Chapter 809 809 Unexpected Tactic
Putting the onus on Forest Grove, the town founded by exiled and rebel witches and run by a Magi, was not the bargaining tactic that Wolfe had expected Morgana Coven to take in their dealings with Gormana.
If they made the deal as Forest Grove and her allies, then it put Gormana in a tight spot, as they hadn’t finished a formal deal with Forest Grove on a national scale yet, and it made Wolfe partially responsible for their behaviour, should anything happen.
“So, what level of agreement might you be willing to agree to? I, personally, would prefer that we have a comprehensive agreement covering everything from trade and finance to military aid in the event of an invasion.
You might not know it yet, but there was an attack on Morgana Academy in the last few days, and we were left to clean it up when we arrived looking for Headmistress Peach. I don’t have official numbers, but I can say that there were some casualties, the Fae protector of the Academy was seriously injured and the students were briefly imprisoned before we arrived and set things right.” Wolfe explained.
The Coven Council erupted in panic like he had dropped a bomb in the room, and in a way, Wolfe supposed that he had done exactly that.
There were calls to get Peach up to meet them, as she was supposed to be teaching a midwifery course right now, and calls for a military force to be called to the Academy for their protection.
Cassie raised her voice over the noise. “There will be no need for the military to get involved. Once you hear the details, it will be clear that this particular attack could not have been avoided, and the barriers around the Academy have already been upgraded by Saint Noxus.” She announced.
“Who is Saint Noxus and why would he help?” One of the Council members, a nearly blind old woman with two younger witches beside her, who were normally acting in her place, requested.
“That would be me. Wolfe Noxus, also commonly known as the Snow Demon, and a former resident of Morgana Fortress City. I was briefly a resident of the Academy, and there are good friends of mine on both the staff and faculty there.” Wolfe replied.
“Oh, you. Yes, now I understand. It’s just so strange to hear a Magi be called a Saint that I hadn’t realized. I thought it might be the Fae you brought.”
Wolfe shook his head, then spoke for the old woman’s benefit. “No, she is here as part of the negotiation team, and will potentially become the representative left here to work with you to ensure the future of the Fortress City. It is a common thing now, for Fae or Demons, and sometimes powerful Witches, to come and take care of a city, ensuring that they have what they need, including protection from hostile outsiders.”
That caught Reiko’s attention.
“You would leave one of your people with us?” She asked.
“Well, technically, once she is here she would be one of your people, but she was living in Forest Grove until she was picked as the finalist for this position. You can turn it down, but I will advise you that the benefits greatly outweigh the drawbacks of having a powerful Fae in town.” Wolfe explained.
The youthful Fae stepped forward, and the Council took in her aura, which had just reached Rank Five, as well as her beautiful face, which seemed to dazzle everyone for a moment before they recovered.
“Hello everyone. It is a pleasure to meet you all, and I do hope that you will agree to have us work together.”
She spoke gently, but her words carried power, and a hint of magic. Her heritage had a bit of Siren in it, and the ability to easily sway people with her words came naturally, but she was also an elementary school teacher, and possessed an immense amount of patience for small children’s lack of knowledge and misbehaviour.
That was why she had been recommended, Wolfe was certain of it, as the Fae was looking at the Council as if they were children in her class.
Reiko recovered after a few seconds and began to seriously assess her. “As a test of your skills, what do you think of the proposal that Mister Wolfe is likely to make?”
The Fae smiled at Wolfe with a teasing look on her face.
“Well, after spending time in Forest Grove, I can say for certain that he won’t be looking to claim witches from your city, he has plenty of those throwing themselves at him. The towns who came for the Festival that just ended all had great things to say about the trade agreements that have been ongoing, especially the new underground highway system, which will certainly be in the agreement.
Other than that, they will most likely present their new currency, backed by signature locked magic, as well as the unified pricing scheme, which the Fae and Demons all use for common trade goods, as a basis to begin negotiation and prevent inflation or price gouging.”
Reiko blinked slowly as she took in all that information.
“Have you been sleeping with him?” She asked.
“Eww, no. My kind doesn’t breed like that.” The Fae replied, waving off the suggestion as if it disgusted her.
Reiko smiled at Wolfe. “You really did pick the best one for the job and not just a woman who would be loyal to you, didn’t you? I don’t know whether you intend to count this as a personal favour, or if there’s some other form of negotiating tactic behind it.”
The Fae giggled and shook her head, which seemed to entrance the Council again, and put them at ease, though they hadn’t noticed it yet.
“It might have also been an insult. You see, I teach small children the basics of the world, how to get along in a multicultural city, and simple things like proper hygiene. The fact that he thought an elementary school teacher was what your city needed might not necessarily be a compliment.” The Fae informed her.