[Kingdom : Drakoria]

  [Regions : 1 ]

  [Army : 32,000; Knights : 465; Awakened : 408]

  [Allies : None]

  [Enemies : 3]

  [Gold : 10,873]

  [Citizens : 112,609]

  I read a report from Naram-Sin. Few days after the soap formu got stolen, a competitor entered the market--Montreal.

  They replicated my soap to the exact and now we have to compete with the second most powerful kingdom in the south for raw materials. Not only did it affect the value of the commodity but they have also banned us from selling in their markets, and if they are as diabolical as I am, they will be working to have us ban by their friends, and they have a lot of them. Noura al-Fak, the chief alchemist was smart enough to try and savage the situation as much as she could but it still isn't enough. We are not ready to leave the soap business yet. It is still months too early.

  Calling me over probably means they have succeeded with the other soap but that's not particurly good news. We still don't know how they got their hands on the first soap.

  The doors to the chambers opened and the inside was already smelling like a proper soap factory. The chief alchemist was in between spells when I came in and so I had to wait. Everybody was busy with something and I had to stand there and watch it all. Soon after the chief alchemist was done and came up to me, breathless, and her face full of sweat.

  "You are working hard" I said, my voice impassive as she was bending down, hands on her knees trying to catch her breath.

  "I apologize, Your majesty" she said, straightening up, her breathing still uneven. "the new soap takes a lot of mana. It's not something just the young ones can make."

  By her tone you can tell she's not compining, just stating things as they are and awfully excited about it. Typical nerd behavior.

  "I take it it is a success?"

  Her face changed like I took something from her, probably a grand way of announcing a momentous achievement.

  "...yes" she said. "Follow me, please"

  As the chief alchemist led me through the bustling chamber, the alchemists on standby bowed in greeting while those engrossed in their spellcasting remained immersed in their work, paying no heed to my presence. One young girl in the midst of her own incantation, faltered in her attempt to acknowledge my presence, causing a votile reaction in her work. The unfinished soap erupted with a deafening bang, sending shards and sptters in all directions, even reaching me.

  She colpsed immediately on her knees, her face to the ground.

  "I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry" she pleaded.

  She appeared no older than thirteen, her youthful features bearing the unmistakable signs of an early stage of puberty.

  I stared at her for a moment then continued walking.

  We arrived at a sturdy door, fnked by two vigint knights who acknowledged my presence with a bow. The knight on the left retrieved a key from his belt and expertly unlocked the door, allowing us to pass through.

  Inside the small room, four additional knights were stationed, their armor gleaming in the dim light. In the room's center, a pedestal stood, and atop it rested a ft, rectangur box.

  The knights saluted as we walked to the stand, their eyes never leaving us.

  With a graceful, deliberate motion, the chief alchemist removed a key from around her neck. She carefully inserted it into the keyhole of the box and then released her grip. The key twisted on it's own and then I began to hear a subtle symphony of mechanical clicks and whirring emanated from within the box.

  Amidst the gentle symphony of the continuous mechanical workings, the chief alchemist's face lit up with excitement, and a warm, beaming smile graced her features.

  "It was my grandfather's treasure box," she shared eagerly, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm. "He said it was a gift from a great gnome."

  With a resounding cck, the box swung open, the sound echoing through the room. As she lifted the lid to reveal golden bars of soap, 14 of them, perfectly arranged, a very appealing fragrance filled the room. So refined and rich, incomparable to the st one.

  She reached out, picked up one, and passed it to me.

  I collected it casually, not trying to show how impressed I was. I brought it to my nose and knew we struck gold.

  She was staring at me the whole time, gauging my reaction.

  I just handed her the soap back and started gncing around. The room has no windows and relies on the crystals for light and the narrow air vents for air.

  "Have you figured out how you lost the st recipe?" I said, my tone making it evident that I held her partially responsible.

  "No," she said, taking the soap back, visibly disappointed. "But we have an idea of what may have happened"

  She pced the soap back carefully where she took it from and then gently closed the box with a cck. The key twisted back to it's original position and ejected halfway.

  "We believe it may have been the work of a very powerful spell" she continued, taking the key back. "I once heard of a witch's spell that can clone another or themselves."

  "And you believe that was what happened here?"

  "Yes" she said. "I remember it from my grandfather's stories. They will be as real as can be and you won't be able to tell the difference, and when the moment is right, they vanish like the wind, leaving no trace behind."

  That would make sense, I thought. Most probably it happened when I gave them the short break to meet with their families. Even though under strict surveilnce, the witch might have been hiding under the bed or something, kidnapped the alchemist, send in a clone and when the surveilnce was down, run away with his loot. Or the alchemist was the witch, or was working with one.

  I looked at the knights in the room.

  "So does this mean it's possible one of these knights could be a clone?" I said, not bothered that they could hear me.

  "Yes," she confirmed, her eyes fixed on the knights as well. "However, they are under strict orders not to leave this room for any reason. Only Your Majesty and I are allowed to approach the center. No one, not even you, can take anything out of this room, for security reasons."

  It's good, I thought. Well thought of. No one can take it without a fuss.

  "Yes," she replied. "And it can't be accessed without this key," she gestured toward the key. "Any attempt to do so will result in the destruction of everything inside."

  That's a pretty advanced piece of technology for a near medieval era, I thought. Is it magic?

  The chief alchemist returned the key to its pce around her neck, securely tucked between her breasts

  "It will be a set back" she said, "but it is better than all been lost. Unlike the first soap, this one is impossible to make and I made sure I alone know every step by heart."

  As we left the room, I was thinking how I was going to leverage the new soap. Probably sell it at 15-20 silver coins per bar. A luxury for royalties and those who want to belong. It's good it also has a distinct scent.

  "How good are the effects of the soap?"

  "I thought you'd never ask," she replied, her face lighting up with anticipation.