To Renato's surprise, Governor De Sousa did not slide a secret order, a commission, or some unspoken request across to him as he had expected.
In the reception room high in the White Harbor fortress, the atmosphere remained as relaxed and friendly as it had been at the start.
The elderly Governor De Sousa sat in a broad armchair. He had grown stout, stretching the front of his formal coat taut, but his narrowed eyes still held the keen edge of a veteran warrior.
Seeing that Renato had chosen his weapon, he merely nodded with a genial smile, as though this were the most ordinary gift in the world.
After indicating that the swordsman could put away the Lightning Javelin, the governor spoke again, lavishly praising Renato's prowess and asking about the battle in which he had killed the Myrkul Worshipper.
Renato's answers were brief at first, but the old man was clearly not satisfied with a dry account of the outcome and kept asking for details.
Faced with a fellow warrior who knew his craft, Renato could hardly brush him off. There was nothing about the raid that needed hiding, either, so the swordsman continued recalling the fight, explaining his decisions and reasoning.
When he heard that Renato had ultimately destroyed the Relic Casket containing the necromancy mage's soul and killed both of his bodies, De Sousa could not help applauding. He repeatedly praised Black Blade's keen combat instincts to the accountant beside him...
With the mood built up this far, it should have been time to discuss "business." Yet the old man remained comfortably settled in his chair, as though he really had summoned Renato just to chat and get acquainted.
Renato was no greenhorn adventurer. He knew all too well the value of the enchanted weapon in