“Kaedwyn!” Chris exclaimed in surprise.
“Do you know him?” Howard asked.
“Of course, I do!” Chris stood up abruptly, her face contorted with uncontrollable anger.
“Those bandits… If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have ended up like this!”
She burst out, but then, remembering her encounter with Howard and the relatively better turn her life had taken, she quickly corrected herself, “If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have become a slave!” .
“What happened?” Howard inquired, sensing that Chris’s grudge against Kaedwyn could be advantageous.
Gazing out the window into the night, Chris seemed to fall into a reverie.
“That day, my comrades and I were fiercely resisting the Night Demon when that band of thieves, led by Kaedwyn, appeared. They slaughtered all my companions.”
“Afterwards, I reported the situation to the higher-ups. They agreed to deploy troops to surround and annihilate Kaedwyn. But what I hadn’t expected was the betrayal by the deputy commander of the Empire Knights Order, who was in cahoots with Kaedwyn, leading to our defeat.”
“In the aftermath, he shifted the blame of the defeat onto me, resulting in my imprisonment, and eventually, my enslavement.”
As she spoke, Chris’s eyes dimmed with sadness.
Howard looked at her with sympathy.
He remembered hearing that over a hundred members of the Empire Knights Order had been deployed.
Logically, Kaedwyn, with just a dozen or so men, shouldn’t have stood a chance.
But when Howard had gone out earlier, he had heard that the Knights Order had suffered a crushing defeat, which was baffling.
It would have made sense if they hadn’t caught up with or captured Kaedwyn, given his formidable strength.
But for the Empire Knights, known for their prowess, to be utterly defeated was incomprehensible.
Now, hearing Chris’s revelation about the deputy commander’s collusion with Kaedwyn, everything fell into place.
Suddenly, a realization struck Howard.
If tomorrow… if Kaedwyn were to inform the deputy commander of the Empire Knights Order about the situation, Kaedwyn’s forces could significantly increase.
Even worse, Howard and his allies could be vilified, losing the legitimacy of their mission to eliminate the bandits.
After all, the Empire Knights Order held more sway in matters of authority.
Howard knew the plan needed to change.
He turned to Chris and asked, “Do you know why the deputy commander of the Empire Knights Order would collude with Kaedwyn?”
Chris, anger pulsating through her, slammed her fist on the dining table.
“Of course, it’s the filthy lure of money,” she spat out.
Howard nodded in understanding.
It seemed Kaedwyn’s rise to power near Holy Light City was entirely due to the protection of the deputy commander.
To effectively deal with Kaedwyn and uproot him completely, they needed to topple the man backing him.
Bribing was certainly out of the question; to the deputy commander, Howard could never be as valuable as Kaedwyn.
Noticing Howard deep in thought, Chris remained silent and resumed eating.
Howard then asked, “What about the deputy commander’s strength? Is there a chance to kill him?”
Eliminating the root of the problem once and for all by taking the opponent’s life was the best solution.
But the deputy commander of the Empire Knights Order wouldn’t be easy to assassinate, given his own forces.
However, in such interest groups, eliminating the most influential and high-ranking individual usually quells any further trouble.
Chris was stunned.
Howard was actually contemplating killing the deputy commander of the Empire Knights Order.
Although she had always despised him, the thought of actually killing him had never dared to cross her mind.
Why?
Because it seemed impossible.
Even if one managed to do it, escaping the consequences was another monumental challenge.
“This… might be quite difficult,” Chris hesitated.
“He himself isn’t very powerful, but he is always protected by the Four Knights.”
“Four Knights?” Howard queried.
“Yes, the renowned Holy Light City Four Knights. They are the strongest knights in the entire Holy Light City’s Empire Knights Order.”
Howard asked seriously, “How do you compare to them?”
Chris lowered her head, pondering carefully before responding, “I could possibly handle three of them, but all four together would be too much for me. Even if only one of them is left, the odds are not in my favor.”
Her implication was clear to Howard: he wouldn’t stand a chance against even one of the Four Knights.
“Moreover, he’s surrounded by a guard squad of dozens, all elite soldiers.”
“What about an assassination attempt? If you can hold off three of them, leave the rest to me. I’ll find more help.”
Howard mused, thinking about Kellman’s preparations.
With the right opportunity, he believed success was possible.
Chris, realizing Howard was serious, thought even more intently.
“From what I know of him, there’s only one time he steps out without his guard squad,” she said, a spark of determination in her eyes.
Howard asked eagerly, “When is that?”
