Chapter 104
[Alma’a POV]
Upon my desk lay a wide assortment of files. From requisition forms sent by my men, to field reports, and correspondence from nobles seeking to benefit from the war.
But what I was currently looking through, albeit subtly, were the profiles I had gathered for those under my command. The reason for this could be seen sitting at the spare table on the left side of the room, quietly reviewing and correcting yet more files before they made their way to my desk.
Rex Jaeger. I had read up on him on the ride over to Borderton, though I found myself wanting to know more, and I intended to go through any scrap of information relating to him to sate my curiosity.
Why had he caught my eye? That question was not so simple to answer. The most crucial reason, though, lay in the two-hour conversation we had only recently finished.
I had my suspicions ever since he correctly analysed my intentions with the Solean students, and those suspicions had since been thoroughly confirmed. Rex Jaeger was cut from the same cloth as I.
No, that wasn’t entirely accurate. While I was willing to do whatever it took to secure victory, believing that the ends justify the means, he was slightly different.
I had been called many things over the years because of my methods, none of them pleasant. Even I occasionally felt my skin crawl when recollecting what I had done, and I had to force myself to push through with certain schemes despite my own moral misgivings.
But not Rex. He was far more dangerous. He was a man who looked further ahead than I and felt no sense of guilt so long as he could justify the results of his actions. He disapproved of my own methods, not because of the morality, but because they weren't efficient enough for his liking.
My goal in Borderton was to win the war with Soleo. Issues regarding the noble faction’s desires were only a droning background noise to me, one I could deal with when the time came.
Take Farrowgate, then Lion’s Maw, then control the flow of the war from there. That was all I was prioritising. One goal at a time.
But not this junior knight. His devious machinations had already been set into motion and held a very real chance of completing all my goals at once. But it didn’t end there. His plan would not just end the war with Soleo, it would cripple them, leaving them entirely at our mercy. It would be accomplished in such a timeframe that the Imperial nobility would not be able to interfere, leaving my family in a position to reap all the rewards. It would all but secure the empire’s southeastern border and put Soleo in a position where they could never defy us again.
And he intended to do all of this in secret, sacrificing personal recognition for a better chance at success. Had it not been for my whimsical decision to see the “Blood Thunderers” for myself, I never would have found the strigae, nor would I have discovered any of this.
Why did he go so far? Was he just that much of a patriot? Did he truly want my family to prosper so much?
One look at his dispassionate face was enough to discredit those assumptions. So then it must be due to his personal interest. But his scheme, if discovered by almost anyone else, would result in harsh disciplinary measures. And if undiscovered, as he originally intended, he would not gain anything at all.
When asked directly, his response had me unable to respond.
“This is for the greater good of the world.”
That's what he had said.
Had he been some overly optimistic heroic type, I’d have had him lashed for such idiocy. But coming from him, when stated so absolutely, I couldn’t help but be convinced.
Still, how could his soul survive the crime he intended to commit? In one so young, surely this would damage his psyche?
My hand hovered over the coded journal, where I would typically record official discussions and upcoming strategic plays. But I couldn’t bring myself to record Rex's plan.
No matter what, our discussion and his intentions needed to remain strictly between us. Sure, if it got out that I covered this up, I would be facing serious public backlash, but so long as nobody knew what we had done…
Kill a hundred to save a thousand—it was a concept I could get behind. And so I had been convinced by the young man. I would turn a blind eye. I would free his schedule and falsify the records of his movements. I would do these things because ending the war sooner would benefit everyone, even if it meant getting our hands dirty.
Even so, that didn’t mean I wouldn't learn all I could about him. After all, while he made a strong ally, he would no doubt become a nightmare for me should he turn his sights on the royal family.
I had the school records, his enrolment form, the recommendation letter from his foster mother, and the background check from Merk and that devil spy of his. I had read them all over a dozen times, searching for an understanding of what made him tick.
His official background as Ada’s foster son was worthless, as it was almost entirely fictional. Merk had already discovered the real story of Rex of Redwater anyway. The mention of a “Crucible” and “Feral Abyss” was not as eye-opening as I would have hoped, seeing as the devil girl only had vague details to offer about them.
Apparently, he has a strong hatred for the gods, and yet I had seen him being rather polite with the clergy, and his grades in religious studies were superb. He called himself a Druid, yet apparently set fire to a forest, and is unable to use any of the spells they are known for besides shapeshifting.
