"What!?" Everyone was shocked when they heard that.
"Why did they disguise themselves as maids?" Aldred asked.
Zafrina frowned and she thought for a while. "What do they want from you?"
"Uhh… breaking the curse?"
"And what exactly have you done?"
Aldred looked at the picture. "I broke the curse. But why couldn't they just ask me?"
Zafrina shook her head. "You never played this game before, Aldred. That's why you don't understand."
"What game?"
"The game of power. I already understand why they disguised themselves as maids."
"You do? Tell me."
Maverick and the others wanted to know too. Maverick was a noble but he wasn't the smart type and instead trying to rely on his talent and strength to defeat his brother. He had terrible social skills and that was why Lord Aleron only sent his daughter to network.
That was how Zafrina knew that the two maids were actually Byron's mother and sister.
"You might not know this, but you are famous for your greed, Aldred. People have been saying that you scam merchants, nobles, and wealthy men out of their gold and treasures."
"They're suspicious that I would extort them?"
Zafrina nodded. "The curse was a terrible one. It could ruin the entire family and erase them from existence. With such a huge stake, they believed that you will extort them with an extravagant price. Although Hajheletmik county is a rich region, every noble knew that there was no limit to greed."
"Look what happened when we left. Lord Yanka got what he wanted while you left without a single coin from them."
Aldred widened his eyes. "That was right. I actually wanted to ask for some stuff, but I was occupied with all the fun, food, hunt, feast, and the maids— wait…"
Zafrina smiled. "Now you understand."
"All of that is intentional? They wanted to distract me from extorting them?"
"That's right. They veiled their intention by giving everyone 4-6 maids, and they also did that to you. So you wouldn't think of it too much because everyone got the same treatment. And then I noticed that they always tried to divide the females and the males. That was to lure you away from us. Only when you are away from us can they seduce and charm you."
Aldred rubbed his head. "You're right. After the meal, they kept pulling you away from me. Mary, Mira, Sophia, everyone was brought either for grooming or shopping. They've been playing with us all this time."
Zafrina sighed. "It was foolish of me not realizing this. Right from the start, you were welcomed warmheartedly by the people there. Even Lord Yanka greeted you and treated you like a friend."
"This… they tried so hard just to do this?"
"Don't underestimate someone's greed, Aldred. If he agreed to one of your requests, you might ask for another one, and then another one until you suck their wealth dry. But look at what he had done. You left his region without getting anything, and Lord Yanka got exactly what he wanted."
Aldred shuddered. "You're right. Man, these nobles can't be underestimated. I was playing right into their palm."
He sighed. "I cannot believe that Selene and Darla were actually acting."
Zafrina held his shoulder. "They are masters in the art of seduction. Acting innocent and harmless in front of you to lure you into their grasp."
Aldred nodded. "Now that I think about it. It is weird that they suddenly invited me to see their paintings collection. And they timed it perfectly. I was drunk and was watching an erotic play."
"Their techniques and ways are sophisticated," Zafrina said. "You're lucky we can leave unharmed, Aldred. This is just them protecting their own interest. There are so many ways they can harm you and make your life miserable. And the worst thing is, you might not even know that it was them who did it."
Aldred looked at the camera. "If Pongo did not take this picture. I would have never known."
Aldred smiled and laughed.
"Why are you laughing?" Zafrina asked.
"I learned a lot today. I should feel thankful to Lord Yanka. He taught me a valuable lesson; use distraction to veil your real intentions. This will be useful someday in the future."
…
All social creatures are actors. Do not believe what you have been shown.
…
After a few days of traveling Aldred arrived at Akrolilenai Province. It was located almost in the middle of the nation, and there was one famous city that Aldred had to visit if he wanted to enter the dungeon—Hajduvar.
"You have to be careful, Aldred," Zafrina said. "There's strict regulation that control who can come in and come out of this dungeon."
"It's just a dungeon. Why do they control it like this?"
"This dungeon brought riches comparable to mana crystal mines. Because it was located right between the border of two provinces, there has been some tension as of late. And although they never say it formally, almost everybody knows that both province would fight tooth and nail to get the most out of the dungeon."
"They fought each other?"
"It's no different than nations fighting each other for more land and wealth."
"Okay, so how do I enter the dungeon?"
"You have to pick one between the two province. Since we're going to Hajduvar, we might as well side with Akrolilenai Province."
"Alright. I don't care which side to pick. I just want to complete my Golden Battle Gear."
Xer Xai burrowed out of the ground, and then ran at full speed at the grand city in front of them. The city wasn't protected by walls or gates, instead it was protected by a glass sphere that went high up into the sky.
Aldred and everyone else could see the view outside by using Stella's magic mirror.
Giant eagles with the body of a human soared in the sky. Some had eagle faces, the others had handsome faces. Aldred noticed there were more people that had eagle faces. Maybe they were mixed blood.
The building structures in the city were quite tall. Aldred saw that the smallest building was at least 300 meters, comparable to Xer Xai's body.
"What a unique city," Bartrem said.
Aldred smiled. There were skyscrappers in the modern world too, but they were made out of concrete.
Meanwhile, the city used tall, and gigantic trees before shaping them into homes. The branches were thick and large, and it was enough for a lot of people to build their homes there.
The entire city looked like a land full of giant trees.
When Xer Xai was getting closer to the city, the winged-men people seemed to be in a panic, and they took their weapons before flying out of the glass dome.
"We should tell Xer Xai to slow down," Zafrina said. "Or there will be complications."
