Chapter 97: Love
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
There was a huge explosion in the room. The beams on the bed were hit by a blasting arrow and exploded immediately. A guy in black rushed into the room. He saw the beam flying towards the wardrobe. The upper part of the beams tied with a sheet were blown away, the rest of the beams and bed were burned with bright flames.
The guy in black was so shocked that he stood still there with cold sweat on his forehead. If the princess of Shansa Empire had been sleeping on that bed, she must have died. Even if it were him, he would have died in this attack. No wonder the king had asked him to work with Anfey and sent Black Twelve to him. Even Magic Fog organization was interested in him and tried to track him down. He suddenly realized all of these things happened for a reason. He had become a witness to Anfey's exceptional power.
"I have to redo it. The height of this bed is not the same as the princess's," the guy in black heard Anfey say behind him.
"I will send someone to check on that," the guy in black said quietly. His tone had changed and become more polite. A few days before, he had thought that the senior swordswoman was going to lead the assassination and Anfey was just an advisor. He was even not sure if Anfey was actually smart. He thought Anfey had asked about too many details. He even thought of Anfey in a bad light: thinking that Anfey might secretly want to know the princess's panty style and color. Now he knew how ridiculous he had been.
"There are many things you need to double check. For example, the thickness and texture of princess's bedroom wall and whether there are any hollow areas underneath the floor, especially under the furniture. They all need to be double checked," Anfey said.
"I got it." The guy in black nodded eagerly.
"I am not trying to give you a hard time. I did not know what would be useful or harmful for me. The more information I can have, the better control I will have. Would one day be enough for you to double check everything?" Anfey asked slowly.
"It will take at least two days." The guy in black showed a bitter smile on his face.
"Ok. Then two days." Anfey calculated in his mind and figured that he still should have enough time left.
"I have checked on the princess's wagon route. Do you want me to tell you about it now?" If Anfey had not shown what he could do, this guy in black would only tell him a rough story when he was asked. It seemed that having strong power and ability was the easiest and most effective way everywhere to win others' respect.
"Yes, tell me about it." Anfey turned around and walked outside. The black smoke in the room seemed to get stronger. He did not bother to put the fire out. This room was picked by the princess's bodyguards to trick Anfey, so the size and standards were quite different than the real princess's room. Anfey just let it burn down.
The guy in black followed Anfey. He said to Anfey, "I could only get so much information. If you think the information was not sufficient and needs to be reinvestigated, I am afraid that would take a long time." The guy in black wanted to let Anfey knew the situation in case Anfey was not happy with his work. It would put him in an awkward situation if he was asked to do the investigation again.
Anfey nodded. "It is fine. Just tell me what you have."
"There are about three thousand crew members along the princess's wagon route. Most of them do not have combat powers. About six hundred of them are Shansa Empire warriors. They are very tough, and their mission is to take the princess to Blackwater City. They will go back to Shansa Empire once they complete their mission. There are two senior swordsmen, and some palace bodyguards in the retinue. They are nothing. Her servants are all muggle girls. We do not have to worry about them," the guy in black reported.
"Anything else?" Anfey asked.
"It's pretty difficult to get the magic images you want. Maybe impossible to get," the guy in black answered.
"What do you mean: maybe impossible to get? Aren't your crew still working on it? Can't you even get the magic image of the princess?" Anfey asked.
"The princess's magic image will be sent in tomorrow. I meant the magic images of powerful people," the guy in black replied.
Anfey was quiet for a second and said quietly, "Tell me more."
"The princess is a polite and quiet girl. She never dated anyone before. We got different information on the food she likes. If we put all the information together, it seems that the princess eats everything, but does not particularly like to eat anything. She admires the sealed barbarians' archmage Richard in Ahdibaijan and hates her brother. She also likes to wear blue clothes," the guy in black said.
"Keep going." Anfey nodded.
"The princess's wagons do not go very fast. They only travel about sixty miles a day and then they rest. I have marked every place they have rested. Here is the map." The guy in black took out a scroll from his shirt and passed it to Anfey. He continued, "About eight days ago, the princess's wagons seemed to have some problems. They stayed three days in one place before restarting their journey. Her people kept what happened secret. My guys were not able to find out. We need more time on that."
Anfey opened the map and look at it under the moonlight. He pointed at the map and asked, "Is this the area where you think they will rest tomorrow?"
"Yes," the guy in black said.
"I have to do something tomorrow. If I have time, I hope we can go to a place together the day after tomorrow," Anfey said.
"Where?" the guy in black asked.
"To welcome the princess," Anfey said.
"Ok." The guy in black nodded.
"Any other information? If not, I will be going back now." Anfey put the map in his Dimensional Ring.
"I will let you know immediately when I know anything new," the guy in black said in a serious voice.
* * * *
When Anfey got back to the hotel, Riska and Sanchez were talking on the stairs to the third floor. It was their turn to be on watch that night. After experiencing some tough times, they all knew how to protect themselves. Even on the nights Anfey did not tell them to have someone on watch, they still voluntarily had someone on watch. On the days that Anfey kept himself in the room for the training, they did not let their guard down. It just showed they were maturing.
Riska smiled at Anfey and then shook his head, which meant nothing had happened.
"Where is Vonmerge? Did he come back yet?" Anfey asked.
"He came back shortly after you left." Riska smiled.
"Where is he now?" Anfey asked.
"Where else could he be? He is in Suzanna's room." Sancheze ginned.
For the guys, some of them were jealous of other guys who could attract affection from girls. Some of them did not even dare to go after the girls they liked. Sanchez knew himself well. He admired the beauty of Niya and Suzanna, but he just thought about them and would never take action to go after them. Everyone knew there was no way Vonmerge could get Suzanna's affection, but he kept trying, which bothered them.
"I am going to see him. You guys can continue your chat." Anfey nodded at them and walked in big strides to Suzanna's room.
Anfey stopped at Suzanna's room and knocked lightly on the door. Then he pushed the door open and walked in. Suzanna looked bored on the chair while Vonmerge was pacing back and forth, excitedly telling some story. He did not notice the unexpected guest, Anfey.
"Vonmerge, did you get the information I asked you to look for?" Anfey interrupted Vonmerge's story telling.
"Huh, Anfey, I have looked for you several times. Don't worry. I, Vonmerge, never make any mistakes. I got it," Vonmerge replied. In this potential mercenary legion, Suzanna was the first one he needed to get along. Anfey was the second one. Hagan is an alchemist. Every mercenary would like to recruit someone like him. Vonmerge was different. If Anfey wanted to kick him out, feeding himself would be a problem, not to mention seeing Suzanna again. Once he had accidentally stumbled into a dragon cave. He passed out 35 feet away from the dragon while the dragon release his dragon power. Later, when he woke up, he found his combat power was affected greatly. He was no longer able to gather all his combat power. He only had less than thirty percent of his combat power left. This was his secret. Since then he tried to avoid conflict with others. He had always been trying to convince his opponents by talking. Therefore, his sword skills had not improved, while his talking skills were fantastic.
"Let's talk in my room." Anfey smiled.
"Ok." Vonmerge did not really want to leave, but he had to.
Suzanna heaved a long sigh and also stretched. "Vonmerge finally left," Suzanna thought to herself. She did not want to hurt anyone, but she did not realize that she might hurt him more by giving him hope.
Seeing Suzanna's reaction, Anfey playfully winked at her. Suzanna blushed a little. She was surprised to see Anfey making any moves like this. She could feel the change in his personality. "Was it because we are getting more comfortable with each other?" Suzanna wondered.
"Vonmerge, take a seat and tell me about it." After they went to Anfey's room, they immediately got to the point. "Did you draw anyone's attention when you were trying to dig up the information?"
"No, I was very careful," Vonmerge answered quickly. "You have told me that it would affect the fate of the whole mercenary and Suzanna. I would not mess with it."
"Then tell me what you have found," Anfey said.
"They take a lot of missions every day. They assign many other things to themselves as well. We are not able to make it today, but they will have about thirty mercenary groups doing assignments tomorrow. Some of them will go to Forest of Death, some to Wild Prairie, some to White Mountain City, and some will escort businessmen on their trips. Anfey, what do you want to know?" Vonmerge asked.
"Let's start with the weakest mercenary group," Anfey said.
Chapter 98: Hunters and Prey
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The Wilder Plain was covered by six foot tall grass. Whenever the wind was strong enough to part it, it would reveal thousands of boarbeasts. These animals were native to the Wilder Plain, and was the food source for most carnivores living there. Boarbeasts were very mild in nature, and rarely attack other animals. Whenever they were attacked, they tended to run instead of fighting back. They were herbivores, and reproduced very fast to prevent extinction. If there were no boarbeasts, the other beasts would starve to death. If there were no other beasts, the boarbeasts would destroy the plain.
The Wilder Plain was large, but for the mercenaries that depended on this plain for a living, they already know the plain like the back of their hands. They were very familiar with things like where the high-level magic beasts resided and where they should not go. Only powerful people dared to go to the plains, because if they were not powerful, they would simply become another body in the plain.
