Chương 87: Chapter 2.24: Precisely Plotted Purging

As had become the norm these days, Brutus's aura enveloped all of them as soon as the door closed. The customary food, wine, and tea were present, but this time, Favius noted with amusement the seat that had been kept open for him. Looks like now I'm the person who sits framed by the fireplace. He looked everyone over. I am the heir of the Familia, so I guess it's appropriate. He looked to the sides, where both Brutus and Caliga sat.

The cultivator's face was serious yet calm, while Caliga giddily played with knuckles and occasionally looked at a wax tablet she had brought along. Oh my God. Please don't tell me... Favius shook his head, focusing on the last person in the room. Centurii Hefnus. The guy who went with us to Cindrath. His eyes flicked between Brutus and the man. Brutus nodded, so Favius inclined his head.

"Centurii, we met, but I believe we were never formally introduced."

"Indeed, Young Lord. It is an honor to finally work with you and to meet the man who will lead this Familia to glory in the future." He slammed his fist into his chestplate, and Favius nodded.

"You have my thanks. Would you mind elaborating on your role and abilities? To smooth our future cooperation." At this, Caliga perked up, turning her head to the man who, like Brutus, only wore his chestplate. The rest of his bronze armor was stripped away. Favius smiled. Still funny how they have modular armor designs despite the bad mechanical components.

"Of course, Young Dominus. I'm a Praecultor Bellator, though I have dabbled in the arts of the Cultor Sensum as well." He made a broad gesture.

"I'm focused on fighting while denying the enemy's spiritual senses." Favius's eyes flicked over to Brutus. The Magnicultor nodded imperceptibly.

"That seems like a useful combination."

"Such is my hope, my Lord." Caliga tilted her head to the side.

"I've heard some things. But tell me yourself, Centurii, what is your opinion of my Mother?" The professional façade cracked for a moment, and his eyes glittered with something. The man's lips curled up in a sneer.

"I have grown rather tired of her attempts to influence me and my guards. I've lost good boys who took the wrong kind of offer and had to be sent off." He sniffed, making a sharp hand gesture.

"If she were anyone but the Dominus's legal wife..." His voice trailed off. Yet Favius couldn't help the shudder running down his spine. Oh well, either he's extremely good at faking not being a Hesnia loyalist, or he is actually reliable. Well, not that we are not fucked three ways to heaven if he's working for Hesnia. He grinned, but Brutus clicked his tongue.

"Centurii, your enmity, while understandable, seems to have a rather..." He hesitated.

"... personal edge." The Centurii's mouth moved as if to spit into the corner before he flinched and swallowed.

"Her practice of sending young ladies to seduce me has proven rather tiresome. I had the last naked harlot I found in my bedroom beaten black and blue by the men." Favius swallowed. Holy hell. I sure hope that was only a beating. Brutus guffawed.

"Well, Centurii, I could certainly think of worse surprises than naked women in my bedroom." Hefnus's gaze remained icy.

"Lord Ovinius Kestrelo, with all due respect, I am a happily married man, and I will not stand the insulting insinuation of infidelity upon my virtuous soul by anyone." He glared at the cultivator. Favius raised an eyebrow as the smile on Brutus's face grew wolfish. After staring the man down for a full minute, Brutus spoke.

"That, Centurii, I can work with." Favius cleared his throat after the two men broke eye contact.

"Centurii, one last question." He gestured outside, toward the window.

"When we received my Father, I saw you standing in front of maybe one hundred and fifty men. Your rank is Centurii, but you seem to command all of them." Hefnus gave a curt nod while Brutus swallowed down a cup of wine.

"Young Lord, how much do you know of the military organization of the Republic?" Favius tilted his head from side to side. The Centurii straightened.

"Then allow me to enlighten you. I am not, in fact, the highest-ranking officer of the Ovinius Loran branch. I am third in line after the Kilorii and the Demi-Kilorii commanding the bulk of our forces." Favius stroked his chin. Kilorii, that's a commander of a thousand men. So our family has fifteen hundred guards. He nodded roughly.

"If you're interested in the exact numbers—""Please, no exact numbers," groaned Caliga between snacking on two olives. The Centurii's eyes flicked briefly to the side, then found Favius again.

"That..." He looked to Brutus.

"That sounds like a decent number," finished his bodyguard.

"Centurii, the Young Lord has not been educated in military affairs beyond personal combat. If you wouldn't mind." The Centurii smiled.

"Indeed. I have heard of your prowess in the martial arts." He looked to the side at Brutus.

"When you are a few cycles older and your tutor permits, I would happily provide some men with whom you may train in small-unit tactics." Favius nodded.

"Thank you, Centurii. That is an intriguing offer." The Centurii knocked his knuckle against the desk.

"As for the Republic's military, Familias..." He raised three fingers in turn.

"... Collegia and temples..." Then rotated his hand.

