Chapter 75: Chapter 75: Preparing Countermeasures
Darkness had fallen, but things were just getting busy on Duane’s end.
The information from Monbodt, combined with Julian’s report after returning from his investigation, confirmed one thing.
Bard had not been lying.
Back when the Broken Wave Gang was still based in Broken Wave City, a string of disappearances had indeed occurred.
Many people on Black Forest Island knew about it.
When Daniels broke away from the Broken Wave Gang to establish the Holy Hand Association, Bard had accused him of using cruel methods and called him a murderer.
But at the time, Daniels had saved many lives. A lot of people on the island saw him as a famous physician. Without him even needing to say a word, many assumed Bard was slandering him.
Furthermore, the disappearances later stopped, so no one pursued the matter any further.
In the study, burning candles cast the shadows of Duane and the few others onto the walls.
"From the looks of it, there’s a good chance Daniels has done something like this."
Duane let out a long sigh, relieving the pressure in his chest.
What he most wanted to do now was lead his men into Daniels’s castle and see if the rear fortress truly held some dark secret.
"My Lord, what are your plans?" Raymond asked.
Julian, Ralph, and the others were also in the room.
As for Kaelon, he had been vomiting nonstop and was in bad shape, so Duane had sent him home to rest and recover.
"Don’t speak of this to anyone. We can’t risk alerting Daniels. As for what to do next..."
Duane fell into thought.
Previously, he had considered allowing the Broken Wave Gang and the Holy Hand Association to continue existing, letting them guard the eastern territory against Demon Beast invasions.
He would also have them help mine and maintain the iron ore deposits and fell oak trees, saving him the investment in those areas.
But Daniels’s situation forced him to change his plans.
This demonic behavior had to be dealt with as soon as possible.
Otherwise, not only would more of his innocent subjects be harmed, but it could even lead to an unforeseeable disaster.
After all, these methods were bizarre. Despite his excellent education, Duane had never heard of anything like it. So where could Daniels have learned this technique?
’Could he have figured it out on his own?’
"Daniels lives in a castle. Although its walls aren’t as sturdy as a noble’s, they still make it much harder for us to get inside."
Duane mused, beginning to consider how to deal with the Holy Hand Association.
"To capture him with minimal losses, the most effective method is to lure him or his subordinates out of the castle."
"You’re absolutely right!"
Raymond strongly approved. "Even if Daniels himself doesn’t come out, if we can first take control of powerful warriors like Simone or Uleir, he’ll be much easier to deal with, even with his castle defenses."
Duane nodded. "Then the key is what pretext we can use to lure them out."
A duel? That’s been done before.
A banquet? Same thing.
’We’d best think of another way.’
After a moment, Julian suggested, "My Lord, Ralph and I were recently thinking of checking the scale of the iron mine and getting specific information on its excavation. Perhaps you could use that as a pretext."
Duane’s eyes lit up.
’Inspecting the iron mine... that’s a good reason.’
"Yes, we could have both the Broken Wave Gang and the Holy Hand Association send men to accompany us."
’After all, Bard just said he was ready to help at any time.’
’That’s perfect. When the time comes, I’ll have the Broken Wave Gang make the first move and take down the men from the Holy Hand Association.’
’At the same time, to ensure the Holy Hand Association sends as many people as possible, it would be best if I went along as well.’
’After all, with the Baron present, even if Daniels himself doesn’t come, he’ll have to send core members like Kalina or Simone to attend.’
The only problem was that the iron mine was located near the Hot Spring Mountain Range.
If Duane went there, he would essentially have no escape route.
If this was all an act, with Bard and Daniels deliberately luring him into a trap, he would be in deep trouble.
Then, not only would the Broken Wave Gang not help him, they might even join forces with the Holy Hand Association to kill him in the mountains. That would be a catastrophic mistake.
After all, Pioneer Lords had died in the mountains in years past. The official records stated they were killed by Demon Beasts, their bodies never found.
But who really knew what happened?
Therefore, using an inspection of the iron mine as a pretext was definitely risky.
"Kaelon still needs ten to fifteen days to recover. Before then, we can still think of other solutions."
Duane said, "During this time, Raymond, you need to properly oversee the militia’s training. Also, you have experience with siege drills from your time in the army. Put that experience to use with the Guards."
"Yes, sir!"
Raymond knew the Baron was likely preparing to move against the Holy Hand Association.
"Ralph, I want you to take some men and bring out all the Cloth Armor and Light Armor from the warehouse. You can reward the militiamen who perform well with a set."
"In addition, both the Holy Hand Association and the Broken Wave Gang have submitted a good amount of iron ore and wrought iron. Yanger needs to get moving on his end as well."
Duane had recruited the blacksmith, Yanger, when he first came to Black Forest Island.
Over the past half-month or so, a simple Blacksmith Shop had already begun to take shape.
Now that they had materials, it was time for Yanger to start forging weapons and Armor.
This kind of work takes time and must be prepared in advance. Otherwise, if you need them on short notice, they can’t be produced in a day or two.
"Of course, my Lord."
Ralph felt anxious again. He had thought they would have a longer period of peace, but now the situation had changed.
However, more than his anxiety, he wanted to uncover Daniels’s true nature as soon as possible.
If he was truly a Demon, living in the same place as someone like that was a disaster waiting to happen.
He didn’t want his own family members to disappear for no reason, only to be turned into Magic Potions.
After the plans were laid out, Raymond offered a suggestion:
"My Lord, I noticed Bard’s attitude has changed significantly today. Perhaps you could try to recruit him."
They had initially tried to recruit Simone as well.
But with Daniels now under suspicion, it was hard to say what kind of character Simone possessed.
’If he’s a cannibal like Daniels, then even if he comes from a family of Knights, I won’t forgive him.’
"That will depend on Bard’s performance."
Duane said, "Didn’t Bard say he was at my beck and call? If we really move against the Holy Hand Association, we’ll have him lead the charge."
’To be honest, if Bard could truly swear fealty to me, having two Earth Tier Warriors would make developing Black Forest Island significantly easier.’
At this, Julian recalled something.
"My Lord, there is something I feel I must report to you."
Duane looked at him. "Go on."
"Monbodt has a son named Broo. I’ve observed that he’s been getting very close to Yanger’s son, Colin, lately."
Julian added, "Also, yesterday while I was surveying the fields near the fork in the road, I happened to see Broo heading in the direction of Forest Village."
"Oh?"
Duane was somewhat surprised.
Monbodt had been very compliant recently. He hadn’t resisted at all, whether it was when Duane took his fields or requisitioned his horses without payment.
’But what was his son, Broo, doing going to Forest Village?’
"As I recall, Monbodt has no business in Forest Village, does he?"
Julian replied, "According to his own statements, that’s correct."
Duane glanced at Raymond.
The latter understood immediately. "Starting tomorrow, I’ll have someone keep a covert eye on Broo."
Duane cautioned, "Just watch him. Report anything you find to me first. Make sure your men don’t act on their own without my orders."
"Yes, sir!"
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