Disciple of Madness

Adrian's POV

Jeffrey gave us all an early leave and closed the restaurant for the day. His reason being a certain "family event."

I guess meeting me falls under the "family event"?

My lips twitched a bit thinking of a certain joke I had once heard.

Come to Daddy!

"Pfft... ridiculous." I couldn't hold back the laughter that spilled out of me. Two nearby bystanders gave me some strange looks, as if I had finally lost it and walked away from me.

Though thinking about it, I guess I have already lost it. I mean no sane human in their right mind would be attempting what I would be tonight, right?

The inn I had booked for my well long stay appeared in sight and I quickly entered my room.

Throwing away the sweaty shirt, I quickly washed myself.

Ahh how relaxing it was...I thought as I looked at the mist around me.

I wasn't washing with hot water, but I still created the mist with the Breathing technique.

The day Evelyn and I had talked about the improbable possibility of her watching me during my bathing time, I had become more self-conscious.

Who was to say that her limit of vision didn't just stop through my own eyes but also extended to my entire surroundings?

No way am I letting her see anything... though girls aren't that shameless, right?

Luna isn't, mother isn't, none of the adult females I have met as of yet aren't shameless...so based on that Evelyn shouldn't be as well.

To hell with her, I thought as I shoved myself into a cotton t-shirt and a pair of shorts.

These clothes were a sort of modern trend and were quite comfy. Not unlike the previous coarse fabric used in the clothes.

No need for any propriety in my own privacy. I am someone who doesn't like exposing much skin.

Few called that a feminine trait in me.

Atleast I am far better than those shameless guys who would be itching themselves in suspicious places in front of the whole public. Without any care in the world.

Glancing over to the small window that showed the darkening night sky, I set down on the bed with a paper and a pen.

Time for the derniére touche.

I drew two lines and divided the paper into three columns. On each of the top, I names them as Group S, N and PV respectively.

S as in scammers.

N as in neutral.

And PV as in potential victim.

The names started rolling in as my hands moved methodically on the paper.

Group S: Shyam Builders, Cum'nd Dine, Evenstar Bank Division, Merchant Guild, Cafe de Delicis.

Group N: Duke Versicos

Group PV: Holeim Ltd, Heshel.

The list looked near about perfect. Then a thought entered me and I scribbled out another piece of information.

Honorable mentions: Duke Cornstar, Seats.

Now the list was accurate to the core.

I seriously need to meet that Penny soon and thank him for the rapid way he launched my resources into getting the tracks of every event he could find.

Now let's talk about the central point to all the corruption in the city -- Duke Cornstar.

The same one who wanted to recruit the players under him. In a way destroying Trios might have been a good decision on my and Evelyn's side.

It delayed the revolt that would have inevitably brought chaos in the kingdom.

Revolt eh? The reason wasn't a blind intuition on my part but rather a logically connected series of points that have convinced me of so.

Back to the dilemma in Woodrock City.

Cum'nd Dine, run by Matthew Colde enslaved people illegally using slave marks, something that's considered almost permanant. It wasn't impossible to extract it but was a lengthy process.

Cafe de Delicis. The recently opened restaurant was aimed at smuggling aetherite dust to overseas.

The funny fact was that the slaves and the dust were being stolen, slowly but surely from the camp of Duke Versicos's territories at Dawn Mountains.

And the soldiers posted there hadn't even realised it. Or maybe they had been shut up with a ton of bribery.

In any case...

[The bureaucracy seems so weak.]

...ahh, she seized the exact words from my mouth.

She must be watching all the dots that I am connecting on the paper.

"Are you watching?" I asked.

[ You aren't foolish enough to not realise I am making you do this for my own benefit. And missing the final connections? That would be a legit crime on my part, or so my family would say.]

So her family is a strict one... I thought, a bit unfocused from the task at hand. As if realising it, I once again shifted my focus back on the work.

The merchant guild helped in all the trade of the illegal items and the slaves to their clients. The bank became thoroughly corrupted after the mysterious death of it's previous manager.

They would hide and edit all the transactions that would take place between these companies. They would make it seem more legal.

Then came the Shyam Builders and Holeim Ltd. Two powerhouses in the field of construction works and materials.

Holeim Ltd. had been existing here for a long time.

Unlike the Shyam Builders which showed a rapid growth in the last 2 years and a half, reaching an equivalent height to that of Holeim Ltd.

This wasn't the end of the corruption.

There were many other minor companies in this city.

Or should have been if the transactions of the bank were anything to go by.

But the companies didn't even exist. In simple terms, they were shell companies which were nlu used to leaglise all the illegal transactions between these giant companies and their clients.

Then comes Duke Versicos. Whose intentions I cannot fathom.

It cannot be that he isn't aware of anything happening here.

He should be. But I would find it out.

No rush.

I dropped the pen beside me as I stretched my body. My fingers popped as I flexed them.

It was relaxing.

My eyes gazed back at the pen beside me. Then at the paper on my lap.

Suddenly a bitter smile crossed my features. This was one of my weakness.

I always needed time.

Time to scroll through all the data.

Time to make plans.

I wasn't like the First Seat who could literally form plans out of thin air. Nor was I the Third Seat who could flirt his way and charm even the boys.

I know that makes it sound a bit weird but a strength is a strength.

And I had none of them. A battlefield wouldn't be waiting for me to make my plans and take so much time.

Just like the miscalculated incident that happened two years back. I had to make a rapid decision that has simply backfired on me and ended up killing my most powerful subordinate.

Heck, I somehow managed to run away with my life intact.

And here I was, now about to head into a meeting generally handled by the other, more diplomatic Seats.

Honestly, I was pushing my luck quite a bit here.