Chapter 241: Conditions
"What is the matter? Feel free to clear your doubts," Ryan stated from his chair.
He kept his serious gaze fixed on the newly arrived young woman’s face, noting the clear defiance in her blue eyes. There was no rush in his voice, letting the weight of his authority fill the silent lounge.
She did not respond immediately to her leader’s invitation.
Alisa pressed her lips together for a brief second, evaluating the dark-trench-coated man right in front of her. The young woman took a deep breath, filling her lungs with air to give herself the necessary courage before crossing the line of respect.
"They are not doubts, Your Majesty..." Alisa began to say, keeping her gaze high without letting herself be intimidated.
"I intend to follow your orders to forge armor for the party, but..."
She left the sentence incomplete on purpose, creating a heavy and strange tension in the room.
"But?" Ryan asked, looking at her in a slightly more serious and analytical manner.
He was not used to the inhabitants of his own villa setting direct conditions for him before working. However, he gave her the necessary space to finish expressing her demands.
"But, if your intention is to use me as a tool that works without rest," the young wolf continued with a firm voice.
"In that case, I’d rather you end my life right here."
Alisa blurted out the harsh words all at once, ready to receive a punishment for her immense audacity in front of the king.
The young wolf’s sudden complaint quickly clicked in Ryan’s cold mind.
He processed the girl’s harsh warning and immediately began to connect the logical dots. Ryan did not let himself get carried away by anger over the lack of respect, preferring to understand the real motive behind that defensive attitude.
’Without rest? Right... I suppose she understands it in such an extreme way,’ Ryan thought to himself.
He remembered the usual behavior of his other two main artisans in the villa.
’If her only reference is Mika and Runa, who are obsessive in their work, it’s normal for her to have that bad impression. But to prefer that I kill her right here instead of working?’ Ryan continued reflecting from his seat.
’Isn’t that far too excessive for a simple job request in this place?’
Ryan looked at her very seriously, without saying a single word out loud to reprimand her.
He interlaced his ten fingers right in front of his face and rested both elbows on his knees calmly.
His unwavering posture did not reveal whether he was furious at the insolence or simply bored by the complaint.
Right next to the young artisan, Alicia had a face of total and absolute sheer terror. The loyal wolf assistant’s eyes were wide open, as if she could not have predicted her younger sister’s behavior.
Alicia’s panic was evident, fearing that the king would decide to execute Alisa for her lack of manners.
In the rest of the spacious lounge, it was not at all common for Helen and Mirian to be completely quiet.
Helen clenched her fists from her seat, frowning as she listened to a simple newcomer talk to her leader like that.
For her part, Mirian crossed her arms beneath her chest, waiting to see how Ryan would handle the uncomfortable situation.
Ivis was also observing the peculiar scene from her spot, maintaining a very relaxed and attentive posture.
Perhaps everyone in the room was still detailing the defiant expressions and the strange attitude of the young wolf in front of them. Even if Ryan was considered the feared leader and the undisputed king of the entire villa, things had always been different.
Up until now, every inhabitant he had saved always treated him with enormous respect and profound gratitude. It was highly uncommon to witness such direct and informal behavior from a young woman toward her ruler.
Although, to the surprise of those present, it wasn’t something that truly bothered Ryan deep down. At least not in this particular situation, and definitely not at this precise moment.
That rebellious behavior right now only represented a curious and striking situation to him. He had in front of him a young wolf, slightly younger but just as pretty as her older sister.
And yet, both girls proved to have completely opposite personalities in every possible way.
"Alisa... what are you saying..." Alicia murmured to her, her voice trembling from enormous worry.
The wolf assistant reacted out of pure protective instinct and grabbed her tightly by the arm to make her see reason. Alicia looked at Ryan with great fear, and seeing that the man hadn’t responded yet, decided to intervene quickly.
Alicia let go of her sister and took a step forward, placing herself between the daring artisan and the king.
"Forgive her insolence, Your Majesty," Alicia pleaded, bowing her body in a deep and quick apologetic bow.
"I will personally make sure she understands her position in this place well from now on."
But Ryan did not immediately respond to his best assistant’s desperate apologies.
He simply raised a hand in the air with a very slow and calm motion to stop Alicia in her tracks.
His assistant’s young sister noticed the gesture of authority and remained standing in her original spot, without looking away.
’I perfectly understand the real situation here now. Unlike the exiled elves who simply lived hidden in the forest, this is different. All the demi-humans who now inhabit the villa were enslaved under the demons’ yoke,’ he remembered.
’They were possibly tortured cruelly daily and forced to work without rest until death. Now that she has tasted real freedom in my territory, it’s obvious she doesn’t want to live through the same thing again,’ Ryan deduced.
’But... for her to directly compare me with those slaver monsters is a bit offensive to my image. Although, taking into account how Runa and Mika work,’ he continued his train of thought.
’They both lock themselves in their own alchemy and blacksmithing workshops of their own free will, working obsessively day and night. From the perspective of someone new, it must seem like I force them to do that under threat.’
’It really doesn’t surprise me that this girl believes I am the tyrant responsible for that massive workload.’
With the picture clear in his head, Ryan decided to calm the young artisan’s suspicions immediately.
"I have never intended to use you in such a lowly manner," he said, breaking the tense silence of the room with his deep voice.
"I do not expect you to work beyond your physical limits in any way, nor to sacrifice your health for my assignments. I only expect you to do the work required of you, and that alone will suffice," the leader assured firmly.
"Right now, according to what your own sister says about you, you have very valuable skills that we can put to good use."
After making his intentions and work boundaries clear, Ryan stood up from the comfortable chair with a fluid movement. He took several steps forward, closing the distance separating him from the two wolf sisters slightly.
His tall, dark-trench-coated figure stood tall in front of them, demonstrating confidence and total control of the place.
"As long as you understand that well and fulfill your duty, use your free time however you see fit," Ryan promised her.
The young wolf listened to the king’s words and seemed to accept the peaceful deal, but kept her sharp gaze at all times. Realizing that she would not be exploited like a slave, Alisa relaxed and smiled quite noticeably in front of him again.
Certainly, that new expression of relief turned out to be somewhat dark and sinister on her delicate face. Perhaps the young artisan was unaware of it, or maybe that was her natural way of showing joy.
But her beautiful blue eyes also did not express any real murderous intent or hidden hatred toward those present. So Ryan simply let it slide, ignoring her peculiar way of smiling to move forward with the important matter.
He reached a hand into his large pocket and slowly pulled out the valuable relic that served as his own personal magical inventory.
He channeled a bit of his energy into the ancient object to activate its storage function immediately. And right in front of everyone present, in the middle of the house’s lit lounge, space seemed to tear open in complete silence.
The air vibrated softly and what appeared to be a small, mysterious dark portal opened up. It was a direct entrance to his own dimensional space, ready to deliver the necessary resources for his new artisan.