Chapter 15

  Between Luxury and Duty

  On the outskirts of a barracks at Erthus Hidden Base, Hedo Murem and Amarantha sat at a table beneath the bright light of a sunny day, facing each other over a chessboard. Amarantha was sixteen.

  Hedo made his final move and said,

  “Checkmate.”

  Amarantha studied the board and let out a sigh.

  “I’ve lost again…”

  “This is probably our three-hundred-and-somethingth game.”

  As he put the pieces away, Hedo replied calmly,

  “And in every one, you’ve been better than the st.”

  Amarantha looked at him.

  “Don’t you ever get bored of beating me every time we py?”

  Hedo shook his head slightly.

  “No. Quite the opposite. Every game has its own meaning. It always reveals something different. Besides, you’re among the best. Your matches are usually complex.”

  He set aside the st piece and added,

  “Besides…” Hedo went on.

  “Life isn’t all that different from this board. In every conflict, in every mission, you try to stay one step ahead, understand what’s in front of you, and avoid relying on a single way out.”

  Amarantha watched him more closely.

  “Do you think you truly have mastery over the board?”

  Hedo allowed himself a faint smile.

  “Not entirely. No one can.”

  Amarantha, Recruiter — Erthus Hidden Base (16 years old)

  She lowered her gaze to the pieces that had already been put away.

  “Neither power, nor wealth, nor fame or status are enough to master everything. There is always something that remains beyond our grasp.”

  Then she added calmly,

  “That’s why it’s never wise to grow too confident. It only takes a single move for everything to shift.”

  She paused briefly before continuing,

  “And in the face of that, the only sensible thing is to be prepared.”

  Amarantha turned her attention to the small garden beside them. A soft breeze brushed against her, and she fell into thought for a few moments.

  Then Hedo took out a set of level-two manuscripts and handed them to her.

  “Take a look at these manuscripts, Amarantha. Tell me what you think.”

  Hedo Murem, Director of Reydem

  Amarantha took them and began reviewing them carefully. They were reports from the Violet Division. Her eyes moved across several lines before she finally spoke.

  “It seems they were successful in their investigation of the underground pits of ‘Merlin.’”

  She kept reading for a moment longer before adding,

  “On the one hand, it’s reassuring to know we managed to complete the work there, especially in one of the most heavily monitored areas of Penteros.”

  She paused briefly.

  “But on the other hand, our resources are becoming increasingly limited.”

  Hedo gave a slight nod.

  “We’ve made significant progress, though not as much as I would have liked.”

  His expression grew more serious.

  “Rousth has greatly increased patrols across different parts of the nds of Penteros. That has made our operations more difficult and restricted our movements during discovery and research incursions.”

  Then he added calmly,

  “Even so, the divisions are doing everything they can.”

  Amarantha lowered her gaze to the manuscript again and, upon noticing who had written it, raised her eyebrows slightly.

  “I like Neteros. He’s an old sage, so I imagine the Violet Division is in good hands. Besides, he’s also a fine chess pyer.”

  Hedo allowed a faint expression of approval.

  “It’s likely that, after the success at ‘Merlin’ and the compition of the findings, he’ll consider coming to Erthus. You might get the chance to py a game with him there.”

  Amarantha gave a small smile.

  “I hope so.”

  After that, a brief silence settled between them.

  For about a minute, Amarantha remained with the manuscript in her hands, idly swinging her feet while the wind passed between them, stirring the nearby flowers and branches.

  She drifted into thought for a moment.

  Then she looked up at Hedo and said,

  “You once told me that violet gold is our most valuable resource right now.”

  “That’s correct,” Hedo replied.

  Amarantha continued,

  “But at the same time, it’s the one most coveted by the Houses.”

  “Unfortunately,” said Hedo.

  Amarantha lowered her head, grasping the weight of the situation.

  “Of all things… it had to be violet gold,” she said with a touch of irony.

  Hedo fell silent for a moment before answering.

  “For Rousth, violet gold is not merely a source of wealth. It is a symbol of luxury, a mark of prestige, and an economic advantage that is hard to match. Its desirability extends far beyond Penteros; its value is recognized in many regions. Whoever possesses it holds something capable of opening doors, closing deals, and bending wills. That is why the Lords crave it so deeply.”

