"Three months, huh?"
Riven Ashvale was now lying on the back of his Crane, whom he named Solwing.
He chose this name purposely for a couple of reasons.
"Sol" = Latin for sun — used in words like solar, it evokes brightness, warmth, divinity, and celestial majesty.
"Wing" = Obvious, but in a fantastical sense, it symbolizes freedom, grace, and sovereignty over the skies.
He sat up and looked down at the bustling city.
Never would he have thought that life could be so beautiful. The world now seems small to him. He felt like a chess player with the world as his board.
He really felt like he had jumped out of a highly pressured chamber... don't have to worry about speaking in the wrong tone anymore, don't have to bow his head in order to survive.
He took a deep breath of the cool and fresh air, "Mmmm... smells like freedom."
However, before all day dreaming, he needed to do something.
He needed to find out – which fucker wanted to kill him and why?
He quite frankly lived a harmless life.
"Pretty fucked eh Soly?" He asked his crane. Solwing noticed his restlessness and started to glide without much movement.
"Alright let's analyze.
What can my death bring? Who would benefit?
The only party that can benefit from my death is the first wife's party. After all, since I was a child, I have shown exceptional intelligence. Can't act like a child when I have the mind of a man, right?
And in the Ashenvale dynasty where scholarship is much more valued than martial might, if I pass the imperial examination and pass with flying colors, which I obviously would have… she and her crooked nose fuckwit of a son would have to lay low on their pride.
But…. killing me isn't easy, and they wouldn't be left alone either.
A royal bloodline died – albeit of very thin blood and a concubine born - and when the authorities find out, they will definitely have to do a deep investigation.
One way to bypass this is if they have the backing of the Ashbourne lineage officers.
The first wife cannot do this alone…. So she has to have someone from her family to do this.
The Lockwood family…"
After going through everything he had in his head, he still found something weird.
Why? Why kill him?
He had made it clear that once he left the house, he would leave the city, and he would go to the capital. He wouldn't have posed a threat to her son and the inheritance.
All of this… risking the disposal of royal blood cannot be just a matter of pride, could it?
He could very well imagine the woman throwing a temper tantrum, but he couldn't imagine the Lockwood family willing to take a risk for such a petty reason.
"There should be more to this."
After everything, he could surmise that they killed him for a very specific reason. And the only way to find it is to go to the Lockwood family or....
"I need information".
He asked Solwing to drop him somewhere remote. Using his martial prowess, he went and robbed a couple of good stores, then robbed a couple of good Inns to gather some silver.
Moving like a ghost, no one could detect him.
Beggars can't be choosers, yeah? Stealing now is for a greater cause. Yes.
Coupled with the silver he had requested from Selene earlier, he had enough for his purpose.
It was around 7 pm, and darkness was in his favor. He put on a mask, walked into a dark alley, and entered a specific place full of beggars.
The whole place stank like hell. It was like walking into a latrine hole.
He tossed a copper piece to a nearby beggar and said – "Silver for information."
The skinny beggar with droopy eyes looked up at the man dressed in elegant clothes, shook, and stood up, walking into a hut.
A couple of minutes later, a slightly fat beggar came with his walking stick.
"Well, well, well…. Esteemed young master, what o' what would you be doing here? You're dirtying your shoes, yeh?"
A surprisingly young and curious voice came from him.
Riven looked him in the eyes directly. He couldn't give a fuck about the manners of these bottom dwellers.
So he repeated the same thing he said to the other beggar.
"Silver for information"
"Ha ha ha…. So stiff. Well then what information does this esteemed young master require?"
"I want to know about any changes that have been happening in the Lockwood family. Quite specifically, I want to know what the Lockwood family has done or what has changed with the Lockwood family since three months ago.
Has the patriarch of the Lockwood family stayed in the Lockwood family lands?
Has he or the higher management been going to meetings specifically to meet important people?
Other than that, I also want to know about the first wife of the Ashvale family in this city. Has she been acting differently? Has her son done something out of the ordinary?"
He said what he had come to ask from the beggars in one go. After that, he waited for the beggar to process what he had said earlier.
"Well, well, young master, it seems the information that you want is not normal information. Are you sure you have the- "
Then the beggar rubbed his hands, gesturing as if to ask Riven if he had enough silver on him.
"If I do not have enough on me to gather the information that I need right now, I can always come back later, right?"
He didn't answer his question, and questioned him back.
Realizing that this noble young master is not someone simple, and realizing that the beggar will not have an easy chance to gather information from this young master, he started speaking.
"Let's start with the information that you need from the Lockwood family. Regarding the movements of the Patriarch or the top branch of the family over the last three months. It will cost you 30 silver."
This is enough for a very frugal commoner to live for half a decade.
As Riven settled the charges, the beggar started speaking his mind.
"The only thing that I can think of is that the top branch of the Lockwood family and the patriarch of the Lockwood family have been meeting with the city Lord about 3 or 4 times over the last three months.
Other than this, there are no differences. Quite frankly, this is the only weird thing we can find because previously, the Lockwood family did not have much connection with the city Lord.
After all, the Lord of the city is only a figurehead, as the two families, Lockwood and Greenwood, dominate the entire commerce of this place."
The beggar went on to speak about some other things that had been happening with the Lockwoods, which were of little use.
'Hmm... Patriarch going to the city lord... how weird,' he thought inwardly.
Listening to the beggar, he pieced together what had occurred and recognized that if he needed further information, he had to approach the city's Lord.
