Celeste told 1B to leave for the dungeon immediately to not waste any time. 1A was still in her room, looking at her silently.
Celeste was looking for new clothes in her closet in this heavy silence.
She hummed as she looked at the different kinds of underwear in her closet.
‘Every piece of underwear I have looks like old lady underwear. I can’t wear these when I give my first time to Al. I should head over to the lingerie store when I go shopping.’
She’ll have to buy new bras as well since her current bras are more for comfortableness instead of appeal.
‘I wonder which lingerie store sells I-cup in the empire. It always takes me ages to find these granny bras.’
She lifted with her breasts. They were fairly heavy.
‘Will Al like it if I wear lace bras? I heard that they hurt after wearing them for a while. I’ll just buy one pair and ask him what he thinks of them. Yes, I’ll do that.’
"Milady, may I ask why you haven't given me my orders yet?" 1A asked, "Is gathering a team to extract Lord Arnold out of the dungeon all I need to do?"
Celeste went back to her bed and sat down.
She replied:
“Milady, may I ask why you haven’t given me my orders yet?” 1A asked, "Is gathering a team to extract Lord Arnold out of the dungeon all I need to do?"
Celeste leaned back in the couch she was sitting on.
“No, you can go once you've told me everything I want to know. Since the two of you appeared out of nowhere this should be the perfect opportunity to find out what’s been going on ever since the last time I visited the headquarters. 1B is out on an official mission so you will have to inform me.”
Her bath could wait. She wanted to find out if there’s anything newsworthy so that she can plan accordingly when she comes back.
1A put his hand on his chin.
“The mission to kill Brynhildr Selia Bloodforth is still on hold. The Leader hasn’t given us any instructions for the past few months.”
That was the current objective for the Cadres. Nothing else was more important than planning Brynhildr’s demise.
“Hmm, that’s interesting. Is Leader not concerned that the Vampire Queen might increase her strength while we’re delaying her annihilation? I guess we’ll never know what’s going on inside Leader’s mind until Leader tells us.”
“Forgive me for asking, Milady, but why is it necessary to kill the queen of another nation? She has shown that she means no harm.”
“You never speak that much. It’s surprising how you’re so talkative now.”
“I am eager to know the truth.”
“Hmm, very well. Leader sent an envelope to every Cadre. We were able to find out what Leader is aiming for to achieve world domination.”
Celeste thought back to when she read that letter. Chills went through her body at that moment when she read the words written personally by their leader. The plans listed in the envelope would cause heads to fly by execution since it was treason and inhumane.
It will be a while before they can stand beside their leader as the world bows down to them.
“Our biggest enemies aren’t the Great Nobles or the Ten Testaments. Leader’s main concern are the Lords of the continent.”
“I see. They do wield immense power given that they’re the strongest variants of their species.”
“The dragon lords are a bit tricky, though. Nearly all of them that we know of are close to level 100, with the Ice Dragon Lord already being the strongest. In comparison to the might they hold, none of us from Serz can hope to match it. Taking down all of them at once will be impossible. Taking them one at a time through carefully planned tactics is the only option. That’s why it’s important to take small steps. The vampire lord is currently our most important objective. Vampire lords are typically not as strong or even close to the strength of a dragon lord but the Vampire Queen is different. She’s a threat to Serz’s plans. She might be the Ice Dragon Lord’s level or maybe even beyond.”
“The entire world is against us so why are we only focused on taking out the strongest beings? Even a kingdom could pose a threat to us if we’re unprepared.”
“I know we’re not invincible. Not many of us would survive if the entire continent attacks us at once. That’s the point of hiding. Besides that, we can’t outright attack a nation either. We need the nations to remain standing if we’re going to rule the world.”
1A nodded in understanding.
Serz has the might to destroy nations but the Leaders over the years have never attempted to actually use all that power. They knew that killing without considering the consequences would cause their organization to collapse.
“Thank you for answering my questions, Milady.”
“Tell me about that informer who claims they have a plan to help us take the vampire lord down. Any word yet?”
“That personage hasn’t made contact with any of the Cadres during your absence.”
‘Is Leader not going to move forward with the plan because this informer is also silent about the matter?’
