The Valen gates opened with a hum of machinery.
A holographic banner bearing the black insignia of the Inquisition slid through the gates and stopped before the marble steps. The soldiers stepped out, uniforms crisp, movements rehearsed, their silence more disciplined than threatening.
Then came Grey.
His coat caught the pale light as he step forward, hands clasped behind his back, eyes already scanning the estate with the practiced cold of someone searching for lies.
Waiting by the entrance was Lira. She bowed slightly.
"Captain Grey. Lady Valen is expecting you."
"Is she?" Grey's voice was calm, but there was a weight beneath it. "Then let's not keep her waiting."
Lira nodded and turned, leading them through the halls. The inquisitors followed, orderly, polite, even smiling faintly at the servants they passed. They were all fairly docile.
But Grey's presence undid all that calm.
The air felt heavier when he walked by.
Inside the main chamber, Lady Aurelia Valen rose to greet them. Her composure was flawless, her tone measured.
"Captain Grey. I was informed you would be arriving personally. I trust your trip was uneventful?"
Grey's gaze swept across the room, servants, guards, a few nervous eyes, and landed on her. "Uneventful enough," he said. "Let's get straight to the point. You were attacked."
Aurelia inclined her head slightly. "Correct. My convoy was ambushed by pirates."
"And yet," Grey said, stepping closer, "you were rescued. By someone not in our reports."
Lira tensed. One of Grey's subordinates glanced at her nervously, sensing the shift in tone.
Aurelia's smile thinned. "We were fortunate, Captain. Nothing more."
"Fortunate?" Grey's eyes sharpened. "Ofcourse you are. Us too, when my units arrived on the scene, there were no pirates left, not even their ship, only corpses, lots of corpses, it made the investigation a lot simpler. Truly fortunate, wouldn't you say?"
The servants exchanged uneasy glances.
Aurelia's voice stayed even. "You're implying something, Captain."
"I'm asking," Grey corrected softly, "who saved you, lady valen. And where are they now?"
The air stilled.
One of his team, a younger officer with soft eyes, shifted slightly. "Captain, maybe we should—"
Grey raised a hand. "Silence." His tone never rose, but it cut clean. He turned back to Aurelia. "Answer the question."
Lira stepped forward instinctively, then stopped herself. The servants had gone completely still. Even Elis's hologram flickered to life above the console, arms crossed, tone sharp.
"Captain Grey," she said, her voice dripping with indignation, "your conduct is unacceptable. You are in front of a noble lady in her household, not an interrogation chamber."
Grey didn't flinch. "I act under the authority of the Crown," he said flatly. "And that authority allows me to detain anyone I see fit, including every one in this estate, if the situation requires it."
The words hit like cold metal.
Elis flickered, speechless for once. The younger inquisitor looked away, visibly uncomfortable.
Aurelia drew a slow breath. Her tone remained steady, but her eyes had hardened.
"Well... You see, the one who saved us
was—"
Before she could finish, Lira spoke quickly, cutting her off. "It was our own doing, Captain. The Valen House developed AI's for Lady Aurelia's protection. If needed be it would act autonomously whenever the lady is in danger."
Grey's attention shifted. "An AI?"
"Y-yes, sir," Lira said, her voice smooth but tight. "A bodyguard model. Built for the Lady's security."
Grey stood before the noblewoman's desk, the light from the tall windows glinting across his gloves.
Aurelia remained composed, seated with her hands neatly folded, her voice carrying the kind of calm that only those born to power could manage.
"You were rescued," Grey said again, quieter this time, each word deliberate. "By machines of your own design, if I'm to believe your assistant here?"
Lira bowed her head slightly, saying nothing.
Aurelia gave a polite smile. "Why yes, did you perhaps not hear it properly?"
Grey tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
Aurelia's eyes flicked toward Lira before she corrected herself smoothly. "Forgive me. Yes, it's my personal AI companion."
That made him pause. His expression didn't change, but the silence stretched.
"So it saved you."
"Yes," Aurelia said easily. "That's correct."
Grey's brow furrowed. "And this single droid dispatched the entire Black Vulture Pirates?"
"Yes," she said again.
He leaned forward slightly, studying her. "How very impressive. My, it would seem the Valen House has reached a level of machinery higher then what I have expected. You have my congratulations, my lady."
There was no warmth in the words.
Aurelia's smile sharpened. "Why, thank you, Captain. I'll be sure to inform the research division of your approval."
The younger inquisitors exchanged glances, feeling the chill crawl between the two.
Grey continued, tone polite but eyes cold. "Then perhaps you can explain why this droid is not listed in the database. I hope you did not forget that every advanced AI must be registered under Central's authority. Unless, of course, you were making it in secret?"
Aurelia's lips curved faintly, not quite a smile, not quite defiance. "Why? Does the Valen House not have the right to develop its own security assets anymore? I wasn't aware we required your permission to protect ourselves, Captain."
Grey's jaw tightened. "A noble house may develop, but not without clearance. So I'll ask again, where is this droid now?"
Lira's heartbeat quickened. The servants around them went still.
And then, without warning—
Grey's eyes widened.
That pressure again.
The same weight he'd felt outside the gates, thick, oppressive, almost tangible. The room itself seemed to darken around the edges.
He turned sharply toward the door. His hand twitched uncontrollably.
"Captain?" one of his officers asked, startled.
Grey didn't answer. He was scanning the air, the shadows, every sound. That wasn't normal.
The servants looked confused, oblivious to the invisible force pressing down on him. Only he could feel it.
Then the latch turned.
The door opened with a slow, deliberate creak.
Metal footsteps echoed against the marble. A figure stepped through, visor aglow, silent and oppressing.
Elis's hologram appeared beside it, voice filled with exasperation.
"What took you so long? Just how hard is it to buy sweets for the Lady? How can you be a proper AI companion if you can't even do simple stuff like these!"
The Construct said nothing. It simply carried a box forward and set it gently on the table.
Grey froze, his eyes narrowing. The crushing presence vanished the instant it stopped moving.
He stared at it, disbelief spreading behind his calm facade.
Aurelia's voice broke the silence,
"Captain Grey," she said, "this is Constantine, my personal AI companion, the one who saved me."
Grey remained silent, his gaze fixed on the droid.
In his mind, he reconsidered his initial judgment, realizing the Valens machinery had rivaled the Empire's technology.