Release That Witch - Chapter 483

Chapter 483: The Distance to God (Part I)

sabella stared at the map in silence for a while. “But the crazed soldiers aren’t God’s Punishment Warriors. Although the pills can affect their resolve, it won’t give them unbreakable resolve. In front of truly terrifying enemies, they’ll still be afraid and may even run away—millions of defecting soldiers are enough to run us all over into dust.”

“Obviously it won’t be that simple. It would be best if the crazed army mostly consists of the church’s lower level believers, and if the Judgment Army was the core.” Zero returned to the window. “And if we want these many believers, we must unite the Four Kingdoms.”

“What are our chances of winning?”

“30%? 50%?” she replied nonchalantly. “How can I know what our chances of winning are? After all, we’ve never fought against them and can only get the information through ancient books from 400 years ago. Don’t forget what I said before… if we’re lucky enough.”

This was exactly why it was so exciting—she was putting the fate of all mankind at stake and placing the few bargaining chips she had all in one basket by fighting the strong with the weak… in a battle where the odds were against them, an unexpected triumph would be all the more sweeter.

“The continuation of mankind will depend on their courage, wisdom, faith, and sacrifice in this battle,” she thought. “This is probably what God hopes to see… cowards can’t earn his smile.”

“I hope you’re right.” Isabella frowned. “I’m feeling more curious now.”

“Curious about what?”

“If Prince Roland of the Kingdom of Graycastle was standing here, what would he do?”

Zero furrowed her brows. “Why? Do you think he can beat me?”

“Bishop Tayfun said that he hasn’t heard from the Pure Witch he sent to the Kingdom of Graycastle yet, as if she simply disappeared. She was the one you assigned on the mission to check out the Western Region. Besides her, we also lost Aphra from King’s City, the Bishop candidate Mira, and the church in Longsong Stronghold…” Isabella paused for a bit. “Don’t you think since the church began targeting the Four Kingdoms, we’ve never suffered so many losses before? It’s as if after we got involved with the Western Region, we have been losing. It’s like… God is protecting him.”

“Enough!” Zero slammed her fist on the table. “You know nothing about God!”

Isabella was slightly shocked. “I was only kidding… since when did you care so much about God?”

Zero tried to repress her anger. “He’s merely a mortal! Mortals can only rely on calculations and knowledge, and this will all become part of me. Even though he has ways to fight the demons, the Union will definitely do better!” Zero turned around and stared at Isabella. “When the church’s troops march into the Kingdom of Graycastle, you’ll know who really has God’s blessing.”

As Isabella left the library, she sighed and said, “You’re becoming more and more like a… Pope.”

Zero sat silently next to the table, her emotions in tumult for a long time, which was uncommon throughout her 200 years of life.

She knew what Isabella meant, but she could not explain herself to her… no matter who was Pope, no matter what ideas they had before, as soon as they stepped into the Prayer Room, they would all undergo unpredictable changes.

God… really exists.

Zero realized that her thoughts had been completely disturbed, so she closed her book and walked to the top floor of the library.

It was the highest point of the Pivotal Secret Temple where the Prayer Room was.

Zero pushed open a secret door made out of bookshelves, walked up a narrow stone staircase, and entered a windowless room. The room was only a few square feet, not even enough for someone to lie down in. The roof was cone-shaped and encrusted with Magic Stones that gave off a faint blue light. Under the dim lighting, Zero could vaguely see the four walls and hard ground. Besides these, there was nothing in the room, and it was hard to believe that this stuffy and cramped place was the closest location to God.

Zero closed her eyes to feel his summoning.

Her dark world slowly began to change, as if something entered her mind and displayed a scene in her consciousness—she knew that this wasn’t a figment of her imagination. Even her soul, which had absorbed hundreds of people, could not see or even imagine such a sight.

When the twisting lines slowed down, five large paintings appeared in the expansive world… one floated above her head in a giant ring, and the other four lined up symmetrically in a cross next to her.

This was a sign from God.

Watching something in her mind was an incredible feeling. Zero knew that this entire scene would disappear as soon as she opened her eyes, so she could only use her consciousness to view every painting—when she was focused on the paintings, she felt being brought into them.

The large ring-shaped painting on top of her was undoubtedly God himself.

It was a dark world with no visible boundaries, and a giant red sphere was suspended in the middle. The sphere was made of magic power, and she could feel its infinite power from simply looking at it. Half of it seemed to be cut off by a knife or hidden in darkness, so only half could be seen.

The more closely Zero looked at it, the surer she was of her judgment.

It was just too majestic.

She was nothing compared to this ball of magic power. She could not even find the words to describe how giant it was, only that even the world under her was dwarfed by this red sphere. The swirls of magic power on its surface were even wider than the ocean, and the light of the shining magic power was even brighter than the sun—besides God, who else could have such vast powers?

This was probably the Bloody Moon recorded in the Holy Book—from the side, the half-sphere truly did not look like a full moon.

Zero once tried to pray to it, but it did not respond and only floated calmly in the darkness as if it was waiting for the results of the Battle of Divine Will.

This was why she was extremely enraged by Isabella’s words. This thing did not give anyone its blessing… she realized after witnessing it in person that humans were insignificant in God’s eyes.

After she separated from her thoughts, Zero looked towards the four paintings at the bottom.

She believed that the reason the battles that occurred every 400 years were called Battle of Divine Will had something to do with the content of these paintings.

The church’s secret history recorded past Union leaders’ and popes’ interpretations of the paintings, and most of them came to the same conclusion—the location of the ending of the war was in these four paintings.

Chapter 484: The Distance to God (Part II)

he first painting had the richest contents.

It depicted a throne constructed with swords and bones, and blood red long windows and tall black columns were behind it. It seemed to be a part of a palace. If she completely submerged her consciousness into it, she could even see the city outside the window with endless spires. What caught her attention the most was the Stone Gate that peeked through the city—if the spires around it were the buildings of Hermes residents, then the Stone Gates at least five times as tall as the church’s Tower of Babel, which completely went against common sense.

What was more unbelievable was that the inside of the gates was black, as if a large and smooth cloth was covering its middle. However, as she looked closely, there seemed to be an immeasurable depth to the darkness… The more she stared at it, the more uneasy she felt.

Zero only focused her attention on the window for a while and soon turned it to the throne.

She did not see the lord of the throne today.

The things she saw in her mind would sometimes change. For example, she could occasionally see an armored warrior sitting on the throne, his head covered with a frightening black helmet, only revealing a faint red light through his eye sockets. However, this was not very common, and the throne was usually empty.

According to the records of secret history, this painting depicted the city where the demons originated from and first appeared—the Northwestern corner of Land of Dawn.

