The Arks 178 The Ark Of The Plan

"Yep, you won't miss the building once you've seen it. He'll be in there," instructed the woman, who had a brown cloak covering her appearance.

It looked like a shady drug deal, the way both of them had dressed. But Yan did not care, only she could tell him where the Marquess had been hiding.

"Thank you," said Yan as he gave the woman a loaf of bread in exchange for information.

"Be careful, lad. I've heard that Marquess is quite close to some Mages. Might want to watch your step if you meet them."

"Roger that. Don't worry, I'm armed."

"Are you sure?' asked the woman, once more.

She then looked at Yan, her chestnut locks moving slightly to reveal a pair of crimson eyes. Yan seemed surprised but shrugged it off instantly. He had seen weirder people.

"Yea," replied Yan, waving off her warning.

Yan proceeded to walk away and towards the Old Chapel.

"You need more than 'arms' to kill those beasts," murmured the woman.

Yan walked through the town for a bit. He had to plan some escape routes in case of a quick getaway. His mind recalled the specific instructions from Ashley for this particular mission. he knew that it wasn't going to be an easy job, so they were going to tag-team on this.

"Listen, Hornet*. Remember, five years ago, there was a child I told you about?" asked Ashley.

"Yes. The case of Abigail Esther n.o.ble, a child found to have cursed the entire village, or so they say," replied Yan, looking away.

Whether it had been five years or not, the idea of hating the Mages for no good reason seemed to bother Yan quite a bit. But coming from Ashley, he was willing to keep his mouth shut. Part of him still wants to rebel but the other knows better not to defy him.

"Well, she's long gone. Someone else stole my kill. I was close to finding her, had been chasing that girl for so long after the Congregation's downfall."

"If she's gone, then why bother? If you don't mind me asking," questioned Yan.

"But, there's still hope. Her friend, I'm after her. Rumors have it that she is no ordinary Mage. They call her a Valkyrie. But, I highly doubt she would be an angel. She is also known as the Mage of Amalgamation, where she can use all Elements at one go. Thus, I'll be taking that target."

"And the locals have said that she is revealed to be a small child, so taking her life would be easy," smiled Ashley as he started loading his rifle up.

Yan froze when he heard those words. Killing a child shouldn't bother him, especially after what he had done. But could he ever do the deed? After all, he was a child himself.

"She's hiding in a place called the Old Chapel, within the outskirts of the Campania domain," explained Ashley.

"What's her name?" asked Yan.

"Mavislin Roydon."

Ashley started drawing a rough sketch of the Old Chapel. Yan seemed intrigued as he carefully drew out the village next to the target's location.

"Coincidentally, word has come about that my brother has randomly gone missing. My parents can't find him. Not that they would care anyway. As the future Marquess, he should not be missing. The people of Campania kinda need help right about now."

"I thought you'd hated him?"

"It's not that I want him to come back because of his brother. It's because the people of the domain needs him. If he doesn't come back to restore order, then the entire system will collapse."

"Then shouldn't it be a chance for the mafia to take over?"

Ashley widened his eyes at Yan for a bit and shook his head while smiling. He then primed his rifle and took aim to the wooden targets.

"Kid, there's no way we can take control if we don't have enough trust with the people. The Marquess automatically has it since the family has been in power for so long. And me, leading the mafia to dominate the area? That has got to be a joke."

Ashley scoffed as he fired some rounds with his rifle.

"No one would listen to the runt of the litter."

"Well, here I am. You created the mafia of Campania, you should raise your head higher. That's how I feel. You turned a little insect like me to the Hornet. Be optimistic in my book," explained Yan as he aimed his stick of explosive at the straw target.

He threw the stick. Upon impact, the straw doll exploded. Ashley smiled. He then placed his rifle down and shot Yan a grateful gaze.

"And I thank you for that."