Chapter 19: Sinister Intent
Without Fairy Lith's explicit permission, Lordi Payne didn't dare flaunt her name recklessly.
After all, though Hugo Payne had said it was Kinson Wexford's voice transmission that ordered him into the outer sect, Fairy Lith had personally commanded him—right before reaching the Square of Eternal Severance—to master the Blood Fiend Blade Art within ten days. If she didn't intend to keep him in the sect, why bother giving him that order then?
Clearly, his entry into the sect was her decision, but she'd let Kinson Wexford relay it—likely to avoid any public ties to him.
Lordi Payne wasn't about to risk igniting Fairy Lith's wrath at a time like this. He quickly replied, "Senior brother Chou, you've got it wrong. I come from humble roots—how could I claim familiarity with Fairy Lith? I'm just lucky Brother Wexford didn't brush me off."
"No need to sell yourself short, Junior Brother," Lee Sagwon said, his smile unwavering. "Everyone knows Brother Wexford's always been deferential to Fairy Lith. Out on a mission, without her highness's nod, how would he dare bring you back on his own?"
"Maybe it's because Fairy Lith stayed a few days in my clan's guest courtyard," Lordi Payne deflected. "So when Senior Brother Kinson Wexford brought me along, she didn't mind? But my entry into the sect was his call."
Lee Sagwon's expression shifted subtly. Suddenly, he pointed at the Blade of Life Hater. "That knife of yours looks familiar, Junior Brother."
Lordi Payne didn't hide it. "It was a gift from Senior Brother Wexford."
"So it is the Blade of Life Hater!" Miu Toanh, whose eyes had been darting to it repeatedly, couldn't hold back. "Back in the day, Kinson Wexford bragged about being unbeatable in the outer sect—hah, wasn't it all thanks to that blade? They say it's razor-sharp, and even—"