Zero agreed with this theory. The painting’s blood red colors and black spires were very similar to the demons’ living environments, and the helmet of the owner of the throne had a distinct demonic style. The only strange part was that its body was exactly like that of a regular human, and not like the strong and horrific bodies of the Fearsome Demons or Lords of Hell recorded in the Holy Book. Thus, there were many speculations about its identity. Some popes believed that it was the source of evil, while other witches thought that it was a member of the demons that guarded the secrets of God.

The second painting was much more mysterious.

It had few contents, which seemed to keep moving. At least in Zero’s limited number of observations, she had never seen the same scene twice.

This time, she saw water.

The light blue water rippled backward against three large skeletons, which were completely hollow inside, but the water was somehow held outside the bones by an invisible barrier. It was as if the giant skeletons were keels supporting the side ports, and she felt like she was in a boat and looking out through the window—except these windows spanned the entire wall.

Zero was quickly enthralled by the strange scenery in front of her… She was standing at the border between water and sky, with half of her underwater, and the other half floating above. She could see the bright sunlight and sparse clouds above her, but her legs were encased in water. Under the sun, she could clearly see the color of the water changing from light blue on the surface to bright green, and then dark green, as it went deeper and deeper.

Suddenly, the scene began to shake, and Zero felt the world tremble below her and almost fell over. She subconsciously tried to open her eyes but stopped herself at the last second. “This isn’t reality,” she told herself. “This is God giving you a sign.”

The water was quickly rising and almost drowned out the sky.

Or, perhaps the water was not rising, but she was sinking downwards.

Soon, everything outside the window was covered by water, and she even saw red fish swimming by the skeletons. First, there were only a few of them, but then there were more and more, and the dense schools of fish surrounded the invisible barrier like a red ribbon. The water gradually changed from dark green to a dull black, until the scene was shrouded in a complete darkness and totally disappeared.

Zero broke out of the painting, panting. This was the first time she experienced such a clear vision, and when the darkness covered her eyesight, she felt like she was about to choke. However, she did not find any useful clues—according to the secret history, the contents of the second painting were always changing. Some recorded seeing a giant eyeball, others saw a volcano spewing bubbles and yellow smoke, and others saw a bottomless abyss giving off a faint light. No observers had ever seen the same thing.

She rested for a while and turned her attention to the third painting.

However, there was still nothing in it… it was like the world outside the frame, dark and dead silent.

The secret history mentioned that in the beginning of the first Battle of Divine Will, there was something in the painting… but this recording was so ancient that its pages were tattered and basically illegible. However, she was certain that a hundred years after the Battle of Divine Will, this painting turned black and never showed anything ever again.

The fourth painting was not at all mentioned in the secret history.

It was difficult for Zero to understand as if they were all in agreement to hide something—if even the sole messenger of secrets, the pope, did not have the right to know, then the secret would be unknown to everyone forever.

The painting depicted a wall.

It was an unassuming rough gray stone wall.

Parts of the gray paint were chipped off, revealing the cracked stone blocks under it. It had obviously stood here for a long time. Besides this wall, there was nothing else.

After staying in the painting for a while, Zero started to feel exhausted.

Reading God’s signs took a lot of energy, and even she could not do it for a long time.

Zero opened her eyes to disconnect from the sphere of magic power, causing the dark world and giant paintings to disappear, and she was back in the dim small room.

She sighed deeply and stumbled down the stairs, only recovering after finishing off her cold black tea in the library.

Although God did not give her any response, her anger from before was completely calmed. “Isabella knows nothing about God, but I do.”

Zero looked out the window at the busy figures under the tower, and her feeling of control returned. Her experiences during the past 200 years made her disregard everything in this world, but after she became the Pope, she realized that she had only scratched the surface in understanding the world—now, she faced a whole new mystery, and her immortality was perfect for solving it.

Zero felt in her heart that she was the real person chosen by God.

If she could approach God, it would be worth waiting 400 years, even thousands of years.

Chapter 485: The Day of Leaving

Here comes the ship.”

A sail peeked over the end of the light gray horizon. There were no other merchant ships around, so it had to be a ship from Sleeping Island.

“Uh-huh,” Tilly gently replied, her voice muffled by the sounds of the sea washing onto the shoals. She had turned her back to Roland, so he could not see her face.

“We’re leaving now,” Andrea said regrettably. “I really liked your domain, and I’ve no idea if I can make the same delicious ice cream bread as you have here when I’m back at Sleeping Island.”

Along with a bolt rifle, Roland had given her the ice cream recipe as well. “As long as you have eggs and milk, it won’t taste too bad. When you come back to Border Town… no, the City of Neverwinter next time, I’ll have more delicious food for you.”

“Will it be even tastier than ice cream?” Andrea held her stray hair and said with a laugh, “You’d better not lie to me. I have your word.”

“If you’re reluctant to leave, you could stay here,” Ashes laid out her hands and said. “Princess Tilly definitely won’t mind leaving such a gluttonous witch like you behind—you won’t be allowed to eat as much as you want on Sleeping Island.”

“Is that true? I won’t give you any ice cream when we get back.” Andrea stared at her. “You should just eat your dried fish and drink your fishy soup every day.”

As they continued to bicker, the sailboat neared the coast. The flying pink flag on the top of the mast told everyone it was the Charming Beauty.

Shavi summoned the invisible barrier, which allowed her to travel and move between the shoal and the ship, enabling her to carry all the books, goods and materials to the ship, without docking. Then, she carried the card-playing three and Princess Tilly, but as Tilly was stepping into the barrier, Roland called her name.

“… What?” She turned her head, her eyes revealing a complex mixture of emotions.

Roland was not good at saying goodbye and had stopped her without forethought. He took a deep breath and shouted, “If you have any problems on Sleeping Island, you can tell me. I’ll do my best to help you. And remember that you’re always welcome in the City of Neverwinter.”

“… ” Tilly smiled after a moment. “Thank you, and you too.”

“Goodbye, everyone.” Andrea and Shavi shouted while waving their hands.

Ashes did not say anything and just waved her hand too.

After their farewell, the barrier carried the witches to the Charming Beauty quickly.

“What’s wrong? You don’t want them to leave?” Nightingale asked from behind him.

“I just think it’s a pity. There are 300 witches… It would be wonderful if they all moved to the Western Region,” said Roland with a fake casualness.

“Yeah, and then you’d feel even more guilty.” Nightingale rolled her eyes at him.

“Guilty?” Roland felt terrified and asked.

“Why? Living here is better than living on Sleeping Island, isn’t it?” Anna was also confused.

“You wouldn’t understand, even if I told you.” Nightingale turned around and walked towards the hot air balloon. “And that’s the most irritating part.”

Watching her walk away, Roland felt a sense of relief. Nightingale had disappeared for the last two days, and now she was finally back to normal, so he had nothing to worry about.

“Let’s go. There’re a lot of things for us to do,” Wendy said while smiling.

