My Brother, You Are an Obstacle in My Path Forward (Please Keep Reading)

As night fully descended, the noisy, bustling harbor town had already sunk into silence and tranquility.

A bright full moon rose above the horizon, its faint radiance spilling down as though draping the entire Harbor Town in a fine veil of silver.

Lynn was currently on the top floor of the Pedrol residence, looking down over the entire town. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but the harbor seemed especially quiet today. Not even the faintest chirp of an insect could be heard, and the abnormal stillness made him sense a trace of danger.

"071, report energy reserves." After putting away the diary, Lynn silently asked in his mind.

[Energy remaining: 40.2%...]

"Still not enough..."

Lynn thought silently to himself. Four full-moon nights had increased 071's energy reserves by roughly thirty percent. That was already extremely fast, but it would only sustain overload mode for around two hundred seconds.

Only in that state could he unleash the full power of White Phosphorus Fire!

Though he felt vaguely uneasy, Lynn had no intention of changing the plan. Tonight was their only chance to rescue White Dove and Joanne!

After all, the sea route to the Land of Wizards only opened on Moon Day, and tomorrow was the day of the public execution...

Lynn took out the diary that belonged to Lott from his clothes and placed it at the corner of the table.

No matter whether he succeeded or failed after today, he would no longer be able to remain in Harbor Town. Naturally, the identity of Lott would have nothing to do with him anymore.

This diary would be left behind as Lott's final testament for Baron Pedrol and Evina. He did not expect it to change anything, but it was the only thing he could do.

After packing his things, Lynn left the room alone, reviewing the intelligence gathered by the [Ship Gang].

Adrian... a serving Priest newly transferred to Harbor Town, Bishop Antioch's right-hand man. Born into nobility, he was the champion of the previous Nordland Territory Knight Assessment and possessed considerable swordsmanship.

Most importantly, his routine was extremely regular. At this hour every night, he would definitely leave home. His destination was unknown, though he was suspected of attending some noble's banquet.

As for the rescue plan, Lynn had considered several options. The smoothest one was undoubtedly to capture Adrian directly and take his place.

Not only would that let him learn who had been captured and where they were being held, Adrian's status as the bishop's right-hand man would also be extremely useful.

Once the full moon hung high in the sky, the [Ship Gang] would stir up trouble at the docks, drive away all unrelated people, and use the white phosphorus powder he had prepared in advance to set fires everywhere.

Once this inextinguishable "Hellfire" spread, it would not be something a garrison of only a few hundred men could handle. It was also his signature magic.

At that point, whether to put out the flames or capture him, Antioch would most likely act personally, perhaps even mobilizing the elite guards hidden in the shadows.

Meanwhile, the huge quantities of cargo piled up at the docks had already been secretly replaced by the [Ship Gang] with specially made black powder. Once detonated, both the warships moored at the docks and any soldiers arriving as reinforcements would be blasted into the sky in an instant!

If they could blow Antioch up along with them, that would naturally be ideal. Even if they could not, the Archbishop would not be able to return anytime soon.

At the same time, he could use Adrian's identity to enter the place where Joanne and the others were imprisoned. Using the chaos in Harbor Town as an excuse, he would forge the Archbishop's orders and transfer the prisoners somewhere safer.

Laud's trusted subordinates would be waiting outside to receive them.

Of course, that was only if everything went according to the intelligence. Countless unexpected situations could arise along the way.

For example, he might be exposed immediately while impersonating Adrian and entering the prison, or the guards might refuse to obey his orders at all. In that case, he would have no choice but to rely on his own strength to resolve it!

The worst-case scenario was that Antioch chose to remain still and watch the "Hellfire" at the docks spread rapidly. Then Lynn would have no choice but to act and put out the flames himself, lest large numbers of ordinary residents be dragged into it.

If left unchecked, this thing would turn all of Harbor Town into a sea of flames.

As Lynn continuously simulated the possibilities in his mind, a harsh creaking sound drew closer from afar, echoing through the corridor ahead.

Lynn immediately stopped, alert, and raised his head. Before long, he saw the figure at the end of the corridor.

The brown-haired girl stood in the shadows, holding a slender blade so long that it dragged across the ground. As she walked, her red-and-black fitted outfit looked especially eerie beneath the silver moonlight.

"Evina, what are you doing here?" Lynn asked in confusion, placing a hand on the hilt of his sword. Her room should have been on the second floor.

"Why?" the brown-haired girl asked softly.

"Why is it that no matter how outstanding I am, no matter how hard I try, Father will never acknowledge me? Yet you can't even pass the Knight Assessment, failing again and again, but you can always so easily obtain everything I want..."

Evina lowered her head, her words carrying an anger she could barely suppress. She clenched her teeth tightly, seemingly using every ounce of effort to hold back her rage.

But soon, the girl's expression became calm again, and her tone turned icy.

"My brother... you are an obstacle in my path forward..."

Lynn's pupils contracted. The moment her words fell, Evina was already charging at him with her slender blade in hand.

Clang~

With a crisp clash of metal, Lynn drew the steel longsword at his waist and blocked the blade descending through the air. Yet he could clearly feel that the girl's strength and speed were far greater than during their sparring sessions. This was obviously her true strength!

Coldness and killing intent flickered in Evina's dark golden eyes. Her slender blade became a streak of icy light as it cut through the air and slashed at Lynn once more.

"You always wear that indifferent look..."

"Tell me, why didn't you tell Father about this?"

"You clearly knew that I've always wanted to kill you!"

With every sentence Evina spoke, the slender blade in her hand moved faster, while she stared at her brother with an unreadable expression...