Oscar’s little chubby face was pale as a sheet of white paper. He did not hurry back to the inner fort of Damorga prison. Instead, he brought Annie to the huge cell back in fort number two. Oscar did not have any expressions on his face. Worried, Annie looked at his pale face but there was no way she could make him feel better. Everyone else knew that Madame Antonia was capable of calming Brother ‘Balance’ down every time he went berserk. What they did not know was that after she managed to ease down his anger, she found herself powerless at persuading him to not do anything crazy he had on his mind.
Unfortunately, today was one of those times. He knew that he would not be able to regain his losses. It seemed that the God of Light was fair, after all. Things were going smooth, until this mistake that had happened at the crucial moment.
"Annie, please stay here. You know that I have to take matters into my own hands." Oscar said as he tugged on his shirt.
Annie did not know what to reply. Oscar looked like he was getting ready for the war. He fastened the ancient machete that he has not used in two years into his waistband. Thinking of all the lives that he had taken with that machete, Annie felt a chill spread across her body.
"Please be careful." Annie tried her best to keep herself composed.
Oscar nodded slightly. He knew how intimidating he looked with the machete. Then again, sometimes in life, you have to do things that you do not want to do.
After kissing her goodbye Oscar slowly walked his way towards the inner fort. The journey between the two forts was not a short one, and he used the time to think about ways to solve his current situation.
The problem was so complicated that he did not even know where to begin. That Eastern man had died either due to taking too much drugs, failure to acclimatize, or simply because the God of Light did not like him. Anyways, he was dead, and it was annoying that his death happened at the most unfavorable timing. Percy tried his best to revive the dead man but to no avail. And Sika? He should be in hell! But on second thought he did not do anything wrong. So who should Oscar blame? Whose life should he take with his machete? The God of Light’s?
Oscar stood on the suspension bridge of the inner fort and gazed at the starry night. He has never shown any respect towards God from far away, but at this moment he said a silent prayer in his heart, "Damn it! Is this my punishment? Come at me then! Nothing can stop me!"
The imposter Commander placed himself in front of Oscar in order to lead the way. Oscar had not said a word since he left his cell. He knew this damn place far better than anyone else. He even knew where each and every one of the mouse holes were located.
He did not go to Percy and Sika. He did not want to meet them as he had yet to figure out what to say. As for that unfortunate Eastern man…forget it. He was not interested in his death nor his body.
In Damorga prison, there was a man that had every king and important person in the West World tremble with fear every time they heard his name. He came from the distant land of the East World and called himself Thirteen. Nobody knew why he traveled so far to the Titan Empire and the reason why he became an assassin. With his vast knowledge about the both worlds and mastery of martial arts he could have easily became a respectable court minister. Instead, he chose to be an assassin, someone that would have to live a life hiding in the dark. And now his fate was to spend the rest of his life in the dungeon of Damorga prison.
On his way towards the scariest cell of Damorga prison, Oscar was thinking about the way he became Thirteen’s trainee and how their relationship had grown since then. To be honest, he knew only little of his master and he had so many questions for him. For this reason Oscar permitted the release of the assassin on a special request. The deal was for the assassin to answer any questions Oscar had about him.
So he learned in detail of all the assassinations carried out by Thirteen in Titan Empire. However, it was obvious that the assassin was hiding back information about his life back home. Oscar knew that he would never get to fully know this mysterious assassin from the distant land.
The gate of the dungeon was made by a huge piece of granite in whole. Every time Oscar saw this massive door that weighted a thousand kilograms he felt fortunate that he had never been held under here over a long period of time.
Thirteen the assassin was suspicious about the visitation from this "cell mate". He vaguely remembered the last time Oscar mentioned that they would soon meet each other in the outside world. Thirteen guessed that something was up, and the apologetic expression on Oscar’s face confirmed his suspicion.
This professional assassin looked just like any other fifty year-old man. Oscar was not sure how the people in the East would regarded Thirteen’s appearance, but for all he knew Thirteen had the most common face in the entire Titan Empire. He absolutely respected the infamous assassin that had half of his body submerged in dirty water. If not for the trainings from this mysterious assassin from the East, Oscar would not have survived his first few days in the Damorga prison.
