The Kingmaker System-Chapter 56 - 55. Remains Of Someone’s Hope (2)

I pulled the hood over my head and made sure the wig of black hair was fixed on my head and the black mask on my face before I stepped up on the balcony railing with my invisibility brooch on.

I leapt in the air unfurling my wings and started flying off towards my destination as the crescent moon lit up the town which was in deep slumber.

The midnight breeze was quite cold with the ground beneath covered in snow and looking as if it was a ghost town inside the icy wasteland. Well, my thinking wasn’t quite far from reality as well.

This was an icy wasteland if not for Davian and his family for taking care of this place.

The moment I saw my destination grow close, I leaned down until I was drifting close to the old building with huge doors.

I got down and sensed the movement from the corner of my eye, a person wearing a large black cloak rushed to the side of the building.

I walked behind him and saw him entering through the small door on the side. I entered behind him with my invisibility still on and saw as the person walked down the stony hallway.

He grabbed a burning torch and walked down the hallway till he reached in front of a wooden door and knocked on it.

He looked nervous as he was fidgeting, well, I did recognise him at the first sight which was why I was following him.

The door opened and he walked in with me on tow. He didn’t even know I was shadowing him.

There was a large room inside with around seven people inside and the eighth that arrived now. All of them were sitting around a large rectangular table with only a few burning torches that dimly lit up the room leaving the dark corners.

I walked over and stood in one dark corner watching as the eight men lifted their hoods revealing their faces.

"Now that everyone is here, shall we start this meeting?" The man with deep brown hair asked and the men nodded in agreement.

"So, Marquis Thompson, what did you want to tell us?" The man turned to the one whom I had followed in.

His wig sat a little askew on his head and he looked disturbed as he placed a piece of paper on the table and the next person to him picked it up and read the contents.

"Wha-What the devil is this?!" He gasped and the next person took the paper.

The paper was circulated around the table and all of them had the same reactions.

"Where did you get this from, Lord Thompson?" The brunette asked.

"A ghost gave it to me."

There was a moment of silence after Roderick’s answer.

"Do you think this is the time to jest, Lord Thompson?" The one next to him thundered.

"I’m not jesting! I really got it from a ghost."

"Lord Thompson, you know what this means, right?" The brunette asked holding the piece of paper between his fingers.

"I know. But I still don’t understand it myself. I have a doubt on who it might be but-"

"Who?"

"There’s a Mage at Frosthail castle. He seemed suspicious to me from the very beginning, he uses a strange kind of magic and can defeat people without lifting a finger."

"A Mage?"

"Yes,"

The people looked serious while I waited and the brunette whom I recognised as Count Vinson Fyedor sighed.

"If it is him then there’s no choice but to accelerate our plan."

The fellow men looked at him and one of them Viscount Geryl Piadall said, "I agree, but it’s been weeks since we gave the orders to the assassination guild and yet they’re failing to do anything."

"It’s because of that Mage as well."

The heads turned to Roderick again.

"He’s around that brat protecting him and nobody could do anything until he is there."

Count Fyedor massaged his temples for a moment, "So, you’re saying that to get rid of that brat we need to get rid of that Mage first."

"Yes!"

"But if he’s a Mage then he must be affiliated with the Mage’s Tower and I heard that the Archmage is a terrifying person who should never be angered." Another person said.

"I agree, he’s the strongest Mage of the Kingdom. We should look for a way to get rid of our target without making enemies with the Tower."

"I heard he is going to investigate the incident of the Third Wall then, he would have to be away from that child. So, use that time and kill the target while the Mage is away."

The men agreed at Count Fyedor’s suggestion and they moved to another topic from there.

"Now, shall we discuss about what to do with this problem?" Fyedor said gesturing towards the paper.

"We’ll need to find out who it is first though. It can’t be a ghost." Count Hector Raleigh suggested.

"I agree."

"Then, assuming that it is the Mage then... We will need to inevitably get rid of him as well."

