Bishop Ronis is assassinated, the Duke leads the Academy of Magic and the Holy Knights to surround and kill the Soul Mage, offer a reward for the wanted murderer, and the Duke arrests the Chancellor of the Exchequer and informs the whole country that the whole country will be wiped out..... this series of explosive events rumors radiate around the royal capital.

Along with the rumors, wanted notices and duke's notices spread at the same time, and these things made the place boil immediately when they reached every town. Not only adventurers, thieves, and mercenaries were excited about these things, but ordinary people were also excited, and many devout believers wept bitterly because of the murder of Bishop Ronice, and went to draw a portrait of the wanted person and hang it in front of their door, hoping that one day they could avenge the venerable bishop. Rumors have spawned dozens of different versions of the rumors in the tavern.

Sweetwater is a remote town in the eastern part of the empire. When it was swept by the shock wave of this news, it was almost shaken by other places, and in addition to the tavern becoming the most lively place, the town hall was also extremely busy. Not only did they have to deal with the adventurers who came to ask if there was anything else to do with the news, but because the wanted warrant was official, it was also necessary to search the town on a large scale. At the end of the day, the mayor's bones were falling apart.

After returning from the search and sitting in his chair, the mayor finally breathed a sigh of relief, turned his head to the security manager and complained: "I don't even know why I have to search, can such a pagan criminal be stupid enough to swagger and send it to the door?"

But the sheriff did not answer, or even seemed to hear at all. The muscles on his face seemed to be out of control, his mouth was open enough to at least fit into his fist, and his eyes were about to fall out if he widened a little wider.

The mayor looked strangely at his gaze, only to notice a man walking in at the gate of the town hall. Then his own facial expressions immediately spiraled out of control.

This person walked not only swaggering, but simply arrogant. He rampaged and pushed away all the people in front of him who were in a daze, knocked them away, and walked in front of the magistrate. Stared at him and asked in a deep voice, "Are you the magistrate here?"

This person's eyes were bloodshot, all his facial features were distorted and deformed due to emotional excitement, and his anger, anxiety, and ferocity were all displayed on his face. But the reason he was watched was not because of his expression, but because of his looks.

Even if he is emotionally distorted, his face can be recognized at a glance. Because this is the face that they just went out to search for on the streets, and now no one knows and no one knows it, and no one is familiar with it, and everyone is always thinking about it, the face worth five thousand gold coins.

"Are you the biggest official here?" the most vicious and bizarre wanted man, now considered the most wicked and weird, slapped the magistrate's table, his voice already roaring, as if he were the one in control of the situation and justice.

The sheriff who reacted had already drawn his sword, and his originally loud voice became a woman-like scream because he was too excited: "Someone~~~~ Catch him." ”

"Are you Mayor Mare?" The bloodied wanted man kicked his desk to shreds and roared at the magistrate who was cowering in the corner.

"Yes....." The mayor has already peed his pants. The wounded had almost filled the floor of the town hall. The moaning of hundreds of people at the same time seemed to be a strange chorus.

The wanted man stepped forward and grabbed the mayor. The mayor realizes that the vicious creature in front of him is a member of the Necromantic Guild, and thinks that he will immediately turn into a skeleton or a zombie in the next moment. Immediately the urine and urine are out of control.

But the man just shouted at him, "Go to the king's capital and send me a message." Pass to Duke Mrak. The wanted man's voice was hoarse with rage, like the cry of a wild beast. "You tell him to be careful. I'll be back as he wishes. ”

Walking out of the town hall with the wounded on the ground, Asa only felt his liver and gallbladder bursting, and his blood was boiling. There were always three figures floating in his mind, Bishop Ronis, Sandru, and Xiaoyi. In the background is the duke's smiling face, and blood.

Today he passed through this town, saw his wanted notice in the tavern, and learned of the death of Bishop Ronis, and was immediately struck by lightning.

Bishop Ronis. Although Asa disagrees with his approach and even hates it, Asa also knows that this most respected old man in the whole empire actually cares about him very much, and it can even be said that many of the efforts he has made are for himself. And such an old man died inexplicably like this.