"Good evening." Thirteen has always been quiet. It was rare for him to have greeted Oscar first.
Oscar did not feel greatly honored about this even though the infamous assassin had always shown indifference to people around him. But he knew that his relationship with Thirteen was special, something that even his own father would not have fostered with him.
"Ha ha! Hello. Have you been thinking about me lately my dear cellmate?"
"How do I say this? You, fatty, is the last person I would want to see again," he joked. "Remember all the troubles you gave me, fatty?"
"Of course! I would always remember them. I would never forget the things that we have experienced here."
"I could sense that something is wrong. Come on, spill it to me."
Oscar did not answer. He flopped his fat body into the pool of dirty water, creating a massive water wave.
"You are not here for a swim I suppose?" Thirteen asked, a little annoyed.
"No," Oscar sighed. "I am here to send you my last regards, my master."
"Oscar, I am not your master. I have told you that countless of times."
"Why not? You have taught me so much but why not allow me to address you my master?"
"It is for your own good. You want to know about my past? Alright, since we might not have the chance to see each other again, I am going to tell you now what you’ve been yearning to know. First of all, Thirteen is my true name. It was given to me by the organization that raised me. It is not only a name, but also a representation of my rank and position within the organisation. As you could have guessed, it is an organization of assassins and it is the most powerful and widespread assassin organization in the whole world. Its name in Titan language can be translated as ‘City of Assassins’. Lastly, the reason why I ended up here was because I want to break away from the organization. In order to avoid being killed by the organization, I fled to your Empire. To make a living I have no choice but to return to my old profession because that was the only thing that I was good at and the only thing that I knew how to do. Unfortunately, things happened, and I was brought down here to the dungeon, and I met you. That’s my life story. Satisfied?"
"Of course I believe every word you said, but what does this have to do with me calling you my master?" Oscar asked with impatience.
"How can you be so naive? My name is Thirteen, which means that there are twelve more professional assassins before me, and I would say that they are far more terrifying than I am. That is why I have fled to the West. If their spy discovers our relationship, I am sure that the organization would have you killed too. Do you understand me now?"
"Totally," Oscar was terrified. He had not been terrified for a while now. He had always thought that Thirteen was the most powerful assassin in the whole world but apparently he was wrong. There were twelve more assassins out there that were much more merciless than Thirteen.
"Ha ha! Little thing! Do not ever underestimate anyone in the world. As your West World saying goes, the God of Light created each man with their own existence value. Even if a man seems small and powerless, he could have big aspirations."
Oscar did not reply. Suddenly he did not want to leave. Here in Damorga he was Titan’s King of Underworld, but out there in the free world? Would he become one of those small and powerless men too?
"Go, child. I still want to stay in this safe place. Moreover, there is nothing out there waiting for me. I was already a dead man when I left the City of Assassins. You have done enough for me for the past few years. Go now while you still can. Find a place that you belong. Make yourself powerful. I believe that one day, in the free world, we will meet again," Thirteen smiled.
Oscar was surprised. He had never seen Thirteen smile before.
"You knew it all along?"
"No. I know of nothing, and I am not interested."
"If so…farewell, my dearest cell mate!"
"I prefer this address much more than master. Farewell, young Oscar!"
Oscar took one last glance at the closing granite gate. Everything that he experienced through the last ten years seemed to be locked behind the door along with his cellmate Thirteen.
"Bro…bro…bro…brother!" Scorpion Sika stuttered as he saw the machete on O Neil Andrew Morissette’s hand. "You…you know! This…that…" he mumbled nervously.
"Enough! Scorpion, it was because of you that I lost my one true friend," Oscar’s voice resembled those from the hell.
"I…I would accept any form of punishment," Sika knew it was useless to offer an explanation.
"No, Sika, I want you to know that what you did made me really angry, but my friend decided to let bygones be bygones. Hence there will be no punishment for you. But Sika, always remember that you owe me your life! Understand?"
