The Lingering Taste of Failure

Iordera was fine, Sophia was fine, but Dogget was in deep trouble.The crystal arrow had pierced his throat before detonating, instantly scattering flesh and blood.The scene was utterly gruesome, with not a single intact part of his body remaining.It was a complete annihilation, leaving no trace of the corpse.Such a sudden and drastic turn of events left Skinny Monkey utterly bewildered; it took him a considerable moment to realize that this group of people was truly problematic.Yet, as he turned his head, a dark figure was already raising a staff.[Hurricane]In an instant, a fierce gale erupted, sweeping dust and weeds into the sky, obscuring all vision.By the time the wind subsided, every figure had vanished.The Bald Man rushed over, demanding, “Where are they?”“How should I know?” Skinny Monkey replied, stepping back silently. “They disappeared in a flash.”“Why didn’t you chase them immediately? At least try to stop them!”Skinny Monkey rolled his eyes, having no desire to engage with him further.’Are you kidding? Didn’t you see our two main fighters get blown away? Who would dare pursue enemies like that?’Surprisingly, some dared.Government soldiers arrived in a hurry, glancing at the scene before leaving two guards behind and pursuing the vanished figures.Iordera lay prone on the hillside, her back aching from the blast.Sophia sat beside her, equally silent.Both knew, with a sinking certainty, that they had utterly botched the mission in its final moments.After a considerable pause, the pursuing party returned, bringing grim news: “We lost them.”****“My responsibility?” Cat Head scoffed. “Are you joking? The operatives assigned to the mission are all right here; there were no others.”“Don’t try to fool me. The crystal recorded everything. Let me lay it all out for you.”“Multiple individuals, none of whom truly showed their faces, killed the target the moment they appeared, then detonated the scene to create chaos.Without a moment’s pause, they immediately used wind magic to cover their retreat.”“A team with such flawless coordination and execution, complete with both a sniper and a magic support specialist—do you truly believe I could have uncovered them within mere hours of your commission?”“I am merely an intermediary for Saroyan’s Night Market Tavern, not some influential warlord!”Inside the tavern, Cat Head was locked in a heated argument with the government officials.“But the man is indeed dead; we needed him alive,” a government official stated. “A dead man is useless.”Moreover, he had been blown to pieces.Cat Head, not one to be easily outmaneuvered, let out a cold laugh. “Those individuals held back until your arrival to make their move.Doesn’t that suggest they were following *you*?There’s an informant among you, or, to be even bolder, perhaps your original intention was for him to die all along?”His implication was clear: refuse payment, and he would spread word within their circles that the government had orchestrated the commission, staging a false mission and exploiting labor without compensation.The government officials understood his thinly veiled threat.Ultimately, both sides compromised, with a partial payment being made.What was initially two hundred gold coins dwindled to merely fifty.Cat Head pocketed ten gold coins, then distributed ten gold coins to each of the four remaining individuals.“My apologies, but as you know, things went awry in the end, and the government only offered this much,” Cat Head explained as he handed out the money.The Bald Man and Skinny Monkey, however, seemed quite pleased, happily pocketing their shares.They had accomplished virtually nothing, playing no part in the entire mission; during the ambush, they were led on a wild goose chase by illusions, and ultimately, they failed to protect the target.In contrast, the two who had truly contributed to the team fought with fiery intensity, yet even they were caught in an explosion while guarding the target, sent flying a considerable distance.Compared to that, their earnings felt like pure gratuity.“Ladies, I’m off. Perhaps we’ll work together again if the opportunity arises,” he said.Iordera merely twitched the corner of her lips, her expression blank.She certainly had no desire to collaborate with those two imbeciles again.Their half-hearted efforts were one thing, but encountering such misfortune in the end was another entirely.The assailants had been like phantoms, appearing and vanishing without a trace, leaving no avenue for retribution.They were either vengeful enemies or entangled in a deeper conspiracy; Iordera, at least, remained entirely in the dark.If even the government officials had let the matter drop, what could she possibly do?Gazing at the pouch in her hand containing merely ten gold coins, Iordera’s heart began to ache anew.After a night of arduous work, forty gold coins had dwindled to ten.At this rate, when would she ever accumulate enough money?“Alas, tonight was truly unfortunate,” she sighed, turning to Sophia. “All that effort for nothing.”Sophia nodded instinctively, then, realizing her mistake, quickly added, “I don’t lack for money; I merely came for the experience.”For a wealthy young lady from the Imperial Capital, this explanation was perfectly plausible.Iordera conceded the point; they were all affluent, while she alone was utterly penniless.’Sigh.’Bidding Sophia farewell, Iordera returned home with a faint ache in her heart and promptly climbed into bed to sleep.’I should rest for a while, let my spirits recover, and then look for work in a couple of days.’ZzzzThe next day, it was already approaching afternoon when she awoke.The maid begrudgingly prepared lunch, and the three, mistress and servants, gathered at the dining table, none of them in high spirits.Iordera inquired curiously, “What’s wrong with you two? You seem rather listless.”“Exhausted,” Nina replied. “I slept all morning, only to wake up and immediately have to cook. I’m utterly worn out.”’…’‘Right then, how truly put-upon you must be.’“And what about you, young miss?” Yuna countered. “Your spirits are quite low, and it’s different from the previous times.”Iordera paused at her words, a flicker of surprise in her mind. ‘Good heavens, you can even discern the *type* of my suffering?’“I found some work last night, but unfortunately, an accident occurred, and all my efforts were in vain. I didn’t earn much,” she explained simply.Yuna nodded, then picked up a pen and paper, beginning to write: [Saroyan: Young Miss Iordera embarks on her first field mission. But can she succeed? Alas, she botched her first attempt.]Iordera glanced over, her lips trembling with indignation. “You’re going to write about *this* too?”“It’s a biography, young miss, a true biography,” Yuna stated. “It must adhere to authenticity; one cannot merely record the good and omit the bad.”“Couldn’t you at least… embellish it a little, perhaps from a slightly more favorable perspective?”“I can.”Yuna raised her pen and continued to write: [The long night draws to a close, yet the embers still glow. Before the young maiden, only ashes and desolation remain.She had given her all, but such is reality, and such is fate.]“Perhaps you should stop embellishing…”After lunch, with the afternoon hours stretching pleasantly before her, Iordera rode to the academy, returning to the familiar sanctuary of its library.No significant incidents had occurred in recent days, and life at the academy remained relatively tranquil, preventing any tea parties from materializing.Work in the library was also quite leisurely; occasionally, a student would enter to borrow a book or ascend to the quiet reading area upstairs to study.Ascending to the third floor, Iordera settled back against a bookshelf, suddenly enveloped by a profound sense of peace.‘Never mind. I’ll just read a bit and recharge.’The library truly held an immense collection of books, diverse and eclectic, encompassing every conceivable genre.Recalling the events of the previous night, Iordera found herself developing a nascent interest in non-human intelligent races.