At the same time, he also heard about the Holy Knights and the Academy of Magic working together to kill a necromancer. From those colorful descriptions, he could certainly tell that it was Sandru. He almost vomited when he heard the news. Sandru. The eccentric necromancer's place in his mind was also odd, but it was also absolutely important.

Don't think much about what's going on. The duke's proclamation says it all.

The meaning of the duke's announcement is equally obvious: come back quickly. Either you die or she dies.

Asa looked to the west. That is the direction of the royal capital. The sunset is red. It's like the duke's smile, so kind and kind, and a little bloody cruelty. As if smiling and saying to him, "Come here."

Since the duke has already informed the whole country, if he doesn't show up by then, he will definitely really burn Xiao Yi to death. He had to go back.

Not far from the town hall, there was already a black and oppressive figure, and almost the entire town began to surround it. Someone recognized him as soon as he took off his mask and walked into the town hall, and the news immediately spread through the town at the speed that a human leg could reach. The adventurer mercenaries came one after another, but only a few of the mercenary gangs that rushed to the town hall at the beginning crawled out with broken hands and feet, so the people behind had to stand still. But people's courage grew as the number of people gathered increased. It wasn't until later that the townsfolk also came with hoes and kitchen knives.

Seeing him walk out of the town hall, the thousands of people who had gathered earlier rushed towards him with an earth-shattering shout. Asa jumped onto the roof of the street and ran west.

Wang Du, when the Duke heard Asa's words, smiled happily.

The duke carefully inquired about the time and place of the man's appearance, the situation at that time, and even the man's expression and movements. Then he nodded in satisfaction. He knew that his trap had indeed worked.

What is the most effective trap? It is a trap that the other person knows is a trap and has to drill into it. The Duke has always been a master of trapping, because he is very good at exploiting human nature.

But he didn't seem to realize that the more he studied this kind of thing and used it more skillfully, the less and less this kind of thing he had. This has reached a new level after he decided to continue to move towards the pinnacle of power, and used his daughter as bait and maybe really kill in the end.

In fact, after making this decision, he was still sad and depressed for a while, but it was only for a while. It didn't take much effort to make a rational judgment of the situation and the relationship to hide this weak emotion. However, it is precisely because there are fewer and fewer such weak things that he can consider problems more rationally, more reasonably, and without scruples. It's like an incredibly sophisticated machine. A machine that calculates and acts for the sake of power. Even he himself has to admit that he has indeed stood tall in terms of using means to play with power.

This is a height that I don't know how to turn back.

The Duke thought it for a moment with his delicate mind, and could immediately conclude. The frivolous message that was deliberately sent to people was nothing more than the cry of a beast in a desperate situation. Express a little despair, anger in your heart. Objectively, it won't have any effect.

The messenger had already delivered the message, but the man had not yet appeared. There can only be two possibilities. One, it's to find help.

This is highly unlikely. You must know that this kid is now a wanted criminal for both the church and the empire, and no matter how capable anyone is, he will never dare to help with this. That would undoubtedly show that he had something to do with the murder of Bishop Ronice.

The second possibility is that this person is now in the royal capital, but he is lurking and does not dare to come out, waiting for the time to act. Thinking of this, the Duke immediately ordered all the royal guards to be on standby at all times and on high alert. And ask the Holy Knights to send someone to triple the guards of that prison,

That kid will surely fall into the net. The Duke was confident. The kind of person who is bound by his emotions and supported by his own impulses is completely synonymous with stupidity, and can never escape the trap of the layout arranged by his own exquisite reason.

The prison of the Imperial Guard was the prison that the Duke had ordered special care for. Now there are nearly a thousand of the most elite soldiers hoarded outside at all times. There are also a lot of people from the Holy Knights, as well as magicians from the Academy of Magic. And as soon as the figure of the wanted criminal is found, the Holy Knights led by Captain Roland himself can arrive within ten minutes.

