We made our way to the duke’s palace. Jack followed us without a fight. After he saw us take down the hounds he might have realised that any resistance would be futile. It was evening when we arrived. We handed Jack over to the guards at the palace. The duke was happy to see us. We met in a cosy study and he offered us drinks. We told him everything we had discovered so far and our theory about the Empire’s plan.

“You have done a lot of work in very little time. I am grateful.”, WIlliam said. “I heard that the current emperor wants to expand. He is building a huge navy. Rumours say he is planning to sail around the south of the continent, to bypass the wastes, and invade Beravis. If the Empire controlled Iron Rock they could use the river to open up a second front. Considering the amount of resources they put into this plot, I am afraid this might be even bigger than just Iron Rock.” He sighed. “That would also mean they won’t just go away after their setbacks. They must have another attempt on my life planned. I will make sure to only have the most loyal guards at my palace.”

“You will also have to check your guards and servants for magic tampering. They could try to put those runes on them.”, I reminded him.

William paled. “That would be terrifying.”

“You will need a mage to check everyone with detect magic. The runes can be dispelled if you find them in time.”, I suggested.

“Yes. I will contact Nicholas. I might need his help.”

“So what are your plans regarding the inquisition? They will cause more trouble. And Jessica lets them run wild.”, I asked.

“I would like a bit more evidence before I act. We only have sir Meisler’s word so far. There is no other evidence connecting crimson lotus to the Empire. The bandits you caught still claim to be deserters. It’s all rather circumstantial. They will just claim sir Meisler is part of an independent demonic cult. If I replace Jessica now, and kick the Inquisition from the city, it will be a political nightmare. Baron Spencer will accuse me of being a Dominion puppet. The Empire will impose trade sanctions…”

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“How much power does the city council actually have?”, I asked.

“In theory I can just overrule them. But they are a sizable part of the economy. They would try to cause financial troubles. Delay tax payments, arguing that I am not fulfilling my duty as a liege lord. They would call me a tyrant. They would try to turn the public against me.

On the other hand, if I wait until we can show that the Empire is behind everything, I can clean house. In a way Jessica is digging her own grave right now. If we let the inquisition be part of the investigation that exposes them, it will make them look even worse. Nobody can accuse us of shutting them out and just planting the evidence. Their credibility is going to be destroyed for a generation. ” He smiled.

Lucy frowned. “That assumes you live long enough though. And that the Empire will not be successful at framing someone else. Seems like a rather risky plan. And they could cause a lot of devastation if they unleash more demons in the city.”

“Kicking them out would not stop them from operating in the shadows. And I have a lot of trust in you two. You have been a step ahead of the Empire so far. You seem to know more about what is going on in my city than I do! I heard rumours about the exceptional intelligence network of the Dominion. I never thought I would experience it firsthand.

You know, I reached out to the dwarfs. They were rather vague about the situation but did not seem that concerned. I would not be surprised if they are already working with you.” He smiled.

I kept my face expressionless. That’s just what we needed, dwarfs who also expected us to work for the Dominion. How long would it take for some angry elves to show up?

“We will leave the documents we found at the crimson lotus hideout with you. Your people can go through them and tell us if they find anything.” I had considered keeping them but it would take a lot of work. And it might take specialised knowledge, like accounting, to make sense of some of them.

We said our goodbyes and returned to the inn. While having dinner we discussed our plan for the next day.

“Lucy, do you think it is time to question Oliver? Just see how he reacts. Maybe we can also use the opportunity to look around the embassy a bit.”, I suggested.

“Hm. The inquisition is probably staying there. It might lead to another confrontation.” Lucy thought for a bit. Then she smiled. “I like the idea. Maybe we get to punch some of them again.”

Tomorrow would be interesting.