Chapter 880: Pursuit and Interrogation
In the night, a figure darted quickly through the alleys.
The hurried and rapid footsteps were especially noticeable at dawn. Some guards patrolling at street intersections heard it and immediately shouted together.
“Stop! Who are you? If you run again, we will shoot without warning.” The voice was urgent and swift.
Hearing the shouts behind him, this adventurer dressed in hunting gear did not stop but ran even faster.
He agilely leaped onto a low wall and then approached the city wall, ready to find a gap to break through forcefully.
Although Baron Moroz was a titled nobleman with real estate, he didn’t keep many guards. Now, although there were people on duty on the city wall, they were scattered, with only two or three people every hundred meters.
“Capture him!” Seeing that figure leap onto the city wall, anxious shouts came from the streets. The guards on the wall also reacted and started gathering toward this direction.
The iron armor and helmet plates rubbed against each other as they ran. Some guards began to take out their bows and crossbows, aiming at the shadowy figure jumping and running in the dark.
Whoosh—
Several arrow sounds echoed, arrows cutting through the air and piercing forward. The arrowheads flickered with faint blue-green light, like reflective glass, suddenly embedding themselves into the right chest of the adventurer, causing him to let out a muffled groan before collapsing.
“Pursue!”
Several black-clothed soldiers sped up again, leaping over long arcs, racing towards where the figure had fallen.
“Yah!” In the pitch-black alley, this adventurer drew his knife, a vivid and dangerous red light attaching itself to it. Then, his figure moved like lightning, charging back at these black-clothed soldiers pursuing him. The Demon Sequence was always this perilous, whether to others or oneself.
Clang clang clang—
Loud collision sounds echoed in the alley, sparks flashing in the darkness, followed by a few more groans of injury.
‘Cutting·Execution Array!’ During this brief standoff, another black-clothed person rushed to the alley entrance, with shoulder straps indicating he was an officer.
Under the command of this newly joined officer, several pursuing soldiers instantly changed formation. Several military sabers simultaneously emitted faint white magic power, distorting space in strands and twists, then continuously slashed down at extremely high speed, dividing the narrow space into several areas.
Blood splattered abruptly, soaking the walls and ground. The originally resisting adventurer fell down in shock, his body covered with several fresh wounds, sharp and neat.
A soldier stepped forward and checked the body again before turning around.
“Sir, he’s dead.” This soldier was somewhat puzzled; according to the situation just now, it seemed possible to capture him alive, but why suddenly use such a combined combat technique, the ‘Cutting·Execution Array’, to kill him on the spot?
“Mm.” This young officer looked and then explained.
“We’ve already caught one of them. This one isn’t needed anymore.”
Then, the small town’s night returned to peace. The streets became increasingly quiet, no one dared to show their faces casually or run around recklessly. Even those restless hooligans knew that it was a very critical moment, and if something went wrong, it could cost their lives.
Inside the castle, the lights were bright. Baron Moroz sat in the lord’s hall, surrounded by two rows of fully armored guards. These were loyal family members he trusted, and only with the protection of these third-sequence guards could Moroz feel a bit secure.
Now, besides Baron Moroz, there were a few others in the hall: Miss Sharin from the Lenzin Merchant Guild, an official from the Imperial Military, and Kevin kneeling in the center of the hall.
This former captain of the guards, now bound by ropes, still bore traces of whip marks on his body, with red marks cracking open, some still retaining dark red scabs.
“Useless thing!” Baron Moroz tightly gripped the wine cup in his hand, almost crushing it.
After a while, he calmed down slightly and drank the dark red and transparent wine.
“Is this how you repay me, Captain of the Guards, Kevin? With so many subordinates and such tight security, someone still managed to steal things. It’s hard not to suspect that you might be colluding with outsiders.”
Baron Moroz sat high on the throne, looking down at the negligent Captain of the Guards, Kevin.
“I’m sorry,” Kevin said hoarsely, lowering his head, his breaths ragged, then lowered his head even more.
“Humph!”
Baron Moroz looked at this familiar face, feeling like he was being roasted by poison. He had trusted this subordinate so much, yet a thief managed to steal something so crucial.