“OK.” Roland and Anna smiled and walked to Cloud Gazer while holding hands.

…

Back in his office, Roland opened his notebook and thought about how he would develop his domain in the coming year.

Undoubtedly, there were two things of the utmost importance that needed addressing.

The first thing to do was to dethrone Timothy and stop him from diminishing the countrymen with the Berserk Pills. This could also greatly expand Roland’s reputation and prepare everyone for the unification of the Kingdom of Graycastle.

The second was to absorb Longsong Stronghold as soon as possible to put the City of Neverwinter on the track for construction.

Iron Axe, Carter, Theo in King’s City, and he had already discussed the former many times, and they decided to launch the spring offensive at the end of April, which would be at the end of this month. It was the plowing time in many cities, which would not affect the professional First Army, but would affect the traditional noble, because people would be constrained by their crops and unwilling to start a war at the risk of starvation. If the army suddenly appeared at the outskirts of King’s City, Timothy would be totally unprepared.

The steam engine plant, ammunition factory, and concrete boat plant were all busy producing resources for battle. Meanwhile, logistics operations were at full speed. Plus the City Hall boasted enough manpower, and the First Army was experienced in battles. Roland had a good grasp on the necessary resources and their deployment, so he was not worried at all about either.

The most important thing at the moment was to utilize the resources of Stronghold.

Thinking of this, Roland told Barov to come to his office.

“Have you cataloged all of the industries in Longsong Stronghold and its surrounding territories?”

Barov pulled out a notebook. “It’s all in here, Your Highness. The primary income was from the mining industry and salt industry, especially the former—there was a high-quality gem mine to the west of Longsong Stronghold near the Impassable Mountain Range, whose output accounted for more than half of the Stronghold’s income.”

“Gem mine?” Roland was not interested in luxuries. “Isn’t there also a gem mine in the North Slope Mine? Why did that town appear so poorly last time I visited?”

“It’s not the same, Your Highness.” Barov rubbed his hands and said, “The gems of the North Slope Mine are the byproducts of other mineral veins, so the quantity is very small, and they might not even be good enough to be made into jewelry when they’re cut. But the gem mine in Stronghold is full of colorful stones, and each of them can easily be made into a high-quality multicolored stone. The gems are worth dozens of gold royals once sold in King’s City, and the output and quality are far better than that of the gems from the North Slope Mine.”

“A multicolored stone?” Roland asked curiously, “What does it look like?”

“It’s generally transparent and has no fixed color. It reflects many different colors under the sunlight, from light green to orange-red, and it shows multiple colors after being cut. It’s more like crystallized sunlight than a normal ruby or sapphire.” Barov paused. “The multicolored stone of the Kingdom of Graycastle, the Ice Stone of the Kingdom of Everwinter and the luminary stone of the Kingdom of Dawn are the most popular gems among the nobility.”

“That gem sounded pretty luxurious.” Roland thought. “Maybe it could be used to make a ring for Anna. But, the gem mine has little value when talking about the improvement of people’s livelihood.’” Roland asked, “Any other mineral resources?”

“The Maple Family and the Wild Rose Family each have an iron ore mine,” Barov said, “but, they’re both smaller than the North Slope Mine.”

“The domains of the two families are both surrounded by the Impassable Mountain Range—these mountains crossing the Four Kingdoms may be full of treasure,” Roland thought. “Maybe I can explore along the foot of the mountain with Sylvie to find an ore reserve for the City of Neverwinter. After all, steel is a powerful resource for industrial manufacturing.”

Chapter 486: A Call for Help

What about the salt industry?”

There were many ore resources in the Western Region, so it was not surprising that mining was the primary industry of Stronghold. However, this was the first mention of the salt industry, and Prince Roland had no knowledge of local specialties. In Roland’s opinion, salt should be the main industry in coastal cities.

“Stronghold, the Elk Family, and the Honeysuckle Family each have one salt well. In fact, the three salt wells are very close to each other and basically located on the borders of their domains. I heard that over 200 years ago, civil wars in the Western Region often happened there and lasted for 50 years.” Barov stroked his mustache.

Roland wondered if the three nobilities occupying the area had then become the biggest winners. He asked with great interest, “What’s the output of these salt wells?”

“Besides supplying the Western Region, the salt was also sold to Fallen Dragon Ridge, Redwater City, and some other small villages along the way.” Barov leafed through his notebook. “It accounted for almost 15% of the Stronghold income.”

“Why such a low percentage?” Roland asked in surprise. “The market price for salt isn’t low.”

“It’s too hard to get the salt out of the deep pit.” Barov shook his head. “I know a nobleman in Silver City who has a salt well in his domain. It’s about the size of a human head and too small for a cask. People mine it by putting water in and scooping it up with a bamboo stick after the salt melts.”

“Why not expand the well?”

Barov smiled smugly. “Your Highness, the salt bed is too deep. If we dig it like a water well, its walls will collapse. According to him, the salt well has been mined from his grandfather’s generation, and now the well is as deep as a belfry in King’s City.”

“I see,” Roland thought. Limited by the depth, people here mined salt wells using the brine method, but the process could be improved. Lifting the salt mine with Lotus’s power or extracting the brine with a steam engine would be more efficient.

An abundant salt supply would not only bring great profits to the City of Neverwinter, but also popularize healthier and more delicious food to the subjects. The salt they had at present was crude and saline with all kinds of impurities and foreign substance.

“I see.” At this thought, the prince nodded with satisfaction. “You can go now. Don’t forget to do population expansion work. The Months of Demons just passed, so it’s a good time to recruit before refugees starve without their crops.”

“I had the same thought, Your Highness,” Barrow said with his hand on his chest, “The new emissary delegation will leave soon, and I think they will gain more than last year.”

After the chief left, Roland was about to plan how to deal with the Stronghold resources, when he heard a knocking on the window.

He turned his head and found a gray falcon lying on the window grille with a note on its foot.

Nightingale opened the window and let the flying messenger in.

It was a letter from Petrov Hull in Longsong.

Roland read the letter quickly and could not help but laugh. After Nightingale came back to Border Area with him, it had been difficult to continue the fight against crime. They received all kinds of reports from the masses, and it was difficult to identify what was true, and what had been made up for the cash reward. Less than half of the Rats had applied for jobs. The new Minister of Justice, Rene Medde was busy all day long and could not control the Black Street Forces. If it went on like this, public safety would deteriorate.

Petrov had written at the end of the letter that he wanted the prince to help him with manpower and technology, but Roland knew he actually wanted Nightingale and Vader to help the Earl of the Elk Family.

He gave the letter to Nightingale. She glanced at it and said, “They can’t hold Stronghold anymore?”

