After checking off the list of things she had to do, there was one last place she had to visit before heading back to the inn for the night. “The Mailroom,” Lilith read the sign above the large glass doors. The building was nearly as big as the one in Tarrin, but not as busy.
“Hey, Isabella,” Lilith said with a smile after approaching the receptionist.
“It’s wonderful to see you again, Lilith. Did you have a delivery to our branch?”
“I’m currently on a delivery. It’s just a very far one, but since my next stop is the Holy Empire, I was wondering if you had any deliveries that needed to be done? I can drop them off before continuing.”
“Ever so diligent, aren’t we? Unfortunately, things aren’t doing too well over there...”
“What do you mean?” Lilith asked.
“There are packages that need to be delivered there but…” Isabella looked around. “It’s been difficult to get in safely. They’ve been targeting people who aren’t part of their religion and other people that either don’t align with their views or are helping the ones who don’t.”
Lilith bit down on her thumb. “That’s problematic.”
“If you want to know the details, I would suggest going to an informant. We’ve only been privy to what others come back with.”
“Do you think some of the packages…” Lilith looked around, and leaned in, bringing her voice to a whisper, “are for the ones that are fighting back or trying to hide?”
“Most likely,” Isabella whispered back. “It’s why there’s far too many that have yet to be delivered. Carriers can enter, but the guards will check the deliveries before entering. It’s just not worth the risk.”
“I can do it,” Lilith responded quickly. “I have the ability to do it.”
“You’re right, but if you had nothing to deliver, then it will be far harder to enter and you might run into issues.”
“Then it’s simple, then!” Lilith grinned as she quickly came up with a plan. “Fake packages!” She kept her voice hushed.
“Fake… packages?” Isabella asked. “What do you mean?”
“There’s no hidden meaning to it. I’ll just need a regular carrier bag, and with the help of you and the branch manager, some packages that look real. If we cover all our bases, they'll see that the letters and packages are harmless. The only issue is after entering.”
“That… can work, but why go so far? There’s a far larger risk for you than anyone else.”
“Because it’s my job. The people there are in the most need of help and if it means these deliveries will help them even a little, then I feel obligated to do so.”
After seeing the determination in Lilith’s eyes, Isabella took a step back, looked through some papers, then said, “Please give me a moment. I’ll need to run this by the higher ups first,” before grabbing the stack of papers she looked at.
“That’s fine. I’ll just wait at the bench over there.”
While Lilith sat down, Isabella disappeared imto the back and up the stairs. Although she had to get permission for this sudden project, Lilith was confident they would accept the idea and not because they felt they had a moral obligation, but because the longer they held onto the deliveries, the more it congested the mailroom. It only took Isabella roughly 30 minutes until she returned, and based on her facial expression, the outcome was as she expected.
“I take it they said yes?” Lilith asked.
“Come with me, please,” Isabella responded, leading Lilith quickly to the stairs, then to the mailroom floor. It was near identical to the one in Tarrin, with the only difference being the size. Isabella took Lilith to a room in the back where the workers were busy carrying packages of all sizes into. The train of people didn’t end. When one person dropped off a box, another followed. “As you can see, there is a lot.”
“And they’re still piling them up.”
“Can you do this many?” Isabella asked.
“It won’t be a problem, but I might need a few more fake packages and letters than I originally expected.
“That shouldn’t be an issue,” Lilith answered.
“Thank you. It will be more believable if they see me going around a lot.”
While Lilith was busy estimating the amount of packages, Isabella looked over at her with eyes of worry. “Are you sure you want to do this? Don’t you still have a delivery?” Isabella's worried expression poked at Lilith’s conscious.
“Who else could do it?” Lilith smiled, attempting to reassure Isabella. “I’m not a fighter, so I avoid fights, and the only way to avoid them is to have the tools to do so.” Lilith pointed to her rank underneath her name on her jacket. “How else do you think I climbed this high?”
“I can’t argue with that,” Isabella smiled weakly.
“Is this all of it?”
“Yes, and these letters here,” Isabella handed over a bag, which Lilith estimated to be 30 letters.
“How… long has this been going on for to lead to so many undelivered packages and letters?” Lilith stared unblinkingly at the piled up packages. It far exceeded the number she originally expected.
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“It's been two months.”
“Huh,” Lilith looked over the packages one more time. “This still looks like far too many for two months.”
“As you said, people are trying to help their friends and family.”
Lilith let out an exhausted sigh. Not because it was a lot of work, but because it was unfortunate that people want to help their family this much, but couldn’t do anything but hope someone would make their deliveries. “So, am I good to take these?” Lilith asked while raising her hand.
“If you truly wish to take on these deliveries, then yes.”
Without saying another word, Lilith let the mana flow into her hand, and like the package she received from Alex, a blackness creeped up from the ground until it encompassed the pile before disappearing. “How long do you think the fake delivery will take?” She asked, while taking the letters and doing the same.
“My personal estimate is a week. We need to make to make it as official as possible.”
