The operations room is in a state of controlled chaos. There are attendants, scribes, and representatives from our many allied groups running around. Everyone is trying to get their own points across and is all pulling out maps and charts of conflicting intelligence and accuracy. I remain seated, patiently waiting at my spot at the table watching this all unfold with a little bit of interest. It's kinda comedic to watch all these so-called "important" people run around like chickens with their heads cut off. I was surprised to see even Duke Hasslerouge came by to attend this meeting, he just sits there with a similar expression to mine watching everything. After about an hour of this, and I'm sure everyone I give a shit about is here I stand up and take a deep breath. Using all my chest muscles to amplify my shout I bellow,

"Be quiet and become still or take a seat. It's time to get to work!"

The stone walls of the room cause my voice to echo and the room falls silent aside from quiet murmurs and grumblings. As everyone either becomes seated or stands against a wall I clear my throat and begin at a normal volume,

"Since we are all here I will now relay the plan I have for our mission.

The Duke and the King have found, through their own information networks outside of our own, multiple noble and aristocratic houses which have either allied themselves with the Demon King or have committed regular treason. Our goal is to root them out and destroy them, and all their followers. My plan is simple, yet will be effective if we follow it.

The idea is to first, encircle them, not necessarily in a literal sense, but more along the lines of sectioning them off from one another and do not allow them to communicate or move effectively. Once we finish this encirclement we will slowly choke in, take a mile from them for every inch they budge until we completely choke them out.

Thus I name this operation, Operation Constrictor, after the mighty serpents that slowly wrap their prey in their powerful bodies before crushing them to death with devastating force."

The many people look amongst themselves nodding along. They appear to see the validity of my plan. This is good, all I need is support to get the ball rolling. Blake stands up and asks me in a surprisingly respectful tone,

"Isa, can you please enlighten us on who our prey is?"

I shake my head and reply,

"Each group will be only told who they are going after and no more. I have formed each group based on their allegiances and their backgrounds and matched them with targets where there should be no conflict of interest. I know it sounds like I don't trust you, and I can assure you that I do have great faith in you, but I cannot risk this operation if someone is to accidentally tip one of the targets off."

He nods understandingly before sitting down. I then ask,

"Anyone else?"

There is some quiet discussion for a time before the room falls silent again. I give a big toothy grin before I start dividing everyone into groups which I then assign to different posts all across the kingdom. Waiting for them at the many safehouses throughout the kingdom is both one of the royal spies, and one of my own operatives. They will finish giving the details on the targets and tell them more in-depth details about the mission and what they are tasked with doing. This is the only way I could figure out to keep information secret. I made sure each group also has someone who reports directly to me. They are usually attached as financial assistants or scribes, but in reality, they are Frontiersmen who are loyal to me and me alone as I bought their freedom.

As the people group up and begin to leave the room in a steady trickle I take a seat and organize my papers. Eventually, everyone leaves, including the other three heads of the Hero's party. In the end, it's only me and Duke Hasslerouge left. He taps his fingers on the table and we stare at one another for a while before I break the silence by saying,

"You're a sack of shit, I hope you know that."

He nods and gives a half-smile before he replies,

"My position isn't secure until those people are dead. They are the last remaining important supporters of the royalists. The little stunt at the academy wounded them but didn't completely wipe them out. If these people continue to go about their lives they will regain their power and they will become an issue again.

I fear that someday we may need to find a "connection" between the other two High noble houses and the Demon King, but that is a ways off. This is a good way to prevent that reality at least for a while longer."

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

I sigh while shaking my head before replying,

"Okay, yeah. I'll do it. Just please warn me before you order the death of anyone under the age of sixteen... literally eight of those house heads are kids, man."

He nods understandingly and responds coldly,

"If there was another way, I'd ask you to find it."

I don't have a reply for this. I know his ambitions now. I know his goals, and he's right. I really can't think of another way other than destroying the entire household of our foes, because even if a child inherits it, the household can still grow back to where it once was, and then can become a danger once more. Duke Hasslerouge has one good point, and that is his dislike for absolute monarchs, and with the death of the royalist faction, this can be avoided much easier, but it also allows for his more greedy and less noble ambitions to grow, but at the same time, I can't fault him for holding his ambitions... I can only fault him for the actions that must be taken to achieve his goals.

