Chapter 60

Chapter 34 Accusation

I immediately closed my eyes and covered my mouth and nose, stepping back a few paces to withdraw from the smoke. I opened my mouth and took a deep breath; the moment the cold air entered my throat, an uncomfortable itchiness spread, causing me to cough uncontrollably.

“Cough, cough.”

The burning sensation in my eyes drove me mad. This was not like being stung by cutting onions; it was a hundred times worse.

What on earth is this?!

A smoke grenade? A tear gas?

Ah—! So uncomfortable!!

With tightly shut eyes, I stood in the alley, tears streaming down like a breached dam, despite wiping them away with my hand again and again.

The burning sensation grew stronger, spreading to my nose and throat. It felt like the air I exhaled would ignite into flames. I was almost jumping out of my skin in distress.

So uncomfortable, what should I do! Is there any water…

Right, there’s snow on the ground!

Thinking of this, I hurriedly crouched down, scooping up the accumulated snow and rubbing it on my face.

The cool snow melted on my face, slightly alleviating the burning sensation.

It worked!

Then I continued to rub several more times, intending to put some snow in my mouth but found it unclean, not knowing if someone had stepped on it. The thought made me feel uneasy, so I quickly stood up, suppressing the urge to lift my skirt to wipe my face. Instead, I condensed a small piece of ice and threw it into my mouth, chewing “crunch crunch” while half-closing my eyes.

The smoke had already spread out, looking much thinner than before, yet it still obscured my vision, hiding the masked person’s figure.

I let my guard down.

I never expected this world to have such treacherous weapons that completely deviated from the chivalrous spirit of knights.

Is this also the “wisdom” of the Central Workshop…

Damn it!

I felt a surge of rage, wanting to release the frost mist to completely disperse the smoke in front of me. Just as my hand was raised—

No, the masked person seemed to be able to escape using the wind. If I blew it now, and he still had the ability to move, he could use the frost mist to drift away even further.

Given my current state, chasing him was impossible.

Thus, I turned my wrist, changing the frost mist into over a dozen ice spears floating above my head.

Just where the masked person had been lying… there!

Whoosh whoosh whoosh—

The ice spears shot out with a piercing sound, instantly striking the smoke and causing a series of crisp explosions.

…The sound is wrong, it seems he wasn’t hit.

Oh no, did he run away!

The smoke couldn’t dissipate for a while, I couldn’t just wait here like an idiot, that would be no different from letting him go intentionally.

Thinking this, I didn’t hesitate anymore. My fair hand rose, and the frost mist erupted.

Whoosh—

The cold air instantly dispersed the smoke.

Scattered ice shards and frost covered the road ahead and the surrounding walls, making the already cold air even colder. Even the accumulated snow was covered with a layer of shiny thin ice.

The narrow alley was now clearly visible, but there was no sign of the masked person.

Damn it.

That guy just faked his death.

He must have run away at the moment the smoke rose, taking advantage of my eyes being irritated. I didn’t notice at all, he must have used that strange power.

But why wasn’t he affected by the smoke… Ah, the mask! That mask provided protection!

Mask, tear gas, devious weapon, strange abilities, keen intuition, and rich combat experience.

He definitely isn’t an ordinary small fry, who on earth is he!

“Cough, cough.”

My throat still burned.

After a while, my eyes could barely open, feeling sore and swollen, as if they might be swollen.

Even a fool would know I look ugly right now.

I felt incredibly frustrated. Even during the battle with the endless abyss, everyone relied on their strength to confront each other head-on. Meeting someone like this today was truly unprecedented.

Holding the ice spears, I alternately applied them to my eyes, trying to alleviate the burning discomfort. Then, I ran out of the alley along the road, staring blankly at the empty street in front of me.

After waiting for a while, the expected crossbow bolt didn’t come.

It seems that punch caused him significant damage, unwilling to continue fighting.

Clang—

Frustrated, I kicked the nearby lamppost. The candlelight inside flickered, nearly going out.

No, I can’t swallow this.

Masked man, whoever you are, I will find you. At that time, I’ll first pin you down and beat you, then hang you up, and every day I’ll smoke you out once.

You won’t escape the Winter City.

Because, I, Silvijia, have decided to report this.

…………

Santell堡 was brightly lit.

The birds perched on the bridge were silent.

Walking back in frustration, the hunters guarding the door were as alert as wolves, but upon seeing me, they let me pass without questioning.

