The God of Jesters
Chapter 143 - 3.04.4 Reason for coming here.

Chapter 143: 3.04.4 Reason for coming here.

Farhad was not the same after coming back. After the funeral rites were over, Fahna kept an eye on him. His cowardice, fear, and inferiority that had been innate to him were gone. Like it never existed in the first place, he talked to Fahna with his head up, matching her eye level.

Spoke to his mother without any shame that was caused by his incompetence. And when alone, he was always lost in thoughts, sometimes scratching his flesh in an attempt to feel the pain, which had almost turned alien to him.

In his mind, the word "maybe" kept appearing, hoping for his life to be back, hoping for a normal body. Though it was impossible.

It was due to all of this, that Fahna believed this was not her brother, but something else. Which won’t be that odd considering the information she was able to obtain from my resources and what actually happened in Durum.

It was a scene of legends, with her little brother at the very center of it, and was the only surviving member that was closest to ground zero. With a few more being active close by, though that group was not mentioned on the report she Fahna was able to access, in her mind. Her brother was at the center of it and there was a high chance it might not be him.

Based on her suspicions, although acting normal in front of him and her mother. She had kept an eye on him. Eye on each of his actions, the fact that he cuts himself was not hidden from her eyes, nor was the fact that he kept killing any rats that dared to come to their house.

It got so bad that he had requested a defensive circle to keep the critters away from the building. And although she found it odd, for some reason, the government agreed with his absurd request and freely gave him what he wanted.

A sense of peace then came to him. Which only stayed until a certain morning when he woke up from a nightmare. "He can’t be... I... I killed him." He never told this dream to his family, but only to his psychologist who regularly came for a visit. And after each visit, there would be a change in security around their house.

Making Fahna understand that the enemy her brother survived while her father fought was something very evil.

"Mum, wouldn’t it be better to send him away?" She asked her mother one day. Causing her to receive a stern eye before her mother shook her head in denial. "Don’t speak of it, he has already suffered enough."

"Mother, we can’t even be sure if he is Farhad. He is nothing like before, nothing like the boy I remember him as. He is cold and exudes an aura of..."

"Just like your father and you?... Doesn’t that make all three of you similar?" At those words, Fahna turned silent. There were some things she didn’t wish to talk to her mother about, things she wished to hide.

But no matter how much she did, her mother had eventually caught up to a part of it. "Fahna, I understand what kind of person you are. We know what you did. Me and your father both knew." She knew her daughter was not normal, although acting innocent and worryful on the surface, she was emotionally lacking.

Most of her emotions were emulated. But her love for her family was genuine, with the love for her mother being the deepest.

"Mother, I believe you don’t know what actually happened to him in that city. How he was used as a puppet by something sinister." At the mention of such words, her mother came close to her and shut her up with a finger on her lips. "Don’t speak of it, I know who you are talking about."

"? You did?" Surprised at first, she wanted to ask more, before being dragged into what her mother considered a safe place.

It was then her mother told her who this being was and its nature. And what this being has done to the family of those involved in the Murder of Ikaros Yethel’s murder. "Us surviving is a miracle in itself. Though seeing what happened, it was not a miracle, but that demon has let us live for longer."

It was the day Fahna learned of the truth, and after a few more bizarre occurrences concerning Farhad happened in her home. Fahna decided that the only course of action left for her was to kill the bastard on her own.

After her little stunt in Gutters was over, she accidentally came across her hidden bodyguards who, although confused at first, made a sigh of relief after finding her.

*****

The Smeltvers were considered the underdog of the city, once the lower class that only ever refined ores and worked as servants to the blacksmiths, now lived like a king.

It was why they were so beloved in the city, which was propped up even further through their constant charity events and donations. No one would have thought that these very people would be involved in something so heinous.

Such a reputation also gave rise to arrogance among the few members of their family, some of whom turned to debauchery and vice that the city was known to provide. Members were considered the black sheep of the family.

And the Dwarf today that Max followed was the same. A young knight with a reputation that was as colorful as his beard.

The importance of the beard in the dwarven family is high, and rarely do they shave it off. Of course, this is one of the old traditions and in this day and age, besides some old families, none give much weight. It was just a sign of a religious person.

And Smeltver’s were one of those families.

’An outlier that most members would like to stay away from, he sends his friends to buy the drugs, while going to the brothel from time to time.’ The problem with these kinds of people was always the same.

Their life had no schedule, they didn’t do anything and all of their actions were driven by sudden urges that came to them. ’He can’t even walk, and actually seems like an addict.’ Ignoring the guards that were watching the back of this young master as he roamed the market, his eyes red and body smelling of piss.

Max knew that the chance of this being the one proxy might be high. ’That is if they are truly behind it.’

There was a reason he had chosen this man as the first target, based on all the rumors he had heard beforehand, this man was the most protected by the family, while also living the life of a wastrel.

An act highly looked down upon among the dwarven family. It was taken so seriously that countless adult dwarves were kicked out and then found home in the Gutters.

So why was not someone like Mackal Smeltver given such special treatment?

Just because he was a knight?

No, something was wrong here and he intends to find the truth. And besides, those with such an erratic schedule will be the only ones whose absence won’t be noticed among the family.

*****

"How is your side doing?"

"None yet, followed a total of two till now, with the addition of someone from your list around three times. Which was going to happen like it was their father. What about you?"

"Just one, Mackal. He is the most likely suspect. Hence I am going to follow him for two more days after it. Will go back to the list." Max was tired, he rarely got a sleep and the last time he did was two days ago and that was outside of Mackal’s bedroom.

For some reason, he believes that it is Mackal and no one else. And besides, depending on his previous research, the lower you go in a list, the lesser the chances of them being their target.

’She is waiting for me..."

With some broken thoughts in his mind, he left his safe house after eating some dinner. A hunt takes time and he believes it won’t take long before Mackal gives away the truth. Otherwise, he can just move on to the next and do it until number five on his list and that will be it.

That was his plan. It was when he decided to ask me for clarification and I will name who the target truly is.

But that kind of information will have a price and not the general kind where Max has to kill someone. And besides, I have already given him the truth, it’s his fault for not believing my words. Delaying so much in the process.

But at the end of the day, this was to be expected of a human. Among them, the good ones doubt everything. Including their own blood.

If only he had done the same.