Chapter Forty-Three: Kevin Takes Over

Lately, the temperature had indeed been soaring, and lining up on the main street under the afternoon sun was undeniably grueling. Yet, even so, for a member of the lord’s regular army to faint from heatstroke was still an enormous embarrassment. The guards’ usual training was lacking, their standards uneven, and now, faced with this urgent affair, the city lord had summoned them all to put on a show. The result was, indeed, quite a spectacle—even the ambassador’s eyes sparkled with amusement. Kevin and the others nearby could not help but look on with a measure of disdain; after all, even at his worst, Kevin had gone through proper new recruit training and could stand there just fine.

“Carry him away!” The city lord’s expression soured, but in front of outsiders, he could not directly rebuke his own men.

The priest stepped forward from the rear. “I can heal heatstroke—bring him to me.”

“There’s no need,” the city lord waved dismissively. “We can handle it ourselves.” Even as he spoke, the fainted soldier had already been dragged off. Someone who would embarrass the city lord so thoroughly, and was of such little consequence—one could well imagine his fate in these troubled times.

The priest shook his head and habitually traced a cross on his chest. “Oh, may the Creator bless him.”

The ambassador spoke. “It is sweltering today, and it seems neither side can reach an agreement. Let us postpone the matter for now and allow our wounded to recover a little.”

“Very well,” the city lord replied, unable to object. If they stood here any longer and another of his men passed out, the farce would only grow. “Let us end here for today, but this is a matter of great import. I shall await your reply at the city lord’s manor tomorrow. I hope you can give me an answer soon.”

The ambassador nodded with a smile. “I will get back to you as soon as possible.”

With a leap, the portly city lord landed on his carriage and waved his hand. “Let’s go! Farewell, Ambassador!”

“Farewell, Lord Mayor!” the ambassador returned the courtesy with equal politeness.

The ambassador watched as the city lord’s entourage surged away like a departing tide. To Kevin and his companions, it all seemed a farce. Why had the city lord gathered such a crowd? Even if a fight broke out, how much strength could these fainting soldiers really muster?

Yet the ambassador cautioned everyone not to underestimate the opposition. This was, after all, their territory. The fainting of one man did not mean there were no true experts among their ranks. The city lord, for all his corpulence, was in fact a seventh-rank warrior, his aura tinged green. In terms of rank, he was on par with the ambassador—certainly not to be taken lightly.

Anyone who managed to be lord of a place so lawless, no matter how foolish he might seem, could not be wholly incompetent—otherwise, he would have been overthrown long ago. As for the head of security, he might appear unremarkable, but the very fact that he had survived here was a testament to his abilities. At present, the kingdom of Loubor was not seeking open conflict along the border; this was contrary to current policy, and so they had sent assassins rather than amassing troops in broad daylight.

It was likely that the Kingdom of Laibozier, aware of Loubor’s reluctance for war, had grown a bit reckless in their dealings. As ambassador, it was his duty to mediate—a task both delicate and troublesome. The recent incident with the assassins, if handled well, would serve as a warning, prompting restraint from the other side. But if mishandled, the enemy might view Loubor’s retaliation as feeble and become even bolder.

Spoon pondered for a while. “If nothing else works, we could assassinate the city lord! Ambassador, in a direct fight, who do you think is stronger—you or him?”

Before the ambassador could answer, Kevin hurriedly interjected, “Don’t! That would be tantamount to declaring war between the two countries.”

Spoon muttered under her breath, “So what if it comes to that?”

A silence settled over the group. The ambassador only smiled; to him, these were the naive words of a child. Kevin wanted to say more, but the situation was too complex, and with the ambassador present, he dared not elaborate. The others offered no opinions.

“Let’s wait for him to wake up,” the ambassador said, as before.

So they waited until dusk. In the meantime, Spoon pestered the ambassador about who was more formidable—he or the city lord? The ambassador could only reply that he did not know; here on the city lord’s own turf, he had little chance of victory. Even if he killed the lord, others would soon take his place—Laibozier might be small, but it was still a nation.

As evening fell, Laulu finally stirred awake. His first thought was disbelief that he had survived.

The group gathered to shake his hand in turn, visibly moved. For Kevin and the others, it was their first time facing the life-or-death of a companion, and all were relieved at his recovery.

The priest repeated his daily admonitions: rest, avoid combat for three months, and so on. Laulu nodded in agreement.

Kevin gave a brief account of what had transpired after Laulu collapsed, and Laulu regarded him with new respect. “No wonder I survived. Truly, you’re the author… ha, cough!” He tried to laugh, but the effort tugged at his insides, provoking a fit of coughing.

“Though you’re not well now, you’re still the leader of this mission,” the ambassador said. “Some decisions must be yours to make.”

Laulu fell silent for a moment, then began, his voice weak: “The initial intelligence from the kingdom’s army about the attack on Kevin and the others in the Venomous Forest was inconclusive. The attackers wore the badges of the Purple Gold Mercenary Company, but the company denied any connection. There are precedents for this—foreigners sometimes sneak in with mercenary insignias.”

“Mercenary organizations are largely autonomous, and their badges are easy to forge. With mercenaries constantly fighting and dying, their ranks are chaotic and hard to control. This has always been a weak point at our border,” Laulu sighed. “For foreigners to blend into Mossye City isn’t difficult, as long as their race matches. And with the Purple Gold and Dreamback companies at war, sometimes even their own leaders can’t tell friend from foe.”

“The Dragonhawk squad later conducted a detailed analysis of the battlefield—fragments, footprints, scents. They judged that there were probably nine people present, not the eight Kevin described,” Laulu continued.

