Chapter 196 - The Smartest Woman in the World

  I was in my room, refleg ohing that had happened, while Cyl remained downstairs, eager to find out who had ordered my death. She eveioned wanting to joiorture, which, oddly enough, reassured me—at least it showed she wasn't mad at me anymore. I went up to my room to try and anize my thoughts.

  “What are you doing, idiot? I was still having dinner!” Athena suddenly pined, appearing out of nowhere.

  I decided to ighe goddess.

  “Martha had made my favorite dish!” she tinued, but I kept my focus, paying her no mind.

  “The bounty for my head is 35,000 gold s...” I murmured, still struggling to process the absurd amount. I used the mental exercise my family had taught Chloe ao keep our perspective on money, despite our wealth. The teique involved paring any rge sum to how long it would take a peasant family to accumute it.

  "A farming family earns, on average, 5 gold s per year," I calcuted softly.

  It would take 10 years to save up 50 gold s, assuming they spent nothing and ignored all expenses.

  I let out a small ugh of disbelief, tinuing my calcutions.

  "It would take 100 years to save 500 gold s... 35,000 gold s is..." I began to calcute quickly, but was interrupted.

  "Icarus," Athena's voice chimed in, always calcuted, "that would be exactly 7,000 years. That's how long it would take a peasant family to accumute the pri your head."

  I g the goddess, sitting in the armchair, and sighed.

  "Thank you for stating the obvious…"

  It’s an enormous amount of money...

  I resumed pag bad forth, trying to prehend my situation. A massive fortune had been py life. Even so, I khat few would dare to accept such a job, given that the penalty for attag a high-ranking noble was death, and the criminal's face, if discovered, would be known throughout the ti. Additionally, the assassin himself would likely have a simir bounty pced on his head, making him a target for everyone.

  I began analyzing what I knew.

  The 35,000 gold s were intended for the three mages. The third assassin, named Quinn, who khe tractor’s identity, would probably receive a signifit share, perhaps half, to ensure his silehe other two assassins would likely divide the remainder.

  I weighed my options.

  I doubt there are even 10 assassins on this entire ti who would dare target a high noble. Any assassin would avoid taking a tract to kill a high noble just to avoid the risk of involvement. The person who wants me dead must have gone directly to hire for my death, and they must be someorustworthy enough that the assassins were willing to take on this crime.

  I returo pting the fortune.

  My family gees an annual profit of around 40,000 gold s from businesses and taxes within the duchy. Even so, any unnecessary expenditure would impact the territory’s entire infrastructure: schools, security, military pensions, iments, and many others. This is because my aunt reis much of the profit to ehe tinuity of the duchy's activities, given the financial crisis caused by the she of mages after the war.

  The tractor was genuinely willing to spend an amount so enormous that even I, a high-ranking noble, was shocked.

  Athena stood up, walking towards me with that keen gaze of hers.

  “And I bet they had to pool together the fortune of aire group along with illicit funds from the underworld to reach that sum,” she said.

  “‘Group’?” I asked, intrigued. Knowing the Goddess of Strategy, when she says something like that, there’s always a deeper meaning.

  “Icarus, Icarus… Icarus,” Atheed my name, pag slowly beside me until she sat on my bed with that irritating smile pstered on her face.

  “I really don’t have time for yames. We’ve already had dinner, and I eve you have the meal Martha made, your favorite. So why are you still here? Go away,” I said, waving her off.

  “Today’s meal was my favorite! I wanted more! I don’t have a stomait me, you idiot,” she pined, but I kept ign her.

  “You’re walking in circles,” she taunted. “All of you are. I uand your situation...”

  I gred at the blonde woman haunting me. “I don’t have the headspace to deal with your taunts right now. There’s a third assassin mage who wants to kill me, putting everyo risk. I o pn my steps, figure out the motive, who the t is, and why… I ’t deal with you now, so disappear!”

  I closed my eyes, trying to dismiss her, but when I opehem, she was still there, smiling, sitting on my bed.

  “We haven’t finished our versation, Icarus,” she said nontly, iing her nails.

  I sighed, resigned. “Just say what you o... insult me, taunt me, have your fun, and then leave.”

  She let out a ugh that echoed through the room.

