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9.13% Assassin's Chronicle / Chapter 53: Persuasion

Chapitre 53: Persuasion

In the magical world, regular city defensive systems were almost useless against people with powers, so the majority of kings in different kingdoms were people with powers themselves. They also tried their best to have other people with powers on their side. Sometimes people with the strongest power could determine the outcome of battle on the field. Except for a few weird people, people with strong powers like Saul were usually treated very well by kings.

Levitation magic can treat city walls as if they don’t exist. The chief in the city had been dealing with the turmoil of the horrible death in Flaming Legion. It was just like Anfey anticipated: they did not chase after Anfey’s legion too closely because they did not quite understand the ability of Anfey’s team and did not want to have any unnecessary losses.

At dawn, they saw the outlines of the mountains in Forest Clarm. Everybody had a surprised and excited look on their faces. Since they the start of their escape, Forest Clarm had always been their destination. They had treated Forest Clarm as a dream land, peaceful and safe. Very few people were thinking about the dangers they might experience and the defense they had to plan in the forest. This was the job of their leader. Not everyone could be a leader. Everyone wanted to be a leader, but it was not an easy job indeed.

Anfey had a great deal of experience, what with all of the danger, mistakes, hesitations, and regrets he had faced as an assassin. He would not have been so mature without these negative experiences. He had never felt so tired before. This time, leading a group of escaping kids made him exhausted. The exhaustion was not physical, but mental.

Seeing Forest Clarm ahead, Anfey sighed in relief. Everybody was encouraged, flying towards it with full force. Right before arriving at Forest Clarm, kids had used up their magic power and landed on the ground one after another, sitting or laying everywhere.

"All stand up, and walk forward now!" Anfey yelled.

How many people failed right on the edge of success? Anfey knew that number was as many as the countless stars in the sky! On the brink of success, with hope right ahead of them, most people relaxed without knowing they were at the crucial moment!

"Anfey, everybody’s magic powers were used up. Let’s take a break," Christian tried to convince Anfey.

"No." Anfey was firm about it. "Without magic power, you still have legs! Everybody get up. We need to leave right now!"

"Everyone, follow Anfey’s order. Get up, get up," Zubin said loudly.

To better lead the legion, Anfey needed to choose a relatively mature assistant. After observation, Anfey chose Zubin. He even tested Zubin with some of his real purposes. It looked like he had chosen the right person. Zubin was mature compared to these kids. Zubin still felt uneasy when he saw at the beginning there could be a dark side. But after giving it some thought, he accepted the role and agreed with Anfey.

Everybody stood up unwillingly. Under Sante’s leadership, they wobbled into Forest Clarm. In fact, Anfey had the most energy, then Niya. She had been carried by Christian for the first half of the trip. Zubin and Sante took turns carrying Niya for the second half of the trip. She had not had to do anything to get to Forest Clarm.

Anfey wanted to try to fly on his own, but he did not know much levitation magic, so it would have been great if he could have just vertically departed and landed. It was too far away for him to fly.

Niya had a great deal of energy, but was disconsolate. She walked like a puppet, and tripped over stones and tree roots a few times when she was not even far into the forest. Christian had to follow her to catch her in time. To a mage, it was impossible to get lost, because even in cloudy or foggy weather, mages still could feel the moving elements in the air and find the source of light.

The group walked straight ahead into Forest Clarm. Anfey had been in physical training all year, but Christian and his companions rarely got the chance to train. They started to breath heavily before they even had walked far. Riska ran to Anfey from behind and said quietly, "Let us take a break. Look, everyone is exhausted."

Anfey looked at the people in front and behind him. He could not help shaking his head. "OK, Zubin, go and tell Sante to stop."

This was just the first hill, and they had only climbed half way anyway. Looking back, they even could see smoke from the kitchen in the village at the foot of the mountain. This area was not that much safer than the area outside the forest. Some of them had already crawled with both hands on the ground. Anfey had to make the decision to take a break.

Everyone cheered when they heard Anfey would let them rest. Some fell on the ground instantly, not even caring about the dew. Anfey had to act like a kindergarten teacher and ask a few people to get up and find a dry spot to rest. From the Taoist perspective, dew is water in its most negative form. People had an 80-90 percent chance of getting sick by sitting or sleeping on it. More than anything else, Anfey was afraid of them getting sick.

