Chapter 180: The Assassination 1

The festival had gone late. Back at the guest residence, Tanaka could still hear music coming from far away. Lanterns of mana floated gently above the roof tops. Their light was beginning to fade as the tired merchants shut their stalls. Tanaka couldn’t sleep.

He leaned against the window. He was still in his human form. He was thinking about the person he had felt during the party. They had been very good at hiding their mana. He hadn’t been able to track them down before they vanished into the busy city. Raizen was curled up against the opposite wall.

"You should get some sleep." "I will." "You said that an hour ago." Tanaka glanced over his shoulder. "There was someone watching us." "There were thousands of people." "No. Not like this." Raizen raised his head.

Tanaka looked out across the dark city. The presence hadn’t felt like a threat. It wasn’t strong enough to be a threat. Which was actually worse. They had been watching the rulers very carefully. Careful people rarely move unless they have a reason.

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Across Varghelm, Lady Mereth Raukhan had returned to her home. It was in the academy district. It was protected by a stone wall and several Tigerfolk servants. It wasn’t very big compared to the other major ruler’s estates, but few commoners would be able to afford anything like it. Mereth walked in without speaking.

Her mood was immediately picked up on by her servants. One stepped forward. "Your lordship. Lord Tavren has sent another message." Mereth halted. Her tiger ears flicked back slightly. "When?" "During the festival." "Where is it?" The servant handed over a sealed letter with a roaring tiger symbol.

Mereth stared at the seal. Her family name held quite a lot of weight. Most people in Varghelm didn’t realise how much. Raukhan was not just a rich Tigerfolk family. The ruling family of the Tiger Clans. Her eldest brother, Lord Tavren Raukhan ruled over the main Tigerfolk lands under the authority of the Wolf Crown.

He had been present at the gathering but hadn’t been trying to gain attention like Aldren, Garrath or Queen Elowen. Mereth had tried to distance herself from her brother over the years. It wasn’t because they didn’t like each other. It was because they didn’t agree on much. Tavren believed their family should serve the Tiger Clans.

Mereth preferred business. She had invested in several places in the academy, merchant houses and private contracts. Some of them had been successful. However, others hadn’t. House Velmire was one of those. Mereth broke the seal. It was just a few sentences.

"We need to talk before I leave Varghelm. The Foxfolk have found several merchant contracts with your name on. Don’t destroy anything." Mereth’s expression hardened. She folded up the letter. "Where’s Lynessa?" The servant hesitated. "She hasn’t returned." Mereth’s eyes narrowed. "Again?" "She went to the festival." "I know."

Mereth walked over to the stairs. "If she returns, send her straight to me." "Yes my lady." Mereth walked up the stairs. The servant was left behind. A few seconds passed. A creak echoed from somewhere in the house. The servant looked down the corridor. "Your lady?" No reply.

---

Lynessa returned to the academy district just before dawn. Her feet ached. Her ears drooped from tiredness but she was smiling. She had spent the whole night with people who hadn’t made her feel like a burden. Tanaka had spoken to her normally. Nira had been kind to her and even Sora had insisted she tried several foods from the festival despite Lynessa protesting she couldn’t afford them.

She had completely forgotten about the collar around her neck for several hours. However, when she arrived at Mereth’s house her smile faded. The servants door was unlocked. Whilst this wasn’t unusual as the morning staff often arrived early, Lynessa had used this door for years when returning late from errands. What was unusual was that there was no noise.

No cooking from the kitchen. No chatter from the servants. No foot steps from above. Lynessa walked in. "Hello?" No reply. She smelt blood. Her ears perked up. There was a slight smell of blood coming from upstairs. Her fear told her to run but she hurried over to the stairs.

"Mistress?" No reply. She climbed the stairs carefully. As she reached the small corridor leading to the servants rooms she looked up to see the door to Mereth’s private room slightly ajar. Lynessa froze. This door was almost never left open. Mereth kept her financial records, contracts and family documents in here.

Only three people should have keys. Mereth herself, the steward and the head servant. Lynessa knew this as she had been told many times not to enter without permission. "Mistress?" Lynessa pushed the door open further. She gasped. Lynessa looked over to see Lady Mereth lying next to her desk.

Blood had seeped underneath her body and soaked the edge of the carpet. A short ceremonial knife was sticking out of her chest. Several papers had fallen off the desk as if she had struggled. Lynessa couldn’t move. "M... Mistress?" No reply. Lynessa hurried forward. A broken cup rolled under her foot.

It echoed around the room. "Who’s there?" Two Tigerfolk guards appeared in the doorway. One was still putting part of his armour on. The other had his sword drawn. They both stopped when they saw Mereth. They then looked at Lynessa who was close to the body. The older guard spoke first. "Don’t move."

Lynessa’s eyes widened. "I didn’t..." The second guard rushed forward and knelt beside Mereth. He put two fingers to her neck. Nothing. His expression changed. "She’s dead." Lynessa stared. "No." The older guard stepped forward. "Stay away from the body." "I just found her." "Stay away."

Lynessa did as told. The guard grabbed her wrist and pulled her back whilst the second guard searched the room. "What happened?" "I don’t know!" "When did you enter?" "Just now?" "Which door?" "The servants door." The second guard looked up. "That should have been locked after midnight."

Lynessa froze. "What?" "The festival ran late so the steward told everyone to lock all the outside doors as most of the servants were let go for the night." "I didn’t know." The first guard’s expression hardened. "So how did you get in?" "It was unlocked." Neither replied.

The second guard continued to search. He found no broken windows. No broken locks. Nothing to suggest anyone had forced their way in. He looked at Mereth’s desk. One drawer was open. "The private ledger is missing." The first guard looked at Lynessa. She immediately shook her head. "I don’t know anything about that." "Who else came in?" "No one!"

The second guard stepped forward. "Search her." Lynessa took a step back. "Why?" "Because Lady Mereth is dead. The house should have been locked and you’re in her private room." Lynessa stopped fighting. The older guard carefully searched Lynessa. Nothing unusual was found. However, his fingers stopped when he reached the small pouch tied to her waist belt.