Vitmori POV

'Nice.' That is all that I can bring myself to say as I half wonder if I can sue the gods for copyright infringement or if copyright even works across different worlds. But Historietta looks happy with the mark she got, so I'm not about to kick a fuss over something like this.

Historietta, for her part, looked delighted with her new tattoo as she kept looking over her shoulder at it before a thought crossed her mind. "Hm... I wonder how the Court Mage is gonna react to me suddenly having a mana ring." She then flashed a cheerful grin as she settled back in her seat and looked over my core. "I wonder how I should surprise Fero with it... Maybe I'll 'forget' to add ice to his drink one day and cool it with my magic." She mused as she chuckled; her thoughts had obviously moved on from the earlier somber topics.

'That's all well and good; just be mindful that magic is a tool and a weapon before you can consider it a plaything.' I warned, just like anything mundane, it could be deadly if misused. 'Even though I say that, the best way to practice any skill is through experimentation and play, do you think I was parkouring away from runners easily without goofing around on urban obstacle courses growing up? Of course not. Just make sure you know how to play properly, and for that, you'll need a solid foundation of the basics and discipline to know how to play.'

At first, it looked like Historietta was gearing up for something along the lines of an indignant response, but as I spoke, she appeared to be more understanding as she looked down at her hands before nodding and sighing a bit. "I suppose you're right about that, and I wouldn't want to hurt my darling Fero over a joke accidentally... Fine, I'll see about speaking with the Court Mage when I get back home; it'll still be nice to give that guy a surprise." She mused as she managed to smile again at that idea.

'Sounds good, though before I forget, I need to hear what you know about the Gaian Theocracy and the Hegemony of The Blue Sun.' The memories I have of the two places are incredibly biased at the end of the day, and I should try to gather more information for some kind of clearer picture.

Historietta seemed to be surprised by the change in topic, blinking a couple of times before sitting upright in the chair again and thinking about it. "I'm afraid we don't know all too much about the Hegemony, a spy enclave has yet to be established there since it was one of the last territories aside from the Theocracy in Fero's path of continental unification." She then tilted her head thoughtfully before continuing. "We do have the makings of a spy network in the Theocracy, but it's very limited and aimed at the trafficking of beastkin and not much else just yet." She explained, now all business as she recounted the information she knew. "What we do know is that small groups of beastkin have been vanishing from the Theocracy, the most vocal speaker of this being that lizardkin in your community, Zasutir. Without him, we wouldn't have discovered what was going on so early." She admitted with a sigh. "As for the Hegemony, all we know is that affluent merchants are buying up the people being smuggled into their country. But instead of money, they give the people from the Theocracy a few wagons of goods and merchandise." She mentioned, her brow furrowing with confusion. "Which doesn't make any sense, sure the goods are relatively good quality, but they're nowhere near worth what I would think a wagon full of people would be equal to."

So I was right, the exchange of goods doesn't make sense... 'It might have something to do with the secret chest hidden in the cart.' I decided to offer, Historietta perking up curiously at the comment. 'This secret chest.' I mention as I lay out the chest I found under the driver's seat and set it down on my steps. 'Even I can't look inside, so it appears to have some serious magical protection of some kind.'

Historietta can't help but look intrigued as she stood, approaching the chest as she held out her hand and narrowed her gaze before frowning. "I can't investigate it either... Though it could just be my skill isn't high enough quite yet." She said as she sighed softly while letting her hand fall back to her side.

'Yeah, and none of the paladins, acolytes, or even Rita knew anything about it. So it must be a secret to even them.' At that revelation, Historietta couldn't help but look over at me curiously, and I could tell by her expression that she wanted more details. Since we've already shared so much with each other, I go ahead and tell her about everything that's happened so far with what became of the paladins and acolytes, how I brought them back as new people, how I absorb the memories of those who die to my vassals, and how I now have two people in custody from the Hegemony who most likely have intimate knowledge on what exactly is going on with the trafficked beastkin.

"I see... So, are you going to kill them? To get their memories, I mean." She asked, seeming a little hesitant about the question, though she also appeared to be rather morbidly curious if her expression was anything to go by.

'I... I don't know. I got a considerable amount of information from Rita and the others about the Theocracy already, even what little they observed as Diarosa's slaves.' From there, I described the Hegemony capital from the perspective of Rita as a young mage who actually grew up in the country. The Hegemony was also a sort of meritocracy, a place where money and merits could get you anywhere. Rita proved her abilities as a capable young mage and earned her way into the country's Magic Academy on a Scholarship of Excellence. She described her time there as the best years of her life, emphasizing how great things were. Between the school funding and how accessible exotic components were thanks to the Capital's international trade routes, she has no doubts that she would have been able to etch her second ring before her time there was over. When asked about the slave trade, she expressed how there was no slave trade, at least not legally. The most common form of work and payment was by promising time. What that entailed was a form of indentured servitude as a form of loan, and how these loans and deals were tightly managed by the Bank of Hours. The example she provided was how a penniless adventurer prospect could put up their time as collateral for arms and armor, promising to either pay back the total cost of the equipment or working for around two to five weeks to pay back the equipment whether they were partially able to pay back their loan or if they were unable to pay back anything at all. That's the extent of things. That is how it was supposed to be. 'She didn't want to tell me about how exactly she ended up as a slave, and having seen her memories, I'll respect her wishes and not share them either.'

