V10: Chapter 5

  …

  After ironing out the details with Erlan regarding their priority work on figuring out how to make an aircraft engine, I hopped back aboard the transport to meet with Khanrow in the Scholar’s former Citadel.

  Unfortunately, after the Iterants were revealed, the Scholars had gone to ground, cut their losses, and decided to lay low.

  However, apparently, Khanrow predicted this would happen and had a contingency in place.

  A contingency that got us three captives.

  One of whom was the former Scholar leader’s son.

  “What do we know about him?” We had him stored in a subterranean level under the Citadel. No entrances or exits for him or his allies to use to get him out. He tried taking permanent measures to leave the mortal coil and our clutches, but we had healers on standby and could throw him into the Citadel’s medical facilities. “Well, besides his heritage.”

  “He has the potential to be a Champion with training and time. Middling in quality, but still decent enough to be a good administrator.” Khanrow went over notes on a sheet of paper in his hands. Ever since his rejuvenation, he’s been working out more. The man was a solid brick of muscle nowadays, and even his potbelly was gone. If not for his bald head and multiple scars, he wouldn’t need a disguise to pretend to not be himself anymore. “Unfortunately, his lack of experience and how we captured him make it likely he’s not the leader of the cell trying to infiltrate us. Some cursory questions regarding the developments with the Forgers revealed he knew nothing about that as well.”

  “So, they’re almost entirely disconnected from one another. No connection at all?” Espionage cells in-game were mid-game stuff. It lowered the chances of your people being found out while they did unsavory shit, and if they were found out, they’d have a better chance of keeping on with their project by having other cells. That was how it was described in the game, but it was a bigger pain in the ass. One problem was that it was hard to get information on them. “Nothing that can help you get some Forgers out?”

  That earned me a glare.

  “That’s nearly impossible, and you know it, your majesty.” I gave a nod at his statement but didn’t rescind my statement. At the very least, I couldn’t give him an out. He needed to at least try to rescue some lower-caste people, if they weren’t all turned into biological computers yet. “Even if Iterants were still there, I’d say the same.”

  “What matters is that we earnestly try.” I told him simply, and when he found I wouldn’t budge, Khanrow sighed. Since I still had my head, I was guessing that he took my words seriously. I hated bargaining with him about anything, honestly. We were technically all working together to make this thing work, but most of the time I felt like he still held all the cards. Besides, I couldn’t look uncool in front of the Iterants. Trust is something that is hard to earn but easy to lose. “Do what you can, but do nothing that risks your own life or those of your agents.”

  “By your will, your majesty.” Khanrow gave a small bow, which I returned. It was nice of him to play along. Then, he gestured back to the captive that we have on hand. “What will you have us do with this one?”

  For a moment, I considered all sorts of options, ranging from having Morgan use her ‘mind control’ on him to simple torture… But I wasn’t about to use a Champion with a grudge against me as a science booster. There are just too many ways for him to sabotage things, and any hiccups in my research tree mean a lot of deaths down the line. We’ve barely got field cannons figured out and ready to be shipped. I don’t want to start using heavy artillery and find out that the numbers have been fudged so that they’re all shit or sabotaged.

  Yeah,

  There’s only one way to go with the child of the Scholar’s leader.

  “Give him mercy, and secure our lands against any more infiltrators that use the technology he developed. That technology itself will be recorded, in case it provides us with clues on how to give bodies to the lower caste of the Forgers.” I made it clear that mercy would be a quick and painless death. We’ve gotten what we need on an operational level, after all. Everything after was just gravy. Gravy that might be poisoned. Yeah, I’m not taking that risk. “Now, I’ll be going to take a look at our newest asset. Would you like to come along?”

  Khanrow was swift to shake his head and chuckle.

  “I’ll leave that to you, your majesty. I’ve read about how fickle the Divine Engines are. The matter should be best left in your capable hands.” I nodded at his words before looking over my shoulder. Ayah and the others were quick to form a retinue around me. “Your Majesty? Perhaps it would be wise to let this one sleep and gather faith like the other that we contain.”

