She leaned forward and handed him the ledger.

  Ray accepted the ledger. It was heavy, smelling of old leather and expensive ink.

  He opened it.

  Ray immediately activated the Eccentric Scholar’s ‘High-Speed Reading and Memorization skill.’ His eyes changed focus. The world blurred around the edges, narrowing down to the page in front of him.

  Flip.

  He stared at the first page for just a couple of seconds.

  Income: 400,000 Gold Crowns. Source: Unit 7 (Project Silencer).

  Flip.

  Expense: 50,000 Gold Crowns. Recipient: Viscount Morales (Port Authority).

  Flip.

  Ray’s hand was flipping the page quite fast.

  To Kaelen, it looked like he was disrespecting her father’s legacy, carelessly skimming through the pages as if looking for pictures.

  Flip-flip-flip.

  Ray wasn't reading. He was scanning. The Eccentric Scholar was burning every number, every name, every date onto the hard drive of his memory.

  Year 998: Shipping Manifest AA-23. Cargo: 'Raw Textile'. Weight: 5 Tons. Destination: The Citadel. Year 999: Bribe Log. Client: High Ranking Officer of the Department of Magical Regulation. Code Name: Mr. Smiley.

  In just a couple of minutes, Ray had scanned more than ten years of treason.

  He closed the book with a soft thud and handed it back to her.

  Kaelen stared at him, bewildered.

  You didn't find anything? You just... skimmed it.

  she asked via the link, a hint of disappointment in her mental tone.

  I didn't skim it, Kaelen, I archived it. I am currently cross-referencing the shipping manifests from Year 998 with the tax exemptions granted by the Ministry of Trade in Year 999.

  Ray replied, his eyes regaining their normal focus

  Kaelen’s mouth opened slightly in shock. She looked at the thick book, then back at Ray.

  All of it?

  Every character and number. Give me a moment.

  Ray confirmed.

  Ray leaned his head back, closing his eyes again. He retreated into his mind palace.

  The data from the ledger floated in the air like glowing holographic screens. The Council of Archetypes convened.

  Detective: “Look at the buyers, these aren't just merchants. 'Unit 7'. 'Project Silencer'. These are military code names. And look here, shipments of Null-Alloy going to a location called 'The Citadel' under the guise of 'Statue Materials'.”

  The Gritty Detective muttered, pinning a string between two nodes.

  Courtier: “The Citadel? As in the Northern Citadel? And look at the bribe list. From Viscount Morales to Baroness Vane. Their operation spreads from the Northern Citadel to the Southern Ports. They didn't just bribe guards to look the other way; they bought the logistical spine of the Kingdom.”

  The Scheming Courtier noted, his hand covering his mouth trembled slightly.

  The Northern Citadel.

  Ray repeated internally.

  A memory surfaced, unbidden and sharp. Years ago, a few days after he woke up from surviving the poison attack of Malachi, a high level agent sent by the Hand. He remembered his father Alistair telling him that he had sent his brother Corbin to the Citadel of the Northern Shield to be trained as a warrior and hopefully he could also make a name for himself and bring honor to House Croft.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Ray felt a cold spike of dread pierce through his meditation.

  Corbin. He should still be there.

  Ray thought as he slowly started getting concerned.

  My brother, the heir of House Croft. He isn’t just in a training camp. He could be sitting on top of the largest stockpile of illegal strategic weapons in the Kingdom. And he was serving directly under a man on the Argent Hand’s payroll.

  Ray thought, a dark chill settling in his gut.

  Veteran: “Focus! They are bypassing the Royal Army checkpoints. They are moving resources directly into the capital. This isn't smuggling for profit. This is a supply line.”

  The Grizzled Veteran growled, pulling Ray’s attention back to the map, though he noted the spike in Ray’s heart rate.

  Detective: “And here, Assets in Solhaven Academy. Payments made to 'The Groundskeeper', 'The Assistant Librarian', and... 'Student ID 4402.’”

  The Gritty Detective pointed to a recent entry.

  Ray’s mind raced. The Argent Hand wasn't just a criminal syndicate. It was a tumor growing on the vital organs of Eldoria. They were arming a faction within the Kingdom, supplying the Northern Citadel, subverting the Port Authority, and planting spies inside the Academy.

  Titus Thorne hadn't just been mining and selling rocks. He had been in the middle of a brewing storm, a coup, a future civil war!

  Ray thought as he opened his eyes. The weight of the truth pressed down on the carriage.

  "Rina. Captain. Wake up."

