After speaking, Marius raised his eyelids and glanced at Veylin, then at Kale and Xiao Lan behind him. "You're the commander who kept us pinned here for four days? Your name is..."
"Veylin," Veylin supplied. "Weilin Klein."
"Oh, from the Klein Family." Marius nodded, his gaze passing over Veylin to study the terrifying beast in the river.
This time, a little life finally stirred in his cloudy eyes.
"Quite impressive." Marius smacked his lips. "It reminds me of the 'deep-sea lords' in the depths of the North Sea. Though they aren't nearly this big, nor can they cast spells this powerful."
He patted the restless serpent lizard beneath him and watched Veylin with a faint, ambiguous smile. "Lord Veylin, could this be some sort of... ancient surviving species?"
Veylin remained composed, neither confirming nor denying it. He merely brushed the snow and ash from his cuff. "You have a discerning eye, Count. It's just a little trick we country folk use to stay alive. Hardly worth mentioning."
"Heh. A little trick." Marius gave a knowing smile and did not press further.
"If you don't want to say, then let's leave it at that." Marius shrugged. "Let's talk business. Much as I'd rather stay out of it..."
He pointed in the direction behind Veylin.
"That idiot young master... I mean Major General Kaden. You have him, don't you?" Marius asked.
Veylin recalled Kale's report from moments earlier-the major general was locked in the dungeon with two broken fingers, his tears mingling with his snot as he did nothing but cry.
"He's having tea." Veylin lied without batting an eye. "The tea service isn't particularly refined, but the water is hot."
"Good." Marius breathed a sigh of relief. "As long as he's still alive. Whether he's missing an arm or a leg,