VII

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Arc VII Chapter 12

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17th Aqua Solar XI AAC 753

"Do I look like I'm joking?" Eszett retorted, half sarcastic, half serious.

"No", Felix conceded. "I guess that the girl must have quite the sweet tooth, then."

"Quite the sweet tooth, for sure." His counterpart snickered. "With a little bit of luck, you might even be able to catch her with a handful of cookies."

"... ... ..." Felix responded with a judging blank stare in return. Cookies ...? Anything else? A bowl full of milk? And perhaps a cage, or maybe some snares? "Jokes and cookies aside, let us stay serious here."

"Listen, friend, I'm being serious." Eszett leaned closer. "Look, I know that what I'm sayin' not only sounds stupid, but actually is incredibly stupid."

Felix folded his hands, his stare still blank and devoid of passion. "Well, you are not the only one to think so, if I might add."

Eszett took his snide remark in good humour. "But ... But ... I tell you, it'll work. I'm sure of it."

"... ... ..." Felix rubbed the bridge of his nose, mildly exasperated. "As usual, we are open to suggestions. As such, we will consider your proposal." Albeit, kidnapping little girls with the help of cookies and a bowl of milk had certainly not been on his list. "That being said, I think that we are done here."

"Eh, already?" the spymaster grumbled in response. "Don't you want to know more about her? Her schedule? Her favourite food? Her favourite colour? Her favourite day of the week?"

Felix remained unmoved, his expression cold, professional. "Quite the joker are you, are you not, Eszett? The information that you have provided us with is more than adequate." At least, for the time being, which went clearly unsaid.

A small bag emerged from his pouch, heavy, laden. It was the remuneration for his services. Felix tossed it at him. The purse landed on the table, right in front of his interlocutor. The gold and silver inside jingled, much to the man's visible delight. In the end, it was coin which moved the gears of the world. "As was agreed upon, the second instalment. The rest will follow. We will contact you again when we require your services. In the meantime, we want you to monitor the situation and report your findings. Any observations are appreciated."

"Got it. Will do." Eszett grinned, far more content now that he had been paid. Even going as far as to show something akin to sincere gratitude. "Shouldn't be much of an issue. The better question is, though, what're you guys planning to do with her?"

"... ... ..." Felix narrowed his eyes, his expression decisively unresponsive, uncooperative. He decided to feign ignorance. "My friend, what are you trying to insinuate?"

Eszett reciprocated his stare, his eyes telling Felix all that he needed to know. They both knew perfectly well what game was being played here, and yet he was forced to pretend. "Look, Lord Felix, they don't call me an old hare for nothing. I've been far too long in this business to not know which way the cat jumps. So no need to beat around the push. The woman ... You wanna get rid of her, don't you?"

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Felix remained unimpressed. Deny. Deflect. Delay. That was what he had always been taught. "And based on what, you are concluding that?"

The man snorted. "Lord Felix, with all due respect, I mightn't be the brightest candle, but I ain't downright stupid. I know who you're, and I know who you're serving. The Ehrbach ... They've got a reputation. Every time I got involved with them, someone kicked the bucket. The question is only who and how many. So tell me, what's the lass done? Did she hear or see something she shouldn't? Or was she just unlucky to piss off some stuck up noble?"

"... ... ..." Felix scrutinised his counterpart intently without showing the slightest hint of reaction. "I hope you realise that you are walking on thin ice, Eszett. You are asking for much, much more than you are supposed to."

"Tsk." Eszett snorted dismissively, already expecting his response. "Listen, friend, I know your type. I know you nobles love your plottin' and schemin', and that your favourite pastime is murdering each other, which's fine with me. As long as we're getting paid, I couldn't care less which bastard kicks the bucket. You wanna get rid of that bitch, no problem. We'll do the dirty work for you. In fact, I've already got a few suitable guys in mind. Some of the better mercenaries on the market. Expensive, for sure, but reliable, and capable. They'll be up to the task. Still, the girl is a silver rank adventurer, and more importantly, from what we know, she's got connections."

