Royal Blood : Chapter 24 (Patreon)

Chapter 24: The Imperial Magistrate

Scionus’s office was every bit as organized as you’d expect from such an exacting official.

Unfortunately, that meant there weren’t any handy documents declaring his benefactor just sitting out for anyone to find. Whoever sponsored the Magistrate was keeping it close to their chest.

“Can I get a look at the safe?” Nezza poked at the metal tumbler. The safe itself was a large metal edifice bolted to the floor. The design philosophies ran distinctly more magical than I’d expected, with runes carved into its surface and a more cylindrical shape. For all that, it still had a mechanical lock.

Probably so the protective enchantments didn’t come with a built-in weak point.

“Remember the plan.” I shook my head. “We don’t know when he’ll be back.”

She blew out a puff of air. “Yeah, yeah.”

I caught her in dagger form, throwing her so she sank to the hilt above the door to the office. “You set?”

It was harder to communicate over a distance, but I still got a vague sense of readiness. If Scionus wasn’t working for Elysia, he’d probably give it away in short order.

We…might still lose anyway. Being completely honest, I’d won most of my fights by virtue of stabbing people in the neck, and Nezza’s Bite having pretty absurd damage. I had no idea what Magistrate Scionus’s second class was, but if he had some good defensive options, even Nezza sneak attacking him might not be enough.

It felt…cheap though, if I decided I didn’t want to kill the butler, but I wouldn’t extend the same courtesy to his master. Like I was all talk.

And in the privacy of my own thoughts, I could admit I’d talked a big game about being an Assassin since I’d gotten kidnapped. I was gonna take the world by storm, level up by virtue of my own grit, and come back to the palace as a conquering hero.

I snorted. What a joke.

Instead, I hopped up onto the Magistrate’s desk, kicking my heels as I waited.

I didn’t have to wait long.

I heard the sound of a door opening and a pair of footsteps entering the house. I grimaced; the bodyguard. I’d forgotten.

Suddenly my stupid plan seemed even stupider, but it was too late to change tack. I could already hear one of them—hopefully Scionus, coming up the stairs.

If it was the bodyguard, we’d have to play it by ear.

I took a deep breath, hopping off the desk. My hand wrapped around the hilt of a backup knife, hidden behind my back. Here’s hoping at least I walked out of here.

Scionus, complete with his red-trimmed robes of office, walked into the room with a weary expression on his face.

That lasted all until he saw my face.

I felt a sharp prick run down the back of my neck as his skills pierced through my Conceal. I felt it level in the back of my mind, but there were much more important things going on. Scionus knew who I was right now, without a shadow of a doubt.

I tensed as his face went through a dozen different emotions in the span of a few seconds. I almost pulled the trigger and lunged.

But then the man dropped to a knee, ducking his head. “Your highness.” His voice was full of breathless relief. “So it was you after all.” He rose again, a smile breaking out across his features. “The Crown Princess has been looking for you for so long.”

I stared at him for a long moment, looking for any trace of dishonesty. Of course, I doubted I’d be able to see if he was lying. After a moment, I sighed, releasing the grip on my weapon.

When he didn’t immediately cast a spell, I knew he was telling the truth.

“Shit.” I ran a hand through my hair. “I was hoping one of my other siblings sent you.”

Scionus blinked, even as he quickly shut the door behind him. He moved over to the chair next to the door, taking a bottle of brandy off the accompanying table. For all that, he made no move to close distance with me.

I couldn’t tell if I was supposed to be grateful for that.

“Why would that be, your highness?” He was still acting deferential, but there was a hint of confusion in his tone.

“Well, I was sent here to assassinate you, actually,” I said.

He paused. “My manservant, Ellar?”

“Tied up in the cellar.”

He nodded, processing that information. “Well, I suppose I should thank you for your forbearance.” He cleared his throat. “In any case, her highness is the current overseer of Port Royal. If another Prince or Princess had placed their factors in the Port, it would be an act of sabotage.”

Now it was my turn to blink in confusion. “I didn’t hear about that.” I rubbed my forehead. “I didn’t think she was the type to capitalize on my disappearance like that.”

Again, I wasn’t sure how to feel.

Like the rug had just gotten ripped out from under me, more like. I’d come here to kill the guy, after all but convincing myself there was no way he could be working for my sister.

Sure, I was glad that I hadn’t now, but I also felt like a giant idiot.

“The crown princess moved to secure the ports, in order to ensure that you were not taken from Norvusk. She left the search of the interior to the Royal Guard.” He gave me a piercing look. “Though apparently they were looking in all the wrong places.”

I hopped back up on the desk, leaning back on my palms. “Yeah, well, I had my own reasons for not walking up to the nearest guardsman and blabbing my identity. It’s the same reason I won’t be following you back to the palace.”

