Chương 271: Accused (2)
"Well, let's not dwell on the worst-case scenario. First, tell us what happened to you since you returned so quickly."
I glanced at the princesses and, only after receiving their approval, opened up to the Rector.
"We were also attacked when we were on the eastern islands. The assassins were well-prepared, especially for battles with the princesses, and to protect themselves from their comrades. They had been monitoring us for at least a week, waiting for the right moment. The assassins retreated when Ragni found their ship, hidden from the city residents. They even detonated one of their own, whom we managed to capture alive."
"Hmm, so they must have known where you were heading to organize the attack."
"Yes, tell that to the guards now, they would accuse Aileen of leaking all the information to the assassins."
"But that's not true!" Katrina clenched her teeth with a sense of helplessness. "When they attacked me, she saved me! If she had organized the assassination, she wouldn't have helped."
"Alas, this argument is unlikely to be accepted by those who decided to pin all the blame on her."
"And how can we help her?"
"There's always a way to vindicate the innocent," I reclined on the chair. "We just need to find the real culprit."
"That's easy for you to say."
"But we do have a few leads. We just need to track down the assassins and find the client through them."
"I'll head to Varengarde," Katrina looked around at her companions. "I know how poorly our guards treat spies, especially from the Empire. It would be better if I personally keep an eye on her."
"Before that, I'd like to do something," I excused myself and headed to the ship.
After twenty minutes, I returned with a hefty chest taken from the captain's cabin.
"Whoa, it reeks of ancient magic, looks like the Emperor himself put effort into it," the Rector carefully examined the octagonal crystal lying inside the chest. "It's somewhat similar to the one installed in the center of the Colosseum."
"You're right, and its purpose is roughly the same. To connect images from different places," I leaned over the gilded rim; the symbols in the ancient language were unfamiliar to me, but after spending the last two weeks working with them, I managed to read them correctly: "The Union of Minds."
The crystal began to emit a warm glow, and we stood still, awaiting a response.
"Hmm... Are you summoning me?" a familiar voice came from the crystal, and a middle-aged man with long chestnut hair flickered on the stone's surface. "Honestly, I didn't expect it, though, after Aileen went silent for two days, anything could have happened."
"Hello, although you weren't expecting to see us, were you?"
The Emperor evaluated the crowd before him with surprise and some displeasure, standing before one of the Empire's most secretive inventions.
"I hope you all know how to keep secrets, or I'll have to kill you all," Uraz smirked, but we weren't in the mood for jokes. "You seem rather gloomy."
We briefly outlined the situation to the Emperor, to which he only let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his nose.
"What nonsense! They think they can pin the blame on us to start a war. How foolish they must be. They should have prepared for war before provoking it."
"I think they have been preparing for it for a long time already."
"Well, I wouldn't say so," Uraz grinned mockingly. "According to my information, no country has the strength to resist the Imperial army."
"Ha, are you spying on us?" Seleria gave the crystal a suspicious look.
"Of course, not through Aileen, but through other agents. You need to know whom you're going to war with. Otherwise, it might end before it even starts or turn into a protracted siege, with tests of strength in the rear."
"And who, in your opinion, is ready for war? Or at least preparing for it?"
"Obviously, everyone is preparing. Few from the ruling circles believe that your arguments can stop the invasion or achieve any results. So, each country is amassing its forces separately. Leran slightly reinforced its guards, but in the last six months, they managed to persuade several groups of mercenaries and guilds to move their headquarters to their country. So, in the event of war, they can reinforce their forces with a hired army. Nordrune, as usual, is gathering the strongest army, although it partially relies on the White Dragons' assistance, especially in transporting troops across the mountain ranges. So, they might not be ready to go to war with us if we convince the White Clan to maintain neutrality."
"I believe Verania must be the most prepared?"
"Yes... and no!" The Emperor spread his hands. "The largest country with the largest population also has the most problems. You do have the most numerous army, with the highest number of mages, but it is also highly fragmented. The army consists of personal armies of the king's vassals, who often want to harm their neighbors more than help their own country. If the king can't unite them, they will be no better than a rabble."
