CHAPTER 245: FUTURE OF DARUS HOUSEHOLD

Sonzi Darus, head of the Darus Household and known across Stahl as the Iron Agent, the man in charge of all iron trade and production, sat alone in his study. His hands covered his face, elbows resting on the edge of the desk. Eyes closed, he tried to think through every possible outcome, every consequence of the moment ahead.

The silence was broken by three firm knocks at the door.

"Enter" - Sonzi said.

The door creaked open, and a man with gray-streaked hair stepped inside. It was Viron Darus, his eldest son, the one Sonzi had spent years grooming to inherit the position of patriarch.

"Father" - Viron said, his voice low and a little unsteady - "The hour has come for the audience with the king."

Sonzi slowly dropped his hands and leaned back in his chair. His eyes, filled with worry, stayed fixed on the wooden floor for a moment before drifting toward the tall window beside his desk. Outside, he could see the wide grounds of the Darus estate, clean roads, watchful guards, and grand buildings surrounded by the tallest walls in all of Mehis.

He let out a long breath.

"Nine days..." he murmured. "The king has been here nine days, and only now does he call for me. It can not be good, can it?"

He felt unease. The Darus Household was one of the oldest and wealthiest families in Mehis. As a founding pillar of the Sun God Company, they had risen with the city itself, pulling iron and riches from beneath the mountain’s roots. Yet, despite their wealth, Sonzi felt something shifting, something uncertain. It seemed as if he could feel the king’s hand squeezing him.

Viron didn’t speak. He stood quietly, waiting for his father to rise.

Sonzi stared a moment longer at the world beyond the window. The smoke of the forges, the sounds of hammer on steel, the guards patrolling the estate, and the flags bearing the golden sun emblem of their company fluttering above every gate, this had been his life’s work. No...hundreds of generations dedicated their whole lives for this scene. They had built it with sweat, cunning, and sacrifice. Fighting against the nobles who looked down at them. Now, for the first time, he could feel that those walls seemed to small and would crumble with a small breeze.

He stood with a quiet grunt, his joints stiff from the long hours sitting in thought - "Have the papers been prepared?" - he asked.

"Yes" - Viron replied, offering a sealed folder of notes and reports - "It includes the ore flow records, production rates, and the expansion model for the other mines. Just as you asked."

Sonzi took the folder, but barely looked at it.

"None of this will matter if his mind’s already made up" - he muttered, almost to himself - "And Olaro...That bald rat’s been acting like he knows something."

Viron’s breath stopped for a single moment - "That’s not possible, Father. We’ve silenced every—"

Before he could finish, Sonzi grabbed his jaw, not roughly, but firm enough to make his point. He stared into his son’s eyes with a sharp, cold look.

"These walls," Sonzi whispered, "I swear they have grown ears. Olaro seems to know our every step before we take it. That’s not normal...It’s strange"

Viron did not pull away. He only nodded, understanding. He had noticed it too. No matter how carefully they planned, how quietly they spoke, secrets kept slipping out. He had already replaced several maids and guards, yet nothing changed. Somehow, someone was always one step ahead.

They walked in silence through the long halls of the Darus estate. Guards straightened the moment they passed. Servants stepped aside quickly, bowing with forced respect. It should have been a moment of pride, but Sonzi felt only heaviness.

People whispered more about the King than about the Darus name now. That had never happened before.

When they reached the front gate, a fine black carriage waited, the crest of the Darus family gleaming in gold on its side. The driver stepped down at once and opened the door. Neither man said a word as they climbed inside.

The moment the door closed, the wheels began to roll. Each turn of the wheels seemed to get them closer to something neither of them could foresee. It was an unknown future.

It didn’t take long for them to reach the old castle of Mehis, the house of the noble family that once ruled these lands, built long before the Sun God Company had ever existed. The castle was massive, nearly the same size as the Darus estate, with tall towers and high walls that had watched over generations of lords.

At the main gate stood a bald man with a thick red beard. Olaro. He waited with his arms calmly behind his back, his posture relaxed. Around him stood several figures cloaked in black from head to toe. From their figures and built, it was easy to tell that they were all women, there was one that didn’t wear a hood and had a long scar on her cheeks. Viron was sure that he had seen her somewhere near the tavern.

Olaro’s smile was the first thing Sonzi noticed through the carriage window. It was wide, calm and...mocking. It was the smile of a man who believed he had already won.

