22 Chapter 21: Spying
While they were all talking in the saloon, Mlynar Nearl. The current head of the Nearl family because Margaret couldn't be knight primus arrived.
"Zofia, Maria, why are there so many... Visitors." He saw Margaret amongst them and he of course thought she was foolish for returning.
His father, the previous knight primus exiled her to protect her. And she willingly returned to Kazimierz. At the time of the majors no less.
"Margaret, why are you here? You're in exile, I don't remember giving you permission to be back here in Kazimierz?" His voice filled with steel, but in his head. It was for her own good.
"Good afternoon uncle. It is good to see you again, though you don't look good. And as for permission, I have all the permission I need from my patron. Asmodeus Naumann." Margaret looked towards Ash.
But due to him not wanting to know more about commerce as a conservative knight. He did not know much about Ash.
"And why would exactly he have that kind of authority? Speak now or we will have to evict you from here forcefully." He squinted his eyes.
Ash sighed and stood up. Towering over the middle aged knight. He was still a growing boy, and he was now two and a half meters tall. Bigger than even the largest Sarkaz goliaths.
He gave him a piece of paper and Mlynar started to read it after giving him a dirty look.
And after a few seconds, he froze on the spot. "Forgive me your majesty! Please do not wage war on Kazimierz!" He kneeled down and started sweating immediately.
"What did you show him?" Degenbrecher was confused. "My marriage certificate." He shrugged and thought that would oughta shut him up, he didn't want to make him think he was lying after all.
"Umu, you are forgiven. But ignorance is poison, you are the current head of house Nearl. You should know these kinds of things. There's no next time." He sipped some tea.
"T-thank you, your majesty." Mlynar looked up and was wondering how in the world did Margaret get him as a patron.
"He's Margaret's boyfriend." Zofia informed him out of the blue and he felt that she was annoyed by that.
"But he's the emperor consort? How can he have a girlfriend besides the twin empresses?" Mlynar blinked rapidly.
"That's the thing, the empresses has no real power over me besides me not wanting to have a bad name. You should understand what that means uncle." Ash smiled at him and Mlynar got wide eyed.
"You're too politically untouchable in Leithanien..." Mlynar mumbled and Ash nodded.
"Now, now, no need to praise me uncle. We're gonna stay here for the duration of the major, you don't mind right?" Ash smiled sweetly at him and he of course had to nod.
"Don't worry, we won't really do much here in Kazimierz Mlynar. We'll just balance out the ruling bodies." Degenbrecher chimed in.
"A three time champion... What do you mean by that?" Mlynar squints his eyes.
"Shining, can you show the tired uncle here on what's our plan." Ash called for Shining and she gave Mlynar a piece of paper.
"Get infected, kill corrupted officials, profit..." Mlynar was in disbelief.
"Baws, so simple, yet profound." Lappland nodded sagely at his plan and understood that getting knight in Kazimierz would bolster the forces of Paradiso.
"Really?" Mlynar looked at Margaret with his eyes twitching.
"Yes, really. Can't you feel it uncle? Aun, I mean big sister Zofia could when she gave our team a good look. You've gotten old and dull it seems." Margaret shook her head and sighed.
Mlynar then gave them a once over again. And could feel the bloodthirsty feeling from Lappland. Along with the strength of the others that are clear as day in how they carry themselves.
"... You know what? Fuck it, what is your plan in detail?" He furrowed his brows.
Ever since he assumed the position of the head of house Nearl but not knight primus. He has been like a salaryman of the chamber of commerce. Refusing to be a grand knight through the major which is required to be knight primus.
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At the Kazimierz chamber of commerce. Soldiers in power armor suddenly popped up out of nowhere and were waiting for the appropriate time to move. (pic)
They detached from the walls of the ceiling. Their suits that were engineered to be like gecko pads that used the van der Waals force made them able to stick to any surface.
The sensors on their helmets checked for any signs of electronics and life at a one hundred meter radius and the coast was clear.
"This is wraith, mission is a go." Their team leader gave a comm and they went invisible once again. Beginning to dig dirt and get evidence.
