Steel and Mana

"Who's the little fu-"

"Did I permit you to speak?" I asked before Yuri had a chance to finish the sentence. "Thought so. She is Luna, a maid who volunteered to show us around."

"G-greetings." She curtsied, looking shy and reserved, but I knew that she was probably crying in her head.

"They are my personal guards. Yuri and Oleg. You can ignore most of the things Yuri says as she is sick in the head."

"I am not." She answered, but after I gave her a doubtful look, she simply shrugged her shoulders. "Whatever. You're the boss!"

"Leon!" My father's shout reached me, and as I looked around, I saw him hanging out from one of the windows on the first floor. "Heading out?"

"That was my plan! I want to look around the city a little!"

"Don't stray far; we may be insignificant, but that doesn't mean some other nobles wouldn't want to use us in some idiotic ploy! We are only staying for a few days, don't stir shit up for your old man! The meeting will happen tomorrow, the first thing in the morning! Getting an appointment with the Empress herself was hard, so I want no problems!"

"No worries, Dad! I got it!"

"I am not worried about you! Whatever... We will go over most things with your Uncle, and we will have a meeting after dinner. Be back by then!"

"Sure!"

"You... You will have a... meeting with the... the.. the Empress?!" Luna asked, stuttering, feeling her legs wobble like jelly.

"Yeah, why?" I asked, not getting her sudden dizziness and why her face had abruptly turned whiter than chalk.

"Meeting the Empress of Envy... I wouldn't dare do that, not even if I am a noble!"

"Huh?" We looked at each other before now surrounding Luna. "What do you mean?"

"You are really clueless, aren't you? Haaaah... bar- Khm!" She flinched, holding back her tongue and looking at me with pleading eyes, "Can we go to a place where nobody can listen in? I don't want to end up without my head! Please!"

"This sounds juicy!" Yuri grinned, licking her lips, and I couldn't help but agree.

"I'm hungry! Luna, take us to a place you think is fine, and we will sit down, chat, and have a fulfilling lunch!"

"I have no money..." She whispered, which was a surprise; I thought she would catch on quicker.

"I will pay."

"Really?" It was as if a switch had been flipped; she looked much more eager and ready, the shaking evaporating at once, her legs standing firm and travel-ready. "Okay! This... isn't a prank, yes?"

"No." I answered seriously and honestly. "We are not barbarians." That made her blush and fall silent, looking at the ground, drawing circles with her toes. "Now that we have established our first goal, let's go! I am interested in what you can tell us!"

"Maids are nice!" Yuri grinned, watching her from behind as we began walking. "They can get into nobles' beds and gain some juicy information!"

"I am not that kind of a maid!" Luna protested, looking over her shoulder, her face turning red like an apple.

"Those types of maids always say the same." Yuri countered, but then I interrupted them. I still needed Luna to spill the beans; the best course for this was being on her good side.

"Just look at her walking, her speech pattern, and how she carries herself. She is a proper maid, and you are a street kid, Yuri."

Surprisingly, she didn't shoot back, and watching her eyes, I saw she quickly caught on to what I was doing, playing along. I should remind myself that although she acts crazy, she has sharp senses and a quick mind. Or she wouldn't have lived this long. My compliments quickly did their job as Luna walked much more happily next to us, feeling proud, leading us to only a street away from our mansion, right to a two-story restaurant.

"Mugs Filled." Oleg murmured, reading the sign above the front door as we walked in. "Filled Mugs? Weird..."

"They have been here for more than a hundred years!" Luna explained proudly, but I wasn't really listening.

On the way here, I was inspecting the roads and buildings, all made out of stone and bricks; there was not one that was made out of wood or any much easier material to get and work with. The way the city was built was a minimum of five or six centuries away from what was present in either our territory or my Uncle's region. Not to mention, I didn't see any mines nearby, so all of it had to be transported here from elsewhere. This also meant that the technology that the Empire was sitting on was way more advanced than I first thought about. I just never guessed that there could be THIS much of a difference between regions within the same Empire.

"Is he... okay?" Luna asked, and her question knocked me back to reality.

"He is fine. When my boss's mind gets ticking, he goes into this ultra-focused mode!"

"Then why are you squeezing my thighs?" I asked Yuri, who quickly withdrew her hands with a grin, not explaining anything, making Oleg snort and Luna blush.

"Let's switch!" My general suggested, but we were already seated at a private booth on the second floor, reserved only for nobles.

"Leave it." I shrugged, looking around, examining the empty tables as right now we were the only ones up here. "You can't turn a wolf into a sheep anyway."

"Woof!"

"You are weird..." Luna whispered, making me look at her. She looked even tinier, with Oleg sitting next to her.

Before I could question her, the waitress came up, wearing an article of red and white clothing with an apron, reminding me of how waitresses used to dress in old movies. At least... in my old life, that is. She was young, a teenager maybe, and clearly nervous but also happy that she could serve nobles. Was she expecting tips? Is tipping a thing here? Damn... I truly felt like a country boy coming to the big city for the first time.