  I shook my head.

  The Death Goddess looked exactly like her concept art in the game, which led me to believe she was at her full Level 1 potential. And, yes, before you ask… Leveling up does give her and the other goddesses different outfits, and the final level up gives you a Live2D image that wouldn’t look out of place on a body pillow.

  The devs are horny bastards, the best, based, etc.

  “This is a land of death. The strength of this Divine Engine is without question. That is why I could not allow it to fall into the hands of the Wardens. This one is already at full strength.” Khanrow sucked in a breath at my words. Maybe he was faking it, but he probably really was surprised. I mean, it’s not like anyone else besides me knows what all the goddesses look like at their baseline. “Can you imagine it? A Divine Engine at full strength, one that governs over death, in the hands of the only power on the continent that can resurrect without fear?”

  Khanrow’s next nod was more decisive.

  “You’ve seen through me, your majesty. I was lamenting the loss of our chance to strike at every faction and the loss of our spies, but you are correct. What you suspected should never come to pass.” Khanrow made a show of putting a hand over his heart and giving a deep bow. Probably playing things up for the Iterants watching. He did such a good job that everyone else bowed, too. Thankfully, years of being treated like that made it easy to suppress the cringe. Damn, I’ll never get used to being treated like this. “I will fulfill my duties to the best of my ability.”

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  I was tempted to make a joke about him not being allowed to die, but I decided against it.

  Best not to poke the sleeping giant.

  …

  Interlude: Khanrow

  …

  “How is he always able to discern that it’s me, instead of you?” Gilbert groused as he took off his disguise and took a seat. Passing Iterants smirked at him, and he waved them off, while I washed my hands after giving the Scholar mercy. We were packing up and moving to get to the land of the Forgers. A land where people were being turned into machines of war. “Even you can no longer tell, yet he never once called me Khanrow.”

  “Count your blessings instead of lamenting your failures, Gilbert.” The young man I began training long ago was gone. In his place was a spymaster of high acclaim. Pale-skinned with short, black hair, his eyes were alive with cunning. Courtly ladies would fawn over him if he were not disguised all the time. “He didn’t out you before a dozen Iterants and the Ancient Administrator. That is a clear sign of trust.”

  “I understand that, but it weighs on me to know my disguise can still be seen through. What’s missing? What else can I add so that I’m not slain in an instant?” I was tempted to tell him to simply never cross the King of Wisdom but decided against it. Gilbert was right. There are many others out there that can see through disguises. Now that the Iterants were outed, even though they were all pulled back, much effort will be made to find spies now from our remaining foes. Despite the rise in danger, we have been called to act, and so we shall answer. “It’s maddening.”

  “Your physical disguise is perfect, so it may be best to look towards magical effects. If you truly don’t intend to have children, then we can speak to necromancers. The foremost spy of the Guardians is a Phantom.” Gilbert would’ve disavowed such methods when we first met. Now, I received a terse nod. He found pride in his skill and sought to improve himself and reach the pinnacle in espionage. This is why so many champions never had children. They devoted themselves to a greater craft, abandoned mortality in exchange, or simply died in pursuit of their perceived perfection. There’s a reason why there are so few champions past the age of thirty, despite all our strength and power. “Now, how have things been on your end?”

  Gilbert nodded and followed me as we made our way to a transport.

  “As the King of Wisdom predicted, efforts to stymie Iterants have been underway. People are being searched, blood is being drawn, and surveyors are taking stock of the population. Anyone who worked with an Iterant is being questioned.” Perfectly logical actions by our enemies. That is why it was so easy to predict and overcome. They still sought out the Iterants, thinking that our king lied with his speech and that the Iterants would return to search their lands. In truth, the lie was the fact that the Iterants were utterly loyal to him and not trying to save the rest of the continent. With a single command, he could have all the Iterants ravage the lands with his name on their lips and joy in their hearts. Our foes searched for Iterants. Not suspecting mortals. “Posing as refugees, our assets in the lands of the Wardens have begun to enter the lands of the Merchants, Guardians, and Forgers. Of course, most are settling into their new region in our lands, but those that can be trusted are making their way in.”