Niya quietly avoided everybody’s attention and found a corner to sit. She leaned against a tree trunk and curled up like a ball. Sante was passing around food, and everyone seemed to tug the food from his hands. They devoured large morsels of food. Only Niya shook her head and did not take any food. Sante held the food out to her again. Niya pushed the food away. Sante turned around without any attempt to comfort her. With peace and safety, many of the kids in the legion admired Niya in many ways. They felt she was cute even when she threw a temper tantrum. However, it was a different time now, and they were on the run. Everyone felt like they were under the gun. When Niya lost her temper, it seemed inappropriate.

"What happened? She did not eat?" Anfey asked Sante quietly.

"No, but it’s fine. She will ask for food when she is hungry," Sante shrugged.

"Give me two sausages. Let me talk to her."

Sante looked at Anfey weirdly, but he did not say anything. Sante took out two sausages and gave them to Anfey.

Anfey walked slowly toward Niya. When he got close to her, he realized why Sante’s look was so weird. Niya had clear fingerprints on her face, which could be attributed to Anfey. Of course, he had never learned cinnabar palm style martial arts, but he still slapped with too much force, which had the same effect as if he had used cinnabar palm. If Niya had a mirror, she probably would be even more furious. A women’s looks were her second life. Even regular women knew to take care of their looks, let alone pretty girls like Niya.

Seeing Anfey walking towards her, Niya looked nervous. In her memory, Anfey was the first one to have hit her, with a slap, which was even worse! Niya felt a barricade between her and everyone else. No one was willing to defer to her any more. Previously, she had felt that she was the center of the world. This change had made her feel left out. Anfey was a lot more powerful than her, and her father was not near her, which all made her scared of Anfey.

"You need to eat." Anfey passed the sausages to her. "We have to keep walking during the day. You will not be able to do it without eating anything."

Niya was in shock for a second, and then she took the sausages. She did not eat, and said quietly, like a mosquito humming, "I am not hungry."

"You have to eat even if you do not feel hungry." Anfey sat next to Niya, biting a sausage in half. He ate differently than the others. Anfey did not eat casing. He was worried about hygiene. Besides work hours, Anfey was very picky in life. He had been pushed by his fate and lost his pickiness by far.

"I …will eat later," Niya said quietly. She did not dare to treat Anfey as Sante had, smacking the sausages away. She could only act in a subtle way of non-cooperation.

"Why? Do you hate me?" Anfey smiled.

This time, Niya refused to answer him. She turned her head away.

"Let me tell you a story," Anfey started, but then was lost in thought for a little while. "A long time ago, I had a friend, a good friend. He was over ten years older than me. When I was ten, he was getting married. His fiancé was a nice woman with a bit of a temper, but a good heart. His fiancé had a …magic pet named Pug. That magic pet was cute."

"Pug? Why haven’t I heard of it before?"

Anfey smiled but did not answer her question. He continued his story. "One day, they took the magic pet out. They had a great time talking with each other, but forgot about the magic pet. The magic pet fell into the water. By the time they realized it, the magic pet had almost drowned."

"My friend’s fiancé was so worried that she jumped into the water to save her magic pet. However, she forgot she could not swim. My friend could not either, but…what should a man do in such case? Haha…He had to jump in without any hesitation. My friend used up all his energy to push his fiancé to the shore. He sunk to the bottom himself."

"He…died?"

"Yes, he died," Anfey sighed. "What was more ridiculous was the magic pet crawled back to shore on its own, without any help. The magic pet cried to the fiancé on the shore."

"How could this happen? What happened to her?"

"Her? After my friend’s body was taken to shore, she choked her magic pet to death. She became crazy herself." Anfey went silent for awhile and said, "Niya, this story tells us that acting impulsively could cause others to pay! My friend’s fiancé and my friend were in love. If they had known the outcome, she would have never saved her magic pet! Alas…my friend’s fiancé passed away in sickness two months later. One impulsive action caused two people in love to die. Shouldn’t it give us some insight?"

