Dispatch 510
Conquer Sea North Shore, Kankdar Port.
In a hospital room with a balcony, abundant light, and spacious comfort, Robert, dressed in a hospital gown, sat on his bed, gloomily staring at the newspaper in his hands. The more he read, the deeper the seriousness in his eyes became, and the focus of his gaze was on the significant news that had broken yesterday at the Kankdar station.
“Breaking News! Sister Vania’s welcoming ceremony turns into a bloody incident, resulting in multiple casualties.
“Early on the 20th, at the welcoming ceremony for the church envoy Sister Vania from Adus, held at the South Station of Kankdar, an unexpected incident occurred. During the ceremony, several gunmen suddenly opened fire on the VIPs, causing panic at the scene. The combined toll from gunfire and trampling resulted in fourteen casualties.
“Among them, four were directly caused by gunfire: Mayor Robert, Prince Mazale, a former member of the exiled royal family of Adus, Mr. Jack, a director of Rift Mining, and Miss Marian, daughter of the chairman of White Pearl Shipping… Except for Prince Mazale, who tragically succumbed to his injuries, the other three survived thanks to prompt rescue and are currently recuperating in the hospital, with Sister Vania participating in the rescue efforts.
“It is understood that two individuals attempted to attack the VIP convoy: one was a guard from the envoy group, and the other was a crew member from the train used by the envoy. Both had visited Adus and had contact with the heretical revolutionary army. During the shooting, they shouted heretical slogans. From the current publicly available information, there hadn’t been any previous signs of heretical behavior from either of them, and thus many speculate that they were corrupted by heretical ideas during their contact in Adis, being incited to such actions.
“According to Prince Ma Aide, a member of the exiled Baruch royal family in Kankdar, the deceased Prince Mazale was the first in line to inherit the Baruch Dynasty and the highest legal representative of the Baruch Dynasty after King Mahad’s disappearance. Losing Prince Mazale is a significant blow to the entire Baruch exiled royal family, which had been able to unite abroad thanks to his leadership.
“Prince Ma Aide further remarked that Prince Mazale was usually modest and diligent, a remarkably talented person, and an excellent heir. After the fall of Adis, Prince Ma Aide had become their leader, actively uniting all compatriots persecuted by the brutal Shadi regime in Adus, rallying them around him, encouraging them not to abandon hope due to the current difficulties in the name of the only legitimate heir of Baruch. He called for a continuous struggle against evil until the day they reclaim their homeland. He expressed deep sorrow over Prince Mazale’s d*ath, breaking into tears several times during the interview when speaking of him…
“Many Baruch nobles in Kankdar stated that Prince Mazale held an important position among them. He often assisted exiles from Baruch, providing them with stable residences; losing Prince Mazale is unacceptable for these exiles.
“It is understood that Prince Mazale played an irreplaceable role for the large number of exiles persecuted by the Shadi regime. Shadi has seen him as a thorn in their side, and his d*ath undoubtedly comes as significant news for the Shadi regime. Thus, the Shadi regime may have played a key role in this assassination. According to Captain Hajeta of the Urban Guard, they made important discoveries while searching the train heading to the desert, which further links the Shadi regime to this case.
“Captain Hajeta also mentioned that based on the current leads, the prevailing rumor that the heretic Shadi infiltrated and corrupted Sister Vania’s envoy group is not without merit. Perhaps during the negotiations in Adis, Shadi used some despicable means to influence Vania’s entourage, planning this assassination under the guise of the envoy group. It remains unclear if Sister Vania herself was influenced; since the incident, she has not attended any formal interviews, and her current views on the situation remain unknown.
“Regarding Sister Vania’s attitude and the deeper truth behind this assassination, our correspondent has written a professional analysis. Please refer to page four…”
Sitting on the hospital bed, Robert seriously scrutinized the extensive headline news on the newspaper before him. After silently sighing in relief, he set the newspaper aside, then picked up the teacup from the bedside cabinet, drank a couple of sips, and returned it to its place. He then quietly turned his gaze to a tall figure in uniform who was respectfully standing beside his bed—Captain Hajeta of the Kankdar Urban Guard.
