Chapter 29

Within the long dark halls of the Duke’s mansion. Two individuals were walking side by side, keeping into the shadows to make sure they were unseen by the staff.

One of them was the adviser Dallor, and the other was a hooded fellow with ragged clothing, staying right behind him.

“Did he fall for it?”

The hooded man grinned, rubbing his hands together in anticipation of the news.

“Of course, that foolish duke has no idea of what is to come.”

Dallor could not stop his smirk, scratching his eye patch because of the itch from excitement of the fruition of his dreams.

He’d been waiting for that chance for a long time, and he could not hide the joy in his expression, now that everything was moving in place.

“So, you know of the king's plan? Why he is attacking all the settlements?”

A look of awe appeared on the hooded person, his wrinkly face pouting with wide eyes in astonishment.

“His majesty is quite the conniving.”

Dallor couldn’t hide his cackle upon remembering the orders given to him by his liege. He’d been secretly in cahoots with the royal, and if not for that, even he would not have considered what was going on.

“Oh? But wouldn’t this bring the people’s favor towards the duke?”

The two individuals had entered the gardens. The adviser winced in disgust, seeing the number of refugees gathered there.

Some slept on the grass, with a few tents standing in some area. The people there seemed relieved and relaxed after being saved.

“You truly know nothing.”

Dallor snorts.

They stayed silent for the meanwhile as they made their way into the masses, putting on a mask of warmness and smile towards the refugees.

They remained like this until they reach the tower in the middle of the place. Their eyes were keen to wander around, making certain the building was empty.

The two stop when they reached the top of the structure, immediately looking down on the entire area from the window there.

Dallor’s face returned to its twisted expression, seeing how the mansion was being ridden by all those people.

He found it utterly disgusting that such an elegant place get stripped into nothing but a camp. With most of its furnishing and treasury depleted, all because the young duke chose to side with the lot.

“The army recently buried an accursed in the forbidden forest. And the duke rescuing all these settlers is part of his majesty’s plan.”

It was then that the adviser’s face brightened. Again, letting out a loud cackle in sheer joy, knowing he’d rid himself of all his worries once and for all.

“Really?”

The hooded fellow’s eyes grew wide with terror, a sudden chill running down his spine. Yet, his head remained lowered to hide his expression, forcing himself to laugh along with his master.

Even if his conscience was clawing at him, he knew better than to question the adviser, let alone show any signs that could lead to distrust.

“And you know what that means?”

Dallor turned to his subordinate with a shadow in his gaze, his smirk turning murderous at the knowledge of it.

The man in the hood kept his smile, though his lips were already twitching because of the knotting inside his stomach.

“The duke thinks his saving the people, but he’s actually playing right in the palm of his majesty’s hands.”

He murmured, swallowing hard because of the sudden terror that had crawled up on him.

No matter how many times he had seen such scenarios happen, he can never get used to the viciousness and cruelty of nobles.

He felt bad for the young noble ruling that area, as he understood the kindness of the lad’s heart to his citizens was his own undoing.

“With the duke gathering all these people here. It will give rise to the largest undead army this land has ever seen, once the accursed begin releasing its curse.”

Dallor heaved a sigh of relief, hands raised towards the sky, grasping it like he had gotten a hold of the heaven’s itself.

“And everyone is going to blame it on the duke.”

The hooded person nearly gasp in sheer shock, unable to stop himself from gawking at the realization of the young noble’s folly.

“Yes, by using those monsters to remove his meddlesome cousin. He will have a reason to raise taxes and build up his army, without inciting concern from the other kingdoms.”

Dallor’s mind became intoxicated with adrenaline and excitement. He could no longer hold his tongue, drunk from the sheer joy of being rid of his foolish master and gaining favor with the king.

There was a moment of silence that took over the place as the adviser continued to laugh. Only stopping upon noticing how his subordinate remained gaping from the shock and disbelief.

“His majesty gets to kill two birds with one stone.”

The hooded fellow was quick to put on a cheerful face, plastering his most genuine smile to cover the panic and dread taking over him.

Somehow, that got Dallor nodding in approval.

The adviser gotten too high on his own scheming. He barely took notice of his subordinate’s discomfort.

“All we need to do now is to make sure we get out of here without arousing suspicion.”

With a mischievous grin, Dallor’s eyes searched for the individuals who fit perfectly in his plans. Even from the height and distance of the tower, the three robed men remained distinct among the crowd.

“And how will we do that, boss?”

That got the hooded fellow swallowing hard, burying the remaining ounce of conscience and pride he had in order to survive the disaster which was about to happen.

“That is where those mask men come in.”

The line on Dallor’s lips grew wider, nearly reaching his ear upon squinting at the three.

From where he stood, the group looked so insignificant, just like the rest of the people who were there.

“Oh, so that is how you are planning on using them.”

The hooded fellow nods, agreeing as if he actually understood what was going on in his master’s mind. But in reality, he only said those words to please the man.

“It won’t be long before the curse activates, and before that happens, we shall cause a ruckus and blame it on those three. We will hide in the guise of pursuing them, all the while escaping.”

Dallor clenched his fist in victory.

He can already taste his ascension from his meager position once he completes his mission.

“But how will you do that, boss?”

The hooded person asks.

Curious about how the strangers would come into play with all of this.

Also, he can’t think of a way for them to actually end up facing those people, since his master lacks the manpower to do so. Thus, they shall still need the duke’s men if they were to include those three.

“We give them a reason to cause problems.”

Dallor already had something in his mind, watching as the group now move around the refugee camp.

“But will that be wise?”

It was true they were newcomers, but from what he’s seen, he was sure they were no ordinary individuals.

“If they are from the settlement, I doubt they’d be anyone special.”

Dallor scoffs.

From how they wandered in the forest, and the way they cower against the royal knights, he was certain the three were nothing more but weak and simple citizens.

Thus, they were perfect for what he had in store for the duke and the unsuspecting refugees. As the night became darker, the adviser’s loud cackle echoed through the halls of that tower.

Beneath it, the populace remained unaware of what was about to become of them.