Passing through the gate and entering the interior, this time without a butler leading, I walked alone in the dark ancient castle, following my memory all the way to the top floor.

“Gna, gna.”

Door.

The Duke and Duchess were both here, sitting at the dining table chatting. Two maidservants were standing by, waiting. I looked around but did not see Carlos.

He must still be at the orphanage.

“Miss Silviga, you’re back… Eh, what happened to your eyes?”

The Duchess was smiling when she greeted me, but once she saw my face clearly, she immediately stood up with some alarm and walked over, gently pressing on my swollen eyelids with her hand, her face showing concern.

“Why are they so red… Look, they’re swollen too. Who did this to you?”

She probably thought I had just been crying. From her expression, I could tell that I didn’t look very good right now…

My eyes weren’t as uncomfortable as before, though there was still a bit of pain around them. I felt it wasn’t a big deal and would heal soon if left alone.

But my chest still felt stifled.

“No.”

I replied in a muffled voice and then pulled out a chair to sit at the table.

“Is something wrong at the orphanage?”

The Duke seemed to have thought of something and asked me casually.

“No, it’s from smoke.”

“Smoke? What do you mean?” The Duke frowned, looking puzzled.

“A workshop hunter, using a multi-segment whip and a light crossbow, wearing a mask, trying to kill me.”

Just as the Duchess had asked the maidservant for a towel, she heard the last three words I said and nearly dropped the towel on the floor.

“What? What happened? Who wants to kill you? Why!”

She was starting to babble incoherently.

“What happened? Tell me in detail.”

The Duke’s expression turned serious. He sat down beside me, his eyes full of concern, which made me feel a bit uneasy.

What are these two doing, making assumptions like this? I haven’t even admitted that I’m Peylo yet. What if they’re mistaken…

I came from another world and know nothing about Peylo.

Perhaps I am merely—

Merely a monster possessing your daughter’s body.

But those eyes are really warm.

“Stop daydreaming, child. Tell us what happened, or you’ll drive us crazy,” the Duchess said, pulling me back to reality.

“Right, there was someone…”

I organized my thoughts and recounted the events of the night piece by piece. After hearing my story, the Duke looked thoughtful.

“Leather armor, strange weapons… So you think it was a workshop hunter?”

“Yes.” I nodded, waving my hands in the air to illustrate the weapons, “Multi-segment whip, turns into a thin sword. Very powerful.”

“Multi-segment whip. I remember that should be one of the weapons displayed in the warehouse, where we went during the day. The defenses there are very strict. Besides the hunters guarding the fortress, there are regular patrols inside. It’s almost impossible for outsiders to get in. Only workshop hunters could have taken it out… Miss Silviga, your suspicions are correct. But the smoke you mentioned isn’t something from the workshop.”

The Duke paused here.

“The odd thing is here. If I’m not mistaken, what you described is called a smoke pipe, made from a natural plant called tear mushroom found in the rainforest. When mature, the outer layer cracks. With a gentle tap, grayish-white powder comes out. If an animal gets this powder on them, they will cry uncontrollably and feel terrible.”

The Duchess held up a towel to wipe my face, but I didn’t want her to do that. I snatched the towel away and wiped my face haphazardly before placing it on the table.

“You’re still so clumsy…” She muttered softly.

Seeing this, the Duke smiled slightly and continued.

“No one in the central workshop uses such things. However, I do know that there is an assassin organization in Lundi that collects this powder to make smoke pipes. Coincidentally, although this organization has no name, its members always wear masks when carrying out missions.

So, that masked person is indeed an assassin.

“Although the weapons of the central workshop don’t circulate externally, it wouldn’t be too difficult for someone determined enough to obtain one or two. But the multi-segment whip… Such weapons involving assembly technology are usually strictly guarded. Now that it appears in the hands of an assassin, it indicates there’s an internal problem. And according to what you said, that person not only possesses weapons from the workshop but also an assassin’s smoke pipe and the power of the Order of Wind.”

“Order of Wind?”

“Yes. Based on your description, it is undoubtedly the power of the Order of Wind, though not very strong.”

So the enemy possesses the power of order… No wonder it’s so troublesome.

But that masked person used that strange wind power incredibly skillfully, much more than me. Yet, the Duke only gave a weak evaluation. Did I fail to explain it clearly?

If even this isn’t considered strong, what does strong look like?