The streets were empty deep into the night. The street lamps ignited through the last bit of the oil before being extinguished by a gust of north wind blowing. It was as if a curtain had suddenly pulled over the street, the engulfing darkness took over the land and flooded into the narrow space.
The wind-swirled-up snow that pelted against the people’s faces and the sensation of being cut by a knife made the people go mad. However, to the Second Lieutenant Tike Simon of the First Commando Battalion under the Battle Group of the Red Tiger Assault Division, this suffering was nothing; he was leading the nine soldiers under him to hide around the eaves at the street.
Around the target’s house, the Prince’s messenger, Second Lieutenant Wellington Steinberger, had temporarily taken up the post as the leader of the Sniper team. There were five archers under him, and all five of them disappeared around the rooftops surrounding the target’s house; all of the doors and windows in the house were under their control.
***************
Doramy crawled out from the snowy ground. The old chap evidently felt that his age was catching up to him. He was not like this before, and now even mild exercises could cause him to be so exhausted that he was close to fainting. The notorious King of Sins in the Westland threw himself headlong into the prince’s carriage; he was freezing cold and was shivering from head to toe.
"I have already gotten a feel of the front and back of the house. There should not be any escape routes or similar things."
Messier nodded, although this operation had much to do with his fate, he was not nervous in the slightest. He had experienced situations such as this countless times in the past. Weren’t they just breaking into a house to arrest someone? This was not a problem for a special operations officer.
The Baron alighted from the carriage; it was time to launch their assault.
***************
Following the plan, the Second Lieutenant Tike Simon entered the courtyard first and, once he was close to the house, he concealed himself beneath a window. Not long after, the nine soldiers infiltrated the courtyard one after another and concealed themselves at the corners of the house like the Second Lieutenant.
A soldier crouched down beside Tike and he, stepping on his shoulder, reached up higher and leaped up. He climbed on the eaves on the first floor like a lizard and, with just a simple somersault, jumped onto the second-floor balcony.
The room close to the balcony was still lit up, but this was not Tike’s target. Tike stepped onto the wooden railings of the balcony and leaped onto the roof. The accumulated snow on the roof inconvenienced the Commando, and he did not dare to make sudden movements in fear of slipping.
Another soldier had climbed up and Tike signaled to him. The soldier immediately took out a hooked cable and wound it tightly around the brick chimney. Tike climbed up the hook cable carefully and slowly edged towards a dark window.
The Second Lieutenant drew out a blade and, relying on the feeling transmitted through the blade, he quickly found the window latch. The blade released the latch silently and Tike entered the room. The room was indeed empty, and the Second Lieutenant heaved a sigh of relief. He shook the hook cable and the other soldier joined him.
Barron Messier sat on the snowy ground silently like a statue. When he saw the third soldier leap onto the roof, he whistled. The soldier on the roof did not use the hook cable. He used a few wooden planks to cover the chimney that was emitting smoke. Then, he stacked ice blocks onto the planks.
***************
At this moment, Second Lieutenant Tike, who had entered the house, was opening the door a small crack. The light of the burning candles in the hallway cast a reddish glow in the darkness. Tike extended a small mirror out the crack and maneuvered it around. He could immediately ascertain that the hallway was deserted!
***************
Once the chimney was covered up, smoke from the burning charcoal would immediately fill the room, causing one to drift into unconsciousness. Soon enough, there was a movement within the house! Tike heard heavy footsteps traveling down from the stairs. The Second Lieutenant signaled to the soldier behind him; they couldn’t make a single sound.
The person from the stairs did not enter the room the Narcissus Knights were hiding in as the person downstairs was urging him to hurry. They bellowed that the chimney was definitely blocked by the accumulated snow. The person upstairs swore and stomped back up the stairs; no one was willing to go onto the roof to fix the chimney in this kind of weather. The unfortunate chap pushed open the skylight of the roof and the freezing wind that penetrated his bones left him trembling violently. However, he quickly lost consciousness as the soldier on the roof had already been lying in wait for him.
***************
Messier watched the whole scene unfold with satisfaction. He lit a cigar gleefully. Although the sparks on the tobacco were faint, all the soldiers had seen it clearly!
***************
The flame was the signal! The soldier on the roof pushed the unconscious enemy off and a burly figure fell with a dull thump onto the snowy ground. Immediately, there was an uproar in the house and after a brief commotion, people flooded out. These people must have thought that their companion had lost his footing and fell.
The Second Lieutenant and his soldier on the second floor were guarding two of the lighted-up rooms. The people on the second floor heard the shouts from those at the bottom and there was a movement in the room. The door that was first to be opened was the room that Tike was guarding. The Second Lieutenant Commando did not hesitate; when the opponent was still in shock, Tike had already struck a karate chopped to his throat. The Second Lieutenant caught the unconscious form and gave him a gentle push, sending him into the room. The other door opened at that time and a tall and brawny man strode out, catching sight of Second Lieutenant Tike who was busy binding the human form.
"What are you…" Darkness suddenly descended before the huge man’s eyes.
Tike did not even spare him a glance from the start; the Second Lieutenant knew that his comrade-in-arms would definitely see him well.
***************
There were still four more people outside the house and they were surrounding their companion, screaming at the top of their lungs. However, the man lying on the snowy ground gave no response, giving no hints as to whether he was dead or alive. These people dared not simply flip him over as perhaps he had injured his tibia or spine. Just when they were debating on whether to carry him into the house or send him to the church’s hospital, the distinctive whistle of an arrow traveled through the snowy night suddenly.
Practically in the split second, the sound of the bow was heard, an arrow had embedded into the thigh of one of the people outside the house. The miserable wail appeared particularly pitiful in the deep, silent night. These people were experts, the second they saw that their companion was struck by an arrow; they already understood just what had happened. No one bothered about the struck person lying on the snowy ground; they fled towards three different directions but were surrounded quickly. The one who ran into the house was undoubtedly the most unfortunate; he happened to bump into Second Lieutenant Tike who had rushed downstairs. The leader of the commando struck and shattered his nose with a solid fist and following a heavy, muffled sound, the person flew out onto the snowy grounds like a kite which had its strings detached.
The remaining two were hardly any better off. The two Narcissus Knights concealed in either corner of the house slammed them into the ground. The men probably couldn’t remember just how many blows they had gone through.
The huge doors opened and a Narcissus Knight dragged out two unconscious foes. Second Lieutenant Tike stood below the light on the patio and waved toward the depths of the dark street. Messier smiled and nodded, that meant that all the enemies had already been taken care of, totaling up to seven. He had successfully accomplished the task given to him by the Prince.
Second Lieutenant Wellington Steinberger was undeniably a master archer; his feathered arrow had brushed past the arteries of the opponent’s thigh and pierced into the slits between the bones. Thus, the man would lose the ability to move, but wouldn’t face any life-threatening dangers. This unfortunate man could only watch on helplessly as the Narcissus Knights bound him tightly and used a cloth to stuff his mouth and obscure his eyes.
The rented carriage in charge of providing support rushed over and the knights shoved their captive helter-skelter into it. Just as what the special operations officer had predicted, the horse hooves of the patrolling soldiers under the Ministry of Justice were heard traveling from the crossroads when the Commando members had completed everything.
The four rented carriages headed in three different directions at the intersection, yet we know they probably had a similar destination. As to how the Prince intended to handle these few unfortunate souls, it would be up to his mood that evening.
***************
"What do you think?" Oscar leaned back in the speeding carriage with satisfaction. It seemed that his mood was pretty good.
Snowstorm shrugged, "Nothing much! If it were me, we would have already returned to sleep earlier."
