Chương 175: Cordyceps Forty

Milo had a heap of gifts placed in the dining room by the time the last of the guests were coming in. More than that, he had a lot of friends around too. Kids that I recognized from the Academy, a few that were a year or two too young. They even had a few girls, though they were being a little standoffish at the moment. The birthday party had that energy to it that I hadn't felt in a lifetime. People were talking, laughing, and having a good time.

I was mostly stuck with the boys, and the adults were giving us all a wide berth since the boys were... louder than might be appropriate. At the same time, it felt entirely allowable for the kids to be kids right then. Unfortunately, I had a job to do. There was a small bar to one side of the main ballroom, a long counter with a few staff members behind it. One of them wasn't wearing the Milo family insignia. I glanced at Milo and the others who were starting to head out to the back, then I peeled off.

With all of my anti-notice skills pushed to their limit, I just walked across the room towards the bar counter. I was just another one of the kids, maybe one who was a little thirsty. There was nothing weird to see here. I came up next to the bar, then waited for a little bit. The staff member that was part of the house staff was coming and going with small crates of bottles. They set one down, then left. Which meant that the only person behind the counter was my contact.

"Are your tips shared?" I asked. The bartender jumped. He was a younger guy, maybe in his late twenties, with a bit of fuzz on his lips and that sort of clueless look that suggested that he wasn't the brightest spark.

"Huh?"

"I said, are your tips shared?" He blinked, then nodded.

"Yep, sure are. Did you, uh, plan to give one?"

"Less than a pound," I said. He nodded again. A call and response code like that wasn't exactly elegant, but it was more subtle than me just asking him if he was my contact.

"Here, you can have some water," he said as he reached for a clear glass bottle from a shelf. There had to be some sort of magic or enchantment at play, because the bottle had a small wave of vapour coming off of it.

"Thanks," I said as he poured me a cup. As I reached for it, I dropped a small vial on the counter which rolled over to him. He snatched it up without comment.

"You know which drinks to put that in?" I murmured. He should have known, but I wasn't all that confident in the ability of the Union when it came to this kind of job.

"I know," he said.

"Enjoy your water." I thanked him and swallowed the entire cup in one go. It was surprisingly nice and refreshing. With that bit of my job done, I headed out again. If everything went perfectly, then that would be the entire job. The poison would kill all three targets. I suspected that it was fairly slow acting overall. It might take an hour or so for them to pass from it. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

More than long enough for me to get out of here once the party ended, I hoped. My initial plan was to make myself scarce right about then, but the mansion was too separate from the other buildings in the area. I couldn't just sneak off into an alleyway. Besides, that plan made me look a little suspicious. I found the boys in the backyard, kicking a ball around.

There were two goals made from a few yardworking tools obviously stolen from a shed, and some of the adults were lingering around, watching the kids have their fun. As I joined the boys in the backyard, I noticed that the sun was just starting to dip towards the horizon. Had it been that long already? I kicked the ball around, shouted some, and generally tried to blend in with the others.

We weren't playing hard, not with so many mothers standing nearby ready to tug on some ears if anyone got their clothes muddied up. After a few minutes of kicking the ball around, Milo's mother came outside. She smiled as she looked over us all, then she clapped her hands for attention.

"Excuse me, everyone, dinner is about to be served! Come! Let me welcome you into the dining room." Everyone filed in, though it was at a leisurely pace. I darted to the washroom to wash up, then headed back into the dining room where I was quick to find a seat not too far from the doors further into the house. It would leave my back uncovered, but would give me a good view of the front of the room.

People took their time to sit down while servants and staff ran around setting the table down with last-minute things. Once everyone was settled, the man at the end of the main table stood. Milo's father, who was unmistakably related to the boy. He was a bigger, larger Milo, with an extra foot on his son and an extra chin as well.

"Ladies and gentlemen, young friends of my boy Michael, and the rest of you old bandits," Baron Milo began, his voice projecting across the room. I felt a warmth suffuse me, warmth and a companionable joy. A skill? That'd make a lot of sense for a political figure to have.

"First, let me thank you all for coming to celebrate my boy's birthday today. Seeing him, seeing my family, surrounded by such amazing friends fills my heart with immense happiness." The speech continued for a while, and I realized that no amount of oration skills would turn a long-winded speech into something actually enjoyable. Still, the speech did serve a purpose, it let the staff start to serve people in a quiet frenzy. The speech ended with a quick round of applause, then the dinner started for real.

I didn't just stare across the room. There was a family of three sitting across from me, mother, father and daughter, and the mother struck up a conversation with me about the Academy and how I knew Milo. Innocent banter of the same sort that I could hear across the dining hall. The food was fantastic. Lots of vegetables and thin cuts of meat with some sort of succulent sauce. It was genuinely hard for me to eat at a reasonable pace.

Of course the Milos would try to show off with the food, it was the family's main business so it was only reasonable that they show off what they were able to make. Once the main courses were done, the wine came out again, for the adults, of course. There didn't seem to be an official end to the meal. People just relaxed, stood, and started to form little groups here and there while the staff came out with dozens of plates with small slices of cake on them.

More staff came in, carrying the boxes and gifts that Milo had received and creating a big heap to one side. Soon enough, the birthday boy himself was there, ripping boxes apart while others watched on. I joined the other boys in that corner of the room, but my attention kept straying to the other end. Milo senior and a few of the adults were gathered together, pipes came out, and they seemed to have moved on to talk about business.

The bartender moved over to them, all smiles as he let the men pick cups from the tray he held in one hand. As he turned, our eyes met, and he gave me the slightest nod. It was done. Or it would be, probably. I watched as the men all gathered up and started to move through the ballroom. At a guess, they'd be heading upstairs, to one of the smoking rooms where they could be on their own and do their own thing. I watched lord Milo take a sip from what I suspected was a cup of brandy.

He grinned until he was out of the room. Then I had to turn back and pretend to pay attention to Milo and his gift unwrapping. The evening continued. People laughed, they gossipped, Milo showed off his toys and thanked those that gave them to him. It was a nice event. Then someone stumbled in from upstairs, looking a little pale.

"Is there a healer here? Baron Erspell has fainted!"

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