Edgar's thrown halberd slammed the agent to the ground. His cloak was shredded by the storm, and the back of his armor was instantly covered in scratches.
Unfortunately, the hasty strike didn't unleash Edgar's full power; otherwise, the halberd would have pinned the agent to the ground.
Edgar leaped down from the wall, the corpses of the Misbegotten cushioning his landing. He landed smoothly, positioning himself in front of Bai Shi.
Just then, the agent scrambled to his feet and retreated several steps, creating distance.
Edgar picked up his halberd. He had heard the agent's words and figured the "blind girl" he mentioned must be Irena.
Without turning around, Edgar kept his eyes fixed on the agent opposite him and asked,
"Irena… is she all right?"
Bai Shi knew the question was for him.
"Irena is outside the castle now. She'll be safe for the time being.""The man before you and his accomplices infiltrated Castle Morne and instigated the rebellion. One of their targets was Irena."
Edgar nodded. He had long suspected there was more to the rebellion in the castle; otherwise, the Misbegotten would not have revolted in such an organized manner.
He just hadn't expected their target to be Irena.
Now that the mastermind was before him, there was no need to discuss what to do next.
Edgar grasped the sacred seal in his left hand. Golden light gathered around him, and faint ripples appeared on the ground.
Seeing this, the agent knew Edgar was about to cast an incantation. He drew a black crossbow and fired at him.
But Edgar was prepared. He batted the bolt aside with a single strike.
As the incantation was cast, Bai Shi’s wounds stopped bleeding and flesh slowly began to form.
But that was the extent of its power, for it was only a very basic healing incantation.
The Heal incantation.
After healing Bai Shi, Edgar gripped his halberd with both hands and charged violently at the agent.
The agent spun his twinblade, first striking the halberd with one end to deflect some of the force, then immediately reversing the rotation to parry the halberd's axe blade with the other.
Just as he was thinking the castellan was nothing special, a gust of storm erupted from the halberd, instantly slicing fine cuts across his face.
The agent quickly shut his eyes and retreated to protect them from injury.
Edgar remained where he was, swinging his halberd to conjure a storm.
The halberd spun with the flow of the storm, gaining speed before Edgar unleashed a fierce horizontal sweep toward the agent.
The agent had just opened his eyes to find the halberd inches away. In his haste, he could only hold his twinblade vertically at his side in an attempt to block the blow.
But the attack was overwhelmingly powerful, sending both the agent and his weapon flying.
The agent crashed against a wall, coughing up a mouthful of blood. His hands trembled so violently he could barely hold his weapon, and the iron twinblade had been bent in the middle.
The agent was drenched in sweat. Unlike the other agent who accompanied him—an assassin skilled in incantations of stealth—he was a warrior who fought head-on, using a crossbow for surprise attacks and to maintain distance.
This unassuming castellan was capable of suppressing him so completely that he couldn't even fight back.
Edgar's assault wasn't over. He leaped high into the air, a storm swirling around him, and charged swiftly toward the agent, thrusting his halberd.
The agent rolled away clumsily, and the spear point of the halberd plunged deep into the ground, creating a large crater.
The moment it struck, another blast of wind erupted from the halberd, interrupting the agent's roll and blowing him aside.
Edgar pulled the halberd free, twisting his body with the motion. He swung the weapon up from the ground in a wide arc and brought it crashing down from above.
The agent was now lying on his back, gripping his twinblade with both hands and using the shaft to block Edgar's downward chop.
The twinblade snapped on impact. The axe blade slammed into the agent's shoulder, severing his left arm at the root.
"Ahhh—!" Blood gushed out. The agent had lost all will to fight. Now, at close range, he finally recognized the castellan's equipment.
Although he wore no helmet and the dragon horns on his shoulders were gone, the cold, silver armor was undoubtedly that of a Banished Knight!
No wonder, then. Banished Knights were among the most powerful of warriors.
Edgar swung his halberd again, aiming to take the agent's other arm. He didn't intend to kill him yet; he needed to find out what their purpose was.
Just then, a handful of powder was thrown in Edgar's face, instantly blinding him.
Just as the agent was about to meet his end, the final accomplice appeared.
The agent took the chance to escape, pulling out a sacred flask and drinking from it. It was a dew granted by the Two Fingers, and his group had only one among them.
To Bai Shi's surprise, the figure who had appeared last wore a thick, yellow apron embroidered with the Erdtree under his black robes.
This was proof of having mastered the hidden arts of a perfumer.
This last human accomplice was, surprisingly, a Perfumer.
"A Perfumer…"
Edgar lowered the arm he had raised to shield his face. The powder seemed to have done nothing but obstruct his vision.
"Hah, what are you standing around for? Why didn't you bring him with you!?"
Seeing the Perfumer arrive, the agent's courage returned.
The Perfumer gave the agent a cold look.
"You tricked me and Singh into coming here under the pretext of liberating the Misbegotten, only to commit this inhuman slaughter."
"We are no longer obligated to follow your orders. Saving you just now was our final act of mercy."
Bai Shi thought for a moment and was suddenly reminded of a special Spirit Ash from the game: Perfumer Tricia.
She was a Perfumer dedicated to treating the ailments of beings like the Misbegotten and the Omen.
It seemed the Perfumer before him belonged to the same school of thought, and Singh was likely the name of the Leonine Misbegotten.
The huge Leonine Misbegotten then leaped down from the high wall.
It plunged its iron greatsword into the ground and stood beside the Perfumer.
Edgar was a bit confused. Did this mean these two groups were no longer allies?
But the Leonine Misbegotten exuded a powerful pressure. Even though its sword was planted in the ground, it was still extremely dangerous—this was his warrior's intuition.
The Perfumer, however, faced Edgar and immediately knelt, beginning his confession.
"My name is Evan. I am a Perfumer who once studied under Master Tricia. I inherited her will, desiring a world where the Misbegotten are no longer oppressed. During my travels, I met Singh, who shared my ideals."
"This man told us that a great number of Misbegotten in Castle Morne were being tortured and slaughtered, waiting for us to rescue them."
"We intended to lead them straight to freedom, but after they were freed, the hundreds of Misbegotten completely ignored our commands and began a senseless massacre."
"Faced with so many, the two of us were powerless to stop them. They even nearly killed us."
"We are the cause of this disaster. I know words are useless now, but please, at least let me heal the remaining residents."
With that, he bowed his head deeply.
"If you find me unforgivable, you can take my head now. I will have no complaints."
The Leonine Misbegotten, Singh, also lowered its head, offering its neck to Edgar.
But behind them, the agent, who seemed to have no fight left in him, secretly drew out a branch that flickered with a strange light.
'Heh. The orders of the Two Fingers must be carried out.'