In the end, I let Luna order for all of us, and going by the names of the dishes, I was sure we would get some chicken and beef with either rice or potatoes. I wasn't sure and couldn't deduce it from the names alone. While the dishes were being prepared, the young waitress suggested we order drinks, and I was expecting the usual. Oleg and Yuri didn't hesitate to call for some wine, while Luna only asked for water. Me? I was feeling mischievous.

"Coffee."

"Most certainly!" She smiled, bowing and hurrying away, leaving me awestruck.

"Coffee?" The others asked, looking at me, and they were just as dumbfounded.

"I didn't know it would work." I said honestly before shaking my head. "I will need to get me some for home..." I almost added that I was missing the taste of a good coffee but managed to hold the last part in.

"I didn't know about any nobles who drink... coffee. It is the ordinary people's drink." It seemed Luna rarely could hold in her thoughts, speaking them out loud again, making Yuri nod.

"Yeah, and soldiers. They say it is the workers' and slaves' drink. It keeps them functioning longer!"

"Bullshit!" I scoffed, now feeling angry, "It is the best drink. Period. Oleg, no! I don't care what you want to say! Coffee is the best."

"I didn't try to say anything..." He murmured, glancing away, looking troubled.

"Okay, while we wait, we can have a little chit-chat! So, Luna, please explain!" I said hurriedly, ending the conversation.

"Well, this place is-"

"Don't play dumb." I chuckled, seeing her try to divert the topic, "Empress of Envy. Why?"

"Please don't say it out loud; it is not something you want others to hear!" She pleaded, looking around, but luckily, the waitress hadn't returned yet. "She ascended the throne 12 years ago, and since then, they say whenever she found something she liked, it simply disappeared. Taken away and placed into her private collection! I know that there have been some laws made that prohibit other nobles from wearing certain colors, like purple. Or black. Or crimson! Only the Royal Family is allowed to appear at events, donning those colors!"

"Pft..." I could barely hold back my laughter after hearing it.

"It isn't funny!" Luna complained, pouting, turning silent while our drinks arrived.

"It is! It is precisely what I imagine that some self-centered noble would do." I countered, lifting up my mug and enjoying the aroma I had subconsciously missed for all these years. Oh yes... this needs to be imported, like, immediately.

"They say people who meet with her try to look mundane, so she doesn't find something interesting about them and takes it away! There were rumors that..." She stopped momentarily, looking around twice before whispering, "Even people have gone missing!"

"Spooky. But! I wouldn't worry. We are here to report, and our family is tasked with guarding the Frontier. I don't think our barbarian lineage has anything worthy of an Empress, hm?"

"That's true." She nodded, agreeing without hesitation before her mind realized what she had done, turning white and teary-eyed.

"Barbarian?" Oleg scoffed, his fingers squeezing the metal mug in his hand, leaving imprints on it. "What a brave observation! Have you ever visited the Frontier?"

"N-no..." Luna answered, looking up at Oleg, gulping multiple times, shaking like a lonely leaf in the wind.

"I bet she never even left the city." Yuri added, leaning back in her chair, enjoying her wine.

"Y-yes..."

"That makes me curious!" I interrupted them, "What is your background?"

"I am just a maid... um, nobody important!"

"Explain." I pressed on, resting my chin on my crossed fingers. "I can learn it in multiple ways. I just want it from the source first."

"Hauh... Well, I am Luna Gottfried. My family were the servants of Earl Sigismund, but that line died out 40 years ago, so since then, we have been dwindling in reputation and numbers. Families that lose their noble backing usually fall further and further down if they don't find a new family to serve. I just finished my training and this was my first job, taking care of an empty mansion, uuuuu! I didn't know guests were coming!"

"Why don't you strike out to do something else? A new profession?" I asked, honestly curious about her situation.

"Do what?" She moaned, lowering her head in dejection, "You don't know what it is like here, huh? It is all about background! Prestige! Rank! Families like mine have no chance to rise or change. We have been servants since we wrote memoirs within my family hundreds of years ago, and we will die out as one. Earl Sigismund's enemies are still present, and anybody taking us in would also say they are the late Earl's supporters!"

"I thought they died out?" Yuri asked, baffled, but Luna just sighed again.

"That doesn't matter. Not for nobles."

"Lucky me and my birth!" I laughed, looking towards the stairs, seeing our food arrive, "I wouldn't want to live here!"

"..."

Luna didn't really get that, but that's fine. I didn't try to explain it either. Instead, I focused on the nice roasted chicken and mashed potatoes. I need to bring back some recipes... they know how to cook!

I was just about to finish my meal, enjoying the last bites of food, when loud noises interrupted it. Looking at the stairs, I saw a group of young men coming up, wearing flashy blue, gold, orange, and green colored silk clothes. They were like a clown-troupe, stinking from cheap cologne.

"Are those silkpants?" I moaned, holding my head, rubbing my temple, not believing my darned luck.

"My Lord?" Oleg asked, not getting me, and neither did the two girls at our table.

"Of course they are. Of course, there are silkpants here... why wouldn't there be?" I continued ignoring them, praying for fate not to do it, but of course, it wasn't listening. Or it was and was laughing behind my back.

"Whose the weird guy?" One of them laughed like a hyena as they approached our table.

Of course, they are approaching me. Why the fuck wouldn't they...