Editing Tales of Leo Attiel:Volume4 Chapter6 (section)

===Part 1===


The mansion that Oswell had converted into a church was on the outskirts of the castle town. Rumour had it that this villa had formerly belonged to a distant relative of the princely house, who had sold it to pay off gambling debts.

And today, Leo would be meeting with the envoys from Dytiann in that house with a high fence.

The main part of the building was being altered to include colonnades, and it was already looking like a church. It was destined to soon be burned to the ground, yet Oswell had spared neither money nor manpower, and used both lavishly. He had even paid expensive fees to a painter for the religious frescoes on the walls and ceilings. As a result, Leo's group looked up admiringly at the paintings as they climbed the staircase to the second floor of the side building, without the slightest inkling of the gruesome scene that was scheduled to unfold.

Gemili, Neville and the others were already waiting in a square room with a balcony. The two sides exchanged greetings. On Dytiann's side, when they saw Leo, they were startled by his haggard appearance, and several people expressed concern about his health.

“I am very sorry to have worried you. But I'm fine now. So then, shall we begin?”

Since Leo himself suggested it, they started the meeting straight away.

The time appointed for the assassination was fast approaching.



It would soon be sunset.

Neville had not said a single thing during the talks. Father Gemili, the representative for the Dytiann priests, was currently pleading in favour of Atall's Church integrating the monastic orders. Dytiann's cathedral was essentially the main seat for all the monasteries within the country. In that, it differed from Allion, where religious orders flourished Although they all belonged to the same Cross Faith, there were different sects depending on what country they were in.

While Neville's posture remained rigid as he listened to the conversation, beneath the table, he clenched and unclenched his fists, preparing himself for when the time came.

Still, Gemili's frivolous voice and insincere attitude offended him. Even though this entire meeting was meaningless – most of those present would probably no longer be part of this world within a few hours – it irritated him that this kind of person was acting like a mouthpiece for Dytiann.

After Leo had collapsed, that man had done nothing but loaf around. As he was not in on the plan, and had only been brought along to help gain the trust of the Atallese, he was not aware of the true purpose behind the meeting. And so, he didn't feel the slightest bit nervous, and instead seemed to view this task as nothing more than a good chance to kick back and relax while in a foreign country.

After making a single call on Leo to inquire about his health, he had declared that: “We've now got more time to do whatever we want,” and started going out to have fun day after day. By the time he staggered back, he always reeked of alcohol.

What annoyed Neville and the others more than anything, was how each and every time, he made them listen to how he had been 'welcomed by a woman'.

“It's not like with tarts. This was a girl with real class, even though she's still young. Half a year from now, she will have to marry a man she's never even met, so she's visiting the town to try and taste at least a little freedom before then. When I preached God's teachings to her, there was an entranced look in her lovely almond-shaped eyes, and she rested her head against my shoulder. I absolutely must take the time to go again and guide her towards the path of the faithful,” he would cheerfully tell them.

It made Neville sick. Whenever he thought about how that gang of conmen had destroyed the Holy See and were now ruling however they pleased over the land in the name of “God's teachings,” he went beyond anger and felt nothing but wretched and ashamed.

Well, never mind about Gemili. There was something they needed to do before worrying about him.

Every exit to and from the mansion was blocked by Oswell's men. The road leading to Aconrey was of course one of them, but even the paths heading outwards were blockaded, as they seemed to be on high alert, intent on preventing anyone from entering or leaving. On the other hand, none of those soldiers were inside building. The only ones present were the two parties taking part in the talks, and a few servants who were preparing the dinner  for after the meeting.

Which meant that the prince would only be able to rely on the few guards that he had brought with him, but from what Neville would see, they didn't look very reliable. The only exception was the well-built man introduced as the representative to Conscon Temple; he at least looked somewhat competent. He didn't have the slightest trace of composure, however, and his gaze had been wandering around incessantly throughout the meeting. That might be his own brand of vigilance, but the fact that he couldn't relax meant that he was the type to exhaust themselves before the time came.

The other members of the group were three soldiers who looked like they had only just been hired from the populace and who didn't even have the right posture yet, and a thin boy who looked even more childish than Leo. They weren't exactly impressive shields for the prince.

The same could be said of Neville and his group, but the others weren't even armed, since it had been agreed beforehand that neither group would take any weapons into the meeting room with them. They had all been searched before entering the room, and those guards shouldn't currently be carrying even as little as a dagger.

─ Neville once more went over the plan in his head. Oswell would be present for the meeting's initial stages. As a domain lord, however, he had other business to attend to, and was scheduled to leave early because of some matter or another. They would spring into action some time after that.

A large casket decorated in gold and silver was brought into the room. It contained 'relics' that were to be presented to the party from Atall, which were meant to be transferred to the church which was being established there. In reality, it was filled with a pile of weapons.

Neville and the eight others from the old Holy See would casually go to stand by the entrance, from where they would grab the weapons and rush in to cut down Leo's group.