The head of Roland also asked the Duke about Clauvis and Xiao Yi, and many ministers in the court and even His Majesty the Emperor persuaded him to investigate more. But the Duke presented several very convincing pieces of evidence, and when he consulted with His Majesty the Emperor, he wept bitterly, telling his feelings for his daughter and his affection for his assistant, but the situation was such that he had to kill his relatives in order to comfort Bishop Ronis's spirit in heaven and lure out the real murderer. His Majesty the Emperor was moved to tears, but he no longer interfered with the Duke's actions. And as long as His Majesty the Emperor no longer interferes, the Duke can do almost whatever he wants.

To be honest, this earth-shattering approach is not in keeping with the Duke's style. But he can't care about so much now. He had to get rid of that kid as soon as possible. Because there's something else to come.

The Duke imprisoned Crowis and Xiao Yi together. Both of these are extremely important hostages. Naturally, it should be all together in case something goes wrong. And the reason for this is also a kind of importance that the duke attaches to the father who ran away.

To be honest, the Duke had to express some admiration for the marquis Inham Elni, a ruined son whom he had always looked down upon. He was able to run away immediately after he was done, and he had to say that he was extremely smart.

As soon as the thing is done, his use value is gone. Assassinating the Bishop, such an act will definitely kill him. And after extinguishing his mouth, his son will never escape.

On the contrary, after he ran away, the duke wanted to blackmail him in order to have capital, so naturally he would not attack Clauvis. So it was indeed a wise choice for him to run away in the first place. He's a smart guy. So beware of what surprise he uses to get himself and his son away.

But the Duke didn't really care about the Marquis, at least not before he was too busy dealing with Assa's matter. Because the Marquis, those are obviously just a little clever. Look at the down-and-out appearance of the loser, although he has a smart mind that can see his intentions, but he wastes such a good mind and talent on the sound of the dog and the girl in the art of those bullshit, and in the end he has to be held hostage by himself.

It's stupid to be entangled in some emotional impulses, and those fancy little cleverness is simply incorrigible than stupidity.

True wisdom is to make decisions, to give up everything else that gets in the way, to focus all your energy on your goals, to use everything you can use, and finally to reach the pinnacle of success. Just like yourself.

Thinking of this, the Duke felt as if a long-lost pride fluctuated in his chest. He stood in front of the window.

The lights of the royal capital are brilliant, and the buildings and pavilions can be seen here. The Duke stretched out his hand and shook the scene, and the hands covered with bruises, scars, grinds and traces of effort were so strong, so steady. It was as if he could shake all this prosperity in his hands. And, of course, the countless stupid ones.

On the other side of the royal capital. In the heavily guarded dungeon, the two people who were once the Duke's closest people are now in completely opposite moods to the Duke. Not only do they not see any prosperity and vitality, but they also have no right to hope.

The conditions in the dungeon are not bad, and they are even much better than ordinary hotels. Even though these two are prisoners, their identities are still special. And the duke had absolutely no intention of abusing them. He hoped that both of them would live well, at least as long as they were useful.

There are no guards inside the dungeon. It is very likely that the words spoken casually by these two people are highly confidential, and the Duke does not want to make any extraneous complications, and even the deaf people who bring in the food are specially found.

Clauvis's life was largely saved thanks to the efforts of the priests of the Academy of Magic. But his spirit was almost completely broken. When he was a little better, he ran to the steel fence all day and yelled for Duke Mrak, until his throat was completely silent, and he threw all the food that was delivered everywhere. Unfortunately, the Duke had already given an order on how to treat the two prisoners, and no matter how much he yelled, there was no response.

After crowning no more, Clauis cried and laughed as he looked at his completely useless hand, sometimes biting it with his teeth and smashing everything in his cell. Sometimes he hit himself against the wall and hit his head and bleed, but he never committed suicide. For a while, Xiao Yi suspected that he had gone completely insane.

Finally, after a hysterical and frantic noise, Clauvis suddenly fell silent. He only muttered in a crying voice: "It turns out that the only use value for him now is this life." Then he shrank into the corner and fell asleep.

