The sun had not yet fully risen, and the sky was painted in shades of dark blue and pink. Three figures on horseback moved quickly along the dirt road, their faces set and serious. They were the three "waitresses" who had spent the night entertaining and spying on Captain Valen's soldiers.
Their long, beautiful hair flowed behind them in the morning air, a stark contrast to the cold, professional look in their eyes. They were not simple girls from a village. They were highly trained agents of the Duke of the North, Hein, a man famous for his strictness and his massive network of spies spread all through the kingdom.
"That was almost too easy," giggled one of the agents, a blonde woman named Lyssa, as her horse trotted beside her partner. "The soldier I was with, he was so proud of himself. All I had to do was tell him how strong his unit was, make him drink one cup too many, and he relaxed like a warm bowl of soup."
"What did you get?" asked the third woman, Mira.
"Everything he knew," Lyssa bragged, tossing her hair. "He told me that Lord Alaric and Lord Darius were definitely at the Count's estate. He said the whole unit had been waiting there for days. And best of all, he confirmed the rumors that the soldiers were becoming suspicious. They all think the house is hiding something big because the Denares brothers are acting strange, not only ordering them to go home, but also staying on the Count estate."
The women all exchanged satisfied smiles. Getting information this easily was a gift. The soldiers, drunk and distracted by the sudden sight of beauty in their dull lives, had lowered their guards completely.
The woman who had been with Captain Valen, Selena, rode slightly ahead. She was the most beautiful among these three.
"What about the Captain, Selena?" Mira asked, her voice a little nervous. "Did he spill anything? He is supposed to be very tight-lipped."
Selena smiled, a small, cold twist of her lips. She looked like a painting of a beautiful woman, but her eyes held the dark look of a killer.
"Captain Valen was… stubborn, as rumored," she said, her voice smooth and low. "He lived up to his nickname. He drank the ale, but he kept his mind clear enough to be annoying. He refused to give me any useful details. I confirmed that he is very suspicious, but he did not give away their plan."
Selena did not mention the dagger. She did not speak of the brief, chaotic struggle in the dark. She did not mention the massive hole she had to punch in the wall to escape the veteran Captain. Her failure to kill him was her own secret. It was a failure of duty, and she would report only the facts that proved their mission a success. She might be a big deal among others, but if such a small mission mess-up was revealed, then her reputation would suffer.
They rode for another ten minutes before reaching a small, heavily guarded mill house. It was their secret base. They dismounted and were quickly led inside a back room.
Sitting at a table was a figure completely covered in a deep black cloak. The face was hidden by a heavy cowl, making it impossible to tell if it was a man or a woman. This was their direct link to Duke Hein.
Selena immediately knelt. "My Lord, the report is complete. The Denares brothers were at the Edger estate. We think the house has been compromised. The Denares army, under Captain Valen, is mobilizing and highly suspicious. The rumor of the Elf slave roaming freely is likely true, as the Captain's own men spoke of it."
The hooded figure nodded slowly. The voice, when it spoke, was quiet and dry, like old leaves. "Excellent work, Selena. If the Denares army is marching, then the window of opportunity is closing. We cannot let an unstable situation near the border continue. The official investigation must begin immediately."
While the Duke's agents were delivering their report, things were quiet at the Edger mansion, too quiet.
It was barely an hour after midnight. Countess Teressa was asleep in her huge bed, finally resting after the terror of the past few days.
"COUNTESS! COUNTESS TERESSA! WAKE UP!"
A servant's loud, fearful shout ripped through the silence of the night, louder than any thunderclap. Teressa jerked upright in bed, her heart hammering against her ribs.
"What in the name of the King…!" she cried out.
Hans, the old butler, was already at her door, his face pale and tight with dread. "My Lady, they are here! The official party! They are outside the gate and demanding to be let in immediately! It's the Duke's Private Investigators!"
Teressa felt a cold wave of horror wash over her. Every noble in the kingdom feared the Duke's investigators almost as they feared the King's army. These men and women were notorious. They were thorough, they were ruthless, and they could smell a lie like a bloodhound. Their job was to crack down on corrupt noble families, finding the smallest detail out of place to strip them of their titles, their lands, and their heads.
