Bab 134: [Chapter 134] But I have a good faith in people
"You did very well."
No matter what the arsonist did, the flames were not easily extinguished.
The finest hotel in Dreycum gradually turned into ashes, emitting a terrifying heat. The thick smoke settled like fog, and with the possibility of the fire spreading at any moment, Neris evacuated the people to a safe distance.
Wearing only a robe over her blood-soaked nightgown, Dora finally followed the instructions after giving orders for a while, and now she was finally moving to the Dreycum Lordship. Only Talfryn had the courage to mock Neris, who had a serious expression.
Neris muttered impatiently to him, still in his servant attire.
"I made a mistake."
"No, what are you talking about? You did well."
"When Talfryn, who stuck close to Neris, exclaimed that he didn't know when she would pull another stunt, he even clapped his hands in admiration.
"You did nothing wrong. Not recognizing such a remarkable person. Didn't you throw yourself into danger to save your friend while everyone else stood by? Oh, what a friend who doesn't even value their own life. They were even too precious to leave! Everyone should know this touching story. Especially Lady Ellen."
It was a truly frightening threat. It should be seen as worse than a curse.
Unlike Neris's mother, who was more casual, Ellen was very meticulous and never let anything annoying slide. Especially when it came to matters concerning Neris's safety.
Of course, the concern was greater than that of a mother, but unlike her mother, who would have nagged until Neris's safety was confirmed, Ellen would have been nagging to the point of bursting her eardrums. Perhaps due to the loss she experienced long ago.
Neris sighed.
"So what do we do about what's in front of us?"
"You should have given orders, right? From the start, it was the Advisor who was the target, seeing that bold one wielding a knife. We all knew tonight we would interrogate all those involved and take the final gamble."
Unlike Diane, who was so shocked she couldn't breathe properly, Neris and Talfryn had seen and remembered everything about the situation.
Initially, Diane's maid tried to subtly lead the struggling Diane in a direction where no one was present. Perhaps it was a clever scheme to stage a kidnapping if successful.
However, even after the servant Talfryn set Diane down and left, Neris continued to watch Diane. It was because she knew Kemil's tactics.
The Crown Princess, who is extremely suspicious and needs to control everything to relieve her conscience, raised loyal assassins from a young age. And when their loyalty training was complete, they were sent to various noble mansions to gather even the smallest pieces of information.
The McKinnon family had many openings for workers from other regions as they employed a significant number of people compared to typical noble families. They couldn't act like the prestigious noble families who preferred relatives of the direct children as their attendants since they didn't have an ancient lineage.
Naturally, the McKinnon family also had strict standards when hiring people. It was difficult for spies from other top families to enter, and it was challenging for ordinary assassins to hide without arousing suspicion.
However, Eunwool, known for having the Empire's top skills, was certainly not at a level where she couldn't infiltrate.
In her previous life, associating with Kemil, Neris considered the Anba, Eunwool, as indispensable in the Empire. At most, they could count on Maindlandt or Elendria's Marquis.
So, in an operation involving sending so many assassins, there might be a reason for not using those who had been infiltrated in advance.
After escaping the fire, Neris carefully observed the McKinnon upper-class people. She looked for anyone acting suspiciously or suddenly disappearing.
If the failed attack wasn't the end of it, it would be troublesome.
Then she noticed the maid who had been with the mistress, even though she didn't know when the mistress disappeared.
From the moment she saw the maid brandishing a conspicuous silver dagger with a grand gesture, Neris was convinced. The maid knew Neris would intervene. So, she wore a mask and waited in front of everyone.
As Neris approached, the maid had the dagger within striking distance.
However, Neris couldn't just stand by. The maid had taken out the dagger in front of everyone, intending to kill either Neris or Diane, so Dora swiftly moved in and sadly spoke.
"There were many devices in place. They left the Marquis at the location where the fire was set, placed the Viscount's daughter in a completely different location, the main force attacked the lady, and the spies were hidden as reserves... Several groups were coordinated to move, so even if some failed, others could succeed and make up for it."
"If everything had succeeded, all evidence would have disappeared in the burnt-down hotel, and if Lady Joyce or Diane had been discovered late, the relationship between Maindlandt and the McKinnon family would have deteriorated. If they had killed me, there would have been a significant administrative vacuum in Maindlandt."
Neris's plan sounded entirely rational. But was it necessary to go to such lengths for just that?
Talfryn also had a rough idea of the opponent's skills based on their performance. However, apart from that, he truly had no idea, which made him groan. At that moment, the head of the guard entered.
Just before Neris was attacked, there had been a fierce fight in the hotel corridor, and many of his subordinates were injured. With the responsibility of rescuing people from the fire and moving them to the Lordship, the head of the guard's face was tired.
"Advisor, everything is sorted out. The McKinnon family members are not allowed to leave their rooms until the interrogation is over, and the Marquis and the Viscount's daughter are resting after receiving treatment. The fire is being managed by the Lordship's soldiers and local residents."
"Good job. How are the injured knights?"
"The priests have treated them well, and they have recovered to a certain extent and are on guard."
Maindlandt had a shortage of priests, and skilled priests were truly hard to find. Perhaps after attending to Joyce and Diane, the priests' divine power was insufficient to heal the knights thoroughly.
