City of Desire: Chapter 1026 Assassination II (Patreon)

Proofread by Thomas F

Baron Balmos

Soon, I saw the group of men; when my eyes landed on the red-haired old man, a smile appeared on my face.

A few minutes later, I hid behind the mound and deactivated Discreet Departure and Lord Excursion. These are skills I got when I was young, and they helped me tremendously.

First to sneak out of castle when I was young and then to other excursions.

My father was a strict man; he kept me under a tight leash. These skills gave me my only freedom until I was old enough to leave for the academy.

I also kept them secret; only a few people knew of them, and they were my most trusted companions.

I began to walk, and a few minutes later, they noticed me.

“Baron Balmos,” greeted the old man. “Merrow, you have done well,” I said and threw the man a pouch. He is useful; he had helped me many times.

I make sure to have connections like him in every city. They become very useful in times like these.

“Let’s go,” I said and mounted the beast. The people brought are props, along with the security. I am powerful, but even meat shields help.

Viremont will find out soon and send people to find me. They will help me blend in.

I might not have done this, but the bastard himself went to the city to enjoy himself, leaving everyone to suffocate in the camp.

I have been traveling with the army for weeks, without any decent entertainment. I want that; I want to drink until I go blind and fuck some whores.

I will not get that chance stuck in that camp.

Viremont has set a punishing rhythm. We will be moving faster once we begin marching in Renwell.

I might die, and I will enjoy myself before I do that. Though I hope I would not. Viremont has promised me that he won’t charge me for a decade in the Velvet Garden.

I could drink anything I wanted and fuck any whore I desire.

They were things I demanded from him aside from the territory, of course.

We moved fast. Especially with the speed and disguising skills of Merrow’s men. Soon, the city came into view, and a smile lit up my face.

It’s been a while since I had decent entertainment, and I plan to enjoy it thoroughly through the night.

“I hope you have made all the preparations, Merrow,” I said to the man. “Have I ever disappointed you, my lord?” I laughed at that.

He is capable. Every time I used his services, he never disappointed me.

“You have that ready, right?” I asked, and his eyes became serious.

“I do, my lord, but it was difficult. Those bastards of Velvet Garden successfully lobbied Lord Thorn to change the rules and made him enforce it tightly,” he cursed.

Yes, I heard about it. Many houses operating brothels in Inam have been cursing Silver vehemently for it.

I don’t know what that bastard’s problem is.

“Don’t worry, once we capture Greltheaven. These problems will disappear.”

It won’t take long for that; Viremont has gathered a massive force, and there are a lot of powerhouses. I do not believe Silver has any chance against us.

Soon, we stopped near the port and stepped into the carriage waiting for us.

A few minutes later, the carriage entered through the city gates.

“Do you really not want to go to Twilight Hall, my lord? I could get you there anonymously; even Silver’s people will not know who you are,” he asked.

I want to do it so much. I had been to Twilight Hall many times, and it is incredible, as great as Grade IV legacy.

I might even say it’s even better than that. Silver truly knows his patrons’ desires. Every time I went there, I had the best time of my life.

“No,” I replied unwillingly.

I am already going to face the ire of Viremont sneaking out of the camp. If I go to Velvet Garden’s pawn, the man might throw his mad dog at me.

I shuddered at the thought of that bastard, Loxley.

“It’s regrettable; I wish you could come. A few days ago, they brought exotic wines from the Nezar, and I will say to you, my lord, they ar”

Suddenly, his voice cut off, and everything turned dark around me.

I moved my hand to get hold of my artifact when suddenly my Dangersense blared, like it never did, and I felt the heat across my body.

It was warm and comfortable, but it made my Dangersense scream like never before.

The darkness disappeared as quickly as it came, and I saw Kaldir and terror in his eyes. I wanted to open my mouth to ask him what, but words didn’t come.

Instead, I felt my mind slipping, and my gaze fell, and what I saw sent terror through my mind.

I wanted to scream; no sound came. Instead, darkness began to swallow me, until nothing remained of me.

…

Count Viremont

‘…there are hundreds of tiny pieces of him, only… his head remained intact,’  said the voice from the other side, filled with panic.

The more I heard, the worse my mood became.

The sound of pieces of glass breaking as the drink fell, and the people who were not looking at me turned their gazes toward me, but I don’t care. I am furious beyond it.

At that Bastard Balmos, I had told him specifically to remain in camp and among my own people. Who were so damn incapable that they couldn’t even keep the bastard from sneaking away.

“What happened?” asked Loxley. His voice was cold as his eyes, stripped of the personas he usually wears.

“Balmos sneaked into the city, and now he is dead,” I replied and moved my eyes across the grand ballroom before they stopped at the woman.

She sensed my eyes immediately and looked. Her lips curved ever so slightly.

If I had any doubt about who was behind it, it completely disappeared.

