[1% LIFESTEAL] Chapter 243 - Charisma

Freddy walked into the club, dressed up in his finest clothing. Slowly, he maneuvered to the private rooms in the back, locating the agreed-upon booth. 

Taking a deep breath, he pushed the doors open.

Sitting there by herself was a tall, muscular, imposing woman, her shimmering blonde hair cropped into a wild pixie cut. She was clad in a red dress, her pale skin lined with a few hair-thin scars. As Freddy walked in, she revealed a menacing grin, her once-brown, now-red eyes shining with amusement as he strode inside. “Freddy. Been a minute.”

“What’s up, Georgie?” He walked up to her, clasping her hand with a loud noise. 

She laughed. “That landed nicely.”

“Sure did.”

He was surprised at how happy he felt to see Georgie League. They hadn’t exactly talked all that much, but going through life and death with someone certainly had a way of forging a bond.

Getting seated beside her, he poured himself a drink. “So… Are you hiding your aura somehow, or did you reach the third star?” he asked.

Smiling, Georgie released a bit of her presence, filling the room with the weighty pressure of an early three-star. And a little something on top of that, something he noted, but wouldn’t bring up immediately.

“Nice,” he said, offering her a fist bump.

She returned it, and gave him a long look. “I see you are still at the second star.” She cocked an eyebrow. “Not permanently, I hope?”

“I hope so, too,” he said with a laugh, refusing to admit that he was already ready to ascend as soon as his soul was healed. “What pushed you over the edge? I got the impression you would be grinding away for at least a couple more years until you ascended.”

Georgie laughed. “As if. I kept myself there for long enough. I have no more appetite for risking my life like that again.” Her words were trying to be playful, but a dark shadow loomed over her.

Georgie hadn’t been a peak elite at the second star. Of the four elites who came to Repentawa, she had definitely been the least exceptional—including Reginald, and he was primarily a scholar.

Let alone a few years, a decade wouldn’t have been enough for her to properly catch up. Given her talent, she could have afforded it, given how much less of a risk of serious injury there was for her.

What happened had definitely shaken her quite a bit if she had decided to ascend so far ahead of schedule.

But he would keep his thoughts to himself. On that topic, at least. But as for the other elephant in the room—”I can’t help but notice that you’ve also qualified for a domain.”

Georgie’s grin grew more sincere. “Have indeed. Metal.”

“Did you do it?”

Rather than answer, she raised her hand, and extracted an object from her storage ring. A chain, a little shorter than a meter in length, appeared. It looked to be forged of lightly rusted copper, the golden brown covered in a thin, patchy patina of green rust. She imbued some metal essence into it, and it twisted in her grasp, extending in length. It coiled through the air like a snake. 

She applied the tiniest touch of lightning to it, and it conducted it effortlessly. “It’s a unique cursed item. Gives me a great discount for using metal manipulation on it, and it also gives me a pretty solid speed boost while I’m holding it. It conducts lightning with ease, and it’s incredibly tough, which finally lets me properly wield my affinities without constantly wrecking my gear. What do you think? Pretty sweet, huh?”

Freddy slowly nodded. That was a fantastic weapon, no doubt. Something like that would only sell through auctions, and for a lot of money. But…

She had no doubt only taken the first trial and then ran with the first reward she found. It was a wise choice for sure, given how dangerous primordial domains were, but alas, Freddy couldn’t help but feel like it was a bit underwhelming.

Primordial domains were a rare chance to get something truly meaningful. Namely, a unique affinity. Prime remnants, too, but those were too rare for anyone sane to aim for. 

Freddy had personally decided to wait until the third star with the water domain, mainly because he wanted to aim for something great, rather than settle for the first thing he could get his hands on. He’d been lucky with the blood domain, and he didn’t want to push his luck like that again.

Sure, cursed items were still great, and there was no doubt a lot of immensely powerful stuff to be found in a primordial domain. But items were still just items. They could be lost or destroyed.

