"General Chasseur,
I am writing to tell you that I am already prepared.
I will await your authorization.
By the way, I brought it. I wouldn't bring it if I wasn't ready.
M.N"
Green eyes scanned the few words on that sheet of paper. It was really too little information for a letter, but Sophie knew that the hidden was further down. She had to dig, dig just as she had done with Von. The contents suggested some kind of work that this Dendalian traitor would do for her father, but what was vaguer and more curious was what it contained. A new woman? A weapon? A strategy? She tried to think and rationalize logically with everything she knew about M.Niero.
Before anything else, she should deliver the letter to her father. But as she walked through the hall towards Norgard's office, something caught her attention. She stopped immediately and saw Von sleeping on one of the sofas. His head was leaning against the arm of the sofa, and his arms were crossed over his chest. His brown hair fell over his eyes and onto his shoulders. She knew his hair was growing, but now that she stopped to see how big it was. She walked over to where he was lying and squatted down to his height. A faint smile was born on the assassin's lips. She could see his body moving slowly with shallow breathing, could hear the quiet beats of his heart. It really was the best time to strike while a person was sleeping. Von couldn't imagine that she would be there, crouching down watching him sleep.
Watching him sleep as she would have loved to do that morning. That morning that didn't happen, that morning that his bed was empty and so was a little of his heart. That memory made her angry. "I'm being pathetic" echoed in her mind. And with unnecessary aggressiveness she stood up and handed the letter to her father.
When she left the office, she still had the usual irritation of a cold morning. And Norgard had not calmed her down. It had been a long time since she had seen her father's surprised face; the last time had been when she had found out about Von. The moment her clenched lips opened and the general could let something out, she knew that Niero was something important. And right after such an act, he whispered to himself a "to fast" in a surprised voice. Niero was rushing something. She just didn't know what it was, yet.
Sophie went up to her room and looked through the documents that had arrived for her and Von a few hours earlier. She almost couldn't help but smile when she saw the pictures of all the assassins who were on the mission. She picked up the paper with Niero's picture on it. She looked at him. Something about him caught her attention. It wasn't his blue eyes. Not his white skin. It wasn't the long bangs and even the long blond hair. It was something in his soul. But she definitely couldn't explain it.
She shook her head. He was just a man, there was nothing to be afraid of. But she felt she should be smart in his presence. However, she should know better. She grabbed a heavy coat and left the mansion.
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-Blair. - Von whispered as he saw the bedroom door open. How long had she been sleeping? That usual bed pose, that dark blanket, and the dim lighting coming from the window dimmed her white face. He didn't know the name of what he felt when he saw her sleeping like that. He could only remember that cold body in Sophie's arms. He had no idea how she had survived and what would be in her mind afterwards. He only felt that he was connected to that child in a subtle way.
He didn't dare to go inside. All he did was stand there, staring into nothingness. Seeing in front of him the window that illuminated the common room in every room of that mansion. That mansion... He remembered Perso's words. He had met so many people in the underworld. There were so many faces in his head, so many voices that entered his ears. And they all stayed. He wouldn't mind. He had never cared about all the people, but there he was, being an example of what to be in order to survive. It would be easier to be an example than not to be. Of the path not to follow. Inside that mansion, that house, he felt like he was on a dead end street. But Von would never run away either.
- Something wrong? - He heard Norgard's voice. He remembered their conversation yesterday afternoon. He closed his eyes and sighed, looking away.
- No. I was just thinking that she doesn't wake up. -
- Maybe Diana didn't put her to sleep? - The smile Norgard gave her was the usual indecipherable smile. That smile that Von always knew there was something behind it, the same smile that he knew had a gap in it.
- Is she by any chance a witch? - he answered, not really caring.
- Not a witch. Witch is the way you people talk in the underworld.- The general's tone of voice was dismissive, and for the first time Von felt disgust when he encompassed everyone in the underworld. - A mage, sorceress, whatever you want to call her... but not a witch. -
- Is that so derogatory? - Von answered him quickly, trying not to imprint in his mind that damned word that had come out of Norgard's mouth.