"I understand perfectly, Brother ‘Balance’. You are just as the God of Light! If someday in the future Sika’s insignificant life might be useful to you Brother, I would not think twice as to take my own life. Please believe me!"
"Have you done what I asked?"
"Trust me! Everything is set!"
Oscar at last loosened his grip on the machete.
Everyone in the house finally let out the breath that they did not even know they were holding.
"Alright then! Everything will go as planned. Tomorrow is the day! Sika, Percy, Commander and all your soldiers, I want all of you to be at your best! I can’t afford any more losses!"
"Yes Brother!"
Oscar turned and walked away. He let himself drown in the pool of darkness. He was in despair. He could not even get himself think about the freedom he would soon obtain. All he could think of was how he abandoned his friend back in the dark dungeon of Damorga.
The night was silent. In contrast, the state of mind of these super criminals was rather agitated. They gathered in the room prepared for the imperial envoys, discussing the faces of their children whom they had not seen in a while, about their own scapegoats being thrown at the prison cells, about their big plans when they would finally be freed from the prison.
On the 9th day of the 4th month of the Light Calendar year 791, it was the birthday of Alfa III His Majesty of the Titan Empire. His Majesty woke up early in the morning to get himself ready for the countless diplomatic meetings awaiting him through the day. Not to mention all those annoying festive activities prepared for His Majesty by the people of Dulin. Even though his agenda of the day was filled from dawn to dusk he was feeling rather elated. His people had prepared a generous amount of gifts for His Majesty’s fiftieth birthday. Both the quantity and quality of the presents this year were exceptional!
O Neil Andrew Morissette in the distant Damorga also got out of bed early today. In fact, he did not blink an eye the whole night and his eyes were bloodshot like a spiderweb. He was about to carry out his last breakfast gathering in the prison with many other infamous prisoners of the Empire.
Oscar looked at his old friends one by one. Cara Siva, who was arguably the most learned gentlemen in the West World. He educated Oscar on how to read and write. It was also him who equipped Oscar with the knowledge of Titan, Faran, and Deiss languages. Doramy Basinger, the mad King of Sins. He coached Oscar to becoming an intelligent and courageous criminal. Then there was Wozakad Elladan, who trained Oscar with the skills of a machete and the incredible memorizing skills. Not to forget Ricky the Liar who gave him lessons on being a deceptive fraud; and the man who was eating turkey, that was Carte, the King of Thieves. He showed Oscar the quickest ways to pry any kind of doors and break all sorts of locks. The man beside Carte, the one with an unlucky face, was the former knight Saera. Something with his appearance just called out to people to frame him with a bad prank or two. The others used to call him hedgehog because of his mastery with the rapier. When he brandishes his rapier he looks just like a tiny hedgehog with a body full of spikes. Oscar hated rapiers very much, but he would not mind learning it if it meant mastering another way of killing his enemy.
The rest of the people had some impact on Oscar’s life more or less, but he really did not want to be reminded of all the blood and bodies he had killed with these people around them, especially not during the dinner time.
No one dared mention the infamous assassin who was not present. Oscar had bragged in front of these people numerous times about Thirteen’s extraordinary skills. Unfortunately the accident happened yesterday took away Thirteen’s chance to be set free. After the incident, the heir of the Crelini family met up with Oscar and promised that the family would compensate his lost with huge amount of gold coins and the life of Sika. However, Oscar refused the offer. He told Leon Arsea Crelini that it did not matter anymore as his friend never intended to leave Damorga.
The last breakfast gathering of Damorga prisoners finally ended. Hopefully everything after would happen as planned.
Sika the Scorpion had his people perform makeovers on the prisoners so they would look their best when they head back into the free world. Sir Count Moranzo Hanning was present too. The Lieutenant General hugged goodbye with the prisoners. They thought it was a little strange about this physical affection of the Lieutenant General, but they did not say anything.