“When he visits his illegitimate child.”
Howard was taken aback.
His illegitimate child?
…
“Kaedwyn, you’ve really overstepped this time.”
Kaedwyn and his dozen followers were meeting secretly with the deputy commander of the Empire Knights Order, Sedge, under an old locust tree at the back of Holy Light City.
Sedge appeared furious, scanning Kaedwyn and his men with a condemning gaze.
“How dare you attack an imperial station? Where did you get such audacity? And why wasn’t I informed beforehand?” he berated them.
“Do you realize? If it wasn’t for me, you all would’ve been dead by now!”
Kaedwyn’s men, including himself, looked visibly displeased under the barrage of Sedge’s complaints.
Stepping forward, Kaedwyn’s eyes, filled with murderous intent, fixed on Sedge.
Sedge initially recoiled but then, recalling his own entourage, met Kaedwyn’s gaze defiantly.
Meanwhile, the Four Knights, not far behind Sedge, stepped forward, ready to intervene.
Kaedwyn seemed wary of them.
“Commander Sedge, the treasures we deliver to you every month are not for nothing,” Kaedwyn stated.
Seeing Kaedwyn’s apprehension of the Four Knights, Sedge grew bolder and spoke with renewed arrogance.
“For nothing? If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t know how many times you could have died by now. How could you strut around near Holy Light City?”
“You should be thanking me. From next month, your payments will double!”
“Double?”
The faces of Kaedwyn and his men twisted in anger, each seeming as if they wanted to slay Sedge on the spot.
But with the Four Knights protecting him, a fight would be uncertain, and it wasn’t the time for conflict.
Kaedwyn, needing to save someone, was forced to endure.
“Commander Sedge, we need your help to find a few people in the city. Next month, I will deliver this amount.”
Kaedwyn extended five fingers, and Sedge’s eyes immediately lit up.
“Who are you looking for?”
“Frostwolf Mercenaries’ leader Kellman, and his two associates – or perhaps subordinates. I’ve had their portraits drawn.”
With a wave of his hand, one of Kaedwyn’s men presented the portraits.
Sedge didn’t even bother to look at them himself, letting the Four Knights take them instead.
Disdainfully, he said, “Just the Frostwolf Mercenaries’ leader? Rest assured, I’ll find him for you. Do you want them alive or dead?”
“Dead,” Kaedwyn replied without hesitation.
“But, there’s an old man with them. Do not harm him; he’s the one I’m looking for. If you can ensure his safe return, I, Kaedwyn, will be deeply grateful. If he dies, I’m afraid, Commander Sedge, you won’t receive a penny.”
Sedge’s expression turned serious, but then he smirked.
“Don’t worry. The city is my domain. Killing them will be as easy as crushing a few ants. But… if that old man you mentioned dies at their hands, that’s not our fault.”
Kaedwyn understood his insinuation and quickly added, “That’s impossible. Unless they wish for death and forsake their desire for money, they won’t harm him.
I need your assurance that he will be returned to me alive, or else…”
A torrent of murderous intent flashed in Kaedwyn’s eyes.
The Four Knights stood guard around Sedge, who, not wanting to lose Kaedwyn as a source of income, promptly agreed, “Fine, I guarantee it.”
…
“Howard, my friend, what brings you here?”
Kellman greeted Howard as they met in a tavern, settling into a corner.
Howard glanced around cautiously before asking, “Where’s Tina?”
Kellman replied with a smile, “Tina’s tied up with some things.”
Leaning closer to Kellman, Howard spoke in a hushed tone audible only to them, “I’ve unexpectedly learned that Kaedwyn is under Sedge’s protection. The plan has changed; we must kill Sedge first.”
Kellman stood up abruptly, staring at Howard in disbelief.
This news was a thunderbolt from the blue for him.
The deputy commander of the Empire Knights Order, Sedge, in cahoots with Kaedwyn?
He didn’t know where Howard got this information, but given Howard’s certainty, it was likely true.
What shocked him even more was Howard’s audacity in wanting to kill Sedge.
It wasn’t just about Sedge’s status – the Four Knights guarding him were not something they could handle.
Even in the heyday of the Frostwolf Mercenaries, they wouldn’t have stood a chance against them in full force.
Howard gestured for Kellman to sit back down.
Kellman, noticing the unusual glances around the tavern, apologized and took his seat again.
“This is impossible,” Kellman said, his voice trembling with fear.
“We’ve already reaped plenty of benefits. Why not quit while we’re ahead?”
“No,” Howard replied firmly.
