It was a beautiful morning in the town of Prahuel, the capital of Cainbell's barony. Despite the clear sky above, the town was relatively quiet compared to most big towns. Some might attribute this to the fact that there's currently an ongoing sermon by the church of Miralis at the edge of the town, or one might be inclined to think that the town's relatively large vampire population makes the town much more lively at nighttime compared to its daytime. Regardless, Timothé wasn't here for any of that. He received an invitation with a noble seal a few days ago, asking for him to come for an initial assessment.
The Cainbell family was a noble house that dated way before the formation of Ryke as a country. Its capital was built on top of a series mana crystal mine, but it was stated to have dried all of its reservoir during the restoration period after the great race war 50 years ago. Yet despite all that, one of the area's highest revenues was still reported coming from mana crystal export, and an exclusive mysterious brand of wine dubbed the 'blood wine'. The details of these two products were a well-guarded secret.
Once he arrived at his destination, Timothé would be greeted by a line of professionally dressed maids at the entrance of the Cainbell's manor. These people might be his work colleagues soon, but for now he's still a guest that warrants the utmost hospitality.
"Greetings, Sir Timothé. Please follow me, Madame Helen is waiting for you inside." One of the maids, who looked to be the oldest, gave him a polite bow before guiding him into the manor. Like most noble estates, the interior of the building was regal and spacious, but some of the most notable features that Timothé might notice were the various shades of red that most of the walls were painted with, and the myriad of roses and crows depicted in various artworks displayed in the manor.
"If I may be a bit rude, may I inquire about your experiences in this line of work, Sir Timothé?" The maid that was guiding him suddenly asked. That was definitely not a usual thing to ask from a fellow servant right before the supposed interview. Yet the maid stared at him firmly as if she demanded an equally firm answer from him. This was when Timothé realized what was happening: The interview had already started, and this maid would be his first tester.
The Cainbell family was a noble house that dated way before the formation of Ryke as a country. Its capital was built on top of a series mana crystal mine, but it was stated to have dried all of its reservoir during the restoration period after the great race war 50 years ago. Yet despite all that, one of the area's highest revenues was still reported coming from mana crystal export, and an exclusive mysterious brand of wine dubbed the 'blood wine'. The details of these two products were a well-guarded secret.
Once he arrived at his destination, Timothé would be greeted by a line of professionally dressed maids at the entrance of the Cainbell's manor. These people might be his work colleagues soon, but for now he's still a guest that warrants the utmost hospitality.
"Greetings, Sir Timothé. Please follow me, Madame Helen is waiting for you inside." One of the maids, who looked to be the oldest, gave him a polite bow before guiding him into the manor. Like most noble estates, the interior of the building was regal and spacious, but some of the most notable features that Timothé might notice were the various shades of red that most of the walls were painted with, and the myriad of roses and crows depicted in various artworks displayed in the manor.
"If I may be a bit rude, may I inquire about your experiences in this line of work, Sir Timothé?" The maid that was guiding him suddenly asked. That was definitely not a usual thing to ask from a fellow servant right before the supposed interview. Yet the maid stared at him firmly as if she demanded an equally firm answer from him. This was when Timothé realized what was happening: The interview had already started, and this maid would be his first tester.
