(The following morning, at the inn)I rushed over to the inn as soon as I got up and was immediately scolded by Mei.
Mei: "Where were you?! Come and explain yourself!"
Steven: "I"m sorry. Uhh, a lady lost her child and I helped her find him. But it was already dark so, as thanks, she offered to let me stay the night."
Mei: "That… is understandable. But do not do it again. Bao was worried and asked if she should look—"
Bao: "I was not!"
She cuts Mei off mid sentence with her yelling.
I look around and see the innkeeper, Fang, was lost in a book at a table. We were across the fountain from her and Mei already sits us down to brief us in her plan.
Mei: "Well, it doesn"t matter right now. We must keep our focus on the Lord. Fang was very kind to share what she knew and we know that there"s an event occurring in a couple of days."
Steven: "Good, what do we do when we see the Lord?"
Mei: "I wish there was some other way we could go about things but with how elusive he is, we"re left with no other option but to murder him."
Even someone like Mei would have to resort to something like this. This guy is really sneaky!
Mei: "The Lord of Meinu, Abram Pavlov, is a dangerous individual. He acquired his status through violence. We have tried many times to bring him to justice, but anyone we sent has mysteriously vanished. Any witnesses have been silenced and evidence vanishing. You can understand why we are after him."
Steven: "And this event is the only way to get close to him, isn"t it?"
Mei: "It"s our best chance. It"ll be his birthday and he"ll be too worried about who came to pay their respects."
Killing someone isn"t something I enjoy. We"ll be doing it in front of a ma.s.s of people to top it off. I haven"t been this nervous in quite some time. My hands are sweating and shaky.
I pardon myself and go to our room. If things go bad who knows what would happen. I lay down on the bed and try to remain optimistic. If this is my way home, then let them come! He was a murderer and a thief, so it really won"t impact too many people in a negative way.
Fang comes in with surveyor"s rope and a small wooden case full of grooming supplies.
Fang: "Mister Steven Omeo?"
Steven: "Yes, did you need something?"
Fang: "Lady Mei had asked me to take your measurements and to groom you to standard for the event."
I stood still like a mannequin after I removed my armor. Her hand shifted across my body with the rope measuring me precisely. I felt like I was at a tailor in Everhand with Kanna and Yuuna. She worked with such skill as if she were an artisan.
Fang: "I wager you"re tired of running around in that red tunic, Mister Omeo. I"ll get you into something more formal by tomorrow."
Steven: "Thank you, Fang, but do you have to do so much for us?"
Fang: "I do it because I want to. Besides, my home will be better without you-know-who. And I"m well familiar with Mei, so I know it"ll get done."
Steven: "Are you?"
Fang: "We went to the same school together."
It would explain why we"re here basically rent free. After my measurements, she pulls out a chair and sits me down. Opening the wooden box and drawing out a comb, shears, and a razor. She starts off by pa.s.sing her fingers through my hair.
Fang: "Your hair is beautiful. It"s a little greasy, but I can tell that you take good care of it."
Steven: "Is it easy to tell?"
Fang: "Very. You haven"t cut your hair in about 4 weeks? That"s about when you left your home according to Mei."
She"s right!
Fang: "We should shave this stubble of yours as well. You"ll need to blend in as one of the Lord"s servants. A good figure of them happen to be Elven."
Steven: "Why a servant?"
Fang: "Elves aren"t too discriminated around here, but with the higher cla.s.ses, they are. Dress you up as a servant and you"ll be invisible to those idiots."
She wraps my neck in a towel and gets started with a small bit of water magic. She trims my hair starting from the top of my head and slowly working her way down. I watched as some of my strands of hair fall to the floor. After she finished, my head felt lighter and cold. I wished that I could see myself in a mirror.
Fang: "Perfect…"
She combs my hair and finishes with my outline. It was time for my stubble. She grabs a straight razor and cuts against the grain of my hair to get as close of a shave as possible. Always rinsing to reduce friction. She rinses my face with her water magic that was really cold and I was left with a really smooth face afterward. No nicks, cuts or stubble.
Fang: "I"m impressed with myself."
Steven: "Thank you, Fang."
Fang: "As I said, I"m doing this because I wanted to."
It"s probably only me, but I feel lighter on top. I go downstairs and check on Mei, who was quietly reading through a book when she notices me.
Mei: "Steven do you know how to act as a servant of a household?"
Steven: "I was—err—still am, a servant."
Mei: "What did you do as a servant?"
