With Ferry, who was familiar with the local terrain, leading the way, and eating the dry food for hunger, the two went directly back to the place where they started.

After walking forward for a while, Henry's striking greatsword, which seemed to be leisurely walking, came into view, and the latter seemed to have guessed the origin of all this, and did not say anything, but smiled slightly. Then, as Mila had said, the Sage readily agreed to Ferry's joining.

There was no pressure, all of this made the immature boy look quite happy, and then the three of them walked back to the security post together, Vega looked at Ferry's expression and guessed what had happened. He sighed a little helplessly, then turned around, and slowly staggered up to the second floor, step by step, this time to the first compartment on the far left, and then the people below heard the sound of rummaging things.

It must have been about five minutes before the gray-eyed uncle of the sheriff came down with something.

"This is what I used when I was younger, and although it is a little old, it is much better than the second-hand iron sword you have in your hand. Vega handed Ferry the one-handed sword, which was plain and simple in its overall style, and the sharp-eyed Henry noticed that the counterweight ball at the end of it was rather unique, but it had been crudely polished on the surface, as if to erase some kind of mark that had existed on it in the past.

“...... Thank you, Uncle Vega. Ferry took the one-handed sword, for he was still a little embarrassed by what had happened before. Vega patted him on the head, then looked at Henry, and said solemnly, "This kid." Please. ”

The sage nodded, as if he could tell from some detail that the other party was probably a character in the past. Vega could also tell that Henry wasn't going to be simple.

It's not something that can be expressed by fancy clothes or elaborate weapons, it's the innate instinct of a battle-experienced warrior - every word and deed. With one action and one look, it is clear at a glance whether the other party is your own kind or not.

Without further ado, he unfastened the buckle from his belt, removed the broken iron sword, which showed signs of cracking even in its scabbard, and replaced it with a beautifully crafted steel sword, Ferry shook his body in satisfaction and waved his hand at Vega, and then turned and walked out with Henry and Mira.

When Monroe arrived in the morning, they left their horses at the smithy to change their shoes, and several hours had passed. So he went to fetch the horses first, and then walked towards the nearby inn led by Ferry.

The well-blooded war horses naturally made the young mercenary envious, and noticing that the saddle on one of the horses was even smaller, he naturally set his eyes on Mira.

When I was a teenager, I met my peers who had a common topic.

Because of the sage's own knowledge and experience, Mira always stands in the perspective of the person being taught. In many cases, she didn't need to open her mouth to Henry's mind to understand the girl's thoughts, which on the one hand made the two very close, but on the other hand, the girl was quite eager for someone to talk to.

When she was with Henry, she was often in the capacity of a listener. Mira had no other words to say than nod and learn. Ferry, on the other hand, is a few years older than Mira, but he is far inferior to a girl in terms of professional knowledge and various experiences.

The young girl poured out all the knowledge she had been learning. The young man on the side nodded frequently, his eyes shining.

Henry, who had walked at the front, looked back at them calmly, he didn't say anything, just stopped and waited for the two who had forgotten to move forward.

The road from the blacksmith to the inn is not too long. But it took quite some time for the three to arrive.

Maybe it's because of the happiness, even though I haven't eaten any food since noon, I only ate a small amount of dry food that I carried. Both children seemed energetic.

The cost of staying at the inn is not very high, although the boss, like the other residents of the area, has a lot of grievances with the mercenaries due to various problems. But he's not one who can't get along with money.

The room booked by the three of them was a triple room, and the hotel led by Ferry was a caravan hotel, and when Monroe was prosperous in the past, there was an endless stream of merchants from all over the world every day, and such a room was already the smallest here.

The hostility of the Monroe residents towards the mercenaries that she had felt all day today, combined with the scribbled murals she had seen when she was looking for Ferry before, naturally raised the girl's suspicions, and when she helped to carry all the luggage on her war horse to the hotel and put it away, she had just sat down to rest, and Ferry began to complain like a flash flood in the rainy season.

"It's all in the eyes of the money!" the blonde boy mercenary shouted loudly as he repeated the phrase for the third time.

"These people are all lackeys under the duke's flag, and they are beating people everywhere for two money, and the soldiers under the duke are also turning a blind eye!" As soon as he mentioned these low-level mercenaries, who he obviously hated very much, Ferry wrote all his dissatisfaction on his face.

"Many of them are low-level mercenaries from the center, and some are from the south. As a mercenary, he doesn't come to the Monroe Guild to report and receive missions, but is no different from robbers and bandits, and he disturbs the peace every day. Fei Li angrily smashed his thigh: "The reason why the city is so chaotic now is that the murder incident is secondary, and more because these people are making trouble." ”

"Duke of Monroe...... What the hell are these guys going to do if they disturb the city? Ferry showed no respect for the lord at the top, and Mira looked at Henry, who figured that the sage would have all these answers.

