Chapter 705: Central Meeting [2]

Blood spread across the well-polished marble floor, forming a dark, widening pool beneath the motionless figure at its center.

Standing above the corpse, Sithrus stared at his own reflection.

His eyes carried no emotion. No, nothing as he stared at the pooling blood before him.

Eventually, his eyes closed, and he gently picked up the dark chalice.

Snap!

With a snap of his fingers, the blood on the floor rose and flowed into the chalice. A powerful glow enveloped it, and the metal began to heat, pulsing with energy.

Sithrus brought the Chalice down, staring at his own reflection within the Chalice.

For how long had he been waiting for this moment?

He had long lost count.

No, it was more like, in all the years he had been alive, he had long lost the concept of time.

"...A long time."

This was how long he had waited for this moment.

He didn’t delay it any further.

Seeing the blood in the chalice, Sithrus slowly brought it to his lips and took a sip. The raw, metallic taste clung to his tongue, seeping down his throat as a burning sensation spread from the back of his mouth.

His face twitched as he drank the blood, but he resisted as the burn at the back of his throat intensified.

"....."

What followed the burn was a sudden throb of the mind.

It was faint at first, but by the time a couple of seconds had passed, the pain grew more prominent and Sithrus’s usually collected face started to change.

Black veins started to protrude from the side of his neck, and his entire body started to tremble.

Despite the pain and changes, he remained where he was.

He closed his eyes and managed the pain.

However, despite his best efforts to endure it, the pain only intensified, growing sharper with each passing second. Sweat began to soak his back, clinging to his skin as his body trembled under the strain.

"Kh..."

Despite his best efforts to hold in his groan, one inevitably escaped his lips.

That started a chain reaction as his eyes snapped open and he wobbled back, the muscles in his body starting to give out.

He could feel the blood rejecting him with all its might, smashing against his veins and organs. However, Sithrus remained stubborn and kept the blood inside his body, forcing it to fuse with him.

Blood seeped from the corner of his mouth as he did so, and then as his teeth clenched tightly, he heard it.

"...Your greed knows no bounds, Toren."

The voice he hated the most.

Slowly turning his head, Toren’s gaze fell on the figure standing before him as his entire body trembled.

As his lips parted open, he muttered,

"Emmet..."

***

The Wilshire March was situated on the eastern side of the Empire, ranking among the largest territories, second only to the Duchies in size.

Its position on the large flatlands made it ideal for agriculture, yielding high tax revenues and contributing to its economic strength. As a result, the March was considered one of the most powerful territories in the Empire.

Yet, its greatest strength was also its vulnerability. Surrounded on both sides by two Duchies, the Wilshire March lived under constant pressure. They were an inviting slice of land that the Duchies would eagerly claim if given the chance.

It was for this reason that they had no choice but to slowly expand.

Currently, within the main estate.

"...So you’re saying that it was all a trap set up by the Viscount?"

A soft voice whispered through the confines of the large office. Seated behind a desk, a man with short hair and square glasses looked up. Dressed in a white suit and exuding a scholarly air, his attention locked on the two figures standing before him.

Stepping forward, Captain Albas pressed his hand against his chest and lowered his head.

"That is indeed what happened. I’m sure you must’ve already received the reports."

"...."

The Marquiss merely smiled while looking at the Captain.

Hidden behind those glasses of his, nobody could tell what he was thinking.

An unknown tension rose within the room.

One that was shattered by the Marquis, who picked up his pen and started filling in one of the many documents that were in front of him.

"I’ve received news of what happened a little while ago. Or more like... I’ve been cursed and scolded quite a bit for your inaction. It seems like they think the failure in the operation was due to your inaction." The Marquis chuckled, "I don’t blame either of you for the failure. In fact, I applaud you for not falling for the trap. We could’ve suffered quite a lot of losses had you not chosen to stay back."

All in all, the Marquis didn’t lose much from this operation.

Besides the assassins, who weren’t even his but a hired group, the Marquis was still in good shape.

The same couldn’t be said for the other noble houses.

They not only lost several core powers but also a significant portion of their territory following the Evenus Household’s retaliation.

They were swift and precise with their actions, leaving no room for the Counties to react.

Lost in thought, the Marquis paused, his mind turning to Aldric Evenus. He recalled everything that had transpired. How effortlessly the man had deceived even him, and everyone within the Empire.

’...I used to think that his son was dead, but now I’m not so sure.’

