When a lumberyard owner walked into his boss's room, he almost dropped to the ground in shock.
On the floor lay a person who looked hardly human. Even arthropods didn't have such twisted limbs; they looked more like branches of a tree grafted onto his body. The bones in this person's face were completely shattered, and the skin appeared to be stretched tight over a mass of something like garbage, making it look oddly uneven. His original features were unrecognizable. In the center, where the mouth should be, there was only a large blood hole, and the dozens of teeth scattered on the ground were presumably knocked out one by one from inside. Above this, two small blood holes hung two eyeballs that had already been dragged out of their sockets, with some nerves still hanging in the back. One ear had been torn off.
But this person was still alive, trembling slightly. Although his body and appearance were completely deformed, one could guess from his dark skin and lean muscles that he was the same small worker who had been lively just a few minutes earlier.
Claudius appeared impatient. He had to admit that these lowly people had quite tough bones. Of course, he still had many tricks up his sleeve that he hadn't used yet. He was eager to know if there were any bones that could withstand his methods. Aside from Duke Murak and his mentor, Captain Roland, he enjoyed consulting those torturers. He even knew how to cut a person piece by piece until they could still see their own internal organs and most of their bones while still alive. But now was certainly not the time to showcase these skills. He needed to extract useful information quickly. His voice sounded like a cursed stone statue: "Does this person have any family? A wife, parents, children, anything?"
"...He's a villager from a local village... a few others from his village also work in our yard... They all live together, and there are apparently a few small children..." The lumberyard owner stammered, shrinking into the corner of the wall.
"Children?" Claudius revealed a vulture-like smile. "Bring them all to me."
The lumberyard owner fled as if for his life.
"You... are not human..." Hunter Levin managed to utter a few words through his bloodied mouth, his eyeballs dangling from their sockets glaring at Claudius with the malice of a corpse.
Claudius seemed pleased with this description; he smiled with confidence and authority. The moment he began to pressure the man, this one hadn't uttered a sound, but now he finally spoke. This was submission; the futile curses were evidence that the man's spirit was already in despair. Claudius sneered, "I deliberately left your tongue intact because I knew you would eventually speak. You stupid, lowly animals, in the end, the outcome is the same. I don't understand why you resist so stubbornly." He rarely displayed a tone of compassion and said it like a benevolent gesture, "Go ahead and tell me everything I need to know while you can still hear and speak. I know you wouldn't want to hear the sounds of those children crying."
Rodhart and Asa entered the city with a large group, imposing and aggressive. There was nothing more to be said in this situation; they were going to forcibly take people away.
Just moments ago, Asa had no idea why Rodhart was being so cautious. With just the two of them, could they not handle a Claudius? Even if he was indeed Captain Roland's disciple, such a narrow-minded man, merely a dog of the duke, couldn't be that capable, could he?
But he believed Rodhart's judgment should be better than his own. Since he made that decision, it must mean that returning to bring soldiers would be the more prudent choice.
Now, hearing the synchronized footsteps of the five hundred heavy infantry behind him, Asa finally recognized the benefits of having power in hand. Although he thought that the two of them had at least an eighty percent chance of beating Claudius and taking the people away, those five hundred heavy infantrymen had at least an eighty percent chance as well. Even with ten Claudius, they would all have to roll away.
However, shortly after entering the city gate, they encountered the sour-faced local official coming toward them, his face twisted into a smile. "My lords, you have indeed returned to the barracks. I have been waiting here for quite a while. Here's the situation: just now, the lumberyard owner, that noble from the Ernie family who came from the royal capital, the duke's son-in-law, and captain of the Knights Templar..." He seemed to feel that he couldn't overlook any of these noble titles and listed them all. "He sent someone to say that he has captured a group of commoners who accused you two of being wanted criminals."
Asa and Rodhart exchanged glances, their faces changing dramatically.