- Have I ever told you about Veronika?
- Your ex-wife? - Von frowned.
- She had magical powers. Cermina's government and politics were never very fond of such supernatural things. - He laughed bitterly as he spoke. - Oh, sure, society always liked it, seeing how Lotev and Gran Tlaboc developed. But they were never very well accepted. My marriage to Veronika was based on this distrust of the government. I confess that this one was totally unnecessary.
"My father married Veronika because she was a very skilled mage and a threat to Cermina. She was to be sacrificed if there was any strange movement, anytime, at any time."
- The government has always acted this way on those who possess these powers. Even today we have some young magic users under observation.
".. My father killed her and the child inside her, Von."
Von watched the white wall for a long time after Norgard had finished speaking. He had remembered those words from Sophie. Something invaded his body, a mixture of thirst for knowledge and disgust. Had the general really killed his wife? Von smiled at the wall. He had done the same. He had killed Lucy and Sohan. Even though he knew the answer that connected what they called a soul with the soul of Norgard, he could not contain himself with silence. And he didn't realize that the general was watching him.
- Did you kill her? - Von was short and blunt with his question. A different smile broke out on Norgard's lips.
- Have you ever killed someone you love, Von?
That question echoed inside his head. And it kept echoing, staring at the wall behind Norgard, lost in his own thoughts trying to face what he had done. Not just once.
- Yes. - Norgard smiled at Von's answer.
- I keep wondering what this pain feels like. - As he said this, the General continued on his way.
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A few pieces of information. Something like a tradition, a marriage, a betrayal and a woman. Sophie walked through the underworld trying to collect something about this intriguing man. Most people said the same thing, and that majority was not great. In fact, very few people knew M.Niero. Several told her to talk better with General Chasseur, who was the man who knew him best. And every time they said this to her, she felt a flea behind her ear. She had never seen that man set foot in her house, but everyone told her that Norgard knew him best. And so her curiosity became more inflamed.
That was when she felt hungry and realized that she had spent all her money on information. However, she did not repudiate the idea of finding out things for money. No one in Cermina would say anything just to help someone. Not even if it was something to save their own skin. The individualism of that population was something that both magnified and diminished her.
A few minutes ago I had seen a woman protecting a child, probably her son. She was standing in the middle of the sidewalk where the snow was beginning to fall. The few clothes in that winter made Sophie alert, with an urge to take off her coat and throw it at them. They blinded their eyes because they wanted to. They didn't help that crying woman because they wanted to. Because she could be a whore, a thief, a profiteer. Not to anyone who needed anyone. She didn't know for sure what that woman really was. And she didn't want to know. Sophie just watched herself walking into the crowd, being one more.
By the time he realized the snow was thickening, he was almost home. It was a beautiful contrast of the snow-covered ground, the dark green trees and their snowy tops. She felt a light calmness. It reminded her of the warmth on Von's back when they went to Crebeci. She closed her eyes for a second trying to remember that quiet moment where there was only the two of them. She sighed. Pathetic.
It was at that moment when, as she lowered her guard, she felt a slight wind pass her side. She looked up calmly, unconcerned, but what she saw made her green orbs pop. That sweet feeling of being caught in the act.
- Niero? -
She spoke up. Her eyes were puzzled, they expected something. But nothing happened. The man she had spent the whole morning looking for was standing in front of her, and she didn't know how to react. She just stared deep into the blue orbs, and she swore those seconds passed slowly.
- Sophie Chasseur. - He bowed his head. -Are you going to your home? -
- Yes. - She did so in a weak voice, suspicious of his every move. - Are you going there? -
- Ah, yes. - Niero looked up at the sky. She looked up to see what he was staring at. However, the only thing Sophie noticed was that he was too tall.
They both continued walking slowly towards the mansion, Sophie kept thinking about everything she knew about him until now. Her head seemed to explode with so much information. The clothes he was wearing were strange. They didn't seem warm enough for winter. She frowned. Why on earth were you thinking about Niero's clothes?