Lilith nodded her head. “I’m honestly surprised they’re willing to go this far to begin with. The upper management, that is.”
“Why do you say that?” Isabella asked, tilting her head.
“I understand wanting to get rid of the packages, but to go to the extent of faking deliveries?” Lilith opened the door for Isabella, letting her lead the way back to the lobby.
“They do care. I’m sure part of it is the amount of deliveries stockpiling, but they do care about the people. Maybe not as much as you,” Isabella glanced in Lilith’s direction. “ But they do.”
“Fair enough. Should I come back in a week?” Lilith asked.
“Please do. If you wish, you can come check earlier, but the latest should be a week.” Isabella responded
“Alright, sounds good. I’ll be staying longer than I expected, but it shouldn’t be an issue.”
“Where are you headed for your current delivery, anyway?” Isabella asked.
“North,” Lilith simply said.
“Past the Scar?” Isabella’s eyes opened in surprised.
“Yes, and there’s no time limit. So even if this delivery takes an extra 2-3 weeks, or even months. It’s not too big of a deal. I just can’t afford to be caught before even making an honest attempt up north.”
“I wish you the best on that endeavor. That sounds far too risky for anyone sane to accept.”
“Then maybe I’m not sane,” Lilith remarked in a joking manner. “I’ll come by daily so I can leave as soon as I can. I’ll see you later, Isabella.”
“Thank you,” Isabella smiled.
Keeping to her promise, Lilith visited every day to check, but just as Isabella predicted, it took an entire week for the branch to prepare the fake deliveries and forge documents for them all. Honestly, it was impressive. Some may think a week was too long, but for something on such short notice, it was quick, and Lilith was thankful for it. It was also impressive how legitimate the letters and packages looked to be. It was perfect with every base covered.
Knowing the political climate of her next destination, the only thing she could while waiting do was prepare. One of the most important potions that could ever exist, or at least for Lilith, was a hair color dye. Although it wasn’t perfect since it wouldn’t drastically change her hair color, it was enough to make it brown instead of her pure black. This meant that it was much harder for anyone to take notice.
Outside of preparing for the trip and any restocking she had to do, she took the time to wander around and see the shops she would normally not visit. It was always work for her, and whenever she would arrive in Mystral, she would only stay for a short period before heading back. There were hundreds of shops, or at least that’s what it felt like to Lilith. There were just far too many places to look and far too little time to do so.
During Lilith’s wandering, she came across Charlotte, who kept Lilith busy in the evenings. Although the archmages who came to the city for the meeting kept to the towers and the castle, Charlotte was an exception. She stayed at an inn and looked around the shops often. She said it was nice to treat it as a vacation and to see what was new. It was also a pleasant change of pace compared to the stuffy meeting room.
The conversations Lilith had with Charlotte about the meeting were a nice filler to have the day go by quicker. There was nothing to write home back since she couldn’t divulge into the more serious topics, but she talked about their thoughts and what to do about the Holy Empire. She said the elders did not enjoy what they were doing but who would.
“Politics,” Charlotte would say with a hint of disgust. Layers of annoyances. Although everyone agreed what they were doing was inhumane, and other cities would agree in a heartbeat, it was never as simple as that. Circles up circles, Charlotte told Lilith. They would say one thing, then bring up another, then go back to where they started. She eventually gave up trying to maneuver the discussion in any meaningful way. There was some venting from Charlotte, but that was fine. If anything, Lilith found their stance interesting, but also unfortunate.
There was one other thing that Charlotte mentioned to Lilith during their evening chats. To her surprise, there was a mage currently living within the Holy Empire. Scarlet was her name and she operated from a shop called Spellbound. Apparently she was Charlotte’s mentor and knew her quite well as she gave a warning to not take anything she says too seriously.
“She can be a bit playful,” Charlotte told her with a face that held back a grin and eyes which shifted away from Lilith’s.
“And you’re supposed to be the older one,” Lilith commented to Charlotte's child-like behavior.
“You will see,” Charlotte said before changing the subject.
It was pleasant chatter, and just like the travel here, Lilith absorbed as much wisdom as she could from Charlotte. Even some from Troy when he felt like talking who would tell stories of his travels and his fights with demons, which Charlotte often backed up his claims of glory.
………………….
“Do you have everything in order?” Isabella asked.
“As ready as I can be. I looked through the packages and letters to see where they needed to be delivered and organized them. I’m not too familiar with the topography of the city, so I’ll have to look into it when I get there, but I have everything ready, and as for this-” Lilith patted the bag before putting it away. “Do I bring it to the mailroom there?”
“About that,” Isabella brought out a letter with the seal of the branch manager. “Show this to a receptionist there and ask them to bring you to their branch manager. He’s on good terms with ours and will definitely help.”
“A bit of a gamble.”
“Not by much,” Isabella reassured her. “Do you have your potions?”
“Of course.”
“Food?”
“Yes.”
“Money?”
“Are you my mom?” Lilith narrowed her eyes.
Isabella shook her head. “I’m just worried.”
“Traveling might be the worst part,” Lilith said.