"This noble has summoned all local officials to meet. Ah, I know that with such audacity from these commoners, our local officials are also at fault. It is only fitting for us to receive a lesson..." The local official, oblivious to the expressions of the two nobles, continued speaking to himself. "The other officials have already gone. That noble told me that you two must have returned to the barracks, asking me to wait here and request you to come over for a clear inquiry."
Rodhart's face turned ashen as he sighed deeply and waved his hand to the local official, saying, "You go ahead first; we will follow shortly."
Once the local official left, Rodhart immediately turned to the officer in charge and ordered him to take the five hundred heavy infantry back to the barracks.
"What? We can still forcibly take people away," Asa asked.
"That won't work," Rodhart sighed quietly. "To forcibly take away those who accuse us of being wanted criminals in front of all local officials? Even if we are special envoys with that authority, it would leave so many witnesses. With Duke Murak's methods, doing so would be no different from seeking death."
Asa understood. In such a situation, even Bishop Ronis wouldn't be able to cover up their actions. This was the law of the land, politics, and the duke's domain.
"I underestimated Claudius. I've always overlooked him just because he is the duke's assistant, forgetting one crucial point: if he didn't have exceptional abilities and intelligence, how could the duke let him be his deputy? Just look at how, in such a short time, he managed to extract information from Hunter Levin, and immediately deduced that we were definitely returning to bring troops to forcibly seize people. He deliberately escalated the situation, making it difficult for us to act. His intellect and judgment are absolutely top-notch; this man is definitely not easy to deal with." Rodhart's expression gradually calmed down, all emotions receding into his seemingly kind eyes, transforming into a determined glimmer. "Now we can only proceed step by step. Let's first see what he really intends to do."
In the spacious hall of the lumberyard owner's house, the disfigured Levin lay on the ground like a squashed lizard.
"Everyone, look! This is the commoner!" Claudius pointed at the captive on the ground, as if displaying a remarkable trophy. "He and a few other accomplices have falsely accused our esteemed envoys of being wanted criminals who supposedly killed the local official and the envoys six months ago. What do you think? Should he be punished?"
"Punish him! Yes!" The other officials echoed in unison, with many voices distorted in excitement. These local officials, with their limited experience, were witnessing the methods of the capital's officials for the first time.
Asa struggled to suppress the urge to rush forward and smash Claudius's smug, twisted face into pieces, mainly out of consideration for Rodhart. He himself had no reservations, but Rodhart was different.
Claudius kept his gaze fixed on Asa, walking over and leaning down to Levin's ear, speaking in a tone that mixed the demeanor of a butcher with that of a hunter: "Alright, now repeat what you said to me for everyone here to hear. I remind you to say it just as you told me before; you know the consequences of lying, don't you?" He spoke with assurance and a gentle tone. "I know you wouldn't dare to lie."
"About half a year ago…" Hunter Levin struggled to open his bloodied mouth, his toothless voice seeping through the blood holes of his eye sockets as he faced Rodhart, who he could not see. "Rodhart returned from studying in Alrasia. He is our fellow villager, and we, due to poverty, kidnapped him…" He spoke in a broken, blood-stained voice, recounting the situation from that time in fragmented sentences.
The hall fell silent. Each official listened intently; they were all aware of that incident. From certain angles and details, this didn't seem like a completely absurd and fabricated accusation. The officials could not discern what exactly it meant for them to be called here to hear this; they sensed an unusual and dangerous atmosphere in the air. It felt as if the very air in the hall had solidified.
Hunter Levin was undoubtedly at the limit of his injuries; these words had exhausted his remaining strength, and he could only exhale through his nose. Asa finally could not hold back any longer and stepped forward to quickly treat Levin's severely injured wounds with a healing spell.
"This is clearly an accusation," Claudius remarked, looking at Asa's pale face, his words laced with the joy of a victor, mocking him. "Look, even a commoner who accuses him is treated with such mercy; how could a morally upright nobleman possibly be a criminal? Just based on that, we can determine the truth, can't we, my lords?"
