From outside the walls of Scarly's mansion, the system's tracking ends. It's not that the rare success can't track the traces left by people on the streets a day ago, it's just that as soon as Brunei's mind moved, the system laughed twice and stopped guiding him. And after that, as the kidnapper, whose name is still unknown, laughed at, Brunei was.

It was part of his plan.

The reason why the kidnappers followed them obediently all the time, and did not hide their surprise at Brunei's analytical talents, allowed Brunei to easily gain the trust of His Excellency the city lord. In addition to the fact that he is not loyal to the mastermind behind it, it is more likely that he has no fear, and even if he traces his movements, it is impossible to find the person behind it.

It is a matter of course to be cautious not to leave evidence that can be linked to you to carry out such a major event as kidnapping in the academy city, and the people behind it may not have met these kidnappers directly, and even if they do, they will not be in a place where they can directly relate to him. Brunei put himself in his shoes and thought that an inexperienced novice like him, who was not really prepared to execute, would not have made such a stupid mistake.

I think the lord of the castle also thinks of it, or simply knows this. So he obviously didn't want Brunei and Scari to go directly to the people behind him, but before arriving at Scarly's residence, he didn't show any intention of stopping them once, just watched Brunei's performance with interest.

However, they didn't expect that Brunei had already guessed who was behind the scenes, and had no intention of tracking the kidnapper's footprints to find him and prove to himself the correctness of his judgment again.

As early as the time he fought with Mr. and Franks, he had come to the conclusion from the clues in their words that the true messenger was indeed particularly interested in him, and had the desire to recruit him as his subordinate. To be honest, Brunei has been in College City for a year, but he doesn't know many people, and it is even rarer to be able to assign an excellent second-turn mage like Franks at will, as well as a force that is "equivalent to a third-turn mage" like Mr.

Correspondingly, among such people, he believes, there will never be many who know who Brunei is.

Gerald may have mentioned himself to some of the big people he knew, but as far as Bruneith's impression of Gerald was concerned, he didn't say much good things, not to mention how much of a role could he make if he was just a down-and-out magician with some talent? William wasn't here, and now he was Scully's subordinate, so the only one left with the most suspicion was Fernand.

So he went to the "gold coins" and learned that Fernando had given them a sum of money in advance, and that they knew "Mister" and were so familiar that even his knife was recognized. Perhaps this evidence is not enough to testify against Fernando in front of the law enforcers in College City, but it is enough for Brunei himself.

Thrace Fernando's house was notoriously luxurious in the academy city, and if not everyone knew it, the Great Munch, the guard who had made it clear to these regulars, knew where his house was.

And now, seeing the kidnapper's unconcealed look of surprise, Brunei didn't even need to rely on the system to use "psychology", and he clearly knew that he had guessed correctly.

"Thrace, Thrace Fernando, that guy!" Scarly exclaimed, and couldn't help but take two steps forward, and get closer to confirm the pattern on the door, which Brunei had also seen, as if it were the background of a flower, and among the stamens, there was a burning candle, which was the crest of the Fernando family—Scarly saw the pattern, but took a step back, her expression a little bitter and weird, and frowned, "Fernando...... He ......"

Brunei used as much surprise as he could, and under the crimson mask, his expression remained unmoved: "Mr. Thrace, is this Mr. Thrace......'s residence? But before—"

Brunei suddenly felt that the top of his head was pressed by a thin but powerful hand, and turned his head slightly, and found that the city lord Skordi was rubbing his hair like an elder dealing with a child—in fact, the age gap between them was enough to describe it, but the height comparison was reversed, and the scene of the old man stretching his arms to reach Brunei's head looked a little funny. However, Brunei and the new bald head who saw this scene couldn't laugh much.

He calmly laughed heartily twice in a voice that didn't suit his style: "Haha, little brother Carlisle, don't play with these tricks and make such a contrived look!"

There was no momentum in his words, and his attitude did not change in any way from before, but just thinking of his identity, Brunei couldn't help but feel a chill all over his body, shivering against the cold sweat, and stiffly listened to Skordi's words.

"It's not wrong to get it wrong. Since you've brought us here, let's go and check with me. ”

[Psychological test: 60 = 60, success.] You can barely make out the expression on Scoldi's ugly face, which is increasingly shaded by folds and scars in the faint light, still with no malice, but with a hint of anticipation that makes him look a little special. As for his words themselves, the words he uttered were exactly what he wanted to say. 】

"Can this be considered a success? Even the crimping gives too little information. You're getting useless. Brunei scolded the system in his mind with almost no effort, and without waiting for it to reply, he showed a slightly flattering sneer at Skordi: "Your Excellency the city lord, I have indeed guessed the true identity of the person behind the scenes. I'm sorry to make you think I'm contrived - but Mr. Thrace has always been kind to me, and it is not my wish to really see such a result. ”

Skordi laughed twice, stopped talking, and rubbed Brunei's head meaninglessly.

