The royal ceremony had concluded several days ago. One by one, the visiting nobles, merchants, and foreign envoys departed from the capital. The city slowly returned to its usual rhythm, and with the celebrations over, Lucian once again sought permission to leave for the Border.
The war against the Demons weighed heavily on his mind. Every passing day felt like a wasted opportunity. While soldiers fought and died at the frontier, he remained trapped in the capital, occupied with tasks that seemed insignificant compared to the looming threat.
Yet fate had other plans.
One morning, an urgent message arrived from the northern territories. An informant had secretly delivered a letter to the palace. The contents of the letter suggested a hidden alliance between the Group of the Dark and the Third Merchant Association of Igdur.
The discovery was alarming.
However, the letter alone was not enough to justify an official investigation. It lacked the evidence necessary to accuse one of the kingdom's most influential merchant organizations. A covert operation would be required to uncover the truth.
When Lucian received his appointment order, his face darkened.
"A covert mission?" he muttered. "Why me? I'm a knight, not a spy."
His eyes narrowed as he read the document.
"What about the Shadow Guards? Isn't this exactly the sort of thing they're trained for?"
The more he thought about it, the more irritated he became.
Without wasting another moment, he marched directly toward Irwin's office.
The door swung open.
To his surprise, Irwin was not alone.
Seated across from her was a young woman dressed in noble attire. Lucian immediately recognized her.
Clara Sven.
The two seemed to be discussing something important. The moment Lucian entered, both women turned toward him.
Clara offered a polite smile.
"It seems you've arrived at a bad time."
She stood from her chair and bowed slightly toward Irwin.
"I'll take my leave for now."
After Clara exited the room, silence settled over the office.
Irwin slowly lifted her gaze toward Lucian.
Her expression immediately sharpened.
"What are you doing here?"
Without a word, Lucian walked forward and placed the letter of appointment on her desk.
The sound echoed throughout the room.
Irwin glanced down at it.
"So that's why."
"What exactly are you thinking?" Lucian demanded. "You know I want to go to the Border. Yet every time I prepare to leave, another assignment appears."
Irwin folded her hands.
"This mission is important."
"The Border is important."
"The kingdom won't survive long enough to protect the Border if the Dark corrupts it from within."
Lucian clenched his fists.
"This isn't my specialty."
"Then learn."
The conversation quickly became an argument.
Lucian insisted that others were better suited for covert operations.
Irwin countered that few people could handle the danger if the Dark became involved.
Lucian reminded her of the promise she had made.
She remained unmoved.
Eventually, he spoke the words that had been weighing on him.
"You promised you'd let me go."
For the first time, Irwin hesitated.
Then she sighed.
"This will be the last one."
Lucian stared at her.
"You said that before."
"And I'm saying it again."
The argument continued for nearly an hour.
In the end, Irwin won.
As usual.
Defeated but resigned, Lucian accepted the mission.
"I'll finish this," he said. "Then I'm going to the Border."
Irwin simply nodded.
After he left the room, she leaned back in her chair and released a long breath.
"He's not ready yet."
The words were barely above a whisper.
No one remained to hear them.
Several days later, Lucian arrived at the Canyon of Igdur.
The great dwarven city stood carved into towering cliffs of stone. Massive bridges connected sections of the settlement, while countless workshops and markets filled the canyon with life.
Merchants from every corner of the continent gathered there.
Gold flowed through Igdur like water.
Hidden beneath a dark cloak, Lucian entered the city unnoticed.
The Dwarven King had agreed to assist the investigation and had quietly provided support.
Following the instructions he had received, Lucian traveled to a predetermined rendezvous point.
There, he found Falk and Kali waiting.
Beside them stood the informant.
The man appeared ordinary at first glance, yet he had spent years embedded within the Third Merchant Association on behalf of the palace.
Suspicion had surrounded the organization for a long time.
Unfortunately, suspicion was not evidence.
The informant began sharing everything he knew.
"Every third day of the month," he explained, "at exactly nine in the evening, the Merchant Leader leaves his mansion and visits an old bar near the outskirts of the city."
"And?"
"He remains there for two hours before returning."
Kali crossed her arms.
"So we grab someone who's been drinking there long enough to know what's happening."