I felt a headache coming on. The harder I tried to peer through him, the more confusing it all became. How much obfuscation was at work, and how much was just a lack of reliable intel?
I could try questioning his associates, but from what I had witnessed, he showed totally different tendencies depending on who he was with.
Like a chameleon, he seemed to blend and adapt to anything. How long could his mind survive such an approach to life? Did he even know who he truly was anymore?
Thud.
I closed his profile loudly.
“Is something wrong?”
He asked without stopping his meticulous work.
“Coffee.”
“Black?”
“A dash of milk.”
Our exchange was curt, and he wasn’t addressing me with the proper honorifics, but it felt somehow comfortable. He nodded and walked over to the artifact I brought with me to all my stations. Before long, he was at my desk with two cups in his hands.
“Did I say you could have one?”
I tried to throw him off.
“No.”
He calmly took a drink anyway.
“...Heh.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Not just because he would randomly share these light-hearted moments out of the blue, but also because it put me at ease.
“It would be faster to ask me directly, you know.”
He said, nodding to his own profile. Though I had intended to keep it quiet at first, I found the endeavour too frustrating to pursue immediately.
“Would you answer honestly?”
So I tried probing directly.
“To an extent.”
“That’s why I’m not asking.”
This time, he was the one to laugh. The fact that it was so genuine seemed at odds with his usual passivity. Another example of how he adapted to get what he wanted, or was he just comfortable with me now?
“I’ll leave you to it then.”
He returned to his desk and resumed his work, his expression snapping from happy to focused in a second.
How much of what he showed was real?
I kept myself from sighing aloud, but inwardly, I just couldn’t leave the puzzle before me unsolved.
***
[Guy’s POV]
I had regained consciousness the following night, but I was not permitted to rejoin the front lines right away. Sir Radu insisted that I focus on resting, so that my mind would be fresh when I was needed again.
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But how much rest could I get when I could still hear the fighting going on at the eastern gate?
Dinu had gone right back in as the only vampire in combat, but now Farrowgate’s garrison was working to beat back the attackers. As a result, the stench of blood flowing from that side of town was suffocating.
“Hear me, people of The Soleo Kingdom! Do not be misled! Your mayor bows to evil and allows foul beasts to drain the people’s lives! Your so-called protectors hide away while good men die ignoble deaths!”
A man's loud voice could be heard from the docks. It was already nightfall, yet there were still enough people out to form a small crowd around him.
Curious, I took a closer look.
“The blood knights are our only hope!”
One townsperson yelled back in anger.
“That is merely the narrative these monsters have woven to maintain their place as our keepers! Do you not see? They were nowhere to be seen before this misbegotten war began, and now your leaders scrape their knees as they prostrate themselves so eagerly. This is not the way of the divine. This is not the way of Faelora!”
The man, clad in pure white and gold robes, boasted an impressive build that was completely at odds with his holy occupation. Though even so, I could tell by his movements that those muscles had gone unused for some time. Likely, they were the result of a more adventurous past.
“What would you have us do? Hope and pray that the imperials leave us alone?”
Another woman cried out in frustration.
“Listen to how she speaks! Hope and prayer are akin to waste in her mind, as it is with so many who leave their fates in the hands of unholy abominations! Yes, pray! For it will fill your souls with hope! Hope that will in turn enrich the mind and body, and drive you to stand for yourselves!”
The man decried her words, and while most of the crowd seemed annoyed, there were a few who were hanging on to his speech eagerly.
I had a bad feeling, so I quietly approached a man who had walked out of the crowd with a displeased look.
“Excuse me, mister? Who is that person?”
“Ha!? What do you wa- Oh, excuse me, sir…”
The man snapped at me, but cowed the moment he met my eyes in the moonlit night.
“That is a paladin sent from the capital. Kenneth Faelora. He’s been at this all night.”
“Thank you, and sorry for taking up your time.”
I waved him off with an uneasy smile.
Kenneth Faelora… It was a name I knew. Father had often complained about that man impeding investigations. He was something of a figurehead for those who still opposed the blood tax and vampires in general.
While not a politically or physically powerful person, he held great influence among the churches of Faelora and Skori. As such, he had enough connections and respect within religious communities to feel safe even when presenting his opinions aggressively.
But why was he in Farrowgate? Surely he had no place in a warzone. And what kind of idiot tries to sow discord like this among the townspeople when it was so important for us to stand together?
“Makes your blood boil, doesn’t it?”