With Vonmerge as their guide, Anfey and the group did not waste much time looking for their target. It was a nine-person mercenary team made up of seven men—six swordsmen and one mage—and two women, a mage and a priestess. With the Eyes of Sky they could see that this other team was harvesting the magic beast's body.
Anfey approached them quietly. He was good at disguising himself, and did not worry about being seen. When he was close enough to hear the mercenaries' voices, he took out two top tier magic crystals and knocked them together.
Soon the mercenaries heard the sound and began making their way over. "Hey, kid, what are you doing?" one of them asked.
Anfey turned, acting like he was surprised by them and had forgotten to put away the crystals.
"You…" the man who was speaking stopped mid-sentence, his eyes falling on the crystals. Their team was only mediocre, but they had seen top tier magic magic crystals before. The man's eyes gleamed with greed.
Five other people came through the grass, and all of their eyes were immediately drawn to the crystals in Anfey's hands. Magic crystals meant wealth. It meant that they could live like kings and have something to brag about later. There were so many mercenaries that never get to touch top tier magic crystals.
"Where did you get that?" one of the men asked. He nodded to the others, and they began surrounding Anfey.
"I'm not obliged to tell you," Anfey said, taking a few steps back.
"Don't worry, friend," the man said. "We are part of the Tiger of Tawau Mercenary. Our lord is about to marry, and we must come up with some gifts. If possible, we hope to buy your crystals. Five thousand coins, how about that?"
Five thousand coins was a fair price, but the man looked like he was worth not even ten coins, let alone five thousand.
The group kept smiling and surrounding Anfey. Anfey took a few steps back and kept a certain distance between himself and the mercenaries. "What do you want?" he asked. "These belong to my friend. I cannot sell them."
"What is his name? Maybe we know him," the man said. His smile was wider now, but his forehead was covered with sweat.
Anfey placed the crystals into his pocket and ducked into the grass.
"Crap!"
"Don't let him get away!"
"Sir, let's contact the main group. We gotta catch the kid!" one of the men called while pulling out a scroll from his ring.
Larger mercenary legions had the advantage of numbers, and each member had the same scroll in case backup was needed.
"Idiot!" the first man barked. "No! How will we divide up the crystals then?"
"Yeah. The kid had no combat power. He won't get away."
A small search quick ensued. The two mages lifted themselves into the air with levitation magic, searching for Anfey's trail. The others fanned out and began searching. In the face of the temptation of top tier crystals, they had already forgotten the low tier crystals they were harvesting. If they took those crystals, they could live for a few years with no financial troubles.
Anfey walked through the grass quietly. He had brought the entire group to the plain, but he had sent them away before he approached the mercenaries. It didn't matter how good the plan was, they could still fail. If the men had used their scrolls, and the men from Tiger of Tawau had surrounded them, he could ensure his own escape, but not everyone's. Plus, Tiger of Tawau would not be the only mercenaries coming. The larger mercenary legions all had treaties with each other, and would lend each other help. This place was far from Blackwater City, and if someone used a scroll, there would be thousands of mercenaries here within minutes.
Anfey stopped backing away and crouched in a bush. He removed the top layer of his clothes and revealed a layer of clothes made for easier movements. It was in fact a military-style camouflage suit with a hood made by Anfey himself. People could get as close as fifteen feet without noticing him.
Anfey retrieved a dagger from his dimensional ring. It wasn't made by Hagan. Instead it was made by a blacksmith Anfey found in the city. Swords were made for fighting in places like this, and using the altered dagger was too much of a waste.
The sound of boots on ground was getting closer and closer. Anfey picked up a small stone and waited until the man was close enough. He flicked the stone out and hit another patch of grass. The man turned his gaze towards where the stone landed.
Anfey jumped out of his hiding place and dashed towards the man, his dagger swiping across the man's throat.
The man fell to the ground without making a noise. He slumped on the ground, but was still alive. He dug his bloodstained fingers into his wound in a desperate attempt for air.
Anfey returned quietly and buried the dagger into the man's chest. Humans had big hearts, and someone as well trained as Anfey would never miss it. The man was still before Anfey could pull the dagger out.
Anfey listened for a few moments before approaching the second man. Before he could approach him, however, the man began screaming.
"I see you, kid!" the man called. "Get out here before I burn you out! Kid, this isn't a fun place! You're gonna get eaten by beasts!"
He was loud enough for his friends to hear, and if his voice disappeared, his friends would be suspicious. Anfey turned to look for another target.
These mercenaries thought they were the hunters, but they did not know they had already became the prey. Anfey's presence was too undetectable, and the mercenaries thought he was just a normal kid. No mercenaries would be too concerned about a normal person.
The man's target was focused on something straight ahead, and he did not pay attention to movements around him.
As soon as he was close enough, Anfey reached out and, covering the man's mouth and nose with his hand, slit the man's throat with his dagger. The man's body spasmed and fell still. Anfey placed him on the ground softly. The two mages flew by, but the grass was too tall for them to see anything.
Chapter 99: Get Ready
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
One, two, three mercenaries were killed by Anfey one by one when they hunted for the magic beasts. The throat of the last guy with the loud voice was cut deep by Anfey. That mercenary died immediately. Anfey had six mercenary badges with blood in his pocket.
Two mages, one female and one male, were still in the sky and the priestess had not shown up yet. Anfey took a bow out from his dimensional ring. He loaded a regular arrow on it, pointing at the sky. He had been watching those two mages when they were hunting. He found they had been circling around in the sky with a radius of 800 yards. This was his only chance.
If Anfey were a swordsman, he could have attacked those two mages with sword radiance. If Anfey were a mage, he could have attacked them easily from long distance. It was unfortunate that Anfey was neither. He had to use the bow to attack.
There were two mages in the sky, so no matter which one was shot down first, it would take Anfey two seconds to reload the bow and shoot at the second mage. Anfey did not dare to underestimate mercenaries. He actually never underestimated any opponent. The opponents' powers were largely related to their talent and dedication to their practice. This mercenary group was not great in general, but living in danger had trained them to be alert for danger. Anfey thought that two seconds were long enough for a mage to release the magic scroll. To shoot two targets down perfectly, he had to choose the very moment when one body was blocking the other one when they circled around. Luckily, the route of their movements was traceable.
Anfey did not worry about being surrounded by the opponents. Instead, he was more concerned about covering the news of this mercenary group being wiped out. It was common for the whole mercenary group to be attacked and die when they were out on missions or hunting. However, it was rare that no one in the group was able to send out rescue signals. It was rare, but could happen.
Anfey's held his arms steady. His eyes showed his determination to kill those two mages. He stared at his targets. Finally, those two mages lined up, one mage blocking the other one. Suddenly, a strong wind blew over the prairie. The grass bent down as the wind blew over. The male mage seemed to see something in the grass out of the corner of his eye. He hurried to turn around to check. Suddenly he felt pain in his chest and saw blackness in his eyes. He fell like a big piece of stone from the sky. The arrow pierced through the male mage's chest and hit the female mage. Two mages fell one by one from the sky.
Anfey rushed over to where they had fallen. Those two mages rolled together. From a distance, they looked like a couple holding each other rolling on the grass. This scene reminded Anfey of a saying, "May we be a pair of inseparable lovebirds in the sky, and two trees with interlocking branches on earth." Those two mages had been like lovebirds a few seconds ago, and they were "two trees with interlocking branches" now.
Anfey easily found his way back with the eight mercenary badges. He went back to the area where that mercenary group had been cleaning up magic beast bodies. He had a good sense of direction, especially when he was on assignments. He rarely made any mistakes in finding the locations where he needed to be.
The only survivor, the priestess, was sitting on a rock, zoning out as she watched the clouds. From Anfey's angle, he could only see her side. She was showered in golden sunlight. She looked like an angel. He could not see her face from his angle, but she seemed to be cute. Anfey sighed and reloaded the bow again.
Once the bow was loaded, he had to shoot it no matter what. As a killer, once he started a mission, he had to make sure that no one could trace back, so had to finish it without any potential dangers left. If this priestess were not killed, everyone else in this mercenary group was killed for nothing. If the commander in Tiger of Tawau mercenary legion noticed these mercenaries were killed with a scheme, he would strengthen their defenses. It would make it a lot harder to kill the Shansa Empire princess.
Anfey shot the bow in a speed that a human eye could not even detect. Suddenly an eye-blinding flash passed by that priestess. With a huge exploding sound, the arrow disappeared, while the light cover around her shattered into millions of light spots.
Damn! There was a magic array. Anfey blamed himself for not being careful. Regular priests did not have combat power. There were dangers everywhere on Wild Prairie. Her peers undoubtedly set up a magic array to protect her. He should have thought of this when he saw her sitting in the rock unalert.
While he blamed himself for not being careful, Anfey reloaded the bow. It seemed the priestess had very little experience in direct combat. After the magic array was attacked, she jumped to her feet and nervously watched around her, looking for the attacker. She even forgot to release the magic scroll immediately to save herself.
"It was dumb luck," Anfey thought to himself. Anfey heaved a sigh and let his fingers on the arrow go. The second arrow shot out so fast that it looked like a bolt of lightning. The priestess's magic cover was destroyed. Anfey shot at her head. The priestess flipped backwards and rolled onto the grass.
