Muran rolled her eyes. Did her team really deserve the elite moniker with such members? The already annoyed captain suddenly lashed out:
"Are you for real?! You had ONE job! How can you forget to bring this letter?! If you don't deliver it next round, you can just say the army goodbye!"
Everyone was taken aback. The captain's rage suppressed the room. Some warrior's eyed Lao De, questioning what the man did to provoke Muran this much.
The soldier was shaking in his boots as he received the brunt of the pressure. He stammered hastily:
"Y… yes captain. I'm so…sorry captain."
Looking at the man's pale face, Muran gradually calmed down again.
"I hope so!"
A moment later Lao Ru broke the odd atmosphere. He turned towards the independent warriors.
"Ok. I guess we heard everything the soldiers had to say. Now it's your turn."
The independent warriors had hopeless and disgruntled expressions, but they reluctantly spoke up one by one.
Most information proved to be rather useless. Only some bits and pieces were worth remembering to Tepo. For example, that the emperor apparently had no wife or that the Empire of the Rising Sun reigned over the entire world.
When it was finally Tepo's turn, everyone's heads were directed towards the dirt- and bloodstained warrior. Expect for a certain hate filled pair of eyes which never left him for a single second.
But the young seemed to not feel any pressure. His body stood confidently as he fished out the silver ring from his pocket.
"I found this ring in some servant quarters. No idea if it's important."
Abruptly an annoyed voice sounded out.
"A ring?", scoffed Lao Ru. "It only has a bit of worth. How is this a clue? Whatever. Next."
Fortunately, the other leaders were looking down on the independent warriors too much to care. They didn't realize that Lao Ru prevented Tepo from having to say more.
Under Lao De's intense gaze, the other independents also didn't dare to hesitate and quickly presented their findings.
Soon enough the exchange of information ended. The warriors scattered again.
Everyone paid attention to the soldier who found an important latter. He went up some stairs. Even the two captains thought about following him, but Muran's vice-captain deterred them, taking over this menial task.
Muran looked at the blond hair on the back of the man's head in contemplation. But she had agreed to stay in the dining room. She couldn't change her opinion again.
A soldier in white armor arrived in a bigger room. Multiple doors led in all directions. The names of some people who once held enormous power were written on those doors.
The soldier felt a drop of sweat run down his cheek. He knew others were paying attention to him. Not wanting to waste any more time he approached a door to his right.
"Loania zu Lammister. Ministry of Finance.
That's it."
Making sure he remembered correctly the man entered the door. Three desks stood in this room. Papers were scattered everywhere. On the desks, on the ground, and on some shelfs. Even the window stills were stacked.
The soldier stepped forward carefully. He didn't want to destroy potential clues as he reached for one of the desks.
Shifting through some documents the soldier soon smiled in relief. He had found what he was looking for.
Suddenly papers swirled through the air. The window opened abruptly. The soldier's eyes shot open as he drew his sword.
Something flashed in the orange morning sun. The soldier reacted at the last second, activating a spell ingrained in his armor. White, faintly metallic streaks roamed his body.
One of them blocked the attack aiming for the soldier's eye. With a quiet sound a thin needle dropped to the floor.
The soldier was shocked. He was about to scream for help, but a strange smell entered his nose. He felt his body weakening quickly.
A poisonous gas permeated the air. The soldier's muscles went limp, just as his vocal cords. Suddenly a cloud of thick smoke entered the room through the window.
It surged rapidly, covering the soldier immediately. The man's force moved. He was about to activate a spell when multiple points on his back were attacked suddenly.
It was as if the attacks had a strange power. As if all of them landed a critical hit on the armor's defense.
With a loud shattering sound, the soldier's protection broke. Daggers stabbed into his body. They oddly sapped the man's vitality.
The soldier's lifeless eyes were wide open. The document was carefully grabbed from his hand. Blood stained his white armor. Soon, other papers covered his body, soaking in the red liquid.
The cloud of smoke vanished through the window as soon as it got what it came for.
Suddenly an illusionary figure rose out of the desk. It held a list with materials in its hand. A slit opened on its face, resembling a mocking smile. It left through one of the walls.
A moment later the door was pushed open with a loud rumble. A man with short blond hair barged into the room.
The vice-captain's eyes narrowed dangerously as he scanned the room. He stopped on the fresh corpse. The smell of blood slowly spread to his nose.
Holding a hand in front of his nose the man realized that he came too late. But he should still be able to execute his plans.
Rummaging under his spotless white armor the vice-captain suddenly held a second storage bag in his hand. Without a change in expression the blond man pulled a sword out. It was the standard sword of Hurricane Army soldiers!
He suddenly stabbed out, two attacks exactly hitting the corpse's wounds.
The man put his weapon away and left the room in a hurry.
Tepo was still within the servant quarters. He hadn't advanced much as a loud, angry yell suddenly echoed through the entire palace:
"Everyone, gather immediately! Whoever is even staling for a second will feel my blade slicing their head off!"
Tepo's expression turned tense. He didn't dare to delay and dashed up the stairs.
With uncertain faces the warriors arrived in the dining room. Muran's rage-filled eyes scanned every single one of them.
Tepo also felt the woman's rage. But his eyes fell on the man standing behind her. The vice-captain's blond hair was sweaty, sticking to his head. His armor was disheveled, stained red from a glaring wound on his neck.
But something appeared off. The man's eyes didn't match the rest of his expression. There was no exhaustion in them.
Of course, Tepo wouldn't comment on the matter. Whatever happened wasn't his problem.
Finally, even the last warriors arrived. It was the two pirates. They were already in a bad condition and now they even had to bear Muran's anger. The pirate captain didn't dare to raise his head as he scurried into a corner.
"I won't beat around the bush. WHO WAS IT?!"
Muran's growling voice echoed in the room. She subconsciously glanced at Phirr. The captain in his silver armor only shrugged his shoulders:
"Don't you want to tell us what happened first?"
"Don't play stupid with me! I'm done with all of you talking all the time! If someone wants to fight me, just say so. Don't ambush others like the rats that you are!"
"Muran.", spoke Phirr sternly. "What. Happened?!"
Lao De had excitement in his eyes as he watched the progress. He was eager for a fight although his brother did his best to prevent them.
"If I… may.", came the vice-captain's weakened voice as he answered before Muran could.
"Erl went back… to get the letter. I… followed him… for protection.
But suddenly we… were ambushed. The room turned… dark. A scream and a short… fight could be… heard. Then it was silent… again.
Someone tried to… attack me as well. But… they were too… weak."
"And now…", interrupted Muran in a stern tone. "Erl is dead, and the letter stolen. Whichever of you cowardly b*stars ambushed my soldiers just speak up. I won't let this matter rest today!"
Once again, the female captain's gaze wandered towards Phirr. But also the two brothers. In her mind only the leaders were strong enough to kill someone protected by her vice-captain.
The other soldiers and warriors kept their mouths shut. They stood still, hoping that the raging captain might not notice them as long as they didn't move.
Lao Ru glanced at the blond-haired soldier. But he kept his expression neutral as he tried to calm down Muran's heated mood:
"Muran. Let's not blindly accuse others for now. Maybe we can investigate the murder scene and find something out. The killer might not be one of us.
We can never rule out that others have made it here before us."
The female captain growled as steam seemingly shot out of her nose.
"I have already done so! I don't need you guys to desecrate my men's corpses!"