Chapter 73: The End of a Long Day 2

Meanwhile, in the dining room, the women were far from finished with their discussion.

Isadora had retrieved several reports.

"Now that we’re alone, there are a few more serious matters to discuss."

The tone shifted slightly.

Lyriana put down her cup.

"My agents have noticed several unusual movements."

Elena sat up straight.

"Related to us?"

"Probably."

Lyriana spread out a small card.

"The large purchases of materials, the travel between guilds, and the new orders from the duchy are starting to raise eyebrows."

Shiora nodded.

"It was inevitable. We’ve increased our purchases of crystal, rare metals, wood, and magical components over a very short period."

Elaria added,

"Even by splitting the orders between several suppliers, some quantities are still difficult to conceal."

Isadora frowned slightly.

"Who’s investigating?"

"Several trading houses. Two neighboring territories. And at least one network indirectly linked to the Holy Empire."

Shiora’s face immediately lost its amusement.

"The Empire is also starting to cause problems on certain trade routes again."

She unfolded another document.

"Several caravans with ties to Valoria have been subjected to unusual inspections. Some goods have been delayed without clear justification."

Elena clenched her fists slightly.

"Officially?"

"Officially, health and customs checks."

Shiora gave a cold smile.

"Unofficially, economic harassment."

Lyriana continued:

"They’re also spreading several rumors."

"What kind?" Elaria asked.

"Valoria is supposedly secretly stockpiling weapons. Isadora is supposedly preparing a trade war. The new taxes are favoring certain guilds." "Some roads crossing the duchy have become dangerous."

Isadora sighed.

"Nothing serious enough to provoke an official reaction."

"Exactly," Lyriana replied. "But enough to gradually create mistrust."

Shiora folded her arms.

"They’re testing our reactions."

Vespera nodded slightly.

"And probably trying to find out why we’re stockpiling so much material."

Isadora thought for a few seconds.

"Then we’ll give them ordinary reasons."

Shiora was already smiling.

"The new city barrier. The expanded workshops. The production of the Valoria Games."

"Exactly."

Lyriana added:

"I’ll also circulate several deliberately incomplete pieces of information. If different networks report different versions, we’ll be able to identify their sources more easily."

Elena smiled slightly.

"Personalized fake intelligence."

"Yes."

Selene calmly took a piece of meat.

"And if someone decides to attack directly?"

Isadora looked at her.

Selene smiled.

"I’m just asking."

"Then you’ll finally have something to do for the project," Shiora replied.

Selene seemed satisfied.

Once the strategic matters were settled, the atmosphere gradually relaxed.

The documents were pushed aside.

The drinks were replenished.

And for several minutes, no one spoke.

Then Isadora put down her glass.

"There’s still one more matter."

Shiora raised an eyebrow.

"More important than the Empire?"

"For us, probably."

Her gaze fell on Vespera.

The dragon understood immediately.

Isadora smiled gently.

"Tonight, Vespera will finally join us." "

A brief silence followed.

Then Selene smiled broadly.

"Finally."

Vespera didn’t look away.

She remained calm.

But a faint flush appeared on her cheeks nonetheless.

Elaria adjusted her glasses.

"This also means we won’t have to keep paying attention to the order we decided on anymore."

Elena nodded.

"Starting tomorrow, no one will have to wait their turn."

Shiora rested her chin on her hand.

"So we can finally show Adam our affection whenever we want."

"Within reason when there are other people around," Isadora immediately added.

Selene groaned softly.

"You always ruin the best parts."

"I’m a duchess. I have a reputation to uphold."

Shiora smiled.

"And what about in the manor?"

Isadora shrugged calmly.

"The manor is our private residence."

Selene’s smile widened considerably.

Elena blushed slightly.

Lyriana discreetly looked away.

Elaria remained perfectly serious, but her slightly red ears gave her away.

Shiora raised her glass.

"So, starting tomorrow, we’re going to stop holding back."

"Yes," Isadora replied.

Selene stretched in her chair.

"And we’re going to start sleeping together again."

Elena looked up.

"All of us?"

"Of course."

Selene smiled.

"I missed that. Before we all had our own responsibilities and residences, we almost always ended up in the same room when we came back from a mission."

Shiora chuckled.

"Often because no one wanted to check which one had forgotten to book enough rooms again."

Selene pointed at her immediately.

"You were the one in charge of the money."

"And you, the one who spent half our budget on food."

"I was hungry."

Vespera thought for a moment.

"Adam’s room will have to be modified, though."

Everyone turned their eyes to her.

"It’s large for a single room, but it’s still essentially a standard room in the mansion."

Isadora nodded immediately.

"I was already thinking about making it bigger."

Shiora smiled.

"After the baths, are you going to renovate another part of the mansion?"

"Yes."

"I wasn’t criticizing."

Elaria was already thinking.

"Spatial extension. Wider bed. Enhanced insulation. More wardrobes. Additional storage space."

Selene raised a finger.

"The bed has to be sturdy, above all."

Silence.

Elena blushed.

Lyriana immediately looked down at her cup.

Isadora stared at Selene.

Shiora started to laugh.

Vespera remained silent for a few seconds.

Then, very seriously, she said:

"It is indeed an important structural parameter."

This response provoked even more laughter.

Even Elaria had to turn her head away to hide her smile.

Selene tapped the table gently.

"You see? Vespera understands me."

Isadora sighed.

"We’ll see about that tomorrow."

Then she observed the women gathered around the table.

A gentler expression appeared on her face.

"It’s been a long time since we’ve all lived under the same roof for so long."

The laughter gradually subsided.

Shiora nodded slowly.

"A very long time."