* * * *
When Anfey got back to the hotel, Christian and Riska were standing on the roof waiting for him. They glanced at Anfey with questioning looks as Anfey walked upstairs. Anfey nodded at them with a smile, which signaled to them that everything was fine.
"Anfey, let us join you when there are other assignments. We can help," Christian complained. He never openly said anything against Anfey to his face after Anfey had made a decision, but always offered his suggestions afterwards.
"Too many people on this assignment would not have helped," Anfey said, smiling. In fact, he was more concerned that Christian could not be as cold as needed. Some people were not born to certain professions. Christian could not be a killer. He was too upright to be a killer.
"What if something happens to you? There must be someone to help you," Riska said.
"Watch your mouth. What if? Do you want something to happen to me?" Anfey said.
"No, I did not mean that." Riska smiled bitterly.
Clark walked downstairs and gave Anfey a look.
"You guys can go and get some rest. I need to go somewhere with Clark now," Anfey said.
"We have rested for a while," Riska said.
Anfey and Clark walked to Clark's room on the first floor. A guy in black was quietly sitting on the chair, looking at Anfey.
"What happened?" Anfey knew the man was direct, so he talked to him in a simple and direct way and skipped any courtesy greetings.
"These are the architectural drawings of the princess's bedroom." The guy in black passed Anfey a package. "Everything you want to know is in this package. If it is not in the package, I don't think I can get it for you anyway."
Anfey unpacked the package, looked through it, and put the items back in their original order. "I need someone to explain these to me. I do not understand this kind of diagram."
"No problem," the guy in black said.
"Anything else you would like to tell me?" Anfey asked.
"You asked me to collect information about Glory mercenary. I have some information about them with me now," the guy in black said.
"Great." Anfey smiled. "Can you brief me on it."
"The commander of Glory mercenary, Antonio, is a master swordsman," the guy in black said. "He is the most powerful one among the commanders in the four largest mercenary groups. It's hard to tell his personality based on the information we collected. Some people said he is a gentle man, while others said he is hot-tempered. They all can prove their claims. Antonio rarely shows up in public. It has been very hard to track him.
"The second important person in Glory mercenary is Chantley. He is a senior swordsman. He is very smart and mature. He is a helper for Antonio. If we have options, I hope we do not have to confront him. If Antonio is the king of Glory mercenary, then Chantley is his advisor, a very good one. He has solved many difficult problems with his intelligence. He was a formidable opponent. Antonio is in White Mountain City, so Chantley is in charge of everything here.
"The third important person in Glory is Davison. He is a senior swordsman. He became a senior swordsman before he was 35 years old. His sword skills are above Chantley's. I heard he might become a master swordsman in the future, then Glory mercenary would be the only mercenary group with two master swordsmen. Davison is the opposite of Chantley in terms of personality. He is more willing to take risks, but also likes to act more on instinct. Chantley has solved a lot of tough problems for Glory mercenary while Davison has created many problems. However, Davison has one advantage, that is, he is a very loyal follower of Antonio. Antonio has been very tolerant with the mistakes he has made and rarely blames him.
"Here is a report on Chantley's and Davison's families and important people in Glory mercenary. You can take your time to read it." The guy in black passed Anfey another scroll.
"Thank you very much." Anfey smiled.
"You're welcome. You said I had contributed to your mercenary." The guy in black hesitated a little bit. "I have already received new orders from the commander that I need cooperate with you."
"Really? Does it mean you would help me if I need your help?" Anfey asked.
"Yes," the guy in black said.
"How many people can you give orders to?" Anfey asked.
"Depends on your needs," the guy in black said calmly. "I believe you have heard of Entos?"
"Of course." Anfey was shocked for a second. Entos was one of Saul's best students. He was a senior magister with strong power.
"Entos is the third important person in Brothers Union mercenary," the guy in black said.
"You mean…" Anfey said.
"After the political marriage between Glory mercenary and Ellisen Empire, many countries realized they were falling behind. Shansa Empire has been trying to have Tiger of Tawau mercenary be their alley. Our country has had a good relationship with Brother Union mercenary. As long as we are not against the principles of the Country of Mercenaries, they are willing to help us," the guy in black said.
Chapter 100: Choice
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"This is marvelous news for me," Anfey said, smiling. If the four major mercenary groups had been tightly allied, he could not have devised a plan to come between them. Now, however, he realized that the mercenaries had only appeared to be friendly. They had their own fair share of infighting as well. After the marriage with the Shansa princess, Tiger of Tawau mercenary legion would surely make a name for itself. Its ranking among the major groups would likely go up as well. It was likely that it could potentially threaten Glory mercenary legion. Surely the other three groups did not want the situation to come to this.
A super mercenary only sounded intimidating in name. It did not matter how big a mercenary group was, none of them could take on a full-fledged nation. There was hardly any nation without a master swordsman or archmage, but out of the four mercenaries, only Glory mercenary had a master swordsman in its service.
As far as Anfey was concerned, the world was simple. There was a saying: Learn your craft, then serve your king. Royalty tended to have an upper hand when it came to recruiting useful men and women. A king could offer everything a mercenary group could offer, and everything a mercenary group could not offer. People like Yagor and Ernest were, in the end, oddities. Their fates only proved that being politically neutral could only end in disaster.
If Yagor had worked for a king, surely Anfey couldn't have killed him as easily. Saul and Ernest wouldn't have dared look for him, either. If Ernest had worked for a royal family, he wouldn't have ended up in such a terrible place after Jerrofick had played his tricks. Now his reputation was so terrible even Suzanna had called him a coward.
Anfey was not joking when he came up with the plan to assassinate the Shansa princess. For someone like him, joking around was no longer an option. All he wanted was to do some good for Maho Empire and ensure a better future for himself.
There were only so many directions he could take. One was to leave the team and live anonymously until he achieved what he wanted to achieve, but what good would that do? His reputation would be ruined as well, and perhaps worse than Ernest's. He was the one who wanted to kill the princess and had led the group into trouble. He should have the guts to shoulder the consequences as well. Abandoning his friends would turn him into a laughingstock and ruin his relationships with Saul and Ernest. Not only that, it they would likely turn into his enemies. He could not forget Phillip, either, who was still trying to find him and his group. He could, theoretically, return to being an assassin. Practically, though, business would be very slim. This was not his world any longer.
Another option was to seek refuge with Ellisen Empire or other nations. Anfey may have been coldhearted, but he couldn't bring himself to betray Maho Empire. There wasn't much he could do, anyway. No one would take in someone with no combat power and little-to-no magical surges, much less someone who had offended three of the most powerful men in Maho Empire.
The last option was to serve Maho Empire. Help in the time of need was the most precious, and now with Shansa Empire invading Maho, it was the perfect time for Anfey to deliver what Maho Empire need. Both hunting magical beasts and assassinating his opponents were for practice, and the benefits of the latter were much greater. Even if he did not achieve everything he was aiming for, he had grounds to argue if the future leader of Maho Empire wanted Saul to hand him over.
If he was lucky and achieved some of his grander goals, the future king of Maho Empire would have to consider his contribution to the war. If Maho Empire lost the war, he could still join Ernest and travel the world.
"Don't get too comfortable. The alliance will only help us with small things," the man in black said.
"I know," Anfey replied.
"Do you know how to ride?" the man asked abruptly.
"Yes, why?"
"Didn't you say you wanted to welcome the princess? Get ready. We are leaving in a few moments."
"This early?"
"If we leave today, we can catch up to my caravans by tomorrow night, and encounter the princess on the way." The man looked at Anfey and added, "Do you have any other things you need to take care of?"
"No. Have a few men stick around. Keep an eye on them."
"I would have done it even if you hadn't asked."
The secret spies were very efficient. After Anfey had told Christian about some things to look out for, he got into the carriage with Suzanna. There was another man in the carriage who was clearly important, because every time they encountered a checkpoint, the man would stick his head out and talk to the patrol. This got the carriage out of the city without anyone checking.
When they were about five miles out of the city, Anfey and Suzanna left the carriage and climbed onto their horses. The man in black arrived on horseback as well. He had taken his mask off. Anfey understood why he had kept that mask on at all time.
The man had a long scar across his face and two very distinct eyebrows. Blackwater City had a lot of guards, but guards with such special features were hard to find.
It was as if the man was testing Anfey's ability. He rode forward without looking back or waiting for Anfey and Suzanna and did not stop until his horse was exhausted.
By sunset the next day, they had reached the caravan. There, they changed into the attire of men of the Snow Fox Mercenaries who protected the caravan.
They pushed forward all the next day and finally encountered the princess's procession on the outskirts of a town. The princess may be important, but there was only one major roadway in the Country of Mercenaries connecting Blackwater City and White Mountain City. Ellisen Empire was to the south and Shansa to the north. It was the most important roadway in the country, and shutting it down could cause immeasurable loss.
Plus, the other three mercenary groups were very unsatisfied with Tiger of Tawau's alliance with Shansa Empire. Glory Mercenary Group was worried that it would threaten their position of power, while the other two did not want Tiger of Tawau to get too powerful and tip the balance. If Tiger of Tawau had closed the roadway for the arrival of the princess, the other three groups would have protested. So the road was still crowded, and the princess's servants pretended none of them existed.
