"There's something wrong with those people."

Finn suddenly stretched out his right hand under the cloak and grabbed the slightly cool hilt: "What? ”

Tirio leaned against the window, his brow furrowed, looking out of the window with a covert movement. The captain glanced quickly in the direction he was pointing, and quickly retracted his head. But a quick glance was enough for him to figure out the situation: "That's the convoy of grain that Lem went to meet." ”

Because most of the people in the camp had to carry rations, they had the opportunity to sneak into the office that once belonged to Fein, but now occupied by his deputy, Lemm, in search of clues. Finn was annoyed to see that the neat and orderly room had been ruined into a garbage heap by the latecomers in just one week. A few empty bottles were kicked into a corner, and a sip or two of the remaining ale was spilled all over the place. The wall on one side of the desk was a jumble of knife marks, as if someone had thrown a dozen daggers upwards that were neither accurate nor powerful to Finn's sophisticated and stern eyes. All the papers he had signed were stuffed under his chair, dusty, but the desk was still a shocking mess. No one can find what they want in this chaos without leaving a trace, but then again, I'm afraid that even the owner himself does not have the ability to remember what it would have been.

I should have stuffed this bastard into a kennel and slept with the squeaky pups. Fein said to himself that if he had the chance, he would take his old man who looked through his nostrils with him. It was the perfect place for them.

He began to rummage through the pile of papers, putting aside the apparently random sentry logs, the highly repetitive arrangements of personnel on duty and patrols, the reports of incidents that needed to be addressed, and the pieces of paper pressed under the gold coin bag with only names, numbers, and dates written on them, and finally found something that caught his attention.

One of them was a promotion notice from Lem Statham, signed by Baron Rivendell himself. For a moment, Finn looked at the coat of arms to which he had sworn allegiance. This week, in addition to recuperating from his injuries and contacting friends to inquire about the news, he also had some speculations about the current situation and was mentally prepared. So he just sighed and threw it aside.

The other one came from the kitchen, asking if it was really going to double the number of cooking utensils. It's a strange question. Excluding guards and patrols, only a third of the personnel are usually stationed in the camp to rest and eat, and the kitchen is also in three shifts, which is fully capable of supplying enough food. Fein pulled out the piece of paper and looked at it carefully, and saw a few lines underneath it, and told Lem in a very unceremonious tone that if he was going to make the whole battalion leave their jobs for a dinner, then "send us some more men, or I'll jump into the pot and cook myself." ”

Finn, who clearly remembered that he had been threatened like this a few years ago, shrugged his shoulders and searched the surroundings again while thinking about whether he could use the dinner to do something. There are no cavities under the floor and no mezzanine in the walls. Disappointed, he returned to his desk and, hopelessly, smashed open the locks of the drawer with the hilt of his sword, revealing a box and a crumpled note.

The note seemed to have been stuffed in the back, and a small half was still tucked into the gap. Fein gently pulled it out and unfolded it, and it read "The dog and the rabbit are not gone" in crooked lettering—and he thought for a moment before he realized that the word was actually "news." As for the "dog and rabbit"...... At least Fein guessed who might have written the note.

He put it back in and picked up the box instead. The box is made of wood, and it weighs enough that it is impossible to tell directly what it contains. Fein carefully opened it, and found an empty glass tube inside, a cork sealed with wax that had been pulled out, and a piece of paper with the words "Antidote" written in very elegant handwriting. He raised the glass tube and sniffed it, and a rather strange smell immediately rushed into his nostrils, and Finn had to be glad that the smell was not too strong.

I sympathize with the man who drank it, even Lem.

He stuffed the glass tube back into the box, then back into the drawer. It was the last place he needed to search. Realizing that he would not get any more information, Finn decisively told Tirio to leave. As he was busy searching, the paladin kept staring out the window at the grain convoy, his brow furrowed.

"What the hell do you think there's wrong with them?" Under the cover of the curtains, Finn ventured to watch for two more seconds. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary, and the scene below was as busy and orderly as every time the rations were in storage before. There were no superfluous hands wandering around idlely, no suspicious people trying to get close unnoticed, and everyone present knew exactly what they needed to do. This was a little reassuring to Finn, at least not before Lem had time to waste all his years of hard work.

Tirio shook his head, "I can't tell, but ......" he pressed his hand to his heart, "The instincts that the Light gave me were unsettling. ”

Finn couldn't understand the feeling, but he wouldn't easily ignore it. It was this instinct that led Tirio to turn back after escaping his pursuit, ultimately saving his life.

"In that case, we'll take a look over there later. I'd also like to know what kind of tricks Lem is trying to do. But it's best to get out of the way now. ”

The two intruders slipped down the hallway and down the stairs as silently as they came. The guard who was guarding the door was looking around, not surprised when they appeared, and winked his eyes at Finn.

