Prince Aslanbek Alexander was in a bad mood. He walked around his office until he felt a bit tired, and then roared. A rank-III Dungeon overflowed, a new Dungeon popped up somewhere the surveyors can't find, Honeywitch rebelled. The quartermaster's stock was stolen. Almost a billion Essence worth in cards, missing!
And now he got even more on his plate. Reports of a splinter group of knights from Coriander raiding the countryside, slaughtering whole villages, and getting deeper inland and closer to the capital. Even reaching the city was trouble, as the fight to subjugate them would destroy a whole neighborhood. And one of the villages they attacked was exactly the one where the runaway princess was.
"I'm sorry you're dead, brother," He shouted at the ceiling. "Because I wanted to kill you myself."
The report from the Adventurer's guild arrived, delivered by the pixie herself. He raged and swiped at the curtains, slashing the fabric and part of the wall's plaster. Tyre was dead. And so was every single knight he took with him. All of them! Dead! At least the defector count Honeywitch was also dead. They even delivered the bodies, for crying out loud. Both captains: Valanaegornif and Mayleefa! Now the whole castle was paralyzed because they needed to make a funeral and a feast at the same time. Mourn the dead "heroes" and celebrate the victory!
"Victory!" He mocked the concept.
Aslanbek wanted to burn half the palace. What victory? They lost an army, they have a province rebelling! Instead of a parade, they should send a fast-response team to Honeywitch and retake the keep yesterday! Search for the quartermaster and the cards!
And they had only a piece of paper to tell them the story. Aslanbek wanted the kid Tyre hired to create some pleasure paradise to interrogate. Extract the truth from him. But NO! The kid vanished into thin air. How did a level zero boy without a Class and just a fancy Skill survive a Dungeon overflow that decimated a fortress, reached the capital a few days later with the trains on lockdown and delivered a report AND the bodies?
Aslanbek lifted a couch and tossed it through the glass door leading to the balcony. It fell over the parapet and down into the inner garden below. He could rear servants running like drunk ants. He walked over the broken glass, braced himself on the rail, and roared.
That felt good! The prince returned to his office and looked at the items the guild delivered. A letter of praise handwritten by his younger brother and signed by all the knights. Mayleefa's [Badge of Honor], his Essence signature, and Status confirmed along with the name of the recipient.
"Nero!" The accursed level zero kid. Dammit! "Lorikalahen!" Aslanbek shouted.
His attendant emerged from a side door. "You called, milord?"
"Gather all the information we have on this Adventurer called Nero. I want to know who are his parents, what kind of food he likes, which girls he kissed, everything."
The elf bowed. "It shall be done, milord."
"Did they find Grolknabar's box yet?"
Lorikalahen's monotone voice droned on. "The surveyors are busy scrying for the new Dungeon, milord. But I'll tell them to split their efforts."
"Find the damn dwarf!" He shouted and tossed a bottle of liquor at the wall.
"By your command," The elf bowed and withdrew through the side door.
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If there was one thing Lorikalahen excelled at, it was efficiency. Hours later, Aslanbek had a report on Nero. Activated four months ago. His level cap was reported as "possible error" by the [Gadgeteer] from the Lyceum that was visiting the village. A team of knights led by Valanaegornif visited the village with the [Gadgeteer]'s supervisor to confirm a report that he was a knight candidate hiding. His level was confirmed to be zero in both reports by the captain and the gnome scholar.
Aslanbek penned a note on his pad.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
> Historical level cap zero reports? - Search!
There was nothing until a tax report from the Dungeon tax collectors one month later, here at the capital. Did they move? Several visits to Dungeons with little to nothing to report. All close to one another. Damn close. As if they were doing a marathon of Dungeon clearing. Three or four different Dungeons on the same day, even. Several delves on Rafflesia's Meadow. A famous deathtrap. Involvement with the Lyceum. Research Assistants?
He idly flipped through the Dungeon tax reports and noticed dozens, no, a hundred entrance records with only one exit. Nero and some Altia. A woman's name.
He penned another two notes.
> Gather information on Altia --> Relationship with Nero?
>
> Summon tax team assigned to Rafflesia's Meadow in the days listed below for debriefing.
And added the dates.
Aslanbek wanted to ask the Lyceum for information about them but if it was available, it would be in the report Lorikalahen compiled for him. Otherwise, he wouldn't get past the dragon's security anyway.