Of course, all the mercenaries knew who the caravan bore, and had made way for her. Snow Fox's mercenaries were no exceptions. They stood by and watched the carriages go by.
There were thousands in the procession. Flags with vibrant colors fluttered in the wind. Stallions neighed as they marched by. Armor gleamed under the sun. Everyone in the procession looked serious, since they were representing an entire nation.
There were more than a dozen identical carriages, led by twelve stallions. The carriages themselves were large and beautiful, and shone gold under the sun. There were groups of knights behind every carriage, and two armored women guarding.
Clearly it was a way to decrease the chance of assassination. The princess would be in one of the carriages, and it was likely that her placement changed everyday. No one except for a few trusted people would be aware of her exact location.
When the third carriage passed, Anfey picked one of the women and whistled at her. The princess's carriages had a lot of observers everyday, and the guards had gotten used to whistling and howling. Anfey stood towards the front, but his presence did not alarm anyone. At most he made some of the men curious as to why any mercenary groups would accept an apprentice like him.
The woman next to the carriage turned curiously. Seeing that she had saw him, Anfey whistled again, louder and sharper this time. He smirked at her. He was a good actor, and he was confident that he had fooled her into thinking he was trying to catcall her.
The woman frowned and appeared angry. Every woman would be angry in a situation like this. The weaker ones would hide, but the stronger ones would face it head on. The woman turned her horse and galloped towards Anfey. She raised her horsewhip and sent it cracking through the air.
Chapter 101: Misunderstanding
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Ah…" Anfey screamed. He clumsily reached out his hand, trying to grab the opponent's whip, but failed. Luckily, he moved his head to the side at the critical moment, which helped him avoid the hit on his head, but he got whipped hard on his shoulder.
With a painful scream, Anfey fell from the horse. Fortunately, he grabbed the opponent's legs while he was falling. He just hung there by hugging her legs. That woman's horse riding skills were not great, and she almost got pulled off the horse by Anfey. She got mad and pushed Anfey's head with one hand as she whipped at Anfey's back with the other.
Anfey was hurt, and he loosened his grip on her legs. He slid down from her thighs to the lower legs and then continued to slid down. Finally he fell on his back on the ground with a boot in his hands.
People around them laughed quietly. They did not think Anfey was a dangerous person so far. They just felt it was ridiculous that a magic apprentice dared to harass women on the streets. It seemed that morals were degenerating day by day. Many of them had done things like this before, but they picked the right person to harass. Anfey was just asking for trouble himself.
The woman sensed that her foot was cool. She looked down, finding her boot in Anfey's arms. She felt shamed and mad. She suddenly pulled the reins, and the horse raised up his fore legs into the air. The horse's forelegs were falling on Anfey. The woman wanted to kill Anfey.
Anfey rolled to the side and barely dodged the horse's stomp. He stood up clumsily, still holding the boot in front of his chest. It seemed the boot could protect him. He looked extremely panicked, which made others laugh even louder.
"Bastard. F*ck off," a mercenary yelled, rushing over. Tiger of Tawau mercenary group had sent three hundred mercenaries to welcome the princess. He was one of them. He yelled at Anfey but it sounded like he was helping Anfey. Anfey and he were both mercenaries, and he understood it was not easy to be a mercenary. In addition, if the bodyguards of the princess killed a mercenary in the public for whatever reason, it would stir up the mercenary groups. He had to stop her.
The woman was so mad that she would not let Anfey get away easily. She pulled the sword out backhanded. The other mercenary, who worried about their huge difference in position, did not dare to stop her.
Anfey was shocked. He turned around and started to run. He yelled, "Suzanna, help me."
Suzanna, who had been waiting for a while, finally saw Anfey's signal. She urged the horse on and rushed to Anfey. She jumped off the horse without paying any attention to the watchers. She held Anfey still, with white lights radiating around her. Her big eyes showed her coldness and desire to kill that woman. She quietly stared at the woman.
The woman could not help pulling the reins to stop the horse. She nervously looked at Suzanna. In Anfey's previous world, to know the ability of the opponents, they had to fight: the professionals could tell their opponents' abilities from the first few moves. In the magic world, it was more direct. They did not have to fight. They could tell from the combat power around Suzanna that she was a powerful person. That woman did not dare to fight with her.
Black Eleven stood behind Anfey and Suzanna, concerned. Anfey and Suzanna kept secret what they had discussed from Black Eleven. Black Eleven thought these two were looking for opportunities to pick a fight. He was worried and mad at the same time. Young people are so naïve. They liked to rush into things. Not mentioning the slim chance to kill the princess during the day, even if they were sure that they could kill the princess in a split second, how could they tell which wagon the princess was in? This business caravan and Snow Fox mercenary group were his people. He had tried very hard to disguise them. Even if Anfey could have killed the princess, his intelligence network would have been seriously destroyed. It would not be a good trade-off.
Seeing a senior swordswoman on the battlefield, the princess's bodyguards became nervous. The sound of horse's footsteps came from a distance. Two swordsmen were fast approaching them on horseback. They radiated combat powers around them. Obviously they had been put on alert. Judging from the combat power radiating from them, they were just as good as Suzanna.
The guy in black had said that there were four senior swordsmen. These should be two of them. They rushed onto the battlefield and saw the woman and Suzanna standing facing each other. They felt the situation was quite strange, since they should already have started to fight if Anfey and Suzanna were killers. It seemed that the two parties were confronting each other over something. The king had asked to them to strictly follow the discipline in the army and avoid confrontation whenever possible. They trusted their soldiers and believed they must have not have picked the fight. If Anfey and Suzanna started it, it did not seem to make sense either, since a senior swordswoman could not fight with a few thousand mercenaries, especially with some senior swordsmen among them.
The mercenary who yelled at Anfey before saw the two senior swordsmen coming. He hurried over to the horse, whispering to them and nodding at Anfey. It looked like he was explaining what had happened. After he finished, the two swordsmen did not know whether they should laugh or cry.
Anfey saw Suzanna had already come to his side. He had straightened his back and rolled his sleeves as he talked quietly with Suzanna. People could tell this loser was telling on his wife.
Suzanna frowned and finally lost her patience. She grabbed Anfey's ear, which Anfey secretly liked.
"It hurts, it hurts. Let it go. It hurts," Anfey had his head tilted and screamed in pain.
Those two senior swordsmen could not help guffawing. This world had become strange to them. Some people in power, who had strong combat power or lots of money, harassed women, but they had never seen anyone harassing a woman whose wife was a senior swordswoman. This was ridiculous. They thought Anfey deserved to be disciplined by his woman.
The princess's bodyguards also tried not to laugh out loud. The tension on the battlefield started to loosen up.
"Madam," one of the two senior swordsmen called out.
"First of all, I have to apologize for my husband's rudeness," Suzanna interrupted and said coldly, "but you have already punished him. You guys need stop now."
"I think this is a misunderstanding." The senior swordsman turned around and gave a scolding look to the woman who caused all these troubles. Then the woman finally put the sword she still held back into the sheath. The senior swordsman said, "I also would like to apologize to you for our rudeness." His experience as a senior swordsman were so extensive that regular people were not comparable. He felt Anfey and Suzanna did not look like wife and husband, more like a couple who were still dating. Since Suzanna had already referred to Anfey as her husband, he had to call her "Mrs." instead of "madam."
When Suzanna heard the word "Mrs.", she blushed and gave Anfey a dirty look. As Anfey had talked to her about this plan, she was against it and asked to call him "brother" instead. Anfey insisted that she call him husband. She agreed in the end. Thinking about what had happened between them, she blushed even more. The blush and the dirty look she gave Anfey made them look like a couple.
The senior swordsman had been watching Suzanna. Seeing the blush and the dirty look, he was even more sure that they were just a couple still dating. He turned to look at Anfey. Anfey's terrific acting skills would not allow him to see anything from it. The hatred in Anfey's eyes seemed to prove how stupid and shallow he was. That senior swordsman watched for a while and thought, "How could such a beautiful girl like such a loser?"
"Mrs., I am Ganbi of Central Swordsmen Battalion in Shansa Empire. May I know your name?" the senior swordsman asked politely. Senior swordsmen were not formidable, since there were about a hundred or more senior swordsmen in each country. However, such a young senior swordswoman was rare, which could mean Suzanna could develop into a new top powerful woman. He could do such a good thing for the Shansa Empire if he could build a good relationship with Suzanna and get her work for them. Based on this logic, he talked with respect and courtesy to Suzanna, who he guessed by her age could only be his niece.
"Huh, sorry, I cannot tell you know," Suzanna apologetically responded.
"No problem. No problem." The senior swordsman smiled gently as he glanced at wagons the Snow Fox mercenary had protected. He looked at Anfey and found the wagons of Snow Fox mercenary were going in the opposite direction of theirs. The idea of going together and building a relationship on the way was not going to happen. Anfey looked like a loser, but one lucky enough to find a good woman. He was not interested in talking to Anfey.
"If there is nothing else, we are about to leave," Suzanna said slowly.
