Traveling through The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

Not long after Idne returned to the territory of Rych after completing her studies, she was found by Nepous's men. One of them gave her several identical rings, hoping she could help find loyal and brave men to join the Forsworn. One of these rings was currently being tightly clutched between Aeola's fingers.

Idne did as she was told. She had a wide network of connections and recommended several highly capable individuals. It was among these people who questioned Nepous's methods that prompted her to decide to personally travel to Markas to find the truth.

Her friend Poseidon offered her lodging. After testing each other and confirming that the other could be trusted, the two frankly shared what they knew. At Poseidon's suggestion, Idne turned her attention to the Silverblood family as her new target.

From that time on, the wilderness of Rych lost a shrewd and capable wandering wizard, while the city of Markars gained a gentle, humble, and loyal maid.

He did this for fifteen years. His black hair turned white, but the only thing that remained unchanged was the heart that beat for freedom within him.

On this hidden and dangerous battlefield, where no swords are drawn yet every step is fraught with bloodshed, Idne fully displays her talent. In terms of magic, she can only be considered to have a rudimentary grasp of the basics; as for combat skills, she only knows some simple hand-to-hand fighting techniques. But this person, whose magic and martial arts are hardly mediocre, is a prodigy in underground operations.

She never rose to a high position, yet she successfully gained the trust of the Silverblood family, gaining access to the private lives of some important figures and developing her own network of contacts. Over fifteen years, Tonar's spies planted around Mednatch were eliminated one by one, but no one believed that Idne had anything to do with it.

This was partly thanks to her superior—Poseira, who was also her liaison with Mednatch. Their close relationship was bound to attract attention. Poseira destroyed the truly important documents but kept a considerable number of letters. Someone as observant as Cindy could only deduce from these rambling conversations that Idne was a woman who enjoyed gossiping.

Meanwhile, under the enemy's very nose, Idne was secretly raising and educating Kai. When it came to feigning supernatural abilities, Aiora was probably slightly inferior to her teacher, and the residents of Markars quickly came to believe that some abandoned houses were cursed by a demon, and that those who valued life should not approach them. Little Kai, along with the weapons and equipment Idne had secretly collected, hid in one of these rooms.

Just as Aiolia infiltrated Markars, Kai was secretly transferring these supplies to the South City so that her father could be armed immediately after his escape. These two sisters, who had never met and were even unaware of each other's existence, had no idea that their teacher, Idne, was planning a risky scheme.

Despite Idne's unprecedented success, there was still one heavily fortified stronghold that he could not breach: Nepom's lair.

This despicable traitor, aware of his grave sins, was extremely guarded. He rarely left his home except for official business, and was always accompanied by bodyguards when he went out. His servants were rigorously vetted by him to ensure their absolute loyalty. Mednatch sent several men, but all were unable to gain entry.

Seven years ago, in the year 198 of the Fourth Age, Mednatch had been imprisoned for twenty-two years. Considering that all the spies the Silverblood family had planted around him had been eliminated, His Majesty the King decided to attempt a breakout. However, Tonal, having prior knowledge of the details of the operation, easily thwarted it.

Idne quickly discovered that it was Nepos who had provided the information to the Nords. She was eager to expose these rats. However, old Deng's fence was very strong, and even though he was very close to Tonal, Idne still couldn't find an opportunity to get close to him.

Two years passed in the blink of an eye. Idne was now middle-aged, yet victory seemed increasingly out of reach. Under the leadership of the brothers Songwa and Tonal, the Silverblood family was at its zenith. Mednatch was forced to go into hiding once more, and even Poseidon reduced her contact with her. Idne suppressed her anxiety and unease, desperately guarding the faint glimmer of hope within her.

When Tonar, with a lewd grin on his face, led a trembling girl into the treasure room, the almost extinguished flame of hope was rekindled.

Perhaps his long period of comfortable life had dulled his guard, or perhaps it was simply to please his new master, Nepomuk actually gave his young lover to Tonar to play with. For the next six months, this helpless and pitiful woman suffered endless humiliation, with only the family's old nanny caring for and looking after her. Thus, even after returning to Nepomuk's side, Uaile still maintained contact with the kind old Nana.