Vespera studied the reflections in her glass.

"Before each of us took responsibility."

Elaria murmured:

"Before the guilds."

Selene added:

"Before the territories."

Lyriana smiled slightly.

"Before you all became frightening."

Six eyes turned toward her.

Lyriana froze.

"I meant... respectable."

Shiora burst out laughing.

"Too late."

Isadora also gave a small laugh.

Then the memories began to resurface naturally.

Shiora was the first.

"Do you remember that campaign in the Dravorn Mountains?"

Selene frowned.

"The one where you forgot the supplies?"

"I didn’t forget the supplies."

Elaria adjusted her glasses.

"You forgot to check that the crates were loaded onto the right caravan."

"It’s different."

Vespera looked up.

"We went four days without any prepared food."

Selene smiled.

"And we had to hunt."

Isadora shook her head slightly.

"I mostly remember your cooking."

They all turned to the absent Astraea as if they could still see her in their memories.

Shiora burst out laughing.

"Astraea decided she could cook an entire deer with a single fire spell."

Lyriana lightly covered her face.

She probably knew this story.

Selene continued:

"She placed the meat near a tree."

Vespera finished calmly:

"And her spell missed the meat."

Elaria added:

"But not the tree."

Elena’s eyes widened.

"She really almost set the elven forest on fire?"

"A small part," Isadora corrected.

Shiora laughed even louder.

"Little? Three teams of druids worked until the next morning to stop the flames from spreading!"

Lyriana sighed.

"Mother always says it was an exaggeration."

Vespera replied:

"Your mother’s lying."

Everyone burst out laughing.

Then Selene suddenly raised her hand.

"Since we’re talking about disasters... the first quest." "

Isadora immediately closed her eyes.

"No."

"Yes."

Adam wasn’t there to hear the scene.

But if he had been, he probably would have discovered for the first time that Isadora could actually look embarrassed.

Selene began:

"Our first real official quest. We had to take out an iron golem that was blocking an old mining road."

Elena immediately became interested.

"Sounds pretty straightforward for you."

Shiora smiled.

"It should have been."

Elaria looked at Selene.

"But someone identified the golem from afar."

Selene proudly placed a hand on her chest.

"Me."

Vespera continued:

"Selene stated with absolute confidence that it was just an ordinary iron golem." "

Isadora murmured:

"So we hardly prepared anything."

Shiora raised a finger.

"No anti-adamantine equipment."

Elena blinked.

"Wait..."

Lyriana understood before she did.

"It wasn’t iron."

"No," Vespera replied.

Selene grimaced.

"It was an adamantite golem."

Elena remained silent.

Then she looked at the women around the table.

"You almost died on your very first quest because Selene mistook the metal?"

"Yes," Isadora replied.

Selene crossed her arms.

"From a distance, they look alike."

Elaria immediately replied:

"No."

"You’re a craftswoman. That doesn’t count."

Shiora laughed.

"I still remember Selene hitting the golem for ten minutes before yelling, ’Why doesn’t this thing break?!’"

Selene blushed slightly.

"I was young."

Vespera murmured,

"And very noisy."

Then the stories continued.

Elaria tried to remain silent for a moment.

It was a mistake.

Shiora turned to her.

"Since we’re talking about youthful mistakes..."

Elaria’s ears perked up.

"No."

Selene understood immediately.

"The potion!"

"No."

Isadora smiled slightly.

"Which one?"

"You know perfectly well which one."

Elena looked at Elaria curiously.

"What happened?"

Shiora seemed delighted.

"After a battle, Elaria was exhausted. She took what she thought was a recovery potion from her bag."

Elaria slowly closed her eyes.

"The label was damaged."

"And it wasn’t a healing potion," Selene continued.

Elena gradually understood.

Her face turned red.

"Oh."

Lyriana looked away to hide her smile.

Shiora continued:

"It was an experimental aphrodisiac potion, far too concentrated."

Elaria opened her eyes.

"Experimental is the key word."

"She spent the entire night in a terrible state, and we all had to stay with her, refresh her, stabilize her mana, and stop her from doing things she would have regretted the next day."

Elaria corrected her sharply:

"You mostly drowned me in ice spells." "

Vespera replied:

"It worked."

"I was cold for three days."

Selene laughed so hard she had to put down her cup.

Elena discreetly wiped away a tear of laughter.

Elaria folded her arms.

"I hope you’re satisfied."

"Very," Shiora replied.

Vespera thought she’d escaped the drama.

But Isadora calmly turned her eyes toward her.

"The Tower."

Vespera froze.

Selene suddenly stopped laughing.

Then her expression became even more joyful.

"The Tower!"

Elena looked at Vespera.

"What did you do?"

"Miscalculated."

Shiora nearly choked.

"Miscalculated? You razed the Tower of Mages!" "

Elena opened her eyes.

Even Lyriana, who probably already knew the story, smiled.

Vespera remained perfectly calm.

"The old tower."

"That detail doesn’t make the story any better," Isadora replied.

Vespera calmly picked up her cup.

"I was testing a new spatial compression formation."

Elaria explained:

"She wanted to artificially increase the mana density in a research chamber."

Shiora added:

"She increased the density of the entire structure."

Selene gestured with her hands.

"Then..."

She abruptly spread her arms.

"Boom."

Vespera looked at her.

"The destruction didn’t make that sound."

"I remember it did."

Elena asked:

"There was no one there?"

"Thankfully," Isadora replied. "It was a holiday. Almost all the mages were out."

Vespera put down her cup.

"No one died."

Shiora smiled.

"She’s used that argument for twenty years."

"It still holds water."

The next victim was Isadora.