Xiao Yi's days in the dungeon were much quieter and more stable. Of course, this quietness and smoothness is only relative to Clauvis's situation. After all, she was imprisoned by her own father as bait to booby trap her beloved.

No matter what kind of woman is in this situation, it would be nice to not be as hysterical as Clauvis. But Xiao Yi only quieted down after a day or two of hesitation and anxiety, and she ate the food sent every day and rested well. The rest of the time, she began to meditate, moving her muscles in the small cell, as if she were a gladiator recuperating for the upcoming match. As for Clauvis next to her, she ignored all the trouble.

"Hey. Can you hear me?" Suddenly, one day, Clauis spoke. Although it is a weak voice, it is no longer a crazy roar, but it is talking to others. And there is no third person in this dungeon.

Although Xiao Yi was slightly surprised, she still replied lightly: "I can hear you." ”

The cells of the two men were diagonally opposite each other. As long as you don't look at each other deliberately, you can only hear each other's voices.

"Why are you so calm? Do you think he's going to come to your rescue?" asked Clauvis.

Xiao Yi was even more surprised, Clauis should not have participated in the duke's operation, and most of the time he was in a coma. She couldn't help but ask, "Do you know why I was locked up." ”

"I heard some conversation from the soldiers both at the Duke's Palace and on the way here, Bishop Ronis was assassinated, and that bastard was wanted..... I can probably guess what was going on. I've always known Lord Duke. ”

"Oh, then you must know why he arrested you. Xiao Yi replied lightly. She had never had a crush on this man.

"Even if I don't know, I can probably guess it now. I know that my father went to see the Duke, and then the Bishop was stabbed. Crowvis's voice was always filled with a vague cry. "Do you know that the two of us should be dead? Since the Duke is relieved to lock up the two of us who know so much, he will never let us go out alive to speak. ”

"Probably. ”

"Then why are you still so calm? Imagine that he will come to save you, and then the two of you will work together to break through and escape like the hero and heroine of the story, and fly away?hehe..... haha..."Clauis should be laughing, but the sound he made was actually crying. It turns out that he has been paying attention to Xiaoyi's movements these days. "Do you think he's going to come and save you? Is he that stupid?"

Xiao Yi was silent for a moment, and muttered as if to himself, "I hope he won't be so stupid." But...... If he does come, at least I'll find a way to get him out safely. Do my best. ”

"Ahaha....." Crowis cried again. "Since the Duke has arranged it this way, he will definitely not give you any chance to struggle. As soon as that bastard comes to save you and is caught, you are really the same mandarin duck. ”

"Looks like you know him really well. Xiao Yi's voice has always been so flat.

"Yes..... of course I do. I've been with him for so long..... hehe...I know he's actually very kind to me. He didn't cut my eyes, tongue, and tendons in my hands and feet, so that I could wait here for ..... death. ”

Xiao Yi didn't answer again. Clauis didn't ask any more questions, and after crying for a while, he fell silent again.

After a few more days of silence, Clauis suddenly asked, "Do you know how many days are left until the Duke gives that bastard?"

"Thirteen days. Xiao Yi replied. She remembers every day very well.

"Thirteen days. Hehe. You wait slowly. See if he's a fool or if you're a fool who believes he's coming. ”

Xiao Yi didn't answer, still doing what to do. Clauis was no longer silent.

The next day, Clauis spoke up again: "There are twelve days left. The idiot still hasn't appeared....no, maybe it has appeared, but it has been killed by the soldiers outside. Hahaha...... Really stupid....."

Xiao Yi ignored him.

"Eleven days left...... That idiot must have been caught by the Duke. Ha ha. The Duke of this bastard who hates him so much will definitely not kill him so cheaply with one sword. It will definitely be cut slowly one by one. It must be a lot of fun. This kind of thing would have been done by me, hehehehe..... but now it doesn't work. It seems that the fool had the foresight to cripple me first. Hahaha.....Hey, are you listening....hey, you're making a noise..... are you dead?"

"There are ten days left. Aren't you talking? Don't you share your thoughts right now? hahaha......"

