My personal take is that Othar's "Mission" is more a goal than a practical day-to-day concern.

Which is to say, his primary goal is to be A Hero. He can't do that if he goes around trying to assassinate every considerable political figure. Sparks are usually either 1) Obvious Threats, 2) Major Political Leaders, or 3) Valuable assets for major political leaders.


When he tries to kill Agatha, he knows nothing about her except that she's a Spark who just fled Castle Wulfenbach. He has no idea what she's going to do. My guess is that Othar's policy if he encounters a lone spark that he can kill without consequence and knows nothing about is to kill them before they get a chance to blow up the nearest village with their Exploding Omelette.

Any other spark he handles on a case-by-case basis. If they're a known heroic quantity, he'll spare them. If they're well known or work for somebody powerful, he needs to consider the risks and consequences of a little impromptu assassination. Agatha in the Balloon is basically one of the few cases where he'll just kill somebody for being a spark. Otherwise, he's either sparing them, or killing them because he's a Hero.

Like, woe become the minor spark who happens to spot a friendly campfire and asks to spend the night, but in general, I think he's far less practically devoted to his Mission.