'Count IS Dead.Kidnapped, powerful nobles (the Denares brothers) hidden in a secret cell.Dozens of newly freed Elf slaves hidden on the property.And the final insult: a slave (Eon) wearing a simple collar who now acts as the house's armed guard.'
If the investigators found even one of those things, her whole family would be destroyed.
Teressa didn't even bother to put on a robe. She grabbed a silk shawl and ran down the hall toward the wing where Eon was staying. It had been her old bedchamber, and Eon had taken it for its size and security.
She burst into the room.
Eon was not asleep.
The room was lit by a single, soft mana lamp. Eon was sitting cross-legged on the floor, perfectly still. Elsa was asleep in one corner, and Elora in the other, both breathing quietly.
Eon was concentrating, using his Spell Management skill. He was not casting a massive spell, but simply taking a basic, simple piece of magic, a small ball of vacumed space, and using it over and over. VACUUM. He had registered it into his Skill, but didn't use it till now, as he thought it was non-lethal. But now he was beginning to see many potential for it.
This was his nightly ritual, his way of training for the future.
He looked up as Teressa rushed in, her face white with terror, her breath coming in fast, sharp gasps. "Eon! They're here! The Investigators! The Duke's men! We are doomed! We are absolutely doomed!"
Eon stood up slowly, calmly. He was wearing the simple, dark tunic of a servant, but around his neck was the specially made, simple, and not very magical slave collar he had worn before. He looked like any other Elf slave, except for the faint glow of Mana that surrounded him.
"Calm yourself, Countess," Eon said, his voice a low, steady balm. "Take a deep breath. Now, tell me what is happening. Use simple words."
Teressa forced herself to take a shaking breath. "The Investigators… the Duke of the North's official party. They are at the gate. They are here to search the house."
Eon nodded slowly, thoughtfully. "I did not expect them to move so fast. But do not worry. This is exactly what the Great Sham was made for. I have prepared for an official inspection."
He gently took her shaking hands. "If they find anything out of place, it means my cleaning was not perfect. It means my plan has failed. But I assure you, Countess, I do not fail. You will meet them. You might be nervous, but you have be polite. You will play the part of the nervous Lady of the House, woken up late at night by a rumor."
Eon took a step back. "I will stay here. I might have decided my role is Teressa's personal guard, but if a simple, armed Elf slave is present at a high ranked investigator officer's inspection time, it will only raise questions about the Count's rule. Let them see only the nervous widow, the empty halls, and the well-run staff."
He pointed to her clothes. "Go. Put on a dress. Fix your hair. Hans will stall them for exactly five minutes. Be ready by then."
Teressa looked at his face, which was unnaturally calm. In that moment, she stopped seeing the slave she had always known and saw the man who had killed her husband, taken charge of her home, and now held her entire life in his hands. He was a little terrifying in her eyes, but he was also her only hope. She nodded and ran back to her room to dress.
When Teressa arrived at the main hall, dressed quickly in a modest, dark gown, the three investigators were already inside. They were stern, quiet men in dark, well-made uniforms. They were not rude, but their politeness was cold and sharp, like a newly forged dagger.
"Countess Teressa Edger, we apologize for the late hour," the lead investigator said, a man with a thin, educated face. "We are here on the official orders of Duke Hein to investigate certain rumors regarding the state of this noble house and the status of its employees and property."
"Of course," Teressa whispered, forcing a smile that did not reach her terrified eyes. "Please, feel free to look wherever you must. My late husband…ahem.., my husband, Count Robert, has been ill for some time, and the house is perhaps not as tidy as usual, but we have nothing to hide."
The investigators split up. They were systematic and quiet. They checked the account books Hans had prepared. They searched the staff quarters. They questioned the small number of human servants who were loyal to the Countess, asking about the Count's health and the disappearance of the Denares brothers. Each servant repeated the same simple, rehearsed lie: 'The Count is ill.', or ' He is getting treament now.'
