Chapter 32 - 31 - Valar Morghulis (3)
Clang!
The sound of metal clashing against metal echoed through the air. Sparks flew around with a fleeting, faint fire. The dagger had an intricate black reflection on its short blade. A faint, nauseating smell of fish hung around the dagger.
Maekar spun his sword and swung it in a vertical slash. The Faceless assassin flipped backward with an ease that would shame any Olympic athlete.
Holding the sword with both hands, Maekar circled the assassin like a wolf circling its prey. His violet eyes were focused and sharp, always fixed on the small enemy figure.
While Maekar fought the Faceless assassin, some brave, or foolish, depending on how you look at it, onlookers remained at a distance, watching the battle as if they were watching a play.
Maekar didn’t care about the crowd around him; he lunged forward and shot toward the Faceless assassin.
Myria surprisingly did not retreat; she advanced and, with a quick movement, spun her body in the air in a spiral. Her hand’s dagger danced, humming as the blade tore through the air.
Maekar, with his perfect body control, used all his muscles at once, generating a slight push to the side to dodge the dagger. The sword he held with both hands lunged forward without any hesitation.
A trail of blood splattered in the air. A vertical cut tore across the young girl’s face, which surprisingly revealed another face, as if she had two layers of faces at once.
The assassin rolled on the ground and put her hand to her face. Under Maekar’s calm eyes, she tore the mask from her face, revealing a much older visage than she had previously appeared. She seemed to be in her thirties, her face marked by freckles and not at all beautiful, with deformities in her features.
She was a dwarf.
"Abandoned orphans have always been the best targets for people with ambitions; we can take care of them, and they will be eternally grateful after some brainwashing," Maekar spoke, swinging his sword, and the blood on the blade flicked onto the ground.
Maekar himself had done something similar in his spy organization, the Blood Children. No matter the world, orphans whom no one cares about and who are invisible in society are always the best targets.
However, Maekar at least gave these boys and girls a life. Besides being spies or even assassins, they had a life outside his organization. Perhaps that was why their loyalty to him was so great.
However, that was only for Maekar; other people used orphans and beggars as if they were disposable things. There was a reason why there were so few Faceless assassins. Those who couldn’t pass their tests didn’t need to exist.
Myria didn’t answer; there was no reason to speak during a fight. Talking too much often causes one’s death. Unfortunately, Myria found no opening in her target’s stance, which she found completely unbelievable.
She wondered if she herself was the target and Maekar the Faceless assassin. The target’s body control was so insane that she, a Faceless assassin, felt she was far inferior to him. At least in terms of body control.
Seeing that he couldn’t distract the woman, Maekar rolled his eyes. Unlike other assassins, the Faceless Men were truly professional.
"I thought you were supposed to retreat when you couldn’t complete the mission," Maekar said, circling the assassin again. He whispered, "When I return, I will make sure every ship going to Braavos is searched. The gold that was promised to your organization will never reach the House of Black and White."
Myria narrowed her eyes and showed a dangerous smile for the first time. She looked at Maekar as if she were looking at a corpse. A cold, raspy, and even harsh voice sounded. "Do you think you are the first to think of that? Those who tried now find themselves on the ground with their families dead."
Maekar showed no fear; he even laughed. He saw anger for the first time in this woman. However, Maekar had to admit she was right. If he did what he said earlier, he would have to endure the wrath of the entire House of Black and White.
And with the ability of these organizations to change faces, living in constant caution since anyone could be a Faceless assassin, seemed, honestly, like a rather unnecessary risk. However, Maekar was not someone who was afraid of rats.
"If you do that, I swear, I will burn the House of Black and White, and no matter where you rebuild, I will burn everything until you finally never dare think of being hired again," Maekar spoke with a smile.
It was mutual destruction.
Myria remained silent, not out of fear, but because Maekar was right. The House of Black and White needed clients. What client would trust them to assassinate someone important if their residence was constantly being burned down?
Besides being the perfect assassins, the other reason they were so famous was that they dared to show their own headquarters in plain sight. What other assassin organization would do something like that?
So, just as they could destroy Maekar’s life, Maekar could also destroy their reputation and pride.
Myria didn’t think about it any further, as it was no longer necessary. Just as Maekar wouldn’t do it, the House of Black and White wouldn’t either. It was better for both sides to let things be personal and not involve larger issues.
Setting the thoughts aside, Myria attacked without any hesitation, and Maekar defended against all the consecutive attacks with a calm and cold expression.
Clang!!! Clang!!! Clang!!! Clang!!!
Maekar’s sword spun around his body according to the attacks; sparks bloomed as the two blades, one smaller and one larger, constantly clashed.
Suddenly, the sound of fast, heavy footsteps sounded not far away. Men wearing gold cloaks and polished armor were running toward Maekar and the assassin.
"Form a circle around the prince!!!" the middle-aged man roared to the rest of the Gold Cloaks, who surrounded Maekar and protected him.
Myria, seeing this, frowned imperceptibly; she knew she had to retreat. This was a problem because if Maekar was already being targeted for assassination before, he would now certainly be suspicious of everyone, which makes the advantages of the Faceless Men somewhat useless.
Not to mention that Myria had discovered that Maekar was a more than exceptional fighter; the advantages of her training practically ceased to exist while she fought Maekar.
Suddenly, Myria’s vision blurred, and she felt all the figures before her double. In an instant, she came to the conclusion that she had been poisoned. But that was impossible! One of her trainings was poison resistance!
Falling to her knees with an incredulous expression, Myria’s body slumped to the ground while her face was turned to the side, staring at Maekar, protected by the Gold Cloaks.
Maekar approached her, and from a meter away, he knelt and spoke with a smile. "You should be more careful when approaching someone. In the Riverlands, there are many colorful frogs that commoners and nobles don’t even dare approach."
Just as Tyrion in the future was a master of poison, Maekar was too. In a world full of conspiracies and assassinations, where poison was common, he didn’t dare not specialize in such an area.
In any case, since he didn’t need to train with any weapon to be a master of each of them because of Lancelot’s Eternal Arms Mastery from Fate, he had plenty of free time.
Myria’s eyes widened; it was almost common knowledge that no one important really touched poison, as it was associated with many bad things, much less a member of royalty like Maekar.
"Don’t be afraid; you won’t die. I need you alive to put on a good show," Maekar said with a smile.
"Valar morghulis, Miss Faceless Assassin."
Those were the last words as Myria’s consciousness fell into darkness. She was still completely incredulous as to how poison could still work on her.
Maekar hoisted the faceless assassin onto his horse, Cadoc, as if she were a sack of potatoes. Ignoring the fearful stares of the Gold Cloaks and the crowd, he settled into the saddle and rode toward the Red Keep.
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Read my other books:
House of The Dragon: The Pale Prince
Game Of Thrones: The God-Emperor of Planetos
Percy Jackson: Godwyn the Golden.
Game Of Thrones: The King’s Court Wizard