Wreath of Lilies, Cauldron of Poison

Chapter 202

Give and Take

Illumca stopped herself short of retaliating, took a deep breath and lowered her shoulders. “A-Rank Assassin?”

“Yes. A-Rank Assassins are elites of the elite. And with that prestigious title, came certain perks. One of those is the ability to purchase Skill Books, or Scrolls from the Guild. These are among the most coveted rewards.”

The Dark Elf sharpened her stare. “…you have my attention.”

“Excellent. Now, here’s what I propose,” he daintily took a piece of cookie from his desk. “I will support you in the process of becoming an A-Rank Assassin. And in return, you will support me in the next coming Auditor election.”

“There are elections?” Illumca narrowed her eyes. It seemed that her position was too low to know some of the higher-level intricacies of the Guild.

Seeing the silence of the Dark Elf, Mr. Butters construed that as obliviousness. “Let me elaborate. As you might be aware, the Assassin’s Guild is not a monolithic organization. There are a number of factions in the Guild, with two main ones. One is led by me, and the other is led by…Mr. Gravedigger.”

The man bit into the Butterscotch cookie in his hand with a vengeance, like he was trying to wash the aftertaste of the man’s name from his mouth.

“What’s so different between you two? We are Assassins, aren’t we? We are killers who kill anyone as long as the bounty’s good.”

“Yes, you hit the nail on the head!” Mr. Butters said. “We are killers, yes. But that’s not all we are. A code of conduct is needed. And that is exactly the difference between that man and me.”

The man got up and fixed the lapel of his coat with a mall tug. “My long-cherished goal as an Auditor is to return the Assassin’s Guild to our founder’s idea. The Gentleman Assassin’s way. To achieve the death of our target in the fastest, most efficient way possible, without any victims outside the target if we can help it. This return to form is something I’ve been working towards for a few years now,” he returned to his seat behind the desk, opening his suit button as he did. “You’ve seen the way the Assassins behave in this branch, yes? Civil, pleasant, without fearing being killed at the next corner.”

“Is that so? I don’t think your influence reached outside of the Capital though. The first time I went to the Assassin’s Guild in Cairula, two men aimed for my life.”

“Yes, well. That’s exactly it. Not everyone likes what I envisioned for the future of the Guild. Especially those who side with Mr. Gravedigger. He is a cruel man who delights in the act, going so far as killing those outside his target. One of his most famous assassinations ended with the death of thirty-five adults, one child, and two dogs. Nothing was left alive. That’s no assassination, that’s just mass murder! It’s an affront to the ideology of our founder!” The man ranted. After which she put in as much sugar into his tea that it was so thick, one could eat it with a spoon.

“Forgive me, that was uncalled for,” he shook his head. “Now, to get back on track. My term as an Auditor will end at the end of the year. And before that, I wish to get as many A-Rank Assassins on my side. And the stronger they are, the more weight their voice would be. Which is where you come in. You have great potential, and you are, as far as skills go, one of the best.”

“I see. So, what’s in it for me?” She asked. Illumca did not really care about faction wars, but hearing about someone who would kill children just because they felt like it offended her. And she knew Connie would approve.

However, as a disciple of the Heavenly Poison King, she would be a great disappointment if she could not get as much as she could out of this situation.

“Regarding the Assassination Request of your Lady before…technically, I cannot stop a requestor from requesting an Assassination. I can, however, tell Assassins who are affiliated with me to stay as far away as possible from a certain Assassination Request. In an informal capacity of course.”

“That’s not enough. I can just continue killing all those who came after Connie. Eventually they’d learn not to mess with us.”

“But until when are you going to do it?”

“You’ll be surprised at my tenacity.”

She smiled inwardly. At the time, she had to do it herself because she was alone. Now, she had more than a hundred well-trained Dark Elves who had been trained in the Raksha Blood Palm Art under her command. Of course, she did not have any intention to spill that secret. “I need something more to sweeten the deal.”

“You drive a hard bargain,” the man shook his head, but there was no sign of displeasure on his face. “Then I shall add one other sweets to the proverbial spread on offer. Regarding that perk to trade contributions for Skills, as an Auditor, I have the authority to recommend a promising Assassin, Skills Books or Scrolls that can only be learned by Unrestrained Candidates. These are incredibly rare items. Normally one such items would require so much gold it would cripple a regular Noble’s financial condition for three generations.”

