Chapter 309: The Second Prince

Adamas saw his father's expression and knew his father had misunderstood.

He quickly explained: "Father, we could never have escaped on our own—by then, all five warships were already entangled by pirates!"

"For this, Deputy Commander Wolf even led a team to fight the pirates himself, then tried to secretly let me flee alone…"

"What exactly happened?" Marquis Austin was truly confused!

"It was reinforcements! We encountered reinforcements, Father—do you remember Lord Harry who sold us white sugar?"

"Of course I remember, but… don't tell me he saved you?"

"Yes, Father—it was Lord Harry who saved me. At that moment, he happened to appear; he had a three-masted warship and two single-masted warships…"

"Wait, Adamas, what did you say? Three-masted warship? You're saying this Harry has a three-masted warship?"

Marquis Austin felt his mind couldn't keep up—every piece of information his eldest son revealed was completely beyond his expectations.

"Yes, Father—it was a three-masted warship! I was already in despair when, unexpectedly, Lord Harry appeared—he came like a god descending from heaven, riding a griffin, accompanied by the three-masted sailboat…"

Then, with shining eyes, Adamas recounted Gervas's arrival and how he crushed the pirate fleet.

Upon hearing this, Marquis Austin froze, sinking into long silence.

Only his eyes flickered with uncertain light.

"Father, what's wrong?"

After waiting a long time without his father speaking, Adamas finally couldn't hold back and asked.

Austin snapped back to himself, his gaze complex as he looked at his eldest son: "Adamas, this Lord Harry… has problems!"

"Problems? Father, what problems could Lord Harry have? He's saved me twice!" Adamas immediately protested anxiously.

"Adamas, don't rush—I'm not saying he has ill intent toward you or the Austin family, but that he must be hiding a great secret!"

Adamas relaxed slightly: "Father, you also think Lord Harry's identity is mysterious? I thought the same thing!"

"I even suspect the name he gave me might be fake—after all, our kingdom has no Duke Port family."

Marquis Austin nodded: "Correct, Adamas—that's why I say Gervas hides a great secret!"

"Think about it—a three-masted warship is something even our Austin family cannot possess; only the royal family and ducal houses own them."

"That means Harry's origins are certainly not ordinary—at least he's from a ducal family."

"Yet here's the thing: if he has such a prestigious background, why use a false name?"

"And why sell white sugar to us Austin family for resale, when he could easily sell it directly through his own family?"

"So this man is certainly not simple."

One must admit, Marquis Austin, with his vast experience, thought far more deeply than Adamas.

"Father, what do you think Lord Harry does, and why does he act this way?"

"I don't know. Perhaps he truly is a scion of some ducal house, but his family doesn't know about the white sugar—so he hides his identity to make money by selling it secretly."

"Of course, another possibility is that he himself, or under direct orders from his family, is deliberately concealing his identity."

Adamas, after listening, found this reasonable and agreed with his father: "Father, I think Lord Harry is more likely the latter case."

In Adamas's mind, Gervas was certainly not the type to deceive or cheat.

He was a noble of high virtue, deeply admirable.

And Gervas concealed his identity only because his family had entrusted him with a task.

Marquis Austin did not oppose his son's view.

"Adamas, no matter why Harry deliberately hides his identity, remember this: commanding a three-masted warship means his status in a ducal house cannot be low!"

"So such a man is well worth cultivating a relationship with—especially since you coincidentally traded white sugar with him, and he saved your life. When you meet him again, you must forge a deep bond!"

"Also, as for his true identity—if he refuses to reveal it, don't ask. That's the only way to ensure our family's safety!"

"Father! I understand!" Adamas nodded immediately.

He didn't need his father to say it.

Two lifesaving debts were enough to make him regard Lord Harry as the most revered person in his life.

Besides, on the way back, after learning of my situation, Lord Harry taught me methods for dealing with subordinates and training soldiers.

For example, instructing me to add synchronized movements to soldier training.

Such as what he called "quick march" or "standing in formation."

This directly improves soldiers' obedience and collective awareness.

Now, the only thing I worry about is:

I don't know when I'll meet Lord Harry again!

…

"What? Dead? Didn't I assign him a knight squad?"

"Your Highness, Magistrate Japas and his men encountered a dark force consisting of five third-rank dark creatures and dozens of second-rank dark creatures!"

"Although Magistrate Japas had knights guarding him, they ultimately couldn't hold out—all of them, including two Silver Knights, were killed!"

"Your Highness, here is the detailed report from Iron Wolf City!"

Griffin Capital.

Inside the Emerald Estate in the eastern district, just one wall away from the palace, the Second Prince was both furious and agitated.

Japas was intelligent and efficient—a subordinate he relied on heavily.

That's why he chose Japas for this mission.

But instead of good news, he received word that Japas and his knights had been annihilated.

Listening to the report, the inherently suspicious Second Prince wondered if something was amiss.

He took the report handed to him and began reading immediately.

It was a comprehensive report from Iron Wolf City, compiled after days of investigation into Japas's ambush.

It included when Japas left Iron Wolf City, when he arrived at Storm Domain, when he departed Storm Domain, and when he was attacked.

It even recorded that numerous merchant caravans and travelers had seen dark creatures roaming along the road, forcing the kingdom's main highway to close for two days.

Only after Iron Wolf City's cavalry arrived and wiped out the dark creatures—already nearly dead from the sun—did the road reopen.

Only then, through search, was the scene of Japas's ambush discovered.

Iron Wolf City's final conclusion: Japas's party was indeed attacked by accident.

To prove credibility, the report also mentioned the nearby attack on Lord Parker's castle.

"Japas only arrived at Storm Domain at noon and left less than an hour later?"

"So Japas likely failed to accomplish what I assigned him—Storm Domain dared to refuse him!" The Second Prince quickly grasped the key point, his eyes flickering.

A border marquis bold enough to refuse him was highly unusual.

This made Japas's death worth reconsidering.

"What are the odds? Parker had a dispute with him—and died immediately!"

"And Japas was refused—and died immediately!" The Second Prince shot to his feet.

"Your Highness, are you suggesting Gervas is involved? Should I send someone to investigate?" the subordinate asked immediately.

The Second Prince was about to speak.

But at that moment, a servant's voice came from outside the parlor: "Your Highness, Archbishop Flint requests an audience!"