Chapter 537

Ajax’s body felt like it was on fire, the little that remained of the poison had spread quickly even as it was slowly being destroyed by his

Ajax’s body felt like it was on fire, the little that remained of the poison had spread quickly even as it was slowly being destroyed by his body. This left Ajax’s body in a horrible state, his knee jerk reaction to attack Lacel worked off of muscle memory, something that failed him as he lost the grip on the axe once the pain registered. 

“Careful now.” Lancel said as he caught the axe. “You also might want to give your body some time to recover, the poison isn’t all the way out of your body not to mention the damage it did.” 

“The assassins… Rex… Aranor too…” Ajax’s hand covered one of his eyes, as his mind recounted the last memories it registered before going into deep [Meditation]. “I survived.” 

Lancel gave Ajax a moment to come to terms with the realization. Despite Ajax being in numerous dangerous situations this was one of the few times he had come so close to death despite his prodigious talent. 

“The guards that were with me…” Ajax finally said once he processed everything. “Did any of them make it?” 

“All of them were killed.” Lancel said with a sad shake of his head. “The assassins didn’t want witnesses, is our best guess.” 

“Rex and Aranor?” Ajax moved on to the last things he remembered now that he knew there was nothing he could do for his people. 

“From what they said Rex used the element of surprise to take out one of the assassins before overpowering the second while protecting you, during this time Aranor took out the mage. Sadly they all self-destructed, leaving nothing to question or look into to find out who sent them.” Lancel explained. “The moment the bodies of the guards were found I went out to try and find you, by the time I did you were already unconscious.” 

“Do we know who did this?” Ajax asked. 

“Most signs point towards it being the Empire, though I suspect Aranor might know something more on that front, he was oddly quiet on the topic.” Lancel gave his insight. “For now let's get you to your family, they are all very worried about you.” 

“Also, leave the rest of the poison to be eliminated naturally.” Lancel added. “I recognise it and it is one specifically made to disable high priority targets, even if the poison is magically repelled it would leave the body ravaged and resist healing, your Life affinity might work but you would stand to gain a lot more if you just let it run its course at this point.” 

Ajax thought back to how hard it was for his shoulder to heal during the battle even after most of the poison was removed and whatever little there was left overpowered with Life Mana. Now that he was in no rush he had no reason to push himself so hard.

With a nod Ajax accepted Lancel’s advice and then requested to be taken to his family. Despite the journey being short with Lancel’s speed Ajax’s body still very much protested the amount of movement. 

“Ajax!” Judy was the first to spot him as Lancel brought him back. 

Lexi and Silvia were the first to get to him. Both of them were very careful having noticed the state he was in and they led him to the nearest cough where he could sit down. 

“How are you feeling?” Lexi asked. 

“Like somebody set my body on fire and they finished tenderising it.” Ajax tried to give a smile but even that turned into a scowl as a slight shift caused a fresh wave of pain. “I’ll be fine, it might take me a few days to recover but I’ll be all the stronger for it.” 

Ajax could ready pain and frustration his family felt at being able to do nothing to help him so he decided to move on to another topic, one where he very much hoped they would be able to help him. “What are we going to do for the families of the guards that were with me?” 

Ajax could see how his mother’s, brother’s, sister’s and father’s face fell at the question even further. Lexi however had a different reaction, she looked conflicted.

“What is it?” Ajax asked. 

“She’s a bit afraid of how you would react to her view on this.” It was Elija that answered.

“What? Why?” Ajax was even more confused. 

“Because high nobles, especially those who show potential early in life, are raised to look at things differently.” Elija answered. “They are raised to be ready to lead armies, where they have to look at the situation as a whole instead of seeing each individual soldier. My age and experience lets me see her point of view but she is afraid how you will look at her for having it already.” 

“What… What happened to the guards that went with you was a tragedy.” Lexi finally spoke. “But, and I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, it’s also a great opportunity for House Hearthbound.” 

“How so?” Ajax was taken aback by her words but he tried his best not to judge her for it and instead focused on trying to understand. 

“The people we lost were some of the least important when it comes to the guards of Lessis.” Lexi explained. “But all of them were very much part of the community. Their deaths marks the first of our failures as a House and how we handle this will stick with the people we rule over. This is our chance to make a solid impression in bad times while also solidifying our people.” 

“Not to mention that the seniority positions in the guard were just freed up, allowing upward mobility to those who prove worthy in the near future.” Tom was the first to see her point, yet he couldn’t help the frown as he looked at her. “I can see where you’re going with this, but I think you and our grandfather will have to take the lead on this. I can see the logic in it but… I guess I still have a lot to learn about actually being a noble.” 

This situation was a sobering one for Ajax and he was very glad he had gotten to know Lexi well enough to know that it wasn’t that she didn’t care about what happened or that she was glad for it. Ajax ignored the pain as he moved his arm to give Lexi a reassuring squeeze. 

Ajax spent the rest of the night mostly in silence, with House Hearthbound doing their best to process the feeling of sadness and responsibility they felt for the guards that died as well as to take in Ajax’s survival.

As soon as Ajax turned in for the night however the atmosphere seemed to change. It was subtle but the feelings the entire House had been suppressing were making their way to the surface now, especially with the fear of Ajax’s death having been dispelled by his return.

“I know the assassins are already dead.” Judy broke the silence. “But I can’t help and feel that they got away too easily, for what they tried to do.” 

Everyone could sense the subdued fury that became more and more felt with every moment since Ajax’s departure from both Sam and Silvia. Unlike the others the two of them had been worrying for Ajax since the day he was born, and while there were a lot of dangers they had accepted Ajax had chosen for himself the assassination attempt was not one of them. 

“They got what they deserved.” Lexi’s words brought on looks of surprise from everyone. “The assassins were just a tool, death is exactly what they deserved. The ones who gave the order however have a lot more to answer for, and I will work to make sure they do so the moment I find out who they are.” 

The venom in Lexi was worse than any of House Hearthbound had heard from the woman in all the years they had known her yet all it did was light a fire under them. Until now they had all been helping Ajax handle his rise to nobility by taking care of what they could but it was time for them to branch out and not be so reactive.

“I’ll find out who they are…” Silvia spoke the promise in little more than a whisper but it carried clearly throughout the room. So far her role in the family had been as a bridge between her father and daughter and her son, making sure the financial side of their family worked well with the ruling side. But now she had another focus for her talents, in finding out information that would lead towards those responsible for the attack today. 

Sam took a different approach from his wife, where she would look to protect Ajax by finding those who were looking to take his life; he instead looked to defend his son the best way he knew how. Come tomorrow he would get in touch with one of the few Enchanters that had come to their duchy. His [Blacksmithing] Skill had flourished of late but that alone would not be enough, Ajax would need enchanted armor.

Lancel was the only objective person in the room, though he stood in a corner merely witnessing House Hearthbound’s reaction. He had experienced many assassination attempts in his long life, some successful and some failed. Despite all that he knew deep down that this one would have some of the most meaningful consequences as he watched each member of House Hearthbound determined to push themselves, to grow. All so they could help the head of the House with burdens nobody his age should have to deal with.