Just like that, twenty-six extremely dangerous prisoners escaped from Damorga prison. They were escorted by the fake guards to an abandoned farm not far away from the suburb of Damorga, where their friends and families had been waiting. The reunion scene was full of tears. Some of the lone wolf prisoners with no place to called home were invited to stay at their prison mate’s place. Soon people said they goodbyes and split to their separate ways. Only a few of them stayed behind; General Wozakad, Ricky the Liar, and Mr. Percy. They did not plan to stay at the small farm. They wanted to follow Oscar to wherever he would go.
General Wozakad had no other choice. His home country was a long journey from Titan Empire which he did not intend to return to. However, to survive in a place where people despised the Persion Empire, the best choice he had was to stay beside someone with power and a title, someone like Oscar.
Ricky the Liar wanted to return to being part of the upper-class society. He stayed beside Oscar because his new identity now was Erbe, an accountant from the family of Duke of House Andrew of Narcissus County. He was here under the order of Duke Dortmund Andrew Nedgabel or to serve his new young master who recently got released from the prison.
Mr. Percy seemed not to have any legible reason to stay behind. He simply liked the company of fatty Oscar, and he assigned himself to be responsible for Oscar’s weight loss regime.
What was Oscar doing at this moment?
"Annie! Oh God! Have mercy on me! Are you planning to bring all these things with you? This…this…and this…what use do they have to us? We are going to the modern capital of Empire, not to some poor countryside. Oh please! Stop right now! Leave that useless thing alone!" Oscar never knew Annie and him accumulated so many garbage throughout the years.
"You mean this?" Annie looked at the pajamas she was about to put into the bag. "You heartless man! I hand sewed this for you when you were ten! You want me to throw it away? You are so ungrateful!"
"Alright then. Um, what about that? That…that is a chamber pot? Anne, you’re too much! Is this a joke?"
"Oscar! How can you say that! When we arrive at Dulin we are going to live in a massive mansion with…I don’t even know how many chambers there are going to be. What if you need to relieve yourself in the middle of the night and can’t find your way to the squatting toilets?" Annie argued.
"For all I know these big mansions have squatting toilets next to each chamber. Annie please leave the chamber pot behind." Oscar tried his best to not raise his voice at her again.
"Oh is that right? How sure are you? But you are someone with the title once you get there, you can’t take this risk! What if people see the Young Master of House Andrew relieving himself at the garden? Oh God of Light! That is not going to happen. We must bring this chamber pot!"
"Annie…do you think I would ever do that?" Oscar shouted. He was going crazy with the banter with Annie.
"Um sorry to interrupt?" Out of a sudden, Lieutenant General Moranzo and his secretary appeared in the middle of chaos.
"Oh damn! Laugh all you want Moranzo! I knew you heard all of our conversation from the other side of the door," Oscar was flustered and exasperated.
"Oh young Oscar! Madame Antonia was right, you know. Ha ha ha ha! Mansions in Dulin are much bigger than my little place here. It is not uncommon for people to get lost in their way looking for the toilets. Ha ha ha ha! Bring your chamber pot along! You will need it!" Moranzo would never let go of any chance he could to tease O Neil Andrew Morissette.
Oscar rolled his eyes at Moranzo.
Moranzo immediately regretted making fun of him. He should have kept quiet.
"My dearest Moranzo, I believe you are not here to mock me are you?"
To prevent anymore awkwardness he immediately steered the conversation back to its initial intention. "Ah right! The official amnesty ceremony is going to commence soon. I know it is not something you enjoy but I was hoping you would attend for the sake of His Majesty the Emperor?"
"Oh Moranzo, of course, I would, now that you asked. In fact, I am honored to be invited. Captain Vick, would you please assist Annie in loading these things up our horse carriages?"
"It is my pleasure."
"Alright. Now, Moranzo, let’s go. Oh, there is also something that I would like to discuss with you."
Moranzo looked at the smirk on Oscar’s face and thought something bad was coming.
And so they went to the ceremony. Oscar’s good mood was destroyed by the hypocrite Attorney General that he despised a lot. That shameless one had been giving his speech for about one hour now! Oscar looked out towards the window and realized that it was not even noon yet. It seemed like the ceremony would last for a couple more hours.
