Chapter 131 Interjection

'This decree is issued by Queen Mavena, the daughter of the late King Valor, the current ruler of the Vrymath kingdom, and the proclaimed Miracle Queen herself'.

The guard, upon finishing the letter, cleared his throat and said 'That is all, my Prince.'"

Upon hearing the details of the letter, the Prince frowned. It was not merely an invitation or a decree, but rather a warning and a..... death threat.

…....….

This night wasn't like any other he knew of.

"Be careful with that!" He grunted out in frustration.

Segal sat on a wooden bench, underneath a dimly lit lamp as he watched several other ordinary mortals -his people moving small crates filled with cylindrical bottles of colourless liquid into a cart. He oversaw the entire process and made sure that there were few errors as possible.

Of course, all these things were not his. They were part of a task given to him by the true masterminds and proprietors of these schemes. A task that he would have refused if he had the option to, but, he didn't, and so he could not.

He couldn't refuse the task when it was requested by one of the few fallen kings - an unbridled man whose tales of battle were used as lullabies to put the blood-sucking, cradling demi-humans to sleep. A far cry from his king, who seemed to have abandoned everything and ignorantly focused on himself.

'That bastard' Inwardly, he cursed. His king -King Ameal, the former ruler of the Azuiloth Kingdom had abandoned them when they needed him the most. He played the ignorant fool during the skirmishes happening throughout the city and Kingdom, wallowing in his loss and misfortune as if he was the only one to experience the dreaded phenomenon of the 'Moonlight's ice'.

Yes! He has heard the rumours.

King Ameal 'was' their king. Now, he is only a pathetic old man who counts the days of his long life span, hoping to find something that makes it worth living or to die under unknown circumstances. Yet, he is too cowardly to even attempt suicide.

"Hahh!" He involuntary let out a chuckle.

The citizens of the Azuiloth Kingdom are so oppressed that they are too afraid to complain or speak up, knowing that they will face a harsh response

They lived in constant fear, never daring to hope for a better life!

They were now reduced to nothing but beggars who begged for food from the disabled and impaired, all because their king had given up on them and only decided to take care of his own well-being and that of those around him.

King Ameal!

He doesn't want to die. Yet, he believes that he has nothing to live for. Wasn't that in itself pathetic?

The sound of footsteps reached him and he turned around, with a forced frown on his lips, towards the person approaching him.

"What's funny?" asked the person, a man dressed in white assassin's attire, without his mask on.

Segal's lips twitched. He couldn't tell that he had chuckled so loudly.

Regardless, Segal shook his head and answered "Nothing. I was just thinking about how Knight Boris might react to the scene of the corpses of the remnants of his kingdom".

"Oh!" The assassin's brows rose in amusement "Weren't you angry about the plan just the other day?".

Segal sighed. He turned to stare at the several men and women pouring the colourless liquid into the cylindrical container before they sealed it and moved it to the cart.

He answered, "Of course, I had every right to be because they had once fed us when we had nothing".

"Hahh! How about now?" The assassin responded with amusement colouring his voice.

"I have realized my mistake" Segal replied. He turned to the assassin and noticed the small stain of blood on the other side of his leg, hidden beneath his upper thighs.

Immediately, he snapped his head forward with his eyes closed, and replied "Besides, it is already clear that they can't survive without Knight Boris's help or on their own for too long….. So, I think that it's best they die a painless death now, than risk the rest of their lives, living in misery and disgrace".

"Good. It's good you understand" The assassin nodded in approval, his amusement rising "It would be hectic if my king had to worry about finding another group of invaders again".

Segal grit his teeth together. His irritated expression was hidden beneath the dimly lit lamp, under the night sky. He didn't say anything, and from the corner of his eyes, he could see the smile on the assassin's face growing wilder and more dangerous.

Then, in an instant, it was gone.

"So, did you do what I asked you to do?" The assassin asked, dismissively.

"Yes" Segal nodded.

"Humph!!" The assassin smirked. "I didn't even tell you to burn down the building. I only ordered you to kill the woman and make sure she doesn't spill out any secret…. You did all that on your own".

The assassin paused and turned his attention towards him. "Don't tell me that you are trying to earn some points, because, frankly speaking, that won't lead you anywhere".

Segal's hands balled into a fist "She deserved it". He hissed "Because of her, Brook and Stella are dead. If she hadn't infiltrated our group, then all this wouldn't have happened".

"Yes, I agree" The assassin responded in agreement "If she hadn't been here, then I wouldn't have been forced to murder that woman… um.. what was she called again?".

"Stella! She was called Stella" The sound of his teeth clattering together got louder.

"Oh yes! Stella. I wouldn't have been forced to kill Stella, and you wouldn't have been forced to watch as that young man died at the expense of revealing the truth to us".

"True" Segal bent his head low and exhaled in relief "If she hadn't bothered sticking her nose in our business then this would have been avoided, and neither Stella nor Brook would have died".

A few seconds passed. He had expected a response, but nothing came, not even a sound. He turned around and peeked at the expression of the assassin.

His expression was sharp as he observed the operation transpiring before him.

"You know, I expected a lot from you" Finally, the assassin spoke.

"Like what?" Segal mused.

"A spine at least" The assassin responded. His tone was stern and devoid of any other emotion except disappointment. "For a man that gathered his fellow citizen to lead a revolt against his king, I expected something more".

Segal scoffed "If you are talking about why I have done nothing but obeyed your orders, then you should already know that refusing them would have been stupid" He paused, then continued" What is a spine if I don't get to see the next day?"

He didn't expect it!

He wasn't expecting the sudden raw laughter that almost sent his fellow residents jumping back in fright.

The laughter soon descended into a low chuckle. He opened his lips "For a man who sees a lack of courage to be something of been proud of, you are quite pathetic".

Segal scowled "You are an assassin! Someone who faces his enemies from the back and stalks them from their shadows" He said, sharply, "You have no right to lecture me about something like that!!".

"And yet look at me, I would rather die than watch one of my brothers or sisters get killed by my hands, or killed in front of me" The assassin snarled. "I am an assassin, yet somehow, you are more of a coward than me".

Segal's fists tightened. He snarled back "… And still, you listen to the orders of that madman you call your k --".

Power.

Segal's breath was cut short, his eyes widening at the overwhelming amount of pressure that suddenly exerted itself upon his body.

He collapsed on the ground. His breathing hitched. And then, it…..

Disappeared.

A familiar voice snaked into his ears, "Don't you ever disrespect my king again?" The tone that accompanied the voice was incredibly venomous.

He was just a normal mortal, so the pressure of the magical energy on his body for too much for him to bear. So, in other not to experience it again, he nodded, feverishly.

"Good" The assassin, replied, "But, though I agree that my king sometimes thinks and behaves like a madman. But, I would rather follow him than follow the pathetic excuse you call a king".

Segal relaxed his body and replied "And that's we want to remove him… Cough!! Cough!!! Because he doesn't deserve to lead us".

The assassin felt irritated. He looked at him and mused "What would change if you take over? Don't me that you have delusions about changing any of this"

Segal growled, "They are not delusions!".

"Oh! If they aren't, then what are they?" The assassin snorted.

Segal wanted to reply, but he remained silent. He wouldn't give the assassin the satisfaction of a response.