Chapter 101 Knight's Memories
Andrei's words weren't without basis. His intuition had always been sharp, and he was adept at deciphering the true intentions of the perpetrators from the slightest clues—like a cheetah, which could accurately discern its prey's specific details from just a hint of scent...
Weak or strong, fearful or fearless, foolhardy or treacherous... people's personalities, goals, and thoughts are always reflected in their actions and plans.
Even if a skilled criminal can temporarily conceal their actions, or even mislead their pursuers in other directions, they still cannot completely erase all traces of themselves. These actions and plans come from their careful consideration and are the result of their character, thinking, and true inner cultivation.
Even if the suspect tried hard to erase his footprints and eliminate his scent, the disappearance of his traces would still reveal his cautious character. And Andre was very good at discovering these invisible traces and listening to these silent confessions.
His teacher, Count Saka, was the first to discover his innate, exceptional perception and spent a long time guiding and training him. The Count sharpened his senses, strengthened his physique, and allowed his talent to flourish, teaching him how to find hidden clues and how to discern the correct one from the chaotic information presented by those clues.
Andre rubbed his temples, as if he was back in front of the chessboard playing against his teacher.
"Oh, we all lie, Andrei." Count Saka had just completed a feint and attacked from the east, and he devoured Andrei's queen meaningfully. "Although most people are reluctant to admit it, lies are human disguise. They are merely a tool of humankind, and there is no clear distinction between good and evil.
“It’s true that criminals use lies to mislead investigations and frame others, thus escaping punishment; incompetents use lies to disguise themselves and gain favor with royalty, the people, and even their suitors; but ordinary people also use white lies to protect their loved ones, alleviate their worries and anxieties, and ease interpersonal tensions. Some even use a little deception and scheming, as we do, to add to the fun of the game… Don’t treat lies as a scourge; recognize them, see through them, and exploit them.
"Everyone's words and actions may be deceptive, but the motives behind them cannot be false. Everyone has their own goals, and lies are just a shortcut they choose. No matter how I try to divert attention, my goal is clear. Checkmate. You lose."
The silver-haired earl smiled slyly, like a silver-haired old fox, but his eyes were filled with love and earnest instruction for his disciples: "Don't just look at what people do or don't do. You must look at the long term and take the overall situation into consideration. To see the truth, you must infer people's ultimate destination.
"People will try to take longer routes, add more stops along the way, to obscure their tracks and hide their true purpose." Count Saka pushed Andre's king chess piece. "But no matter how hard they try to hide it, the starting point and the end point cannot be changed. Andre, you just need to wait for them at the end point."
"What if they changed their destination?" Andrei remembered asking.
"Then," Earl Saka stood up and patted his disciple on the shoulder, "Didn't you succeed in stopping them from committing further crimes?"
The scene in his memory changed in an instant, and the next second, the lingering bloody scene appeared in Andre's eyes again. His beloved teacher's head was cut off and placed on a silver plate, like a dish on the desk.
The familiar silver hair was stained with blood. The wise old man's mouth was slightly open, and the dried blood left a brown mark at the corner of his mouth. His silver eyes had lost their luster, becoming cloudy and dim, and a fly was crawling around in them...
"Are you okay?" A familiar voice brought Andrei back to reality from his nightmarish memory. The black-haired, blue-eyed knight was startled and took a step back by the huge skull that suddenly appeared in front of him. He gently pushed away Takumi's big head and said, "I'm fine. I just remembered some past events."
Jiang You took a step back. She had just thought the knight, a bland, white bun, was now emitting a sour, sad aroma. This was the first time she had tasted emotion in Andrei—and why? Was it because the emotion was so intense that it had even broken through the so-called "blessing of the Moon Goddess"?
Andrei quickly calmed down and turned back into a tasteless white bun. "The daily guarding of the Witch Forest is a joke. If they were the murderer's only and true target, he would have countless opportunities to strike. Why did he choose this Midsummer Carnival night?
"The presence of a lich and a group of Kingdom knights here is clearly a very eye-catching event, but the murderer showed no sign of changing his plans. This can only mean that we were already part of the plan, or perhaps we are the real target. This case is nothing more than a simple test. It seems to be targeting the Witch Forest, but in fact it is just an opportunity."
"Oh, the other party's intentions are not to drink." Jiang You nodded. She felt that Andre's speculation made sense. "Are you going back to the city later? Will there be anyone on duty here tonight?"
"I'll be back soon," Andre said. "The Winchester clerk will go with me, Pacha and Gorman will continue patrolling, and Jericho will be there too."
He leaned over to Jiang You and said, "If something really happens before I return, and the Kingdom Knights and the witch in charge are unable to handle it, you can still ask the Dragon Clan for help. Although Leodo is a young boy who has just reached adulthood, Melando is a very experienced and reliable guy. I have already contacted him in advance and asked them to help look after this place."
"Hey, you have connections with the dragons?" Jiang You asked with great interest.
"There's a connection." Andrei didn't elaborate. He changed the subject and asked, "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"No more..." Jiang You scratched the back of his bald head: "Well, what do you want to eat tonight?"
"As long as there's meat." The knight is not picky at all and is quite easy to feed.
"Okay!" Jiang You thought about going to Uncle Wolf's meat stall later. Speaking of braised dishes that go well with beer on a summer night, braised beef shank and tendon are also pretty good choices. Maybe he could even see if they have beef brisket... Yeah, beef brisket stewed with potatoes (sweet potatoes) is also a super delicious dish that goes well with rice. Add a pot of white rice and, wow, it's just too good!
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