In a large office filled with hurried employees and stacks of documents was a large table in the center. A large map covered the table, a table assorted with all kinds of notes, pins, and pictures. Heaps of documents were stacked around it.

On one end of the table was the only seated man who studied the map while those around him stood each taking their turn to make reports.

He quietly listened as he studied the map in front of him with great care and attention, processing all the information. His eyes fixed on a picture pinned to a point on the map.

The picture was of a young man.

A young man with startling black hair and black eyes.

Just the sight of that picture caused his lips to curl and his eyes to sharpen. His jaws gritted while his teeth clenched.

"...According to a report from squad CF54 of the long-range surveillance division, we have yet to observe any signs of the target. Thus far we can only conclude that the target is not present in the town of Haj-"

"Enough," Deacon declared, interrupting the report. "Enough of this nonsense."

"But sir..."

"I SAID ENOUGH." Deacon bellowed loudly, shaking everyone in the room. "DO YOU THINK I'M A FOOL? IT'S BEEN MORE THAN FIVE YEARS."

He stopped, panting as he tried catching his breath and calming his racing heart down. His constitution had grown a lot worse in the past five years. His hair had begun whitening while his hairline had receded. He had lost weight, causing him to look gaunt and haggard.

His skin complexion had deteriorated, causing it to look sickly. There were eyebags underneath his eyes, causing him to look quite exhausted.

"Have we confirmed his actual presence even once since we began our operations in the Kandrian Empire?" He gritted his teeth.

"...No, sir. We have only spotted figures matching the details of Rui Quarrier to a high degree of accuracy. We also have many eye witness testimonies of those who know his appearance confirming that the suspect matched him."

"Secondhand eyewitness testimonies, correct?" Deacon growled. "In the past five years, how many times have our own people actually spotted Rui Quarrier and confirmed his appearance?"

"...Four times, but..."

"But each of those testimonies have been recently revealed to be compromised due to the suspect being under the influence of mental techniques or mentally-compromising substances, yes?"

"Yes..."

"So you're telling me that despite creating an intelligence division just for him and spending years to establish a powerful intelligence network and surveillance ring in the Kandrian Empire, not once has Rui Quarrier actually been spotted in the flesh by even a SINGLE one of our people, despite FREQUENTLY BEING SPOTTED BY EVERYBODY ELSE?"

"Sir the secondhand intelligence sources are rather credi-" This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

"THEY'RE COMPROMISED," Deacon bellowed. "THINK. We have an ENTIRE division of intelligence agents and analysts being outplayed by a single Martial Squire. THINK. Why is that everybody EXCEPT US spots Rui Quarrier, HUH?!"

The intelligence agents and analysts flinched, too terrified to retort.

"We're the only ones searching for him actively, yes?"

"...Yes, sir."

"We're the only ones spending millions of Shionel gold every year looking for him yes?"

"Yes, sir."

"THEN WHY IS EVERYBODY AND THEIR MOTHER SPOTTING HIM AND NOT US?" he bellowed, banging the table in front of him.

"...W-What are you suggesting, sir?" One brave analyst mustered the courage to ask.

"It's a scam. All of it." He growled, as his mouth curled. "And everybody is in on it. The Martial Union. The Kandrian Empire. That bastard Bradt. The goddamn Beggar's Sect. EVERYBODY."

None of them knew what to say to him.

"We have made shit progress in finding him in the Shionel Confederation through firsthand intelligence operations," Deacon tapped the map looking around. "Yet the secondhand intelligence is glowing with all kinds of wonderful reports of 'credible' people claiming to have spotted Rui Quarrier. IT'S NONSENSE. It doesn't make sense that so many people have spotted him when we can't even confirm his presence in this country."

He paused for a moment as his mind furiously parsed through all the intelligence that had been collected recently since the intelligence network had been gathered since his intelligence network had been fully established in the Kandrian Empire.

"We can't find him. Not an actual instance of credible firsthand confirmation and verification of both his identity and his presence in this nation, correct?"

"But sir, the secondhand rep-"

"I said FIRSTHAND," Deacon yelled. "Put aside the secondhand nonsense for now. Put aside all sources of intelligence aside from our foremost and directly credible and reliable active intelligence network. If we focused purely on intelligence gathered through our infiltration and surveillance, what is the evaluation of the probability Rui Quarrier hiding in this country?"

The intelligence analysts considered the moment before cautiously answering his question. "Very low...sir."

"Right. And why have we determined up until now that Rui Quarrier is very likely hiding within the Kandrian Empire?"

"Because of his escape from the Shionel Confederation five years ago, and the vast amount of credible secondhand intelligence supporting his presence in this nation."

"Right, but why is there such an incongruence between firsthand and secondhand intelligence?" Chairman Deacon asked fiercely. "Why is the secondhand intelligence strongly insisting he's in this country, while firsthand intelligence doesn't suggest that?"

He glanced back down at the map. "Because they want us to believe he's in this country when he's not. It's a lie. A LIE. IT'S ALL A SCAM!"

He violently swept all the documents and the map off the table with a single sweep. "DO THEY THINK I'M A FOOL?! THAT I CAN'T SEE THROUGH THIS NONSENSE?!"

"'They', sir...?"

"The Martial Union which values their golden boy so much. The Kandrian Empire. The Beggar's Sect which insists the intelligence of Rui Quarrier is under a heavy seal. Guildmaster Bradt. Everybody! They're all working together to FUCK WITH ME. That's why THE WORLD INSISTS RUI QUARRIER IS IN THIS EMPIRE WHEN HE ISN'T."

He panted heavily with an enraged expression. "Abandon the Kandrian Empire. Begin searching outside. If we search hard enough, I'm sure that we'll find something. Anything. I'm sure of it."

He walked away, before pausing at the door. "Ah, one more thing. Increase the funding for the operations to capture the orphanage. They're the key."