When they reached the entrance gate of the mansion she could dimly see the back of his house. She could see a man wearing only a pair of pants and long hair falling past his shoulders. And of course, he was holding a katana.
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The snow had returned and the training dolls were covered lightly by the falling snow. All the stakes had their straws torn through the long "body" they had created. Von held that oddly shaped sword and saw his reflection in it. Knives, daggers, spears, stilettos and daggers were all part of his arsenal. But a katana was something too big to hide. But for some reason he didn't know what it was, he liked to use it. That night in the Dendalian embassy, that sword had proven its worth before him.
After the general had disappeared from that corridor, he had been informed by an employee that Norgard demanded that Von train a little more with that sword. It wasn't that he didn't train with it, after all, he hadn't slept through the night because the general had asked him to train with it. He had even slept on the couch in the morning. But he had added the use of a revolver to his training, along with the techniques of the blade.
However, what motivated him the most to fight against stakes was not the general's orders. It was the words he had spoken the last time he had seen him. It tormented Von. Hadn't he killed Veronika then? He felt something move inside him when this question entered his mind. He did not know the answer. Had Sophie lied to him? Or did she want to believe that the general had killed her mother? He didn't understand either. The truth was hidden in Norgard Chasseur's mind, and Von didn't know how to find it out without hurting and without arousing suspicion. But, what was stirring inside him the most was that uneasiness.
If even General Norgard Chasseur hadn't killed someone he loved, did that make Von a sadistic monster?
In the respite he was giving himself, Norgard appeared with Sophie and Niero. Von found this strange. First, he knew that Norgard had left for the High Command after they had met. Sophie had also left. And she was wearing one of his jackets. He smiled inwardly. She was caring about him. But she didn't let that smile show.However, that was not the second strangest thing, but Niero. What was Dendalion's traitor doing in that mansion? And with his left hand in the scabbard of his katana? and a revolver being thrown at Von by General Norgard...
- Go.-
That was the last thing Von heard before he saw the flashing of two sword blades and the firing of two revolvers. Niero had attacked him, and he had spontaneously defended himself. He heard laughter and realized that it was Norgard who was laughing, but he did not lower his guard when he looked at him. He moved his sword quickly to attack Niero, but Niero had also defended him. For several long minutes, the noise of colliding blades and bullets was the music of that environment. Both tried different attacks, but to no avail. Neither one would give up. No one was hurt. No one bled. They always defended. That was when Niero tripped Von, making him fall to the ground. He fired his last bullet at Von, who fired back with his last bullet, causing them to collide. As he fired one last time, Niero pointed the katana at Von's eye. Sophie swallowed dryly.
- Too bad, I expected more from Von. - Norgard had spoken as he applauded.
- Expected? - Niero smiled and raised his arm a little, showing where he was pointing the tip of Von's katana: his heart. Sophie's eyes widened.
Niero put the sword in its sheath, the revolver in a pocket of his robes, and turned away from Von.
- I didn't expect you to almost get shot, Marchiello.- The general walked over to him and gave him a weak smile.
- I started to fight Von the same way the people from Dendalion fight, general. However,- Niero looked at Von who was already standing up and fastening his hair. - in the end, something spoke inside me and I couldn't resist using a little bit of her strength. - The Dendalian smiled.
- Her strength? - Von had spoken. - I don't want you to fight me like the Dendalians fight. I want you to fight me like you fight.-
- I can't kill you. - Niero spoke with a smile on his face. Von wanted to put that sword through that fucking smile.
- Are you going to kill me? - Von laughed sarcastically. - I could have hit your heart. -
- I left it for you to stop. And you did, didn't you? -
- I still don't know what "her strength" is. Don't answer one question with another. -
- Oh yes... You'll see soon enough, but if I were you, I wouldn't want to see it. -
- Von, put your sweater on, it's snowing.- Sophie interjected herself in the middle of the conversation, realizing that it was turning into an argument.
