“......”
Ahwin cast a disapproving glance at Giselle, his expression practically shouting, Why are you suddenly butting into the conversation?
Giselle bit her lips and gestured towards Penelope with her eyes. Ahwin, realizing something belatedly, responded to Giselle’s silent remark.
“Ah, well, do as you like. Just let me know if you get too tired.”
“No need. Just because I’ve been in a carriage for a while doesn’t mean I need a potion.”
Penelope quickly waved her hand dismissively. She had no intention of wasting such a ridiculous amount of money on something so trivial. To Penelope, using a potion for minor fatigue felt as wasteful as throwing away a yogurt without licking the lid first.
Giselle’s expression deflated slightly, as though she had been doused with cold water.
Penelope opened her mouth to change the topic.
“By the way, the roads are really rough. It seems we’ll need to pave them all the way to the Grand Duchy. Lucas, what’s your opinion? How much do you think it will cost?”
“For a large-scale construction project like this, I’d need to run calculations, but I suspect it would require a considerable sum. Perhaps half of Halo’s annual budget.”
“If we improve the road up to Pellar, the number of visitors to Halo would likely increase several times over.”
“Undoubtedly, we’d see a significant rise in settlers as well.”
This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.
Lucas, apparently envisioning the potential development, spoke with a sparkle in his eyes. Penelope nodded thoughtfully.
“I’ll have to discuss this with Lord Lianel.”
“With the Chief Administrator? Would the Chief Administrator of Pellar even have the authority to decide on such matters? This sounds like something that would require approval from His Grace, the Grand Duke.”
“Well... Lord Lianel could pass on the proposal to His Grace, couldn’t he?”
“That’s possible. I’ll make sure to explain it thoroughly.”
Lucas replied with enthusiasm. Penelope chuckled lightly and nodded. While water was water and mountains were mountains, it wasn’t like she could outright state that Lianel was actually the Grand Duke.
As her thoughts flowed smoothly, Penelope suddenly froze.
What if the Grand Duke is invited to the imperial banquet? What will happen then? Will his identity be exposed this time?
Penelope wrestled with the thought. She couldn’t predict how Lianel would react if her secret came to light. Would he continue treating her as he had been, or...
It was at that moment that Ahwin’s voice broke into her reverie.
“Hold on to your seat.”
“What?”
At that instant, voices of the knights shouting from outside reached her ears.
“An attack!”
“Be careful!”
Before Penelope could fully process what they were saying, the carriage came to an abrupt halt, jerking her body forward.
Ahwin caught her mid-motion with a flicker of magic, gently lifting her into the air before setting her back down.
Wide-eyed, Penelope stared at Ahwin in disbelief.
“Ahwin? What do you mean by ‘attack’?”
“Not us. Them.”
Ahwin gestured towards the window, and Penelope’s stomach sank.
Masked figures, their faces obscured by dark coverings, were swarming toward the carriage carrying Lianel.
Assassins.
Boom!
A deafening explosion ripped through the air, obliterating one of the attackers’ upper bodies in an instant.
Penelope muttered, her face pale with shock, “What... what was that...?”
The next moment, the door to Lianel’s carriage swung open. Lianel stepped out unhurriedly, holding a weapon that resembled a long shotgun.
It was a mana rifle, etched with intricate magical circuits. Such artifacts were reserved only for those capable of mastering aura manipulation. It didn’t require physical ammunition; instead, the user’s aura condensed into bullets and fired.
If Lianel had chosen to wield a sword, he would undoubtedly have been hailed as a Swordmaster.
Raising the mana rifle, Lianel swiftly aimed at his next target.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The explosion echoed once more, and yet another assassin’s body was obliterated beyond recognition. In the blink of an eye, four assassins had been erased from existence.
“How unnecessarily flashy,” Ahwin grumbled, thickening the barrier surrounding the carriage. This was why the assassins couldn’t even approach Penelope’s carriage.
To their eyes, her carriage didn’t exist at all.
In the span of a single moment, Ahwin had layered three types of magic over the carriage: physical resistance, invisibility, and magical resistance.
Now, he crossed his legs leisurely, watching the scene unfold through the window.
Lianel drew two short mana rifles from his waist—blunderbusses designed for close combat. The longer muskets, while powerful, were too cumbersome for dealing with the nearby assassins.
