Sword of Salvation-Chapter 34: - End of Mission

As what he said to Nico, Mariel and Celinee arrived at the capital of Neiracia Empire two weeks after destroying One Eye’s HQ.

Norania, as the capital city was known, was the last city Mariel and Celinee visited. They had eliminated all their targets in the previous cities. Only the targets in Norania remained—four in total. And, those four were the empire’s biggest thorns.

Mariel did not know whether news of the slaughter of the depraved nobles had reached their four targets or not. Because of this, he and Celinee wasted no time. They immediately began searching for their targets upon arriving in the city.

Mariel’s first target was in a large house located somewhat on the outskirts of the city.

Celinee mentioned there were 87 people in the grand house with its expansive yard. More than half of them were inside the house, while the rest patrolled outside. Mariel saw only six people in the front, but Celinee explained that they had a significant amount of prana.

Celinee glanced at him briefly. Mariel nodded. They agreed to complete the mission as quickly as possible.

-----ooOoo-----

The HQ of One Eye had been destroyed.

That had happened two weeks ago, on the same day he and Weimei departed. The information had only reached Bearbro earlier that afternoon—not through Oz, but from an informant connected to a noble acquaintance. There was no news about Oz. He was likely dead.

Bearbro wanted to mourn Oz’s death, but he had no time for that.

The problems he faced were truly serious. Not only had his HQ been destroyed, but all nobles who were his allies in various cities were also dead. Only four remained in the capital. Bearbro was currently at the residence of one of them. His ally wanted him to eliminate the members of Ultores hired by Lasyana to kill them.

Bearbro had spent more than a week in Norania.

He had failed to achieve his purpose for coming here. The palace had enforced extremely strict security. Even nobles weren’t allowed to enter the outer area without Lasyana’s permission. Gaining an audience with the empress was also impossible. There was no room for him to play his hand in the prime minister’s selection.

Bearbro had also abandoned the idea of assassinating Lasyana. He was only with Weimei, while all four of the empress’s trusted guards were at the palace. He and Weimei would die if they tried. At the very least, he needed Oz’s help to make the fight balanced. With just the two of them, continuing that plan was no longer an option.

"It seems I really underestimated Lasyana."

Bearbro had no choice but to admit that. Lasyana was strong; he had acknowledged that from the start. However, the rules she enforced weren’t much different from her predecessor’s. In fact, the nobles were even freer. There were even rumors of a coup attempt. Bearbro had never thought Lasyana had the guts to oppose the nobles.

In fact, what Lasyana had done went beyond a mere opposition. She had eradicated all dissenters and obstacles. She had killed everyone who didn’t kneel to her will. Only children and slaves had been spared; the rest had perished.

"I feel like marrying her now."

Bearbro laughed at the honest statement that had slipped from his mouth. He couldn’t help but imagine the woman kneeling and pleasing him with her seductive, sexy lips. Envisioning himself subjugating and dominating that woman... Bearbro laughed again. He now had a new motivation.

"I don’t care what you’re laughing about, Master, but we need to prepare. We’ll die if Lasyana hired Shin Kurogami."

Bearbro’s laughter immediately stopped. Hearing the name of the "Brutal Assassin" always succeeded in making the bald man adopt a serious expression. He had almost died at Shin’s hands once for mocking him when he was still a child. The only reason he had survived was his status as the assassin’s client. Bearbro had no desire to relive that experience.

"Master... your face is pale."

Bearbro snorted, banishing the memory that had left a lingering trauma in his life.

His eyes sharpened as they examined Weimei, trying to determine if his left-hand person was joking or serious. Of course, he knew Weimei was serious, but it didn’t hurt to make sure. Bearbro wasn’t a coward. However, if Shin was after him, he wouldn’t hesitate to run.

"Are you sure Lasyana hired Shin?" Bearbro asked for confirmation.

"I said ’if’, Master. But from the latest information I received about him, he was in Celtekhna. That was about three weeks ago. It’s not impossible that he’s already here."

"But according to that fat informant earlier, the nobles working behind Lasyana started getting killed two weeks ago. So—"

"Shin couldn’t have accepted a mission from Lasyana?"

Bearbro nodded, exhaling a sigh of relief. He hadn’t met all the big names in Ultores yet, but he was certain there was no one he feared more than that bastard Shin. Especially since it was just him and Weimei. Bearbro didn’t think they would be defeated.

"We don’t need to overreact," Bearbro continued. "But just in case, I want you to order all the guards to focus on keeping watch outside. If it turns out Shin is the one Lasyana hired, we can use them to escape."

Weimei nodded and quickly walked away.

Bearbro sank into the long sofa once Weimei was out of sight. He let out a long breath. He regretted leaving the HQ. But regret would lead nowhere. Bearbro just needed to visit one of the One Eye branch bases and make it the new HQ.

It was unfortunate that he had lost Oz, but he still had Weimei. There was still hope he could hold onto.

-----ooOoo-----

In one of the rundown bars on the outskirts of the city, four people sat at a table with serious expressions on their faces. All four were high-ranking members of the well-known rebel organization in the empire, Libertania.

Nico was one of them. The other three were his trusted comrades: Robert, James, and, of course, Girhamvell—their respected and admired leader. They met at the bar because of Girhamvell’s request, related to a report Nico had sent to him about a week and a half ago.

"There’s no doubt that M, who wanted to meet me, is the same individual hired by Empress Lasyana to eliminate the nobles she dislikes," said Girhamvell once they had received the beers they ordered.

Girhamvell was a man with short, dark blond hair, two years older than Nico. His sharp brown eyes, thin eyebrows, and strong jawline with a clean-shaven chin gave him a commanding presence. He was tall and well-built, though not as muscular as James and Robert, his loyal bodyguards.

Nico drank his beer and set his glass down with a bit of force. "He freed all the slaves. He gave them the money One Eye had. He also helped me," he said, trying to ease Girhamvell’s concerns.

"But there’s a high chance he’s on Lasyana’s side," Girhamvell stressed. "Who’s to say it’s not a trap? What if he’s also been paid to capture me?"

Nico frowned. That wasn’t a question he could answer easily. There was no evidence to back up any response he gave. But that didn’t surprise him—he had expected such a question from Girhamvell.

"If that were his intention, wouldn’t it have been more useful to take me hostage?"

Nico smirked, challenging the leader to respond. He had just presented a strong argument. If M really intended to capture Girhamvell, he would have had a better chance by taking Nico and his comrades hostage.

"Maybe."

Girhamvell didn’t deny it, which slightly surprised Nico.

"But," Girhamvell continued before Nico could speak, "that’s only if M is an ordinary man. If M is the kind of man I fear, he wouldn’t take you hostage to ensure my arrival. Instead, his actions would finalize my decision to come. He’s deliberately making me curious, leaving me no choice but to show up."

"Even if it is a trap."

Girhamvell nodded.

"Ah, I see now. You want me to come with you as a precaution?"

Girhamvell nodded again. "From what you wrote, M is strong," he stated. "I’ll need you to anticipate the worst. Beyond that, you’re more familiar with him. We’ll decide on a location, and your task is to find him and bring him to me."

"If that’s all, I have no problem," Nico responded, taking another swig of his beer.

"Good. We’ll meet here again tomorrow afternoon. I’ll give you the chosen location then."