Chapter 103
Each Other's Dirty Deeds
That night, after a miserable dinner of hard bread and soup together, Connie went back to the bedroom early to rest. Illumca brought a bucket of hot water along to wipe Connie clean, refusing adamantly when the maids offered to do it for her instead.
Illuminated by the warm glow of the room, Illumca dutifully dipped the tower into the hot water and squeezed it and ran the towel gently along her white back.
“The fight left its mark on you...” she said as she brushed one of the many a thin white line that filled her back.
“Rightly so. It was a loss to be remembered.”
“I’m so –“
“Sst - ! Stop. What I did, I did without regret,” Connie interrupted her.
Hearing that, Illumca said nothing more and continued to do her job. All that could be heard in that room now was the soft breathing of the two and the occasional sound of water, dripping into the bucket.
“This reminds me of when I was cleaning you up when we first met. Only this time, our roles are reversed,” Connie broke the silence.
“Mmm…but at that time, I did not break my arms.”
“True.”
“Okay, now let’s do the front,” Illumca said.
“You waste no time, do you?”
“Being wet at night is not good for your health,” Illumca replied stoically, although there was a definite hint of blush on her cheeks.
Knock, knock.
“Connie. Are you decent?”
Illumca was so focused on her work that she almost stumbled when she heard the knock.
The blonde-haired girl shrugged helplessly at the unamused Illumca. “Help me put on some clothes.
After a few minutes, the door was opened and the radiant and buxom Leader of the Junnaveil Faith entered with Connie’s longtime friend, Henrietta.
“Good…evening,” Henrietta stopped when she saw the cold look on the Dark Elf’s face. “D-did we disturb you?”
“Yes.”
“Ignore her. Good evening to both of you,” Connie replied from her bed. “What are you doing here?”
“I…am heeere…to check on…you.”
“Her Eminence was the one who helped heal your more serious wounds,” Henrietta said helpfully. She was wearing a plain clothing with barely any accessories. “We just met on the road.”
“Well, then I have to thank you. Allenca.”
“Theeere is…no need…fooor…thanks,” the girl in blue shook her head softly as she took a seat by the door.
“Connie, I need to ask you something,” the girl asked rather impatiently. Her eyes darting towards Illumca. Connie noticed this and asked her to leave.
Her longtime friend sat at Connie’s bedside and said. “The people in the castle said that you…killed…the Hero of Vorzenny. That’s…a lie, right?”
“No, I did kill the Hero. Well, Illumca finished the job but I’m the one who weakened him enough to let her do so,” She replied with a smile free of guilt.
Connie glanced briefly into both of their eyes and saw the mix of worry and uncertainty in both of their eyes. Being believers of the Goddess, killing a Hero is something akin to killing a prophet of their object of Faith. It is a reprehensible act that, if the two did not know the truth of it, would most probably turn the two against her.
And still, she was not so sure.
“…I…shouldn’t even be here, you know” Connie saw the girl’s eyes tremble and her little hands formed into fists that crumpled her skirt. “I snuck out against my father’s will.”
“I said to myself that it’s impossible. How can I believe that my friend did such a great sin? Do you even know the ramifications of what you did? Did she…did she make you kill him? I knew it -!”
“I did it of my own volition, Henrietta. And I’d appreciate it if you leave her race out of it.”
Connie said this sternly. Sometimes Henrietta’s dislike towards the Dark Elves was rather worrying.
“I…see…” the girls stood up, rather unsteadily. “You are my best friend, Connie. You have been for many seasons. But these few weeks…I feel like I don’t know you anymore. You kill as easily as one reap weed and now…you even killed a Hero.”
Connie did not answer, her eyes were still as a deep lake. Betraying no emotion.
“I’m sorry. I need to have some time alone,” Henrietta bowed quickly to Allenca and hurriedly disappear outside.
Allenca watched her back for a few seconds before turning towards Connie. “Will she be fine?”
