After untying themselves, Blanc tucked the rope back into his backpack, then pulled out a cloak and a few spare shirts.
"Here," he said, offering the bundle to the women, "These won't provide full cover, but they should get us past the guards without drawing too many questions."
"Thank you," Olivia nodded, accepting the clothes and dividing them among her servants. "I can handle the guards, I know many of them."
The women began slipping into the shirts and wrapping themselves as best they could, grateful for the added layer of modesty.
At Velakia's silent command, Tahreni and Lendros returned their weapons to the marble pendants around their necks, hiding the marbles behind their clothes as they took their place behind the women.
As ready as they could be, the group resumed their quiet, short walk toward Lupa past approaching carriages and the slow wake of a bustling city.
"Halt," the guard at the entrance of Lupa said, placing his spear to the side horizontally, blocking the path of the group.
"Good morning," Blanc nodded, shoulder to shoulder with Olivia.
"Who are you and what is the reason for your visit to Lupa?" the guard demanded.
"Do I need a reason to return home?" Olivia sighed, "I've lived in the city my whole life."
"Convenient," the guard giggled, "Then who are you?"
"I am Olivia, heiress to the Rotunda," she stared at him, "And I know your commanders, call either Henry or Thomas, and they will tell you who I am."
The guard remained silent, shocked at who he was speaking with, as he drew his spear back.
"Should I call for them my damn self?" Olivia muttered, enough for the guard to hear.
"No need for any of that, ma'am," the guard said, straightening his back, "You are free to enter."
Olivia smiled lightly, "A good man knows how to keep his job."
In less than a minute, Olivia extorted the man to allow them entry without so much as asking who the rest of them were.
"Impressive stuff," Blanc chuckled, "Is extortion something your Company sells as well?"
"Depends who," Olivia giggled as she took the lead of the group, taking them through a secluded road that went parallel to the main one, keeping them on the right, less-traveled paths.
Lupa had many tall buildings, mostly made of wood.
The road was paved with rocks and had the gaps filled with sand and smaller rocks, making for quite a straight, stable road that allowed the carriages on the main road to retain a constant speed, making it also easier for the beasts pulling the carriages to walk without the possibility of harm.
The only unpleasant thing about the city was all the different smells in the air that attacked Blanc's delicate nose. Smells of all kinds, as all roads had a few workshops, armories, blacksmiths, and stores for almost everything one may need, stood nearby.
At least they have a good sewage system, Blanc thought to himself as they walked, following closely after Olivia, who strode confidently along the roads she most likely grew up in.
Once far away from the entrance of the city, they returned to walking on the main road, approaching a hill where many decently sized mansions stood towering over the rest of the city.
On one of the mansions, on a balcony, a woman stood watching the road with a sad, silent look.
When she saw the group approaching, the woman frowned, she shook her head, then, when the group approaching did not vanish, pressed her hands against her eyes, and looked again.
They did not vanish.
Her eyes grew wider as she got to her feet.
"There is a woman who acts dumbfounded to see us," Blanc said to Olivia, pointing with his head towards her. "Do you know her?"
"That, My Lord, is my mother, and that is our home," Olivia explained, waving towards the shocked woman who dashed inside the next moment.
The mansion was one of the many on that hill, with nothing that made it more unique than the rest; on the contrary, it looked less impressive when one looked at the house.
But the number of guards, the quality of their armor, the carriages that stood in front of the mansion, and the beasts eating at the grass nearby told Blanc the exact opposite.
A sight that put a smile on his face at the confirmation that he made the right decision in wanting to ally his Blood with them. Just in time for the mansion's doors to open widely and for a small group of guards to rush out.
Behind them, the woman Blanc saw earlier, Olivia's mother, came shoulder to shoulder with a weary-looking man.
He was normal in stature, less than six feet, from what Blanc could tell from a distance.
He was well past his fifties, with his hair still dark, but with white and gray strands in some places.
He had a kind, warm look to him, with worry on his face as he stood between the guards, seeing his daughter around people he did not recognise, nor sent with her to run away.
It was obvious to him and the woman next to him that something must have gone very wrong.
"Olivia?" the woman asked from behind the guards as Blanc and the group approached the gates.
"I am back, Mother, with many things that need to be discussed," Olivia replied, smiling lightly.
"What happened?" the man asked, worry obviously painted on his face as the wrinkles he wore on his face somehow deepened at that question.
But Blanc replied first, taking the opportunity that arrived, "I am sure you are worried, as the guards and the swords they point so brazenly at us say so. But we will not enter your grounds uninvited, and would move even backwards if you need us to, to allow Olivia and her ladies to enter and explain everything to you."
"Do that, then," the man nodded.
"What are you planning, Blanc?" Velakia whispered nearby.
"Take ten feet backward," Blanc said, not replying to her question.
With a sigh, Velakia signaled to Lendros and Tahreni to follow them as they took well over twenty feet downhill.
As two of the guards rushed to open the gates, Olivia turned to face Blanc.
"Now it's my time to keep my word," she said as her father approached her.
With a nod from Blanc, all the women entered the grounds of the mansion and watched as the iron bars closed between them.
"Now we wait," Blanc sighed, taking a seat on the grass nearby.