The news that broke over the next few days was all the Empire could talk about.
An attack on the blue temple, with dozens of casualties and not a single culprit captured. Though witnesses had seen men running in all directions, so Cain realized Catalina had hired some vagabonds to set the explosives as a diversion.
The basement of the temple did get exposed in the incident, having caused half of the garden to collapse and reveal the dungeon down below, where Dodson was put in hot water to explain why the temple he funded had such a thing there. Of course, the man made up a lie and claimed that it was the monks who had been up to scandalous affairs. He also failed to come up with a good explanation for why his fellow lords suddenly turned up missing. He could have claimed they'd been poisoned, but the man had yet to find out where exactly the planted evidence was located in his house, so he was smartly shutting up and playing dumb to their whereabouts.
Even if the man had the gall to step forward and try to oust the real culprit, Cain would bring forth all the trapped girls to act as a witness to his atrocious actions. Not to mention throw hints to the guards as to where they could find a suspicious poison in Dodson's home.
Between the temple being destroyed, the cells being exposed, and multiple lords going missing all in one night, it was no wonder that the Emperor took an interest in the matter. Ultimately, this was the crime of the century. The case was so big in fact that the detective working on his missing stepmother was summoned to the palace, putting the investigation on hold.
Andrew threw an absolute fit, having been seen by the staff to toss his papers about his study, frustrated that the search had been set back.
Cain had to wait for some time before he could transfer the title of ownership over to Wolf Brooks, but in the meantime had registered the land under his other alter ego, Periwinkle Toffee. He'd even come up with a fake family crest and everything for the identity. He planned to kill of Mr. Dodson as soon as he had the land transferred though.
All in all, things seemed to be going well. Too well in fact.
Cain knew that sooner or later things would get difficult with the Emperor involved. He already had a few backup plans in case the man somehow found a trail leading back to him, but decided it wouldn't hurt to take up some proper self-defense lessons from an equally powerful person.
Stepping out of the ornately decorated carriage, and standing at the foot of a very tall staircase, Cain was tempted to cringe over all the embarrassing memories he had of this place.
Maddox's palace was huge, with golden inlay decorating some of the outer walls and turrets up to the black roofs. The stonework gave the walls a dark appearance compared to the pristine white of the capital's palace, with intricate designs carved on all the hand railings and patios. The windows were all stained glass, depicting epic battles with fires and monsters. And every balcony seemed to have a jungle of plants overflowing the edges. There were even trees aligning each side of the steps, keeping it shaded from the sun. Off in the distance was a beautiful view of the nearby mountain range, with snow-capped peaks.
Cain had once eagerly walked these steps, only to throw himself to the ground and spew some of the most embarrassing flatteries he could muster to get on Maddox's good side.
This time, he would be on his guard. Especially considering how many demons were around here.
The servants that stood on guard near the front entrance had amber eyes and observed Cain with utmost interest. Luckily he still had his identity concealed behind his mask. Though there was a good chance Maddox would insist he remove it...
Cain was out of breath by the time he made it to the top step but tried his best to hide it as the double doors were thrown open, and out stepped Maddox, eager to greet his new visitor and wearing a gold and black suite and vest adorned with medals.
"I was informed you'd arrived." He stepped up and put a hand on his hip, eyeing the blond. "It'd been a while since I last heard anything, so I feared you may have taken your money and left the country."
"I'm far too original to do something so simple," Cain replied, then gave a polite, yet cautious bow. "Thank you for inviting me to your home."
"Pleasure's all mine. Come, let's talk." He gestured for Cain to go ahead of him, but the man hesitated.
Maddox tossed another smile at him. "Oh don't worry, I won't bite...Yet."
Cain cleared his throat at the innuendo, trying to remain professional, then took the chance to walk passed him. Briefly, he glanced down at his shadow to ensure it was still there and that none of the other demons had noticed anything was amiss.
He hadn't expected to get so far without being stopped, but Catalina was very good at her job it seemed.
"I want to make one thing clear." Cain started. "You offered to help me better handle the power of the pearl in one of your letters. And as you know, I am in sore need of such training, but nothing more. Do not get the wrong idea."
