Shortly after we disband the 'lynch Ilina' meeting, I make my way through the palace, back to the ballroom where the party should be winding down in our absence. Alto decided to stay there, since she wasn't included on the 'exception' list for the closed door meeting.
When I arrive, I notice that there's still people milling around and chatting, though only about a fifth as many as when we all left. I quickly spot Alto at the edge of the room and walk towards her. On my way, I'm unsurprised to hear that most of the casual conversation between lingering guests is about my haphazardly announced engagement with Ilina. Naturally, I also get a number of shocked, curious stares from the guests that recognize me as I pass.
By the time I arrive in front of Alto, who's watching me with an oddly intense expression, it feels like most of the people in the room are staring at my back, and there's a near constant hum of whispering.
"Hey, Alto, sorry about th-...oh, my bad. Am I interrupting?" (Mizuki)
I bite off my greeting to her, finally noticing that she's not alone. Leaned against the wall nearby, facing Alto as if they'd just been chatting, is a young elven man personifying the tall, dark, and handsome stereotype. I'd say he's somewhere around 130 years old, if I'm truly starting to get the hang of guessing.
{AN: Just for everyone's reference/reminder. Elves = ~1,000 y lifespan, 25x slower aging (vs humans) after 18 y, look ~60 y/o end-life. High Elves = ~10,000 y lifespan, 500x slower aging after 18 y, look late-30s end-life. So, this guy looks early-20s human-wise to Mizuki.}
I glance between the two of them expectantly, and the guy returns a nervous smile before looking to Alto, as though inciting her to explain something. Alto notices, then gives a very small, amused smile that I recognize all too well. The smile she makes before she does something she thinks will be funny, but at someone else's expense.
"Hi, Mizuki...you're not interrupting. This is Tegan Stone, we knew each other as kids. Or, I guess, I was fifteen, but he was in his fifties. Anyway, he used to court me for marriage with private dinners, before I blackmailed him and ran away. Now, he's here for a favor he says I owe him because of that." (Alto)
I blink, then slowly turn to look at 'Tegan', who has gone completely pale, his expression one of shock and horror. I raise my eyebrows questioningly.
Clearly hearing the unspoken 'that true?' in my gaze, he waves his hands in a panic, his voice cracking slightly.
"N-No! I mean, well, maybe yes. Actually...all true. BUT! B-But she's making it sound different...weird! BAD! It wasn't...I mean..." (Tegan)
As he continues stuttering, I narrow my eyes at him, and it only seems to escalate his panic.
"I-I swear! Mister...Lord...Nephilim...sir...I NEVER TOUCHED HER!" (Tegan)
I continue staring at him with a blank expression for a moment, watching him sweat buckets, then let out a tired sigh. I glance at Alto.
"Alright, have I played along enough to satisfy you yet? I'm afraid the guy's gonna keel over if you tease him any more." (Mizuki)
Alto's composed expression finally cracks, and she covers her mouth with one hand, chuckling mischievously. She nods.
"Fufufu...I'm satisfied. Wasn't he funny?" (Alto)
I just give her a skeptical look, then turn to the traumatized-looking Tegan. His face has slackened with what I assume is some relief, but his eyes, locked on Alto, are full of horror and disbelief. I smile at the sight, sympathizing with him somewhat. I finally speak to him, my voice warm and amused.
"I take it from your expression that she wasn't this much of a troublemaker as a kid?" (Mizuki)
Tegan blinks, finally tearing his gaze from Alto to look at me. Seeing my amiable expression, he seems to fully relax. He shakes his head in exasperation.
"No. Or at least, not quite this much. I suppose that she really did blackmail me...technically." (Tegan)
He goes on to explain the full, or at least fuller, story behind how they know each other. The courting and solicited engagement by the Silvers, despite Tegan's heart belonging to another, the reluctant playing along by the Stones, Alto's eventual 'blackmail' of him to acquire resources to run away, and how conflicted he was to risk angering the Silvers, so he joked that she'd owe him a massively inconvenient favor if they ever saw one another again. He apparently asked her to introduce the two of us, using that as a conversation starter.
Though his description of their history is not especially detailed, specifically regarding why Alto was so desperate for his help to run away, there's enough in his recounting of events for me to read between the lines. Needless to say, paired with my own encounter with the Silvers, my expression is rather dark by the end of Tegan's explanation.
I glance at Alto, who is looking at me with a knowing, conflicted expression.
[Did your Dad really try to do what it sounds like he tried to do?] (Mizuki)
She stares back at me in silence for a moment, her blue eyes hesitant, before I sense a small silencing spell erected around us. She speaks quietly.
"...worse." (Alto)
The response causes something cold to grip my heart, something I can't tell if is more sympathy or rage. Forcing your inexperienced teenage daughter to throw herself at a man four times her age, trying to forcefully replace an existing lover with a child bride, all for the sake of ambiguous business advantages...by Earth standards, at least, that's already vile. And if Alto of all people made a point to say it's actually worse than what I assumed...
My jaw tightens slightly, none of the potential escalations in severity sitting well with me. Not at all.
[Do you want him to die?] (Mizuki)
Before I've really thought it out, I transmit my thoughts to Alto telepathically. It's only after I voice the impulse that I stiffen slightly, realizing just how dark the thoughts are that I've shared with her. However, while Alto's brow lifts in surprise at my question, after a moment, her cold, blue eyes thaw noticeably. Her lips twist into an appreciative smile, and she shakes her head subtly.