“The former Ragingfire was just a response to the war among the masses. He has no experience in battling or capturing the Rats.” Roland smiled and said, “As I expected, they have a long way to go in fighting the Rats, and there’ll be many relapses. But they’ll eventually be destroyed with powerful measures and given a better way of life. Once they’re on the right track, it’ll be hard to stray into evil again. This is the case for both people and cities.”

“Do you want me to go?” Nightingale sighed.

“Don’t forget that Longsong and Border Town are one city now. Don’t separate them from each other.” He shrugged. “I said at the expansion meeting that there’ll be a day when we could have breakfast in Border Area and work in Longsong Area half an hour later. And you are in charge of the Security Bureau, you are expected to travel between the two places and inspect the work.”

“If I go, what will protect you?” She shook her head. “Don’t tell me there’ll be no danger. You are the thorn in Timothy and the church’s side, and only I can stop assassin witches.”

Roland wanted to say that he had the God’s Stone of Retaliation and would not be hurt by a normal witch, but he realized that was not what she was worried about. “Listen to me.”

She cut in, “You can’t make me promise anything, and Wendy and Scroll will agree with me. You’re the most important person in the Witch Union—”

“I’ll go with you.”

“Ahem, re-really… ” Nightingale choked in shock and turned her head to avoid his gaze. “I guess I’m the only one who can help them.”

The prince could not help but laugh. “Take Summer with you. It’s time for her to practice.”

“And Sylvie and Soraya should go too to establish the identification systems while checking out the mines, and maybe even build up the City Hall,” he thought. “I wonder how the training of the nobility in Longsong Stronghold is going.”

…

Three days later, Roland boarded with the witches and the nobility in Stronghold to go to Longsong Area.

Looking at the cement paddle steamer and the coal cinder in the deck seams in the Redwater River, he sighed. It seemed impossible to reach Longsong Stronghold in one day, this speed was still too slow for him. After all, time was money. Roland planned to build an exclusive luxury high-speed ship.

Chapter 487: The Guarding Shield

y dusk, the ship reached the port of the inland river near Longsong Stronghold.

Petrov had heard about their trip and greeted them at the port with his followers. When they returned the castle, a grand welcoming banquet awaited them in the hall of the first floor. After taking over Longsong Stronghold, something changed in Roland’s heart. When watching the nobles giving toasts to each other, he felt the money spent on the banquet came out of his own pocket.

After briefly greeting the eldest son of the Honeysuckle Family, he cut to the chase. “Have the Rats come out again?”

“Judging from the reports we received, it seems so.” Petrov made a gesture to guide the prince to a corner of the hall. “Compared with the former organized Black Street groups, the criminals we recently arrested mostly acted individually, such as thieves, burglars, and murderers, all of whom were pulled to the square to be hung. Since you asked us to judge with adequate proof, the criminals we executed were only a small portion of all the reported criminals. Verifying the information in hand took quite some time. Besides…” The eldest son of the Honeysuckle Family paused. “We’re in a great trouble recently.”

“What is it?”

“Someone openly resisted your policies, Your Highness,” Petrov said in a worried tone. “Earl Medde knows more about it. I’ll ask him to tell you in detail.”

“Your Highness, the Elk Family greets you.” After being summoned, Rene came and bowed to the prince, and then he began to tell the whole story. “Recently, something serious happened in North Street of the outer town… Um, Sheriff Vader would call it a serial killing case.”

“Um, it’s actually what I would call it.” This triggered Roland’s interests. “Carry on.”

“Yes,” Rene Medde said in a serious voice. “Since three days ago, a resident has been found dead at home every night. The victims were all male, lived alone, had no families, and most importantly, they applied for jobs in the City Hall.”

The prince frowned. “Were they regular employees?”

“If handymen can be counted as full-time job, then yes.” The Earl of the Elk Family nodded. “In the room of each victim, there was a painting drawn with blood—a crown and a cross. Because of the identical mark, I sought confirmation from the City Hall and then found all the victims were among the list of people who were about to be sent to the Redriver District to build houses.

“You think their intention is…”

“To sabotage your enrollment plan, Your Highness,” Rene replied. “Rumors have been spreading in North Street saying that whoever applies for a job in the City Hall will be a target for killers.”

“I believe that’s what’s happening.” Petrov chimed. “We’ve employed less than we’d expected, and there’re barely any applicants from North Street. Moreover, there’re applicants who regret applying and say that they’re physically unfit for going out of town and hope that the officials can take their names off the City Hall’s enrollment list. Now, the rumor is only spread in North Street, but if it goes as far as other blocks, it could sabotage your construction plan.”

Roland contemplated for a moment. “Have you got any clues about the suspect?”

“We…” Rene opened his mouth and said after a while, “There were no witnesses to the crimes, so we’ve no idea where to start the searching.”

“Really…” Roland felt surprised. “How did you solve such cases on previous occasions?”

“Do you mean the patrol team?” The young Earl of the Elk Family hesitated for a while. “As far as I know, they didn’t have standard handling methods. If it was an influential case where the families of the victim appealed to the Lord, and the Lord decided to show his subjects justice, he would pressure the Black Street gangsters and order the Rats to hand over the criminal—the patrol team didn’t care if the person they handed over was only a scapegoat or not. If the victim was only a foreigner or lived alone, the patrol team would usually ignore it.”

“This is outrageous!” Roland was shocked. “The patrol party’s way of handling such cases is equal to handing over the jurisdiction to the Rats. No wonder people were saying that Rats were the other party who ruled the city. Besides, in this era, there seems to be no such a thing as a criminal investigation, so if there’s no witness in a murder case, it’ll most likely become suspended—of course, that’s only the case for civilians.

“Border Town has always been under Nightingale’s supervision, plus it has a simple population composition, so all the crimes here are instantly cracked, which led to my neglect of this matter. Although Rene didn’t say so, he might think that my request of a verdict on verified evidence is too demanding.

“But no matter what, I won’t allow the using of scapegoats in my territory.”

“I see. From tomorrow on, the Security Bureau will take over this case, and all you need to do is to cooperate.”

“Yes. Thank you, Your Highness,” Rene said joyfully.

…

After the banquet, Roland returned to his study on the top floor of the castle. The interior of the study looked very different now—the book shelves around the walls were all torn down, and a soft couch, a tea table, and cushions were added. Behind the desk, the wall was knocked open, and two French windows were installed. Although they were not made of crystal glass, they greatly expanded the view of the room. Through the slightly tinted glass, Roland overlooked Stronghold, enveloped in darkness, and nodded with satisfaction.

It seems Petrov followed my orders with great care, which means my choosing him as my deputy was a wise decision.

“How do you plan to handle this?” Nightingale emerged from the Mist sitting on the desk with her legs crossed.

“I’m not planning to handle it at all.” The prince smiled, shaking his head. “Now that all the nobles have returned to Longsong, tomorrow the primary work is to have them establish the secondary City Hall, divide them into departments, and place some people in charge. The sooner the structure is established, the earlier Soraya can draw identification cards. You’ll be the one in charge of fighting crimes.”

