"What did she say?" I asked.

"She has found the trace of someone suspected to be the person Milord is looking for." Briefed Renata composedly.

'Hm...that's really fast...' I mused.

"The report from Spy indicates that this personage in question has been spotted last on the northern land of the human empires." Said Renata, pointing toward the map on the board on my left.

"...How sure is she about this?" I queried, doubtful. 'He left the Dwarven mountains and came to the humans on the west...?'

Renata nodded and answered, "In her notes, according to all the data Milord has given her, this is the best result her unworthy self can provide."

'All the data you say when all I told Clara was that he was a Dwarf, his name, and what he might be known as...' I squinted at the needless details Renata gave at the end. 'And that last bit is totally your own words and not hers...'

Putting that aside, "So, what is the issue? I reckon you won't bother bringing this to me with only this."

"The northern lands Spy mentioned happen to be the Kingdom of Gleopolis. A kingdom that was burned to the ground by the banner of Solenia." Explained Renata.

"Solenia..." A familiar name.

And it dawned on me. It was the kingdom that housed the White Church, Clara's former workplace.

'It makes sense for her to start the search from there. She must have informants and lines there, albeit the risks of getting found out by the church.'

Pondering for a while, I said, "Tell her to be careful in case she picked the White Church's attention by needlessly parading her existence there."

"By your will, Milord." Answered Renata.

"So, if this Gleopolis gets burned down...Then, slaves? Again?" I connected the dots.

"It is most likely so, Milord. Since he is a Dwarf, a black market will place a generous price on him. All the more so if he has any special skill to offer. That's why Dwarven slaves on a black market either fetch a huge price or nothing at all."

'Slave, huh...In Solenia. Then considering the market and demands...' Going from her words, several scenes played out in my mind. "Find out whether there's anyone that came from Gleopolis on Trodin's camp that we rescued. There might be a chance they got sold here instead of being kept in Solenia since there are more potential buyers here."

"Indeed, it is as you suspected, Milord. Spy has also requested immediate assistance from Paladin to find out whether there are any slaves from Gleopolis...But if I may offer a word, Milord?" She bowed.

"What is it?"

"I have the chance to work on a commission out in the north years ago. One thing I do notice was how unique their dialect is."

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'Dialect...' I tapped my finger on the desk, gesturing for her to go on.

"When I went to the Paladin's camp regarding the seedlings of the future elites of shadows, I couldn't help but notice a similar dialect coming from one of the seedlings. A confirmation is needed to be sure, but there is a huge chance that Milord's suspicion is true." Said Renata.

"Hm..."

'If all of this is true, things will turn ugly if we handle this wrong...'

Feeling the weight of the implication, I addressed, "First, we need to find out whether he is indeed caught as a war slave. Tell Spy to prioritize that and find his general whereabouts immediately. Have some Elites assist her and coordinate with Merchant regarding whatever funding Spy deems necessary."

"By your will, Milord..." Renata answered me like usual, but something felt out of place. "Is there something wrong, Assassin?"

"...It's just. Pardon me, Milord. But what if Spy found the wrong person? This might very well be a false alarm on her part."

She was afraid it would be all for nothing. "True. Then we would've wasted time and raised a ruckus so needlessly."

"Then, Milord-" Sounded her again,

And I cut her short.

"But he will be worth the trouble, Assassin...Like the twins, he is a variable I must have. Dear or alive..." I stated firmly.

"I have sinned, Milord! Please punish this sinful servant!" Renata banged her head hard on the ground, prostrating low.

"Hah...enough, I don't have time for that. Let's think about what to do from here on out since we might have to postpone or, worse yet, change our plan entirely...If we still have that Melkor bastard, things might have been a bit easier..."

Then, in response to my remark, Renata opened her mouth while prostrating on the ground. "Milord, he is still being tortured as of now."

"He's still...Stand up, for god's sake...He's still alive?" The moment she heard my annoyed grunt, Renata stood up faster than I could blink.

"Yes, Milord." Answered her.

'Hm...' It was a pleasant surprise because I, for sure, thought that the Shadows would've buried him six feet under the moment he gave everything that they asked for.

"Alright...Great job, Assassin. You're forgiven for your previous blunder, thanks to this merit."

"M-MiLord?" Stuttered Renata, bewildered due to the sudden praise.

'Yeah, you're forgiven, so don't bother me with your crazy crap anymore.' I snide inwardly. "Don't kill him yet, Assassin. Instead, heal him and treat him like a guest. We will use him well before sending him nicely to hell later."

"By your will, Milord." Receiving the command, Renata stepped back before her figure blended in with the dark, vanishing from the room.

With her absence, I carried on with my training, shaking from the pain like no tomorrow inside the hulking mass of armor I wore as the Shepherd.

I figured I could make use of the brief time alone to take my mind off all the headache-inducing problems for a little while, despite the price, which was the teeth-gritting pain from all over my body.

Then again, it was part of my training. And I couldn't call it a proper limit-testing if I was not shaking while holding from screaming my guts out.

Renata appeared back in the room soon before long.

And she came with another piece of good news. "Milord. We have received information from the recording crystal in Paladin's camp."

A recording crystal or, should I say, a video call device in this magical world of Fysi.

"It is confirmed that they have found more than twenty slaves coming from Gleopolis. The exact numbers are still unknown, but considering the situation, they decided to send the rough numbers first." Stated Renata.

I felt my heart thumping as gears in my brain started working at full speed once again. "Good. Spy will know what to do. Meanwhile, we'll do what we can from here...Tell Paladin to have..."

"Milord?" Questioned Renata when she saw me lost in thoughts.

"No, discussing this in person will be better and faster. Prepare to move out, Assassin. Let's go to Paladin's camp."

And off we go...