Steel and Mana

Chapter 73 – Sabotage (1)

When I ensured everything was burning, I left behind Yuri and her team, tasking them to dispose of all evidence and head back home without anyone else noticing they were here at all. She was unhappy to leave without having her way with me, but that had to wait for a later day. This was not yet over.

"Everything... is fine?" Sasha asked the moment she saw me come out of the sealed-off campsite, rushing over, leaving her post without thinking.

"Yes." I smiled at her, hugging and rubbing her head, "It is finished, and it turns out I was right."

I knew she wanted to go in and take a look, but I wouldn't let her do that. Instead, I used the found parchment as a distraction, giving it to her and letting her study it while we walked away, leaving the massacre behind.

...
....
......

"How's things?" Elliot asked the first thing in the morning, walking into the study where I was waiting for him, sipping on coffee, being alone with my thoughts for the past few hours.

"All good. I was right, as it turns out. What about you? You are moving like an old man, and I can see you slept less than me!" I grinned, joking, making him roll his eyes.

"Duh. Everything hurts; I look like a plum under this shirt... and it hurts when the fabric touches it while I move around... tsk... But enough of me! What about the proof? What did you find?"

"A prepared spell in the hands of his grandson before he got a shot in the head. Sasha and I studied it all night; we are sure it is a mind-affecting spell. We are not yet certain what kind of impact we are speaking of, but I will have a deeper look at it back home, where I can focus on the issue freely."

"It could mean many things. Maybe he just wanted to present it, and he wasn't a mage."

"Are you trying to call me out or guilt-trip me?" I sighed, taking another sip while he moaningly sat opposite of me, pouring coffee into his own cup.

"Nah, you are probably right. We found a small amount of CC hidden within their courtyards. They were using it, and we found bills and passes for underground auctions out of this region. They were in touch with multiple underground organizations as regular customers."

"Pft! Why not just destroy those?" I laughed, shaking my head, "Ah, merchants... and their love of ledgers and bureaucracy. Or are those the lawyers?"

"What is a lawyer?"

"..." I couldn't help but look at him to see if he was joking or not... but I don't think he was. Well, whatever. "What will you do?"

"Give it to you, of course! What? Should I report it? Then, the Empire will ask why I didn't discover them initially. What am I doing? Thanks, but no thanks!"

"I love you."

"Brr, no. Just take it away and make it so I don't have to worry!" He grunted, waving my teasing away, "I want peace to return to my land so I can start focusing on what I love to do! Trading. This inner-fighting bullshit is bad for business! I will also ignore the underground rings; that is the Empire's problem to worry about, not mine! I don't want to get involved in higher-ranked nobles' power moves."

"I agree. So... what else did you find?"

"Documents, some for blackmailing others and some for taking over businesses. Now that these families are going away, all of those will become mine. So, in a way, they should also be rewarded for strengthening me. How weird..."

"You can be nasty if you want, aren't you?" I smiled, making him look at me with a 'look who's talking' glare. "All of them gets the axe?"

"Yes. I already wrote up the announcement and will go public with it today. Their crimes will be there to be seen with all the proof we gathered, and their heads will be put on display after their execution. I only feel sorry for their families."

"There are a lot of historical events where survivors swore revenge and achieved it." I shrugged, knowing full well what he was thinking about.

"Very true! So, let's not talk about it anymore; it takes away my appetite."

"What about my request?"

"Don't worry, I kept my word! They are currently in custody. For now, they think they will be dealt with as the rest, but when you are ready, I will transport them out of the city. From then on, it will be your job to take them away!"

"I know, Oleg is preparing the carriages for the travel back home, so we will borrow a few of yours!"

"Borrow?" He raised an eyebrow, and I quickly added with a shrug before he began asking for money for it.

"Don't worry! I will return them to you, packed with some goodies you can resell. Relax, Uncle! I did not forget!"

"Good, because since that night, I already received letters from the Lords under me; they want to buy the first batch!"

"Perfumes, yes?"

"What else?" He asked sharply, making me sigh again.

"I was hopeful, oh well... I'll see what I can do. Don't forget, I need clear glass! Without that, I can't do much!"

"Do something about it for now because I can't send my men over to the Atuvians without the perfumes and hope to strike a deal. They won't be interested in the rest! I must also spend money to pass the borders as they are closed... on paper."

"Will you get into trouble?"

"No. If we were in a strained relationship, then yes, but when the situation is lax, as it is now, you can go back and forth. Just... pay the right people."

"Suddenly, I feel as if I'm back at home..." I murmured, making Elliot raise an eyebrow, but he asked nothing in the end, thinking he had misheard me. "I will send over some gold."

"Hm? Really?"

"Yes, but not gold coins. Pure gold. Use it to get through the borders and get what I want."

"How did you get your hand on... Wait..." Suddenly, he began whispering, leaning forward, ignoring his hurting chest, watching my eyes. "A mine?"