Steven: "Maintain the wellbeing of the members in the household. I cooked, cleaned, delivered, repaired, shopped."
Mei: "Alright, not bad. I"m asking because you"re going to pose as a servant during the event."
She reaches into a satchel and pulls out a small dagger, a ring, and a vial of poison.
Mei: "The plan is to poison him. The ring has a container in the bezel with enough poison to kill 20 people. The dagger is a final resort. Abram won"t be easy to get to, but with you as a servant, you"ll be right behind him and it"ll be too late for him to react."
After showing how the ring works, she takes out a drawn map of the estate. The house is surrounded by gardens and courtyards with lots of cover to move between. The house itself is large and s.p.a.cious. Lots of hallways and rooms that I could use to get away or get close to someone. The Lord should be in a dining hall, drinking and eating his life away as people around the town will be paying their respects to him.
Mei: "You could go straight to the kitchen and poison his food before serving it. When everyone is focused on what"s going on, Bao will cut across the estate and raid his office for anything incriminating. After she finds something is when both of you can get out."
Bao will be at the event ready to get me out once the deed is done. Mei"s not allowed to show her face as she"s the heiress and would draw controversy if caught. It all sounds simple on a map, but it"s surely easier said than done.
Mei: "Will you be ready?"
Steven: "I will."
…
(2 days later)
It"s the day.
Bao had already walked in through the main entrance and got pa.s.sed the guards. Now I have to find my own way in.
After some circling around, I find my way in with a couple of other servants that were just entering. I blended in perfectly with the other Elves. This seemed like a solid enough way to get in until a Demon runs up to us in an angry voice.
Event Organizer: "You d.a.m.n stupid sons of b.i.t.c.hes! Get in line now or I"m going to bust your head in!"
Steven: "Excuse me—"
Event Organizer: "Excuse me? f.u.c.k you! I ought to kick your a.s.s and send you to the red room."
Servant #1: "He"s a temporary, sir. He"s supposed to be at the wine cellar.
Event Organizer: "I know why he"s here, dumb s.h.i.t. Now get him out of here before I lose my s.h.i.t!"
They guide me down in the bas.e.m.e.nt to the wine cellar and leave me with a broom to sweep. I just realized I was the only one in here. I guess the stress of being a servant to a corrupt official got to them or I"m just late and everyone"s already working. I hear the door open and hide behind a barrel. Peeking out and I see another servant, like myself, mumbling to himself.
Head Servant: "What kind of wine goes good with lobster?"
This is my chance!
I walk up to him offering help.
Steven: "Could I help, sir?"
Head Servant: "You? I"m busy right now. The Lord wants wine with his lobster."
Steven: "Why don"t you offer him Baise Guo?"
Head Servant: "Well, what the h.e.l.l do you know about Baise Guo?"
Steven: "It"s a dry full-bodied white wine. It"ll taste like a blend of apples, bananas, lemons, pears, pineapple, and often a touch of b.u.t.terscotch. It"s perfect with lobster, crab, and shrimp."
Head Servant: "Well, no s.h.i.t. Maybe you"re not so worthless after all."
The one time being an alcoholic works in my benefit.
Head Servant: "Put the broom away and bring the bottle upstairs."
I had done as instructed and paused as soon as I had gotten on the first step. This bottle will be offered to Lord Abram Pavlov himself! I saw this as my chance and tried to open the bottle but was stopped by the cork. The only other way is to poison the gla.s.s.
I headed upstairs into a very large kitchen. Servants were running around, preparing food. It was just like my old restaurant! The Head Servant was barking orders at everyone when he notices me and motions to come to him.
Head Servant: "Pour a gla.s.s and serve the Lord. I have to deal with these idiots, so you"ll have to serve him."
I took full advantage of the opportunity and poured the gla.s.s. I went into an empty hallway and poured half of the vial into the gla.s.s. Putting on my best poker face before presenting myself to the Lord. He was disgusting. He ate himself to the point of looking bloated. He looked like a huge, red blob of gluttony.
Everyone around him was sucking up to him, claiming he was the best leader and how he should be King. And just like I predicted, he had some pretty scary looking bodyguards behind him.
I looked around and spotted Bao blended in at a table with some of the other guests. She was watching and ready for us to go after I"ve finished.
Steven: "My Lord, the finest wine, as you instructed."
Abram: "Haha, like I said! Come! Have a drink with me!"
Uh-oh…
Steven: "Uh, my Lord, I have chosen to abstain from alcohol."
Abram: "Bah! Have a drink!"
