Chapter 84: Cracks of convergence. (1)

Perhaps as one would expect, there was quite the clamor in the banquet hall after Teresa came charging in, covered in blood while carrying an unconscious young child. Naturally, most of the clamoring came from the fact that Gabriel announced that Teresa would bring with her evidence that someone in the Sorin family was colluding with the Kasarias kingdom. Thus, the hazy-eyed girl was the center of everyone’s attention.

Naturally, Gabriel was also focused on Teresa, but his reasonings were a bit different from the surrounding nobles. Simply put, he was caught off-guard. He had been prepared for Teresa to come rushing here after finding the evidence he had pointed her towards, so her hurry to reach them was expected. The child she brought with her was not.

The information Gabriel had on parts of the Sorin family working with the Kasarias royal family naturally came from what he recalled from his past life. From what he recalled, it came to light after Alice burned down half of the Sorin duchy, its revelation was nothing more than an accident. At the time, with everything else Alice was doing to the empire, something like a bit of colluding with an enemy kingdom simply wasn’t worth wasting energy on. It was a side-note, a minor event barely worth registering. As such, he naturally couldn’t recall anything about them keeping kids or the like.

“Please, my Lady! Please, you have to save them! We have to keep them safe! Please, my Lady… Please…”

Teresa kept begging, her hazy gaze drifting through Alice and Gabriel as if they weren’t really there. She was desperate, a tremble running through her entire body as warm blood slid between her fingers and fell to the floor. Gabriel had seen similar cases before, she was completely shell-shocked and grasping at straws. Alice naturally also realized that Teresa wasn’t in a proper state of mind, sharing a quick glance with Gabriel as they wordlessly communicated.

“Teresa, you need to take a deep breath. In and out, in and out. Count to five between each inhale and exhale. You need to be clear-headed and focused on the present, otherwise I cannot know what I must do to help you.”

Alice spoke firmly, cupping Teresa’s cheeks and turning her head slightly so that she had no choice but to look directly at her. There was a gentle tenderness to her voice so as not to worsen Teresa’s state, and it seemed to work as she started to draw in slow breaths to regain a semblance of calm.

Slowly but surely she seemed to regain a bit of her mental faculties, clarity starting to return to her gaze. But parts of the haze still remained, clinging to her deep brown pupils almost like a plague, reflecting things only she could see. But it was good enough for now.

“Yes, that’s good. Breathe deep and think of the present. If we want to do things properly and securely then we need to do it step by step, haste makes waste after all. Can you do that?”

Alice lowered her hands slightly as she spoke, resting one on the forehead of the young girl that Teresa had brought. Her skin was almost as pale as snow, making her black hair stand out that much more. Her eyes were closed, but her eyelids fluttered slightly with her every ragged breath. She looked to be on the brink, but she was at least alive for now.

Teresa was now present enough to understand what Alice was trying to say, she was also mentally focused enough to finally notice their surroundings. This was an… inopportune location and situation. She could feel the gazes drill into her, piercing to her core as they inspected her. Familiar, familiar, familiar gazes… oh-so familiar… oh-so hateful…

“Yes… Of course, my Lady. Forgive me.”

Teresa sucked in a sharp breath in an attempt to focus properly, but there was an ache at the back of her head, a constant pounding just behind her eyes. Her ears were buzzing again and she just wanted to block out everything. But it had to be done step by step, it had to be done properly, Gabriel and Alice taught her that.

“I found this in their hideout, it details some of their actions and transactions. It seems to be encrypted so I can’t read it all, but I am sure that it can be cracked if enough digging is done.”

She dug into her shirt and pulled out a stack of papers that had been badly bundled together, blood and grime staining the thick scroll. The papers landed in Alice’s grasp for but a moment before they were passed along to Gabriel, who unfurled it.

The letters were indeed encrypted, seemingly speaking of rather random events and purchases that one would find just about anywhere. But it fit what he recalled from his last life so he could decipher at least parts of it to make sure that it was indeed what he was looking for. And with that being the case, he naturally handed it over to emperor Arthas.

“Your Esteemed Highness, the proof that I promised. I cannot decipher all of it, but I know that if you dig into this Uncle Tarmund and pierce through the three proxy companies it leads to, you will find that the trail leads to the third son of Duke Sorin. And this one, Flowers For Farengar, if you dig into that shop you will find that its owner is actually just a proxy, who is in fact working for a proxy of the proxy of Duke Quinterius from the Kasarias Kingdom. The pruned roses they speak of will be the illegal slaves they deal in, I am sure that you will find a disproportionate number of missing, or dead by animal attacks, people in the areas frequented by Duke Sorin’s third son.”

They really hid well. They didn’t trust a single proxy with everything and built up wall after wall to keep themselves safe. But what a shame it was for them that Gabriel had knowledge he shouldn’t have, of a time that should at some point have come to pass. None of their encryptions or safe-guards were worth a damn when faced with that.