Oscar gave a mischievous laugh, "We were merely dealing with a few secret agents, naturally I will not bother you; you are the King of Assassins, if one day I would like to take out Alfa III, only then will I call on you."
The King of Assassins turned his head away, annoyed, "You little rascal, don’t you ever dare target the Monarch. There Kings are surrounded by many formidable people; forget me, even 13 had suffered losses."
"Ola! Really?" The Prince’s interest was suddenly piqued, "Do you mean to say that our old friend 13 has targeted a Monarch before?"
Paul muttered sullenly, "the King of Deiss Kingdom. Give it a rest, that was a painful experience."
The King of Assassins shut his eyes; evidently, he did not intend to continue the chat with the Prince.
Although Oscar was in an immense curiosity, he knew that, whatever the case was, it would be impossible to dig out things that Snowstorm was not willing to speak about. The Prince whistled and shifted his gaze to the vast, white snowy grounds outside the window.
***************
Today was the 13th day of the 12th month. Currently, two in the wee hours of the morning and the knights guarding Tacheles Fortress were changing their shifts. The knights defending the Emperor’s Palace were unlike the young masters of the capital’s defending division; these knights were selected among tens of thousands brave warriors and even the guards defending the flag at the fortress’ watchtower bore the medals of paladins. It seemed that no one knew of their origins or where they had completed their training aside from the Emperor, so it was inevitable that the people would suspect that there was another secret region specifically to foster a defending force for the Imperial Household, aside from the nineteen military regions. Of course, this was just a rumor that had been circulating for close to four centuries.
The Emperor’s study was still brightly lit and it was somewhat strange, as Alfa III had not pulled an all-nighter for ages; he had many matters to attend to by day, leaving him so drained at night he could not deal with anything else. However, there was an exception to everything! For instance, his lover being poisoned by his wife and his son-in-law stirring up trouble.
Alfa III forever felt guilt-ridden towards Empress Rolyn Kate. He recalled when the Empress was delivering his first son, she was in a very critical condition. She grasped her husband’s hand and said that even she died, she would give birth to an heir for the Emperor. At that time, Osli Alfa Morisette was fretting over the issue of the heir and he was grateful to the Empress from the very bottom of his heart. But what about after that? There was a turn of events and Rolyn Kate gave birth to even more and this instead placed a burden on the Emperor. Having many sons and daughters were the pride of the Emperor, but then the selection of his successor would also be a huge matter that impacted on the foundations of the nation.
Alfa III had lost count of the cup of coffee clasped in his hand. Not so long ago, the gentle and vivacious Rolyn Kate would at that moment snatch his coffee away and, in a crisp northern accent, admonish him!
"My Majesty, this does not benefit you at all!"
"My Majesty… My Majesty…"
Alfa III startled and turned around abruptly, as it turned out, the one to admonish him was Laston Cambre. The Emperor eyed the coffee in his hands and gave a bitter laugh. People changed; thirty years ago, when he married sixteen-year-old Rolyn Kate, she was innocent and naïve. She and her sister would play on the court and on the swings just like every other girl, raising pets and teasing the Imperial Bodyguards.
When did it start to change? Alfa III did not know and did not wish to probe deeper into the issue. However, he was aware that Rolyn Kate was no longer that foolish girl who was ignorant of worldly matters. She controlled Westberg Fort and half of the state’s treasury. If it were necessary, the Northern Field Army would also respond to the Empress’ call. Alfa III did not want to go head-to-head with Rolyn Kate for it had already been proven unwise. However, Rolyn Kate really shouldn’t have conspired to murder Erdogan; at least his wife should have, in any case, informed him before she took action.
"My little son-in-law should have progressed good enough?" His Majesty III set aside his coffee.
The Palace Chief nodded wordlessly.
The Emperor let off a long sigh. He thought about the Prince; if he were his son, perhaps he could retire feeling reassured, and then surrender all his burdens on him; that way, perhaps he could have done things beyond his imaginations. What a pity! A pity that that child was not his son and, against all odds, became his son-in-law! This was a little troublesome; perhaps Alanis could control him well, otherwise, that youngster would act like a mad dog as today, tearing at anything that was not in his favor.
"Who can stand this?" His Majesty III massaged his forehead. Rudolf Hoss was still in the South, but he believed that he would not be too happy once he discovered these matters when he returned. Who could blame him? The secret agents of Andrew’s Military authorities had been operating for ages; was there a need to eliminate them?
"Who gave that order at that time? I am referring to the assassination operation targeted at the Viscount."
The Palace Chief glanced at the Emperor but gave no response. However, the Emperor understood; was he the one who issued the order? This was too strange! He had no recollection of the matter! This didn’t make sense!
"Since it is like this... then very well!" Alfa III gave an exasperated sigh, "Send my little son-in-law away as soon as possible! Oh goodness, gracious! Before he learns to take responsibility for his actions, I will not allow him to return to Dulin. If this rascal were to continue staying then, then I am afraid I will not have another peaceful day. His ability to stir trouble surpasses that of Princess Mica when she was young!
Laston Cambre removed the coffee for the Emperor and stood respectfully by the Emperor’s side.
"My Majesty, soon. The prince has decided to arrive at University Town on the Holy Day of God. He hasn’t left Dulin because he was looking for a house there. I heard that the huge residence he bought has almost completed renovations, so he will leave soon."
His Majesty III nodded, "This is the best yet!"
The Palace Chief glanced at the time on the desk clock; he felt that they should speed things up.
"My Majesty, do you need me to run over to the Ferdinand Household to see how things are doing? After all, it has already been quite some time after the issue. We should perhaps hear what the old Duke has to say."
Alfa III waved his hand, "No need, old Kachev knows what to do better than anyone else. After this experience, the Ferdinand family should have already taken precautions and my Empress would definitely be unable to toy with old Kachev; she only hurried and sought Oscar because she felt that it was beyond her capabilities to take action. However, that youngster is really daring, just an order and it cost the lives of three special operations agents!"
The Emperor laughed coldly, "I do not wish to comment on the Empress’ actions, moreover, old Kachev still has tons of tricks up his sleeves and besides that, isn’t the little prince about to go off to study? So… Just leave them to simply do what they want! As long as it does not disrupt my sleep or anger me!"
"What if the situation gets out of hand?" The Palace Chief was extremely worried; he knew just what kind of characters the few mentioned by the Emperor had clearly.
"Out of hand?" Alfa III shook his head, "Only fools will let it get out of hand! Old Kachev will not thoroughly fall out with Rolyn Kate before he is in control of the State Council and my Empress will also exercise restraint in her next move. All that’s left is the little Prince... Does he think he can take on old Kachev or Rolyn Kate?"
"So… Is it time for a midnight snack?" The Palace Chief Laston Cambre asked the Emperor, beaming.
***************
The supper was very sumptuous, but there was no one who would prepare such a feast in the dead of night. The entrée was lettuce potatoes mixed with dove eggs, the main course was roasted wild swallows, the side dishes were mix asparagus, mix squash, steamed eggplant, aioli as well as olive oil salad.
No one misunderstood, right? This was the supper of His Imperial Highness Prince O’Neil Andrew Morisette! Probably in this entire world, only His Imperial Highness would receive a guest with a fully-spread banquet on the table at three o’clock in the morning.
The Knights of the Red Tigers rarely had the opportunity to taste the authentic flavors of the court’s cuisine. They loosened their collars, drank the fennel wine and dug in ravenously.
This ought to be a hidden underground casino borrowed by the prince from Thomas Aulet earlier on. This casino was located deep in the heart of the Lair, and even the secret agents from the secret service department dared not mess with it.
The food and wine were spread out over the humongous table. The knights had been busy since evening up until late into the night. They were cold and famished. The prince’s supper undeniably arrived just at the right time, not to mention exceptionally tasty too!