"I hope we can meet in the future." The senior swordsman was cool. He walked his horse the other way.
Suzanna and Anfey returned to Snow Fox mercenary group. Snow Fox mercenary group took orders from Black Eleven, but Black Eleven did not tell them the real reason for this mission. Luckily, they did not know, otherwise they would misunderstand that Anfey was ready to kill the princess. They would have not acted as calmly as Black Eleven. If they sold them out to their opponents, it would ruin the whole plan.
Seeing Anfey joining the mercenary group, the mercenaries in Snow Fox mercenary group looked at Anfey with a sort of disdain. In this world, people judged each other based on their powers, at least among men. Anfey had acted like a such loser.
"Anfey." Black Eleven walked up to him. He whispered and complained to Anfey, "What did you just do? You freaked me out. I thought you had gone crazy and wanted to kill them right here."
"No, I only left some marks on them." Anfey looked at the whip mark on his shoulder. That woman used her full force. If he was not good, he would have died under the horse.
"Marks?" Black Eleven was shocked by Anfey's talk.
"If they reach Blackwater City in three days, we can find them no matter where they will be," Anfey said.
"Are you worried that they will not live in Blackwater City?" Black Eleven asked.
"Yeah, it is always better to be prepared for different situations," Anfey agreed.
Chapter 102: Timing
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
When the caravan of the Shansa princess stopped, Anfey and Suzanna had already turned back. They observed the campsite carefully. There obviously were smart men in her service, because the campsite was laid out very methodically. The site was divided into four sections; patrols and mercenaries dotted the camp. There were mages floating above the camp as well. Bonfires had been lit throughout the camp. These protections turned the camp into a fortress.
Anfey watched for about two hours before deciding to return to Blackwater City. The only people that could make the impossible possible were gods. Anfey was an assassin, and his ability was limited. He wasn't one to take great risks, and his welcome ceremony for the princess must come to a stop now.
It was already dusk of the next day when they returned to Blackwater City. Vonmerge's ability was impressive. He had already gathered everything Anfey needed in two days. Although the man in black's ability was much stronger than Vonmerge, Anfey didn't want him to know his entire plan. It was his habit from when he was still an assassin, and it benefitted him. It was easier for him if no one knew exactly what he wanted, which would make it harder for people to interfere with his plans.
The four mercenary groups all had fairly good reputations. None of the leaders had a record of abusing his powers or deceiving any of his allies. Of course, even if a leader did do such a thing, it would be on record. Afterwards, he would try to clear his name as best he could.
However, everyone had their families and friends. The mercenary leaders could keep their own names clean, but they could not restrict their friends and families. Old Phillip had never oppressed the people or abused his power, but his grandson Zeda was infamously spoiled. Old Phillip had done wrong, but was good at hiding it. Zeda, on the other hand, wore his wrongdoings like badges. People who had done great wrongs might be looked up to, but people who had committed petty crimes were usually looked down upon.
The man on top of Anfey's list was Davidson, who ranked third in Glory mercenary group. According to reports, he had a short temper, and that made him an easy target. Anthony, the man who ranked first in the group, was not in Blackwater City. It was something that could be used to Anfey's advantage as well.
Davidson had a younger brother called Orwell. Davidson and his brother were orphaned at a young age, leaving the brothers alone in the world. With no other means of income, Davidson had resorted to thieving. He was caught one time and was beaten. Orwell nursed him back to health all by himself. Davidson's mentor found them and felt sympathetic. He took Davidson with him, and returned later for his younger brother. However, they did not find Orwell. After a few years, Davidson returned to look for Orwell. By then, the two had taken completely different paths. Davidson was already a junior swordsman, and Orwell had became a thug. After Davidson befriended Anthony and joined Glory mercenary group, he had bought Orwell to Blackwater City as well.
However, old habits die hard. Orwell was used to doing things his way, and was still a typical thug in Blackwater City. His brother was friends with Anthony, and everyone tried to move out of his way. Orwell knew his limits as well. He would not mess with people he knew he could not take on. Because he knew who to mess with and who he had to leave alone, he was able to live in relative comfort.
Vonmerge found out about these things through a friend of Davidson's, and felt they should be accurate.
Anfey circled Orwell's name and told Vonmerge to keep tabs on Orwell. He then closed his door and began meditating. If everything went according to plan, Blackwater City would be in chaos once he was done. He must improve his skills before then.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye. Anfey opened the window to the city's clamor. He looked out and saw a long line of carriages and carts in the streets. He knew that the princess was in the city.
All along the streets, people of the city were out holding flowers. They were cheering loudly. Tiger of Tawau was a powerful mercenary group, but getting such a big display was impressive. Anfey watched for a while longer before closing the window and leaving the room.
The hallway was empty. Clark had already removed all the other patrons, and the new patrons in the first and second floors were all working with Anfey. Their safety could be assured and there was no longer the need for nightly patrols.
He knocked on Suzanna's door, then poked his head inside and found it empty. Blavi pushed open Christian's door and called Anfey over.
"We're all in here," he said.
Christian frowned when Anfey walked inside. "Anfey, can't you tell us the next time you are going to meditate? We didn't want to bother you, but we needed you here to make the plan."
"Sorry about that," Anfey apologized. "Why? Did something happen?" He knew what the problem was. He was only confident in himself, and the only person that needed to know the exact details of the plan. He was the leader of a team, though, and it may create a rift in his relationship with the team members if he kept things from them.
"Didn't you tell Vonmerge to keep on eye on Orwell? We were there too, yesterday. He bought a little elf girl at the market yesterday. She looked like she's only eleven or twelve."
"Elves live longer than us," Zubin said. "She was probably already fifty."
"I'm saying the way she looked," Christian said.
"Zubin, don't interrupt him," Anfey said.
"We saw Orwell taking the little girl to his place, and then we heard screams. Suzanna and Sante wanted to go in, but I didn't let them." Christian smiled bitterly. "Vonmerge saw a few carts from Glory mercenary group coming out of his house the next day, and they buried something outside the city. It was the little girl."
"That's it?"
"They blame me for her death. They tell me you wanted to kill Orwell, and killing him then wouldn't change much about the plan. I thought I did nothing wrong. We wanted to hear your take on this."
"Anything else?"
"Suzanna talked about the princess. Anfey, I don't think it's a good idea to assassinate her. She has four senior swordsmen, plus the people serving Tiger of Tawau mercenary group. There is no way we can take them all by ourselves." Christian sighed and shook his head. "Best case scenario, some of us would still die. Clark said that the marriage was political, and even if we kill one princess they can always send another one."
"Nothing else?"
"That's it."
"First thing. I think you're right, Christian. I didn't tell you guys why we wanted to kill Orwell or the impact of it, and that is my fault. But if you had really killed him, that would have ruined my plan."
"Anfey, didn't you tell me to kill him?" Vonmerge asked.
"I said to kill him when the timing is right," Anfey explained. "Christian did the right thing. Now, the next thing. You guys are getting good. At least you know how to analyze your enemies."
"You want to cancel the plan, too?"
"No. I think we have a high chance of succeeding. My plan is this," Anfey said. He then proceeded to explain to the group his plan in its entirety. "What do we think?" he ask, looking around the room.
Everyone was looking at each other. Those who were still relatively naive were shocked by how heartless Anfey's plans were. If they really go through with the plan, surely it would be a bloodbath. There would be so many dead who would not even know who killed them.
Chapter 103: Taking Action
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Vonmerge was drunk and wobbled as he walked. He sluggishly pointed at the wood building with his left hand as he passed by Anfey and Suzanna. Anfey fanned away Vonmerge's stink that was still lingering in the air. Anfey and Suzanna slowly approached the wood building.
"Hey, man, what are you doing?" A big man with a lazy look stopped Anfey. A middle-aged man with a hawk nose walked over to them from the wood building.
"This is my brother in-law's house." Anfey pointed at the wood building and asked in surprise, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
"Us? We are bringing pleasure to your sister. Hahaha…" The middle-aged man with the hawk nose laughed.
"You, f*ck off. I will beat the crap out of you if you continue to hang around here," the big guy yelled.
"I got it," Anfey said timidly.
"Wait, you can leave. This girl can stay." The middle-aged man with the hawk nose pinched Suzanna's cheek. Suzanna had kept her head down the whole time. They could only see her little sexy mouth, which was already such a temptation for the middle-aged man with hawk nose.
Suzanna shook his hand off her cheek and suppressed her desire to pull out her sword and kill him. She moved closer to Anfey.
"Huh, you got some temper." The middle-aged man with the hawk nose seemed to be more interested in Suzanna, and tried to grab her chin.
Anfey waved an arch with his arm when he saw no one else on the street. It was time to kill them. If he killed them a little later, Suzanna could have lost herself and things would get bad.
The big guy with a lazy look had blood splashed from his throat. The fast speed, sharp knife and the force Anfey put on the knife did not allow the big guy to make any reaction before his throat was cut.
The other man's eyes were bulging, with his mouth wide open. Anfey thrust his knife forward and pierced through his throat. The middle-aged man slowly fell to the ground. He grabbed Anfey's arm as he fell. He gathered the only strength he had left and tried to attack Anfey. Anfey just moved his wrist a little bit. The middle-aged man with the hawk nose could even hear his own bronchial tubes and esophageal tubes get cut off. He lost all strength immediately, without even strength enough left to keep his eyes open.
