Surviving As A Cannon Fodder

CHAPTER 57

"I'm sick of this"

The room turned silent. Only Edward's steady breathing was heard.

The knife that I jabbed on the table stood still like a flag post. 

It was no ordinary object by any means. On closer inspection, you could find inscriptions embedded into it. I don't know what they mean, but I'm sure pretty they don't mean any good.

It was a silver knife with a black hilt and a tassel attached to it. The blue colored tassel had an eye bead-shaped at its center. 

I don't want to admit it, but I know who or rather which organization it belongs to.

It belongs to the underground Third Eye organization. 

The members of this organization are professional assassins and intelligence gatherers. They charge a lot for their services and no one who has ever crossed them lived to tell the tale.

I'm familiar with it because I had once commissioned them to gather information on the Moore's human trafficking routes. 

It wasn't the greatest choice that I've ever made but it was a necessary one at that point of time. Although the fee put a big dent in my savings, they turned out to be very useful. Which means, they are very diligent in their works and won't stop till it's completed.

And now I'm on their hit list.

Just my luck......

"This ain't the end of this...Ha..ha...ha..."

Right now I'm looking more like a maniac than someone who should be concerned about their future.

"Where is it?" I asked Edward while grabbing onto his collar.

As expected there was no reply from the comatose man. His head was hanging behind him as I lifted him by the collar.

"I know it's somewhere in this room. But where?" I continued shaking him while looking around the room.

I let go of him and started wrecking the room. I searched through all the draws and cabinets but I couldn't find what I was looking for.

Closing my eyes I started concentrating on the details in the book. It was from about eighteen years ago and my failing memory has already forgotten half its contents. 

That was one of the major reasons I was unable to identify impending doom.

I don't have a photographic memory that can remember everything to the tiniest details with just one glance. I'm a normal person and I tend to forget things. It was only by god's grace that I was even able to remember the stuff that I did.

I covered my eyes with my hands and took a deep breath.

Then it hit me.

The item that I'm looking for is in a hidden safe! 

I recall reading that it was merged with the wall and only Edward was able to identify it. It was also the only thing that Edward hid from Helen. 

Records of all his dirty evil deeds are in there.

Climbing on top of a chair I stuck my ear to the wall and started feeling the wall with my hands in search of a surface that would be different from the rest.

Edward's pretty tall so logically speaking the safe should be about his eye level. I can't imagine him bending down to take something from the safe.

"Where did you hide your dirty little secrets?Hmmmmm"

Balancing on the chair I moved across the room while concentrating on my search.

When I crossed the area below the fancy frame with an empty portrait, I could feel a minute change. It was small, close enough to non-existent. But not to me.

I went through spartan education with my grandmother. It would be a disgrace to my self-respect if I didn't find the safe.

"Gotcha!"

By tapping the wall I was able to get an estimation of the size.

Now to open the safe, I have to push the center part forward and gently lift it and pull it back.

*click*

"Ka-chink....Look here dear husband I opened your safe"

When I pulled the lid up, I was disappointed to find another lock.

"Damn it"

Biting my lips, I reached out for the dagger tied to my knee. Using the tip of the dagger I tried to open it while concentrating on the inner mechanisms. I've had experience breaking into my father's locker before.

Though I did get caught in the end, I successfully opened it.

No one is here to distract me so if I concentrate a bit more, I will be able to crack it.

*click* *click*

With a few 'click' sounds the safe opened.

"I knew I still had it in me" I patted myself on the shoulder.

"Eddie boy......" I turned towards the man on the bed with a smile on my face.

"You really need to upgrade to a newer version safe for hiding stuff. Even my dad had the latest one and he didn't have much to hide" I smirked proudly.

"For your information, I still opened it"

Inside the safe, there were a variety of items. It was bigger than its initial appearance. There were stacks of documents and ledgers among other things.

"Documentation on the Council of Elders, A list of imperial guards..." I flipped through the documents one by one.

"Even a report on the Third Eye organization....hmm impressive."

"Ownership to the port town in Napal..... Holy sh*t" I almost fell from the chair I was balancing on.

After steadying myself I read the document once again. It was an ownership document with the royal seal.

"Ehh.... I always wanted to visit the port town in Napal. I heard that the place had yummy seafood restaurants and a beautiful sunset. With you around, I won't be able to do that. Tsk..." Pouting, I put the papers down and reached far inside.

There was no end to the number of documents. Edward was already on his way to become a powerful figure in the Empire. He had dirt on almost every noble in the country, even the royals weren't an exception.

"Ashford.... Ashford....Ash....ford...." I tried to find a report with my family's name. But there was none.

"Ahhh" I hit myself on the head on realizing it late.

"You already used it, didn't you? I'm such a ditz for forgetting the entire reason of my existence in this residence"

Putting everything aside, I searched for the item I opened the safe in the first place.

When I pulled it out, it was shining like the early sun enough to blind your eye. I got down and jumped into bed, sitting right next to Edward.

In my hand was humanity's greatest invention.

There was one thing that I really admired about Edward's character when I read the book.

He was a man of fine taste.

He was an avid collector of the finest wine. The rarer the better. The bottle in my hand is the piece he collected after much effort.

"Eddie.....you're the man"

In the future, he would share it with Helen, his better half. 

But at the present, I'm his better half and I deserve this more than anyone after what I went through today.

I have already instructed the servants to not disturb me till morning.

So it's just going to be me, myself and I, and this gorgeous bottle of wine........Oh and also this guy. I almost forgot about him.

"Bottoms up"

I threw the lid on top of Edward and started downing the alcohol without a break.