Chapter 199

Chapter 199<~> Chapter 199

The building our guest rooms were in had a large central meeting space on the first floor with stairs that led to a balcony overlooking it. Everyone was seated around a large rectangular table by the time I had returned with Cecilia, though most of our gear had already been put into our rooms. Everyone was notably still wearing their armor and combat outfits though. Before we sat down Cecilia pointed up at my room in case I wanted to put down my things but I decided against it for now. Everyone looked far too ready to begin the conversation.

The only ones not present at the table were the two new pantharians and the agent who freed her, Kerling, I think her name was. Bella and Mimi were seated with an empty chair to their right and the twins were seated with an empty chair to their left, leaving an obvious spot for me to sit between them. Across from my chair was Silva then Lorriene and Talis on her right, Raya and Sibyl had an empty chair for Cecilia on the left. As tired as everyone was, it seemed like everyone was itching for this discussion at long last.

I sat down and patted Morrigan's leg. The twins were still wearing their maid uniforms. I wasn't sure if it would be a good idea to suggest replacing them with something else or not, they had taken pride in being my 'servants' but they were free now. I sighed, my mind was wandering because I didn't want to face what was in front of me... Silva.

"So..." Silva said. "I suppose this conversation has been a long time coming."

I nodded. "There's a lot to talk about but the first thing we should start with is probably the Order of Lilith, who they are and what they do. I'm concerned about them being a demon worshipping cult but I'm also not keen to take the Tamin church's word for anything. Especially after what I'd learned today at the Library."

I got a few interested glances from some of the people nearby, including Talis, but I decided that it could wait for now. What was most important to me was hearing about the Order and whether or not I could trust Lorriene and Silva right now.

Silva leaned back on her chair and tapped her fingers on the table in front of her. "Before we start, I suggest we use a [Zone of Silence], if there was ever a time for it, that would be now."

I nodded and threw the spell up around us, contouring it to the rug that surrounded the table in the middle of the room. The sudden lack of sound from outside the spell was still slightly unnerving but a good confirmation that it was working as intended.

Silva nodded. "I suppose I should start then. As I told Lilith after I killed the king earlier today, I am an assassin for the Order of Lilith and I have been one since shortly after I originally left my hometown. The story I told all of you about my past is true but I glossed over the fact that the one who gave me the tools to actually do my job properly was the Order of Lilith."

"If you properly did your job, why did you get caught?" Sibyl asked.

Silva laughed. "Mmm, well, there was one other detail I did lie about. The noble I had killed and was arrested for was not the one that had gotten my family killed. I killed that one more than ten years ago shortly after my training concluded. Getting caught for the most recent one was actually intentional, Baron Morrister was also a member of the Order, and coming in as a crime slave was cover to protect his family. Some nobles wouldn't allow me to accompany him on things like trips in their presence without being a collared slave. It's unfortunately the exact ones he would have been forced to deal with had he continued to live. For reasons that will probably seem evident in retrospect, he no longer could trust hiring other bodyguards he didn't know and my cover as a crime slave along with some planted history gave me a solid cover he could show people. It was too little too late however. Shortly after I came into his service the castle was attacked and he had forgone my protection for his daughter."

"Who is now in the custody of the Northern Greens," Cecilia said.

"Yes," Silva replied.

Bella shook her head. "But I still don't understand. Why was it Amphores that had attacked Goldenhearth in the first place?"

Silva shrugged. "I'm still not sure actually. It was the reason why I was so interested in returning there and looking for leads. Their goals don't make sense to me."

Lorriene gasps. "You were born a demon but you're not one anymore! That's why no one suspects you of being that Lilith! You rejected them and became a demon slayer!"

Silva cut in. "And in Goldenhearth, she did the same transformation she gave me to nearly everyone in the brothel that Raya and Sibyl are from. Empowering and lifting them from the lowest caste of society to potentially one of the most powerful organizations in Goldenhearth overnight. She did all of this without any knowledge of our version of the prophecy. That is what convinced me, it was more than the changes she gained for herself in the middle of one of the orgies there."

"So that means..." Lorriene whispered while looking at Morrigan and Torien. "My nieces are among Goddess Lilith's slave wives..."

I reached over and grabbed Morrigan's hand. "No. I found them as slaves but they aren't my slaves any longer. I protect them because they're my family now, not because they're my slaves. And I probably don't need to point this out but I'm not a Goddess yet either."

Silva cleared her throat. "And Torien isn't Lilith's lover..."

My brow furrowed when Torien gave her an irritated look, I'm not sure what to make of that. I'll need to ask her about it soon.

Lorriene was now mumbling to herself and her eyes were darting back and forth as she looked down at the table. Suddenly she jumped up. "Silva! We need to talk to Sophin! This changes things!"

Silva chuckled. "I know Lori, relax. We have time."

Torien's fists clenched. "How do you know my aunt anyway?"

Lorriene looked over awkwardly and Silva nearly looked like she had been slapped, caught completely off guard by the amount of hostility in Torien's voice.

After a moment of quiet, it was Lorriene that answered. "Silva and I trained together and took on targets together..." She hesitated.

"And we were once lovers before we had a falling out," Silva finished for her.

This time it was Torien who looked like she had been slapped. She stood up from her chair and quickly walked up the stairs and into the room that had been set aside for me.

I was about to get up to follow her but Morrigan grabbed my arm and pulled me back down. "Let her go for now. This is one of those times where she needs a little bit of space," Morrigan said sadly.

Silva had a frown on her face and was looking at the empty chair where Torien had sat. I sighed heavily and scratched the base of my horn. Things were deteriorating a bit.