- She's right, Henry thought. Although it was only a family, from the overall atmosphere to the excessive reaction of the merchant when he entered the city in the morning, although he had only been in Monroe for half a day, he was already able to paint a general picture.

If, according to the sheriff's reasoning, these killings were related to the duke's eldest son, then it is obvious why the atmosphere in Monroe was messed up. The security post itself was under the Duke's banner, so it was naturally impossible for them to investigate the Duke's eldest son. The same is true of the Monroe army, which is more directly accountable to the Duke's family itself. So the functions of the security agencies of the two city-states have been largely abolished - but this is not the end of the story, as Monroe is a city with mercenary guilds stationed.

The terms of the Mercenary Guild must be signed when the establishment of a branch is agreed. And as long as someone has the heart, go to the mercenary guild to issue a mission. Because of the temptation of money, there are most likely powerful mercenaries to come here to investigate.

In order to solve this problem, the Duke of Monroe openly and secretly promoted a large number of low-level mercenaries to come here and carry out sabotage acts in the city that were no different from thieves and bandits, which made the image of the mercenaries in the eyes of the people plummet. Ordinary Monroe residents instinctively raised hostility when they saw strangers with mercenary cards because of this series of times, and if a mercenary took the task, the work of inquiring about the investigation would naturally be greatly hindered.

Directly expelling the established Mercenary Guild branch will cause the Mercenary Guild to become hostile to the city of Monroe and the Duke of Monroe's family. The mercenary guilds themselves are not much weaker than these small kingdoms on the west coast, and the presence of mercenary guilds in Monroe's economic income will also increase, so the duke will not choose to tear his face directly.

And in order to create a situation in their favor in such a situation, they are like any great aristocrat who knows how to play politics. chose to manipulate the hearts of the people.

There is no way to hide the wanton behavior of the mercenaries, but the residents themselves already have a certain hostility towards the Duke's family, so this kind of behavior that is not serious but can set up a lot of obstruction for the mercenaries who come to investigate, it has to be said that it is a good move.

More and more evidence and details show that the reasoning of the crowd has been correct, and that the duke's eldest son is the magician who used witchcraft to kill people.

- There was only one thing that Henry couldn't figure out, and if it was a member of the mercenary team that investigated a year ago, according to the sheriff, the person who was killed by the magician again last night was also a mercenary.

Although the details are not clear. However, from Vega's previous words, it is surmised that the female mercenary who died tragically last night was probably one of those members who disturbed the peace. And if the premise is that the duke's eldest son is the murderer, what is the point of him killing "his own people" who should be regarded as covering for himself?

Although it can be considered as a clear of suspicion, this period of time - let alone half a year - has been precisely because of the troublemaking of these mercenaries. The public has already shifted their attention and stopped paying attention to this matter.

It is possible that these foreign subordinate mercenaries choose to evacuate due to indiscriminate killing, so that the investigation activities of other mercenaries who take over the mission can be carried out smoothly. And because of this incident, the murder of the magician re-entered the public eye, no matter what you think. It's not like a choice that a superb wizard who can kill a lot of people in full view of everyone and never even find out about his body would make-

Or not?, Henry frowned, and Mira waited for a long time for an answer, so she drooped her little head listlessly—the sage spoke to Ferry. It was the first thing he had ever said since he met.

"The eldest son of the Duke's family, although he has not been exposed in front of the eyes of the commoners. But according to the rules of Krant, if an heir is born to a nobleman of this rank, a celebration will be held, right?" he asked, and the young mercenary was stunned for a moment, then nodded: "Uh, yes, when the duke's second son was born seven years ago, there was indeed a large celebration in the city. ”

Ferry nodded and said. And Henry then asked, "Do you know how old the duke's eldest son is?" he said this, and the young mercenary was stunned again, he pondered for a moment, and then replied, "Just like me." ”

"Hmm......" Henry fell silent again, Ferry looked a little confused, and Mira heard the sage whisper to her.

"Is this kind of achievement at this age a show of force...... The psychology of a child in the rebellious period, wanting to prove that he is strong enough to dominate the city......"

"I know how to lure him out. Henry nodded, and then stood up, but just then there was a rhythmic knock at the door.

"Squeak. Mira stepped forward and opened the door, and it was the young clerk of the sheriff's office. He glanced at the white-haired girl with calm eyes, then looked straight past her to Henry.

"The magician has killed again. The sheriff has already arrived at the scene, so please come with me. ”

The clerk said. Behind him, Fei Li stood up from the edge of the bed with a "free" shot, and the three of them did not unload their weapons. got up directly and followed the other party towards the destination.

The four of them walked through the twisted alleys, and soon came to the bottom of a house surrounded by civilians.

Mira frowned, and Ferry, who was next to her, took a deep breath.

