" Guild master Trojn. " Said the official breaking free of the support of the guard who had fetched him.
His gaze had softened as he proceeded to talk to the Trojn.
" This boy has been found guilty of … " he suddenly paused finally realizing he didn't know what Sen was brought in for.
He stuttered for some seconds until finally the guard spoke up.
" He's being accused of attempted theft of his contract merchant, Sir . "
Trojn shifted his gaze to the boy, still in cuffs , then to the merchant. He moved a few step closer to the boy.
" Tell me , what is your name ? " he asked looking at the boy.
" No need to bother yourself sir, well take c … . " one of the guards tried to talk but was interrupted by a hand gesture from Trojn coupled with stern gaze.
Sen was still confused by the occurrence that had transpired. In his mind he had thought that once they reached the guild the small misunderstanding between him and the merchant would have been solved and he would collect both of his rewards. Two birds one stone, he thought. But no that would have been too easy. The stone had to get heavier.
In front of him stood Trojn . He was gesturing one of the guild members with a stern look on his face.
" Have I seen him somewhere? " he thought trying to remember where he had seen the man standing before him.
" Well then , care to tell me your name ? " the man asked again.
" My name is Sen , pleasure to meet to you sir. " he answered .
Trojn chucked . The people around him looked at one another confused at the sudden laugh from the guild master.
" You've gotten taller Sen , I could hardly recognize you. " Trojn said.
" Don't worry Rusty, I'll handle this from here on. " he said moving closer to Sen.
" But sir , this issue is beneath you . Let me … " Rusty tried to plea .
" I understand the situation better than you think Rusty . " he said his tone resting on Rusty's name.
Rusty glanced at Sen the back to Trojn . He sighed mending his wrinkled over coat.
" Do as you please . " he said his tone obviously unsatisfied.
" B— but what of my silver . " the merchant beckoned annoyed with evident anger under his breath.
" Are you going to let him go just like that ? " he added.
A few steps away , the noble looking woman stood watching , her attendant standing next to her. She had being silent as the observed the spectacle unfold. Suddenly her attendant's eyes slightly lit up as though she realized something. She stepped closer to her lady and whispered into her ears.
" Is that so . " the lady in a low tone said.
Then she stepped forward , her every step light and graceful .
" I'll vouch for him. " she said, confident ,looking at the panicking merchant.
In the merchant world a vouch was an agreement between two merchants where one merchant would help the other out of an unfavorable situation with the condition of being under their debt. The debt was specified through a contract and was to be followed t. If not followed it would have disadvantageous to the breaking party as they would soil their name and business. The opposite true leading to benefits for the helping party.
Giving a vouch also meant taking the faults of the involved party . So that's where when the lady offered her vouch, it left the room agape in shock .
" A vouch from the Be … Bel … Belhe house ?! " the merchant asked , shocked on seeing who had offered it.
" It would be at your best interest, Sir . " the noble lady's attendant said stepping forward.
The merchant only stood there , his voice shaky and trembling hardly able to form a word. In front of him was the head of the Belhe house and she had just offered him a vouch over some random boy. How was he to say no.
" Now since that's settled , Lothor … " Trojn said as he ushered to Lothor, the eye patch guy, to release Sen of his cuffs.
Sen barely noticed the man with an eye patch release the arcane runed metal cuffs from his hands. His attention was fixed on the lady in a maid's uniform. Her brown hair complimented her dazzling crystal blue eyes , as she stood besides her employer.
" We meet again, Sen. " Lisa responded a small smile on her face.
" Lisa , right ? " Sen said finally remembering her name.
Lady Belhe was still as she gauged Sen . Her eyes had narrowed , her mouth hidden by her black and white fan .she was slightly shorter than Lisa but that didn't deter the confident air that hung around her . She then closed her fan , walked towards Sen with her arms crossed the said .
"So you're the Sen my granddaughters couldn't stop talking about . "
Sen looked at the graceful noble standing in front of him. He understood the situation and what it meant for him. He then reached for his small bag brandishing the card given to him by Lisa.
" I guess this is no longer valid now. " he said handing the card back to Lisa.
" Yes it isn't . " Lady Belhe answered.
In the guild house hall groups of guild members had gathered witnessing the spectacle between Sen and the merchant. They murmured amongst themselves as the situation escalated. The guild had been a structured and orderly house due to its new Imperial Gentry renovation. Things we t smooth based of the rules on how to handle situations like the one occurring right now. So it came as a surprise when the members of the guild saw Sen's cuffs disappear together with his case. This added fuel to the spark with murmurs more intense as though they wanted Trojn to hear their disapproval for Sen's freedom.
Trojn had anticipated this and had come up with a counter.
He turned to Lothor giving him a slight nod. Then he walked towards Sen as the murmurs in the rooms started to settle awaiting Trojn's say.
" Even though you've been taken under a vouch , you'll still need to get punished for your wrong doing . So …"
" While under my vouch you'll work for the guild with no mission wage granted to you by the guild. " Lady Belhe concluded Trojn's statement at the end pointing at Sen with her fan.
The murmurs had died down. The groups of watching guild members dispersed into their various activities others evidently unsatisfied by the outcome.
" Now then Sen I'll eave you to Lothor to handle the paper work and your first mission. " Trojn said as walked towards the main guild house door.
In his head , Sen understood barely half of what happened. He had come here for a payment and now he was bound to a vouch. His body was still tense from when he was about to be arrested. His eyes met the merchant's, who simply gave a small bow, unapologetic ,before excusing himself. The two imperial guards had also stepped aside, their previous sternness fading into faint irritation.. But something was clear ,his visit to Laptove had been extended indefinitely and for some reason he felt a rush of relief because of it.
"This way please. " Said Lothor ushering Sen to the guild registration counter.
Sen turned to his new contract person by vouch and with a slight bow he took his leave following Lothor to the counter.
Standing on the second floor was Lady Nexa . She had seen the whole incident and only one question reigned clear in her head.
" What are you thinking, Trojn. "