Shadows of the Darkened Veil

In the glass palace, the steward and the Jarl sat at a dining table, discussing their plan. "Lord," the steward said, "that kid's good. I told Sigrid to take Ravindra to a play, and she even made him perform."

The Jarl laughed, "They probably threw slippers at him…"

"Somehow, he did well. The audience liked it. He went a little off-script but still managed to win hearts."

"His name… it didn't come out, right?"

"No, no one seems to remember him. Though his acting left a mark in their memories."

"Did you find a doctor?"

"Someone good enough to handle that kid. It has to be Doctor Mathew. He might not be an excellent doctor, but he is a good actor."

"How about Doctor Silver? He is good…"

"He might not stay loyal to us. He also avoids conflicts."

"Uh… Then, get him ready. A new order from the King came today. We need to get rid of that viscount. He is getting on the King's nerves."

"Then, we should just take that Viscount out in an accident."

"No… We need a reason. The King wants to take out five more. They all need to die at the same time, and getting the information is also pretty helpful." The Jarl sipped his wine.

"It's a good way to set an example. What's the plan?"

The Jarl laughed and rolled his eyes. "You make the plan. Also, that bloody idiot won't be with us. The King called him for a different purpose." The Jarl's "bloody idiot" was the shadowy voice present yesterday when Ravindra first met the Jarl.

"I was thinking," the steward continued, "the kid becomes the doctor and, with his assistant, goes within Viscount Samul's palace. They will think he is a doctor and show him to Samul's sick daughter. It would take him about a month or two to learn the basics of illusion. After that, he would get all the information out of Viscount Samul. If possible, kill him on the spot, get out with proofs, and submit them directly to the Lord King."

"It's risky… Hmm… Well, no other choice. The information that the traitor has is valuable—it's worth the risk. Give that kid priority. Beware, though: don't let a word out…"

"Sigrid's with him. According to her report this morning, that kid understands the gravity of the situation."

"Good…"

One day later, Sigrid stood next to Steward Sysus at the northern gate of the city. They were walking alongside a caravan setting out from the city.

"I believe he will be fine…" Sysus spoke, drinking his tea.

Sigrid just nodded, seemingly indifferent.

"You have done a great job. Finding a dark magic user so suitable in such a short time—the lord likes your work again…" He continued, but Sigrid walked away.

"Oh, she is so scared," Sysus sighed, watching the caravan disappear from sight.

"Hmm… That's the plan…" Ravindra sat cross-legged on the floor of the caravan, his fingers of the right hand touching the corresponding fingers of his left hand, like a contemplative detective. "Why do you think I need an assistant?"

"Th-This is the guy you found…" said the broker, also sitting cross-legged on the floor with the other three. He was the one who had secured the offer, hired by Viscount Samul to find a good doctor to treat his daughter. The broker had taken money from both parties and provided all the information to the Jarl. "I don't want my head rolling over by yours or that Viscount's blade."

"You believe in Steward Sysus, right?" asked the blonde-haired coordinator, whose job was to organize the mission and provide necessary resources.

The broker clenched his fist. "Okay… But don't mess this up. Do it before anybody realizes and ruins my market reputation."

"How are you supplying the spell books?" asked the last team member—a bodybuilder with blonde hair, a square face, and an uneven skin texture that gave him a villainous look.

"We need to bribe some workers to get the books inside," the broker frowned.

"Can't we just give the books to the 'Doctor'? We'll say he needs them…" suggested the coordinator.

"No. Don't take that Viscount as an easy person. He is very secretive, and his security is more than the Glass Palace. He is not an idiot. His personal garrison would check everything. They are not simple. He is definitely hiding something…" The broker glanced at Ravindra. "You know about his farms, right?"

"Certainly not. Is there something special about his farms?" Ravindra shrugged.