“Sir… This is the media’s report on yesterday’s assassination. I selected a representative piece; the content in other newspapers is quite similar. Do you think this is acceptable?”
Seeing Robert finish reading the newspaper, Hajeta spoke respectfully. Robert did not respond immediately; instead, he took a cigar from the cabinet, lit it, took a couple of puffs, and after exhaling a cloud of smoke, slowly replied.
“Considering the current situation… it’s adequate, but in truth, this report could have been better. What is the relationship between that little nun and the heretical Shadi? This report can only imply it, without a definitive statement. The responsibility for the dead cannot be laid directly on her. Furthermore, with such extensive coverage, only one person died in the end; the casualties are not enough… the outrage it can provoke is significantly less… especially with the local elites in Kankdar. If none of them d*e, they will hardly be completely aligned with the Baruch exiles; at most, they will offer their support…”
As he continued to smoke the cigar, Robert slowly elaborated. Hearing his words, Hajeta’s face turned dark, and he showed a nervous expression.
“Hajeta, I remember our expectations did not include this situation. The current situation differs significantly from what we had previously planned…” Gazing at Hajeta, Robert spoke slowly. Hearing this, Hajeta paused and then spoke with a hint of fear.
“I apologize, sir; the situation is indeed far from what we expected. We… We made too many mistakes during yesterday’s operation, to the extent that the situation evolved into what it is now. This mainly stemmed from underestimating that little nun; her performance yesterday was completely different from our expectations!
“We did not anticipate that the little nun would not only break free from possession control but could also create such a degree of chaos. Our underestimation of her was the main reason for the many errors in our operation; at first, we all thought she was just a pretty face…”
Hajeta apologized to Robert with regret. After listening to Hajeta’s words, Robert paused and then sighed deeply.
“You’re right; the little nun’s performance yesterday morning was indeed unexpected. We underestimated her; being able to regain consciousness during possession and resist control, utilizing poison recognition to guide souls and that bizarre bl**d Mist artifact… it seems the Savior Faction provided her with stronger means of protection than we initially predicted…”
Robert said this, and upon hearing his words, Hajeta expressed surprise, then continued.
“Sir… do you mean the Savior Faction has arranged secret protective forces for that little nun? Is this why yesterday’s events turned out that way, because of this hidden protection?”
“This is currently the most likely explanation. From yesterday’s situation, the use of the spirit-reinforcing sigil and the release of the bl**d Mist were not accomplished by that little nun herself, indicating that there was an unknown protective force surrounding her. In our intelligence, there were only those guards regularly assigned to the little nun, but this hidden force was unknown to us… It seems this was secretly dispatched by the Savior Faction, and I misjudged that little nun’s position in the Savior Faction…”
Reflecting on the events of yesterday morning, Robert expressed his thoughts. Hearing him, Hajeta’s expression became even more serious, and he spoke again.
“So… Mr. Robert, what should we do now? The completion rate of this plan is too low, with too many mistakes; it may have serious negative impacts on the overall situation…”
Hajeta voiced his concerns, while Robert took a puff from his cigar before slowly inhaling the smoke.
“The impact on the overall situation will definitely be significant. With fewer deaths, that little nun did not personally k*ll anyone, but instead saved people; the label of colluding with heretics cannot be pinned on her for the time being… The effect we desire won’t emerge in the short term.
“But fortunately, the most critical person is dead, and the church has begun to suspect that little nun. As long as they intervene in the investigation, we can still control the general direction, even though the process will be a bit slower.”
Amidst the swirling smoke, Robert slowly stated. Listening to him, Hajeta pondered and then spoke.
“The church’s intervention in the investigation… that means the investigative authority is not completely in our hands. If the church uncovers any clues indicating this case is connected to us…”
“Ha, that’s nothing to worry about. For cases like this, the investigating body sent by the church is the Heretical Inquisition. Within the church, Cardinal Klama, sent by the interrogation officers, is a very extreme figure, even more so than the Knight Faction. He has deep conflicts with the Savior Faction, advocating for the destruction of the Shadi regime for its deep ties to heresy in matters concerning Adis, regardless of its intentions for repentance.
