Orphelia watched Lou until the summoner broke into a run and became a brown blur. She added ‘fast’ to her mental file on the woman. She had a feeling that it would grow extensively.

Lourianne Tome was an existence like no other. Forget the pinnacle of the human body. She had thrown away being human entirely. Every inch of flesh was sculpted to go beyond anything anyone had ever imagined.

And that tongue.

She shivered just thinking about it. If every other part of her was as engineered as that glorious muscle, Lourianne Tome was a miracle.

Orphelia didn’t think she was attracted to the other woman, not in the way others might be. She felt nothing seeing her tight ass as she walked off or any other part of her body. However, Lou’s domineering physique didn’t care about her lack of libido. It demanded her arousal. Orphelia had never felt her heart pound and her body flush with heat as she dripped excitement. The experience was…novel.

As a hidden asset, her father had no intention of marrying her off. There was no need to cherish her chastity and sexual advances were a good way to lower a target’s guard. She was no stranger to getting physical but she never enjoyed it. Part of her training involved learning to fake it.

There was nothing faked about her performance earlier. Lou’s body set hers aflame and she couldn’t fight the pleasure if she wanted to. And when she reached that peak for the first time, her mind went white. Her constant thoughts…stopped.

It was pure bliss.

Then, when it was over, her body relaxed as a warm glow threatened to lull her to sleep. She might have heeded its call but Lou’s tryst with the guide drew her attention.

She originally thought Lou’s ‘addition’ was the equivalent of a toy crafted from flesh for two very good reasons. The first being the difference in anatomy. The only thing Lou’s tool shared with a man’s was the phallic shape and she didn’t have testicles, so how could she produce a man’s seed?

Second was the sheer difficulty of crafting a fully functional tool from an original design. Organic construction, the discipline of using magic to alter living things or organic material, was widely considered the most complicated branch of magic, only rivaled by the study of space by null casters.

The more accurately expressed a spell was, the less mana it took, but the smallest changes could take hundreds of variables. That meant most physical mages who specialized in the field never had enough power to do more than grow out their hair. Worse, the slightest mistake in the spell could have catastrophic consequences. The example her father used was the case of the willow bloom.

Those seeking to master organic construction often practiced their art on flowers, something small, well understood, and plentiful. Once, a master physical caster watched over his apprentice as he attempted to change the scent of the willow bloom. The apprentice thought he failed when the flower’s scent disappeared, as learned from his journal.

In truth, the flower had been altered to release a scentless toxin that filled their home and killed the two casters in their sleep, along with the servants. It also claimed the life of another apprentice who came to check on them and would have claimed the lives of many more had another master not arrived in time.

If changing a flower was hard, changing a person was close to impossible. Masters trained decades to be able to accomplish it and they could only do the most basic of changes, merely improving on the body’s natural form. It was why melders were so highly prized.

The underground brothel her father took her to ‘employed’ a woman with a distended clitoris, altered to resemble as a man’s tool. She was a treasure of the brothel and it was rumored that the work was done by a melder employed by the royal knights, the best of the best.

She didn’t come close to the living marvel named Lourianne Tome.

Orphelia’s limited experience with the woman told her that when making assumptions about the summoner, she should lean toward the extreme. Without evidence either way, she assumed that Lou’s ejaculate was fertile. Something that completely changed her existence in the eyes of the crown.

If her assumption proved correct, that turned Lourianne Tome from an eccentric woman that could mostly be ignored due to her stance of not wanting to involve herself with the kingdom’s diplomatic efforts into a potentially powerful sire of a new branch of her family. If she had a child with Kierra Atainna, said offspring could be a potential heir to an elven queendom.

If the elves accepted a hybrid. From the intelligence gathered by her father’s assets in the Hall, the marriage seemed to be blessed by the Atainna family but one never knew how a group would respond when the right to rule was on the line.

She almost hoped that they would reject such a child. Inheritance battles could get ugly. The more power on the line, the more brutal the players became to obtain it. The last thing the kingdom would want was to be involved.

If they sided with the elven candidates, should Lou and her wife emerge victorious, there would be a war between races. If they sided with Lou, there would be a war between races but if Harvest won, they’d have a powerful new ally.

Assuming Lou didn’t betray them.

She could dream up hypotheticals all day, all of them worrisome. Orphelia chuckled. She thought she was wasting her time babysitting ignorant fools and the assignment led her to the most important political interest in the kingdom, sleeping under everyone’s, including her father’s, nose.

