Nemobrosus

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Chapter 33: Government Bailout

Willem looked at Stephen. “Everyone here?” he asked. “Even the undesirables?”

“Ah…” Stephen scratched the back of his neck. “Yes. Everyone is here.”

“Wonderful.” He patted the man’s shoulder, then walked over to a nearby window. He produced a glowing gemstone, and perched it beside the glass. “Shall we begin with the welcoming speech, then? You lead, natura...

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Chapter 32: The Great Hullabaloo

“So… Gustav is going to be at the monthly meeting?” Willem asked.

“He said as much himself, at the Soaper’s Hall,” the man nodded. “He said that he’s going to attend, and that he’s going to settle things with you one way or another there. He’s also been in contact with this woman named Dorothea Rook about you, and he might have some dirt.”

“Dirt in the Soaper...

Chapter 31: Wouldn't Hurt a Fly

Viviene watched as her son poured himself a glass of wine. It was her wine, she noted—even in a time like this, he wasn’t willing to waste a single coin. She hadn’t recalled him being so frugal when she’d left those five years ago. He sat down in a chair beside the downstairs hearth, where the fire faintly crackled.

“I’ll just tell it to you straight, because it’s e...

Chapter 30: Sheep in Wolf's Clothing

Petronella opened the door to the florist and herbalist shop, wrinkling her nose at the scent of herbs that suddenly assailed her. She walked in with purpose, knowing precisely where the person that she was looking for was. He seemed to hear her approach too, because Willem turned his head.

“Ah.” Willem stepped toward her easily. “If it isn’t the wolf in sheep’s clothing. Or… ...

Chapter 29: We Live in a Society

Buying businesses for cheap was a delicate art, because it was a zero-sum game. If someone was buying, then someone was selling. If the deal was obviously imbalanced, the seller wouldn’t sell. One had to tread a razor-thin line of showing interest, but not too much interest. There were always exceptions to the rule, of course—reasons why sellers might sell for cheap. External troub...

Chapter 28: Heart of Gold

Willem opened up his chest of gold, peering within.

“I can’t stop you from taking it all,” Anne Claire said. “I’ve kept it safe for you, but it is yours. But are you utterly certain that you need to take all of it? I ask only for your well-being, Willem.”

“I am,” Willem said decisively. “Anne Claire, my lovely lady, there’s a villain out there in the str...

Chapter 27: The Red Raven Darkens the Church

Petronella watched curiously as Willem looked at her up and down. His immediate reaction had been alarm—she’d seen that on his face as plain as day. She didn’t make any sudden movements. She had merely intended to set the stage for the conversation. If he was as bright as she thought, he would piece things together very quickly.

“What are you?” Willem asked.

“You were ra...

Chapter 26: The Plan to Kill Capitalism

Petronella led the frail-looking girl that’d introduced herself as Dorothea to the private Chamber of Divulgence. Before she could give her instructions to the woman as to how to use the chamber, she spotted something in the mirror. Dorothea held up a gold coin, in the center of which was a spherical obsidian bead. It was a familiar thing for any spy of her order—Petronella could feel its p...

Chapter 25: Willem's Deadly Battle

Catharina walked through the gardens of her husband’s estate, having just finished one of the many books in the vast library of the Duyn estate. She always felt a little empty and sad when a book was finished, even if the ending was a happy one. She was lost so deep in thought that she almost missed the fact that Willem, too, was walking right in front of her.

At first, her breath caugh...

Chapter 24: The Will to Kill

Viviene stared at her son through her one good eye, waiting for him to take up his stance. Willem glanced at the greatsword without much enthusiasm, and then looked back at her.

“A sword, huh? Quaint,” Willem began. “Not much my speed anymore. When I was younger… I thought war was a natural thing. I was an eager volunteer. The first to drill, the first to practice, the first to pu...

Chapter 23: The Great Soap War Bubbling to the Surface

“Pottery. Textiles. Tanning. Cosmetics. Shipyards. Dyeing. Domestics.” Willem looked at a page, then folded it back to look at Dirk. “Do you know what all of these have in common?”

Dirk looked out the window of the office distractedly.

“Dirk,” Willem called out loudly, and the man looked back. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Just… we haven’t had any new custo...

Chapter 22: Preparing for War

“Willem’s not here,” Hans van Brugh said, keeping his best patient smile on in the face of this guest. He stood in the grand hall, where visitors were received. Half a dozen knights stood all around him. “Sorry that you’ve wasted a trip. If you get scurrying back now, you might avoid a snowstorm.”

A tall man in immaculate armor stood proud. He had hair that was so blonde it al...

Chapter 21: Greasing the Unions

“Willem,” said the baron as he walked into the private room. “Thank you for coming. I wanted to speak to you at that event you held, but… there was no time.”

“I get it,” Willem nodded knowingly. “Well… shall we?”

At the same coastal restaurant that they’d met last time, Willem sat down with Baron Tielman, prepared to give him the bad news. The deal had fallen a...

Chapter 20: Trimming and Burning the Fat

“I have to admit, Willem… I’m impressed.” Viviene looked upon the account sheet he’d placed before her. “Over three thousand gold. You brought it all together. Provided not too many of them die, and provided you don’t err royally, that number will keep getting bigger. Meaning… your pay will keep going up. People tend to want to die less than they want to live, I’ve found. You ...

