Chapter 416 - 196: Return to Blake City

Sean’s tone was calm, and the two words "get revenge" were delivered with utter nonchalance. But whether it was her imagination or not, Elise heard an irreconcilable hatred and killing intent within them.

"You were... also there at the time?" Elise asked tentatively.

"I guess so." Sean didn’t elaborate. He didn’t want to talk about this topic.

He still hadn’t recovered his strength and couldn’t confront the Pope himself to demand an explanation. The more they talked about it, the more frustrated he felt. It was better to joke and flirt like they had been before.

Elise sensed Sean’s mood and didn’t press further. She simply took his hand and comforted him, "Don’t worry. When Lord Blake returns, all those who destroyed our lives will pay the price."

Sean glanced at her but didn’t reply.

’He still felt like this woman was testing him.’

"Let’s go. Time to go back and sleep." Sean tossed the ID to Elise and walked out of the Dark Alley.

Elise followed him, a meaningful smile on her face. "Speaking of sleep, I seem to recall Mr. Writer booked a room with a king-sized bed, didn’t he?"

"It was the only kind of room they had left," Sean said.

Elise asked, "So how are we going to share this big bed?"

"You definitely don’t want to sleep on the couch."

"And I don’t want to either."

The implication was clear: if it was too difficult to divide the bed, they didn’t have to. She wouldn’t mind sharing it with Sean.

But then she heard Sean say, "Simple."

When they got back to the hotel, characters flowed from Sean’s palm, forming a golden Giant Sword, and he cleaved the bed in two.

"You take the left, I’ll take the right."

"I’ll put it back together tomorrow morning."

Elise: "?"

"I’m going to shower first," Sean said with a yawn.

Elise watched with a resentful gaze as Sean grabbed his bathrobe and disappeared into the bathroom.

’This guy is so completely clueless!’

The night passed without incident.

「The next day.」

The two of them had a free breakfast at the hotel, then headed to the airport.

The technology of security systems was constantly being updated and improved.

So was the technology for forging documents.

They passed the identity check smoothly and boarded a flight to Vernadu.

「Five hours later.」

The plane landed.

Sean and Elise hailed a cab and went straight to his former villa.

The garden was still overgrown with weeds that hadn’t been cleared in a long time.

As expected, the moment they stepped through the iron gate, two cold gun barrels were pressed against the backs of their heads.

Elise instinctively moved to fight back, but Sean stopped her with a look—there was no need to be afraid; this was standard procedure.

Sean raised his hands and said, "Don’t shoot, I’m one of you."

"Heh." The person behind them sneered. "Everyone who comes here says that."

"Cooperate and take out your ID."

"No need," Sean suggested. "You can take us directly to the dungeon."

The Guard was taken aback. ’Huh?’

’This kid’s pretty familiar with the routine, isn’t he?’

’Could he really be one of us?’

But despite his thoughts, he didn’t let his guard down. He called out to his men, "Alright. Put hoods on these two and take them back."

The dungeon looked just the same as before.

The only difference was that Sean had a companion this time.

As soon as the hoods were removed, he immediately said, "I want to see Lauden. He can verify my identity."

"You’re in no position to make demands," the Guard glared at him. "Who do you think Lord Lauden is? You think you can see him just by asking?"

Sean: "?"

’Lord Lauden?’

’I remember Lauden was just a captain.’

’How did he get promoted in just a few months?’

Sean was about to say that it wasn’t necessary to meet, that they just needed to announce his name, when another voice suddenly came from the side.

"What’s all the noise?" A man in a similar soldier’s uniform, but of higher rank, walked over.

The Guard immediately bowed and saluted. "Captain."

Then he pointed at Sean and Elise. "These two trespassed in the garden. We just brought them in. They claim to know Lord Lauden."

"Hah? Know Lord Lauden?" The captain scoffed.

Elise quietly complained to Sean, "Are your connections any good or not?"

’It’s bad enough being thrown in a dungeon like a prisoner, but now we’re getting mocked? Is this how a distinguished guest should be treated?’

But just as the words left her mouth, the captain’s laughter died on his lips.

Because he had gotten a clear look at Sean’s face.

