Section 78 after the fact

It's getting late.

In the aristocratic quarter of Eagle Falcon City, inside the Regent's mansion, Duke Byron was looking at a dagger in his hand.

It is a refined weapon, the blade is as thin as a willow leaf, and it is very sharp, if not by a famous craftsman, at least it is a good work. The blood-free part of the dagger's blade has a faint green color, a color that doesn't match the metal, indicating that there is some kind of poison on it.

However, the Duke of Byron was not actually looking at the dagger itself, but at the dried blood on the dagger. It was his son's blood.

There are unforeseen circumstances, and not long ago, the Duke of Byron was still proud. He avoided the pincers of his old opponents, replaced his own people in the positions he had coveted for a long time, and cleaned the entire Eagle Falcon City by the way, pulling up all the hidden stakes laid by his opponents. If politics is compared to a chess game, now he has a huge advantage, and he is only one step away from victory.

But now, before the joy and excitement in his heart faded, he received the news of his son's death.

None of this was supposed to happen. In Eagle Falcon City, he should be in power and opposition, and who would dare to provoke him? Even General Rafa, his sworn enemy in politics, would not use this method to attack him. Because once he tears his face, he will have more means and methods to fight back. Of course, there is also the last small trouble, that is, his son is not a sensible person. It is precisely because of this that he specially arranged four loyal and reliable bodyguards by his son's side, each of which is a veteran of many battles.

But now, his son is dead. The cause of death was a dagger through his chest. All four bodyguards died on the spot, and all of them died tragically.

Byron finally withdrew his gaze from the dagger. "What happened?" he asked the messenger who had brought him bad news. He spoke in a very calm and casual tone, as if he had ordered the cook to make him a snack. But it is this calmness and casualness that makes people feel frightened, like the inevitable calm before the storm.

“...... This one...... According to our inquiry...... Young master, he ...... He suddenly blocked a passer-by with someone......"

"A passerby?" Byron repeated, nodding slightly.

"A man who looked like a bard, followed by a little girl. The messenger replied in fear. Then I don't know what Lu Dao is for, and the young master ordered to do it...... Then ......"

"Don't tell me that the bard single-handedly killed everyone. Byron asked calmly, or rather calmly. His tone made the hapless messenger tremble.

“...... Truly...... And so ......" the messenger finally spoke with great difficulty.

"You mean, a man who looks like a bard has an argument with my son. And then he killed my son and the four guards, is that what you mean?"

“...... Be...... That's right, Lord Duke. ”

Byron actually waved his hand and motioned for the other party to stand down. The messenger took his leave, as if he had been pardoned. After he had gone, Byron suddenly leaned back in the back of his chair and let out a long sigh of pain or anger. In the eyes of his entourage, the regent seemed to be ten years old in a second.

After a long time, Byron finally sat up straight again.

"Tell them," Byron said to one of the men beside him. "I want to know as soon as possible who the man who killed my son is, where he came from, where he is now, and why he is doing this. ”

The subordinate owes a debt and says that he receives the order. He left immediately, so that Duke Byron was now the only one left in the room.

"Rafa...... Is that you?" Byron muttered to himself, picking up the dagger again. When he was talking to himself, there was no sadness in his eyes, only horrific ferocity and cruelty. "No...... I'd rather believe it's not you...... So who is it? Does anyone think that this will prevent me from getting this country?"

He smirked. When he laughed, his face did not see the usual kind of "grandfather next door" at all, on the contrary, it was as hideous and terrifying as a ghost.

......

I won! I won! I won! I won my bet!Nighthawk pressed hard against his chest. Even now, his heart is still pounding. In fact, he couldn't believe that things could go so smoothly now, that it was that simple. He was prepared for what happened, but in fact there was no basket at all. Everything went according to plan, as simple and smooth as the story in the book, and there was no trouble.

It's really too perfect, or maybe he's really too favored by the gods. Nighthawk's mind was filled with all sorts of fantasies, one of which was to donate a large sum of money to the church and have them erect a large stone monument with the inscription "A lucky man thanks the gods for their favor."

Byron Jr. died. However, it was impossible for the Duke of Byron to give up his previous plans. In this way, the only thing he can do is choose someone who can replace Byron Jr. And who better to be in this position than Nighthawk, who only needs a simple legal formality to recognize Nighthawk as his rightful heir. All the troubles, all the difficulties, all the obstacles that Nighthawk had encountered in the past, all those obstacles that could not be seen and seen, would be gone.