“Is it that expensive?”

“It’s not about the price, it’s the scarcity. There is a reason why the service we Assassins provide are twice, if not multiple times more expensive compared to Hunters. We have very specific Skills, which are very high in demand, especially here in the Capital. That’s the best I can offer you. Deal?”

Mr. Butters offered his hand, which Illumca shook gently. “Deal.”

“Wonderful,” he said as he walked past her and opened the door of his office. “That will be all for now. I have a quick meeting with a gentleman and his mistress in an hour.”

Illumca did not have to ask to know what kind of meeting he’d have this late at night. And she did not have any desire to know.

“Oh, and please return here tomorrow evening so that we can hash out the details. Have a good night, Miss Illumca.”

The next morning, during breakfast, Illumca told Connie what Mr. Butters told her last night.

“This is a good thing, it means less time being spent dispatching of gnats,” Lihua said, as she cut daintily into a pancake slathered heavily with honey. Recently she had found so many interesting desserts that did not exist in the old world in the Capital and dragged Akula along for the ride.

“Assassins, never had likings for the job myself. No offense, Illumca,” the Centaur commented as she stabbed a sausage with a fork. She had placed herself firmly at the left side of Connie.

Illumca waved her off with a small gesture. She had fought by her side long enough to know the Centaur’s personality of preferring frontal attacks rather than covert ones.

“But the way of a Gentleman Assassin sounds very intriguing. At the very least, it aligns with our values,” Martell said.

“What do you think, Connie?”

“I’m just happy that you are exploring things on your own. Rather than just following my words blindly.”

“By the way, I didn’t see you when I returned last night, where were you?”

Connie glanced at Nick, and spoke too quickly for her own good.. “Oh, we just had some fun in town. Just us guys. Isn’t that right, Nick?” Connie tossed a nut at Nick, who was struggling to be awake. “Nick!”

“Uugh…yesh,” Nick growled, from his position, face planted firmly on the surface of the table. “Gods, I can’t feel my skin. That’s the last time I drink something a dwarf made...!”

“As you can see, he had a bit too much to drink.”

“Hmm,” Illumca said, feeling slightly suspicious. “Connie, you know. I have some time today before I’m going to meet Mr. Butters. Do you want to go out?”

“Huh? Actually, I have – “

Suddenly, Connie felt a pain on her shin and she glared at Akula. The Tonsulde played the fool as she continued tearing into the sausage. If it was anyone else, what the Centaur did would have broken the bone to smithereens.

“Y-yes! Yes, we can! Let’s go out!” Connie smiled, rubbing her shin with a stiff smile.

Illumca’s eyes beamed. “I’ll go change to something more appropriate.”

In the garden of the Gladstone’s property, a number of ladies in bright and colourful dresses were having a tea party.

At one of the tables, while enjoying the idle gossips, one of the ladies, a daughter of a Marquis spoke. She had brown hair tied into a bun, upon which a fine silverwork pin in the shape of a swan was placed.

“Have you heard the news? They said that…” the lady covered her mouth with her fan and conspiratorially spoke to her fellows. “Lady Cornelia of the Steelheart House has come to the Capital.”

“Oh? That’s surprising,” Another one, the daughter of an Earl wearing a muted yellow dress, replied. “I thought she would skip the annual Spring Party, saying that she had other matters to attend to, just like every year before this.”

“We can safely say now that the waste-daughter of the Steelheart family no longer exist. Even my mother had grudgingly praised that woman,” she gave an unpleasant smirk. “The Lady in White.”

“Do you think that’s just a rumor?”

“I don’t think so,” the brunette young lady said. “The Hero also said that if not for her servant’s help, he would have failed his mission. To think that one household alone managed to not just save a town, but also uproot a Demon’s nefarious plan. It’s commendable.”

Although she was not fond of the daughter of the Steelheart House, she abhorred the Demons even more.

“With how much she had accomplished, she no doubt would be the center of attention.”

“Well, I do say. She was quite dashing in male clothes. If she was a man; oh, if she was, no doubt many would seek her companionship,” the young lady whispered loudly. “Well, one could not blame the Dark Elf for choosing her as a lover.”

