Chapter 1063: Act 235 – Entering the City
“Who is it?” Brendel asked.
“A Crusian. He said he was looking for us. When we encountered him, he was being pursued, and we rescued him from the cultists,” Charles explained as he signaled behind him. Rustling sounds came from the bushes, and a ragged young man emerged. The latter’s face was pale, showing signs of panic, and his gray-blue eyes flickered with caution before finally resting on Brendel.
At first glance, Brendel found the youth somewhat familiar, and then he remembered having seen him near the Cat and Whisker Inn, where he had been close with one of the serving girls; they were likely in a romantic relationship.
He recalled that they must have gone out together, but now only this young man had returned, which likely meant something had happened.
However, given the chaos in the city right now, it wouldn’t be surprising if something had occurred. Nevertheless, the girl named Cetty was kind and easy to get along with. He frowned slightly, subconsciously hoping nothing serious happened to her. If something was wrong at this time, it might be difficult for him to help.
After a moment of thought, he finally asked, “What happened? Was there a problem?”
Although the young man named Alca looked disheveled, he was still clear-headed as he replied, “My lord, please help us. Those cultists want to use Cetty against you.”
Brendel immediately became alert. “What do you mean? What’s going on?”
Alca quickly recounted some conversations he had overheard among the cultists in his own words. Brendel found the young man’s language skills impressive, as he managed to summarize the whole incident in just a few sentences. However, he soon felt a surge of anger; he wasn’t provoking them, yet those damned sneaky bastards dared to come after him.
He was worried for a moment, but then he thought of White Mist remaining by Romaine’s side, which put him a bit at ease. That girl was just an ordinary person after all, and White Mist was the familiar of the former Witch Queen; poisoning her in front of it was a futile risk. Those Shepherds clearly hadn’t considered that point.
He buried his worries and noted a detail in the young man’s words, but before he could speak, Charles voiced his thoughts first.
“These fools are looking for their own doom,” Charles said, frowning. “Luckily, White Mist is with Miss Romaine; otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable. But how do those cultists know so much about the relationship between the lord and Miss Romaine?”
Alca was anxious about Cetty but understood both he and Cetty were responsible for this situation. He hesitated for a moment but ultimately answered, “I’m sorry. It was me and Cetty who told them… The cult has many spies in Rustra, mostly ordinary people like us, but we only informed them about the guests in the inn and didn’t realize that lady… is your fiancée.”
At that moment, Old Nidwen, who had been observing silently, suddenly spoke up, “It is clear that only those close to Her Majesty could know your identities, and only someone near Her Majesty has the motive to instigate the cultists to do such things. It seems our previous conjecture was correct.”
“What conjecture?” Charles, having not been part of the earlier discussion, was confused by this statement.
“It is Queen of Dragons,” Medisa answered as she approached and explained Old Nidwen’s previous speculation.
The young wizard attendant, hearing this, couldn’t help but show a surprised expression. After pondering for a moment, he spoke, “Could it be that infant from back then?”
“What are you talking about?” Brendel immediately looked at Charles.
Charles banged his forehead, “I seem to suddenly remember a lot of things. Remember when you asked me about Miss Antinna’s father during our last time in Bruglas? I suddenly realized I had also been searching for something similar to them.”
“What was it?”
“You are Mr. Charles?” Brendel and Old Nidwen asked simultaneously, though the latter was clearly more perplexed. He scrutinized Charles, “How can you still look so… young?”
Charles didn’t answer the question but continued, “Perhaps it’s an answer to a question. Originally, it felt like fragmented clues scattered in my mind. I often recall looking for something in the Alca region, yet I didn’t have a coherent answer, like a fragmented dream after a long slumber.”
“What was it?”
“My recollection doesn’t align with what Mr. Turiman said initially. I remember your grandfather brought a baby girl back with Princess Gloriana. The infant was wrapped in a bright piece of amber. That night, only I, Hippard, and Paramid witnessed it—oh right, Hippard is Miss Antinna’s father.”
“What happened then?” Old Nidwen’s voice trembled slightly, as if a decades-long mystery was finally on the brink of being unraveled. At that moment, it wasn’t just about the queen, the empire, or even the truth itself; the old man had been haunted by that complex riddle for years.
Brendel pursed his lips; this mystery had troubled him for a long time as well.
“I remember the princess was not well back then—oh, meaning Her Majesty today. She looked very weak and emotional, avoiding us, and held a long secret conversation with your grandfather. In the end, your grandfather brought that infant out, asking us to find someone reliable to take her away and requesting us to keep it a secret.”
“How was Her Majesty then? Was she injured?” Old Nidwen pressed further.
“There were no visible injuries, but she looked very weak, as if she had been gravely ill. Her mental state was also unstable. I remembered she sometimes opposed taking the infant away and even wept quietly, giving the impression of being utterly helpless. Of course, this is my personal judgment.”
“What about Mr. Darus?”
“Mr. Darus appeared very solemn.”
“Was that before or after?”
“Before what? After what?”
“Before Her Majesty entered the final battlefield or afterward?” Old Nidwen asked loudly.
Charles glanced strangely at the former chancellor of the empire and replied, “Of course, it was afterward. They brought that infant out from there.”
“Before that, how was Her Majesty’s condition?”
“Good, nothing was wrong.”
Old Nidwen took a deep breath, now looking somewhat anxious.
The others stayed far away, not understanding what was happening and assuming they were arguing. The sounds of their dispute echoed far, and a few wild dogs roamed at the edge of the forest. Upon spotting the crowd, they tucked their tails and retreated.
