CH42: Letter From The Fool

***

The next day, I woke up with Navia snuggling in my arms. I didn't want to wake her, so I didn't move.

I decided to use the time to check up on the notifications I missed.

[Notice: Condition met. Mission completed with poison.]

[Notice: You have passed Lord Jormungandr's requirement.]

[Notice: Blessings of Lord Jormungandr, Poison Master and World Serpent, unlocked.]

[Blessing of Lord Jormungandr.]

-Poison Master

-World Serpent

[Poison Master]

Type: Spirit-type Blessing.

Remark: Lord Jormungandr is the progenitor of all poisons. He loves granting beings the power of poisons. Host has earned his interest. He wonders what Host can do with the power of poisons

Effect 1: High understanding of poisons and poisonous substances.

Effect 2: Immune to ALL your poisons.

Effect 3: High resistance to ALL poisons.

[World Serpent]

Type: Incarnation-type Blessing.

Remark: A snake incarnation born from Lord Jormungandr's dominion.

Effect 1: Summon an incarnation with a world in its stomach.

I was very happy when I read the description of these blessings. They were very practical blessings that could help my Herbology profession.

As I said, poisons are two sides of the same coin.

Another detail worth celebrating was that, by meeting Lord Jormungandr's condition, I had earned his acknowledgement.

This meant I was one step closer to unlocking the Blessing, {Vault of Knowledge}.

[Blessing of Lord Loki.]

-Vault of Knowledge.

Remark: The Vault of Knowledge is the other half of the greatest gift given to the Host by Lord Loki. The Lord of Mischief requires that Host earns the recognition of his household before this final most precious Blessing is given to you.

Condition: Acquire the recognition of the Household of Loki. (3/6) ➡️ (4/6)

Lord Loki (Acknowledged)

Lady Sigyn (Acknowledged)

Queen Hel (Acknowledged)

Lord Fenrir (Unacknowledged)

Lord Jormungandr (Acknowledged)

Sleipnir (Unacknowledged)

Just two more to go.

Sleipnir's requirement seems the easier to complete. I just had to find a mount. I'll have to find the time to look for a mount that would satisfy me.

As for Lord Fenrir's condition, which is to get rid of 10 humans who stand in the way of my goal, it might take some time and thinking to achieve.

It would've been easy if it were just to kill 10 humans. I could do that during my hits. At worst, I just have to kill 10 target so that I'll avoid killing innocents which Queen Hel frowns upon.

Unfortunately, the targets are the goals of a contract. So they don't count in Lord Fenrir's condition counter.

Should I look for a gang-related target? In that case, won't killing ten guards to complete Lord Fenrir's condition be my goal? Would the guards still be 'standing in the way' of my goal?

The condition seemed complicated. I pushed it aside for now and decided to think about it later.

Talking about not killing innocents, my attention turned to the window containing the breakdown of Queen Hel's favour towards me.

[Target: Robert Bailey]

Details: House Of Death True Member Promotion Contract

Type: Elimination

Special Requirements: Death by Poison

{Reward Calculation}

Innocents killed: None.

[Notice: Condition to receive Queen's favour reached.]

*Queen's Favour*

-Stealth-

No. Of Witnesses: 0

(Nobody can identify Host as perpetrator)

No. Of Disruptions: 0

Surveillance: 0

[Notice: Stealth Points = 0]

-Aggression-

No. of innocents harmed: 0

[Notice: Aggression Points = 0]

Rating: Stealth Point = 0

Aggression Point = 0

Rating = Silent Assassin.

Queen's Favour = +5 Attribute Points and +100%Exp.

[Contract Evaluation]

Target Killed: 100 Exp

Difficulty: (+80%Exp)

Queen's Favour Bonus: +100%Exp.

Final Multiplier = ( 80%Exp + 100%Exp)

= +180%Exp

Exp Earned = 100Exp + 180%Exp

= 280Exp

Queen's Favour didn't disappoint.

I received a good amount of Exp and Attribute points which changed the look of my Status.

'Open Status'

{Status.}

[Leo Xander.]