"There are nine days left. That's not an auspicious number. Do you hear? You stupid woman who believes in fools..... you, listen, here, go? Haha....."

"There are eight days left....... "Clauis would tell the date every day, and then often say nonsense that he didn't care about Xiao Yili. And Xiao Yi did ignore him.

"It's been seven days...... Maybe someone will come and arrest you later, and the Duke will kill you with his own hands? Hehe..... Lord Duke can kill his daughter without hesitation, and all his actions are so rational and efficient. What an idol of mine. Hahaha...."

"Six days....""Five days....""Four days ....."" Hey, stupid woman. There are three days left....."

"Didn't you remind me today? It's the last day of tomorrow. Xiao Yi suddenly spoke first. Maybe he's used to arguing these days, maybe there's something in her heart that is making her uncomfortable and trying to find someone to talk to.

"I'm tired and don't want to say anything anymore. Crowvis's tone was smooth, and he wasn't as crazy as he used to be. In fact, the more he got there, the calmer he became, and he didn't even open his mouth all day yesterday. "And I've been thinking about things these days. ”

"What do you think?" Xiao Yi now felt that there was something in her heart to hold. She really wants to talk to people, even if it's the person she thinks she hates the most.

Clauis actually sighed: "I just found out now." It turns out that I am much worse than you. You and I both know we're going to die, but you're still so calm and ready for something that only 1 in 10,000 is possible. And I, almost crazy. Even now. I didn't dare to face the reality that I was expecting a miracle to happen..... I now understood what my father had said. The higher you climb, the harder you fall, the more painful the fall, and the more awake you are. I'm completely awake now. It's weird, I'm the one who hates my father the most, but the person I miss the most now is him......" He started talking about it without stopping, probably pouring out all the things in his heart these days. "Actually, since I was a child, I was recognized as the most outstanding genius in my family. But because of my father's relationship, I was looked down upon everywhere and excluded by others. I may not even have the qualifications to be a family member in the future. I was not reconciled, so I worked harder, worked harder, I swore to myself that I must be outstanding, I must have the greatest power, I must stand at the top of this world, I want to be the strongest in this world. Finally, I was accepted as a disciple by Captain Roland, and I had the opportunity to inherit the position of Head of the Holy Knights in the future. I am happy. And at this time, I met Lord Lord Mrak. ”

"The Duke is so strong, so smart, so capable of fighting for power, and so clever in his means. He's the one who can stand on top of the world. He's my idol and my goal in life. So I made up my mind to follow the Duke. You must be like the Duke. ”

"I was so happy when I became Lord Duke's deputy. I feel like I'm on top of the world. I worshipped him as a god, and his commands were even greater than my own will. Alas. It's strange to say. I adore him so much because he is so good at taking advantage of people, including myself, and when I have no value, he throws me away like a rag...... What's the matter, do you still think I'm annoying? ”

"Nope. It's just that I'm surprised, I'm just surprised. Xiao Yi's voice did have a bit of an unexpected flavor in it.

"Surprised by what?"

"Surprised you turned out to be a person too. Xiao Yi regained her faint tone.

"Probably because I'm going to die. Looks like you'll be faster than me, though. You're going to die tomorrow. Clauvis's voice was more flat than Xiao Yi's, and although it also had feelings, it was lifeless, as if it smelled of dead people talking.

“...... Kindness. Probably. ”

"Do you really think he's going to come to save you? Later, the security outside became stricter. If it's on the court, then even if it's here, it's going to die with you. So he hasn't come until now, which only means that he won't come. ”

"If you really don't come, that's the best. After Xiao Yi said this, her heart was relaxed and a little sour. The corners of the eyes are already wet.

"He's not a fool, you're a fool. ”

"Hmph, aren't you a fool too?"

"Haha. Oh, yes. I'm an idiot. For the first time in his life, Clauvis laughed at himself. "But you idiot died before me. Just tomorrow. ”

"Tomorrow ......" Xiao Yi let out a long sigh, and a deep voice echoed in the dungeon.