Hopstead was a small, reclusive town located in a certain corner of the Empire. With a population of a mere hundred thousand, it had only gained some fame after the Minister had decided to make it his abode. The entirety of his subordinates had also followed him to the town, choosing to settle down with their commander. That was the level of loyalty the Minister commanded and one of the reasons why the King placed his trust in him.

At the outskirts of Hopstead, its only teleportation circle began to shine brightly and revealed a pair of delicate figures. Liliana and Amy marched out of the array, confident and indifferent.

“More? What’s going on?” A guard discontentedly muttered. It was late night. It was supposed to be an easy shift, but now the soldiers had to look their part and couldn’t afford to doze off. Guests at this time of day weren’t a norm.

Heart pounding, Liliana nervously glanced at all the security. The sheer number of guards drenched her back with cold sweat. She gulped, instinctively looking towards Amy who was calmly presenting her badge to the guards. The young Duchess immediately introduced Liliana as her maidservant and voiced her desire to meet the Minister.

Every fibre of Amy’s being was raging. The attempted kidnapping, her first meeting with Max, her conjecture about the people who had impersonated the Duke’s forces, Amy now knew everything right down to the finest of details.

But this was the Minister, a man whose influence didn’t lose out to that of the high nobles. Rashness was the one thing they couldn’t afford when dealing with such a man.

Realizing that something felt off about the guard facing Amy, a vice-captain stationed nearby leisurely stepped forward to deal with her. “Who are you?” He asked without as much as a look. “What is your purpose for visiting Hopstead?”

“Like I said before, I’m here to see Albert Cross.” Amy answered with a frown.

“The Minister?” The vice-captain gaped. “This late at night? Nonsense! Who do you think you are?”

“Oh? Do you speak for the Minister?”

The vice-captain observed the duo with furrowed brows. Suspecting their identities, he quickly snatched the paper from his subordinate, his lips arching into a wry smile soon after reading its contents.

“Miss Walker really likes to joke. I was simply following orders.” The vice-captain nervously laughed and said, “For you to have personally come here, I’m sure it must be something important.”

“It is.” Amy nodded. “I’ve come at the behest of my father.”

“The Duke!” He exclaimed and speedily gestured. “Of course. Right this way.”

“With such good weather, it would be a waste not to enjoy the fresh air.” Moments before the carriage was readied, Amy voiced her desire for a stroll up to the Minister’s manor. “We’ll walk.”

The vice-captain was accustomed to a noble’s wilfulness, but this request seemed strange even by normal standards. At a loss for words, he turned to Liliana, hoping that the young maidservant could convince this blue-blood. The lack of a response, however, left him sighing as he acquiesced and assigned a random guard to be their guide.

***

Beyond happy that his sob story had worked, Max continued to keep up his act as he followed his escort, heading for town to meet with his ‘uncle’ James, glad that he had at least managed to get their names before falling out with the sibling knights.

Immediately after they had exited the premises, Max had noticed the figures of two girls he knew all too well. Their appearance had left him silently raging though he had continued to follow the guard without breaking character.

Preoccupied, he had already reached the halfway point on his winding path towards civilization. With no more security personnel in sight, Max decided to act. Exploding forth with all of his strength, he instantly turned and mercilessly took a swing.

An ordinary Premier Knight, his victim had no chance. Alarmed and afraid, the man’s instinctive reaction was to reach into his pockets and activate a tiny talisman before his consciousness faded.

“Sorry man.” Max sighed. “It’s not personal.” Stretching his hands, he readied himself to lift the guard’s unconscious body, but heard the sound of paper crumpling under his feet the moment he stepped forward. There it was. That painfully familiar red glow, the one he had encountered on his first night in Asterisk. “Shit!” Max cursed, focusing every fibre of his being to use the winds to cast the exploding talisman away.

The pillar of fire was a force to be reckoned with, but so was its antithesis, the vacuum redirecting it to the ground. Twisting and turning, the flames were gradually suppressed, the sounds of the detonation instantly reduced to that of a popping balloon.

Max heaved a sigh of relief, wiping the cold sweat off of his brow. Panting, he stared at the charred piece of the road and appeared disgruntled. “What’s with these idiots and their explosives?!” Clicking his tongue, he picked up the annoyingly dutiful soldier and dumped him behind the bushes.

It was time to deal with the dynamic duo. With no room to relax, he speedily cut through the forest, avoiding the teleportation matrix and taking the shortest route to the Minister’s mansion.

It wasn’t long before he caught up to his targets. Cautiously edging closer, Max was relieved to find only a single guard in sight. Prepared to ambush their escort, Max bided his time, waiting for the opportune moment, but the girls seemed to have similar thoughts. Wands ready, they immediately attacked the man with a series of small scale fire spells.