“Are you good?” she asked.

“Hm? Yeah, sorry. I was just lost in thought.”

Georgie deflated a bit, clearly having noticed that he was underwhelmed by the chain weapon. She put it away.

He winced, chiding himself for being such a prick. 

Georgie was an incredible fighter. By any normal metric, she was a superstar and even a promising Lord candidate. That was something that should be impressive by anyone’s standards, and yet, there he was, making her feel bad about herself. “Sorry, I’m just—”

“It’s okay.” She laughed quietly. “I’ll admit it. What happened in that city really shook me. Maybe it’s because I’ve felt so invincible for so long, but such a close brush with death… What can I say? The fear I felt in that moment seeped into my bones.” She laughed again, a tinge of grief in her voice. “Man, I did really want to make Overlord—if only to kick my dad’s ass. But I guess I’ll just have to settle for a measly Lordship instead.”

“Don’t put yourself out of the count just yet.”

She snickered. “I’m just being realistic. The fifth star was already a massive stretch, even when I was on the right track. Now, it’s a pipe dream. But I’m okay.” Leaning back, she stretched her arms above her head. “Without your friend’s help, I wouldn’t be around at all. I’m happy enough with that.”

Freddy slowly nodded. “I see.”

“Anyway, let’s talk business. What is it that you need from me?”

“Your mercenary crew. For protection.”

“How many are we talking?”

“Everyone you can bring.”

Georgie raised her eyebrows. “That’s a small army, Freddy.”

He nodded. “I sure hope so.”

Her expression darkened. “Freddy, what exactly do you need protection from? Depending on the risk, I’m not sure if I’m willing to accept the job.”

He sighed. “Hopefully nothing. I’ve got a visit to Nova York coming up, and I’m just trying to make sure I’m safe in case someone attacks me on the way there.”

Georgie, to Freddy’s surprise, burst into laughter upon his explanation. “Seriously? Look, being cautious is fine and all, but this just sounds paranoid to me.”

“Does it, now?”

“It most certainly does.” She paused. “I’ve heard the Umbras have made a statement that anyone who targeted you would face their retaliation. Are you somehow not aware that you have their protection?”

“Oh, I’m aware of that.”

Raising an eyebrow, Georgie asked, “Why don’t you ask them to keep you safe, then?”

“They’re not a clan of professional bodyguards. If I ask them for help, they might do it, but they won’t do so for money. My best guess is that they’ll want an adjustment to our arrangement, and I’m not sure I want to take that deal.”

“Speaking of… You know, I wasn’t going to pry, but I am dying from curiosity here. What exactly did you arrange with them?”

Freddy snorted. “I really shouldn’t tell you.”

“Come on…” She elbowed him. “I’m sure it’s not that great of a secret.”

Freddy grinned. “All right, but you’re gonna have to keep your mouth shut.”

She made a zipping motion on her lips and put on an easy smile. 

“I’m engaged to Emily Umbra.”

Georgie’s expression instantly morphed into that of abject shock. “How in hell did that happen!?”

He laughed. “It’s just a political move.”

“I guessed that much, but still, wow. Wow…” She seemed to deflate, a clear note of disappointment in her expression.

Freddy cocked an eyebrow. “Is there a problem with that?”

“Yes,” she snipped. “Our deal. Remember?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I’ve already cleared it with them, and it shouldn’t be an issue.”

She snorted. “Right. It might not be, but your political future just became a massive question mark. Who the hell knows what the situation will be twenty years from now?”

He deflated a bit. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be. Sorry, I… I should be the one to apologize.” She sighed. “I sometimes forget you don’t have a background. Tying yourself to them was a great idea. Probably the only real choice you had, to be honest with you. I have to ask, though, what’s the problem with asking them for help?”

Freddy sighed. “I was given five years until I have to officially step into my role. I still have another three left to go, and I’m betting you whatever you want that they’ll only agree to help me if I agree to cut that time down.”

