Knights and Magic Wand
Chapter 229 - 229 121 Empire Spy_2

229: Chapter 121 Empire Spy_2 229: Chapter 121 Empire Spy_2 “I say, my lord, those mages who went to Rolannar as spies haven’t sent any news back for a long time.

Outside, I have eyes reporting that for some unknown reason, the army of the native king to the south has suffered heavy losses and is likely to withdraw.

Could it be…

that there’s been some major turmoil?” Coyote murmured, nibbling on the poetess’s earlobe.

The poetess exhaled softly, leaning back against the robust chest behind her and whispered, “I came here precisely because of this; not just from the east, but Lord Pilireno from the Western Port Embassy has also been killed, and his disciples have completely disappeared.

Coincidentally, a renowned poet’s new poem mentions three Selva knights?

It bears many similarities and connections to the reports of assassins received from Felcon…

The Farolis Family also owns a place called Selva.

I will first visit that village and then set sail for Seryan to investigate what exactly happened in Rolannar.”

The poetess, with a backward grasp around her subordinate’s thick neck, looked up and said, “If those lords who went to Rolannar also encountered some unexpected mishap, losing so many high-ranking individuals—though hard to imagine the domestic shock it might cause—this would provide an opportunity for the Western Expansion Faction to seize the moment and kick out the Eastern Expedition Faction before his majesty.”

“What about us?

Do we no longer need to cooperate with that native kingdom in the south?” Coyote rose and gently pressed the poetess down onto the table.

“Mm~ With the actions conveniently taken, what I’ve done is done, and success or failure doesn’t matter.

After I make a trip to the east and come back~♪…

with instructions from above…

perhaps you could be transferred to the Capital of Orland, your combat skills suit you better for the work you know best….~♪…” the poetess sang breathlessly as she lay on the table.

Coyote reinvigorated, heaved a sigh, “Then I’ll just wait in this forsaken place for the good news from you, my lord.”

…

At the Lord Mansion in Wolfenhol, Canis, after reading his father’s letter, felt a surge of renewed confidence despite his anger.

As long as they did not attack Farolis City, burning a few villages for retaliation to probe Thorny Flower’s response should not be a problem.

If they could provoke the army of Baron Farolis to initiate a war in the Wolf Territory, that would be even better.

Once the intent of civil war by Thorny Flower was confirmed, and with just another month’s wait, Earl Trolsa who was returning from the campaign would surely make judgments and reprimands favorable to the Wolf Family.

Especially since the other party dared to violate the King’s “Anti-Witchcraft Law,” if direct evidence could be obtained…

his family could truly seize Farolis’s territory.

Bearing two major crimes, this time there would be no one able to speak and save those remnants of the former court, not even Earl Duwana!

The Wolf Family Young Master smirked inwardly, mocking Baron Farolis’s foolish acts that led him to his doom.

He stood up and turned to the magician-sent by Earl Trolsa, who had arrived in Wolfenhol along with his father’s letter: “Master Met, please come with me.”

Canis led the way, taking the magician who rushed from the Mamor Front to a place where the remains of Corpse Ghosts were stored.

Met, the magician named, bent down and formed Dharma Seals over the skeletal undead, muttering under his breath; a blue Magic Light swirled in his palm.

After carefully examining the corpse for a long time until he put away his magic, Met stood up and shook his head at the Wolf Family Young Master.

“I’m very sorry, Sir Canis, I didn’t sense any residual magic on this dried corpse, nor did I find traces of Magic Technique within it.

If what you claim is true, then perhaps it was not an Undead created by human hands.”

“What do you mean, Master Met?

Isn’t this an evil product of witchcraft?

Are you suggesting this living dead was born from a mother’s womb?” Canis frowned, unhappy with the answer he heard.

“I know this sounds unbelievable, but under special circumstances, Undead and vengeful spirits can indeed arise naturally.

I’m not yet aware of the specific causes and further investigation is needed…

but just based on this corpse, you definitely cannot conclusively prove that Baron Thorny Flower violated the King’s decree,” Met explained, shaking his head.

Canis paced back and forth in frustration.

He obviously couldn’t order this Northern Wizard, invited by General Trolsa to assist in the frontline, to fabricate testimonies for his allegations.

It seemed not so easy to simply accuse Farolis of violating the “Anti-Witchcraft Law.”