With nothing left to say the Duke leaves. He gives me a farewell and I am left alone in the war room. I stay seated for a while longer, just lost in my own head before I snap to reality as I also have work to do. I move quickly through the halls gathering a rucksack of supplies. Mostly just documents, money, and a few weapons. I leave my father's spear behind and only take my little shortsword. I put my gauntlets on underneath my noble clothes as some extra protection. With my things gathered I leave the castle and catch the airship just as it is leaving.

Once the ship lands I buy a decent horse and hit the dusty trail. As I move from town to town I shed my noble clothing for more common clothes. Eventually, I reach the target city and I make my way to the safe house. It's a simple house inside the town, nothing special, just an inconspicuous home. I meet my contact who leads me to an old drainage ditch, I follow it for a while until I am instructed to exit and I climb through a loose drainage grate into a room I am far too familiar with. Waiting for me there, with a terrified and shocked expression is a close ally of the Hero's party, Marquis Beller.

He takes a step back in fear and utters a shaky,

"Y-you are that boy... why are you here?"

I speak to him in a deadpan voice,

"I am Isa Hasslerouge of the Hero's Party. I am here as I promised."

He swallows hard and tries to calm himself down before he responds,

"Then please come in. You do not need to be in this dungeon any longer. "

I nod and follow him through the dank room. I pass my old cell and visibly recoil as I pass. It's perfectly clean, but I can still see the blood on the walls... We exit the dungeon into the manor proper and I am led into the Marquis study. It's a nice and quiet little nook with a big window overlooking the city below. The Marquis rules over a singular city which in the past two generations has grown to become a large merchant town with multiple merchant guilds and corporations creating their headquarters here, which is why I am here.

Marquis Beller awkwardly sits in his chair and he has a maid bring us some sort of tea and cookies. It tastes like licorice so I don't drink it anymore, but the cookies are quite tasty. He fidgets nervously as I stare him down for a while, but I then start,

"I understand your fear, but there is nothing to fear from me. While you were blind to my suffering for so long, you still in the end pulled me from that darkness. Then we are also allies in this current fight, therefore you are safe."

He nods with a long exhale before he states,

"I do apologize for my daughters' actions... but you must understand she was my last family member..."

I nod remembering that he most likely thinks his daughter died during the big pillar of light rather than by my hand after the fact. While he is understanding of my justifiable hatred towards his daughter and my definite want for revenge, she was his last family member. I did my homework before coming here, his wife died during the birth of his daughter. If he knew the truth he would no longer be an ally, so I'll have him believe she died at the hands of our foes... because after all, he did raise his daughter... so he isn't completely free of blame, just not deserving of death as of yet.

With the tension broken, we get to business. We discuss the targets and the resources we will allocate. The targets are a group of three rich merchants who are a major part of the kingdom's aristocracy. They live in this city and base their business here too. Not only will their removal help Duke Hasslerouge, but it will also help my spice business grow. With our business taken care of the Marquis then asks quietly,

"I know some of my servants who are still in my employ caused you some suffering... I-if it would be your wish I can bring them to you."

I nod and reply,

"Bring them to me. I have some words."

He nods and quickly leaves the room. He returns after a few minutes with three servants in tow. I remember them very well. One woman and two men. All three took part in my torture in one way or another. They all did unspeakable things to me, but I keep my calm. They stare at me in horror all of them radiating fear. The woman drops to her knees and cries,

"Please have mercy m'lord! I have a family now! I was wrong please forgive me!"

The two men follow her lead as they prostrate themselves begging for forgiveness. I stand up and place my foot on the back of the head of one of the men, the biggest of the two who took a certain liking to me back then. I press down fairly hard but not enough to truly hurt him. I look down at their pathetic forms feeling nothing but contempt.

It doesn't feel good, not like I expected and because of that I'm rather disappointed, but I have work to do.

I raise my foot off the back of his head and I say to the three whimpering people,

"Get up. Prove your apologies by serving me well. That's all I require of you. Now get out of my sight."

They all three quickly rise to their feet and hurry out the door with curt bows. Still nothing, I don't feel like a bigger man.

With everything done. All that's left is for me to begin encircling my prey....