He read the next document. A military train travel permit requests for Nero, along with a [Gadgeteer] and Lyceum professor Glom, and Amaryllis. The pixie! Aslanbek's hands trembled in rage. Was the pattern he saw real? He wrote another note.
> Nero -> brainchild of the Lyceum and the Guild?
The request sent to the Adventurer's guild by Tyre followed. Did he want to hire the kid to... make a shelter? What in tarnation did that mean? It was processed at the Honeywitch branch, but went all the way back to the capital and then to the bloody pixie. Her again!
Aslanbek searched the report folder for the expense report for that assignment. It was there, double-checked and signed off by three away quartermasters plus the one assigned to Tyre's little war, as the value of the payment made Aslanbek set fire to the whole sheaf of papers.
"A BLOODY PURPLE CARD PER DAY? WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, LITTLE BROTHER?!??!" The crown prince fumed. "Lorikalahen!"
The elf entered the room. Like a golem, he spoke, "What is your wish, my prince?"
"Get me another copy of the report. The last one caught on fire."
"Here it is, Your Royal Highness," The elf handed him a folder. An exact copy of the previous one.
"That is all. Dismissed," Aslanbek waved the elf away then paused. "Lorikalahen?"
"Yes, my prince?"
"Thank you."
He saw that his notes survived his rage. He set the pad apart, lest it was destroyed and he lost his thoughts for deeper research. He remembered something and penned another note.
> Nero's "shelter" <--- what is it?
He read the expense report for the assignment. One hundred and eight purple cards, four orange. A detailed report of the cards followed and he skimmed the list. It was enough Skills and Classes to field a team of elite first-tier Adventurers. And a lot of modifiers too. Too few Equipment. The prince almost set fire to the reports again. Why did Tyre spend so much on a single hire?
He wanted more information but he knew the Guild would keep a tight lid on the information. This Nero was being protected by the pixie, he was sure of it. The Guild and the Lyceum. Again.
The next document was a royal edict. He read and laughed. The prince slammed the desk, breaking the wood and scattering the papers. Then he read the edict again and roared in anger.
"King Zander Alexander.. blah, blah, blah. ... therefore exempt Nero the Adventurer, his family, employees, and direct descendants of any duties to the Kingdom of Bast and its military."
It had the King's seal and his own too as all edicts were ratified by the crown prince. Aslanbek stood up and almost set fire to his whole office. The damned document granted him almost the same immunity as a foreign ambassador! How could he let this stupid thing slip by him!
He looked around the mess of papers scattered over his office and found a document he hadn't seen yet stuck to the folder. A birth certificate.
"Nero, born fifteen years. Place of birth Hom Village, Honeywitch County. Father Byron, mother Rhynne. Gender, male. Race minnid."
Prince Aslanbek took a moment to travel through the memory lane. The names were familiar but he couldn't put a finger on it.
"Lorikalahen?" He called.
The elf approached like a specter. "Your wish, my prince?"
"Who are Byron and Rhynne? I recognize the names but can't remember the people."
The elf didn't even hesitate, answering with his trademark monotone but melodic voice. "Famous adventurers in the continent, milord. They are [Armsmaster] Byron and [Magus] Rhynne. A spotless request record worked for nine of the thirteen countries in the continent. They retired sixteen years ago due to a pregnancy."
"What relationships they have? Known associates and party members?"
The elf lowered his head. "I'll have to research the tax records from sixteen years ago, milord."
"Do it. They're parents of the kid my little brother hired. Also," He ripped a page from his notepad. "Search the answer to these questions."
"It shall be done," The elf bowed and withdrew. "Ah, milord. This top-secret report arrived just now. It came from the guild. It is the debriefing of the Adventurer His Highness prince Tyre hired, this Nero you are so interested."
Aslanbek took the sealed envelope from the elf's hands.
"I already made several copies, milord. The Guild swears the kid was submitted to a truth-teller."
The crown prince shuddered. Did he hear sarcasm on his aide's voice? He looked up from the envelope, dreading what he would find inside. The elf was already gone.
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After reading the report and learning that Valanaegornif was Tyre's murderer, Aslanbek needed another office, in another wing of the palace. The one he used to haunt was now under structural repairs and fire-proofing.