Chapter Sixty-Four: Discovered

    The Old Guard Headquarters was as imposing as it was boring. Its roof was flat, absent Eastern architecture’s characteristic sweeping rooftops. Nor did it have any decorative statues or inlays. All to prevent the possibility of someone climbing.

    At first glance, the facade appeared plain, built with plaster and wood beams. However, Serena knew from prior visits that the outside walls were more than a foot thick and packed with special material designed to block sound—a simple solution to prevent any enhanced ears from eavesdropping on any inside investigations from outside the building.

    In a similar vein, the building had no windows. Unlike normal Samino architecture, where paper windows were common, the flat walls of the headquarters seemed oppressive. It was a building that told you that you weren’t welcome. Can’t listen in, can’t look in. Hells, if you loitered around outside for more than a moment, someone would come outside and find out who you were.

    Which was what happened now.

    “Lord Halen!” a demon in plainclothes stepped outside the front door, bowing in greeting. “I’m Detective Minato. We’ve been expecting you. Please.” He opened the door, signalling for Serena to enter.

    She didn’t hesitate, striding past the detective and into the building.

    As a Cascadian Lord, Serena had no obligation to go along with anything the Old Guard asked; they had no jurisdiction over her. Still, the missive that had arrived via aethergram early that morning was from the Office of Greatlord Oshiro, and he was a demon Serena respected and obeyed.

    The message was sparse with information, mentioning that Lord-Prospect Thornheart prevented a thief from escaping the academy the previous night and that Serena was to appear at the Old Guard Headquarters as soon as possible.

    She’d dressed herself in her military uniform and left immediately. By now, she’d become sensitive enough to Amelia’s aether that she could roughly tell the direction and distance of where the woman was. When she checked the aetherflow that morning, it pointed in the same direction she was summoned towards.

    Amelia was already inside.

    “What’s this about?” Serena asked the detective the moment the door closed.

    “Honestly, Lord Halen, I’m not too sure. A few hours ago, it was a simple case of a bold thief. Lord-Prospect Thornheart captured the suspect in the academy, aided by a trainee officer called...” The detective frowned, his eyes flicking to the right as he tried to remember.

    “Melanie Mori?” Serena suggested dryly.

    “That’s right. So you’re acquainted.” He nodded before gesturing further into the building. “May we walk and talk?”

    “We may.”

    The pair of them walked through the headquarters. Dozens of administrative members of the Old Guard were moving back and forth, carrying about their duties. All in all, they seemed rather busy.

    “It’s always like this before, during and just after the coming moonrain,” Detective Minato explained as if reading her mind. “Organised crime uses the moonrain as cover for smuggling and other illicit activities, not to mention the common criminals and opportunists. We’re up to our horns in work, so I’m so glad this theft case is being taken from us.”

    “Taken from you?”

    “That’s correct, Lord Halen,” the detective nodded. “This is why I said I’m not sure about the full extent of this case. Shortly after taking in the thief, we were about to wake and interrogate him before Grandmaster Shun and some big horn from Intelligence came in and demanded we stop. Apparently, it’s now an Imperial investigation. Really, I’m just here to take you to them. I’m not even allowed in anymore.”

    “I see...” Serena trailed off. An Imperial investigation? How had Amelia stumbled into that? Or had the Imperial investigators taken over because Amelia was involved?

    They continued down several flights of stairs and through a maze of corridors before stopping before a door flanked by two guards. Serena’s sense of Amelia’s aetherflow was strong. She was undoubtedly just beyond this door, along with another signature of whom she was sure was the grandmaster.

    “I’ll be off then, pleasure meeting you, Lord Halen,” Detective Minato bowed and explained where she could find the washroom or meal before vanishing.

    Serena watched him go before turning to open the door. She wasn’t fast enough, as it was opened first from the other side. Serena was treated to a familiar sight and smell. Despite the seriousness of the situation, the cheerful expression she was faced with caused her to smile reflexively.

    She didn’t have much self-control around her, did she? Once, she would see that as a weakness. Now, she enjoyed it, even if her stress-induced horn-clutching increased.

    “Hello!” Amelia chirped. “I caught a thief!”

