CHAPTER 56: GUILTY ?

Sarah Harley found herself in her bathroom.

The water had the power to relax her while washing away the filth and sweat of her hard day at work unfortunately, it had no effect on the burden weighing on her shoulders.

She spent nearly thirty minutes in the shower, followed by an hour soaking in the bath to recover from accumulated fatigue.

Wearing her robe and activating her favorite playlist from her phone, she sat down at her desk to write a report detailing the progress made that day.

Sarah had finished interrogating the survivors.

From Sirius, she had learned the essentials about what really happened at Invinctus. Her meeting with Iris had left her somewhat shaken, and Lucy, as Sirius had predicted, remained silent. The two women in comas had yet to wake up, leaving her stuck at the same point as the Empire.

It was while questioning Carla that Sarah finally felt like she was speaking to a "normal" person.

From her, she learned how the fortress operated under normal conditions, the personalities of the two captains and the major, and more.

Thanks to Carla, she also discovered that the two comatose old ladies now unrecognizable were once prominent pillars of the Empire: Lady Margarette and Lady Thérèse.

Sarah only had to type their names into her phone to find hospitals, schools, universities, and many other institutions across the Empire bearing their names.

So why were these once-public figures lying in comas without anyone knowing?

And what about their children or even great-grandchildren now holding positions of responsibility? Were they not aware?

Why would the Emperor abandon the wives of his best friend, to whom he owed so much, to such a fate?

If what she suspected was true, and the Emperor didn’t know, this investigation could be wrapped up sooner than expected.

Once she had written her plans in her agenda, Sarah shut down her computer and went to bed early.

Tomorrow, she would request an audience with the Emperor himself.

---

The next morning, in one of the corridors of the Imperial Palace.

Sarah Harley was disheartened.

She had been unable to obtain an audience with His Majesty. The waiting time she had been given: six months.

Waiting that long was out of the question.

If it had been anyone else, she would’ve simply shown up unannounced, as usual. But this man could have her fired if she became too troublesome.

Especially since His Majesty was known as a man of strict manners and unwavering discipline.

"Okay, it’s not a problem," Sarah told her colleagues before continuing,

"If we can’t meet the Emperor, a member of the imperial family should suffice be it a prince or a princess."

The two enforcers looked around before pointing out,

"This palace is so huge you could get lost in it. How would we even find a prince or princess?"

"He’s right. Unless we go through the director, our status limits us. Not to mention we scared off the guides assigned to us on our first day..."

Sarah knew they were right. Still, she already had an idea in mind.

"Don’t worry about that. We just need to be in the right place at the right time. Now go see the mayor and tell him to arrange a train for us tomorrow. We leave at first light. And get these authorizations signed," she ordered, handing over several documents she had printed that morning.

"Are you sure? What if something happens to you?" they asked, concerned.

"Don’t worry. Who would dare harm a member of the Order ? Besides, I’m in the Imperial Palace , there’s no danger. Relax."

"Understood," the two enforcers replied before leaving.

---

Once alone, Sarah got to work.

She wove her way through crowds of hurried officials and passed through dozens of checkpoints where her identity was verified.

After over an hour of walking around, she finally found what she was looking for.

"The Sun Tower," she whispered.

It was the most iconic monument in the City of the United Nations, located inside the Imperial Palace itself.

A tower made entirely of gold, standing a kilometer high a masterpiece the Emperor had built for the Empire’s 50th anniversary.

What made this tower so unique wasn’t its dizzying height or the tons of gold used in its construction, but the fact that during the day it merged with the sun’s rays, becoming invisible from afar, and at night, it glowed like a second sun, lighting up the capital.

Some rumors claimed the Emperor came up with the idea because he hated pitch-black nights.

Sarah didn’t rely on rumors but on a secret the Director had revealed to her about this tower.

The Director had once been a close friend of the architect commissioned by the Emperor.

Upon arriving at the tower, she didn’t waste time admiring it.

She knelt, following protocol:

"The Order is absolute. My respects to His Excellency Aurore."

She remained motionless until a voice behind her broke the silence.

"Fascinating. You went through all this just to meet me. Quite the performance, convincing even your friends. Rioken truly sent an intriguing woman."

Sarah smiled and stood up.

She lightly brushed the dust off herself before turning around to meet the man’s gaze.

"You’re not the Emperor," she stated, facing the man who looked identical to His Majesty : his voice, face, and regal attire all matched the image constantly broadcast throughout the Empire.

The unmasked man didn’t look surprised rather, intrigued.

"Indeed. I am Rizel, Grand Chamberlain of the Empire."

Sarah crossed her arms.

"Grand Chamberlain? What a pretentious title. What does it even mean?"

"It’s a long story. But simply put: I’m the Emperor’s right hand. Though I believe you already knew that, didn’t you? Was it Rioken who told you?"

"Yes," Sarah replied. The Director of the Bureau of Internal Affairs knew every Transcendent, regardless of their affiliation. She saw no reason to hide that he had shared this secret before leaving.

Rizel stroked his chin while keeping the appearance of the Emperor.