Since the Attorney General Marquis Van Earl was nothing more than a dead man in Oscar’s eyes, he blamed this upon Alfa III His Majesty. If it was not for him, Oscar would never sit here like a dumb puppet, listening to Marquis Van Earl’s bullshit speech.
Springtime in Damorga was nothing extraordinary. Like any other small town in the Empire, it was constructed of bustling narrow streets and stone roads, the traditional Titan style.
The people of Damorga lived idly throughout the year, thanks to the Damorga prison. In order to ensure stability and security the Empire formulated a special policy for this town. For instance, there was no exorbitant taxes nor did it have an oppressive aristocrat. The whole town was always in a semi-militarised state.
Besides, Damorga was also the only city without a municipal government in the whole West World. Everything was managed by the commander of the fifteenth cavalry division of the guards. The Titan Guards had to follow a set of strict rules. They were not allowed to walk around the small market after duty or chat with the commoners. They were not even allowed to visit the town center on festive holidays. The last rule had brought upon many complaints by the soldiers and generals but their complaints were not heard.
Hence, springtime in Damorga felt like an insolent child. People can be seen loitering around the streets, at the taverns, under the trees. The people never complain. Why would they? They had access to the cheapest flour, and when they need extra coins they could perform physical labour at the nearby labour camp.
Oscar didn't feel like anything had changed when he left the gate of Damorga prison and stepped into the free world. Everything seemed the same. He was even invited to lunch with Moranzo Hanning.
The Lieutenant General’s carriage was moving slowly on the street. People who passed by saluted to show their respect when they noticed the army emblem embroidered on the carriage.
He felt his head spinning in circles after being tortured by the Attorney General for the past two hours. He could not even remember how he got into the carriage.
The moment he stepped into Lieutenant General’s residence he was greeted by loud cheers and music.
"Congratulations! Our honorable Duke Andrew!"
"Congratulations on your freedom!"
"Much thanks to the God of Light! All hail His Majesty the Emperor! They finally let you free!"
Oscar was so taken aback by this sudden, chaotic surprise that he did not know how to react. He turned to the smiling Count Moranzo Hanning, which finally acted like a respectable elder and not a playful young man like he was whenever he was with Oscar.
"Uncle Moranzo, thank you so much for everything that you have done for me. Come to think of it this is the first time I'm addressing you like this."
"Don't mention it. You know I’ve always treated you as my own son. But sometimes you can be really annoying to be honest. Ha ha! Come on! Let’s enjoy ourselves!"
Oscar felt that he owed so much to the Lieutenant General. He wanted to show more of his appreciation but he was distracted by a bouquet of brightly white narcissus.
Was that a genie? Oscar was not sure if the girl standing in front of her was real. She wore a long Rochester court white dress and was holding a bouquet of flowers. She looked pure like an angel. Oscar was captivated by her beauty.
Lieutenant General seemed happy with Oscar’s reaction. He smiled lightly and linked arms with the beautiful girl.
"This sweet angel here is my daughter, Rolanda Getha Hanning. My little angel has been living with her mother in Dion province. Not long ago she received an offer letter from the University of Dulin and she is soon going there to study History and Music."
Rolanda handed Oscar the bouquet. Oscar’s mind was filled Rolanda's sweet face and her beautiful body. He felt like he had been cast a spell.
Rolanda could clearly feel Oscar’s gaze at her. She could feel the hot blush filling up her entire face.
"Narcissus blooms all over my hometown throughout the four seasons. Thank you so much Sir Count and Miss Hanning. I can see from your eyes that you are a talented musician, but I would never have guessed you are a historian too."
"Thanks for your compliment. You’re too kind. The history of the Empire is my main field of interest. I’m not a historian yet, but I believe I’ll be one soon."
"Well, Sir County, you really should be proud of your daughter. She has so many aspirations and high aims in life! I have confidence in you and I believe all of your dreams will come true!"
"Thanks again for your compliments and blessings. You have all my respects Mr O Neil Andrew Morissette. My father always mentioned about your heroic deeds in our letter exchanges. You are such a hero! I get extremely nervous and excited whenever my father talks about your witty exchanges with some of the most dangerous criminals of the Empire!"