“By the way, do you suppose they have…” the curious young lady in yellow looked left and right, gesturing at her friends with her fan to come close. “…kissed?”

The question earned a collective gasp from them. With the brunette suddenly finding the early spring weather quite stuffy. “Oh, how naughty! They are both women, you know!”

“Now, now, keep that kind of talk in private. Let’s talk about something else instead!”

“Oh, then we should talk about the coming Party!”

“As usual, in preparation for the event, the Queen has invited all unmarried women of distinguished family to come to a tea party that will be held in the palace to prepare for the Spring Ball.”

“Do you think she’d be invited?”

“I would think so. She is the daughter of a Duke, after all,” the young lady in yellow saw the faces of her friends had suddenly turned pale.

“Good afternoon, ladies. Are you enjoying your day?”

The brunette and her friends immediately stood up and showed respect to the source of the voice. The young lady of the Gladstone House. The host of the current gathering.

“Lady Ernswright,” she greeted the highest-ranking lady in front of her and acknowledged those who were with her with a simple nod. “It’s been a long time since you’ve joined one of my tea parties. I’m happy to see you well.”

“I am glad to see that you are well, Lady Gladstone. By Junnaveil’s Grace be upon you.”

“Please. Lady Serin is enough,” she said with a natural smile. “Well, I shan’t keep you long. Please, enjoy the rest of the day. Good day to you all.”

Although the brunette acted amiably, she was the oldest among her peers and had experience in mingling with high society. She knew that the Prince’s Fiancée was currently keeping stock on those who were with or against her. As such, she hid her nervousness with a polite smile and replied. “Have a pleasant day, Lady Serin.”

With a decisive snap of the gold-encrusted fan on her hand, Serin turned her heel, giving them a parting smile as she did. That smile instantly turned cold as soon as she was out of their sight.

“Who were the girls sitting with Ernswright’s daughter, Julia? I’ve never seen them.”

“You haven’t,” a haughty young lady with a loathsome glare and a sharp jaw answered. She was Julia of House Wendell, a loyal supporter of the Gladstones. She had been gone for a few months to study art in Vorzenny. Recent events had forced her to return.

“They are daughters of Counts and Viscounts who are outside of our circle.”

“I see.”

“Would you like me to cross them from the list of our next party?” the young lady said without missing a beat.

“No. After being humiliated by that bitch from the Steelheart House, I found that if I am to reestablish myself, I have to rethink how I do things.”

After the infamous Trial that ended up turning Connie from a traitor to a hero of the people, Serin found that many of her people in the high society, except for those who were most loyal, avoided her like the plague. She realized then that she needed to think bigger.

Born with a golden spoon, she had never thought that those below the peerage of Earls worth socializing with. Yes. She needed to gather loyalty even from outside her circle.

And if there was one thing about Lady Serin, it was her tenacity as a socialite. With the help of Julia, she had started to invite the daughters of lower ranks of Nobility within her Faction to join her tea parties. As her father said, in his words, giving the hungry dogs a proverbial bone.

“So, that bitch has returned to the Capital? She should’ve stayed there and rot like the unwanted daughter that she is!” Serin’s hatred for Connie had seeped into her bones. Just hearing her name put her in a foul mood.

“My friend, I actually have an idea, if you’d like to hear it.”

“What? What is it?”

“Actually, I heard this from my mother. The Queen has arranged some activities for the tea party,” Julia said. “One of them is a Poem Recital Competition. Any young lady who are confident with their Skills can enter.”

“Poem Recital Competition,” a smile unbecoming of a young lady appeared on Serin’s face.

“Yes, your best Skill, Serin,” Julia said, dropping the title from her friend’s name. “You’ve won many poetry competitions, even had your work praised by masters of the art. While that barbaric girl from the Steelheart House knows only steel and blood. There is not a single drop of refinement in her whole body. She would have no chance against you.”

“Yes…yes! She will no doubt embarrass herself in front of everyone, as long as I can goad her into competing!” Serin said with an excited laugh.

“This is a very good info, Julia. Six months without you was torture. Pure torture,” Serin then caught Julia in a friendly embrace, surprising the other young ladies who were with them. “It is very good to have you back in our fold.”

Julia returned the embrace with a smile.

“The pleasure is mine.”