Steven: "My Lord, it"s at the behest of my doctor."
Abram: "Fine, get him out of here!"
Everything seemed to be going perfectly when I felt a hard thud against the back of my head. I had just been hit with the pommel of a sword and quickly dragged away. I could see my own blood dripping, leaving a trail as we end up on the other side of the estate in a room, splattered with the blood of others.
Guard: "You"ll wait here and be a good servant by the end of the week… if you survive this red room."
He laughs maniacally and stomps me repeatedly. He feels my dagger against his boot and begins searching me, finding the dagger and vial.
Guard: "What"s this vial?"
Steven: "My… medicine."
He uses my dagger to stab me in the thigh. I cry out in pain as he forces it in deeper. He"s getting angrier by the minute.
Guard: "Don"t f.u.c.k with me! What is this vial! I bet it"s poison, you little s.h.i.t. f.u.c.k!"
He rushes to the door and freezes in place before losing his balance and collapsing to the floor. I was confused until Bao had kicked the door in with a dinner knife in her hand and wrapped in a dark mist.
Bao: "I followed your blood trail."
Steven: "Whwhat did you do?"
Bao: "Magic. It doesn"t matter, we have to get to the office. Abram is already convulsing."
She sees my injuries and realizes the dire need for medical attention. She unbinds me from the chair and uses healing magic with her Dark element. The pupils in her eyes started glowing a royal purple, indicating that she was using lots of her magic.
It stood out to me for some reason.
The blood from my wounds had stopped spilling and close up. We can"t rest now and we"re still in the estate.
Steven: "Bao, there was a side entrance I used. It wasn"t very guarded and we could get out through there."
Bao: "I still have to go to his office."
Steven: "Alright, let"s go."
I get my dagger back from the hand of the guard and run down a hallway. We could hear screams coming from the dining hall. Abram is more than likely dead by now.
We"re hunted now. We ran straight down the hallway to his office. I open the door and I"m greeted with a knife to the right side of my chest. I retaliate with a left hook, knocking the guard into the wall before I fall to the floor in pain.
Bao: "Healing magic is a thing, but that doesn"t mean you should go and get yourself killed, you moron!"
Steven: "Just get what we need, d.a.m.n it!"
We were delayed by my injuries. I stood guard by the door as Bao tore down the office, grabbing piles and piles of doc.u.ments and letters. She hits the gold pot when she finds a letter with lots of names and incriminating evidence with it.
Bao: "This looks like it!"
Steven: "Is that all?"
A loud banging on the door interrupts us.
Guard: "Hey, let us in! The Lord is dead!"
Bao: "Barricade the door, quick."
We push a bookshelf in front of the door, effectively keeping us safe and trapped in here.
Steven: "s.h.i.t. Now what?"
Bao: "Let me think!"
She paces back and forth as I"m trying to figure our own way out. My mind comes along and I remembered the time when I was in prison and how Jacob blew a hole in the wall to escape. If it worked against stone and concrete, it should work here!
Steven: "Bao, could you blow a hole in the wall?"
Bao: "Explosion magic? Good idea, just stand back."
She blew the wall soon after. It was like a bomb went off. Debris and dust went flying everywhere in the small office and we were too close to the blast that we got caught in it, making us slam against the wall. I"m disoriented when Bao jumps back up and helps me to my feet. She had blood dripping down her head, but she wasn"t concerned about it.
Bao: "d.a.m.n, come on! Just keep running!"
We dashed outside and scaled the walls to get away. Escaping through the confusion, we were in a full sprint, zig-zagging through the streets. The blood I had lost began to catch up to me and I"m struggling to keep moving. Fortunately, Bao was right behind me, shoving me if I even considered slowing down.
We both collapse from exhaustion when we had arrived at the inn. Fang was first to our side and helped me sit back up.
Fang: "Are you alright?"
Steven: "It"s done… It"s done and over with. Just—let me rest."
Bao: "I think I have it, Mei."
Mei: "Good job, sis. But, you"re hurt."
Bao sits down with Mei and I use what little strength I had to go to the room. Now that I think back on it, I only poisoned his gla.s.s. If I had used another, I would"ve been fine!
It doesn"t matter now. What I should do is thank Bao, she pushed me past my limit and helped me get away.
I do my best to rest and change out of my ruined outfit. I actually liked it considering it was a tuxedo. I wash off my blood and dirt in the bath and fall into the mattress while I"m both sore and tired.
Fang knocks on the door before entering.
