Following Roland back to the office, Nightingale said in a low voice, "I didn't protect you well..."
"No, you did a great job," Roland shook his head. "Think about it, why would an assassin named Xio want to make a move in the meeting hall? Because he knew there was a witch protecting me, and this witch was extremely powerful. Without diverting her away, he would have no chance at all. The more elaborate the plan, the more flaws it would have, so in the end, he could only launch an attack with a small bishou."
"But he almost succeeded."
"It can't be considered a success if he didn't kill me on the spot, and your existence xiànzhi that possibility." He smiled. "If you weren't here, what would he have done? Patiently waited for an opportunity to launch a fatal attack—as long as he lurked in the castle, such an opportunity would always exist. So, you have protected me well. In fact, the safer the territory, the safer I am."
This is not comforting... Nightingale thought, His Highness really thinks so, which made her feel a warm current surge in her heart, and the uneasy self-blame dissipated a lot. "I understand... but you can't let Lightning and Maisie off this time!"
"Uh, what's wrong with them?"
"When I'm not around, the two of them should be by your side to guard against potential enemies!" Nightingale said bluntly. "For example, in today's situation, if Lightning just flew you up, the assassin would have no way to hurt you."
"She's just a bit lively—"
"No! If Wendy and Scroll were here, they would definitely agree with my idea. If they don't truly feel they were wrong, what will happen if something really happens next time?"
"Hmm..." The prince touched his chin and thought for a while, "I understand. Then, let's punish them to stay in the house and not go out until they finish three sets of comprehensive mathematics, physics, and chemistry exercises, how about that?"
Nightingale couldn't help but gasp. Comprehensive exercises... The mathematics part is okay, but elementary physics and chemistry are even more terrifying than the basic principles of nature. Just looking at one page can make people drowsy, especially those bizarre formulas and diagrams, which are no different from spells in legendary stories. If it were her, it would probably be like being stuck forever. However, considering that she proposed the idea, it's not good to take it back now, so she hardened her heart and nodded, "This way, they should realize their mistakes."
...
The afternoon meeting continued, and Nightingale stayed behind Roland until dusk. The general framework of the second-level municipal hall and the initial candidates were finally determined.
Peiluo Helmon was appointed as the chief executive of the Longsong District. In addition to overseeing the municipal hall, he also served as the Minister of Finance. His father, Earl Helmon, served as the Minister of Construction, making him the biggest winner among the fortress nobles. Even Nightingale secretly sighed that His Highness really didn't blame the Honeysuckle family for the assassination—which is already considered extremely fair and benevolent among lords.
The heads of other departments were appointed from outstanding members of the minor nobility. They were originally barons or knights and had no qualification to participate in high-level government affairs. They were very excited about His Highness's appointment and expressed their willingness to serve His Highness for life.
Although it all sounds like the truth now, Nightingale knew that if the situation changed and Tiefeike and the church overwhelmed the Western Region, they would likely abandon their oaths.
Before the meeting adjourned, His Highness repeatedly emphasized two principles of personnel management—family members can be used within departments, but the proportion must not exceed 30%, and the files must be submitted to the superior municipal hall for record. The other point is that regardless of whether family members are used, salaries will be paid by the municipal hall, and violators will be treated as criminals.
Nightingale was not interested in these contents and yawned constantly until she saw Maisie carrying Earl Speel fly into Longsong Keep, and she cheered up.
After the banquet, the group followed Earl Elk to Xio's residence—an ordinary bungalow located in the castle district. The room was cleaned spotlessly, and not even a piece of paper was left behind. Obviously, the other party was prepared and had destroyed all the evidence before the action.
"Xio needs to stay in the castle district during the day, so just recreate the content of the night," the prince instructed Asha. "I need to see what he did from contacting former patrol member Mansi to today—
everything, in this room, every segment."
Earl Speel summoned a magic channel to connect Maisie and Asha.
Asha, who temporarily gained sufficient magic power, began to rewind the detailed process of each night. Xio seemed to come alive again, sometimes sitting by the fireplace thinking, sometimes writing something on paper, and all of this was recorded by Soroya.
On the fourth day, he sat by the fireplace as usual, but this time he had a badge in his hand.
"Wait... I seem to have seen this thing," Roland's voice sounded a little surprised. "Draw it and let me see."
The badge was quickly drawn on paper with a magic pen. It was about the size of a thumb, and the main body was a circular gemstone polished into the shape of a button. Both sides were engraved with the standard high tower spear logo—this is a typical royal badge.
"Could he be a member of Tiefeike?" Nightingale couldn't help but ask.
Roland frowned and remained silent, as if thinking about something. After a long time, he shook his head slightly, "No, this is a token of Wimbledon III."
"Are you saying... your father?" Reyn asked in surprise.
"Isn't the king already taken over by the eldest prince Goron—" Peiluo was also very surprised.
"When I was a child, I saw this kind of badge on Wimbledon III's desk and asked him what it was. He said that each gemstone represents a warrior loyal to the royal family. The more gemstones there are, the more stable the throne of the Wimbledon lineage will be." His Highness sighed. "In this case, Xio should be a secret chess piece planted by the king next to Duke Lyon to monitor the entire Western Region."
"Then why would he attack you?" Reyn asked puzzled.
"Probably Tiefeike found the 'gemstone list' and issued the assassination order... For them, the badge means everything, and whatever order is given will be carried out."
"I see..." Nightingale looked at the assassin composed of magic illusion—he stared at the badge for a long time, and finally threw the gemstone into the fireplace. His expression was a little lost, but also revealed a trace of relief. Perhaps in Xio's eyes, this order also meant liberation.
However, Roland, who understood the reason, did not show a relaxed expression, but stared solemnly at the fireplace that burst out clusters of sparks, and did not move his eyes away for a long time.
...
Late at night, after Asha fell asleep, Nightingale quietly sneaked into Roland's room.
Since being blamed by Wendy, she had never done this again. However, today's assassination made her feel unsettled, and the castle without Wendy and Anna made her feel less constrained.
Looking at the sleeping Roland Wimbledon, she broke away from the mist, quietly walked to the bed, and leaned down to kiss his forehead.
I'm sorry, Your Highness, I can't restrain myself. (。)