"Yes." I answered simply, making him shiver.

"How big?"

"So-so. Nothing major." I lied without flinching, "But enough to spend extra on what I need."

"Lucky bastard... you are the luckiest one I know! Well, if your luck brings such boon to me too, please don't stop finding good things!" He laughed, his brain already working on something else. "If you can finance it, then, yeah. I can get you a shipment of clear glass before winter."

"That soon?"

"Money makes things go faster, so yes. Solid gold bars? I can make do with that!"

"Haaahh... sure. Tell me how much you need, and I will see what I can do..." I shrugged, looking defeated, raising my cup towards him, hiding my excitement deep within.

...
....
......

"If you are sleepy, just lay down~!"

"I can't sleep in a carriage..." She mumbled, barely keeping her eyes open, leaning against me. "It's too bumpy."

"True." I shrugged, looking out of the window as we were leaving Lothlia. At first, I was disappointed that only the perfume was the thing they were interested in... then my thoughts were disrupted after seeing the heads of the merchants above the gate, hanging in iron cages. I wondered how close I was to being one of them when I decided to recruit Yuri. Luck... here we are again... Why do I feel that my immense luck is going to be balanced out very soon, and in a way, I won't like it?

"Worried?" Sasha asked, kissing my neck, making me turn away from the changing scenery and looking at her instead of the iron cages in the sunset.

"Yes and no. Not important, my dear!" With a hug, I pulled her closer, rubbing her head, which made her smile like a happy puppy. Right until we left the city's cobblestone roads and turned onto the route leading us home, beginning to throw us around in the carriage at once. "My next big project will be making my people lay down proper roads. I will first connect my city with our villages and the old castle and then move towards Lothlia. It will also speed up our travels and make it more comfortable."

"I agree... ugh... My stomach feels funny..."

"Lay down, dear~ Let your hubby care of you!" I whispered, and soon, I was not just caressing her tummy but began stripping her down, turning the uncomfortable ride and bouncing around to our advantage.

...
....
.....

"We are here, My Lord!" Oleg saluted while I stepped out of the carriage, fixing my shirt and vest and hastily closing the door behind me.

"Let her rest." I walked forward before he had a chance to ask if Sasha would join me. "The ride exhausted her. So? Where are they?" I asked, looking up at the clear night sky, watching the countless stars and the giant Moon.

"Just a hundred meters, My Lord. The prisoner carts arrived a while ago, and we were checking their identities until now. All of them are here, twenty-three individuals in total."

"What's the ratio?" I asked, continuing to listen to his report, enjoying the cool night breeze, getting refreshed at once.

"Eleven men, twelve women. From that, we have seven adults, six teenagers, and ten young kids."

I already knew what he meant by teenagers, as it should be kids between ten and fourteen, while the kids meant they were below the age of ten. Pretty big family as I wasn't going to bring the servants away, only the core lineage of Dorian.

"Why do we have this many people, hm?"

"It is the whole family, My Lord. Brothers and sisters, along with their children. Everyone who would have been afflicted."

"Oh well... sure. For now, make the new recruits guard them every hour of every day! Ensure that the rotation is being upheld perfectly, and they don't go anywhere without supervision. For the first year, they are going to be open-air prisoners."

"Yes, My Lord!"

"Viscount...?" I heard a weak, terrified voice as we arrived, and my eyes met with Dorian's, who was standing with his wife and two kids. He was still unsure what was happening... were they out of the frying pan? Or were they going to be made to dig their own grave? Before I could open my mouth, one of the children began crying loudly, interrupting me before I could start.

"Sssh... it's okay, it's okay!" I watched calmly as the mother tried to soothe her son, but that was the first falling domino because the other young kids began crying one after the other.

"Viscount, I... We..." Dorian stuttered, deathly pale, no longer sure if they were being pardoned or not.

"You all are coming with me." I answered by raising a hand, ignoring the cries. "On paper, you and your family are dead. It no longer exists. Got it?"

"Y-yes..." He nodded, breathing heavily and quickly, trying to stay standing as a sudden relief made his muscles relax at once.

"You will be under constant surveillance the following year, and you are going to work for me. We will provide you with homes to live in, but you can't leave my city or wander around without my guards accompanying you."

"O-of course... Everything My Lord says!" I could tell that everyone amongst them was just as relieved as him, escaping the jaws of death.

"On my carriage, there are a few blueprints from your previous courtyard containing the plans for your machinery. I will let you rebuild your workshop, but you will do what I tell you to do, no independence."

"Understood, My Lord!" He nodded, kneeling at once, mainly to mask his trembling legs, unable to keep him standing anymore.

"We will talk about this later after you settle down! For now, organize your family and keep them in line! Remember, you are prisoners, not free men yet. Act accordingly! Now, after you are ready, board the third and fourth carriage, and we will be on our way! It is a long way back to my city."