"Oh, I won't." Maddox stood beside him. "Though I was hoping we could chat a bit longer. You have other plans and I'm curious what they are and if we could somehow benefit each other?"
Cain thought about it but knew that Maddox would probably use whatever information he gave him to his own advantage. The man was selfish like that. Better not to mention anything.
"Yes, we could." Cain went on. "If you can train me on how to use my strength, then I will forgo more business deals in the capital."
"That sounds a bit unfair on your part, doesn't it?"
"You're a villain. Accept the offer or don't."
"Very well. I'll take advantage of you if you wish." Maddox started heading down towards one of the nearby hallways. "Do you not want to eat first? Maybe rest? It was a rather long trip, wasn't it?"
The trip to Maddox's palace was indeed a long one, having taken several days to reach. Yes, his father had restrained him to his room, but after the investigation fell apart, Cain was freed since William now had to use his guards to search for his wife instead of the hired investigators.
Andrew had tried to tail him, but Cain set up a decoy in one of the other towns and successfully got him home off his tail.
"I suppose I could eat. But I'd rather not waste any time."
"Oh don't worry. I don't plan on wasting a minute." Maddox snapped his finger, and a couple of servants entered and began leading the way to a dining hall. In this room, every inch of every wall was covered in ornate filigree, and above was an enormous golden chandelier with at least a hundred candles on it.
Here, Cain cautiously took a seat and was waited on as food was instantly brought out. Maddox sat across from him, eating leisurely while Cain eyed every bite he was offered, fearing there may be some sort of poison in it.
"Quite insulting that you'd remain so paranoid. If I wanted to kill you, I'd have done so already." Maddox remarked, taking note of the blonde's reaction.
Cain eventually tipped over a piece of meat onto the floor, hitting his shadow and waiting until he received confirmation that it wasn't poisoned before allowing himself to eat.
Afterward, Maddox insisted on giving a ridiculous tour to walk off the food. He claimed that training on a full stomach would cause cramping, and Cain started to feel like the man was just toying with him.
Though he was stuffed from all the custard pies and various desserts he admittedly indulged in, so he was ok with letting his stomach settle for an hour. But when the tour got into the second hour, he grew restless. By this point the man was stopping at every collection he had, going into historic detail on how he obtained some of his most prized items, some enchanted jewelry, some statues that once were human, some ominous depictions of horrific crimes that were shunned from society.
In the middle of the garden, Cain had enough and stopped in his tracks. "I think it's about time I take my leave." He turned, only to find two servants blocking his path, eyes glowing threateningly.
"Why so rude? Don't you want to get your training?" Maddox asked.
Cain scowled at him. "At this rate, I doubt you plan on doing such. I'd rather spend my time better. And don't think your demons will intimidate me."
"Oh, so you noticed? Most people mistake them for wizards. Then again, you brought your own along, haven't you?" Maddox's eyes flit down to Cain's shadow, which rippled before rising out of the ground and taking form.
Catalina took only a moment to return to her true demonic form, wings spread and eyes glaring as she stood protectively next to Cain, fully adorned in her bone armor.
This time, Maddox looked genuinely surprised, and even the servants who had been blocking the path took a step back. "I see you somehow managed to get a contract with a high-ranked demon. How impressive."
Cain had no idea what that meant but took the compliment anyways. "As I said, stop wasting my time. Do you plan to train me or not?"
"Of course I do. However, you invited a powerful being into my home thinking I wouldn't notice. Are you surprised that I took precautions of my own?"
"...I suppose not."
"Good. Then if you could dismiss your demon, I'll dismiss mine and we can get on to the training grounds."
Cain glanced at Catalina, who was shaking her head profusely. But Cain knew that if he encountered any trouble, he could summon her by name at any moment. So, he did as he was asked and dismissed her.
She groaned but obeyed and disappeared in a puff of smoke. As for the servants, they turned and dismissed themselves without Maddox giving the order. The man then held a hand out with a smirk. "Shall we?"
---
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