Derek waited a few moments before coming out of hiding and looking around, making sure no one had lingered behind. He looked at the crates containing the guests' goods and walked over to them, pulling back the tarp covering them to check what they held. In most of the crates, there was nothing unusual, but one of them had a false bottom, and when Derek uncovered it, he found black, irregularly shaped stones. They were cold—too cold for a normal state.
He had overheard the conversation between two hooded men and hadn't been able to see their faces. This happened while he was safely stowing the Queen's belongings and ensuring there were no threats nearby. He had noticed the presence of the two strangers when he heard whispering and, taking advantage of the fact that he hadn't been seen, hid to listen to them. Soon, the two had reached the crate of interest and discussed in hushed tones the stones' utility in summoning "the force."
It was a peculiar and ambiguous term in their conversation. They never mentioned names, never hinted at what the force was for. One thing, however, was clear: when they touched the crystals, one of them had asked the other when they would use them to set their plan in motion and what would happen. Derek clearly remembered the words spoken by the stranger holding a crystal in his hands:
"We will begin soon. We'll have to scatter the stones around the territory so they can act as catalysts. We won't have to do anything else. Our lord has taken care of the rest."
The two hooded men left the area, putting the crystals away and rearranging the crates to hide them, but Derek had already seen them, and that was how he found himself investigating the origin and function of that unknown material.
"I could use Iza... she's the smart one." Derek sighed and grabbed a few stones, hiding them in a pouch he carried with him. He would return to the Queen as soon as possible, but first, he wanted to find the two men and tail them. He had seen the direction they headed and, with a bit of luck, he might find them along the way.
Once he left the area to tail the suspects, he noticed the presence of familiar figures. Derek recognized them on sight, even though they wore plain clothes and pretended to work alongside the castle staff. Their movements were calculated, their gazes wary. He recognized a few faces, like that of the woman who had hunted him down a few weeks prior.
Due to their presence, it wouldn't be possible to continue his pursuit in that area, so Derek decided to head back and inform the Queen. Before he could do so, Scarlet appeared in front of him.
"Halt."
The man smiled amicably and stopped, turning to face her: "How can I help you?"
"I know who you are, and I don't have time to waste. The Empress has tasked me with collaborating with your Queen, and I will be faithful to her orders, provided you respect your role as well."
"What are you talking about?" Derek was confused and hated feeling that way. Fortunately, Iza appeared behind him; she had been looking for him to talk.
"Derek." As soon as she approached, she saw Scarlett and sighed. She had wanted to discuss this with Derek before making contact with the Order.
"We are going to start collaborating with them. By the Queen's orders," Iza reported to her brother, then turned to Scarlett: "We should share the information we have. Do you have anything to report?"
Derek didn't understand what was going on, but he trusted his sister.
"I should be asking you that."
Scarlett shifted her gaze to Derek, approaching him quickly, only to pull back holding a pouch in her hands. The two siblings hadn't managed to move fast enough to stop her, but Iza wasn't going to back down. She grabbed Scarlett's wrist and pinned her in place: "What do you think you're doing?"
"Unlike you, I received training that allows me to recognize demonic traces when I see them."
"What are you talking about?"
Iza snatched the pouch back and pulled out the black stones, shuddering when they came into contact with the palm of her hand. Scarlet took the opportunity to study them closely, but her expression remained impassive.
At that point, Derek took it upon himself to inform both of them of what he had seen moments earlier and of the men who had hidden the stones. Despite the initial bad blood between the two groups, they would have to set aside their misunderstandings for the greater good. And so, their collaboration began.
Meanwhile, the city of Krussgard warmly welcomed the arrival of the athletes from the various kingdoms. The preparations were already complete, and there were no obstacles in the general organization of the event. The guests of honor waited patiently for the games to begin, and the atmosphere seemed truly peaceful—at least on the surface. In truth, among those present at the games, there were those plotting in the shadows to subvert order, but no one yet knew what might happen during the competitions. For this reason, Snow White, Grimilde, and the couple from the Empire could only prepare for the worst and rely on their teams to find out what was going on.
Astrael, on the other hand, had the task of monitoring the flow of demonic power present in the territory, but he was uncertain about Golujef's true objective. Why had he agreed to collaborate with human beings? And what human being was crazy and stupid enough to make contact with such a violent demon? Lust demons were far more elegant, in Astrael's opinion. He felt rather annoyed by his inability to pinpoint Golujef's presence. He was powerful too, and above all, he was proud like many other demons.
Astrael huffed and brought his eyes back to the group of women conversing in the Empress's chamber: they were sitting at the largest table, busy talking business while drinking tea.
"I couldn't help but notice Prince Enrico's interest in you. If he were to ask you to marry him, what would your answer be, Grimilde?" Alex, as usual, loved teasing the Nordic Queen...