"So, Director. If I head into the Royal Bank and present the ring with the crest, I will have access to the family's finances, right?" Lord Thanatos asked.
"Yes, Lord Thanatos. As I explained, the ring is magical. It activates only when the wearer has the blood of the Thanatos family and verifies the legitimacy of the wearer. As all families are obliged to keep their money in the bank, you will certainly have access to the funds. Moreover, since only one ring exists for each family, only you have access to family funds. Moreover, selling or transferring assets requires the ring, thus...".
"Thus, they can't do anything now. They are cut dry," the boy chuckled. When he took the ring from his Uncle, he didn't expect the importance it had. He thought it was simply a family heirloom.
"Director, thank you for caring for me all these months. I know this is your job, but you are an exception in the sea of useless and corrupt people," the boy said, making the Director and many high-ranking officials of the sanitarium flinch.
"Lord Thanatos, I only did my duty. If you are ever in the capital after you've addressed your internal family affairs, we can head for lunch together," the Director suggested hesitantly.
The boy smiled.
"Address my internal family affairs. That's a nice way to put it, Director. I'll keep your offer in mind. We might meet again," said the boy and jumped on the horse he bought from a local farmer.
As the Director saw the boy riding towards the Capital, he felt a shiver down his spine. What did we unleash upon this world? How can a 10 years old boy be like that? How will he be as a man? Although he suggested the boy to meet again out of courtesy, he really hoped to never cross paths with him again.
= * =
'Captain, this is the second landmark. We should be arriving at the capital in 1 hour. The city is called Ayalia and has a population of 200,000 people. It's one of the largest cities in this world. It's located within a river bend, fortified from one side by a wall while on the other side, the river is used as a naturally occurring moat.'
Jon absorbed anything that the Captain read and could recall with photographic accuracy. This was a skill he had when he was still alive on Earth and he maintained it after death. It was like the Captain had a perfect digital assistant in his mind -- although a strongly opinionated one.
"We'll head directly to the bank and get some money. Then, we have to find a place to stay and get information about the family territory and Helena. Remember, we don't even know how she looks..." the Captain stated.
Their trip to the capital was quick and uneventful, taking less than a day. He assumed that a 10-year old boy traveling alone would attract some unsavory characters, but the roads were pleasantly empty. Around the capital, safety was maintained by the Royal Knights, and any incident was addressed swiftly and most of the time lethally.
Soon, the city could be seen down the hill from where he stood. The town was stretching next to the river, embedded in a U-type bend. In the back of the city, far from the river, a hill could be seen with the Royal Palace situated at the top after layers of elevated fortifications. At the back of the castle, a vast wall, more than 10 meters tall, encircled the city. To enter the city, people had to cross one of the three bridges. In war, the bridges would be lifted, leaving the city isolated from all sides and easily defendable.
The boy reached the gate on the bridge and headed for the shortest line assigned to nobles. He approached the guard and swiftly presented his ring. As a landed noble, he was excluded from any entrance fee or permit requirements. The guard quickly used an identification rod that glowed blue, signifying that the person was indeed a noble of the Thanatos family.
"My Lord, may I ask your business at the Capital and where you will be staying?" the guard asked suddenly.
The boy looked at him and frowned.
"Since when does a mere guard have the right to ask a Baron about his business?" the boy answered with an ice-cold voice. It was evident that the guards had been bribed by his Uncle to report on his whereabouts. This was not good. It meant he had to be stealthy and not rely on local support.
The guard shivered. Of course, he knew that it was an insult for a commoner to question a Baron about his business. An insult that could even lead to death if a hot-blooded noble was involved. But the guard had thought that since this was a 10-year-old kid, he might be intimidated by the presence of the armed guard. Little did he know that this boy did not show fear even against hundreds of trained assassins in his past life.
"Of-of course it's not, my Lord. I si-simply asked out of curiosity! Please forgive this lowly guard!" tried the guard to patch things and apologized.
"There is a saying where I come from: 'Curiosity killed the cat'. I hope your curiosity doesn't lead to your demise," said the boy and pushed the horse to cross into the city.
The guard had cold sweat down his back. Why was he so afraid of this little boy? When he looked into those black eyes, he felt nothing but dread and fear. A kind of fear that he had never felt before like he was staring down the abyss. There was nothing to remind the innocence of a child. 'What did this boy go through in his 10 years of life to get that look in his eyes? For once, I'm glad to be a commoner,' he thought. He must report the Captain of the city guard. Although he asked them to keep an eye on the Thanatos family members' movement, this is one person they should not mess with.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
= * =
The city was mainly built with river stones, which were grey and blue, giving the place a gloomy dark presence. Only rich people and Royal facilities had the money to build with bright marble-like material. However, this made it easy to spot such buildings from afar.
As expected, this was a city with medieval technology and customs. The Captain could see there was no central plumbing or sewage management. The stink of human and animal excrement was all around, especially close to the low-level areas around the city entrances. As he moved towards the city center, things got a little bit better.
The city was layered in rings. Outside the walls were the slums, where the poorest of the folk lived. People that wouldn't be missed even if an enemy wiped them out. Right within the walls, the commoner area was in the outer ring. Here, commoner houses were situated along with cheap inns, slaughterhouses, stables, blacksmiths, and other polluting establishments. The red district, where all the brothels and the prostitute houses were located, belonged to this district as well.
