46 Aid

"You shouldn't casually open notes intended for me."

Elya's face burned in shame at Nikolai's reprimand, but gritting her teeth she met his gaze, trying not to appear too embarrassed.

"While in this case I don't have any issue in you learning what this note contained, my concern lies with your safety, actually." He explained calmly, stern and uncompromising. "Some of what I receive is protected with various magics which could harm you."

"I'll be careful in the future."

"I don't want to imply we should share everything. Everyone has secrets after all." His eyes flashed with a terrifying depth as if they were able to see through the world. Elya's breath caught at the gaze she could only describe as ancient. "So I would expect you to extend the same courtesy to me."

"I understand, but right now this is critical."

Nikolai read the note again, brows furrowing in concentration. He'd calmly accepted her invasion of his privacy at first, writing it off as a wife's prerogative. But when he discovered she'd just torn the seal with her bare hands, he'd lectured her for a long time.

"You didn't know about this?" Elya asked, gazing at her fiancée's flat expression.

"The content or delivery?"

"Both." She frowned. "Either. I just want to know."

"The Shades made me suspicious of course. There are few competent practitioners of Dark Magic outside of VIlina although I thought the 2nd Corps was wiped out." He sighed and leaned back in his chair, weariness apparent on his face. "Raising a Shade is not an easy task. Despite how easily we defeated them, they are horrifying beings. They were responsible for hundreds of assassinations during the war. The western Legions were almost crippled by the loss of so many officers. Whether they were poorly controlled or just incompetently handled, we faced them under sunlight where they can barely use any of their powers."

Elya shivered at the explanation. She'd heard of the crippling losses at the beginning of the war, although the reasons behind it had been suppressed by the Ministry of War.

"And the note itself?"

"I'm surprised any of Zivon's agents would willingly expose themselves, even in an urgent situation." Nikolai took a sip of tea, sighing in pleasure at its warmth.

"You knew they were here?"

"Not exactly. I'd actually sent a letter a few months ago, asking for more agents to be sent here. I normally receive their intelligence through Seven. He collects them from pre-established drop locations every night."

Seven stepped out of the shadows and gave a short bow, signing curtly.

"Even Seven has no idea who the agents are. He goes out of his way to maintain his distance." Nikolai translated.

If he asked months ago when the marriage hadn't even been proposed, it meant there were other reasons the Ministry of the Interior needed to keep track of activities in Konstanz. Coupled with what she knew, Elya could only come to an absurd conclusion, one based on rumours and so baffling she couldn't help but ask incredulously. "Is the Son of Heaven planning to start another war with Vilina?"

Nikolai's gaze flickered to the Hand, and he seemed to be in deep thought, considering his words carefully.

"The Emperor wants to keep his options open. While no one expected Nostrum to gain power so easily and start a war, the Senroan intervention stopped the Empire from invading too far into Vilina." He explained carefully.

"It's why we stopped after Sieradz. I was there as well Nikolai." She reminded him.

"Bear with me for a moment." He reached into his desk and pulled out a heavily annotated map. "If we'd managed to take Grodno, we'd have secured not only their salt manufactories but the fortress overseeing this valley could allow our forces to strike deep into the territory of the Theocracy."

"We're not ready for another war." Elya whispered.

"The Emperor's not a fool, but if the opportunity presents itself, he wants to be ready to move."

"That's why you're here. To lead an attack into the west." She breathed. It explained why someone so highly decorated was given land along the border rather than from the Emperor's own reserve. House Suzdal's elders had considered the possibility but marked it as highly improbable as Imperial focus shifted to handle the internal conflicts of the Princes and Nobility.

"Also as a deterrent against Vilinian magical trickery. Although, based on the reports and incidents, it may not be working as smoothly as we'd hoped. Most concerning is the fact that it could all be caused by the 2nd Magical Corps." He sighed, rolling up the map and rubbing his temples.

"What's the problem if it's the 2nd Corps behind it all rather than some other group?"

"They were Nostrum's most ardent supporters. Basically zealots."

Nostrum's coup had been supported by almost the entire VIlinian Magical Corps in their bid for freedom to practice Dark Magic. At least, that's what they claimed. There hadn't been much time for most of the soldiers on the front lines to worry about their enemies internal politics, facing magical horrors pouring in from every corner of Vilina.

"Why would they be responsible for drug trafficking though? I was under the impression even Vilinian mages focussed on the development of their skills rather than mundane matters."

"Even if you disregard their supposed desire for revenge, there's no such thing as a mage that doesn't crave money." Nikolai chuckled at her misunderstanding. "Actually most mages are so desperate for funds for their experiments and spells, you can find them in charge of all sorts of enterprises, squeezing every single drop of gold they can get their hands on."

"You don't seem to care all that much." Elya remarked, scrutinising her fiancée. She'd never seen the man skimpy or cheap out, willingly distributing his wealth for whatever purpose it was required as long as it benefited the town.

"If I didn't have access to the Emperors funds, you'd see a completely different person."

Elya poured herself a cup of tea and sat on the edge of Nikolai's table, looking down at his pensive expression.

"What will you do then?"

"What can I do? They've been hiding for so long it would be impossible to root them out, and that doesn't even consider how little we know about their numbers. How many are from the 2nd Corps? How many survived Galicia? Are they actually part of the Vilinian Magical Corps, or just some people taking the name for their own purposes?"

"If there's so much doubt, postpone your actions for a few more days to gather more information."

"With magic on their side, even a barely trained practicioner could hide themselves for a few days let alone someone capable enough to join an army's magical divisions." Nikolai swirled his cup, staring at the rapidly cooling tea. "Petrov's calculated that if we don't make a move before another three days pass, the traders alternate routes will be set up and we'd have to start again from the beginning."

"We should do something." Elya grumbled, behaving spoiled in front of Nikolai. At first she'd been worried to act like anything other than a Knight Captain, but he responded positively to her silliness and therefore she spent most of her time in front of him letting loose.

"I'll send a letter to the Emperor for assistance." Nikolai declared. "It may take time for reinforcements to arrive but I don't want to postpone our actions against the established routes of Stardust trade."

True to his word, Nikolai penned a quick missive and dispatched Seven, ordering the Hand to move swiftly. Seven accepted and left through a window, jumping out and melting into the night sky, tossing her an apologetic look before he left.

"Why did he look at me like that?" Elya asked and Nikolai sputtered a little. His gaze drifted to her tight blouse, and they both blushed at the same time.

"It's not important." He coughed into his hand and dismissed the question, choosing to bring Elya up to date on Petrov's actions of the previous days.