Chapter 5: Senryaku-ka

The Imperial Palace of Mugen was in utter chaos.

It had been eleven days since the escape of Li-Jua, the infamous white mage, and eight days since the disappearance of Prince Akio’s betrothed, Li-Rei. Yet, in truth, no one had even realized the girl was missing until the fifth day. Which meant, to the noble court and the high-ranking officials of the empire, it had only been three days since the young noblewoman’s vanishing.

But even three days were enough to unleash hell within the palace walls.

The first to suffer were her attendants, the handmaidens and the personal butler assigned to Li-Rei. They had been subjected to merciless interrogations, accused of either aiding the escape or failing in their duties. Every single one of them had been tortured, and then, executed. Their deaths had not been swift, nor painless either.

The one who had overseen their questioning and punishment was none other than Shen-Thias, the Imperial Secretary of State.

A man of countless titles, both in nobility and military strategy, Shen-Thias was no mere bureaucrat. In his youth, he had personally commanded countless campaigns, crushing rebellion and expanding Mugen’s influence until it became one of the two most prosperous and militarily powerful nations in the world.

But to Shen-Thias, no battlefield had ever been as crucial as the one he now found himself in.

Shen-Thias had always been fascinated by the ancient legends of the Imperial Bloodline, the myths that claimed the ruling family of Mugen carried the remnants of divine power. The magic of old had been unparalleled, but as generations passed, the ability had faded into mere superstition.

For most, these were just stories.

For Shen-Thias, they were an obsession.

His unrelenting scrutiny of the imperial family’s genealogy had led him to every single blood relative of the emperor, no matter how distant. He studied them all, searching for any remnant of that lost power. And then, twelve years ago, in the Duchy of Veo-Liss, he found her.

Li-Rei.

She had been only three years old, yet even then, she had been different.

Her mother, the Duchess Li-Khang, was no fool. She had done everything in her power to hide the child, creating rumors of a mysterious illness to keep outsiders at bay. But rather than discouraging Shen-Thias, this only piqued his curiosity further. He had dug deeper, his instincts screaming that he was onto something extraordinary.

And he had been right.

Li-Rei possessed something rare, something unnatural, the very power he had been searching for.

When Shen-Thias presented his discovery to the emperor, the ruler had been enthralled.

In his excitement, the emperor had rewarded Shen-Thias with untold wealth and given him unlimited resources to further his experiments. He had one order, to ensure that the power of space-time magic and gravitational manipulation was passed down to a male heir of direct imperial lineage.

Shen-Thias had no intention of failing.

For years, he had watched over Li-Rei carefully. She had never shown any signs of defiance or rebellion. She understood her place and played her role perfectly.

Even so, Shen-Thias had never fully trusted her.

She was intelligent, dangerously so. Cunning, observant, and highly capable.

A single moment of weakness could spell ruin.

And yet… after more than eleven years of complete submission, he had grown careless.

His attention had been diverted, lured away by a new curiosity.

A certain white mage had drawn his gaze, a healer who had singlehandedly massacred an entire high-level dungeon with nothing but her bare hands. The mere existence of such a being had been unfathomable. His fixation had shifted just long enough for the caged little bird to slip away.

And that was unforgivable.

His biggest mistake in over a decade.

Shen-Thias clenched his fist, his nails digging into his palm as he stood in the emperor’s war chamber, staring at the massive map of the empire spread across an opulent table.

She was still out there.

Somewhere, beyond the reach of the palace’s walls.

But not for long.

He would tear the empire apart if necessary. He would burn every village, interrogate every citizen, and turn over every stone to find her.

And when he did…

There would be no escape this time.

The air inside the study was thick with the scent of old parchment, burning incense, and ink. Shen-Thias sat behind his massive ebony desk, illuminated only by the flickering glow of lanterns. The room was lined with towering bookshelves, each one filled with meticulously kept records, strategies, bloodlines, military reports, and forbidden texts.

Then, a knock at the door.

"Enter," Shen-Thias commanded, his voice even but laced with irritation.