Fang: "Mister Omeo, you have a visitor."
Lian quietly walks in behind Fang.
Steven: "Lian! Hey, I never expected to see you here. Come, sit."
Lian: "I saw you running, and covered in blood. It was you running, wasn"t it?"
I can"t say that I exactly can trust Lian, but she"s really nice. I"ll have to try and not give away too much.
I motion to Fang to give us some privacy and sat with Lian.
Steven: "It was me."
Lian: "And you"ve done something bad, didn"t you?"
Steven: "I guess so, but, they—I was told it was for the best."
Lian: "Who said?"
Steven: "The… government."
Lian: "Well, I guess you have to make a living somehow."
She tries to laugh it off, but her smile falters.
Lian: "Why did you kill that person?"
Does she even know it was the Lord?
Steven: "He"s hurt so many people, killed many people. I was told to do so."
Lian: "What is it like… to kill someone?"
Steven: "It"s—I… actually don"t know. I never enjoyed it and do my best to avoid it. But it was unavoidable in this case."
I see her fiddling with her fingers, visibly nervous.
Steven: "Sorry, I didn"t mean to scare you."
Lian: "It"s not that… I just… never understood why people kill each other."
It just happens sometimes. I"m also starting to believe that I may have ruined someone"s impression of me.
Steven: "You don"t hate me, do you?"
Lian: "No. You seem like a very kind person. n.o.body can be perfect."
She gets up and looks back at me.
Lian: "I just got off work and I do have to pick up Kang up from school. You"ll be hunted for what you did, so, I guess you won"t be around for too long."
Steven: "Well, if you ever need anything, you can send mail, right?"
Lian: "I"ll be sure to send something."
I walk Lian out of the inn and return to Mei, going over everything Bao had got.
Mei: "Steven, we have good news. The letters Bao found has names, lots of them. We could arrest everyone and have an entire trial. This should be enough to rip the roots off the ground."
Steven: "And we should do that how? Everyone will know you had something to do with the Lord being poisoned."
Mei: "Yes, but from the shadows, we will do it."
Looks like I"m stuck out here for a while longer. I just hope the others will be fine…
Mei: "There are also 5 places mentioned in here. Could you go check an orphanage across town?"
Steven: "Now? Now?! Are you nuts! They"ll be looking for us! Besides, can"t we rest? I"m tired."
Mei: "Let me see your hand."
She grabs my wrist and a dark wave pulses up my arm. I couldn"t pull away but I felt like nothing has happened to me. I"m filled with a new found energy!
Steven: "What did you do?"
Mei: "Gave you a bit of energy. You"re going to the orphanage, alright? I don"t know who"s who, so don"t kill anyone unless absolutely necessary. Scout it out, play along with the people there and tell them you want to adopt a kid and they should lead you to the Matron"s office. As long as you find anything useful for us, do whatever. Just no killing."
I"d be met with a fierce opposition if I had rebelled. Complying with Mei, I equipped my armor and go straight to the orphanage. I did my best avoiding attention and went to a roof across the actual orphanage itself. There didn"t seem to be anything about it other than it was completely deserted.
It was off, but I climbed down and went through the front entrance pretending to be a willing adoptive parent. I"m greeted by an empty, surprisingly clean hallway. To my right were some missing children"s posters. There was a total of 20 posters, some of them were on decayed paper from long ago and others were just recent. I was slightly shocked when I had noticed a "Niroja Bista" on a browned, old paper. I knew I was on to something and also found Dai-tai"s poster.
I knew from Young Mi they were from Zheng De Meinu, but not an orphanage. They never once talked about an orphanage or even of Meinu and I accepted that. But this really makes me curious and I want to ask them. Is that even the right thing to do? It just dawns on me how much I don"t know about them!
Niroja"s last name is Bista!
Matron: "Welcome, dear. Are you looking for something or someone?"
The lady that had greeted me had to be in charge. She was a blue-skinned Demon and wore a black embroidered blouse and a similarly styled wrap-around skirt and let her black silky hair flow freely. She was very calm, almost like she lacked any emotion.
Steven: "When did these 2 children disappear?"
Matron: "That? Dai-tai and Niroja Bista. I wasn"t around then, but it"s been nearly a decade. Who are you to ask?"
Steven: "Sorry for my manners, Miss. I am Steven Omeo."
Matron: "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mister Omeo. I am Matron Yin Liu. As you can guess, I"m in charge here. Are you here to dabble in missing children, Mister Omeo?"
