Chapter 103 Old Friend (Part 2)
Andre has been investigating the Evil Eye Moon for such a long time, but he has not always found nothing.
Although the Evil Eye Moon's whereabouts are erratic and their actions are cruel and treacherous, their goals are always clear and definite. They oppose the popularization of magic and oppose the Grand Duke of Huntington's ascension to the throne. Judging from their goals, it is obvious that they are of the same kind as the old relatives and nobles of the Delman royal family.
There were even rumors circulating: King Delman's direct lineage had not truly died out. It was said that when King Delman visited a neighboring country, he had spent a night with singing girls given by the king of that country, thus preserving the bloodline.
As for the whereabouts of this illegitimate child, there were many different theories. Some said the child died at birth; others said the child had long been well protected by King Huntington, carefully nurturing him, waiting for the day when he would become a wise ruler and return the country to him; still others said the child had been hunted by King Huntington since childhood, but had now been rescued by the Evil Eye Moon and was now one of the sect's leaders.
People are always incredibly enthusiastic about royal gossip, and this story was so convincing that it seemed like it really happened.
King Derman's last visit to a neighboring country was a year before his death. Following his death, the queen and the prince also passed away within the next year. After more than a year of stalemate between the royal family and Parliament, Grand Duke Huntington was finally appointed to the throne and has reigned for 24 years.
If this child had really survived, he should have grown up by now, around 27 or 28 years old, which is about the same age as Andre.
King Huntington did adopt many orphans of his soldiers, treating them as his own collateral descendants and granting them all the title of Viscount. Andre was well aware of this, having grown up in the army with these brothers and sisters.
Speaking of these children, many were picked up by Count Saka from the village destroyed by the Rock Iron Giant. They regarded Count Saka as their reborn parent, and many of them even applied to join the Shadow Army under Count Saka as soon as they became adults, becoming spies for His Majesty the King.
The eldest of these children became Count Saka's adopted son and is now the head of the Shadow Army's secret services. However, Andre hadn't heard from him in a long time, and wondered where he was or what he was doing.
But to say that King Huntington would adopt King Delman's child is probably nonsense... After all, it is true that King Delman was already in his seventies and was still seeking pleasure, but whether he could have children is another matter.
Andre felt that these rumors were deliberately spread by Evil Eye Moon in order to shake the foundation of King Huntington's rule and to add an aura of legitimacy to himself.
Andrei is still unable to confirm whether it was Delman's old relatives who created the evil organization, Evil Eye Moon, and wanted to use the rumor of the former king's illegitimate child to disturb the people's hearts, or whether Evil Eye Moon took the so-called illegitimate child and its own ulterior motives to cling to the thighs of the clan nobles, but the connection between the two is undeniable.
Baron Augustin von Neumann was a member of the royal family who secretly supported and financed Evil Eye Moon. Andrei followed the clues all the way to the king, not only to eliminate another royal family tumor for His Majesty, but also to find evidence to dig out Evil Eye Moon and avenge his teacher.
The two men rode to the edge of the forest. There was no village or shop nearby, and the only sound in the quiet woods was the rustling of leaves in the wind. Andrei appeared to be moving at a leisurely pace, but in reality, his nerves were tense, wary of ambushes and sudden attacks from those around him.
The Winchester clerk did move. He suddenly chuckled. "It's been so long, and you're still the same, Adler."
Hearing his childhood nickname, which hadn't been called in a long time, Andre yanked the reins and turned to look at the Winchester clerk. The middle-aged man smiled slightly and threw something to him. Andre caught it and looked down, his pupils shrinking suddenly: "...You are!"
The Winchester clerk took off his glasses, pulled out a bottle of potion from his pocket, and gently dotted it around his eyes and near the bridge of his nose. After counting ten seconds, he took out a cloth and wiped his face. The next second, the middle-aged man's face instantly transformed into that of a young man.
"Remember me, Andre?" The Winchester clerk chuckled, and even his voice became a little younger.
Andre's green eyes slowly widened: "...Brother?"
"It's been more than ten years since my father passed away, hasn't it?" the man said with a smile. "Didn't His Majesty tell you that I was hiding here?"
"...Indeed, no. He just said someone would pick me up." Andrei narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "That old fox!"
The man who pretended to be the middle-aged Winchester clerk was not Andre's biological brother, but Winston de Mordo, the adopted son of Earl Saka de Mordo.
When Winston was little, he had always had a good relationship with Andrei, always going out together like brothers. Andrei's nickname "Adler" came from the slurred pronunciation Winston had when he was a child.
After Count Saka de Modor was assassinated by Moon with Evil Eyes, he inherited the Count's title and became a secret agent of the Shadow Army. He claimed to be sick all year round and stayed indoors in his territory, but in reality he traveled all over the world, completing one mission after another and investigating one clue after another, just to find the real murderer who killed the Count.
"How long have you been here?" Andre watched Winston take out another set of makeup tools and disguise himself as the middle-aged clerk. "Is there really such a person as Winchester Clerk? Or was this just a fake identity from the beginning?"
"I've been here for three years," Winston said. "There is indeed a person named Winchester Clerk, and he was indeed a subordinate of Baron Neumann at the time, but he usually only handled some miscellaneous tasks for the Baron and was not considered a capable person.
"Three years ago, when we were investigating the Baron, we happened to send people to follow the Winchester Clerk. It just so happened that the Winchester Clerk was robbed and murdered on his way back home to visit his family. We rescued him, but we didn't release him. So, ten days later, the Winchester Clerk who 'returned home' was replaced by me."
Andre stroked the Shadow Army token in his hand. Just like the way they used to play when they were kids, he punched Winston lightly on the shoulder and stuffed the important item back into Winston's hand. "Why didn't you tell me earlier? I've been following the wrong clues. I thought Winchester's clerk..."
"...Is he the Baron's confidant?" Winston interjected. "Yes, this identity is indeed highly trusted by the Baron now."
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