“My…Knights…wiiilll…make sure…she goes home…saaafe,” she said. “However…aaare you not…beeeing too…cavalier…about this? Is shee…not your…friend?”
“She is. And that is why she should stay as far away as possible from me. I attract too much trouble for my own good apparently.”
“I suppose…you are…cooorrect,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders, shaking her buxom bounty. “ Haah…I aaam…sorry that I…caaannot help you more. Theee…murder of aaa…Hero…is a…very sensitive…subject. Especially…fooor…our Faith…”
Connie let out sardonic smile. “Have the Faith ever had to serve that kind of Hero before?”
“By Junnaveil’s Grace…we haaave…not the misfortune.”
“But if the Kingdom ever had the misfortune to summon that kind of a Hero, will the Faith aid him? Will you aid him?”
“…” Allenca slowly shook her head. “The Faith…is obligated…tooo aid…the Hero of…Calendia.”
“Hmm. Then it is good that you managed to summon someone like Akira.”
“…”
“The Trial that…wiilll be held for you…aaand yours…” she said gently. “Iiit…will be very hard…”
Connie chuckled. “Of course it won’t be. But it will most likely be entertaining.”
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Two full days had passed since Connie’s awakening. And in the afternoon while the King was working in his study, a sudden knock made him pause his quill.
“It’s me, Your Majesty.”
The King knew that wheezy voice anywhere. “Come in.”
The door opened and the usual tap of the cane followed by two unbalanced steps reached Gerard’s ears. “What is it?” he said as he continued his work.
“Envoys from Vorzenny has come asking for an Audience, Your Majesty. They demand an explanation from us about the death of their Hero and his Party.”
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Gerard’s hand paused once again. This time there was a bit of frown on his face. He then let out a sigh and placed his quill aside before waving to his adjutant. “So, they have finally made their move. What is surprising to me is that they did not do this sooner.”
“Their King must be weighing the loss and benefit of doing this. After all, having their Hero defeated by a C Rank Party is a very shameful thing by itself. Yet they cannot stand idly by and accept their Hero’s death without having a remuneration.”
“A reasonable thing,” The King then called his adjutant and ordered. “Go and call the representative of the envoys here.”
The Adjutant gave a deep bow and set out to do as he was ordered.
“Have you read the reports?” The King asked his Advisor. “No, forget I asked. That’s a stupid question.”
The Advisor waved it off and coughed once before speaking. “The maids we sent to monitor them have reported that she awoke yesterday. I have sent some Knights to inform her that the trial shall be held in four days.”
Gerard tapped his fingers on the table. “Is this okay with you?”
Alrond tapped his cane once on the floor in a show of annoyance. “I’d appreciate it if we do not speak about this anymore.”
“Very well. Give me an overview of the report then.”
“Since this incident happened five days ago, we have been scouring the forest for clues. As you have probably heard from Captain Klein, the mark left by the fight was…outrageous.”
“An Unrestrained Candidate…” the King pushed his back deep into his chair. “It is so fantastical that I had to stare at Klein for a few good minutes before I realized that he was not joking. And what about reports that one of the Hero’s Party member was a Demon?”
“It came from the Paladin in Lady Cornelia’s Party. We cannot assume so easily that it is true.”
“What about the Al-Khemiyan Guard?”
“We kept him in the dungeon, but we did not do anything to him. After all, he is still one of Al-Khemiyan subject. One wrong move and we might jeopardize the Alliance,” the old man shifted his leg slightly to ease the blood flow in his legs before continuing. “I have also ordered that the news will not be spread until the day of the Trial so as to not incite public unrest.”
While they were conversing, three knocks could be heard coming from outside.
“Your Majesty. I brought the envoys from Vorzenny.”
“Let them in.”
“Presenting Special Envoy Gianni Verocco and Commander Franco Osterri of Vorzenny.”
