"In case you didn't know, this is a sun charm. It's often used to give people hope and warmth, but it also has the effect of detecting a heretic. If a heretic touches it, they'll feel pain, and the amulet will glow."
Plutus slid the sun charm over, and John felt a bit stiff. He didn't know if he would be considered a heretic or if the charm would activate.
"I want you to prove your innocence."
John hovered his hand just above the sun charm. Even though the restaurant was filled with warm lanterns, the atmosphere grew progressively colder. John met Plutus's gaze, noticing that Plutus himself appeared uncertain. That's when Plutus spoke up again.
"Or maybe I could let you off. A favor for a favor." Plutus narrowed his eyes, trying to get a read on John, but he couldn't discern anything useful.
"Are you letting me go?" John's voice was filled with doubt.
"Well, I'm a gambler, and I can tell you'll hit it big."
John looked at Plutus, then at the amulet. The deal was most likely a trap, but could he afford not to take it? If he got caught right now, it would be fatal.
"Look, my patience will run dry any second now. Deal or no deal?"
John gazed at Plutus again. But this time, he didn't feel as uncertain. He reached for the amulet and grabbed it in his hand. The amulet emitted a bit of warmth, but that was all.
Plutus's eyebrows lifted slightly. He hadn't anticipated that John would decide so quickly. And the amulet made no response at all.
"This should prove it, right?"
John held the amulet firmly in his hand and tossed it back to Plutus, who caught it with ease.
"That'll do." Plutus apologized while storing the sun amulet. "Sorry for the inconvenience."
"What would you do with the favor?"
"We won't do anything with it, to be honest." Plutus dropped the rigid accent he had been using earlier, lightening the atmosphere. "We'll just track you down to your base and capture you."
"...."
John managed to keep his composure somehow. This encounter was unexpected. There had never been a character like Plutus in the original story, or at least not one with any significant screen time. John knew that Duke Tudor had three sons, but he wasn't aware of their relationship.
He was therefore taken aback by this encounter. His initial plan had been to simply eat a meal and observe the type of meat being used, as he was planning on making more money. However, this encounter had derailed into getting accused of being a heretic—a serious claim that could ruin someone's life.
He had an idea of how this had happened, but he would have to solve that later. For now, the waitress had brought his meal to the table. On a metal serving cart, she placed the dishes and opened the covers one by one.
There was a pot of brown stew with meat and herbs simmering on his side. Beside it was a loaf of bread to complete the meal. Plutus, on the other hand, treated himself to a sizzling hot sausage, a sunny-side-up egg, and meat that was served hot off the pan.
John used a spoon to taste the stew. He blew on it to lessen the heat and took a bite. It turned out to be blander than it looked. The taste was mostly of meat and some carrots. He then used a table knife to slice the bread and dip it into the stew.
He ate it with the meat in the stew. The meal continued in silence.
After finishing the meal, John would give it a 7/10. It was on the blander side but still had some flavors. Across from him, Plutus had already finished everything on his plate, indicating that he enjoyed his meal a lot.
"As an apology, I'll take care of the bill. You can leave first; I have something to do here."
"Then I'll excuse myself."
"Next time, I hope we meet under better circumstances."
"Me too."
John left the restaurant at a leisurely pace. Hilda followed him shortly after he left his seat. The servants in their special dining area could see their masters through the window. However, some were not that attentive, and the waitstaff had to remind them.
Hilda firmly remained in the former.
After they reached the main road, John looked behind him and saw the ever-calm maid.
"Was your meal good?"
"As bland as ever."
"Right? I can't believe the Tudors endorsed it. Maybe there's something wrong with their taste buds." As John spoke, he also thought. No matter how much surveillance you put on people, he didn't think it would be possible to track down a possible heretic that fast.
Someone must have given that information away. And it couldn't have been anyone else. He turned to look at the maid with stern eyes.
"Who am I?"
The maid closed her eyes.
"A smarter Master Reeva."
"I can go with that."
John turned to look ahead. His mouth curved slightly as he reviewed his recent past. He had been about to take the offer Plutus proposed since the chance of being burned at the stake was a real possibility. He wasn't sure what the amulet actually did. The only reason he picked it up in the first place was because of the nun.
The nun who attended to him would have detected any abnormality sooner than anyone else. If he was a heretic then, he would likely be detected by the nun. The Duke likely just made a report to the church just in case John slips through the nurse.
It's a matter of power. His theory was that the nun had only one circle, while Plutus had two or more. If Reeva was a heretic who had two or more circles, he would be able to hide from the nurse who attended to him.
With that theory came another question. Why the hell didn't that guy show up in the original story? Being a second circle around 15 should be a massive achievement.