"Why did you not include your last name?"
'Ah… so that's what snagged her attention,' Eleanor mused, before replying in as calm a tone as she could manage.
"Because I no longer possess that name."
"You no longer possess it, you say?" Isla asked, one brow arching.
"Yes. 'Eleanor Crafiel' fell off a cliff and died at around 12 p.m. on the 8th of June, Year 2033. The one who stands before you now is just 'Eleanor'."
"…raise your head."
At that, Eleanor finally lifted her gaze to meet Isla's, and the vampire's magic swept over her in a silent scan, the sensation making her flinch.
"Oh?" Isla's voice held a note of intrigue.
"You sensed it this time? Perhaps a brush with death sharpened your perception?"
Her words implied this wasn't the first time she had done such a thing to Eleanor, and upon realising that, Eleanor couldn't help but wonder why Isla even bothered with it at all.
[It seems the portion of my power within you has given you a slight boost in perception,] Amith remarked, answering the unspoken question of why Eleanor was now able to notice Isla's action.
The Lust Brand embedded in Eleanor's soul had reacted to Isla's power, and because that Brand was borne by her, she had felt the reaction, flinching in response.
"My daughter tells me you sacrificed your divinity to survive. How so?"
At Isla's abrupt question, Eleanor refocused and gave the answer she and Amith had agreed upon earlier.
"A Geass."
"Ah… a restriction in exchange for a reward. So that's how you relinquished your divinity in return for a recovery.
I'm curious how you even know how to cast a Geass, but that's not my concern. In any case, your divinity, pure though it may have been, didn't appear to be enough to restore your full strength… or was your condition simply that horrible?"
Isla didn't seem to be expecting an answer, as she continued speaking.
"My daughter has informed me of the specifics of the contract you made. I must say, you're a bold one, binding our hands in such a way."
The woman shifted her gaze to Helga and, in the most casual tone she had used since the start of the meeting, asked,
"Helga, what should we do with her?"
"…"
Helga didn't answer right away, taking a moment to think and to realise that her mother was granting her full authority over how to handle Eleanor. She was essentially saying: since you brought her here, you take responsibility.
Choosing her words with care, she finally replied,
"Though she has lost that title, she was the heir of the Crafiels for years and has been privy to more information than most of our spies could ever uncover. She is also favoured by the Grand Duke, which means she may possess valuable intelligence we can put to good use."
"So you mean we should use her?" Isla asked, speaking as though Eleanor weren't even in the room.
Helga's tone matched her mother's.
"She wants to use us for protection. It is only natural she be used in return."
Isla nodded with a satisfied smile before turning her attention back to Eleanor.
"And so she says. What do you think, Eleanor?"
Eleanor resisted the urge to laugh at how the mother and daughter had, for a moment, treated her as though she were invisible. Instead, she spoke calmly.
"May I ask a question?"
"Go on."
"Do you intend to make public the fact that your daughter was attacked by Crafiel hunters, or will you extract compensation quietly?"
"The latter," Isla replied.
Hearing this, Eleanor shifted her gaze to the right and lifted a hand, pointing toward the large world map hanging on the wall of Isla's office.
"In that case, be sure to include the Linronto Archipelago. The diamond mines there were purchased about half a year ago by a Crafiel shell company.
Beneath the mines, there's a deposit of rare magisteel ore, the true reason they bought the mines despite the monster infestation."
She then turned her eyes back to Isla and went on,
"The Crafiels intend to use that magisteel to strengthen ties with the Dwarven Kingdom. If you secure it, the Laurent armouries would likely see an influx of top-tier dwarven weapons."
Isla's gaze followed Eleanor's gesture toward the map, focusing on the archipelago situated in the Tistaw Ocean to the west of the continent.
But Eleanor wasn't finished.
"One of those islands, in particular, holds magic stones that can enhance one's affinity. Neutral-attribute magic stones, in particular."
