Chapter 250: Willard

"This… this is still Lord Parker's castle?"

Captain Keer stood at the entrance of Lord Parker's castle, staring in shock at the horrific courtyard, his face filled with disbelief.

He clearly remembered that when he left last night, the castle was still intact inside and out.

How could it be that after just one night, this majestic Lord Parker's castle had been reduced to this state?

Of course, when he returned to the wooden fortress last night, he had sensed something amiss.

Because his subordinates had reported hearing faint, strange roars.

After receiving the report, he naturally ordered his men to secure the wooden fortress and remain utterly silent.

After all, no matter what noise it was, as long as it didn't come near his own outpost, it wasn't his problem.

Only when dawn came and nothing happened did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Then, he grew curious about what had occurred last night.

So he set out with his men, following the direction from which the noises had come.

In searching, he unexpectedly found himself back in Lord Parker's territory.

There, he encountered refugees fleeing from Lord Parker's town and learned of the dark creatures' attack.

After that, he arrived before the castle gates.

"My lord, the castle has been looted by commoners; inside, there are only corpses and the bodies of dark creatures, along with furniture and furnishings turned upside down!"

"Also, I questioned a few commoners we captured—they say Lord Parker has truly vanished, and no corpse was found within the castle."

Several soldiers walked out from inside the castle, covering their noses with cloth, and reported the basic situation to Keer.

"Vanished?" Keer immediately realized the gravity of the situation.

A viscount's castle breached, its lord missing—this could reach the royal capital directly.

"Seal off the scene immediately, and send word to Iron Wolf City and Eagle City at the fastest speed!"

…

"Your Excellency, Cabinet Minister!"

"Bo Xi, you've returned from Iron Wolf City? Has Ya Dani completed the mission?"

Several days later, in a luxurious estate in the eastern district of Eagle City.

Minister Wei La De sat in the parlor, enjoying the massage of two plump female servants.

Seeing his stationed officer from Iron Wolf City brought in by the butler, he perked up immediately.

A few days ago, he had dispatched a team to avenge his deceased offspring.

By now, it should be time for news to arrive.

Of course, to avoid suspicion, Ya Dani and the cavalry could only move under cover of night, so it was normal that Bo Xi arrived first.

Bo Xi's face instantly turned ashen, trembling: "Your Excellency… there's been an incident…"

"What?" Wei La De, who had been lounging comfortably, froze for a moment, then his face darkened.

He sat upright abruptly, his expression grim: "Get out!"

Though he didn't name them, the two servants understood the situation.

Startled, their plump bodies shuddered, and they quickly bowed and exited the parlor.

"Speak! What happened? Did that damned brat escape? Is Ya Dani useless? How could he let him get away?"

In Wei La De's eyes, the greatest mishap was clearly failing to eliminate that damned brat.

But he never imagined that Bo Xi's next words would leave him stunned.

"My lord, it's not that— it's that Ya Dani and the light cavalry… have been annihilated!"

"What? Annihilated? Are you joking?" Wei La De leapt from the sofa, glaring furiously at Bo Xi.

"Your Excellency, this news was secretly relayed to me by officials from Iron Wolf City's Civil Affairs Office—they say Gervas of Stormwind has already sent envoys to file charges!"

"Also, people from Stormwind will likely arrive here in Eagle City soon to file charges as well…"

"Damn it! Useless! Useless! Ya Dani is useless! Those light cavalry are useless!"

Wei La De no longer doubted.

But he simply could not fathom how Ya Dani, a Silver Knight, and fifty light cavalry could fail to eliminate that brat.

Instead, they were slaughtered by him.

Of course, what mattered most now wasn't that.

Ya Dani's connection to him was common knowledge once reported to Eagle City.

And those borrowed light cavalry were even more problematic!

"Dien!"

"My lord, I'm here!"

"Do you know where Ya Dani's family lives?"

The butler's heart tightened: "Yes, my lord!"

"Send men to eliminate them—leave no survivors—and make it look like suicide out of guilt!"

"Also, forge Ya Dani's handwriting and leave a will in his home, claiming he secretly decided to avenge Fa Li Ao to win your favor!"

"Yes, my lord!"

"Also, send a thousand gold coins to the Governor of Eagle City—say it's compensation for Ya Dani's mistake. Though it was his personal act, the loss of fifty light cavalry must be made up for!"

"I, Wei La De, will make up for it—this is my punishment for failing to properly manage my subordinates!"

"Yes, my lord!"

…

【Ding! Daily intelligence has been refreshed…】

【Intelligence One: Thanks to your generous lordship's feeding of your subordinates with Lightning Silver Fish and magical potions, their physical condition has greatly improved.】

【Among them, the knight retainers have shown the most significant gains.】

【Ten knight retainers have now reached the threshold of full knight status; all you need to do is hold a knight examination.】

【Then, you will gain ten new full knights among your subordinates.】

【Intelligence Two: Thanks to your complaint and sufficient evidence, Lord Parker's attack on you has stirred up outrage in Eagle City!】

【However, with the news of Lord Parker's castle being overrun by dark creatures spreading, the uproar over your attack seems to have been overshadowed.】

【Now, nobles around Iron Wolf City and Eagle City are discussing Lord Parker's fate and the threat of dark creatures along the border!】

【Today, the special investigation team dispatched to probe Lord Parker's castle attack will arrive in Lord Parker's territory.】

【Of course, they are also tasked with investigating Lord Parker's invasion of Stormwind!】

【Intelligence Three: Today, at least eight nobles will visit you, including Countess Catherine—they all came upon hearing of Lord Parker's attack on Stormwind.】

【Intelligence Four: After more than ten days of travel, the Silver Moon Tribe's ransom team will arrive before noon!】

【However, the Silver Moon Tribe's envoy team is unaware that behind them follows a secret force.】

【It is an army of eight hundred from the western tribes.】

【Of course, their target is not Stormwind, but the envoy team itself.】

【Once all tribal heirs are ransomed, they will ambush the envoy team, kill every heir, and fake it as if Stormwind was responsible!】

【Intelligence Five: Three days ago, your electric fan arrived at the royal capital; Marquis Mi Xiu Si adores the fan you sent.】

【And due to a royal banquet, your magical electric fan will become as famous as a telescope!】

【Intelligence Six: Deep within the Chaos Wastelands, the Mik and Houton settlements are both major powers with populations exceeding fifty thousand.】

【Today, over border disputes, the two settlements will erupt into full-scale war.】