Nicholas I nods, "Let's send someone to Bideford."
He needs to know what's going on in that city. Before, he didn't have much interest in the town as long as Richard sent him enough taxes. Richard and his father had performed an excellent task as feudal lords.
Due to that, Nicholas has never sent anyone to investigate the town. Since he never receives any bad reports, he sees no reason to keep an eye on it. Never had he thought that he would wage a war against them.
To accomplish this mission, he called one of his spies, Cain Cross.
"Milord, I am here after heeded your call."
"Sit down, Cain. I have a mission to assign to you."
Cain sits as he was told. He is curious about the mission the king wants to give him.
Nicholas I begin his explanation, "I believe you already know about the ongoing conflict in my kingdom but what I'm going to tell you after this is classified information."
Cain silently nods his head. He knows the rules and so does the king.
"Apparently, I got the message informing our defeat at the hand of Ryntum. However, I never received a letter from the three forces that I sent. We are totally out of contact with each other. So, your mission is to infiltrate Bideford to learn about the situation developed there and to figure out their military prowess. Your time limit is one week."
"Understood, Your Majesty." He gives Nicholas I a short reply before leaving the office. He doesn't need to be fluent when talking, even with the king. Cain is a spy, not an orator.
After leaving Nicholas's office, he starts his preparation. For this mission, he decided to be a peddler.
Cain departs with a cart pulled by a donkey later that evening. By sleeping only three hours a day, he manages to arrive at Bideford in just three days.
He gets in line and waits for his turn to enter the town which takes up some time. Bideford is still in a high-alert state.
"What's your name and age? Where are you from? What's your job? What's your purpose? How long will you stay here?" The guard smoothly bombarded him with multiple questions. He has been repeating the same questions over and over for a few days now.
"Cain. 25 years old. From Szazki. Peddler. Selling and buying stuff. Three days."
The guard checks his cart. He sees nothing suspicious, only woodenware, ironware, utensils, fruits etc. Typical goods for peddlers. The guard writes something on paper before letting Cain enter the town. He doesn't need to pay any fee as Riz has abolished that. It only discourages people from coming here to do business.
'The guard can write? That's surprising' He said inwardly. Literate people are hard to find but here they work as a mere guard.
Once he passes the gate, he looks at the busy streets. The prosperity here far exceeds the capital which indirectly shows the financial power of the Ryntum family. He left his cart at the inn and headed to the tavern.
He enters and walks all the way to the counter bar. Nobody minds him since Cain does not give any suspicious behaviour.
"Welcome sir, which drinks would you like to have? said Robick while handing out the menu. It's the concept suggested by Riz as the literacy rate in the town is on the rise. Now, Robick doesn't have to repeat the menu every single time the customers ask.
"Let me try this o-orange juice?" Cain is unsure about the beverage but it sounds refreshing.
"Excellent choice, sir. What about food?"
"Just a drink is fine."
Robick began his craft in front of Cain. He keeps watch and waits to ask the bartender another question.
Once he gets his order, Cain starts to ask "Why didn't the people in the town look tense? Aren't they at war?"
Robick froze for a second, "This must be the first time you are coming here, right? Hahaha. We already won, sir."
Cain pretends to be surprised, "W-Won?! How? Doesn't the king have a massive army?"
"It's all thanks to the brilliance of our young lord." Robick began his praise and narrated the eventful day.
"Thunderous sound? You must be exaggerating. There is no human capable of producing lightning."
"No sir. I didn't lie. I am not the only one who hears it." Robick looks left and right, trying to be cautious. He leaned closer to Cain and said, "According to my friend..."
Cain left the tavern happily after an hour of talking. He gained so much information from that conversation alone. 'I guess my job will finish earlier than I expected.'
A few minutes after Cain left, a smile on Robick's face gradually disappeared and was replaced by a serious expression. He calls his worker, a poster girl named Teresa.
"Teresa, quickly headed to Noble Hill and sent this letter to Lady Charlotte."
"Yes, boss."
Cain makes his way to the industrial district. A wide road and neatly arranged workshop amaze him. It is bustling with people but everything is in order. The pedestrian and the carriage are properly separated, reducing the risk of accidents.
His legs move toward the weapon factory belonging to their young lord. The story about the exploding powder is something he can't ignore. If true, it means that Ryntum has the ability to mass murder their enemy.
Cain looked at the supposed factory, the two-meter tall wall made from cement surrounding the workshop. There's one entrance which is heavily guarded. He chooses a spot and instantly climbs the wall.
After he went over the wall, his hands and knees felt pain.
"What a nasty security measure." He mutters. His has is bleeding due to the sharp object embedded on top of the wall.
Ignoring the pain, he slowly peaks inside the workshop. The workers are busy working to realise his presence.
'Is that the black powder the bartender said?'
Coincidentally, one of the workers accidentally put the wrong ratio causing the powder to explode.
He was startled, 'Holy shit! This powder is powerful. I need to know how to make it.'
Little did he know that he had been under the surveillance of Charlotte's subordinates. The gate's guard has sent Cain's information as per the order of the young lady. She already had three men to tail Cain from afar waiting to drag him to the dungeon.
"Is he stupid? Who infiltrates in the middle of the day." said the first guy.
"The king should hire a better person. I guess sitting too long on the throne has muddled his brain." mock the second guy.
"Let's go and catch him before he figures out many things. We shouldn't let our guard down until he's in the dungeon." said the third guy.
"How many will this make?" asked the second guy.
The third guy shrugs, "I don't know. He's the tenth, I guess."
Although there was no official news, merchants who came to Bideford had long been spreading rumours of war in Ryntum's favour. Since then, her lord has assigned her to a job of counter-espionage activity. They had captured spies from very forces; Barlia, Inverloch, Inver, Cerdeauxia, Turtevekesia and Sidgean. Surely this civil war attracts too much attention.
"Excuse me, sir." The first guy says while holding his shoulder.
Cain turns around and sees three men cornering him. He quickly smiled and said, "Good sir, how can I help you? Except for workers, you three are not allowed to be here. I need you to leave the premise immediately."
"No need to act, Mr Cain. You've already f*cked up." said the second guy before punching him in the face.
"I feel we're some kind of ruffian, not an agent." said the third guy.
"Maybe. Now stop talking and help me beat him up." replied the first.
Cain was then beaten by them. Two guards then came because of the commotion. After explaining the situation to them, the guards join in and beat him up.
He was sent to a dungeon in a pathetic state and become a joke among the spies detained there.
....
13th June 300 Paign Era.
The first prince, Niall and Count Naharog return to Bideford with 10,000 men. Niall looks at the town with a bitter expression. This is the place where he experiences his first war and also his first defeat.
He looks at the town on the horizon. Everything radiates a peaceful atmosphere. The merchants go in and out of the town as if the town was never inflicted by war. Thus, the main question surfaced in his mind, "Where are the other forces? Don't tell me they have captured the town."