Sparta: Many childrens, Many Blessings, Starting from the Gladiator Chapter 72 72

Night fell.

The training ground was lit with torches, but the atmosphere was oppressive.

Everyone knew ti was running out, but clues kept breaking one after another, and the pressure grew heavier and heavier.

Marcus sat in the office, laying out all the information collected today piece by piece on the table.

Jasmine perfu, Livia, the limp man.

Old Limp Cassius, the missing Marta.

Scarface and Titus, the pottery workshop, the northern legion badge.

And the rose petals from the temple, the chanism in the warehouse's locked room…

All the fragnts were scattered and couldn't form a complete picture.

One piece was missing.

The most critical piece.

There was a knock on the door.

"Co in."

The door opened. Mira stood at the entrance, her face pale, eyes red, as if she had been crying.

"Marcus…"

Her voice trembled. "I have sothing to tell you."

"Co in, close the door."

Mira entered, closed the door, and walked to the table.

She took out a small wooden box from her bosom and placed it on the table.

"This is…"

Marcus asked.

"I found it today while cleaning Lord Gracchus's study, behind the bookshelf."

Mira opened the wooden box. Inside was a stack of letters.

"I didn't dare take them all, so I only stole one. Look…"

Marcus picked up the letter and unfolded it.

It was in Gracchus's own handwriting, written to that centurion from the northern legions.

The content was very simple: the second batch of goods was to be postponed until "the wind dies down."

But the last sentence of the letter made Marcus's pupils shrink —

"Deal with that gladiator matter cleanly. Leave no loose ends."

The gladiator matter?

Which gladiator?

"Mira,"

Marcus looked at her. "What else do you know?"

Mira's lips trembled. "I… I overheard Lord Gracchus talking with the steward. He said… he said Lucius was actually his man."

"What?"

"Lucius used to work for Batiatus. After Batiatus fell, he went over to Valerius."

Mira said. "But that was fake. Lord Gracchus sent him to act as a spy. But recently Lucius stopped listening and wanted to take the money and run, so…"

"So Gracchus killed him?"

Marcus's voice turned cold.

"No… it wasn't Lord Gracchus who killed him personally."

Mira shook her head. "It was… it was Scarface."

Scarface!

Marcus's mind roared.

Scarface was Gracchus's man?

He had always thought Scarface was Valerius's dog!

"Are you sure?"

"I heard it myself."

Mira's tears fell. "Lord Gracchus said, 'Scarface handled that matter well. Lucius is dead, perfect to fra on Valerius.' But the steward said Scarface's price was too high and needed more money. Lord Gracchus agreed."

Marcus slowly sat down.

All the fragnts suddenly pieced together.

Lucius was Gracchus's spy, but he stopped listening and wanted to run.

Gracchus had Scarface kill him, then fra it on Valerius — conveniently dragging him into it as well, forcing him to go all out against Valerius.

Killing three birds with one stone.

Eliminate the disobedient spy.

Strike at the political enemy.

Force this chess piece of his to fight desperately.

Good tactics.

Truly excellent tactics.

"Mira,"

Marcus looked at her. "Have you told anyone else about this?"

"No one. I haven't said a word."

Mira wiped her tears. "I was afraid… I was afraid sothing would happen to you."

Marcus held her hand. It was ice-cold.

"Thank you for telling ."

He said. "But from now on, forget about this matter. Don't tell anyone, including Lucretia or Saxa. Understand?"

Mira nodded.

"Go back first. Act as if nothing happened."

Marcus said. "Be careful these few days. Don't let Gracchus get suspicious."

"Mmm."

After Mira left, Marcus sat in the darkness for a long ti without moving.

So that was how it was.

He thought he was the chess player, but he was still just a chess piece.

Gracchus's ga was much deeper than he had imagined.

But it didn't matter.

Even a chess piece could flip the board.

Marcus stood up, felt his way in the dark to the secret compartnt in the corner of the wall, pried open the brick, and took out the sheepskin scroll copy.

He also took out another sheet of paper — the copy of Gracchus's military equipnt transaction that Ilithyia had given him.

He placed the two items together. In the darkness he couldn't see them clearly, but they felt heavy in his hand.