The Adjutant opened the door and let two men in. One was a stumpy man with a round nose, his body had little sign of practice and he lurched as he walked. The other one was a clean-shaven man with a militaristic discipline in his steps. Despite the signs of tiredness from travel on their faces, their eyes were strangely alert. Especially for the military man, whose eyes moved rapidly as if he was about to explode.
“Welcome, envoys of Vorzenny. Please have a seat.”
The men took their seats silently. The thinner man did not seat fully on his chair, making a show of impatience.
“So, you are Gianni Verocco, I presume? I remember meeting you a few years ago during my visit to Vorzenny.”
“It is my honor to be remembered, King Gerard,” he said before he gestured towards the man to his side. “This man beside me is Franco Osterri. We are thankful for accepting our sudden request of audience, Your Majesty,” he began. “As you may already know, we are here for a very serious matter.”
“Oh, and what may that be?” He asked.
“You killed our esteemed Hero and violated the terms of our Alliance!!” the man said. “We demand explanation from the Kingdom of Calendia!”
“Franco!!” Gianni scolded the man. “Forgive the Commander, King Gerard. He has been very on edge ever since we received the news. Though…he is speaking the truth,” the round nosed man, who was clearly the more diplomatic of the two pressed his voice. “Killing a Hero is a direct violation of our agreement. Unless we received a suitable answer…we might have to do something drastic.”
“Hmm…” The King eyed the two men without minding the man’s earlier outburst. “There are many things yet unclear about this case.”
“King Gerard, with all due respect, how can it be unclear? The fact is already before our eyes…that our beloved Hero died on the hand of the girl named Cornelia Asterium Steelheart. A Noble of your Kingdom. This has been testified by the Vice-Captain of our King’s Watchmen.”
“Indeed. If such a thing happened, and the fault is on our side, then we will provide ample remuneration and publicly apologize to Vorzenny. However…our Law dictates that a trial must be held in order to ascertain the truth before I can make the judgment.”
Hearing this, the two men’s faces suddenly froze.
“Pardon me, King Gerard. What do you mean a trial?” Gianni asked carefully.
“A trial for Cornelia Asterium Steelheart and her accomplices,” the Advisor, who had been silent since the beginning exclaimed. “The trial shall be held in four days.”
“Oh…I…see. We…understand,” the man said with an awkward smile. “May we know where they are?”
“I’m afraid we cannot say. It’s for their safety after all.”
After that, the two envoys spoke about the details of the Trial and the details of the negotiation that would happen afterward. Along with the treatment of the suspects. They did not stay long after that and excused themselves about an hour later.
After they were sent out of the study, Alrond shared a look with King Gerard.
“What do you think, Alrond?” the King queried him while he stood up and gazed out of the large window behind his desk.
“That first reaction they had…I think they did not expect that Lady Cornelia and her party survived.”
“Is there a significance to that?”
“Perhaps so. But we will see,” the old man said. “Now, if there is nothing else, I will excuse myself.”
As he got up from his seat, Gerard said to him. “Oh, One last thing before you go, Alrond.”
“What is it, Your Majesty?”
“Regarding the Trial, which way do you think it will go?”
“It is the way the Kingdom should take.”
“…And which way do you prefer for it to go?”
“The choice that is best for the Kingdom and the choice I prefer is not necessarily the same,” the man answered.
“Good day, Your Majesty.”
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After the meeting with the King, the envoys did not quickly go back to their lodging. They went to a random tavern and rent out a room.
There were ten men in all. And out of these ten, only three were experienced in diplomatic missions. The others were military personnel. And these three, along with the Commander quickly gathered in that room while the others guarded the door.
Franco Osterri was pacing back and forth while Gianni Verocco recounted their meeting with the King and the result.
“But they didn’t tell us that she’s alive! In this case, the narration we are planning for will not work!” A lanky man standing to Gianni’s right said.
“This girl, Cornelia, are you sure that the King said that she is alive?”
“Yes. It makes no sense for him to lie,” Gianni said. “This is going to make things bad for us.”