Shocked, the guard almost failed to react in time. “Miss Walker, what’s the meaning of – Who?!” The question ended prematurely as the guard was spooked by the sound of rustling bushes. Dodging the spells, he instinctively pirouetted and slashed forth with his sabre.

In the air even before the guard lashed out, Max felt the sabre whiz past his feet and unleashed a kick that nearly shattered the man’s jaw. The guard stumbled backwards, disoriented by the strength of the attack and out cold seconds later.

“Follow me.” Max said without as much as a glance.

Amy grimaced as she watched Liliana stomp her way into the forest. One look and she knew that Max was furious, but for some reason, suddenly so was Liliana. “Don’t ask me to pick a side… Don’t ask me to pick a side…” was what she continuously mumbled as she followed them, bracing herself for an impending argument.

The guard’s body hidden away, Max made no effort to hide his annoyance. He yelled, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Me?! You’re the one who came to pick a fight with the Minister!” Liliana retorted, unwilling to take the passive stance. Already upset with Max’s reckless decision, his outburst only served to fuel her own agitation. “Are you out of your mind?” She yelled back.

“I had everything under control, until you two decided to show up.” Max answered through clenched teeth. “How could you be so stupid? Don’t you remember? You’re the one he wants!”

“You’re one to talk! Don’t you remember who foiled his plans?! The Minister might have wanted to kidnap me, but he definitely wants to kill you. Don’t you get it? You’ll be dead the moment you’re caught.”

“I would already be dead if not for the Duchess!”

“Wait… What?” Stunned by the statement, Liliana stood gaping. Amy appeared equally shocked by her mother’s sudden involvement and couldn’t help but look askance at Max.

“Crap!” Realizing that he had said something unnecessary, Max silently cursed. With no way to remedy the situation, he uncomfortably avoided their gaze while looking for the right words.

“What do you mean by that?” Liliana and Amy simultaneously probed even though they had already begun to piece things together.

Sighing, Max slowly began to elaborate, truthfully exposing the events of that day. He eventually went on to reveal the Minister’s connection with the Phantom before exasperatedly saying, “Look… I don’t know why, but he is getting impatient. If he’s willing to risk angering a Duke just to kill me, then there is no telling what he’ll pull to get to Liliana. That’s why I decided to put an end to this once and for all. I’m here to find dirt on the man, not to pick a fight.”

“I understand.” Liliana eventually muttered. Her anger abated, she felt touched. Struggling to come to a decision, she looked at Amy for advice, but ultimately decided to go with her gut and said, “If you plan to take down the Minister, you’re going to need all the help you can get. So, I’m staying here with you!”

“Me too!” Amy piped up, knowing that any words against this decision would be a lost cause. “With the three of us, we can cover more ground and get out faster.”

“Absolutely not!” Max scowled, feeling like the last fifteen minutes of his life had been wasted. Was there a point in telling them anything?! I might as well have been talking to a wall!

“You have no right to refuse.” Liliana reproachfully glared. “I’m as much a part of this as you are.”

“Now, listen -”

“And get this through your head! I’m not some damsel in distress that needs protecting. I’m the mage and you’re the familiar. I can take care of myself.”

“Ugh!” Exasperated, Max let out another depressed sigh. “Fine!” He said, looking glum. It was a little too late to turn back. Liliana’s decision to follow him into the lion’s den had put her in the cross hairs anyway. “But we do this my way. If you can’t agree to that, we might as well call this off and head back.”

Amy and Liliana exchanged glances. “Okay.” They instantly agreed.

“And a word to the wise – try to keep your spells to a minimum. Remember we’re trying to sneak in here. Flashy conjurations aren’t going to do us any good. If we have to knock someone out, you leave it to me. Got it?”

“Okay, okay! Don’t draw any unnecessary attention.” Liliana replied, annoyed. “We get it already. Do you think I’m stupid?”

“Do you really want an honest answer to that question?

“You little –”

“Alright! Eyes on the ball, guys!” Amy interjected. “But before we set off, Max, I just have one question for you.”

“What is it?”

“Why didn’t you out the Minister to my father? If you had at least told him about his involvement with the Dark Necromancer, I’m sure you would have gotten my father’s attention.”

“Are you seriously asking me that? What was I supposed to say?” Max bitterly laughed, surprised that Amy would ask such a question. “That a man with a stellar track record suddenly decided to work with a Necromancer, that he tried to assassinate a random kid he’s never really met? Ask Liliana why she never told you until now. Who would believe something as ridiculous as that?”

“But -”

“Amy.” Liliana interposed, “Think about it from your father’s perspective. If you didn’t know us, would you really believe everything I’ve told you tonight? Would you be able to wrap your head around the fact that the Minister sent goons to kidnap a girl from some backwater village?”

“I -” Amy thought for a moment and dejectedly answered, “I probably wouldn’t.”