Investigation

Reinhardt frowned. He felt he needed to report this matter to the Grand Duke.

As an officer with the title of "Deputy," it was necessary to report early and brief late.

This was also his father's advice. He subtly told the Guard to go rest at the Gatehouse for a while and turned to head for the Main Building of the Duke's Mansion.

That's right, Reinhardt also lived in the Duke's Mansion. His family had served the White Hawk Duke for three generations. His family had always been vassals to the Duke's family, not a feudal relationship like ordinary Lords and knights.

To put it bluntly, Reinhardt's family had been 'long-term workers' for Andrea's family for three generations.

He walked into the dining room. The Duke's family of three, along with Kaydelin and Alice, were having breakfast at a small long table. This was considered their family's first Reunion Dinner of the New Year.

Reinhardt didn't hide anything. He directly stated the problem.

The Duke pondered for a moment and said:

"Reinhardt, you'll have to go this time. It's been a long time since a Large Magical Beast appeared near White Eagle City. But we can't be negligent; we must take it seriously."

"Yes!"

The captain of the knights stood at attention and saluted, about to turn and leave. Andrea, on the side, wiped her mouth and said:

"I'm done eating. I'll go with Reinhardt."

After practicing sword fighting for so long, she was eager for a battle.

"I want to go too!" Alice, who was restless, chimed in.

"Then I'll go too, my experience is more extensive," George also stood up and said.

Kaydelin and the Duke exchanged a look, wanting to agree. But Kaydelin, the Great Mage, still put on a stern face:

"Nonsense! George and Alice, don't go anywhere! You both have to attend the 'Grand Court' for the New Year later! Let Andrea and Reinhardt go!"

The two who were called out were both half-grown children. Upon hearing this, they looked unhappy at Kaydelin, then at the Grand Duke of White Eagle in the main seat. Seeing that he also nodded in agreement, they said no more.

The princess and the captain of the knights donned their Light Armor made of beast hide. They gave a few instructions to the Guard from the City Hall and then left. Wearing Light Armor was mainly for convenience when boarding the ship. If they fell into the water wearing Metal Heavy Armor, it wouldn't be pleasant.

This time, instead of taking a carriage or walking, they rode their Warhorses all the way to the Port. A ship from the City Hall was already waiting at the Port. This was an arrangement made in advance by the Mayor. Knowing his understanding of the Duke, he knew someone would be sent to investigate.

This was a small sailing ship belonging to the Duchy's coastal Guard unit. It had only one main mast and a shallow draft, allowing it to navigate inland rivers.

The captain and sailors were surprised that the Princess would also come. They quickly bowed and removed their hats in greeting.

Andrea waved her hand and said:

"Alright, put your hats back on quickly. Don't catch a cold in this cold weather!"

After boarding, the captain immediately weighed anchor and set sail. Because they were sailing against the wind and current, the ship moved quite slowly. It took a long time to reach the vicinity of the Har River Delta. The princess and Reinhardt gazed towards the Delta from afar. They saw that the entire Delta was pitch black, and all the vegetation had been burned away. The entire Delta was bare. After looking around, they didn't see any sign of magical beasts.

Although the Delta had little land exposed above the water, its underwater portion was larger than expected. Even this small ship dared not get too close. Andrea signaled the captain to lower the small boat. She and the captain of the knights got into the small boat, and two sailors rowed it to shore.

Upon reaching the shore, one of the sailors rushed to jump into the knee-deep water and dragged the small boat to the bank. Andrea and Reinhardt lightly leaped off the boat.

They searched the shore and found traces of the battle from the previous night. For example, the large pit that was blown out. The scratch marks left by the giant spider rolling around. And a ground full of spider shell fragments.

The two looked at each other, and they both understood the problem.

"Princess, it seems a fierce battle took place here last night," the captain of the knights said, picking up a fragment of a spider shell. It was very light in his hand and extremely tough. He tried to tear it with his hand but couldn't. He then infused it with Qi and could barely tear it.

He couldn't help but gasp and said, "Someone killed a large insect-type magic beast here last night. It might have been a Fourth Rank magical beast!"

"It seems so. The larger fragments were collected. It was probably a powerful Mage who did it," Andrea also bent down and picked up a fragment. Strangely, the fragment looked like an iron sheet with dark green paint on the outside. Half of a white letter could be vaguely seen.

She looked at this fragment and felt a sense of familiarity, as if she had seen something like this somewhere before, but couldn't recall it for a moment.

"Let's go back. There's nothing else to see."

The princess looked at the large pit again and continued:

"It might have been a Magic user who dealt with an insect-type magic beast of the same rank here. Let's go back and report. The battle last night was so fierce, yet Kaydelin's aunt and Alice didn't sense anything. It's estimated that the Magic user who hunted the magical beast is even more powerful than we imagined."

