Going through the rest of the docunts on the shelves, Caleb made a few more discoveries.
Coded letters instructing the Duke to carry out so sort of missions, logistic movents and other docunts Caleb found odd.
’Is it just , or did the Duke really store all this incriminating evidence without destroying them?’
Perhaps the records were important for future references or as proof of fulfilnt. Whatever the case, Caleb wasn’t sure.
’As for the transactions involving money, it’ll have to be compared with his other books to see what’s what.’
The king had more than enough authority to ask the nobles to show the books in certain situations that were unclear.
The finances of the kingdom weren’t just in the hands of the nobles. However, sothing significant had to be the cause of the inspection.
Moving on to the chest, he crunched beside the chest and took a careful look at it. Similar to the hidden chamber itself, the chest had various security alarms and magic detectors.
Caleb switched his vision to the X-ray spectrum, allowing him to see through the box without hindrance.
’Hmm?’
What Caleb saw inside left him slightly wide-eyed in confusion and curiosity. There was only one item inside the chest.
A big vial containing so sort of liquid Caleb couldn’t determine. There were no descriptions on the vial, and without magic, he couldn’t determine what was inside.
There was, however, a swirling of mist inside the vial. Because it was corked, this mist could not escape its containnt.
Curiosity got the best of him as he changed his vision to the arcane once more, reading the complex runes and spells via the system.
’Fuck ...’
Caleb cursed in his head as the results ca back a few minutes later. Unlike the hidden chamber itself, the chest didn’t have a failsafe.
Moreover, it required an offering of blood to unlock. Left with no choice, he decided to take the entire thing.
"My Lord."
A voice from the outside caught Caleb’s attention right after he stored the chest. Turning his focus over, he saw the butler knock and enter the study.
"What is it?" The Duke asked without raising his head.
"I just received word of your special guests’ arrival. They should be here shortly."
At those words, the Duke stopped what he was doing and looked at his butler. "Ah, I see..."
The Duke muttered and quickly got to his feet, approaching the coat stand for his jacket.
"Has Axel been made aware?"
"Yes, My Lord." The butler nodded and stepped aside, quickly falling behind the Duke’s steps. "He personally went to receive them."
"Good."
Their voices beca distant muttering Caleb ignored soon after. And since he was done with the hidden chamber, he could now explore the office itself.
Without hesitation, Caleb left the hidden chamber and phased through the walls, directly appearing inside the office.
Like a ghostly entity, his figure flashed around and appeared behind the main desk, quickly opening the drawers to check the books.
His domain sense did the rest, checking every nook and cranny of the office. He found the financial records and skimd through them to compare what he found.
’Bingo...’
A victorious smile graced his handso features. The books were not balanced as he expected. So funds were moved illegally, and through other channels, finding their way into weapons manufacturing and artefacts.
While the differences weren’t very big, Caleb reasoned it could be due to the number of people involved.
’Little droplets...’ He thought.
The system got to work and made a copy of the records, noting the destinations of the funds. These were other avenues he could investigate once he was done here.
’I’m done here,’ Caleb thought as he put the books back in their place. He was ready to return when his head snapped back in the direction of the campsite.
’This is a first...’ Caleb was shocked at what his senses told him. ’I never thought I’d be seeing people this powerful in these parts.’
The guests were finally here, and their presence left everyone astounded and speechless.
Five individuals, each with their faces covered with their hoods, exuded terrifying auras that caught everyone’s attention.
Dressed in dark outfits that reminded Caleb of the Creed of Assassins, these individuals stood out like a sore thumb.
Maybe it was intentional, maybe it wasn’t. Regardless, they made their presence well-known.
Commander Axel’s darkened and ugly expression revealed his thoughts on the matter. Inviting strong beings like them into the heart of their domain was a reckless move.
Moreover, the Lord himself was on his way over to et them. The commander spotted the Duke on his horse and in the company of his security knights.
"Duke Coldre."
One of the individuals said monts after the Duke arrived. With arms folded over the chest, the person showed no signs of respect.
The surrounding n couldn’t help but listen in on what was about to be said. Many of the adventurers were frozen in shock at such blatant disrespect.
Noticing the tension on the faces of his n and the Commander, the Duke raised his hand to stop them from acting.
"Welco, honoured guest." Duke Coldre said with his head high. "I hope your journey was a pleasant one."
"Are you and your n that gullible?" The hooded figure completely ignored the Duke’s words, making several knights clench their swords in anger.
"I beg your pardon?" Duke raised his hand once again, stopping his knights in their tracks. Even he was getting riled up by the disrespect he was being shown.
But he also knew he was in no position to complain. This was the way of the strong; they could afford to show disrespect and get away with it.
Back in the Duke’s office, Caleb turned his full attention over as he had a bad feeling about what that person said.
There was sothing off about them. His guess was right when the person explained what he ant.
"I hear the target hasn’t been found yet." The person said, and the Duke nodded. "No wonder none of you could catch him."
The person turned to face the commander and asked, "Where is the woman?"
"I’m sorry, what are you talking about?" The Duke asked while Axel pointed in the direction of his office.
The other four individuals unfurled their hands as tension increased around them. From all indications, they were ready to do sothing.
"Haha." The man laughed. "Caleb has been right under your noses this entire ti!"
As soon as those words escaped his lips, his associates disappeared in a powerful burst of speed, heading straight for the Commander’s office.
’Shit!’
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