Support from Cain

Combining all this information, Ye Wei'an reached a conclusion: the attack had indeed been planned in advance, and he himself was the target.

Grumman's memories were reliable.

So, whether it was the suspected identity of the contact as a manservant or the principle of following the profit to find the most likely culprit, the mastermind pointed to one person: the legitimate wife of his cheap father, Lady Selina Xiaxing, Baroness of the Xiaxing Family.

The reason was easy to guess—the baron had treated this bastard son far too well, well enough to make any wife feel uneasy.

In Faerûn, in Cormyr, and among those families who prided themselves on their noble bloodlines, most noble bastards were "forgotten mistakes." Most of them went their entire lives without their fathers acknowledging them with that hallowed surname, let alone setting foot inside a castle.

The children of maids or serving girls might, if they were lucky, become stewards on an estate. If they were unlucky, they would likely spend their entire lives among the hay in a stable.

For someone like the original Ye Wei'an, raised in a castle from childhood and brought up almost like a legitimate heir, such treatment was exceptionally rare.

Not to mention, the baron had spent a fortune to send him to the Battlemage Academy in Suzail.

Even in Cormyr, the so-called Kingdom of Purple Dragons, which was renowned for its prosperity, training a spellcaster was an investment painful enough to make any noble wince. The Battlemage Academy's annual tuition alone was as much as five hundred Gold Lion Coins, not counting living expenses. Prices in the capital of Suzail were nothing like those in a backwater place such as Firefall Valley.

As the saying went, Waukeen's scales always tipped in favor of those willing to spend.

Putting himself in her shoes, if he were Lady Selina, watching her husband lavish such kindness on a "bastard" while her own child failed to measure up, she would naturally wonder whether her husband had improper intentions regarding the succession.

Now the baron was gravely ill, and this illegitimate son had been urgently summoned back to Firefall Fortress.

At such a critical juncture, to ensure her legitimate son's right to inherit, Lady Selina had chosen to strike first and have him intercepted and killed on the road. The logic was airtight.

If she let the bastard return safely to Firefall Fortress, the baron might become muddled from his illness and make some unexpected decision—for instance, granting him part of the territory, or even changing the succession. That would leave endless trouble down the road.

By comparison, making this problem disappear forever on the way home was unquestionably the "cleaner" choice.

At that thought, Ye Wei'an clearly realized what kind of trouble his predecessor's background had dragged him into.

This attack might well be only the beginning.

Once the baroness learned the assassination had failed, she would never let the matter rest. The threats he faced would only keep coming.

No. He couldn't keep letting himself be pushed around.

At that thought, Ye Wei'an's gaze turned cold.

In this world, aside from his gravely ill cheap father, the original Ye Wei'an had almost no reliable connections.

And as a newcomer, he couldn't possibly take on a baroness with real power and years of experience managing the territory, relying on nothing but the strength of a third-level Spellfire Sorcerer.

If he didn't want to abandon his identity and flee for his life, he had to turn the tables, seize the initiative, and take control of the situation.

The information he'd just obtained during the interrogation seemed to offer an opportunity.

After a moment's thought, the outline of a plan quickly took shape in his mind.

But to carry it out flawlessly, he needed someone's cooperation.

With that, Ye Wei'an didn't hesitate any longer. He turned and headed toward Knight Cain, who was directing the cleanup of the battlefield.

Seeing him approach, the knight immediately stopped what he was doing and came forward. "Young master, we've finished an initial count of our casualties and spoils."

"Go ahead."

"We lost three men, six were seriously wounded, and nine suffered minor injuries in this battle." Cain's voice lowered as he spoke of the dead, but he soon rallied. "Thanks to the young master's magic—praise the mercy of Helm, God of Guardians! No, praise your generosity! All our seriously wounded brothers were saved. Everyone is grateful for your kindness."

"They fought to protect me. This was the least I could do." Ye Wei'an waved a hand. "Tell me about the enemy."

"Yes, young master." Cain's voice grew much louder as he turned to the subject. "Twenty-one of the enemy were killed, sixteen escaped, and five were captured, including their leader. You could say that the bandit gang that had been entrenched in Firefall Valley for years has been completely wiped out."

"That's one less menace for Firefall Valley to worry about." Ye Wei'an nodded slightly. "What about the spoils?"

"As for the spoils, we recovered eight usable suits of leather armor and eleven damaged ones that need repairs. There are twenty-five crude swords, knives, and axes, seven rotten wooden shields, one greatsword in decent condition, four low-quality shortbows, and four warhorses."

Cain paused, then took a small pouch from his belt and handed it to Ye Wei'an. "We also found three Gold Lions, thirty-two Silver Eagles, and more than three hundred Copper Thumbs. Most of the gold coins and half the silver coins were on their leader, Grumman. There are also some miscellaneous valuables, but we'll need to estimate their value."

In Cormyr, the Royal Mint produced all the currency.

The gold coins bore the royal crest on the front and a lion on the back, earning them the name "Gold Lions."

The silver coins were called "Silver Eagles," while the copper coins were known as "Copper Thumbs."

As elsewhere on the continent, Cormyr's currency followed a decimal system.

"Looks like the gang's leader took all the money, leaving the others penniless." Ye Wei'an sighed, gaining an even deeper understanding of the rule that the strong took everything in this world.

"Quite right, young master." After finishing his report, Cain looked to Ye Wei'an. "How should we handle the spoils? I'll await your instructions."

Ye Wei'an was certain that if this had happened yesterday, Cain would have taken care of the spoils himself and never asked him for instructions.

From that perspective, he'd earned the guards' initial recognition.