  He paused briefly before continuing.

  “But for us, its worth has never been defined by what it can buy. Its significance is far more delicate than that. These minerals are what allow us to reinforce the protective yers that separate our pne from the pnes of other entities. That is their true weight. Not their rarity, not their price, but the role they serve. Even if the Houses of the Kingdom refuse to believe what we say or prefer to mock it, that truth does not change.”

  His voice grew a little more serious.

  “Even within our own organization there are those who harbor doubts. Some believe we conceal vast reserves, convinced that this is the foundation of our economic power. But they are mistaken. We use only a small portion—only what is necessary.”

  Then he added calmly,

  “Our expansion from the shadows is sustained in other ways. Forges, taverns, textile workshops, mills, butcher shops, pottery houses… scattered across different regions. These businesses are our eyes and ears, but also our true means of support. They allow us to endure, to move, and to observe, without others realizing who truly manages what stands before them.”

  “We make use of only a fraction of it, and only to uphold everything I have just mentioned.”

  Hedo paused briefly before going on.

  “All the rest is destined for the other purpose: processing those minerals, turning them into protective objects, and distributing them across various locations to prevent the entry of other creatures.”

  Amarantha watched him in silence.

  Then Hedo said,

  “If it were not for Reydem, it is highly likely our nds would be constantly invaded.”

  He fell silent for a moment and then added,

  “Besides… we still do not know what greater threats may be lurking.”

  Amarantha held his gaze.

  “That is why we must remain prepared, as you said.”

  “That’s right,” Hedo replied.

  “At first I believed the Violet Division was truly the investigative branch of our organization. But from what I can see now, that was nothing more than a superficial fa?ade to conceal that they are, in fact, the miners of violet gold,” Amarantha said.

  Then she looked down at the manuscript and added,

  “Even this level-two encrypted message would deceive people within our own ranks.”

  Hedo regarded her calmly.

  “That is precisely why all information reted to the violet gold mines is cssified at the highest level. Very few are aware of it.”

  Amarantha frowned slightly.

  “And why do I know?”

  Hedo Murem answered without taking his eyes off her.

  “Because I expect a great deal from you within this organization, Amarantha. Since the day you arrived, you have demonstrated your intelligence—even from a very young age.”

  He paused briefly before continuing.

  “For someone your age, you are already the organization’s recruiter. You assumed Lucrecia’s role with remarkable precision, and you learned a great deal from her.”

  Then he added with composed seriousness,

  “And if you know all this, it is because I have prepared you for it. I trust you. As I have told you before, your role in this organization is important… and it will become even more so.”

  Amarantha lowered her gaze slightly.

  “I see. Thank you for the consideration.”

  After a brief silence, she spoke again.

  “So for now… our mission is to extract as much gold as we can from Penteros before Rousth finds us. And that is why we use the Sapphire Divisions to divert attention.”

  “That’s correct,” Hedo Murem replied.

  Amarantha looked at him again and said,

  “And what if they discover our mines?”

  Hedo’s expression turned cold and severe.

  “If we could not defend them, we would no longer be able to protect our reality.”

  Amarantha lowered her eyes.

  “I understand…” she murmured.

  Her gaze eventually drifted toward the flowers in the garden.

  She remained staring at the level-two manuscript still in her hands.

  The faint brush of her fingers against its cover was enough to pull her back to the present.

  Now she was in her chamber, alone in her room, surrounded by documents she was studying with careful attention. On the table y level-two manuscripts from Víctor, underground blueprints of Rousth, genealogical charts, lists of names, addresses, and other records she had gathered over time.

  Among them were also her personal notes: traces, suspicions, and clues she had written down after overhearing—sometimes by mere accident—lesser lords attempting to obtain information about the mines.

  Her eyes moved across a list filled with several names that had already been crossed out.

  “I’ve managed to get rid of a group of investigators…”

  Then her gaze shifted to the other names that were still left unresolved.

  “But I still need to gather information on the rest.”

  She fell silent for a moment, deep in thought.

  “I need to obtain more information about the Lords.”

