Chapter 63: Both Sides of the Supply

When Kaister and his men arrived, the battle had long ended. Although as guards they should have appeared to protect their master as soon as the fight began, Kaister had deliberately slowed down after receiving Julian’s subtle hint. When the loud noise occurred, he didn’t immediately rush into the room to protect his master. Instead, Kaister ordered his subordinates to seal off the nearby roads to prevent others from barging in recklessly. Only when Julian’s whistle sounded did Kaister “pretend” to rush into his room with a group of people—of course, Della had already vanished, leaving only a pile of pitiful corpses. This didn’t sadden Della, as assassins were high-risk consumables to begin with, and it was quite normal for a few to die. From his perspective, the fewer competitors, the more valued he would be by the family. Della wasn’t a fool; how could he not know what his subordinates thought of him? Many of them wanted to replace him, so taking this opportunity to eliminate these idiots was the best choice.

“My lord, are you alright?” Kaister, holding his sword, stood in front of Julian, vigilantly watching the surroundings, completely embodying the image of an excellent guard willing to sacrifice his life to protect his master.

If one didn’t consider the timing of their entry.

“Of course we’re fine,” Julian raised an eyebrow, interrupting Kaister’s inquiry.

“How’s the situation on your end?”

“Our brothers have blocked those people in the inn, but I think after such an incident, the guard patrol soldiers will be here soon,” seeing that only their own people were present, Kaister no longer pretended and quickly reported to Julian.

“That doesn’t matter,” Julian waved his hand, then looked through the hole in the wall at the unconscious young Zach master.

“Take your men and move these guys to your rooms for strict supervision. I’ll handle the guard patrol. As for these corpses… examine them carefully.”

“Yes,” hearing Julian’s order, Kaister immediately turned and made a few gestures. Observing all this, Kaister’s subordinates showed a hint of confusion. Earlier, some of them had already noticed that the relationship between their captain and this young nobleman seemed somewhat unusual. They were clearly from the Bird Family, was it really okay to follow orders from someone not of their family like this?

Of course, they hadn’t imagined that Kaister had already decided to abandon the Bird Family. Although they still had some questions in their minds, only Kaister knew the original purpose of coming to Twilight Forest, so they didn’t find this change too abnormal. So after giving their captain a few strange looks, everyone quickly began to carry out Kaister’s orders. They took the unconscious Zach Family attendants and young master to their rooms, while others were responsible for dealing with the corpses, collecting clues to determine their identities.

At this time, faint sounds of commotion began to rise in the inn.

“We should go check the situation outside,” Julian listened to the situation outside for a moment, then smiled slightly and extended his hand to Ophariel in invitation.

“Well then, Miss Ophariel, shall we go? If we’re quick, we might still catch some sleep.”

Looking at Julian’s outstretched right hand, Ophariel felt both annoyed and amused. Frankly speaking, the danger she encountered was no less than Julian’s. Although she had been warned by Julian beforehand, Ophariel was after all a powerless girl with no combat experience. How could she compare to those experienced assassins? Of course, Della sending assassins to Ophariel’s room wasn’t intended to kill her. After all, having a royal family member die in Zach Family territory wouldn’t be good for anyone. In Della’s plan, if anything went wrong, they would use Ophariel as a hostage to create an opportunity to act.

During the previous battle, after Della failed, the assassin in the next room heard his scream and immediately pounced on the unprepared Ophariel. But just as he reached Ophariel, before he could begin his action, his body was pierced by another dagger thrown by Julian, ending his life.

For the princess, this was certainly a rare memory. In an originally empty room, a black-clad man suddenly jumped out and pounced towards her, then fell straight down and became a corpse. Such an experience wasn’t something one could encounter just anywhere at any time. It was precisely because of this that Ophariel screamed in shock. Although everything turned out fine in the end, Ophariel still didn’t know what to say about the fright she had received.

But now was clearly not the time to complain to Julian. So faced with Julian’s outstretched right hand, Ophariel hesitated for a moment, then shook her head with a bitter smile and reached out her hand.

“I hope we can have a peaceful night from now on, Lord.”

“Of course, Miss Ophariel.”

While Julian and Ophariel went to deal with the aftermath of the commotion, Della was kneeling before a man dressed in noble attire, his face ashen, gritting his teeth.

“Useless,” a low, angry shout rang out, echoing in the dim room, bringing an unsettling reverberation.

“Didn’t I tell you not to provoke that high-rank swordsman, just kill our target? Look what you’ve done. Seven people from the Shadow Killer squad, and only you returned. Is this how you work for me?”

“It’s all my responsibility, my lord,” Della lowered his head, gritting his teeth.

“I’m willing to accept any punishment.”

“What’s the use of saying this now?” The man waved his hand irritably in response to Della’s words.

“You didn’t expose our identities, did you?”

“Of course not, my lord. We didn’t wear family emblems, and we had already prepared our weapons and clothing. Even if the guard patrol investigates, they definitely won’t suspect us.”