"If he told you that, then you’re no ordinary secretary."

"Indeed. You can think of me as his right hand. You should know the deputy director position has been vacant for a while."

Rizel raised a curious brow.

"You couldn’t possibly be assigned to that post. It requires objectivity. Unless... oh no you’re..."

He stopped mid-sentence and burst into laughter. When he finally calmed down, he said,

"It’s been a while since I laughed this hard. Thank you for that."

"You’re welcome. But let’s skip the pleasantries. You know why I’m here."

"Surely not for that act where you pose as a mere secretary."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but yes. And you’re the culprit I’m meant to apprehend."

Rizel remained calm despite the accusation.

"Me? Guilty? Of what, exactly?"

Sarah sighed.

"Shall I summarize the case for you?" she said in a detective-like tone.

"A few months ago, the Invinctus Fortress reported a possible attack to army command. A general whose name I’ve already forgotten denied them any assistance and told them to fend for themselves. Enraged, the fortress commander made the stupidest decision imaginable: he forced civilians to awaken.

But in doing so, he handed the perfect opportunity to a Calamity who had been patiently waiting.

That’s the tragedy everyone knows about.

What they don’t know is that, in the city of Astoria, a lab had been secretly set up beneath a hospital.

Advanced equipment was installed allegedly for studying citizen awakenings. By who? For what purpose? Still unclear.

That lab was dismantled the same night as the battle at Invinctus. So when the authorities arrived, nothing was left.

If not for a key witness, no one would’ve noticed.

This leads us to conclude a third party worked with the Calamity who, frankly, seemed far too well informed about the Empire’s inner workings.

Their true goals are still unknown.

Even more serious: the Empire once held an archive the Order believed destroyed for years.

It was still in the fortress... and is now in the hands of a Calamity likely headed toward its King.

You and I both know what that could trigger."

Rizel applauded, smiling.

"Your summary is quite intriguing. It reveals facts I was unaware of and highlights flaws the Empire has yet to address.

Yet I fail to see how this makes me guilty."

Sarah gave a small bow, like a performer saluting her audience.

"Don’t worry I’m getting to that."

"In that same city of Astoria were two very special people to the Empire: Ladies Margarette and Thérèse Scarlen."

This time, Rizel’s brow twitched ever so slightly. Sarah noticed but continued.

"A simple internet search told me they’re still listed as living in their residence in the capital, healthy and well.

Let me be brief: someone covered up their departure to their hometown.

Worse, their names don’t appear in any of the official reports the Empire gave us."

Rizel’s face turned serious.

"So, because you think I hid the identities of the Scarlen widows, you assume I helped a Calamity steal an archive?

At the cost of hundreds of thousands of imperial lives?

To anyone else, that theory would be absurd."

Sarah didn’t deny it.

"Right now, it’s just a theory. I have no proof yet.

But if that general hadn’t been so desperate to hide the fact that he denied backup and if he hadn’t been dismissed from his post the very evening of our little talk I never would’ve made the connection.

After all, who but the Emperor himself or the man he entrusted with his beloved Empire could remove a Transcendent without blinking?"

Rizel looked bored now, even letting out a yawn.

"So that’s the conclusion of your investigation?"

"Yes. I leave tomorrow morning for the Order’s headquarters.

Oh... and I’m bringing four individuals with me. I trust you won’t mind if we stop chasing them."

"Do as you please.

And once again, it was a pleasure meeting you, Miss Sarah Harley. Though next time, I hope I meet you, not a performance."

"Rest assured, if we meet again, it’ll be to hand you an arrest warrant."

"Safe travels. And give Rioken my regards.

It’s been a while since we had a proper warm-up."

Sarah waved casually as she walked away, leaving the Grand Chamberlain alone who vanished the moment she turned her back.

---

Meanwhile, Sirius was still in bed.

Most of his wounds had healed, leaving only his leg, which would be fully recovered in a week.

He was peacefully eating yogurt with one hand when the door opened to reveal Sarah.

"I see you’re not holding back," she remarked.

"It’s just yogurt," Sirius defended.

"Yes. Courtesy of the hospital."

Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Did you come here to answer my request, or just to flirt? I didn’t think you were a cougar..."

Though inwardly offended, Sarah didn’t waste time bickering.

"I thought about your offer. And I can’t grant it."

Sirius frowned.

"Why not?"

"The information you gave me was helpful too helpful.

So much so that, by mistake, I made you and your friends the targets of a Transcendent’s wrath."

Sirius dropped his spoon.

The yogurt in his mouth suddenly tasted bitter.

He wanted to scream, but it would solve nothing.

Killing this wretched woman would only make things worse.

He remained silent, letting her speak.

Sarah was surprised at how calm he remained after hearing that.

"Fortunately, I racked my brain and found a solution.

You wanted us to negotiate with the Empire so you’d face prison instead of execution?

I have a better offer: freedom. Complete freedom for you and your companions.

And as a bonus... not me, but the Order will take care of that Transcendent for you."

"Is that lie true?"

"No. In fact, it’s so simple, you probably thought of it before."

"Join the Order.

Work for me."