Oscar was a little surprised at the girl’s forwardness. The words she just said was such explicit expression of love. Oscar was loving every moment of it. He had never turn down a girl’s admiration towards him before.
"Oh my dear Miss Hanning. I might not be as great as you have imagined, but now I am standing right here and you could judge for yourself. May I address you as Rona or Lana if you allow me?"
Before she could answer, Moranzo Hanning came right in between the two of them. Oh lord! What were these two doing in front of all the important guests? He was embarrassed, looking at the two young ones. He had to stop this conversation from going further. He had heard a lot about Oscar and his flirtatious techniques. He had seen Oscar's flirtarious exchanges with the pretty servant girls that used to serve him back in the prison before.
"Ah, my girl! You should check the kitchen and see how are they doing. Mr. O Neil Andrew Morissette and I have to go entertain the guests."
"Yes my father. I will go immediately. It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. O Neil Andrew Morissette."
"The pleasure is all mine," Oscar noticed the disapproving look on Moranzo’s face and realized he had went over the board with the girl.
The girl nodded slightly at Oscar and her father before withdrawing herself from the public. She turned her back suddenly and fixed her gaze on Oscar, "If you insist, I would prefer that you call me Rona!" She said shyly before running away like a timid little mouse.
Oscar was certainly infatuated with this cute young lady. He could feel the world spinning around again.
The celebration party was a huge success. All the important people of Damorel presented themselves and their family at the invitation of Lieutenant General. Even though most of them had not met O Neil Andrew Morissette before, they thought it might a good idea to get to know this distinguished young man.
Most of the people at the party were surprised at the quality of the food and drinks served. Some had even begin saying the Lieutenant General must've gotten rich by foul means. Even though his residence was not something extravagant or worth any mentioning, the foods and drinks served were mostly of high or even rare quality. All kinds of exotic fruits were served on the most beautiful glassware. There are several extravagant dishes made out of rich, succulent lobsters and crabs, artisan sweet and savory desserts one had never seen before and perfectly well-cooked smoked meat. There were also sweet drinking water and all sorts of delicious wine at the disposal of the guests. The party was certainly something!
As for Oscar, he was totally on cloud nine. Even though he had many shameless women throwing themselves at him throughout the night, he could only think about his beautiful Rona. A perfect combination of a pure angel and a cute genie.
It was certain that Miss Hanning had received some sort of warning from her father, as it was obvious that later when she reappeared among the crowd again she tried her best to keep a distance between herself and Oscar. However every time they accidentally met each other’s gaze, both of them could feel a sudden urge of desire rising within their bodies. Rolanda Getha Hanning had to retire to her chamber before the party ended. Her white dress was drenched in sweat. It was torturing for her to suppress her desire through the long night.
Oscar’s mood fell immediately after hearing that Rolanda has retired to her chamber. One by one, the guests were also slowly retreating to the guest chambers that Hanning had prepared for them. Oscar wanted to stay. His instinct told him that something good was going to happen that night. So he stayed at the party with Sir Count, casually carrying out a half-hearted conversation on whatever topics that came to their mind. Eventually, the poor secretary that had been arranging guests’ baggage and belongings made an appearance at the doorstep.
"Lieutenant General, Madame Antonia Horman requested that you receive Mr. O Neil Andrew Morissette at your place for the night, as his prison cell has been practically torn down."
"Sure. That would not be a problem. Oscar is free now, he should not stay in the prison cell anymore. I still have some empty chambers here. But mind you, I have reserved the best ones for the noblemen so what I have left for you might not be the most comfortable."
"Oh that’s fine. I don’t mind at all. Thanks for taking me in for the night. Ha ha! How has your day been Captain Vick?" Oscar was suddenly excited again now that he got to spend the night at Hanning’s.
"It was horrible! It must have been my punishment for chasing away your genie," Captain Vick said helplessly.
"What genie? What did I miss?" Moranzo asked curiously.
"There is no need for you to know my dearest Moranzo. It is just a hopeless romantic story."