Chapter 428: Paying Off the Debt

"Tch." Clicking his tongue, Bardas pulled the curtains and sat down. On the table before him, stacks of documents he had collected over the years during his services under Theodosius lay before him. Picking the first one up, he carefully read through it, once finished, placing it to his right. Picking up the next, he once again read through it and placed it to his left.

Two hours passed, and Bardas sat in silence reading each document carefully. Blackmail, state secrets, and the past missions Theodosius had ordered. In his manor, he didn’t know how many documents he had on the Nobles and the wealthy of the Empire. This information didn’t end with the nobility. After years of service to the Emperor, he knew nearly all the secrets of the Imperial family, some that could destroy their reputation and others that could destroy him as well.

Going to the window again and peeking through the curtain, he clicked his tongue once more and grabbed all the documents he had placed on the right. Going over to the nearby fireplace, he had a fire burning. Throwing them into the fireplace, he watched as they burned to ash. The document burning was the one that put his own life at the most risk if found. Not taking the risk at such a tense time, he went over to the remaining ones and grabbed them.

Stuffing them into a bag, he walked over to a closet and looked at the outfits inside. Different outfits for different occasions hung before him. Servant uniforms, outfits a merchant would wear, and clothing for different levels of nobility. Grabbing the butler uniform, he slowly dressed himself and sorted his hair out.

Picking up the bag, he threw it over his arm and left the room. From within the corridor, a rumbling sound could be heard. Bardas pushed a large barrel with great effort into the room and fell over it after it was inside. Taking a few seconds to breathe, he opened the top, grabbed a rope from within and threw it out. The strong ethonal smell made him want to cover his nose. Kicking the barrel over, the barrel full of alcohol spilt all over the room.

Heading into the corridor, another barrel waited. Opening the top, he pushed it towards the door as the two large puddles of alcohol met. Going to the last barrel at the end of the corridor, he pushed the barrel and let the alcohol spill. Creating a wet puddle across the entire floor. Going back to the room, he tightened the bag over his shoulder and grabbed the rope. Throwing the end of it into the fire, it quickly caught alight. Placing the other end into the large puddle he created, he quickly ran out and down the stairs.

Heading into the cellar, he pulled a large wooden plank that covered a hole in the wall, grabbed a torch, and snuck out, covering the gap once more with the plank.

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Outside, the soldiers observing the manor saw the fire quickly erupt upstairs and rushed in. No one left the manor, having been cleared of its servants after Bardas fled the tavern where he met Horace. The men outside didn’t hesitate to charge in and see what had happened. The strong smell coming from upstairs made them stop and cover their faces as smoke slowly filled the building.

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Bardas made his way down the streets of Antila towards Elias’ residence. Smiling at the guards who blocked his path, he showed his family crest. Seeing the Platinum dragon without eyes, they froze and quickly rushed to inform the Duke. Paintently waiting, Bardas knew he was at risk in the open.

A minute passed, and the guard returned, opening the gate for him. "The Duke will see you." Bardas smiled and quickly walked in, heading straight for the guest room on the first floor. Elias sat with cold eyes and stared at Bardas.

"Why have you come to see me, Lord Ammorian?" Sternly asking he leaned forward and poured a glass of water for his guest. Bardas didn’t stand on ceremony and took a seat. Placing his bag by his side, he reached into it and pulled out a stack of documents.

Looking through them, he placed one on the table and slid it over to Elias. Grabbing the water, he took a sip and sighed, "This is for you, Your Grace."

Elias looked at the paper pushed towards him for a few seconds before picking it up. Reading through it, Bardas watched as he went through a series of emotions, his eyes full of shock. "Your Grace. I know you don’t like me, but I also know you owe me."

"Is this true?" Elais couldn’t help but say with a shaking voice.

"Of course. Theodosius would have never let me claim the name of Cosmatos, but by granting me a title, he had to legitimise me. It was the one request I had when I offered my services to him. Obviously, I had to prove myself worthy of the request and did many unsavoury things, but I was legitimised."

