Chapter 671: 669 Determination (Part 1)_1

“My lord Count… should we pursue?”

Witnessing the Orcs flee haphazardly from the castle, a South Border knight, despite feeling relieved, couldn’t resist asking Colin.

Colin glanced at him, then turned his gaze towards the southwest direction of the castle- the encampment of the Blood Knight Army was there, from where the sounds of fighting could still be heard.

“I’m going to check there. As for your pursuit, follow Duke St. Rands’ instructions.”

After saying these words, Colin immediately turned and left.

Only then did the South Border knight realize that he should follow the orders from Duke St. Rands. But the presence of a newly-promoted Holy Knight had instinctively led him to seek Colin’s opinion.

On one hand, he was aware that they needed the power of the Holy Knight to defeat the fierce Orcs, on the other hand, there was a deep-seated reverence and admiration for the Holy Knight.

To any citizen of the Glorious Empire, the title of the Holy Knight represented absolute power and justice, commanding an almost unconditional following.

As Duke St. Rands watched Colin’s figure disappear into the dark, his heart kept pounding relentlessly.

Clearly, he knew what was happening in the direction Colin was heading.

A siege launched by the Royal Guards on the Blood Knight Army was underway!

The plan for this evening, had utterly failed!

Duke St. Rands couldn’t comprehend how things turned out this way. Prince Lexie, a Holy Knight, failed in his assassination attempt on Colin, a sixth-rank knight.

In fact, Colin had even ascended to the Holy Field!

Such a plot, even a third-rate novel wouldn’t dare write this way!

However, reality is often stranger than fiction.

“My lord Duke, shall we pursue?”

Just as Duke St. Rands was feeling panicked and at his wit’s end, a knight under his command spoke up, bringing him back to reality.

“No pursuit,” Duke St. Rands muttered, “Begin cleaning up the battlefield, treat the injured, stay vigilant against more Orc attacks.”

“Yes, sir!”

The knight received the order and left.

Duke St. Rands turned around, only to see Count Nicoll approaching, his eyes flickering. The count whispered,

“How could this happen?”

“How the hell should I know!” Duke St. Rands snapped back irritably.

Having been snubbed, Count Nicoll did not dare to retort. He stood there awkwardly for a moment before breaking the silence with a seemingly foolish remark,

“I’m off to check on Prince Lexie…”

Having spoken, he rushed off. No one knew whether he really was going to look for Prince Lexie in the ruins.

Duke St. Rands rolled his eyes. At such a time, he naturally did not have the patience to deal with the Count of the Eastern Border. He walked sullenly towards the castle, meanwhile asking his attendant,

“Where is Scholar Yerug?”

Before the attendant could reply, Duke St. Rands spotted Scholar Yerug descending the stairs.

Swiftly, he walked over to him, relayed the incident, and then asked anxiously,

“What do we do now?”

Scholar Yerug advised firmly,

“Your Grace, the royal family’s plan has clearly failed, and I fear Prince Lexie has met with misfortune… Under such circumstances, whether it’s individual capacity or the power they wield, or their reputation within the Empire, no one can match Colin Angler.

To oppose him would be the least wise choice, so… we should swiftly switch our allegiance to him.”

Duke St. Rands frowned and asked,

“But… since we also took part in the royal family’s plan, won’t Colin Angler seek retribution against us?”

There was a fierce gleam in Scholar Yerug’s eyes as he responded,

“It depends on the sincerity of your offer.”

Duke St. Rands seemed to understand what Scholar Yerug meant, but he still appeared hesitant.

Scholar Yerug once again tried to persuade,

“Your Grace, the decline of the royal family is already a foregone conclusion. At most, Colin Angler could only have been the puppeteer controlling the Empire from behind the scenes. But now, after becoming a Holy Knight, he is a true threat to the royal family’s position.

Moreover, since he became a Holy Knight, Angler is certainly not his real family name…”

Hearing this, Duke St. Rands asked,

“Then which do you think he’s descended from, of the Holy Knight Families lost in obscurity?”

“I can’t figure it out.” Scholar Yerug shook his head, “But precisely for that reason, he could be a descendant of any Holy Knight Family!”

Duke St. Rands stopped in his tracks, apparently beginning to understand the heights Colin Angler could reach. His eyes gradually filled with resolve.

Seeing this, Scholar Yerug fell silent.

Both men moved along in silence to the second floor of the castle, where they were met head-on by Governor Fred.

“Duke St. Rands, what on earth happened just now? Have the Orcs retreated?”

“The Orcs have retreated.” Duke St. Rands answered impassively, his gaze on Governor Fred full of unspoken implications.

“That’s good.” Governor Fred walked over to Duke St. Rands, lowering his voice to ask again, “Just now… was that the Holy Knight’s promotion ceremony? Who exactly…”

“Colin Angler.”

“Col…Colin Angler?” Governor Fred’s eyes widened, appearing disbelieving, “How could he have been promoted to a Holy Knight…”

Shick!

Just as Governor Fred was shocked by the news, a sharp long sword pierced into his abdomen lightning quick.

The intense pain caused Governor Fred to grip Duke St. Rands’ collar tightly. Blood flowed out from his mouth, as he weakly questioned,

“You… have you actually… betrayed… the Royal Family…”

“I’m merely helping the Empire rid itself of traitors.” Duke St. Rands, cold-eyed, peeled off Fred’s clutching fingers and took a step back, letting Fred slowly fall to the ground.

Scholar Yerug observed all of this quietly, waiting for Fred to stop breathing before loudly declaring,

“Governor Fred… was killed by the Orcs!”

At this moment, all the Royal Guards had been dispatched to besiege the Blood Knight Army, hence, Duke St. Rands didn’t even have to worry about clearing any eyewitnesses.

Mensai, the Cardinal, arrived on hearing the commotion. Seeing the scene, he instantly understood what had happened.

Facing Duke St. Rands’ threatening gaze, Cardinal Mensai turned and ran without hesitation.

Having already murdered Governor Fred, Duke St. Rands clearly intended to walk the same path with Colin Angler until the end. Of course, he wouldn’t let Mensai escape.

However, he stopped after a few steps.

That’s because a figure blocked Cardinal Mensai’s escape ahead.

“Cardinal Mensai, why the hurry?”

“L…Lord Angler…”