The next layer revealed the commercial district and the market. The cheapest stores were located at the outside, close to the commoner district, while more expensive ones towards the inner circle of the city. As expected from the kingdom's capital, everything could be bought and sold at this place, from exotic fruits and spices to clothes and jewelry, to people. It seemed that slavery was legal in this kingdom.
Moving to the inner layer of the city was the noble district, isolated from the rest with an extra inner wall and guard checkpoint. Here all the noble houses were located along with other facilities like the Royal Bank. Parks, fountains, well-preserved streets, the inner circle was a far cry from the outer ones. At the center of the noble district, the Royal Palace was located, elevated and behind several layers of fortifications. The Royal Knight barracks were located right next to the palace.
= * =
The Captain quickly dismounted and moved towards the bank. He needed to get his hands on some funds, and the encounter at the gate with the guard gave him a bad feeling. Thankfully, the guard at the noble district didn't ask any unnecessary questions.
"Welcome to the Royal Bank! My name is Johanna. How can I help you?" the female voice greeted the boy as soon as he sat across the service table.
The Royal Bank had the most lavish building in the area. Large ceilings, expensive paintings, golden ornaments, and beautiful clerks. The guards were well trained, most of them ex-adventurers, and the Royal Knights were a minute away.
"Greetings. I'm here to retrieve some funds," said the boy putting forward his ring.
The clerk smiled and used an identification rod to verify the family name and the noble blood. As she checked through her notes, she suddenly frowned.
"Lord Thanatos, I presume? Unfortunately, there are some issues with the account. We'll need to book another appointment tomorrow to retrieve funds. You see..."
"So, you have verified that I am indeed a noble of the Thanatos family. The rightful Lord. And you refuse to provide me access to my account?" the boy cut her with a cold voice.
"My Lord, I am not refusing. Simply..." the clerk's mask started breaking, and sweat formed on her forehead.
"According to the Royal Laws, the only reason to refuse a Noble access to their account is if they are charged with treason. Are you accusing me of treason?" the boy's voice penetrated the entire room where all the other clerks and customers froze. The guards flinched and instinctively reached for their hilts.
Treason was the highest offense in the penal code. Accusing a noble of treason was reason enough for them to kill you on the spot. If the Royal Knights were called to investigate and the accuser did not have any proof of the alleged treason, then the accuser's whole family would be executed alongside. The clerk knew this, the guards knew, and everyone else in the building knew.
Who was this boy? People started whispering in the bank.
The clerk went blank and fainted while the quick steps of the Bank's Director could be heard crossing the vast room. A slim, sharp, and well-dressed man in his 30s showed up and immediately nodded to the guard to carry the clerk away. The Director was a noble, a non-landed Baron.
"Sir..." the Director started talking.
"Lord. My name is Lord Thanatos, and I'm the Baron of the Thanatos territory. I will give you one chance to amend your clerk's mistake and provide me access to my account as dictated by law. Any further insult will be solved through a duel, Director," the boy said to the man standing opposite him while staring right in his eyes.
Of course, the clerk was only following the instructions of the Director, so she couldn't be blamed. The Director looked at the boy and realized what had happened. One week ago, he received a letter from the Thanatos territory claiming that someone had stolen the magic ring of the family. They asked that if anyone came claiming to be the ring's owner, they should be detained and delivered to them. However, the situation seemed to be different. The boy in front of him was clearly verified as a direct descendent of the family. Also, the Director knew that the current legal Lord of the family was indeed a young boy. He furthermore knew that there were no other young male descendants in the family -- the brother of the previous lord was in his 40s, and he only had a daughter.
It became clear to the Director that someone had used the Bank as a tool in an internal family conflict. This was unacceptable, and the Royal family would heavily punish the culprits. The Bank had a clear code of contact that stayed away from internal family conflicts.
"Lord Thanatos, would you please follow me to my office..." the Director motioned towards the inner part of the bank.
"No. You will serve me here," said the boy, and the temperature in the room dropped several degrees. The Director saw the boy's eyes had turned black, and he could vaguely see some black smoke surrounding the boy.
At the same time, all the guards in the bank felt it. They felt a voice in their head screaming. It was telling them to run. Not an orderly retreat, but to run for their lives. These were hardened adventurers that faced ferocious magical beasts, and their instincts were always on the spot. Only death awaits if they move forward. They never felt anything like this. The head of the security was an ex-S-ranked adventurer, the highest possible rank. Never before did he feel this kind of primordial fear, and he once faced a dragon. Some of the guards fell on the floor while others started trembling.
Even if the Director was not a fighter and his instincts were not sharpened, he felt the change. He glanced towards his head of security and received a negative motion. He was stunned. His head of security was the strongest person he knew. If he could not detain the boy, then how strong is this young Lord?
"Of-of course..." the Director stuttered and took the seat of the now removed clerk.
"I need 100 gold and 500 silver coins. Also, a full report of the family assets," said the boy relaxing the pressure he was exerting.
The Director quickly served Lord Thanatos and provided all the information needed. He apologized many times and promised to get to the bottom of the problem concerning the initial 'misunderstanding'.
When the boy left, everyone waited for a few seconds before breathing again.
"Richard," the Director called the head of security.
"Sir. We need to report to the Royal Knights. That boy. I've never felt anything like it. It was pure fear. It was like staring at death himself," Richard replied, and his voice had not yet stabilized.
"Please take over. I'll be out for the afternoon," the Director asked his second in command and quickly exited the Bank with Richard, heading towards the Royal Knights headquarters. They stopped at the pub first to have a drink and calm their nerves in silence. It was clear to them they were lucky today.