The broker sighed. "Not the farms, but what's below them—almost a dungeon. It's like an underground something. We suspect they might have a huge army there or be training. I'm still confused about how he built something like that. It almost feels impossible."

"What am I supposed to say to that Viscount once I meet him?" Ravindra asked.

"Easy," the coordinator explained. "We will set up a narrative that a young and talented Akarvan has come to treat his daughter. You will be arrogant and an excellent expert. You have to act like you're a genius, with an assistant who will tell you what to say. You just have to act like you know everything. Viscount Samul likes Akarvans; he would treat you with utmost respect."

"Once inside his mansion, you have to keep treating his daughter by using specific spells hidden in your leather armour, which you must wear at all times. It will repeatedly put Rose to sleep. The Viscount loves his daughter and would keep checking on her. Once he takes you to his office on the topmost floor, we suspect he has some documents or letters stored there—our proof. The reason you are specifically chosen is that we want you to know everything Viscount is planning, and only you can do it."

"You have to be careful. That Viscount is not an easy person to fool," the coordinator warned.

"What about the underground?" Ravindra asked, mature enough to understand the potential military implications.

"Don't worry about that. We will take care of them after you go to the king. Remember, this might be the last time we can act so freely."

"Don't get overboard with illusion. Don't poke sensitive matters. Ask simple questions about his plans, allies, why he betrayed us, and gather all possible details about the enemy."

Where is that assistant doctor coming from?" the coordinator leaned forward.

"Uh… He said he would be outside a town, standing there like a common person…" the square-faced man said, "waiting for his 'ride'."

"I am so scared with this plan," the broker shook his head.

"We have worked together many times before. We will succeed this time as well," the coordinator smiled.

They stopped by a town, which was where they would find the doctor. The caravan was owned by the broker, so they didn't have to worry about stopping. All the people inside were the broker's men. Their primary concern was that the townspeople—and especially the viscount—shouldn't get any idea about their plan.

A man in plain clothes, looking like an ordinary citizen in his middle age, approached the caravan and hopped inside. He was the actual doctor, Mathew.

The broker looked grumpy. "I can't believe you are actually planning to help that Jarl with his impossible mission, whose main character is someone who doesn't know a thing about being a doctor."

The assistant doctor, Mathew, smiled and glanced at everyone. His eyes stopped on the broker. "Oh, are you scared? This isn't the first time we are doing something crazy. You just need to calm down."

The broker leaned against the wall and closed his eyes.

"Good to have you… Mathew…" the coordinator smiled.

"Yeah…" said the square-faced man. All three of them nodded.

"Nice to meet you… Mathew… Doctor Mathew," Ravindra smiled, speaking as if they were old acquaintances.

"Nice to meet you too… Prodigy doctor…" Mathew giggled. "Now… umm… What's the plan? Why were we in such a hurry again?"

"Yeah, sit down," the coordinator indicated a place for Mathew. "You know about Viscount Samul's daughter's condition?"

"Yeah… And I'm not sure I can treat that condition," Mathew frowned.

"You don't need to, and even if you might find some cure, don't do it. We need her until that Viscount gives us all the information. This prodigy doctor is the one who treats her. You handle everything, and monitor the girl's condition. She can't die. We also have a spell that could put her to sleep—just use it to fool the Viscount. Do this until the prodigy doctor gets all the information we need. After that, flee. If possible, he would kill the Viscount once he has everything we require."

"Not impossible," Mathew laughed.

"Huh?" the broker interjected. "You still have time, Mathew. Just go away. You are not as invested in this as I am."

"I heard you are earning hard…" Mathew laughed even louder. "Just do your part and then go on a vacation or something if you are so scared."

The broker stayed silent. The actual doctor then briefed Ravindra, the prodigy doctor, on everything he needed to know. Ravindra had to act like a doctor—proud, with a certain level of arrogance, playing the stereotypical role of a prodigy. The viscount wouldn't care as long as they kept telling him his beloved daughter was getting better every day.

