City Of Sin

181-190

Negotiation(2)

Augen’s face immediately turned the colour of ash. “SIR RICHARD!” he barked, “You’re trying to provoke an earl!”

“A court earl,” Richard poked coldly. This was Augen’s soft spot; a court earl didn’t even have as much territory as a titled knight. The fact that he had managed to gather two hundred soldiers and dress them up in flashy armour was an accomplishment. Of course, any hope that such an army would actually be effective in battle was just wishful thinking.

The man almost turned green at that point, having to use all his restraint to keep from whipping Richard’s face. It was extremely foolish to fight a great mage; Augen had some of the shortcomings common of court nobles, but he definitely wasn’t foolish.

“Do you want to start a war against Earl Yatu and Duke Grasberg?!” Augen roared.

“Earl Augen, do not forget your position! Do you even have the right to stir up a war? Remember what you’re here for; if you want a battle, I will honour your wishes. However, let me give you a word of advice: I have no intention to earn any gold from you. A court earl is not worth much,” Richard icily reminded him.

Internal battles between nobles were normally solved by war. Although many powerful nobles tried to suppress such things, strife could never be controlled. However, unless the warring families had a blood feud the loser could surrender without being killed. Besides, the amount of ransom depended on the value of the prisoner as well. Even if Richard didn’t want to kill Augen, he could still easily maim him.

Augen’s complexion flashed between green and white, no words coming to his mind. He wanted to order all his troops to charge, killing Richard and his army with one quick move, but his rational side reminded him that the only ones who would obey such an order were his personal troops.

The 300-strong light cavalry belonged to the royal army. They were here on Zim’s mother’s behest, to protect her son. They had only been loaned to Augen to avoid Richard making unreasonable demands. If his orders threatened Zim’s safety, the battalion would kill him first.

The Earl took several deep breaths to quell his intense anger. He then said coldly, “Now then, Sir Richard Archeron, are you here to discuss the ransom with me?”

“Of course not!” Richard laughed. Ransom was a word that always brought him joy, “Follow me, I’ll bring you to Viscount Zim. Once we’re done with that, we’ll proceed to a meeting room to discuss the ransom.

“Just so you know, I don’t have any premium tea or refreshments. Nor do I have china or oil paintings. Everyone outside of your personal guard should be a kilometre away from the barracks. Of course, you can send the supply trucks over first!”

Not long after, Augen had met the Viscount and confirmed his health. Zim’s booming voice alone was proof enough that he was well.

However, the process of the negotiation held some surprises. Augen’s anger did not seem to have dissipated. He was unwilling to budge on any aspect of the discussion, determined to duke it out with Richard. He even threatened to go back and have someone else take his place.

This unyielding attitude surprised Richard. Normally, the royal family should have gotten someone unemotional for the negotiations, especially for such a special prisoner like Zim. Bevry’s words about the royal family considering the Viscount a burden were starting to make sense.

Augen’s unexpected stubbornness caused Richard to reexamine the ransom amount. It seemed like he was near their bottom line, and had he had no wish to carry Zim around as a prisoner for much longer. If the Earl backed out and a new person had to take his place, more than half a month would pass before negotiations would resume. Time was currently of the essence.