Of course Ryan had killed him. The killer hadn't been "Shally," after all. "Shally" would still be joining the military later, and it wouldn't do to leave a stain on her record. So he had sent Ann to carry out the assassination.
From a distance, one shot to the soul!
The Gunslinger profession was exactly what it sounded like—attacking with firearms, whether pistols or rifles. Ryan had seen Ann's shooting before, and he had to admit she was truly impressive... He had to thank Grand Duke Magana for sending him such a useful talent.
Bernet was dead, but his property couldn't be allowed to pass to his children. "Shally" had dug up a whole pile of the man's misdeeds from the Ground Fire Gang and exposed them all while the Bureau of Governance was investigating the cause of his death.
For a time, the memorial service mourning the death of the nobleman Baron Bernet turned into a meeting of accusations. No one would have dared do such a thing before, but clever people had already caught wind of Mayor Ryan's intention to make a move.
"The Empire needs loyalty. Baron Bernet was a parasite of the Empire, a disgrace to the nobility!" —Excerpt from Mayor Ryan's "Speech Today."
Ryan hadn't wanted to bother with this in the first place. But what could he do? He was short on money now, and Bernet happened to have money. What a coincidence, right?
Besides, Bernet had taken more than half of the arena business. Part of what remained had to go to the slave traders who provided gladiators, leaving very little for the Ground Fire Gang.
And even that money had to cover the gang's daily expenses and the livelihoods of its underlings. The gangs of Berman City might have seemed powerful, but