At that moment, Marquis Henry's sharp edge was fully on display.
Every word and gesture carried the authority of a city lord.
He was no longer as cautious as he had been when dealing with Little Blackie and Zong Shen.
Clearly, some newly received information had caused his attitude to shift abruptly.
Little Blackie rose without hesitation and nodded to him.
"Then I'll take His Highness the prince back to his room to rest."
"Please be sure to watch out for those people from the Triune Church, Marquis."
It went along with the situation, offering no questions, no objections, and no further words.
Then it supported the utterly drained Prince Carter and left the reception hall.
Aside from its occasional unreliability and the dragon race's innate arrogance, Little Blackie was usually quite clever.
It understood exactly what it needed to do right now.
When its master had not contacted it, the best approach was to play dumb.
Seeing through something without saying it out loud was how friends stayed friends.
Marquis Henry narrowed his eyes and watched them leave with a mocking smile.
Only after the main gate of the reception hall closed again and the isolating Magic Array flickered to life did his expression abruptly change. His smile vanished, replaced by a grave look.
"The situation isn't quite right."
He picked up the teacup on the table and took a large gulp, then loosened his shirt collar.
"Father, was the disturbance in the city just now caused by the Triune Church?"
Penny slowly rose, walked behind Marquis Henry, and gently began kneading his shoulders.
The instant father and daughter came into contact, the [Rose Mark] within the Marquis's body also trembled.
Affected by it, Marquis Henry's gaze immediately became somewhat unfocused.
"That's right. The Triune Church came to take