Sir Bagdemagus, the Knight of Anvil and one of the three well-known guardians of the Lioness Kingdom. In short, he was one of the three most influential knights to exist in this kingdom.
The old knight not only possessed power and influence, he was also a respected figure known for his ferocity while defending the kingdom's territory. Were it not for his involvement with the death of Emery's father, probably Emery himself would follow the man.
At the moment Emery was interested in what Luna Quintin would think if she knew that he did kill the famous knight.
"What if I did?" Emery asked with a serious tone.
Luna's grin did not disappear, she simply nodded and asked. "Well, I am sure you had your own reasons, Merlin. I had no personal quarrel with the old knight, nor did I have any good relationship with him. So, I have no particular interest in his death. But you Merlin, you are my friend. Honestly, If you are involved with the knight's death, then it involves me as well. Tell me if you are in trouble and I will assist you however I can."
Emery was stunned into silence. He was quite surprised by her answer.
The thought, to tell the truth, did cross Emery's mind. Although Emery knew from her glance, the smart woman already knew the answer to the question. But Emery had no plan to explain more details about it as for her to know further means he has to tell her everything about him.
At least not at the moment where there are still too many unknowns.
"Thank you, Luna" Emery gave her a small, genuine smile "and… unfortunately, yes I am involved, but at the moment I can't share too much information about it. Hope you understand"
"I see… but I hope if it gets more problematic, you will tell me and let me help you."
"Actually I do need your help about this matter"
Hearing this offer, Emery didn't hesitate to ask Luna to find out the whereabouts of the silver knight named Keane. By finding the knight, Emery hoped he could find more clues about this matter and also news about Morgana.
Afterward, continuing to take bites of the food, Emery asked Luna about the incident that had happened right outside her estate.
"Ah… That, yeah. It was that pig Fantumar!. That's the result of one of his plots."
Fantumar yet again. The name really annoyed Emery at this point, as the greedy noble and his family seemed to crop up everywhere to cause problems, and especially for him this noble was the one responsible for his father's death.
"Yeah, Merlin. basically after we found out the bastard did really poison my father, the Quintin's faced a few more difficulties with our business"
Luna then explained about the Quintins' business and how its strength lies within their connections with other countries outside of Briton. Thanks to this network, they always had a way to find better products with more competitive prices, leaving their main challenge to delivering products without any harm coming to them. In order to offset the costs of this, the Quintins had to expand their services, so they offered a service to deliver the products of other merchants as well.
The mutually beneficial relationship between the Quintins and the other merchants continued undisturbed for a few years, until the second highest ranking noble of Lioness Kingdom decided to cause trouble, disturbing the Quintins' distribution network.
"Yeah, he used his power to cause trouble during distribution, now even competitors have started to make trouble with us, and friends start to lose trust. This leads to what you saw earlier. Thanks to that, we suffered many losses." Luna sighed.
"What can I do to help?"
Hearing emery respond suddenly made the woman's eyes shine in excitement.
"Actually, your involvement would be very helpful, Merlin. The man used a lot of manpower for his dirty deeds. With such a great fighter and magician on my side, I'm sure these people would think twice before causing trouble again"
Emery did wish to help, However, right as he was about to accept, he hesitated. "What kind of things do you need me to do?"
"About that… Even though I said I needed more manpower, I know you must be very busy right now… I was thinking about appointing you as... the benefactor of the family. With a wizard such as you as our benefactor, I am sure it will go a long way… What do you think, Merlin? Can you accept my request?" Luna asked. Though her expression still seemed confident, Emery was able to see her gaze waver for a second.
Emery was honestly honored by the offer. One of the biggest merchants in the kingdom wanted him to be their benefactor.
Luna's seriousness tempted him to say yes. But, yet again, the words died in his mouth and doubts crept up on his mind again.
"Luna, one thing you must know, by doing this you don't just have my help and support, but you will also be the target of my enemies. Aren't you afraid of that?"
Emery was probably strong enough to protect himself, but he was not sure he could say the same for Luna
Luna's smile did not falter. She looked at him in the eyes and replied.
"So, you agree?"
The wicked smile made Emery lost his words. Probably he worries too much about this. Emery decided to accept the offer.
"Wonderful! Welcome to the family, Master Merlin."
Looking at the smart women in front of him, Emery honestly thought this could be a start of a wonderful, lifelong partnership between them.
They ate dinner in silence, but their mood had considerably improved. Afterward, Luna showed Emery to the previous guest house for him to spend the night. Luna also ordered several attendants and guards for Emery in case he needed anything.
Before leaving, Luna stared with half-lidded eyes at Emery before flashing another wicked smile. Emery found her usual smile always hid something, be it sinister or merely playful, right under the charm. But this time, it was clear she was planning something.
"Actually Merlin, I shouldn't have asked you to be my benefactor… I kinda regret it," Luna sighed and winked at him.
Emery stared at her with a puzzled expression. "What do you mean, Luna...?"
"I mean… Why did I ask you to be our benefactor, when I could ask you to marry me instead?"
"..."
Emery turned speechless. All his words died in his mouth and right then and there.
"Hahaha master Merlin, of course I'm just kidding, Besides, I am probably too old for your taste, right?" Luna let out a small laugh. "Don't look so disappointed, I am sure you will have your chances with a lot of pretty women." Luna winked.
Emery racked his brain, trying to find a good response for her, but nothing came to mind
"Haha, Good night Merlin." Luna stepped out and peeked out before leaving. "Think about my proposal, will you?"
"... Good Night, Luna."
Emery entered the guest room with a long sigh. He really wished he could learn how to understand women better.
Being inside the same guest house reminded him of Morgana. He seemed impatient to hear news about her. But he knew Luna would need a few days at least to get any news. Therefore tomorrow he plans to go to the Forbidden Forest.
He held the slight hope Morgana had escaped and returned back to the forest with her brethren. He also thought of visiting the High Priestess in order to ask more about the history of the Chrutin. Perhaps, it would shed some light on his current situation and give him a hint on how to solve his problems.
And most importantly Emery had a dragon to visit.