“You are the one who stays out all night killing people.”
Richard is the best killer for hire in town and has perfected his skills for years. Richard uses his sword, which never misses its targets. Prominent people hire Richard to eliminate their rivals, and most of these killings occur at night. Richard's students remind him that he conducts most of his killing assignments at night. Richard is not surprised because he makes a living through killing. However, Richard justifies his profession by saying that he only kills those people who deserve to die.
"I never knew you had such a passion for Swordplay! I will higher you St Vier for your birthday.”
Sword fighting is one of the oldest games in Riverside. Besides sword killing being a bad thing, even the old generation seems to enjoy the game. Michael's mother is a fan of Swordplay, and he promises to present her with one during her birthday. Michael wants to invite Richard St Vier, one of the most respected and feared Swords killers. Consequently, the quote shows that the residents of Riverside appreciate their heroes, especially when Richard is invited to high-end events to showcase his talent.
"He is the best Crescent Chancellor the city has had in decades – the best, some say, since the fall of the monarchy, which is generous praise indeed. Surely, he expects no difficulty in being reelected."
Crescent Chancellor Basil has performed well in his town, and everyone loves him. Dianne sees no difficulty in being reelected into office because his record of good performance is outstanding. However, not everyone is happy with Basil's success. One of the envious people is Ferris, who wants to be a Crescent Chancellor, but his chances are minimal as long as Basil lives. Therefore, Ferris plans to hire Richard to kill Basil for him to become a Crescent Chancellor.