  She returned to reviewing several records that Víctor had sent her, along with others she had compiled herself. Names, maps, connections, movements.

  Then she picked up another document and, as she read it, recalled certain remarks she had overheard among the lords—words spoken behind others’ backs, even hints of possible acts of sabotage.

  Her eyes lingered for a moment, as if her memory were echoing a familiar voice:

  “If only he knew I’m going to destroy his establishment in two weeks… he won’t even see it coming… and the worst part is he’ll think it was his rival Houses… hahaha…”

  Amarantha narrowed her eyes thoughtfully as she continued analyzing the papers before her.

  “Many of the Houses despise one another…”

  She took another document and studied it more closely.

  “For now, I need to make use of that.”

  Afterward, she gathered all the documents, arranged them carefully, sorted them out, and finally concealed them beneath the stted floor, preparing herself for what was to come.

  Amarantha, Sapphire Division (22 years old)

  —--------------------------------

  The Veil of Discord

  Later, in a trading city somewhere in the region of Demirath, inside a hidden room concealed within a forge, Emilio sat at a table, absorbed in his studies.

  Across from him sat Mia, holding a book in her hands, reading it with intense focus.

  She began deciphering in a low voice, with some difficulty.

  “The roads of Draft are…” She paused briefly, trying to make better sense of it. “The areas near the… river… are… um… I can’t quite understand it.”

  Without looking too far away from what she was reading, Mia said,

  “The arch-shaped symbol with two dots, next to what looks like a tower, means ‘Fortress.’ And the arrow symbol with a small X and two quotation marks at the top means ‘Unprotected.’ If it has only one quotation mark, it means ‘Protected.’ And if it has no quotation marks, it means it’s heavily protected.”

  Emilio let out a sigh, still studying the symbols.

  “This system is even more complex than level-one cryptography. Learning this new tier is going to take time.”

  Emilio, Rock Division (28 years old)

  Mia barely lifted her gaze from the book.

  “Remember that you now hold a different position. You need to learn level-two cryptography in order to manage encrypted messages between field leaders.”

  Emilio frowned slightly.

  “And to think there’s even a level three…”

  “Only commanders, the general, the Council of Elders, and Director Hedo Murem have access to that level,” Mia replied.

  As she spoke, her eyes continued moving across the pages of the book until they stopped on an illustration of a man and a woman kissing. A faint smile suddenly formed on her lips.

  Mia, Rock Division (35 years old)

  Emilio looked at her with curiosity.

  “And what are you reading, Mia?”

  Mia immediately closed the book and replied,

  “That’s none of your concern.”

  Emilio then tried to return to his studies and said,

  “Anyway, I know I need to learn it. After all, it’s the only way to prevent our messages from being deciphered by just anyone if they happen to be leaked.”

  Mia continued reading in silence. For a moment, she even blushed.

  Emilio gnced at her sideways.

  “What are you reading, Mia, that’s making you react like that?”

  She shut the book at once and replied,

  “I told you—it’s none of your concern.”

  Just then, Reimon entered the room.

  “How’s everything going, you two?”

  Emilio looked up.

  “So far, everything’s going well. We’ve already spoken with the owner of the forge, and everything has been running normally. We’ve even received the usual orders from both ordinary customers and a couple of Houses near this area, but nothing out of the ordinary.”

  Reimon, Rock Division (42 years old)

  Reimon nodded slightly.

  “That’s good.”

  “And what about the other establishments you’ve visited?” Mia asked.

  Reimon took a seat before replying,

  “Nothing there either. It seems everything is still operating normally. So far, there have been no suspicious signs of orders pced by other lords aimed at acting against Reydem. And it’s the same in the taverns—no rumors have been heard about us.”

  He paused briefly before adding,

  “For now, they seem more focused on expanding their territories on the other side of the Narrow Sea.”

  As he spoke, he noticed that Mia was still reading her book, a faint trace of ughter lingering on her face.

  “Mia, you know I don’t like discussing business while you’re reading your erotic fantasy books.”

  Emilio turned his head toward her, surprised.

  “Erotic fantasy?” he repeated, trying to hold back a ugh.

  Mia looked up, visibly frustrated.