At this moment of significant progress, Idne continued with her usual steady approach. The girl was plump and had smooth skin; she had clearly neither gone hungry nor done any heavy labor. It could be said that Nepos had not mistreated her materially. After all, she was Old Deng's wife; how could one possibly determine her true feelings through ordinary interactions?

Idne maintained a lukewarm relationship with Uaile. She never initiated contact with her, only occasionally stopping to chat when they met at the market. Then, the girl mentioned that Nepous often acted when she was inconvenienced, causing her great distress. Idne, seizing the opportunity, recommended that Uaile consult the Witch's Potion.

Poseidon was her superior, with a wider network and greater freedom of identity, allowing her to investigate Uaile's background. This investigation revealed to Poseidon that Uaile's father, Urazen, had sworn allegiance to King Mednachi shortly after his imprisonment, and within a few years, he was now a key member of the organization.

With this connection established, Idne and Poseidon pressed their advantage and finally gained Uaile's trust. That impenetrable wall of steel was thus forcibly pried open.

Idne didn't take credit either; she offered to have U'aile and Poseidon communicate directly to minimize the risk of exposure. As for U'aile, her service to Nepomuk was solely for the sake of protecting her father's life. If she could help Mednatch escape, her father would regain his freedom, and she could escape this inhuman existence.

From this point on, U'aile's attitude towards Nepomuk changed drastically, and he began to fawn over her. Na Laoden believed this was the result of Tonar's training. Nepomuk carefully savored the subtle difference between coerced submission and conquered docility. Meanwhile, U'aile began to pay attention to any clues related to the Hidana mine.

After careful investigation and bold reasoning, she narrowed it down to one name—Griswa.

The New Year had passed, and time was running out. Wu Aile hurriedly wrote her name on a slip of paper and slipped it into a small wallet. Even though the cold wind howled outside the window, tearing apart the swirling snowflakes, she had to send the message out tonight.

Guarding the witch's potion was a strange and terrifying one-eyed woman. Wu Aile had no doubt that if Poseidon hadn't arrived in time, this woman would have grabbed her bones and torn apart every fascia and muscle. But the purse contained a great secret, and she had to deliver it to Poseidon herself, no matter what.

Idne wasn't informed of the discovery in time. In fact, she had proactively cut off communication with Poseidon before the New Year. This was normal, as they had an agreement that if they were in crisis or at risk of leaking information, they could temporarily remain silent, and no one would attempt to contact them.

The reason for this reappearance will likely never be known. Idne reappeared on the night of the Festival of Love, where she single-handedly assassinated Nepous and Bertrid. It was also on that night that, to cover Kai and Aiolia's escape, she self-destructed with a fire rune, sacrificing herself before dawn.

He sacrificed himself to avenge the national humiliation, leaving the task of rebuilding the country for future generations.

Idne's story is told by Mednatch and Kai. She spent most of her life alone in the shadows, and even with the addition of U'aile and Poseidon from Markarth, it is difficult to fully reconstruct her life.

The room was eerily quiet.

"Um...I also have a question I'd like to ask..."

Seeing that Aiola was deeply immersed in grief, Argis had no choice but to stand up.

"No, no, no, little cat. My little Kai just specifically told me not to answer any of your questions. I'm already being incredibly kind by letting you leave alive. After all, you're the one who killed her teacher."

Mednatch tapped the ground with his cane.

"If there is nothing else, you may leave."

"Your Majesty, you have not yet answered my question."

Cindy secretly tugged at Argis's tail, a mocking smile playing on her lips. Mednatch, who was already preparing to leave, seemed oblivious to the sarcasm in her tone, simply raising her hand to indicate that she had something to say.

"I'd like to ask if Your Majesty encountered a girl named Helgi at the Hilda mine. She was about fourteen or fifteen years old, around this height, with flaxen hair, short or medium-length, and she knew magic..."

Mednatch interrupted Cindy's description.

