Cici and I had indeed been called by the Duke for a meeting shortly after our morning romp. She had been plenty satisfied by me, so no further tumbles around the room was needed, not that I would have denied her. The maid that came and got us was a pretty young woman, and it was only a moment later that she was leading us down the halls of the manor, before we eventually arrived at a set of large double doors towards the east side of the place. There were a couple of guards standing outside, and they nodded to us, before they opened the doors and gestured for us to enter. With Cici's arm wrapped around my right, we walked inside.
I saw everyone I expected to, and many I didn't think would be included. Clarissa was here, with Marina standing dutifully behind her. All of the Misfits were also present, and I didn't miss the glances that Marina and Terroth kept shooting at each other. Marina actually was fucking smiling, which was a little creepy if I'm being honest. I assume that they both had a good night, given how the man looked had an actual dumb grin on his face when looking at the red haired woman. Good for them I suppose.
Sheila was sitting next to him, although her eyes centered on me the moment she saw me, and she smiled, showing her sharp canines. It was such a cute look on the strong woman. Serena, Valerie, and Benji actually sat together, and I couldn't help but smile at the comraderie they seemed to already be building. It made me happy to see people treating Valerie so well despite everything that happened. These were truly good people from everything I had seen.
At the head of what appeared to be a conference table was Martin, with Seraphina sitting directly next to him.
There was two open seats at the opposite end of the table from the Duke, so I took the one at the very end, and Cici took the one next to me, and then proceeded to scoot the seat much closer as it was not close enough for her liking. That made Serephina giggle, and the other woman to snicker, while the men just said nothing. Benji in particular had a strange look on his face as our eyes met, almost like he was determined about something. It was definitely a better look than he had last night, and I'd have to make sure I asked him about it later.
"Good Morning, Elias. Lady Cecila." Martin said with a kindly tone, and nodded towards us, "Were the accommodations to your liking? Did you sleep well?"
"Good morning, Martin. Seraphina." I said, nodding back, then I greeted everyone else as well before I brought my gaze back to Martin, "Thank you for the room. It was nice. And yes... we did sleep well."
"The bed was very nice. Sturdy." Cici added quickly, and I had to actively hold back a snort.
Serephina actually burst out laughing at that. Sheila barked out a laugh, while Serena and Valerie blushed slightly. I didn't expect that from the Dhampir woman, but damn did she look cute. Benji gave me a thumbs up, while Terroth just grinned at me. The smirk from Marina was not something I expected to see, but it looked good on her. She needed to smile more. When my eyes met Clarissa's from across the table, I gave her a little wink, which caused her already pink cheeks to flush considerably. The more I thought about her, and the more I saw her, I couldn't deny that I wanted her. I didn't want to rush things, but something told me that she would fit in perfectly with us.
"I... see. I am glad it was too your liking." Martin said after a moment of collecting his thoughts, "That being said, I've asked you all to be here for more than just pleasantries."
Everyone at the table nodded, with a few thanking him for his hospitality. Honestly, out of everything I expected from a noble, especially with a station like his, Martin was was a genuinely good man. He had a clear soul, maybe a hint of something here and there, but that was most people. Nothing there told me that he had done anything truly reprehensible.
"I'll get some of the more recent events out of the way first, and then we can move on to why the Baroness is here in the first place." He said, and then turned to meet the gazes of all of the members of the Misfits, "I will unfortunately have to ask you all to leave at that time. It is sensitive information... but I've asked you all here for the first part, as you were all involved, even if you didn't wish to be."
"We understand." Terroth said for his party, and they all nodded, and bowed their heads to him.
"Lady Cecila and Miss Valerie are permitted to stay, as one is already privy to this information, and the other is... well, she will not be able to speak on these matters for obvious reasons." He said, a little unease in his tone.
I did not mention that she would in fact, not be my slave after today, but I knew Valerie wouldn't say anything. None of them truly would, at least in my opinion, as I feel they've already proven themselves to be trustworthy, but I also couldn't disagree with him. Plus, I knew that Clarissa would probably tell them anyways if she felt like it. We would be staying here for a while, and I had no doubt everyone would be getting along well. I definitely wanted to hangout with them more. Having people around that felt like actual friends was nice... like, really nice.
"So, the first part will be about what happened at the Guild, and then the subsequent duel with Delvin Montenago, as well as the aftermath and discoveries brought about by these events. There will be some good news... and some bad," Martin said, looking at everyone in turn, before he continued, "I've heard from multiple sources that Delvin was the instigator of the entire event which led to his death. I didn't have any doubts about that, but we do require multiple perspectives for an event such as this."