'Alright, the next destination has been decided.' He thought in his head.
Just as the beggar was going to name the prize to answer the question about the Ashvale family, he said –
"Thanks for the information, I will come back next time."
He only had 32 silver pieces in his hand, and the price for the information was more than he thought.
Considering the fact that these beggars do not haggle as a principle, he had to pay full price.
After gathering the information he needed, he went to a secluded area again.
He let out a whistle, and Solwing dove down from the clouds in a flash of white. He hopped onto his crane and flew back to the Jade Library Cave.
The next day night –
He clad himself in dark attire and departed from the Jade Library Cave. He soared on his crane towards the City Lord's Mansion. Riding Solwing's like flying a stealth jet, but instead of the usual hum, you only hear a gentle fluttering sound.
As he hovered above, he took his time to scout the area, looking for the best spot where the City Lord might be tucked away in dreamland, while also keeping an eye on the guards' movements.
In the blink of an eye, his crane whisked him swiftly into the inner sleeping quarters, where Solwing set him down before gliding back to the twinkling night sky.
To the untrained eye, they would appear as a hazy white flash. Given that Solwing is a beast born of divine lineage, this much is easy work.
Riven, with practiced... almost lazy ease, slipped into the City Lord's bedchamber.
Walking closer to the bed, Riven stood there a moment with a tilted head, looking at the middle-aged, slightly pudgy man sleeping without a care in the world.
At this point... something clicked within him.
This man, the city lord, who enjoys so much wealth for being a puppet city leader... He could just.., snuff the life out of this man, and he wouldn't even know.
If nothing changed... this might have been him in about forty years.
'Sigh... Power... Without it, you are an animal.' The moment of reflection came and went swiftly. Riven soon lost interest.
He ensured that no sound would escape by covering his mouth gently, gripping his neck with precision.
He immobilized the City Lord with his energy, ensuring that he wouldn't 'disturb' his wife resting on the other side of the bed.
Next, he swiftly transported the man outside and onto the crane, soaring into the forest beyond the city.
Flap Flap
In a small clearing far enough from the city, so that the dear city lord can scream murder without fear, Solwing landed.
Riven grabbed the man and threw him down towards the foot of a tree. Afterwards, he gracefully got off the Crane.
It was almost as if Riven had nothing to do with the kidnapping of probably one of the most important people in this city.
Affectionately rubbing the side of the neck of Solwing, he walked towards the man who was now more awake than he could ever be.
He cornered the frightened City Lord, who was clearly shaken, and then gently removed the mask concealing his face, which only heightened the City Lord's fear.
The City Lord stammered, "You, you, I thought you were…"
Riven interrupted him with a knowing smile. "What, dead? You thought I was gone, my friend?"
The City Lord fell silent.
Riven tilted his head, still grinning.
"I heard you've been having some chats with the Lockwood family these past few months. I'm really curious about what you've been discussing.
Hmm... what have you been talking about with Patriarch Lockwood?"
He took a brief pause, then continued,
"I hope we can be friends, City Lord. I really wouldn't want someone like you—an imperial officer—to meet an untimely end in a lonely place."
Noticing that the City Lord – who was just a mortal - was too frightened to respond, Riven sat down on the cool ground nearby, glancing up at the beautiful night sky, and started to share his story.
"You see, City Lord, I used to be someone who followed the rules. I really believed in them. I respected the people I thought deserved it. I wasn't a bad person. I tried to be a good person, right?
All I ever wanted—truly, all I wanted—was to escape that house and make my way to the capital.
I dreamed of taking the Imperial Scholarly Examination.
I longed to earn a respected position.
I wanted to live my life as a good boy, you know? That's all I ever wished for, mate. Just that."
He looked at the City Lord, who was breathing heavily, and spoke softly.
"But right now, my life isn't going the way I wanted it to go. And there are some things I need to do to be able to live with a bit of peace in the future.
"I want to know who wanted me dead. I want to know what their goals are. I want to know what they were trying to achieve by going as far as getting rid of imperial blood.
And City Lord, the only people in this fucking city connected to the royal household are you, me, my father, and my brother, right?
You're connected to the imperial family because you hold an official position as City Lord, yeah? We're connected to the imperial family by blood.
"There's no one else in this city who has even the slightest connection to royalty. But now, one of us was almost assassinated. He didn't die, but he was going to fucking die.
And all the clues—all the fucking evidence—point at you.
You, who don't have imperial blood, but do have ties to the royal family, tried to screw me over. Yeah? I think that's a fair conclusion, right, City Lord?
So, I need you to stop being scared, just for a fucking moment, and answer my questions."
In reality, this reasoning is flawed. One could find enough holes in the reasoning. However, the point is that they also need to be of sound mind.
Riven didn't care if this man had no connection to his assassination. He needed to start somewhere.
The City Lord swallowed dryly, his lips trembling, and began to speak, his voice shaky and broken.
"L-Listen… please… p-please listen… I—I don't know… I don't know what happened, a-and this… this has nothing to do with me… Please… just believe me…"
He stammered, eyes wide with fear.
"I—I don't… I don't know what this is… I don't know what you're talking about… I swear… I swear I don't know…"
Riven did not reply and softly sighed.
Then, looking at the city lord, he made a comically childish face while also clenching his fist as if he had made a tough choice.
Riven leaned closer, his shadow swallowing the City Lord's trembling form. "Time's up" he whispered.
'Kek… alright then… good cop method tried. Let's go with the bad cop method.'