Moreover, what made him even more anxious was that the Imperial Military’s inspectors had arrived in the city. These people directly obeyed the royal family and were not easy to deal with.
If anything went wrong, the existence of the ruins would be exposed, and then it wouldn’t be a matter that ordinary nobles like him could handle.
Thinking about this, he felt even more agitated.
“How is the situation in the city? Have any suspicious people been found?” After a pause to calm himself, the baron asked the butler beside him.
“Please wait a moment, sir. Someone has already been dispatched to contact,” the butler bowed and replied.
“Fine, I’ll reluctantly wait a little longer.” He closed his eyes, leaning back on the throne, and the hall entered a period of silence.
After a few minutes, footsteps and the sound of armor clashing could be heard outside.
Baron Moroz opened his eyes. A guard reported hastily.
“They’ve been captured, sir.” He panted, followed by a few inspectors in black cloaks and armor.
“Baron Moroz, I found some traces,” the inspector stepped aside, allowing a disheveled adventurer to be pushed forward. His clothes still bore traces of blood and tears, indicating he had been in a battle.
“Where’s the item?” Baron Moroz wasn’t concerned about the person; he just wanted to get back the precious magical artifact.
“He admitted that he stole it but hid it elsewhere,” the inspector said, reporting the answer from the interrogation.
“That’s correct.” The adventurer spat, then raised his head, looking at the short old man in front of him.
“You must guarantee my life, or I won’t tell you where it’s hidden.”
Hearing this response, Moroz’s face turned cold. He didn’t speak, just coldly stared at this ragged adventurer.
“You’re not an ordinary person.”
After a while, Baron Moroz said in a low voice.
“I know your kind. Ordinary adventurers wouldn’t do such a risky thing, nor would they know about the castle’s situation.”
“You should be a thief or assassin trained by some organization, which is why you have such audacity,” Baron Moroz wasn’t one of those pleasure-seeking noblemen; he understood the lower echelons of the empire.
“Let me think. There aren’t many organizations with such intelligence capabilities in the Winged Dragon Province.”
“Besides some profit-driven and timid merchant guilds, you’re like the venomous snakes in the forest, so sensitive.”
Compared to before, Baron Moroz had become relatively calm. He leaned back in the chair, crossing his hands in front of him, occasionally raising and pressing them, calmly analyzing and thinking.
“‘Toxic Water Lizard,’ ‘Blind Man,’ or ‘Fire-Eyed Nightingale’? Other small organizations can’t afford such capable individuals,” he said several names, then ordered his men to check his weapons and personal items.
Several guards held down the adventurer, searching him thoroughly, neatly arranging each item on the ground: tiny hooks, ropes, flint, a dagger hidden in his boots, a small magic crystal, a small alchemical device that played sounds, a whistle, coins, chalk, a small knife, external wound powder, mosquito-repellent spices, clean gauze.
After searching, Baron Moroz slowly scanned the items, then spoke slowly.
“It seems you’re not part of the ‘Toxic Water Lizard.’ You’re not carrying poison, nor did you commit suicide. As for the other two, I may not guess correctly, but they’re easy to deal with.”
“Bring him here, cut off both his hands, and send one to each of these two organizations. Make them clarify, otherwise, he’ll be hanging from the city gate in a week.” Part of Baron Moroz’s face was shaded by his fingers, a cruel smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
In this era, although disabilities weren’t incurable, they required someone with the Angel Sequence above seventh level to heal. Such high-ranking individuals were usually beyond the reach of lower-level organizations. Thus, this person’s life would essentially be ruined, but compared to his deceased companions, perhaps he was a bit luckier?
“No! No!” Hearing this order, the restrained adventurer struggled violently, but the guards beside him held him firmly, preventing him from struggling.
Then, two chopping sounds echoed, and a hoarse scream filled the hall, followed by silence.
Looking at the man sprawled on the ground, Baron Moroz ordered him to be taken away.
“Have a priest in the city give him basic treatment, don’t let him die too soon.”
“Yes, sir.” The guard saluted and dragged the man away.
After handling everything, Baron Moroz felt a bit relieved, but the thought of the item not being returned to him made him restless again.