If that’s the case then doesn’t it mean that their leader has complete faith in this informer’s plan? If that wasn’t the case then the leader would’ve gone ahead with the plan even without the informer being there.
Celeste and the other Cadres only know that this informer has a plan to take Selia down but not much else. They didn’t know the informer’s name, who they were affiliated with, what nation they’re from or how much they actually know about the Vampire Queen.
The only thing they were told was to find an artifact capable of summoning the Gardtree. A tree of legend, known to be as old and mythical as the World Tree. Miara’s daughter and her team was told to find this “artifact”. The informer didn’t even say where it can be found, only that it’s somewhere in the empire.
“We can’t do anything about it if Leader decides to put the plan on hold. Continue.”
“Yes, I heard that our former leader became an instructor at the Murim Martial Alliance’s headquarters.”
Celeste’s eyes narrowed slightly.
The leaders of Serz only reveals themselves to their organization when they step down. That was the case when Siegfried Dragneud stepped down several years ago.
Siegfried Dragneud had a mysterious past. Some claim that he was once a famed martial artist who was the protector of a very important person given his skills. Others claim that he was from a famous martial arts bloodline.
Though much is known about the former leader, the current leader’s identity is shrouded in mystery as of now.
Of course, just because he stepped down doesn’t mean that the members of Serz respect him any less. He was not only a wise man but he was strong as well. Many believed that he could take down a dragon lord with his ultimate martial skill, [Two Claw]. This was all exaggerated rumors, though since no one truly knows how strong he was. All they know is that he's close to the peak of the human level cap.
His words to everyone when he left the organization were: “I won’t wear the brand of Serz from this moment onward, therefore I will not involve myself in the organization’s business either. Do not seek me in an attempt to persuade me to join again because I will kill you”.
They haven’t heard anything about him since. Until now.
The Alliance was led by none other than his younger brother, a man known as one of the strongest martial artists alive today.
What a coincidence.
He wields two pure martial arts which makes him one of the most influential sect leaders as well.
“Why did he do that? The Alliance is our rival.”
"...It was apparently over a bet.”
“A bet? Are you saying that the former leader lost a bet?”
“It seems so. The two made a bet that whoever steps down from leadership first has to follow one order of the winner.”
Celeste looked at 1A dumbfounded.
“I know it sounds preposterous but that’s what the Alliance’s leader said with his own mouth…”
It definitely sounded ridiculous. Did they make this stupid bet when they were children? Celeste couldn’t picture two grown men making such a childish bet while giggling.
The winner could order the loser to do anything. Two very powerful men were involved in this bet so it should be taken seriously on what they’ll tell the loser to do. But what kind of order is instructing some students?
‘No, perhaps there is something deeper to this. The younger brother probably wants Lord Siegfried to teach the Alliance’s members all his secrets, thereby increasing their strength. This will give them an advantage over their rival. Yes, that must be it.’
It couldn’t be something as simple as instructing some greenhorns on how to do their footwork or how to clean their swords.
“Didn’t Lord Siegfried say that he’ll open his own noodle shop? Well, whatever. What else have you heard?”
“All major households’ heads were called to the imperial palace to form a truce to unite everyone under one banner. The unity will be known as, well, [Unity].”
“Oh, my.” Celeste smiled in glee, “That’s the best news I’ve heard all week.”
If the nobles unite as one then there won’t be any more bloodshed between different Houses. It was normally impossible for people such as nobles to wholeheartedly support each other without some sort of benefit for themselves.
‘Perhaps all of them just desire peace?’
Conflicts are expensive in the long run. Fighting against each other with your own private armies or using your personal wealth to sabotage your enemies was just two examples of this. This had been going on for hundreds of years.
This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
No emperor or king can truly say that all his nobles are allies. There’s a side that even wants Jurnick dead, which was normal since not everyone approves of his rule.
“Who was able to bring them all together?” Celeste asked in excitement.
‘Did big brother Julius manage to persuade everyone? Why didn’t this news spread throughout the empire?’
That was Julius’ dream. He wanted everyone to become allies.
“….Imperial Princess Ronia Isabella Eulia.”
Celeste’s smile instantly turned into a grimace.
“Ronia…. Knowing her personally, I’d say she devised some scheme to force the nobles into submission. But how was she able to do that to more than 300 Houses?”
