Chapter 176: Assassination

With a single command, Soft detonated the charge and made his escape. Needless to say, Suna and the Little Wolf Princess moved with incredible speed, and even Vinigo himself possessed enough agility to slip away before the Marzans could pursue him.

Watching the furious Alepos, Vinigo offered a cunning smile.

He departed, leaving behind Zagu—whose physical energy was entirely exhausted, causing it to "die" once more. The parasite would perish shortly, leaving behind nothing more than a genuinely ruined corpse.

The official "truth" left behind by Vinigo was that the Snow Leopard tribe leader had been killed while attacking the Alepo tribe, and had subsequently died from severe injuries.

This fabricated "truth" sowed a dangerous seed, giving the Marzans the impression that mutual plunder was a viable way to make a living.

If the heavily stricken Alepo tribe wanted to avoid starvation, they would need food supplies. Lacking the strength to assault the heavily defended Icewind Town, they would inevitably turn their sights on weaker neighboring tribes...

Repeating the same tactic, Vinigo blasted another tribe's grain cellar into ruins.

Once all of this was accomplished, Vinigo felt a surge in his own supernatural abilities. This unscientific power, defying all rational explanation, had finally reached Level 42.

Leading the Prism Mercenary Corps, he returned to Icewind Town.

Ross was waiting for him.

"Just as you wished, the Alepo and Snow Lion tribes will likely demand that the other Marzan tribes launch a joint attack on Icewind Town. I'm waiting to see your performance," Vinigo said. "If the other tribes refuse and fail to provide sufficient relief... internal strife is just around the corner."

"You are being far too optimistic," Ross replied. "The chieftains of the Marzan tribes have already reached a consensus to spare a portion of their food for those two tribes."

"A mere drop in the bucket," Vinigo scoffed. "What I mean is, this tiny cup of milk cannot save a thirsty traveler. After drinking this drop, they will only crave more."

"The Alepos and Snow Lions do not possess the strength to move against other tribes; their losses were substantial," Soft said, looking at Ross with a strange expression.

He deeply resented Ross for betraying dozens of his brothers at the Snowball Outpost, yet at this moment, he was forced to assist Ross for the sake of the royal family's interests.

"Then let the others annex those two tribes. In any case, we only need them to start the precedent. Whenever something like this happens in the future, there will be a playbook to follow," Vinigo chuckled.

"Kisha mentioned that you used some sort of... evil weapon during the attack on the Alepo tribe," Ross said suddenly, fixing his gaze on Vinigo as if a single wrong answer would prompt him to place him under arrest.

Vinigo remained completely unconcerned. While Ross commanded an army, he could not easily make a move against him. Firstly, in a close-quarters confrontation, Vinigo's personal strength vastly outmatched anything Ross could mobilize; secondly, Vinigo had backers of his own, and Ross—a loyal lapdog of the royal family—would not want to needlessly create too many enemies for Her Majesty the Queen at this juncture.

"Just some shoddy experimental trinket I picked up during my travels," Vinigo shrugged in explanation. "A single-use product with as many flaws as advantages. Fortunately, it wasn't too expensive, though the raw materials are hard to come by."

Ross let out an "oh," and lost interest.

"From here on out, it's mostly going to be large-scale warfare. My role is largely finished, so shall I take my leave?" Vinigo asked.

Ross was about to agree when he suddenly perked up his ears. Outside the door, was there a faint commotion?

Sir Scagmon had been attacked! Two assassins had nearly eliminated Scagmon's elite vanguard—consisting of twenty elite swordsmen and ten elite marksmen—and gravely wounded Duke Scagmon himself. Had Sir Stone not happened to be nearby and cast a powerful divine healing spell in time, the honorable knight would already be ready for a memorial service.

Two assassins? Vinigo let out an "oh."

Most likely, they were those fearless members of the Hellfire Brotherhood: Ruin, the Lady of Annihilation, and Demis, the Axe of the End.

"Does this incident impact the royal family's image?" Vinigo asked Ross. "How about I investigate this matter while you focus on dealing with the Marzans?"

After a brief hesitation, Ross nodded in agreement. "Kisha will accompany you as my representative. Bring back a convincing result for the High Council."

"You certainly cut straight to the point," Vinigo smiled. "Rest assured, this won't be difficult."

Of course it wasn't difficult. It was akin to a detective story just beginning, only for someone to spoil the ending by telling you the exact identity of the killer.

When Vinigo arrived at the Marksman Citadel outside Icewind Town, Sir Scagmon's guards had surrounded the knight's chambers in tight, heavily guarded layers, treating the situation like an imminent crisis. It was only when Vinigo produced the Iron Fist Castle emblem and Madam Freis's gold coin badge, alongside Kisha bearing Ross's token of authority, that the guards finally cleared the way.

Inside the sickroom, Sir Scagmon's condition was clearly far less severe than imagined.

"Good day, Lord Knight," Vinigo stepped forward to bow. "It appears Lord Stone's healing magic was highly effective."

"What foolish nonsense are you spouting? How could a mere pair of second-rate assassins possibly inflict severe wounds on this lord," Sir Scagmon complained ungraciously.