    “Congratulations,” Serena answered, resisting the urge to ruffle Amelia’s hair. Honestly, she looked so proud of herself, like a peeka who caught its first mouse and brought it back to its owner. “I see I’m not the only one here to celebrate your achievement,” Serena said, peering past Amelia and looking at the other figures within the dimly lit room. There stood the grandmaster, who, judging by the fragrance, was politely sipping mint tea with another man Serena couldn’t sense.

    “Grandmaster,” Serena intoned with a firm bow before straightening and locking eyes with the other man in the room. “Chesterfield,” she nodded, offering a smaller bow. The mysterious big-horn raised his cup of mint tea in greeting before taking a slow sip.

    “Lord Halen, always a pleasure,” he smoothly replied, placing his teacup on its saucer. As usual, Serena detected no spellwork or aether around the man. He seemed entirely ordinary, even though her instincts screamed he wasn’t. “I didn’t expect to see you again so soon. Come to join our little tea party?” He waved towards a side table with a steaming pot.

    “...Thank you,” Serena said. She poured herself a cup, holding it in her hand. The room was long, rectangular and painted grey, with dark furnishings and one side almost entirely windowed. Not paper windows, but thick glass. Walking up to the two demons, she realised they were on a raised observation deck looking down into a room where an unconscious demon lay. A female mage sat near the man, her eyes closed as she focused on her spell.

    “Keeping him asleep?” Serena asked, then before anyone could answer, she added, “This isn’t any normal thief, is he?”

    “Correct,” answered Chesterfield.

    “He has a blessing!” Amelia chirped. “A really interesting one!”

    “Before that,” grumbled the grandmaster. “We’re keeping this quiet. If it gets out that this academy cannot stop both assassins and lowborn thieves, then we’ll be mocked from across the Empire.”

    “The student Melanie Mori has already signed a vow of secrecy, as have the guards involved in the matter,” Chesterfield explained. “Grandmaster Shun will keep this from the rest of the academy staff. These thieves impersonated restorationists to steal an artefact from the academy’s storage. As far as the archivist Takumi and department head, Noel Yamaguchi, will be concerned, they were called away on an emergency task for one of the Fengra Lords.”

    “Thieves?” Serena asked, raising an eyebrow at the wording.

    “Have a look,” Chesterfield walked down the observation deck, and Serena followed. The long room they were in spanned several interrogation rooms below, each partitioned by a thick wall. In the next room over, Serena looked down through the window and saw a female demon sitting at the singular table. She was bent over, clutching her horns.

    Ah, someone else who knows my suffering, Serena thought with amusement. How much time did you spend around my girlfriend for you to start doing that?

    “Who’s that?” she asked.

    “Seonmi San,” Chesterfield said. “Confidence trickster that’s been implicated in more than a few events that have greatly embarrassed and lightened the bank accounts of the local highborn. Apparently, the Old Guard here have been aware of her for some time, but she’s always slipped away.”

    “How was she caught?”

    “Imperial trackers.” Chesterfield looked up, blinking twice. “I found out about this situation six hours ago. Caught her... four hours ago. She was hiding in some den in the slums. It’s no wonder she escaped the authority''s grasp for so long if that’s where she was hiding.” He looked down at Seonmi, who was now looking around the room, stress visible on her face. “We’re letting her simmer in her own thoughts for a while.”

    Ah, so Amelia caught the man, and trackers hunted the woman, Serena thought. Still, she’s quite pretty for a criminal.

    Seeing the woman’s looks, she could understand how she could pull off a confidence trick against the wealthy and foolish. Her horns, which had a thick Manwese base but ended in a characteristic Fengra twist, would make her an exotic sight for the men.

    “She can’t seem to see us, can she?” Serena asked. Despite Seonmi’s eyes passing over them, she didn’t seem aware they were there.

    “One-way glass,” Chesterfield explained. “Invented in Centralis a few years back. We can see through the window, but it looks like a mirror to the people down below. As long as we keep that room brightly lit and this room dim, the illusion works, so don’t go turning the aetherlights up. It’s why all the furnishings in this room are dark - to absorb the light. It won’t fool anyone here, or any half-decent warrior or mage, but our thieves there don’t have that capability.”

    “And this one?” Serena nodded towards the captured woman. “Does she also have a blessing?”

