True Beginning (4)

So, I was confident my family was involved in something unethical, but I had no concrete evidence. And I couldn't bring a petition for action to the emperor with nothing more than a gut feeling backing me up. I doubt they would even bother to laugh in my face.

But it was obvious. Nearly every noble in the empire was corrupt. That was just the way politics were anywhere I guess. It really makes a person wonder if power corrupts, or if corruption is power.

But I didn't want to think about such depressing things. I had to focus on finding an information guild that would tell me what I needed to know. Somehow, I doubted there were any good guilds in our territory. I was considering going to the capital.

To be honest though, the prospect made me nervous. I'd never been outside of Hessian lands. All the communications for my business had been conducted through servants, so I hadn't even needed to visit my manufacturers or investors in person. They didn't need to see me to know I would succeed. Or rather, they had no option but to support me whole-heartedly. After all, I was a son of House Hessian. That's why everything in that department had been such a breeze.

But when it came to information guilds, I couldn't just send a servant willy-nilly to collect the information. I had to make the request personally, as the guilds value the identity of their customers above all else. They always have to take into consideration who they're helping before accepting any kind a gathering request. Information was too valuable to give out to just anyone. And I understood why.

If any guild was caught selling information on nobles, they'd be immediately put on trial. Of course, everyone knew that similar to a mercenary guild, informants didn't care about anything but money. It didn't matter to them who they were buying or selling out, as long as they made a profit. In many ways, it was a nasty business, but it was a necessary evil. At least for me.

My best bet was to go to the capital. That was the place for information hubs. A base of operations if you will. But the capital was also where the imperials resided, and I really didn't like running the risk of bumping into them. Of course, it's not like a royal will just be walking casually around the streets downtown, but I had to consider my status. If they became aware of my presence in the capital, they might call on me. Imperials keep a close eye on the nobles. They needed a firm understanding of where we stood if they were going to advance their position. I really didn't want the headache of being signaled out by any one of them.

Maybe I could find a way to travel in secret. But that might put me at even greater risk of highway robbery or kidnapping. It really wasn't safe to travel without an escort. Even commoner merchants made sure to hire a large amount of mercenaries when they traveled a long distance anywhere.

I decided to call on my friends, and ask their opinion.

"Well, it's simple, isn't it? I can just go with you."

My head snapped up, "What do you mean go with me? Wouldn't that just put the both of us at risk?"

Ymir seemed to agree with me. I'd called both him and Mary into my chambers to discuss this, and we were sitting in our usual positions, with tea and snacks laid out on the table.

"Think about it brother. You want to travel in secret, but you also don't want to risk the dangers of the common traveler. If I were to travel to the capital, with you in disguise as one of my servants…" she looked at me and smirked.

"Then we would have the protection of the Hessian name, but because of your age and gender it'd be unlikely for any of the imperial family to call on you!" I finished her thought for her.

"Exactly," Mary snapped her fingers.

"Sometimes I shake a little at your genius, Mary," Ymir said and then did a mock shudder.

It was impressive how intelligent Mary was for an almost eleven year old. Or rather, it was her maturity that could be considered the most impressive. I guessed because of the way she grew up, she'd never really had the opportunity to behave like a child, and was forced to act as an adult most of the time.

I would never forgive the rest of our family for what they put her through.

"Master, I believe I can also allow for an extra layer of protection on your travels," Damien chimed in.

"Oh?" I asked.

"Yes, while Lady Mary provides us with the protection from House Hessian, I can use illusion magic to conceal your appearance, master."

"That's perfect," I grinned.

I could almost see Damien's tail wagging at my praise.

He really was an invaluable asset to our newly formed team. It wasn't just illusion magic, Damien could use body enhancement magic, and deviant magic. Meaning he could control the deviant of any element. Ice, lighting, plant life. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he was overpowered. And with my defensive magic, we were practically invincible. Like Damien had mentioned before, we could use each other's infinities interchangeably.

However, he also said it would take some practice to achieve perfect equilibrium.

"Damien, how long would it take for us to hone each other's magic skills to perfection?"

Damien thought. "At the most? One year. At the least? Three months."

I laughed, "That's quite a gap."

"Well yes, it all depends on how committed we are to our training."

I nodded, and thought to consider. Learning to make use of Damien's magic affinities was important. After learning of my relationship with Damien, my family knew my status as a 'chosen one', meaning they were also aware I'd awakened as a mage. Flaunting my new powers to them could either intimidate or antagonize them. It was a risky line to walk.

I didn't want them to get overly angsty and retaliate before I could take them out swiftly. At the same time, I couldn't afford to be complacent. If I had powerful cards, I needed to use them.

I groaned a little louder than was probably necessary as I came to a decision.

"All right, we travel to the capital in three months!" I proclaimed.

"Brother? Does that mean you're going to be spending all that time training with Damien?"

I nodded, "Indeed it does."

"And will I be coming with you to the capital?" Ymir asked.

"No," I said, almost regretting my words, "I need you to stay here and keep an eye on things in the manor. I can't risk my family snooping around while I'm out. I'm trusting you to protect our base of operations."

Ymir nodded his understanding, and he looked determined. I was lucky to have such a devoted friend.

"In the meantime, I want everyone to brush up on their knowledge, and hone your skills. We're going to need to make use of every weapon in our arsenical if we're going to pull this off."

Everyone agreed with enthusiasm, and then Ymir and Mary were off to work, already putting their heads together about something alchemy related as they left out the door.

"Damien," I turned to the king of demi-humans, "I don't want you to hold back in our training. Make it as difficult as you want. I need to learn as quickly as possible."

Damien smiled, "As you wish, master."