"Black leather armor, fiery red motifs, spears and greataxes forged from dragonblood wood—am I correct?" Vinigo asked directly.

Sir Scagmon nodded.

"One man and one woman? A muscular brute and a beauty," Vinigo pressed further.

"Their faces were covered so I couldn't see clearly, but their builds... indeed match," Sir Scagmon twitched the corner of his mouth. "That little wench is quite formidable."

"They might as well have 'I am an assassin from the Hellfire Brotherhood' tattooed on their foreheads," Vinigo complained as well. "What on earth do these fellows think they're doing, trying to assassinate a Duke of the High Council!"

"You recognize them?" Sir Scagmon asked.

"Two idiots from the Hellfire Brotherhood," Vinigo nodded. "Their combat prowess is formidable, but their brains seem somewhat lacking... My Lord, how do you intend to handle this matter?"

"Naturally, I shall lodge a formal protest with Her Majesty the Queen," Scagmon bellowed. "The assassins emerged from the forces of Ross Talia! The royal army! The royal family must bear responsibility for this."

"Lord Knight, although my status is far inferior to yours, I believe our relationship is reasonably good?" Vinigo asked in a lowered voice.

Sir Scagmon nodded. He spat on the floor and said, "I am merely an archer of humble birth, who climbed to this position through military exploits. Unlike them, I have always been well aware that I lack a grand foundation and cannot fathom intricate politics. That's why I've always thought highly of your brutes—you remind me so much of myself back in the day..."

*And the fact that I've done quite a few things for you is the real point here...* Vinigo thought to himself.

"Because our relationship is decent, I dare to offer a bold suggestion: Why not let the royal family have this victory, and in exchange, demand certain compensations from them? Under the pretext of volatile and uncertain border conditions, how about demanding an increased economic subsidy for Icewind Town, as well as an expansion of the standing garrison?"

Sir Scagmon continued to nod without speaking.

"However, this matter must not be blown out of proportion, otherwise the royal family might seize the opportunity to spread word that your strength is inadequate to secure the border. They could gradually diminish your control here and strip away your military command. Personally, I believe that possibility is quite high."

"My Lord, you really ought to find an advisor to help you weigh these matters," Vinigo chuckled wryly. "How about this: hand this affair over to Lord Stone; surely he knows better how to deal with Her Majesty the Queen?"

"He would just swallow all the benefits for himself. That sanctimonious holy man," Scagmon grunted.

"In that case, leave it to Madam Freis," Vinigo suggested. "While that lady is somewhat greedy, her prices are clearly marked, and she won't resort to backstabbing tricks."

Sir Scagmon nodded in agreement.

"Naturally, Madam Freis will certainly leverage this situation to secure some benefits for herself; I hope Your Grace can extend your support to her as well," Vinigo murmured softly.

The two conversed for a while—though for the most part, it was Vinigo talking and Sir Scagmon listening. Yet it was abundantly clear that the knight intended to follow Vinigo's counsel.

As a parting gift, Sir Scagmon presented Vinigo with a recurve bow and a quiver of arrows, all rare, high-end goods rarely seen on the open market. The arrows, in particular, had all been blessed with Lord Stone's divine magic, and a single one of them was worth enough to purchase the full equipment of an entire heavy infantry squad.

"Master Little Fox, you didn't hold anything back from me at all. Is it really alright to speak ill of Her Majesty the Queen right to my face? I am, after all, one of Lord Ross's subordinates," Kisha asked urgently the moment they stepped out of the Marksman Citadel.

"When did I ever speak ill of Her Majesty!" Vinigo shot her a glare. "Besides, didn't I stabilize Lord Scagmon and keep him from making a fuss, exactly as Ross requested?"

"But the deal you proposed..." Kisha asked, confused. "Is it really fine even if I report this to Lord Ross?"

"Since I dared to say it right in front of you, naturally it is fine," Vinigo scoffed. "Even if you don't say anything, Ross can deduce some of it. Once Scagmon acts upon my advice, Ross will naturally see through it."

Vinigo did not understand politics very well, so his approach was direct: he simply put a clear price tag on the situation, teaming up with Madam Freis to conduct a business transaction with the royal family. That was all.

"Next up is giving Demis and Ruin a thorough thrashing so that Sir Scagmon can vent his spleen," Vinigo said with a dangerous smile, patting Kisha on the shoulder. "The tracking part is naturally up to you, is it not, Ranger Kisha?"

"I haven't seen them," the ranger shook her head.

"A red-robed beauty with silver-white hair, and a fierce-looking, bulky man in armor," Vinigo explained. "Well, surely they wouldn't still be lingering in Icewind Town."

"Though I wanted to say no, based on your description, those two over there..." Kisha began, already unlacing the marksman's bow from her back and nocking an arrow.

Vinigo did not stop her. Keeping his hands behind his back, he settled in to watch the show.

Vinigo was not entirely certain of the extent of Kisha's strength, but since it took both the Little Wolf Princess and Suna working together quite some effort to defeat her, it was clear that this plain-looking female ranger possessed formidable combat capabilities.