The Regret Men

Before the words had even faded, the spear had already left his hand.

The man hesitated no longer. With a flick of his bracer, a dagger slid into his palm.

The two boys reacted even faster than he could swing the dagger.

Without a word, Hofa slammed directly into the man's waist, throwing him off balance.

No one knew where the man had learned such skill. Hofa's charge only made him stagger, but the dagger in his hand did not slow in the slightest.

The spear thrown by Silver Scorpion arrived as well.

The man watched bitterly as Valar seized the chance created by Hofa's charge to tumble and crawl aside, grabbing the broken lance in passing.

The spear pierced through the assassin's body. The man did not hesitate. In High Valyrian, he murmured to Valar:

"I am sorry."

He reversed the dagger and drove it straight into the assassin's throat.

He was dead beyond doubt.

Silver Scorpion pulled the spear from the corpse. "It's a Regret Man, Young Master Valar. You may have to return to Valantis ahead of schedule."

"Who sent him?" The fear faded from Valar's face as he stared at the corpse in confusion. Hofa cautiously stood in front of Valar, his eyes fixed on the assassin's body.

Silver Scorpion stabbed the assassin's limbs, chest, and head one by one. Then he turned toward the Silver Blood Army soldiers who had rushed over at the noise, as well as several towering warriors in heavy armor wielding long-handled battle axes—the Weepers.

"Silver Scorpion!" Amid the clattering of steel, Gonsor Calamityflame stormed into the courtyard with Sebastian Calamityflame. "What have you done?"

Gonsor Calamityflame was a tall, powerfully built brown-haired man with a knotted beard. The bright silver breastplate on his chest bore the Calamityflame family sigil: black flames against a dark blue field. He was a hereditary retainer of the Valaerys family. Unfortunately, by his generation, his family had dwindled to almost nothing. He had once had an unhappy yet unforgettable marriage. Gonsor's beloved wife died in childbirth. Overcome with grief, he impulsively drank the "Wine of Oaths" mixed with Lonzell's blood and swore never to remarry.

And so, the Calamityflame family met its tragic end.

Another retainer family had suffered a similar fate: the Valtaken family, the former chief retainer family. Their sole heir, Rafa Valtaken, had choked himself to death while drinking.

And so, the Valtaken family too died out.

Fortunately, Lonzell had many children of suitable age under his care at the time.

Thus, Sebastian became Gonsor's adopted son and inherited the surname "Calamityflame." Lynn inherited the surname "Valtaken," along with the Valtaken family's seat among the retainers.

"Lord Gonsor, now isn't the time to argue." Silver Scorpion spoke sternly. "A Regret Man infiltrated the manor and attempted to assassinate Young Master Valar. We need to lock down the manor at once."

Only then did Gonsor calm down. "Understood. Sebastian, come with me. Silver Scorpion, protect the young master." With that, he drew the sword at his waist and rushed out with a grim-faced Sebastian and several Silver Blood Army cavalrymen.

Their horses were still outside.

The remaining Unsullied and Silver Blood Army soldiers hurried toward the courtyard entrances as if facing a great enemy.

"Young Master Valar, Hofa, you need to leave with Lord Gonsor and the others." Silver Scorpion looked solemnly at them. "The Regret Men are manageable enough. If they hired Faceless Men, the consequences would be unimaginable."

Valar and Hofa realized the gravity of the situation and hurried back to their rooms to pack.

The search lasted an entire day.

"Sebas, any news?" Seeing Sebastian enter the room, panting and looking confused, Valar hurried over. Though some lingering fear remained, the emotions rising after the terror were anger and excitement.

He wanted to know who had been bold enough to make a move against him.

Sebastian picked up the glass decanter from the table, poured himself a cup of amber fruit wine, and drained it in one gulp.

"My old man and I searched the entire manor. We only found a few servants who helped the assassin enter. They didn't know he was a Regret Man. He tricked them by posing as a Silver Blood Army recruit."

"What happened to those servants?" Valar pressed.

"They're fine." Sebastian poured himself another cup of fruit wine before finally catching his breath. "Hofa had them drink the 'Wine of Contracts.' They can't lie. Once we confirmed they had nothing to do with it, we let them go."

