One night before that day
When Leeward found a fortune in diamonds and gold... that night.
Two figures came from the east, riding horses and walking slowly across vast farmlands.
The night was cold, and the sky was dominated by a moon that seemed to be the master of the night.
The figure on the left had medium-length red hair, sharp features, and eyebrows as red as his hair.
He looked young.
This was Kanti Charmin, the illegitimate son of the king of the Charmin clan.
The figure on the right had white hair.
Short, with sharp, square features.
That was Egg Morse, of the Morse family, who wielded considerable influence within the lands of the ruling Charmins clan.
He worked within the clan as a messenger, but in reality... he was a spy working for the Charmins.
The two continued on their way, until Canty noticed something unusual: the tracks of the chariot... were gone.
It had been agreed beforehand that the procession would travel south, passing through the Metnald district, specifically through the village of Morge.
They had also agreed that every ten kilometers a trace should be left to indicate that the procession was still safe and had not been attacked or ambushed.
The current distance between them and the procession was exactly ten kilometers
a precaution taken in case of any danger that might suddenly arise.
"We are ten thousand meters behind the procession, and currently we are at the point where a trace should be left that
The procession is still proceeding safely... but there is no sign of him."
Egg whispered quietly, then dismounted.
He began to walk on the ground, searching for any clue.
Perhaps the hint had been scattered by the wind or shifted from its position and had become a little lost in the earth.
At that moment, Kante felt something uneasy.
"There is something unnatural in the air... I feel a dense spiritual energy filling the atmosphere around us."
He thought to himself, then raised his hand and touched the open air.
There was a faint warmth covering the air.
He released his spiritual field to make sure that what he felt was not an illusion, and the moment his spirit flowed through the pores of his skin to form the spiritual field...
Crimson sparks exploded as a result of the intense friction between the dense spiritual energy trapped in the air and his spiritual field.
Kante acted swiftly, immediately closing his field. A faint red flame danced in the air before him.
If I'd been a second later, my arm would have burned...
He moved straight away from the flames, his horse whinnying in terror at the ominous aura.
Egg saw the scene, and it was very strange. This only happened in one case.
"A high-ranking warrior must have been here... and his spiritual energy still fills the air."
He said it in a low voice.
Kante's expression turned completely serious.
"Then, the procession was attacked by this person. There's no other explanation for what happened."
They had to move immediately.
"Damn it, if we lose this fortune, it's a disaster... The king will be furious. This is the wealth of a secret marriage of the king, and losing it would be no good thing."
Kanti realized the magnitude of the disaster at that moment.
Egg mounted his horse immediately.
"Come on... go."
The two galloped across the land, the sounds of galloping horses filling the entire air.
"Who would dare attack knights from the ruling Shar-Man clan? This must be someone of immense power and influence to have such audacity."
Egg said, bewildered and amazed.
After a few moments, they reached a distant hill, their nostrils tingling at the sharp smell of blood that filled the air. From there, they saw the procession of knights.
A pale look crossed Kanti's face; this was never expected.
Most of the knights in the procession were Rank 2 - Transitional Tier, the rest Rank 3 - Founder Tier.
The person who attacked the procession...
was a mysterious figure
He must have known about the secret marriage of the King of the Charmins clan
and that's why he attacked the procession and caused this massacre. Thus, he was certainly overwhelmingly powerful.
How could one person kill more than fifteen royal knights? Kanti's mind couldn't comprehend it.
Egg showed his shock, saying,
Perhaps one of them is still alive... Come on, let's go and check.
"Yes... that might be a possibility."
The two of them moved forward toward the procession, which was now only a thousand meters away.
The Charins themselves were an extremely wealthy, obscenely rich clan.
The Shar clan was already an extremely wealthy clan, obscenely rich.
Such wealth would not have made them any richer, nor would it have added anything of value to them.
But it was not the value of the wealth itself,
but its quality.
The diamonds and gold contained within it were of the finest and most expensive kind,
and not only that...
but this wealth had been hidden since the time of the sixth King, Forge Sharman, who had amassed it himself and boasted about it.
This is what made it exceptionally valuable.
And for the current king to use it for his marriage... this showed that this marriage was of the utmost importance to him and to the entire Sharman clan.
Ige was thinking of all this as he spurred his horse on, until
He and Kante arrived at the scene of the massacre.
Dead horses and the bodies of knights were scattered everywhere, all meticulously butchered, as if a lion or vulture had devoured them with horrifying skill.
The stench was suffocatingly putrid, making Kante feel truly bad about what had happened.
The king will be furious..."