However, it seemed that only one person among them was lacking appetite. Baron Messier De Quixote fiddled with the assortment of food on his plate in distress; he indeed had difficulty swallowing these. The former special operations officer glanced at the group of unfortunate men cowering in a corner of the casino. He somewhat regretted as he should have ascertained their identities before the operation.
Messier furrowed his eyebrows; the initial inquest had already verified that he had actually led a group of commando members to infiltrate the base of the capital’s general headquarters’ twenty-third operation group of the secret service department! If this wasn’t enough, then the charges of abduction and torture of special operations agents probably counted! The Baron understood that the Prince had set up a trap for him and he had leaped right into it. The disappearance of the seven special operation members would sooner or later be accounted onto himself. Of course, if he loyally and sincerely followed His Imperial Highness, then none of that would happen.
Oscar wiped the corner of his mouth gleefully. He shot a glance at the clock, "It is time! Whose turn is it?"
A few Knights at the table stood up, it was their turn!
The captives huddled into a group at the corner of the wall. They were already covered with bruises and these intelligent secret agents were at that moment like little rabbits, looking on at the Knights fearfully.
So... before the exercise, would anyone like to say a few words?" Second Lieutenant Tike Simon said while picking up a metal rod.
"You all must be mistaken, we are members of Titan’s twenty-third operation group under the secret service department’s capital headquarters, we…" A blood-curdling scream rang out as Tike’s metal rod had landed heavily on the spine of the person speaking.
"Wrong answer!" The Second Lieutenant turned around and walked towards the table. "Your Imperial Highness, we cannot go on like this; we should use fire tongs or branding irons! They are professional spies who have received training to resist interrogation under torture; without crippling them a little, they are unlikely to disclose anything."
Without waiting for the Prince’s answer, the King of Sins, Doramy Basinger already raised his hand, "This I can do!"
Oscar smiled and nodded, "But… Messier, speaking of interrogation, you were a special operations officer, so you should be the expert amongst us! Could it be that you do not plan to put your skills to use?"
Baron Messier forced a smile; it seemed like the prince did not intend to let him off the hook just like that. The former special operations officer wiped the corner of his mouth elegantly, "Your Imperial Highness, if you wish to see my participation, then I will comply!"
The Baron turned towards Second Lieutenant Tike, "I say, do we have honey and mice here? Although it may appear a little disgusting, the results are pretty promising."
***************
The snow had started falling again, it seemed that this night was going to be exceptionally long.
A carriage shot through the snow. On either side of the driver’s seat were two brightly lit oil lamps; in the snowy night, they appeared like two will-o’-the-wisps that were only lighted in hell. The owner of the carriage did not seem to mind the danger on the road; the driver continued to wave the horsewhip and the horses ran while snorting. They were almost at their destination and the horses recognized this road.
The Ferdinand’s manor appeared to be buried under the accumulated snow. Only the Chinese Parasol tree remained in the courtyard, its branches sagged under the weight of the snow, appearing as if it may topple any moment.
The carriage hurried past the huge doors of the manor as though it not intending to stop. This ordinary travel carriage finally came to a halt at the old school building next to the Ferdinand manor. The owner of the carriage was draped in a white cloak, fading in and out of the snowy night, appearing exceptionally like a ghost who had come out to forage.
Beneath the school building was a tunnel. This tunnel had led directly to the cellar of the manor. The white-cloaked person was apparently dissatisfied with this tunnel as he groped and cursed. Finally, the tunnel reached its end. The Ferdinand manor was aware of his arrival and an attendant was already waiting at the cellar’s exit.
***************
Old Kachev sank into the sofa of the living room wearily. He appeared thin and pallid. This old man did not fear death, if he were to die, so be it! Why must he still grow old and weak?
Duke Ferdinand had obviously only just gotten out of bed, he was still wearing his pajamas and a thick bearskin jacket was draped over his body.
"My teacher, I apologize! I also do not wish to bother you at this hour!" The man wearing the white cloak removed the cloak covering his head.
"My dear Roment, you have already passed the age of impudence since twenty years ago, I hope you have a good explanation!" Old Kachev shivered slightly in his seat. There was a roaring fire in the fireplace, but this old man still persistently felt a chill.
Sir Marquis Rmoent Huga Andeses of Titan Empire’s High Official of the Ministry of Justice stepped forward and kissed the back of his teacher’s hand. He was aware that the old man’s condition was not very good and this was indeed not the time to beat around the bush.
"My teacher, something huge has taken place in Dulin!" The High Official of the Ministry of Justice moved to the old man’s side, "Someone attacked the base of one of the Secret Service Department’s operation group and abducted all their members. The Secret Service Department’s capital headquarters notified this two hours ago. I have ordered all the patrolling soldiers to seal off all traffic in the city and the Secret Service Department is organizing large-scale hunt and arrest operation."
Old Kachev raised his eyebrows; this indeed was a fascinating matter!
"On the day the Secret Service Department hunt and arrest unlawful nobles, unbridled today, someone actually launched an attack against these secret service agents! They really have the nerve!" The old Duke exclaimed. A few names flashed through his mind but the Duke quickly dismissed them. These people were either foolish, or they were too smart; they would never risk such a thing.
"Hehe, they were indeed bold, you know? As early as yesterday evening, I received the Palace Chief, Marquis Laston Cambre’s notification saying that something bad would happen late at night. Guess who did it?"
Old Kachev shook his head; he indeed had no idea who this mad person could be.
"It’s O’Neil Andrew Morisette!" The High Official of the Ministry of Justice revealed the name with excitement.
Old Kachev’s eyebrows furrowed abruptly and after a good while only did they slowly loosen out, "Bad! Very bad!"
Roment inquired cautiously, "Teacher, what exactly is bad? I do not think there is anything bad about it! The young Imperial Highness Prince has infuriated the Dulin city’s most influential secret service department; his days are numbered!"
The old Duke’s brows drooped and he gazed at his student, lost in rumination.
"I say, your distinguished High Official of the Ministry of Justice, do you really think this way?"
Roment hesitated and remained silent.
"Don’t think that I do not know where your illegal revenue came from; I take that you are the one who would most likely hate to witness the prince’s downfall? I say it is bad because of our Majesty the Empress; she has definitely reached some kind of agreement with the prince. Otherwise, that youngster’s power in the capital is incapable of assaulting the secret service department so easily."
"The Empress?" Roment was thoroughly confused, "I thought it was the Empress who incited it."
"No!" Old Kachev shook his head, "Impossible! Alfa III brought this upon himself. If the person who notified you was Laston Cambre, then the one who permitted the prince to take action is definitely Rolyn Kate! Only this Empress has the authority to order the Palace Chief. As for Oscar and the Secret Service Department, he seemed to have already housed animosity toward them since young."
The High Official of the Ministry of Justice nodded, he was not dumb, yet in the presence of his teacher, there was absolutely no need for him to think. "That means that… Her Majesty the Empress has sold out the Secret Service Department in exchange for His Imperial Highness The Prince’s support!"
Old Kachev nodded, "We have no other choice but to understand it this way! However, if we see it that way, that is equivalent to us standing against the prince. Now probably isn’t the time for that yet."
"Yes! Setting ourselves against that little prince is an extremely arduous and unrewarding thing! The current Dulin, without the power of Her Majesty the Empress, the Ministry of Justice and His Majesty the Emperor, has allowed His Imperial Highness Prince O’Neil to drift out of the capital’s circle and become a third-party power. Even if the Empress successfully ropes him in, we should not reveal our enmity towards him untimely."
Old Kachev shot a sideways glance at Roment, "You seem to be very reluctant to go against the prince?"