  “Very good.” I had been tempted to cut off our connection to our possible replacement for the High Justiciar along with his followers. Instead, Jack offered the idea to make use of them however we can. They were now a budding higher class in the Warden diaspora of refugees in our lands, watched carefully by Iterants for any sign of adherence to resurrection, but amongst their number there were those inclined towards our work. We made use of them and sent them forth as refugees. All they would have to do was relay information from the lands they now inhabited. No operations deep into enemy institutions or organizations. I thought it a waste of time and funds, but when the King of Wisdom suggested it, I followed it. “Allow me to guess: we’re receiving far more from them than expected, and they’re proving critical to our future plans.”

  Gilbert’s nod simply confirmed my thoughts on the matter.

  It was best to trust Jack on matters such as this one.

  “They’re volunteering for positions of leadership of refugees, and with a bit of coin and help from us, they’re achieving it, especially since the refugees are in such a poor state.” We boarded a transport and took our seats. Within minutes, we were flying towards the center of the continent, in the lands of the Scholars that we held power over. “Our opponents are setting themselves up for failure.”

  “They react to what they see. Not what will happen. You should be glad that they do not have a King of Wisdom of their own.” Gilbert blanched at the thought, and I chuckled. “Tell me about the refugee camps that they’ve established for those leaving the Warden lands.”

  “They provide food, tents, and clothes. Nothing more. There’s no organization, no rules, and no goals. Already, the Merchants and Forgers are using their armies to handle the masses.” Gilbert shook his head. He was unused to the findings reported to him and felt disgust. Meanwhile, I could see it clearly in my eyes. Livelihoods destroyed. Living in tents while surrounded by mud, shit, and unwashed bodies of others. Disease and injuries causing deaths that could otherwise be prevented. Soldiers, wishing for glory, look upon it all with disgust and offer nearly no aid. In such refugee camps, more than half of those who reach ‘safety’ perish; of the remaining half, only a tenth will survive with freedoms intact. The others will be impressed to pay back their debts. “They’re handing the refugees to us on silver platters. Our people are becoming leaders simply by telling their people where to shit, where to sleep, and where to work.”

  In such horrible conditions, those Jack told us to make use of were inserting themselves. Firebrands ousted from regular Warden society. Youths who have always wished for change. They were placed in the right place at the right time and now are becoming leaders. Leaders beholden to us after we saved their lives and helped them reach their current places.

  Indeed, Jack has not lost his gift.

  In fact, with how he was now changing the course of the whole continent and not just an army or nation, he has improved immensely.

  “Then, we’ll make use of it. Empower them and support them with assets. Recovered weapons and the like from battlefields in the Warden lands.” Jack’s scholars were always hard at work discovering miracles. One such miracle was an ancient concoction that improved the body of an individual over time with a steady stream of food and imbibing of the concoction daily. Those who took it appeared normal on the outside, but their minds grew sharper, their strength increased, and their ability to recover improved while illness affected them less. Such strength had yet to be given to all our soldiers, but we gained the assets first. Soldiers that can perform impressive feats in combat are amazing, but spies with the ability to bend iron, memorize with ease, and scale buildings with ease? They can do things that armies cannot. “The task doesn’t seem impossible now, no? We have people in their lands, and those people can be improved. With time, we can surely recover some of the Lower Caste, if not incite a revolt outright.”

  I needled Gilbert for an answer, and he grunted out a response.

  “I will do all that I can with all that I have at my disposal, teacher. You can leave the lands of the Forgers to me.”

  At his words and bowed head, I chuckled and nodded in turn.

  It was hard to believe that I entrusted the subversion and infiltration of a whole nation to him when I had only planned for him to act as a spy against warlords when he was first born.

  This new era was tumultuous and chaotic.

  It was good that we had a light guiding us through the storm.