The God of Jesters
Chapter 705 - 11.02.4 Don’t run away precious mage.

Chapter 705: 11.02.4 Don’t run away precious mage.

Mystic Blue Blood, a drink not so popular due to its odd color and unrefined nature, more so in a bar of such a caliber where the mercenaries and slavers came to blow off some money. So why would such a cheap drink be here?

Obviously, it was a code word, specifically the subsequent lines spoken by the guard who was alone at the moment and the old woman who was not a familiar face to Darde, but this didn’t make him curious.

This is a good thing for him, a good opportunity to use this woman as his entrance towards Lady Emira’s room.

But the issue was the hand gesture of the woman who had her hands behind her back. ’Come?’ It was a gesture that only he could see from his specific angle, and the way her hands moved, the intent was obvious.’She knows me... but why is she helping me?’ He tried to gleam for answers, her clothes the sealed sword scabbard that was rarely used these days, and a small pistol on her belt that only held four bullets. Old stuff, barely holding on with times, but obviously used and seen experience. Completely opposite of the woman’s own hands. ’The face might have scars, but those hands.’

Due to his background, Darde was used to noticing what others would overlook, for a swordswoman and even a mercenary, the face did work, but the hands she so gladly showed to him in order to urge him to come with her. It was obvious.

’She is under a guise as well.’ The intentions of both parties were similar. The woman might have noticed his arrival at the bar early on, noticed the chaos he caused, and hence intended to use him as her pawn. ’Devious.’ This much was evident even without the fact that she was under a guise.

But what irked him the most was the arrogance. ’I can’t deny we can work together.’ For this one, even if it places him in danger, Darde needs to learn the answer, he needs to know who was the real target, even if it doesn’t make sense to some.

And face it, this option was far better than his original one, which mostly amounted to closing in on the guard and giving him a psychic shock strong enough to incapacitate him for a few seconds.

Long enough for him to undo enough of the restrictions and traps in the hallway, that he would, could use as leverage to close in on the room.

Something that would have a price and leave him further weakened when facing the opponents that might exist on the other side of the room, which to this day he knows nothing of.

A sign of how incompetent and unrealized this simple plan of Darde was, he rushed here without the ability to achieve much, all driven by the desire to ensure his family’s safety.

A highly stupid decision fuelled by emotions.

And in such a situation, no matter what this imposter might have planned for him. Darde chose to take it.

So he moved as she moved, and when he came into light, the guard noticed his odd movements before the oddity of how he had gone unnoticed by him got into his mind.

But, it was already too late.

Swip~, before the man can ask who it was from the woman, something struck his neck. An attack that felt like a mosquito bite, something he hadn’t experienced since childhood, which is why the man was more appalled and surprised by the pain as he looked at the woman. "Who?" He wanted to ask, but his body was paralyzed and started to fall down, which the woman couldn’t afford.

But at this time, Darde had rushed over, holding the man’s body from falling over and then looking at the woman. "I don’t intend to be used by you... but for now, we can work together." Darde spoke, without much change in his emotion, as a way to display his professional courtesy to the woman.

Their goal aligned to a certain extent, so let’s work together on this goal.

Or so he wanted to convey, but in part of his mind, some gears have started to move. ’That movement...’ Although he can’t say for certain, it was the same familiar poison he had seen this morning. ’Co-incidence? In a day?’ Such luck, It’s as if the heavens were moving the gears to make him realize something.

’A sign?’ He recalled his sister’s words. ’There is no coincidence when it comes to our family.’ It was a regular word that came out of her mouth. Even his grandfather seemed to have said the same before his death, but he had little memory of that figure to begin with.

So he moved, his hand bizarrely moving as he made a simple slice on the man’s neck with his hidden blade.

Something that surprised the woman next to him, who seemed surprised by this action, before she held herself back from saying anything.

She just went ahead and opened the door.

’Didn’t take the bait?’ Although his priorities were still on the family, Darde still tested some waters, if it was the same woman from before, for ritual purposes, she probably wouldn’t let an Adept-level material go to waste so easily, would she?

But she didn’t do it, she let him go and moved towards her target. Darde followed, feeling little to no remorse for his kills.

An odd situation however one looks considering that most of Darde’s background was pretty open for all to see. And even though he worked among the dead while dealing with all kinds of unsavory figures, it didn’t mean he used force in any of those situations.

He was not an investigator, nor a Knight or police. He had no reason to participate in such dangerous activities.

But for some reason, killing came to him naturally. He killed as if blinking an eye, without remorse or guilt at all.

And so he moved, not even bothering to look at the dead man, and he walked into the office. However, what was found was a series of stairs instead of the office. ’Ah... troublesome.’

Darde felt it the moment he stepped onto the stairs, "A mage is here, already aware of our actions... guess we tripped." Darde spoke, his steps turning into a rush as he moved, ignoring the sounds that came beside him and even one that penetrated his shoulder. Some traps were here and sounds of movements can already be heard down below.

It’s why, Darde ignored the pain and injuries, he needs to reach down below. And the woman behind him? Looked at Darde tripping traps and even incurring injuries, she let him go. It’s easier if he takes out some of their forces before she strikes.

’But a mage... that can be troublesome.’ So she moved as well. Right at the entrance of the door where two Apprentice Knights were ready with their guns, while the third, was under Darde’s arm who used him as a shield causing the other two to stop. "Don’t kill her until I get my answers," Darde spoke, his voice ice-cold, while causing the surrounding air to twist and turn under the psychic energies that were affected by his mental state at the moment.

’What is this man?’

The woman had little reason to continue this conversation, it was good as long as he kept these three occupied and she dealt with the one that just ran away.

So she rushed toward the door, expecting more traps, which there were... but they could be ignored as the figure she was after was also not so far. And it was just one. "So lady Emira was a mage?" That was the conclusion she came to before throwing a small blade at her, causing the blade to deflect and fall down.

A sign of an anti-projectile barrier surrounding her. One of the basic and most common spells that m