Connections

Anaroth shut the door behind him. He walked over to the vanity in his room and held his hand out. Mana flowed from his hand into the mirror. The mirror turned foggy for a moment before showing another room.

"Yulis! Are you there?"

The sound of a door opening, and footsteps came from the mirror before a well dressed, black haired man stepped in front of the vision. "Your majesty? Why have you only contacted me now?"

"I didn't feel it was necessary until now."

Yulis glanced around. "You can speak freely now, your majesty."

Anaroth waved his hand and surrounded himself in an invisible barrier: A silence spell. He sat down on the chair and groaned.

"I've never dealt with a more frustrating person in my life!"

"The Holy Knight?"

"He's not just the Holy Knight anymore. He somehow managed to strike a deal with the old king for the throne!"

"I knew he was crafty. Your majesty, please come back to the capital. I'll go to the human capital in your place."

"As much as I would like that, I have to stay here until the construction is done."

"You don't have to, your majesty. If he refuses to let you return, you can just break off the treaty."

"That would defeat the purpose of signing the treaty in the first place. It's only another month anyway."

"Are you sure? A lot of things can happen in a month."

"I doubt anything will be as bad as a few days ago. During the hunting festival, a group of man-made magic beasts surrounded the venue. The human guards couldn't deal with a single beast on their own, but he managed to rip their limbs off with his bare hands! And not to mention his new aid!" Anaroth let out a long groan.

"It wasn't an assassination attempt, was it?"

"It wasn't. If he wanted me dead, he would do it himself."

"You mean the Holy Knight? You speak about him as if you're close. He isn't tricking you, is he, your majesty?"

"We're not close at all! He's infuriating. He never gives me a straight answer, and I can't read him. It's so frustrating that I want to punch that pretty face of his! Not only that, but he insists on annoying me as often as he can."

"He seeks you out?"

"Yes, but only to irritate me more! I can barely understand him! He's the kind of guy to tell you one thing, but mean five more. It's so hard to deal with." Anaroth leaned back, exasperated.

"Your majesty, do you think that he's… Well, for lack of better words, attracted to you?"

"Absolutely not," Anaroth snapped immediately, glaring at Yulis through the mirror, "There's no way that man has anything like that in his head. He's just treating me like a toy. He smiles every time I get annoyed at him."

"It just seemed like a possibility. He could be planning something then. You should be careful, your majesty."

"I will. Once I help him with the church and the construction is done, I'll leave." Anaroth sighed. "This place doesn't feel relaxing at all. I miss the palace."

"Please hurry back then your majesty. The nobles are beginning to question your absence."

"Hmph. They can question me all they want. They still can't beat me. Tell them to wait another month, and if they can't then put them in their place. You can do that, right Yulis?"

"Of course, your majesty."

Anaroth glanced at the door. An unfamiliar presence was approaching. He waved his hand, reverting the mirror to its natural state. He had moved away from the vanity and to the sofa when a soft knock echoed from the door.

"Come in."

A short, lavender haired maid entered the room with a bow. She came carrying a letter on a silver tray, accompanied by a simple letter opener. She kept her eyes downcast as she spoke, "A letter for you, your majesty."

Anaroth cast his eyes over the girl. She was not one of Veridin's usual servants, nor was she a servant that Anaroth recognized. She simply stared down at the floor with a trained expression of servitude. He knew this wasn't Veridin's doing.

A small gust of wind swept the letter into the air. It seemed to open itself, whereafter the paper inside settled into Anaroth's expectant hands. The sight astonished the maid, who had previously been maintaining her composure. With a glance from Anaroth, she turned her head back downwards. The workings of magic weren't something a normal maid would encounter at this time. That was the precise reason why Anaroth used magic to open the letter. It was neither a waste of mana, nor an act of grandeur. Through this maid, he would be sending more than one message to her master.

As for the contents of the letter, Anaroth glanced over them quietly. It was a curt address to him that, when inspected closer, was more of a threat than an invitation. He was being coaxed to attend a meeting held at an unknown building in three days time. Anaroth sighed, then smiled. This was more like the political strife he felt familiar with. He wondered what he should do about this; Whether he should help Veridin or not. He stopped. Why should he worry about a man who can take care of himself? He set flame to the paper in his hands and let it burn away.

"Tell your master that I'll attend. You may leave now."