    “No...” Chesterfield took a deliberate sip of his mint tea. “She’s special for a different reason. We’ll go over that when Greatlord Oshiro arrives.” He strode back down the observation deck to the sleep-induced demon. “This is our main prize.”

    “Our?” Serena narrowed her eyes. “What has this got to do with me? If you wanted to keep this secret, why am I involved in the first place?”

    “Yes, of course,” the greatlord replied with a smile, taking a sip of his mint tea. “It’s truly a wonder. No matter who I’m talking to, whether a fellow Greatlord, a representative from the Centralis Parliament, or a trade delegation from the Sabanis Dominance...” He took another long sip of tea. Serena sensed he was building up to something. “...They all seem equally entertained by how the local deer suffered so terribly by your hands, even in death.”

    Amelia whimpered. Ha! She actually whimpered. It was a noise somewhere between the sound of a deflating balloon and the depressed mewing of a peeka. Serena didn’t know whether to laugh or feel sorry for her. The grandmaster’s face was confused; he evidently wasn’t aware of how Amelia had butchered the venison at the family meal when she’d been asked to carve.

    And carve she did. Serena couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory.

    “Please... have mercy...” Amelia mumbled, bowing again. Serena wasn’t sure whether she was bowing to apologise or just to hide her flushed face.

    “Of course,” Greatlord Oshiro replied cheerfully. “See it only as pre-emptive satisfaction for the series of future headaches I am confident you’ll be causing me and my Lord Superior.” He turned towards Serena, a sympathetic smile on his face. “I recommend mint tea during stressful moments, Lord Halen. It helps.”

    “...Thank you, Greatlord.” Serena bowed again.

    “Now then,” he continued, striding up to the window, looking down into the room where the man named Noburu lay sleeping. “This is our man?” he asked, looking at Chesterfield, who nodded. “To think a lowborn thief would be given the blessing of Mistwalking. Do we know what god blessed him?”

    “No,” Chesterfield answered. “I have an Imperial Investigator arriving shortly with someone who will be able to tell us for sure. Historically, something like this would be the work of Kanaxai.”

    “Fitting...” Greatlord Oshiro murmured. He paced to the other window, looking down at the woman named Seonmi. “I’ve seen this one before, during the Blue Dinner three years ago, where I made a short appearance. Even so, beyond my memory, this woman is oddly familiar to me. Why is that?”

    “Her full name is Seonmi San,” Chesterfield explained. “She didn’t change it, perhaps not wanting to abandon her past and believing no one would make the connection with such a common surname. She’s familiar because she’s the long presumed-dead heir apparent of House San.”

    “Highlord San’s daughter!?” Greatlord Oshiro’s eyes widened. “This thief? The very same?”

    “Highborn in blood. Lowborn in action,” the grandmaster grumbled.

    “Seems so,” Chesterfield continued. “We’re going to interrogate her and find out for sure, but the best guess is that she fled Fengra due to the succession crisis a few years ago. She probably had a target on her back. Maybe she planned to return eventually.”

    “Ah...” Greatlord Oshiro rubbed his stubble. “Now I remember. The eldest sister, Haneul San, was declared the successor. Then I remember House San announcing a period of grieving for the death of one of their daughters - presumably this Seonmi. It wouldn’t be the first time something like this was covered up. Didn’t Haneul die somewhat recently?”

    Haneul San. Where had Serena heard that name before? Someone had mentioned it to her, and not too long ago. Where was it? When?

    “Given the... attitude of House San towards the reigning Overlord, you can understand that not only does this case need to be handled delicately, but it also presents a powerful opportunity for our influence over the Far East.” Chesterfield placed his cup down. “If we bring her out now, they’ll refuse to recognise her. We need to elevate her standing with the East before we move.”

    “And how...?” Greatlord Oshiro suddenly turned his head, glancing at Serena. “Ah, I see.”

    You see? What do you see!? Serena hurriedly thought. Her mind was still reeling from the conversation with the grandmaster. What dots had Greatlord Oshiro connected that she missed? Who had spoken the name Haneul San to her recently?

    “What about this one?” Greatlord Oshiro asked, pacing back down the room to look down upon Noburu. “You mentioned he was also highborn.”

    “He goes by Noburu in the slums, but we believe he’s the last surviving male member of House Yun. If our documents are correct, his real name might be Minho Yun.”

