The tower had fallen into a state of quiet for the past few hours. Ever since Lady Minerva had arrived back from the Horax village, she had been in a strange mood.
The rumor in the tower was that she lost something important in the village she could not talk about.
Everyone was curious about her present state but no one had the guts to be able to ask her what happened openly.
“Maybe it’s because she wants to get laid but cannot. No man is good enough for her.”
“Maybe she prefers women but is too shy? Should I take my chances with her? Lady Minerva is cold but beautiful, you know.”
“I know. She is that kind of beauty.”
“Keep your voice down. You never know who might be listening in on you.”
“You are right. I don’t want to get in trouble but maybe it is worth it if the punisher is as beautiful as Lady Minerva.”
“Oh! Is that what you all think of Lady Minerva? I had no idea she was so famous in you young people.”
The guards jumped back at the arrival of the tower master. His gentle smile reassured no one.
“A-AH, tower master. We did not see you there.”
As soon as the new presence was detected in the hallway, no one dare to open their mouth and make a comment.
It was alright to discuss a fantasy among the people of qual standard and like-mindedness. But as soon as a foreign factor was introduced into the mix, no one dared to even open their mouth.
No one was delusional enough to think that their talk had not been heard and understood by the tower master.
He was far too powerful to be fooled by mere guards.
“W-We should get going now. Otherwise, we will be late for our work.”
One by one, the guards dismissed until the hallway was empty of any presence. Only then did the smile fade away from the tower master’s face and was replaced by indifference.
His face did not give away any glimpse of his thoughts and any passerby that looked at him could not stop their shiver of fear.
The sheer aura the tower master excluded was enough to put many people to shame.
Only once the tower master reached Lady Minerva’s room did he stop. His impassive face was schooled into an easy-going smile and a soft knock greeted the room door.
“Come inside, Charles. I do not have time for your games.”
The tower master opened the door and quickly stepped inside the familiar room. He was here often enough to not be surprised by the grand decore of the inside.
Instead of a room, it was more appropriate to call the accommodation a hall with a high ceiling and carved pillars.
“Lady Minerva, I am here as promised. As always, I have a solution to your problems. I heard that you encountered a roadblock even you cannot handle.”
Charles gave a small bow in greeting. His straightforward nature was what had compelled him into becoming the tower master.
Or that was what everyone thought. But in reality, this nature was nothing more than a facade he put up in front of everyone.
He only ever said the truth when he knew he could get away with it.
“And where did you get this news from? Are you trying to keep tabs on me?”
“Of course not. But a magician doesn’t reveal his hand. But rest assured, because I have taken the first step toward our victory already.”
“And how do you know what I am worried about?”
“Is it not about the new academy? Don’t worry, I will take care of it. By tomorrow, it will be all but history for us. And if not, rest assured that it will not be tracked back to us. And it will also help us root out the outlanders.”
Charles smiled a small grin as he exposed his plan. His plan was finally bearing fruits.
Not only would the new threat be neutralized, but he would also get the slaves he needed to bribe the other members of the board and keep them under his thumb.
And the best thing about this was that even if most people knew what he was doing, they will not be able to stop him due to the support he had.
“Charles, what did you do?”
“Nothing much. I just send them a goodwill gift. A huge goodwill gift my best hunters managed to capture alive. Nothing that can be traced back to us.”
Charles’s smile widened just a little bit more and Lady Minerva’s face faltered for just a single second. Yup, he had her on his side even after all this.
==========================
Lady Minerva observed the human in front of her with a blank face.
The more he spoke, the more worried Lady Minerva became. In the end, she could not even keep her face straight.
‘Nothing much. I just send them a goodwill gift. A huge goodwill gift my best hunters managed to capture alive. Nothing that can be traced back to us.’
The words echoed inside Lady Minerva’s mind with a vengeance. They mocked her for her incompetence in being able to keep her subordinate in check.
Had it been anyone else Charles had targeted, Minerva would not have been this nervous.
But he had to go ahead and target the only other person in the world who had divinity backing them.
Not to mention, Aurora had a dragon’s ward and a likely future goddess with her. And then the whole matter of the academy being situated in the Rocx valley.
It was the domain of the goddess of victory. And as her domain, she had full power there. Even Minerva was not sure she would be able to defeat the goddess there if a fight did break out.
“Why did you not discuss this with me before proceeding ahead? You might cause serious damage to our reputation.”
Lady Minerva already knew that she would not be able to talk Charles out of his foolishness. And the man was also smart enough to come to Lady Minerva this late in his plan.
Even if Lady Minerva wanted to wash her hands off this case, she no longer could.
Nor could she make the tower master disappear in such a short amount of time.
“But I did come to you before the plan went live. Now we are accomplices in this crime. Won’t you help me cover my tracks, my lady? I am one of your most devoted followers after all.”
The man was taking advantage of Lady Minerva’s nature and her coldness.
Contrary to popular belief, the gods and goddesses were not omnipotent. They were limited to what they could and could not do.
Most people did not think that way and were content to follow the will of the divine. But people like Charles were different.
They were ambitious and did not fear anything. Their brain just made them that much more terrifying.
Lady Minerva had not expected to end up in such a position when she had first established the tower. But in the end, she had ended up under a human’s control.
Maybe it was inevitable in the end but she had no other choice but to comply.
“I understand. I will help you cover your tracks this time so don’t you dare make this mistake again in the future.”
Lady Minerva had been foolish enough to develop feelings for the tower master. She had brought the child up and she had seen him grow.
This child was the closest thing to a son she had and she could not help but feel like this feeling was going to be her downfall.
“Of course, I will tell you before I do anything else. After all, Lady Minerva is my mother in all but blood. As a son, I have to look after her.”
Lady Minerva was disgusted at being called a mother by Tower master. Her feelings for him were conflicted and it was difficult to say what she felt for him.
Maybe it was because she felt guilty for how she treated Astoria in her past, she had latched on to the young flame she had felt almost half a decade ago.
“If you are done, then leave me here to think. I don’t want to see you until the next week.”
The man left without any hesitation and lady Minerva felt her emotions calm down.
She needed to get to work and make sure to cover the tower’s bases. Whatever Charles had planned must not come to bite the tower back.
It must especially not cause a problem for Quince and his generation. And if the general public never found out about this, the better.
‘I have no other choice but to prepare a sacrificial platoon to slow down the ‘surprise’. Hopefully, Astoria and her partner will find a way to deal with their problem in time.’
Minerva will help as much as she could afford to but even she had her hands tied up.
It would be up to the people of the Rocx valley to take care of this mess.
Updat𝒆d fr𝒐m freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.c(o)m