For a moment, Nightingale felt the entire black and white world tremble.
Breaking free from the mist, the scene before her regained its color. The darkness of the God's Stone dissipated, and her heart, which had been about to leap out of her chest, retreated back—the man lying on the ground was not Roland, but a guard she had never seen before. He wore the uniform of the Honeysuckle family, with a dark red mark on his chest, like a gunshot wound.
"What are you doing here?" a familiar voice sounded beside her.
She turned her head. The speaker was Roland, surrounded by several guards in a corner of the hall, so much so that she hadn't noticed him when she rushed into the room.
"I..." Nightingale opened her mouth, only to find her throat was terribly hoarse, her hands and feet were cold and numb, as if after a narrow escape. Her body felt weak. At this moment, all she wanted to do was hug Roland tightly, but she knew she couldn't. There were other nobles present, and if she wanted to independently take charge of the Security Bureau and shoulder the shield of the territory, she couldn't be too intimate with him in front of everyone.
Although her head clearly told her she couldn't, her body involuntarily walked towards Roland, opened the mist, passed through the guards, and hugged him tightly.
A burst of exclamations immediately rang out. Obviously, the crowd didn't quite understand why a witch suddenly appeared, disappeared again without saying a word.
In the mist, her arms were pressed tightly against the prince's back, her head buried in his chest, listening to his heartbeat, as if only in this way could she prove that everything was just a false alarm.
Roland seemed to realize something, and clapped his hands to the nobles, "Everyone, please go to the dining room for lunch. Don't leave the castle for now. The afternoon meeting will continue!"
When only the prince's guards, Barov, Sylvie, and Lightning were left, he asked, "Is the murderer related to this assassination?"
Nightingale's mood gradually calmed down. She reluctantly took three steps back, revealed her figure, and pretended that she had never approached the prince. "Yes, when I found out that the mastermind behind the crime was a guard of the Honeysuckle family, I came here immediately." She recounted her findings and Mans's confession. "I didn't expect their real purpose was to lure us away, so they could find a chance to strike... Fortunately, you are safe and sound."
"To be able to plan to this point, taking into account the timing of my visit and the witches," Roland sighed, "This person is wasted as an assassin."
Barov immediately knelt on one knee to the prince. "Your Highness, I really didn't know he was—"
"Get up, you've said that already, and I don't like to impose guilt," he interrupted. "But you are also at fault. There were flaws in the castle's employment and perimeter defense. This is your dereliction of duty."
"I..." Barov opened his mouth, and finally lowered his head. "I am guilty."
"Investigate his identity and background thoroughly. I want to know the results now."
"Yes, Your Highness!"
After the eldest son of the Honeysuckle family left, Nightingale asked her inner worries, "What exactly happened at that time?"
"It was a close call," Roland smiled. "Thanks to Sylvie's warning... But then again, he was already at a disadvantage by choosing to attack in the conference hall."
After listening to the prince's account, she understood what happened during the assassination—but in fact, it wasn't as easy as he said. Although weapons were not allowed in the hall, the enemy had hidden a short dagger in his clothes. Plus, he was indeed a castle guard, so no one searched him, and he was allowed to enter the hall directly.
If there was any mistake the assassin made, it was carrying the God's Punishment Stone. It was normal for the guards patrolling the perimeter to wear God's Stone, but it was particularly conspicuous in the hall—in order not to interfere with Sylvie's observation, all the participating nobles were required to remove their God's Stone ornaments. The sudden appearance of the black void made Sylvie notice him immediately. When he walked towards His Highness the Prince, Sylvie immediately issued a warning.
Although Roland described the next scene lightly, Nightingale still felt a cold sweat all over her body. The hall was about twenty meters long and wide. It only took a few breaths from the time the enemy heard the warning to the time he ran and approached the head seat of the long table. Just as His Highness drew his revolver, and released the safety, the dagger had already stabbed him. The hit was on the lower back. Nightingale, who had undergone assassination training, naturally knew that the waist was extremely difficult to defend compared to the chest and head, which were subconsciously guarded against. Once injured, the severe pain could immediately cause the target to lose the ability to resist, and the next step would probably be to cut the blood vessels in the neck.
Fortunately, His Highness Roland was wearing Soraya's specially made protective clothing. The dagger failed to penetrate the coating, nor could it stop his next move. The gun was fired almost against the assassin's body, and the huge roar threw the scene into chaos. Two twelve-millimeter bullets directly took the enemy's life.
Nightingale knew how dangerous this process was. What if His Highness hadn't opened the safety in a panic, what if the gun hadn't fired smoothly? The consequences were unimaginable... She turned her head and glared at Lightning. The little girl immediately drooped her head, looking honestly admitting her mistake.
"Your Highness, it has been found out," Barov walked into the hall again. "His name is Sio, not a native of the Western Territory, and was once a castle guard of Duke Ryan."
"Duke Ryan?" Roland frowned. "Why did you choose such a person to be a guard?"
"He was just an ordinary guard. At that time, every family lost a lot of manpower, so I chose those who had little relationship with the duke. This has always been the practice of the fortress..." Barov said cautiously, "I don't think it's likely that he carried out this assassination to avenge the Duke."
He wasn't lying, Nightingale thought. After a great nobleman fell, except for those subordinates who had been granted territories and titles, the rest were resources that could be divided up by other nobles in the eyes of others. And for those being divided, it was equivalent to changing masters. Because Honeysuckle had surrendered to His Highness Roland very early, and the fortress had always been managed by Barov on his behalf, this part of the people had not been vetted.
"How many people like this are there?" Roland asked, "Did you also use people from the Wild Rose, Maple Leaf, and Running Wolf families?"
"There are only three or four on the perimeter of the castle," Barov nodded. "The servants, serfs, and farmers of the other three families have been assigned to the Honeysuckle and Elk families. I guarantee they will not appear inside the fortress."
"Okay, I won't care about those people, but in the castle area, even the guards on the perimeter must be selected from your family, understand? As for the guards inside the castle, I will arrange it myself."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Also, seal off Sio's residence. I will find out the real reason for his assassination." Roland looked at Lightning, "Notify Maggie and have her bring Earl Sperl to Longsong."(。)