Castle Crisis (Part 1)

[Omitted]

Inside the City Lord's Manor, City Lord Ogdin, Baron Wengulit, and the white-robed Mage Jason sat together in discussion.

"Mage Jason, besides Wilson, the other six nobles of Blackwater City have all arrived. Shall we make our move now?"

Ogdin asked with a calm expression.

Mage Jason cast a faint glance at Ogdin and Wengulit, waving his hand slightly. "What's the rush? I have no problem telling you now that the bandits constantly harassing the surroundings of Blackwater City are actually people from the Church. With their harassment, the knight squads of these nobles have all left the city to guard their territories. What kind of people could they possibly have left in Blackwater City?"

"Therefore, we should still give them a chance. If they are willing to return to the embrace of the gods, they will still be believers of the God of Light! City Lord, it's your turn to step forward next."

Ogdin's expression shifted slightly. Even though he had guessed previously that the appearance of those bandits outside Blackwater City was truly suspicious, now that he had confirmation from Jason, those bandits indeed belonged to people sent by the Church.

The Church had been arranging all of this for a long time!

"Rest assured, Mage Jason, I will go out and make things clear to them. However, Wilson..."

At the mention of Wilson, Mage Jason looked up at Wengulit, a trace of an icy smile forming at the corner of his mouth as he spoke softly, "Baron Wengulit, I know about the conflict between you and Wilson. Now I am giving you a chance, a chance to exact your revenge! Wilson should be dead by now, and his territory has also been destroyed. Therefore, Wilson Castle should no longer exist either. Leave this matter to you. I will dispatch two more Guardian Swordsmen, and you can send men to wipe out everyone in the Wilson Family!"

Wengulit felt a surge of great joy, his expression twisting somewhat hideously as he spoke in a deep voice, "Rest assured, Mage Jason, from now on there won't be a single person from the Wilson Family left in Blackwater City!"

With that, Wengulit strode directly out. His heart was filled with intense gratification. Having fought with Old Wilson for so many years, he had long since harbored a deep-seated hatred for Wilson. Now that the opportunity had arrived, how could he possibly let it slip by?

"Tilafa, take my Wengulit knights, along with the two Guardian Swordsmen given by Mage Jason, and go flatten Wilson Castle. I do not want to see a single person from the Wilson Family remaining in Blackwater City in the days to come."

"Hehe, rest assured, Father! Not a single person will be able to run from Wilson Castle! It's just a pity about that little bastard Merlin. He went to Wilson's territory, otherwise I would have killed him with my own hands!"

Tilafa also harbored a strong sense of hatred toward Merlin.

"Even if Merlin went to Wilson's territory, he won't survive; he can only be buried with Wilson. Alright, hurry up and go. Once things settle down, my Wengulit Family will surely usher in its most glorious moment!"

Immediately afterward, Tilafa led two hundred knights and departed the City Lord's Manor in a mighty and imposing manner.

*****

Outside Wilson Castle, two guards still looked somewhat listless, leaning against the doorway and chatting in boredom.

Suddenly, an ultra-luxurious carriage pulled by four horses galloped over from a distance at high speed. The speed was fast, and the owner of the carriage looked extremely anxious.

The two guards immediately regained their spirit. They both recognized this carriage, as it belonged to Young Master Gute, who often spent time with Young Master Merlin.

Soon, the ultra-luxurious carriage stopped in front of the castle, and a fat man jumped down from it. The two guards hurriedly went up to greet him, speaking respectfully, "Young Master Gute, if you're looking for Young Master Merlin, then you've picked a very bad time. Young Master Merlin left Blackwater City two days ago and went to the baron lord's territory."

"He went to the territory?"

The chubby Gute furrowed his brow tightly, his expression appearing extremely anxious as he spoke in a deep voice, "Hurry and take me to see Miss Mei Xue."

The two guards knew that Gute and Merlin were good friends, so neither of them stopped him, leading Gute into the castle.

Mei Xue was eating breakfast. Hearing footsteps, she looked up and discovered it was Gute, whereupon her brow inevitably furrowed. She held a poor impression of both the chubby Gute and Anson, always feeling that they were Merlin's "bad influences."

Yet Gute paid no mind to Mei Xue's attitude, instead walking quickly up to her and speaking in an urgent tone, "Mei Xue, leave Wilson Castle quickly. It's best if you can get out of the city and head to Baron Wilson's territory to reunite with Merlin."

"What's going on? Gute, what happened?"

Mei Xue set down the spoon in her hand, stood up, and looked at Gute.

Seeing that Mei Xue refused to leave, the chubby youth knew that if this matter wasn't explained clearly, there would be no way to make Mei Xue leave Wilson Castle immediately. Thus, he had no choice but to keep it brief, speaking in a deep voice, "A major disaster has indeed occurred. The Light Church suddenly launched an attack, seizing control of most of the cities in the Bright Kingdom, such as Gran City and Lute City. This is an attempt to usurp the royal family's ruling power!"

"My Douglan Family has businesses everywhere throughout the Bright Kingdom, which is why we received the news quite early. Blackwater City should also be within the targets of the Church's conquest, which is why even the city gates were closed this morning."

"Yet your Wilson Family is in the most extreme danger. Baron Wilson originated from the military and swore allegiance to the royal family, so the Church will certainly not let him go. Furthermore, I've gathered even more intelligence that City Lord Ogdin of Blackwater City and the Wengulit Family have both defected to the Church. Given the conflict between the Wengulit Family and the Wilson Family, they will definitely not spare Wilson Castle."

The chubby Gute poured out all the information he had obtained in one breath. Out of breath and with his face flushed red, he looked truly exhausted.

Mei Xue's complexion turned ashen in an instant. She hurried forward a step, her tone carrying a trace of trembling as she asked in a low voice, "Gute, what about Father and Merlin? Are they in danger?"

The chubby Gute caught his breath, shook his head slightly, and spoke, "I don't have any news yet regarding Baron Wilson and Merlin. The city gates have been closed, and no one is permitted to enter or exit. I only just received the news, which is why I rushed over without stopping to notify you all. Right now, the most important thing is your safety. Even if you cannot get out of the city, you absolutely must not stay in Wilson Castle."

Gute paused, biting his lower lip tightly. His expression shifted uncertainly, as though he were making some kind of decision.

After a long while, he finally raised his head and bit his lip. "No matter what, you can no longer stay in Wilson Castle. Mei Xue, at most five of you can leave Wilson Castle immediately. Board my carriage, and I will send you to a safe place. Once the situation in Blackwater City eases up just a bit, I'll figure out a way to send you out of the city."

One could tell that Gute was taking an immense risk with this action; if he weren't careful, he would also become implicated in it.

Mei Xue looked up at the butler. At a time like this, the butler's decision was still needed.

The butler looked at the flush-faced Gute, then bowed deeply to him before speaking, "Thank you, Young Master Gute. That you are able to take such a huge risk to save us—the Wilson Family will surely remember your great kindness. Miss Mei Xue, Young Master Gute is right. We must hurry and leave the castle now."

Gute nodded. "Alright then, hurry up and go prepare. I'll wait for you in the carriage."

The chubby youth turned around and prepared to return to the carriage, when a group of aggressive knights suddenly arrived outside, charging directly toward Wilson Castle.

"Not good, it's Tilafa bringing men here... It's over, now even I won't be able to leave!"

For a moment, Gute's face turned the color of earth, his gaze filled with terror.