Chapter 19: Oldie Goldie

Catharina stared out at the docks of Gent, seeing nightmares behind her eyes.

Everything had been going rather well. She’d come here, disguised. Her brother hadn’t seemed to take any notice of her presence—he exchanged a cordial word of greeting at one point, but nothing beyond that. He seemed like an entirely different person. She wouldn’t exactly call him ‘polite,’ because h...

Chapter 18: The Society of Assured Prosperity

Anne Claire stood at rapt attention, her eyes scanning the ballroom ferociously. In her youth, Anne Claire had been quite the socialite. She had been the friend to the princess of the age, who was the very nexus of high society. She had become well-drilled on the intricacies of hosting a party and managing a social group—skills that she found worked just as well on her son’s vassals as it d...

Chapter 17: First Thread to Sew a Broken Family

Viviene had studied her son’s work for the whole morning. His accounting was far more meticulous than she’d been expecting. She had been anticipating it’d be something like her first day managing the accounts in House van Brugh—namely, that the records were so shoddy she had to end up reworking it all. Instead, it was all written out in clear, precise language. It was as if Willem expec...

Chapter 16: The Event of a Lifetime

Petronella watched all of the male scions of House van Brugh exit Willem’s Society of Assured Prosperity. Her human heart was still, but the metaphysical heart of the wild monster within beat quickly and rapidly as she gazed upon Baron Tielman once again. Her stalemate against him in the Grand Crusade echoed in her mind.

In particular, a scar on her abdomen throbbed. Battles with aura u...

Chapter 15: The Battle of Lobster Table

Willem picked his teeth with lobster legs as Dirk procured some chairs for the newly-arrived. He’d spent a great deal of effort creating a pleasant atmosphere for negotiations, but it seemed this unexpected arrival had somewhat chilled it. Still, it might play to his advantage to have both of Willem van Brugh’s parents present.

But these weren’t his parents. He’d never lie for con...

Chapter 14: Mommy

Countess Anne Claire stared at her table in some bemusement as Lennard van Brugh laid out colossal beaks in front of her one by one. She was certainly no monster hunter, but even she could tell these had been freshly claimed. Each of them was near as big as her head, and Lennard carried a full bag of them.

“And… nine,” Lennard finished, lining them up so they appeared more presentab...

Chapter 13: An Unloving Family

Tielman held his sword in front of him, staring at the training dummy with unwavering eyes. He took a step forward and swung downward. The magic within the dummy made it come alive, and it swung its blade to parry his own. He masterfully maintained his momentum, beginning an ever-quickening dance. Metal glancing against metal filled the hall with a song of iron. The baron’s frustration poured...

Chapter 12: Tantalizing Temptresses and Tradesmen

Willem examined the fancy workshop that Anne Claire had recommended to him. He could hear the sounds of industry echoing out of its fenced perimeter. The place looked unassuming, but that was largely because it was sectioned off from the rest of the city so well. Up close, one could tell that this place was quite the formidable operation.

“Willem van Brugh?” asked the person behind th...

Chapter 11: How to Juice a Merchant

“We had no idea that you were the scion of house van Brugh,” said a rather plump woman as she sat next to her thin and wiry husband. He didn’t look particularly thrilled to be here.

“I didn’t make it obvious, I hope.” Willem smiled. “It wasn’t relevant, then. But for the Society of Assured Prosperity, there’s a need to establish legitimacy. Beyond the van Brugh name, thi...

Chapter 10: Germinating the Seed of Greed

Dirk had settled into an easier life than he’d been expecting.

In the coming days, Willem agreed to take ownership of the lodgings that Countess Anne Claire had provided in exchange for giving her some profits off the top of the fund. His things—a chest of gold, and little else—were moved into the portside building. Anne Claire ‘forgot’ about some clothes and furniture that the ...

Chapter 9: The Heartless Maiden

“It could get ugly.” An orb hummed out a voice, emanating light from atop a dresser. “He’ll be paranoid after the poisoning failed.”

“I have the tendency to make ugly situations end beautifully,” responded the woman as she stared into a mirror, tilting her head to view it from different angles.

To say this woman was beautiful would be understating the point. Bright red...

Chapter 8: The Fabled Bootstraps

“This is the place,” Anne Claire said, stopping at a black iron gate. She leaned on her cane to peer inside.

Willem looked beyond the bars, eyes darting around an ostentatious—if unmaintained—three-story mansion. It had a rather unique color palette, the walls being a pleasant white while the tiled roof was a blue so deep and rich it might be misconstrued for gray. In terms of the...

Chapter 6: It's No Wall Street

After a week’s travel, they arrived at the city of Gent at midday. Willem sat by the window of the enchanted carriage, watching the city come closer into view. It had solid twenty-foot-tall walls of beige stone. It reminded him of his visit to Spain. More specifically, it reminded him of his tour of the Aljafería Palace and Alhambra. Its gates had those distinctive horseshoe-like arches he�...

Chapter 7: The Limitless Machinations of the Shadow-Monarch Schemer Spider Devil Puppetmaster

“The countess will see you now,” the male attendant said, bowing fluidly and perfectly.

Willem was jealous of this attendant. It made the small package that was Dirk seem somewhat lackluster by comparison. The only thing Dirk had going for him was inquisitiveness and a little brightness. But beyond the attendant, everything here was quite nice—they’d passed through a grand courtya...