Chapter 151


    Adirich strode out of the courtyard and made a careful circuit around the manor, ensuring that no


    extra souls were lingering about. Then, he quietly approached Myke''s quarters, peering through a


    crack in the window for a spell.


    This content provided by N(o)velDrama].[Org.


    Myke was grievously injured and had not attended the tournament, remaining in his chamber to


    mend his wounds.


    "Myke?" Adirich called out tentatively.


    "What?" Myke''s voice was frail, and his eyes were shut in disinterest.


    Adirich scoffed inwardly, vowing to deal with him eventually.


    A crimson trail of blood snaked through vin''s courtyard and into his room. It was a path of blood


    that dripped from vin all the way from his sh in the Arena.


    Adirich stood at the gatehouse, pondering how to lure Niks out. Adirich wished for no one to


    know of his presence, lest suspicions fell upon him.


    Yet, he thought, perhaps the Commander himself wished for vin''s demise. That madcap sought


    only his own glory, casting aside the honor of Cobalt Strike. The Commander must’ve been the


    most mortified of all. Any exnation now would seem but a feeble cover-up, especially after


    Cedrick''s pronouncements.


    With resolve, Adirich clenched his dagger and stepped toward the courtyard, but as the door


    creaked open, he had to quickly conceal himself behind the nearby hedgerow.


    Niks exited softly, making haste toward the proving grounds.


    "Off to watch the tournament, are we?" Adirich mused with a smirk, confident that Niks cared not


    for vin''s well-being and was drawn back to the spectacle ofbat. For safety, he waited until


    he was sure that Niks had truly departed, before stealthily entering the courtyard.


    What luck! Niks'' absence could be the perfect scapegoat.


    At vin''s door, Adirich hesitated only a moment longer before entering, a crooked smile upon his


    face.


    viny upon his bed, swathed in bandages meticulously applied. His pallor was ghastly, and his


    breath faint. It was clear that his injuries were severe, with blood seeping through the dressings.


    "Tsk, tsk, such a pitiful state," Adirich muttered.


    He closed the door and advanced toward vin, gripping the dagger tightly. By loosening the


    bandages and reopening the wounds, it wouldn''t be long before vin would expire from his own


    afflictions. As Adirich cruelly fantasized about harming vin, he cautiously approached the bed.


    vin''s breathing was feeble yet steady, his chest rising and falling rhythmically. Adirich reached


    out to test his breath, his fingers inching toward the bandages.


    Suddenly...


    "What are you doing?" a voice unexpectedly rang out.


    "By the gods!" Adirich jolted, nearly copsing to the floor, and turned to see a figure seated by the


    window—a plump, rotund individual.


    "Balder?! What are you doing here?" Adirich rubbed his eyes, thinking it was a vision.


    "What are you doing here?" The plump youth was none other than Balder, a scion of the Mollen


    family. His gaze was now stern upon Adirich.


    "I... Why shouldn''t I be here? I''m here for the tournament." Adirich stammered, surreptitiously


    sheathing his dagger. "But you—how did you get into the city? And why are you here? What''s your


    intent?"


    Balder regarded him coldly, a sneer forming on his lips. He hade on his father''s orders, dyed


    by mishaps on the road, only arriving this day. His family had sacrificed half a mine to secure vin


    a spot at the championship, and they needed to ensure he was worth the price, so they sent Balder


    to assess vin''s capabilities.


    Balder had arrived that morning, just in time to witness vin''s performance in the tournament, and


    had followed Niks back here. He had been pondering vin''s potential and was pleasantly


    surprised by his investment, but he hadn''t expected to find Adirich sneaking in, seemingly intent on


    an assassination. This shameless scum!


    Adirich spoke firmly, "I need you to leave. I cannot be certain of how you entered or if you pose a


    threat to vin."


    Balder looked at him for a moment before slowly rising, his round, jolly face reiming its smile.


    "Scared, are we?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "vin''s eight years of servitude are at an end. His name is now known throughout the Eight


    Orders. It''s not a question of whether Cobalt Strike will offer him a status; it''s about how they can


    keep him. I wager that if vin left Cobalt Strike now, other Organizations would mor to take him


    in and nurture his talents. He''s made a name for himself; he''s on the verge of a new life. And you...


    you''re worried..." Balder chuckled.