  “You’re stuck, trapped in your own problems,” Athena began. “You’re like horses with blinders, focused in a single dire. The issue of you being a noble elf from another kingdom, your Special Eyes coveted by everyone, your silver hair… too many things are happening, and it’s blinding you.”

  She stood and approached me.

  “Let’s py a bit with the basics, my dear Icarus. Set aside all assumptions and start from scratch.”

  “From scratch?” I asked, intrigued.

  “Yes. Why would someone want Nathan Evenhart dead? Something quite specific, right? You even stumbled upon a possibility yesterday.”

  “It could be because of my Special Eyes…” I murmured, trying to piece things together.

  “Maybe. Now, ret what you learned during the fight with those assassins. Say it out loud,” Athena instructed.

  I focused, recalling the details. “They had es to nobility, so they knew my element was thunder.”

  Athena nodded, encio tinue.

  “What else?” she pressed.

  “The assassin had a healing potion, something only nobles acquire.”

  “Now go bad ahe reasons they might want you dead. What could they be?” Athena asked, eay words.

  I paused to reflect. “The main reason could be my Special Eyes… Or it could be someone from the underworld, since I disrupted their operations in my duchy. But there’s no way they could know it was me.”

  “But the underworld e still exists, after all, assassins were hired. Now, ahe information, without fog oive. Just follow the trail of clues,” she advised.

  I let the information flow through my mind, fog less on the ‘why’ and more on the ‘how’ and ‘who’.

  "Without a doubt, a noble is involved; that much is clear,” I said, still processing the information.

  "Yes, there’s definitely nobility involved,” Athena replied, her eyes shining with satisfa. “Remember, a higher-ranking noble doesn't get corrupted by the underworld. They already receive passive ine from the taxes of their territory and thus wouldn’t have a strong reason to be deeply involved in criminal activities. After all, they’re the ones who create the articipating in such activities would be terproductive. Additionally, they aren’t chasing political positions, as they’re already at the top.”

  I pondered her words. “So, it’s a lower-ranking noble, someoh me, ected to the underworld, who hired an assassin. Tet me, even if the goal is my eyes… it has to be someone from my duchy. Killing me would be a very specific ad would need a clear be.”

  “Let’s isote the two main motivations,” Athena suggested, her voiore serious. “First, your special eyes.”

  “You think that’s nonsense?” I asked, suspicious.

  She ughed, as if she knew something I hadn’t sidered. “Let’s keep analyzing. If the motivation were your eyes, it would mean that information about their capabilities had leaked. The tractor would have informed the assassins, right?”

  I nodded. “Yes, that would make sense.”

  “Everyone who has seen you use your powers is dead, except your family. So, the tractor doesn’t know what your eyes do. Even if they knew you had the Special Eyes, they wouldn’t be certain they’re worth the risk. It’s illogical to think someone would go to such extremes just for knowing you have them, without knowing their true power.”

  She was right. The reasoning was sound.

  “That brings us to the seotivation: the underworld,” I cluded.

  “Correct,” Athena agreed, leaning forward. “A lower-ranking h strong ties to the underworld, within your own duchy… And it’s not just one here are many. Do you know why I reached this clusion, Icarus?”

  I thought for a moment. “The offered fortu’s 35,000 gold s.”

  “Exactly. It’s te an amount for a single o move; it’s a signifit sum. Lower-ranking nobles don’t have that kind of money readily avaible. So, it has to be an iial noble capable of rallying other nobles and ving them that your death would be beneficial enough for them to pool such a huge sum together. It has to be profitable, in a way that justifies the risk of killing a higher-ranking herefore, the motive isn’t your Special Eyes. A personal gain wouldn’t be profitable for all the individuals involved.”

  She then sat ba the armchair, assuming a posture that reminded me of the days I’d seen her ohrone. “It’s a fa of nobles, allied with a powerful leader, within your duchy. Someoh enough influen the underworld and who stands to profit immensely from your death, reaping rewards from both nobility and anized crime. Who’s the only hat fits this description?”

  “Nikous Wolves…” I replied.

  “Exactly, Icarus. He’s the son of a bitch who, if he kills you, will stop me from enjoying Martha’s delieals,” Athena added.