I took a step when a man appeared in front of me. “Not here; Lord Thorn had requested your presence,” Fisk said, and I could see a woman appear in front of her, leading her away.

I calmed my fury and nodded before following him.

The whole grand hall quieted down; I was sure many had already started to find out what had happened. It made me even angrier.

I kept myself calm and followed the man into the hallways until we reached the bronze door, before stepping inside. There was Thorn, sitting behind the table.

“I thought your city was safe,” I said, barely keeping my voice under control.

“I told you to keep your men in your camp. You knew the people you’re going to fight are dangerous and the lengths they would go to stop you.”

I laughed at that; the bastard is throwing the blame at me. I opened my mouth, but I heard footsteps behind me and saw the dastardly woman walking inside.

“Did you kill Baron Balmos, Miss Veyrault?” asked Thorn, turning his eyes toward the woman. He was angry, and why shouldn’t he be?

It also affects his prestige and raises questions about the safety of his city, especially after that incident during the opening.

“We wanted to, but we respect your laws. It’s not our people who did the job,” she replied, and I let out a laugh at her blunted lie.

“You did it; why hide it? Is your Lord that much of a coward?” I asked, barely restraining myself from crushing this little woman.

“You will soon know what he is when you face him on the battlefield, my lord,” she replied, with her lips curving up in a mocking smile.

The emotions I had been containing burst out, and my aura pressed on her.

I expected her to gasp and scream. Instead, her lips curved further, and aura burst out of her, forming a layer that resisted mine.

Seeing it, I couldn’t help but feel shocked. She is a bloody whore!

I am not the only one; I could see that both Thorn and his adviser were shocked by it. It isn’t just the aura, but also the control she has.

It’s clear that she did not awaken it only recently.

“Some noble, you are, Count Viremont,” she mocked, and I took a step forward and immediately felt all the hair on my body rising up.

My danger sense remained quiet, but it’s not foolproof; there are ways around it.

It’s the instinct that is important, and they just warned me.

“Count Viremont, control yourself,” warned Thorn. There is a clear warning in his voice. I took a deep breath and pulled back my aura.

“I really hope it’s not you, Miss Veyrault, and you will not like the consequence,” said Thorn, eyes filled with barely restrained emotions.

“We are not responsible, my lord.”

Her voice held such confidence; only the guilty have it. Even the innocent have faint doubt, but her voice held none of it.

“My people are investigating the gruesome assassination of Baron Balmos. I assure you, Count Viremont, that the guilty would be found and punished with their life.”

I snorted at hearing that.

They killed Balmos and killed him so brutally that it will send a shudder through anyone’s soul.

That is their purpose, and it’s not good news for me. I calmed myself and turned to the woman.

“You will pay for it; your lord will pay for it. Everyone will pay for it when I conquer Greltheaven,” I promised. A silence fell for a moment before she began to laugh.

She laughed loudly, and it was like the ringing of a hundred mocking chimes.

She calmed a few seconds later and wiped the tears away from her eyes and looked at me with utter seriousness.

“I didn’t know you were a jester, Count Viremont.”

I took a step forward, but stopped before storming out of the room. There is no need to engage with the whore, she will face the consequences soon.

…

Tara Veyrault

The carriage stopped, and I stepped out of it before walking into the legacy.

Like at the party, every eye turned toward me, but unlike usual. Aside from lust and desire, there was a fear in them.

Most suspect it’s us. They should think about the others too: Grimvale, Arenthal, and even the undead. All of them are capable of it.

I smiled as I do and saw a few of them shudder. It’s the first time I've experienced it, and I have to say, it’s as delightful as seeing lust and desire in their eyes.

Soon, I reached my office, and Arna was there. I was surprised Mariha wasn’t here, and I looked.

Ah, he called her. I thought, seeing where she was.

“Are we the ones who did it?” asked Arna. I could see the excitement in the woman’s eyes. “You know better than to ask such questions, Arna.”

She is Grade III and has proved herself. We trust her, but she still has a long road ahead before she could be trusted with the core secret of the Velvet Garden.

Instead of being disappointed, excitement intensified in her eyes.

“I have to make some calls,” I said. She understood the hint and walked out. A moment later, the door closed, and suppressive privacy covered my office.

A moment later, a beautiful green blade appeared in my hand, and I sighed.

We are not going to use it.

We might have killed him, but we don’t want to implicate ourselves with it. There will be a load of consequences we don't want to bear right now.

It’s quite frustrating, since we need them so desperately.

‘You did a good job.’

“Thank you, Master Silver,” I replied, feeling pleased by his praise; there is nothing like it.

It wasn’t easy. I had to manipulate a lot of people behind the scenes, like the underworld operator Merrow, to lure the noble into the city.

I did the same with every other noble and mercenary, but only Balmos took the bait.

‘It should make the others hesitate and unsettle those who have already joined him. Still, continue your efforts. Even one fewer ally would help us,’ he said.

“I will, Master Silver.”