Act 41: The Spy

"Brando, what Romane said might be true," Freya reminded him from the side.

Brando knew very well that what Romane said could be true; he had already witnessed her keen perception. However, he thought to himself, I was just joking to lighten the mood. If you're always so serious, future Valkyrie Princess, you'll age very quickly.

He couldn't help but glance back at Romane. The merchant's daughter also met his gaze. Honestly, her curious eyes sometimes made him feel quite awkward—especially when he had something to hide.

But Brando genuinely liked this girl. When he cared about someone, they naturally seemed different, and he found her surprisingly endearing.

After a moment's thought, he turned back and replied, "We'll stop here for a while."

"Stop for a while?" Freya asked. "But Madara's army is right behind us. They'll reach us in at most two or three hours. We don't have much time, Brando."

Brando, however, pulled the Seal Ring from his pocket and dangled it before them. "It's midnight. The city will be under martial law. This alone doesn't prove anything. If we're mistaken for Madara's scouts, we're finished, you know?"

"Then, what do we do?" Freya had thought her efforts would at least count for something.

Brando glanced at her. He knew he was talking nonsense. Did he really believe Ridenburg hadn't discovered Madara's invasion? Not necessarily! Why would the nobles neglect their own safety? They were just more inclined to stay within the city walls and await reinforcements.

He remembered in the historical Year of the Burrow Beasts (342), when the Blood Staff swept through eastern Karasu, leaving nothing but barren land in its wake. The Lord of Silver Horse City ordered the gates shut, ignoring pleas for help from the eastern settlements. This led to a mass westward migration of impoverished farmers, and to this day, that region remains desolate and uninhabited.

Yet, even so, these lords faced no blame afterward. Or rather, the royal family had been powerless to dictate terms to the lords long before Oberg VII ascended the throne. This happened in the northern Karasu Province of the Golan-Elsen region. Romane and Freya didn't understand, but Brando knew it all too well.

It was difficult to explain that his plan was actually to help Romane rescue her aunt—and, if possible, he'd save as many people as he could. But as for reporting to the Ridenburg garrison, he had no expectation of that. Brando never saw himself as a savior.

Expecting those nobles to listen to reason was like expecting a sow to climb a tree. In the old Eluin era, players had clashed with those arrogant nobles more than once, and some even participated directly in the December Coup.

Brando's impression of those people had never been good.

However, he reconsidered. Freya might not share his view. He couldn't help but look at her again. This country girl, gripping her sword and staring blankly at the illuminated Ridenburg below, still believed in this nation at heart. There was nothing wrong with that, but he worried she might act impulsively at a critical moment.

Besides, even if he told her the truth, Freya might not believe him, and it would only create division between them. Brando didn't want an argument. He thought for a moment and suddenly had a plan. Of course, necessary preparations still needed to be made.

He pretended to ponder for a moment and replied, "I've thought about it. It seems we don't have much of a choice. After all, we are citizens of Eluin, and we cannot completely avoid the risks."

"However," he paused, "we must be fully prepared."

Brando's noble words left Romane and Freya with no choice but to agree. Even the spirited girl with the ponytail softened her attitude, looking at Brando with gentle eyes, suddenly feeling that this guy wasn't so shameless after all.

Yet, only a genius would know that Brando secretly breathed a sigh of relief after speaking. He was surprised to find that he seemed to have found a balance point between Brando and his past self. He had never been a person who rigidly followed rules, but lately, it felt like a great hand was pushing him forward mechanically, making him feel suffocated.

But as his strength gradually grew, and through the spiritual baptism in the dream of the Golden Demon Tree, his past feelings finally returned. It made him feel capable of handling problems again.

His thought process even incorporated a certain shrewdness that belonged solely to Brando.

This feeling was good.

He took out the ebony gargoyle statue. A small crack still remained on the statue.

He turned back and said, "You both need to prepare as well. Freya, turn your ring around; the central fire agate is too conspicuous. Little Romanee, you need to keep your short sword close to your body. Those lazy guards won't search too thoroughly."

"Do I need to turn my ring around too?"

"No, no one would covet that old ring of yours."

"Brando, those are the city guards! Why do you seem to distrust them so much?" Freya couldn't help but ask.

"It's not that I distrust them a little, it's that I've never trusted them. You'll understand when the time comes. For now, just do as I say."

Freya had never been to the city, but she felt, more or less, that he was making a mountain out of a molehill. However, Brando was the authority now, so she could only choose to believe him.

As Brando spoke, he took out the various small items he had. Mostly, they were trinkets he had found on the noble's remains that he hadn't had time to appraise yet. He discovered that the pipe was ordinary junk, so he casually discarded it. As for the dark gray stone shard, even he didn't recognize it—which wasn't surprising, really. There were countless types of raw materials, and it was normal for Brando not to recognize one mineral.

Finally, the glass bead was somewhat interesting. Brando discovered it was actually the container of a depleted Soul Crystal. In simpler terms, it was a magic item storage. The spell inside was likely Silence, 10ft radius—a very suitable spell for bypassing monster lairs during outdoor adventures.