She wondered if Lou knew how much sensitive information she’d given away with her little show. From her connection to a melder of truly ridiculous skill, Orphelia couldn’t conclusively state her wife had done the work, to her ability to sire an heir to a throne, or her capabilities as a fighter and lover. All of which would have her targeted by powerful groups. Saints, the brothels would kidnap her for her bodily fluids alone and whores were not to be underestimated.

“What are you laughing at?”

Orphelia turned her gaze to Sebas. Her charge was standing close to the food pile, chewing on a piece of lukewarm meat. He scowled. “Close your robe, degenerate. Rest assured, my father will be hearing about your behavior.”

“Oh.” Having long forsaken her modesty, she’d taken no notice as she lay exposed. The fact that none of the inhabitants of the shelter could look directly at her should have caught her attention but her thoughts were full of a certain summoner.

“Pardon,” she said while tying the robe’s belt. “I didn’t mean to offend your delicate sensibilities.”

“Who are you calling delicate? Cheh. Just speaking with you disgusts me. Luckily, I won’t have to do so for much longer.”

“If only I were so lucky.”

“What?! You dare—”

“Yes, I dare.” Orphelia got to her feet and stretched. “I would like my team to gather outside. There is another day left in our test and I would like to discuss strategy.”

The others looked up, drawn into the conversation. Slowly, their gazes moved to Robert and he nodded. “She’s right. Don’t get too comfortable, there’s more work to be done.” He took the lead by exiting the shelter.

Cecile was next, quickly followed by Lanston after he grabbed another piece of meat from the pile. Sebas glared at her before walking out while shaking his head. Orphelia didn’t allow it to bother her, grabbing a few pieces of meat for her rumbling stomach.

The others walked several meters from the shelter and stood in a loose circle. Orphelia stepping into the remaining gap closed the loop. She thought it was funny how they thought their backs would prevent others from hearing their secrets.

“Then we should discuss our strategy for the day.”

“Ah, there’s no need for that,” she said between bites. “I’ve already ensured that we will pass the qualifier.”

Robert looked at her with confusion but Sebas jumped to a conclusion quickly. “I suppose that was the reason for your display,” the royal sneered. “Do you mean to seduce a married woman? Have you no shame?”

“This is not the time for this,” Robert said forcefully. “If we aren’t here for the test, why did you gather us?”

“The sun shines brightest during harvest.”

The four tensed, all staring at her in mute surprise. She grinned at them as she ate her breakfast, reveling in the moment. There weren’t many aspects of her work that were enjoyable but this moment, when someone realized she was more than she seemed, always delighted her. It meant a job well done.

That phrase had been drilled into them by their respective guardians for them to recognize agents of the crown. It gave her unquestionable authority and they were to treat any orders from her as if they came from whoever gave them the code, only superseded by their guardians or a written royal decree.

“You?” Sebas whispered in disbelief.

“Yes, me.”

“But…you’re nobody! A girl with a water affinity from a baron’s house! You—”

“You’re quite something. You know what I am and still have the gall to stand there and insult me.”

His mouth clicked shut, face paling. The others were similarly uneasy.

Orphelia nodded. “Good. As I was saying, the qualifiers are over. We have a new mission for today. All of you will do your best to forge a connection to Lourianne Tome.”

Sebas swore. “Are you using the crown’s authority to make us help you flirt with that freak?!”

“I’m not surprised you don’t understand. After all, you’re nothing but a waste of a son sent away by his father for his rampant ambition.” He flinched at the words but she didn’t relent. “Attempting to assassinate your own brother. Honestly, I don’t know if your father was more disappointed by your vicious heart or how sloppy it all was. The other patriarchs laughed about it for months. If you had embarrassed me that badly, I wouldn’t be able to look at you either—”

“Shut up!”

“Oh? Done trading insults? You should stop, you’re not very good at it.”

“…I don’t think asking for an explanation is out of order,” Robert said carefully, like a child probing a strange new thing with a stick. For all his faults, he respected authority and his attitude toward her had changed.

She still found it lacking. “Actually, it is. You don’t question the authority of the crown’s agents, period.” The young knight flinched, pursing his lips. “However, explaining won’t hurt and this is too important for you to mess up. I will make this as simple as possible for you. I believe that you, all your families, and the kingdom at large, will benefit from a relationship with Lourianne Tome.”