Niya was so shocked that she could not come up with a single word.

"Niya, I am not against you helping others, but I hope you can think before you act. Your one impulsive act caused those two sisters’ deaths. Next time you act impulsively, any one of us could die. Do you want to see that happen?" Anfey wiped off his behind and stood up. "Niya, think about it. If you think I am right, you should eat the sausages. Keeping the energy is the most important thing right now. If you think I am wrong, if you really want to bring us trouble, then…do whatever you want."


Chapitre 54: Surprise

For many people, things and sayings often become meaningless after they become familiar. For example, most people would simply laugh off the saying "success is the result of one percent innovation and ninety-nine percent hard work." But is the saying truly childish? Perhaps not as much as people would like to think.

After a meal and some rest, some students, like Christian and Blavi, began meditating to recover their magic. Others, however, fell asleep. Everyone was exhausted and sleep deprived, but clearly students like Christian and Blavi had become some of the best for a reason.

There were many ways to understand a person, but self introduction was the least effective one. Anfey was an observant man, and he preferred observing the students in silence. Now, although he could not say he completely understood them, he could at least form a conclusive personality description for each and every one of them. Christian was stately and considerate, polite and accepting of criticism and of opposing opinions. Zubin was forbearing; silence was his protective shield. It was likely that Zubin was the most brilliant of everyone, including in his social skills. Sante was headstrong and not afraid of challenges and fights. Yesterday Anfey told him to take care of Phillip, if he arrived, and Sante had agreed without objection. It was clear that he was extremely confident. Blavi was impulsive, but at the same time cautious. Every time he became too stressed, he would show the more violent side of his personality. Riska was slightly careless, and was the weakest among the four leaders. Both Zubin and Sante were better fit for their jobs, but Anfey needed people he could trust.

Niya, who was sitting alone in the corner, finally began eating again. She glanced towards Anfey, but every time Anfey looked her way, she would look the other way.

Anfey knew that his slap had harmed Niya’s self esteem, but he did not regret it. He had said everything that needed to be said, and now he needed Niya to understand his words herself.

"Alright, everyone," Anfey called. "The sun is high. Let’s go."

Everyone answered his call and stood up. Those meditating opened their eyes as well. Only deep meditation could restore their magic, but there was no time for deep meditation right now.

"Zubin," Anfey instructed, "use water magic. We need some water." When they were in Lagan City, Anfey had thought about the water problem and had bought some waterskins. Then he remembered that he was travelling with mages, which meant they would have no trouble with water. He had even laughed at himself for it.

Zubin waved his hand, and a small stream appeared on the ground. The students all gathered around, drinking from it and washing their faces. Niya pushed through the group and reached for the water. Under the morning sun, the red mark on her face was clear for all to see. A few people stared at her and didn’t look away until Anfey coughed as a warning.

"Anfey," Christian whispered. "Let us rest a bit more. We can use levitation after we are done recovering. Walking through such a dense forest will tire all of us out."

Anfey trusted Christian. Christian knew what should be done in each situation, and every time he had an idea, he would consult with Anfey first instead of openly arguing with him.

"All we need to do is go over that hill," Anfey said. "We will head down the valley and rest at noon. Everyone should be recovered by nightfall. We will start again then."

"Alright," Christian said, nodding. He knew what Anfey was worried about. If the Lagan City Guards were fast enough, those from the Sacred City should have reached Forest Clarm by now. If they were levitating above the forest, they could be easily spotted by higher level mages. Walking among the trees was the safest bet.

Forest Clarm was bright and sunny, but thousands of miles away, Zuba City was under heavy grey clouds. Ellisen Empire’s Storm Legion and Dark Moon Magic Legion were camped right outside the city. Three legions from Maho Empire defended it, and they had seven to ten times the number of troops that Ellisen Empire had. Maho Empire was using a defensive strategy, since the Dark Moon Magic Legion was one of the best in the world and had never lost a battle. Its commander, Newyoheim, was an archmage who was considered to be even more powerful than Saul.