“Should I look into it? It’s highly unlikely that she keeps her secrets inside her personal room so kidnapping her is the best thing we can do. 1B would’ve been a better choice to infiltrate the palace since she has years of experience in stealth missions ass a former assassin.”
1B was a former member of the Brotherhood of Dark, a notorious assassin guild that acts as a normal guild to the public. Serz had many connections at that guild. 1B was formerly one of the top ranking members. She turned to a life of crime because her previous job as a receptionist at the Adventurer’s Guild, wasn’t paying all the bills. However, even being a member of the Brotherhood of Dark wasn’t enough.
Her daughter goes to a prestigious academy for girls in the empire. Just one semester costs a hefty amount of gold. Being a single mom, on top of taking care of her old and sickly father, requires a lot of money.
After years of being a criminal she was able to become a direct subordinate of a Cadre with her own skills. The tens of thousands of gold she receives on every job was more than enough for her family.
‘Even if she was here, I doubt that she’d have been able to pull this off.’
Celeste replied to 1A: “Ronia has a lot of spies in the capital. You’ll be spotted even with the help of the stealth magic items I gave you. The antimagic barriers will also make those magic items useless since they are deactivated once you set foot in its range.”
Not only that but the palace was swarming with knights. How will he break into her room and kidnap her without being noticed? She has maids watch her sleep and guards standing outside her bedroom and office 24/7.
The only grace period is when she’s busy with important business discussions or in meetings with her faction members. It wasn’t uncommon for Ronia to be out in public with her faction members or other associates but that doesn’t mean that it’s easy to approach her.
1A is a physical fighter with very low mana so he can’t use teleportation spells since those are usually in the 7th rank. You could count on your hand how many people actually achieved this level of magic throughout history besides an Archmage.
That aside, even if he does get caught then he can easily overwhelm the knights that stand in his way. But if the Great Nobles got involved then things will get a little tricky. They’re currently in the palace, after all.
Ariane Marldor was the head of the intelligence division tasked with protecting the imperial family. If even an ant approaches the palace’s front gates then she’ll know. If a mysterious man suddenly showed up then she’ll immediately respond to the threat.
Infiltrating was the easy part, escaping from her eyes was the issue. She can hit a target from 1 km away( with obstacles in the way or not). Celeste might end up losing a powerful subordinate which will weaken her overall might as a Cadre.
There’s another scenario that could happen. If he’s caught then Celeste will be revealed to be a Cadre member of Serz. Her entire reputation will collapse. Not just that but she’ll be hunted down if a price is put on her head. Arnold will condemn her and she’ll have nothing left.
‘My hands are tied for now. I must admit that this was a smart move. She put a large target on her back by using blackmail to force the nobles into submission.’
Not every noble in this empire was clean and legitimate. Celeste knew that. In fact, the majority—mostly middle class and lower class—rely on criminal activities to increase their power in the aristocracy. Taxing their citizens in their fiefs, investing in land and businesses, or renting out their soldiers just isn’t always enough.
It’s a mystery to Celeste how Ronia was able to compile enough evidence to scare them all like this.
The good nobles(the minority)—who actually support a unity—just fell into place. The sad thing was that they have no idea that they’re moving in the palm of her hand. Celeste wasn’t sure how but she’s convinced that Ronia will bring every noble to her side to support her claim to the throne.
“It seems we can’t approach her directly using force or any other method. I want you to find out what you can about her faction’s movements. It’s highly likely that she’ll try and use the unity between the nobles to boost her reputation through the faction. This will give her an advantage over prince Julius once he returns. If something worthy of my attention comes up then come to me regardless of where I am. I want to know what Ronia plans to do from this point onward.”
Celeste was on vacation at the moment so she doesn’t want to focus on her work as a Cadre but Ronia was an exception.
“Understood, Milady.”
“Now get out.”
1A disappeared in a blink of an eye.
◇◇◇
Celeste stared at the bathroom’s ceiling absentmindedly.
The servant girl from earlier was washing Celeste’s body with some soap her father brought her as a gift.
Celeste could see her naked body reflected in the mirror ceiling above.
She was raised with a healthy diet, often exercises and uses a lot of skin products so her body and skin was the perfect example of what a young and healthy woman should look like.
