Meeting with the assassin

After a hours days of travel you arrived at a ruined church. It had been destroyed by a war decades ago. The carriage lurches forward for a moment before stopping.

After a moment the driver knocks a couple of times before saying "Your Majesty. We've arrived at location you asked"

You and Akina step out and look at a church. Apparently, your father and grandfather have done business here before.

This was after the church was left in ruins. As you and Akina enter the church, you see that the building it completely repair. No, it looks like it is brand new.

"The assassin has set up a pocket dimension for us"

The church is filled with beautiful greenery, grass and trees. Before you stands a man. He wears a black hood with a white skull shaped mask. He has a ring finger missing.

"You must be the new king" he says.

"You are the assassin Akina mentioned?" you ask.

"I am an assassin. Akina tells me of Marissa Loon. The Order has reason to suspect she is possessed by a demon"

"Wouldn't this be a job for the exorcists then?" you ask.

"Exorcism is unreliable. It is better to just kill the host" Akina says.

"So we kill the countess" you say.

"We still haven't decided whether we should do that" the masked man says "Why should we care what the countess does to Itheria?"

"Bryce has no heirs. If he dies. Itheria will collapse from in fighting" Akina says.

"So we have one less kingdom fighting. Isn't that a good thing?" the masked man asks.

"You wouldn't call for this meeting if there was no way to convince you to agree" you say.

"While allowing your kingdom to be absorbed by other ways may be better in the long term, there is still economics to consider" the masked man says.

"How much do you want me to pay you?" you ask.

"I am not talking about money. The Order desires loyalty in its assassins. That includes Akina. The problem is located inside Itheria, it should be someone who resides in Itheria that should fix it"

"So you want Akina to carry out the ****? But is it you want in return?"

"Akina shall prove her loyalty"

"But she already serves you, right?"

"He means I have to cut off my finger" Akina says "Most assassins do this. However as word of the practice got out, the Order started making exceptions for members that needed to act as spies. But because this meant they never passed their test of loyalty, many in the Order view them as lesser assassins. If I cut off my finger, my word will carry more weight within the Order"

Akina lives towards a desk and takes out a knife. She places her hand on the desk and holds the knife above her ring finger. Akina raises the knife preparing to cut off her finger.