Chapter 533: Pax’s Proof

Pax had learned long ago that men who committed crimes for money were rarely as careful with their earnings as they were with their weapons.

The attack upon the Guild’s supply caravan had been professionally organized. Its perpetrators had selected an isolated stretch of road, positioned themselves where the wagons could not easily escape, and withdrawn before reinforcements arrived.

Yet organizing such an operation required more than armed men.

Someone had supplied information about the caravan’s movements. Someone had recruited the attackers, arranged their payment, and provided instructions concerning which wagons should be destroyed.

And somewhere along that chain, someone had made a mistake.

Pax intended to find it.

Three days after the ambush, he sat inside a rented room above a modest merchant establishment, examining several documents spread across a narrow table.

Across from him, Fenric Vale was studying a list of payments obtained from a commercial intermediary.

"Three separate transactions," Fenric reported, tracing the figures with his finger. "All made within six days of the attack. The amounts are too large for ordinary messenger services, and none of the listed recipients has an established trading business."

Pax examined the names.

"Where did the money originate?"

Fenric lowered his voice. "That’s the interesting part. Two payments passed through a broker connected to Edmund Krail."

Pax leaned forward. "Then we begin with the broker."

---

The first breakthrough came from a frightened bookkeeper.

The man worked for a minor trading establishment that occasionally handled payments on behalf of larger merchant interests. Under ordinary circumstances, his duties involved recording deposits, confirming deliveries, and maintaining accounts.

Recently, however, he had been instructed to record several unusual payments under false descriptions.

Fenric arranged a discreet meeting with him inside a quiet tavern near the western merchant district.

The bookkeeper arrived wearing a hooded cloak and repeatedly glanced toward the entrance.

"I shouldn’t be here," he whispered, sitting opposite Fenric. "If my employer discovers I’ve spoken to anyone, I’ll lose my position."

Fenric placed a small pouch upon the table. "We’re not interested in ruining your livelihood. We want to know who ordered those payments."

The bookkeeper hesitated before producing a folded parchment.

"These are copies of the entries," he explained, keeping his voice low. "The money came through a broker acting for Edmund Krail. I was told to divide it between several accounts and record the transfers as transport expenses."

Fenric examined the figures.

One payment had been issued two days before the ambush.

Another had been transferred on the morning of the attack.

The final payment followed the destruction of the caravan.

---

Pax received the information that evening.

He compared the entries against the evidence recovered by Cassian Rook’s security detachment.

The payments suggested preparation and compensation, but they did not yet establish who had carried out the attack.

That connection emerged through another source.

A former mercenary familiar with the Black Banner Mercenary Company had recognized one of the weapons recovered near the western crossing.

The blade itself was ordinary, but its damaged guard bore a distinctive repair made by a smith who regularly supplied Black Banner fighters.

Pax arranged for the smith to be questioned discreetly.

The man confirmed that he had repaired several weapons belonging to a particular group of mercenaries shortly before the ambush.

More importantly, he remembered one of their names.

A veteran fighter named Oskar Brenn.

Pax had already encountered that name while investigating Roderick Halbrecht’s network.

He examined the report before turning toward Fenric. "Find out where Brenn was during the attack. I want witnesses who can place him near the western crossing."

Fenric nodded. "I’ll speak with our contacts among the caravan guards and roadside merchants."

---

Two days later, Fenric returned with another discovery.

A stablekeeper near the western crossing had sheltered several horses belonging to armed travelers on the evening before the attack.

The men had paid generously and requested that their presence remain unrecorded.

The stablekeeper remembered Oskar Brenn because the mercenary had argued with another man over the cost of feeding their horses.

When shown a description prepared from the recovered information, the stablekeeper identified Brenn without hesitation.

Pax now possessed evidence connecting the Black Banner network to the location.

But the involvement of Gideon Marholt’s Iron Fang Mercenary Company remained less obvious.

That changed when another informant uncovered correspondence between two recruiters.

The letters concerned the temporary hiring of experienced fighters for an unnamed assignment outside the Capital.

One recruiter worked regularly with Iron Fang.