"... raise, equip, and train soldiers. The exact process is rather tediously regulated, so I shan't go into detail. Those forces make up the line infantry of the Republic." Favius raised his eyebrows.

"So there's no standing army, no cavalry?" The Centurii nodded.

"We Cindrathii fight on our feet. We are not lazy vagabond horse-fondlers who need to be carried into battle."

"And even then," Brutus added, "cavalry cannot stand against heavy infantry. The Federatii tribes supply what is needed. And then there are the Speculatorii Exploratoris. The Republic's scouts." Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Urania straightened.

"Oh yeah, Brutus, I meant to ask about the Speculatorii." Brutus sniffed, seeing Favius's confused expression. Speculatorii. I think I read somewhere about them, but I just assumed that was another unit designation.

"They are the only standing army the Republic has for anything that needs more expertise than fighting in the line of battle. Espionage, security, assassination. All the sneaky shit." Favius nodded for a brief moment, his eyes narrowed. Sneaky shit? He obviously doesn't like them. No. He shook his head and focused on the affairs at hand. Caliga suddenly snapped her fingers.

"Well, if the introductions are over," she began, speaking rapidly, "can we discuss purging our enemies?" She raised a wax tablet.

"I have a few people here who we definitely need to remove." Favius groaned and let his head fall forward into his hands.

"Caliga," he murmured.

"What?" she interjected. Favius massaged his forehead. This is still wrong on so many fucking levels. But I need to pick my battles. I'm not winning against almost a decade of childhood resentment here. And... He looked over at the list. She's probably not even wrong that all of those people are Hesnia's loyalists and need to go. He let out a long-suffering breath. But still. Brutus looked over at him before gesturing at the Centurii, who nodded precisely.

"If I may?" He picked up a scroll of papyrus.

"I have long since anticipated that there would come a day when my Dominus would order me to undertake such an operation. Therefore..." He unrolled the document and ran his fingers over it.

"... I have been preparing." Favius raised an eyebrow. Well, on the one hand, that sounds bad. On the other hand, as the head of the household guard, it makes sense that he's responsible for counterintelligence as well. Brutus nodded.

"So tell me how you would go about this if none of us were involved." Hefnus gave them a tight smile and nodded.

"It is, of course, vital to consider the circumstances." He looked at Favius.

"Purges require planning. They require timing and preparation to be successfully executed. Some of this involves plotting, planning, and deception. Other things..." He gestured at the door.

"... involve the mundane logistics of holding and interrogating so many prisoners at once." Favius let out a sniff. Well, turns out you can't even run a secret police force without good logistics. Not surprising, really. But still. Brutus nodded.

"None of that goes against official doctrine yet. What do you propose specifically?" Favius raised a hand.

"Wait a moment. Is there an official doctrine for conducting purges?" Hefnus paused, looking first at Favius, then at Brutus. After a moment, the warrior spoke.

"No, Cousin. There is no such book or doctrine, not officially. There are, however, various writings that are considered obligatory reading in matters of counterintelligence." Favius hummed and nodded. But Caliga interjected herself into the conversation again.

"So we are just waiting and preparing rooms?" She sniffed.

"Why did Urania get the better assignment?" Favius chuckled.

"A moment ago, you were quite enthusiastic about this. As for Urania, she came up with the plan herself." He looked at Brutus.

"Indeed. Now that your Mother has become more cooperative, her spending time with the younger siblings and Hesnia's other retainers is perfectly sensible. And, Favius, do not believe for a moment that your younger sister is less vengeful than your older one. She simply sees it as a fun little exercise in espionage." Favius sighed again. Why do I have two bloodthirsty sisters? He nodded.

"With Urania getting into Hesnia's circle, I've actually had an idea." Hefnus raised an eyebrow.

"An idea, Young Lord?" He nodded.

"I think we should assume that our beehive design is already stolen and shipped to her allies." But his smile grew fierce.

"What if, instead of just trying to deny her access to our secrets of soapmaking, we have Urania leak a misleading recipe?" The room fell silent. Favius waited with bated breath. Slowly, smiles spread over the faces of everyone else.

"There's sense in that," murmured the Centurii, and Brutus chuckled.

"I do have a fun idea." He gestured at the two children.

"We've been buying a lot of lodestones and splinters for cultivation training. Truth be told, it may have gotten out of hand." Favius hummed and gestured for the man to go on.

"But with how much time I spent in the workshop, we could emphasize that the reaction must be catalyzed and moderated by the addition of lodestones and the aura of a powerful cultivator of at least Magnicultor rank with superb aura control." Favius and Hefnus began chuckling at the same moment, and soon Caliga joined in.

"That..." The previously composed Centurii choked.

"That is absolutely evil. Making them believe they have to invest a resource like you to get soap." Favius grinned.

"And with how much we experimented, I think I can give them a path that looks promising but will fail badly." He tilted his head.

"Or maybe I can mix several of those..." He trailed off and began scribbling notes on a wax tablet, considering what exactly to hand over for maximum damage while keeping the recipe as plausible as possible. Caliga tapped her stylus against the desk again.

