The chaos in Rockburg that night didn't last long. The loud noise and the bright light startled the entire castle, but to the soldiers who witnessed the explosion of what no one could tell what it was, the damage was only temporary, and it was worse than the wound cut by the shattered glass on the arm of the frightened maid...... or the wrath of His Majesty the King lasts.

There were many places in the fort where flames were burning, and it seemed like a dozen or more people were setting fire to various places at the same time, but miraculously no one was injured. Most of the flames didn't burn for long, and they died on their own before anyone could breathe, only thick black smoke filled the wind everywhere, choking people to tears.

Also awakened by the loud bang were many people in the city of Stunbuch. By the time dawn came, all sorts of legends were scattered in the streets. The most popular theory is that another mage, driven by lust and unwilling to enter the three-storied pagoda, tried to escape with a spell when he was discovered by the guards, forgetting that Lockburg - as the legend says - has a ban on spells. It was his own body that exploded in the bright light, and the debris scattered everywhere caused a fire......

People always seem to prefer this kind of bizarre, scary and bloody story, and even relish every detail that comes to their minds, and unconsciously take it as true.

But for some who know the truth, at least part of it, things are far more troublesome and terrifying than cleaning up the body of a mage who has been blown to pieces.

“...... I don't know?" Ante's eyes were like the sea before a summer storm, and in the dark calm there were huge waves that could be set off at any moment.

"Yes...... Your Majesty. ”

In front of him. Aldington lowered his head in horror, "There's nothing left on the ground except for a black mark that explodes outward...... No one could see what it was, and it blew up in the blink of an eye. Everyone couldn't see anything for a while......"

If he could, Ante would love to make it impossible for everyone to see anything again...... Although he knew that Aldington was not lying. It was quite a distance from the North Tower, and there was no window to the north, but as he sat in the room, he clearly heard the loud noise, and saw the flash of light.

But he still couldn't believe that the castle was stacked with thousands of guards and heavy stone walls. Thick gates...... It was so easy to let those guys escape, and it almost turned the whole of Lockburg upside down.

"That must be some kind of magic. We can find a few mages to ......" Aldington was still haunted by the fact that he had all of his men incapacitated for a moment, but seemed to have forgotten what really mattered.

"I just asked 'where did they flee' rather than 'how did they escape?' Ante said coldly.

Aldington lowered his head: "The carriage was left halfway through. They seem to have jumped into the drain outside the north gate...... Because it's been raining lately, and the water is deep and fast, when our men take off their armor and go down to look for it......"

- So the armor he had crafted for those fools just made them more useless?

In his uncontrollable anger, Ante couldn't help but laugh.

Tabor Winter cautiously walked into the room. He could barely contain his laughter.

"Stand down. My knight. "Settle the dead, let the living know what they can say and what they can't...... You don't have to worry about the rest. ”

Tarber watched Oldington leave dejectedly without a word, a slight hint of sympathy on his face.

“...... You don't think it's his fault?" asked Ante with a sneer.

"I believe he is facing an enemy that he is unable to deal with in the first place, Your Majesty. Tabor bowed to him again, "No sword can split the flames. ”

"No one can cast spells in Lockburg, and you know that as well as I do. Ante said angrily.

He coveted it, but he also feared the power of magic. A teleportation mage or priest can easily appear directly in front of his bed in the middle of the night...... He didn't want such a surprise, even if someone in the palace was sick or injured and had to be dragged out for treatment by the priest. He doesn't want to change that, either.

"That's true. Tabor stepped forward with an unchanging expression and gently placed a black mass in front of him. "Until I found out about this. ”

Ante frowned and stared at the distorted, completely indistinguishable lump, and asked in an unkind tone, "What is this?"

At this time, if Tabor still wants to play tricks, he suspects that he has little patience to tolerate it.

"Probably the iron hook for hanging meat in the kitchen. Presumably seeing his irritability, Tarber replied bluntly, "At least, that's what the cook told me." ”

Ante was stunned, and then looked at the almost iron thing, and could barely make out the shape of a sharp hook, which looked like it had been thrown into the furnace, and halfway through the melt and dragged out...... He knew that the kitchen was also one of the places where the fire caught fire last night, but it was quickly extinguished, how could it be possible to burn an iron hook like this?

The only way to do this is probably the fire created by magic.

Ante was shocked: "...... Has Lockburg's defenses failed?"

