Four Split Personalities

Game Time PM18:13

Shaven Empire, Konda Region Boundary, Hidden Wind Valley

"Why... why has it come to this..."

Duke Jude Fossai sat on the ground, disorientated, his once magnificent robe stained with mud, his face that usually glowed with health was now haggard and worn.

The clashing of swords and the ringing of combat were incessant in the distance, and occasionally the flash of Magic erupted in mid-air. Although the expressions of the well-trained guards around him remained resolute, their hearts were anything but calm, for the attack had come too suddenly.

Yes, far too suddenly.

In fact, it happened just moments after Duke Jude Fossai and the son of Prince Konda, that is, Duke William Boh, had just met and before they could exchange even a few words.

The first to arrive were the Earthquake Spell and the Dust-raising Technique. These two elemental Spells of not particularly high tier instantly reduced the visibility at the negotiation site to nearly zero. Then from every direction came the attackers—dozens of individuals clad in black armor, their features concealed behind leather masks. The weakest among these attackers were High-level Professionals, and there were even two Magicians specializing in the Earth Element amongst them. Coupled with their tactic of taking the unsuspecting by surprise, they gained an absolute advantage in less than five minutes.

Two unprepared Royal Guards were killed on the spot by a Berserker, and although the others quickly formed a defense around Duke Fossai, they were still pushed back by the subsequent attacks of the assailants, retreating step by step. They paid the price of seven or eight bodies before finally breaking through the encirclement and fleeing to Hidden Wind Valley close by, where they could retreat no further and were forced to make a stand relying on the terrain.

That stand had lasted for two hours...

During this time, more than half of the thirty-odd guards supposed to protect Duke Fossai had been lost, and aside from the Marquis himself, all the other survivors were injured. In stark contrast, the attackers that had driven them into the valley had barely lost a man, and had hardly any injuries among them.

[If these fellows were serious, we probably would all be dead by now...]

This thought occurred to the Duke and many others.

"Charles..."

Duke Fossai stood up with a pale face and asked the middle-aged man standing behind him in a soft voice, "What do you think, how could the information possibly have leaked?"

Charles was a confidant of Duke Fossai, and the strongest one present. He was not part of the Royal Guard but had come as part of Duke Jude Fossai’s personal entourage. Put simply, he was a trusted bodyguard, the kind that most important figures would have by their side.

That Duke Fossai had managed to escape unharmed was largely thanks to the effort of Charles, the Quasi-Sword Saint.

However, Charles’s expression was far from good—in fact, it was frighteningly grave...

"Forgive my bluntness, Your Grace."

He stared solemnly at the distant chasm entrance and spoke through clenched teeth, "The security measures for this meeting were extremely strict. Apart from yourself, neither I nor the Guards sent by His Majesty knew the purpose of our journey; therefore, I believe the possibility of information leakage is very small."

"Is that so..."

Duke Fossai, having regained his usual composure, narrowed his eyes slightly. He caressed his cane, released a couple of Treatment spells on a nearby soldier, and spoke slowly, "So what you mean is, this is all a conspiracy of Duke William’s?"

Charles did not reply, but his silence clearly conveyed his opinion.

"But that doesn’t make sense, Charles."

Duke Fossai shook his head slightly after a moment of thought, frowning, "Although your suspicion is not unreasonable, from William’s perspective, killing us here doesn’t serve any benefit. Firstly, that young man with a good reputation is not impulsive; he had no need to plan such an ambush without any prior probing. Secondly, even if he was blinded by hatred and anger, his primary target should be His Majesty William, not me; otherwise, that would be completely getting the priorities wrong."

"But still..."

Charles seemed about to say more but was interrupted by a gesture from Fossai.

"Let me finish, Charles."

The quick-witted Duke had gradually found his stride, speaking rapidly, "Our security measures were good, but far from perfect. If someone with intention had their eyes on us, even by using the most foolish method, which is to monitor me around the clock, they could discover our departure time, and naturally, there would be ample opportunities to find this place. The same applies to William’s side. Or, to consider another angle, if there is an insider among us working for the attackers, or if the other side has some special Tracking skills, it would be possible for them to track us down here, provided they satisfy one condition..."

"Condition?"

"Yes, a condition."

Duke Fossai took a deep breath and said slowly, "That is, knowledge of the occurrence of this meeting. If that one criterion is met, it wouldn’t be difficult to orchestrate some mischief."

Charles nodded, his attention still partially on the distant combat, and asked quietly, "So what you suspect is..."

"Nothing, Charles."

Duke Fossai shook his head and said firmly, "At least as far as I know, this incident benefits none of the informed parties in Telon. However... although it is just a guess, I don’t think I am the target of this accident. The reason is simple: regardless of who the mastermind behind this event is, the life or death of Jude Fossai would have no significant impact on the current state of affairs."