Someone noticed a fire starting in the direction of Rustra, its flickering lights dimly reflecting in the dark night sky.
The air was filled with a dry, scorching scent.
“Are you sure that infant was wrapped in amber, Charles?” Brendel asked.
Charles nodded.
“What happened afterward?”
“We found someone reliable within the coalition, your father’s fiancée, Princess Gloriana, who served as an envoy for Erluin. She was entrusted to take that infant back to Erluin overnight.”
“And after that, did you meet her?”
“I saw her once when I returned to Erluin, probably around the third year after the Holy War, in a small town near Rendener.”
“What about the infant?”
Charles shook his head, “I didn’t ask, and she didn’t say. I only inquired about your grandfather.”
“Some matters regarding my grandfather?”
“Yes. The fourth day after we sent that infant away, the Bud people and dragons arrived. The princess’s attitude was very indifferent, and her story contradicted what happened initially, which meant your grandfather had to take the blame for her. The three of us who knew the truth didn’t understand this. We inquired with your grandfather, but he was unwilling to say much. You know what happened later…”
The young wizard servant sighed, “In the decades that followed, the three of us have been searching for the answer to this question from back then. It seems the closest to the truth should have been Hippard, but unfortunately, he died too early.”
Brendel gazed intently at him, responding, “Perhaps you’re the same, Charles.”
Charles was momentarily taken aback and then realized, “Perhaps so, my lord.”
Brendel looked at Old Nidwen, who bore a mixed expression of confusion and contemplation on his face. “I feel like I’ve grasped something, yet it still feels like there’s a layer of paper blocking the view. This feeling is quite uncomfortable,” the old man said, shaking his head.
“No matter what the truth is, we must be on our way. Perhaps we can find the final answer to our question when we meet Her Majesty—”
He glanced at the burning city of Rustra and gently closed the pocket watch.
At that moment, Alca, who had been watching Young Nidwen beside Old Nidwen, cautiously spoke up, “Are you the Chancellor, my lord?”
Young Nidwen was slightly taken aback. Very few people referred to him that way while beside his father, but seeing Alca’s realization, he understood. Few could relate him to the title of the Imperial Chancellor throughout the realm, but many could recognize him around Rustra and nearby areas.
He silently nodded.
Alca couldn’t help but glance at the others present; he couldn’t recognize many of the noble lords and initially thought they were just Brendel’s noble attendants, but Young Nidwen’s appearance clearly overturned his assumptions.
When his gaze fell on Old Nidwen, it became even more complex; he could hardly believe it—Old Chancellor was once at the peak of the empire, but after Emperor Grandot’s death, he had retreated from public life for decades. If it weren’t for some resemblance to Young Nidwen, Alca would hardly believe that he was standing before the legendary figure.
Having confirmed this, his gaze towards Brendel was distinctly different.
“My lord.” He cautiously lowered his head and spoke respectfully.
Brendel glanced at him. Although this young man’s actions with that girl could cause him trouble, he understood that small figures were often bound by circumstances. Moreover, Cetty’s brother had indeed died on Ampere Seale’s battlefield; while he wasn’t the instigator of the war, he couldn’t blame the girl for it.
Perhaps that was the greatest mistake of the temple and Her Majesty; they had unknowingly changed many people’s fates but had never felt guilty about it.
Such arrogance had taken root in the hearts of the nobility for hundreds of years.
He replied, “Don’t worry, White Mist is a sensible entity. Cetty is just an ordinary person; it won’t do anything to her.”
Alca didn’t know who White Mist was, but with a noble lord reassuring him, he glanced at Young Nidwen and Old Nidwen and felt relieved—especially considering this noble lord’s subordinate had saved his life.
He remained silent for a moment before saying, “My lord, if you want to enter the city, I might know of a secret passage that can take you into the inner city.”
“A secret passage?”
Brendel was taken aback.
“It’s a tunnel built by the nobles of the inner city. The cult’s priests bought off these nobles, and by chance, I happen to know where one of the secret passage’s exits is located,” Alca replied.
Brendel, however, wasn’t very interested in the secret passage itself. He only asked, “Is the passage guarded by cultists—the ones you call cultists?”
“Yes, but generally, there aren’t many people, and it’s quite secluded. The entrance isn’t large and belongs to a backup route for the priests,” he glanced at the others present and calculated silently, “But I think it should be enough for your subordinates to pass through.”
“So, the cultists prepared these passages for many people?”
Alca was taken aback, clearly caught off guard by Brendel’s line of questioning. Nonetheless, being a clever young man, he quickly realized the problem, furrowing his brow as he answered, “I’m not sure, but I suppose it’s likely.”
“You said you know where one of the secret passages is, are there many such passages?” Brendel asked again.
“Not many, but there should be more than two or three.”
Old Nidwen’s eyes flickered as he listened to their conversation, “The inner city is in danger.”
“That’s just our opportunity,” Young Nidwen seemed somewhat excited. “Her Majesty is too arrogant; perhaps the Queen of Dragons has clouded her judgment. The Shepherds must have prepared in advance.”
“The problem is that we still don’t know what her true intentions are.”
“It’s unnecessary to know.” Brendel replied softly, “We aren’t taking the secret passages.”
“Not taking the secret passage?” Alca was truly baffled by what this noble lord was thinking.
Brendel’s face turned cold as he answered icily, “Before we see Her Majesty, we go to collect our debts—”