Scarly finally showed a look of determination, and gently tugged at Brunei's clothes: "Bruneith Carlisle, my temporary guard, I order you as your master not to lie to me. ”

The hand on his head was removed, and Brunei bowed to Scarly, "Yes, Miss, I will do your bidding. ”

Scarly's face flushed again, her face tilted slightly to the side, and her eyes drifted a little, "I can trust you, right?"

Brunei was slightly stunned for a moment because of the unexpected question, and glanced up, but because of the rising sun, Scarly's whole body seemed to be shrouded in some dazzling light, which was really unreal. Brunei lowered his head again: "Of course, Miss." ”

"Good. Scarly's fists clenched at some point, trembling a little imperceptibly, and she walked towards the door of Fernando's mansion with an unnatural step that was subtle from her usual, and then, turning around, showed Brunei a smile that he hadn't seen on her face before, and didn't know why it looked so attractive, "What are you doing in a daze? We're going to trouble the main culprit who kidnapped me, you are hiding behind as a guard, do you want a salary?"

Brunei suddenly felt a little hot on his face, and he seemed to have a little trouble remembering the last time he realized that Scarly was a woman. He coughed twice and quickly followed, "Sorry, I was a little distracted just now. ”

"Hmph, because of your negligence, I was arrested, don't think I'll spare you easily. Scarly seemed to suddenly come alive again, and said a lot more than ever.

Brunei didn't use systematic psychology, so to speak, just subconsciously, as if he wanted to change the topic, and said casually: "Miss, are you here, nervous?"

"Goo-" Scarly made a sound like she was choking on food, stepped up and walked a little faster, walked to the front, and didn't look back: "That's it, it's not there." What am I so nervous about? I'm excited, excited!"

As if not wanting to hear Brunei's reply, Scarly raised her hand and knocked on the wooden door violently, making a dull sound that made Bruneith worry about the safety of her hand.

About five seconds after she started knocking on the door, there was movement from inside the door, and ten seconds later, a soft male voice sounded, nice and loud, slightly tired, but considering the time at this moment, the sun is about to rise at such a delicate time, his voice should be quite mental: "May I ask which adult is visiting at this time? ”

Scarly shouted loudly and vigorously, perhaps because she was trying too hard, and her whole face turned red: "I'm Scarly Terry Miltloff!

The man inside was silent for a second or two, and then opened the door and said, "It turns out to be Miss Miltrov, then please come in and wait in the reception room, and I will go and tell the young master—ah, Your Excellency the City Lord." ”

Out of the door was a tall and handsome man, who looked to be in his thirties, and his clothes had no obvious features, just a clean and straight black uniform, which was different from the powerful style of the "Golden Coin" door, but there was a subtle resemblance. He saluted Scarly, looked up and saw Skordi, a panicked look on his face for a moment.

However, he quickly restrained his expression and made a very solemn salute: "I'm sorry, Your Excellency the City Lord, the little one didn't know you were here. Skordi waved his hand as if he didn't care, and the man who might be the doorman didn't show the slightest relaxation: "Then, the little one is going to tell the young master, I don't know the city lord-"

Skordi waved his hand again, and let out a hearty smile again: "I'm just following along, nothing special." It's just these two little ones who are looking for something for you, young master—of course, you just have to do what you have to do. ”

"Yes. So, please come with me. The doorman looked at the faces of Skordi, Scarly, and Brunei in turn, bowed, and finally glanced at the new bald head who didn't know what to do next to him, looked at the three again, and said with an expression and tone that had no other meaning than respect.

The reception room that the doorman said was a large room with a large courtyard inside the door, separated from the main house, and the size and arrangement alone, in Brunei's eyes, were not inferior to the large living room of Scarly's house, and the layout was not as luxurious as the "gold coin", but it gave people a very comfortable feeling. Not long after the people sat down, the good-looking maid who came out of nowhere brought out four steaming cups. In front of Skordi, Scarly, Brunei, and the new bald head.

