"Have you heard?"
"Heard what?"
The current tavern was currently bustling with rowdy bunch of people eating and drinking merrily.
"One more Deer's leg here!"
"Coming!"
The man leaned forward, "I said have you heard about the Count Montecraso's offspring?"
"What do I care about a noble's offspring huh?"
"Come on brother, it's the talk of the town lately. We commoners don't have interesting life stories, the nobles have a ton of 'em!"
"Hayst, just say it."
The man grinned at his companion's resignation sigh and starts talking happily.
"An illicit affair through and through."
"Hmm?"
"You know that the Count has three sons right?"
"I thought there's two."
"Well now you know."
"…"
"Anyway, both were having illicit relation with each other's wife!"
"Isn't that normal?"
"Normal…well for nobles of course but you know how there oh so great dignity etiquette rubbish they call--they were found out and that's not a good thing. What's even appalling is one of the 1st daughter confessed she had been touched by her father. Then she was also threatened by her second uncle to not speak of what he did to her. Her 1st cousin even also molested her little sister!"
"What?! That 1st daughter had been ravaged by both his father and uncle? Eh? Is she that beautiful?--Aw! What was that for?!"
"Stupid, you really don't care about what's happening around you. If the sky falls done you're the first one to be dead."
His companion huffed before he continued, "She is the third most beautiful woman of the empire! Lady Kari Montercraso. Who wouldn't lust for her ah?"
"Oh she's that person. Now I remember, my brother and his friends often talks about how beautiful she is. Wait, how about her sister what happened?"
"She never leaves her room. I tell you, nobles are a mess. They are animals who wear expensive clothing."
"What did the Count say in this?"
"What else? He was so angry that he ordered execution to his two sons as well as the young man who harassed his cousin in jail, stripping him off with his title."
A lifetime of being a commoner. For a noble, that must have been crueler than death sentence. What a blow it is for a noble to have such rendezvous affair being leaked out.
"Then what will happen to the heir of the Count now?"
"Didn't I tell you that the Count has three sons?"
"Oh then it's the third son! But isn't he rumored to be incompetent?"
The man raised his brow. Really there's this one friend that is slower in thinking about things.
"You, where have you been all this time?"
"Just tell me already!"
"I'm just teasing you."
"It's rather insulting."
"Hoho, he is quite capable and haven't you seen our streets lately? They are quite cleaner than before. There are no children that would beg for money either."
"Oh so he is the one who had done that?"
"Ah thank goodness! Brother your still salvageable."
His friends just snorted in return.
"He is famous for his reputation helping commoners and who would have thought he owned the famous Isolet both for commoners and nobles?"
"Really?"
"Really. The noble's mind when it comes to power is truly frightening."
The man shivered thinking there must have been schemes along the way.
"How come?"
"Nothing. It's best you do not know."
"Huh?"
Meanwhile the talk of the town was currently having a tea with his niece, Lady Kari Montecraso.
"When is the execution day?"
Lady Kari asked.
"Don't be too excited. I'm sure my two brother's might do something in order to escape. Right now, they might be communicating with their loyal subordinates."
The teacup crashed. Cashim languidly sips his tea glancing at his young niece that is 3 years younger than him trying to control her heavy breathing. "Then why are you still here?"
"Dear niece, you should call me uncle."
"…"
"Regarding that matter, don't you have a way to stop it?"
Cashim's cunning eyes glinted as it rested to her niece who looked back at her. Her tantalizing eyes shook with renewed scorching vengence and finally she became calm, her smile returned.
"Indeed, why didn't I think of that."
There are many ways to die.
Still she looked at his uncle with dissatisfaction, "There's no need for you to even mention my sister. Don't you know it will affect her reputation?"
"It's just saying she's molested, not like she has experienced the same as you do."
"You dare mention that in front of me?"
Although the whole nobility now knows what awful thing that even she wants to keep until her grave, it's still sour hearing it from another people. She wanted to die, but she can't accept the fact that she'll just go down like this. Even if she had been tainted, she can't let those who she deemed as family get away. That's why even if the whole noble circle will know what happen to her, she still cooperated with her third uncle and revealed their atrocities.
"Niece, are you still afraid?"
Lady Kira shook her head. "But my engagement with the Young Marquess should be dissolve."
