บท 16: A deal with the devil

"Yes, I do talk for all of us. So, what do you mean by business, Lord Liam?" Leo was extremely careful and sharp with the man in front of him. It was pretty clear that any misstep or a wrong agreement with this man would mean 'Game Over' for them. He gave an aura of a demon, while the business felt like a deal with the devil.

"Simple, I don't care who summoned you and I am not interested in the place you came from either. But you do have an extraordinary amount of Qi and that is what I am sure of. I am pretty sure you will become significant elementors in the future if you are trained with proper support." Liam said with a smirk pasted on his face.

"What exactly are you proposing, Lord Liam?" Leo stared right into Liam's eyes which made the latter smile, noticing how daunting Leo was.

"I have no lack of money and I got a lot of authority. While you seven need a good amount of money and a little bit of help from the outside to get into one of the great academies, don't you?"

"And you are going to provide it for us?" Leo's pupils flared as he said those words.

"Yes, Mr.Leo."

"So, what's the catch, Lord Liam? What do you want from us in return?" Leo maintained the same expression as he asked.

"Simple, you seven will be on my side if you ever might have to choose sides on anything." Liam's face had a big grin on his face as he declared his conditions.

"It sounds good, but I got a few more conditions to add."

"Go ahead, tell me your conditions." Liam's smile vanished as he turned back to sit on his chair.

"Firstly, if you order us to do something unethical or if your personality turns out to be similar to a devil in disguise, then it will void our agreement."

"I agree that many have called me a devil, but I assure you that I am true and loyal to humanity, as well as the kingdom. So, I have no issue with your condition."

"Second, if we ever do anything consequential for you, then I ask you to release us from our bond. I am expecting you to have some pride and dignity. That would mean that you will stand true to your words when you judge whether what we did for you, was prominent or inconsequential."

"Hmm."

"I guess, chaining you down for the rest of the life is not correct anyway. I agree to it as well. Do you have anything else to ask for?"

"Yes. Actually, the thing is...we have no idea about this kingdom. Please teach us some commonly known facts or things we have to know before we leave for the academy or we are sure to stand out." Leo's face turned awkward as he put forth his final request.

"Hahaha." Liam laughed out loud barbarically, not giving a care to his position as a lord, seeing which the knights in the hall sighed.

'I saw that coming.' This was what the face of everyone in the seven said.

"Okay, I gladly agree to the last request as well. So does that mean we have a deal Mr.Leo?" Liam sat back properly on his chair as he looked at the latter with a smiling face.

"Yes, Lord Liam." Leo looked back at the rest of the six, who nodded at him in agreement. Leo walked up to the desk and gave a handshake which Liam accepted gladly.

"Rachael, take them to our guest rooms. They will be staying here for a while." Liam ordered one of the maids who were standing in the corner of the hall to Liam's right.

"Wait!" Leo yelled out of nowhere.

"Any problem Mr.Leo?"

"The thing is..." Leo's face turned awkward again which confirmed Liam that he had another request.

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"Hey! More beer here! Hahaha!" The night bar was as lively as any other night but the seven didn't return. Matt started to worry if something happened to the seven and decided to go out and look for them. But as soon as he opened the door he was greeted by the same squad of soldiers who captured Leo and others in front of his gate.

"Can I help you?" Matt asked with a serious face. For some reason, he felt that the soldiers came here because of something the seven had done.

"Can we talk inside, sir?" The officer asked with a polite face and Matt agreed almost immediately.

Two of the soldiers followed the officer inside with Matt while the rest waited outside. Matt led the officer and the soldiers to the living room of their house which was quiet and had no smell of alcohol, unlike the bar. The soldiers stood beside the officer, while he and Matt sat down across each other.

"The seven teens who worked for you are actually nationally important people and Lord Liam wants to thank you for taking care of the seven for him. He asked me to reward you for all your hard work." The officer recited the same story Liam ordered him to tell Matt, while he signalled the soldier beside him to place the small bag he was holding on the table between them.

"The seven will be leaving for the academy soon, Mr.Matt. Let me thank you on behalf of our Lord once again. We will see ourselves out then Mr.Matt." The officer bowed a little along with the other soldiers beside him before leaving immediately.

Matt just stayed silent with a grim face throughout the conversation that was actually only the officer talking.

"So, they are gone huh? Well, they will have a bright future ahead of them for sure." Matt looked into a distance, with hints of sadness visible on his face, as he slowly proceeded to open the bag.

"..."

"What the hell!?" Matt's jaw fell to the ground, his eyes seemed ready to pop out of their sockets in astonishment.

The bag had a letter along with fifty platinum coins which would amount to more than what he could earn with his Inn/Bar/Restaurant, even if he lived for another fifty years. Matt immediately proceeded to open the letter inside, inked with only a few words.

"We thank you for all you have done for us Boss."