The other had previously arranged employment for men associated with Black Banner.

Their correspondence included the number of fighters required, the expected duration of the operation, and instructions to avoid wearing identifiable company insignias.

Pax examined the dates. They matched the preparations preceding the ambush.

---

By the end of the week, Pax had begun reconstructing the operation.

The initial information concerning the caravan’s schedule appeared to have passed through a commercial contact associated with Edmund Krail.

Funds had then moved through intermediaries to recruiters connected with Gideon Marholt’s Iron Fang Mercenary Company.

Those recruiters had assembled a group of experienced fighters, several of whom maintained connections with Roderick Halbrecht’s Black Banner Mercenary Company.

The attackers had received instructions to destroy selected wagons and disrupt the Guild’s supply arrangements.

Their compensation had been divided into payments made before and after the operation.

The structure was deliberate.

Each participant possessed only part of the arrangement, making it difficult for investigators to connect the entire chain.

Unfortunately for the conspirators, Pax had spent months studying their networks.

He already knew many of their intermediaries.

And he knew where to look.

---

The most important discovery came from Daven Rusk.

The intermediary had previously appeared during Pax’s investigation into the false shipment information planted by Sage.

Since then, Daven had become increasingly cautious, particularly after several commercial arrangements connected to Edmund Krail began collapsing.

Pax’s informants discovered that Daven had recently received a substantial payment and was preparing to leave the Royal Capital.

Fenric intercepted him before his departure.

Their meeting took place inside a small warehouse where Daven believed he was collecting documents for a merchant client.

Instead, he found Pax waiting beside the entrance.

Daven stopped immediately.

"Riven," he muttered, his expression tightening. "I should have known."

Pax remained seated upon a wooden crate. "You’re leaving the Capital rather suddenly, Daven."

Daven glanced toward the door.

Fenric stood beside it.

"I have business elsewhere," Daven replied.

"Then perhaps you’ll explain why someone paid you to arrange information concerning a Guild caravan that was attacked three days later," Pax said calmly.

The color drained from Daven’s face.

---

Daven initially denied knowing anything.

Pax allowed him to speak.

Then he placed copies of the payment records upon the crate.

Daven’s expression changed when he recognized the figures.

"Those don’t prove anything," he insisted, although his voice had become noticeably less confident.

Pax unfolded another document. "We also have correspondence linking your contacts to Iron Fang recruiters. And several witnesses can identify the men hired for the operation."

Daven swallowed.

Pax leaned forward. "Guild workers were seriously injured, Daven. This is no longer a dispute between merchants. If you helped arrange the attack, you’ll answer for it."

The intermediary stared at the documents for a long time.

Eventually, his shoulders sagged.

"I didn’t know they intended to hurt anyone," Daven whispered.

Pax’s expression remained cold. "Then tell me what you did know."

Daven hesitated before beginning his account.

---

According to Daven, Edmund Krail’s representatives had arranged the payments and supplied information concerning the Guild’s transport arrangements.

The recruitment itself had been handled through contacts associated with Iron Fang.

Daven had delivered instructions to one of those contacts, although he claimed not to have participated in selecting the attackers.

The final arrangements had involved men connected to Black Banner.

He also confirmed that the objective was to disrupt the Guild’s operations by destroying a valuable shipment.

Pax listened carefully, comparing the account against the documents already recovered.

Several details matched information Daven could not reasonably have known unless he had participated in the arrangement.

Others provided new leads.

Before allowing the interrogation to conclude, Pax demanded written testimony.

Daven agreed, although his hands trembled as he signed the statement.

Fenric collected the document and sealed it.

For the first time, Pax possessed testimony directly connecting the three visible antagonists through their intermediaries.

---

Yet one question remained unanswered.

Who was protecting them?

Pax had already discovered indications that Gideon, Roderick, and Edmund enjoyed support from an influential noble household.

Their financial arrangements included unusual guarantees, legal assistance, and payments passing through estate representatives.

Now, another document had surfaced.

Among the papers obtained from Daven was a payment authorization bearing an unfamiliar seal.

It depicted a stylized tower surrounded by decorative branches.

