Chapter 35

The commotion Marco Case made while fighting the killer was not small.

In an instant, it drew over all the lords, including Bass Riches, as well as Bishop Bolton and the others.

The prince's murder was no trivial matter.

What was more, the prince had died on the day they mourned the late king, inside the Creator God's church.

Xia Zuoyi and Marco Case stood in the mourning room, surrounded by shattered tables and chairs damaged during the fight. The floor was a complete mess.

The prince knelt halfway before the statue of the Creator God, his expression frozen in shock and terror.

His limbs had already stiffened. His throat had been slit with a single fatal stroke, blood spraying everywhere. Countless crimson droplets stained the statue's white robe before slowly trickling down... glaring and horrifying.

Bass Riches stood at the forefront of the lords who had arrived. Not a trace of surprise showed on his face. Instead, a strange, peculiar gleam swiftly flashed through his eyes. His nostrils flared slightly, and his breathing was faintly rapid with excitement...

However, he reined in his emotions quickly, and the abnormality vanished in an instant.

Other than Xia Zuoyi, who had begun observing Bass Riches the moment he appeared, no one noticed the fleeting oddity on his face.

When Bishop Bolton saw Marco Case and Xia Zuoyi, his eyes flickered. He paused before stepping forward to examine the prince.

Not long after.

He confirmed the prince's death, then asked sorrowfully who the murderer was.

Marco Case shook his head gravely. "We don't know who the murderer was either. The killer had covered his face... and wore a black robe that only clergy were allowed to wear, but his movements were sharp and practiced, like..."

[To be honest, I've recently been using reading apps to keep up with updates. They allow source switching and have many narration voices, available on both Android and Apple.]

"Like what?" a lord hurriedly asked.

Marco Case said, "Like a knight who had been trained since childhood."

"What?!"

"How could that be..."

Shocked, disbelieving cries continued to rise among the lords.

Xia Zuoyi watched without showing any emotion. Suddenly, his eyes met Bass Riches's. The undisguised malice and killing intent in them made him clench his fist involuntarily. What a terrible start.

Marco Case said, "By the time Count Desinia and I arrived, the prince had already been murdered. We were unable to stop it in time..."

"Mr. Bolton, it would be best to seal off the church immediately. The murderer who killed the prince is very likely still here. I broke his wrist. As long as we conduct a thorough search, we will certainly find the killer."

Bolton's lips curved faintly as his voice softened. "Rest assured, Marquis. No one will leave the church easily."

Marco Case frowned, sensing that something was not right.

He added, "Duke, I request that the knights guarding the royal city be permitted to enter the church and conduct a search. Also, send people to protect the two princesses immediately..."

With the prince murdered, Marco Case guessed that the two princesses might also meet with misfortune.

Some lords echoed Marco Case's words and wanted to leave the church to call in their servants and knights to protect themselves.

However, others, including Bass Riches and Bishop Bolton, remained unmoved.

Marco Case began to feel that something was clearly wrong.

Just then.

A succession of heavy footsteps suddenly sounded outside. The Royal City Knights, clad in armor, surrounded the mourning room, their cold, sharp spears aimed at the lords inside.

A lord's face changed at once. "What is the meaning of this?! What are you trying to do?!"

Marco Case recognized at once that the knights before him were all under Bass Riches's command and deployment.

He abruptly raised his head. "Duke, what do you mean by this?!"

Xia Zuoyi said, "Don't you understand yet? There is no need to waste effort searching for the killer. Duke Riches's ambition is too great. He murdered the prince to seize the throne."

"He now intends to restrict all our freedom and prevent us from leaving the church."

"Bishop, you are clearly on Duke Riches's side as well. Am I right?"

The lords who did not know the truth were utterly stunned.

Yet the expression on Bass Riches's face had already confirmed the truth of Xia Zuoyi's words.

Bishop Bolton looked at Xia Zuoyi with a strange expression. "I did not expect the young count to be the first to see through this matter."

"But it does not matter. It saves me from wasting more words on you."

"The prince is dead. Gadayat cannot be without an heir to the throne."

"The duke has always served Gadayat with wholehearted devotion and fulfilled his duties faithfully. If the king has no heir, the church and all the lords may jointly elect one. Naturally, I support the duke. As for you..."

A lord immediately said angrily, "The prince's murder was a conspiracy planned by you and them together!"

"Bass Riches is utterly unworthy of the throne! The kingdom still has two princesses. The children they bear could also..."

Harry William scoffed. "Fool. Did you think we would let two little fish slip through the net?"

Unlike the prince, the princesses did not need to enter the church to mourn the late king. They would remain in the palace until the three days of mourning had ended.

But the palace was now under Bass Riches's control as well.

It was as though this lord had been seized by the throat. His face instantly flushed red, and his fingers trembled. "You, you... traitors... the Creator God will surely punish you..."

Harry William snorted. "Once every member of the royal family is dead, you will have no choice but to support the duke."

Marco Case shouted angrily, "He murdered the prince! He cannot possibly inherit the throne!"

Bass Riches merely curled his lips. "Who said I murdered the prince?"

Xia Zuoyi frowned.

Then he heard Bass Riches continue, "The murderer of the prince was a Gaina. The killers of the royal family were also spies Gaina sent into Gadayat. It has nothing whatsoever to do with me."

