Lara who followed the butler inside the mansion was now face to face with the supposed head of the family. The family head was much younger than she expected. He looked to be around his mid twenties. His overall presence was weak, Stephan Regalcrag was a symbol of how low the Regalcrag has fallen.
Lara and Stephan were sitting in front of each other. The butler who guided Lara was standing beside Stephan. Lara also noticed that there were three men hiding behind each picture on the wall. She could practically hear their bowstrings.
There were also eight men hidden underneath the room, to be more specific underneath the position she was sitting on.
"Good day lady Lara. Can I ask, why is the rising star of the adventurer guild, looking for someone like me?" Stephan was looking at Lara observing her every move. '
"I am here on behalf of my party leader Ren. He wishes to make a deal with you, more specifically with the fallen nobles in the city."
Stephan who was observing Lara's every movement, was trying to see if she was lying or trying to do something else. Yet no matter how long he looked or how much he tried to observe, every facial movement, every twitch, he couldn't see anything through Lara's stoic expression.
"So what kind of deal do you wish to make?"
Lara took out the list and read the part Ren wanted her to say to Stephan.
"Ren wants to offer you a chance for revenge. He says if you join and work under him, he could help your family regain the honor they lost, and if you want he could also help you dispose of the first prince that made your family into a scapegoat, which led to your fall from grace. Ren is also offering a steady income if your work under him, so what do you say."
Stephan who heard what Lara said has his facial expression darken. Lara could feel bloodlust from the people surrounding her. She almost unconsciously attacked, since that's how she was trained. Still she held herself back and waited for Stephan's reply.
"Lara, do you really think we the Regalcrags, will allow a young nobody of an adventurer to have us serve under him? We may hate the first prince, we may have lost all our honor, but we have not lost our pride. Also even if we do consider your offer, how do you expect us to believe that you and your party leader could actually do what you promised... Of course you can't, this is talk is over, you may leave." Stephan gestured Lara to leave, but Lara didn't want to leave just yet.
"Then please tell me, what is it that you want?" Lara didn't want to give up just yet, since Ren wrote on the list that if negotiations fail, she was allowed to annihilate the whole fallen noble family that rejected the offer. Lara didn't want to do that, since if she explains what happened to Ren, she would need to say that she didn't bring Kithra along as she did the negotiations. Also among the other nobles in the city the Regalcrags were the most important, and Ren really seem to emphasize in them on the list.
"Didn't you hear me? I said you may leave."
"I wont leave until you tell me how I can convince you to join us." Stephan who was looking at Lara was confused if this girl was being serious, or wasn't. He just couldn't tell from that expressionless look of hers.
"I already said that we wont be joining, Cale please escort our guest outside." The butler standing beside Stephan, approached Lara and was about to grab her hand, but before he could do so Lara used her right hand and chopped at Cale's throat. Her movement was so quick and fluid Cale wasn't able to dodge. Being hit on the throat with that much force, he was now on the ground having difficulty breathing.
Stephan who saw this was about to shout for the people underneath to attack, but before he could say anything Lara stomped on the ground while infusing her right foot with mana, which resulted in her breaking the floor, and creating a cave in, incapacitating the people underneath the floor.
The archers who were hiding behind the paintings, didn't wait for Stephan's signal anymore. They shot their arrows, but Lara who was already expecting that, caught all the arrows and flung them back to the ones who fired them.
Lara was able to fling the arrows and hit precisely on the right hands of the three men, making it hard for them to use their bows. Stephan who witnessed Lara doing all these in a matter of seconds was stunned into silence. Lara who had just finished incapacitating everyone who had directed their bloodlust at her, was now walking slowly towards Stephan.
The man who was currently the head of the Regalcrags did not cower in front of the overwhelming force shown by Lara. Even though they had fallen and he was the worst head of the family, he was still a proud Regalcrag. So he stood their showing a fierce expression as he looked at the approaching Lara.
"I was ordered to annihilate your whole family if you didn't comply with Ren's wishes, but I decided not to do that. I will give you one more chance. Tell me what I need to do to make you join under Ren's flag."
This time Stephan was truly surprised to hear what Lara said. After all that she has done, it would seem that she really was holding back.
'If this kind of person is that faithful to Ren, then he must be something. If this Ren person is stronger than Lara, we might actually have a chance to get revenge on the first prince. Still I wonder what he's planning on doing?... Based on what I heard Lara say a while ago, Ren wishes to make all the fallen nobles in Grenton follow him... With only that information at hand, I can make a few guesses on what he wants to do, but all of them aren't really anything good... If I don't follow him the Regalcrags will end in my time, and I as its final head...'
While Stephan was thinking on what to do next, Lara stood their patiently waiting for an answer. After a few minutes, Stephan finally talked.
"Fine, I only have a few conditions before my family joins your group. But before I do that, can you please come back tomorrow, since I need to talk to the other family members regarding this situation. Once I finished doing that I will tell you my conditions, is that alright with you?"
"Alright, I will return tomorrow." Lara without hesitation answered, and left the mansion.