The captain’s eyes widened. "Mr. Sean?"

Sean: "Hm?"

"You know me?"

"Of course I know you!"

The captain said with some excitement, "Have you forgotten? When you first came to Blake City, Captain Lauden and I were the ones who arrested you."

Sean: "..."

’If that’s how we know each other, I’d rather we didn’t.’

"Mr. Sean, please wait a moment. I’ll go tell the boss you’re back." The captain trotted out of the dungeon.

The two remaining Guards looked at each other in dismay.

’Oh crap, they really do know Lord Lauden, don’t they?’

The air grew still.

Until Sean suddenly spoke up, "Believe me now?"

This was directed at the two Guards, as well as at Elise.

’That woman actually dared to doubt him a moment ago.’

He huffed and lifted his chin.

Elise immediately got the hint and moved behind Sean to massage his shoulders, saying pitifully, "Oh, Mr. Sean, I was only joking. I wasn’t criticizing you just now, I was complaining about them. They have no idea how to treat a guest..."

With a single sentence, she directed the blame onto the two Guards.

The two Guards exchanged a look and, with a tacit understanding, burst into laughter.

"HAHAHA, what are you talking about? When did we ever not believe you?"

"Actually, the moment I saw you two, I knew you weren’t bad people."

"One so handsome, the other so beautiful—how could bad guys be this good-looking?"

"Exactly, exactly," the other Guard hastily agreed.

"We had no choice, we have to follow the rules. Mr. Sean has been here before, so he must understand our position, right?" As he spoke, he ran to a table to grab a teapot, washed two cups, opened the cell door, and said with a fawning smile, "Here, Mr. Sean, please have some tea."

Sean hummed lightly, picked up the cup for a small sip, then placed it back in the Guard’s hand and commented flatly, "Mediocre."

"Not as good as Mr. Gomez’s tea."

The two Guards were startled.

’He knows Mr. Gomez, too?’

This time, the smiles on their faces became even more sincere. They quickly said, "But of course."

"Mr. Gomez is a big shot. The tea we underlings drink can’t possibly compare to his. Our apologies, Mr. Sean."

Elise found Sean’s smug expression amusing.

’This guy... he’s actually kind of cute when he’s putting on an act.’

「Soon.」

A THUMP, THUMP, THUMP of hurried footsteps came from the stairs.

Lauden, who had been in his office reviewing documents, was both shocked and overjoyed to hear that Sean was back. He immediately dropped what he was doing and rushed over.

A Smell Crow was perched on his shoulder.

After confirming it was truly Sean and not someone in Disguise, Lauden pulled Sean into a huge hug and said emotionally, "My good brother, you’re not dead! This is great..."

Sean: "..."

Only then did he remember that he had left on a mission to assassinate the Saintess.

From anyone else’s perspective, his long absence most likely meant he had died a heroic death.

And Lauden had indeed thought Sean was dead.

Not just Sean, but also Eleanor, Tony, and Kave.

Their portraits were even on the list of missing persons.

Lauden had been certain he would never see Sean again. He thought the information Sean had given him before leaving was a final gift from a friend before his death. Because of this, Lauden had even bought a plot for Sean in Vernadu’s best cemetery, erected a tombstone, and would visit every month to leave flowers.

Sean: "..."

"Oh, thank you so much!"

"No."

Lauden said very seriously, "I’m the one who should be thanking you."

"If it weren’t for you, I might have been the one arresting you today."

Sean had guessed correctly. It was indeed Lauden who had secretly taken Kovri’s statue.

This was also why he had been "promoted."

Mr. Blake’s statue was practically a holy relic of the Holy Sanctuary. Its upright posture, having withstood the ravages of war, was seen as an extension of Mr. Blake’s own spirit. At the time, Mr. Gomez and the other leaders were thrilled. They not only gave Lauden a higher position but also a large amount of Cultivation resources. Lauden made sure to set a portion aside, thinking that if Sean ever came back, he would give it to him.

Back then, Sean hadn’t made any agreement with him on how to split the reward after the mission, but Lauden knew what was right.

Although he was fond of petty gains, he would never be ungrateful.

"Come on, I’ll take you to see what’s yours right now!"

...