The Courtesan

Chapter 79

ELAYNE

Beating up a bunch of uncoordinated men was a breeze for me. But when I questioned them about why they came after me, I got very mixed feelings. It made me feel like I was being targeted.

The brat, whose name I learnt was Liam, was a street urchin who did anything for money. He was trying hard to survive in the holy city with very unholy acts. He saw me to be very lucrative and stuck with me ever since. Since that was the case, I made appropriate use of him.

“Do you know how one becomes a knight?”

“You can get a recommendation or pay a lot of money to get in.”

“I see. Where do I sign in?”

“No offense mister but you don’t look like the type that would be accepted, even if you have a lot of money.”

“... Why is that?”

“You look like a woman. Effeminate men don’t become knights.”

“How novel. What if I display my skills?”

“Hmm, I’m still not sure.”

“Well, that’s disappointing. I was sure I could enter easily…”

“Liam!! Where are you?”

We hear the loud screech of his name and the next moment, a child is barrelling towards us. A small bald child whose gender I couldn’t figure out repeatedly slapped Liam as they tried to catch their breath.

“What? Spit it out!”

“The church was attacked!”

“What?!” we exclaimed at the same time. I knew Kalvin was influential but it didn’t take him a long time to make do on his promise.

“Tell me what happened.”

Immediately after hearing my voice, the child hid behind Liam. Liam used his body to cover the boy. I raised an eyebrow.

“What is wrong?”

“Information here is sold. We don’t trust you either.”

“Really?”

They were such sharp, shrewd children. It was an admirable trait, one I wished wasn’t found in children this young. It briefly reminded me of Prince Miyon. I wondered if he would grow up like that too.

Still, I didn’t have the time or money to negotiate with the children. My sword was still in my hand so I pointed it at them. They flinched, backing away. They turned to run but the daggers that landed too close to their feet stopped them.

“I normally don’t condone violence but I also don’t condone sneaky children. Let’s exchange that information for your life, okay?”

The smile I had on did nothing to reassure the child. I walked close to them, twirling another dagger in my free hand.

“You should speak now, child.”

The child looked up at Liam and the latter nodded. Their fear and hesitation made me feel bad but Liam almost made me lose my life that night. I had barely any pity for anyone who wanted to kill me.

“A-Assassins snuck into the Saintess’s abode and slaughtered all her guards. They also attacked the church’s guards, killing almost everybody. I just happened to see it when I went closer to the cathedral.”

“You saw an assassin?”

“No. I saw dead bodies. Too many dead bodies.”

The child trembled, holding fast to Liam. Liam glared at me, shielding the child from me. I held my hands up. I already got what I needed.

“You children can leave. Thank you for sharing. If you ever try to set me up again, I will kill you.”

They ran away without a second thought and I picked up my dagger. I began to walk back to the inn. I planned to collect more information the next day. When I was close to the inn, I felt all the hair at the back of my head rise. It felt like someone was watching me.

I raised one of the daggers in my hand and threw it where I thought the person would be. It landed in a dark path and I swore I could hear a hiss. Holding my sword up, I vigilantly watched my surroundings.

There was a whistle in the air and my dagger headed right towards my head. My hands moved fast, deflecting them away. I wasn’t fast enough since I got nicked on the forehead.

Leaving the dagger, I ran into the inn and straight to my room, ignoring the innkeeper’s shouts. My room with the traps I set was the safest place for me. I huddled in there, waiting for the danger to pass. The murderous intent that travelled with the dagger almost made it impossible for me to evade it. I avoided being killed purely on instinct.

The innkeeper came by to the room and knocked on it several times through the night. He was finally discouraged when the other customers complained. I heard him grumble and leave. After that, I fell into a fitful sleep.

The next morning, there was a crow on my window. Attached to its leg was a letter from Lion. I washed my face and stumbled down to the bar to meet the innkeeper. He was no doubt annoyed from last night.

I soon found him and he was rightfully pissed. But when I withdrew the seal that Lion had given to me, he calmed right down. His attitude changed and he apologized. I had seen what power could do as a courtesan but I honestly didn’t expect nepotism in Zerramond, the land of the free.

After settling that, I took breakfast and returned to my room. I could finally sit and read Lion’s letter.

“My lady, It is good to finally hear from you. I’m glad you are safe. His highness just set off for the capital and I’m sure by the time you receive this letter, you would be in Rhonda. As you’ve seen, Ivrah is the only town which doesn’t accept the preachings of the Church of Light. They are known as the city of heathens and even though they have a temple there, they aren’t very accepting of the idea because they are the town with the highest kill count of those who have been killed by the church for being witches and heretics. Do be careful on your way. If you have any other questions or urgent requests, do not hesitate to send it to me. I hope you are safe. Tyler. Ps. I’ve been trying to stop Lion from coming to get you. Please send a reply soon.”

I was not expecting the letter to be from Tyler. But since the information was complete and meaningful, I appreciated it. I wrote a reply, untied the crow after I had fed it and sent it back.

The church was striking me to be more and more tyrannical. I didn’t feel good about joining them. Still, it was for the greater good so I sat still and waited for the second part of the plan.

Whilst doing that, I remembered Geraldine’s wedding. Reaching Rhonda meant I wouldn’t be able to attend so I had to send her a letter too. I didn’t know how fast she would be able to receive it though. I still wrote one just in case. After that, I decided to take a stroll in the city.

It was quieter than usual. Curiosity moved me to find the cathedral and when I did, I almost wished I didn’t. The road was packed with thousands of worshippers listening to the words of the Saintess. She stood on a platform with a black dress and black veil, saying such moving words. I couldn’t hear her from where I was but I could tell.

What I didn’t expect at the back of the crowd was the scornful expression of the men that piled there, spitting on the ground as they watched her speak. Even in the holy city, there were those who hated the church too. Smiling, I walked up to them, making sure the sword on my waist was visible.

“Hello gentlemen. May I have a word?”

“Screw off!”

“I just happened to notice heretical behavior from you. If I report you to the church, it’s definitely the stakes for you. In exchange for keeping my mouth shut, why don’t you listen to what I have to say first?”