The informant shook his head.
"It isn't that simple."
He leaned forward.
"The bar only accepts patrons who have been members for at least three years."
"Then that's our entrance."
"No."
The informant's expression turned grim.
"Because the bar itself isn't the problem."
Everyone fell silent.
"There is a hidden level somewhere inside."
Lucian narrowed his eyes.
"A secret room?"
"More than that."
The informant lowered his voice.
"No ordinary patron has ever found it. Even longtime members know nothing about it."
"And you believe the Dark uses it?"
"I'm certain."
The room grew quiet.
"If meetings occur anywhere," the informant continued, "they occur there."
The following days were spent observing the location.
Lucian monitored every entrance and every window.
He studied deliveries.
Employees.
Customers.
Schedules.
Patterns.
Anything.
Yet nothing unusual appeared.
The Merchant Leader was the only individual consistently entering the supposedly secret section.
No one else seemed to use it.
Which made no sense.
If the Dark truly met there, others had to be accessing it somehow.
But from where?
No hidden tunnels were discovered.
No suspicious movements were found.
Even the Shadow Guards had previously attempted infiltration.
They found nothing.
Every path seemed sealed.
The mystery slowly exhausted him.
For the first time in years, Lucian felt completely stuck.
One evening, frustrated by the lack of progress, he left his observation post and wandered through the market district.
The streets overflowed with life.
Merchants shouted prices.
Children chased each other between stalls.
Musicians filled the air with cheerful melodies.
Lucian eventually stopped before a pet shop.
Curious, he stepped inside.
Birds chirped from cages.
Small creatures scurried through enclosures.
Then something caught his attention.
A tiny gray cat sat alone near the corner.
The kitten looked up at him.
Its bright eyes instantly reminded him of William.
A faint smile appeared on Lucian's face.
Without much thought, he purchased the kitten.
"William will like you," he said quietly.
The cat responded with a tiny meow.
Later that evening, Lucian returned to his observation point overlooking the old bar.
The kitten rested beside him.
The city lights flickered below.
Everything appeared normal.
Too normal.
Then—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion shattered the night.
Flames erupted from the bar.
Wood and stone flew into the air.
People screamed.
Lucian instantly leaped to his feet.
The kitten clung desperately to his cloak as he rushed toward the burning building.
By the time he arrived, chaos had consumed the area.
Smoke filled the streets.
Several figures were already fleeing into the darkness.
Lucian attempted to pursue them.
Too late.
They vanished before he could identify even a single face.
Then he noticed someone lying near the wreckage.
The Merchant Leader.
The man was covered in blood.
He struggled to breathe.
Lucian rushed to his side.
"Stay with me!"
The merchant reached toward him.
His trembling hand held a scroll.
Blood stained the parchment.
Lucian took it.
The merchant opened his mouth as though trying to speak.
No words came.
Moments later, his hand fell lifelessly to the ground.
He was dead.
Falk and Kali arrived shortly afterward.
"What happened?" Falk asked.
Lucian recounted everything he had seen.
Then he handed them the bloodstained scroll.
The three carefully examined its contents.
As they read, their expressions darkened.
The letter had been written by a high-ranking member of the Dark.
It was addressed to one of the attackers.
Its contents were simple.
Take control of the Merchant Association.
Eliminate the Merchant Leader.
For years, the Third Merchant Association had secretly cooperated with the Dark.
Now the Dark no longer needed its partner.
Several years earlier, a young man had joined the organization as a mere assistant.
Through talent, manipulation, and careful planning, he rose through the ranks until he became the Acting Leader.
In truth, he had always been a member of the Dark.
The assassination had been planned carefully.
The Merchant Leader's heir was crippled and unable to assume leadership.
With the old leader dead, the Acting Leader would inherit control.
The transition would appear completely legitimate.
By the time anyone realized the truth, it would be too late.
Lucian folded the letter.
His expression hardened.
One of the kingdom's most powerful merchant organizations had fallen.
Not through war.
Not through conquest.
But through infiltration.
And now, the Group of the Dark possessed an economic weapon powerful enough to influence trade, supplies, and information across the northern territories.
The battle against the Dark had entered a new stage.
And Lucian had just witnessed its opening move.