Chapter 113. Calia (1)
"I'll leave the interrogation to you."
They had brought Orland along, and also carried the documents he possessed.
Verden had finished the task entrusted to him without fail. There was no need for him to watch over the interrogation process. Being an information broker, Orland was bound to have a lot of information, so it would only turn into a long and tedious affair.
'Perne will handle it herself.'
Verden headed to the inn to shake off the fatigue of travel.
In the tavern's basement, only Bartol, Perne, and the tightly bound Orland remained.
Bartol asked,
"What the hell kind of man is that? Some former mithril-rank adventurer or something? How the hell did he manage to bring Orland back without a scratch?"
"Well, I don't know either."
Bartol raised his brow.
"How can an information broker not know… wait, don't tell me, it wasn't the mage you brought in?"
"..."
Perne closed her mouth.
Indeed, she had not brought him.
It was Verden who had sought her out. To begin with, if there really were a mage with such skill, the Union would have summoned him long before they had a chance to act.
The one actually perplexed now was Perne.
She simply could not grasp the extent of his ability. Until recently, she thought she had roughly gauged it, but that was a complete delusion. Now, her assessment was changing by the day.
'Come to think of it, I don't know a single thing about Asher.'
Other than the fact that she had been introduced to him by Pale.
'…Should I look into him?'
An error in information regarding their biggest client was fatal. She thought she had to learn more about this mage called Asher in order to adapt accordingly, but…
'No, best to leave it alone.'
She might risk offending him.
Such a situation had to be avoided at all costs, and should not even be imagined. One could not let go of a lifeline just because of an itch.
Having made her decision, Perne shook her head.
"What's important right now is information about the Union. So don't get distracted, let's just focus on the job we've been given. Understood, Bartol?"
"Damn it, can't believe I'm working with some guy I don't even know what he is…"
Bartol grumbled as he rolled up his sleeves.
He did not show it outwardly, but the truth was he was shaken. If he hadn't swallowed his pride earlier, the outcome would have been obvious.
'Guess life really is unpredictable.'
Honestly, he had thought he was going to die, yet here was Orland, dragged in right before his eyes. And not only that—without so much as a scratch.
Naturally, Orland wouldn't have come quietly, so a fight must have broken out… which meant the obstacles had been dealt with.
'No, dealt with? He just crushed them.'
Otherwise, perhaps he had used extraordinary persuasion to convince both Orland and his men. But of course, that thought was absurd.
Most likely, that ash-grey-haired mage.
He was far more dangerous than Bartol had imagined.
'Damn, I almost got myself killed.'
He had nearly died like a dog, gnawing on ribs.
Well, he still wasn't sure if things were truly alright even now, but there was no choice.
The hand had already been shaken, and time kept moving. Bartol decided to trust his instincts.
Clenching his fist, Bartol approached the unconscious Orland.
***
"Spare me."
When Orland awoke, he surrendered at once.
Most of his information had already been taken, and even the mercenaries he had hired were all dead. No matter how much he ground his teeth and resisted, there was nothing left he could do.
Perne narrowed her eyes.
"That's quick, don't you think? Giving up so easily?"
"The Union is a profit-driven group, not a knightly order. My most valuable asset, my life, is hanging by a thread. What good is keeping secrets out of some nonexistent loyalty? It's not like the Union will come save me. If I resist, all I'll get is Bartol's fists pummeling me."
Orland was a man with an extremely individualistic way of thinking.
He was not someone you wanted too close, but in this situation, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. If he opened his mouth willingly, it would make the work far easier.
"I'll cooperate fully, so you must promise, not to kill me."
"We'll see, depending on the information."
"Even those words are a relief."
After that, it was simple.
They checked through Orland's documents one by one, cross-referencing them with his statements. Though the amount was considerable, thankfully it was all done in less than half a day.
Once the information-gathering was complete, Perne sent word to Verden.
Minutes later, Verden came down the stairs into the basement. At the sight of the same cold gaze he had seen just before losing consciousness, Orland flinched and shivered.
It was an instinctive reaction of fear.
Verden said,
"Quicker than I expected."
"There wasn't much need for interrogation. Still, the results were solid."
Perne tapped Orland's shoulder.
Swallowing hard to calm his racing heart, Orland finally moved his lips.
"D-do you perhaps know of Count Plishr?"
"Count Plishr… yes."
He had heard the name.
It was the noble who had caused the Kingdom to issue a flight ban.
"That count is a supporter of the third prince, as well as his crucial financial backer. The very reason a flight ban could be declared across the Kingdom was because of the prince's considerable influence. Perne, would you hand me the map for a moment?"
Perne spread out a map of the Kingdom.
Orland pointed to the western edge of Count Plishr's territory.
"Here lies the count's private estate. Outwardly, it looks like a villa, but in truth, it's a hub for illegal funds."
"For example?"
"Drugs forbidden for trade, smuggled goods secretly brought in from abroad, and even illegal slaves. It's been in operation for over ten years, so its scale is considerable."
Its main customers were the underworld figures of the Kingdom.
They openly ignored international law, viewing humans as nothing more than money.
"You seem to know quite a lot."
"Well, I did have dealings there myself. No, to be precise, it was only indirect contact, but after years of reading the market's flow, I came to understand naturally. If the Union or the count ever learned I knew this, I'd already be a dead man."
So it meant information he had secretly uncovered.
Not trusting the other side, he had kept a card hidden up his sleeve. That was the same whether it was the Kingdom's Gray, or the Duchy's Gray.
'Should I say it was good fortune that I ended up working with Pale and Perne?'
At the very least, the two of them had a sense of responsibility and could be trusted.
They were not the type to stab one in the back so easily.
"But, do you have any proof of that?"
"I destroyed it right away, so there can't be. But I do know of someone directly tied to those illegal funds. This, too, is top secret information that must not go outside… but my life is what matters right now."
Orland's finger, resting on the map, moved.
"Black Wolf Toreld. From Roafra, the Kingdom's greatest underworld syndicate, he's involved in all sorts of dirty dealings. He's also one of the villa's most valued clients. He leads his men around, and being a man with plenty of things on his conscience, he never settles anywhere, but recently I heard he's been frequenting one particular place."
"And where would that be?"
Orland's finger stopped.
"Here. An abandoned old castle ruin."
***
Bartol's men took Orland away.
Even if they spared him, they couldn't let him go, so they planned to keep him locked up and under watch. They had to keep in contact continuously so the Union wouldn't notice. Besides, he still had some use left.
In the tavern's basement.
Verden asked Perne,
"Anything about the black mages?"
Perne shook her head.
"Not at all. I went through all the information, and not a single mention of black magic came up. Orland didn't seem to be hiding anything either. Most likely, it's a secret known only to the third prince and his closest aides."
"Then proving it to Calia will be difficult."
Those mysterious black mages.
With no evidence whatsoever, they would not be enough to attract Calia's attention.
Still, that wasn't a big problem.
The real focus wasn't the black mages, but the corruption of the Union and the nobility.
Now it was time to decide.
Should they go to Calia first with the information they had now, or should they secure more concrete proof from Toreld before meeting her?
Perne recommended the former.
"Calia's characteristic drive is closer to that of a mercenary band that doesn't think of the consequences, rather than that of a noble. Some nobles belittle her as being merely stubborn. But if you look deeper, it's the opposite."
Calia did not move unless she was certain.
And she never treated information as valid unless it came from someone she trusted. But the moment those conditions were met, she would act without hesitation.
That was what made Calia terrifying.
"So we need to meet Calia first and shake hands. That way she'll act more decisively. Besides, it's too risky for Lord Asher to act alone."
The opponent was one of the nobles manipulating the Union, and the third prince was involved as well. No matter how strong Verden was, if he tried to tear it down by sheer force, the backlash could hit him instead.
In the worst case, they might end up opposing the royal family itself.
If it came to that, Verden might be fine.
But those connected to him would certainly die. For example, Perne herself.
What was needed here was Calia, the sole daughter of the Marquisate of Esperanza.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, nobles should be opposed by nobles. If they could gain the prestige of the Marquisate, the justification would be on their side.
If only the illegal slaves and drugs could be confirmed, the Union would suffer devastating losses. And then Perne could seize the opportunity to expand her power.
At that moment, Verden asked,
"How do we meet Calia?"
The information they had gained from Orland.
Showing that to Calia was the first step, but before that, they needed a way to approach her. They couldn't just march up to the Marquis's daughter and expect an audience.
Of course, Perne had already laid the groundwork.
She handed over an additional sheet of notes.
"I've recorded Calia's personal details. The Marquisate isn't that far, and as I mentioned before, Calia has strong ambition for fame, so she often acts publicly. Getting this much information was nothing difficult."
Perne gave a sly smile.
"If you use this as reference, approaching her won't be too hard. The problem is persuading her… but that's something only Lord Asher can manage."
She had provided the preparation, but in the end, Verden was the one who had to execute it.
Even Perne could not create a perfect manual. Still, she had no intention of sitting back idly either.
Perne's main profession was that of an information broker.
She had brought Verden a piece of news to motivate him.
"And this is unrelated, but I do have some good news for you, Lord Asher."
"Good news?"
"You remember the relic you showed me last time? I found an expedition team that can interpret it."
"…!"
Verden pricked up his ears.
"They're small in number, but they're an elite group, famous in the field of ruins excavation. I heard they entered the Kingdom recently, so I approached them, and it turns out they know about the relic you have."
'They know about the relic of the Magic King?'
That was unexpected.
If it were true, the time needed to find the Magic King's tomb could be drastically reduced.
"Where are they now?"
"They'll be coming to Asern within two weeks. They strongly wished to meet Lord Asher as well. There won't be any chance of the meeting falling through."
Two weeks. Not bad.
Once the current task was complete, he could meet them with plenty of time to spare.
'Something to look forward to.'
And so Verden headed for Rines, the great eastern border city directly ruled by the Marquis of Esperanza.
And as the night passed and day broke, the new year arrived.