...Daredrick's PoV...

If hatred could kill, then Prometheus would have already died ten times.

"Damage report!" I order the shivering Merman in front of me while gritting my teeth. I clench my fist so hard that my bones are creaking, and there's a new fist-shaped hole on my desk. I listen to the report and feel my tremendous rage grow with every word uttered by the pathetic worm on the other side of my large stone desk.

Complete and utter failure. There's not any other way of describing what happened at that facility. The rebellious bastard somehow found out about the secret location of one of our research lab and razed it to the ground. I take a deep breath and refrain from smashing the scale-covered head of the Merman with my bare hands. The sheer incompetence of our troops have destroyed our reputation, and despite our best efforts, I know that the information will leak sooner than later.

"FUCK!" I shout and interrupt the Merman before smashing my desk into two pieces with a single blow.

How could this happen? A large army defended the location, and there were all equipped with the latest Imperial equipment! All the field tests proved that our infantry became nigh-invincible thanks to the Empire's technological prowess! But no, those fucking rebels annihilated everyone, and somehow stopped us from sending reinforcements! We only learned about the situation thanks to the few researchers who escaped through the Gates.

Thinking about the Gates is enough to send me into another fit of rage, and I smash the remains of my desk even more. How could our Gates explode? It must be sabotage! I almost killed the bastard who dared to suggest that our Gates were not able to handle the load of hundreds of people trying to escape at once. The bastard was sent to the interrogation chambers for an indeterminate amount of time, that will show everyone what happens when they dare imply that my glorious Empire is incompetent!

I can only think of one reason behind this debacle; there's a spy somewhere! It's the only logical explanation since the rebels should not have been able to find our secret research lab. It would also certainly explain why the gates mysteriously exploded, and why we couldn't send reinforcements in time.

But if there's a spy, then who is it? Not a lot of people knew of the location of the lab; even the researchers had no idea since there was an anti-mapping enchantment lined into the walls of the underground complex. It pains me to even think about it, but the traitor has to be very high in the command chain.

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I thought I could trust these bastards. I carefully vetted them and only chose the most loyal people.

But it looks like I was wrong on all accounts. I bet those fuckheads betrayed the Empire for a pile of Credits, or something equally as pitiful. What is a bunch of money in the face of absolute power? I remember those greedy bastards of the Council who thought they were untouchable thanks to their wealth. They must have been shocked when we razed their bases to the ground!

At least thinking about our past accomplishments helps me calm down, and I finally notice that the cowardly Merman has been hiding in a corner for all this time. I dismiss him with a wave of my hand, and he almost teleports out of my office. I can't help but sigh; I cannot trust anyone anymore. If there are betrayals so high in the chain of command, then what about the rank and file? I thought I did enough with the massive propaganda and threats. I also placed spies in every unit to make sure that I'm always informed about potential traitors.

But what if the spies were also traitors? What if I was kept in the dark since the beginning while those greedy vultures destroyed my beloved Empire from the inside?

I grit my teeth again and almost send a bolt of lightning through the door when someone knocks.

"What is it?" I shout. If those idiots are bothering me for some useless shit again, I swear that-

"S-Sir, it's your wife." The meek voice of my wife's handmaiden replies.

I take a deep breath and calm down, at least I still have her. She has been with me for so long that I cannot even remember a time when we were not together.

"Are you busy?" her beautiful voice soothes my troubled heart, and I glance at the mess in front of me. Is that really what I want to show her? The image of a violent oaf who cannot handle his responsibilities? I quickly teleport the broken desk in some empty room before replying.

"Of course not my dear, please come in," I say as I sit down.

She enters the room, and as usual, my breath is taken away. She's a small woman, even by Dwarf standards. But her white skin is flawless, and the regal blue robe she's wearing really makes her ginger hair pop out. Her eyes glow with an ocean blue that catches all the attention in the room, and the golden necklace she's wearing makes her appear even more beautiful.

It was the first piece of jewelry I bought her, and she refused that I buy her any other 'frivolities' afterward. She always says that money not spent on her is better spent on the Family, or rather the Empire now. She's a pragmatic woman, a brilliant financier that helped us establish numerous shell corporations to allow us to do our business without any issues since there is no way of tracing the activities of those groups back to us. Her work is more vital than ever. If our enemies learned about those companies, then our supply lines would be severely compromised.

She puts her hands on her hips and glare at me, "You smashed it again, haven't you?" she then points at the outline of the desk still visible in the flooring.

I lower my head like a child who has been caught and make a wry smile, "I'm sorry, I just-"

"Don't apologize." She says as she approaches me with a smile. "I know it must be stressful to run the Empire. But still," she taps me on my nose, "Stop unleashing your anger on an innocent piece of furniture. These things are not cheap, and it's a bit of a waste to replace them every week."

I lean forward, "Every week? You must be exaggerating-"

"Are you the one handling the finances?" she says with a smirk. "We are probably financing an entire district of the Bazaar thanks to your desk-destroying habits."

We look at each other and laugh. Seeing her makes everything better, and the tension I accumulated has all but vanished.

I look at her and take a deep breath. I won't let anything or anyone harm her...

So I have to control everything.