"Done?" He asked in a whisper, and Finn nodded, "Very well, let's get out of the way then—oh, don't worry, if Lem wants to arrest someone for desertion, he'll have to go find someone at that casino two blocks away." I? No, I didn't substitute for anyone, which is against the rules. ”

Finn punched the slippery little loach. When he was the commander of the city guard, Finn had to battle the thorns every day, and now it was Lemm's turn to be the one who had a headache, and he found that he had turned to appreciate the cunning of the bastards.

They soon returned to a nondescript barracks. The difference is that the soldiers in this barracks did not go out, but sat near their beds, with their equipment at hand, and looked out vigilantly. Seeing the three people returning, one of them, wearing the sergeant's epaulettes, stepped forward, saluted and asked, "How's it going, sir?" ”

"It's bad, Belém." Finn was honest that since these people had chosen to stand by his side, he would never deceive them, "I can be sure that behind Lem is Baron Rivendell, and as soon as I disappeared, he signed a new appointee. In addition, Lem seems to be trying to do something about the dinner later, and Tirio thinks that something is wrong with the people who are following the grain truck. ”

The sergeant looked puzzled: "But those people are familiar faces, and I have seen them from afar." They were also close friends of the lord, and the baron wouldn't want to do anything to his own army, would he? ”

"I can't assure you of that." There was a hint of bitterness in Finn's voice, and he felt the wounded skin on his waist turn cold again, as if recalling the chill of the blade, "When the dinner begins, we'll find a chance to go over and have a look." ”

"That's risky, sir." Belen said bluntly, "Everyone here knows you, and many have seen Lord Tirio. Let my lads go. If something is wrong, they will come back and report it immediately. The rest will be on guard here. Whatever he wants to do, we're ready. ”

Fein gave him a surprised look, "You don't plan to go to the dinner?" ”

"Lem just locked me up the day before yesterday." Belen shrugged his shoulders and said disapprehantly, "My young man has also been sent out by him for several days, and he knows that we don't like him. He wouldn't have been surprised if we hadn't gone for a single person. ”

"If I had to see his face, I would probably spit out everything I ate." A soldier closer to them interjected with a grin.

Belen glared at him sternly: "Don't interject when I'm talking - even if you're telling the truth!" ”

There was a low laugh in the barracks, and even Finn couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth.

Belen quickly picks out two men and tells them to keep an eye out for any clues and not forget to bring lunch back for the team. Hearing the second half of the sentence, Tirio, who had been silent, finally raised his head.

"Ladies and gentlemen," everyone listened intently as he spoke, "I still don't know what the Light is warning me about. But we can't take it lightly. If you're willing to listen to my advice, it's best not to touch anything at this dinner. At least don't do it until I've checked them. ”

Belen looked at Finn, who nodded.

"There's nothing wrong with being careful." He said, looking at the two scouts, "Take his word and don't touch anything." However, bringing food back is also a good excuse to cover your movements. If Tirio had checked them and was sure they were okay, we wouldn't have to prepare for a fight on an empty stomach. ”

***

Finn had expected something to happen soon, but it wasn't until the cacophony from the other end of the camp had died down and the dinner was over that the two men he had sent out turned back and told him that everything was all right.

"Except that the bastard's speech is particularly unbearable." Another added. The sergeant glared at him with terrible eyes.

Tirio scrutinized the food. The soldiers watched with reverence as the light lit up in his palms. There was nothing wrong with the drinks and the dishes, but when he reached for the bread, the food that had just been baked a few hours ago suddenly collapsed into a foul-smelling pool of viscous liquid, and it was completely unrecognizable.

Everyone's eyes widened at this scene. In the next second, Belen clenched his fists and was about to rush out.

"That little bastard in the stable would dare to give such a thing to my soldiers!" He hissed and roared, his eyes red with rage, and Finn and Tirio dragged him back from the barracks door, "Let go! I'm going to skin him and dig out his heart and liver for the pigs to eat, right now! ”

"Lizheng, Sergeant!" Fein snapped, turning his head to look at the equally indignant soldiers behind him, "And you too, calm down!" ”

Belen stomped his foot hard, and then stood up straight in place. Finn let go of his hand, his heart also filled with rage: "There must be bread left over in the kitchen, and we can use this to point out what Rem has done, and let everyone see what a despicable thing they have done!" ”

"Plus he assassinated you." Tirio added, a hint of disgust on his normally calm face, "Even a baron can't openly cover up these actions. ”

Finn nodded heavily, signaling the soldiers to assemble, and he walked out of the barracks first. Now, he doesn't care about being seen. Even if the entire camp stopped in front of him, he was confident to convince them.

But he was greeted by an eerie silence. Finn looked around, and the soldiers who were supposed to be walking around, training, and resting were gone. Just as he was feeling confused, the team that followed him was in a commotion.

"May the Light have mercy on us!" One of the soldiers shouted in shock, "—what the hell is that!" ”