The High Official of the Ministry of Justice forced a laugh, "My teacher, do you really believe that I want to have any dealings with those criminals? I have no choice, for the prince has control over all sorts of madmen; if I do not cooperate, I fear that I can’t even preserve my life!"
Upon hearing this, the old man burst into laughter; he had heard of matters about the Lair. "However… the situation isn’t that bad yet! From how I see it, Rolyn Kate is most likely flustered! Prince O’Neil is indeed a tyrannical power. Within the city, he controls a group of madmen; outside the city, he controls whole groups of seasoned cavalry divisions. At least as of now, the promise he gave to Her Majesty the Empress is just a blank cheque. He has not taken up any post in the government office and has no basis in the Imperial Household; he completely relies on his own dominance to seize the position of the most superior Imperial household member."
The High Official of the Ministry of Justice let off a sigh; he was still afraid of laying his cards before the prince!
"That is to say, he finds it unlikely that he would display his use in the Empress’ operation."
Old Kachev gave a slight nod, "At least for now it’s like this, but in the future, if he really does assume control over a department of prominent authority, then our future path will be all the more arduous."
"Then what should we do?" Roment rubbed his hands in distress. He suddenly startled, "My teacher! You can’t be thinking about… Striking first to gain the upper hand?"
"Exactly!" The old Duke let off a long sigh, "May the God of Light be able to provide me with the courage! O’Neil Andrew Morisette is the first miscalculated mistake that I have made for the past twenty-five years. I have never imagined that this little prisoner from Damorga could have such great capability and luck!"
"Strike first to gain the upper hand?" Old Kachev scoffed coldly, "If I cannot land a deadly blow, then plans like this should never be made; I still wish to live a few more years and certainly do not wish to face the retaliation of that little madman."
"That’s right!" Roment felt deeply stirred by that, "Little madman! Using this word to describe His Imperial Highness Prince cannot be any more fitting!"
"That little lad is still a political fool! We can make use of this to our advantage," Old Kachev suddenly chimed, "In the dispute between my family and Her Imperial Highness Empress’, if His Majesty III cold remains just, naturally it would be best. As long as the Emperor is not biased toward any side, then we still stand a chance against Rolyn Kate! As for the little Prince, we can use other means to communicate. Isn’t he about to go to University Town? Then arrange for some people of special status to get to know him!"
"People of special status?" The High Official of the Ministry of Justice was a little dubious.
"Those whom the Empress isn't fond of!" The old man stretched out his fingers and started ticking off, "This includes the religious reformists, Titan’s Youth Garrison Officer, great merchants, anarchists, utopians! You know, University Town is overflowing with these people. They have political views that differ and I believe that the young Prince will be influenced by one of their ways of thinking during the course of his studies. All we need to do is to guide this influence towards opposing the Imperial Household. When he returns to Dulin, he will realize that His Majesty the Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress, as well as those of the same countenance as them are nothing but a group of senseless beasts who only knows to struggle for power!"
"Meaning to say, let those political views that oppose the Imperial Household sway the prince’s ideas. But… But this will be a long-term process!" Roment was a little dubious.
"Of course, influencing a person’s mind will no doubt be a long-term process. However, don’t you think this is the best method? The youngster is as pure as a sheet of white paper when it comes to worldly views and political notions. He is in an ever-changing emotional state, the age where he is most prone to influence by things of the outside world. Once his thoughts really start to turn against the Imperial Household, then he is undoubtedly doomed! When that moment arrives, we may not even need to take action."
"But… a person’s thinking…"
"No buts!" Old Kachev snapped, "O’Neil Andrew Morisette’s capital is too robust. Even now, we are no match for him, not to mention the combined retaliation we will receive from the Emperor and the House of Andrew if we go against him. This is the only way that I can think of to destroy him! Poison his thoughts and make him walk down the path of opposition against the Emperor. Only via this way can we attain victory, otherwise… sooner or later, there will come a day when he will execute everyone in Dulin who dare go against him! Just like those secret agents who fell into his hands! Do you think those abducted secret agents are still alive? Perhaps even their corpses have been eaten by the Prince!"
The High Official of the Ministry of Justice shivered, "He… He indeed may have done just that! But… But how do you plan to realize your plan?"
Old Kachev became irritated without reason, if it weren’t for Roment’s praiseworthy loyalty towards him, he would have long since casted him aside!
"Don’t tell me you have forgotten? How am I your teacher? Have you forgotten? I have been a headmaster in Dulin Universtiy for more than ten years! I can arrange these things! I will carry it out meticulously! Do you still have any problems?"
Roment suddenly came to a realization; this old man had been the ruler of University Town! He indeed had the power to select the Prince’s course of study.
"What if… My teacher! Please do not take offense, I’m saying what if! What if Prince O’Neil’s thoughts do not develop according to plan; then what should we do?"
The Old Duke’s face turned cold, "At the Kenshin Palace, or you could say beside O’Neil Andrew Morisette, I still have the last chess piece, a chess piece that can guarantee a fatal blow!"
***************
The sky seemed to be bright! That was the only fitting way to describe the color of the sky. The Sun crept up slowly in front of the clouds. The rays were dimmed to a faint glow by the snow and it shone onto the dark greyish buildings. The penetrating cold radiance brought about a little warning to the desolate morning.
Suddenly, the sound of whistles and wails of the patrol soldiers came from the distant end of the street! The quiet street was in an upheaval, patrol soldiers and secret agents draped in black cloaks continued to rush to the scene. However, after the initial clamor, the people fell silent; they could only stare blankly at the three bodies hung inverted on the street lamps.
The fatal wound was at the throat. The highly experienced secret agents evaluated the wound; a sharp tool caused it. Fresh blood spilled down along the skull onto the floor and on the frozen snowy ground, it froze into three irregular blood-colored crystals.
Crows circled passed; they had smelled the scent of delicious food, but they dared not interrupt the irascible crowd. The secret agents from the Secret Service Department were jumping and shouting like lost rabbits unable to find their nests. This was the capital, this was Dulin; no one in Dulin dared treat the special operations members this way.
The patrolling soldiers did not care about these; some of them were maintaining the order at the scene while some were simply secretly amused.
The carriage, which had the totem of the Narcissus Fierce Tiger hung on it, happened to pass by the scene. The patrol soldiers immediately perked up and stood by the road, saluting to the important figure that might be in the carriage respectfully. The secret agents also ceased their cries and cautiously backed to the side of the road, sizing up the slowly advancing luxurious carriage with indifference.
"Look at their faces! Hahahahaha!" Oscar closed the carriage window; he was elated!
"Hehe, Your Imperial Highness, you should be satisfied this time!" Baron Messier complimented timely.
"Satisfied! Satisfied! I am very satisfied! But I have dozed off, have I not?" Oscar shook his head in regret, "Seriously! You should have woken me up! After being busy most of the day, I ended up missing the highlight!"
"Your Imperial Highness! I should say… the one who was busy most of the day was not you! You only sat in the carriage for a few hours and then gathered everyone for a meal together and after that, you slept until daybreak!" Messier finally whined.
The Prince rubbed his nose embarrassedly, "But it is all the same, at least I know that your working ability is exceedingly remarkable! But, I am very curious, what did you do with the few men who did not partake in the assassination operation?"
Messier used a handkerchief to rub a mist-shrouded gemstone ring on his finger; he was taking his time to answer the prince’s inquiry.
"Your knights have set up a Narcissus field in the gardens of the castle at Swan Hill. I think those men will definitely make good fertilizer during next spring!"
Oscar nodded in understanding. He had a premonition that this special operations officer with a gentleman’s air was a treasure bestowed upon him by the God of Light.