Anfey listened with his ears against the door to see if anyone was in the room, and then he pushed the door open and dragged the dead body into the room. Suzanna dragged the other dead body behind him. Suzanna gently closed the door behind her. They heard a woman crying and screaming from the room above them and men talking and laughing beneath them. Anfey waited for a second before he bent down and took off the Glory mercenary badge from the middle-aged man with hawk nose. He carefully wore it on his chest and gently took off the hood for Suzanna. He even tidied her hair for her. Her silky black hair on her shoulder accentuated her charm even more.
Suzanna looked up at Anfey. She had this unspeakable feeling every time she saw him killing people. She had killed many people as well, but she had thought it was so cruel to kill anyone. She was not sure how Anfey thought about killing. The way Anfey killed people and his facial expression after the killing made it look like it was as easy as crushing bugs.
Anfey glanced at Suzanna up and down and said, "Ok."
Suzanna bit her lips but did not say anything.
Anfey smiled and started to walk loudly to the room. Suzanna walked slowly behind Anfey.
It was a diner inside, with four big men sitting around a table with few bottles of liquor. Judging from the amount of liquor left in the bottles and cups, they had not been sitting there for long. They did not have a chance to drink to their fill. They were shocked for a second when they saw a strange man and woman walk into the room.
"Hey, you are…" One of the guys saw the Glory Mercenary badge on Anfey, so he believed Anfey was their ally since they were all in the Glory mercenary. They had never seen Anfey before, so they felt a bit strange..
"Bill asked me to find Master Orwell." Anfey had a bright smile on his face. Bill was the middle-aged man with hawk nose. "Let me introduce this lady to you guys. This is Miss Jenny, a junior swordswoman."
"Oh." The four guys all looked at Suzanna. Blackwater City and White Mountain City were the most important distribution centers for magic crystals on Pan Continent. Entertainment facilities usually went hand in hand with distribution economics. There were definitely many beautiful women in those entertainment facilities. It was undeniable that Suzanna was the most beautiful one, no matter where she was. Niya was famous for her beauty in Saint City, but she was not as beautiful as Suzanna. There was no point in discussing how beautiful Suzanna would be in Blackwater City and White Mountain City.
Those four guys were fascinated by Suzanna's beauty. They just stared at her without even trying to hide it. Their greedy looks were disgusting.
Anfey coughed. He winked at those four guys as he talked. "Miss Jenny was from Alibaba mercenary group. Something unfortunate happened in Alibaba mercenary. The whole mercenary group with more than 20 mercenaries were killed by a manticore. Only Miss Jenny survived, so she wanted to join our Glory Mercenary group. She only needs a person to introduce her to our mercenary group, so I am taking her to see Master Orwell."
Anfey explained in a simple way, but also clearly made his point. He wore a look of you-know-what-I-mean. These four guys finally understood what was going on and what Anfey meant. One of the guys immediately showed a sincere look on his face. "Miss Jenny, please accept my sincere condolences. If you join Glory mercenary group, you will like it."
"Right, our Glory Mercenary group is the best. We welcome Miss Jenny on board," another guy said.
"Thank you." Suzanna still had her head down. She knew her acting was bad. Her eyes would have sold her out, so she had to keep her head down, which in turn accentuated her female features and made her look more adorable.
"Do you have more glasses?" Anfey smiled.
"Come here, bro. Here you are." One guy pushed a glass over and winked at Anfey, signaling Anfey they got what was going on. It was bulls^*t that Anfey wanted to introduce her to Glory mercenary group. He was trying to send a woman to Master Orwell. If Anfey had not said Miss Jenny was a junior swordswoman, which they felt could cause trouble, they would have pressed Suzanna on the table.
Anfey took the glass with a smile and poured some liquor in it. He also moved the glass out of Suzanna's sight and took out a small paper package. He poured the powder from the paper package into the glass.
This action could not be seen by Suzanna, but the guys sitting across from Anfey saw it clearly. Their eyes brightened up. They had done this kind of thing many times before. They knew very well what Anfey was doing. One of the guys even hid his hand under the table and secretly raised his thumb for Anfey. It meant, "Good job, man. You prepared everything. Awesome!"
They had not met Anfey before, but since they were in the same mercenary group and were the same kind of people, they already considered Anfey as their brother.
Anfey pushed the glass over to Suzanna. "Miss Jenny, would you like to have a drink?"
Those guys' eyes moved with the glass, waiting for Jenny to fall into their trap.
Suzanna glanced at the glass and shook her head. "I don't drink this kind of liquor. Do you have wine?"
Anfey was shocked and looked up. "Bro, do you have wine?"
"Yes, I am going to get it." A guy stood up and hurried over to the wine cellar.
"I am a little hungry. Do you have steak?" Suzanna said with a blush.
"Sure." The guy couldn't help heaving a sigh. This little girl was a bit much to handle. Why couldn't she just freaking drink that glass.
Anfey smiled bitterly and gave that guy a look. The guy had no way but to stand up. He muttered something and turned around. He walked to the storage room to look for steak. They had to do what she wanted before she would drink the liquor with the powder in it. They were worried that if they fought with Suzanna, a patrol would come by because of the strong combat power. They would be fine with the patrol, but they would let Suzanna off the hook.
Anfey put his arm on Suzanna's shoulder with a smile. "Miss Jenny."
"Get away from me." Suzanna's face suddenly darkened.
Anfey looked awkward and shrugged. He stood up and walked over to the two guys and took a seat between them. Those two guys were not suspicious about Anfey's move. They even gave Anfey a gloating look. They thought to themselves, "Man, you are running into trouble now. Why do you have to rush into things?"
Suddenly, they heard a bang from upstairs. It sounded like something fell on the floor. Anfey looked up. "Was Master Orwell in bad mood for the past few days?"
"Maybe his mood will get better today. Hahaha…" That guy felt cold on his throat before he finished his laughing. He could not laugh anymore.
The other guy had all his attention on Suzanna and did not know what Anfey had done. He smiled and asked, "Miss Jenny, are you from Alibaba mercenary group? I never heard of that mercenary group. When did Alibaba mercenary group register?"
"Hasn't registered yet." Anfey smiled.
"Oh?" The guy turned around to look at Anfey in surprise. He thought to himself, "Didn't he say they were all killed by a manticore? How come they haven't registered their mercenary group yet?" He saw a metal reflection when he turned around, and then fell onto the chair and died.
Chapter 104: Hard to Escape
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Anfey wiped his bloody dagger on the man's shirt. He stood up and walked towards where he had been watching from earlier.
As he rounded the corner, he saw another man hurrying toward him with a jug of wine in his hands. "Look," the man said, grinning proudly. "Look at this wine. Some of the best."
"It's a bit murky, isn't it?" Anfey asked.
"No way!" the man said. He raised the bottle to his eyes.
The bottle obscured his eyes, so he did not see Anfey making a move to slash his throat. He felt his body weakening, and when the bottle fell from his limp fingers, he looked at Anfey in confusion. He could not understand why Anfey would do something like that.
Anfey caught the bottle in his hand. He grabbed the man and lowered him to the ground, silent.
In the storage room, another man was cursing and rummaging through the room. Steaks were readily available to everyone, and didn't seem to be available in this room.
Anfey pushed through the door and entered the storage room.
"What are you doing here?" the man asked.
"She didn't want steaks anymore," Anfey said, shrugging. "Asking for turkey this time."
"Where am I supposed to find that?" the man asked.
"What can I say? She's picky. Just try and look for it. Something is better than nothing."
"Goddammit," the man cursed. "Wait. Help me look for it."
Anfey nodded and began flipping through things on the shelf. Soon he stumbled across the steak the other man was looking for.
"Isn't this steak?"
"You found it?" the man moved over and asked. "It's raw, though," he said.
"I'll go cook it," Anfey said. He handed the man a packet of loose powder. "Don't let her see this," he said.
"Don't worry," the man said. He accepted the powder. "Is it powerful?"
"Of course," Anfey said, grinning. "Very much so."
The man smirked and nodded. He hid the power packet in his left hand and left the storage room.
As he walked past Anfey, he saw a silvery flash out of the corner of his eye. He was the highest ranking man under Orwell, just after Orwell himself, and was a junior swordsman. Anfey's movement was sudden and fast, and he was distracted, but he was still able to grab the dagger.
Anfey's wrist twisted, and left the dagger partially in the man. He took out the manticore's sting and stabbed the man in the face with it.
Before the man could summon his combat power, his body had already frozen in place. Anfey removed the tail and pierced the man's throat with his dagger. The man fell to the ground limply.
Anfey walked out of the storage room calmly. Once outside, he saw Suzanna's angry face.
"You were going to drug me?" she asked.
"It's an act, Suzanna," Anfey said. "Don't take it personally."
"You can't just try to drug me!"
"Alright, alright," Anfey said. "I'm sorry, alright? Let's take care of that guy upstairs first."
Suzanna snorted and turned her eyes away.
