"Please forgive my secretive method of communication. There are too many ears and eyes within the castle and some words cannot be said in the open…."
"After the General gained control over Ferelden, the situation within the kingdom became relatively unsteady. Uprisings happened everywhere as people rioted against the government - it was incredibly difficult to resolve them all. Thus, in an effort to restore order, the General invested almost all of his manpower on the matter, leaving little resources for other issues. But gradually, after a few months, we suddenly noticed some bad signs."
"Just half a month ago, we captured a guard who was suspected of being a spy for the Church. But before we could get any information from him, we found him dead in his prison cell; the killer was never found. We suspect it was the Church who wanted to stop any potential leak of information. However, the prison guards are extremely strict and wary in their patrols. The Church must have been very desperate to cut off this loose end if they managed to sneak their way into our prison complex and kill someone without raising the alarm bells. The situation is probably worse than we had imagined."
"We launched a secret investigation and after some time realized that the Church’s people had once again returned to Ferelden. It was possible that some of them had even managed to sneak into the castle. This was extremely serious and worrying. Sir, you may still hold a grudge against us about what happened in the past, but don’t forget that the General had once betrayed the Church. The Church will never accept him anymore. Once these priests that are hiding in the dark manage to store enough of power, they will be sure to escalate this matter to terrifying proportions."
"Mage Benjamin, we’ve heard of what you’ve done in Carretas and remember your efforts in chasing the Church away from Ferelden in the past. The General and I feel that we need your help. No one wants the Church to spread their influences in Ferelden once again; this time, we want to eliminate them once and for all."
"Sir, if you’re willing to believe me, please meet us secretly in the middle of the night…."
Benjamin destroyed the letter and the envelope after he finished reading its contents. He fell deep into thought.
Had the Church actually returned?
Benjamin was still doubtful about the matter, as everything was based on the words of the Prime Minister alone, and there was no proof aside from the letter. However, he was aware of the chaos within Ferelden and he recognized that it was quite possible that the Church was trying to take advantage of the current circumstances.
When he thought about it properly, he remembered that the priests in Carretas had disappeared very quickly after they had taken control of Geallore. The King tried to investigate the matter but could only catch a few dozen culprits. There was a probability that the rest of the priests had moved to Ferelden.
Besides, this letter fully explained the overly-friendly demeanour of the General. They were in deep trouble now and needed Benjamin’s help. Thus, they obviously had to behave themselves, right?
After Benjamin arrived at his lodgings, he spent some time contemplating his actions. Alas, he made the decision to attend the meeting with the General and the Prime Minister.
After a few hours, when the setting sun was replaced by the dim glow of moonlight, the streets of the City of Snow finally settled and became quiet. With his Water Elemental Sensing Technique, Benjamin made sure that no one was following him before he quietly sneaked out of his lodgings to head to the aforementioned location.
"General, Prime Minister. It’s quite creative for the both of you to select this place as our meeting point."
As he stood inside a stable close to the castle, Benjamin wafted away the stench of the place with a wave of his hand. He nodded his greetings at the two men, watching them as they used their hands to cover their noses.
"Amusing, is it not?" chuckled the Prime Minister, "There is no harm in being too careful."
Benjamin smiled at him, "Don’t worry. I’ve already checked the perimeter; there’s no one nearby."
The Water Elemental Sensing Technique was quite useful in dealing with stalkers and other espionage efforts; he would always know if somebody was trying to follow him.
"Mage Benjamin, since we are alone, there is no need for us to fake our behaviours anymore." The General spoke solemnly. "As long as you are willing to help us, we will support your Academy of Magic as best as we can."
Benjamin stroked his chin as he looked at them with an amused expression.
"Are you really helpless in this matter? The Church may have recovered in Ferelden, but only a short time has passed since then. There is no way that you have been rendered helpless so soon. What exactly happened? It is in your best interests that you are honest with me."
There was no way that Benjamin would believe that they were powerless in the current situation. After all, the whole of military force in Ferelden was under this General’s command.
There had to be some other reason.
"It’s the rebel forces in the South," explained the Prime Minister, "Most of the rebel army has already been eliminated, but there is one specific group of soldiers who are giving us a hard time. They are located at the borders to the South and have somehow they managed to expand their numbers from a few hundred to many, many more. They hide within the mountains and constantly ambush our men before making a speedy escape. This matter is keeping our hands full and we can’t risk allocating any manpower to deal with the separate issue of the Church."
Benjamin nodded slowly after he listened to the explanation.
The rebel forces in the South….
He suddenly remembered his brief stay in a town on the outskirts of Ferelden, right before he led his people into Carretas. At the time he had met with a little militia that had temporarily taken over the town.
At that time, Benjamin had subdued them in an effort to resolve the situation. But after that, he had taught these amateur soldiers proper battle tactics in hopes that they could help distract the government, if even for a short time. Could it be that this same group had managed to survive the siege and had now become a genuine threat to the government?
If that was really the case, Benjamin felt like laughing.
"In that case, I can help you deal with the rebels. Then, you will be able to gather your forces to investigate the actions the Church. This way I will be helping you stabilize the situation, right?" He said after thinking for a while.
"You… Is that possible?" The General remained doubtful. "There are quite a number of rebels in the army. Will you alone be enough to handle them?"
"Rest assured, General. I will be sufficient."
The two men exchanged a look after they heard Benjamin’s statement. Finally, the General nodded and said, "Alright then. Respectable Mage Benjamin, we are willing to believe you this time. However, before you go, you need to help us identify the spy within the castle. If not, it would be very difficult for us to do anything without the Church hearing about it first."
"Spy huh…. Do you have any clues about his identity?"
The Prime Minister nodded. "It isn’t much, but we do have clues. The clue is with Her Highness the Princess."
Benjamin narrowed his eyes. If he was not mistaken, the Church had done something to the Princess. It could be very possible that they were using the Princess to help execute their orders. This theory would explain how the Church’s return could be so swift and effective.
However, for them to control the Princess, they would first need to get into direct contact with her.
This was the only clue that could lead him to the identity of the spy.
Benjamin asked, "Her Highness…. She will probably never recover, right?"
"We’re not sure but we do not want to risk it." The General shook his head, no longer hiding anything from Benjamin. "We hope for your understanding, Mage Benjamin. If the Princess manages to recover, there will no longer be a place for us within the castle."
"But those places were never yours to begin with."
Benjamin’s biting words were sharp in contrast to his diplomatic tone from before.
The General took a deep breath. After a long silence, he nodded. "Yes. I want to be king. I want my future generations to be kings. I cannot deny that my tactics are not very honourable, and I am no doubt unfitting of the honour that was given to me by the late kings; not only that, but I had at one time even used you as my pawn. Sir, if you still hold a grudge against me regarding this matter, then I beg your forgiveness."
Benjamin’s eyebrows rose in surprise.
His words were originally just supposed to express his dissatisfaction, he never expected the General to have such a sorry response.
"Mage Benjamin, you’ve met my grandson before," the General continued, "He is still a child and has no idea how the world operates. However, he really likes Her Highness. Although the Princess is no longer sane, she still likes to play with him. At least she can find some joy from the dirty dealings of politics."
Benjamin shook his head. He felt like spitting at the General’s face. However, he bit his tongue.
"General, I am not such a narrow-minded person. I will always deal with the church first when they appear before me, regardless of what had happened between us." Benjamin explained as he stared the General in the eye.
The General looked relieved at his words.
"Then, we are immensely grateful for you, Mage Benjamin."