However, Brando found it awkward that, as a warrior, he lacked the ability to activate magic item storage. He hesitated for a moment before carefully tucking these items and the cards close to his body, lest the greedy city gate guards confiscate them.

He looked up at the sky. It was still early.

The three of them descended from the east side of Mount Findek. Along the way, scattered buildings began to appear. These were mainly farmhouses and crofts nestled in the night-shrouded wilderness, with fields stretching along the banks of the Yu Song River, one after another. There were also a few roadside inns—the kind that only passing adventurers and those engaged in illicit businesses frequented.

Of course, apart from players, most adventurers weren't exactly clean-handed. Moreover, even among players, most NPCs lumped them together with grave robbers.

They walked in the wilderness for about an hour when the towering walls of Ridenburg suddenly seemed to appear in the night sky ahead. Fire basins were set up on the drawbridge below the towers, their flames illuminating the area dozens of meters away. Brando signaled Freya and Romane to slow down, then they slowly emerged from the darkness at the edge of the firelight.

The guards on the city wall were chatting amongst themselves, and the faint sound of snoring could be heard. Brando was surprisingly sensitive to these sounds. He frowned, guessing there were about seven or eight people on that tower.

As the three of them appeared, the conversation stopped.

"Who are you?" After a period of vigilance, a soldier wearing a pointed helmet poked his head out from the tower and shouted down. Romane looked up, squinting her eyes. She clearly saw a black pine marking on the pointed helmet.

Brando had said that the black pine mark indicated local troops. The soldier from the White Mane Legion should have had a wolf feather emblem. Indeed, Brando knows everything, she thought.

"A man, two women. We're from the forest, sir. We saw something strange. My wife and I were terrified and wanted to enter the city for shelter!" Brando shouted up, raising his hands.

Freya, behind him, was both embarrassed and angry. A man, two women? How vulgar! When she heard Brando call them his wife, she couldn't help but quietly jab Brando hard in the back with her sword scabbard. This scoundrel must have done it on purpose.

She thought.

Romane, on the other hand, didn't seem to mind. She probably thought being Brando's wife wasn't so bad, since Brando would protect her, right?

Brando felt a pang of helplessness. He could only say this to make the guards lower their guard. As for the subsequent explanation, he, Freya, and Romane were all different. They couldn't claim to be siblings, could they? People weren't fools.

"Are you carrying any weapons?" the tower asked again.

Freya's ears perked up, and she nervously gripped her sword. But Brando remained unhurried, raising his voice to reply, "How could we dare walk in the forest without weapons? Besides, I'm a former militiaman, sir."

Silence fell from the tower, leaving only the sound of a long snore.

After a moment, a basket was lowered from above, and the guard shouted, "Take off your weapons and put them in the basket. Then we'll lift you up one by one."

Brando nodded to Freya, telling her to do as they were told. While his Gleaming Thorn was more exquisite, no one could tell it was a magic sword unless the spell was activated. After all, elven swords were somewhat known in the human world. After handing over their weapons, a basket was lowered from above, allowing them to ascend one by one. Brando, fearing that Romane and Freya would be at a disadvantage, took the initiative to go up first. The second person, Freya, let Romane go first, and then she was the last to be pulled up.

However, as soon as she was pulled into the tower while sitting in the basket, Freya saw that Brando and Romane were already in a state of being held at sword-point, and two guards were walking towards her, drawing their swords.

"What's going on?" Freya asked in surprise, stunned. She subconsciously looked towards Brando, but to her surprise, he turned his gaze away, not responding to her question.

The ponytail girl panicked a little. She had always considered Brando the backbone of their group, but now it seemed the sole decision-making power had fallen into her hands. What should she do? Should she let these people take them? Were these people acting according to protocol?

Brando, answer me quickly! What are you thinking, damn it!

"Arrest them all! These people are scouts from Madara!" But just then, Freya suddenly heard someone command from a corner. She was startled and turned around, blurting out in response, "You know Madara's army has invaded?"

Brando looked utterly speechless. Although Freya had grown, she was still an inexperienced young girl who lost her composure after just a few words. She might have thought her statement was harmless, but little did she know that the Ridenburg garrison was most afraid of people reporting from Bucci.

These people wanted to suppress the news within the city so they could shift blame later when settlements were made. Brando knew very well that they believed they could rest easy, relying on Ridenburg's high walls and thick defenses, unaware that the war was developing in unpredictable directions.

"Wait a moment, we're not scouts!" Freya couldn't help but retort, "We are militia from Bucci, and we have the emblem of the Bucci Guard!"

But the voice completely ignored her and directly shouted, "Take her down quickly, what are you hesitating for?" The speaker emerged from the darkness, clad in a dark chainmail. The feathers on his pointed helmet proved he was the leader of this group.

However, this lecherous middle-aged man was appraising Freya with a lustful gaze, thinking he had stumbled upon a gem this time. He certainly believed Freya's words; the militia armband was still properly worn on her.

Who would have thought such an outstanding woman would come from a backwater like Bucci.

He stroked his chin.