The streets were empty deep into the night. The street lamps ignited through the last bit of the oil before being extinguished by a gust of north wind blowing. It was as if a curtain had suddenly pulled over the street, the engulfing darkness took over the land and flooded into the narrow space.
The wind-swirled-up snow that pelted against the people’s faces and the sensation of being cut by a knife made the people go mad. However, to the Second Lieutenant Tike Simon of the First Commando Battalion under the Battle Group of the Red Tiger Assault Division, this suffering was nothing; he was leading the nine soldiers under him to hide around the eaves at the street.
Around the target’s house, the Prince’s messenger, Second Lieutenant Wellington Steinberger, had temporarily taken up the post as the leader of the Sniper team. There were five archers under him, and all five of them disappeared around the rooftops surrounding the target’s house; all of the doors and windows in the house were under their control.
***************
Doramy crawled out from the snowy ground. The old chap evidently felt that his age was catching up to him. He was not like this before, and now even mild exercises could cause him to be so exhausted that he was close to fainting. The notorious King of Sins in the Westland threw himself headlong into the prince’s carriage; he was freezing cold and was shivering from head to toe.
"I have already gotten a feel of the front and back of the house. There should not be any escape routes or similar things."
Messier nodded, although this operation had much to do with his fate, he was not nervous in the slightest. He had experienced situations such as this countless times in the past. Weren’t they just breaking into a house to arrest someone? This was not a problem for a special operations officer.
The Baron alighted from the carriage; it was time to launch their assault.
***************
Following the plan, the Second Lieutenant Tike Simon entered the courtyard first and, once he was close to the house, he concealed himself beneath a window. Not long after, the nine soldiers infiltrated the courtyard one after another and concealed themselves at the corners of the house like the Second Lieutenant.
A soldier crouched down beside Tike and he, stepping on his shoulder, reached up higher and leaped up. He climbed on the eaves on the first floor like a lizard and, with just a simple somersault, jumped onto the second-floor balcony.
The room close to the balcony was still lit up, but this was not Tike’s target. Tike stepped onto the wooden railings of the balcony and leaped onto the roof. The accumulated snow on the roof inconvenienced the Commando, and he did not dare to make sudden movements in fear of slipping.
Another soldier had climbed up and Tike signaled to him. The soldier immediately took out a hooked cable and wound it tightly around the brick chimney. Tike climbed up the hook cable carefully and slowly edged towards a dark window.
The Second Lieutenant drew out a blade and, relying on the feeling transmitted through the blade, he quickly found the window latch. The blade released the latch silently and Tike entered the room. The room was indeed empty, and the Second Lieutenant heaved a sigh of relief. He shook the hook cable and the other soldier joined him.
Barron Messier sat on the snowy ground silently like a statue. When he saw the third soldier leap onto the roof, he whistled. The soldier on the roof did not use the hook cable. He used a few wooden planks to cover the chimney that was emitting smoke. Then, he stacked ice blocks onto the planks.
***************
At this moment, Second Lieutenant Tike, who had entered the house, was opening the door a small crack. The light of the burning candles in the hallway cast a reddish glow in the darkness. Tike extended a small mirror out the crack and maneuvered it around. He could immediately ascertain that the hallway was deserted!
***************
Once the chimney was covered up, smoke from the burning charcoal would immediately fill the room, causing one to drift into unconsciousness. Soon enough, there was a movement within the house! Tike heard heavy footsteps traveling down from the stairs. The Second Lieutenant signaled to the soldier behind him; they couldn’t make a single sound.
The person from the stairs did not enter the room the Narcissus Knights were hiding in as the person downstairs was urging him to hurry. They bellowed that the chimney was definitely blocked by the accumulated snow. The person upstairs swore and stomped back up the stairs; no one was willing to go onto the roof to fix the chimney in this kind of weather. The unfortunate chap pushed open the skylight of the roof and the freezing wind that penetrated his bones left him trembling violently. However, he quickly lost consciousness as the soldier on the roof had already been lying in wait for him.
***************
Messier watched the whole scene unfold with satisfaction. He lit a cigar gleefully. Although the sparks on the tobacco were faint, all the soldiers had seen it clearly!
***************
The flame was the signal! The soldier on the roof pushed the unconscious enemy off and a burly figure fell with a dull thump onto the snowy ground. Immediately, there was an uproar in the house and after a brief commotion, people flooded out. These people must have thought that their companion had lost his footing and fell.
The Second Lieutenant and his soldier on the second floor were guarding two of the lighted-up rooms. The people on the second floor heard the shouts from those at the bottom and there was a movement in the room. The door that was first to be opened was the room that Tike was guarding. The Second Lieutenant Commando did not hesitate; when the opponent was still in shock, Tike had already struck a karate chopped to his throat. The Second Lieutenant caught the unconscious form and gave him a gentle push, sending him into the room. The other door opened at that time and a tall and brawny man strode out, catching sight of Second Lieutenant Tike who was busy binding the human form.
"What are you…" Darkness suddenly descended before the huge man’s eyes.
Tike did not even spare him a glance from the start; the Second Lieutenant knew that his comrade-in-arms would definitely see him well.
***************
There were still four more people outside the house and they were surrounding their companion, screaming at the top of their lungs. However, the man lying on the snowy ground gave no response, giving no hints as to whether he was dead or alive. These people dared not simply flip him over as perhaps he had injured his tibia or spine. Just when they were debating on whether to carry him into the house or send him to the church’s hospital, the distinctive whistle of an arrow traveled through the snowy night suddenly.
Practically in the split second, the sound of the bow was heard, an arrow had embedded into the thigh of one of the people outside the house. The miserable wail appeared particularly pitiful in the deep, silent night. These people were experts, the second they saw that their companion was struck by an arrow; they already understood just what had happened. No one bothered about the struck person lying on the snowy ground; they fled towards three different directions but were surrounded quickly. The one who ran into the house was undoubtedly the most unfortunate; he happened to bump into Second Lieutenant Tike who had rushed downstairs. The leader of the commando struck and shattered his nose with a solid fist and following a heavy, muffled sound, the person flew out onto the snowy grounds like a kite which had its strings detached.
The remaining two were hardly any better off. The two Narcissus Knights concealed in either corner of the house slammed them into the ground. The men probably couldn’t remember just how many blows they had gone through.
The huge doors opened and a Narcissus Knight dragged out two unconscious foes. Second Lieutenant Tike stood below the light on the patio and waved toward the depths of the dark street. Messier smiled and nodded, that meant that all the enemies had already been taken care of, totaling up to seven. He had successfully accomplished the task given to him by the Prince.
Second Lieutenant Wellington Steinberger was undeniably a master archer; his feathered arrow had brushed past the arteries of the opponent’s thigh and pierced into the slits between the bones. Thus, the man would lose the ability to move, but wouldn’t face any life-threatening dangers. This unfortunate man could only watch on helplessly as the Narcissus Knights bound him tightly and used a cloth to stuff his mouth and obscure his eyes.
The rented carriage in charge of providing support rushed over and the knights shoved their captive helter-skelter into it. Just as what the special operations officer had predicted, the horse hooves of the patrolling soldiers under the Ministry of Justice were heard traveling from the crossroads when the Commando members had completed everything.
The four rented carriages headed in three different directions at the intersection, yet we know they probably had a similar destination. As to how the Prince intended to handle these few unfortunate souls, it would be up to his mood that evening.
***************
"What do you think?" Oscar leaned back in the speeding carriage with satisfaction. It seemed that his mood was pretty good.
Snowstorm shrugged, "Nothing much! If it were me, we would have already returned to sleep earlier."