I purse my lips, because while I'm glad my question didn't upset her, I'm also less comfortable with letting him off the hook than I'd openly admit. After all, if he did...well, whatever vile version of forced child marriage almost happened...what else did he do? I doubt she ran away over a single incident.
[Do you want us to send him a...message? To make sure he leaves you alone?] (Mizuki)
This time, Alto smirks, her eyes flickering with amusement, and I wonder if my inner thoughts are more transparent than I'd like. Her shoulders move slightly in response, a noncommittal shrug of sorts, which I interpret as her saying she'll consider the offer.
Feeling satisfied enough with that answer, I return my attention to Tegan, who is glancing between the two of us with a confused expression. Probably wondering why we're just staring at each other and randomly nodding or shrugging.
I smile genuinely, feeling significantly more partial towards him than before.
"Thank you for helping Alto, back then." (Mizuki)
His eyes widen in surprise, then he smiles sheepishly in return, shrugging dismissively.
"You don't need to thank me...it was the right thing to do, I think. Plus, it was a fair trade...blackmail...or, extortion, maybe?" (Tegan)
I can't help but chuckle at his good-natured deflection. I'll have to add him to my list of guys my age – well, relatively – whose company I enjoy. It's a short list – Levi, Jorah's son Zakariah, and now Tegan – but three is a pattern, at least. Makes me wonder if I should engage in more male bonding when things settle down. The guy-to-girl ratio in our mansion is getting a little too skewed for my liking, especially now that Percivil has moved out.
Returning my thoughts to the matter at hand, I give Tegan an assessing look, tilting my head.
"Be that as it may...my appreciation remains, and it's considerable. I'd like to return the kindness, if possible. Is there anything that you want?" (Mizuki)
He blinks, stunned.
"Something I want?" (Tegan)
I glance over my shoulder, noticing several elves eavesdropping. Not wanting to repeat my prior mistakes, I quickly cast a silencing spell over our little group.
I nod at Tegan's question, smirking.
"Yeah, think of it...like a wish. Make a wish, and I'll do my best to grant it. And not to brag, but...I can grant most wishes, I'd bet." (Mizuki)
His eyes widen, and he raises his hands nervously.
"U-Uhm, that's okay...I really don't think what I did was-" (Tegan)
"It was." (Alto)
Alto cuts him off, her voice more intense than usual. He glances at her in surprise, and she meets his gaze with a serious expression, her eyes not wavering from his.
"What you did mattered, Tegan. To me, more than you can know. I might even owe my life to you, for what you did, and I won't let you pretend you did it just because I extorted you." (Alto)
I study Alto in silence, recognizing the genuine appreciation in her tone, the resolve in her gratitude, and my own resolve to repay Tegan somehow crystallizes. Hearing how she feels, Tegan's expression softens into something more conflicted, his voice turning a little helpless.
"Honestly, I'm rich you guys...I don't even know what I'd ask for." (Tegan)
I purse my lips, contemplating what to do. I can understand him not having an answer off the cuff, and I don't want to pressure him into a thoughtless answer, but I also don't want to leave him holding a worthless IOU.
An idea suddenly springs to mind, and I grin maniacally. I think I just had a brilliant idea for a new product.
"How about this, then..." (Mizuki)
Alto and Tegan both glance at me, curious expressions on their faces. Still smiling, I lift my hand, palm up, and activate my alchemy spell right in front of their eyes. Under Tegan's shocked gaze, the air around us begins to stir, whipping our hair around as it's rapidly sucked into the space above my hand. A shiny disc-like object quickly takes form, and after a few moments, the wind dies down and the object falls into my palm. I close my hand around it and quickly cast another couple spells, then inspect the final product with satisfaction.
"For you." (Mizuki)
I present the object to Tegan. He takes it from me, hesitant, glancing between it and me with a confused expression. Holding it up to the light, his eyes narrow, studying, then he glances back at me with a puzzled expression.
"A coin?" (Tegan)
I nod, grinning eagerly.
"A special coin, irreproducible for anyone but me, and one-of-a-kind...for now." (Mizuki)
His expression sharpens with interest, and he studies the coin again more closely, inspecting its metallic, silver surface, each side engraved with the crude emblem of a snake eating its tail. He glances back at me, curious.
"Irreproducible, huh...is the metal special? We run a construction business, and I don't recognize it." (Tegan)
I shrug. It's mostly Titanium, which I would not have considered exceptionally rare on Earth, but doesn't seem to be commonly recognized here.
"On your planet, perhaps. I haven't seen anything crafted out of it here. That's not what makes it unique, though. It's also an enchanted item...flow your magic into it." (Mizuki)
At the words 'enchanted item', his eyes widen like saucers. Understandably, since personal enchanted items are nearly impossible to come by in the Elven Kingdom, even for the rich. Adding onto that the fact that it's a unique enchantment, I'd imagine that alone makes the coin ridiculously valuable.
Tegan's focus on the coin intensifies, and a couple seconds later, a projection suddenly materializes in the air above the coin. It's a three-dimensional, purple hologram of a snake eating its tail, mirroring the symbol engraved physically on the coin. Except, the projection is half a meter in diameter, while the coin is only a few centimeters in diameter.