Arthas naturally accepted the scroll, the entire banquet hall stifling a cold breath as his narrowed eyes swept across the paper. Whether or not the accusations were true didn’t matter in this very moment, Gabriel had made them in front of the entire empire. Arthas would have to investigate them no matter how unlikely they were, that was how serious they were. And if they actually turned out to be true? Well then it meant that the emperor would have to investigate the other nobles as well because he apparently wouldn’t be able to trust his own ducal families. A great purge would follow to soothe the common populace. No matter what, things would be tense and dangerous for a time.

“Duke Sorin.”

The emperor finally spoke after spending over a minute quietly looking at the first paper rolled into the scroll. A piercing gaze was directed at the duke, whose third son was conspicuously absent today.

“I expect your full cooperation while I investigate these allegations, I do not want anything to be hidden from me. Naturally, if you are found guiltless then I will lower my head and offer whatever remunerations you so desire.”

He spoke of it almost like a request, they were friends after all. But no, it was an order, punctuated by the fact that he referred to him by his ducal title rather than by name. An inviolable command. Naturally, Gabriel wasn’t spared from his attention afterward.

“And Viscount Indra, I expect that you will be more than willing to offer your head should all this turn out to be nothing more than a smear campaign to lower one of our duke’s. A hero you may be, but my citizens will not stand for a liar and a scoundrel rising to such heights. I hope that you are prepared for the consequences should such things come to light.”

The emperor handed off the scroll to a man who seemingly appeared out of nowhere as he spoke to Gabriel. His clear and piercing amber eyes were trying to pressure Gabriel as only a monarch could, but Gabriel wasn’t phased as he gave a polite bow.

“I am naturally prepared for all the consequences that may come my way from this. But as much as it pains me to say, and undoubtedly you to hear, I am afraid that no such consequences will find their way to me once this is all over and the truth comes to light.”

Consequences, Gabriel wasn’t afraid of any consequences. Sure, the Kasarias Kingdom and some of the people from the Sorin duchy would start to move against him because of this. But they were strong, they would be able to handle it. And when the truth came to light, the emperor wouldn’t be able to punish Gabriel, he and the Duke of Sorin would have to reward him instead. That was the pain of being a leader.

“Now, if you would please excuse me, I fear that my friend requires my attention. But if you do not mind listening to her tale then I am sure that we will all step closer to the truth due to it.”

Gabriel very politely steered the pointless conversation towards its end. Teresa clearly had a situation that needed to be dealt with, and allowing shell-shock to fester would only lead to ruin. The plague in her eyes was still apparent, she was just suppressing it for now, she would have to let it all out and get some rest.

Naturally, the emperor would not miss this chance to at the very least listen, the more he knew the better it would be when he started to investigate. His gaze landed on the kneeling Teresa, his eyes stopping on the pale child for a moment before she snapped his fingers.

“Summon the imperial physician. We have a child in need of treatment.”

The citizens were still watching thanks to the mages so he naturally had to give this child the best of care. Still, he didn’t move from his spot, sternly and quietly observing and listening. And since the emperor didn’t move, the rest of the nobles naturally couldn’t move either. This, they could only remain in place as the physician was rushed over and Teresa started her story.

“Right…”

———

The infiltration was a success. More than a success, it was easy beyond compare, just as Gabriel had told her. He had briefed her quite a few times on this mission ever since he entrusted it to her, she simply attributed it to his worrying nature and desire to not fail their Lady.

She had changed her usual lightly colored and tight-fitting dresses for a more formal black and white maid’s attire, apron and ruffled skirt included. She was here to assassinate the bandits that had wreaked havoc on the Barong territories outskirts, always escaping in the nick of time.

But those ‘bandits’ weren’t just your average rag-tag group of people. No, one of their leaders was the illegitimate daughter of Duke Sorin’s third son while the other was the nephew of Duke Vritara’s niece, they were a group put together to subtly weaken the Barong duchy.

This made it both easier and harder to get close to them. It was harder because their official positions placed them in rather secure locales, but it also made it easier because she could infiltrate them rather easily. The estate they were occupying under a merchant company’s name was constantly looking for workers, Teresa just had to respond to one such advert and take up the job of maid. Once inside it was just a matter of making her way up to them, she was exceedingly confident in her ability to kill them.

Today would be the day she officially started, quickly making her way through the streets until she reached the back-door of the estate, the servants entrance. The mansion towered above her just a bit ahead, a delicate mix of dark blue and bright white stones that gave the entire building a very clean appearance.

The guard stationed by the entrance examined the letter that served as proof of employment and opened the gate for her, allowing her to officially start the actual assassination. She stepped into the empty field beyond the gate, the shadow of the mansion looming over her as she approached it.

It almost felt like a wall pushing down on her, a formless pressure pushing down on her shoulders. There was a quiet ache at the back of her head, a soft and constant drumming just behind her eyes. She lost focus for a second, an indistinct buzzing in her ears. She drew in a deep breath and rubbed the bridge of her nose, reclaiming her focus before she kept moving forward.