Anfey took out a piece of black cloth and hid his face behind it. He then handed one to Suzanna, who looked at him curiously.
"If you don't want to kill every witness, you better wear that," Anfey said. "Don't forget, there's an extraneous woman up there."
"Alright," Suzanna said. She tied the cloth around her face carefully. Anfey moved over and pulled a hood down over her hair. Her hair was too distinctive and should be hidden in case someone saw it and linked it back to her.
This move, purely out of concern for secrecy, seemed less innocent than it was. The two were close enough that, if someone was watching, they could be mistaken for a couple about to kiss.
Anfey had treated Suzanna as a friend, and so felt nothing. However, Suzanna felt slightly uncomfortable. Whenever Anfey breathe on her, she felt a strange sensation in her stomach. However, she did not say anything.
"Alright." Anfey took a step back and looked at her.
The two ascended the stairs carefully, avoiding any unnecessary sounds. There were only four rooms, and Orwell didn't care who heard him.
"Please," a woman's voice said. "My husband will kill me."
Orwell laughed. He didn't care if the woman's husband would murder her. He knew that the husband didn't have enough power to come after him.
"Stop!" the woman cried. It was too late. Her refusal meant nothing to Orwell.
Anfey stood quietly by the door and waited. Next to him, Suzanna was flushed red, and her breath was getting heavy. Scenes like this did not have an effect on Anfey, but they did on Suzanna. If she wasn't on a mission, she would likely have fled the scene.
The woman's moans were getting louder. Orwell's movement was clearly getting faster as well, evident from the creaking bed frame.
Suzanna turned to Anfey. Seeing that he was unaffected, she turned back and decided to endure. Her hands were slightly shaking, however, because it was all too much for someone like her to take in.
Finally, Orwell groaned loudly. Anfey kicked open the door and hurried inside. He then jumped into the air and lunged towards a shocked Orwell.
Orwell suddenly flipped and placed the woman on top of him as a shield. Anfey moved his wrist, and avoided the woman. His dagger made a deep cut on the left side of Orwell's face.
Orwell yelped in pain. He threw the woman at Anfey and reached for his longsword. Just then, Suzanna dashed into the room. Her sword, coated in white combat power, aimed straight at Orwell's chest. However, she was stunned by his nakedness, and her aim was slightly off. Her sword only caught him in his abdomen.
Anfey jumped upwards and around the woman. Then he held out his dagger and jumped towards Orwell. Because of his wound, Orwell was slower than he otherwise would have been. His fingers had only found his sword when the dagger pierced his wrist. Even though Orwell had used his combat power, it was too weak and couldn't shield him from that level of attack. The dagger left a deep wound on his wrist, severing even one of his wrist bones.
Anfey blinked in surprised. If it was a normal man, the whole hand would have been severed from the body.
Orwell screamed in pain. His right wrist was severely damaged, and he had no more strength left to draw his sword. In a moment of panic he swung his left fist at his attacker. However, he was in too much pain to properly fight. Anfey avoided his attack easily and buried his dagger in Orwell's neck. Suzanna stabbed him in the chest hard with her sword. The sword went through Orwell's body and nailed him to the bed.
Orwell's body twitched a few times, then his head rolled to the side. Blood dripped down from the side of his mouth, and then he was still.
Chapter 105: Confrontations
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Done," Anfey sighed. He pull out his knife and gently blew on the streams of blood. Obviously, the material of the knife was far from the best in the world, so the blood was still left on the knife after a few blows.
Suzanna also heaved a sigh. Her face turned to the side as she lifted the sheet with the sword to cover Orwell's body. Her heart was still pounding fast. She thought to herself, "A man's body is so weird."
Anfey slowly walked to the candlestick and blew hard to put out the light. He thought to himself, "Even though I cannot blow off the blood on the sword, I could at least blow out the light." He walked to the window and gently lifted the curtain to see if anyone was on the street. The street was still empty. The combat power was released but was withdrawn very quickly, so no one should have noticed it.
The woman lay still on the floor. She looked like she had passed out. She lay flat, so they could see her curvy body. Anfey relit the candle and looked down to see the women clearly. Her face was pink.
"Hey," Suzanna called out unhappily. She almost made a mistake by calling out Anfey's real name. Luckily she realized it and stopped herself.
Anfey fixed his eyes on the woman and then bent down to open her eyes with his fingers.
Anfey stood up, thought for a while, and looked at Suzanna. His fingers felt a little resistance when he tried to open her eyes. It meant this woman had not passed out. She seemed to be very smart to protect herself.
"We will bring so much trouble to the master," Suzanna said with a coarse voice.
"Do you think the master would be afraid of Glory mercenary group? Don't forget the princess has reached Blackwater City," Anfey sneered. "This bastard killed nine of our people. Are we going to just let it slide?"
"But…" Suzanna said.
"But what? Even if this issue gets out of control someday, I am not afraid of it. He killed our people first," Anfey said.
Suzanna sighed, "What are we going to do with this woman?"
"She has nothing to do with Orwell. She is just a poor woman being used by Orwell. I do not want to hurt her," Anfey said.
"Orwell died right here. Glory mercenary group would not let her go," Suzanna said.
"I have no control over Glory mercenary group." Anfey sounded helpless. He looked outside to see if there was anyone on the street, and then he said, "Let's go. We need get out of here right now."
* * * *
The celebration during the day had finished. Leftover flower petals were everywhere on the streets. They were dancing with the wind, giving the air a hint of fragrant flowers. It was dark, with neither stars nor moon in the night sky, while the station of Tumen Commercial Union was bright with countless torches and lanterns. This station had turned into a sleepless city. They had high security, with four junior swordsmen on watch on both sides of the door and a senior swordsmen beyond the door.
On the street, passing the Tiger of Tawau mercenary station, an old man around fifty years old slowly walked out of the dark. His gait was very noticeable. After every step, he paused before taking another step. His eyes shone with coldness, looking straight ahead. One of his hands lightly held onto the sheath. Looking at his face and hands, it would have been hard to believe they belonged to the same person. His face wore many wrinkles, while his hands looked young without any age spots. The veins on the back of his hands were vague and did not look like the hands that been through many fights over the years.
There were people walking out of the darkness one by one behind the old man. More people appeared in the alleys on both sides of the street and on the fences around the houses. They continually joined the main force. When the old man walked to an area about 400 feet away from the Tiger of Tawau mercenary station, he already had over 300 people behind him. Some of them were swordsmen, some mages, even warriors from Dwarf Tribe and archers from Elf Tribe.
That old man looked calm, but with a pair of furious eyes. The people behind him looked nervous. Since the day the Country of Mercenaries was established, the four largest mercenary groups were closely matched in power. No matter how many conflicts they had and how many traps they had set for each other, they neither confronted each other in public nor had any bloody fights. Today they gathered here to fight with Tiger of Tawau mercenary. It was a rare moment in history. Therefore, they could not help being nervous.
Four junior swordsmen on watch at the entrance of Tiger of Tawau mercenary had noticed something unusual. One of them rushed into the station to report, while the other three nervously watched the newcomers. A junior swordsman forced himself to walk up to the man when he was 90 feet away from the gate. He asked, "Master Davidson, how can I help you?" Davidson was the third most important person in Glory mercenary group, but he had nothing to do with Tiger of Tawau mercenary group. The commanders of the four largest mercenary groups were respected very well. They were all called "masters." Actually, it was an appropriate way to address them.
"Ask Mooly Tawau to get the f*ck out here," Davidson said coldly.
"What? What did you say?" The junior swordsman could not believe what he had just heard. Davidson went to the party that Mooly Tawau held three days ago. They were talking and laughing at the party. Why did Davidson suddenly curse him today?
"Ask Mooly Tawau to get the f*ck out here!" Davidson yelled. He pulled out his sword, and his body radiated with strong combat power. With sword radiation breaking through the sky, the sword hit the gigantic festive red lantern hung at the entrance of the station. The lantern split in half. It shook a little before it fell to the ground and burned into two bright flames.
The junior swordsman took a breath because he knew they would have a rough night. He did not dare to stop the furious Davidson. Therefore, he turned around and hurried into the station to report to his supervisor.
In a little while, the sound of heavy steps came from the station. With a huge explosion, the unlocked entrance doors flew forward, rolled more than 30 feet, and fell hard on the ground. The entrance door was made with 15-inch thick agilawood. It was so heavy that anyone who could kick it so far only showed how strong he was.
Davidson's face twitched out of fury instead of fright.
Saidy slowly walked through the broken door. He was the third eldest son among the nine children of Mooly Tawau and Hotchbini. His talent, ability, and even his looks were remarkable, otherwise he would not marry the princess of Shansa Empire when his elder brother had not married yet.
Maybe because his single life had been disturbed or for other reasons, Saidy looked furious. Kicking down the door showed his bad mood. His eyes met Davidson's, and they stared at each other. No one wanted to look away. He even sneered, "Old mad man, if you had Viagra, you should have gone home and slept with a female pig. How dare you come here and try to make a mess. Are you looking to be killed?"
