Cleaver Of Sin

Chapter 435: Not Rumors But Facts

The meal continued as everyone ate, small talk passing naturally between them while the atmosphere remained calm and refined. The maids and butlers moved gracefully around the table, clearing plates the moment they were finished, replacing cutlery, and ensuring that no glass was left empty. Their movements were practiced and silent, blending into the background like shadows that existed solely to serve. William was asked a few questions regarding his studies and recent activities, which he answered with honesty and proper etiquette, his posture straight and his tone respectful, befitting a noble guest.

’I should ask him about the rumors,’ Asher thought to himself as his eyes briefly shifted toward Baron Whale. There was no chance that a rumor circulating through the territory would escape the Baron’s notice. Nobles, after all, made it their routine to remain informed, especially when the information involved powerful families. Information was a currency in itself, and ignorance was a luxury no lord could afford.

”I have a question, Baron Whale,” Asher spoke calmly, without any trace of urgency. As he did so, his knife cut smoothly through a piece of meat on his plate. He lifted it with his fork and placed it into his mouth with composed elegance, as though the question he was about to ask carried no weight at all.

The Baron arched an eyebrow slightly. Asher had not asked a single question since the meal began, which made the sudden inquiry stand out. ”What might that be, Tenth Sun?” he asked. His tone was polite and open; if the matter was something within his knowledge, he saw no reason to withhold it.

Asher did not hesitate. ”When we returned from the mission, at the territory gate, I overheard some commoners speaking about Wargrave rumors,” he said evenly. ”However, I wasn’t able to gain any concrete information on what those rumors were.” He paused, setting his fork down gently as his purple eyes lifted from his plate and met the Baron’s red ones. ”I am certain that as the Baron and Lord of this territory, you remain up to date on most matters. So if I may ask, what exactly are these rumors about?”

His voice was calm and unadorned, lacking any sharpness or hidden intent. It was simply a question, delivered without pressure.

An unfamiliar silence settled over the table. The air itself seemed to grow heavier, as though weighed down by invisible tension. At that moment, only Rachael’s cutlery continued to move, the faint clinking sounding almost out of place. After a brief moment, she stopped as well, noticing that everyone else had frozen. Though she was only nine years old, she was perceptive enough to sense the shift in atmosphere.

’A Wargrave rumor?’ William thought as his black eyes shifted toward Asher. He hadn’t heard anything unusual while passing through the territory gate, but he also hadn’t been paying much attention to the surrounding commoners at the time. His mind had been elsewhere, occupied with his own thoughts.

Finch remained seated quietly, confusion written plainly on his face. He had no understanding of what was happening, no context to cling to. Like William, he was completely in the dark.

The silence broke as the Baron finally spoke. ”Pardon my words, Tenth Sun,” he said respectfully, ”but what is circulating are not rumors. They are facts.”

”Facts?” Asher echoed, genuine surprise flickering beneath his composed exterior, though it never reached his expression. ”Care to enlighten me, Baron Whale?” he continued calmly, betraying no emotional reaction.

The Baron nodded without hesitation. ”A little over twenty four hours ago, the Wargrave family wiped out the Assassin Guild.” His voice remained steady as he spoke, as though recounting an established truth rather than an earth shaking event. ”According to the information we received, the reason was that the Assassin Guild Leader, a man by the name of Valentine, intended to kill you for surviving your True Awakening.”

He paused briefly, seemingly gauging Asher’s reaction. When he saw none, he continued. ”The Duke himself led the operation, accompanied by the Second Moon, the Third Sun, the Third Moon, and the Fifth Moon, as well as the Vice Knight Commander of the Wargrave Knight Order. Together, they headed directly to the Assassin Guild’s headquarters and erased it entirely.”

At his words, the air grew even heavier. Everyone’s gaze shifted toward Asher instinctively, but the Baron was not finished.

”During that same period,” he continued, ”the First Sun traveled throughout the Empire and wiped out every assassin base and operative he could locate.” His tone carried a quiet weight. ”This is the source of the so called rumors. Among the nobility, however, we understand them to be facts. Many have personally witnessed the devastation left behind by the Duke. After all, it has been decades since he last fought a being at the Crownstar Life Rank.”

He concluded with finality, leaving no room for doubt.

William and Finch’s eyes widened in shock, their minds struggling to process what they had just heard. It felt unreal. They had grown up hearing exaggerated tales about the Wargrave family, whispered stories meant to inspire awe or fear. Yet to hear of such actions occurring in their own time, so casually described, was overwhelming.

’So the assassins were after Asher...’ William thought. He had suspected as much before, though he hadn’t been certain. It was possible they were simply enemies of Norman, or some unrelated party. He never once considered himself or Finch to be targets. They had no enemies worth spending vast sums of platinum coins to eliminate.

’But they moved quickly,’ his thoughts continued. From the Baron’s explanation, one might assume the assassination attempt had occurred a week ago. In reality, it had barely been three days. Yet within that short time frame, the Wargrave family had already retaliated with overwhelming force.

’Such power... and such efficiency.’ William imagined what it took to march into the Assassin Guild’s headquarters, erase it, then traverse the Empire as though it were nothing more than a personal backyard, hunting down every assassin without fear of consequence or punishment.

’The First Sun...’ His thoughts shifted to Malrik Wargrave, a man who had climbed to the peak of the world at the age of thirty, a feat that took others a century or more. William had admired him even before, but now, hearing of the First Sun moving freely across the Empire, awe filled his chest.

’How fast must one be to cover such distances?’ he wondered. The Zarethorne Empire was unimaginably vast. Even its unoccupied lands alone were large enough to form another empire. And yet a single man had crossed it all in pursuit of his enemies.

’I will get there,’ William clenched his fist briefly, determination flaring within him. He did not delude himself into believing he would reach the world’s peak before thirty, but he was confident that he could climb to that level someday.

Where others saw the Wargrave family’s power and felt fear, reminded once again of who ruled the Zarethorne Empire from the shadows, William saw something else entirely. He saw the summit he needed to reach. To him, there was only the peak, and nothing else.