The Paladin in the Abyss

"It wasn't found; it came with the house," Lancelot said, feeling a headache coming on, "She was murdered by the previous owner of the manor and enslaved by her killer even after her death. We only discovered her after we moved in. Poor child, you should be able to view people's memories, right? See for yourself."

Tijana stared at little Esha, her eyes emitting a mysterious allure. Esha, not knowing what to do, stood there looking into Tijana's beautiful eyes, her focus gradually fading.

Many images quickly flashed through Tijana's eyes, and a look of disgust appeared on her face, but she soon regained her composure.

"I understand, but the Head Tax still needs to be paid, be diligent about it next month."

"Uh, okay." Lancelot checked the meat patties while introducing the somewhat puzzled Esha, "This is Miss Tijana, Lord of Twin Bridges Town, and that Dwarf uncle is Barrend, Bruto's father."

"Ah! My apologies, esteemed lady! Good evening!" Esha's right foot slid back to the left behind her left foot as she curtsied to Tijana. Being from a court lady's background, she naturally understood what the title of Lord of Twin Bridges Town meant. She did not neglect the Dwarf uncle and greeted him politely.

Tijana simply nodded without speaking. She turned to Barrend, "The Craftsmen Committee just reported to me the results of this expedition. You've discovered a new major vein in that ancient mine? What's the situation like? Roughly how much are the reserves?"

"Yes, yes." Facing his literal demon boss, Barrend was still a bit nervous. "At a depth of about seven thousand feet underground, we were lucky to find this vein in a tunnel dug out by a shaleback beast. The exact reserves still need to be thoroughly surveyed, but I believe it will not be less than a hundred thousand tons."

"Very good." Hearing the numbers, Tijana showed satisfaction. "I've also heard that you've made a Cold Iron Weapon, and the chief craftsman spoke very highly of it. Where is the sword?"

"It was made for Sir Lancelot, and it performed very well in this operation."

"It's right there on the shelf to your right." Lancelot volunteered, lifting his spatula and pointing to his weapon.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Tijana took Frostslash out upon hearing this and examined it closely.

"Uh, it's extremely sharp, please be careful." Bruto looked anxious as he watched the Succubus, "In fact, just two hours ago, it cut off a finger from a six-armed Serpent Demon at the Mercenary Hall."

"Sonam told me about it," Tijana answered absently. She didn't need to harm herself to see the special nature of this weapon; this Metal indeed had a restraining effect on demons' innate Protection abilities. "If you have enough materials, how many such weapons can you produce every week?"

"For weapons of this quality, I can make about three a week," beads of sweat formed on the bottom of Barrend's forehead. "If it's ordinary Cold Iron Weapons, my kin and I can produce fifty a week."

"From now on, I promote you to Grandmaster Craftsman. You can apply to the Craftsmen Committee for labor, forges, materials, and anything else you need.

You have the right to decide the pay for your subordinates, and for each finished piece, Twin Bridges Town will pay you fifty Gold Coins," Tijana leaned close to Barrend, "However, in a month, I want you to deliver five hundred Cold Iron Weapons, and then a thousand each month after that."

"But, but…" Barrend stammered, trying to object.

"In a month, Twin Bridges Town's clients will come to my castle to vie for the smithy district's output for the next quarter. At that time, you will demonstrate the effectiveness of these weapons to my guests and have enough samples ready for them to all get a taste," Tijana continued.

"But that's too much." Barrend protested despondently, "I can't guarantee the quality of the weapons."

"I said, you can apply to the Craftsmen Committee for any resources you need. If there's anything they can't handle, you can come to me directly," Tijana's tone was very firm, "Let go of your Dwarven strictness towards your work. These weapons are not destined to be linked with any great adventures. They will appear on bloody battlefields and be discarded after their first use.

And I didn't say they all have to be swords; Nail-headed Hammers, Long Spears, simpler ones like these are fine."

Cornered, Barrend knew he had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Bruto's face was filled with a bitter expression at the side. It seemed like his old man was going to be busy and probably wouldn't have time to manage the big job he had taken on.

"Dinner is ready!" Lancelot's words broke the tense atmosphere in the room, as he and little Isha brought dish after dish of succulent shark lizard meat to the long table in the dining room, "My lady, you are our most honored guest, please sit at the head of the table."

"When did I say I wanted to have dinner with you?" Tijana retorted with a cold laugh, turning just in time to see Lancelot's appearance in a pink kitchen apron, which immediately made her face fall.

"This is truly a rare ingredient, coming from the finest part of a very healthy shark lizard, and I have carefully turned it into this scrumptious dish before you," Lancelot enthusiastically explained, pulling out a chair for Tijana. "Please have a seat. Little Isha, go call Kalalin down."

Tijana reluctantly took a seat, watching Lancelot courteously pour the beautiful sauce over the meat, her smile tinged with sarcasm.

"Who would have guessed you also have this side of you."

"Everyone has a side they keep hidden, only willing to show it to certain people," Lancelot said courteously after serving Tijana, then he went to pour sauce over everyone's plates and fill their glasses with wine, finally returning to his own seat.

Tijana watched his actions with interest.

"Why do you do this? Can't they pour for themselves?"

"I poured for you, too."

"You serve me because you want to win my favor," Tijana sneered, "But what about serving them?"

Tijana's question forced Lancelot to think about the reasons behind his actions, which he hadn't consciously considered, and he concluded:

"Because they are my friends, and this is a way for us to convey our care for each other."

"Meaningless behavior among altruists," Tijana commented coldly.

"Perhaps it is indeed meaningless," Lancelot evidently wasn't foolish enough to argue with the lord, "but many mortals really do feel fulfilled by helping others."

By then, everyone had arrived, and Kalalin brought a bottle of a special "wine" for little Isha, pouring her a glass of the bright red beverage.

"Everyone," Lancelot stood up with his glass raised, "A toast to our lord, the ruler of Twin Bridges Town, the beautiful and noble Lady Tijana. She may be a demon, but she has sheltered countless mortals who have strayed into this world and, more importantly, allowed them to live with dignity using their own skills. My lady, my highest respect."

Everyone raised their glasses to Tijana, including Barrend, who had just been thoroughly exploited by her. This took the succubus by surprise and caught her off guard.

"Please sit," Tijana finally responded simply.

"How does it feel?" Lancelot winked at her.

Tijana cut off a small piece of meat and put it in her mouth. With a light bite, rich, succulent juices and melting fat flowed out of the tender meat, mixed with a slightly charred flavor.

"It feels quite nice," she said, raising her glass and taking a sip, then showing Lancelot a smile.