I jumped in surprise as a girl suddenly appeared behind me.
“Oh? Did I startle you? I’m sorry.”
She smiled apologetically, her ribbon bobbing freely as she began to giggle.
“N-no, I just…”
I felt awkward to have been caught off guard so easily, and it didn’t help that she was so cute.
“Don’t worry. That priest doesn’t have much support yet. He’s just going around blowing hot air.”
She suddenly took my hand in hers.
“You just have to prove him wrong, right? Maybe if you guys made your presence known, the townspeople would really feel how much you were looking out for them. Even my friends have been gossiping about all the knights hiding in the mayor’s house.”
She suddenly let go and clapped her hand over her mouth.
“Oh! S-sorry, I didn’t mean to say it like that… I know you aren’t hiding or anything, it’s just to protect the leaders, right?”
“Uh, y-yeah.”
I nodded awkwardly.
“I’m Emily, by the way. I saw you running out to help us earlier. Thank you so much!”
She stepped forward and gave me a messy bow. She was probably a commoner, but the clumsy attempt only made her more endearing.
“Ah, I didn’t really do much… But I’ll do better next time!”
Remembering how Axel used to go on about showing confidence to girls to make a good impression, I tried my best to show my determination.
“Haha, I believe in you! Ah, whoops! I need to get home. I hope to see you around!”
She ran off into the night and once again vanished from my senses.
“The parasitic menace that has infiltrated our home must be driven out! Mark my words, people of Farrowgate, they care only for their own darkened desires!”
I frowned as the obnoxious preaching ruined my mood and decided to patrol a different area for the rest of the night.
***
[Rex’s POV]
Four days passed, and Klaus’ team finally returned to Borderton. Draven would also be on the way back by now, and a third team led by the red-haired knight I occasionally saw visiting Alma’s office was currently engaging Farrowgate.
Our initial strike was just a greeting. One that was cut short, seeing as we didn’t expect to kill three vampires right away. Draven’s team dragged things out for a full day and night, but from the report I read, they basically just sent mobile therians up onto the wall to repeatedly destroy their makeshift cover.
And the third team planned to remain for a full three days and nights, simply to cause noise and march on the gate, only to back away when the defenders came. These were simple harassment tactics, not yet a legitimate siege.
We would then cycle the teams back around, upping the intensity bit by bit until the defender's morale had been ground down. At least, that was the original plan.
After Alma dragged my own intentions out of me, she completely revised everything. It wasn’t terribly shocking that she approved my plan, considering her own drastic and immoral actions. Even so, I didn’t think she would be as accommodating as she had been.
I suppose she wasn’t giving me any manpower or resources, so even if I screwed up, she wouldn’t lose anything except for a wildcard subordinate who moves behind her back. It's basically a win-win for her.
As I considered what she may have been thinking, I quietly made my way over the wall and into the Verdant Divide. Axel would no doubt be looking to spar after five days of uneventful marching, but I had another matter to see to. The only person who needed to know about it should already be there, and all I brought with me was a shovel.
Retreading the path I had walked each night since my meeting with Alma, I quickly found my way to a certain ruined chapel. And there, perched atop the highest point, was a huge bird-like creature, its piercing blood-red eyes fixed on me before finally swooping down.
Skrake wrapped her wings around me to prevent my escape and smiled softly.
“The hunt in this part of the woods is rather lacking.”
Her talon slowly glided up my navel and stopped at my heart.
“Have I not been patient? Are you not a man of your word?”
She stared at my chest and slowly cocked her head. Like an owl, it continued to rotate until it was practically upside down.
But the unnerving sight did nothing to increase my heart rate.
“Have you been patient? That’s for me to decide. Move.”
I responded firmly.
Her eyes widened in bloodthirsty glee, but she stepped aside without a word.
Walking through the remains of the broken building, I saw what I hoped to witness. A man, still alive and unharmed. He was bound and gagged, and what remained of his torn and dirtied clothing marked him as a sailor.
Skrake stalked along behind me, her hot breath that reeked of iron warmed the back of my neck despite the cool night’s air.
“Looks like you did as I asked. Good.”
I nodded in satisfaction.
“Four nights, I held back despite his pathetic begging. Four long nights without the warm taste of flesh to sate my hunger. Have I not proven my capability? My restraint? My intellect?”
With each question, she thrust her face towards mine from a new angle. Her usual feigned grace had been almost entirely eroded due to the fast I made her endure.