Identifying the companies that need to be killed off, collect enough data to be compiled. So that Ash and his team who are the muscles can move without collateral damage against innocent companies or individuals.
And the next morning, while everyone was eating at the dining table in the Nearl house. A stack of papers got dropped neatly on Ash's side.
"Hmm, good work. Wraith, your squad will be needed later to assassinate those who don't need to be in the spotlight, you already know who they are." Ash ordered and they heard a curt yes.
"W-what was that?" Maria felt goosebumps. Zofia and Mlynar broke into a cold sweat. They couldn't feel, hear, nor sense the person who entered at all.
It was like they were a ghost that went in and disappeared in a heartbeat.
"Umm, who was that?" Zofia asked politely.
"Ahh, that's our special forces. That was wraith, one of the squad leaders. Pretty cool right? I bet you didn't sense them at all." Ash smiled at them.
The Nearls then believed that heads would roll in due time. 'Armorless Union has nothing on those guys... They gave him a stack of papers without any of us noticing...'
Mlynar wiped his sweat, he isn't a slouch as a knight. He could be in the silverlance pegasi. And they acknowledge him as the Nearls' head. Zofia was also a consistent contender in the majors, always at the top 16.
But Ash's special forces came inside their home without a trace and even replied. But they couldn't find him.
"So the first squad is already active? You could've at least told us about it Ash." Shining pouted at him and he snickered.
"It has to be secret, sorry about that. They'll be training the second squad after the mission in Kazimierz, you can take over the next one." Ash smiled at her.
"Okay, but that was a surprise. Even I didn't feel them." Shining nodded in satisfaction at the spec ops of Paradiso.
"I couldn't smell them too." Texas sniffed the air and she frowned. 'That guy wasn't just a professional...'
"Kyahahaha! What a fun turn of events, hey baws Ash. Can we at least storm one company and kill them ourselves?" Lappland grinned and she was itching to use her sword.
"Be good and we'll storm one of them on our own." He promised Lappland and she bobbed her head left and right in excitement.
Ash began to read the report and he could see the names that are marked by his ghosts.
"Czarny, the spokesperson of the KGCC. He uses the Armorless Union to take care of people. Marked for public execution." Ash stamped on his paper.
"E-execution?" Maria gasped and he nodded. "He has been using the Armorless Union to assassinate enemies that do not conform to the KGCC's interests." Ash explained and she nodded apprehensively.
"Rose Papers Union Corp. Kain, the chairman of the group is an ultra loyalist of the KGCC that wants the Adeptus gone." Ash stamped his paper too and gave it behind him.
The paper vanished from his hand and the Nearls were startled. They were still there, out of plain sight, terrifying them.
"Um, why did wraith receive that paper?" Zofia decided to ask, her curiosity got the better of her.
"Their squad will kill him, framed as an accident. Whatever the method is, but it won't be pointed to us." He shrugged and she nodded.
"The Adeptus have some naughty people too. They're too conservative and couldn't let go of the old days, executed as well." He gave another set of papers to wraith.
"And Armorless Union... We storm their base ourselves. Once noble assassins that protected the masses. Now what? A group of dogs that can be called by a corrupt group of corporations. What a sad existence they are." He shook his head in disappointment.
"That bad?" Margaret sighed and saw all the people that would be dying at the 23rd major.
"Yeah, it's that bad. Even back then when I was competing. I've experienced tons of sabotages." Degenbrecher sighed.
"There's that much corruption? I already knew that Kazimierz is starting to rot from the inside, but not that bad." Zofia furrowed her brows.
"Is this... Is this why sister Margaret had to be exiled by grandfather Kirill?" Maria frowned and Mlynar sighed.
"Yes, father protected Margaret from the politics of Kazimierz. The Adeptus won't protect her. And Armorless Union would definitely try on her life." Mlynar explained, gritting his teeth at how low the noble country has fallen.
"Well, the Adeptus can't really go in and kick out the corporations. The country will crash to the ground. Anarchy will start and Kazimierz will fall, the leader of the Adeptus knows that." Ash sighed.
"But won't this cause a lot of problems? Anarchy and chaos will be the main result of this." Mlynar was wary of their involvement.