“Any other discoveries, Inspector Pance?”
This lean, experienced military officer observed silently until now. “Not yet, but I suggest you keep the city sealed for a few more days. Perhaps new clues will surface.”
“Of course, even without your suggestion, I would continue the lockdown.” Baron Moroz nodded, instructing the butler to handle the details.
Then, he looked at the bloodstains on the ground and stood up, preparing to return to rest.
“Baron Moroz.”
Inspector called out to this nobleman.
“What is it?”
“Can you briefly explain what important treasure was lost?”
“This is our family secret. Inspector, don’t pry. Perhaps you should focus on other matters, like those fire-starting insects or the descendants of the red dragon.”
With that, he turned and left, taking the guards with him.
“Unwilling to say?” Watching the figure gradually disappear into the shadows, the inspector savored the moment for a long time before leaving with his men.
As Baron Moroz said, they should indeed focus their attention on those insects. Although the intrigues among nobles were unsavory, they were minor compared to the rebellions stirring up.
Recently, there was an uprising in the Purple Robe Province, spreading to neighboring provinces. Local nobles had to suppress the rebellion with great difficulty. Not long after, the descendants of the red dragon in the Southern Region also stirred up various rebellions, with the so-called descendants of the Basker family being both genuine and fake, causing frustration.
Thus, to ensure stability in the south, the Regent specifically ordered the military to establish search agencies. Several powerful and professional search teams roamed the empire, capturing potential threats. They were among them.
—
On the other side of the city, the search frenzy gradually calmed down as the sky began to lighten.
“Is Miss Mesia here?” Lolan Hill, who had just woken up early, heard Miss Sharin calling for her.
“Yes,” she bit her hairband, watching herself in the dressing mirror, quickly tying up her hair and securing it, then walked out.
Miss Sharin was dressed as usual, with a knitted shawl draped over her shoulders and a dark dress that was both proper and understated.
Miss Sharin looked at Lolan Hill. The blonde swordswoman was still as adorable. “Did you sleep well last night?”
“Not bad.”
“That’s good.” Miss Sharin lightly pressed her forehead with her finger.
“There might be a lot of things happening soon. Why don’t we go eat breakfast together, and I’ll tell you about it?”
“Okay.” The two then headed downstairs.
At a courtyard, members of the trade caravan had prepared breakfast. Sharin had someone bring two servings.
Eating bread, Miss Sharin began to recount last night’s events.
“At first, I was summoned by Baron Moroz to verify some information. After all, our merchant guild has been entering and exiting the castle quite frequently recently.”
“But thankfully, Baron Moroz didn’t suspect us much and soon focused on other matters.”
“Kevin’s situation is quite dire; he’ll probably be punished and confined for some time. But don’t worry too much; after all, he’s been serving the Moroz family since his grandfather’s time.”
“Even though Baron Moroz is furious now, he won’t kill him because of this.”
“But others might not be so lucky. When I was there yesterday, I saw a captured adventurer who seemed to be from some organization,” Miss Sharin said, still shaken by the night’s events.
“These nobles may appear friendly on the surface, but if you truly offend them, they can become savage and bloody.”
“The lockdown will probably continue for some time. If possible, Mesia shouldn’t wander around. Stay here to avoid drawing attention.”
“Thank you, Miss Sharin.” Lolan Hill expressed her gratitude, then hesitated before asking.
“Why does Miss Sharin take such good care of me?” They hadn’t known each other for long.
Miss Sharin blinked, looking at Lolan Hill, then burst out laughing.
“Why? Because I’m a merchant.”
“Mesia lacks awareness in certain matters. How many geniuses under the age of twenty can reach Sequence Five in the Southern Region?”
“Someone like you, in a few years, might become someone I can’t aspire to. And you’re so beautiful; who knows when you might catch the eye of a prince and become the mistress of a family.”
“So naturally, I should build a good relationship now.”
Miss Sharin smiled candidly, having gradually understood Mesia’s personality. Using empty flattery would only sully this flawless gem.
“Maybe someday, you’ll become my support,” she finished, lightly pressing her chest with her finger, showing her helplessness. However, such actions lacked persuasiveness.
(End of Chapter)