The heavy wooden doors creaked open, and his personal steward stepped inside, bowing deeply before speaking. "My lord, a man has arrived seeking audience with you. A certain—"

"Yeah, yeah, cut the crap, stiff-ass. I can introduce myself."

A rough, gravelly voice interrupted from behind the steward. A figure pushed his way past, shoving the servant aside with little care. The newcomer strolled into the room without permission, his heavy boots thudding against the marble floor.

Shen-Thias didn't react, merely watching the man with the same cold calculation he applied to everything. The butler, although visibly irritated, merely bowed and stepped out, closing the doors behind him.

The intruder was Nomu, a bounty hunter, a mercenary, and, by all accounts, a brute with little regard for formalities. His clothes were worn but practical, layered with leather armor reinforced with steel plating. His face was lined with old scars, a testament to years of violent encounters. A wicked grin stretched across his face, revealing yellowed teeth, and his piercing eyes flicked across the room as if assessing its worth.

"You’re as ill-mannered as they say," Shen-Thias said at last, leaning back in his chair. "I can only hope you're at least half as skilled as your reputation suggests, Nomu."

Nomu let out a dry chuckle, stepping forward with an arrogant ease. "Oh, I'm better than what they say, old man. And probably more expensive, too."

Shen-Thias smirked slightly but otherwise showed no reaction. "That won’t be a problem," he said smoothly. He gestured to the seat opposite him, but Nomu remained standing. "Your reputation precedes you. A fighter of Rank A, low to mid-tier. A competent killer, a skilled tracker. But for this task, I require more than brute strength."

Nomu crossed his arms. "Go on."

Shen-Thias' eyes darkened. "I need discretion. No traces. No witnesses. You will work only for me. If anyone approaches you to buy information or even suspects you of working for me..." He leaned forward, voice like steel. "I will pay you double whatever they offer. But understand this, Nomu. I do not tolerate failure."

A tense silence settled between them. Then, Nomu grinned again, though his tone had lost its playfulness. "Understood."

"Good." Shen-Thias relaxed slightly, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the desk. "Now, let's get to business."

Nomu straightened. "The mission?"

"Missions," Shen-Thias corrected. "There are two fugitives."

He stood, walking over to a nearby table, where a map of the empire lay unrolled. His long fingers traced over it before stopping at two points.

"The first target is a healer from the village of Shiro-Tsue. I don't have much information on her abilities, regrettably, I was too occupied to investigate further before she escaped. But what little I do know suggests she’s dangerous. Highly unpredictable." His eyes narrowed. "I would prefer her alive. But if she resists, bring me her corpse."

Nomu nodded, listening carefully.

"The second," Shen-Thias continued, his voice now laced with irritation, "must be brought back alive."

The atmosphere in the room darkened. Nomu didn't need to ask who the second target was. Everyone in the imperial palace knew about her.

"Li-Rei," Nomu muttered.

"Correct," Shen-Thias said. "The Emperor’s niece. The prince’s betrothed. The key to my ambitions." His fingers tightened against the table’s edge. "I don’t care if she loses a limb along the way, but she must be alive. And in a condition suitable for bearing children. Do you understand me, Nomu?"

The mercenary clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Tch. Yeah, I get it. Alive. Fertile. Breathing, preferably." He smirked. "Anything else?"

Shen-Thias exhaled sharply. "Their whereabouts remain unknown. And that, Nomu, infuriates me. But my intuition tells me they are together, but as far as I know, they scaped with several days of difference, but something might be fishy here, I feel it."

Nomu sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "So, I gotta track them first, huh? Tch. Sloppy work, old man. Guess I’ll have to start from scratch." He rolled his shoulders and turned on his heel. "Fine. I’ll take care of it."

Without waiting for dismissal, he strode toward the door and disappeared into the palace shadows.

Left alone, Shen-Thias walked toward his study’s grand window, gazing at the moonlit courtyard below.

Li-Rei’s escape was an insult. A betrayal. A disruption of his plans.

She thought she had won.

She thought she had broken free.

But she had merely delayed the inevitable.

With a slow, chilling smile, he whispered to the night air:

"You cannot run forever, little bird."