The first target would be the man from Conscon. If they could strike him down from the first, then the rest wouldn't be too difficult. In all honesty, seven of the assassins wouldn't even be needed; Neville and Godwin by themselves would be more than enough to kill Leo in no time.

Leo's group wouldn't be the only ones Neville would point his blade towards. Father Gemili, that fellow traveller from Dytiann who was currently waxing eloquent in fervent speech, would also be on the receiving end of it. This was one of Baal's schemes to make it look like Leo had been killed by 'traitors' to the Current Church faction, and to ensure that nobody linked his murder with Dytiann.

''You only need to injure him'', had said Baal, but his eyes revealed a different intention. 'Kill him'. Neville understood that to mean that Gemili could not be allowed to become trouble in the future. Afterwards, the plan was that the secret agents that Baal had sent to Archon beforehand – those they would meet once they arrived at Aconrey – would set fire to the mansion. They would escape during that time.

Since the guilt of Dytiann's current Church would be exposed if Neville and the others were caught, Baal was sure to invest a lot of energy into securing an escape route for them.

''The real fight will come after this'', thought Neville.

When they had been about to depart, Baal had told them: “Once everything is settled, head for Eashar, a village at the western edge of Dytiann. I'll transfer your families there and you'll receive your pay when you get there.”

It certainly wasn't out of the kindness of his heart that he would move their families. There would, of course, be eyes to monitor them, and the implicit threat was that if Neville's group abandoned their mission halfway, well then, who knew what might happen to their loved ones...

And if they managed to safely make it to Eashar, would Baal pay the money and release Neville and the others, as well as their families, as he had promised? Baal was a clergyman in the service of God – but it would be naively optimistic to think that would prevent him from lying. Far from keeping his promise, he might be intending to kill Neville and the others, who knew some inconvenient facts about Dytiann's current regime.

Considering what the current Church was like, that was a definite possibility.

''But don't think I'm going to fall into a trap that easily.''

Their families should be safe at least until Baal heard that the mission was a success. And there were currently no chains at Neville's hands and feet; there were plenty of ways for him to do what he needed to.

After going over the entire plan, Neville looked towards Leo Attiel. The first thing that needed to be done was to successfully assassinate this prince.

When he had first seen him at the banquet, five days earlier, Neville had thought: ''It's a shame.''

Leo was still only in his teens. His face and body both showed that he was basically still a boy. He didnt look in the slightest like the 'envoy of the Devil' that Baal had painted him as.

Neville felt his chest tighten. He was a man who had fought as a servant of God. He had mercilessly killed all enemies of the Church and of the pope, even when they had been women or children. The situation was different this time, but he could only try to force himself into a state of mind similar to the one he had then.

''Forgive me, little prince''. He made the sign of the cross. ''You are not an enemy to His Holiness, and it's just unlucky that you acted against the corrupt and degenerate Dytiann that exists now. I will happily also be branded as evil. Never mind if I spend all eternity whipped by the scourges of Hell. Your death will not be in vain. I swear it will serve as the foundation for building the true kingdom of God in this world... although I don't know if it can be accomplished in my lifetime...''

─ While Neville was lost in his thoughts, Oswell rose from his seat.

“Then I apologise, but I will take my leave. Your Highness, I had intended to hold another dinner party in your honour tomorrow evening, but does your health allow it?”

“I'm fine.”

“You are young, Your Highness. Still, you will be shouldering the weight of the principality in the future, so please do not overdo it,” Oswell's expression was unruffled as he left the room.

After that, a half hour went by, and the talks were all but settled.

Standing next to each other, Neville and Godwin exchanged glances. It would soon be time. They both stole a glance to confirm the position of the casket full of weapons.

“To misquote what Lord Oswell said earlier, it isn't healthy to work ourselves into exhaustion,” Leo suddenly stood up, without any prior warning and clapped his hands.

For a moment, Neville and his group became cautious, but it was only wine that was brought in on Leo's signal. There were goblets placed before everyone there and the servants waiting on the table now filled each one to the brim. Leo picked his up.

“May Our Lord's teachings bring light upon this world,” he raised his cup.

''What the...'' Neville felt relieved. ''Well, this will be your last cup of wine. I hope  you enjoy it.''

Leo drank down the contents in one go. Gemili was the next to drink, and Neville followed suit.

Gemili, the wine connoisseur, wiped his lips. “That was delicious,” he beamed. “My home area produces good grapes, but I didn't know that you had such excellent wine in Atall.”

“Did you enjoy it? Then I'll make sure you receive a barrel later.”

“I'm very grateful.”

“But did you know that there's a secret about how this is produced? Once you hear it, I'm not sure you will still want it, Father Gemili,” Leo laughed teasingly, and Father Gemili went along with the joke.

“Oh? I wonder what it is. Don't tell me that the secret ingredient is insects, which any right-minded man hates?”

“It's something close,” Leo put his cup back down on the table then continued, “this wine contains the same poison that I drank, five days ago.”

He smiled radiantly as he made that announcement.
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