At that Scionus’s frown deepened. It occurred to me that the man had a lot of frown lines on his face. I imagine his job as an imperial magistrate didn’t give him much cause to smile at all the people who tried to smuggle contraband through his port.

“And why would that be…your highness?”

“There are traitors in the palace.” I shrugged. “The Assassins who kidnapped me confirmed it with their presence, even if my current boss didn’t tell me as much.” At his look of skepticism I added. “What, did you think a bunch of level twenty somethings would be able to sneak past the guard without inside help?”

“I was not myself made aware of the details. My place is here.” The man folded his arms. “And I have the utmost faith that her highness purged such traitors herself.”

“I’m also stuck in an apprenticeship or something.”

That actually gave him pause. “That is more…difficult. Still, I should be able to procure the reagents to break such a contract myself without alerting anyone else, if you are worried about other actors. Your place is in the palace, Prince Alexander, not slumming it with a host of ne’er-do-wells that stole you from your home in the first place.”

At that I paused. I mean, I didn’t doubt that was what he’d been sent here to say, but it made sense. I’d gotten kind of sucked up into my own hype. Wouldn’t it make more sense to go back home, let people with higher levels take care of the assassins?

Hell, now that I’d finally figured out how to level up, it probably wouldn’t even be that bad.

I opened my mouth to agree when a knock came to the door.

“Is there something wrong, my lord?” It was the bodyguard’s voice, deep and gravely. “I heard voices.”

The magistrate looked to me, and I quickly shook my head.

“It’s nothing, Gyeard.” The man rose. “Simply musing to myself, I’ll speak to you later.”

“My lord…”

“Do I make myself clear, Gyeard?” There was a pause after the Scionus’ words.

Then the door opened.

Gyeard was the opposite of his charge. Scionus was a whipcord thin man, dressed in fine robes. Gyeard was built like a shit brick house, with a neck nearly as thick as my waist.

He took one look at me, and then his face twisted into a snarl.

I had just enough time to throw myself backwards off the desk before his mace smashed into it.

“Gyeard!” I heard the magistrate yell, a chair clattering to the floor.

Through the splintered remains off the desk, I saw Gyeard backswing through a shielding spell, before smashing Scionus against the wall with his fist. “Stay out of the way, old man.”

Scionus tried to force himself upright, only for Gyeard to force the man to throw up another shield—he was a light mage, by the looks of it—before all but throwing him out of the room and over the banister.

The best way to deal with mages: take them out right away.

“Now.” Gyeard turned to me, shifting his grip on his mace. “Should have stayed dead, little prince.”

“Ah.” I pushed myself to my feet. “So you were the one they sent to make sure I never showed up again.” Then I charged.

The man’s face twisted into a look of contempt, and for good reason. This wasn’t some low level civilian that had less physical stats than me. He had me thoroughly outclassed and had more actual experience to boot.

He took a step forward, wind wreathing his mace as I aborted my charge, throwing myself to the side as his blow cleaved through the air.

It splintered through the far wall of the room, durability enchantments and all. I was sent spinning, crashing hard into the side of the room.

He turned to face me, tapping his mace against his opposite palm.

Then Nezza dropped from the ceiling onto his shoulders and jammed twin stilettos into his eyes.

The man screamed.

Acting on mad instinct, he ripped Nezza from his back, hurling her at me.

Fucking man must be an Endurance monster.

I caught Nezza out of the air. Gyeard fumbled at his belt for a potion.

My throwing dagger hit the clay flask dead on, the ruby red liquid spilling over his massive fingers. I took two steps forward, jumping off the ruins of the desk.

Gyeard’s blind swing splintered the floor with a hurricane of force.

I soared above it, winds tearing at my cloak.

I slammed Nezza’s Bite home into his temple, his Endurance so high I felt resistance against the blade.

Then it sank home. Three knives in his skull was actually too many.

I jumped clear just in time for him to hit the ground.

You have slain Gyeard Vins (lvl 31)

50 000 exp awarded

You have reached level 16!

10 Stat points awarded

Experience 21 256/ 45 000

For besting a more powerful enemy, you have gained +1 Str
+2048 exp

I staggered as I hit the ground, slumping down amidst the splintered remains of an office.

Just like I thought, with proper planning and a busted soul weapon, I could actually fight people with a second class.

Provided I set up every fight beforehand. I ran my hand down my face as my heart pounded in my ears. A quick glance at my status showed that even though I hadn’t been hit, just the backlash from his blows had been enough to knock off a chunk of my health.

I leaned to the side, and the floor beneath me creaked, but at least it didn’t fall. Would have been the perfect way to end a real roller coaster of a day. Probably wasn’t a good idea to be sitting around waiting for it to collapse, though.

I pushed myself to my feet just in time for Scionus to rush back up the stairs, a skein of light draped over form and a bolt of lightning clenched in his fist.

I could only grin as he stared in abject shock.

“So.” I waved my hand at Gyeard’s body. “You were saying something about traitors?”