“That’s it?” She cocked an eyebrow. “I don’t get it. Why exactly did they even give you five years?”

“To rest,” he said.

“Are you serious?”

He laughed. “Look… Officially stepping into my role as her fiancee will be a huge headache. I expect a whole lot of politicking and nonsense to come with the title.” He leaned back. “The last two years have been the first time in my life I could just take things easy and enjoy myself. But between the soul damage and the constant care I have to put into how I exist, I feel I haven’t made the most of my break quite yet.”

She hummed. “I guess that makes sense. What’s with the visit to Nova York? Sight-seeing?”

“No. I’m going to the tower.”

Georgie straightened in her seat. “Freddy… Don’t tell me you’re ready to ascend?”

He met her gaze. “Let’s just say I have a feeling that the tower might push me over the edge.”

“What makes you confident?”

“I have my reasons.”

They maintained eye contact for several seconds before Georgie chuckled and leaned back in her seat. “You’re serious. Wow. Does this mean we’ll finally see someone break the Triple Block?”

He shrugged. “Maybe.”

“Okay. I see why you’d want to make sure you’re safe on the way there, then. All right, I want to understand the situation better. You’re asking for a lot of protection, so I’m guessing you’re afraid of something specific?”

He made a so-so gesture. “I have my suspicions that certain people might target me.”

She nodded. “No offense, but I’m going to assume that I have a much better understanding of who you should be afraid of than you do. Let’s go through them.”

Nodding, he took a sip of his drink and started listing off the possible threats. He started with the small stuff—namely, those who might oppose the development of the Northern Belt.

“Anyone who cares about that won’t even have the power to send someone to actually threaten you. You have no reason to be afraid of that.”

He nodded, expecting as much. Then, he mentioned the research he was funding.

She nodded slowly. “Some might feel threatened by that, but again, nothing to fear there.”

Next up, he shared his fears about Umbra’s enemies.

To his surprise, Georgie laughed at that. “They do have enemies, sure, but said enemies would never in a million years dare to touch someone under their protection. That would likely spark a war, and that’s in nobody’s best interest.”

Following that, he mentioned Basilisk.

Georgie went quiet at that, and then, slowly nodded. “He’s a rotten bastard, and given what you did to him, he’ll no doubt cause trouble for you some time in the future. But given his current position, he has to tread carefully. He’s already on thin ice with the empire, so if he goes out of his way to target a promising young ward, he might very well lose his head.”

Then, he brought up Leonard Santorio. He was hesitant to share this one at all, but ultimately, her input mattered enough to convince him to share the story of how the Lord’s son tried to kill him.

Georgie shook her head after the retelling. “Disgusting. I’ve never heard of that idiot before, but nothing of value was lost. As for Leonard… Honestly, I doubt that man even knows how many kids he has. If you were some no-name random, he would probably retaliate to send a message, but with your current status, he’ll probably just shrug and ignore it.”

“Sounds like just the kind of loving father who’d raise a kid like Jacob.”

“Oh, they get a lot worse. Lord Santorio is indifferent, but at the very least, he isn’t actively abusive to his kids. At any rate, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for you to send him a gift basket or something as a token of apology.”

With that out of the way, there was only one more faction he needed to bring up. He mulled over how much he should share, but ultimately, he decided to give her the full picture. He told her of his organ business, and how Pale Moon basically hijacked it. Out of everyone who had a vested interest in Freddy’s life or death, they were the ones he feared the most.

Once he finished his explanation, she went quiet, her expression turning deathly serious. 

“There is an unspoken rule at the highest levels of power: don’t target promising archhumans for money.” She went quiet for a moment. “Anyone who has a reputation of doing so is going to suffer financially. If Pale Moon kills you, other factions will be just a bit less willing to accommodate them, and in the long run, that can cause a lot more damage than the possibility of you turning the trade back on them.”

Freddy growled. “Given your tone, I’m guessing that doesn’t exactly guarantee my safety.”

“They won’t target you on your way to Nova York. Too much risk of getting found out.”

