Chapter 228 Search
Under the cover of night, deep in the small town along the Kasa Strait, twelve dark shadows were riding horses, dispersed in groups of three or two, and silently passed through the dilapidated streets.
The cloak made of special material absorbed all sounds and concealed the silver armor underneath which was made of a large amount of mithril. There was not even the slightest bumping sound during the movement.
Dark shadows gathered at the end of the road, like ghosts in the depths of the night. Someone chanted softly, and the spell flowed through the soil back into his palm.
"Report to the Knight Commander, there are none in the East District."
"No trace has been found in the West District."
"Everything is fine."
The leading dark figure sat on horseback, gazing up at the dim starry sky. It was already late at night, and the pale moon, like a strange eye, was glancing down at them stealthily.
"Prepare to rest and go to the next location for search tomorrow morning." Knight Commander Ialos closed his eyes and finally gave the order in a deep voice.
The surrounding knights all breathed a sigh of relief. Even the Kite Heart Guards, arguably the empire's most formidable force, who had protected the Silver Iris royal family for centuries, were inevitably exhausted after nearly half a month of searching day and night.
Seeing the figure of the Knight Commander gradually disappearing, the expressions of the other silver-helmeted knights lagging behind suddenly became visibly relaxed, and even the horses under them could not help but snort.
"Jorini, I remember you and the Knight Commander went to see that man together." A young knight couldn't help but lean over and whispered gossip with his colleagues, "Just what kind of person is he? To dispatch twelve Silver Helmets to capture a mere ordinary person?"
Twelve Silver Helmets were enough to conquer a city. Back then, to quell the rebellion in the Northern City, only ten Silver Helmets were dispatched, in addition to the Royal City Army. After slaughtering half the city, the Northern City completely surrendered, willingly becoming the Silver Iris Empire's fortress on the northern border.
Jolini Baartman gave the other man a cold glance.
"...a clever, cunning, and incredibly sinister madman," he deadpanned, "but other than that, he's just an ordinary guy. A very ordinary guy."
The kind that can be strangled to death with ease.
His colleague blinked. "You mean to say he's just taking advantage of the power of others?"
"Our spears are about to be aimed at the terrifying dragon, not the fragile gem beneath its claws." Jolini Bateman sneered, "Of course, the gem must not be damaged in the slightest—Her Majesty the Queen has instructed that it must be taken alive."
"Everyone, be quiet." Knight Commander Yialos, who was at the front, interrupted them coldly, "Underestimating the enemy will get you killed. What we are facing is definitely not an ordinary rebel leader."
"The target is accompanied by at least one high-ranking Lord's Prayer dark sorcerer and one high-ranking Apostle-level water warrior. The former is our old rival, the Shadow Chaser's leader, Ole Asaqi; the latter is a young woman skilled in fists. Other details are currently unknown." The usually gentle and composed Knight Commander's expression was now terrifyingly solemn. "Furthermore, according to the latest intelligence from our spies, the target is very likely accompanied by a saint, or even a 'god'."
He warned sternly, word for word, "If we are unfortunate enough to face him, most of you, or even all of you, will die, and I won't be able to survive."
A terrible, almost desperate silence spread among the Silver Helmets.
The gods shattered the dark disaster in the city of Balando and brought down divine punishment on Port Morris, causing chaos among the powerful people across the continent. All the temples were plunged into excitement, either ecstasy or panic.
The young silver-helmeted knight couldn't help but mutter, "...I'm beginning to think twelve people are too few."
Even if it was just a saint, they would dare to fight him by relying on their numbers - but a god? Who dared to say that they could survive for a few breaths against him?
"Don't be too discouraged," Knight Commander Yialos calmly reassured everyone. "This is just a possibility. We can't be sure there's a true god beside them. Even if it's a god, we can always find a way to separate them."
"The Far North nation of Ferros is advancing unstoppably. The northern city has already fallen, and the entire empire's forces are now rushing north." His face was hard and resolute, like tempered steel. "Yet, even in such a dire situation, Her Majesty the Queen still sent us to capture the rebel leader. What does this mean?"
Everyone was solemn and silent, with only the Knight Commander's voice echoing in the air: "This shows that, in Your Majesty's view, allowing this individual to grow stronger will cause even greater harm than the greedy frost dragon in the north."
In the pale moonlight, the long spear on the left side of the saddle flashed a cold light.
"The Royal Court Council is short-sighted, greedy, and foolish. They can't see through Her Majesty's good intentions, but she still has us. Tonight, everyone must check their saddles and keep their weapons on. We will set out before dawn. The only areas left to search in the Kasa Strait are Spiral Bay and Skua Wharf." Knight Commander Ialos straightened his back, solemnly tapping his arm armor against his breastplate. His voice was low, "For Her Majesty, for Silver Iris."