Tabor shook his head: "I'm worried about this too, so I've invited the priest of the Vulcan, Quirk Graeme, into the palace without your permission to try to use some spells...... The protection still works. ”

Ante breathed a sigh of relief.

Lockburg's magic protection is a fact that successive kings have never acknowledged, and never denied. It was set up by the same king Doren I who had reopened the three-storied pagoda a hundred years earlier, and as a former mage—or, as he put it himself, a king who wore a crown and was still a mage—he knew better than any other king, and was more afraid of the power of spells. Legend has it that at the cost of some of the secrets in the three-storied tower, he invited some of the most famous mages of the time to devise a plan for Lockburg to block any spells according to his request, and then the mages who entered the three-storied tower never appeared again, and no one can tell whether they disappeared into the tower. Or go away satisfied, and indulge in what you have gotten from then on.

And how everything they designed worked out was something that only Doran knew.

Doulon I changed the location of certain buildings. Adding runes, statues, and perhaps even unspeakable things in all sorts of unexpected places keeps Lockburg safe from spells, and even the three-storied tower itself is likely to be a part of the protection.

It took Doron twenty years, and the peace and security he enjoyed was only five years.

Five years later. He died of old age, leaving no words or a record of his greatest achievements in this life.

After nearly a hundred years. Although no one could figure out how it worked, the protection was always effective, but the successive kings did not dare to rebuild any place at will, and even repaired broken statues had to be carefully called in mages and priests. Lest something happens......

-- Speaking of which. Lockburg was damaged in the war more than ten years ago, and although it didn't seem to affect the protection, when it was repaired, he specially invited the priest of the water god, Ikabard, and Sean Fletcher, to show his trust and attention......

A chill rose from the bottom of my heart - and that might have been a mistake too.

Could it be that in the past ten years, his every move has actually been under Sean's surveillance?!

He looked at Tabor. Tarber was looking at him worriedly. He probably had the same question in mind, but it wasn't something to be said casually.

"I'll find out what the hell is going on as soon as I can. Tarber retrieved the dark piece of iron on the table. "Until then, it may be better to strengthen the protection of Lockburg...... Do you need to write a letter to Master Gallup of the Mage's Guild? Your Majesty...... Maybe we'll need his help. ”

Ante frowned. The Mage Guild guys weren't much better than Sean Fletcher, and they were even more unpredictable......

But he nodded silently.

"I've got some better talk for the curious guys in town about last night. Tarber finally couldn't help but smile a little smugly, "As for the pursuit of fugitives, I've handed it over to Finger, and his men will know every corner of Stonebutch City better than the knights of Lockburg." ”

“...... What's the news from the temple?"

"As far as I know...... It's calm. Tarble knew exactly which temple Ante was talking about, "Do you need to find an excuse to cordon off the temple surroundings?"

Ante snorted coldly, "What's the use of the blockade if someone really helps them with spells?"

"But they shouldn't be so blatant......"

Ante pondered for a moment, then nodded again: "No entry is allowed—but no need to stop the people inside from coming out." ”

Even if it's a warning to the clergy...... But it's not good to be too obvious.

"But......" Tarber hesitated, "Lange Latus was a pirate, his daughter was a dangerous fellow, and the elf was an exile, and it might not be easy to capture them alive......"

Ante looked up at him, his gaze cold: "When did I say I was going to capture them back alive?"

Tabor was stunned for a moment, and there was uneasiness in his calm expression: "But, that's ......"

"I gave them a chance to explain and I treated them with courtesy. Ante clenched his fists, "And what did they give me in return......? No matter how they call themselves, they are just thieves, liars, murderers...... It is not a pity for such a person to die. ”

He should have done it a long time ago - no longer looking ahead and doubting, and if anyone had to use Borena as bait, he would have to see who could afford to catch him.

"So," Tabor frowned, furrowed, "Lady Agnes Gaskel...... What about Her Royal Highness's sister?, according to the soldiers' descriptions and the lady's character...... She was probably not 'hijacked'. ”

Ante leaned back heavily, with a headache.

He had never liked the woman who was self-willed and arrogant, completely different from Moira. She had caused trouble in Lockburg a few years earlier. If it weren't for the death of her husband, Moira came running to him with tears in her eyes and confided in him how lonely and sad she was, he wouldn't have let her enter Lockburg again......

“...... I will pray for her for the protection of the gods. ”

In the end, he threw this sentence out hard.

Tabor smiled wryly and walked away in understanding.

(To be continued......)