"..." Felix listened, his expression neutral. "Your point being?"

Eszett leaned closer, his eyes filled with steel. "I know you nobles give a less than fuck about us, but I've got no intention of getting screwed over again. Not this time. I'm not gonna make an enemy of both the adventurer's guild and whoever's backing her unless I know what's going on here. Not after the total fuckery I got last time."

Felix raised an eyebrow. "Such as?" He had heard stories, rumours before ..., but even he would have needed to guess, considering the more recent nature of his employment.

The spymaster looked at him, a grim smile crossing his lips. Whatever that had happened had evidently left a bitter aftertaste. "I guess you wouldn't know, boy. Let's say, it was a much closer call for us both than we'd've liked. A lot of good men of mine saw their heads rolling that day. All thanks to you lot. All 'cause you guys thought it was mighty smart to bite off more than you can chew. I don't want that to happen again. So tell me, is the lass dangerous, or not? What're we gonna do if things go south?"

"... ... ..." Felix fell silent, his eyes closed. Dangerous ... Such a difficult question. "Rest assured, my liege is well aware of the possible repercussions. Neither does he intend to make an enemy of the guild. Nevertheless, he considers the risk ... minimal, at worst, even in the case of failure. The woman is entirely on her own, alone, completely isolated. Those few who would support her are far away. Here in Freyburg, she has no one, no one to help her, no one to rely on. As long as it is done properly, her disappearance will not arouse any suspicion." It was a sober truth. Not even a lie. For injustice to go unpunished had always been the way of the world.

"..." Eszett narrowed his eyes, searching for any hints of deceit. His search proved in vain. "I guess, I've got no choice but to take his word for it, though, I'd say 'properly' is the keyboard here. He wants things to go down smoothly, I take."

"Preferably, yes." Felix nodded. "A certain degree of discretion would be appreciated, although my liege would not necessarily disagree with a more rapid and immediate solution if circumstances called for it. For the time being, such is not the case, and we prefer to err on the side of caution. Nevertheless, the point remains, the woman must disappear. In the end, that is all that matters."

"I understand ..." The spymaster leaned back, sunk in his thoughts. "I guess, dispatching her here inside the city is out of question then. A corpse in the middle of the streets would raise too many questions. Far too conspicuous. The best way would be to make her disappear beyond the walls. Out of sight, out of mind, as they say."

Felix seconded his opinion. Lord Viktor's orders were clear. Unsavoury business it might be, but business it was, one which had to be done. "My liege has come to a similar conclusion. They are adventurers. Sooner or later, she and her party will leave the safety of the city. It is the nature of their profession. Not on their first mission. Not on their second mission. Maybe their third. Perhaps their fifth. We will arrange for the necessary to happen. For that purpose, my liege will rely on your assistance. The entire act is supposed to be somewhat credible. At least, that is the intention. We will require men who are reliable beyond doubt and most importantly, your connections. Money shall not be an issue. Obviously, you will also be remunerated accordingly for your services. Do we understand?"

Eszett smirked, the satisfaction plastered across his face. The words 'remunerated' and 'accordingly' were well received. "Loud and clear."

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Midnight had long since passed. From the north, Boreas arrived, cold and icy, merciless and unforgiving. Now that autumn waned and winter loomed, his visits grew more frequent. He prowled through the deserted streets, gnawing at man and stone alike.

A hooded figure emerged from within the tavern. Supposedly, a lone soul, lost like so many others, yet impressions might deceive. The man departed with haste. He disappeared amidst the narrow alleys, vanishing into the night, albeit not unbeknownst to the world.

"... ... ..." Kasimir narrowed his eyes from afar, his head lowered, the woollen fabric of his cloak thick, his back leaning against the wall behind him. Inconspicuous, hidden, he observed, he watched. His gaze followed the man, never wavering.

It was as Lord Friedrich had suspected. Lord Viktor's prolonged stay had been hardly a coincidence. The Ehrbach were once again moving in the shadows. The only question was for which purpose.

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