“In the middle of nowhere between Nova York and Pittersville?”

She shrugged. “If you stick to roads, there are patrols keeping track of who is going and leaving.”

“So you think nobody will attack me there?”

“Well… Yeah, but… That’s only because there’s a risk of getting caught.” She grabbed a drink, swirling it in the glass for a moment before taking a sip. “At this very moment, there is most likely a kill squad ready to track you down and kill you at a moment’s notice.”

Freddy snorted. “At Starhold? I doubt it. The empire wouldn’t let that happen on their territory.”

“What if the city gets attacked?” She asked, pausing for emphasis. “Say there’s a horde of monsters running through the streets, causing general chaos. People are evacuating, others are fighting back. Many will die, most likely in a way that will be impossible to pin down on anything, or anyone specific.” Pause. “What then?”

Freddy’s expression darkened. “Are you telling me that in the event of a major attack, Pale Moon would rather spend resources on killing a business rival than they would trying to fend the attackers off?” He clenched his fists. “I’m not even going to pretend I’m surprised by that.” He scoffed. “But I’d like to see them try.”

“Freddy, I’m sure you’re plenty strong in a fight, but if Pale Moon sends a kill squad after you, you’re most likely dead. They won’t send just anyone, they’ll send a squad specifically built around countering everything you’re capable of.”

He paused, then took another sip of his drink. “Starhold is a big city. They won’t find me.”

“They probably know your approximate location at any given moment.”

He was about to contest that argument, given how nobody could actually spy on him, but before he could say a word, he remembered that recording devices existed. If they were observing his movements through cameras hidden throughout the city, there was little to nothing he could do about that. “Fuck,” he cursed, putting the glass down aggressively. “What do I even do then?”

“You’re a lot safer just knowing that they might do this. If there’s an attack, don’t be a hero. Hide. Run. Get somewhere where they can’t reach you. Preferably, an instance dungeon. If you have any connections to someone powerful, that would be the right time to use them. But if you think you can ascend, do that as quickly as humanly possible. Personal power is your best option.”

He released a breath. “I’m not done with the soul healing.”

“How much do you have left?”

“I don’t know… Three months at most, probably. Maybe four.”

She hummed. “That’s not too far off. There isn’t much risk of an attack in that time. But I do have to mention, if you want me to organize a large number of guards for you when you head to Nova York, I’ll have to know the date well beforehand.”

Freddy slowly nodded. “Four months from now. I should almost definitely be done by then.”

“For the record, I still think you have no reason to be afraid of an attack. But I can understanding wanting to be extra safe. Now—how many guards do you want.”

“I already told you. Everyone you can get.”

Georgie shrugged. “If you want to be stupid with your money, I’ll gladly take it. But my entire company… That will cost you a pretty penny. I have a lot of people.”

Freddy hummed. “How many?”

“I have a hundred three-stars, six-hundred and fifty two-stars, and about two and a half thousand one-stars. Again, are you sure you want everyone?”

“Wow. That’s a big company.”

“I’ve been expanding my forces quite aggressively. So, yes or no?”

“How much will it cost me?”

“If you want a full escort, you’ll be paying for both the personnel and the armored carriages… I’ll round it down to about eight-hundred million.”

“Oh. That’s not nearly as bad as I feared.”

She burst into laughter. “I see that the Entrepreneur badge isn’t just for show. Seriously, even the average Lord would reel at that kind of price tag.”

Freddy shrugged. “Over the years, the world has made it abundantly clear that I shouldn’t overestimate how safe I am at any given moment. And we just talked about the possibility that there’s a squad of killers ready to take me out at any given moment; you can’t blame me for wanting to be extra safe.”

She laughed. “Fair enough.”

“Actually, can you get any more people from outside your company?”

Georgie shook her head in amusement. “Yes. I can sublicense some extra muscle from a couple of company friends. But that will cost you extra, given the additional work in organizing everything.”

“How many and how much?”