Celeste knew she had bigger breasts, a narrower waist and wider hips than many of her peers but she never flaunts her body at others. Those whores at the academy who wear short skirts brought a certain disgust in her. They devalue themselves by satisfying their hedonistic desires or seducing men into impregnating them for financial reasons. They don’t consider their bodies sacred and something that should be protected.
Celeste always thought that a woman should save her body for her future husband but everyone had different circumstances. Some are raped and forced to conceive children while others go into sex work to put food on the table. She sympathized with these people. However, that’s because they have no control over their choices. The girls at the academy were different.
Most of them were raised in privileged families while others were hardworking students who are supported by sponsors. Ignoring the monkeys who are only here because of their parents’ money, why are some so academically gifted but not educated about value and self-respect?
Celeste could never do that to her body. Even if she conceives children with her husband, she wants to keep her body as youthful and attractive for as long as she can.
Anyhow…
‘Should I tell Al’s parents what he’s up to?’ she thought as she continued looking up at the ceiling while laying in the bath.
The servant girl continued washing her.
Celeste knew the kind of man Marcus von Berkley was. He'll ignore whatever duty he has in the empire and head straight for the dungeon to find Arnold. From the sound of it, Arnold didn’t go into the dungeon against his own will. 1B said that he went in alone, after all.
He had been missing from the academy for the entire duration of the exams but no one really cared because he was the kind of person who is absent for days on end and aces his exams. Professors even allow him to sleep during his classes if he’s present.
Rodrick was the only one who asked around the academy where Arnold was. The two never got along in the past due to Arnold’s delinquency but that seemed to have changed. A professor was genuinely worried about trash(Arnold).
If it were up to Celeste then she’d order every single member of the organization to form multiple rescue parties to go find him.
But considering her position in the organization, her hands were tied since she was a mere subordinate to the highest power. Plus, gathering many people together takes a long time, which he probably doesn’t have.
1B will secure his safety while a team led by 1A will follow once they're ready.
Celeste sighed.
“Is something the matter, Lady Celeste?” the girl asked worriedly.
“Oh, no. Do continue.”
The girl nodded.
“Lady Celeste has beautiful hair. It’s not dry even though you’ve been in the sun all morning. May I ask what you use?” the girl asked while combing Celeste’s hair.
“Golden Flower shampoo.”
“Ah… That is an expensive brand. I wanted to make my hair as silky smooth as Lady Celeste’s but I never found the right product that I can afford…”
“You can take my bottle. There isn’t much left anyway.”
“May I?”
“Yes, I’ll buy some more when I come back to the estate.”
“Thank you very much!”
Celeste smiled before resting her head on the edge of the bath to look up at the ceiling again.
She went back to her thoughts.
‘It’s unknown how long Al will be away from the empire and trapped within that dungeon. His city has no lord to rule it with him gone.'
He had an advisor, sure, but that doesn’t mean that the advisor could fill the role of a city lord. Arnold’s duties involved managing his estates, settling disputes between those under his rule, hosting other lords and nobles for grand banquets in decadent halls, and doing a fair bit of hunting or any other activity to build stronger connections. These are just examples. The entire list of duties he must fulfil are much longer.
‘I should make sure everything is alright in his territory. This is what he would want.’
They’ll have to either sell the land or just get a new lord to rule that rundown city once the two of them get married. Arnold had to rule the Penston fiefs, after all. His attention should be solely focused on the Penston House's assets. But for now, Celeste will go and make sure everything is going smoothly. She’ll make sure to give the land’s value a boost.
The city will have to generate some income for their household in the future so it wasn’t a bad idea for her to go. Much like everything else that belonged to her House, the city was also an important asset.
There was suddenly a knock on the door.
The servant girl hurriedly stood up to go towards it.
She spoke to the person for about ten seconds before running back after closing the door. Celeste noticed that she was carrying a transmitter.
“Someone important is calling for Lady Celeste.”
Celeste climbed out of the bath. She grabbed a nearby towel and wrapped it around her body. She took the transmitter.
She made a shooing gesture towards the girl. The girl bowed before quickly leaving the bathroom.
Celeste went towards the balcony and pressed the button on the transmitter.
-“Ah, good. You’re still there.”