“If the Heretical Inquisition comes to investigate this case, its investigative tilt is predictable. They will conduct their investigations and interrogations based on the results they want. We just need to slightly cooperate in this process to produce some decisive evidence… Ha, if our plan had gone perfectly, even this cooperation would not have been necessary…
“Ultimately, the greatest purpose of our operation this time is merely to provide an opportunity for those within the church who are uncomfortable with that little nun to act. They will use this opportunity to achieve what they want. Although this opportunity is smaller than expected, it is still sufficient for them to grasp…”
Amidst the cigar smoke, Robert slowly recounted. Listening to Robert’s words, Hajeta silently nodded. Just then, Robert turned to look at the door of the hospital room, which was knocked on a moment later.
“Mr. Robert, the reporter scheduled for an interview downstairs has arrived. When shall I let them in?”
“Oh, understood… let’s wait another fifteen minutes.”
Saying this, Robert placed the cigar in the ashtray on the cabinet and extinguished it, then told Hajeta.
“Bring me my bloodied bandage, and also clean the ashtray. By the way, open the window and use a sigil to disperse the smoke.”
“Understood.” Hearing Robert’s instructions, Hajeta quickly began to carry them out.
…
On the other side, at Sacred Summit, in Amanda’s room.
In a large office, Amanda, dressed in red, sat behind her desk, looking extremely serious as she reviewed a report placed on the table. Opposite her was a half-transparent ghost-like nun.
“Outrageous… simply outrageous. The people in Kankdar… actually dared to do such a thing…”
Looking at the report before her, Amanda murmured, her seemingly calm tone revealing an unusual anger, while the nun on the opposite side spoke slowly.
“According to the latest report sent by Sister Vania, the assassination incident that occurred yesterday has extremely significant doubts, likely a scheming activity targeting the envoy group led by Robert Brown of the Kankdar local forces. Considering Robert Brown’s representative power, there may be some degree of prompting from major powers like Faraluo…”
Listening to the nun’s words, Amanda sighed heavily and then continued.
“Faraluo… Iwig… Castia… Prit… these countries have important interests in Adis and throughout Northern Ufeiga. They must fear the spread of the Adis revolution affecting their ability to drain resources from elsewhere, which is why they resorted to such measures. Absolutely heartless and greedy… putting their own interests above the preaching to the north… a bunch of vampires…”
“According to the latest news, His Excellency Klama dispatched a special investigation team to Kankdar half an hour ago, specifically tasked with investigating yesterday’s assassination. The investigation team has been granted high-level local trial authority, seemingly intending to quickly resolve and classify the matter.”
The half-transparent nun continued to inform Amanda. Hearing the nun’s words, Amanda coldly snorted in response.
“Local trial authority? Hmph… they can’t wait. It’s also true that they’ve been waiting for such an opportunity for a long time, so why wouldn’t they take advantage of it now?
“Now that the Holy See is absent, the power of the cardinals has been enhanced; otherwise, he wouldn’t dare to play like this during normal times.”
Supporting her forehead, Amanda spoke slowly. Due to the temporary absence of the Holy See, the previously relatively harmonious cardinal council began to show signs of division, causing the gaps between the cardinals to widen and intensifying the internal conflicts within the church. Situations like today’s infighting were unprecedented.
“Your Excellency, what should we do now…”
At this moment, the nun directly asked Amanda, who after a moment of silence, slowly spoke.
“We can’t just sit here; Evi, you need to go to Kankdar and protect Sister Vania. Ensure that Sister Vania avoids direct capture and interrogation by the Heretical Inquisition’s investigation team. It doesn’t matter if the other members of the envoy group can be protected or not, but Sister Vania must not fall into their hands.”
“Understood…” Upon hearing Amanda’s instructions, the half-transparent nun nodded, as if ready to leave. Then, as if remembering something, she reminded.
“Oh, one more thing, once you arrive in Kankdar, you should pay a little attention to Sister Vania herself…”
Amanda continued, her gaze toward the nun revealing deeper significance.
