"We draft a charter," she said. "Officially, the Silver Current is hired to 'assist in containment of a dangerous anomaly, for the safety of neutral trade.' They will present this to any who ask. It will look very noble."
"And unofficially?"
"Unofficially," Miren said, "they will secure anything portable that can command a price. Relics. Cores. Maps. Agreements. And if Silvarion or the League manages to put a leash on that dungeon, our people will be there at the start to demand a share in whatever 'containment mechanism' is built around it."
She thought of the prince-consort then, though she had only seen his face in sketches and reports.
A man who loved insects and anime, if her spy's confused note was to be believed. A man who joked like a student but spoke of mana flows like a veteran scholar. A man who made a queen of a forest kingdom look at him like he was both trouble and home.