Valar nodded. The lessons and example of his brother Lonzell had left a deep impression on him.

"The messenger sent to inform the lord should be arriving home soon. We'll leave tomorrow morning."

"Alright." Valar nodded firmly.

Crack.

An expensive glass vessel shattered across the floor.

"Who did it?"

Lonzell's deep violet eyes were bloodshot. The youth took a deep breath and looked at the retainers standing along both sides of the long table. "My apologies. I overreacted just now."

Chief retainer Vansen Kaon stroked his beard in thought.

The silver-haired young man Aslan Longdell said angrily, "My lord, it must have been those Tiger Party bastards."

"Aslan, you need evidence before you speak," Visari reminded him. "My lord is not a senator. Whether assassinating my lord or Young Master Valar, it would bring the Tiger Party no benefit and only hand their enemies leverage."

"Heh." A cold laugh interrupted Visari. The pale middle-aged man in black, Zesar Shadowweaver, glanced sideways at Visari. "Scholar, do not judge the fools within the Black Wall by reason."

This hereditary intelligence chief of the Valaerys family was not only proficient in poisoncraft from Lys, but also in the art of building Braavos's intelligence networks. He was also the teacher of Tigaro Targaryen, whom Lynn Valtaken had dragged back.

"There are many forces within and beyond the Black Wall that can reach the Regret Men," Zesar Shadowweaver analyzed. "But the only one with a direct conflict with you is House Pentaro. Mogul Pentaro may be a useless failure, but House Pentaro's wealth is enough for him to take one reckless risk."

"Then why didn't he come after me?" Lonzell asked. "Assassinating Valar does him no good at all. Valar has nothing to do with any of this."

The youth paused, his teeth clenched tight.

"Or does he think killing my brother would provoke me?"

Then he had succeeded.

That was exactly what he had done.

"Because you cost too much," Zesar Shadowweaver said. Leaning on his serpent-headed cane, he limped over to Lonzell's side. His left leg had lost all feeling after a severe poisoning accident. "Even the archons of those city-states, or the magistrates of Valantis, could not afford the price of having you killed."

Lonzell was momentarily speechless.

That was true. He had fierce, battle-hardened soldiers around him. He had Unsullied.

More importantly, he had blood magic.

The retainers and servants had all drunk the "Wine of Oaths" and the "Wine of Contracts." The cats and dogs in the manor—even the crows—had been fed fodder mixed with his blood.

It could be said that this manor was a deathtrap for strangers.

Even Faceless Men would find it exceedingly difficult to infiltrate the manor.

Of course, having a dragon would be even better.

"Very well." Lonzell looked around at everyone. "Now let us discuss how to make House Pentaro pay the price. My brother cannot be frightened for nothing."

"Perhaps I could use poison?" Tigaro raised his hand. "With just three drops of gray mushroom juice and a little manticore venom, I can kill everyone in Pentaro Manor without anyone noticing. Their symptoms would merely resemble a severe fever."

"The price should not be limited to lives," Lynn Valtaken argued. "Tigaro, you can be too extreme sometimes."

"Lynn and Tigaro both have a point." Vansen Kaon attempted to mediate. "My lord, you—"

"House Pentaro will not be the only ones paying this price." Lonzell narrowed his eyes at the map on the long table.

House Pentaro had dared to act. Whether or not they were truly responsible, they were the prime suspects, which meant they were responsible. Then the Tiger Party supporting them from behind would have to pay as well.

And making the Tiger Party pay a price that would not wound them too deeply was naturally something their mortal enemies in the Elephant Party would be delighted to see.

That left plenty of room for maneuver.

Perhaps he could use this chance to completely divert the attention of the Black Wall nobles and keep them from watching his important plans.

The ships were nearly ready. They only needed to wait for Malah to recover before setting out for the ruins of Valyria at once.

Lonzell could already feel that, after completing the ritual for that prophecy of flame, something inside him seemed to be urging him toward the ruins of Valyria.

As though something there were calling to him.

"Lord Kaon, prepare the elephant carriage. Lord Zesar, Tigaro, remain behind. Aslan, Lynn, you're coming with me to the Senate."

"We're going to stand up for Valar."