start a street war with the guild. Not yet. From what I know, our county doesn't even have a merchant guild branch because the local economy is, well, almost non-existent. But Count Hyra's estate is running functionally. So, why not approach them directly? Instead of selling to the public and undercutting everyone, we sell to Neir directly. In bulk."
Hans tilted his head, his eyes brightening. "A wholesale agreement?"
"Exactly," Eon said. "We provide Neir with a high-grade product at a discount. He gets to sell it at the standard market rate and keep the massive profit margin. In exchange, he handles the guild politics and provides us with the raw materials and the protection of his guild's name. He gets rich, we get funded, and the guild stays quiet becausewe arent doing anything backhanded, right? If anything happens it's on the guild and hyra counties lord's shoulder."
Hans put his fingers to his chin, pacing slightly. "Hmm… that's not a bad idea. Selling to Neir directly removes the target from our backs. He would be incredibly happy to take our potions given their quality. We might get a sufficient fund for some time… perhaps even enough to start getting paid back some of the staggering loans this estate has accrued over the years."
"Woah, woah. Not so fast," Elsa interrupted, her hand resting on the table. "We can't start paying off old loans as of yet. We have a mansion to fortify and elves who are currently fighting with scavenged gear and rusted scrap."
She looked at Eon, her expression dead serious. "We have to focus on getting weapons and rebuilding our defense system first. We can't let another mercenary invasion like the one before happen. We were lucky back then to be alive, lucky that those two girls were there to turn the tide. But next time? Next time they might bring more mages. They might come with a army. Let's focus on getting our strength back first, then worry about the debt, okay?"
Eon looked at Elsa, then at the others. Liam nodded in agreement, his face grim. Verra looked at her hands, likely thinking of the spells she couldn't cast because she lacked her own wand for casting magic.
"You're right," Eon said, his voice firm. "Survival comes before credit scores. Hans, prioritize the herbs, but also look into Neir's connections for more food supply. I have some plans for them."
"Understood," Hans bowed. "I will send a messenger to Neir immediately."
Just as Hans finished speaking, the door to the meeting room creaked open.
Every head at the table snapped toward the entrance.
Teressa, the Countess of Edger, stepped into the room. She looked… remarkably refreshed. Her hair was perfectly tied back, her cheeks had a healthy, rosy glow, and she was wearing a fresh gown of deep emerald silk. She looked like a woman who had just had a very long, very relaxing nap.
She walked in with a graceful stride, a slight smile on her lips. "Good morning, everyone. I apologize for the delay. I was…heard about the meeting from Carla."
The silence that followed was absolute.
Liam suddenly became very interested in the grain of the wood on the table. Verra turned her head so far to the side that she was nearly looking at the wall. Hans, to his credit, managed to keep his face neutral, but his eyes were flickering with a desperate need to be anywhere else.
Elora, however, was staring at Teressa with a look of pure, unadulterated suspicion. She looked from Teressa to Eon, her eyes narrowing into slits.
Teressa stopped, looking around the room confusingly. "What? Why is everyone silent? Are you guys already planning the next step?"
Eon cleared his throat, his heart hammering against his ribs. He felt like he was walking on a tightrope over a pit of fire. "Yes… yes, we were. We were just discussing the economic situation of the estate. Please… sit."
Teressa sat in the empty chair beside the big table, right next to Eon. She leaned in slightly, and Eon could smell the faint scent of lavender and… something else. He quickly leaned back, his face heating up again.
"I heard the mention of funds," Teressa said, her voice smooth. "The Edger coffers are indeed empty. If you have a plan to change that, I am all ears."
Eon tapped the table, trying to focus. "We're going to produce potions. High-grade ones. We're working on a trade deal with Neir of the Hyra estate. But that will take time to set up. In the meantime…"
He glanced toward the window, thinking of the barracks where Alaric Denares was likely lounging. "I will try to see if I can get some money out of Alaric somehow. He owes us for the… hospitality."
Hearing that, Elora's hand shot up into the air. "Oh! Me! Me! I can help with that!"
Eon turned to her, blinking. She was sitting up straight, her hand waving frantically as if she were a student in a classroom.
"Umm, Elora?" Teressa said, her voice tinged with a slight, playful edge. "You can put down your hand. This is just a meeting, not your magic school. You don't have to raise your hand to speak, you know."
Elora's hand froze. She looked at Teressa, then at the others, and her face went from zero to a hundred on the "embarrassment" scale. She slowly lowered her hand, her shoulders hunching.
"Okay," she squeaked, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I just meant… Alaric is my brother. I know where he hides his emergency funds. And I know how to make him feel guilty enough to part with them. He's very susceptible to… family pressure."
Eon nodded, trying to suppress a smile. "That would be helpful, Elora. If we can squeeze some gold out of the Denares family treasury, it would bridge the gap until our first potion shipment."
The meeting continued for another hour. The tension from earlier began to fade as they delved into the minutiae of the plan. They discussed the patrol routes for the elves, the specific magic stones Verra needed to weaponize the elves, and the logistics of transporting the potions without attracting the attention of the Shadow Mages' remnants.
In the middle of the discussion, Carla, one of the few remaining maids who had stayed after the "massacre", entered the room several times. She moved quietly, serving a tray of steaming tea and small, honey-glazed biscuits. The aroma of the tea helped settle the room, providing a sense of normalcy in a house that had seen so much death.
Teressa participated actively, her knowledge of the local geography and the political landscape of the neighboring counties proving to be invaluable. She spoke with a confidence that Eon found both impressive and, given what he had heard an hour ago, deeply distracting. Every time she looked at him with those bright, knowing eyes, his brain momentarily short-circuited.
'Focus, Jin-ho,' he told himself. 'This is an important meeting. Don't think about the moaning. Do not think about the moaning.'
By the time the tea was cold and the biscuits were gone, the first phase of their plan was solidified. They had a source of income, a plan for defense, and a way to manage the volatile presence of the Denares soldiers.
"One more thing," Eon said, standing up as the meeting concluded. "I need some items for making something. Hans, I want you to select three of the most trusted humans, and go buy some items for me."
Hans bowed. "It shall be done, Master."
As the group began to filter out of the room, Teressa lingered for a moment. She walked up to Eon, who was busy rolling up a map of the estate.
"Eon," she said softly.
Eon froze. "Yes, Countess?"
"You look very good without the stubble," she said, her voice dropping an octave. She reached out, her fingers hovering just an inch from his jaw before she pulled them back. "It suits you. You look like a man who knows exactly what he wants."
She gave him a wink, a slow, deliberate wink, and then turned and walked out of the room, her emerald gown swishing behind her.
Eon stood there, holding the rolled-up map like a club.
From the doorway, Elora was watching the exchange, her expression one of pure, loathing directed at Teressa's back. She looked at Eon, let out a frustrated huff, and stormed off in the opposite direction.
Eon let out a long, weary sigh. He looked down at the table, where the empty tea cups sat.
"I think I preferred the shadow mages," he whispered to the empty room. "At least they just tried to kill me."
Author note: What is Eon planing on making?! Check out the next chapters to find out.