"Welcome, Great Iron Agent"- Olaro said smoothly as Sonzi and Viron stepped down from the carriage. His voice carried the same quiet mockery as his grin. The kind of tone reserved for those who won.

"Did you bring the documents His Majesty requested?" he added, eyes flicking briefly to the folder in Sonzi’s hand.

Sonzi raised the folder without a word. "Here."

Olaro took the folder with a small nod, but made no move to open it. His eyes remained fixed on Sonzi, studying him like a man inspects a rotting fruit.

"Excellent" - he said, voice filled with evident mockery - "His Majesty will surely be pleased. In fact, he is already waiting for us...shall we go?"

Without waiting for a response, Olaro turned and began walking into the castle. Sonzi and Viron followed without a word, jaws tight, footsteps echoing against the stone floor. The black-cloaked figures moved behind them for a few steps, then melted into the shadows as if they were never there.

They walked in silence through the old halls, until finally, they were on their knees. King Henry sat on a plain wooden throne, fingers lightly folded, body leaned forward. His gray eyes stared at them intently. The folder rested on the armrest beside him, still unopened, as if he didn’t care what it contained.

The silence in the room was deafening. You could hear the dry, nervous swallow of both father and son. They stared at the floor, too afraid to meet the king’s eyes. Everyone remembered how the others had been dealt with in past years.

Then the king spoke.

"So" Henry said slowly, his voice calm but cold, "tell me... why have I received word that my Iron Agent has been mismanaging the Cold Iron Mines?"

He leaned in slightly as if to hear them more clearly - "And more importantly..."—he paused, his voice dropping—"...why have I heard that my Iron Agent opened a secret mine, kept it from the crown, and kept the profits for himself?"

Sonzi’s throat tightened, and for a moment, he seemed to be swallowing stones instead of air. Beside him, Viron remained frozen, his hands clenched so tightly that the knuckles had gone white.

"My King" - Sonzi finally said, his voice low and careful - "I swear on my bloodline, the reports you have received are not as they seem. The Cold Iron Mines have been under strain since last winter. Production fell due to cave-ins, and a new vein was discovered nearby during our search for stable ground. I had no intention of hiding it... merely confirming its yield before delivering the news to you."

Henry didn’t move. His gray eyes remained fixed on Sonzi like those of a hawk watching a rabbit speak.

"You were confirming it for two full months?" - he asked, voice still calm - "And yet, no reports. No word. Just more and more stocks of iron inside your walls, more gold and iron being sold without the crown knowing about it. Silent caravans going towards villages...selling it falsely under the crown’s names."

"My King—" Viron tried to speak, but his father raised a hand and stopped him.

Sonzi lowered his head even further, almost kissing the ground. "There were mistakes. I take full responsibility. But my family served the crown faithfully for generations. We didn’t run away together with the nobles. I even helped to build the Sun God Company from the ground up. I—"

Henry raised a hand.

"Enough. I don’t wish to hear your venomous words"

That single word sliced through the room sharper than any blade. Sonzi fell silent at once. Henry’s fingers now tapping lightly on the armrest beside the folder.

"Olaro" - Henry called - "What is the punishment for those who betray the crown?"

The bald man behind him straightened slightly, folding his hands behind his back. His voice steady - "All members of the family shall be executed. Their wealth confiscated. Their lands and castles burned. Their names erased. Even their dogs, Your Majesty, shall be hanged as a warning. The heads are to be left on display for a full year at the ruins of their estate."

At those words, Sonzi and Viron stood frozen, the color draining from their faces. Sonzi felt his knees weaken, the weight of the words sinking deep into his bones. He could hardly breathe.

Henry’s gaze turned slowly, his gray eyes landing on Sonzi like the cold edge of a blade. There was no emotion on his face, just a final and unshakable decision. No turning back.

Sonzi understood. The king had made up his mind.

There would be no plea that could save him.

Still, he tried.

"My liege"- he pleaded, voice shaking - "Please... it was me. I take full responsibility. My sons, my house... they knew nothing."

Henry stood silent, his eyes falling on Viron, who swallowed hard, body trembling. He knew about everything, but chose not to say anything. Henry’s eyes fell on Sonzi again.

"Your family has served this kingdom well for generations. Because of that... I will spare them." - Henry got to his feet and stepped forward, stopping just a few paces from where Sonzi knelt.

"But you..." he said, his voice lowering, harder now, "You will pay the price alone. You family also shall lose all riches."