The place where the people gathered was the alley where they had been resting, and it was on the stone in the alley that the boy and the girl who had escaped from the crazy homeless man Mike more than two hours ago sat down and began to chat.

"Stay away, stay away!"

Most of the time it is also because of the salary, it usually seems that there are only three people working in the police station, including the sheriff, and in such a situation, three people are naturally far from enough.

As soon as Henry arrived, he noticed that the person who was shouting and pushing away the civilians was also dressed as civilians, although the members of the security post were also dressed in regular clothes. However, they will choose the easy-to-move combat professional clothing that favors the outfit of mercenaries and adventurers, so it is easy to distinguish from ordinary people.

"These are temporary members, and they are called when something happens. Vega, who was standing outside, leaning on a cane, seemed to have just arrived, noticing Henry's questioning expression, and he explained.

"Alright, get out of the way!" roared the sheriff, whose legs and feet were not on the rope, but whose voice was extremely loud, and the onlookers retreated to their sides.

Henry noticed that they looked at Vega with a respectful expression—which was unusual. Because the commoners suspect that the real culprit of the murder is the duke's eldest son, and Vega is the head of the duke's lackeys.

"Come on, don't think too much about irrelevant things. The sheriff on crutches beckoned, and the clerk stepped aside and began to maintain order. The three mercenaries came closer.

Perhaps a little worried, Vega looked at Ferry and frowned. But after all, they didn't say anything, just stood by and began to observe the deceased.

"I haven't had time to examine the body yet. But I guess his heart is gone. The sheriff said this, and Henry crouched down. Nodding in agreement.

The deceased was a male, about 40 years old. Medium build, bald. He wore Monroe's usual short-sleeved civilian attire, and the look of horror on his face remained.

"Whew. Blood was all over the ground, and the tragic condition of the corpse made Ferry, who was next to her, cover her mouth, and Mira's face was a little pale, but she stood still and began to observe.

"His neck was slit, and he had multiple sharp wounds on his arms, and it was probably the short knife in his own hand that caused the death. Henry grabbed the other's wrist and flipped it over, then moved around and checked the other's eyes.

"There are signs of congestion in both eyes, it is a manifestation of excessive pressure on the nerve that the magic is eroding, combined with the location of the wound, well, there is nothing wrong, it is the interference spell manipulation that he stabbed himself. The surrounding civilians had been dispersed by the sheriff and the temporary workers, Henry stood up and said in a voice that was not too high, and Vega next to him nodded: "That's right, little brother, you are indeed very capable." ”

"Well, like last night's incident, it's the magician's doing. Damn, there was another murder in less than a day, and this guy still didn't take us seriously as before. The sheriff with gray sideburns stomped his cane and spatted and scolded, but Henry, who was on the side, did not affirm his conclusion.

"No, I don't think so. The sage shook his head, and the three people next to him were stunned for a moment, then looked at him.

Not far away, the clerk stared at the tall man with calm eyes, and Vega, who reacted, asked with a little hesitation, "Do you think this is not the magician's doing?"

He said this, but this time Henry nodded: "The magician did it." ”

"Isn't that the end of that?" the sheriff looked puzzled.

"It was the magician who did it, but it wasn't the same person who did it as the female mercenary who died last night. The sage's answer made the three people around him even more confused, and he crouched down again, turned his head to look directly at Vega, and said, "Your Excellency the Sheriff said before that the female mercenary who died last night died in a very miserable state, right?"

He asked, and Vega nodded: "Yes, even her hand is dislocated, her entire neck is torn to pieces, and the residents nearby can hear her screaming before she dies, as if she is begging for mercy, but because it is late at night, no one goes out to check." ”

"Well, then look at this corpse and today's events, how is it different?" Henry asked rhetorically, and the sheriff frowned and began to think, as did the other two.

"It's neater, it's quieter!" the crisp voice was the first to sound, and Ferry and Vega turned their heads, and Mira, who had figured it out, continued: "Unlike the night, today's deceased died in broad daylight in the alley, this is not a particularly cold place, but no one heard him cry for help!"

"And the wound was very neat, except for the incisions on the neck and arm, there was no damage in the slightest, and the arm was intact without any bruising. The girl summed it up, and Henry nodded in satisfaction, then stood up again.

"There was no cry for help because the magician had not only interfered with the limbs, but also applied the same spell to the vocal cords, and the neat and deadly knife cut proved his skill on another level. ”

"It only takes a single wound on the top of the neck to cause death, and multiple knife wounds on the arm are more like a play on prey. ”

"It's all very different from last night's death of the female mercenary. Screaming, broken bones, irregular wounds that shredded. Yesterday's events were more like the emotional affairs of novices, while today's ones are outright cold-blooded. Henry turned and glanced at the crowd.

"If you had to say, we're dealing with a madman with a dual personality. ”

"Or—"

"There are only two magicians. (To be continued.) )