“I think I’ve met the child you’re talking about; she helped me a lot.”

When Griswa's name appeared before him, Mednatch felt a sense of relief that was both unexpected and perfectly understandable.

This man had been his subordinate for many years, even longer than Ulachen, Uaile's father. He was initially imprisoned for theft, but each sentence was short. Later, before his release, he would write down everyone's needs and smuggle them in when he was imprisoned again.

In fact, Kay was able to be sent abroad through his connections back then.

One day, the jailer took him deep into the mine and publicly announced that, because of his habitual theft and incorrigible behavior, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. Not long after, he chose to join Mednatch.

While Griswa had some minor flaws, such as being despicable, cowardly, selfish, greedy, treacherous, and hypocritical, he possessed one immense virtue: cunning. It was precisely because of this that he consistently acted as a strategist. One can imagine how many secret schemes this guy knew. For example, that failed prison break was actually planned with his assistance.

This is no easy enemy to deal with.

As a veteran, Griswa also had his confidants. Although he appeared to be a coward, bowing and scraping to everyone, he was actually quite cunning and never allowed others to get close easily, especially those who were certain of their loyalty to the king.

He's both a seasoned veteran and a stubborn tough guy. Though he may seem spineless, he's actually quite cunning.

More importantly, Mednatch must be absolutely certain that he can kill Griswa quickly and secretly.

On the one hand, he couldn't be killed too soon. His Majesty needed him alive for the time being, and through him, to continuously relay messages to Nepos and Tonal, so that the two would misjudge his plans. If Griswa died a violent death, Nepos would certainly be able to deduce that Mednatch was up to no good.

On the other hand, the killings must not be too loud. After all, they are prisoners, and a group of jailers are watching. Before obtaining the weapons prepared by Idne and Kai, they should try to avoid direct confrontation with the enemy.

Mednatch needs someone Griswa doesn't know so he can get close to him, gain his trust, lower his guard, and finally—kill him.

Without much hesitation, he thought of Helgi.

At least seven of the fourteen-man scout team were captured, but only Helgi and two other thin boys entered the Hidalas mine; the whereabouts of the others are unknown.

"Come on, my love. This is clean water, for drinking. Only a young girl like you who has just come in can enjoy this."

A burly orc gripped Helji's wrists with one hand, while the other hand held a damp rag, vigorously scrubbing the mud off the little girl's face. Soon, a delicate little face appeared.

"Tsk, skinny, Pokur thinks you're too thin, but Mednatch will like the look."

That evening, Hailji was taken to Mednatch's room. The next morning, the old king, who hadn't slept all night, was even more energetic. Even now, sitting across from Cindy and the other two, recalling that night more than a month ago, he still seemed to have a lingering sense of satisfaction.

Mednatch said he had never heard such an inspiring speech.

The young woman painted a picture for him. She spoke of a future land of Ruichi where all peoples would live in harmony, respecting each other's cultures and beliefs, and working together to build a more prosperous homeland. Her voice was as clear as a forest sparrow, so confident and so affectionate, as if what she spoke of was not a beautiful vision, but a reality that had already come true.

Wasn't this exactly what I wished for back then? But how did things come to this point, beyond repair?

Mednatch gazed at the still-childish face. As a mage of considerable skill, he could sense Helgi's unfathomable magical potential. This child was several years younger than his little Kai, and to have reached such a level at this age was no exaggeration to call her exceptionally talented. Of course, she was far from being his match now; possessing her would be a piece of cake.

However, his daughter's image lingered in his mind. Did he really have to show off his power over a child who could be his granddaughter? He was almost sixty years old; how many days did he have left to live? The burden would eventually have to be passed on to the younger generation; it was time to think about his little Kai.

The men he had gathered in prison were all desperados. These people might have the ability to destroy an old society, but they had absolutely no ability to establish a new order. But Helge was different. If he could take this child under his wing, with her potential and her long-term plans for the future, she would surely become Kay's greatest asset.

But first, we need to make her a true member of our own society.

In other words, her hands had to be stained with blood first—the blood of the traitor Griswa.