"Yes, not just him, but the entire clan. That fortune was precious, and it belonged to the Sixth King, Forge... This is going to be very difficult." Egg replied, staring at the gruesome scene.
After a moment of reflection, despite the enormity of what had happened, another thought occurred to Kante.
What if the assassin hadn't taken the fortune?
He steered his horse straight toward the carriage, but when he looked inside... he found nothing. The carriage was empty.
And that only made matters worse..."
You've taken the fortune. We don't know who did it... but we'll start investigating in the nearest village," whispered Egg, beginning to seriously consider finding the thief.
Meanwhile, Kante carefully examined the ground until he noticed footprints over clotted blood. They weren't slippers, or shoes.
But... bare feet.
This was very strange. Why would someone come here barefoot?
Kante immediately released his spiritual field and began to sense spiritual energy in the air around him. But he was careful.
He released his spiritual field very weakly, so that the aura surrounding his body appeared as a thin, barely visible thread.
And through this, he discovered something important.
He sensed spiritual energy belonging to fifteen people—the Knights
He was able to determine their levels.
He also sensed the immense spiritual energy of one person...
That mysterious person who had destroyed them.
But most importantly...
There was additional spiritual energy
of someone at the first rank: Body and Soul, Transition Realm.
That is, the number of spiritual energies was seventeen,
not sixteen as he had thought.
I think the owner of these footprints... is that person at the first rank, Body and Soul, Transition Realm. Things are starting to get more mysterious...
Kante said in a low voice.
"What do you mean? Has someone else come here? We must inform the king first and deliver the message, then we can begin the proceedings."
Egg's thoughts were entirely focused on delivering an urgent message to the king:
The procession has been killed,
and the fortune has been stolen.
Let's not make things any more complicated than they already are. You go back to the capital of the Mantis and report what has happened here.
As for me... I'll stay in the village of Morge until you return.
He paused, then continued in a more serious tone,
"I have a few things to do. I suspect that the one who killed the knights wasn't the one who took the fortune, but rather one of the inhabitants of this village.
It's a political plot being hatched quietly.
Canti showed his shrewdness; he was beginning to suspect what was going on behind the scenes.
Well, that's a good plan too. ... I'll go and come back tomorrow if I can."
The two agreed on what they would do.
Then Egg rode straight back on his horse, returning to the capital of the Mantis... the capital of the Charmin clan lands.
Or as it is known...
The Dragon Empire.
At the moment...
A large number of soldiers carrying red banners, with a golden dragon emblem in the center.
Successive tremors, and dust filling the air.
"Calm down... calm down... they are only Charmin clan soldiers!"
Augie shouted, trying to calm the guards around him.
"Yes, they are carrying the banners of the ruling clan, not intruders.
Damn... I've felt a shock I've never felt before."
All the guards were initially terrified, but once they confirmed the identity of the newcomers, they felt a temporary sense of relief.
Augie didn't understand why the Charmant clan's soldiers had come to Morge Village.
It was strange.
He even thought to himself:
Perhaps they're stopping to rest in the village after a grueling journey of constant travel... We must give them our best.
But only a few moments later, the entire army arrived.
They were pulling a battered wagon with them, inside which lay many dead soldiers, their bodies dangling at the rear of the procession. There were about fifty soldiers.
And their leader... a man with sharp eyes and gray hair who seemed wise and experienced. That was Eliver Morse.
Beside him, Ig Morse rode his horse.
They stopped before Augie, whose features displayed unmistakable respect.
"I want you to prepare fifteen graves for the slain knights.
And before that... summon the mayor of your village." Elifer began with a direct and unambiguous command.
He held considerable authority within the Charmins' army, and this meant he didn't begin his conversations with commoners with any pretense of courtesy.
"Yes, sir."
Augie obeyed immediately, setting off to summon the mayor first.
"What on earth is going on? Is there a war? Why are there so many dead soldiers? Or were they attacked by a powerful beast in the wilderness?"
Everything was shrouded in mystery, and he couldn't grasp it quickly.
One of the signs of courtesy.
"Yes, sir."
Augie obeyed immediately and rushed off to call the mayor first.
What on earth was going on? Was there a war? Why were all these soldiers dead? Or had they been attacked by a powerful beast in the wilderness?
Everything was vague, and he couldn't grasp it quickly.
Peace be upon you, brothers. Until I complete 10 chapters, starting today I will begin publishing a chapter every two days, God willing.
I hope you understand me. I'm a young man with my baccalaureate exams, and Ramadan Kareem is approaching, so I have to study. That's all, and I hope you liked the novel. There's still a long way to go to the end.