Oscar gave a mischievous laugh, "We were merely dealing with a few secret agents, naturally I will not bother you; you are the King of Assassins, if one day I would like to take out Alfa III, only then will I call on you."
The King of Assassins turned his head away, annoyed, "You little rascal, don’t you ever dare target the Monarch. There Kings are surrounded by many formidable people; forget me, even 13 had suffered losses."
"Ola! Really?" The Prince’s interest was suddenly piqued, "Do you mean to say that our old friend 13 has targeted a Monarch before?"
Paul muttered sullenly, "the King of Deiss Kingdom. Give it a rest, that was a painful experience."
The King of Assassins shut his eyes; evidently, he did not intend to continue the chat with the Prince.
Although Oscar was in an immense curiosity, he knew that, whatever the case was, it would be impossible to dig out things that Snowstorm was not willing to speak about. The Prince whistled and shifted his gaze to the vast, white snowy grounds outside the window.
***************
Today was the 13th day of the 12th month. Currently, two in the wee hours of the morning and the knights guarding Tacheles Fortress were changing their shifts. The knights defending the Emperor’s Palace were unlike the young masters of the capital’s defending division; these knights were selected among tens of thousands brave warriors and even the guards defending the flag at the fortress’ watchtower bore the medals of paladins. It seemed that no one knew of their origins or where they had completed their training aside from the Emperor, so it was inevitable that the people would suspect that there was another secret region specifically to foster a defending force for the Imperial Household, aside from the nineteen military regions. Of course, this was just a rumor that had been circulating for close to four centuries.
The Emperor’s study was still brightly lit and it was somewhat strange, as Alfa III had not pulled an all-nighter for ages; he had many matters to attend to by day, leaving him so drained at night he could not deal with anything else. However, there was an exception to everything! For instance, his lover being poisoned by his wife and his son-in-law stirring up trouble.
Alfa III forever felt guilt-ridden towards Empress Rolyn Kate. He recalled when the Empress was delivering his first son, she was in a very critical condition. She grasped her husband’s hand and said that even she died, she would give birth to an heir for the Emperor. At that time, Osli Alfa Morisette was fretting over the issue of the heir and he was grateful to the Empress from the very bottom of his heart. But what about after that? There was a turn of events and Rolyn Kate gave birth to even more and this instead placed a burden on the Emperor. Having many sons and daughters were the pride of the Emperor, but then the selection of his successor would also be a huge matter that impacted on the foundations of the nation.
Alfa III had lost count of the cup of coffee clasped in his hand. Not so long ago, the gentle and vivacious Rolyn Kate would at that moment snatch his coffee away and, in a crisp northern accent, admonish him!
"My Majesty, this does not benefit you at all!"
"My Majesty… My Majesty…"
Alfa III startled and turned around abruptly, as it turned out, the one to admonish him was Laston Cambre. The Emperor eyed the coffee in his hands and gave a bitter laugh. People changed; thirty years ago, when he married sixteen-year-old Rolyn Kate, she was innocent and naïve. She and her sister would play on the court and on the swings just like every other girl, raising pets and teasing the Imperial Bodyguards.
When did it start to change? Alfa III did not know and did not wish to probe deeper into the issue. However, he was aware that Rolyn Kate was no longer that foolish girl who was ignorant of worldly matters. She controlled Westberg Fort and half of the state’s treasury. If it were necessary, the Northern Field Army would also respond to the Empress’ call. Alfa III did not want to go head-to-head with Rolyn Kate for it had already been proven unwise. However, Rolyn Kate really shouldn’t have conspired to murder Erdogan; at least his wife should have, in any case, informed him before she took action.
"My little son-in-law should have progressed good enough?" His Majesty III set aside his coffee.
The Palace Chief nodded wordlessly.
The Emperor let off a long sigh. He thought about the Prince; if he were his son, perhaps he could retire feeling reassured, and then surrender all his burdens on him; that way, perhaps he could have done things beyond his imaginations. What a pity! A pity that that child was not his son and, against all odds, became his son-in-law! This was a little troublesome; perhaps Alanis could control him well, otherwise, that youngster would act like a mad dog as today, tearing at anything that was not in his favor.
"Who can stand this?" His Majesty III massaged his forehead. Rudolf Hoss was still in the South, but he believed that he would not be too happy once he discovered these matters when he returned. Who could blame him? The secret agents of Andrew’s Military authorities had been operating for ages; was there a need to eliminate them?
"Who gave that order at that time? I am referring to the assassination operation targeted at the Viscount."
The Palace Chief glanced at the Emperor but gave no response. However, the Emperor understood; was he the one who issued the order? This was too strange! He had no recollection of the matter! This didn’t make sense!
"Since it is like this... then very well!" Alfa III gave an exasperated sigh, "Send my little son-in-law away as soon as possible! Oh goodness, gracious! Before he learns to take responsibility for his actions, I will not allow him to return to Dulin. If this rascal were to continue staying then, then I am afraid I will not have another peaceful day. His ability to stir trouble surpasses that of Princess Mica when she was young!
Laston Cambre removed the coffee for the Emperor and stood respectfully by the Emperor’s side.
"My Majesty, soon. The prince has decided to arrive at University Town on the Holy Day of God. He hasn’t left Dulin because he was looking for a house there. I heard that the huge residence he bought has almost completed renovations, so he will leave soon."
His Majesty III nodded, "This is the best yet!"
The Palace Chief glanced at the time on the desk clock; he felt that they should speed things up.
"My Majesty, do you need me to run over to the Ferdinand Household to see how things are doing? After all, it has already been quite some time after the issue. We should perhaps hear what the old Duke has to say."
Alfa III waved his hand, "No need, old Kachev knows what to do better than anyone else. After this experience, the Ferdinand family should have already taken precautions and my Empress would definitely be unable to toy with old Kachev; she only hurried and sought Oscar because she felt that it was beyond her capabilities to take action. However, that youngster is really daring, just an order and it cost the lives of three special operations agents!"
The Emperor laughed coldly, "I do not wish to comment on the Empress’ actions, moreover, old Kachev still has tons of tricks up his sleeves and besides that, isn’t the little prince about to go off to study? So… Just leave them to simply do what they want! As long as it does not disrupt my sleep or anger me!"
"What if the situation gets out of hand?" The Palace Chief was extremely worried; he knew just what kind of characters the few mentioned by the Emperor had clearly.
"Out of hand?" Alfa III shook his head, "Only fools will let it get out of hand! Old Kachev will not thoroughly fall out with Rolyn Kate before he is in control of the State Council and my Empress will also exercise restraint in her next move. All that’s left is the little Prince... Does he think he can take on old Kachev or Rolyn Kate?"
"So… Is it time for a midnight snack?" The Palace Chief Laston Cambre asked the Emperor, beaming.
***************
The supper was very sumptuous, but there was no one who would prepare such a feast in the dead of night. The entrée was lettuce potatoes mixed with dove eggs, the main course was roasted wild swallows, the side dishes were mix asparagus, mix squash, steamed eggplant, aioli as well as olive oil salad.
No one misunderstood, right? This was the supper of His Imperial Highness Prince O’Neil Andrew Morisette! Probably in this entire world, only His Imperial Highness would receive a guest with a fully-spread banquet on the table at three o’clock in the morning.
The Knights of the Red Tigers rarely had the opportunity to taste the authentic flavors of the court’s cuisine. They loosened their collars, drank the fennel wine and dug in ravenously.
This ought to be a hidden underground casino borrowed by the prince from Thomas Aulet earlier on. This casino was located deep in the heart of the Lair, and even the secret agents from the secret service department dared not mess with it.
The food and wine were spread out over the humongous table. The knights had been busy since evening up until late into the night. They were cold and famished. The prince’s supper undeniably arrived just at the right time, not to mention exceptionally tasty too!
