Chapter 26: Hefty Bounty, Furious Count Rock Lion

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Hefty Bounty, Furious Count Rock Lion

Including Kario Knight, whom he had killed earlier, a total of five High Tier Knights from the Beluns Clan had died at Roy’s hands tonight.

As for Initial and Middle Tier Knights, their numbers added up to over a dozen.

Although tonight’s reconnaissance mission had failed, it wasn’t a complete loss.

If nothing else, he had significantly weakened Rock Lion Castle’s defenses.

After seeing Roy cut down the four High Tier Knights besieging him like a god of slaughter, the woman in black frowned, watching him with a displeased expression.

’What’s wrong with this woman!’

Roy scoffed inwardly at her.

After that, he paid the woman in black no further mind, turning and heading for Redwood City.

The woman in black lingered, glancing at the bodies of the four High Tier Knights before hurrying toward the forest behind Rock Lion Castle.

With the agility of a Peak Knight, she quickly reached the forest directly behind Rock Lion Castle. There, she entered a cavern hidden beneath a massive boulder.

The cavern wasn’t very large, only about twenty square meters.

After entering, the woman in black went to the right side of the entrance and cleared away the dry grass on the ground.

Once the grass was cleared away, a square metal manhole cover appeared before her.

Without any hesitation, the woman in black immediately lifted the cover and entered the secret passage beneath it.

After replacing the cover, she moved quickly through the dark, unlit secret passage, which was just over a meter wide and two meters high.

「A few minutes later.」

A storage room in the basement of Rock Lion Castle’s main keep.

A seemingly unremarkable wall was suddenly pushed open from the inside, revealing a hidden door.

Once the secret door opened, the woman in black stepped out of the passage.

Closing the secret door, she left the storage room without hesitation.

After sneaking through the main keep on tiptoe like a thief for some time, she finally returned to her bedroom.

With no time for reflection, she pulled the black cloth from her face.

Freed from the cloth’s concealment, her delicate and enchanting oval face was revealed.

If Roy were still there, he would have guessed her true identity the moment he saw her face.

The eldest daughter of Count Rock Lion!

Catherine Belons!

After removing the black cloth, Catherine quickly shed her black clothes and changed into an exquisite white nightgown.

After hiding her black clothes and Cross Sword, she feigned the appearance of someone woken from a deep sleep. She threw on a robe, opened her bedroom door, and said to the High Tier Knight at the door with a displeased expression, "What’s going on outside? Why is it so noisy?"

"Two assassins have infiltrated the castle."

"Rest assured, milady. Young Master Jeremy has already taken Knight Medel and Knight Wagner to hunt down the assassins. I trust they will be captured soon."

The older, middle-aged knight replied quickly.

The Knight Medel and Knight Wagner he mentioned were none other than two of the Beluns Clan’s four Peak Knights.

"Was anyone injured?"

Catherine continued to ask.

"Yes, but the specific casualty details are still unclear."

The middle-aged knight replied.

Catherine said nothing more, closing her door. She walked to her bedroom window and gazed toward Redwood City, her brow furrowed as a thought surfaced in her mind.

’Is he the Dark Night Knight?’

’Is he a member of the organization, too?’

’Should I go to the tavern tomorrow and ask Sandru to confirm?’

After some thought, Catherine ultimately dismissed the idea of seeking out Sandru.

...

Cuckoo Inn.

After returning to his inn room, Roy first changed out of his black clothes, tossing them and the Ghoul’s Fang into Chaos Square.

Then, he sat down and began to think.

’Is that woman also a Bounty Hunter?’

’Was she after Jeremy?’

’Could it be that Jeremy harmed her sisters and friends, too?’

At this point, he still didn’t know the woman in black was Catherine, so he could only speculate based on the information he had.

After pondering for a moment, he stopped wasting mental energy speculating about the woman’s identity. With a thought, he entered Chaos Square and began his Cultivation of the Purgatory Dragon Meditation Method.

...

Rock Lion Castle.

The study on the fifth floor.

Having returned empty-handed, Jeremy came to the study alone.

"Where are the assassins?"

