Chapter 425 Chapter426-Windwolf
"As long as Lilianne is in Red Eye's grasp, I can't break free from his control."
Harry wasn't surprised that Antalya knew he had leaned towards Red Eye, nor was he surprised that Antalya hadn't disclosed this fact, because their goals aligned.
To ensure Lilianne's safety, Harry's safety and status had to be secured.
"I want to meet those three knights," Antalya continued.
"You intend to warn them? Then let me give you some bad news: the meeting has already decided to conduct a comprehensive, covert search of Lorinda. Before negotiations begin, we aim to pin down Red Eye's whereabouts, set an ambush, and take out Red Eye during the negotiations."
"Then you'll slip up during the search, lure out those from Breeze City, and launch a surprise attack," Antalya finished the plan Harry had left unsaid.
"They're too confident in their own strength, honestly, they don't even match yours."
"This isn't normal, Harry," Antalya frowned.
"Why is Red Eye's power so formidable? It shouldn't be. If the Three Knights can't handle Red Eye, then why hasn't he attacked Breeze City? Even if worried about the siege from other cities, they've had ample time to leave."
Looking back at her several encounters with Red Eye, although he always initiated retreats from battles, Antalya also found it difficult to gain the upper hand.
A real showdown's outcome remained uncertain.
"Finally caught on, did you, obtuse woman? The answer to this problem is something you need to figure out on your own," Harry said with a cold laugh.
"Remember this term: 'Old Nobles.' It's Red Eye's biggest secret. Once you understand what that means, Red Eye will just be an old hound."
...
In the shadowy alleyway, the small half-orc ran with her head down.
She heard faint screams behind her, knew what they signified, but Howard had told her not to stop, so she didn't.
But then, a figure appeared in front of her.
It was Ali.
"Jelia!" Ali reached out to stop Jelia, gently tousled her hair and let go, asking, "What are you doing here? What happened to you, why did you leave your post? Is someone chasing you?"
Jelia stared blankly at Ali's face for a few seconds before reacting, pointing in the direction she had run from, "Howard! Howard is back there! I ran into Howard, and someone was following us! You have to help him."
This wasn't entirely true, at least not the part about Howard needing help.
But if she returned alone, Howard would undoubtedly scold her.
It seemed better to bring Ali back as a shield.
"Howard?" Ali froze.
Although no one had seen Howard's body, no one believed he could have survived a mana collapse of that magnitude.
Subsequent events seemed to confirm that grim assumption; Howard hadn't sent back any message.
With no sign of him, alive or dead...
Though he was only missing, everyone had given up hope that Howard was still alive.
But now, Jelia was telling her Howard was alive, that she had even seen him with her own eyes.
If it were anyone but Jelia, who would never jest about matters involving Howard, Ali might have suspected her of hallucinating.
Beyond that, there was an even more distasteful possibility: deception.
Patting Jelia's head, Ali stood up and started walking towards the other end of the alley.
"Stay here, I'll go back and see how Howard is doing now."
"I'm going with you!" Jelia clutched at Ali's garment, "It's not safe for me to stay here either. It's better to go with you."
Hesitating for a few seconds, Ali found Jelia's words reasonable and nodded in agreement, "Okay, but you must stay behind me, and promise me, if there's any danger, run without looking back!"
The little orc nodded repeatedly, though she didn't believe there would be any danger after Howard had intervened.
The alley wasn't long, and even though Ali moved cautiously to protect Jelia, it didn't take them long to return to the scene of the fight.
She covered Jelia's eyes with her hand.
"Did that Howard say anything to you when he told you to leave?"
"He told me to cover my ears, not to look back, and wait for him to find me," Jelia replied, her nose twitching uncomfortably as she detected a strong scent of blood.
"He made the right decision. You're better off not seeing this scene." Ali frowned, shielding Jelia behind her, surveying the surroundings.
"It looks like that Howard has already left... But this kind of method..." Her gaze settled on the shattered corpses.
Though her experience was limited, she could tell these men had been dismembered while still alive.
"These men were interrogated. It's unknown if Howard got any results."
To be honest, the scene before Ali only further solidified her suspicion that the Howard Jelia encountered might not be the original Howard.
It could be a disguise, or perhaps some sort of substitute.
While appearances can be mimicked, personality is much harder to fake.
She couldn't imagine the Howard she knew being so bruta.
Torture not only imposes a burden on the victim but also affects the torturer.
Without prolonged practice and adaptation, it's challenging to conduct an interrogation in such a short span.
"Jelia, did that Howard say anything else to you?"
Back on the street, Ali asked while holding Jelia's small hand.
Ali led Jelia away from the scene of the fight.
Such a scene, seen by anyone, would not be ignored; once entangled in this mess, it would be difficult to extricate oneself.
"Howard took my communication crystal; he might have already contacted Sister Antalya... Oh, and he said he had seen Sister Vivia already."
This was not good news for Ali; it meant that Howard might now have knowledge of Antalya's whereabouts.
If this "Howard" was an impostor and used this opportunity to set a trap for Antalya, the chances of her falling for it were too high!
If Antalya was compromised, they would lose any capacity to retaliate!
They must rendezvous with Antalya!
Ali halted her steps.
"Here's what we'll do, Jelia. You go back to the inn immediately, find Sister Vivia, and confirm Howard's whereabouts these past few days," Ali crouched in front of Jelia, adjusting her cap carefully to cover her beast ears, "I'll go find Sister Antalya now. If I don't return by evening, you have Sister Vivia take you all out of Lorinda."
Originally thought to be a simple entry-level mission, the situation has now progressively worsened.
Facing Red Eye, Ali truly experienced that feeling of coming face-to-face with death.
It's definitely not an experience worth reminiscing, yet it is these very experiences that clarified the meaning of being an adventurer to Ali.
To seek life in the face of death, to dance with the Grim Reaper, that is the norm in the life of an adventurer.
"Okay," Jelia nodded.
Although not fully understanding Ali's concerns, Jelia too wanted to know what Howard had gone through these past few days.
Vivia is not someone of simple mind; she wouldn't have given out such critical information regarding her location without confirming Howard's identity.
That implies Vivia must be aware of Howard's experiences over the days.
"Be careful on your way. Avoid eye contact with anyone and ignore anyone who tries to stop you," Ali patted Jelia's hair, signaling her to leave.
Jelia didn't linger; if Howard chose to stay hidden, then it was impossible for Jelia to find him.
Watching Jelia's figure disappear into the crowd, ensuring no one followed or noticed her, Ali turned and headed towards the prearranged rendezvous point.
The meeting spot had been set from the beginning—if there were any major changes to the plan, they would convene there directly.
Given the current situation, Antalya should have abandoned the plan and be waiting there.
This time, Ali was wrong again.
...
Howard did indeed meet the Three Knights from Breeze City, though not in the manner he had anticipated.
Clang— A short sword, a foot in length, landed in front of Howard.
Its blade and back formed a beautiful arc, reminding Howard of the marlins he had seen before.
Their silvery scales resembled the blade, and the straight yet slightly curved dorsal fin mirrored the arc of the sword's back.
"Speak, who are you?" A bearded, rugged face filled almost all of Howard's field of view.
The smile on the large face carried a hint of simplicity, its craggy features resembling those of a farmer.
Yet, it was this very man, the owner of the large face, who had subdued Howard with a speed beyond his ability to react just ten minutes ago.
He was the only level 3 magus among the Three Knights, one of the leaders of the Breeze City guard, known by the moniker "Windwolf" – Sorovo!
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