No man wouldn't want someone that's been sullied. Her sharp eyes that were once soft when in front of the nobles were still there but something within her changed. "Then 'Uncle' must do his part too."
Cashim twitched his lips hearing a disgusting tone when calling him uncle. Aiya, this little niece is so fierce. "Patience, my dear niece. Patience."
***
"Who?"
"It's from Lakis, Your Majesty."
Butler Xiwen handed to him a letter along with a small sachet.
Guren opened the letter first reading what was stated before turning to pour the contents of the sachet in his table.
"Nan powder."
A powder in which if inhaled or taken by a person would forget what happened that day. It's strongly a potent powder and without any cure to bring back the memory if a person wants to remember what he had forgotten.
"Indeed, Your Majesty."
"Is this the only one that those cretins have used?"
According to the victims of this Nan powder they would only remember sitting in a room where they were ordered to go along with the goods they have and wait. When they smell the smoke that's coming in, they would faint. After they awoken all the goods were gone and a money is placed at front.
"It was what we found. In the Beggar's Incident, one of my men that was with Sire Akan had found this kind of powder in their First Leader's pocket. It was only a small amount and we weren't sure what it was so we just kept it first."
Guren frowned staring at the Nan powder, he was silent for a while sometimes dipping his pen on the powder as if searching for something then dipping the wet ink on the powder and mixing it before folding the paper where the powder scattered. Some of the left out powder that weren't affected by the ink was put back on the sachet.
"Where else can you find this?"
"We've only find them in the Larak Empire, You're Majesty. We have yet to found if this was also used by other Empires."
"Have all they said were truly genuine?"
"That…"
Butler Xiwen paused. Although, he is confident in knowing if someone lies or not, he didn't agree immedietly. The Emperor must have thought they might be lying. He reminsce the time when those merchants were interrogated and the time his subordinate had told and given him what he found in the Beggar Street.
"The hired merchants were in their best condition, I didn't see any oddities with their gestures and manner of speech."
"Butler."
"Your Majesty?"
"Have you ever been hypnotized?"
"Hypnotized? Pardon me Your Majesty, I did not."
Was it related to being hypnotized? Butler Xiwen knitted his brows. But those victims doesn't seem to be hypnotized. If they did it would show or was the one who used hypnotism is well-versed? In his experience, most victims would be in daze, there were backlash. Those merchants didn't have those kind of signs or any other signs that they were hypnotized. The bodies of the merchant doesn't have any signs of being beaten, nor were there any change of their skin color or marks.
"Take some men, practice with their bodies using this."
Butler Xiwen put away his questions in the back of his mind and nodded, "Understood."
"Leave."
"Yes."
It seems the Emperor has an idea in mind.
The moment the door closed and the footsteps of Butler Xiwen faded. Guren heaved a deep sigh. His tired eyes became more apparent. These days, he hadn't sleep well. If he do, it would be lesser than the previous days. The tea that was brought to him were useless. It can calm him down for a while but when he sleeps there goes those nightmares again. He dreamt of unclear clear things that seems familiar and far. He just don't have any good night sleep. It's driving him mad.
Guren glanced at the sachet for a long time.
Blast Adiand he needs to sleep.
First, he wrote all what he did and plan these five days and moving forward before locking it in his secret chest hidden in his desk that only he knows making his own language and keys. He was too cautious. This wordings would only be understood by him. He'll take a little whiff of it. Glancing at the letter, Guren crumbled it throwing in the heart before starting to take a small amount of the Nan Powder.
Butler Xiwen may not be aware; however, he had encountered this powder when he was at war. It was purely accidental. But he was not knowledgably enough and didn't pursue back then as he was focused in winning the war. Still he is confident he knows more about it than the rest of those living in this Empire.
No, enough. He can't think anymore about that war much so that he hadn't sleep peacefully in days. Who knows, he might thirst for killing someone instead.
"Let's see."
Guren sniffed a small amount of the Nan Herb. He's little nose twitched.
Smells like teen spiri---a burning forest and pine.
"Ah."
Yes, it's better than the scent of blood.
Sensing that his eyes are starting to droop he hastily went to his settee and closed his eyes.
Guren just wanted to rest without seeing anything, hearing anything and sensing anything. Darkness, just total darkness.
That's it.