“My, sister-in-law.” Celeste spoke in a merry tone when she heard whose voice it was, “What a pleasant surprise to receive a call from my beautiful sister.”
Anna laughed.
-“Stop it with the flattery. Isn’t it a bit too early to be calling me that? Al hasn’t accepted the engagement contract yet.”
“Yes, I know but it’s already a done deal. Both of our fathers decided it to benefit our two Houses. He’d be a fool for rejecting it, especially considering the circumstances. Plus, he’ll be breaking the heart of a pure maiden who forced out all her courage to confess her love.”
-“Yeah, I’d hate my little brother if he refuses the marriage. I actually miss the old days when the two of you run around our castle playing hide-and-seek.”
Anna laughed then said: “I can’t wait to become an aunt, though. The women he impregnates just demand money from my father but never lets us see the children. It’s sad, really. I’d love to meet my little nephew or niece that will come out of this marriage. I’ll spoil them rotten.”
“Oh, stop it~ We should wait until the ceremony first~”
-“Hey, I’m just saying. No rush. Are you still going to Whitage city?”
“Yes. I’m leaving tomorrow morning.”
-“Thank goodness. Can you do me a favor? The courier I hired the other day didn’t fetch the documents I had sent to one of our residences in the capital. I need someone to take it to Al’s advisor. Things got a bit too hectic after that monster wave hit. People are even afraid of travelling outside the safety of the empire’s walls.”
“I don’t mind. Which mansion is it?”
-“The one in the same district as the imperial palace.”
“Ah, I see.”
Marcus bought that mansion so that he could be closer to the palace. It’s better to live nearby so that he can respond to danger at any time. Of course, he very rarely stayed in the house these days after the emperor called every Great Noble to the palace.
The Great Nobles now live in the palace so the mansion he bought was gathering dust without a family living in it. Of course, there were servants and a trainee butler attending to the mansion’s maintenance.
-“Just head to my father’s office on the second floor. It should be a thick file with the name ‘Businesses & Investors’.”
“Businesses and investors? What’s that about?”
-“They are legal agreements made between me and some associates from different merchant firms and business chains. The investors will invest in Whitage’s land and infrastructure while the businesses will start branches in the city. What the city needs is a functioning economy so having businesses is beneficial. This will attract people to the city. But the documents needs Al’s signature otherwise those documents are useless.”
Celeste smiled bitterly.
“Is it alright if I give my signature, Anna?”
-“Why? It’s not a problem if Al’s not in his city at the moment. The people aren’t that hasty to invest and build. Plus, the contract will only be terminated if his signature is on it.”
“Well, you see…” Celeste thought about telling Anna what she knows but decided to come up with a different story, “Al is currently going around the country in search of wine, women and strong fighters. Some kind of journey about becoming a better and stronger man. He said that he might not come back until next year.”
“He might never come back” lingered at the back of her mind but she stuck to “next year”.
Celeste knew that what she said sounded dumb but that was the best she could come up with. Lying was one of her specialties but she couldn't think straight with the love of her life missing or possibly dead.
Anna sighed.
-“That guy needs to tone it down on the drinking and sleeping around. Alright. Seeing as how you’re his fiancée, it should be fine.”
The empire laws state that a wife or fiancée has the right to a husband’s assets, whatever they might be. Though Celeste is allowed to give her own signature, the documents will still belong to Arnold. She might have the right to his assets but that doesn’t mean that she’s in control of everything.
It was a 50/50 marriage, after all. If this was 100 years ago then she wouldn’t have the right to have a say in anything.
“You can rest assured that I will deliver the documents to the city, Anna.”
-“Thank you, Celeste. I called Rudy earlier and told him to have the documents ready for you. They aren’t allowed to leave the estate in anyone else’s hands besides yours. Be careful not to take them out of the file."
“Yes, yes. I understand.”
-“Thanks again, Celeste. The two of us should catch up when the time is convenient for both of us.”
“Yes, we should.”
Anna spoke to Celeste about a few other things before saying goodbye and hanging up.
Celeste got back to her bath. The water was a little cold since she stepped outside for too long.
She left the bathroom after she was done bathing and enjoyed a lonely dinner in their huge dining area.
Her night ended with her reading a few chapters of the book the servant girl brought her.