Chapter 326 - The King’s Spy
Chapter 326: The King’s Spy
At the Holy Sword adventurer team’s office.
“Lady Swordmistress, are you sure you want to leave the Holy Sword adventurer team and return to the royal city?”
Claude, who had bandages wrapped around his face, was kneeling on the ground with a reluctant expression. Many of the Holy Sword adventurer team members stood behind him, and they all had the same expression.
“Yes, I have already packed my belongings. I will depart the city first thing tomorrow morning. You will be Holy Sword’s Captain, and it is a huge burden on your shoulders. You can’t act foolishly like previously and tarnish the Holy Sword adventurer team’s reputation.”
Christina sat behind a desk with a package beside her. There were not many things in that package. There was only a bag of money and a few sets of clothes. The only thing that attracted attention was a broken sword, which was shining brightly. Even though it was broken, it still gave off an extraordinary aura. It was the Sky Severing Blade.
As she spoke, Christina subconsciously turned her head. Her gaze fell on the Sky Severing Blade beside her, and her eyes were filled with complicated emotions.
That was the second time that her platinum-tier weapon had been broken.
The Sky Severing Blade, known as the kingdom’s strongest offensive weapon, had always been her symbol. She thought that the sword would accompany her to achieve supreme glory, but she finally understood how shallow her thoughts were. A true elite would not rely on weapons. The fact that her sword had been broken twice was proof of that. After she explored the underground city, she understood something important.
‘The strength of an expert does not lie in external objects, but in their body and soul! From now on, I will work hard to become a true expert.’
She did not plan to reforge that sword. Instead, she chose to keep it by her side to alert herself constantly.
“Lady Swordmistress, according to the rumors, the underground maze has begun to evolve after they cleared it. The monster guarding the maze seems to be the black dragon, and some people even saw traces of an angel inside! Many people in the city believed that the legend originated from the ancient godly ruins. It had regained its vitality because someone had cleared it. Danger also means opportunity, but it is too bad that you are leaving, Lady Swordmistress. What a pity! What would the Holy Sword adventurer team do without you?”
“Opportunity is different for everyone. That new maze is meaningless to me! As for the Holy Sword adventurer team, I believe in your ability, Claude. I know you will never tarnish the team’s reputation.”
Christina comforted Claude softly as she looked at the other members behind him. Some of them averted their eyes guiltily.
They knew that Christina did not leave because she wanted to study at the Royal Academy. It was because they knew that Watson had created the new Tower of Babel. Those angels were not from the ruins, they were Watson’s subordinates, and the black dragon guarding the maze was his pet. They could not tell anyone about it due to the confidentiality agreement.
In fact, many rumors in the city were created by those who had signed the confidentiality agreement. To prevent information from being leaked, they had deliberately spread it to make everyone think the Tower of Babel was evil. One of the most widely spread versions said that the Tower of Babel was once the residence of the gods, but it had been sealed by a mysterious power, so it had been created as an underground city by the late king.
With the passage of the sword of Saint and Watson decades ago, the seal on the Tower of Babel had been lifted, and it had finally returned to its original appearance. The souls of the gods roamed in it, and they would choose the fated person to leave their inheritance. As long as one entered, they would receive the blessings of the gods.
Perhaps it was out of her pride, or perhaps she felt the pressure from Watson. In short, those who had seen Watson’s terrifying power could understand the decision that she had made at that moment.
“Lady Swordmistress, if you insist on leaving the City of Steel for the Royal City, I will go with you.”
Claude suddenly stood. His face was bruised and swollen, but it was filled with determination.
“Claude, I hope that you will stay here. It is not just my personal request, but also my order as the leader! I am really happy to be in this adventurer team with everyone and have gotten along with everyone for so many years. I don’t want this adventurer team to fall apart because of me. The only person who is qualified to be their leader is you, Claude. I know my request is very selfish, but I still hope that you can accept it.”
Christina was still trying to comfort Claude. Her sincere words made him bite his lips, and his eyes were wet with tears.
Claude knew that he was not a good person; he was originally a thug in the city. Due to his lack of strength and bad character, he did not do well in the City of Steel, and very few adventurers were willing to hire him.
Everything had changed with Christina’s arrival.
He still remembered the first time he met Christina. He was trying to trick a group of new adventurers into paying protection fees. At that time, Christina said to him, “Don’t you think it’s a pity to have such a talent but do such a shady job? Follow me. I’m going to build an adventurer team in this city to clear the dungeon that no one has cleared in decades. And now, I lack an assistant.”
It was Christina who had given him glory and status. Every time Claude saw the respectful gazes of the people around him, he felt the same way. Christina was her light, his goddess. For the sake of Christina, he would not care even if his hands were stained with blood and he fell into hell. However, now that Christina was going to leave, he did not know if he would have the chance to see her again in the future; the love buried deep in his heart would probably stay there forever.
