NOT WORTHY TO BE KING: FEARLESS WARRIOR

49| LET HIM RECRUIT ME

"I guess we should forget about that for now. It seems like we underestimated our uncle." Clayton said after Logan told them what Adrian said to him. He didn't like what was happening but he wasn't going to wait for his uncle to admit that he was the one who kidnapped Tiara and Arianna and Logan didn't want to regret delaying the rescue mission if it turned out that his uncle really had no hand in the kidnapping.

"I hate to say this but we can't do anything about him for now. What we can do though is look into the other sections that Axel told us about. We've looked at The Silver Serpents but we haven't done anything regarding The Crimson Cloaks and The Obsidian River." He looked at Axel. "Tell me what more information have you found?"

"I haven't found anything more about The Obsidian River yet but I have managed to trace a few more people from The Crimson Cloaks. They've been moving near the capital city in the past few months and even though they've mostly blended in, their accent still gives them away.

"On top of that, they've been asking a lot of questions from people around the palace. They've probably learned of your return and they want to know how that's gonna affect them."

Logan listened carefully as he continued to explain a lot more about his findings. It was clear that those men were not scared of him or what he might do to them if he found them and Logan realised that whatever he does, he should make sure that he doesn't underestimate them.

"They have about three hundred men in total and they are also divided into 3 smaller groups. Each group has a leader and unlike The Silver Serpents, their leadership is not something you inherit from your father or mother or any of your family. You have to fight for it and prove that you are strong and worthy to be their leader.

"They have a main leader who unfortunately is a former soldier. From what I gathered, he was honourably discharged a year ago after the death of his father who was a former soldier.

"I don't know about his father's death but apparently, it deeply affected him and that was one of the reasons he came back. He then challenged the then-leader and defeated him to become the current leader.

"He's made a lot of changes in their organisation and it was under his leadership that the group grew from a number of about fifty to sixty men per group to a total of one hundred each."

Logan couldn't help but smile at Axel. "Good work. I can't express how happy I am that you're leading this investigation."

"It's my duty to serve you, Your Majesty."

Logan didn't want to ask Axel to stop calling him that because he knew it was no use. Axel changed the way he addressed him at will. He could call him Logan and change that to Your Highness or Your Majesty in a minute.

"And I appreciate that. We need to know everything we can about them. Understanding their leadership, their motives, and their methods is crucial if we're going to rescue Tiara and Arianna."

Axel nodded, his fingers dancing over a tablet as he pulled up more information. "I've been tracing their movements, trying to identify any patterns. They're cautious, I'll give them that, but they've been inadvertently leaving breadcrumbs. It appears they have a well-organized network for communication and recruitment."

Clayton leaned forward, his brow furrowed. "That could be our way in. If we can infiltrate their network, we might be able to gather crucial information about their plans and locations."

Logan agreed, his eyes locked on Axel. "Do you have any leads on who their key operatives might be? We need to know who to target."

Axel scrolled through his findings, pausing at a list of names and profiles. "I've identified a few individuals who seem to be key players within The Crimson Cloaks. They go by aliases, but I've managed to find some connections and weaknesses. One of them goes by the name 'Raven,' and is known for his charisma and recruitment skills. He might be a way in."

Logan thought about that and came up with an idea. "Do a lot of people in this kingdom know what I look like?"

"I don't think so. There hasn't been any press conference to formally introduce you to them and the ones that came to greet you when we arrived didn't take any pictures, my father made sure of that. Why are you asking me though?"

"I have an idea. How about we create a scene where I get to meet this Raven?" It would be easy to find out about Tiara and Arianna's whereabouts if he became one of them. "Since this Raven guy is known for his recruitment skills, then let him recruit me."

"Logan, that's not something you can joke about. I have already told you how dangerous these men are and you want to be part of them? Are you insane?" Ah, there it was again. Axel had called him Logan instead of Your Majesty.

"What could possibly go wrong? It's not like I'm going to go straight to him and tell him I want to join them. You said it yourself that they are very smart and lowkey, I don't want them to suspect me."

"But that doesn't change the fact that it's still dangerous. You are our future king, the heir to the throne of this kingdom and your safety should be your primary concern right now." Logan could tell that Axel was getting angry but he didn't give a damn.

"My primary concern?" He laughed but it wasn't a happy one. "My primary concern?" He looked at everyone in the room. "Do you all think that my safety should be my primary concern?"

"Logan-"

"Shut the f**k up, Axel! Shut your f*****g mouth before I do something about it." The air in the room suddenly grew thick. "It might be true that I am the future king but you seem to have forgotten that I am also a husband and a brother-in-law. My wife and her cousin are counting on me to find them.

"Forgive me if my concern right now is not my f*****g safety." He looked at Axel straight in the eyes. "I made vows to that woman when I married her. I promised her that I would protect her with my life, that I would make sure that she is always happy.

"I am not going to sit here and listen to you preach about my f*****g safety. My wife needs me and I will do anything in my power to make sure that she gets home safely. If that means that I have to go to the lion's den, then so be it."

"Logan," Clayton began cautiously, "I understand your commitment to Tiara and Arianna, but we need to approach this with a well-thought-out strategy. Rushing into danger won't guarantee their safety. You know I want to find them as much as you do but this is very dangerous."

Axel chimed in, his tone laced with concern. "And if something happens to you, who will lead the efforts to rescue them? Your safety is crucial not only to us or them but to the entire kingdom."