Heartless [2]

"I do not answer to you, I answer to the minister himself. The details of my work are classified. I couldn't reveal them if I wished to." 'Not that I want to tell you either.' He thought to himself.

"Fine, I'm taking you with me" she stated adamantly

"Did our master call for me?" He asked wishing nothing more than to report on the day's events.

"…no but what does that matter. As a guardsman entrusted with the safety of the residents and workers, I order you to come with me." Her concerns were understandable but he could not.

'I can't very well tell her that I'm on house arrest, can I? I doubt the minister would like that.' Consequently, resistance was necessary. 'I doubt he would want a dead employee' he thought so he assumed a fighting stance with the knife sheathed. "You're going to have to make me come with you."

Valena needed no additional cue for she came charging with her sword. However, due to the room being rather small, she was at a disadvantage. El deflected her sword with the knife and dug into her gut with the sheathed knife. He then grabbed her head and brought it down meeting it midway with his knee after which he disengaged and shifted locations. "Bastard" she mumbled as she regained herself, she threw her sword aside. She came at him with her fists, while El dropped his weapon out of courtesy. Her uppercut connected with El's arms, 'it burns, her fists are channelling her damn magic'.

El took a more offensive approach after that. He feigned a punch before kicking her spleen. He then cupped both his hands together and slammed into her head. While she was dazed he tripped her onto the ground and grabbed her in a headlock. He restricted her airflow and waited for her to pass out. 'Amateur, I had wanted to play before you showed me something annoying.' With being trained all his life, he was classes above guardsman in terms of skill.

He lifted her up and walked over to the corridor, he placed the unconscious woman in an empty cell. Locked her up and headed back to his room. It didn't seem like anyone was coming anytime soon since lunch had already been served, so he once again began his daily workout session. It was one of the few activities he could enjoy while being stuck to the confines of his area. 
 One realisation that daunted him the previous day was that he couldn't clean properly clean his clothing. That night he had washed himself and his clothing with the sink. However he couldn't do that today, he was likely expected to meet the minister later. So to avoid this he worked out without his clothing.

He stood starkly in his room, the light gleaming off his sun-kissed figure. His strapping physique was evidence of his upbringing. It wasn't possible for a seventeen-year-old adolescent to possess a body like his, not if they were raised normally. They wouldn't have had to take performance-enhancing drugs growing up, nor would they have had the tenacity the cadets had. El took great pride in this fact, he was unique therefore he was better suited to serve the empire.

Before he had finished his routine the door opened. A lady was responsible for this, and it wasn't the hag. Her blonde hair was highlighted by the red that flushed her face. El, not quite understanding the significance of being nude, kept looking at her waiting for her to speak. While he was aware of societal normalities, he saw no difference between the people working in the mansion and his previous colleagues, hence his daftness. "Yes?" He asked and she shut the door.

'Maybe that was a routine check?' El ventured as he continued with his exercise. Only to be interrupted by a head peaking in a few minutes later before promptly retreating behind the door. "Wear some clothes…" came a meek voice from behind the door. 'Ah…so that was an issue.'

He wasn't sure if he had time to wash first so he asked the person behind the door and she told him to do so. After cleaning himself with the sink he wore the blood-stained uniform. He then opened the door, the woman was sitting on a step of the stairs that led up. "Oh my, what happened to that-" she began to ask before remembering "-actually never mind that, come with me quickly the minister will want you soon." She said running up the stairs.

She guided him to a dressing room and showed him a colourful garment, A red shirt, black trousers, a belt and black formal impractical shoes "That's for me?" El asked confused by the minister's sudden interest in his attire.

"Yes, that is yours. Quickly get changed." She urged before locking him in the room.

He was pleasantly surprised to find that the clothes fitted him perfectly. They had gotten his measurements from the Ra regiment to ensure it did but that wasn't within his expectations for them.

