Chapter XIII: The House Of Shadows...

After talking about Camillia's past, and a few of the problems the dwarves are currently facing, Donovan changed the topic by saying, "So what did you find out from this All-seer fellow?"

"What did I learn?" She repeated only to get a nod and 'yeah' from him. "Well, I had learned a lot of things, but I feel like some of the stuff he told me was false."

"Like what?" Donovan asked with curiosity in his voice.

"Well, one of the things he had told me was that a carriage used for transporting prisoners was spotted leaving the palace the night of the murder, but I don't know if that's true or not," Camillia answered in a serious tone. "I'd have to ask around to confirm this, but if it is true, then do you think it was possible the ones behind the assassination used it to transport the assassin out of the palace?"

"I mean, it's possible, but couldn't they have just been taking prisoners out of the palace?" Donovan said in response with a small frown.

"Yes, but prisoners that are taken out of the palace are usually taken in the middle of the day. It's rare for people to be taken very early in the morning." Camillia answered with a troubled expression.

"I see." Donovan said after a few seconds before beginning to ponder what this meant. It could have, and most likely was nothing, but he couldn't help from wondering if this was something else entirely.

"What if," he started as he gathered his thoughts. "what if this is related to Ashura's disappearance?"

The person whom Donovan was referring to was none other than Lady Nyx's attendant that went missing the night of the murder. Ashura wasn't a pureblood, she was a fox demon, or in other words a type of beastkin, which was something that resembled that of a human, but had animal characteristics.

"It's possible, but are you trying to say that Lady Nyx's servant had nothing to do with the murder?" Camillia inquired with a small tilt of her head.

"Yeah." He affirmed after a few seconds of thinking. "Well, I'm not saying she might not have something to do with the murder, but I do believe she is innocent. She didn't give me a killer vibe at all."

"I haven't met this woman, so I cannot really say anything on this matter, but if you truly think she's innocent then I'll believe you." Camillia firmly stated. "However, what makes you think the prison wagon has something to do with her servant and nothing to do with the assassin?"

"I don't know, but what makes you think the person was a hired assassin?" Came his response in a stern manner. "The one who could have murdered the ambassadors could have been an assassin that works for the empire, right?"

"Because our prime suspect is my father's most trusted advisor." Camillia rebutted in a curt tone. "I don't know if this is true, but apparently my father's advisor was spotted meeting some of the high ranking House of Shadows members, which is a criminal organization my father has been trying to root out from his Empire for quite some time."

"I see, so when did they meet?" Donovan asked with curiosity in his voice.

"Not when. How many times have they met, and that answer is too many times." Camillia declared with a bitter smile that Donovan could not see. "Apparently, my father's most trusted advisor has been colluding with the House of Shadows for a while now. I don't know how long, but that is what the All-seer has told me."

Donovan said nothing at first, and just simply pondered this information. He hadn't met the Emperor's advisor, so he couldn't really say anything about the dwarf, and even with what he did see, it still wasn't much.

It annoyed him a little how he couldn't figure out who is possibly behind this, but he knew deep down that none of it couldn't be helped, for there was just too many possibilities. However, he was certain that the demon folk were innocent, or at the very least, the demon folk who were traveling with Lady Nyx.

Letting loose a sigh, Donovan said with frustration in his voice. "So, what are we going to do? If your father's most trusted advisor is meeting in secret with this House of Shadows, then how are we going to proceed?"

"That's easy; we're just going to pay the House of Shadows a visit." Camillia answered as if that was the obvious solution.

Donovan didn't say anything, and simply raised an intrigued eyebrow, which in return earned himself a small smile from Camillia, but of course, he didn't see this.

Angel couldn't help from gritting his teeth as he sat alone in the room he was sharing.

He had requested an audience with the Emperor not that long ago, but had been rejected by the guards, who had told him the Emperor was busy and to piss off.

What made this infuriating was because he could have easily killed the two guards, and he didn't even need to unsheathe his sword to do so, but he nonetheless complied and walked away from them.

His roommates weren't here when he returned, which was strange to him, but then he remembered them saying not long before he left that they were going to visit the palace's library.

"Why does it feel like I'm being treated like shit?" Angel asked himself with a scowl as he sat there with his hands on his head. "I'm the Hero, aren't I? I'm the one that's going to save everyone from the Demon King and their army, right?"

He had to ask himself these questions because he couldn't help from feeling like the Black Knight was being treated better than him here. Of course, he didn't know the Black Knight's situation, but for some reason, he believed that the Emperor was treating Lord Fane more like the hero and him as the villain.

"If that is the case, then why are the dwarves treating the enemy as if they're relatives they haven't seen in a long time?" Angel then asked himself with anger in his voice as he recalled how the Emperor treated that demon girl named Nyx.

"That is a good question." Came a voice causing Angel to jump and look around and see a short hooded man appear out of thin air.

Without wasting a second, Angel grabbed his sword and unsheathed it while saying in a commanding tone. "Who are you?"

The dwarf in response raised his hands, and said in a friendly tone. "An ally."

Angel wasn't convinced, and said in a more curt voice. "Who are you?"

"Someone who wants change, and thinks that the Emperor has grown weak." The dwarf answered in a firm tone. "Now, can you lower your blade? I come with a warning and advice."

At first, Angel didn't lower his blade, but after thinking about it for a while, he did and said, "Alright, what is it that you want to tell me?"

The dwarf smiled at this before opening his mouth and speaking.