Chapter 12

“Commander, were you aware that someone in the Hanus household has been collaborating with the Kingdom of Memburn?”

At Luke’s words, the entire chamber changed in an instant. Every captain’s eyes widened; even stoic Theo blinked. The only person who remained calm was the man labeled a criminal: Luke himself.

Luke had been keeping a careful eye on the House of Hanus ever since skirmishes with Memburn started hinting at a wider war. Among the noble houses of the Empire, the Hanus marquisate had been granted the greatest authority over maritime trade by the palace, people whose knowledge of the seas far exceeded that of most land-bound nobles.

If he could make use of their information network, he might be able to learn what Memburn was doing.

Anything that could help in this war, however trivial, Luke wanted in his hands. War might be a contest of force, but it was not fought by strength alone; information and strategy were often just as decisive.

But influential houses did not open their doors for anyone. Even a captain who represented a pillar of the Imperial Army could not easily approach such circles if he was of common birth. Luke had struggled for a long time to gain access.

Then an opportunity arrived unexpectedly. News of Luke’s contribution to a successful surprise raid against Memburn had spread beyond the army, and the marquisate extended a hand first.

The marquis had offered to introduce his daughter, an ostensible pretext, but Luke did not care for niceties. On the evening he was invited, he made no secret that he hoped to glean information. Strangely, though, the marquis was not receptive. Luke’s subtle request, that the marquis use his network to let Luke know what Memburn was up to in those turbulent times, was not accepted eagerly.

The House of Hanus publicly professed loyalty to the Empire, so their reluctance puzzled Luke. He tried to chalk it up to caution. Later, when a private meeting presented itself, he tried a more direct approach.

“Marquis, could you use the Hanus maritime network to find out what Memburn is doing now?”

Having pushed the enemy back in the east with his raid, the international expectation was that Memburn would accept a peace accord to stem further losses. That was the natural course. Still, Luke wanted hard information.

The marquis had smiled and said, “Ah, Captain Luke. I know your ambition well. I can certainly find out if there is something in it for me. Accept my terms, and not only will I provide information, I can help you climb to the position you desire.”

It was, if nothing else, a skilled proposal. The marquis had judged Luke accurately as a man filled with ambition and hunger for honor and power. What remained hidden, however, was the marquis’ deeper intent, which Luke could not yet decipher.

Luke declined to accept on the spot and broke off direct contact. The marquis’ offer smelled of trouble; he would not take it lightly. If necessary, he would find other routes to the information. He intended to investigate what the marquis might be scheming only after the conflict with Memburn settled.

He had never imagined, though, that the embezzlement scandal would erupt afterward.

“Collaborating with the enemy, where did that come from?” someone asked.

“The Hanus family holds substantial rights to maritime trade. I reached out to them when relations with the Kingdom of Memburn began to look fraught,” Luke explained.

Of course, his intention had been to glean helpful intelligence through them.

“And then I learned this: the Hanus household has been in league with Memburn.”

“Are you saying the Hanus are acting as spies for the Empire, no, for Memburn?”

Theo asked, grave-faced. This was information none of the others had ever heard; only Luke had known.

“Yes. Since Memburn exerts considerable power in the Rotelli maritime region, it seems the Hanus bowed to them.”

“Do you have evidence to back that up?” someone demanded.

Luke drew the crystal he had tucked inside his coat from his breast and held it up for Bael to see. All eyes turned to the small, familiar object: a communication crystal used by the Imperial Army.

“This crystal itself is the evidence.”

At Luke’s calm declaration, the hall murmured again. The very items that had been stolen now served as proof, many found the logic difficult to grasp.

Luke ran a fingertip over the crystal’s surface and let a faint current of mana flow through it. Light shimmered outward and silver strands of his hair seemed to glow in that aura.

It was time to show the material proof he had gathered in so short a span.

******

After taking the crystal from Fael and instructing him to keep behaving normally, Luke did not return straight to headquarters.

“Aha! Lucky, he’s still breathing.”

A little way beyond the alley where he had met Fael, Luke found a man bound head to toe with twine, slumped on the ground. As Luke approached, the man began to thrash.

“—Ugh!”

The man could not form words; something seemed to lock his mouth shut.

“Well, I was kind enough not to gag you,” Luke said, crouching down and snapping his fingers in a casual, mocking manner.

“—huff… gasp…”

The man clawed at the air, sucking breath as if he’d been starved of it.

“What are you doing? Do you even know whose household I belong to?” the captive spat.

“You’re a servant of the Hanus house, aren’t you? Your job is to fetch the traded goods, the crystals.”

“Who… who are you? Who are you, what is your identity?”

“One more yell and I’ll shut you up for good.”

The threat worked; the man flinched and bit his lip.

“Who else? [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] I’m the man who came to buy things from you.”

Luke tossed the pack slung over his shoulder onto the ground, smiling mildly.

“Check it. Those are the crystals you were supposed to collect today.”

Luke touched the man again, and the captive, still trembling from fear, felt the bindings slacken and come undone.

Stunned by Luke’s inexplicable behavior, the man checked the bag sitting in front of him. Inside were exactly the typical trade items he had always been given, merchandise he would take back to the estate and be paid for.

“What, what is this? You kidnap me, release me, and then hand me the goods… what the hell—”

“Your job doesn’t change much. Return to the Hanus mansion, say you went and fetched the goods, and hand them over. But if you value your life, you won’t tell anyone about this conversation, will you?”

The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed slowly. He understood. From Luke’s sudden, deadly skill to the casual way he could clamp a hand over a mouth and bind a body, every detail told him Luke was no ordinary thug. The warning about his life wasn’t idle bluster.

“Of course, this is a business. I’ll pay handsomely. I’ll give you three times the money you usually pocket from that household for doing this.”

“R-really?” Greed brightened the man’s eyes.

“I’m telling you the truth. You stand to make a fortune by doing exactly what you always do; deliver the goods.”

His cautious posture melted into eager acceptance. He promised repeatedly he would not fail. Luke watched the man stride out of the alley with the pack on his back and let out a long breath.

Even though Luke used money as bait, he sometimes found it distasteful how easily people could be swayed.

“Alright then. I suppose I should go prepare to turn myself in.”

Luke rolled his stiff shoulders. A single case, yet so many threads to tie up. And he had to maintain his role while doing it. It wearied him.

Muttering about fate, Luke made his slow way back to headquarters, hoping that the “crystal” he’d handed the man would not be detected and would do its part.