Race: Prime Human

Title: World Challenger

Alias: Cub of Lionheart, Agent Zero, Student Leo, Herbology Genius.

Age: 18

Life Path (Primary): Assassin.

Tier: Tier II (Hired Killer)

Promotion Exp: 210/15000 ➡️ 490/15000

---

[Attributes-]

(Physical)

Physique: 50

Dexterity: 45

Mind: 50

[Notice: Average Limit for Homo sapiens is 10 in all parameters.]

Attribute Points: 8 ➡️ 13

(Blessing)

Love Partners: 1

Lover: Navia

Charm: 60/100

Mischief Points: 55,000 MP

---

[Blessings]

(Active)

-Mask of Loki (Unequipped.)

-Joker's Trump Card (Unassigned).

-Vault of Knowledge (Unavailable).

(Passive)

-Bind of Love

-The Queen's Favour.

-Poison Master

(Incarnation)

-Destroyer (Unavailable)

-World Serpent

-Trusty Steed (Unavailable)

The warm rays of sunlight beamed down through the window onto the bed. The gentle heat woke Navia up.

The beautiful woman groggily rose from my chest. She was still lax from sleep.

The view was really something. I must say, everything about this woman just seems capable of arousing the primal instincts in me.

'If I can get used to her subconscious charms, I'll never lose my cool in front of any woman.' I thought.

Leave it to me to turn a peaceful morning event into a mental training method.

"Good morning, my fair lady." I said.

"Good morning, Lion King." She replied, causing a chuckle to escape from me.

A good morning kiss, then we got off the bed to begin the day.

Some time later. Navia and I returned to the storefront. Navia picked up the newspaper in front of the store door.

As expected, one of the major headlines was my assassination of Robert Bailey the previous night.

The reporters even managed to get a copy of the letter I slipped into the man's pocket.

[Ladies and gentlemen, if you are reading this letter, then Mister Robert Bailey must be dead. Quite an unfortunate matter, but this is the result of the man's own folly.

Mr Robert's All-purpose antidote is a wonderful product. However, the man failed to recognise a fact.

Nature balances all. Everything has a strength and weakness; advantage and disadvantage.

Weak beasts reproduce fast to not be wiped out while strong beast have low reproduction so they don't wipe everything out. This is how nature balances things.

In this regard, there is no way nature would allow an all-purpose antidote to exist, even if it's for Terror-grade below, without a check-balance.

Mr Robert's discovery of the antidote was accidental. This unfortunately meant he didn't have a thorough understanding of what he created. This was the cause of his death.

What killed him wasn't a special or never before seen poison... no, it was the antidote he was so proud of.

I asked the men and women of the Alchemic community reading this to please investigate the antidote well so that it's demerits can be understood.

It will be a shame for this antidote to lose its patronage.

Yours Faithfully,

A humble messenger of death,

The FOOL.]

Navia looked at me in surprise and a little confusion after she read the letter.

"What is this? It's unlike you to make fun of a dead man, especially one you yourself killed."

"I have no intention of making fun of him. Like I said in the letter, it would be a shame if people stopped using the drug because it failed to save its maker. Plus, sooner or later, someone would figure out Roberts didn't die from the poison of a Midnight Fern. There's also a good chance they'll link his death to the All-purpose antidote. The antidote will lose most of its users."

"Any patronage would probably crash by then. So, you're putting this out now so that the major players would know there's nothing wrong with the drug per se, just that it isn't completely understood."

"Hmm." I nodded.

"There's more. You are not such a good person that you'd care about the wellbeing of the product. You're not feeling guilty that the people who would have used it and survived won't dare use it again, causing them to end up dying, are you? Or is it that the target's family lost their breadwinner?"

"You have a rich imagination." I couldn't help squeezing the mature woman's cheeks.

She patted my hand away with a pout.

"I carry guilt about a number of things, but I assure you, none of them are related to this contract... or any other for that matter. If I didn't kill Robert Bailey, someone else will. That's just how life in Arun works."

"Don't try to change the subject. What's your agenda with the letter?"

"Imagine this. A young graduate herbalist releases a paper on a never heard or seen before topic of human health. How do you think it would be received?"