Under these conditions, it seemed like the best possible recovery was taking place. Neris nodded and gestured.
"Bring them in."
"Yes, Advisor."
The head of the guard opened the door and gestured outside. Soon, the subordinate knights brought in men dressed in black robes. Among those who survived the attack today, there were only two.
Neris sat in the reception room where all the furniture had been removed except for the chair she was sitting on. The assassins knelt on the floor, their triangular eyes fixed on her.
As Neris made eye contact with them for a moment, she suddenly kicked one of them in the head.
Thud! A harsh sound echoed as the person's body collided, but the one kicked just stared at her without flinching.
"Harsh."
Talfryn, who was observing the scene, exclaimed in admiration. Dora was truly impressed; our lady was quite skilled at kicking.
"Strip them. There must be a mark somewhere."
Talfryn gestured to the knight. The knight searched the assassins' bodies, and in the process, as he peered into one's mouth, he was taken aback.
"Oh!"
A small, fast sound, like the fluttering of a bug's wings, tickled Neris's ears. She spoke, her tongue sharp.
"Let go and step back."
The knight promptly obeyed the command. Soon, it became clear to everyone in the room what had happened.
The assassin the knight had examined was convulsing with rolled-back eyes. Black foam bubbled from their mouth, dissolving everything it touched with a buzzing sound, including clothes and skin.
In an instant, one person vanished in a horrific manner. Dora was prepared to flee with Neris, but the foam melted every trace of the assassin, evaporating cleanly up to the last mark.
"It's magic."
The head of the guard clicked his tongue. Talfryn revealed it.
"If their identity is revealed, it seems they eliminate evidence in this manner. There aren't many who use such dirty tactics. There are also few who can cast such expensive magic."
Naturally, the attention shifted to another captive. Despite witnessing their comrade's tragic death moments ago, the captive's gaze remained unfazed.
Talfryn chuckled and asked, "You won't reveal the mastermind, identity, or goal, will you?"
The captive's expression was one of certainty. The head of the guard nodded in agreement.
"Nevertheless, out of respect, let's try the prepared interrogation once."
Neris suspected it would be futile. The mark engraved under the tongue, the horrific magic that vanished as if erased from the world when faced with the danger of exposure... There was no longer any doubt.
This was precisely Eunwool's technique.
After a moment of thought, Talfryn spoke to Neris, "We're going to play a rather meaningless game now. Advisor, you need to conserve your energy, so please retire for the night. If there are any developments, I'll report back tomorrow."
"Understood. Thank you for your efforts."
"Please go in."
The head of the guard smiled and bid farewell. Neris entered the bedroom with Dora.
As unwanted noises echoed from behind, they soon ceased, indicating the use of some method.
Lord Dreycum was momentarily stunned upon hearing that the 'Advisor' nearly died on his land.
He hadn't ascended to the White Swan Castle during the last Harvest Festival. Therefore, this was the first time he had seen Neris. However, not seeing her in person didn't mean he was unaware of any news about her.
The Hillbrin Gong fell head over heels, capturing the nobles who harbored resentment towards His Highness... Rumors abounded about him, owning land within Maindlandt's official entrance. Various rumors circulated about the young Advisor, but one repeated theme stood out.
'His Highness values her greatly. He granted the ancestral mansion to her mother, and while others may not know, he listens to the Advisor's persuasion...'
The Lord of Dreycum knew everything about how things were before and after Cladwyn's ascension. He both revered and feared Cladwyn, just like everyone else. It was hard to believe they were the same person.
For such a Cladwyn to lose someone he cherished and valued as a confidant here? He would not only face criticism for negligence but might even be accused of collusion with the enemy if unlucky.
Therefore, he began excessively pampering the Advisor's entourage and the McKinnon upper delegation, who now needed new accommodations. He not only invited them to stay at the Lordship but also provided lavish food and treatment.
Taking the guests to the ruins, one of Dreycum's most famous tourist spots, was part of this lavish treatment. Pointing to the traces of the massive stone building, the Lord proudly explained.
"It's said that the ruins you see now were built around 400 years ago. When first discovered, they were already in a similar state to what you see now, so not much is known. It's likely that the people who first settled in Maindlandt built it."
The ruins were indeed massive. Neris speculated it might be about the size of the White Swan Castle. However, all that remained to indicate its scale were slightly larger piles of white stones than her height.
But the spot where the owner had left had succumbed to the ravages of time. Objects that people had arbitrarily assigned meaning to in nature had now become relics of an incomprehensible past.
'The palace will eventually end up like this.'
The Elendria family would too.
"About 200 years ago, a wandering farmer who had taken refuge here discovered the ruins while digging the land. They have all been excavated now, but at that time, the entire land corresponding to Dreycum was buried in the earth just like that hill you see there. In fact, there's a theory that if you dig up that hill, you'll find another ancient ruin."
It didn't particularly matter, as it was mostly known information. Neris was engrossed in pondering Kemil's intentions. Dora and Talfryn were on high alert, preparing for the possibility of another attack.
Suddenly, Joyce was seen looking around for Diane. Neris furrowed her brow and asked Dora, "Where did Diane go?"
It was right after the kidnapping, so she wouldn't have gone off alone, but it was concerning. Then, someone behind an old stone wall gestured towards them.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone