FW Ch 39 - Having Her Eyes Staring Back...
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Helania observed as Fredrick tried to dazzle her with the secret entrance and organization. Based on what he had divulged, this organization was likely the one plotting against her Master. Surrounded by the cretins desiring to interfere with His plans incited a desire for bloodshed, but spending time with Fredrick made her decide such immediate violence would be too compassionate. Seeing them together, there was also some doubt about their ability to hinder her Master, making her suspect a hidden backer and the one likely to make her Master sense the plotting.
"Fredrick, you finally made it!" A fat man called out, holding a woman on his lap and a rib of meat in his other hand. "We were worried you were killed by bandits," The man laughed at the idea.
"As always, it is a pleasure to see you again, Lord Samworth," Fredrick replied cheerfully, forcing a smile. "Will the Emperor be arriving soon?"
An older woman sitting next to the man answered, "His Imperial Majesty will be arriving shortly." Looking at Fredrick, she smiled coyly and mentioned, "He sounded interested in seeing you."
Though Fredrick looked calm, Helania knew he was panicking on the inside from hearing such news. Even with his elevated position, Fredrick was someone who lacked confidence, a natural schemer. Watching how he acted inside the castle inside of the Kingdom, she understood his need to use fear to make others afraid of him. This allowed Fredrick to command the castle. The problem was Fredrick was weak against those who had more power than him and unexpected scenarios.
Often, Helania would offer comforting words to increase her hold on him. With her physical and emotional charms, getting Fredrick to become dependent on her was simple. These ties helped to get Fredrick to open up about his relationships and plots, helping to prevent those she was hunting to be aware and retreat into the shadows.
"Fredrick, who are your guests?" A relaxed woman inquired when several of the members looked to see Helania and her servants.
Turning to smile at Helania, Fredrick indicated with an arm. "This woman is someone who has journeyed from across the sea to open trade with her kingdom. The women behind her are the servants she has brought along to assist her during the journey."
"From across the ocean? Rather interesting..." A tall and gaunt man stated. "As someone who dabbles in trade, I would enjoy talking with you and learning more about your kingdom." He casually nodded his head in respect to Helania.
"I would be honored to speak with someone of such worth, My Lord," Helania bowed. "We are a minor kingdom, always searching to bring in new items to sell to our people."
Lord Samworth laughed, "Fredrick, she is not only quite pleasing to the eyes but also of some worth if she can remain calm in such a situation." Looking at Helania, he said, "Though introductions are a bit late, I am Lord Samworth, a close confidante to the Emperor and the Imperial Family." Pointing with the rib at the older woman next to him, he continued, "This is Countess Elizabeth, who works inside of the intelligence unit inside the Empire." He leaned closer to Helania using the rib to cup his mouth as he whispered loudly, "There are few things she is not aware of inside the continent."
"My lord, you flatter me. I simply help to organize the information presented to the Emperor. Instead of a spy, I am closer to a mail courier of information." The Countess placed a hand on her bosom in modesty.
"I would be happy to learn more about this continent, My Lady, Countess," Helania bowed. She smiled behind her mask, thinking about what she would do with the Countess. Behind her, Helania's servants were also grinning at this new information.
After several other members introduced themselves, Fredrick guided Helania over to where his seat was located at the table. The servants inside of the secret chamber had already set up several couches and chairs for Helania and her servants. A part of her was impressed with how smoothly the humans performed their tasks and imagined they would fit well working inside of the Stronghold.
As she looked around, Helania admired the structure where this meeting was taking place. There was a dome with mana stones behind frosted glass, providing a comfortable amount of lighting. The columns holding up the ceiling were elegant, complimenting the various decorative items to make the place appear luxurious. This organization was wealthy and had sufficient connections.
"Elizabeth, what information have you gained from that recently discovered city, inside of the desert?" A man asked the Countess, bringing Helania out of her thoughts.
Everyone at the table quieted down once one of their major concerns was raised. Each person had varying degrees of concern plastered on their faces, welcoming additional information.
Elizabeth tilted her head looking to recall information buried inside. "As all of you know, a new power emerged without anyone being aware until the last minute."
Many of the members were nodding their heads, remembering how they learned about the surprising appearance of the city.
"From what my agents have revealed, the city is completely different from anything we have seen before. The best way to describe it is defying common sense. Inside the city, there is no monetary system to facilitate the trade of goods and services. To make matters worse, my agents tell me there are an abundant amount of resources within the city. This allows them to continue to create and consume, to the point where they can give everything away for free due to the nearly non-existent cost of production." The Countess sighed in frustration after thinking about how ridiculous the situation was.
