Chapter 10 - A Report
—SWOOSH~
"How could I lose..?! I was so close! Ugh!"
"I was one move away from beating her! Damnit!"
"Yes! I won!"
"Come at me all you got! I'm going to win in the next round!"
When night falls, the Chess Tournament meets its first day's conclusion, landing countless contestants to their defeats as the final result of the day ends with only 625 participants who'll regain their energy for tomorrow to seize the prize!
Scenes of cheers and joy were the only ones overfilling the stadium with not a single issue to ruin it all. And due to the arbiters' insightful gaze, repugnant tricks and schemes weren't occupying the participants' minds.
In the presence of the Olympus Empire's Emperor, who would dare to play shamelessly in front of the Great Sun, Zeus?
Rather than focusing on such fooleries, the contestants played through their matches like a breeze, paying heed to their moves to better enhance their chances of victory.
On a different note, nothing seems to have caught Zeus' attention when he was inspecting the audience. Even though an enemy couldn't be spotted in the crowd, Zeus felt an offsetting perception coming from somewhere.
"Suppose there were spies roaming around the Imperial grounds, how many would there be, Somnus?" Suspicion flows through Zeus' every word.
"Your Majesty, if I were to answer truthfully, a single spy wouldn't cut it." Whereas Somnus stood beside the Emperor amidst the evening's sunset, he wasn't startled by the pressuring question and gave an honest reply.
"What's your estimate?"
"Approximately half of the Palace's employees."
"I have once praised you for your discerning eyes, in addition to your intelligence, but this isn't an issue that you can feign ignorance of."
"My apologies, I have my reasons for behaving in such a coherent manner."
—Rustle…
"Pardon me, Your Majesty."
Out of the blue, a figure of a woman with glasses makes her way towards the gentlemen after her voice has wholly occupied their attention.
The documents were wrapped around her arms while strands of light blonde hair wavered under each step she took, prompting her to halt when she reached the Emperor's right side; the opposite of Somnus.
Unbeknownst to the lady who was adjusting her glasses, Zeus was waiting patiently for his faithful aide to gather her thoughts in order to provide him with a detailed explanation of everything.
"Please forgive me for my activities recently, Your Majesty. I implore you to listen to my reasoning before making your judgment."
The Emperor merely remained in his position; his glance upfront at the glasses that reflected the Olympic Stadium and his people that were exiting the area. Despite lending no response to her plea, the lady carries on with her report as she takes out one of her documents, handing it over to Zeus.
"These are the recorded movements made by the spies I have investigated so far. The destinations at which they arrive appear to match up entirely differently; exactly sufficient of a red herring to avert our main focus." She continues reporting with a resolute tone.
"Due to how unobtrusive and discreet their attitude and conduct were, it had restrained me from locating their hideouts through numerous trials and errors which had pushed back my work and schedule."
"As a consequence of this, I have fallen behind in my regular reports to you, Your Majesty. Despite this, while I have been oblivious of the spies near my vicinity to lower their suspicion of me, I have finally figured out one of the Underworld's hideouts."
"To my surprise, it appears to be located at the peak of Mount Olympus. I was shocked at first.. But in spite of the absurdity, it is guaranteed to be true as I have observed plenty of spies climb the mountain with my very eyes."
"Unfortunately, because my preparation was lacking, I had to retire from the trip and return to replenish the materials needed to survey the mountains. Furthermore, Sir Somnus can affirm my claim since he accompanied me for a short while on this trip."
To confirm it, Zeus shifts his eyes to his left where Somnus nodded in response to the lady's statement.
"During the subjugation of the monsters, I stepped out to lend a hand to Aide Nike's mission. While it could be considered an imprudent decision to leave the knights unattended, I am a Commander who understood their capabilities enough to entrust the subjugation to them, and the result showed itself." Somnus proceeds to add the unmentionable parts which Nike had left out for him to explain for himself.
At that moment, Zeus soon took a sip of his fine wine, swirling the glass around while observing the reflections of his trusted subordinates' expressions. The resplendent blue of Somnus' irides as well as the luminous red of Nike's irises mirrored itself onto the glass, giving away no trace of falsehood in their genuine glances.
—Clink.