"All right, that's funny, but can we talk about the arrests? And, Brutus, can I arrest a few people myself, please?" She drew out the word with a cuteness entirely incongruent with her request. Favius shivered involuntarily. Goddammit, there's a reason why I want to go after internal cultivation. This. I don't even know if it would be good or bad if this doesn't at least upset me on some level. He cleared his throat.

"Caliga, I believe it would be best to leave this to the professionals. After all, we are just children and—""No," Brutus interjected, and Favius's head swiveled to the man.

"It is a good idea to have all three of you involved in the arrests. Not alone, of course, but as secondary commanders leading the strike forces." Favius pressed his eyes shut.

"Brutus, please don't tell me that this is another educational opportunity."

"Yes, Favius. It is indeed one of those. And a rare one at that."

"And I guess that's the one silver lining in this entire thing," Favius murmured under his breath. Caliga began spouting names and asking questions. She's all too eager to optimize the logistics of how many people she's going to arrest.

"Fuck me," he murmured. Finally, he raised his voice.

"Very well, Brutus. I guess when the time comes, I'll take care of Tiro."

"That seems appropriate," said his bodyguard before the conversation could drift again. Favius looked over at Centurii Hefnus.

"So you mentioned identifying her people. But how are we going to identify—" He spoke the words slowly and carefully, yet they translated perfectly.

"—sleeper agents or other people who are maintaining a good cover and waiting for the right opportunity?" A smile spread over Hefnus's face while Brutus sniffed. The Centurii looked between Brutus and Favius, and Favius narrowed his eyes. Did I just say something stupid? Brutus chuckled.

"You must have read too many adventure novels. Most spies are disgruntled servants or gossiping women. Unless..." He looked at Hefnus.

"... I am mistaken." The Centurii shook his head.

"By my assessment, I do not believe there to be any deeply infiltrated assets. After all, why would the Lady of the House have to act covertly if overt espionage is easier and more profitable? As for other agents and parties..." He shrugged.

"They simply exploited the situation at this estate to engage in the usual espionage more cheaply." He again tapped his fingers on the book.

"Over the cycles, I have created profiles for nearly everyone who was in any way suspicious." Favius tilted his head to the side.

"Makes sense," he murmured. Well, maybe it also doesn't help that most of my spycraft knowledge is based on James Bond movies. And I never was interested in that on Earth. I knew that the real life of an intelligence analyst, or whatever you call a member of an agency, has very little to do with the average James Bond movie.

"As for timing," the Centurii began, "the Young Master's agreement with the Lady for her to leave periodically benefits us massively." Caliga leaned forward.

"Are we going to strike when she's gone?" Hefnus shook his head.

"No. My recommendation would be to let her leave, return, and when she leaves again, then we strike." Brutus scratched his beard, then looked over first at Caliga and then at Favius.

"Children, why do you believe the Centurii recommends that we strike in a few seasons?" Favius narrowed his eyes and looked at the book. But Caliga obviously spoke up first.

"Because you aren't sure about your investigations. You need to talk to more people."

"Correct," added Brutus.

"But what advantage is gained by having her leave?" Favius snapped his fingers.

"Because instead of just investigating socially, we can search the quarters of Hesnia, her closest allies, and her entourage." Brutus grinned broadly.

"Precisely." He snapped his fingers, and Hefnus nodded.

"Indeed. Furthermore, the time frame will allow me to increase the intensity of scrutiny slowly. After all, that is how you successfully boil a man in the baths." Favius's eyebrows rose. Wasn't that saying about boiling a frog? He looked at Brutus.

"Is... is that a thing?" Brutus chuckled darkly.

"It was in the days before the Dictator. Using charcoal and bellows to raise a bath's temperature too far." He shuddered.

"There was a particular Lireni dynasty very fond of eliminating its rivals this way."

"What happened to them?" asked Caliga. Brutus's smile grew vicious.

"They were drowned to the last man, woman, and child, all bearing weight equivalent to their wealth in gold." Favius swallowed. That. That's the same fucking logic that Serpens argued at the party. That my siblings and I should be killed. Root out your enemies by the stem and leave no leaf unburned. He let out a long breath. But it was, of course, Caliga who spoke up again.

"All right, so we are searching their correspondence, and then we know who we need. Oh!" She snapped her fingers, looking at Favius.

"You mentioned Tiro, but wouldn't it be funny if you arrested Cassian as well?"

"Funny?" asked Favius, with little energy in his protest. But Brutus shook his head.

"Haven't you been told? Two nights ago, he ran back to Cindrath with his tail between his legs." He looked first at Caliga, then Favius.

"You shouldn't be so..." The cultivator smirked.

"... disappointed. Favius, you will, in fact, be the very first person to catch a spy who has infiltrated this household." He looked over at Centurii Hefnus.

"Far, far sooner than summer."