The two returned to the ship. Reinhardt, with a grim expression, signaled the sailors for the return voyage. Then he said to the captain beside him:

"Later, find someone to go to the island and collect all those insect shells. Send them to the Duke's Mansion. I know they are good stuff. You can keep some as your hard work fee, but if it's too much, be careful how I deal with you!"

The captain chuckled and said, "How dare I? How dare I?" Then he cautiously asked:

"So, Lord Reinhardt, was it a magical beast last night? Is it safe around here?"

"It's safe now. Go back and tell the sailors and all the shipowners to rest assured. A magical beast was killed last night, nothing major," the captain of the knights said casually.

The captain was relieved. The return voyage was with the wind and current, and they returned to the harbor in less than half an hour.

After disembarking, the two walked side by side. They were preparing to go to the Council hall. The 'Grand Court' should have already begun by now. Duchy municipal staff, Council members of parliament, and others would all be present. This was a ceremony imitating the ancient monarch's "court assembly," where everyone would look forward to the future and then have a meal together at noon before it ended.

As they walked onto City Gate Street, they saw from afar that the Alchemy Shop was still closed. Andrea remembered the farce on the opening day of Edward's Alchemy Shop and couldn't help but smile.

Meeting Edward afterward was quite an encounter. But it wasn't quite like the princess's adventures in knight novels! That guy was good in every way, except it would be better if he didn't have that 'sister' Monica.

Thinking of Monica, she recalled the scene of practicing sword fighting with Monica that day. She had gained a lot. At this moment, she suddenly remembered the two tin boxes of water and food that Edward had placed in the training ground that day. They also had that dark green paint and white letters...

Reinhardt saw the Princess start to ponder as they entered City Gate Street, her lips occasionally curling into a smile. He cursed inwardly, thinking that this Alchemist didn't play by the rules, setting up his shop so close to the city gate. Every time the princess passed by, she would think of that guy.

When they reached the intersection of Flower Street, the Princess suddenly seemed to remember something. She immediately turned her horse around and galloped towards City Gate Street. She didn't forget to shout back to Reinhardt:

"You go back first, I have a very important question that needs verification!"

At this moment, the captain of the knights could only feel jealous and return alone.

Edward was currently wearing jeans, a leather apron hanging from his chest, and thick cotton gloves. He went to open the door when he heard the doorbell.

When he opened the backyard gate, he saw Knight Princess in leather armor, a sword on her back, leading a horse. He couldn't help but smile brightly and quickly invited Andrea in. But there was nowhere to tie her horse.

The horse, seeing Edward's attire, mistook him for a blacksmith about to shoe it, and instinctively flinched backward.

"Want to bring it in? I have plenty of space here!" Edward asked.

"That won't do. It's too warm inside your house, and a Warhorse can't handle such sudden changes in temperature," Andrea said.

"Alright, I'll quickly build a temporary stable outside the door. Just don't blame me for unauthorized construction."

Edward went out and put on his Alchemist gloves. He pressed his hand to the ground, and with a flash of light, a small stable made of stone was completed.

It was built right between his house's outer wall and the city wall, using the city wall, cliff, and his house's wall as three sides. He only made half a wall and a roof.

Princess looked inside and saw that the crossbar for tying the horse and the stone trough were both present. She led the horse in and tied it up. She took out some bean cake from her Spatial Ring to feed the horse and also took out a blanket to put on its back.

Edward saw that Andrea didn't intend to remove the saddle, so he knew she wouldn't be staying long. Seeing how attentive she was to the horse, he asked:

"Is this your horse? Does it have a name?"

"Yes, you can guess!"

Edward looked closely. It was a chestnut horse, tall and with a glossy coat. He tried to guess:

"Is its name: Meng Meng?"

"Ugh..." Andrea put her hand to her forehead and said, "Although she's a mare, she wouldn't have such a childish name. No wonder they say your naming skills are terrible!"

"Then what's her name?"

Edward asked as he and Princess, who had finished tying up the horse, entered the house.

"Her name is Red Cloud!" Andrea said.

Edward thought to himself, It's not much better than the name I suggested. The 'Meng Meng Stands Up' meme was household knowledge back then! It was considered a famous Asian horse!

He invited Princess into the living room, intending to pour her some tea.

Suddenly, Princess noticed a large, black, square box on his kitchen counter. The box looked very much like the 'oven' Edward used for baking bread.

The box had a very small window, and inside, something was burning red-hot, with flames occasionally shooting out. Her curiosity was immediately piqued.

She quickly said:

"No need to be polite. I'm just passing by to say a few words and will be leaving! You carry on with your work."

Edward didn't stand on ceremony and turned back to look at the furnace, explaining:

"The underground lab is too stuffy. This experiment isn't dangerous, so I brought it up here to do. Time is tight, and the task is heavy! We must seize the day!"

Hearing his strange exclamation, Andrea didn't understand what was wrong with him this time. She had a vague premonition.

She leaned forward curiously, peeking over Edward's shoulder at the record book in his hand. The title written on it was:

"Burn Blue Experiment (Third Time)"