"Indeed, indeed! It must be an accusation, mere nonsense!" The officials, having found a way to support themselves, hurriedly nodded in agreement.
"A commoner who cannot distinguish between status and rank should have been executed on the spot. But I thought it over, and that might not be appropriate." Claudius's rhythmic tone indicated he was relishing the thrill of suppressing his opponent, his eyes scanning the faces of everyone present. "Everyone can consider this: if we were to easily execute these babblers or exile them to some disgraceful place, wouldn't that give others fodder for gossip? Others might think we are guilty and eager to eliminate the evidence. That wouldn't be good for the two young and talented lords, now, would it?"
Asa and Rodhart both understood that these words were directed at them. This was a display of power and a warning. If such a situation occurred, under Duke Murak's methods, they would face far worse than just "not good."
However, relatively speaking, such ambiguous statements indicated that this was merely a threat and not an immediate death sentence. As long as they accepted certain conditions, the situation was not irreparable.
Sure enough, Claudius's gaze shifted between the two, and in a tone filled with feigned compassion, he said, "So, I have decided to take these accusers to the capital. Perhaps we can investigate thoroughly and completely clear the doubts, restoring both lords' reputations. What do you think? Is that acceptable?"
"Good, good!" The officials nodded in agreement. Although these individuals may not have been particularly intelligent, their experience and skills in being bureaucrats were vast; they always knew when to show the appropriate attitude.
"However, we must ensure the safety of these prisoners. If anything goes wrong, it would be disastrous. Others might think we have something to hide. Therefore, I think one of the two esteemed lords should accompany me." Claudius turned his gaze to Rodhart. "Right, Lord Rodhart will do. You are more rational and composed. I believe that being rational and calm would benefit everyone at this time, wouldn't it?"
"Very well. I will go with you," Rodhart nodded, his expression relaxed. It seemed like a routine official duty; even a slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. "I also want to know who incited these villagers to accuse me. But they were originally kind and simple people; it's not their fault that things have come to this, so please do not make it difficult for them."
"No problem," Claudius nodded confidently. "As long as the outcome is as I expect, I won't mind these little details."
Claudius requested a small troop from the local officials and prepared to set off immediately. During this time, Asa and Rodhart had a brief discussion.
Asa said, "Are you really going to go back with him? Why not have our troops ambush him halfway and take him out, disguising it as the work of heretics?"
"What kind of heretics could kill a captain of the Knights Templar? What about the soldiers involved? Would we have to kill them to silence them? Perhaps the duke would be even happier with that plan," Rodhart dismantled each of Asa's reasons, shattering his plan completely. "And… even if the two of us joined forces with the soldiers, if he truly wanted to escape, we definitely wouldn't be able to stop him."
"Are we just going to let him take Hunter Levin and the others back to the capital?"
Rodhart pondered, his previously gentle and approachable demeanor transformed into a mask of pain. After a while, he slowly nodded. "No, there is a way."
"What way?"
"His intention in having me follow him is to separate us. With the King's orders in hand, we cannot leave here without completing our mission. But if you can quickly resolve the situation here and catch up with us, there may be a turning point. I will try to find a way to delay him on the road as much as possible."
"Alright. I'll leave things here to you." Asa responded with newfound determination. He hadn't felt this spirited in a long time.
After Rodhart left, Asa immediately called for the local official and asked, "Send someone to gather all the details about the nature of the God of Nature: how to convert, what the teachings entail, and what's really going on. I'm going to infiltrate the cult of the God of Nature myself to investigate."
"How could I let you, a special envoy, do such a thing? I will arrange for someone immediately…"
"No need, I'll go myself. It's better this way."
"No, it would be my negligence to put you in danger. Moreover, how could someone of your noble status and upright character mingle with filthy heretics?"
"Stop wasting my time." The noble and upright priest commander glared fiercely at the local official. "Get on with it!"