However, it seemed that only one person among them was lacking appetite. Baron Messier De Quixote fiddled with the assortment of food on his plate in distress; he indeed had difficulty swallowing these. The former special operations officer glanced at the group of unfortunate men cowering in a corner of the casino. He somewhat regretted as he should have ascertained their identities before the operation.
Messier furrowed his eyebrows; the initial inquest had already verified that he had actually led a group of commando members to infiltrate the base of the capital’s general headquarters’ twenty-third operation group of the secret service department! If this wasn’t enough, then the charges of abduction and torture of special operations agents probably counted! The Baron understood that the Prince had set up a trap for him and he had leaped right into it. The disappearance of the seven special operation members would sooner or later be accounted onto himself. Of course, if he loyally and sincerely followed His Imperial Highness, then none of that would happen.
Oscar wiped the corner of his mouth gleefully. He shot a glance at the clock, "It is time! Whose turn is it?"
A few Knights at the table stood up, it was their turn!
The captives huddled into a group at the corner of the wall. They were already covered with bruises and these intelligent secret agents were at that moment like little rabbits, looking on at the Knights fearfully.
So... before the exercise, would anyone like to say a few words?" Second Lieutenant Tike Simon said while picking up a metal rod.
"You all must be mistaken, we are members of Titan’s twenty-third operation group under the secret service department’s capital headquarters, we…" A blood-curdling scream rang out as Tike’s metal rod had landed heavily on the spine of the person speaking.
"Wrong answer!" The Second Lieutenant turned around and walked towards the table. "Your Imperial Highness, we cannot go on like this; we should use fire tongs or branding irons! They are professional spies who have received training to resist interrogation under torture; without crippling them a little, they are unlikely to disclose anything."
Without waiting for the Prince’s answer, the King of Sins, Doramy Basinger already raised his hand, "This I can do!"
Oscar smiled and nodded, "But… Messier, speaking of interrogation, you were a special operations officer, so you should be the expert amongst us! Could it be that you do not plan to put your skills to use?"
Baron Messier forced a smile; it seemed like the prince did not intend to let him off the hook just like that. The former special operations officer wiped the corner of his mouth elegantly, "Your Imperial Highness, if you wish to see my participation, then I will comply!"
The Baron turned towards Second Lieutenant Tike, "I say, do we have honey and mice here? Although it may appear a little disgusting, the results are pretty promising."
***************
The snow had started falling again, it seemed that this night was going to be exceptionally long.
A carriage shot through the snow. On either side of the driver’s seat were two brightly lit oil lamps; in the snowy night, they appeared like two will-o’-the-wisps that were only lighted in hell. The owner of the carriage did not seem to mind the danger on the road; the driver continued to wave the horsewhip and the horses ran while snorting. They were almost at their destination and the horses recognized this road.
The Ferdinand’s manor appeared to be buried under the accumulated snow. Only the Chinese Parasol tree remained in the courtyard, its branches sagged under the weight of the snow, appearing as if it may topple any moment.
The carriage hurried past the huge doors of the manor as though it not intending to stop. This ordinary travel carriage finally came to a halt at the old school building next to the Ferdinand manor. The owner of the carriage was draped in a white cloak, fading in and out of the snowy night, appearing exceptionally like a ghost who had come out to forage.
Beneath the school building was a tunnel. This tunnel had led directly to the cellar of the manor. The white-cloaked person was apparently dissatisfied with this tunnel as he groped and cursed. Finally, the tunnel reached its end. The Ferdinand manor was aware of his arrival and an attendant was already waiting at the cellar’s exit.
***************
Old Kachev sank into the sofa of the living room wearily. He appeared thin and pallid. This old man did not fear death, if he were to die, so be it! Why must he still grow old and weak?
Duke Ferdinand had obviously only just gotten out of bed, he was still wearing his pajamas and a thick bearskin jacket was draped over his body.
"My teacher, I apologize! I also do not wish to bother you at this hour!" The man wearing the white cloak removed the cloak covering his head.
"My dear Roment, you have already passed the age of impudence since twenty years ago, I hope you have a good explanation!" Old Kachev shivered slightly in his seat. There was a roaring fire in the fireplace, but this old man still persistently felt a chill.
Sir Marquis Rmoent Huga Andeses of Titan Empire’s High Official of the Ministry of Justice stepped forward and kissed the back of his teacher’s hand. He was aware that the old man’s condition was not very good and this was indeed not the time to beat around the bush.
"My teacher, something huge has taken place in Dulin!" The High Official of the Ministry of Justice moved to the old man’s side, "Someone attacked the base of one of the Secret Service Department’s operation group and abducted all their members. The Secret Service Department’s capital headquarters notified this two hours ago. I have ordered all the patrolling soldiers to seal off all traffic in the city and the Secret Service Department is organizing large-scale hunt and arrest operation."
Old Kachev raised his eyebrows; this indeed was a fascinating matter!
"On the day the Secret Service Department hunt and arrest unlawful nobles, unbridled today, someone actually launched an attack against these secret service agents! They really have the nerve!" The old Duke exclaimed. A few names flashed through his mind but the Duke quickly dismissed them. These people were either foolish, or they were too smart; they would never risk such a thing.
"Hehe, they were indeed bold, you know? As early as yesterday evening, I received the Palace Chief, Marquis Laston Cambre’s notification saying that something bad would happen late at night. Guess who did it?"
Old Kachev shook his head; he indeed had no idea who this mad person could be.
"It’s O’Neil Andrew Morisette!" The High Official of the Ministry of Justice revealed the name with excitement.
Old Kachev’s eyebrows furrowed abruptly and after a good while only did they slowly loosen out, "Bad! Very bad!"
Roment inquired cautiously, "Teacher, what exactly is bad? I do not think there is anything bad about it! The young Imperial Highness Prince has infuriated the Dulin city’s most influential secret service department; his days are numbered!"
The old Duke’s brows drooped and he gazed at his student, lost in rumination.
"I say, your distinguished High Official of the Ministry of Justice, do you really think this way?"
Roment hesitated and remained silent.
"Don’t think that I do not know where your illegal revenue came from; I take that you are the one who would most likely hate to witness the prince’s downfall? I say it is bad because of our Majesty the Empress; she has definitely reached some kind of agreement with the prince. Otherwise, that youngster’s power in the capital is incapable of assaulting the secret service department so easily."
"The Empress?" Roment was thoroughly confused, "I thought it was the Empress who incited it."
"No!" Old Kachev shook his head, "Impossible! Alfa III brought this upon himself. If the person who notified you was Laston Cambre, then the one who permitted the prince to take action is definitely Rolyn Kate! Only this Empress has the authority to order the Palace Chief. As for Oscar and the Secret Service Department, he seemed to have already housed animosity toward them since young."
The High Official of the Ministry of Justice nodded, he was not dumb, yet in the presence of his teacher, there was absolutely no need for him to think. "That means that… Her Majesty the Empress has sold out the Secret Service Department in exchange for His Imperial Highness The Prince’s support!"
Old Kachev nodded, "We have no other choice but to understand it this way! However, if we see it that way, that is equivalent to us standing against the prince. Now probably isn’t the time for that yet."
"Yes! Setting ourselves against that little prince is an extremely arduous and unrewarding thing! The current Dulin, without the power of Her Majesty the Empress, the Ministry of Justice and His Majesty the Emperor, has allowed His Imperial Highness Prince O’Neil to drift out of the capital’s circle and become a third-party power. Even if the Empress successfully ropes him in, we should not reveal our enmity towards him untimely."
Old Kachev shot a sideways glance at Roment, "You seem to be very reluctant to go against the prince?"