  “They’re not erotic fantasies.”

  Then she added defensively,

  “They’re romantic novels with a bit of eroticism, that’s all.”

  Reimon exhaled with a hint of resignation.

  “Anyway, whatever. Let’s get serious, please. Emilio is now one of the leaders; we need to set an example.”

  Mia sighed.

  “All right. Sorry.”

  Then she closed the book and put it away.

  “As I was saying…” Reimon resumed.

  He continued,

  “For now, attention is fixed on the territorial conflicts unfolding in the nds of Kelendor, on the far side of the Narrow Sea.”

  He paused briefly before going on,

  “It seems there is an alliance among various interests trying to take advantage of the situation. Extraction zones, fertile nds… there are many reasons why the Directrium is interested in them, even at such a distance.”

  Emilio frowned slightly.

  “And what about the native tribes of those nds?”

  Mia answered almost immediately,

  “They’re not enough to stand against Rousth’s armies. What can indigenous tribes do against soldiers and cavalry cd in metal and steel? They won’t be able to defend themselves.”

  Then she added,

  “The same thing will happen as it did with the Vikings of Kleidmur in the nds of Genebarth.”

  Reimon fell silent for a moment before replying,

  “Even though that expansion across the region is regrettable, at least it keeps the attention away from us.”

  His tone grew more serious.

  “That’s why, despite the Sapphire Division’s attacks to divert enemy attention from the locations where Violet Division incursions are operating, they have not been discovered so far. The focus remains over there.”

  He concluded,

  “All the Houses want a slice of that pie.”

  Emilio let out a short ugh, though there was no joy in it.

  “What irony. The massacre of others has become our camoufge… and that same camoufge is, in turn, the shield that keeps the regions safe from the Aspects, including the very kingdoms that hunt us while conquering foreign nds.”

  Mia muttered bitterly,

  “To hell with all of them.”

  Reimon and Emilio stared at her.

  “What?” she said, raising her voice slightly. “We operate so they can indulge themselves and rest in their mansions.”

  Her expression hardened.

  “Sometimes I think the best thing would be to do nothing at all.”

  Reimon rose slowly to his feet.

  “I understand your unease, Mia. And believe me, I’ve thought the same more than once. But remember—you’ve seen it yourself.”

  Mia stood up from her chair. Before leaving the room, she said coldly,

  “There’s no need to remind me, Reimon.”

  And she walked out.

  Emilio, confused, looked at Reimon.

  “What are you talking about?”

  But Reimon replied curtly,

  “It’s nothing.”

  Emilio hesitated for a moment, then gave up.

  “All right. Sorry, I was just asking. I’ll keep quiet.”

  Reimon looked at him seriously.

  “For now, focus on learning level-two cryptography. We need you to master it soon.”

  After saying that, he also left. Emilio, without another word, followed him out.

  Reimon stepped outside the establishment and, in the distance, spotted Mia walking through the crowded streets, weaving between merchants and passersby.

  He quickened his pace to catch up with her.

  “Mia!”

  She stopped and turned slightly toward him.

  “I’m sorry for bringing that up,” Reimon said.

  “It’s nothing, don’t worry,” she replied.

  They both moved aside, seeking a corner where no one could see or overhear them clearly.

  “I was just hoping to see if you had any important news,” Mia said.

  “For now, we don’t have anything. But we need to keep moving,” Reimon answered.

  “All right.”

  Then Mia added,

  “I’ll gather several men. We’ll head to the nearest town. As Sara told us, there are a number of merchants we need to escort, and it would also be wise for us to be there to keep watch and provide protection.”

  Reimon nodded.

  “Very well. I’ll be heading north. This is where we part ways, Mia. I wish you luck.”

  Mia looked at him for a moment before saying,

  “If you see Emilio, say goodbye to him for me. Tell him I had to leave quickly.”

  “All right,” Reimon replied.

  Then she walked away.

  From a distance, Reimon watched her reach the spot where she had left her horse. She untied it, mounted, and before setting off, the two of them exchanged one st gnce across the distance.

  After that, Mia turned the horse and rode off in another direction.

  Reimon then returned to the pce where they had been. Emilio was speaking with a few people from the forge when he saw him approach.