News of Julien’s death had made its way across several large Households. While it wasn’t public news, the top noble houses were aware.

His death was also one of the main reasons why the Marquis acted.

However, looking at things now, he started to doubt whether Viscount Evenus’s son was truly dead or not.

Just thinking about it made him shudder.

’What a terrifying man.’

But despite his fears, a smile graced the Marquis’s features.

"But it makes it all the fun..."

This hadn’t been the first time the Marquis had met someone like this. He didn’t expand his territory to what it was now without encountering his fair share of opponents.

Drumming his fingers against the table, the Marquis’s gaze eventually fell on the letter in front of him.

[Central Meeting]

His fingers paused, and his eyes closed.

There was a very specific reason why they had chosen to attack at this very time. It wasn’t a coincidence that it happened right before the annual Central Meeting.

Opening his eyes, the Marquis looked towards his strategist and Captain.

"Start with the preparations. It will be a long week for the two of you."

***

"I’ve already left you a detailed list of everyone that you need to take note of and what might happen during the meeting. I doubt it will be a very productive one. Considering that our Household is amongst the newest to join, our political influence is much smaller compared to some Counties, or even March’s."

There was only one day left until the meeting, and Noel was currently filling me in on the situation and what and who I needed to look out for.

"...There will be some that will try to help you, but don’t fall for those. Nobody will help you for free."

"I know that much..."

I may not be experienced in this stuff, but it wasn’t like I was stupid. I understood the basics. Furthermore, the Academy wasn’t much different in this regard.

There was a lot of political nonsense there.

Well, at the start...

Everything died down rather quickly after I beat them up, or Aoife did.

’Our year was pretty mild now that I think about it.’

"The moment the meeting begins, much of the Empire’s attention will be drawn to it. Even though they hold power over most of the nobles attending, they still keep a close eye on everyone’s movements. That will be the moment I make my move."

I held my breath upon hearing his words.

’Right, this makes sense. It’s no wonder he hasn’t acted yet.’

"Toren has already begun to absorb your blood. It will take some time for him to fully assimilate into it. In that time, I will try to act as swiftly as possible."

"Mhm."

I nodded slowly, already familiar with the plan.

However, listening to it again, there was something that kept bugging me.

"What if it’s a trap...?"

"Hm?"

Noel raised his brow at me.

I scratched the side of my cheek before elaborating.

"I’m not saying that it is a trap, but don’t you think that Toren might be aware of what you’re planning? You say that he’s quite familiar with the two of us, so shouldn’t he be aware of the fact that we know he might be trying to absorb my blood? He might know that in the time when he’s busy absorbing the blood and can’t act, we’ll be making a move."

"...Maybe."

Noel replied, his face even.

"I’ve already considered this possibility. It is very likely that he knows something and suspects our goal. He might even be aware of the fact that we’re targeting the Emperor."

"Then..."

It still must be done.

Noel replied, a soft smile forming on his lips.

"He is too consumed by lust and power to do anything about it. By the time he absorbs the blood, he’ll think that it won’t matter what we do."

"But what if he suspects that he might fail? The fact that we gave him the blood so willingly—

"It doesn’t matter."

Noel cut me off, turning his attention towards the window where one could overlook the estate, which was now filled with people, as opposed to how it was before.

"Whether he is aware of our plans or not, it doesn’t matter."

The smile on Noel’s face grew softer as he slowly stood up from his seat and adjusted his jacket before heading towards the door.

"I’ve prepared for this moment for a very long time. I’ve calculated all the possible scenarios that might occur, including the possibility of Toren understanding what my plan consists of. In the end, I am prepared for everything."

Noel stopped by the door, pausing as his hand touched the handle.

"...You were like this before, brother. You had a plan for everything. You’re the one I learned this from."

Pulling the handle down, he opened the door and took a step out.

"You shouldn’t worry about me. I know I will succeed. What you need to worry about the most is whether you will be able to handle the pressure in the meeting or not."

Standing up, I looked at his back.

"I’ve handled worse. There will be no issues on my side."

"That’s good..."

And with such words, Noel stepped out of the room.

"...I’ll see you later, brother."

Clank—

The door closed a moment later, engulfing the entire room in silence.

"....."

Standing in the silence, and recalling his last words, for some reason, this felt more like a long goodbye than a see you.

However, despite knowing this, I didn’t stop him.

I knew that I couldn’t stop him.