    Greatlord Oshiro raised an eyebrow at Chesterfield. “How sure are you?”

    “We’re investigating the orphanage he grew up in. We don’t have any photographs or descriptions of his birth, but we do for his younger sister, who was born shortly before the House collapsed. There’s a hornmark consistent between our records and the orphanages. Given their similar appearance, we’re pretty confident. And, like with the woman, there’s an opportunity here.”

    “Well, what an interesting pair of horns to interrupt my schedule,” Greatlord Oshiro said. “Shall we get started with the interrogations, then?” He cracked a knuckle.

    “Given the delicate nature of his blessing and possible position, I have an Imperial Investigator due to arrive, along with a capable individual who would be able to prevent any escape attempts should he try and mistwalk. Ah, Grandmaster...” Chesterfield bowed towards the towering martial artist. “My apologies, but I have to inform you that what will follow from this interrogation is likely a classified matter. Would you-”

    “Say no more,” the grandmaster growled. “Send for me if I’m needed. I’ll keep my horns straight. You keep yours.”

    With that, he strode to the door, turned, gave a firm half-bow, and left the room.

    He’s annoyed, thought Serena.

    Chesterfield and Greatlord Oshiro continued to discuss matters. Considering neither she nor Amelia were asked to leave, it would seem they were included in whatever classified conclusion they would be arriving at. Chesterfield had mentioned Noburu might be some kind of aid for Amelia’s training regarding the Shimmer. What would they do, have him teach her how to travel through this other reality? How dangerous would that be?

    And more importantly, the academy staff knew, or at the very least, suspected!

    She needed to talk with Amelia.

    Serena looked at Amelia until she noticed, then tilted her head towards the door. She repeated this twice and then said to the room, “Excuse me. I’ll return shortly.”

    “M-me too!” Amelia chirped. “Nature calls!”

    Serena rolled her eyes as the corners of the men’s mouths curled. Hadn’t she taught Amelia that a lady should never reference using the toilet when in the company of men!?

    Thankfully, they didn’t seem offended.

    They both deeply bowed toward the room before exiting. Following the directions the detective had given her, Serena found the shared toilets, which consisted of a brightly lit room with a row of sinks and cubicles. It was uncomfortably modern. Although judging by the clean tiles and mirrored surfaces, this room was far more pleasant than the shared latrine her crew used onboard the Vengeance.

    “Whoa,” Amelia murmured as they entered, her aether twisting. Serena sensed the privacy wards Amelia surrounded the room in. “If you added a bit of plastic, this could be a bathroom from- mmph!” Amelia’s words were cut short as Serena, after verifying they were alone in the room, began pulling Amelia’s cheeks.

    “You idiot,” Serena intoned as she massaged her girlfriend’s face. “Some of the academy staff are onto us! They’re probably gossiping after discovering you’ve been spending the night with me!”

    “So?” Amelia replied, reaching up and locking their hands together. “We just need to be careful. It’s not such a big deal anyway, we- mmpth!” This time, Amelia was cut short as Serena stole a kiss.

    Hells, when had she become so impulsive?

    “That’s your punishment for being... you,” Serena said, licking her lips.

    “I have to admit,” Amelia said, her face flushing as her mouth moved into a smug smile. “I’m starting to enjoy what you consider a punishment.”

    “Shut up,” Serena said. “This is serious. Some of the staff at the academy are well-known and well-respected. Their words carry weight. We do need to be careful!”

    “Fine,” Amelia pouted. “But even so, if the Grandmaster is on our side, then he can override anyone trying to make a problem, can’t he? They’ll go through him first, wouldn’t they?”

    “What makes you think he’s on our side?” Serena asked with a tilt of her head. “That man is extremely traditional. He values the reputation of the academy highly. Didn’t you understand the message behind his words? He’s not happy about it. He wants us to knock it off!”

    “Maybe, but you also didn’t see,” Amelia said with a grin.

    “See what?”

    “When he raised the subject with us earlier. You know, when he was coughing? You didn’t see because he was facing directly away from you, but I was slightly to the side. I could see the side of his face. That’s how I know he’ll protect us!”

    “What? Why?” Serena frowned. “What did you see?”

    “When he was talking...” Amelia’s grin grew even wider.

    “...He was blushing.”