Finally, the lead investigator pointed toward the heavy wooden door at the back of the house. "The basement, Countess. We need to check your houses cellar and the dungeon. A rumor stated that something has happened inside your basement dungeon."
Teressa nearly fainted. 'The dungeon!' That was where Eon had used his magic to kill her husband. That was where the blood had flowed. That was where dozens of elves had been kept captive for years.
"Certainly," Teressa said with a gentle smile, her voice shaking only slightly. "Be careful; it is terribly dusty and cold."
The three investigators descended into the darkness. Teressa stood at the top of the stairs, her heart beating so loudly she thought they might hear it.
Downstairs, the investigators searched with lamps. They looked at the bare stone walls. They checked the old, rusted chains that had been left hanging. They looked at the stone floor.
They found nothing. Just a dozen of Elves, chained to the walls, slave collar around their necks. Just your average elf slave holding cells.
Eon's Matter Manipulation skill had not just cleaned the blood; it had removed the memory of the battle. The air was dry. The walls were solid. There was no sign of a recent fight, and certainly no trace of any elf slaves strong enough to fight back. All of their eyes were devoid of any life from almost a decade of slavery.
There were just cold, damp, and empty cellar, exactly what a count's estate might have for storage.
The lead investigator touched the floor, running his gloved finger over the stone. He found only dust. He even checked the chains, testing their strength. He shrugged and signaled to his partners.
The investigation was finished.
The three men climbed the stairs and stood before Teressa. The lead investigator bowed slightly, his voice still polite but now slightly apologetic.
"Countess, thank you for your cooperation. We have found no irregularities. The rumors appear to be false. We apologize for interrupting your rest."
Teressa almost collapsed in relief. But She still forced a polite smile and watched, trembling, as the Duke's official party walked out the front door and into the rising sun.
The three black-uniformed investigators marched down the main dirt road leading away from the mansion. They were quiet, having wasted an hour on what seemed to be a simple, false rumor.
Suddenly, a massive, noisy column of soldiers appeared from the side road and began marching toward the mansion. It was Captain Valen and his Diablo unit.
Valen, who was leading the charge, saw the investigators immediately. He was still wearing his disheveled, bloody uniform from the assassination attempt, and the cut on his neck was still raw.
He stopped his entire unit with a single, furious hand gesture. He stared at the dark figures leaving the mansion.
'The Duke's men? Already?' Valen's mind went into a panic. 'Then that girl must have been one of his spies. Fuck! That's why she was so fast and so powerful! The Duke seems to have gotten the information and sent his people faster than I could even move my army!'
Valen watched as the investigators passed his unit. The lead investigator glanced at the Captain and nodded a silent hello, then continued walking without a pause. They were calm. They looked like men who had finished a routine, boring job. They did not slow down. They did not stop to talk to him.
Valen's strong suspicion, the one that had forced him to wake up his drunken army and march immediately, suddenly began to fall apart.
'Why?'
'Why are the Duke's notorious, bloodhound investigators leaving the scene of a suspected crime. Did they not found anything?! But how can that be? At least they had to have found those elf slaves who had negotiated with us for Teressa. It should be enough for them to at least leave with a captured elf?'
'They had just walked out of a house where the Count was dead, and an armed Elf was now standing guard. Yet, they had found nothing?'
The lead investigator's calm, almost bored glance sealed the deal for Valen.
He looked back at the large, silent mansion. It looked exactly as it always had, peaceful, well-kept, and quiet.
"If those bloodhounds found nothing, then what am I doing here?" Valen thought, his face filled with doubt.
The "Great Sham" had not only fooled the inverstigators, but it had also confused Valen. The sight of the Duke's own agents leaving empty-handed was more proof of normalcy than a thousand lies.
Valen stood there, watching the investigators disappear into the rising sun. He was no longer certain about the threat. His instincts told him the house was rotten, but his own eyes had just seen the kingdom's best detectives leave with no proof.
He was confused and bleeding, with no clue about what to do now.
Author note: What do you think Valen will do now? Comment your thoughts about it.