The maid, who was dressed plainly but not very plain, gave them a salute that Brunei thought was a little unfamiliar, and stood beside them. Brunei found himself as if he was the only one staring at her, and withdrew his gaze a little embarrassed, and landed on his own glass, which contained a strange dark brown liquid with a strange aroma that was alien to him.

Scarly snorted coldly, picked up her glass, the same drink in her cup, which seemed to be quite familiar to her, took a sip, and pouted for some reason. On the other side, Skordi was holding a cup, sniffing the aroma of the drink with a little grace, but he had no intention of drinking it, while the new bald head, sitting on pins and needles farthest away from them, stared at the cup of hot water in front of him, as if trying to see something in it.

Only a few minutes later, after three soft knocks on the door, the Thracian · D.H. Fernando pushed open the door and walked in alone.

"Your Excellency, it is an honor for you to be here at the Humble House, where Thrace is full of splendor. Fernando's face was still the same shallow smile that Brunei was familiar with, gentle and elegant, but it seemed to imply some kind of cold indifference, first saluted Skordi, and then turned to Scarlett and Brunei, "Scarlett, you haven't been here for a long time, I miss you very much." Fortunately, the maids in my house have not forgotten your preferences. This cup of coffee should still taste you, right?"

Scarrie showed a look of bewilderment for a moment, but Fernando didn't continue, just nodded slightly, and shifted the subject: "Brother Bruneisi, there is still a week to celebrate the New Year, after which your temporary guard contract with Scarlett will end, right? ”

His words and deeds are still enthusiastic, but Brunei doesn't know if it's his own delusion, maybe it's just because of the preconceived belief that he planned all this, and his words make Brunei feel insincere. If in the past Fernando was an icy indifference hidden under the surface of enthusiasm, now what he says seems to have floated here from another world, without the slightest sense of reality.

"Less nonsense!" Scarly put the drink known as coffee back on the table, before slamming the table and shouting, "Thrace! Why did you arrange for this guy to kidnap me with the others! Give me an explanation!"

Fernando followed Scarlett's fingers, as if he had seen the new bald head sitting next to him for the first time, showing just the right amount of confusion, squinting his eyes and smiling: "My dear Scarlett, you are still so impulsive. It's just that I have a question before giving you an explanation. What the hell are you talking about?"

[Psychology: 94>60, failure.] You don't understand what Fernando is thinking, his expression and tone don't seem to be evidence of his inner workings, and of course, you can't tell whether his words are true or false. 】

[It's a pity, little Brunei, almost failed.] 】

Scarly's hand suddenly clenched into a fist, biting her lower lip, Brunei inadvertently noticed that her eyes seemed to be a little red, which is quite rare in Scarly, who has always been called strong, but her voice was far calmer than usual, just a few words, there was a casual tremor: "Thrace...... Thrace Fernando. Although I haven't always liked you very much, I thought - I thought you would...... You're not going to get to this point. ”

The smile on Fernando's face didn't move: "Dear Scarlett, what exactly are you talking about?"

There was a brief silence between the two, and Skordi quickly broke it: "That's it, Fernando boy. The girl from Miltrov had been kidnapped in College City—the bald head was one of the prisoners I had captured, and the little brother Carlisle, insisting that they had a messenger behind them, for they were probably not seeking money. So, Little Brother Carlisle followed the traces of the prisoners and came to you. ”

In the time of Skoll's first few words, Fernando's expression changed several times. When he heard that Scari had been kidnapped, he seemed to look surprised, then looked at the new bald head with a somewhat malicious gaze, and finally, when he looked at Brunei, his face completely returned to the same smile: "Oh, follow the traces of the prisoner?"

"Thrace — Mr. Fernando. Brunei pondered for a moment and changed his original title, "I remember that you should know that after I escaped from the Empire, I traveled in the Endless Mountains for a short time as an adventurer. Searching for prey is one of the skills an adventurer must have to survive – and I happen to be good at it. ”

While Fernando was talking, he asked the maid to bring a large chair and sit directly across from them, with his hands crossed and his left leg pressed above his right leg, shaking his head slightly with his usual smile: "Brother Brunei, Brunei Darussa, your talent is really beyond my expectations. You are indeed a good person. ”

He paused for less than a second, then continued, "I see, I understand. Scarlett, don't get so excited, sit down, I think you still prefer hot coffee. Well, following the footsteps of the prisoner to find the mastermind behind the scenes, I finally found me. My lovely Scarlett, I'm a little surprised that you're so excited about it......"