Pax recognized the design immediately.

A similar mark had appeared in earlier correspondence connected to the hidden financial support behind the three men.

Fenric examined the authorization.

"Another payment from the estate network?" he asked.

"Possibly," Pax answered. "But the document doesn’t identify the noble family."

The authorization had passed through several representatives, and the names recorded upon it belonged to intermediaries rather than the actual source of the funds.

Pax studied the seal.

Whoever stood behind the arrangement possessed considerable resources.

And considerable influence.

But suspicion was not enough.

---

That evening, Pax returned to the Royal Capital Headquarters.

Sage was waiting inside his private office, accompanied by Boren and Cassian Rook.

The Guildmaster had received several preliminary reports, but Pax had requested that the full findings be presented in person.

Pax placed a thick collection of documents upon the desk.

"Guildmaster, we’ve traced the attack," he announced.

Sage straightened.

"Tell me."

Pax began with the financial records, explaining how the payments had passed through commercial intermediaries connected to Edmund Krail.

He then presented the recruitment correspondence linking Iron Fang contacts to the hired fighters.

Finally, he described the evidence identifying Black Banner mercenaries among the attackers.

Cassian examined the documents carefully.

"These names match several men already under investigation for unlawful intimidation near Greyfen," he observed.

Pax nodded. "And we have witnesses placing one of them near the ambush site."

Sage remained silent as the evidence accumulated before him.

---

Pax concluded by presenting Daven Rusk’s signed testimony.

"This connects the operation through all three networks," he explained. "Edmund’s representatives arranged financing and information. Iron Fang contacts handled recruitment, while fighters associated with Black Banner carried out the attack."

Sage examined the statement. "How reliable is this?"

"The testimony agrees with independent payment records, correspondence, and witness accounts," Pax replied. "Daven’s account isn’t our only evidence."

Cassian nodded grimly. "Then we have enough to begin formal action against the men involved."

Sage turned another page. "And the noble patron?"

Pax produced the authorization bearing the tower-and-branches seal.

"We’ve found additional evidence of financial support passing through estate representatives," he answered. "But we still cannot identify the noble household with sufficient certainty."

Sage studied the seal. "Then we don’t accuse anyone we can’t prove was involved."

Pax nodded. "Agreed, Guildmaster."

For several moments, Sage remained silent.

He remembered the wounded workers inside the Medical Center.

The burned wagons.

The frightened survivors who had believed they were accepting an ordinary transport assignment.

Gideon Marholt, Roderick Halbrecht, and Edmund Krail had spent months attempting to undermine the Guild.

Now their networks were connected to an attack that had nearly cost several people their lives.

Sage closed the final document.

"Prepare copies of everything," he instructed. "Cassian, coordinate with the appropriate city authorities. I want the evidence preserved, the witnesses protected, and the men responsible brought before the law."

Cassian nodded. "I’ll begin immediately."

Sage turned toward Pax. "Continue investigating the noble connection, but don’t expose our sources unnecessarily. Whoever is protecting these men may become dangerous once they realize what we’ve uncovered."

Pax accepted the instruction. "Understood."

After the others departed, Boren remained beside the desk.

"You’re going to move against all three?" he asked quietly.

Sage looked toward the evidence.

"Yes."

Boren studied his expression. "That could provoke a serious confrontation."

Sage nodded. "It probably will. But they attacked people working under the Guild’s protection. If we allow that to pass unanswered, every merchant and Adventurer who trusts us will have reason to question whether we can protect them."

He gathered the documents and placed them inside a locked drawer.

For months, the Guild had endured rumors, bribery, commercial interference, and threats.

Sage had answered those efforts through careful planning and legitimate competition.

Now the circumstances had changed.

He possessed evidence.

He possessed witnesses.

And he finally possessed a clear chain connecting the attack to the three men who had attempted to strangle the Guild’s expansion.

The hidden noble influence remained beyond his reach.

But Gideon, Roderick, and Edmund no longer enjoyed the protection of uncertainty.

Sage looked toward Boren with a cold expression.

"Tomorrow, we begin."