“That’s good,” hearing this, the man’s voice softened slightly. He wasn’t an unreasonable person. Although Della’s rash actions had cost them quite a few men, he was after all an experienced elite assassin. Especially now, when he didn’t have helpers as skilled as Della by his side. So even though he wanted to kill him to silence him, given the current situation, it wasn’t feasible.

“Alright, you may go,” thinking of this, the man’s eyes flickered, and he waved his hand, signaling Della to leave. But Della didn’t leave quickly as he had imagined. Instead, he remained half-kneeling on the ground.

“My lord, I have something else to say.”

“Oh?” Hearing this, the man’s eyes lit up. He wasn’t a generous master, and Della should have understood this long ago. Now that he hadn’t pursued his responsibility, Della should have left immediately, waiting until he had calmed down before speaking again. But now, right after his mission had failed, he had something else to say? Could he have discovered some important information?

“It’s about that high-rank swordsman,” Della paused here before continuing.

“To be honest… I was no match for that high-rank swordsman at all. Although he’s still very young, his strength is far beyond my expectations. Frankly, I didn’t escape back here on my own, but was allowed to return by that gentleman. He wants me to tell you… he has safely delivered the goods to the destination. If you want this batch of goods, you should personally negotiate with him… Otherwise, he’ll seek new clients.”

“Oh?” Hearing this, the man was truly surprised.

“He really said that?”

“Word for word,” hearing Della’s affirmative answer, the man frowned, sinking into deep thought. If Della was indeed released by the other party, then this message could be true. But what did it mean? Wasn’t he protecting the young Zach master back to the family? Why would he want to make some deal with him? Was it to lure the snake out of its hole? To find and eliminate all the faction members within the family who were harming the young Zach master in one fell swoop? That possibility couldn’t be ruled out. From the fact that he entered Roya City but didn’t immediately send the young Zach master back to the family, it was clear that this high-rank swordsman’s stance wasn’t simple. Deliberately staying at an inn close to the commoner district was obviously using the young master as bait to lure something out. However… his message was also somewhat puzzling. If one only listened to this message, it seemed that the young high-rank swordsman didn’t treat the young Zach master as a person who must be protected, but as goods that must be protected?

Wait, if that’s really the case, then his previous judgment was completely wrong. When they entered the city, the man subconsciously thought that Julian was protecting the young Zach master back to the family to eliminate potential opposition enemies like themselves. But now it seems, the reason he’s protecting the young Zach master back to the city is to raise the price in front of everyone in the Zach Family? Whether it’s those who want to protect the family bloodline or those who want to kill this heir, whichever side offers a higher price, he’ll hand over the young Zach master to that side?

Thinking of this, the man couldn’t help but feel a chill. If that young man really had such thoughts, what would happen? It’s worth noting that he’s now in the central area of the Zach Family. Whether to kill or protect that young master would offend one faction or the other… Looking at it this way, this high-rank swordsman isn’t just planning to maneuver between these two factions to gain benefits. He must also know that even if he hands over the young master to either side, there will be a family war afterwards. If the side he supports doesn’t achieve victory, then the Zach Family will become his enemy. He certainly won’t allow such a result to happen… Wait, this also means that he will definitely cooperate with the side that offers a higher price, helping them to unify the Zach Family. In other words, whether they want to kill or protect the young master, if they can only close this deal, they can obtain the assistance of that young nobleman.

The assistance of a high-rank swordsman.

Thinking of this, the man suddenly clenched his fists, becoming involuntarily excited. By the grace of the saints, this was a high-rank swordsman, an invaluable helper. It’s worth noting that although there are often struggles for succession within noble factions, conflicts of this level rarely attract the attention of high-rank swordsmen. It’s like a bunch of hooligans fighting in the street suddenly drawing the attention of the royal guard—it’s that exaggerated. If one side obtains the help of a high-rank swordsman, their victory is almost certain. What did that old geezer rely on to become the patriarch of the Zach Family? To suppress other forces within the Zach Family? Wasn’t it because he had a high-rank swordsman as an attendant?

Of course, given Julian’s status, it’s impossible for him to be an attendant. But if their faction could establish a good relationship with him, then in the upcoming struggle for family patriarch, they would be in an invincible position.

Of course, the risk isn’t zero. These are just his own deductions; no one knows Julian’s true intentions. If he really intends to stand on the side of protecting the young master, using this method to lure and kill potential enemies, then they will face unprecedented danger.

But now these dangers no longer need to be considered. If Julian really stands on that side, then their failure is just a matter of time. And if Julian’s actions are truly as he guesses, then at least they still have one chance to win him over.

If they don’t seize this opportunity, then they will truly fail completely.

“I will write a letter immediately for you to deliver to that respected gentleman,” thinking of this, the man no longer hesitated and quickly gave orders to Della.

“As he said, I will meet him personally. The time and place will be decided by him.”

This opportunity absolutely cannot be missed.