His expression, which had been shrouded in the fog from the beginning, finally gave Brunei a real feeling for a moment, but Brunei didn't even realize what it was, and hid back in the fog: "But you can rest assured, I am not behind it. Bruneisi, your tracking, maybe something went wrong in the middle, right?"

It may be a retreat here, and if you admit it, it will be a loss of face at most, but the lord of the castle looks at him with concern in his eyes...... Scarly looked at him as well, and there seemed to be some hope in her eyes. If you take a step back here-

That's impossible. Fernando's incredible dedication to the emblem and Brunei himself, as well as the fact that Brunei's magic emblem was actually systematic, doomed the event. It is precisely with all this in mind that Brunei has taken it step by step to make things the way they are now.

"Mr. Fernando, although I am also reluctant to accept this fact, my tracking is not wrong. I have shown all the evidence to the eldest lady and the lord of the city, and they can prove it. ”

Brunei knew that Fernando had many explanations to come up with, the simplest of which was that these prisoners were just passing by his door, perhaps pretending to visit him to blame him. As far as the explanation given by Brunei Darussalam, there is no way to hold on to Fernando.

In fact, everything he did this time, including his refusal to back down, was nothing more than a provocation, deterrence, and confirmation with the help of Scarly, the power of the city lord Skordi. Brunei doesn't know all the secrets behind it, but since Fernando wants to use the secret method of kidnapping to lure Brunei out of the city, then it is very likely that picking everything out of the light will prevent Fernando from continuing to move on to the next step.

After all, unlike Scarly, Brunei has little interest in so-called revenge, and the reason why he wants to find the mastermind behind it and take all kinds of actions is just to ensure his own safety.

"Hmph, that doesn't mean it's me. Fernando unsurprisingly denied Brunei's words, and then his subsequent actions far exceeded Brunei's expectations.

Fernando slowly took off the two white gloves on his hands, first his left hand, then his right hand, revealing his white and slender fingers, as well as the dark brown sword and shield pattern on the back of his hand, covering the entire back of his hand. D.H., Fernando, was slandered by you, Brunei Carlisle, for no reason, which damaged his personal reputation and dusted the candlelight in the stamens. Here, for the glory of this noble surname of Fernando, a duel to the death will be waged against you—"

He threw it casually, and the heavy and sturdy glove smashed straight into Brunei's face: "Bruneith Carlisle, insult Fernando, you have no right to refuse this duel of honor!"

Brunei had been a little dazed by this ominous sense of déjà vu, and then he was dizzy by the new unfolding that was very different but more dangerous: "Huh?" Brunei couldn't help but look at Scarly.

Scarly's face was also full of surprise, her eyebrows frowned slightly, and she leaned into Brunei's ear and whispered, "...... In fact, it's not that you can't refuse...... It's just that after the news gets out, you're afraid you won't be able to settle down in places like College City that are affected by the Federation, at least it's unlikely that you'll be able to find a job...... But refuse, at least, at least I-"

"What is she talking about, why can't she find a job here?" Brunei didn't have any expression on his face, and his heart was already roaring.

[Probably because you took the initiative to question, but you didn't dare to take responsibility, and you didn't have a ridiculous reason to be looked down upon.] Hehe, this can be regarded as a federal area that does not favor mages with a lot of treatment. 】

Brunei's face twitched twice, he now thought of the meteor shower and felt that it was absolutely impossible for him to move within the empire, if he could no longer live in the Federation, would he have to go to the Endless Mountains to eat and sleep?" His lips twitched a few times, and finally he couldn't squeeze out the words of refusal: "...... Hmmm......"

"If you don't answer, coward, you are deemed to have agreed. Fernando's gaze turned away from Brunei and turned to Skordi, "Your Excellency, this duel of honors, according to the rules, will wash away all the stigma for me. ”

"What if you win. Skordi actually let out another burst of laughter and shrugged his shoulders, "Little brother Carlisle, it seems that you really can't refuse it." So, if the two of you don't dislike it, let the old man be a witness and how about it with the host?"

Fernando bowed: "It's an honor. ”

Brunei swallowed, the corners of his mouth twitched several times, and finally nodded.

"Well, then—" Skordi seemed to think really seriously for a long time, "it's almost the New Year." Let's just decide, how about the duel between the two of you on New Year's Eve?

"I can do it all. Despicable coward, do you have an opinion?" Fernando's dress was unbelievably formal, but at the moment it seemed extremely appropriate, standing upright, looking at Scully deeply, but in the end he didn't say anything, turned around, pushed the door and left, "If there is no opinion, I still have something to do, and I will not be able to continue to entertain you, so please go back first." ”