“That isn’t new information,” Cecile said. “Everyone wants access to another continent’s resources. I thought the king agreed to allow my grandfather to broker any deals?”

“Relax, Guiness girl. No one is making a move on your family’s gold. You all witnessed Lou’s, hm, unique constitution?”

Their faces flushed, though Sebas tried to cover his embarrassment with a scowl.

“Seeing as she has access to a melder that can make everything work properly, what happens if a Harvest noble impregnates elven royalty? Hm?”

She didn’t expect a reaction from Robert with his romantic view of the world. The other three got it and she was amused by the absolute horror on Sebas’ face.

“Saints protect us…”

“Nothing has come to pass yet. I could be leaping to conclusions.” She had never done so before but after recent events and with the presence of succubi, she had to accept the possibility that her judgment was compromised.

“However, part of my job is to be informed of and prepare for the worst eventualities. As such, you will all do your best to forge a connection to Lourianne Tome and help me gather information about her, her abilities, her ambitions, and her intentions.” She would work alone but the summoner seemed cautious of her.

“…it’s impossible,” Sebas said, the first to come to terms with the situation. “She despises me.”

“The fate of the kingdom could hang in the balance and you tell me it’s impossible.” She scoffed. He reminded her of when she was a child, crying that it was too hard to fight grown men with only a dagger. Her mother had wiped her tears, patted her head, and pushed her back into the arms of her father. Impossible was unacceptable.

“Cecile? How about you? If what I hear about your family is correct, you should have some idea what to do.”

Cecile’s blushed deepened. “I-I…”

“Orphelia, you are out of line!” Robert roared.

“Out of line? What exactly did I say?”

“You would have her…offer herself as a bargaining tool.”

“By the saints, when did I say that?”

“Don’t play coy! You implied it!”

“Implied it? I simply said she had her family’s experience in negotiation to rely on. I’m sure they have trained her in how to read people’s interests and flatter someone to death.” She chuckled, no humor in the sound. “I suppose in your world, the only way a woman can convince someone to do anything is with her body. Unexpected coming from such a chivalrous knight.”

“You…” Robert trailed off, finding no way to refute. His eyes moved to Cecile but she avoided his gaze. “I didn’t mean—”

“Don’t be ashamed, Quin.” The nickname evoked genuine humor. She couldn’t help thinking his complex was a bit ridiculous. As if anyone would care what he was called if he had the power to raze cities and split mountains. “I like your idea. If she can get over her blushing maiden syndrome, it’s a good way to break through Lou’s guard. I can reasonably assure that you’ll enjoy the experience.”

The future hero was lost. Now, he had legitimate reason to scold her but he was reluctant. It would be like sticking his hand into a snake pit to retrieve a gold crown. The reward wasn’t worth it.

“Boys, since the three of you lack imagination, allow me to point out the obvious. No person is an island. A connection to Lourianne Tome can be as simple as a connection to her friends and acquaintances. Robert, you seem to have a nice atmosphere with Alana James. Sebas, the brute has taken a liking to you.”

“I am not—”

She simply stared at him. He halted his complaints, frowning deeply. Orphelia made a note to be a little less venomous in his evaluation. Apparently, he wasn’t a complete child.

“You don’t have to choose him. Frankly, he doesn’t seem that close to our target anyway. The redhead hates you. Perhaps the shy one.”

Sebas huffed. “I don’t even know his name.”

“A great way to start a conversation. Please, get creative. You don’t realize it but I’ve done all of you a favor. I could have kept quiet and let our superiors handle this. This is your opportunity to make up for your spectacular failure through this test and to accumulate some achievements.”

The magic word wiped away the last of Sebas’ hesitation. A cruel smile replaced his frown. The expression didn’t inspire confidence.

In truth, she could care less if they did a good job and were praised by their respective guardians. If it weren’t for the documented failures of the many assets employed by different factions, she would have held her silence.

She had a theory that the succubi alerted Lou to suspicious people. Hopefully, the clumsy greed of her charges would not alert the elementals and their summoner. If they did, at least it would bias Lou into thinking that those wanting to investigate her would be obvious in their motives. It could soften her up and make her less suspicious of those trained to avoid the detection of the mental affinity.

“Do your best everyone,” she said as she broke the circle, walking off.

“Wait!” Robert shouted after her. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to ask where this waterhole is. I need a bath.” And another conversation with her latest target.