Assassin's Chronicle Chapter 316

In some situations, time would go by much faster than one would anticipate. Saul had summoned all of his students to have breakfast with him. He did not dismiss his students after breakfast. Instead, he patiently answered every question his students had for him, no matter how absurd the question was. Then he dismissed everyone and ordered them to go pack and prepare for the trip. They were scheduled to depart at noon, but as the time neared, Saul suddenly left to go to the palace. Niya knew her friends were about to leave and had grown depressed during breakfast. She had not appeared since.
No one looked back as the carriages left Sacred City. Saul was not there and no one wanted to show their sadness, so there were no tears, but the atmosphere was very heavy. Saul purposely left because he did not want his students to grow even sadder. No one talked to Niya, either, because they did not want her to grow more depressed. They did leave her letters and asked the old butler to give the letters to Niya later.
Anfey waited for a few minutes for Saul to appear. After about twenty minutes, it was clear that Saul would not come. He knew what his friends were expecting, but he did not want to waste any time on the road. "Everyone!" he called and clapped his hands. "Come on. We have to get to Lagan City by sundown today."
"He’s right," Entos said. "Come on, cheer up. Stop acting like moody little girls."
"What’s wrong with girls?" Doris asked. She poked her head out of her carriage and scowled.
Entos smiled awkwardly. He wanted to cheer everyone up and forgot that there were women there. He did not mean to offend them, but his words could have easily been taken as an insult.
Anfey turned to Ernest and said quietly, "You should stay here, sir. If something happens, you can help Master out. We are safe with Entos."
"You’re too naive," Ernest said, shaking his head. "The situation to the east is getting worse again. Shansa armies retreated in time to prevent mass casualties, and that combined with the seventy thousand men Scarlet brought with her…Shansa Empire has the advantage. This was why Saul insisted on building a portal in Violet City. He wants to be prepared for the worst."
"I know how difficult it is to build a new portal," Anfey said. "There are only a dozen cities with transmission portals. But the necromancers are a threat to all of us. Scarlet wouldn’t open the war if she has a shred of sense left in her."
"Baery killed Victoria. Who knows what Scarlet would do if she saw him?"
The sound of hooves caught up to the carriages. A dozen riders led by Black Eleven stopped next to the carriages.
"Armin! Where have you been?" Blavi asked.
"You’re all practically nobility," Black Eleven said with a smile. "I don’t have time to visit nobles." He jumped off of his horse and handed something to Anfey.
Anfey accepted the document and quickly flipped through it. "Are you going with us?" Anfey asked.
Black Eleven nodded. "We’ve worked together before and His Majesty thought I would be the best person to send."
"I don’t trust anyone else," Anfey said. "Is this accurate?"
"A hundred percent," Black Eleven said. "Fruz is just a baron, but there’s a man on his staff who’s a little harder to deal with. We can’t find anything about him except for the fact that he is a senior swordsmaster called Mad Dog and he was a fugitive. He is Fruz’s Guardian Swordsman, and as long as he holds that title, we can’t do anything to him." Black Eleven paused and frowned. "Fruz’s uncle Robb is a senior swordsmaster as well. But he mostly keeps a low profile. He never joined any army or fought for glory. He refused the family title, which was why it was passed on to Fruz."
"I don’t care about his uncle," Anfey said. "I have some unsettled business with Fruz."
"Business? What, does he own you a favor or something?" Black Eleven asked curiously.
"You’ll find out," Anfey said with a smile. He turned to his friends and clapped again. "Come on, guys! Let’s go."
After making sure everyone was safely in a carriage, Anfey turned to look for Suzanna. As soon as he reached her carriage, however, he was stopped by Doris. "This one’s already full," Doris said softly. "Can you look for another one?"
"She’s right," Suzanna said.
"Sorry," Anfey said. "I forgot." He turned to look for another carriage, slightly embarrassed. Christian poked out of a nearby carriage and waved at Anfey and Ernest. "Come here," Christian called. "We still have spots here."
"I don’t like carriages," Ernest said. "I’ll stay out here."
Anfey knew Ernest’s habit and did not try to make him sit in a carriage. He sat down in Christian’s carriage and waved at Black Eleven.
The carriages finally began moving. Saul initially wanted them to leave through a portal with Miorich, who was heading to Blackania City. Then they would return after Baery arrived with his Roaring Death Legion. However, both Christian and Anfey had insisted on using the main road because of unfinished business. Saul did not ask any questions and left all the planning to Christian and Anfey.
The last time Anfey led Saul’s students away from Sacred City, they had used the same road. However, with people chasing after them, they had to take the long way around, and it took them two days to reach Lagan City. In reality, Lagan City was not very far away from Sacred City. It only took half a day for the carriages to reach their destination. This was the second time the team came to this city, but this time they did not need to worry about their lives. With a prince and a count among them, they would be welcomed.
However, Anfey did not stop at Lagan City. He ordered the carriages to keep going until they reached a small mansion twenty miles east of the city. He already had Black Eleven preparing their resting spots. This mansion belonged to Hurricane and would not attract unwanted attention. As everyone was unpacking, Anfey grabbed Black Eleven and whispered something to him. Then he locked his door and jumped out the window, disappearing into the bushes below.
—
"I heard he left Sacred City again," Philip said, stroking the coffin in front of him. "Do you know how long it had been? Two hundred and ninety-nine days. I have already spent two hundred and ninety-nine days in suffering. Do you know why I asked you to come here, Deswright?"
"I know what you must be thinking, Master," Deswright said politely. "It is my job to ease your trouble."
"Good," Philip said. "But don’t kill him. I want him to suffer. I want him to regret ever being born."
"Yes, Master."
"Anfey has Ernest with him. Don’t clash with Ernest. You have all the time in the world," Philip said. "No one knows about you. Not even Shawn and Shamash. Thank god I still have my trump card."
"Master, Shawn has betrayed you. Should I…"
"Shawn can wait. I don’t want Yolanthe to grow suspicious," Philip said, shaking his head. "By the way, Entos is with Anfey as well. You can finally settle your business with him."
"What about Prince Christian?"
Philip frowned then shook his head. "Leave him. He poses no threat to Prince Wester. Plus, he is Yolanthe’s son. I’ve known Yolanthe since I was a child. I will not kill his son. Even though he never cared about my Zeda, he is still my friend and my liege."
"Master, you are too kind."
"Kind?" Philip asked, shaking his head. "My hands are long bloodied. I have no kindness. I just want to finish what I started. I’m growing old and my time is almost here. I cannot betray Yolanthe now. I don’t have enough time to redeem myself."
"I see, Master."
"You’re a swordsmaster, Deswright. Remember, don’t swear fealty to anyone after I’m gone. You are your own and no one else’s," Philip said. He lowered his gaze and sighed. "I worked for Yolanthe my entire life. I have glory, wealth, power, but I do not have freedom. I do not even have the freedom to avenge my own grandson. Freedom is the most precious thing, but I came to this conclusion a little too late."

Chapter end