“You worry too much,” a man with a slimy smile drinking ale said. “She is still a girl after all. What can she do? She doesn’t know about the workings of our Kingdom, surely.”
“But what if she does? She and her Party managed to kill the Hero, after all. We cannot let things to chance,” Franco Osterri said.
Gianni tapped the table with his fingers and slowly said. “Then…we kill them. Her and her party.”
“Kill them? They are strong enough to kill an A-Rank Party!” Franco said. “And furthermore, they’ll suspect us.”
“Not if we play this right. Even if they are still alive, the battle must have taken a toll on them. We need to act fast.”
“But we don’t know where they are.”
“For that, you can leave that to me. We still have some people here,” the lanky man said. “And there are many people here that will do anything as long as you pay them well.”
“And who will execute this mission?” Franco asked. “My men are soldiers. They are not equipped with the skills needed for this cloak and dagger thing.”
“There is a job for everything, Commander. And for this, we go to the Assassin’s Guild,” Gianni nodded to the unpleasant looking man who had poured himself another mug of ale. “Post an Urgent Request for assassination. Triple the payment,” the man said. “Do it as covertly as possible.”
“What if there are no takers?” the man asked.
“There will always be a taker. That’s what Assassins do.”
“Alright.”
“If the assassination does succeed, will it cast suspicion on us?”
“It won’t,” Gianni said. “We will all be here, carousing. Not one man missing.”
“But what if the Assassin’s Guild ratted on us?” the Commander asked.
“Ah, you have never used an Assassin of the Assassin’s Guild before?” Gianni smiled. “The Guild is prized for their secrecy. It has been there and saw Kingdoms rise and fall. As long as Kingdoms exist, the Assassin’s Guild will always exist. And no Kings dare to attack the Assassin’s Guild.”
Gianni took a sip of ale and put the mug down noisily. “After all, no Kingdom is clean of dirty laundries.”
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In one of the many unregistered houses that littered the slums, five figures dressed in all black were gathered around a map spread on a rectangular table. Only a small candle lit the room, its light so dim one could barely see one’s hand.
Envoys from Vorzenny had posted an Urgent Quest to the Assassin’s Guild. One of them started.
Between them, there was no need for the usual stone board and chalk affair. Instead, they spoke to each other using hand gestures.
Should we take care of it? he continued after a momentary pause.
Four pairs of eyes turned to see the man standing at the head of the table, who appeared to be the one making the decisions.
Leyn? The more feminine of the five began to gesture, but the leader raised a hand to stop her.
No. Our preparation is almost done. Let us not jeopardize it by trying to overreach beyond our goal. We are but tools. The success of this mission will decide the fate of our tribe.
The one standing nearest to the door gestured slowly. But that girl of the Steelheart Family has really been wrecking their plans. Do you think there is a possibility that there is someone inside?
Impossible. The one standing opposite of him interrupted with a quick wave of his hand. I have done a bit of digging into her ever since she killed Kasheem. She had no connections or ability to even know what our Lords and the Vorzennian humans are planning.
Are you saying…all the chaos that has been happening because of her are just…coincidences?
The leader put both of his hands on the table with slight force; enough to make the table shake, but not enough to make a loud sound.
Enough. Let the humans take care of their own mess. We have our own mission to worry about. We have already gained the cooperation of those involved through coercion. Next, is to finalize our move.
They all looked at each other and nodded.
After an hour of furious gesturing and scribbling on the map, the meeting was finally concluded. The leader rolled the map and stored it inside his Item Ring before waving them off.
The other four tapped their wrist two times and ended with a strong grip on their forearm to indicate acknowledgment. They then left the room at different times.
When the room was finally empty, the leader took out a small pendant from his inner pocket. He gently opened the lower part of his mask and opened his lips. What came out was a low, unintelligible groan like someone gasping for air.
At this, his expression hardened.
I can’t even speak your name anymore. When will this punishment end for us…?
He then put up his mask once again. He then put the pendant back and blew out the candle, leaving the room dark.