Chapter 164: Gathering
Manny didn’t hesitate. He immediately went to find a warhorse for Duane to escape on, even leaving his own mount behind.
Duane let out a breath, his mind easing considerably. ’It seems Manny isn’t part of a follow-up attack. That should clear the Holy Radiance Church Court of suspicion.’
’Who could it be?’
Duane walked over to the last Human Tier Warrior Level assassin he had killed and lifted the man’s iron owl mask, revealing a deathly pale face.
He couldn’t find any valuable clues from this unfamiliar and featureless face.
Duane tore open the man’s Leather Armor and saw a Spell Scroll sewn into his undergarments.
It was covered in dense, special markings that looked somewhat similar to a Spell Model.
’It seems to have traces of the Spell Model for the Flame Technique.’
After just a brief, careful look, Duane felt dizzy and his head began to throb. He didn’t dare examine it any further.
He used his Longsword to cut the scroll free, then stored it away. He still found nothing else.
’They came here expecting to die. They wouldn’t leave any clues behind.’
Duane sighed, gave up his search, and sat on the ground to rest.
’Harrison, Orlando, Ugo, Elwin...’
Their faces flashed through his mind. They all had motives and were suspects, but the reasons were weak.
’There’s one more!’
Duane narrowed his eyes, his thoughts landing on the final possibility—the Akutas Kingdom.
CLIP-CLOP, CLIP-CLOP...
The sound of hooves grew louder as Manny returned, leading the warhorse that had run off.
"Baron, your horse!"
"Thank you!"
Duane said gratefully, "I’m sorry for pointing my sword at you earlier."
"It’s nothing!"
Manny was very understanding. In his shoes, he probably would have also suspected the newcomer of being an assassin.
"What exactly happened here?" he asked again.
Duane shook his head. "I’m not sure either. But I think we should get out of here as quickly as possible."
A shiver went down Manny’s spine. "You’re right!"
It only then occurred to him that if the mastermind sent another wave of assassins, both of them would meet their end here.
And so, they both mounted up. Duane tasked Manny with loading the bodies from the ground onto the horses.
"Baron, I think you should go to Lakefront Manor first. Priest Lucien has superb Healing Techniques and can treat your wounds."
"Thank you for the kind offer, but I need to return to my manor and have Lloyd report this to His Majesty."
Duane declined the kind offer. "We’ll also need people to secure the scene and see if they can find any valuable clues."
"You have a point."
Manny said respectfully, inwardly filled with admiration for the young man before him.
The sheer destruction of the battlefield was a testament to the battle’s intensity. For Duane to have fought six men alone and emerged completely victorious... ’Just how strong is he?’
’No wonder Duane subdued me with a single move yesterday,’ he thought. ’It seems my loss was well-deserved.’
Before long, Duane arrived at Kennedy Manor under Manny’s escort.
The moment he appeared, the Guards at the gate were stunned.
They immediately sprang into action:
Some rushed to support Duane, others ran into the manor to report the news, and still others hurried to fetch a doctor.
Soon after, Raymond, Michele, and the others, having received the news, came running out.
"My lord, what happened?"
They asked, their voices a mixture of panic and alarm, their hearts filled with self-reproach.
Duane let out a long breath. Only now could he finally let his guard down.
"Carry me inside."
After saying this, exhaustion washed over him like a tide, and he fell into a deep sleep.
"This..."
Raymond hastily hefted Duane onto his back and ran toward the bedroom.
Fortunately, the doctor’s initial diagnosis was that he had only passed out from extreme exhaustion.
The countless small cuts on his body were minor and would heal in a week or so. The only more serious injury was a muscle strain, which would likely take about a month to recover from.
These were all considered minor injuries. Large wounds or damage to his bones and internal organs would have been truly troublesome.
That evening, Count Kais entered the bedroom, bringing a gust of cold wind with him.
Several figures followed behind him.
They were: Clerk Lloyd;
Third Corps Commander Henry Hughes;
Minister of State Affairs Peter Smith;
One of His Majesty Eric’s guards, Knight Randy;
And a middle-aged man in a blue, gold-threaded robe.
Count Kais asked, "How is Duane?"
Raymond said in a heavy tone, "The doctor said he passed out from extreme exhaustion."
Kais turned to Clement. "Grand Mage, if you would."
All eyes turned to him.
The man in the sky-blue, gold-threaded robe was none other than Grand Mage Clement, a special envoy and Bishop from the Radiant Church Court.
"It would be my pleasure."
Clement had already heard the gist of what happened from Manny’s report, which only made him more interested in the young man in the bed.
The Grand Mage cast his Magic swiftly. In an instant, the room was enveloped in a soft, gentle light.
The dense network of cuts on Duane’s skin began to heal at a rate visible to the naked eye, and his bruises faded just as quickly.
Perhaps it was the tingling sensation of his healing wounds, or the warmth of the Light Magic enveloping him, but Duane’s eyes slowly fluttered open.
Seeing this, the others let out a collective sigh of relief.
"Duane, how do you feel?" Count Kais asked.
Duane looked around the room. He didn’t recognize some of the people there.
But seeing how quickly his injuries were healing, he could make a good guess as to the spellcaster’s identity.
"Much better!"
Duane looked toward the caster. "You must be the Bishop. Thank you."
Clement smiled faintly. "Think nothing of it. I came on orders from His Majesty. Fortunately, your injuries were not severe."
Count Kais introduced everyone in the room. It was clear the key figures for tomorrow’s negotiations had all arrived.
"Duane, do you know the identity of your assassins?"
This was the question on everyone’s mind.
Duane shook his head. "They were professionally trained assassins. They didn’t waste time with words and certainly wouldn’t volunteer any information."
He thought for a moment. There had been very little exchange between them. Amid the roar of battle, he wouldn’t have been able to hear the two Human Tier assassins even if they had been speaking to each other.
"What’s more, when they realized they couldn’t defeat me, all six of them chose to try and take me with them in a kamikaze attack rather than retreat."
As he described the general course of the battle, he pulled the stored Spell Scroll from his clothes.
Clement took it and his eyes widened. "This is the Level 4 Fire Magic, Blazing Core Burst!"
He added thankfully, "It’s a good thing this spell wasn’t used. Otherwise, I’m afraid they would have succeeded in assassinating you, Baron."
A wave of belated fear washed over Duane.
The previous Spell Scrolls were less powerful—likely Fireball Technique or Flame Burst Technique—and he had been able to defend against most of their effects.
Level 4 Magic, however, would have been a different story.
The Minister of State Affairs, Peter, frowned thoughtfully. "There aren’t many people who could dispatch Death Warriors to kill you."
He looked at Duane. "Who have you offended recently?"
Hunter Hughes spoke up. "Those with a grudge against him include Orlando, and also Elwin Calvin, who was recently dealt a blow. The latter is less likely, though."
These men were remarkably well-informed about Duane’s affairs.
Kais shook his head. "It wouldn’t be Ugo; his son doesn’t have that much power. As for Orlando, I doubt it’s him either."
He paused before continuing, "I’m more inclined to suspect those people from the Akutas Kingdom."
Duane nodded slightly. He’d had a similar thought.
Peter frowned slightly. "That fellow Heidwin has the ability to train Death Warriors within our Kingdom’s borders?"
He paced back and forth. "However, if Duane were killed, tomorrow’s negotiations would certainly swing in their favor."
"But... how did that bunch get the information and track Duane’s movements?"
Knight Randy whispered, "There’s a spy!"