Beast Slayer Online: Initialization
Copyright© 2026 by CaffeinatedTales
Chapter 123: Wolves Beneath the Banner
“Bring us something to drink, Roche. My throat’s drying out.”
Foltest called without looking back. Behind him, a man in his twenties or thirties turned naturally toward the tavern counter. A moment later he set two cups of Kaedwen Black Ale before Foltest and Lannor.
The man kept his jaw tight and his eyes narrowed. A ragged cloth cap sat on his head, and there was nothing remarkable about his face. What set him apart from the rest was that when he came close to Lannor, no unusual emotion crossed him.
Whether that came from excellent self-control or from a heart broad enough to make light of everything, it was a fine quality either way.
Not everyone could stand before a creature that had slaughtered more than two hundred elite warriors alone and keep his legs from trembling.
After serving the drinks, Roche returned to his place without a word.
“He is a fine warrior, isn’t he?”
Foltest took a deep swallow, then nodded toward Roche behind him and smiled at Lannor.
“Son of a whore. Rolled in the gutters, fought like a dog, then I dug him out and raised him into what he is now. For that alone, I had my cousin’s corpse burned on the spot. He did not deserve to lie in state under Melitele’s gaze.”
Lannor nodded lightly.
A king who could discover and cultivate a young man born into such misery had more than an eye for talent. He also had eyes that could look down into the mud where common folk lived.
His stance on the slave trade case needed no asking.
“Have you settled the children?”
Compared with a lump of dead meat, Lannor cared more about the living.
Foltest had handled the matter first after burning his cousin’s corpse.
“They will be cared for, then contact will be made with their families so they can return home.”
“I suppose you will not merely send them home. They are useful weapons against Stessa’s reputation.”
“Of course I need them to deal with what remains of Stessa’s reputation. At the same time, the more famous those children become, the safer they are. That is a victory for both sides.”
Across the table, the two men clinked cups with a mutual understanding.
“Now, let us speak of you.”
Foltest set down his ale and snapped his fingers behind him. Roche again stepped forward, this time carrying a heavy-looking pouch to the table.
“Five thousand orens, along with the plate fittings you removed in Vizima and that good horse of yours. Payment for cutting through a slave-trading chain. Personally, I would also like to reward you for smashing my cousin’s head, but that would provoke his remnants too fiercely. Regrettable.”
Arya, sitting at the table, swiftly wrapped both arms around the pouch Roche handed over.
It was heavy. Arya was delighted.
Heavy enough to make even Wolf’s Blood smile.
“That is already a great deal. I heard the bounty for lifting the princess’s curse was only three thousand orens.”
Lannor nodded. The impulse to do good came from his own conscience, but if good work also brought a satisfying reward afterward, why complain?
Seeing Lannor accept the money, Foltest nodded.
“You asked about the children, but not about Merigold?”
“She is a royal advisor who protected royal interests during the incident. I have no reason to worry about her.”
Lannor’s noncommittal answer made Foltest shake his head despite himself.
“I was not talking about safety. You should have seen her today. Full of fire.”
Foltest gave a low laugh.
“This is likely the closest she has ever stood to the thing called power. Officials and nobles who are usually polite and distant crowded her with questions about last night, circling again and again toward her miraculous friend, which is to say, you. Before today, she had no idea those dignitaries possessed such vast reach.”
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