Whenever he thinks about these bright futures, Nighthawk simply can't control the ecstasy in his heart. He waited for so long, endured for so long, worked hard for so long, and finally waited for a better tomorrow of his own. Soon, he will be able to raise his eyebrows, put on luxurious clothes, and live a truly high-society life with those dignitaries and nobles, instead of staying in this underground world, tormenting time in murder, betrayal, and gang wars.

There was a knock on the door. "Boss, are you there?"

"I'm here, something. Nighthawk replied alertly. By the way, although the dawn is just around the corner, he can't relax in the last period of time before the dawn. He can't afford to make a mistake at this time! Things aren't going to go so fast, and he's going to need some patience...... Very little patience. He's waited long enough and put in enough effort to never fall just one step away from success.

"Someone sent an urgent letter. The subordinate at the door said.

"Shove the letter in through the crack in the door. Nighthawk said. He can't see people yet, because he can't control the excitement in his heart now, and if he is seen, it will definitely attract unwanted attention. During this sensitive time period, he must pay attention to all details, no matter how small.

The letter was stuffed in. Nighthawk immediately opened the letter and began to read it. Sure enough, it was written to him by the Duke of Byron (or one of the Duke's subordinates), asking him to immediately investigate the identity of a mysterious man. Of course, Nighthawk didn't even need to look closely at the specific descriptions to know who Duke Byron was looking for.

At the end of the letter, the writer of the letter asked him in a very unceremonious tone to carry out the task as soon as possible. And it is to grasp it as an urgent task above all else.

Hmph, soon, no one would dare to speak and write to me in such a tone anymore. Nighthawk snorted, then carefully read the letter from head to toe again.

What should I do? Report a "I have tried to find it, but there are too few clues to find a target", or tell the true identity of the other party? Neither choice seems to matter, because after all, Nighthawk himself did not show up in the whole matter, and no one knew about his existence—little Byron, the only one who knew the way, had gone to see the gods.

He pondered for a moment, after all, the letter gave few clues, only that it was a man who looked like a bard and was accompanied by a little girl. Such a person can easily find a hundred in Eagle Falcon City, and if he quickly finds the real answer, it will cause unnecessary suspicion. Besides, after such an incident, he was sure that the little queen had retreated back to the palace and would never come out again for a short time.

At this critical juncture, it's better to keep a low profile. Originally, looking for someone in such a big city was simply looking for a needle in the sea, and it was normal to not find one. Even if he "doesn't do things well", he will only be scolded a few words at most.

Having made up his mind, he threw the letter aside. Then go back to bed. He should have had some sleep, but his mind was so excited that it was almost impossible to do something that would have been so simple.

......

"I've killed someone......" The little girl lay on the covers, whispering to herself.

Over this time, she had seen quite a few dead people. But it's one thing to see, it's another thing to do it yourself. There still seemed to be that feeling in his hands, the feeling of the blade piercing the flesh and going straight to the depths. It wasn't as frightening as she thought, but it was offensive.

"Ashrufat," she called out softly.

"Your Majesty, is there anything going on?" said Ashrufat's voice outside the dormitory. Her personal bodyguard was standing guard. I don't know what Lu Dao is for, but after hearing this voice, she suddenly felt a lot more settled in her heart.

"I can't sleep a little...... Won't it be a problem? I forgot to put the dagger ......."

"Don't worry. Ashrufat's voice came from outside. "The dagger over there is nothing, just what I picked up. You can't track anything down with that. If you lose it, you lose it. ”

"You can ...... Tell me a story?" asked the little girl softly. "Come in first. ”

The door to the dormitory was pushed open from the outside, and Ashrufat entered. The armor on his body was bathed in the moonlight cast from outside the door, and it looked shining.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, but I'm not a good storyteller. Ashrufat said.

"Just tell a story. I...... I just want to see you, so I can feel at ease......" she said softly. Why would she say such a thing? A queen should maintain the majesty of a queen in front of her subordinates! Who said these words? It seems that Jana said them. But since Jia Na is not there, she can also ignore these rules and regulations for the time being, and can say what she wants to say.

"Does it feel bad to kill and keep you awake?" Ashrufat seemed to be laughing, was it mocking?" This is also the key to the battle, that is, as much as possible, not to leave the opponent a chance to counterattack. ”

"There are some storybooks there, can you read a story?" begged the little girl. Ashrufat picked up a book. He seems to possess a keen eye for night, and can even read books effortlessly at night. Is this also a workout?

“...... A long time ago...... "Ashruphat began to read aloud, and as in the morning, he read dryly.

"Wait, sit closer. "The little girl asked. "Read it to me here at my bedside. ”

She closed her eyes, but instead of the story, she was listening to the sound of Ashrufat reading. The sound reassured her, and all kinds of uneasy distractions dissipated, and soon, drowsiness overshadowed her mind.