  “And Mia?” he asked at once.

  “She had to leave,” Reimon replied. “She told me to say goodbye to you.”

  Emilio lowered his head slightly.

  “All right… I didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye. She left so… I don’t know…”

  Reimon pced a hand on his shoulder.

  “You’ll get used to her temper.”

  Emilio let out a faint smile.

  Then Reimon added,

  “For now, I’m leaving you in charge of this pce. And take care of the other things I asked you to do, understood?”

  “Understood,” Emilio replied, wearing his usual charismatic expression.

  Reimon nodded and walked away. Yet before continuing on his way, he cast one st look toward the direction Mia had taken, silent concern etched across his face.

  After that, he carried on down his path.

  —--------------------------------

  Ears Behind the Silk

  Amarantha moved about naturally among the tables set with vish meals for various lords, serving wine and preparing cocktails alongside the other maids.

  At several round tables, the lords talked as they enjoyed the evening, boasting about their status, their Houses, and their businesses.

  Amarantha continued her work without drawing attention, until at one table she caught fragments of a conversation filled with obvious frustration.

  “I told you,” one of them was saying. “You should never have trusted that bastard.”

  They were speaking about another lord.

  “His pns were sabotaged,” said another.

  “And how did they find out?” asked a third.

  One of the lords shook his head in irritation.

  “I don’t know, but we believe the information may have leaked from within his own men.”

  “You can’t trust anyone anymore,” another muttered.

  Standing off to the side and waiting for further instructions, Amarantha kept her eyes lowered, though she remained attentive to every word.

  Later, after bathing, she was in her room reviewing several documents.

  “Now that I’ve leaked House Kletus’s pns to the neighboring Houses, their attention will be focused on resolving their own internal conflicts,” she murmured to herself while marking a section of the map with an X.

  Then she pointed to another area.

  “House Tritius is already locked in a territorial dispute with House Phert.”

  She crossed out several names on a list, as if they had already been dealt with.

  “I managed to get rid of some people in a way that would look like a contract killing. However…”

  Her gaze paused on other names still remaining.

  “Even though I would like to eliminate a few more, I still can’t. I need more information first, and the right circumstances so that it appears to be a conflict among them. Otherwise, it could raise suspicion.”

  She studied the map again and marked additional locations.

  “Many Houses are conspiring against one another. At least for now, that can work in our favor… Still…”

  She then pulled out other documents.

  “The real complication is dealing with the Houses in the Rinnerhot region, under Furher’s authority as feudal lord.”

  Her eyes moved across several notes before she continued.

  “Although there are also minor disputes among neighboring Houses, they remain aligned and do not take drastic measures without Furher’s approval.”

  Then she looked at an area between Rinnerhot and Robercrut.

  “Torken and Felix are probably there. For now, I can assist them by providing the directions of troop movements.”

  She fell silent for a moment, her eyes fixed on that part of the map.

  “I hope Torken and Felix succeed with whatever support I can give them. The safety of the investigators depends on them.”

  She finished reviewing her manuscripts, confirming that her actions were already beginning to have repercussions among the lesser Houses.

  —--------------------------------

  Pleas in the Undergrowth

  Later, in a wooded stretch thick with trees and brush on the road to Rinnerhot, Torken pressed forward with steady determination while Felix hurried to catch up, already visibly exhausted.

  “What do you have in those legs of yours, Torken, that you never get tired? If we keep up your pace, you’ll end up killing us all with a heart attack,” Felix said, leaning against a tree to catch his breath.

  Torken kept his gaze fixed ahead.

  Torken, Sapphire Division (40 years old)

  “We’re getting close to the nds of Rinnerhot. Amarantha’s test report indicated that Furher was still in Rousth alongside the other sovereigns of the region. We needed to cross before they returned to their territories.”

  Felix let out a heavy breath.

  “If you say so…”

  He eventually sat down for a moment.

  After a brief silence, Torken spoke again.

  “We’ll rest here. At dawn we move out. We’ll split into several quadrants so as not to draw attention, advancing along different routes.”

  Felix nodded slowly.

  “I’ll go inform the others.”

  He got back to his feet and added,

  “But first I’ll make a sweep of the perimeter.”

  Then he walked off.

  Felix, Sapphire Division (40 years old)

  Torken remained where he was, motionless and resolute, his eyes fixed on the direction they were heading.

  Felix approached several squad leaders and gave them their instructions. Afterward, he moved deeper into the trees to survey the surroundings.

  He covered a considerable distance without finding anything out of the ordinary, scanning the area from afar for any suspicious signs. As he advanced, he left subtle marks along the path to help him find his way back.

  Then, suddenly, he noticed a bush move.

  He narrowed his eyes and began climbing toward that spot, proceeding cautiously, step by step.

  But just as he was about to get close enough, a knife shot out of nowhere toward him.

  Felix barely managed to dodge it.

  In the same motion, he seized the arm of the hooded figure, twisted it with force, and threw the person to the ground. He immediately drew his sword and was about to strike when the hooded figure suddenly cried out,

  “Stop—please, stop!”

  Felix hesitated when he realized it was a woman.

  Even so, he did not lower his guard. He pressed the bde against her neck and stared at her harshly.

  “Who the hell are you?”

  The woman raised her hands at once, trembling.

  “No, please… don’t hurt me. I don’t know you—I swear.”

  Felix edged the bde closer.

  “Talk. Tell me who you are.”

  “I’m Mildred… from House Bellt.”

  Felix frowned.

  “And what is a noblewoman doing in the middle of the forest? And what the hell were you doing spying on us?”

  “I wasn’t spying on you. I don’t know who you are,” she replied, her voice breaking.

  Felix let the tip of the sword brush against her throat.

  “Don’t lie to me.”

  “It’s the truth. I was already hiding here when you arrived. Please… don’t hurt me.”

  Mildred Sleevet, Noble of House Bellt (28 years old)

  Felix kept his eyes fixed on her.

  “And what the hell is a noblewoman from House Bellt doing out here in the woods? Tell me. Are there more of your people nearby? Are they in these nds? Speak.”

  “I’m alone… I ran away from my home.”

  Felix’s expression shifted slightly, though his tone remained hard.

  “Why did you run?”

  “Because they were going to send me to the stables to become a cloth servant…”

  Felix studied her with suspicion, but he lowered his sword nonetheless. He then stepped back a few paces and looked at her sternly.

  “And what the hell do you think you’re doing? Do you really believe you’re going to survive out here in the forest on your own?”

  “I’m just trying to get as far away as possible before they come looking for me,” she replied.

  Felix let out an exasperated breath.

  “One way or another, you don’t have a choice. Either you die in the forest, or you go back home—even if it means facing that.”

  But then he noticed that the girl had fallen to her knees. She began to cry quietly, barely holding herself together.

  “I’ve always been a good person,” she said at st, her voice breaking. “I was never cruel to the peasants or to the townsfolk. I don’t deserve to be treated like I’m worthless.”

  Felix fell silent for a moment, uncomfortable, unsure of what to say.

  “Why don’t you talk to your family? Who knows… maybe there’s still another way.”

  She looked up at him, her expression a mix of pain and resentment.

  “My own family is the one who sold me to pay their debts.”

  Then she clenched her teeth.

  “I hate them all.”

  Felix gnced away toward the surrounding woods, thoughtful, before speaking again.

  “And what do you think you’re going to do? There are still many miles before you reach the nearest vilges. If you travel alone, you risk being captured, raped, or ensved. You don’t have many options.”

  “Take me with you, please… I’m begging you,” she said.

  Felix looked at her harshly.

  “I can’t do that.”

  “I can go with you. I’ll help. I know some medicine—it’s not advanced knowledge, but I can still be useful. I’ll do anything.”

  Felix averted his gaze, frustrated, as if he didn’t even want to be having that conversation.

  “Do you think we’re honorable knights serving some noble house? We’re mercenaries. We’re bandits. Many of those men haven’t seen a woman in months. Most of them will only want to sleep with you.”

  “Please… help me. I have nothing left except my dignity.”

  Felix did not respond at once.

  He stood there, torn by an unease he did not know how to resolve. He simply looked at her while a haze of conflicting thoughts churned inside his mind.