Elias looked down at the document once more and grabbed his chin. Theodosius’ seal was something that could be faked, but the handwriting wasn’t. Elias had seen enough of the previous Emperor’s personal writings to know what they looked like. Carefully looking at the way he wrote certain letters and subtle quirks within proved it was Theodosius.

"Another thing, Elias." Bardas calmly spoke, "He is still alive."

"Don’t lie to me, Bardas." Elias quickly shot down the idea, but when he looked into Bardas’s eyes, he could see that he was confident in what he was saying. Bardas chuckled and shook his head.

"He is. I don’t know what Julius did with him, but I know he kept him alive, wishing to make him suffer." Standing up and achieving what he wanted, Bardas patted down his butler uniform. "When Julius returns, he will see Theodosius once again. Watch him and find out the truth yourself. I would love to, but unfortunately, I think I have to leave the city."

Bardas clicked his tongue at the very thought. "Going to Ammar?" Elias coldly asked, "We all know of your meeting with the Underwell."

"The Underwell?" Bardas chuckled and shook his head, "Two things, Elias. Firstly, why would the Ammary Emperor send his top enforcer so far away, especially when they have just conquered a new land that requires a forceful hand? Secondly, who gave you that information?"

"Constance..." Elias’s words trailed, making Bardas smile.

"My half-brother provided information that would make me a traitor and give grounds for my execution. This same half-brother has every desire to see Julius sit on the throne. My siblings despise me for what I did to survive Elias. They are waiting to get rid of me. All of a sudden, they have perfect cause."

Elias looked at the document proving Bardas’ legitimisation and frowned, "What do you want?"

"Two things. One keep hold of this document in your family. This is one of two things that prove my legitimacy, and I do not feel safe holding both in my hands. Secondly, the same way I saved your life, help save mine. Help me leave Antila. I had planned to stay, but that is no longer an option."

"My debt is cleared after this?" Elias asked and waited as the room went silent.

Bardas nodded his head and kept it low, hiding his annoyed look. He had wanted to use the debt to secure his place as regent and then eventually become Emperor, but with his back against the wall, he knew it wasn’t an option anymore. He had no way of getting close to Janus, having him removed, and with Horace gone, he no longer had any outside help. He was confident when speaking in the tavern, but it was a bluff.

As long as he lived, he could return and claim the throne another day, but for now, he had to retreat. He just hoped the suspicions he placed in Elias’s mind would fester and keep the Empire fractured. If Magnus won, Elais wouldn’t be able to live with his rival as his Emperor and seek him out. If Julius won, Elias would forever be suspicious of him. Adding to the power vacuum caused by Magnus’ death in that scenario, Bardas could return in the future with the support of a foreign power, one that would willingly push his claim.

"Stay here for a while. I will find a chance for you to escape. With that, I owe you nothing."

"Thank you, Your Grace." Bardas bowed and left the room. In the corridor, he clenched his fists and took a deep breath.

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"He’s gone?" Janus looked at the soldier, who nodded. Waving him off, he sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Slippery bastard."

"We had no way to trace his movements. After setting his manor alight, we had to contain the damage. By the time we found the hidden passage, it was too late." Gabriel bitterly said as he took a seat, "Any idea where he has gone?"

"It’s obvious." Janus clicked his tongue," But we can’t do anything to Elias right now. In the off chance I kick his door down and fail to find Bardas, I will have ruined relations between the crown and the East." Groaning in annoyance, Janus could only slouch over in defeat. "We couldn’t recover anything of importance."

"Only the bare minimum. My guess is he either kept all important documents with him or destroyed them."

"Tch. He knows too many secrets about the Empire, even without real documentation to prove it. Whilst he is gone, destroying everything means that we need to rebuild the espionage network he was in charge of and regather anything that didn’t have a copy kept in the palace." Janus sighed and thought about it.

"At least he is gone. One less enemy we must deal with for now."

"He will be back. He is smart, but more than that, he is greedy and self-conscious. Everything he does is to prove he is more than Theodosius’ lap dog." Chuckling to himself, Janus shook his head, "What a pathetic man."

"I’ll begin spreading news about him. Hopefully, we can capture him before he flees." Smiling in response to Gabriel’s words, Janus leaned back and looked at the ceiling.

"I’ll inform His Majesty."