"Academics might receive it well, depending on the graduate's previous pedigree, but the general public will ignore it unless someone else... someone famous in the field they know endorses it."

"Now, imagine the paper touches on a topic so controversial that no one famous would touch it. What then?"

"Simple. The paper would never see the light of day."

"Exactly." I nodded. "Now, imagine that the young graduate is able to use his controversial study to perfectly explain a mystery that has baffled many people until then... say the mysterious death of a Journeyman Alchemist who died in the middle of his banquet."

"The youth will gain instant stardom!" Navia's eyes shined. "I knew it. You are a greedy man."

"I prefer ambitious, my fair lady."

"I think I'm falling in love."

"Yeah, right. I'll be a fool to fall for that."

"You are a fool. It's written in your letter."

"I'm not 'a' fool. I'm 'the' fool."

Navia gave me a stinky eye roll.

"Are you sure you want your organisation call name to be 'The Fool'?"

"Yes, I'm sure. In fact, it has to be the Fool." I replied solemnly. "What? Is it going to be a problem? I doubt anyone has used the name before, right?"

"No one has definitely used it. I'm curious, Leo. It sounds to me that this title has a significance to you. Can you tell me why?"

"It's a reminder." I said as a melancholic smile came to my face.

"A reminder?"

"Yes..."

I recalled the events of my previous life.

The title 'the Fool' was to remind me of my past life. To ensure I never forgot anything, especially the pain I cause the person who probably loved me the most, as well as the betrayal of the person who I trusted the most.

It was a marker to remind me never to make the same mistakes again and to live this life without regrets.

I looked at the woman before me. She was a proof that I could change... that I was changing.

It's just a pity that I didn't trust enough yet. I didn't trust her enough to tell her about my 'past'.

I probably would never trust anyone enough to tell them about it. Well, it's not like its necessary anyways.

So, I told the woman who was waiting for an answer something else.

I placed my white mask on the table.

"Zero, the mask and the Fool. There are a part of a set which reminds me of my goals in this life.

"'Zero' means nothing or null. It can also represent unblemished, blank, pure. And in some cases, it can mean ultimate, supreme, prime.

"The Fool can mean someone who is foolish, untalented, useless, without ambition, undecided. But from another point of view, a Fool is someone who can become anything and anyone.

"This mask is the representation of both sides of both names. The mask will represent whatever trait of both names I exhibit.

"I was born an orphan. I have no mana in a world of mana. I came into the world as... Zero. However, I believe I am Prime! That I will be Supreme!

"I am a fool, for this world looks at me and the first thing they see is someone without mana, someone useless, talentless. But I look at myself and I see someone who can achieve anything! That can become anyone! That is why I am a Fool."

I looked at my open palms for a while, then I clasped them together tightly.

"As far as the organisation is concerned, my Title is the Fool because I can kill anyone. And by any required means; poison, force, schemes, it makes no difference to me. My codename is Agent Zero because I will become the organisation's... no, this world's Apex... Supreme... Prime Assassin."

I smiled to Navia.

"Do you understand now, my fair lady?"

"Yes." Navia nodded. She stood up and came to sit on my lap. "Leo... Zero... Fool, whatever name you choose to call yourself by, your dreams are now mine as well. I swear this to you, I will do everything in my power to make our ambition come true."

"Thank you." I said.

Then, I added with a smile,

"If I didn't know better, I'd think my ambition moved your heart from the way you're acting."

"That's because it did. I think I love you, Leo." She said seriously.

I was stunned. But then I smiled.

"I hope I can come to love you too."

"You will." She said confidently before she kissed me.

(To be continued...)

AUTHOR'S RAMBLINGS

Suddenly had an idea to change the name of the novel.

-The Fool, Loki's blessed Assassin

-Memoir of the Fool.

Or should it remain,

-Memoir of an Assassin Blessed by Loki.

Which of the three sounds better to you? Drop your response in the comments.

You can also leave suggestions too. I'm excited to see if someone can come up with something more creative.

P.S: I suck at titles and names.

Eagerly awaiting your responses.

See you in the next Chapter.

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