  Ray said, his voice cutting through the silence.

  Rina jolted awake, hand going to her dagger. Svane snorted, blinking rapidly.

  "Are we under attack?"

  Svane rumbled.

  "No, but the Kingdom is."

  Ray said grimly.

  He pointed to the ledger in Kaelen’s lap.

  "Titus wasn't just a corrupt merchant. He was a facilitator that financed a shadow army."

  Ray leaned forward, his expression serious.

  "I’ve analyzed the data. The Argent Hand has bribed and supplied null alloy to the Northern Citadel.”

  "The Northern Citadel?"

  Svane’s voice shook with a mix of fury and disbelief.

  "That is the Shield of the Kingdom. If Viscount Morales has turned... if the Hand controls the northern border... then the Kingdom is already under siege, and we didn't even know the war had started."

  Svane was red with anger. His hand gripping his sword tightly.

  “They have also compromised thirty percent of the Southern Port Authority. They have also been shipping null alloy in large amounts directly into the capital for the last five years."

  "To whom?"

  Svane asked, fully awake now.

  "To a faction within the Kingdom, specifically, a project code-named 'Silencer'. And they also have a list of paid assets inside Solhaven Academy. Spies. Staff and students. So if we go back… The Argent Hand has eyes in the Academy so we need to be careful. But now, we know who they are."

  Ray revealed, he looked determined.

  The silence returned, heavier than before. Kaelen looked down at the book, horror dawning on her face. Her luxury, her dresses, her education, it had all been bought with the coin of treason.

  The carriage began to slow. The first light of dawn was bleeding into the sky, painting the clouds grey.

  Ray looked at Kaelen.

  "That ledger is a weapon, Kaelen. But it is also a target. If you open it in public, or give it to the wrong person, it will destroy the Argent Hand's anonymity. But the shrapnel will kill anyone standing too close."

  Ray said softly.

  Kaelen looked up, her eyes wet.

  "My father said to give it to someone who could use it. To someone who could protect me."

  "Who? Arcane Council? The Royal Government?"

  Svane asked.

  "We have to be careful and select properly. We do not know who else is compromised, we saw the details. This is just information that Titus Thorne has gathered, I bet the rot goes deeper than this."

  Ray said, shaking his head.

  "Then who? Is there anyone left?"

  Ray thought about the High Inquisitor Landa. He thought about the Null-Plate Armor Rogal wore, the same metal as Landa’s vanguard.

  Not Landa, I don't know where he got his null alloy to equip his vanguards, but the connection is too strong. If he is part of this faction, he will bury us in a hole so deep not even the ghosts will find us. We can’t take that chance.

  Ray concluded instantly as he looked at Kaelen.

  "There is one place I know that the Hand hasn't fully breached. One person with enough power, connection, and influence to stand against them. And more importantly, enough independence to protect you."

  Ray leaned in.

  "The Headmaster of Solhaven Academy."

  Kaelen blinked.

  "The Headmaster? But... isn't she under the Arcane Council?"

  "She is."

  Ray admitted.

  "But the Argent Hand made a mistake. We saw the ledger, they have planted spies in her beloved academy. They have compromised her staff and her students."

  Ray’s expression turned cold, calculating.

  "The Headmaster is a politician, yes. She has her own agenda. But she is a Headmaster first. To a woman like her, having rats in her academy isn't just a threat; it's a personal insult."

  Ray leaned back.

  "She won't protect you out of charity, Kaelen. She will protect you because you are bringing her the names of the traitors in her own house. Her interests align with ours. She wants her domain clean, and she wants leverage over the Arcane Council. We give her the weapon, and she gives us asylum. It is a transaction she will understand."

  Kaelen looked at the ledger. She ran her hand over the cover, feeling the ghost of her father’s ambition.

  She thought about her father’s last words. He had failed because he thought he was a partner, when he was just an employee. Ray wasn't asking her to trust the Headmaster's heart. He was asking her to trust the Headmaster's ambition.

  A transaction.

  A flicker of steel appeared in Kaelen’s tear-filled eyes. It was the look of a merchant’s daughter who finally understood the price of survival.

  "Okay. Let's go back to the Academy."

  She declared, looking at Ray, her expression hardening.

  "But Ray, once I give her this... I have nothing left to trade. You have to promise me one thing."

  She added, her voice dropping to a whisper.

  "Name it,"

  Ray responded.

  "Don't let me be a pawn. Teach me how to be a player."

  Kaelen said fiercely

  Ray smiled, a faint, dangerous expression.

  "Deal."