But that wasn't enough. Now was the time to build on the momentum.

With that, Ye Wei'an replied without hesitation, "I'll take only three Gold Lions from the spoils. I won't take a single coin beyond that."

Cain was taken aback and was about to speak, but Ye Wei'an raised a hand to stop him. "Gather and secure all the captured leather armor, weapons, and shields. Once they're back in the territory, sell them as a lot. Along with the remaining silver and copper coins, use part of the proceeds to generously compensate the families of our fallen brothers. Distribute what's left among everyone who fought, according to their combat contributions and the severity of their injuries."

Cain's eyes finally filled with unmistakable astonishment.

On the road, he'd heard the maid complain that the young master had been so short of money in Suzail that his classmates looked down on him.

He'd thought Ye Wei'an was someone who prized money, but he hadn't expected him to be so generous.

"By Lathander's dawn, you truly are generous." He clenched his right hand into a fist and lightly tapped his left breastplate. "On behalf of the soldiers, I thank you, young master."

"They bled for me. This is the least I can do." Ye Wei'an sighed, then smoothly changed the subject. "More importantly, Cain, I remember that barbarian's greatsword struck your shoulder. How bad is the injury?"

"Sorry for the trouble, young master." Cain glanced at the deep gouge in his shoulder plate and laughed heartily. "Fortunately, the armor took the blow. For a Purple Dragon Knight, this little wound is nothing."

That was true.

Normally, Fighters could draw on their own vital energy to heal themselves with Second Wind.

But reality wasn't a game. Reaching a certain level didn't automatically grant someone the abilities associated with it.

Most untrained Fighters figured out how to grow stronger on their own. Not everyone had mastered even a first-level Second Wind.

That was why people in Cormyr flocked to places like the Purple Dragon Order, which offered systematic training.

Ye Wei'an nodded and got straight to the point. "Cain, what do you make of this attack?"

Cain furrowed his brow. He took off his slightly misshapen helmet, revealing a weathered face and short brown hair.

"Young master, forgive my bluntness, but this doesn't look like an ordinary bandit raid."

"My father was the baron's knight, and I served in the Purple Dragon Order for three years before returning at the old baron's request to take up my father's duties. Whether following my father in my youth or helping the Order clear out border bandits, I've found that most bandits are all alike: they want money, value their lives, and pick on the weak."

He raised his head and spoke earnestly. "Our party has nearly ten guards and several trained professionals, and we're bearing the Xiaxing Family crest. Ordinary bandits would keep their distance as soon as they saw us. But these bandits not only dared to attack; from the very start, they were clearly prepared to fight us at any cost... It doesn't make sense."

"What do you think happened?" Ye Wei'an asked.

"There are only two possibilities," Cain analyzed. "Either they knew from the start that they had to complete the job, or the reward was high enough to make them take the risk and endure such terrible losses. Either way... this was no coincidence."

A trace of worry flashed through the knight's eyes. "Young master, forgive my presumption, but they were clearly targeting you. This wasn't about money. They wanted your life."

Cain was indeed a battle-hardened knight. Just from reading the battlefield, he'd reached a conclusion close to the truth.

But Ye Wei'an also noticed a problem.

Cain's character was nothing like that of most nobles. In some respects, he was a little... slow on the uptake.

A noble bastard had been ambushed on his way back to his family's territory. Anyone with even a little political sense would realize that this likely involved noble feuds or infighting within the family.

As a subordinate of Baron Xiaxing, most people would have been cautious about touching on such a matter, but Cain had pointed out the problem directly.

Someone like him was either genuinely insensitive to the twists and turns of noble politics,

or an old-school knight who lived by traditions like justice and honesty.

The original Ye Wei'an's memories confirmed this: the Orm Family, to which Cain belonged, was known for generations of strict adherence to the old knightly code, as well as loyalty and uprightness.

Simply put, he was someone who could be "led astray by appealing to what was right."

"Your instincts are sharp, Cain." Ye Wei'an affirmed the knight's judgment, then revealed some of the interrogation results. "I just pried a few things out of that bandit leader's mind. This attack wasn't an impulse. Someone hired them to assassinate me. If they succeeded, they could collect a hefty reward from a contact in Firefall Town."

Ye Wei'an concealed the crucial information that the contact likely worked for Lady Xiaxing. In an even tone, he continued, "The meeting was set for the Dissolute Dragon tavern, with a deadline of four days. As for the contact's true identity, even Grumman wasn't sure. He only knew the contact by the code name Gray Crow, and that he was a longtime client."

Cain's gaze sharpened. "Young master, you mean..."

"I mean, if there was a first attack, there could be a second. We can't just follow the usual routine and wait around. The mastermind is surely waiting for good news right now. This is when their guard is lowest, and our best chance to flush them out. If we miss it and they retreat into the shadows, we'll be completely on the back foot."

Ye Wei'an looked toward Firefall Town and laid out his plan. "Our party has too many people and too few horses, not to mention the wounded, prisoners, wagons, and supplies. We're too conspicuous and too slow. I plan to take only a small, capable group. You and I will lead them ourselves, ride light, and take the back roads through the night. We must reach Firefall Town before word gets out, then follow the information to find the contact and uncover the mastermind."

Cain hardly hesitated.

He clenched his right hand into a fist and struck his breastplate hard, giving a proper knight's salute. "Your judgment is absolutely right. I'll choose the men and prepare the horses at once. We mustn't let the criminals who dared to target you escape justice!"

"Go. Make it quick." Ye Wei'an nodded slightly.

He turned and went back to his carriage to gather a few necessary personal belongings.