I Reincarnated to Another World as a Woman-Chapter 194: Verified

The Rhaenas are outside, discussing where they should have lunch, when a voice calls out to them.

"Wait! Please wait!"

They all turn toward the voice and see Victor, pale and panting, standing at the café’s door.

Arthur steps forward.

"Mr. Langford, I apologize for what happened, but Maeve is one of us. I cannot condone any improper behavior directed at her or any of my team members." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Victor swallows.

"Mr. Arthur, I completely understand. And I deeply apologize for Jonathan Ludwig’s behavior. But please, let us talk."

Maeve steps forward.

"Mr. Langford, I also need to apologize for our previous conversation. I believe Teacher said those words because of that. I just wanted to make it clear that my life is my own. I want to live it the way I want. But I haven’t forgotten Teacher’s and your involvement in my life."

She steps closer.

"But I do not wish to be treated like a possession."

Victor nods.

"Maeve, believe me, I know. I am sorry for the way Jonathan behaves. Whatever your previous conversation was, what he did in the café was not okay."

He sighs.

"And Maeve... we really need this deal. You know our conditions," he says quietly.

"Please ask Arthur to talk to me. He’ll deal with me, and not with Jonathan."

Maeve looks at Victor. He has been a good presence in her life. One of the anchor people she knows she can depend on.

Maeve nods slightly.

"But no promises."

Victor looks relieved and immediately says, "Of course."

Maeve turns to Arthur and the rest of the Rhaenas.

They understand instantly.

Arthur nods and addresses Victor.

"Mr. Langford, congratulations. It looks like you have another chance to talk. But we can’t do it now. We have another appointment, and we don’t know how long that will take."

"We can meet tomorrow, same time, but at a venue of my choice."

Victor exhales, relieved.

"Absolutely. Let me know where, and I’ll be there."

"And since this is a business deal, I’ll come with our manager," Arthur adds, without introducing Claudia.

Victor nods.

"Yes, of course."

"We’ll see you tomorrow then."

------------------------------

"Ethan has cleared a level four dungeon?" Baroness Maristella cannot keep the envy and excitement out of her voice.

"Yes," Lucien nods. He sounds excited, without envy.

"And it doesn’t bother you at all?" the Baroness asks.

"Why should it?" Lucien genuinely doesn’t understand.

"Because he gets to use his magic without restraint," the Baroness sighs. "I want to do that."

Lucien laughs.

"Stella, entering a dungeon is not the same as going shopping. It’s very dangerous. Ethan succeeded not because he’s exceptionally good at magic, but because he brought nineteen other people with him."

"And mind you," Lucien adds, "they are not ordinary people. They are ex-military, ex-Sentinels, or ex-special forces. And that includes Ethan."

The Baroness sighs. She remembers. Ethan was once trained as a warrior knight in Valestria. Only for three months, but the training was intense and brutal. Eventually, he chose to become a full-time apprentice.

"I suppose all that training, and the fact that there are twenty of them, matters," the Baroness admits reluctantly.

"Of course it does!" Lucien laughs.

"Oh, don’t be envious of them. It’s better this way. We don’t have to do anything, and we get the heartstones. They’re the ones taking the risks. Isn’t that better?"

It fits Lucien’s character. Lazy, arrogant, manipulative, and dismissive of others. That similarity is exactly why the Baroness understands his thinking.

But Lucien has never been proficient in magic. He excels at interpreting ancient texts and scrolls, but his raw magic talent is far below hers.

"Oh, one more thing," Lucien continues. "Ethan asked if his people can learn magic. And we agreed. Today is their first day."

Silence.

"You are teaching Ethan’s people magic?" the Baroness asks, stunned.

"Yes. Stella, isn’t this what we’ve always wanted? Our own people. Our own army." Lucien is clearly excited.

It should be good news, but the Baroness does not share his enthusiasm. She hides it well.

"Yes, Lucien. It’s a very good thing," she says quietly.

Her thoughts drift to Thea Montrose.

If she were trained as a magus... I have a feeling she would be terrifyingly good.

"Stella, where are you? Are you going to visit your father?" Lucien asks.

"I’m in Solarys. There was an explosion at a dungeon site yesterday, and rumors say it came from inside the dungeon," the Baroness replies.

"I want to stay close to the matter."

"From inside the dungeon?" Lucien blinks.

"Yes. It was a rogue dungeon. Appeared in the middle of the street, in one of the busiest areas of Solarys."

"And get this, Luci. It only took the city around six hours to clear it."

"What?"

"That’s why I’m here. I want the details. I’m going to visit the Solarys Dungeon Emergency Unit. The chief is an acquaintance of mine. Ethan’s team might have found a rival."

The Baroness smirks.

------------------------------

"Wow, Captain. I really didn’t expect this." Claudia smiles, her eyes glinting with delight.

"You are the best, Captain!"

She takes the recommendation letter from Captain Chambers, who is actually blushing.

The Rhaenas glance at one another, all of them barely holding back their smiles.

"Why are you giving us the recommendation letter before the interview?" Arthur asks.

Captain Chambers clears his throat.

"It’s because the preliminary investigation results have come out. There’s no doubt that Rhaenas cleared that dungeon."

He pauses.

"Hence the recommendation letter, as promised."

"Thank you, Captain." Arthur bows slightly.

"Ah, forget it." Chambers chuckles. "It was Ms. Claudia who did it. I just fell into her trick, that’s all."

He gestures toward the hallway.

"Please come this way. We’ll be using the meeting room. We won’t be interviewing you one by one. This isn’t an interrogation. It’s a friendly information gathering."

He leads them into a spacious meeting room. The design is modern, sleek, futuristic, and deliberately non-intimidating.

Two more officers enter the room.

"We’ll be joined by these two," Captain Chambers says. "They’re my subordinates. Lieutenant Ashley Cole and Lieutenant Thomas Kerr."

The two lieutenants and Rhaenas exchange greetings.

"Please, have a seat."

Once everyone is seated, Captain Chambers gestures to Lt. Cole.

"Yes, Captain."

She clears her throat.

"I’ll be presenting the official reports regarding yesterday’s incident." She takes out a folder and distributes copies to each of them.

"I won’t go into detail. Everything is clearly stated in the reports. I’ll give a brief summary instead."

"The dungeon was classified as a rogue level eight dungeon. It appeared suddenly and went undetected until manifestation."

"From the moment it appeared to the moment Rhaenas entered, less than one hour had passed. This alone demonstrates Mr. Monfort’s efficiency."

She places the report down and looks directly at the Rhaenas.

"You quite literally saved Solarys. It would have taken us at least twenty-four hours to assemble multiple SUs to handle a dungeon of this level. By then, the chaos in the city center would have been catastrophic."

She bows.

"On behalf of the Solarys Dungeon Emergency Unit, we officially thank Rhaenas."

Captain Chambers and Lt. Kerr bow as well.