“Maybe another fifty three-stars. Not sure about the rest, but I don’t think it’s even worth dragging any more two-stars and below. For those extra fifty three-stars, the final cost will land around one-point-three billion.”

He nodded. “I can afford that.

“Okay, Mr. Moneybags. I’ll get everything ready for the most absurd escort mission any mercenary has ever seen. You just make sure you don’t overshoot your soul healing.” 

He chuckled. “Thank you for the help, Georgie. I mean it.” He released a frustrated groan. “And just when I started thinking I’ve seen the limits of how shitty factions are willing to be…”

“There are no limits, Freddy. If they have the power to do it, and it can benefit them, you can bet your ass they’re willing to go as low as humanly possible.” She shook her head.

They continued chatting for a while longer, mainly just catching up on what was going on in their lives. Then, they reminisced about the events in Repentawa, with Georgie shedding more light on how the final fight went from her point of view. 

Given by how much booze she downed as the story went on, it was obvious that she was still quite shaken by what had happened at the end.

“Are you okay?” Freddy asked her.

Sitting there with an absent look in her eye, she suddenly jolted, turning to face him a long moment after he asked the question. “What? Yeah, no, I’m great. Anyway, tell me about what happened with Emily! How did you guys get engaged?” She changed the topic.

He hesitated, but went along with it. “It’s just a political arrangement, I told you. She needs someone to occupy that position so that her family would stop trying to shove someone else into it. I just make for a convenient choice since I’m not someone an official from her clan can control.”

“Yikes. I can see why you’d want to postpone having to get caught up in all that as long as humanly possible. Sounds like it’s gonna be a massive pain.”

“Oh yeah. I’m not looking forward to it in the slightest.”

They continued drinking, their topics steering further and further into random crap that came to mind. 

“… and then this motherfucker said, ‘You’d mainline dragon nut juice, but this is too far for you?’” Freddy burst into laughter, with Georgie nearly in tears herself.

“You really are a crazy bastard, you know that?” she said. “Supreme-quality healing or not, I wouldn’t touch that stuff with a ten-foot pole.”

He shrugged. “Hey, even I had to hire a team of alchemists to make sure my brain doesn’t turn into a big bicep.” Suddenly bursting into another fit of laughter, he said, “I honestly don’t even want to think about what I’ve done to myself by playing around with random substances.”

She waved him down. “You clearly haven’t met anyone who messes around with that stuff without access to a ‘delete consequence’ button. You’re fiineee.”

They sank into a moment of silence, both trying to find something else to say, and finding nothing. In that momentary lull, Georgie suddenly leaned against him, pressing her shoulder to his. And then, a moment later, she rested her head in the nook of his neck.

He gulped. “What are you doing?”

“Oh, I’m just resting.” She giggled. “What? Scared that your wife-to-be will find out?”

“What? I mean… No. That’s… No.”

She got up. “Uhm… Sorry, did I misread the situation?”

“What situation?”

She snorted. “Right. I think I should head out. We’ll talk about the arrangement on another day, okay?” She made to get up.

The world came to a sudden stop before Freddy’s eyes. It was a situation he’d lived through dozens of times in the last two years, but this time, it was different. The ennui was no longer there to protect him from what he felt. There was a sickening pang in his stomach, a pain that let him know that he was in the middle of making a massive mistake. 

Before he could even realize what he was doing, he found himself holding her by the arm. “Wait.”

“Is there something else you need?” she asked, her voice a bit colder than it had been a moment ago. 

“You.” It took him a moment to realize what he said. The agony of the embarrassment he felt was like a punch to the stomach. 

Georgie gave him a flat look, and then burst into a sudden fit of laughter. “You know, I thought I had been entirely off, but god, you’re just a bit stupid, aren’t you?”

“I—”

She pressed a finger to his lips. “Just shut up. It’s not doing you any favors.” 

He slowly nodded.

They remained there in silence for a long moment. And then, Georgie pressed her lips to his.