But now that he had his father’s approval, he vowed, no matter what trick Thorny Flower used to produce those creatures, the Gunnar Family would repay them tenfold for the humiliations inflicted on the Wolf Territory.

Besides, evidence was merely the icing on the cake in a grand scheme; when necessary, even without it, evidence could be created.

…

Inside the grand house of Longka’s village, Leon carefully read the Sealing Lord’s reply and then handed it over to Azeryan and others for circulation before speaking to the nearby messenger, “Wait a moment longer, I have another letter for you to deliver to Lord Eriv.”

“Yes, Lord Pendragon,” the messenger bowed, humbly stepping aside.

Kovis, standing nearby, turned and brought Leon ink, a pen, and paper.

Dipping his pen in the ink, Leon began to write the second report to Baron Eriv while also pondering and weighing the first command and task given to him by the Sealing Lord.

Baron Eriv, who was preparing his troops for departure far in Avalon, had unexpectedly inferred from his first letter a likely major conflict at the border, sensitive to the refugee incident at Aiken.

However, the Master of Thorns did not stop his plan to stealthily attack Glade by marching south; instead, he decided to hasten his steps.

Through the letter, Leon also learned about the reality of the Gunnar Family.

Baron Grey Wolf had mobilized most of the usable manpower in the Wolf Territory before the battle, dedicating them entirely to the conquest of Mamor County.

In comparison, Thorny Flower had dispatched a couple of thousand soldiers and civilians but still retained a thousand main forces stationed in Farolis.

Backed by the political power of the Royalists, the Gunnar Family unhesitatingly squeezed out over three thousand troops and more than a thousand civilians.

This was also why, during the initial distribution of the spoils of war, Coyote Pass, belonging to Baron Poison Snake Dawson, was taken over by the more powerful Gunnar.

Thus, aside from the partial garrison retained in Wolfenhol City, the Gunnar Family might only have a few hundred soldiers available.

Of course, this did not mean that Thorny Flower could take advantage of the situation to invade the Wolf Territory and reclaim the lands lost decades ago.

Mamor County was not far from Farolis Manor; should a civil war really break out, the army of the Wolf Family could easily turn around and “exchange homes” with Thorny Flower.

Moreover, even if Gunnar lost Wolfenhol, they still had ancestral land to retreat to, whereas Thorny Flower temporarily had no place to fall back on.

Attacking the Wolf Territory without cause would definitely incite many within the Royalist faction to seize the opportunity to eliminate the remains of the old king and divide the lands of Farolis.

Thus, when Leon saw the true task given to him by Baron Eriv, it was to face the conflict unabatedly, provoke disputes as appropriate, but not let the flames of war reach the walls of Wolfenhol City.

As long as the scale of the conflict was limited, it would not be a civil war, merely a dispute.

Indeed.

At this moment, Eriv instead wished to use those refugees to escalate the conflict rather than resolve misunderstandings and disputes.

Of course, Leon knew that his own Sealing Lord was not acting without reason…

The concern expressed in the letter was that the increasing frequency of undead attacks at the edges of Nightmare Forest might draw the Gunnar Family’s attention towards the abnormal activities in the south.

Eriv did not want his quiet expansion through Thorny Flower to be disturbed before he could capture the lands of Kantadar.

If a territorial conflict could divert the Gunnar Family’s focus towards the forest, then no matter how big the uproar…

as long as Eriv secured the enemy passes in the south, securing Thorny Flower’s position, any minor conflicts occurring in Kosos County during this period would be insignificant to the King far away in the Capital.

After sealing the letter with a Sword Wings wax seal and watching the messenger leave swiftly, Leon walked to the window and breathed in the increasingly oppressive air from inside and out.

Unlike his dealings with the Kantadar people, being a vassal who joined the Thorny Flower Family midway, he genuinely did not wish to provoke the Gunnar Family, with whom he had no personal grievances.

But it was already clearly written in the second report to Baron Eriv.

The undead of the ancient Farolis Soldiers in Aiken Village had already made suspicion and conflict unavoidable.

Furthermore, given Baron Eriv’s current unwillingness to resolve misunderstandings…

Leon had not expected that the first battle he would face after becoming a knight might be not against the Kantadar people, but the Orland people.