"Exactly..." Uraz's last words led me to a very interesting thought. "Distracted and complacent nobles during peacetime are unlikely to unite properly in a critical situation, and that will be the reason why Verania will lose the war. However, if we unite them with a common goal, for example, to avenge the cunning enemy who treacherously killed their ruler, we can appeal to their sense of duty. And if we quickly find a strong and respected candidate for the throne, they can firmly establish themselves, playing on the hatred towards the enemy."
"But for that, we need a clear line of succession or a tradition that allows for such a situation," Katrina shook her head, "but it's unlikely to be that simple."
"Hmm... not that difficult, actually," Seleria tapped her fingers impatiently on the table. "In Leran, they have emergency measures for such cases. The council selects a temporary ruler from the wealthiest families, who will govern the country until they decide who will inherit the throne. Often, the same person later becomes the king. In our case, at least three families could claim the throne if all my family were killed."
"We have something similar. A regent is appointed from among the thanes, and then a tournament is held, where the strongest warrior becomes the new High Jarl. Although it has happened only a couple of times, and the one appointed as regent usually negotiates with the winner for help in exchange for a dynastic marriage with someone from his family."
"But in Verania, there is no such clear principle. When the royal family dies, power is transferred to the council of the highest nobility; they are unlikely to be able to quickly choose a new ruler."
"Well, unless they were already aware of the events," I slyly winked at the princess. "If the Empire didn't do it, the first suspects would be those who are currently closest to the royal families."
"Hmm, you're thinking in the right direction, young man. I hope you'll find the conspirators. If not, I'm afraid I'll have to personally intervene to prevent Aileen from being punished for someone else's crimes."
"Oh dear, won't your appearance be too much?"
"What can I do? If they're going to condemn the Empire, let them do it in my presence," Uraz chuckled and gave us a serious look before concluding, "but let's hope that you'll manage to find the real criminal. See you later."
The glow in the crystal faded.
"So, how should we split up?" Katrina stood in front of the map on the wall of the office. "Seleria, Hilda, and I will head to the capitals; we'll need someone to accompany us."
"I know who to turn to in Iringar for assistance, but I need a couple of people who can act discreetly."
"I'll need help in the North, but I prefer those who won't whine about the constant cold."
"I'll need assistance in Varengard, but we'll have to find a way to stay in touch with each other."
"Speaking of that, I've already thought about it." I took out a small box that I brought along with the communication crystal Aileen had given me. "Although the device isn't fully complete yet, and it can only function thanks to Kurone's power and portal magic, we can use it to communicate when we are nearby."
Inside the box were four round, transparent crystals, with ancient dragon inscriptions engraved along the edges.
"Anndd how does this work?" Katrina picked up one of the stones, but nothing special happened.
"Well, I figured out that two crystals can be linked to each other, but I haven't quite grasped how exactly. These stones simply enhance the connection through which Kurone links our thoughts. They also rely on the path of a traveler, so they won't be of much help in the wild wilderness. But as long as one crystal is with Kurone, we can communicate with each other by holding the other."
"Whoa, you're inventing these incomprehensible contraptions again."
"I just thought that if the guild continues to grow, sooner or later we'll have to split up, and such devices won't hurt to have."
"Alright, Krito, Rizel, and Miriam will go with Seleria; Grain, Ragni, Asura will go with Hilda," Katrina divided us into groups after some thought.
"And we'll go," times three.
"Alright, alright, the little ones might find the trip to the North useful as well."
"I'll look after them," Reines ruffled the hair of the little dragon and approached Hilda.
"I'll pay a visit to some acquaintances in Leran; they might start forgetting who's the strongest in the world," Rumy joined Seleria.
"And I'll help you in the capital," Levris smiled and followed Katrina.
Leira, Algo, Werner, Vivien, Vina, and Kurone went with Kat. And so, for the first time, we split up for an important mission.
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