"Count Ryan's enemies?"
Ron's heart moved, then he smiled bitterly and faintly said, "Count Ryan's power is overwhelming, and there are few entities in the Taal dukedom that can be considered his enemies."
"Even if there are, those great characters, how could I, a mere commoner, have the opportunity to easily come into contact with them?"
Just as Ron said, Count Ryan in the Taal dukedom belonged to the highest echelon. There were not many people in the entire dukedom who had the qualifications to be his enemies.
Moreover, each one was a significant great character, far beyond what Ron, a commoner, could easily approach.
"I know someone who might help you," Sauron said.
"Who?"
"Second Princess, Hestoria!"
Sauron spread his hands and said softly, "In the Taal dukedom, Count Ryan's power mainly comes from Third Prince Anders."
"Others may hesitate to be enemies with Count Ryan, but Second Princess Hestoria definitely won't!"
Upon hearing Sauron's words, Ron looked thoughtful.
The elderly king of Taal was already old, and the deteriorating health was no secret. The current turbulence in the dukedom was due to the struggle for the throne.
In the Taal dukedom, Second Princess Hestoria and Third Prince Anders were the most popular candidates for the throne, each with their own forces behind them.
Now, with the vengeance for his father's death, Ron had become irreconcilable with Count Ryan!
Therefore, he had aligned himself against Third Prince Anders.
To resist Count Ryan's pursuit, seeking refuge with Second Princess Hestoria might be Ron's best choice.
"Second Prince?"
Ron murmured to himself, and a glint gradually appeared in his eyes.
"Good!"
After that, he nodded heavily and gritted his teeth, "As long as I can avenge my father and Uncle Muir, I am willing to pay any price!"
"Sauron, please help me!"
As he spoke, Ron suddenly kneeled down, with a pleading expression on his face.
Sauron did not speak but helped Ron up.
"Don't be too hasty about this."
Sauron pondered for a moment and said, "Stay here for now. I'll try to gauge Second Princess's attitude. If she is willing, I'll inform you."
"Okay!" Ron nodded.
After that, Sauron turned and left the cave. Back in the forest, the bodies of Mars and the two Knights had stiffened, creating a scene of chaos.
Sauron pondered for a moment and decided to clean up the scene first.
Dragging the three bodies deep into the forest, wild beasts would soon devour everything. However, even so, there were still some bloodstains around.
"It's probably difficult to leave no trace at all."
Sauron sighed, thinking that Mars, as Count Ryan's steward, had been ordered to kill Ron and silence him, but now he lay dead in the Birch Forest.
Count Ryan, upon learning of this, would surely conduct an investigation.
"Let it be. Let's leave first."
Sauron shook his head. Although Ron's affairs might bring trouble to himself, he had no regrets about his decision.
After returning to the capital, Sauron went to a mansion.
This was the address given to him by Second Princess Hestoria. The mansion was heavily guarded, not only with vigilant guards patrolling but also with many hidden sentinels.
"Stop!"
As Sauron approached the mansion, two guards blocked his way.
He took out the token given to him by Hestoria.
Taking the parchment with a special mark, the guards' attitude immediately became respectful. They then turned and went back to report.
"Please follow me."
After a while, the guards appeared again and led Sauron into a hall inside the mansion.
The walls were tiled with white porcelain, and the hall's layout was not complicated, emanating a sense of simple luxury. There was a sofa not far away.
On the sofa, Second Princess Hestoria sat lazily, with two maids gently massaging her shoulders.
"Second Prince."
Sauron slightly bowed in courtesy. In their previous meeting, Hestoria had sat in a carriage, so this was the first time they were meeting face to face.
"What brings you here, Sauron?" Hestoria said lightly.
Sauron went straight to the point and recounted Ron's situation.
"Is what you say true?"
After listening to Sauron's words, Hestoria's face showed a hint of interest. She raised her hand, motioning for the two maids behind her to step back.
"Madblood Potion!"
Hestoria's eyes flickered slightly, faintly saying, "This is something expressly prohibited in the dukedom. If what you say is true, it means that Count Ryan is secretly colluding with the Crusaders."
Sauron remained calm.
"Interesting!"
A smile appeared on Hestoria's lips as she said lightly, "If you want me to believe you, show me that batch of Madblood Potion first."
After saying that, Hestoria clapped her hands.
A man covered in armor, standing over two meters tall, appeared silently and came to Hestoria's side.
Sauron's heart skipped a beat.
From the man in front of him, he felt a hint of oppression. Not only was he a Knight, but he also possessed martial power surpassing his own.
"Conrad Knight, please go."
"Understood, Your Highness."
Conrad's voice was hoarse.
Sauron's thoughts flickered, and then he slightly bowed, turning to leave the mansion with Conrad Knight. They headed towards the direction of the Birch Forest.
During the journey, Sauron tried to communicate with Conrad, but the latter remained silent.
Seeing this, Sauron stopped talking as well.
Soon, the three of them arrived at the cave. Sauron explained everything to Ron, and then, the three of them, with the carriage carrying Madblood Potion, headed back towards the capital.
"Indeed, Madblood Potion."
In the courtyard of the mansion, Second Princess Hestoria glanced at the Madblood Potion on the carriage and nodded slightly.
Beside her, Ron felt restless.
"Your name is Ron?"
After a while, Hestoria turned around, a gentle smile on her face, saying, "From now on, follow me."
"Thank you for your great kindness, Second Prince!"
Ron was excited, quickly kneeling down and expressing loyalty, "It is my honor to follow Second Prince. I am willing to give my life in the future!"
Hestoria nodded slightly and instructed someone to take Ron away for a rest.
With the successive changes in his family, with blood relatives and important people dying tragically, Ron had long been physically and mentally exhausted. If it weren't for his Knight-level physique, he might have already collapsed.
Seeing Hestoria accepting Ron, Sauron also felt relieved.
Then, he prepared to take his leave.
"Wait a moment."
At this moment, Hestoria stopped Sauron and handed him a scroll of intelligence.
Sauron took the scroll, extracting the parchment from it.
"Night Raven City has been breached?"
Seeing the information on the parchment, Sauron furrowed his brows slightly.
Since he had ignored Lord Dov of White Valley City and married his daughter, White Valley City had used this as a reason to launch a war against Night Raven City.
Sauron initially thought that this war would last for some time.
But now, he found that he was wrong.