Kevin showed no surprise, his expression calm, as if he had anticipated this.

“The ninth person never revealed himself, but must have been observing the fight from nearby,” Laulu said. “I tracked his scent as far as the pond in the Venomous Forest, where it vanished. But after reaching Laibozier, I picked up traces again at the security office.”

The ambassador frowned. “That’s odd. After the incident, the city was under strict lockdown—no one went out. Even if he escaped your scent-tracking, how did he manage to cross the border?”

“I don’t know,” Laulu admitted. “After picking up the scent here, I checked the local registry that night, trying to find information on the other deceased, but the records were too messy for me to make sense of.”

“Later, I had Xiao Jiu use a charm spell on a lieutenant and learned that there were indeed plans within the barracks to send agents into Loubor territory to stir up trouble. The details were unclear; the lieutenant’s rank was too low,” Laulu sighed. “The next day, we tried to seek out the head of security to probe further, but…”

“I was careless,” Laulu confessed. “The moment I reached the city wall, I sensed something amiss with the magical aura. I tried to retreat, but it was too late. I hastily cast both Fortress Shield and Petrified Skin for defense, but… alas, after that, I remember nothing.”

The ambassador interjected, “The wall’s magic array is based on the Lion Empire’s schematic—known as the Blazing Blade Array. The array is inscribed on a huge carpet; with just three suitable magic crystals for activation, it doesn’t even require a mage to operate and can be triggered almost instantly. When fired, it shoots a pillar of flame hundreds of meters high, interlaced with winds sharper than blades.”

“This array can also be hung vertically on the wall, turning it into a kind of cannon. While it’s considered semi-obsolete by the Lion Empire, it’s still formidable. This particular array was single-use and cost a million gold coins,” the ambassador added with a smile. “You’re lucky they didn’t kill you with it.”

“Laulu used magic to protect us,” Spoon interjected. “Otherwise, the best escape would have been to wrap himself in battle aura and flee at top speed.”

Laulu merely smiled. “There was no time to think. The array activated, and I instinctively cast magical defenses. Ha… cough.”

At that moment, a soldier entered and saluted the ambassador. “Greetings, Ambassador. I am the city lord’s messenger.”

“Yes,” the ambassador replied with a nod.

The messenger reported, “Since our wounded guest has awakened, our city lord wishes to resolve matters swiftly. He requests that the ambassador visit the city lord’s manor tomorrow, along with the honored guests from Loubor.”

Kevin and the others exchanged glances; clearly, the opposition had eyes watching them. The instant Laulu awoke, they knew. But this was enemy territory—spies were to be expected.

“Very well. Tomorrow morning, I will call upon the city lord,” the ambassador replied.

The messenger nodded, saluted, and departed to report back.

Watching him leave, the ambassador shook his head. “Father, we’ll stay at the cathedral tonight. This could all get very troublesome—I’ve already requested reinforcements from home; experts should arrive soon.”

“Experts?” Spoon started, as if something had occurred to her, but said nothing more.

“Everyone should rest for now,” the ambassador said casually, then settled himself on a bench to meditate with his eyes closed.

Laulu lay back down as well. Kevin quietly approached. “Laulu, you’re a bit unfair, you know.”

Laulu looked sheepish. “Well…”

“If you were investigating in that direction, you could have told me. But why did you bring in a few corpses from who knows where and make me examine their behinds? One of them was even… in bad shape.”

“I can only apologize,” Laulu said helplessly. “You’re still a new recruit, and I didn’t want you—or Jack—involved in certain things. It’s how we assassins operate. I hope you understand.”

Kevin didn’t press the matter and shifted the topic. “There’s a mastermind behind this. When Xiao Jiu charmed that officer, it was clearly a setup. The next night’s infiltration was expected, so they laid a trap. They probably even wounded, rather than killed, on purpose—so the two would escape, regroup with us, and they could catch us all at once.”

Laulu had to nod in agreement. “You think the mastermind is General Haitlan of the Empire?”

“I’m just speculating,” Kevin said. “But in any case, our main goal should be to unmask the real culprit. He was hiding behind a portrait last time, but if we return, he’ll either be gone or waiting with another trap.”

Laulu fell silent, clearly deep in thought.

“Is your real purpose here to uncover the truth?” Kevin quietly asked. “To be honest, the attackers who came for us used smuggled weapons, while the mercenaries here carry regular ones. In theory, the mercenaries should also be investigated, but you haven’t mentioned that.”

“Don’t speak carelessly,” Laulu cautioned, glancing around.

“Think about it another way,” Kevin said softly. “If the truth comes out and the ninth person turns out to be some ordinary grunt or worthless mercenary, wouldn’t this whole mission be a waste?”

Laulu had no answer.

“Fine, you have your methods,” Kevin said, not pushing the point. He just confirmed, “Are you certain this ninth person really exists?”

“Absolutely,” Laulu replied.

“You’re sure?”

“I am!” Laulu’s tone was firm. The two spoke in hushed tones—perhaps not hidden from the ambassador or Spoon, but certainly inaudible to Jack, the priest, or the nun.

Kevin nodded and stood. “Then I request permission to work with Spoon and Xiao Jiu. I want to conduct my own investigation. Tonight.”

“What do you want to investigate?” Laulu asked.

“The truth,” Kevin replied.

“Are you confident?” Laulu asked.

“Not at all,” Kevin said, spreading his hands. “No one can be confident before they start investigating. Only when the facts are in hand can anyone claim certainty.”

The ambassador opened his eyes and exchanged a glance with Laulu, a tacit understanding reached. “Very well. Spoon, Xiao Jiu! Protect Kevin on the way. Be careful, all of you!”