"Wait, but if it’s the Mage then he must know of it as well, right?"

There was a moment of silence as everyone looked at Thompson before Fyedor spoke up.

"If the Archduke knew of this then he wouldn’t sit quietly, he might already be on our backs. But since he’s quiet then, there’s a chance that he doesn’t know anything."

The men nodded and seemed visibly relaxed.

"We can’t be sure of the Mage being the culprit whoever this person is, might know more so, the best course of action is that we find out what he wants and see if we can peacefully resolve it."

"I agree, we don’t need any more enemies than we have and it will also be a problem for them."

Them?

"Let’s find out who it is first, Lord Thompson since he has contacted you he might do so again, wait till that time and handle the negotiations, please. The same goes for everyone else."

Thompson warily agreed along with the others and I smirked as they indeed had good heads on their shoulders.

"For now, the first thing is to get rid of the inept Archduke and establishing Count Raleigh’s son in that position." Fyedor announced.

"Yes!"

"I shall send the details of the next meeting after the Archduke is dead, till then everyone be careful." Fyedor concluded.

"All right."

"Yes."

The men started rising from their seats as their meeting was done and I turned off the invisibility before stepping out of my corner making them gasp as they looked at me.

"Wh-Who goes there?"

"Who are you?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I was simply waiting for your meeting to end," I said as I walked up to the table.

"How dare you come in here? Who are you?"

I smiled as I climbed on the table and sat down cross legged watching the confused men.

"Aren’t you all curious of who knows your dirty secrets? Well, I was eager to come see you as well, that’s why I’m here."

The men gasped as they warily exchanged glances before looking at Fyedor.

"Who are you?"

"I just told you, I’m the one who knows your secrets."

"... How much do you know?" Raleigh asked cautiously.

"More than you know yourself."

"What does that mean?!"

"What do you want?" Fyedor asked, coming straight to the point.

"To be honest, what I want is your lives,"

The men grimaced ready to lash out at me but I smiled waving my hand.

"But for now, I’ll be satisfied with you all obeying my two orders."

"What the... Who do you think you are?!"

One of the men stomped towards me but I tilted my head with a smirk as he halted right away and the other men stiffened as well.

They thought there was only one intruder in here. Fools.

They had no idea that they and their families were shadowed by death ever since I got their names.

I had already stationed the assassins in here before their meeting started, eight of them who would rip their targets in an instant.

"Now, now, don’t be so rash." I chuckled, "One wrong move and I can’t guarantee your or your family’s lives."

"What?!"

"Still don’t get it?"

I shook my head, "I thought you guys were smart, but I guess not so much."

I turned my head and looked at one of the men.

"Baron Jestwin, you have one daughter and one son, both of their rooms are in the East wing of your mansion on first floor and your wife’s room is on the second floor right beside your study." Jestwin gasped.

"One word from me and none of them will see the dawn."

"What?! What have they done? Why bring them in this?!"

"Why? Well, you are the ones who brought them into your dirty game. You can plan to kill an innocent child but I can’t? So, unfair."

"What’s unfair? Who the hell are you? And what do you know?" Raleigh shouted making me yawn.

"Do you think you can get away with killing us? We’re the nobles of this territory!"

"So what?" I asked and looked at him, "At this moment, you’re all are nothing but mortals in the arms of death. What are you going to do after you are dead?"

The ghostly silence enveloped the hall before Raleigh grimaced at me.

"Even if we are dead you won’t get away with it!"

"Henry Raleigh," I spoke making him go stiff, "his room is on the second floor there’s a pine tree that is the closest to his balcony, quite convenient, you see."

"How-How do you..."

"I told you I know more than you know yourself." I smirked.

"The stash of money that you hide in your secret vaults, the places you visit, the people you meet, the names and addresses of your mistresses and even the number of all of your illegitimate children. I know everything."

There was pin drop silence after my words and I could only hear the sounds of the breaths of the men around me who’d finally realised their positions.

"What do you want?" Fyedor asked and I looked at him with a smile.