The girl dipped her head and left the room. She quietly passed by Raven on her way out, who narrowed his eyes. He didn't stop her. He continued on until he reached the library. Inside, he greeted the librarian before walking deeper into the rows of books. What Raven was looking for wasn't a book, but a singular window hidden in the depths of the library: The perfect place to slip out of the palace. Once on the ground he glanced around.

"You can come out now."

Six people seemed to appear from thin air, kneeling before him. Three of them were dressed in maid outfits while two were a stable boy and a guard respectively. The last of them was simply dressed in all black.

"The violet haired maid, who is she?"

The maid on the far right spoke, "Her name is Teris. She is 16 years old and works for Earl Reifield. She has no family to speak of and her background is that of a commoner. I apologize that I cannot state the contents of the letter Sir Anaroth received."

"It can't be helped. Those who possess mana can't be watched so easily. I'm sure Sir Anaroth and his majesty have already detected your presence. How are you holding up in the palace?"

"We will do fine anywhere guild master. To us, we are the most grateful that we can stand beside you. The vice guild master expressed her discontent that we did not follow you on your last mission."

"I see. Where are the others?"

"The three other shadow guards are currently watching his majesty, the Hero King."

"Thank you Fio. Tell the vice guild master to continue as normal." Raven glanced over the five in order. "Fio, Io, Nemo, Temo, Heo, and Seo, correct?"

"That's correct. Memo, Yio, and Jie are with his majesty."

"Seo, I want you to take Yio and watch over Sir Anaroth." Raven first looked at the man clad in black, then to the others. "Fio and Temo, continue to watch over the servants. Report everything back to me. Heo, I want you to tell me which of the knights is taking bribes from the nobles. Io, I want you to create a list of the ministers who are still working with the nobles and which nobles they are. Nemo, gather a list of the servants who are spies. His majesty's palace cannot have any rats in it."

"We understand." The five spoke in unison before disappearing.

"Now then, shall I go report to his majesty?"

Raven quietly slipped back into the library. He thanked the librarian when he left. He passed by a myriad of servants who gratefully smiled at him. There were more reasons why the servants respected Raven. It was a sort of misplaced pity. Not only did he do his job well, but he had to deal with the king. Every servant here knew how Veridin gave orders, and his disappointed expression. They thought that it was because he was hard to please, while in fact it was that he was looking for someone sharp witted and perceptive: Someone like Raven.

As Raven knocked on the door to Veridin's office, he went over the information in his head once again. He stepped inside and stood in front of Veridin's desk.

"Your majesty, I have a report."

Veridin set down his pen calmly. "Alright, let's hear it."

Raven glanced over the desk. Neat stacks of papers laid all over it. In front of Veridin was a paper with a written report on the beasts that invaded the venue. Raven looked at Veridin before he spoke.

"His majesty, Anaroth, has received a letter from the nobles. Would you like me to investigate it?"

"Alright. Don't interfere with anything, just watch. Anything else?"

"My shadow guards are currently investigating the workings in the palace. If you need them, just call."

"I was wondering who those two outside my window were." Veridin glanced out the window, watching a pair of birds hop around on a tree branch.

"Those two are Memo and Jie: Two of my personal assistants. Use them as you please your majesty. Would you like me to investigate the priest who betrayed me?"

Veridin looked back at him. "I thought you would have already done that."

"I had not. In the future, I will do so at my own discretion."

"I'll leave it to you."

"Then I shall also investigate the beasts from the venue."

Veridin smiled. "Look into Earl Reifield and Marquis Cassian while you're at it."

"As you wish, your majesty." He bowed and began to walk out.

"One more thing. Raven, would you like the position of chamberlain instead?"

Raven paused and turned back. It was a tempting offer, however… "I'm more content standing by your side, your majesty. Being your servant is the perfect role for me."

Veridin scanned him, then smiled slightly. "If that's what you want, then I gladly accept."

"Thank you, your majesty. Excuse me for a moment."

Raven walked over to the window, opening it. A gentle breeze ruffled the curtains. A small, round bird similar to the ones from before hopped onto the windowsill. Raven gently lifted the bird and took out a small roll of paper from the holster on its leg. He procured a small charcoal pencil and wrote something on the paper before sliding it back in. He scratched the bird's head gently before sending it off.