Count Rock Lion, sitting in a high-backed chair, looked up at Jeremy and asked.

"They escaped."

"I’ve sent Knight Medel and Knight Wagner with the Knights skilled in tracking to continue the pursuit..."

Here, Jeremy paused for a moment before continuing, "Father, I suspect that the Peak Knight who uses a dagger is the Dark Night Knight."

"There aren’t many Peak Knights in Yorkshire, and he’s the only one whose Fighting Qi is white."

Count Rock Lion said nothing, rising and walking to the window.

After a few seconds, he finally spoke. "Then why do you think he came to Rock Lion Castle?"

Uh...

Jeremy fell silent, trying to figure out how to answer Count Rock Lion.

Before he could think of a response, Count Rock Lion’s voice rang out again.

"He came to kill you!"

"A few days ago, John Compton secretly came to Redwood City and went to the ’Blood and Flames’ tavern, a place he frequents."

"He’s been searching for an Excellent Level Breathing Technique, and the Compton Clan’s Iron Claw Bear Breathing Technique just so happens to be an Excellent Level Bloodline Breathing Technique."

Having said this, Count Rock Lion turned, walked up to Jeremy, and stared at him with an icy expression.

Jeremy swallowed nervously and said quickly, "I’ll take some men to Redwo—"

SLAP!

Before Jeremy could finish his sentence, Count Rock Lion struck him hard across the face.

"What’s the use of going now? Do you think he’s going to be stupid enough to wait in Redwood City for you to catch him?"

"Do you have any idea how many Official Knights he killed tonight?"

"Eighteen!"

"And five of them were High Tier Knights!"

"Because you couldn’t control your lust and raped Chris Compton, eighteen Official Knights died tonight because of you!"

"I was absolutely confident I could have made him join the Beluns Clan, to become the first Great Knight under my command!"

"Now, to preserve the dignity of the Beluns Clan, I have no choice but to kill him!"

"Your one moment of lust cost the clan a potential Great Knight and eighteen Official Knights!"

"You should be thankful you’re my eldest son. Otherwise, I would snap your neck with my own hands right now!"

Jeremy clutched his stinging cheek, not daring to say a word as he looked at the furious Count Rock Lion with a terrified expression.

...

「The next morning.」

Roy, dressed in his Silver-White Armor, came down to the inn’s first-floor hall and ordered breakfast.

After finishing breakfast, he mounted his white Warhorse and left.

He didn’t immediately leave the city to return to the Ice Wolf Domain. Instead, he visited several blacksmiths and tailor shops, purchasing the necessary tools and raw materials to practice his Forging and tailoring skills.

Additionally, to maintain his original persona, he also paid a visit to a bookstore and bought some books.

The items he bought from the blacksmith and tailor shops were stored in Chaos Square.

As for the newly purchased books, he placed them in a bag and tied it to his saddle.

Once that was done, he rode his white Warhorse unhurriedly toward the city gate.

As soon as he reached the gate, he noticed there were more Official Knights and soldiers stationed there than before, strictly inspecting everyone entering or leaving the city.

Not only that, but a large bounty notice was posted on the board by the gate.

To be precise, it was a large bounty for the Dark Night Knight.

Capture the Dark Night Knight alive for 2,000 Gold Coins!

Kill the Dark Night Knight for 1,500 Gold Coins!

Provide accurate information on his whereabouts for 100 Gold Coins!

Roy sat on his horse, calmly looking at the high-value bounty on the notice board.

Although he had used a disguise last night, deliberately wielding the Ghoul’s Fang instead of his ruby-inlaid Fine Steel Cross Sword, that level of disguise wasn’t enough to fool Count Rock Lion.

It would have been fine if he hadn’t made a move. But once he did, Count Rock Lion could use the two key traits—a Peak Knight with White Fighting Qi—to connect him to the Dark Night Knight.

After a glance at the bounty, Roy rode his white Warhorse to the city gate and, like the other pedestrians, submitted to the seemingly strict but ultimately meaningless inspection.

Never mind that the Official Knights and soldiers at the gate had no chance of discovering he was the Dark Night Knight; even if they did, they didn’t have the power to capture him.

...