Assassination

"Master! Watch out!"

Havent had just been about to exchange a few more pleasantries when he saw Raven shove him hard.

Having lost his balance and rolled twice across the ground, Havent lay there in a daze. When he looked up, he saw a knight in black armor drive the longsword in his hand into Raven's chest.

Raven gripped the blade with both hands and stared fixedly at the black-armored knight. Blood kept pouring from his mouth, leaving him unable to speak.

The black-armored knight kicked Raven in the stomach, sending him flying into a nearby wooden crate, where his fate was unclear.

He turned to look at Havent lying on the ground, flicked the blood from his blade with a flourish, and walked toward him.

Seeing the black-armored knight rush toward him with his sword raised, Havent's powerful will to survive drove him to scramble backward on all fours.

But it was clearly useless. He could only stare wide-eyed at the knight's descending sword.

At that critical moment, he felt a surge of heat rise in his chest.

Fus Ro Dah.

Havent's chest suddenly swelled, followed by a powerful force that burst from his mouth.

Caught off guard, the black-armored knight was blown five or six meters away and crashed into Viscount Sicilia, who had been frightened senseless by the sudden turn of events.

Having been knocked away, Sicilia snapped out of his shock. Lying on the ground like a drake, he howled at the top of his lungs:

"Not good! An assassin! Protect Young Master Havent! Protect Young Master Havent! Get him! Quickly! Take him down!"

At that moment, the onlooking crowd seemed to wake from a dream. The guards on duty hurried over and formed a circle around the seated Havent.

Sicilia scrambled to his feet, drew his sword, and charged bravely at the black-armored knight. His savage expression made it seem as though the man had murdered his father.

Dazed from the fall, the black-armored knight quickly fell into a disadvantage under the siege of several people.

Having caught his breath, Havent stood with the guards' support and shouted at the black-armored knight, who had been struck several times and was covered in blood:

"Restrain him! Keep him alive!"

Hearing Havent's voice, Sicilia was eager to prove himself—or perhaps eager to clear himself of suspicion—and threw himself forward without regard for his life.

The strength of a high-ranking knight was fully displayed. Under Viscount Sicilia's desperate assault, one swing of his sword sent the black-armored knight's sword arm flying into the air.

The remaining knights surrounding him pounced forward and pinned the black-armored knight to the ground.

Count Havent and Count Mori, who had heard the commotion, also rushed over. Compared to Count Mori, Count Havent looked far more anxious, like a large flaming torch flying toward them.

Count Mori, who lagged far behind, jogged all the way over, panting heavily.

"How is my son? What happened?"

Count Havent descended beside Havent and anxiously looked over his son, who was covered in dirt from rolling on the ground.

Seeing that the situation had stabilized, Havent casually patted Count Havent's belly to show that he was fine.

Seeing Count Havent descend from the sky, Viscount Sicilia hurried over.

"My lord, it was this subordinate's carelessness. If Young Master Havent had not reacted so quickly and displayed such outstanding ability, this subordinate fears he would have caused a grave mistake. Please punish this subordinate, my lord."

Viscount Sicilia stood ramrod straight, his face tense as he looked at Count Havent. At that moment, Count Mori also arrived.

Although Havent was also puzzled as to why this man had suddenly tried to murder him, as well as what had repelled the black-armored knight just now, he remembered Raven, who had taken the blow for him, and decided to check on him first.

When he arrived at the wooden crate Raven had been kicked into, several soldiers had already moved away the shattered pieces.

"Raven? Raven?"

The kneeling soldiers had removed the upper half of Baron Raven's armor. There was a large wound on his bare right chest, but after the soldiers' simple treatment, it was no longer bleeding.

Raven lay on the ground with a pale face. Hearing someone call him, he opened his eyes, saw Havent, and said weakly,

"Young Master Havent, it's truly wonderful that you're all right."

Havent reached out and patted Raven on the shoulder, revealing a grateful smile.

"Thank you, Raven. If not for you, I would have been finished just now. I'll have my teacher arrange treatment for you. Get well soon—we have an agreement, Viscount Raven!"

On the other side, after hearing Sicilia and the nearby guards recount what had happened, the two counts understood the cause of the incident. Count Mori and Count Havent exchanged a glance, then gestured to the knights holding down the black-armored knight.

"Let him go. Soldiers, carry him over."

Having lost an arm and too much blood, the black-armored knight was pale, and even his lips had turned blue.

"What is your name? Who sent you? Why did you attack Havent?"

The black-armored knight was held before the two counts by the soldiers. The intense pain from his severed arm made him tremble nonstop. Faced with Count Mori's questioning, he did not answer, merely sneering repeatedly with a trace of contempt in his expression.

Seeing that the black-armored knight would not speak, the enraged Viscount Sicilia viciously kicked him in the stomach. He then turned, lowered his head slightly toward Count Mori, and said,

"Lord Mori, this man is called Dalot. He came to seek refuge with me half a year ago.

"That bastard said he was also from the Northern Frontier and had become a wandering knight because of some personal troubles. I saw that he was quite skilled, so I took him in."

Standing to one side, Havent took the opportunity to carefully study the black-armored knight's face. He did not recognize him. Why would someone with no grudge against him want to kill him?

After hearing Sicilia's explanation, Count Mori took a few steps toward Dalot.

"Your name is Dalot? You're from the Northern Frontier?"

Faced with Count Mori's question, Dalot remained silent.

"Hey, I have a question for you."

Havent stepped forward. Without caring whether Dalot would answer, he continued on his own.

"Do we know each other? We probably don't. At the very least, I don't know you. That means I have not harmed you.

"Since I never deliberately harmed you, yet you specifically targeted me for death, that means you clearly understand the consequences of my death.

"Viscount Sicilia has been in Baiman City for a week. You had plenty of chances during that week, but you never acted. That means killing me during that time would have meant nothing.

"But now, although the Church of Death has left, it has left behind many problems in the Northern Frontier.

"Assuming you clearly understand the Northern Frontier's position, then if I died at this moment, it would inevitably cause enormous chaos. Viscount Sicilia would become the prime suspect, and the Northern Frontier would fall into a crisis of trust."

At this point, Havent grew a little excited and pushed up a pair of nonexistent glasses. The truth is always one.

"If the Northern Frontier falls into chaos, it benefits only two sides. No, to be precise, it is extremely important to only one side.

"But the church probably does not accept people casually, especially trash like you. So, you must be a spy for some shady southern lord, right?"