“Me?”

“You’re the head of the Security Bureau, so it’s totally up to you to decide how to solve a case… The whole police department of the City of Neverwinter is in your command; both Vader and Rene are your subordinates.”

“But didn’t you always say that the authority of the departments should be separated, and administrative status should be equal?” Nightingale felt bewildered. “I don’t understand how the City Hall operates, but this arrangement seems to put the Security Bureau above the City Hall.”

“Territorial security is top priority, which is exactly why you report directly to me,” Roland said affirmatively. “Not only for the police department, but all the examination work for the City Hall and the army will be carried out by you. Indeed, each department should be separated and not interfere with one another, but there needs a web that binds them together and stops power abuse and corruption. It’ll prevent the collapse of the new system from within. You must have heard the saying: the firmest defense collapses from within.” He paused for a while, looking into Nightingale’s eyes. “You’re the most powerful shield to prevent all these things from happening. Now, both my personal safety and the security of the territory are in your hands.”

.”

Chapter 488: The Breeding Ground for Evil

We’re going to catch all the criminals and stop them from perpetrating in the City of Neverwinter!”

Nightingale held onto Summer’s shoulder and said loudly.

“Uh, yes… Lady Nightingale.” Summer then shrank back. “But it’s time to go to sleep…”

“It’s still early. Let’s talk about the countermeasures for tomorrow.” Her eyes were sparkling. “No one can escape our hunting, not even the most cunning Rat! Right, you can call me sister instead.”

“Yes… Sister Nightingale.”

Oh my God… Summer did not understand why, as an ordinary townsman, she had to catch criminals. Wasn’t it the patrol party’s job? Plus, Lady Nightingale… no, Sister Nightingale had been so excited since she had returned from the prince’s office. She had been saying “catching criminals” over and over again.

“She’s really a witch who hates evils as she does her own enemies.” Summer said to herself. “But can I really help her?”

As Summer thought about this, she asked cautiously. “What shall we do? I’ve never caught a criminal.”

“It’s my job to catch the criminals,” Nightingale patted her chest proudly and said, “And, you only need to rebuild the crime scene to show us who the murder was!”

“You mean the exact moment of the killing?” Summer hesitated and continued, “But, how can I know when exactly the killer did it?”

“Uh…” Nightingale paused. “You’re right. How often can you use your ability?”

“I practiced with Sister Wendy for a week and four times is the limit now, I think that’s the best I can do,” Summer said with frustration. “My magic power is very limited and if the illusion lasts a little longer, the number of uses will decrease. Besides, I cannot rebuild a scene from two days earlier, otherwise, the magic power will run out very fast.”

“How long can the illusion last?”

“Half, half a quarter.”

“Um… that’s rather short.” Nightingale paced to and fro at the bedside. “It’ll be troublesome if the flashback doesn’t reveal the criminal.” She meditated for a few minutes. “If you reduce the lasting time of each illusion, can you try a few more times?”

“Maybe I can, but I’m not sure,” Summer murmured, “Sister Wendy told me if I could control the magic power accurately, I would be able to control the length of time. But every time I summon my power, I always feel the magic waning quickly.”

“It’s such a pity Countess Spear isn’t here,” Nightingale said with a regretful look. “Anyway, let’s deduce a time and take a chance.”

“Take, take a chance?”

“Yes!” Nightingale said, laughing. “I’m always pretty lucky; otherwise, I wouldn’t ever have met Prince Roland.” She suddenly became sad at these words. “… if only it could have been a few days earlier.”

“How could that be considered as lucky?” Summer shouted in her mind. “Anyway, luck is unreliable! My ability won’t work even a few hours later, let alone days. Can we really catch criminals tomorrow?”

“Well, now go to sleep.” Nightingale blew out the candles and darkness soon enveloped the room.

“Uh-uh.” Summer answered and climbed onto the big bed. The soft bedding covered her immediately.

“God, this is the bed of a noble? It’s too comfortable.” Summer buried her head into the clean pillow and felt her body sinking into the bed. She stretched her body and quickly started to fall asleep.

Do all the witches in the castle sleep with such comfortable bedding? If I slept on such a bed, I wouldn’t ever feel like getting up again.

She could hear Nightingale mumbling while she was trying to fall asleep.

“I’m his shield…”

And then Summer fell asleep.

…

Early the next morning, she was woken up by Nightingale.

“Hurry up. We ought to go,” Nightingale said energetically.

“Yes…”

Summer struggled to get off the bed, put on her coat, and went downstairs with Nightingale. In the lobby, there was a tall man with brown hair pacing back and forth. When he saw them, he stepped forward and said with a bow, “Good morning. I’m Rene Medde, the Earl of the Elk Family. I’ve been waiting for you, you must be Lady Nightingale, and this is…”

“Summer, she’s my assistant.” Nightingale raised her head a little. ” She’s a witch, too.”

“Is that so?” He looked a little surprised but quickly nodded at Summer. “That’s great. The criminals will have nowhere to go if I get your help.”

“Where is your staff?”

“They’re all waiting outside the castle.”

“Very well. Ask them to wait a little while longer, I haven’t had my breakfast yet.”

“Of course, please take your time.”

Summer fixed her eyes on them until Nightingale turned into the dining room. She hurried to follow at her heels. “God, is this Sister Nightingale? She hadn’t seen Sister Nightingale so dignified and serious—No, not exactly. She’s so supercilious as if she were a noble.”

That’s definitely not something to be expected from a civilian.

Besides, the man is an Earl. In Valencia, the young Earl would be the perfect lover in every woman’s eyes. If I were Sister Nightingale, I’d be too nervous to say a word. But Sister Nightingale seemed not care about this and kept him waiting for her.

“Is this all right?” Summer asked with concerns.

“Take it easy. His Highness told me that a noble is just a title in his territory and even the Earl won’t devour you.” Nightingale smiled. “Besides, Security Bureau is superior to the City Hall and I’m his boss. Why can’t I make him wait for me?”

Summer felt the woman was suddenly beyond her reach.

After breakfast, they left the castle to investigate the scene of the murder. Last night, another victim died at home. This time, however, it was on the corner of North Street and West Street.

“It is the fourth one.” Nightingale frowned. “And the murderer is moving to the west.”

“It shows the killer realized the propagating effect of committing crimes only in a specific block was unsatisfactory,” Rene nodded. “After all, the Rats’ organization no longer exists.”

Walking not too far down a muddy alley, the leading police officer stopped at a tumble-down cabin. “Sir, it’s here.”

Summer walked into the cabin after Nightingale and her heart skipped a beat.

A man was lying on the floor with his neck cut open and his vital fluid everywhere. There was a crossed crown on the wall facing the door and the heavy, metallic smell of blood filled the room.

