After a verbal agreement was reached, they agreed to go over details later and Bayle was escorted by two royal guards out of the room.King Marlo smiled at them. “I can honestly say this has been one of the most productive meetings of my life. I’ve established a new nation, been healed of my ills, and now I have two of my most powerful Knights devoted to a kingslaying.” He laughed, a bit more heartily than he was able to before. “My father would have me attend meetings when I was younger as well. He’d speak with dukes, counts, and barons for hours and hours about what they wanted and what he wanted and they’d go in circles over and over and over again. One of the benefits of the rifts is that I was able to dismiss almost all nobility from the palace on the grounds of saving funds for the war effort. All of those conversations could’ve been a simple letter anyway.”Michael smiled. He was more than familiar with the useless meetings that could’ve been emails.“You need anything else from us, boss?” asked Ollie yawning. “That was a lot.”“I just wanted to inform you of one more thing, and then I will dismiss you.” He looked to Lance. “First I want to make sure that you’re aware you won’t be part of the assassination mission. You are known to the royalty there, whereas Michael and the others were nameless, faceless Penitents for the most part.”“I had guessed as much, sire.”“You’re a smart man. I also want to mention that there will be a parade in two days for you all, during which I will be granting you all lands and titles.”Lance raised his eyebrows. “You’re making us Hume nobility?”“Don’t get too excited. The lands I’ll be granting you are all in the most dangerous areas of southern Hume, near the old capitol. Right now they’re considered uninhabitable due to the severity of the rift activity there. There had been a number of attempts by my ancestors to re-settle it, as the land is good, but they all failed.” (...)