"If goods and services are provided at no cost, do they even keep records?" A relatively young lady asked, sounding concern.
The Countess nodded her head understandingly. "Even though the people do not have to pay for goods and services, the city itself maintains some kind of records. Some type of system is laid out, so if a store is about to run out a new shipment is instantly received. This "Just-in-Time" system allows them to keep low levels of inventory, freeing up space and providing a better experience for customers." She raised a hand to her temple and began massaging it. "Somehow the city can prevent my agents from gaining access to locations where the decisions are made, so we only have information any traveler could gain from visiting the area. They are not shy about explaining how the city functions, useless considering the essential parts are unknown."
"I heard there was a powerful mage, the master of the city, and he is the one who created the place." Another member chimed in.
Raising her arms in frustration, she nodded. "Yes. It appears someone is running the city, but none of my agents have been able to learn what he, or she, looks like." Elizabeth explained.
"Sounds like you need to hire better agents," Samworth teased her.
Elizabeth glared daggers at Samworth. "I have lost several irreplaceable agents in my attempts to gain confidential information related to the city."
Samworth placed his hands up to let her know he didn't mean what he said, though it was apparent he didn't care what she thought.
"How about you, Fredrick? I know you sent in some people." The Countess looked towards him.
Helania looked at Fredrick, a smile on her face, thinking about how foolish he and these humans were. They thought their agents were able to surpass them in skills. Even without having people actively watching for spies, her Master's city was designed to notify the comings and goings of people.
"Yes. Many of the citizens located inside of the capital had moved to Felicitas, seduced with the opportunities the city advertised. To learn more about this place, I had sent in one of my most trusted resources but have not heard back from them. With their skills, I do not think they were killed, but I do find it disconcerting not receiving a report from them." Fredrick tapped on the table, unconsciously.
Elizabeth nodded her head after hearing his story. "Yes, this is what my agents also reported to me. You had hired the Shadows to infiltrate the city. They were living inside, gathering intel, but my agents eventually lost track of them."
"That woman is coming along very nicely, at least from what Minatoria has informed me." Helania thought to herself, remembering the last time she saw the woman.
"As you have said, Shade was one of my most talented assets and would always complete the objectives I assigned to her. Though her personality was rotten, I would be confident of the results after she completed a mission." Fredrick sighed.
"I do not see any reason to be concerned about this city. My merchants have been able to test out our wares inside of Felicitas, assisting us in determining which will perform in other cities." The guild master of the merchant guild casually mentioned.
"What will you do when the city begins to branch out to other locations? You may be able to sell your wares now, but later when they begin to share their economic model with other cities, your merchants will be unable to compete. From what I hear, their products are vastly superior compared to what your merchants can offer." A voluptuous woman mentioned to the guild master. "Unlike you, I do not need to worry about such things as men will always utilize the services my women provide." She winked at the guild master.
Another member sneered. "I think you may be overestimating your client base. Those who utilize the services of prostitutes frequently use it as an escape from their current socioeconomic position, but if they are in a secure place, men will tend to use socially accepted methods. I have heard the population of the city is a healthy one, a proper distribution of men and women who are good marriageable candidates. With the availability of a healthy diet, both genders have improved in their physical appearances. If a man has the choice between going to a prostitute or finding true love, I believe the choice is obvious." A man with glasses answered, oozing with contempt.
Samworth laughed at the man's analysis. "It appears the minister of economic policies is a secret romantic!" Looking over to the woman, he sneered, "Valery, I do believe the minister brings up a good point. Why would a man chase after your diseased women, if they can find satisfaction with a woman not being passed around."
Helania looked at the woman named Valery and considered it might be a good idea to talk with her in addition to Elizabeth. The two seem to be women who have access to a lot of information, due to the nature of their respective industries. [I want those two women to be observed.] She informed her servants.
[I have already assigned several people, Mistress.] Astaroth answered.
Observing the humans was an easy task for them, so they would only need to wait until an opportunity presented itself.
"We still have not reached a method of dealing with this city," One of the members slammed his fist on the table, spilling wine on the table and onto the floor. Several servants rushed to clean up the mess created.
"There is no need to worry about that city," A voice stated from the darkness.
Many of the members stood up, yelling out, "Your Imperial Majesty!"
"Sit. In this location, we are all equals and do not fall on such formalities." The Emperor motioned for the others to sit down as he and his children, along with a woman, walked into the room.
"I kind of enjoy seeing them all flustered," One of his sons sneered at the members.
"You would enjoy such simple things," One of the Emperor's daughters commented, causing the other to glare at her.