There was a reason people tended to think of Newyoheim as the more powerful one. Saul was a kind and amiable man who rarely clashed with anyone, let along having clashes that ended with fatalities. Newyoheim, however, could not tolerate any mistreatment. He had killed two archmages and a master swordsman. Ernest was someone who challenged others to further his skills. Newyoheim challenged to kill.

Normally, a man with his personality was not fit to lead an entire legion. However, he had an outstanding helper: Sarick. Sarick was no more than a junior magister, but his skill in commanding the army was exceptional. He had saved the empire’s armies from losing numerous times, and had led the army to major victories. With those two in charge, the Dark Moon Magic Legion had become one of the most fearsome armies in the world.

It was not just the commanders, either. The core of the Legion was made up of two archmages, more than thirty magisters, and more than two hundred senior mages. Maho Empire, unless it brought together all the mages from all of its legions, could not dream of competing against them. But what was a legion without mages?

In addition, Dark Moon Magic Legion had a long history. Newyoheim came to fame early in life, and achieved archmage status when he was only in his early thirties. His oldest student was only a year younger than he. Now that he was in his sixties, his connections and power over the legion were not something to joke about. Within the legion, half of the core mages were either his students or his student’s students. Whenever something urgent arose, all the mages were willing to die for him. A normal legion would not have this level of dedication.

So, even though Saul was in the city and had the advantage in troop numbers, Maho Empire’s army could only rely on the magical shield to protect the city.

To the south of Zuba City center was a small, strangely-built building. The building was tall and straight, its bricks embedded with shining rocks that would reveal to be magical crystals. On top of the building was a small white orb, which glowed softly. This was the Tower of Mages, which supported the magical shield over Zuba City. Despite the city’s magic ban, a shadow flew into the sky and towards the tower. Before it entered the tower’s self-defense spell, it landed and began jogging to its door.

The guards saluted the prince of Maho Empire, Granden.

"Urgent business," the prince said. "Take me to Master Saul immediately."

"A moment, my lord," the head guard, an intermediate swordmaster, said. He hurried into the tower, and a moment later the door opened. "Please, my lord. Master Saul awaits."

Granden nodded and hurried inside. He stepped into the transportation portal in the middle of the tower.

"My lord, what happened?" Saul asked. He was already waiting for the prince on the other side of the portal.

Granden looked at the mages at work in the room and glanced at Saul.

Saul nodded and led the prince into another room. He soundproofed the room before turning back to Granden. "My lord, please."

"Father sent me a message. He has already been assassinated."

"What?" Saul’s eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

"Master, be at ease. Father sent a message telling me he was assassinated," Granden explained.

"You mean, the emperor is safe?"

"Yes," Granden nodded. "Father told us to get ready to retreat. Seven days hence."

"Retreat?"

"Yes."

"But why retreat? You mean…"

"Father said that he would go to great lengths to eliminate the Dark Moon Magic Legion," Granden said slowly. "Ellisen Empire must have learned about what happened to father by now. It was no secret that Wester and I do not get along. Now Wester is on the throne, he is in control of the empire, but I still hold the military. I have to retreat with my armies in order to fight Wester. No one would suspect anything."

"Then?"

"Baery is already leading his Roaring Dead Legion and two other legions northward. As long as we can lead the Dark Moon Magic Legion past the Yagor Mountain Range, Baery will be able to cut off their retreat. Father was determined to eliminate Dark Moon Magic Legion, no matter the cost."

"I understand," Saul said after a few moments of silence. Although he was not the brightest with military affairs, and Granden had offered only a brief explanation, he was still able to sort through the plan. "His Grace is wise," he said.

The plan sounded easy, but was in fact very difficult to execute. First, Yolanthe needed to recall the Roaring Dead Legion and order it to travel to the north without anyone noticing. Then, he needed to pick the perfect time to fake his own death, making sure that Ellisen Empire’s rulers would believe he had died. Saul and Yolanthe had been friends for years, and he knew that Yolanthe was brilliant but cautious. If Yolanthe had already executed the plan, Saul knew the man had already learned everything that needed to be learned about the situation. Otherwise, he would never leave so much of his territory for the taking.

"But, Master Saul," Granden said hesitantly. "There were some...mishaps."


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