Chapter 165: Entry
In the Bloom Clan’s manor, after sending off the court official who came to question him, Harrison sat fuming on the living room sofa.
"What does Duane getting attacked have to do with me? Why is everyone coming to me with questions?" he complained loudly.
He might not have liked Duane, and they even had a small misunderstanding yesterday, but he wasn’t crazy enough to send assassins after him.
"There’s no need to be angry, Young Master. They’re simply conducting a routine inquiry."
The manor’s steward consoled him, "After all, Baron Duane’s visit to the Royal Capital is rather unusual. He must be a key figure for His Majesty. Now that he’s been the target of an assassination, it reflects poorly on the King to a certain degree."
"I get what you’re saying!"
Harrison grunted in displeasure. "What in the world did this Duane do to warrant such a grand and mysterious affair?"
As the heir to the Bloom Clan, he had already received an invitation from the King to attend a court meeting at Cyan Snake Fortress tomorrow.
At the same time, he received word that representatives from the Calvin and Atkinson clans would be attending as well.
Everyone knew this matter was likely related to Count Kais and Baron Duane, but no one knew the specific details.
Thus, even though Duane and the others knew the information had leaked, there was no way to find the mole.
The only people who officially knew were a small few, and none of them seemed like the type to leak information.
Furthermore, the Royal Guard’s professional investigators were unable to find any valuable clues on the assassins.
So, the search for the mole had to be abandoned.
In the bedroom, Grand Mage Clement and the others departed one by one.
"His Majesty will be summoning the envoys from the Akutas Kingdom tomorrow morning. Get a good night’s rest."
Count Kais also left after giving his instructions.
However, to be safe, he had part of his Personal Guard stand watch. With them and the newly dispatched Kingdom Guards outside the manor, the perpetrators wouldn’t dare try anything, no matter how bold they were.
After the outsiders had left, Raymond and the others knelt on one knee. "My Lord, this is our fault!"
As the Baron’s followers, it was their duty to protect Duane.
Duane had been injured and his life endangered; it was a dereliction of their duty.
Duane gestured for them to rise.
They had either been home visiting family or delivering condolence payments; they had other duties.
"This has nothing to do with you. It was my carelessness."
He hadn’t expected an assassination attempt, let alone that they would use Death Warriors.
If not for his lucky breakthrough today, and the fact that the last assassin held back, he would have been a dead man.
The experience gave Duane the same sense of tension he’d felt when he first transmigrated here.
"Raymond, when we get back, remind Kaelon to mark all potential landing spots on Black Forest Island and to organize patrols."
Even with the King’s protection, his enemies wouldn’t dare confront him openly, but there was no guarantee they wouldn’t arrange for another assassination.
Besides improving his own strength, all Duane could do was strengthen his territory’s defenses.
"Yes, my Lord!"
The Lord’s safety guaranteed the stability of countless families on Black Forest Island. Raymond understood the gravity of the situation.
Meanwhile, at the manor where the envoys of the Akutas Kingdom were staying...
"How could such a crucial mission possibly fail?"
A sharp-eyed man with a hooked nose was furious. "Regis, how did you handle this?"
"Heidwin, you can’t blame me for this!"
The tall, bald man called Regis immediately retorted.
"You’re the one who told me that Duane was just an Advanced Warrior! I arranged for two Human Tiers, plus four Advanced Warriors. Wasn’t that enough?"
"You really can’t blame Regis for this."
The Liaison Officer responsible for connecting various parties in both kingdoms, a blonde beauty named Vesi, spoke up to defuse their argument.
"A force like that, all of them Death Warriors, could have killed even an Earth Tier Warrior. There must be something we don’t know."
She paused for a moment, then added, "Perhaps Duane had someone protecting him in secret."
Heidwin gazed at the bright Magic Lamp, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Your guess is probably right. If they’re using Duane to make a move, they wouldn’t neglect to protect someone so crucial."
The whole point of their operation was to eliminate this key person and relieve the pressure on them.
Heidwin sighed. "Fortunately, we sent Death Warriors. They won’t leave any evidence."
"So what do we do now?" asked Regis, the Captain of the Guard. "Do we arrange a second attempt?"
Heidwin shook his head. "We failed once. There won’t be a second chance. Duane is sure to be heavily guarded now."
"Let’s just prepare for tomorrow’s audience. Vesi, has the intelligence been sent back?"
"It has. The Crown Prince will likely receive it by tomorrow. However, it will probably take another day or two to inform Viscount Freddy. Also, I’ve heard that Marquis Deli’s army is showing signs of movement on the border of Fernando Province."
Delhi Hughes, eldest son of Duke Kelvin.
His title of Marquis is merely a courtesy title, not a peerage of the Kingdom, so he possesses neither the territory nor the authority of a Marquis.
Heidwin rubbed his throbbing temples. "That fellow Freddy has really caused a huge mess this time!"
"You can say that again!"
Early the next morning, Duane was already awake.
His injuries from yesterday had been significantly alleviated thanks to Grand Mage Clement’s treatment.
Now, aside from some inconvenience from the wounds on his arm and lower leg, he was mostly fine.
The only issue was the numerous small scabs on his face that hadn’t flaked off yet, which made for an unpleasant sight.
"Duane, I had this prepared for you." Count Kais had a steward bring over a wheelchair.
"Ah, Count, my injuries may not be fully healed, but I don’t need a wheelchair."
"That’s where you’re mistaken."
Kais said with a smile, "The wheelchair is for the benefit of the people from Akutas. Though we have no proof it was them, you don’t need proof to make an accusation."
Duane understood instantly. "Raymond, bring the wheelchair."
The area outside the Royal Palace was bustling today, with several rows of carriages of all sizes parked nearby.
Although King Eric had initially notified only a few factions, once the pressure started to mount, other nobles found opportunities to learn about the situation and get involved.
It was a chance for everyone to lend their support, whether by wielding their influence or simply by making an appearance.
"Count, it’s been a while!"
Seeing Count Kais, several nobles came forward to greet him, and he returned their pleasantries with a smile.
"This must be Baron Duane of Black Forest Island, I presume?"
Some shifted their attention to Duane in his wheelchair. "What happened? How did he get so badly injured?"
"Yes, did something happen to him?"
Those asking were the ones not yet fully informed, though they had heard about yesterday’s assassination attempt and guessed that the King’s summons today must be related to Duane.
Duane greeted them politely, deflecting any pointed questions with the excuse, "His Majesty will be making an announcement soon."
"Look, the carriages of the Akutas Kingdom’s envoys have arrived."
All eyes turned to see three carriages, flying the silver battle-axe flag of the Akutas Kingdom, pull to a stop across from them.
The Akutas envoys—Heidwin, Vesi, and Regis—alighted from the carriages.
Their hearts sank at the sight of so many nobles gathered across the way, but they quickly plastered on smiles.
There were no Dukes or Marquises among the crowd, only Count Kais. The envoys had intended to go over and greet him.
Kais gave them a single glance, snorted, and then said, "Let’s go inside."
Duane nodded, signaling for Raymond to push him forward.
Seeing this, the other nobles followed suit, heading into the Royal Palace.
Today’s affair was clearly related to the Akutas Kingdom.
Heidwin’s expression darkened. He took a deep breath and said, "Let’s go in as well."