Everyone nodded. I understood, even if I really wouldn't have cared if it was verified or not. That dude was fucking vile.
"We all know what happened after that, so I'll just skip to what we have discovered. Again, Elias, well done on your fight. Given my position, it was something I could never do myself... even if I wanted to." Martin said, nodding respectfully to me, his voice laced with undisguised hatred.
"I wish I could have seen it... I hope it was painful." Serephina said, her cold tone surprising me, but still, I liked her enthusiasm.
"He did. A lot." I confirmed, and the warm smile she gave me did not at all fit the topic.
"It was... nice. I only wish we ran into you sooner." Valerie said suddenly, but her tone was earnest, and her voice was sad.
"I'm sorry..." I said, trying to give her a reassuring smile, "I can't change what happened, but I'll do my best to give you a better life starting today." I said, conviction in my voice. After all, after this meeting, she'd be free to do whatever she pleased.
She did not cry, but I could see that it through a lot of effort. She way her lips trembled as she smiled at me was both heartbreaking, and heartwarming. Whatever she chose to do, it would be because that's what she wanted, and nothing else.
"T-thank you, Lord Crosse." She said sincerrly, and I had to force a smile and not groan. I would definitely be stopping that shit ASAP. Still, she looked genuinely happy and hopeful, so I gave her a pass for now. She deserved that and more.
"You're welcome." I said with a smile, which helped to set her even more at ease.
"Yes..." Martin said, pushing awkwardly through the moment, "Anyways...many things have come about since then. For one, the members of his party have been detained, and thanks to their Framework abilities being suppressed with mana shackles and collars, as well as some powerful truth potions made from the most skilled alchemist in the city, we've gotten them to confess to their crimes. Some of what I've heard they said is... something I never wish to hear again."
"I want the big guy." I said, my voice laced with anger. The things that I heard Delvin say stuck in my mind, and I wanted him to experience my version of pain before he died.
Martin looked at me for a moment, before surprisingly, he just nodded.
"Very well." He said simply, and I blinked.
"Really?" I asked, and he gave me a smirk that wouldn't look out of place on a supervillian.
"Elias... you aren't the only one who heard what that bastard said. You aren't the only one enraged by what you heard... and I know full well that you will make good on your words, and that you'll make it hurt." He said, and I smirked right back at him as I nodded.
"Oh, I will." I said, and Martin nodded, and Serephina gave me a look that conveyed her approval as well, and I gave her a slight tilt of my head.
"Excellent." He said, and then his lips pursed, "As for what was found at their home... we did indeed find many inviduals. A couple of men actually... apparently the Assassin, Dessia, is quite the repulsive woman. Many of them had multiple lacerations, missing fingers, and in one man's case, a missing eye. A couple were... well, no longer with us." He said, and everyone at the table stiffened.
"That evil bitch." Sheila growled, and yeah, that was pretty much the jist of it. Everyone voiced their agreement on that.
"Quite so." Martin said, "However we also did recover a fair bit of women in that house as well. They were in similar conditions as the men, but there was... well... a few dead bodies, and signs there were more. According to what we got out the Swordsman, they simply burned the bodies once they began to smell."
There was a snap as my right hand was gripping the edge of the table so hard I accidentally tore a piece out of it. The fact that people like this were able to become as strong as they were because of the Framework was sickening. I got ahold of my anger, and boxed it away for now. At least they got caught, and at least they couldn't hurt anyone else ever again.
"I'm going to enjoy my time with that asshole." I said, my voice low and rather ominous sounding.
After that, Martin went on to question each member of the Misfits about not only what they witnessed today, but of many different things they both saw and heard about Tempest and its members. Their involvement today was fairly minor in the case of Delvin, but they had been with us practically the entire time, and their testimonies would also help seal the team's fate.
"I think that's about all we needed. I do thank all of you for your cooperation, but more so, for your company." Martin said once everyone got resituated, "As more comes up, and as we get further along this process, we will keep you all updated and informed. I don't believe it'll take very long." He said that last part with a growl in his tone.
He looked at everyone for a moment, his eyes settling on Clarissa at the end. She gave a slight nod.
"Terroth, Serena, Benji, and Sheila. Thank you for your words, and again, for being great company. You all are always welcome in my home." He said, giving them a genuine smile, "Unfortunately, this next part is where I am going to have to ask you all to step out."
I looked over at Clarissa, who looked anxiety riddled and nervous. Her eyes darted around the room frantically until they settled on mine. I just stared back at her, and I just wanted her to know that everything would be okay. I think she understood that with how gaze softened, and how she gave me cute little smile. I wanted to protect that at all costs.
"Yeah, I will fucking kill anyone who tries to hurt her."