"Well, that's the plan. Asmodeus enterprise can buy whole mobile cities with its wealth. We're a business that can pick up the slack of some of these major corporations." Ash smiled and was already prepared to buy them out.
"No way... You're going to take control of Kazimierz by making them disappear and you'll take advantage of the power vacuum..." Zofia understood his simple plan.
"Bingo, you catch on quick Zofia. Want to go to Paradiso? We can just turn Margaret into the Grand knight of the Adeptus and let uncle here be her proxy." Ash extended an invitation.
"You too of course, if you want to that is." Ash looked at Maria and the two were seriously considering it.
"Eh? You're gonna make the head of state!?" Mlynar was dumbfounded and he didn't imagine that he would be the grand knight of the Adeptus.
"Well, Margaret would be stuck here if she becomes the head of state. And once she is, her status will be good enough to be married to me. She'll inevitably be with my city, Paradiso." Ash explained and it was set in stone.
"Ash..." Margaret looked at him with quivering eyes and he smiled at her.
"Tch, they're getting all lovey dovey again..." Zofia clicked her tongue and they chuckled at her.
"We're all that's left of the Nearls Zofia. How about you come with us and Ash will continue our bloodline?" Margaret teased her.
"W-what!? But he's your boyfriend Margaret!" Zofia was shocked. Mlynar and Maria were speechless.
"Does it matter? He's also engaged to a warlord of Kjerag. And he has relations with one of the high nobles of Leithanien. I imagine it would increase some more." Margaret didn't care and shrugged.
"Big sister... That's insane..." Maria couldn't believe her sister and she blushed like a tomato.
"Margaret, you can't be serious... He's the emperor of Leithanien! You're a grand knight of Kazimierz." Mlynar furrowed his brows.
"That may be so. Three years ago, but I am his knight now. Just like Degenbrecher that is in the employ of his other fiancee." Margaret put a curtain to the issue and they couldn't retort to that.
She was exiled by their knight primus after all. And Kirill Nearl died, a year after her exile. So technically, if she returned. She's the de facto knight primus.
"Do as you please. It seems your decision is rock solid." Mlynar sighed and they accepted the fact that Margaret is not a Nearl anymore.
"Let's go and give Armorless Union a visit, shall we? Take an enthusiastic walk. We do need some exercise to digest our breakfast properly." Ash stood up and his whole squad followed.
"Wait! Wait! Just like that! You're going to invade them!?" Zofia and Maria tried to stop them.
"Well, yeah. Armorless Union will scatter like cockroaches if we don't take care of them first. And the KGCC will be sitting ducks after that." Ash grinned.
Lappland laughed like a maniac and was mumbling under her breath.
Shining unsheathed her sword for a bit and showed the blade inside the scabbard that was silvery white.
"Let's go." Ash uttered, his eyes cold.
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The headquarters of the Armorless Union. Black steel arrows were flying around. Exusiai's bullpup were firing left and right.
Thuds were heard after every shot. Narcissa's spectral hands wreaked havoc on the assassins as their bodies popped once she got a hold of them.
"Kyahahaha! We're fighting you guys? Then do your bestest, or I'll be reaaaally bored. Texas, let's have a competition! More kills is the winner!" Lappland grinned like a maniac and started firing her arts on the enemies.
"Hah, go compete with yourself, stupid." Texas stabbed a guy that was creeping behind her and he exploded from a steam explosion because of his blood flash boiling.
"Please surrender quietly." Mudrock slammed her hands on the ground and created goliaths made of concrete.
Liz then noticed that someone was going to use arts against them and she made a field around them that cancelled enemy arts.
An arrow that was shining platinum entered the anti arts area and it lost its light. With Ash catching it with his bare hand.
"Hmmm? Someone aimed at me?" He looked towards the direction it came from.
"Ohhh? A platinum? Where's your Lazurites girl? You really think you can do anything?" Degenbrecher smiled at the white haired pegasus that appeared. (pic)
"Tch, I'm not paid enough for this... I'll definitely demand a vacation leave." She clicked her tongue.
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Thank you for reading everyone, ciao.
