Chapter 63: A Clergyman Friend of Mine
Backlund, Empress Borough.
The Hall Earl Family's luxurious villa.
Audrey came to the dining room for breakfast as usual. She had been rather fond of sweets before, but under Edward's influence, her tastes had grown increasingly mild lately.
Taking a sip of bitter coffee, Audrey accepted a copy of the Backlund Morning Post from her personal maid, Annie. A large headline on the front page immediately caught her eye: "Great Pirate Qilingus Shot Dead in Backlund by Duke's Bodyguard."
"...Having discovered Qilingus's movements in advance, senior members of the Mandated Punishers, Nighthawks, Machinery Hivemind, and Military Special Department jointly carried out a successful ambush... Ultimately, Crestet Cesimir, the Church of Evernight's Goddess's Sword, personally killed him, bringing his life of crime to an end."
After reading that passage, Audrey closed the newspaper, inwardly indignant. If Edward hadn't reported it in advance, they might not even have reached the scene before Qilingus escaped. Sigh, I wonder how things went for Edward last night. There still hasn't been any news.
Last night, Earl Hall had brought in several Beyonders, who concealed themselves throughout the villa to provide covert protection. Audrey hadn't dared enter the Suitcase and go through the Vanishing Cabinet to find Edward, much less set up a ritual to summon a messenger.
Just then, Earl Hall, sitting across the dining table, put down his newspaper and sighed.
"I wonder why this mad pirate came all the way to Backlund specifically to assassinate Duke Negan. Although we disagree politically, the upheaval in Loen's political situation if Duke Negan died isn't something I'd want to see either."
Audrey asked curiously,
"Papa, I heard there were quite a few bounties on this Qilingus. Is that true?"
"Indeed. The bounty on Qilingus in Loen was about ten