Steven: "No, ma"am. I came here because I wish to be an adoptive parent. I came, hoping I could figure a way to get started on the process."
Matron: "The process of becoming an adoptive parent is not easy, but a process that will be well worth it, Mister Omeo. It"ll take a few months; there"s an application you must complete; then an orientation; We also do check your history with the government in Shi De Emo; you are taken into skill training as a parent in the meantime; followed by a home inspection and an interview with our staff; final approval with the town or city you live in before the child is finally placed into your home."
d.a.m.n, adopting a child is a h.e.l.l of a lot more difficult than I imagined. As bad as it sounds to say, I"m glad that I won"t be adopting anyone. I plan to have my own children some day.
The Matron asks me to follow her to her office, which means I had successfully bluffed my way in. Her office was large and quaint. It was relaxed and bookshelves lined one of the walls. I sit down in a very comfortable chair across the Matron"s desk. She grabs a stamped letter and hides it in a drawer. That letter has to be what I need!
Matron: "Are you a warrior, is that why you are clad in armor, Mister Omeo?"
Steven: "This..? I… am a bounty hunter, Miss."
Matron: "And it pays well?"
Steven: "It is, I plan to build my own home."
Matron: "And you are married?"
Steven: "I plan to marry my sweetheart."
Matron: "Is she a Demon? Western or Eastern?"
Steven: "A very beautiful Western Demon."
Matron: "Then I believe you qualify, Mister Omeo. Please, excuse me for a couple of minutes to get you an application."
I saw this as my chance and waited until she left. I gave myself a minute to grab the letter and sit back down as if nothing happened. I quickly opened the drawers until I saw the letter and hide it under my shirt. It"s secured by a belt, so I don"t have to worry about it falling out. I grabbed anything that appeared to be of interest and sat back down in my seat.
Matron: "For you, Mister Omeo. You can return the application anytime you want."
This was more than I expected! The amount of paperwork was ridiculous and it looked more like a dictionary than anything. I thanked the Matron before making my leave and return to the inn. The sun was beginning to set and I haven"t heard anything about the Lord. I actually wonder if we succeeded. Mei seemed more than confident in the poison, so it should"ve worked.
I retrieved the letter before I had entered the inn and showed it to Mei. Fang had prepared us food while I was gone, and they were already eating. Mei had put the letter to the side and wanted to finish her food first. I was more than happy to join in. It was spinach noodles with a spicy tomato-like sauce and is topped with egg, potato, carrots, beef, and chili.
It was amazing…
Mei: "This was really good, Fang."
Bao: "Thank you for the food."
Fang: "I"m always happy to help."
Mei grabs the letter and opens it, reading through it quickly.
Mei: "Steven, this isn"t bad, but it just makes me ask more questions. The Matron appears to decline a "business agreement" offered by the Lord. It"s the same as the letter Bao had found, claiming she was being stubborn. If you ask me, we should investigate further, but I don"t believe the orphanage has done anything wrong. The other letters say the previous Matriarch was willing to go with this "business arrangement", but pa.s.sed away from old age."
Steven: "Do we continue tomorrow?"
Mei: "Of course we will. You and Bao can go rest, I wish to talk to Fang some more."
I was more than happy to call it a day. Bao wanted to stay behind and I went to the room. I wanted to sleep comfortably and I removed almost all of my armor and clothes, leaving myself in just breeches.
Bao walks in on me as I"m sitting on the bed. She doesn"t react much to me being topless and sits on the other bed, across from me.
Bao: "Do you always sleep like that?"
Steven: "Oh, you"re not staying with Mei?"
Bao: "Mei told me to come up there, don"t worry about it, idiot."
Now she"s back to her usual self…
Steven: "And this idiot would like to thank you."
Bao: "For what?"
Steven: "Getting me out of the estate and using your healing magic. I"d be dead if it weren"t for you."
If it also weren"t for her red skin, I would see that she was blushing.
Bao: "Don"t get the wrong idea, I didn"t do it because I did it for you or anything. I just wanted to, alright?"
Steven: "If you say so."
Bao: "What are those piles of paper?"
It was the application for adopting a child. I left them on the nightstand, with no intention of ever going through them.
Steven: "The application from the orphanage to adopt a child."
Bao: "Could I see it?"
Steven: "Sure."
I find myself yawning. I wanted to stay up longer, but the energy Mei gave me had just burned away. I turn in for the night and leave Bao to herself in the room. I"m going to need all the sleep I could get. With what Mei wants to do, I really doubt we"ll be idle for long…