"Ah yes, Tyrion, where were we?" Damien said as he slid a handkerchief from his pocket and slowly wiped the blood stains on his hand. Then he produced a small vile from his pocket and slowly placed it on the table along with another knife next to it.
Tyrion gulped as he saw what he was doing. On the table, he placed a recovery potion and beside it another knife which he produced from his leg. He will ask again for the answer and if he doesn't like it, the young master will bury the knife in his hands too, and if it's the other way then his friend, Roque will have the potion.
He looked at his friend. His tears had dried up, but he was whimpering. He clutched his free hand on the other very delicately as even a slight moment can cause him severe pain.
The young master lazily slouched back on the wooden chair, resting his hands freely on the arm bars, looking at Tyrion. "Talk," he said.
"We don't know who she was," started Tyrion. Stammering here and there. "She offered us coins if we can execute this task. And she even gave us advance payment so that we trust her."
"So you folks been together since the start or..."
"Oh no, no. We were brought together by her. He and I are partners though."
Damien nodded to continue. So the story goes like this...
Tyrion and Roque were sailors before they retired. Though they were sailors, they didn't make enough to sustain life after that and that made them turn to the life of pirates.
And on their first gig, they were pretty much knocked up by a humongous pirate ship called "The Lost Princess." They narrowly escaped the onslaught by god's grace and never set afoot on the water ever again. They were fearful of the 'Lost Princess' and its captain named "Davis."
Then they lead a life of small robbery and theft until the lady met them with her proposition.
They instantly turned down her offer as they didn't want to take someone's life but then she offered them silver coins as advances. The amount of coins that can buy them meals for a whole month without ever getting hungry.
They still rejected it but the lady insisted they take the coins as a token of good spirit and left them with a small card also in case they ever change their mind.
They never changed their mind. well at least in the first week. Then they started to spend the coins and lived like some washed-up noblemen with food and women until they run out of it.
The month of grace and luxury had made them crave it more. They didn't want to live their past life anymore, they wanted to live like they had in the last month. With food, clothes, and roofs over their head and women by their side and so they sought the lady with the card she gave them.
And that's how they ended up here.
"What fools have you been," Damien said in a voice laced with disgust. "You accepted coins just to live a life of luxury in exchange for another life. A life that will ensure this kingdom won't recover from the damages. And here you are thinking that you are doing something great. How is it great to sacrifice millions for the sake of your greed? How is that right?"
"But we need this!" Screamed Roque. "You don't understand. You lordling, who was born with a golden spoon in your mouth, you will never understand the type of life we are living. We have nothing. We have been reduced to nothing. We don't even have a roof to live in. We have no dignity, we have nothing. All we have is each other. And I'm done. I'm very much done extinguishing my life like that. We need money- I need money."
Damien looked at the man who was shaking in his boots. His face was drenched with sweat and tears. He couldn't see anything beyond the tears.
"We needed money to live. That's why we agreed to this. We did not care about the person who hired us, as long as we got the money. We were prepared for whatever. Even if we were to die. You're a hypocrite if you think you can judge someone like me while sitting on a castle in some hills and having girls ready to warm your bed whenever you desire it."
"You don't know what you are saying," Damien said. His mind wandered to the time before his transmigration. A life he will never want again to live. A life full of pain and suffering. He thought of all the things he had to endure since then. The cold nights in the rain and the lack of food. The people who hated him for no reason at all.
He shook his head. The cold glare in his eyes melted away. In a way, he and them were the same. It would've earned them merit points if they weren't planning to kill Blaire. For that, he can't forgive them.
"Do you still have the card with you?" He asked Tyrion.
"Y-yes," Tyrion answered, stuttering. "It's in my pocket."
Damien extended his arm and gestured for him to hand it over. Still bounded, Tyrion struggled to get his hand in his pocket but when he found it, he tossed it to Damien.
Damien caught it and read the name scribbled on it. He smiled seeing the familiar name scribbled on it.
It was a direct challenge to him. His smile widened and it became a full-on laughter.
Tyrion and Roque exchanged glances as they became suddenly more terrified of the madman in front of them. The laugh was that menacing.
"How wonderful," Damien said through his laughter. "Marvelously done, author. Marvelously done." He clapped his hands and laughed more.
Then he abruptly stood up and shoved the card into his pocket and walked away. "The potion is yours, Roque."
He shook his head as he thought of the lady that appeared in his vision so many times.
The card in his pocket read:
"Find me if you can.
Yours truly, Lilith."
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