Both Glory mercenaries and Tiger of Tawau mercenaries were so shocked by his words that their jaws dropped. Saidy was a gentleman. He always talked with courtesy. What happened to him today? He scolded that bodyguard with cursing words. They could not understand what happened to him.
Davidson was one of the people in charge of Glory mercenary group, while Saidy just assisted in the management of mercenaries. Saidy had lower ranking in the mercenary group. He was only the age of Davidson's nephew. He should not have talked to Davidson in such a disrespectful tone.
It did not matter why Saidy said what he did, Glory mercenaries still ran behind Saidy in case the opponents would start the fight.
Davidson was so mad. His younger brother had been brutally killed. After an investigation, he found out that someone in the Tiger of Tawau mercenary group had killed him. He came here to demand an explanation. Before he could even blame them for killing his younger brother, a nephew-aged kid scolded him in front of hundreds of people. He was humiliated. Luckily, as a senior swordsman, he was tough, otherwise he would have died of rage.
"Ok, Ok." He laughed angrily. His face twisted and looked scary. The blood vessels even showed in his eyes. Froma distance, it looked like his blue eyes became red.
Most people would have panicked under Davidson's furious stare. Saidy was not scared. He even stepped forward and slowly and determinedly pulled out the swords on his waist.
Davidson brought his people here, but he did not mean to fight. He was one of the few important people in a super mercenary. He completely understood what made the Country of Mercenaries survive among other countries. He only wanted to force Mooly Tawau to hand over the person who had killed his younger brother. However, facing a young man's scolding and cursing, his rationality slowly gave way to anger. His hot temper made the situation even worse. Davidson held the shaft of the sword tight. He was positioned to attack Saidy at any time. Suddenly a female voice was heard from the station of Tiger of Tawau mercenaries, "Saidy, back off."
After hearing this voice, both parties felt relieved. That voice represented a legend. Hotchbini enjoyed even more fame than her husband. Mooly Tawau was renowned for his strong power, while Hotchbini earned many people's respect because of her kind heart and mercy to others. Glory mercenary group, Tiger of Tawau mercenary group, Brothers Union mercenary group, Wind Thunder mercenary group and many others had benefitted from Hotchbini's help.
Chapter 106: To Shoulder Justice
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Hotchbini was very fair. After her son killed a mercenary after being careless with his carriage, she knelt in the street to apologize for his misdeeds and paid a large amount of money to the deceased man's parents. Not only that, she began treating his parents as her parents, and would take care of them. She was kind, and as an elven priestess, she knew the ways to heal a man's body. She would often use magic to cure the mercenaries of their injuries. She was also just. The Country of Mercenaries had a complicated geography. Not only that, magic crystals were concentrated there. Naturally, thieves living there began to band together and eventually formed gangs. There were many people who enjoyed the benefits but did not put in any work. Therefore, every year Hotchbini would lead the mercenaries of Tigers of Tawau out to eliminate the bandits.
In a world where only the strongest survived, Hotchbini was a beacon. When mercenaries talk about leaders of other groups, the opinions would differ. When someone mentioned Hotchbini, however, the mercenaries would be full of respect.
The intensity in Davidson's eyes dulled a little. His fingers relaxed, and he stood there quietly, waiting.
A slender shadow walked through the door. Hotchbini had a head of golden curls, her green eyes, set on her gentle face, were bright and clear. Her well shaped lips were a deep pink, and her nose was slightly hooked. Normally a nose like that would make a person appear sly, but on Hotchbini it only made her look wise and collected.
Hotchbini appeared so much younger than her actual age. She looked she should be a teenage girl, but in reality she was the mother of nine children. When she was with Sayeed, she looked more like his younger sister.
Hogebili did not like to dress up and had often appeared in simply white dresses. This made her appear somewhat otherworldly.
"Mother," Sayeed called.
"Stay back," Hotchbini ordered. Sayeed was brave enough to fight Davidson, but in front of his mother he was still a boy that followed her orders.
"Ma'am," Davidson said. He took his hand off the sword and bowed to her. He could attack her son, but he must respect her.
"Davidson, why are you causing so much commotion?" Hotchbini asked. "Do you know what kind of influence this will have once the news gets out?"
"Ma'am, my brother Orwell was killed by your men, and all I want is justice," Davidson said, his voice cold. After any other incident, he could pause and take a step back. Only when Orwell was involved would he make such rash decisions. After all, Orwell was his only brother.
"Orwell was killed?" Hotchbini asked in shock. "What does that have to do with my people?"
Davidson waved his hands and a woman was brought to the front. "Ma'am, she was the only survivor. Not only did she witness the murder, she heard the killers' conversation."
"Where did this happen?" Hotchbini asked the woman.
"In my home, ma'am," the woman replied fearfully.
Hotchbini saw the fear in the woman's eyes and the sadness in her face. She remembered Orwell's reputation, and it wasn't hard imagining what had taken place.
Hotchbini was once a slave, and she hated the men who would act on their urges without a second thought. She smiled coldly. "Keep going," she urged the woman.
"When Lord Orwell was…two people came in. A man and a woman. To keep Lord Orwell."
"Don't be scared," Hotchbini said gently. "Be more specific. Don't worry, no one will hurt you here."
"Thank you, ma'am," the woman said gratefully. She thought about the event for a few moments before continuing. "That's all I saw, ma'am. When the killers came inside, Lord Orwell threw me at those people, and after that I just laid on the ground and pretended I had fainted."
"What a man Lord Orwell was," Sayeed mocked.
Everyone had heard the woman's words. Orwell was clearly using the woman as a shield against the attack. The mercenaries chattered and murmured amongst themselves, laughing at how heartless Orwell was. Davidson's face twitched. He was Orwell's brother, and he knew how terrible Orwell could be sometimes. He knew full well that Orwell would not hesitate using someone else to shield an attack. He felt his face turn red from the embarrassment.
Hotchbini snorted. Even though she was a very controlled and sensible woman, she had a bottom line as well. She could not stand men who oppressed and took advantage of women. Whenever she heard about it, she would uncontrollably get angry. "Then?"
"The man looked at me, and I was so scared and kept still. Then the two talked."
"What did they say?"
"The woman said doing this would cause trouble, and the man said the princess is already here, and there is no need to be afraid of Glory mercenary group. The man also said that the bastard…Lord Orwell killed nine of his men and he couldn't take it anymore."
Davidson's body tensed up at the word "bastard." On the other hand, Hotchbini and her son had only laughed. Truthfully, everyone had thought Orwell was a bastard, and who knew how many innocent women he had assaulted. If it wasn't for Davidson, Orwell would have never lasted this long.
Sayeed had no problem displaying his emotions. Hotchbini was calmer, but she was as uncaring as her son was. Orwell should never have lived as long as he did.
"What else did they say?"
"Then the woman asked what they should do with me, and the man said I was just a poor woman and he didn't want to hurt me…" the woman said. She couldn't control her emotions and started sobbing.
Hogebili walked up to her and patted her back. "Anything else?" she asked gently.
"The woman said Lord Orwell had died in my home and that Glory mercenaries would never let me go. The man said he couldn't do anything about it," the woman said. She suddenly grabbed Hotchbini's arm and shrieked, "Ma'am, please. Help me, please!"
"I said no one would hurt you, didn't I?" Hotchbini said gently, taking the woman's hand into hers.
"Ma'am, you heard what she said," Davidson said coldly. "I would ask you to hand over the killers." He was, in fact, at a disadvantage. It was strange trying to find justice for Orwell, since many of his victims did not get justice, but in the end Orwell was still his brother, and he couldn't let his death go unavenged.
Hotchbini was silent for a few moments, then said slowly, "I want to investigate this first. We do, in fact, have a team missing right now. I will give you an answer when I finish investigating."
"What does your missing team have to do with Orwell?"
"What does his death have to do with us?" Hotchbini asked coldly. "The woman heard what they said. The princess is here. Which other princess is coming to Blackwater City except for the princess of Shansa?"
"If Orwell had nothing to do with the missing team, why was he killed?" Hotchbini asked. "I told you. I will give you an answer after I've conducted a thorough investigation. If the missing team is related to Orwell's death, may I say he deserved it." Kindness and generosity didn't mean weakness. When Ellisen Empire's bandits were captured by her people years back, even the leader of the Glory mercenary group Anthony himself had come to her, asking her to release the prisoner. She resisted the pressure and executed the royalty of Ellisen she had captured.
"So you are protecting the killer?"
"I am trying to find the truth," Hotchbini said. "Sayeed, take the poor thing inside. You, go find the images of the missing team."
"Please, this way," Sayeed said to the woman politely. With Hotchbini against him, Davidson couldn't do anything. Sayeed had the upper hand, and had won the day, but for some reason he could not feel joy. Instead, he found himself frowning and strangely anxious.
Davidson's eye twitched a few times, but he did not stop Sayeed from taking the woman. First it was Orwell's death, then it was the insults from his nephews, now this clash with Hotchbini. His anger was ready to boil over. The only thing that kept him from attacking was the woman's status and fame. If he had really attacked her, it could potentially turn into a devastating power struggle between the mercenary groups. Now, he did not expect Hotchbini to hand over the killers. Even if she only verbally promised to find the killers, he would take his men and leave immediately.