The Emperor noticed Fredrick and said, "I see you have made it to the meeting, Fredrick. I hoped to talk about how you have caused me to lose hundreds of soldiers, as they entered your kingdom. Those men were supposed to have free access to your kingdom to gather volunteers, but I learned they were all killed. I hope you are not thinking of backing out of our agreement?"
Standing up quickly, Fredrick denied such actions. "Your Imperial Majesty, I would never dream of backing out of our agreement! I am as surprised as you about the attacks against the Imperial Soldiers and Knights. The Kingdom has no connection to such things." Fredrick's face drained of blood, as he desperately sought to convince the Emperor.
A shadow covered the room as everyone held their breath.
Glancing over to Samworth and Elizabeth, Helania found it interesting how calm they appeared. Elizabeth intently looked at Fredrick, while Samworth had a hidden look of amusement.
The emperor's face broke out into a grin, eliminating the oppressive atmosphere. Several of the men and women breathed in after holding their breath for so long.
"It appears like I have won the bet, your majesty," Elizabeth quietly murmured.
"I need to stop gambling against you, Countess. Though it also indicates your ability to disseminate information. Your assistant was convinced it was Fredrick and his Shadow group acting against us." The emperor sighed at having lost but didn't appear too surprised.
"Allen is an imbecile and one of these days his stupidity will get him killed," Elizabeth lamented.
"I do not understand," Fredrick stammered, confused at the sudden change. He looked back and forth at the emperor and Elizabeth.
Giving Fredrick a patient smile, Elizabeth explained, "There were some in the empire who believed you had betrayed us." She glanced over at the Emperor and his children. "Based on my years of experience, I was confident this was not the case. From the reports I received, my guess is our new friends are responsible for those crushing defeats. The timing of the city and the defeat by this new group is too much of a coincidence."
The emperor turned to the woman behind him. "Lady Ash, what do you think of this?"
Helania glanced over at the woman, who also looked at Helania as if able to see through the mask.
Looking back to the emperor, the woman stated, "Though there are some concerns on the number of people assigned to excavating the Tower, I do not think they will be an issue to the greater plan." She smiled, appearing unconcerned with such matters. Motioning to one of the maids to bring her a seat, she confidently walked over and sat on the chair. There was a feeling of serene confidence surrounding her, contrary to the mindset of some of the members.
"Lady Ash, I do not mean to be disrespectful, but is the Tower essential? The amount of resources being diverted is nearly crippling the Empire." Samworth tried to explain, but appeared hesitant about stepping on her toes.
"To allow the emperor to reach his desired goal, the tower is needed." Lady Ash answered.
"With the wisdom of Lady Ash and the resources from my father, the Emperor, we will be able to accomplish our goals of purifying this continent and provide a safe place for humans to thrive in," The emperor's daughter addressed Samworth and the room.
Several members began clapping joyously at the declaration. A couple of them started chanting, "Emperor Lucifeth! Emperor Lucifeth! Emperor Lucifeth!"
Raising his hands to calm the room the Emperor looked at each member, a confident smile on his face. "As my daughter has stated, we have, for far too long, have had to deal with nonhumans acting as if they have a place in a civilized society. These ideas must be squashed and washed away so those who are pure can rebuild this land. The hard efforts of Lady Ash and the people she represents, the discovered Tower has allowed us to take a step in gaining dominance over all those who would oppose us." Taking a moment to let this information sink in, the emperor continued, "For the first time; humans will be able to influence the Overflow and use it as a weapon!" He raised a fist into the air and slammed it onto the table.
Silence met the statement made by the ruler, but once the implications were understood everyone stood up and cheered. Even Samworth looked rejuvenated by such a reveal.
Though Helania and her servants stood up, she absorbed the knowledge she had gained. Even with the Overflow, Helania knew there was no way for the Empire to be a threat. What was concerning was how the woman known as Lady Ash had figured out where this Tower was located. Feelings of admiration for her Master passed through her, as she understood further how great He was to be able to sense these machinations.
[Mistress, I believe this Tower is part of what our Master was talking about when he asked for Mistress to investigate his suspicions.] Astaroth voiced her idea to Helania.
Helania nodded her head in agreement. For the humans to somehow stumble on top of something as powerful as the Tower, which could influence the Overflow, meant plans were being set in motion beyond the limited understanding of these creatures. Regardless of how confident she was of her ability and her Master, it would be prudent to take caution.
From the reports she received from the other Guardians, even the people who created this planet were unable to eliminate the monsters making up the Overflow. The question would be whether this Tower was something left behind by those ancient beings or was placed after the fact by someone else.
"It looks as if it is time to return." Helania thought to herself. One of her eyebrows raised as she looked at the mysterious woman calmly sitting in her chair, who was watching Helania.