“Ugh…” She had to cover her mouth to prevent herself from throwing up.

Chapter 489: Tracking down the Criminal

Is this the first time you’ve witnessed a scene like this?” Rene came up to her, looking quite concerned. “Perhaps it’ll be better if you go outside and get some fresh air.”

“No. No, thanks.” Seeing Nightingale squatting by the body examining the wounds, Summer declined the offer. If Nightingale was still able to keep her composure at such a horrible crime scene… she must also stay here. Summer continued, “I, uh, feel much better now.”

“When was he found?” Nightingale turned questioning.

“Early this morning. The residents nearby found his body when they went to draw water. It was before sunrise. The door was left wide open as it is now, as if the killer wanted to announce the death to the whole community.” Rene answered. “In the past, it would take two or three days for us to hear about something like this. The City Hall has been offering rewards for information, so it was reported sooner.”

“Do you know the victim’s identity?”

“Shovel, freeman.” Rene glanced about the room. “Nothing valuable has been found. Um… it looks like he used to be a Rat, too.”

“Did anyone see him last night?”

“I checked. Nobody.”

“Any noises heard?”

“None.”

“It doesn’t sound right; a strong man like him?” Nightingale frowned. “Even if his throat was slit, he wouldn’t die immediately. Someone should have heard him struggling for life or banging on the floor. Are you sure they weren’t lying?”

“I don’t think so,” Rene replied hesitantly. “The murder has sparked panic among the community. Plus, the residents get rewards for assisting the police. They shouldn’t have any reason to lie.”

“Well, bring them here. I’ll interview them myself. And, Summer?” Nightingale looked toward her assistant.

“Yes?” Summer responded with a shiver.

“Go to the castle and bring Soraya here.”

“Uh, sure.”

Summer staggered out and ran toward the castle.

Somehow, she found the way in which Nightingale gave commands utterly beautiful. Everything about her character demonstrated great confidence. No wonder His Highness trusted her with the Security Bureau.

…

When Summer came back, there were another two people following her.

“Why didn’t His Highness ask me to deal with such matters?” Lightning flew into the room, exclaiming. “He’s unfair!”

“Coo, coo!” Maggie rejoined.

“I couldn’t stop them,” Summer said timidly.

“Shouldn’t you protect Prince Roland while I’m away?” Nightingale’s brows went up a fraction of an inch. “This isn’t an adventure game!”

“Relax. Sylvie’s there, nobody can easily approach His Highness,” Lightning winked. “Besides, His Highness is going to call a meeting with the nobles and there’ll be no danger in the castle hall.”

“How incredible…” thought Summer. How could these two girls act so airily at such a horrendous crime scene? Especially Lightning. She was several years younger, and her eyes were sparkling with excitement. What on earth had they been through since becoming witches?

“Who are these?” Rene and the other policemen stared at the girl and the bird, eyes wide open.

“They’re witches.” Nightingale grumbled. “Anyway, you ought to get back to the castle before the end of the meeting. Got it?”

“Aw…” Lightning pouted.

“Um, you wanted me to draw the body?” Soraya was the last to enter the room. Summer felt slightly relieved when she noticed Soraya looking as ghastly pale as herself.

“Not the body, the murderer.” Nightingale closed the door and disclosed the plan. “Once we’ve got a picture of the killer, we’ll post it on the bulletin boards at the square and offer cash rewards to people who provide tips. This should be the fastest way to find him.”

The Earl of the Elk Family gasped. “You mean the witch here, Miss Summer, can reconstruct the crime scene?”

“It depends. She can maintain the illusion for only a limited period of time, so we also need a bit of luck. You’ll see.” Nightingale gave Summer a nod of approval. “Go ahead.”

“Okay.” Summer shut her eyes and traced time back to somewhere between midnight and dawn as Nightingale instructed. In the darkness, her magic power streamed from the tips of her fingers and intertwined, gradually forming a clear image. Slowly, some wooden planks, a bed, a table and a room took shape. A house was constructed in her mind. The victim was lying on the floor, his blood running onto the bumpy ground. The previously locked door was pushed open.

“Is this the witch’s power?”

“It’s unbelievable!”

“Gracious! The illusion is so lifelike. It’s almost like the demons’ power.”

“Hush! Shut up!”

The surrounding police hushed to a whisper.

“It seems he’s already dead.” Nightingale patted Summer on her shoulder. “Don’t waste your magic power. Switch to another time point.”

The second time, Summer traced the event back to somewhere close to midnight. The figure on the floor disappeared abruptly, and the victim was lying in bed, appearing to be in deep slumber.

“Does this mean he was killed between the two periods of time?” Rene asked in bewilderment.

“Correct. The killer took action between midnight and three o’clock this morning.

“I got it! Miss Summer’s power doesn’t last long, and we’re likely to miss the exact moment the murderer was committing the crime. That’s why you said we needed a bit of luck!”

“Precisely,” said Nightingale. “It likely took a long time for the murderer to leave these marks after he finished the business. Summer, you just start from somewhere close to three o’clock.”

Summer nodded and heaved a heavy breath. She summoned her power again and set the time between two and three. The magic power swarmed toward the wall and revealed a stranger standing at the bedside. He was drawing something on the wall with the bloodstained sheet.

“It looks like we’ve found him.” Nightingale smiled. “Lucky indeed.”

“So this man is the killer, coo?”

“He looks like nothing special… I thought it would at least be someone stout and strong.” Lightning remarked in disappointment.

“I can only draw a side face from this angle.” Soraya looked at the murderer from the wall. “Is there any way to turn him around?”

“Summer, I’ll leave it to you.” Nightingale instructed.

“Alright.” Without further explanation from Nightingale, Summer knew what to do. She pushed the time of the last illusion a quarter backward. This time, everyone saw clearly what the murderer looked like. He first strangled Shovel to death with a rope, dragged him to the floor and then slit his throat with a dagger. During the whole process, Shovel was sleeping like a log without any signs of struggling.

It suddenly struck Rene when he turned and noticed a water tank in the corner of the room. “Did he drink Dreamland Water?”

“It looks like it.” Nightingale nodded. “That’s why there was no noise. The killer slit his throat just to obtain some blood. The victim had already been dead.”

“My, my lord! I’ve seen this man before!” said a police officer suddenly.

“What?” Both Nightingale and Rene rested their eyes on him.

The police officer paused a moment before continuing. “His name is Maans, and he used to be a patroller. I’ve dealt with him before.”

“Do you know where he lives?” Rene pursued.

“I remember he lives in the inner city… West Street, near the Sheep Tavern.”

“Very well. We don’t even need to search him out. It appears God is on our side.” Nightingale scoffed. “He can’t get away with it. Let’s go!”

“Yes, my lord!” The police shouted in unison.

Chapter 490: The Real Target

pon arriving at the Sheep Tavern, the group promptly obtained Maans’ address through enquiry.