- So what? - He turned to her, crossing his arms and looking disdainful. -I was training, do you really think I'm cold? -
- But. - She looked at the brown orbs and saw that she had no argument.But the moment it moved from her eyes to her mouth and then to the back of her neck, Sophie could tell that if her father and Niero hadn't been there, she would have grabbed him. -But...- She tried to say something else, but her eyes kept traversing the slightly browned chest and the muscles Von was displaying. Her mouth went dry.
- Will you stop eating me with your eyes? Your father and a visitor are here, have some respect. - Von quickly saw Sophie's face turn a shade of red. She couldn't help herself and laughed.
- You...! You like to see me embarrassed, don't you?That day with Blair and everything else... - The words came out of her mouth without her realizing it, and then she remembered that her father was there.
Pathetic Extremely pathetic. She had completely cut herself off from the world in his presence.
- Come on, Niero, leave these two fighting.- Norgard said amused. - Von, take a hot shower and come down for lunch. Let's all eat together. - As he said this, the general and the Dendalian went inside the mansion while Von looked for the sheath of his katana.
- What a day for Blair? - He couldn't resist. He had to ask just to make her more embarrassed.
- Ah. You know. - He could see her getting redder out of the corner of his eye. - There in the cabin...that's the armory...-
- Ahh, I know.- He said as he stepped closer to her. - Speaking about the cabin, I don't know where the scabbard is. Find it for me. -
- Heh! Do you think I'm your slave? - Sophie spoke indignantly, glaring at him angrily.
- Not a slave. You can be my servant. After all, Angela is dead. - Von laughed as he saw her more irritated.
- Angela, Angela, Angela! That bitch...-
- Watch your mouth, Miss. - He walked to the cabin and she followed him.
- She's already dead, why should I have respect for your hot maid? - She tried to provoke him.
- Um, so even you admit that.- He said, opening the door and turning on the light in the dark place.
- Hey! - She punched him weakly in the ribs. - I didn't say that! -
- Yes you did, you idiot. -
- Hey, look what you call me! -
- What do you want me to call you? You just said something and said you didn't. -
- I was imitating you.- She punched him harder.
- Sophie...- He turned to her. - When it comes to punching, you're so weak. -
- Hnft. - She held her nose the other way. - I don't care. -
- Want me to help you punch? - He closed his hand and in one swift movement moved his hand to her face, stopping a few millimeters short.
- Von! - He saw her wide green eyes and couldn't resist a hearty laugh.
- Take it easy, Soph. Did you really think I was going to hit you? - He continued laughing at her.
- Uh... I don't know. Maybe you want to kill me? - She spoke ashamed but with her passion exploding inside her when he called her Soph.
- I would never kill you. - He smiled at her. - Well... not here anyway. -
- I thank you, I guess.- She smiled back and laughed later.
- Now help me find it, I'm getting cold. -
She remembered the woman protecting the child. She wanted to protect Von. Her father had taken the sweater she had picked up for Von. Then, subtly, just as he was looking for a new hem, she removed the heavy coat she was wearing and quickly slipped it over his bare shoulders.
- Hey, why are you giving me this? I'm not your human coat hanger.- Von closed his face at her.
- Idiot. I don't want you cold. -
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Everyone was seated at a large table. The general in the center, Niero to his left, and Sophie and Von to his right. Von had eaten at this table only a few times since it was only used for important reasons. And he knew that this was still the case.
The general and Niero were talking about trivia, which neither Von nor Sophie wanted to hear. In this they both matched again. They were the kind who ate in silence. And then when they finished eating, they could talk about anything. It was exactly at this moment that the general spoke the reason for Niero's visit.
- I only wanted you to come here before the mission so that you could see Von's potential.- Norgard said, and Von felt strange about the feeling that had been welling up inside him ever since that man had set foot in his house. In his home?
