Haniary Castle was very large, there were more than a dozen courtyards of various functions around the outer part of the main castle alone, and the stables were not difficult to find, and following the sour smell of feces in the air, and the faint sound of horses neighing, Austin successfully found the small house where Ritter was.
And as he passed by the stable, Austen saw two familiar white horses, and they were not the culprits who had almost killed him that day? As for killing them for revenge... Forget it, it depends on the owner to beat the dog, Austin decided that for the time being, the adults will let them go, and when they are so powerful in the future, when they can not look at the earl, they must be skinned alive and boiled and eaten!
Ritter happened to be there, holding a two-handed sword to practice slashing in the open space in front of the small house, and Austin shouted from afar: "Hey, big brother Ritter, I'm Austen, I'm coming to see you!"
Austin? Ritter stopped suspiciously, turned to look over, and wondered how Austin could be at Haniri Castle? But when he saw the comer, he found that it was really Austin, the little thug who fought side by side in the sewers and blocked the knife for him, and couldn't help but be pleasantly surprised: "Austin, why are you here? And how are your injuries?"
"My wounds have long been healed. Austin patted his chest to show that he was healed. At this time, the two of them had come together and hugged each other heavily, like comrades-in-arms who had been reunited for a long time.
"I knew you were going to be fine! Also, how did you get in? It's hard for outsiders to enter Haniri Castle except by being invited. Ritter asked with a look of surprise as he wiped his sweat.
"Haha, you may not believe it, but do you remember the Jersey mage we met in the sewers? Didn't he ask me to go to Navia Manor to find him? Guess what happened? I don't think you would have guessed. "Austin deliberately sold off the pass.
Don't look at Ritter's appearance like a big old man, but his brain is very flexible, he looked at Austin's new mage outfit, and guessed something in a blink of an eye: "You were favored by him and became a mage apprentice?"
"It's not all. Austin wagged her finger mysteriously.
"Oh, let's talk about it, and make the eldest brother happy for you!" Ritter looked even more surprised, he really couldn't think of anything more surprising than being a disciple of a high-ranking mage.
"Hehe, if I say that I have not only become a mage apprentice, but also a level 1 special mage, would you believe me?" The corners of Austin's mouth were already raised, and pride and pride were written on his face.
Indeed, what a joy and pride it is! What a wonderful day it would have been if it hadn't been for Kelly's disappearance, sharing joy with her, cheering with her... Thinking of this, Austin's expression instantly dimmed.
However, Ritter didn't notice the change in his expression, he was completely shocked by what Austin said, and stared at Austin with a blank grin, he hadn't seen him for a few days, and he had changed from an ordinary person to a special mage professional!"This... Is this true?" Ritter still couldn't believe it, or didn't want to believe it, he had seen the genius, the morning light knight of Oni City, Eric became a level 1 knight at the age of 10, but it was not as surprising as he had just heard.
Austin nodded, and raised his hand, wanting to cast a spell to prove that he had become a spellcaster, but he forgot that all the spell slots had been used up today, and of course he didn't release anything. Under Ritter's suspicious gaze, he had to smile awkwardly and explain, "I'm sorry, all the spells have been used up today, but I'm really a level 1 special mage, and Master Zecier personally tested it for me!"
"Hehe, I believe in you. Let's go out for a drink, to celebrate your becoming a special mage and a mage apprentice! I'm going to rent you an entire tavern tonight!Let everyone know that my brother Austin has become a noble spellcaster!" Ritter patted Austin on the shoulder, signaling that he believed in him, and was very generous to pay for his celebration. Although he is just an illegitimate child with an embarrassing status, he can still get the money to go to an ordinary tavern and spend dozens of gold coins to charter a venue.
"Hey..."
Austin sighed.
Ritter was confused by him, obviously such a good happy event happened to him, why did he sigh?"Brother, is there anything else? It doesn't matter, tell the eldest brother that I don't have special skills, if anyone dares to bully my brother, see if I don't shoot him flat!"
The topic finally got down to business, and Austin showed a solemn look: "Brother Ritter, I can't hide it, I came this time because something bad happened at home, my sister Kelly disappeared on the way home last night, and my younger brother knows that you are well-connected and well-informed, and I came today to ask you for help to inquire." "
He concealed Kelly's true relationship with him, just like he had done when he inquired about the news in the tavern before, saying that she was his sister, after all, the two had not yet established a romantic relationship, so it would be more convenient to say so.
"My sister is missing? I've heard some rumors of this kind of thing lately. Ritter was a little unsure whether his news was true, but seeing Austin's anxious appearance, he quickly said: "I also heard from the sheriff John, that is, the day after we left the sewers, he came to the castle to report an incident to the earl, and when he came out, he happened to meet me, and by the way, he also told me that there were many cases of young girls being kidnapped by robbers outside the city. "
"Yesterday I was drinking outside, and I met him again, and when I mentioned this, I asked him if he had traced the whereabouts of the robbers, and he said that there was no trace of the robbers, and the number of missing girls outside the city was increasing, and now there were more than ten similar cases in the city, and the murderer was even more mysterious and difficult to find, and those who knew it were rumored that there was a devil who ate girls in Oni City, if it weren't for the Earl's strict prohibition to spread this kind of news, I am afraid that it would have caused panic in the hearts of the people. "
Ritter's words are undoubtedly cold water poured on Austen's heart, so it seems that Kelly was obviously taken away, just like other innocent girls, as for whether it was the devil who did it as the rumors rumored, it is difficult to say, he prefers to believe that someone is behind the scenes.
"Brother, I know you will be sad to say this, but let it be easy, there is something strange behind this matter, and even Sheriff John does not dare to investigate deeply, lest it invite trouble. As far as I know, the Earl didn't pay much attention to this, and didn't strictly order a thorough investigation into the matter, but just took out a sum of money and asked John to go to the Adventurers' Guild to issue a mission to find the missing girl, and then left it alone. Ritter was afraid that Austen would not be able to think about it, and he still hoped to find his sister, so he hurriedly persuaded him. Just as he said, this matter is full of weirdness, and you can see that the water is very deep at a glance, and if you plunge into it, you are afraid that you will choke to death by the water.
Of course, Austen understood this simple truth as soon as he heard it, and he was grateful for Ritter's reminder, but could he just let it go? Pretend that it was just an unfortunate accident? That's Kelly! If he can't find her, how can he face Erina, who lost his sister, and how will he face himself in the future? If his beloved is missing, can he pretend that she is dead and do nothing?
"No!" Austin couldn't suppress the emotion in his heart anymore, shouted loudly, and then pushed Rhett away and ran out of the castle like crazy, he was going to find Kelly, he was going to save her, even if... Even if he can only find her body in the end!
Ritter tried to stop him, but seeing that he was so decisive, he had to sigh and let him leave, in fact, he still had something to say, but it involved some inside stories of the Haniri family, even if he was just an illegitimate child who did not have a strong sense of identity with the family, it was not good to do things that directly damaged the interests of the family. If those things are shaken out and known by the church, it will be a big trouble, and it may even shake the foundation of the family, which is not a good thing for a person like him who hides under the family tree to enjoy the shade.