“Lady Swordmistress, there is another person who is qualified to be the captain other than me. That person is the captain of the guards, Blake. That d*mned b*stard! After deceiving me, I don’t know where he has run off to! Lady Swordmistress is leaving, and yet he is not here?”
At the mention of Blake, Claude felt a faint pain on his face, and his tone became fierce.
If Blake had given him all the information, he would not have been beaten so badly. No matter what kind of mood Blake had played him in, he would beat him up when he came back to vent his anger.
“Claude, have you sent people to find Blake?”
“Yes, he disappeared when you led our people into the underground maze city. I have sent people to the restaurants and taverns to look for him for a long time, but they haven’t found him! Maybe he is hiding with his mistress, which is why we can’t find him. Let’s hope he dies in the belly of a woman as soon as possible.”
Christina only shook her head after hearing Claude’s vicious curse. A hint of melancholy appeared on her face. “If only it were as you said.”
….
In the City of Steel, in a place called the Clear Spring Shop.
The Clear Spring Shop was a small shop in the City of Steel. The main business of the shop was the sale of medicinal herbs and potions. Since most of the people in the City of Steel were adventurers, and the owner had a brilliant way of making potions. As a result, that small shop had always been doing well. However, the door of the shop that was usually full of people was closed today.
“Sir, we have used a magic device to contact His Majesty for you. You can talk to him now.”
The owner with a handlebar mustache said that to the handsome man in golden armor in front of him. Then, he turned around, closed the black soundproof curtain, and left the room obediently.
If Claude were there at that moment and saw the man standing in the middle of the room, he would definitely throw his fist and pounce on him without caring about his own safety.
That person was none other than Blake.
At that moment, Blake did not have the warm aura of a guard like when he was with Christina. Instead, his face was ice-cold, and his eyes revealed the sharpness of a falcon.
“Blake, you are a pawn I placed with the Sword Saint family, but you have not contacted me for a long time. Is there any reason for you to contact me now?”
A crystal ball was placed on the table in front of Blake. At that moment, the crystal ball reflected a gorgeous palace. In it, a man in a long robe was enjoying a shoulder massage service from two beautiful maids with his back facing him.
“Your Majesty, I have something to report. I’m afraid that the swordmistress has uncovered my identity.”
Blake knelt in front of the crystal ball respectfully. His cold face was a little pale. “I hope you won’t blame me, Your Majesty.”
“Oh? You were discovered?”
The voice of the man in the crystal ball paused; Blake had started to sweat. “A youth named Watson suddenly appeared in the City of Steel. He withstood Lady Swordmistress’ sword attack in the Adventurers’ Association and remained unscathed. I thought that this type of matter was very common. After that, Lady Swordmistress told me that that youth had at least platinum-tier strength, and was stronger than her. At that time, I did not believe it, so I sent people to investigate. In the end, I discovered that the youth was from the border. I thought of your relationship with the border count, and I formulated a series of plans to target him. In the end—”
The plan included not letting Watson and the swordswoman clear the dungeon together, as well as deliberately concealing Watson’s platinum-tier strength, and letting Claude go and find trouble with the people around Watson. All of that was to test the waters with the youth.
Then, he managed to obtain the information he wanted—Watson was Antonio’s disciple.
“In the end? Continue. ”
“In the end, I found out that that youth was Antonio’s disciple. He seemed to be inextricably linked to the border count.”
There was a long silence in the crystal ball. The man whose back had faced him turned around at that moment. His eyes stared at him through the crystal ball, bringing him heavy pressure. Even a crack appeared in the crystal ball.
“Antonio has been in seclusion in the Temple of the Stars for so many years. Royalties and ministers went to him to assist their children. He had refused them, and even I had wanted him to teach the princes. I wonder what Sylvan has given him for that benefit? Watson? That’s not the first time I’ve heard of the name. I did not expect him to leave the border. I’m afraid he’s here for me. This is great.”
“I had thought that it would be inconvenient for my forces to infiltrate from the border from afar. Since he took the initiative to come to me, then I won’t need to hold back. I might even be able to use this opportunity to catch a big fish!”
Halfway through his words, the man in the crystal ball suddenly changed the topic. “Blake, there is only death when an intelligence officer’s identity is exposed. Since you’ve brought me good information this time, I’ll let you off this time. Come back to the royal city. I’ll arrange another job for you! However, this is only a once-in-a-lifetime thing. If there’s a next time, you should kill yourself.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I am extremely grateful for your mercy.”
Blake bowed his head respectfully and let out a slight sigh of relief. Even though there was no sound from the crystal ball for a long time, he still did not dare to raise his head.