In the Inner City of the New Royal Capital, at the Purification Court.
Magic Lamps cast a hazy glow over the hall, where a stifling silence hung in the air.
The Inquisitor stared at his terrified subordinates. In a rasp colder than the Snow Mountains, he said, "So you expect me to believe you let a sentry who got the password wrong kill your carefully trained undercover agents one by one?"
Worse, their plan had been exposed. They had been dragged out of the shadows, and the Blade of Freedom members hiding in the City Guard were sure to know they had been discovered.
One subordinate steeled himself and answered, "My lord, we couldn't send Professionals if we wanted to infiltrate the City Guard. We didn't expect this to happen... We investigated afterward and learned that the sentry on the Watchtower was the Minister of War's nephew."
The Inquisitor had no interest in excuses, but that made him calm down. "Reynaldo's nephew? Since when did he have a nephew? And why would he send him to serve as a sentry in the City Guard?"
Or had Reynaldo learned of the Purification Court's operation and chosen this way to warn them?
Had even the Kingdom's Minister of War sided with the Blade of Freedom...?
The Inquisitor startled himself with the thought.
If someone that powerful had been won over, hadn't the entire Kingdom been corrupted!?
"Not a word about what happened today. You're dismissed."
His subordinates breathed a sigh of relief. None of them wanted their failure publicized. They had survived the sentry and escaped punishment. That was more than they could have hoped for.
They left the Inquisitor alone with his thoughts. Was it too late to join the Blade of Freedom...?
"Lady, you have a lovely voice."
"Do