Those last words made Helga's head snap toward Eleanor, her eyes widening as she understood exactly why Eleanor had brought it up. Isla, too, reached the same conclusion, a small sigh escaping her lips.
Certain special attribute magic stones could be absorbed to slightly enhance one's affinity for the element they contained. Naturally, such stones were extremely costly.
And then, there were those who possessed an affinity for the Neutral Attribute.
Unlike fire-attributed mages, who were weak to water, or lightning-attributed mages, who were weak to earth, they had no elemental weaknesses, but also no inherent strengths.
The damage they dealt and the amount of magic they could withstand depended entirely on their stats and their affinity for the neutral attribute, an affinity that could be improved through neutral-attribute magic stones.
Helga was one such Neutral Attribute.
Because of that, it was immediately clear to both her and Isla that Eleanor's mention of the archipelago wasn't truly about the magisteel ore or the potential diplomatic leverage with the Dwarven Kingdom.
Eleanor was deliberately pointing out a benefit that would directly aid Helga, thereby increasing her standing in Isla's eyes.
After all, Neutral Attribute stones were rarer still.
Once Eleanor had finished speaking, Isla, her gaze still fixed on the map, quietly made a mental note to have the lead investigated to verify the authenticity of Eleanor's claim.
She then turned to Helga and said,
"I told you that you wouldn't be entering a rift without a squad again, didn't I? Well, here's the first member of your squad. You can have her fill the vacant position of your Personal Attendant."
At that, Eleanor arched an eyebrow, intrigued as to why Helga lacked an attendant in the first place. Helga, on the other hand, was caught off guard by how easily her mother had agreed to this arrangement, far more easily than she had expected.
She didn't get the chance to say anything before Isla continued.
"Go get some rest, Helga."
In other words, I want to speak with Eleanor alone.
Helga nodded in silence and stood, leaving the room without a word.
As the door clicked shut behind her, Isla picked up a pen and a plain sheet of magic-infused paper and began writing.
She detailed a contract and signed it with her blood, then turned the sheet over and slid it to the edge of the desk.
Eleanor silently stepped forward, took the paper, and a wry smile formed on her lips as she read the contents.
It was essentially a contract with Isla to serve as Helga's bodyguard.
While Helga was currently stronger, Eleanor knew she would eventually regain her strength and be more than capable of fulfilling that role.
There was also a clause requiring her to supply the Laurents with information on the Crafiels, along with a condition forbidding false information.
As she'd expected, Isla wanted a binding separate from the blood contract with Helga.
After rereading the terms, Eleanor picked up the pen Isla had placed beside the sheet and signed it.
The paper glowed brightly before splitting into two identical copies, one for Isla and one for herself.
"Now then, you say you no longer bear the Crafiel name, but you can't simply go without a name," Isla said, picking up the paper and placing it in her drawer.
Eleanor immediately understood that this was the point in the contract where her new identity would be established.
It was a necessary step if she was to serve as Helga's attendant.
"That's true," she replied. Without waiting for Isla to suggest anything or tell her to decide, she continued,
"Keishara.
Ellie Keishara. That can work, right?"
Isla was mildly curious about the origin of the surname, but didn't care enough to ask. She simply nodded.
"Yes, that will do.
There is an open slot for a 'Baroness' title, so you'll hold it as my daughter's attendant."
The Grand Dukes of Grevania possessed sovereign prerogatives within their domains, including the authority to grant lesser noble titles within their vassal territories. Even if a vassal died, the title did not automatically revert to the Emperor, unlike with Dukes or below.
Helga's previous attendant had been a Baroness, but for reasons unknown to Eleanor, that position was now vacant, so Isla intended to pass the title to her.
As a side note, Helga, as Isla's heir, was styled as a Countess, a courtesy title taken from one of Isla's own substantive titles. After all, the woman was not only a Grand Duchess, but also held the titles of Countess and Viscountess.