“I’ll go in first to take a look. You guys enter from the front door afterwards. Summer, keep an eye on Lightning and Maggie. Don’t let them in.” Nightingale entered her Mist and vanished after delivering the order. In her world of black and white, the lines that constructed everything started to twist and distort. She soon located a crack invisible to the naked eye and glided through the wall effortlessly.

The man’s abode was as humble as Shovel’s. It appeared that Maans had been destitute since losing his job as a patroller. She could see clearly so she knew that there was no God’s Stone of Retaliation in the vicinity. Nightingale soon spotted her target in the bedroom. The man was sound asleep beneath the blanket. His coat hung at the bedside with blood smears still on its sleeves.

Nightingale returned to the drawing room to open the door. The police swarmed in. They pushed Maans, who had just woken up with a start, back on the bed and tied him up.

“Who are you? Let me go!” He yelled with horror.

“You’re under arrest for murders!” Rene silenced him with two loud slaps. “How dare you plot against His Highness. It’d be merciful even to have you hanged at the city gate!”

“No, I, I didn’t…”

“You didn’t!?” The slaps turned into punches. After a few muffled sounds, Maans gasped in pain, his mouth full of blood and his front tooth falling out. “We saw you murder Shovel last night. Do you think we’ll believe your cunning excuses? You used Dreamland Water to knock him out. Then, you strangled him to death before cutting his throat to avoid getting blood on you. That was pretty smart, eh?”

Maans did not say a word, but his eyes were filled with shock and terror.

“Who gave you the order to kill Rats applying for jobs? Who instructed you to draw a crossed crown with blood at the crime scene?” Nightingale picked up a glass bottle from the night stand, it was filled halfway with light blue liquid. “Dreamland Water isn’t cheap, and it isn’t easy to get a hold of it now that the gangs have been eradicated.”

“I…”

“We might exempt you from death penalties if you spit all out.” Rene clasped his hands. “Otherwise, I’ll make you fully understand the consequences of infuriating a noble.”

Nightingale did not stop his threat, even though she knew the Earl of the Elk Family was lying. Like His Highness had said, security was the top priority, and anyone who posed a threat to it should be punished severely.

Maans hesitated, more punches landed on him.

The knight, who had received professional combat training, hit him between the abdomen and the ribs with just the right amount of strength to inflict excruciating pain, but not enough to cause death.

“Mercy! Mercy! I’m sorry, my lord! It was a guy from the inner city, he told me to do it! He’ll pay me four gold royals for each person I kill. He said by doing this, people will nurse a grudge against the police and think those black uniform guys are incapable of protecting the public. In this way, we can reassemble the patrol party!”

Maans collapsed. He was not a strong-minded person. A person who stood firm in his spirit would never choose to be a patroller and benefit himself through robbery and pillage, and certainly would not take four lives for just a few gold royals. Nightingale believed he had probably never expected to be tracked down by the Ministry of Justice so soon after committing the crime, and definitely never thought he would be found out in a city of 20,000 people in merely four days.

Maans confessed everything tearfully, smearing blood and snot all over his collar.

“I don’t know how he found me. Our first meeting was at a tavern. He handed me that bottle of Dreamland Water and told me as long as I did what he asked me to, I would get a big chunk of money. I didn’t have any savings at the time, and the police had rejected my application. I was feeling bitter and resentful. So, I agreed.”

“The police department will never hire a scumbag like you.” Rene coughed out a spit.

“Do you know the man’s name and identity?” Nightingale questioned.

“I don’t know.”

“You’re lying.”

“I really don’t know!”

Nightingale looked toward Rene who immediately took the hint and delivered a few more punches. “The lady here is a witch. She can tell whether you’re lying or not. It’s indeed very stupid of you to lie in front of her! Don’t test our patience!”

“No, my lord, I’m just… just not sure.” Maans cried in his shrill voice. “Because he has never told me his name or identity!”

“What did you mean by ‘not sure’?”

“I’ve also wondered why he pays so generously, as he doesn’t look like a noble at all. When we met a couple of days ago, I could tell he was in a hurry and his attire looked a little weird too, like he layered one coat on top of another.” Maans panted. “But he seemed to wear a uniform inside, and I also saw an emblem shaped like a petal on his collar.”

“An emblem of a petal?” Nightingale and Rene exchanged a look. “Isn’t that the emblem of the Honeysuckle Family?”

“That’s why I’m not sure. Everybody knows the Hulls are the lord’s supporters, and they would never plot against Lord Wimbledon.” Maans said, hanging his head.

“It can’t be Petrov, it must be someone else,” Rene said firmly. “Since they meet each other on a daily basis, why not set up a trap to catch the guy?”

This appeared to be the only feasible way. They would arrest the man when Maans met with him and “asked for compensation”. By then, everything would be cleared up. Nightingale nodded, but still felt something was missing.

Maans wasn’t lying, and what he said was all true. What had gone wrong?

“Nightingale, are you guys alright?” Lightning shouted from outside.

“They’ve almost finished the meeting, coo. We have to head back now, coo!”

Nightingale had asked Lightning, Maggie and Summer to wait outside because of the violence that might have occurred during the arrest. A flash crossed her mind when she heard the word “meeting” from Maggie. His Highness was now in a meeting with the nobles, discussing the details of founding a new City Hall!

This meant there was not a single guard with the prince to protect him, and the closest one would be outside the hall.

If this person was really a member of the Honeysuckle Family, he could go straight into the castle and enter the hall on the first floor without raising any suspicion, though he would be forbidden to access the second and third floors, which were exclusive to His Highness. Yet she happened to be away from Prince Roland at this very moment!

“Lightning!” Nightingale had no time to explain to Rene and Maans, she dashed out of the room and grasped Lightning’s shoulders, yelling, “Take me back to the castle now! His Highness might be in danger!”

“Huh? OK… Hold on tight.” Lightning was very surprised, but she carried Nightingale on her back at once. She did not raise any unnecessary questions and flew straight toward the castle. When she was loaded, she flew much lower but still maintained a speed around 100 kilometers an hour. It would take her only half a minute to reach the destination.

Nightingale hoped she was wrong, but felt her terror grow as she further examined the details. The murders started three days ago, which was exactly when Petrov’s letter for help arrived at the Border Area. If this man’s real purpose was to distract everybody with several murder cases and put Roland in a defenseless and vulnerable position, it would be the worst-case scenario.

When they were close to the castle, Nightingale stepped into the Mist and entered the hall from the air. Her heart sank when she saw the meeting room in chaos. The nobles seemed to be petrified and were all standing by the wall murmuring. The guards were blocking off the scene. The host seat at the end of the long table, where Prince Roland should have been, was vacant. A man was lying on the floor. Nightingale could not tell whether he was alive or not, but could see his body was covered by the black curtain created by the God’s Stone of Retaliation.

