Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 387 The Storm (Part 1)

Qiu Lin's body was placed in the living room. There were no external injuries on his body, and his expression was calm and peaceful, as if he were just sleeping.

The remaining nineteen unidentified corpses were dragged into the courtyard, almost filling the front yard of the small building.

There were many black scratches on the stone slabs inside and outside the courtyard gate, which were bloodstains smeared on when the body was dragged.

The chubby Fuller slumped on the steps, his knees and shoulders trembling uncontrollably. Old Schmid, though maintaining the composure of an elder, still revealed the bewilderment of someone who had survived a close call.

As night fell, the temperature had already dropped to freezing point, and the wounds and blood on the corpse were frozen, so there shouldn't be any unpleasant smell.

But every time Anna breathed, an overwhelming, pungent smell of blood filled her nostrils.

This was the second time Ms. Navarre had faced a bloody killing frenzy. It wasn't as brutal as the last time, but she was closer to the enemy than before.

The last time was in Qingqiu.

Winters looked at Anna without saying a word, but his eyes told her, "You don't need to stay with me."

“I’m not afraid,” Anna replied softly, firmly supporting Winters’ arm.

The attacker's lifeless features were exposed in the firelight as he removed his mask and veil.

Winters looked at them one by one, and they were all unfamiliar faces. He then had his guards take turns identifying them, but the guards had no recollection of the attackers either.

A search of his personal belongings yielded nothing, except for his weapon and a few coins. The only items found were a drum-shaped silver box and a small set of keys in the green-eyed man's clothes.

The key has a simple design, is made of bronze, has an undulating serrated front end, and is bent into a symmetrical three-petal flower shape by filigree at the end.

The silver box was much more exquisite, with rhythmic mechanical sounds emanating from within. Opening the lid revealed a silver disc protected by crystal glass.

The silver disc is divided into twelve equal parts, each of which is further divided into four smaller parts. A gold pointer originates from the disc's axis and points directly to a mark on the disc.

Winters immediately recognized the silver box as a clock, a clock that could be carried around.

"Are they assassins of the Oathbreakers?" Winters asked Kaman directly.

Father Kaman sat silently in the corner, his eyes downcast and his expression numb, as if he hadn't heard a thing. After his sudden attack and killing of the enemy, Kaman's every move was like that of a walking corpse.

Kaman didn't answer, so Winters took it as a yes.

Winters then asked, "Do you know them?"

Kaman glanced blankly at Winters, then slowly shook his head. His dry lips seemed glued together as he answered with difficulty, "I don't know him. That person... might be a 'messenger'..."

“What is a messenger?” Winters frowned.

Kaman lowered his head, indicating he had no intention of continuing the conversation.

Winters paused for a moment, then put his hand on Carman's shoulder and said, word by word, "I will protect you, and I will protect Mrs. Mitchell and Scarlett."

Kaman let out a low chuckle, then grabbed Winters' wrist with such force that he almost crushed Winters' joints.

Kaman grabbed Winters' collar with his other hand and pulled him closer.

He raised his eyes, all traces of his pious and kind clergy vanished, replaced by the desperate look of a wild beast caught in a trap: "Don't talk big! Winters Montagne! You can't protect anyone!"

Winters met Kaman's gaze without flinching: "The oathbreakers are mortals, not gods."

Kaman and Winters stared at each other for a moment, then suddenly released their hands and slumped down against the stone wall.

Following Anna's instructions, the personal maidservant grabbed all the thick cloaks and blankets she could find and hurriedly ran out of the stone building.

Anna took the blankets and cloaks and distributed them methodically to Fuller, old man Schmid, and the guards who were rushing out.

Anna personally took a thick blanket and draped it over Father Kaman, then held his hand and said some comforting words, wanting him to go back to a warmer place inside the house. But Kaman just hung his head and remained silent.

Anna looked at Winters and asked, "What's wrong?"

Winters said to Anna, "Let him be by himself for a while." After walking a few steps, Winters explained, "He's afraid of the Oathbreakers."

Anna nodded, seemingly understanding.

“I will protect you too,” Winters said to Anna.

Churin's body lay in the living room. Winters' words were not a promise, but more like a blood oath carved in stone.

“I know.” Anna silently took Winters’ hand and asked softly, “What about Mr. Fuller and Mr. Schmidt?”

“Wait until Colonel Bern arrives, then let him decide how to deal with them.” Winters looked toward the old town—the scouts he had sent out had not yet returned—and said, “Even if they want to leave, it’s probably not safe for them on the road.”

"Would you please have Mr. Fuller and Mr. Schmidt rest in the side room first?"

Winters thought for a moment and then summoned Koch to his side: "Please ask Mr. Schmidt and Mr. Fuller to also check and see if there are any faces they recognize."

Koch received the order and, leaning on his saber, approached Fuller and Schmid. Old Schmid obediently stood up, supporting himself on his knees, while Fuller looked terrified and resistant, waving his hands repeatedly.

The part-time coroner at Steel Castle Court lives in the Old Town and can't be counted on tonight.

The kitchen became a makeshift morgue, where Winters personally examined the bodies, relying on his memory of the autopsy report from Hailan Customs.

At Winters's request, the first to be carried into the kitchen were four masked men.

The masked men's fatal wounds were all on their necks, each one with their Adam's apple dented – Kaman first deprived them of their ability to speak, then cleanly and efficiently finished them off.

The masked men's muscles were not well-developed, and their pampered physiques suggested they did not earn a living through manual labor. Their hands were delicate and showed no signs of practice with weapons or combat.

Based on the green-eyed man's few words and his reaction to the divine spell, Winters could almost certainly conclude that the masked man was the court mage kept by the Oathbreakers.

But that's all.

Wearing iron masks, they might have been court sorcerers. Once the masks are removed, they are simply corpses, complete or incomplete. Whatever secrets they knew, it's too late to unearth them.

Winters couldn't blame Kaman, because if Kaman had hesitated even slightly when he acted, he himself might be lying on the cold stone slab right now.

Capture the spellcaster?
It's an unsolvable problem.

After a quick examination of the four masked men's bodies, "Green Eyes" was carried into the kitchen.

After cutting open Green Eyes's stiff, frozen coat, Winters wrinkled his nose and asked Berrian, "Can you smell anything?"

Berleon, the temporary coroner's assistant, sniffed the air: "The scent of perfume?"

Winters remained silent, leaning close to the green-eyed man's clothing and gently fanning himself. After a moment, he slowly straightened up, his gaze turning cold.

“It’s not perfume,” Winters said confidently. “It’s incense…go find Ms. Navarre.”

Anna was invited into the kitchen.

Winters drew the simple curtain beforehand, preventing Anna from seeing the corpse on the long table. He handed Anna a piece of cloth cut from the green-eyed man's shirt: "Remember this scent?"

Anna sniffed a few times: "Amber scent? The last time I smelled it on a person was when..."

Winters fiddled with his butcher knife: "White Eagle Mansion."

[I originally planned to update with a chapter on the 1st to wish everyone a Happy New Year, but I couldn't finish writing a chapter...]
[So this is a belated blessing; I hope all my book lovers will be healthy and safe in 2022.]
[Well, I won't wish everyone wealth or anything like that. Health and safety are always the most important things!]
[Thank you to all the readers for your collections, reading, subscriptions, recommendations, monthly tickets, rewards, and comments. Thank you everyone!]
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(End of this chapter)