Evidence.

Evidence enough to send Gracchus to the guillotine.

But he couldn't use it now.

Revealing his trump card too early would get him killed.

He had to wait — wait until Gracchus and Valerius bit each other the hardest, until both were badly injured. Only then could he co out to clean up the ss.

But waiting didn't an doing nothing.

He needed to add fuel to both sides and make the fire burn hotter.

Marcus put the items back, resealed the brick, and smoothed the plaster. Then he pushed open the back window and flipped out.

It was deep into the night. In the training ground there were only the footsteps of patrols.

Gisco was personally leading the team tonight, making a round every quarter hour. The light from the torches swayed along the top of the wall.

Marcus stuck to the shadows, circled around the main building, and reached the stables in the back courtyard.

Three horses were tied inside, recently bought and usually used for hauling goods.

He led out the most unremarkable brown mare, put on a simple saddle, and slipped out through the back gate without lighting a torch.

The streets were empty, with only wild dogs rummaging through garbage.

He was going to see Scarface.

Since he now knew Scarface was Gracchus's man, so things needed to be made clear face to face.

Of course, he couldn't say it directly. He had to circle around.

The Hamr Gang's old nest was in an abandoned kiln area in the south of the city. It used to be for firing pottery. Later the kiln owner went bankrupt and ran away, leaving dozens of ruined kiln caves that beca a den for thugs.

Scarface occupied the largest one. Two little brothers always guarded the entrance.

Marcus dismounted a hundred ters away, tied the horse behind a broken wall, and crept closer.

The two little brothers on guard were dozing off, their heads nodding.

Marcus didn't alert them. He circled to the side of the kiln cave, where there was a half-collapsed ventilation opening, barely big enough for a person to squeeze through.

He crawled in. It was dark inside, but light ca from deeper in, along with the sound of voices.

"…Where's the rest of the money? We agreed on one hundred, this is only eighty."

Scarface's voice, carrying anger.

"Lord said the rest after the job is done."

Another voice, sharp and thin — it should be Titus. "Why are you in such a hurry?"

"I lost three brothers! Three!"

Scarface roared. "That bastard Lucius fought back before dying and stabbed three of my n! Eighty? That's not even enough for buying lives!"

"That's your problem."

Titus said coldly. "Lord only wants results. Now the result is achieved, but the loose ends aren't cleaned up. That old limp Cassius and his woman — have you dealt with them?"

"Still looking."

"Make it quick."

Titus said. "Find them and silence them. I'll add another twenty."

"Fifty."

"Thirty."

"Deal."

There was the sound of counting money.

Marcus held his breath, pressed against the shadow of the kiln wall.

He was still so distance from the inner room where they were talking, but he could hear clearly.

So Scarface had lost n while killing Lucius. No wonder he was asking for more money.

Old Limp Cassius had indeed seen sothing, which was why he ran.

But now Scarface was looking for him to silence him.

He had to get there first.

"And that gladiator,"

Titus spoke again. "Theodorus the Viper — have you found him?"

"I have so leads."

Scarface said. "After Nodus died, that kid hid in the cetery in the west of the city, mixing with the old grave keeper. My people saw him yesterday but didn't dare act. The cetery is eerie at night."

"Miss Livia's etings with him cannot leak out."

Titus's voice grew colder. "Lord said, alive we need the person, dead we need the corpse. Do you understand?"

"Understood. Add money."

"Greedy bastard."

"Life-risking work deserves life-risking pay."

There was more sound of counting money.

Marcus quickly calculated in his mind.

Scarface was helping Valerius find Theodorus to silence him.

But Scarface was also Gracchus's man… was he playing both sides?

Or was Gracchus deliberately letting Scarface take Valerius's jobs to grasp the opponent's handles?

Both were possible.

While he was thinking, the conversation inside ended.

Footsteps ca this way.

Marcus imdiately shrank into a collapsed dirt pile, hiding behind the rubble.

Titus ca out first, wearing a cloak that covered his face, and walked quickly outward.

Scarface saw him to the entrance, then turned back, cursing while counting money.

After Scarface returned to the inner room, Marcus ca out of his hiding spot and quietly followed inside.

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