I took the gag off the man and shook him awake.
“Uh…. Huh?”
He looked around with a groggy expression that immediately turned to fear as he saw our faces.
But he did not scream. Skrake had made him obedient.
“H-how can I assist you, milords?”
He stammered nervously.
The man was nothing more than a criminal, one that haunted the waters of Farrowgate’s trade lines alongside a dozen other so-called pirates. I had taken an interest in his petty crime after reviewing old reports from Farrowgate that Alma had me file away.
And he was one of the two things I had tasked Skrake with getting for me.
On the first night of his capture, I only came to say one phrase: “Four nights from now, you will answer my questions.”
He was defiant that night.
But by the third night, when I told him, “Tomorrow, you will answer my questions.”
He had only meekly nodded.
Skrake had not succumbed to her base instincts and devoured him. These four nights were just as much to hammer him into obedience as they were to test Skrake’s self-control.
“Tonight is the night you answer my questions.”
I began.
“Y-yes milord, whatever you say…”
There was a pile of leather-bound bags tossed in a heap in the corner. I opened one up and emptied the contents.
Along with seawater, there was a large quantity of silver tableware.
“These are stolen.”
I stated it as a fact.
“My question is this: How? How did you get access to the mayor’s estate to acquire all this?”
The man would likely have declined to answer had his fear of Skrake not gripped him so.
“T-there's a tunnel… It leads right into a storage warehouse used by nobility.”
“Right in? Just like that?”
“Ah! S-sorry, I misspoke!”
He quickly corrected himself.
“It comes out into an old part of the sewerage system. It's not maintained anymore, but there's a way to get into the main system from there.”
He paused, clearly frightened that I was going to punish him for misleading me. But I only motioned for him to finish.
“Once you're in, you can get up into a walled-off latrine. It connects to the storage area. I broke the wall down there ages ago. The current one is just an illusion, you can walk right through.”
I nodded.
“I see. Where's the tunnel entrance?”
“Ah…”
He hesitated, and Skrake suddenly lunged for his throat.
“W-wait! I'm not holding back, it's just… You might not be able to use it.”
“Why?”
I asked, making no effort to order Skrake down.
“I-its underwater. And it's real long. I've been up there three times, but I spend half my haul just on waterbreathing potions.”
I laughed quietly.
“That won't be a problem. So, where is the entrance? Tell me exactly.”
“U-under the dock! Swim down from out of sight, go in under the second pier from the west, and move the loose stones! Please, let me go!”
The man became frantic, but I still had one last question.
I stood and picked up another bag, one that was dripping with red, sticky liquid.
I dropped it in front of him and opened it so that only he could see.
His face paled.
“What did they do to deserve this?”
I asked.
His eyes quivered, and tears began to form.
“P-please… I-I just needed the money…”
“Who pays for this?”
I continued, my voice level, but carrying the hint of a threat. This was no longer relevant to my goal, but it also wasn't something I could ignore.
“H-he never told me his name. He wears a veil! Real raspy voice! U-uh, he carries a blue sword! That’s all I know, please!”
It was times like this that I wished Lily were around so that I could tell if he was still holding out on anything.
My own blank face was reflected back in his eyes. Not a hint of anger, even after what he did.
After all, what point was there in feeling anger for a dead man? His fate was decided the moment Skrake showed me what was on his boat.
“Skrake. Remove the head and drain the body of all its blood. I don't care what order you do it in.”
“What!? No! I did as you asked! B-bastard, I’ll kill you! I know people! They'll hunt you down!”
He thrashed and screamed, but we no longer acknowledged him as a living being. He was just a corpse that could speak.
“Do you need the head for anything?”
Skrake, her macabre intentions clear, asked with barely restrained glee.
“No. It just needs to be removed. Do what you want with it.”
The man, whose name I never cared to know, continued to both plead for mercy and threaten my life all the way up until a bone-chilling crunch shut him up.
Skrake was anything but a delicate diner, as the sickening sounds she made as she greedily consumed the corpse continued without pause as I got to work.
I had confirmed she had not interfered with the contents of the bag, solidifying my belief that she would be able to fulfil her role without compromising my goal.
I picked up my shovel and began digging.
Though I knew the souls of the dead were long gone, this meaningless ritual still did my mind good. Putting the bodies to rest, away from the evil that robbed them of life, felt right. It was a selfish action, meant only to keep my soul from becoming as darkened as that of the headless corpse behind me.