Chapter 491: An Assassination Story

or a moment, Nightingale felt as if the entire world trembled.

As she walked out of the Mist, the scene before her eyes regained its usual color. The darkness created by the magic stone also began to dissipate, allowing her heart to stop beating frantically. The man lying on the ground was not Roland, but a guard whom Nightingale had never seen before. He was wearing the standard uniform of the Honeysuckle Family, and on his chest was a dark red mark which looked like a gunshot wound.

“Why are you here?” She heard a familiar voice cry out from beside her.

She turned her head and realized that the person speaking was Roland himself. He was surrounded by layers of bodyguards at one corner of the hall, which explained why Nightingale did not notice him when she rushed in.

“I…” As Nightingale opened her mouth, she realized that her throat was terribly hoarse, while her limbs were cold and numb. Her body felt so feeble that it was as if she had just narrowly survived a disaster. All that she desired to do at that moment was to hug Roland tightly, but she knew that she could not do so as there were other nobles around. Therefore, if she truly wanted to lead the Security Bureau and protect this territory, she had to avoid acting overly intimate with Roland.

Although her brain forbade her from doing so, she entered into the Mist and walked up to Roland, cutting through the lines of guards. Then, she hugged him with all of her remaining strength.

At once, gasps were heard from the crowd. The onlookers apparently could not understand why a witch appeared out of nowhere and disappeared without saying anything.

In the Mist, Nightingale held on to the prince with both arms. She tucked her head against his chest and listened attentively to his heartbeat. Perhaps, this was the only way to confirm that it was all just a false alarm.

Roland also began to sense what was going on. He clapped his hands and announced, “Everyone shall proceed to the dining hall for lunch first. No one is to leave the castle in the meantime. We’ll resume the meeting in the afternoon!”

When only his guards, as well as Petrov, Sylvie and Lightning were left in the hall, Roland asked, “Does the murderer have anything to do with this assassination attempt?”

When she heard Roland’s voice speaking to herself, Nightingale began to calm down gradually. She took a few steps back reluctantly and revealed herself once again, pretending that she did not move towards the prince at all, and replied, “Indeed. When I found out that the person directing the criminal was a guard of the Honeysuckle Family, I immediately rushed here.” She then explained her findings and Maans’ confession. “I couldn’t tell that the real purpose was to divert our attention in order to create an opportunity to lay hands on you… thankfully, you’re safe.”

“His plan worked until the last step, and he accurately calculated the time that I would arrive, as well as predicted the witches’ movements.” Roland gave a sigh. “This person is wasted as an assassin.”

Petrov immediately knelt down on one knee and said, “Your Highness, I really didn’t know that he’s…”

“Stand up. You’ve said this before, and you know I don’t like to punish people.” Roland interjected. “But it was no doubt that due to your negligence of duty, there were agents among the castle servants and the outer guard.”

“I…” Petrov opened his mouth to speak, and then lowered his head. “I’m guilty.”

“Find out the identity and background of the assassin. I want to know as soon as possible.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

After the eldest son of the Honeysuckle Family took his leave, Nightingale enquired about her worries. “How was the situation like?”

“Threatening but not dangerous,” Roland replied, laughing. “Thanks to Sylvie’s warning… but then again, the assassin was already at a disadvantage when he chose to do it in the meeting hall.”

After listening to the prince’s account, Nightingale began to understand how the attempt took place—but in reality, it was not as easy as Roland put it. Though weapons were not permitted to bring into the hall, the assassin had concealed a dagger under his clothes, and because he was a castle guard, no one conducted a body check on him before he was allowed in.

The assassin’s only error was to carry a God’s Stone of Retaliation. It was common for the outer guards to adorn magic stones, but in the hall, it appeared particularly prominent—in order not to distract Sylvie, all of the nobles would comply with the request to take off their adornments. Hence, Sylvie noticed the assassin the moment she saw the black cavity, and when he moved towards the prince, she immediately issued a warning.

Although Roland described the following scene as simple, Nightingale broke into a cold sweat as she listened to his story. The hall was approximately 20 meters in length and width, and when the assassin heard the warning, he picked up speed and charged towards the main seat of the long table, where his target was sitting. By the time the prince pulled out his revolver and opened its safety lock, the assassin had already struck him on his lower back with the dagger. As someone who had undergone assassination training, Nightingale naturally understood that compared to the chest and head, which a person would protect subconsciously, the waist area was very difficult to protect, and the severe pain that could be inflicted by a single strike might cause the target to lose his ability to resist, enabling the assassin to easily go for the vital blood vessels in the neck next.

Luckily, Roland was wearing the protective clothing that Soraya specially made for him. The dagger failed to penetrate its coating and thereby could not prevent Roland’s subsequent defensive action. He opened fire at the assassin while the gun was literally pressing on the assassin’s chest. The two 12mm caliber bullets fired immediately killed the assassin, causing a loud booming sound which led to a huge commotion in the hall.

Nightingale could clearly visualize just how risky this sequence of events was. If His Highness did not manage to open the safety lock in time, or the gun failed to fire off, the consequence would have been unimaginable… Nightingale turned her head and cast a glance at Lightning, who immediately dropped her head as though to acknowledge her mistake.

“Your Highness, we’ve figured it out,” Petrov re-entered the hall and said. “His name’s Shio. He’s not a native of the Western Region, but was formerly one of Duke Ryan’s castle guards.”

“Duke Ryan?” Roland frowned. “Why did you choose someone like that to be your guard?”

“He’s just an ordinary guard. At that time, every family lost a lot of manpower, and thus I brought in those who weren’t so attached to the Duke. This is how it’s usually done in Stronghold…” Petrov answered cautiously. “I believe that it’s unlikely that he committed this attempt as revenge for the Duke.”

“He’s not lying,” Nightingale thought. “When a large family fell, apart from the subordinates who were given land and title, the remaining people were perceived by the other families as resources that can be divided. To them, it’s simply a change of owner. Because the Honeysuckle Family had long surrendered to His Highness, plus the fact that Stronghold was always managed by Petrov, this portion of people was never examined.”

“How many men with a similar background are there?” Roland asked. “Did you also hire men from the Wild Rose, Maple and Wolf families?”

“There’re only three or four of them in the outer guard,” Petrov replied, nodding his head. “The servants, citizens and serfs from the other three families were assigned to the Honeysuckle and Elk families. I guarantee that they won’t appear in Stronghold.”

“Okay, then I shall not concern myself with them. But remember, in the castle area, even the men of the perimeter garrison must be chosen from your family, understood? As for the inner castle, I’ll arrange them myself.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Meanwhile, seal off Shio’s residence. I’ll find out the real reason behind his attempt.” Roland then turned to look at Lightning. “Inform Maggie to fetch Countess Spear here.”