A glass of wine that was placed on the table by Zeus, provoked Nike to prepare for what was to come.
"The effort put into discovering our enemies' hideouts isn't all for naught. However, it doesn't excuse the absence of your recent activities in your reports with the addition of your disappearance without any notice, Nike."
"Your Majesty, my inability to notify you of my unwarranted non-attendance is deserving of punishment since my sole obligation was to be a competent servant for you."
Nike bowed her head earnestly before getting on her knees to show how sincere her apology was.
"Your Majesty, with the exception of her incompetent act of being negligent in her scheduled reports, it's merely my impression that she had undergone a duty of locating our foe's base. If not for Chief Aide Nike's suggestion to use the spies as our means of pinpointing their bases, we would have been in a position of losses amidst a swarm of moles." Somnus gave his opinion right then and there in hopes of reducing Nike's punishment.
"Are there any words to spare for yourself, Somnus? You've dismissed your assigned duty to take charge of the subjugation."
"I cannot deny what I have committed by disobeying your orders. I'll accept the punishment I deserve, Your Majesty."
Under the silence of the atmosphere after the Olympus Stadium's seats are deserted, Zeus shut his eyes as though he was deliberating on both of his trusted subordinates' punishments.
—Knock-Knock!
"Your Majesty, this is Hermes." A noble voice right after the sudden disturbance, the door unfolded to allow Hermes to enter with her papers.
"Hm? This is quite a surprise. I didn't expect to see you, Nike. Where have you been in the last few days?" Hermes walks her way to Nike's side, ignoring the solemn ambience.
"Fulfilling my role as the Emperor's Chief Aide, of course." Promptly, Nike glares daggers at the interrupter who intruded at the worst possible moment.
"My, do you fancy a new pair of glasses? It appears your current one didn't differ from your previous pairs. Oh, my sincere apologies. It is simply your relentless eyes piercing through the glasses that results in your splurge on eyeglass purchases."
"I see the sharpness in your tongue hasn't changed either."
"Not in the supreme presence of His Majesty, please." Somnus expresses his discontent towards the two ladies, warning them with a fearsome stare.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty. As to why I'm here, it's to deliver the lists of potential candidates who have piqued my interest. If I were to be truthful, the contestants are quite a feast to look at, as their knowledge is exponentially great." Hermes does a deep bow to lessen Zeus' nerves about her quarrel with Nike.
—Rustle…
After a long contemplation, Zeus finally opened his eyes to the sight of papers piling up on the coffee table in front of him. With his gaze concentrating on it to determine what it was, his viewpoint soon shifted towards Hermes.
"Heed this command, Hermes." The ambience suddenly changed once the Emperor spoke!
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Having an obedient stance, Hermes' entire focus lies on Zeus.
"Go on an expedition to Mount Olympus and patrol around those areas to mark any anomalous sightings. Nike will have the preparation necessary for the long journey, and you'll be accompanied by capable Imperial Knights who Somnus will select for you."
"Contact Nike in code to ensure this mission doesn't get uncovered by the Underworld's agents. And if an emergency were to occur, retreat at once. Hermes, your survival is of the utmost importance to the Empire. The information you'll soon retrieve will provide adequate results."
—Swoosh…
"I shall obey. The estimated duration of the expedition is 2 to 3 weeks. Even so, I shall hasten my search to return with desirable news and assessments of the location in less than 1 week." Hermes accepts; not a hint of hesitancy.
"Excellent." Zeus voices his satisfaction before stepping up from his seat and treading towards the door with Somnus beside him.
—Creakkk…
"Aren't you fortunate that I arrived at the nick of time?" Hermes looked over to Nike after the door shut tight.
"I haven't shown any desire to be rescued by you, Hermes. Do not think I owe you a favor for all this." Nike adjusts her glasses.
"Never a 'Thank you' from you, hm? Well, on another note, I suppose you won't starve me to death by not adding sufficient food for my journey, yes?"
"I changed my mind. I'll include unsavory snacks in your luggage."
"Come now, you cannot do that to me."
"Well then, farewell."
"You don't appear to be joking..? Nike, do not dare!"
"Hmph." A little chuckle from Nike as she was leaving the room.