CHAPTER 25: RATS

The great hall of the Royal Order was crowded for the first time in a long while. All fourteen chairs were occupied by the members of the order.

A day had passed, it was the night of the following day, after Kyrian had delivered the assassin to be interrogated.

His hair was slightly disheveled after sleeping and being suddenly awakened late at night. He sat in the last chair with his legs crossed, the chair far too large for his small body.

He looked bored, but his blue eyes were still observing every detail of what was happening in the room.

Then, silence was broken after everyone settled at the table. Elyria stood from the central seat. Her cold gaze swept across all those present.

"The investigation is complete. The assassins hidden in the capital are part of a larger group than we imagined."

"It is a greater group, martial artists infiltrated the capital from several neighboring countries of both alliances."

"Somehow, the two enemy alliances have finally joined together and are moving against us. I don’t know if they are foolish or simply overconfident."

"The mission of this man was simple, to eliminate promising youths so they would have no chance of entering the Order." Elyria’s voice sounded firm the entire time.

Kael then spoke.

"The capture of the assassin was carried out by Kyrian. And if it weren’t also for him, we would never have discovered the extent of the infiltration." Kael said with a faint gleam in his eyes, looking at Kyrian with what seemed like pride.

The others looked at Kyrian, assessing him with serious expressions. While some still weren’t convinced and were irritated to see so much credit given to someone so young.

Kyrian wasn’t bothered and simply yawned.

Elyria then tapped the table with her fingers, and everyone turned their eyes back to her.

"Listen carefully. The assassin only had information regarding those from his own country and what they were to do. But, regarding the other assassins from the other countries, their objectives are still unknown."

"The tournament will be attacked by them, mainly the princess and the prince. But that is probably only a diversion."

"The true attack, I believe, will be on the royal castle. Where the protection would be weaker due to the tournament."

She then looked at Kyrian and at the others.

"Four of us will be at the tournament. Kyrian, you obviously will be one of them. Your role is simple. End everything quickly, the attack will happen during the final. Win fast."

"And then protect the royal family. Do not worry about the rest."

She then pointed to the other side of the table.

"Kael and you four will patrol and protect the surroundings of the Silver Lake. My intuition tells me this is not as simple as it seems. The flowers at the bottom of the lake are about to bloom. Therefore, you must protect them."

"I and the remaining four will stay at the royal castle." Her voice was direct and left no room for objection.

"And about the assassins whose whereabouts we know? Will we do anything?" Kael asked.

"No. That job is for the guard, General Harken and his troop will take care of the capital’s protection and the civilians." Elyria said as she suddenly walked to Kyrian’s side.

"You, deliver this letter to General Harken. He needs to be informed of our movements and prepare his men."

Kyrian stared at the sealed envelope without expression.

"Hm." He only nodded, stood up, and left the room while the others remained.

"Is it really fine to let him go alone at this hour?" Kael asked with some strangeness.

"Yes! I need Harken to receive the letter as soon as possible. Besides, Kyrian is already stronger than half the order. The night does not affect him at all either. Even if they try something against him... then we will have even more valuable information soon." Elyria answered without concern.

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The night fell heavily upon the capital, it was already the beginning of dawn. The streets of the noble district were completely empty. Kyrian found a coachman at the entrance of the noble district and headed for the barracks.

On the way, he saw that the capital seemed not to sleep. On one particular street, there were many men and women wearing clothes he judged strange.

’Don’t they feel cold? Wearing such short clothes at this hour.’ He thought, looking at several women at the entrance of an establishment, inviting red-faced men to enter.

Kyrian then closed his eyes and waited.

Soon, he stepped out of the carriage and arrived at the barracks. The guards already recognized him, so they didn’t stop him at all. Kyrian went straight to the general’s office.

Even though it was late, Harken was working hard. There hadn’t been a moment of peace for him in recent days.

The capital seemed to grow heavier with each passing day. But he couldn’t quite figure out what exactly was happening.

Kyrian arrived, knocked on the door before entering, and sat on a chair.

Harken looked at him with a furrowed brow.

"Little brat. What are you doing here at this hour?"

"Elyria sent me. This is for you." Kyrian said, tossing the letter onto Harken’s desk.

"My heartless daughter, isn’t it? Let’s see." Harken read the letter.

In Kyrian’s eyes, he could see his emotions shift into a deep rage.

"So those bastards are finally attacking our country, are they? Hah! Looks like we won’t have any rest in the coming days, kid."

"A war may be approaching. Better be prepared, boy." Harken said with a serious expression before looking at the letter one last time and sighing.

"Stay here tonight, boy. Lina will probably want to see you. It’s not right to go see a woman at this hour, so wait until morning."

"No. I will return to the Order. I feel interesting things will happen." Kyrian said with a faint smile that made Harken frown.

"Tsk. Fine, brat, I won’t stop you. Just be careful." Harken finished, and Kyrian left the barracks with calm steps.

He decided not to go with the coachman who was waiting for him.

Instead, he walked slowly away from the barracks. His small body gradually disappeared into the darkness of the capital’s narrow alleys.

Silence reigned. The only sound was his footsteps and his breathing. His gaze fixed on every detail of his path. Darkness didn’t matter.

Not for Kyrian. But for those who had been following him for a long time, it was a complete disadvantage.

Then, suddenly, Kyrian stopped.

"How long will you hide like rats?"