- I understand. And yes, Von is really in the position to be the leader of this mission. I believe he will guide us well. -
- I watched him for a long time until I knew if he was what I wanted. And I must confess that so far he hasn't let me down once. -
- I'm glad to hear that, General. - Von thanked him, but also remembered the conversation they had when he found out about him and Sophie. - However, I don't understand how you can tell a Dendalian to come and see if I am qualified enough. With Krauser, I can understand, but not with him. -
- Niero is our best chance against Dendalion. He is from there, he knows the culture, the customs, how they fight, when they fight, what they protect, what their strength is. So if you have been evaluated by someone from there, don't you think you will be Relentless?-
- Von, in Dendalion, children grow up learning from their masters what you learned by yourself. - Niero started talking. - Using a katana is not for everyone. It's not simply a weapon you have to carry around to protect yourself. Knowing how to handle a katana is complicated, even more so with a firearm.It is one of the most complicated arts in existence, and the general told me that you killed several men with it in the Dendalian embassy.
- The technique is very complete, I was able to use it very well after Sophie instructed me how to use the katana. However, it is too big for me. -
- Too big? - Niero laughed. -And that bothers you? -
- I am an assassin. I can't be stealthy with weapons like that. -
- Of course. You never hide a katana. After all, it is a katana. We all take pride in carrying it and knowing how to use it. -
- He is an assassin, Niero. Not a warrior.- Sophie said for the first time. Niero became quiet after this comment.
A large difference of Dendalian and Cerminian was right there at that table, each looking at the other with disdain.
- Niero, I think it's time to tell them.- the general said. - Otherwise, they will treat you like a common traitor. -
- Your orders, General." Niero had replied.
- I have already told you that we know almost everything about the Dendalians from the information he gives us, but you still do not know Niero's value. His value lies precisely in his sword. - The general looked at him. - Do you want to tell us? -
- Oh yes.- he smiled and stood up. - Let's go into the living room. -
Von and Sophie followed him quietly, both curious as to what awaited them. When they sat down on the sofa, Niero remained standing, taking his katana from its sheath and holding it with both hands.
- Her name is blindur Réttlæti. This sword is passed from family to family. If you allow me, I will tell you a little bit about how I got it. I am an orphan, I was raised by a family that protected this sword, which means "Blind Justice" in an ancient language. Legend says that in it exists a divine entity... - Niero laughed - But, I got it because the family I grew up in had only one daughter. The girl liked to fight, she knew how to fight, but her parents never allowed her. However, they let her have the sword if she married a rich man, and the sword would be in his power. But because I allowed her to marry, on the wedding day, they let me touch the sword. - He squeezed it hard.- Maybe it is a demonic sword, not a divine one. But all I know is that I killed all those who gave me a home, who gave me a roof over my head. I only left that girl alive. She is in that house, still with the ghosts of her relatives.
- What do you mean they allowed you to touch it?- Sophie's curiosity was shown.
- I loved her. I loved their daughter. I did everything to prevent her from marrying against her will. All for money... but the sword was stronger. - He laughed as he spoke of this. - It is a sword with a different aura, as I told you. She had already touched it. That must be why he wanted to do everything for her...even marry against her will...As the name implies, your sense of justice is blinded by possessing it.
- How many people did you kill that day?- Niero laughed again.
-You've never seen a Dendalian wedding, have you? Almost hundreds of people go. - He sounded distant as he spoke of it. - I killed them all. I only left Bella alive. -
- Doesn't she get lonely? - The general said.
- Who knows? - He tucked the sword into his pants.
- By the way, I need to warn you both before you leave the day after tomorrow. - The general turned to Von and Sophie.
- What? - She said, not caring much.
- When you go to Innsmouth with the ship, you will stay there for the rest of the winter. When it's over and the temperature rises, you will go to Dendalion. -
- You mean we're not going home after that? - She spoke in a weak voice, thinking of Blair.
-By then she'll be awake, Sophie. - Von answered her as if he knew her thoughts.
- I hope she will. - She flashed him a gentle smile.