The light of the morning sun filtered through the windows of the second Swordsman’s townhouse, chasing away all the shadows in the ransacked study.
The Penny Prince stood in the center of the room, one gloved hand resting on the edge of the desk as he studied the corpse splayed on the ground.
His eyes drifted up to the ropes hanging from the ceiling beams. Everything was painting a very… interesting picture.
Giles and the third Swordsman, Lyon, stood nearby, their expressions blank. The Penny Prince tilted his head, his golden eyes gleaming with amusement as he stepped forward and crouched in front of his dead Swordsman.
He reached out, tracing the cuts along the dead man’s body.
"Efficient." He murmured to himself. "Brutal, but efficient. They took him down quickly, secured him, tried to extract information, and when they couldn’t, they still managed to make a statement."
He stepped closer, running a finger along the bruises on the one remaining wrist of the corpse.
"They don’t waste time. No unnecessary bloodshed beyond what’s required to send a message. They stripped the place clean before they left, took every drop of gold they could find. That tells us something, doesn’t it?"
Giles nodded. "They’re not just here for revenge. They have a larger plan. They’re not dismantling Fuchsia. They’re hollowing it out, piece by piece. And while they’re not very patient, they’re willing to kill without reservations."
The Penny Prince chuckled. "They’re quite… deliberate. And that’s what makes them dangerous."
"If they were just brutes looking for vengeance, we could bait them into a reckless mistake. But they plan. They’re methodical. Which means we must be as well."
Lyon crossed his arms where he stood. "What’s the move, my lord?"
The Penny Prince’s smile widened. "Simple. You and Giles are going into hiding. Effective immediately."
Giles stiffened. "You want us to run?"
"Oh, not at all." the Penny Prince corrected, waving a hand. "I want you to disappear. For now."
Lyon frowned. "We still have a job to do."
"And you will do it. When the time is right." The Penny Prince turned. "Lilith Underwood is arriving in the capital soon. That is when you will emerge, and that is when you will carry out the mission."
"Until then, you are ghosts."
Giles exchanged a glance with Lyon before nodding. "Understood."
"Good." The Penny Prince said, stepping away from the corpse. They’d killed Fiske in public but the last two deaths were private.
That meant they’d found news of the information they wanted to extract between the first and second deaths. What could it be?
He gave the whole scene a final glance before turning to leave. "Let them think they’re winning. Let them believe they’re in control."
"And when they step into the open, we’ll remind them that they were Fuchsia."
Ren sat on his bed, windows open with the morning light streaming in, rubbing his temples as he and Thorn reviewed their situation.
With the assassination of the second Swordsman, the Fuchsia Kingpin would be a fool if he still hadn’t realized who the next targets are. And that was unlikely.
He had no idea who the Kingpin was, the information hadn’t been in the wikis. All he’d known was that the Kingpin had dismantled the organization himself after the death of the king.
Either way, he knew the Kingpin was smart. And that means they couldn’t keep doing things the previous ways.
"We have to change tactics." Ren muttered. "They’re going to expect us to go after the last one next. We need to do something unexpected."
Thorn leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "So what, we let the last guy roam free?"
Ren shook his head. "No, we still take him out. But first, we’re attacking during the day."
Thorn’s brows rose. "During the day? What about Lilith? Or the journey?"
"We’ll still spend the nights catching their trail and when we find them, we’ll stop the journey for a day. All we need to do is find an inn and tell the servants it’s their rest day. Then, we go for a ride into the countryside, teleport to Steadfast, and finish what we came for."
"That’s one. How do we take care of the second?"
Ren opened his mouth to answer and the door swung open.
"Ren." Lilith’s voice filled the air, her expression amused as she leaned against the frame. "You’re late for breakfast."
Ren looked up, blinking as if pulled from another world. "...Right."
Thorn smirked, standing up. "You’re in trouble." He muttered under his breath.
Ren kicked him in the back from where he sat, sending Thorn sprawling to the floor. Even then, the smirk never left Thorn’s face.
Lilith crossed her arms, tilting her head slightly. "Don’t worry Ren. I’ll forgive you, but only if you join me immediately."
Ren sighed, pushing himself up. "Can’t argue with that."
Together, they made their way downstairs.
This was another in but at this point, they were all looking the same to Ren. He made his way to the table at the middle of the tavern and took his seat, Lilith sitting beside him.
Their meal was brought to them, and while Lilith chatted idly about their upcoming arrival in the capital, his mind was elsewhere.
How would he take care of things if Fuchsia decided to follow through with the hit on Lilith, even with the three Swordsmen dead?
He wasn’t worried about Lilith dying. He knew she was more than capable of handling herself.
What worried him was what would happen if someone tried to kill her.
She wouldn’t just defend herself. She would destroy them. And in doing so, she might lose control.
That was the real danger.
The best way to prevent that was simple. Keep her close.
If she was with him, if she didn’t have to deal with assassins alone, then he could manage the fallout before it spiraled out of control.
He chuckled softly to himself, shaking his head.
How things have come full circle. I was trying to keep my distance before, but now, I need to make sure Lilith stays close.
Lilith glanced at him. "Something funny?"
Ren smirked. "Nothing much. Just thinking about all the fun we’ll have at the capital."