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Historietta had been listening with rapt attention, having pulled out her slate at some point and begun taking extensive notes about everything I had told her. However, as I finished up for the moment, Historietta nodded thoughtfully. "Fair enough, so the Hegemony doesn't have an official slave trade, but there is a slave trade going on between a faction within the Theocracy and a faction within the Hegemony. People are being traded for whatever is inside this mysterious box with strong protection charms on it... There's likely been a similar box for each trade, and since it is coming from the Hegemony, anything could come through that port of theirs." She reasoned as she looked between her notes, the chest, and myself. However, her attention was suddenly grabbed by something as she offered a faint smile. "Oh! My investigation skill went up." She then eyed the chest, holding out her hand before frowning and sighing a bit. "And it still isn't strong enough to figure out what's in the chest..." She then set her slate down before leaning back into her seat and flashing a bit of a smile. "I suggest we apply Occam's Razor to this particular set of questions."

Now that caught me by surprise, wondering what her simple solution could be. 'And what do you suggest?'

She flashed a grin before speaking up. "If we want to know what's in the chest, then all we gotta do is take the chest to the one who wants to open it. Just have a few of your sinners complete the delivery; they don't need to pretend to be someone they're not since they're already the people who work for this particular faction." She explained as she chuckled mischievously. "Then it's a matter of figuring out who is the one meant to receive the package, figuring out what was in the chest, and preventing any more deals from happening. Which is admittedly more complicated, but it's a direction."

That... Actually isn't a bad idea at all. Hell, if I just implant whoever I send back with the knowledge of their body's memories, they won't even have to act or pretend; they could just slip back into their roles and be genuine double agents. "I like it, though if we're gonna stop the trade deals, how about we outright create antagonism between the two factions? Prevent the practical reasons for the Theocracy to keep rounding up more beastkin."

Historietta snapped her fingers before shooting me some finger guns. "I like it. But how are we gonna go about ruining both sides of the trade deal without both groups catching onto something being wrong..." She considered before looking into my core. "I think you're gonna have to kill at least one of the two people from the Hegemony." She stated soberly, not exactly pleased with the decision since she was the one suggesting it. Though with my abilities, it is a pragmatic solution.

It was then I noticed that Basti seemed to be hanging around the shadows around my chamber, but just as soon as I saw her, she was gone, heading somewhere else within my mountain. 'I think you're right... But who would be the one to kill, if not just both outright?' I understand her hesitation regarding taking a life, though unfortunately, I have plenty of experience in this subject. Ultimately, I have no hard feelings about what needs to be done after witnessing Rita's memories.

"I... I'm not sure, and I don't think I have the stomach to make that call." Historietta admitted as she sighed softly.

Before I could speak up, I was hit with a sudden rush of vital energy. 'Oh? It looks like we don't have to make that choice...'

Dhalia POV

It was only a matter of time, those holding her prisoner here would have to slip up at some point, and when they did, she'll capitalize on it. She's already done all she can to get ready, and the fools didn't even search her properly. Between her torn sleeves which she used to wrap up her face to reduce her exposure to the spitter wolf venom, her hidden dagger she can throw at the first person to enter her cell, and her own claws, which she's meticulously spent the last several hours sharpening, she felt confident she could handle any beast or man that stood in her way.

The hours continue to drip past into eternity, her nerves fraying as she desperately listens for any signs of life or activity anywhere nearby... But she hears nothing: no life, breathing, or even a breeze. The air was getting stale, but she could still breathe well enough. Hunger was starting to set in, though she had no idea how long she had been here. She had no frame of reference, not even the red light from before. Nothing but absolute silence as her heart thundered unbearably loud in her ears. Suddenly, her nose finally caught a whiff of something... Of food! Turning to look, her night vision almost struggled to make out a wooden bowl filled with hot, fresh rice... "When did that get there..." She murmured to nobody in particular; it was only then she noticed a cup of fluid beside it, it was odorless and possibly clear, so it had to be water. She couldn't smell anyone else who had come by; hell, she didn't even hear anyone come in... The food couldn't possibly be real. That's it; she's hallucinating... She shouldn't touch the rice or even the water; the next thing she'll know, her teeth will be broken from trying to chew the obvious rock that it is.

Eventually, the bowl of rice and the water disappeared, just like she knew it would; it wasn't real after all. Focus... She had to focus... Any moment now, the opportunity to escape will present itself... She'll get out of here, damn the rest, she'll make it out of here and kill all the others who dare stand her way. She'll kill them all...

Seconds, possibly hours later she finally senses something else. A scent, a beast, was there, perhaps standing right in front of her, but she couldn't see them. "What is this... Show yourself..." She murmured with all the aggression she could muster, though her ears perked when she heard something in response. and

"What... Is... This... Show... Yourself..."

It... It was her own voice, but rougher and raspy as it seemed to echo from around the room. Her body stiffened, and she could feel her back tighten as she was suddenly hyper-focused. There was a very real threat in the room now; she was certain of it. "Show yourself, coward! Face me!" She yowled out, her back against the wall as she forced herself to stand.

In the next moment, she saw eyes in the darkness, a deep green like her own. They stared up at her for a moment, but she watched as they rose up, coming up to eye level. "Show yourself, coward! Face me!" The voice yowled back in her face, the hot breath beating against her snout. But before she could respond, she noticed that her throat had been slashed open, the warm blood filling her senses as it spilled down her chest. She looked to the eyes in front of her, her eyes staring back into herself when her voice reached her own ears. "Don't worry about Diarosa and your job security... I'll tear it all down while borrowing your face." She smiled a smile that was her own but not her own as she choked on her own blood. The darkness faded into a deeper black than she's ever known.