The High Official of the Ministry of Justice forced a laugh, "My teacher, do you really believe that I want to have any dealings with those criminals? I have no choice, for the prince has control over all sorts of madmen; if I do not cooperate, I fear that I can’t even preserve my life!"
Upon hearing this, the old man burst into laughter; he had heard of matters about the Lair. "However… the situation isn’t that bad yet! From how I see it, Rolyn Kate is most likely flustered! Prince O’Neil is indeed a tyrannical power. Within the city, he controls a group of madmen; outside the city, he controls whole groups of seasoned cavalry divisions. At least as of now, the promise he gave to Her Majesty the Empress is just a blank cheque. He has not taken up any post in the government office and has no basis in the Imperial Household; he completely relies on his own dominance to seize the position of the most superior Imperial household member."
The High Official of the Ministry of Justice let off a sigh; he was still afraid of laying his cards before the prince!
"That is to say, he finds it unlikely that he would display his use in the Empress’ operation."
Old Kachev gave a slight nod, "At least for now it’s like this, but in the future, if he really does assume control over a department of prominent authority, then our future path will be all the more arduous."
"Then what should we do?" Roment rubbed his hands in distress. He suddenly startled, "My teacher! You can’t be thinking about… Striking first to gain the upper hand?"
"Exactly!" The old Duke let off a long sigh, "May the God of Light be able to provide me with the courage! O’Neil Andrew Morisette is the first miscalculated mistake that I have made for the past twenty-five years. I have never imagined that this little prisoner from Damorga could have such great capability and luck!"
"Strike first to gain the upper hand?" Old Kachev scoffed coldly, "If I cannot land a deadly blow, then plans like this should never be made; I still wish to live a few more years and certainly do not wish to face the retaliation of that little madman."
"That’s right!" Roment felt deeply stirred by that, "Little madman! Using this word to describe His Imperial Highness Prince cannot be any more fitting!"
"That little lad is still a political fool! We can make use of this to our advantage," Old Kachev suddenly chimed, "In the dispute between my family and Her Imperial Highness Empress’, if His Majesty III cold remains just, naturally it would be best. As long as the Emperor is not biased toward any side, then we still stand a chance against Rolyn Kate! As for the little Prince, we can use other means to communicate. Isn’t he about to go to University Town? Then arrange for some people of special status to get to know him!"
"People of special status?" The High Official of the Ministry of Justice was a little dubious.
"Those whom the Empress isn't fond of!" The old man stretched out his fingers and started ticking off, "This includes the religious reformists, Titan’s Youth Garrison Officer, great merchants, anarchists, utopians! You know, University Town is overflowing with these people. They have political views that differ and I believe that the young Prince will be influenced by one of their ways of thinking during the course of his studies. All we need to do is to guide this influence towards opposing the Imperial Household. When he returns to Dulin, he will realize that His Majesty the Emperor, Her Majesty the Empress, as well as those of the same countenance as them are nothing but a group of senseless beasts who only knows to struggle for power!"
"Meaning to say, let those political views that oppose the Imperial Household sway the prince’s ideas. But… But this will be a long-term process!" Roment was a little dubious.
"Of course, influencing a person’s mind will no doubt be a long-term process. However, don’t you think this is the best method? The youngster is as pure as a sheet of white paper when it comes to worldly views and political notions. He is in an ever-changing emotional state, the age where he is most prone to influence by things of the outside world. Once his thoughts really start to turn against the Imperial Household, then he is undoubtedly doomed! When that moment arrives, we may not even need to take action."
"But… a person’s thinking…"
"No buts!" Old Kachev snapped, "O’Neil Andrew Morisette’s capital is too robust. Even now, we are no match for him, not to mention the combined retaliation we will receive from the Emperor and the House of Andrew if we go against him. This is the only way that I can think of to destroy him! Poison his thoughts and make him walk down the path of opposition against the Emperor. Only via this way can we attain victory, otherwise… sooner or later, there will come a day when he will execute everyone in Dulin who dare go against him! Just like those secret agents who fell into his hands! Do you think those abducted secret agents are still alive? Perhaps even their corpses have been eaten by the Prince!"
The High Official of the Ministry of Justice shivered, "He… He indeed may have done just that! But… But how do you plan to realize your plan?"
Old Kachev became irritated without reason, if it weren’t for Roment’s praiseworthy loyalty towards him, he would have long since casted him aside!
"Don’t tell me you have forgotten? How am I your teacher? Have you forgotten? I have been a headmaster in Dulin Universtiy for more than ten years! I can arrange these things! I will carry it out meticulously! Do you still have any problems?"
Roment suddenly came to a realization; this old man had been the ruler of University Town! He indeed had the power to select the Prince’s course of study.
"What if… My teacher! Please do not take offense, I’m saying what if! What if Prince O’Neil’s thoughts do not develop according to plan; then what should we do?"
The Old Duke’s face turned cold, "At the Kenshin Palace, or you could say beside O’Neil Andrew Morisette, I still have the last chess piece, a chess piece that can guarantee a fatal blow!"
***************
The sky seemed to be bright! That was the only fitting way to describe the color of the sky. The Sun crept up slowly in front of the clouds. The rays were dimmed to a faint glow by the snow and it shone onto the dark greyish buildings. The penetrating cold radiance brought about a little warning to the desolate morning.
Suddenly, the sound of whistles and wails of the patrol soldiers came from the distant end of the street! The quiet street was in an upheaval, patrol soldiers and secret agents draped in black cloaks continued to rush to the scene. However, after the initial clamor, the people fell silent; they could only stare blankly at the three bodies hung inverted on the street lamps.
The fatal wound was at the throat. The highly experienced secret agents evaluated the wound; a sharp tool caused it. Fresh blood spilled down along the skull onto the floor and on the frozen snowy ground, it froze into three irregular blood-colored crystals.
Crows circled passed; they had smelled the scent of delicious food, but they dared not interrupt the irascible crowd. The secret agents from the Secret Service Department were jumping and shouting like lost rabbits unable to find their nests. This was the capital, this was Dulin; no one in Dulin dared treat the special operations members this way.
The patrolling soldiers did not care about these; some of them were maintaining the order at the scene while some were simply secretly amused.
The carriage, which had the totem of the Narcissus Fierce Tiger hung on it, happened to pass by the scene. The patrol soldiers immediately perked up and stood by the road, saluting to the important figure that might be in the carriage respectfully. The secret agents also ceased their cries and cautiously backed to the side of the road, sizing up the slowly advancing luxurious carriage with indifference.
"Look at their faces! Hahahahaha!" Oscar closed the carriage window; he was elated!
"Hehe, Your Imperial Highness, you should be satisfied this time!" Baron Messier complimented timely.
"Satisfied! Satisfied! I am very satisfied! But I have dozed off, have I not?" Oscar shook his head in regret, "Seriously! You should have woken me up! After being busy most of the day, I ended up missing the highlight!"
"Your Imperial Highness! I should say… the one who was busy most of the day was not you! You only sat in the carriage for a few hours and then gathered everyone for a meal together and after that, you slept until daybreak!" Messier finally whined.
The Prince rubbed his nose embarrassedly, "But it is all the same, at least I know that your working ability is exceedingly remarkable! But, I am very curious, what did you do with the few men who did not partake in the assassination operation?"
Messier used a handkerchief to rub a mist-shrouded gemstone ring on his finger; he was taking his time to answer the prince’s inquiry.
"Your knights have set up a Narcissus field in the gardens of the castle at Swan Hill. I think those men will definitely make good fertilizer during next spring!"
Oscar nodded in understanding. He had a premonition that this special operations officer with a gentleman’s air was a treasure bestowed upon him by the God of Light.
