Our Family Has Fallen

Lance directly rebuked them, his tone unusually severe.

"What I need are warriors who can take responsibility, not cowards who flee at the slightest setback!

I’m deducting a month’s salary from both of you. Now get back there, investigate and figure out the security issues thoroughly and solve them.

I want the corrective plan on my desk within two days, not to have you think resigning allows you to shirk responsibility and pretend it never happened."

The Lord issued the directive, and they had no choice but to take responsibility and hurry back to handle it.

Lance watched their departing backs, his furious demeanor quickly dissipating.

If what was stolen were those hero relics, Lance would definitely blow up; not just those two, every single night guard on duty wouldn’t get away with it — of that, there’s no doubt.

Because those items truly represented the lives of the soldiers, a testament to loyalty, not to be desecrated.

But his own Blood Garment, that thing was just something he intentionally crafted to sell pity, just like the crabs from Yangcheng Lake or the rice from Wuchang — drape any random piece of clothing on him and that’s it. It’s worthless to him.

Moreover, while the security at the training camp might indeed have been lax, it’s undeniable that the gap between Transcendents and ordinary people is vast.

Certain drugs, spells, equipment... all sorts of mysterious measures can’t be fended off.

Expecting some folks who haven’t even been to the battlefield, not even actual recruits but only reservists? Lance could only say he’s trying his best.

Standing nearby, Amanda was also lost in thought, having only spoken a reminder earlier and then nothing more.

Initially, she felt quite natural, but right after speaking those words, for some reason she immediately recalled some absurd operations that Sela had mentioned when hearing about the relics.

Honestly, she felt a bit anxious, fearing that the Rom might make a move against Lance. Though they’d suffered losses before, subordinates sometimes don’t necessarily obey, especially someone like Sela who’s always trying to prove herself.

The moment this thought occurred, she was rendered speechless, especially with the relics’ opening imminent and the Blood Garment being stolen at this time, which was hard not to suspect because she knew what those clansmen were like.

It’s not that she’s worried about Lance — she doesn’t believe any curse could harm the Lord, not even if the Elders made a move.

What she feared was for herself!

If the Rom were indeed involved in the matter, whether as masterminds or not, as long as they offended Lance, they’d be in dire trouble.

And more problematically, she’d also be implicated, having barely gained his acceptance; at that point, none would believe her pleas of innocence...

After a brief contemplation, Lance quickly made a decision, shifting his gaze to Amanda and signaling: "There’s a possibility Transcendents are involved; you and Laura join the investigation team to assist William in capturing the culprits."

Since Transcendents are involved, adhering to the combat priority principle requires stronger personnel.

Amanda can counter Spellcasters, as well as detect traces of Supernatural Power and explain esoteric knowledge.

Laura, being part of the Eagle Flock, is an expert at hunting shadows, and once she spots the trail, her target will inevitably be caught.

With William and Fergus tracking, Lance simply doesn’t believe they can’t catch the thief.

"Also, find Dismas. He’s familiar with their tactics, having stayed at the guild and understands those folks."

Lance recalled Dismas was recently on vacation in town, having mingled through various circles since childhood, even honing skills in prison, and traveled north and south as a mercenary for many years.

If it’s a guild or ordinary thieves, none understand their methods better than him.

Amanda, snapping back from Lance’s instructions, was somewhat surprised at joining the investigation team herself.

But instead of agreeing directly, she was rather indecisive.

Lance, seeing her hesitation, couldn’t help but ask.

"Is there something inconvenient?"

Logically, she shouldn’t say these things, but what she learned from Hamlet was never to lie to the Lord. Calming herself slightly, she gently reminded him.

"The organization’s Spiritual Network in the empire has failed, so we can only communicate using more cumbersome Clairvoyance, which leads to weakened control over the Rom within the empire..."

Why did Amanda suddenly bring this up?

Lance reacted instantly upon hearing it, the expression on his face somewhat amused.

"Do you think the Rom might be involved in this?"

"I don’t know." Confronted with Lance’s blunt question, Amanda could only explain with a bitter smile, "But there are many individuals at the organization’s periphery specializing in dirty work. They might accept tasks to survive, having lost contact with the organization."

Now Amanda wants to give Lance a heads-up to prevent any real trouble.

Upon hearing the ambiguous statement, Lance lost interest, simply waving to signal.

"Once investigated, it’ll be clear who’s behind it; go quickly."

Now that she’s mentioned it, Amanda was prepared for the Lord to remove her from the investigation team, yet now he’s merely urging her to get to work. What does this indicate?

Seeing her standing there unresponsive, Lance could only jokingly urge her.

"Why are you standing idle? Didn’t eat enough?"

Amanda was relieved upon hearing this, as Lance imparted a trust that wouldn’t easily waver, a sense of security devoid of the scheming and suspicion within the organization.

Her lips curled uncontrollably, "I was thinking about what to have for lunch."

After saying this, without waiting for Lance’s reply, she stood up, exuding an overwhelming presence.

As she stepped forward toward the outside, her tall frame conveyed a strong sense of confidence.

Amanda now desperately wanted to whip the culprit who stole the Blood Garment to death.

They better pray they aren’t caught by her; otherwise, they’d taste her methods.

Lance merely smiled while watching her demeanor. Her earlier words were like saying she’d get this done before noon, slightly brash yet revealing a strong confidence.

Just as when Lance first saw her beating Tamara, such confidence and superiority seemed poised to overflow, bringing forth an exceptionally assertive personality — this is her true self.

But Amanda seemed unaware, actually believing that the one before Tamara was her true self.

However, Lance didn’t put more effort into arranging further than what was already set nor did he intend to get involved in person.

The Screamer Demon was due to family secrets that’s why he intervened, but this case wasn’t the same.

He’s invested so much in Hamlet, hiring numerous people — if this minor issue can’t be handled without his intervention, the domain would hold no value.

After Amanda left, she quickly assembled the team, explaining the loss of the Blood Garment from the monument and the Lord’s directive for a secret investigation to arrest the perpetrator.

Along with speculations on why it was stolen and the potential danger posed by the criminal.

Laura understood her task wasn’t about investigating but tracking, and thus had no opinions to offer.

William, having just ended his vacation, didn’t expect to be thrown a case upon returning to work, immediately getting into the mindset.

"Let’s go, first to the crime scene."

The group headed to the training camp, focused either on the criminal or the case, but Dismas was different.

Upon confirming the loss of the Blood Garment, his demeanor grew graver.

Since he experienced the battle against the bandits himself, he knew what that Blood Garment symbolized — the injuries the Lord had suffered.

Because of his oversight, he’d failed to detect a hidden gunman among the bandits, causing the Lord to be shot. The damages and blood stains on the Blood Garment bore some of his responsibility.

Dismas’ odd behavior undoubtedly piqued the curiosity of others, prompting William to inquire about the Blood Garment’s background.

After Dismas recounted the situation, others understood what had transpired, leaving them utterly shocked...