Bang! Bang-bang! Bang!
The explosions were less thunderous than before, and the assassins’ heads were blown clean off. Though the shorter barrels reduced the force of the shots, the scene was still enough to leave Penelope’s jaw hanging open in shock.
“Unbelievable...”
Lucas gaped, staring out the window in astonishment. Giselle clung to his back, trembling violently.
Penelope couldn’t deny it now: the “Grand Duke” in front of her truly was the cold-blooded predator described in the original story.
With calculated precision, Lianel shot the last surviving assassin, taking off their left shoulder. He then shoved a wad of fabric into their mouth to prevent them from biting down on poison to end their life.
Turning to one of his knights, Lianel gave a calm command.
“Find out who’s behind this before they bleed out.”
“Yes, sir!”
The knight replied crisply, saluting before stepping away.
Lianel holstered the twin mana rifles back at his waist and began walking toward Penelope’s carriage with unhurried steps.
Penelope felt a chill run down her spine.
There wasn’t a trace of the ruthlessness he had displayed moments ago in his expression. If it weren’t for the faint crimson splatter on his cheek, one might have assumed he was merely coming to greet her.
Lianel stopped in front of the carriage, raised a hand to his forehead, and glanced around.
Then, as if speaking to the air, he asked, “Are you here somewhere?”
Lucas turned to Ahwin with an expression of utter disbelief.
“Does... does he not know we’re here?”
“Ah, there you are,” Lianel said, seemingly addressing thin air. “My apologies for the inconvenience. The assassins have been dealt with, so you can rest easy now.”
Clicking his tongue in irritation, Ahwin waved his hand and dispelled the invisibility magic on the carriage. As the previously invisible vehicle reappeared before Lianel’s eyes, the knights guarding it exchanged bewildered glances. The attack had ended before they even had the chance to react.
Ahwin quipped, “Is the circus over now?”
Lianel let out a soft chuckle. “Something like that.”
“What went wrong for them to come after you here?”
“They must’ve caught wind of my absence and waited for me on the road to Pellar. Judging by their tactics, they’re likely small fry looking for easy coin. Not worth worrying about.”
“Being this noisy should count as an illness,” Ahwin muttered.
“Why, thank you for the compliment.”
Placing a hand on his chest, Lianel offered a graceful bow.
Ahwin scowled, as though physically repelled by the gesture, before abruptly turning to Penelope. She flinched.
“Let’s get moving.”
“Ah, yes!”
Penelope signaled to the knight atop the carriage, who passed the order to the coachman. With a jolt, the carriage began moving again, followed shortly by Lianel’s own vehicle.
Good grief... Penelope took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. Inside the carriage, everyone wore pale, shell-shocked expressions, and no one dared to speak for a long time.
It was only much later that Penelope managed to regain her composure.
She remembered that in the original story, assassins targeting Lianel were a common occurrence.
When I read about him taking out assassins with his mana rifle, I thought it was so cool, she mused. But seeing it happen in real life... it’s absolutely terrifying.
The forces vying for the Grand Duke’s life were none other than his extended family and half-sibling. His ambitious half-brother had allied with the branch family, waiting for the perfect opportunity to seize power. A dysfunctional family, to say the least.
When I think about it like that, it almost feels pitiful... No, actually, my own family isn’t much better.
After all, if Daniel or Fiora had the resources, they wouldn’t hesitate to send assassins en masse. The thought left Penelope feeling despondent.
“That shook you, huh?” Ahwin remarked, breaking the silence. “Well, I suppose it was a bit shocking. That guy may look like a polished noble on the outside, but inside, he’s a monster.”
“A monster? I wouldn’t go that far.”
“What’s this now?” Ahwin’s expression turned to one of exaggerated disappointment.
At that moment, Lucas spoke up, his face somber.
“Ahwin... Is Lord Lianel truly the Chief Administrator of Pellar?”
Ahwin remained silent, staring idly out the window. Clearly, he had no intention of revealing Lianel’s true identity.
With a wry smile, Lucas muttered, “It seems we’ve stumbled into a far more dangerous journey than we initially thought.”
You’re only realizing that now? Penelope stifled a sigh.