Many knights bowed their heads in unison: "—For His Majesty, for Silver Iris."
…
"The Silver Helmet Knight of the Kite Heart Guard?" Orel couldn't help but sneer, "Old acquaintance."
Indeed, in this life alone, they'd already hunted and counter-hunted him several times. As for their previous lives, they'd also become the tyrant's loyal lackeys. Back then, the blood of Cassius II and Esmeralda had barely dried. The Kite Heart Guards' shift in stance was so swift that Orel couldn't help but wonder if those gleaming pieces of iron were merely loyal to the throne, not to any individual.
"These guys can't match me in a one-on-one fight for now." Orel crossed his arms and continued to reveal his old enemy's secrets. "The problem is, they're rich. For example, they wear mithril armor and have an endless supply of magical tools and scrolls. Most importantly, they can cast magic circles, such as the most famous one, 'The Last Oath.' Even a saint would die if they were trapped."
The assassin leader looked at the black-haired young man in front of him suspiciously, his expression gradually becoming serious: "Why, are you being targeted by those iron blocks?"
"The Silver Helmet Knight has reached the Kasa Strait." Nova was writing something down on a piece of paper. He glanced at him after hearing this. "Based on their speed and logical behavior, I suspect they'll reach the vicinity of Jaeger Wharf tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."
"Then why are you still calmly drawing ghost stories here?!" Orel couldn't help but stare at him, his voice rising a little: "Even if we have a god here—wait."
He narrowed his eyes suspiciously: "You knew this a long time ago."
"No wonder you dragged me and Marcylin along." The more he analyzed it, the more he felt that his opinion made sense. "And you even went out of your way to watch some kind of drama? Are you using yourself as bait? I knew it—"
"First of all, this isn't just some scribbled talisman, it's a battle plan." The man paused, then looked up and glared at him disapprovingly. "Secondly, I only knew this a little earlier than you did. I'm not powerful enough to accurately predict the actions of the royal city thousands of miles away."
The assassin scoffed at this: "Listen to your nonsense."
Mashilin's face changed at the side: "Melda's family."
Melda's family is in Spiral Bay near Skua Wharf.
Under the gazes of the crowd, the red-haired girl's expression gradually became anxious. "Those people can use tracking spells. I'm not sure if they will find out that we once stayed at Melda's house."
Ole was stunned for a moment, as if he remembered something, and his expression also became ugly.
"I'm so stupid. I was only thinking about going home. I—" She turned around a few times, as if she had made up her mind, and stopped in front of the black-haired young man: "Sorry, I can't stay here. I have to go home."
"Why? My plan requires you to stay at Skua Wharf." The black-haired young man questioned with an unbearable coldness. "If Orel's intelligence is correct, even if the Silver Helm Knight discovers Melda's family, based on the strength comparison between you and the Silver Helm Knight, you won't be able to do anything if you go back alone."
"...Hey." The assassin frowned and tried to interrupt the tyrant - what he said was really stupid.
The professor ignored him and stared at her expressionlessly with an aggressive attitude: "Give me a reason to convince me."
"...My family died because of me." Marshilin took a deep breath, a layer of sadness and pain appearing in her green eyes. "I killed the enemy general in Ferros, and his men came after Melda's family in revenge."
The red-haired girl whispered, "Thirteen people, thirteen bodies—even Daisy, the littlest one, is gone."
Nova looked at her for a moment, then suddenly said without warning, "Do you believe me?"
“…”
"You don't believe me." The black-haired young man nodded in understanding, tapping his chin lightly with his fingers, as if he was lost in some thought.
Ole couldn't stand the strange atmosphere. He glared at Azuka, who was standing beside him, but found him with a thoughtful expression, showing no intention of easing the tension. The assassin said with a stern face, "Whatever she needs, I can do."
"No, you can't," the professor said calmly. He looked at Maxine. "I understand. In this situation, due to the stress reaction, your emotions will naturally outweigh your rationality. I need to take your personal feelings into consideration. But you can't leave. You are the person the Seamen's Guild trusts the most, and you are the most familiar with this place. Therefore, you must stay at Skua Wharf with Orel. As long as you follow my orders, you will not die because of the Knight of Silver Helm."
Maxine opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, she heard the man speak again, "It's Azuka and I'll go back to Spiral Bay instead. I swear I won't get involved with Melda's family."
Those calm, smoky-gray eyes seemed to see through everything, quietly reflecting her stunned expression: "You should at least believe Azuka, right?"
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