An oil lamp hung at intervals between the rock walls on both sides, and although the flickering light of the fire was dim, it barely illuminated the road inside the cave.

Following the light's guidance, Jude gradually groped deeper into the cavern.

In several rudimentary stone chambers, apparently hand-hewn, he noticed some members of the Red Turban Brotherhood resting. Not wanting to cause unnecessary trouble, the boy was careful to maintain the effect of the invisibility spell and try to slow down his steps to avoid waking up the sleeping "robbers".

As he passes by the storeroom, Jude pauses to investigate and discovers that the Red Turban Brotherhood is well fed.

There is a large amount of food and water, well-maintained weapons and equipment, medical supplies such as bandages, potions, and even a few barrels of sealed ale.

All supplies were neatly arranged, and a list of recent supplies was on the table, presumably with a full-time logistical management within the Brotherhood. In addition, he was surprised by the expenses indicated by the account figures.

This was not at all what a robber's lair should look like, and after a moment's thought, the inside of the stronghold was in order, and the Red Turban Brotherhood was clearly not short of money.

So what are their plans for Ochedant, and if not bandits, where do these people come from?

The situation is becoming more complicated. Jude tried to remember the wanted notice he had seen in the town in the morning, the leader of the gang of "robbers" was named Smokad, he had not seen the person in the portrait before, and the leader's room was still deeper in the cavern.

Marshal Hadleine Birch wrote in his book on the art of war: "If you want to defeat a band of robbers easily, you must first capture their leader." ”

Speaking of which, this is what Lucius told him at the beginning, and the captain seemed to admire Marshal Birch, and the boy couldn't help but think of the time spent with the "Flower Blade" team, those days when he first set foot on the journey. Short but unforgettable, there are joys and sorrows, if he was given another chance, he would do better.

However, time has passed, and the established things cannot be changed, Jude sighed secretly, or grasp the moment and deal with the matter in front of him. With this in mind, the young man chanted the incantation, blessed himself with the invisibility technique again, and then continued to explore the depths of the cave.

-

Leaving the storage room was a long, dark straight passage, with only the faint light of the oil lamp at the end of the other side. Jude carefully observed the ground beneath his feet, and when he looked up near the light source, he suddenly realized that there was a person standing under the lamp.

The middle-aged man was leaning against the wall and clasping his hands, wearing a thick long coat, resting with his eyes closed. Importantly, his face was almost identical to that of the bounty order, none other than Smocard, the leader of the Red Turban Brotherhood.

Just as Jude was looking at the other party carefully, the man suddenly spoke: "You're finally here, Jude." ”

What? He'd just re-blessed the invisibility technique before, and his eyes were clearly closed. Could it be that the noise that made him alarmed? But he tiptoed all the way, so he shouldn't have ......

"I can smell you. The boy's thoughts were interrupted by the other man's words, and he opened his eyes and looked straight ahead of the empty space, "Let's be honest." ”

It was unbelievable that he could smell what kind of scent he was emitting?Jude lifted the effect of the invisibility spell and looked at the leader of the Red Turban Brotherhood in amazement, "You can smell me? And how do you know my name?"

"The apacist's talent. Smokad calmly looked at the young man in front of him, "It seems that you still haven't understood?"

What do you understand?Pharmacist?Jude was a little confused for a moment.

"Time is limited, long story short. Seeing that the boy still didn't seem to understand, Smokad briefly explained, "Smokad is a pseudonym, my name is Roy, I was once called the 'Sealed Sword', and the apothecary is the family lineage. ”

"What did you say? Wait......"

Smokad turned out to be Roy!Jude suddenly realized: the pharmacist, the seed of twin memories that Reda said, the watchman next to Mexia's house and the woods, that kind of powdered and highly hallucinogenic drugs, everything can be explained at once.

At the same time, however, there were still too many questions, and the boy was unable to sort them out for a while, so he asked bluntly, "What do you want to do?"

"These are the mercenaries I brought with me from Anna Loze, disguised as robbers, to fulfill a special commission. Roy looked into Jude's eyes, "The daytime feint is just a preparation for infiltrating the lord's manor, and it's part of the commission that needs to be fulfilled. ”

"Special commissions?

"A commission that I have to complete. You should understand. Roy said in a calm tone, "We'll act at sunset tomorrow, after which the Red Turban Brotherhood will disappear from Ochedant once and for all, never to be seen again." ”

"I ...... Don't understand. The young man confessed, he looked at the middle-aged man in front of him suspiciously, "What have you been through all these years? What about Mehia? Who are these Mehia's parents now?"

"Mejia's parents are Ixes and Hamilo. Roy's tone remained calm, "They're all dead, twenty-five years ago. ”

"Huh?" Jude couldn't help but wonder more and more as Mexia's face and words came to mind, "That's ...... What the hell is going on?"

"I made a deal with Death. Somehow, Roy's voice was so calm that it was a little empty, "It's not about you. Let's go, get out of here, and don't come back. ”

-

Despite his doubts, Jude was expelled from the Red Turban Brotherhood's residence. According to Roy, he and his mercenaries will be on a dangerous mission tomorrow evening, the final act of completing the commission.

In addition to being troubled, Roy's words impressed him: "I made a deal with Death. ”

Grim Reaper, Trading...... Mejía. The boy tried to connect the three, and then seemed to understand something.

If he was not mistaken, Roy probably used someone's power to bring Mehya back to life through some secret spell, and in order to pay for the deal, he had to fulfill the current commission.

However...... Jude couldn't imagine who that was referring to, or if Roy could make a deal with Möguse?

More importantly, what exactly is the content of this commission?

Need to infiltrate the preparations of the lord's manor, the commission of the Grim Reaper, could it be that they plan to assassinate Viscount Luttesis?

But was it really necessary to assassinate the Viscount, and it was hard for the boy to believe his own reasoning.

Regardless of what grievances the lord has with them, it is enough to entrust one killer to assassinate the viscount, why do you need so many people?

Moreover, with the strength of this group of mercenaries, it is not difficult to attack the manor directly, so why bother to create a riot to attract the attention of the guards, and then go to the inside of the manor in advance...... Stepping on points?

Looking up at the night sky, the dark sky was dark and deep, the moon was nowhere to be seen, and even the starlight seemed sparse tonight.

I haven't seen such a starless night in a long time, is this some kind of ominous omen?