The lady smiled at his new appearance before she then took him somewhere other than the minister's office he had previously seen. It was an open room on the third floor. It was a recreation of the bright and awful scene outside. Grass mats lined the room, and miniature versions of trees were potted and scattered around the room. On wall-hung shelves and on the ground. In the centre of the room stood a table crowded with wines and on one side of it stood the minister and on the other stood Dictator Arte himself. 'He…he is here. What should I do? What should I say? Can I say anything?' El's mind raced

Dictator Arte spoke first, his voice was gruff, deep and authoritative. "So he's the pet you've stolen from the 'primary initiative'?" He spoke to the minister but he was talking about El and this caused him to feel strangely joyous.

"Yes, sir. He is indeed that boy. I've brought him here to evaluate his performance." The minister shot him a look of anticipation.

'This was why he wanted it done by today.' He gathered. "Yesterday my dear master instructed me to uncover information about the previously unknown organisation that attempted to steal from your friend. Hence I got to work and interrogated the culprit with torturous methods. One name escaped her lips FreeHood. They were the masterminds behind the heist." He finished.

"Impressive, yes?" The minister asked sweat forming on his forehead. As the dictator was scratching his beard in thought.

Dictator Arte eventually agreed, "Yes that was exemplary. I don't think I've heard of such an organisation. Lowen, You've done well. I thought today's meeting was only meant to return my sickly friend's property but to think you had a lead as well."

"Well, of course. I've also killed all the culprit's family as well if that pleases you. She had three adorable children and a spineless husband. Though what are we to expect from peasants, according to the report the husband begged for his life to be spared in exchange for his children." He cackled

This seemingly amused the dictator for he started laughing as well. "The peasants truly are a worthless bunch. They complain about taxes failing to realise that the wars we shall fight will bring them prosperity. Sometimes I wish I could tell them 'What if you starve today, tomorrow you'll be covered in riches.' But that would just arouse their anger. Fools can't be reasoned with." He ranted

The conversation irked El. 'I'm sure that he has good intentions, perhaps it's the wine because he isn't making much sense at the moment. Yes, that must be it. Dictator Arte is kind and loving at heart after all. The wickedness of the wine combined with the minister's foul opinion is temporarily blinding him.'

He wished he could dismiss the minister but he was his superior, not the other way around. He would have to endure the minister's bad influence. He thought to diverge the topic, "I feel that this news may please you, I disposed of the life of the pawn after I extracted the information from her."

This earned him a smile from the dictator and that warmed his heart. 'How could he ever do anyone wrong?' While the minister's expression and words were mismatched. His face told El that he was upset because he drew the director's attention away from him. His words on the other hand told him, "Is that so? I don't recall that being part of the assignment but well done. You've made me incredibly proud." He poured El a glass of the red delicacy and said "Drink up, you've deserved it."

He thanked the man and accepted his gift. This was his first time drinking wine. It wasn't as pleasant as he expected it was overwhelming, it tasted sweet, sour and bitter all at the same time. Nevertheless, he downed the glass out of courtesy.

He was then dismissed but he wasn't instructed as to where he was to go. Hence he sought out the blonde who had given him his clothes, he thought she seemed important and so he wished to discuss the issues he was having with her.

He found her in a small little office on the second floor, he knocked and entered once given permission. She seemed to be signing some document so he sat there and waited. Once it looked like she finished, El commented "I suppose that makes us even." Perhaps it was the wine but his words were less filtered.

The realisation of whom her guest was caused her cheeks to blush, she was rather awful at hiding this too, she repeatedly failed to look at him so her eyes returned to her documents. "Is there anything I can do for you?" She asked

"Yes, could you please arrange a wardrobe for me?" He asked

Her eyes sparkled with anticipation, "That should be easy enough." She said as she took a piece of paper and wrote something. "Is that all?"

"Thank you, yes that's all, have a nice day Miss?" He asked standing up.

"Maeve, my name is Maeve Evangeline but you can call me Maeve." She managed sheepishly.

"Then have a wonderful day Maeve." He bid before leaving the room. Just as he shut the door he remembered something hence he popped his head back in and informed her "Maeve, I'm not sure if you're the one I am to inform but do know that a guardswoman is locked away in cell 14. She was getting too inquisitive hence I subdued and locked her up."

She seemed a bit taken aback by the news but she didn't ask for any further clarification. "Ah…all right, I'll let the minister know." She replied.