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Xia Zuoyi immediately thought of the death of Gaina's third prince.

Bass Riches and Bruno Green had secretly worked together when they had previously tried to harm him. There was no guarantee that they had not remained in contact, helping each other carry out their shameful schemes.

For example, this time, the Gaina had killed the prince.

As long as Bass Riches firmly controlled all the lords, the conspiracy on the surface could be buried.

Moreover, Gadayat and Gaina were not on friendly terms. Minor conflicts often broke out along their shared border. Gadayat citizens who did not know the truth would only direct their hatred toward Gaina.

Bass Riches's succession would encounter no obstacles.

Naturally, the other lords had also realized this, and their expressions varied.

The lord who had been angry earlier shouted, "You even colluded with Gaina?! I will definitely expose your true face and let people... pff."

A spear mercilessly pierced through the lord's chest, violently lifting his body and hurling it against the wall. Blood gushed out, and in moments, the others were frightened senseless.

Bass Riches calmly withdrew his gaze, refusing to look at the corpse slowly sliding down the wall.

Harry William said, "Think carefully. If you support the duke, you can continue being lords and leave the church alive. Otherwise, you will die, just like..."

Harry William cast a threatening glance at the corpse on the floor, which was gradually turning cold.

The Royal City Knights' faces were hidden beneath their helmets, and the sharp tips of their spears pointed directly at the lords. The atmosphere grew increasingly stifling and oppressive.

Some lords began to waver. Their expressions shifted repeatedly as they hesitated.

Finally, one person lowered his head and moved to stand behind Bass Riches.

"Eng, you!"

Marco Case stared at the man in disbelief. He had never expected the first person to step forward to be a count with whom he had a good relationship.

Harry William smiled in satisfaction. "Only those who know the times will live long."

With someone taking the lead, the rest could only make their decisions helplessly.

In the end, aside from Marco Case and Xia Zuoyi, everyone else chose to stand on Bass Riches's side.

Some lords even persuaded them, "Every member of the royal family is dead. A successor must be chosen... If Duke Riches becomes king, neither you nor I will suffer any loss."

Since matters had reached this point, they could only resign themselves to fate.

Marco Case's chest rose and fell unevenly.

Xia Zuoyi kept a cold little face and said nothing.

After all, whether this matter succeeded or failed made a great difference to him. Bass Riches would not spare him.

Sure enough, with a glance and a slight lift of his hand from Bass Riches, the Royal City Knights surrounding the room instantly aimed their cold, sharp spears at Xia Zuoyi.

Marco Case instinctively stepped in front of Xia Zuoyi. "What are you trying to do?!"

"Of course the duke wants to kill me."

Behind Marco Case, Xia Zuoyi said, "Whether I stand with him or not, he only wants me dead."

Marco Case frowned. "Why?"

Xia Zuoyi said, "Why would a bad person need a reason to kill?"

"Just as he could carefully plot the prince's murder to ascend the throne, and kill those who resisted him without hesitation before... tell me, could the late king's death have had something to do with him as well?"

Marco Case's heart stirred at those words.

The other lords could not help looking toward Bass Riches as well.

Xia Zuoyi said, "Are you truly choosing to follow someone who kills innocent people so wantonly?"

"He could harm the royal family to achieve his goals, and he can also threaten and coerce you in order to inherit the throne legitimately."

"Who is to say that he will not develop murderous intentions again someday for profit or to conceal today's truth? When that time comes, you may not even know how you will die..."

The lords who had just submitted began wavering again, their expressions changing.

Bass Riches's face suddenly darkened.

This little brat kept ruining his plans, openly and secretly. He was young, yet full of schemes... Xia Zuoyi's existence was like a thorn lodged in his heart. He could not be allowed to remain alive.

Just as he was about to order Xia Zuoyi's execution, a clergyman suddenly ran in from outside and leaned close to whisper in Bishop Bolton's ear.

Bolton's expression abruptly changed.

He looked at Bass Riches and said, "I have something to attend to. I must leave first."

Without waiting for Bass Riches to answer, he turned and hurried away.

Bass Riches furrowed his brows, displeasure evident on his face.

But he would need the church's support most of all afterward, so he could only suppress the anger rising within him for now. He stared at Xia Zuoyi darkly. "Kill..."

"Chirp—"

A shrill sound like birdsong suddenly rang out in the room, piercing and ear-splitting.

Everyone instinctively frowned and covered their ears.

Xia Zuoyi held a bird whistle between his lips and blew it continuously as he quickly retreated, trying to reach the small window at the innermost side of the mourning room... but a spear suddenly swept toward him from the side.

—With a bang.

Marco Case knocked the spear aside. It struck the statue on the right, abruptly cracking it.

At the same instant, Xia Zuoyi's vision flipped as Marco Case scooped him up and tucked him beneath his arm.

Then he heard the sound of a window shattering and the lords' cries of alarm... the scene before his eyes changed at the same time, and the surroundings immediately became chaotic and noisy.

A knight running over shouted, "Walker William has taken Keith William hostage! He is leading men into the church..."

Bass Riches's furious voice rang out behind them. "Chase! Catch them!"

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