The Stupid Cannon Fodder is Stunning Today

Chapter 33: The Kinsmen of Old Calypto

This chapter is brought to you by Things We Lost In The Fire by Bastille. 

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This sucks. 

Nine woke up with a heaviness to his limbs and an apathetic numbness in his head. 

"Awake?"

Lord Eartha stood over him with an unreadable expression. 

Nine tried to respond, but couldn't. His throat was dry. 

The man sighed and helped him up. He pressed a glass of water to his lips.

"Drink." 

Nine sipped the water slowly and tried to speak again.

"What happened?" His voice came out rough. 

"The healers decided to dose you with sleeping potions during the surgery. It's been three days." 

Nine blinked. 

He felt a surge of irritation and anger at being put under, but the emotion was fleeting when the soreness hit. 

He winced. 

Then he felt a noticeable dip in the bed and turned to see what it was. 

He spotted ash blond hair and a blue shirt. 

Bel was fast asleep next to his bedside. 

"Peacemaker's been there since day two. You know, there are rules in the ranks against courting, but I don't think I need to worry about it if it's the two of you." 

Nine blinked again. 

He turned back to Lord Eartha. "Debrief?"

The man nodded. "Tell me what happened." 

So Nine recounted the assassination. His encounter with the first three Mantle agents had given him the injury on his back. He fought them off but didn't have time to fully eliminate them, so he dropped a poison smoke bomb on them.

"Lady Calypto's incense?"

"Deadly. It's used in the training ground." 

"Hm." 

Nine explained how he didn't have time to check if the agents were dead.

"That's a failure on your part." 

"I realized this when they called for backup."

While he believed he only needed to get through the target's personal guards, two more Mantle agents showed up. 

"We fought and one of them gave me the second injury. They were strong opponents, both equally skilled."

"How would you rate them?"

"... If it had been one, I would have won. But..."

Lord Eartha narrowed his eyes in thought. "The two of them together would have taken your life."

"Yes. But they didn't." 

"Pluto told me about that. They went rogue?" 

Nine nodded. "I assumed. Tamer, one of the agents, collapsed after saying something. It's... I believe it's about an incident relating to me." 

Lord Eartha crossed his arms. "You will need to report that to your uncle. If Mantle agents had gotten into Claypto's affairs, that meant there was a leak. The mission with Paudu and the Imperial Family could have been used as a front." 

"A front?"

"That's not my business anymore. Even if they interfered with a sanctioned mission, their main objective was obviously you."