At the Marquess' mansion, Daren was standing in a cell of the manor's underground prison. This prison is empty except for Grandpa Kuro and Daren.
They were waiting for Andrew to arrive and inform them of the aftermath of Daren's activities. From there, they would calculate their next steps.
Tap! Tap! Tap!
You could hear the footsteps of the marquess climbing slowly down the stairs. He reached the bottom and the echoing of footsteps slowly subsided.
"How did it go?" asked Grandpa Kuro.
"Honorable Knight Felix Durant just gave me a rundown on what has happened and what he plans to do. So far, everything seems under control," replied Andrew.
"That means we can finally clarify the terms and conditions for our alliance I assume," said Daren. He was relieved to know that the knight had not picked up on his trial yet. Not like he left a trail in the first place.
"Before we lay down the rules, let me ask one thing. WHAT IN THE WORLD MADE SUCH AN EXPLOSION THAT IT SHATTERED GLASS AND RUPTURED PEOPLES EARS?!!!!!" said Grandpa Kuro. Unlike the Marquess,h his butler had no idea about what holding back means.
Daren was not surprised by the openness of the butler and how honest he is with his thoughts and emotions. The question was expected too.
"Hehehe. Grandpa Kuro, that should be our first rule. I will be using all sorts of strange things. I can't tell you what they are and I probably will not provide any of the dangerous things. Also, just keep this in mind. Celina is not from the human realm. Everything thing we use is from her realm and putting it in your hands will only bring more trouble."
Daren wanted to make sure that they asked no more questions about his dangerous items like explosives and fireworks. He set the fireworks off only because he felt that they looked cool and served to further hide his work as that of others.
"We understand your reluctance to tell us about these marvelous things you have brought out and used but you should understand that we are worried about our people and this empire," said Andrew. He wanted Daren to come to a mutual understanding but it won't be easy.
"Andrew, I can not tell what things I get are. I am under an oath that I gave to Celina. The woman who saved me from death is something I owe all of my existence to. I have even given up on taking revenge on my aunt.
I am doing this all so Celina and her younger sister can live happy and free lives. Only power and wealth will bring us true freedoms. I will take in the burdens of that freedom onto myself and spare them from these struggles.
I hope you can understand this dilemma of mine." said Daren. He had gone all out and poured all the emotions fabricated by his acting skills into each and every word.
Andrew sighed and reluctantly said "Okay then. We will not touch the topic of these weapons ever again. Just inform me of what's going to happen next time."
"Thank you!" said Daren. He was definitely not going to tell them next time. He will always give the marquess only part of the truth.
He was not going to tell much to Andrew even if he thought that he could fully trust him. Daren was still not sure how Andrew had gotten such detailed information on the people sent by the Manupus family.
Until Daren figured out what the intentions behind Andrew's actions were and who was supporting him from behind would he start to slightly lower his guard ? He would only lower it in a minuscule amount.
An entrusting attitude is something he would probably have forever. The only exception is Celina.
Daren was sure that there was someone with a very deep running set of spies and intelligence network was behind Andrew. From his personality, there was no way that Andrew ran one himself.
Daren does not want to become a puppet in the hands of whoever this unknown man is. This is why he must always bring out new surprises for them. Make himself unpredictable.
"Rule 1 - We will not ask you where the strange products you use come from.
Rule 2 - You give us at least a slight hint of what you are doing so we are not fully unprepared.
Rule 3 - We will provide cover for you and prevent others from learning of your true identity.
Rule 4 - We will provide any information that you want and we can get our hands-on. In return, you share what information you get.
Rule 5 - Do not do anything that harms the Hendrix family and the empire's Royal Family.
Rule 6 - Do not harm the empire itself.
Rule 7- We will help you with the resources you might need for your schemes while you will provide us your strength when the time comes.
Rule 8 - Do not prod us for the identity of the individual that is behind our actions.
Rule 9 - This form of cooperation will only last until you have the rank of Marquess within this nation. "
Grandpa Kuro read the words that were written in cursive on a yellow scroll. These were the conditions that they had agreed on. This agreement may look one-sided but that's because it is.
It had to be one-sided. Daren did not have enough power, knowledge, or money to help the marquess in any way. All he had was that ingenious mind of his.
"The terms are perfect!" exclaimed Daren. He was glad that there was not much restricting him. He did not want to bring harm to the empire, the royals, or the Hendrix family.
"That is why I spent the last two nights perfecting it. I did not want there to be anything more than necessary. You still have a way long way to grow and we can always make changes if needed." said Andrew.
"Hmmm. What is our next step, Andrew? You said we would talk about it now." asked Daren.
"Our next step is to plant evidence. We must prove that the demonic cult is here, even if they aren't. This evidence will lead to some serious changes in the capital so we must do this swiftly and stealthily. Here is the plan..."
........
As thunder, struck and rain continued to fall, the quiet capital was quiet no more. Shadows went from alley to alley, scurrying around the streets like hungry rats.
They were hungry, not for food but blood. What they wanted was the death of the living. The rats weaved around the city in a frenzied, nonsensical fashion.
It only took some time and these unpredictable movements soon became predictable as they formed a wide circle formation. This formation of shadows only got smaller. It shrank and shrank.
It converged in on itself. A gigantic crow floated above the sky. It was unmoving, it did not flap its wings but it still stayed in the air. It had a birds-eye view of the spectacle. It could predict where the rats were headed.
Through the eyes of the crow, a man could view the scene on a screen made from crystals. The images were as clear as one you would get from a 4k TV. The man had silver hair and red eyes. His features handsome features were astute and proud. He was a ruler of a nation that millions considered to be the greatest.
The man's lips contorted a heinous smile. He curled his lips and began to utter his command. "The Manupus family is now declared enemy of the state. Purge them from our sacred lands. Purge all of their supporters, purge all of their alliances. We must clean these lands of a group of men who sided with the demonic cult."
From the darkness around the man, you could hear the words of 5 men and 5 women. They said " As his highness wishes, they will be purged for the better of our lands and our people." in unison.
You could now feel the shroud of darkness uplifted from this room. The emperor of the nation rises. "Time to prepare the throne for a new emperor's ascent!"
It was at this very moment, that a man had set his own nation on fire.