After a few hours in the caravan, they reached the area ruled by the Viscount. As Ravindra had heard, there were vast corn and rice fields in one section, with wheat fields in another section relatively far away. Many workers tended the fields. The viscount was one of the best wheat sellers in the market, believing wheat was equivalent to gold, and he earned quite a substantial profit.

Among all the farms stood a huge mansion—at least six floors high, surrounded by iron fencing and a garden spanning almost 1,000 square meters. The mansion looked conventional up to four floors, but beyond that, its design resembled a tower. Guards were everywhere, with their density increasing near the mansion. An iron gate was guarded by three sentries sitting on chairs. The caravan stopped right beside it.

All the members inside got out. Mathew stood next to Ravindra, while the coordinator and the square-faced man remained in the caravan, acting as the broker's men.

The broker's distinct voice rang out, "Come on… You know how important this is…" Then, he whispered, "You don't know anything. How difficult was it to take the doctor with me? Now get the butler here."

"Fine. But next time, tell us in advance," the guards grumbled, clearly unhappy with the unannounced arrival.

A long-faced, tall man nearly sixty years old, impeccably dressed in a black suit, strolled outside and whispered into the broker's ear. His voice carried a note of displeasure: "Lord Viscount would like to have a word with you."

"Yes, I will meet the lord right now," the broker replied. "But before we do that, I would love if you could treat the doctor with utmost care," he laughed.

The long-faced butler glared. "Lord told you to bring a veteran doctor that could treat the young lady. And you brought Mathew. What do you think? We don't know Mathew. He is a good doctor, but what makes you think he can treat young lady Rose?" His tone suggested his expectations were far from met. "Lord saw Mathew from the building and he is angry. We knew Mathew as well. We could have invited him. You haven't done a great job this time."

The broker laughed and patted the long-faced butler's shoulder. "You've got it wrong. How can you think that I would take Mathew? You're expecting very little from me. You know, Mathew is the assistant to the doctor I took with me."

"Who is the real doctor then?" the butler demanded.

"That Akarvan kid. He is like 20 or something."

"What if he is an Akarvan? He is a kid. How can a child do something so important? You better not be joking with us right now." The butler was furious, breathing fire like an enraged dragon.

_____

The unnamed diary continued-

Entry no. six

I feel so sad today, Mr. Ashok… He was transferred to a different academia… It was due to some trouble or something… I don't know… But they are taking almost all the new teachers out and taking new teachers in the academia. Everyone thinks that it is linked to the murder that happened on academia grounds. I just feel so tired all of a sudden, Mr. Ashok is going to leave the academia tomorrow and I won't get to meet him due to academia's restrictions since the murder happened.

Me and my friends tried to get more information on this topic and we even tried somehow to get in… But those academia guards don't let us see anything or even let us talk to a teacher. It is so bad since that murder happened, I don't know what to do… The only thing that gave us was bad news, that almost all the teachers are going to be transferred. Those guards… They don't even budge, they are so bad… We tried to talk them out but it just…doesn't work.

Veronica came at the same time, she seemed quite calm, I don't know but it's just not like her, she had that cold look on her face, it was kind of creepy. We heard some rumours that Veronica and her friend group were near the murder spot when it happened, they were the only ones who might know what happened, so I approached her, "Vero-Veronica… Do you know… What… I mean what happ-happened… like why are the teachers getting transferred all of a sudden…?" I meant no harm but she just bumped into me and got inside, the guards didn't stop her for some reason. Ulfic found it pretty suspicious… I tried to tell it might not be, but deep down I kind of know that she might have something to do with this case… What can that be…?

I just can't sleep… Why? Why were they transferring teachers… Why does the campus look so… silent… It's just… I can't get it out of my head… There were few screaming that day… But the murder was rumoured to happen a few hours ago… Maybe I will never get to know… Maybe I won't be able to meet Mr. Ashok… It's so sad…