Witch, Fireball and Steam Evil God

Chapter 69 Shackles
Ethan once again exceeded his mission. Not only did he extract important information about the contaminated area from the novel "Jacqueville the Lightbringer", he also speculated on a murder plot against the Imperial Knight Commander.

Ivy originally thought that he was talking nonsense again, but after carefully reading the Depth 3 assessment report, her expression immediately became serious.

"When I first entered the Knight Camp, I heard my seniors mention this matter."

The other side confirmed the authenticity of the novel's plot, "Jacqueville was once an officer of the Kingdom Army, a glorious fourth-rank knight. I heard that he suffered a serious injury in an operation of the Confinement Bureau and became mentally abnormal... Are you saying that they plan to lure me to this area and kill me when I lose my strength?"

Her tone sounded calm, as if she was discussing an unrelated matter.

Ethan: “That’s the most likely scenario.”

Bi'an nodded, and suddenly turned to look at Ivy calmly, "Then I'll leave the rest to you. My subordinates will arrive in Ximu Town soon. They are all brothers who have been with me through thick and thin. If a war breaks out later, they should be able to preserve the peace of this town. Let them stay here and don't go back to the imperial capital."

"I told you not to make such unlucky jokes!"

Ivy slapped the table, and the golden hair on her head formed an "X" shape.

“Maybe this isn’t a joke.”

It was Ethan who answered. The other side's overly calm attitude towards death made him more certain of his thoughts, "Maybe the Knight Commander is seriously telling you about his last wishes."

The reason why the Knights were asked to stay at the border of the empire and not return to the imperial capital was because they knew what kind of persecution they would encounter if they returned.

He learned in Hearth Bay that both factions in the Imperial Capital wanted the Knight Commander to die in the border town. Now it seemed that even the other side was vaguely aware of their intentions.

But come to think of it, before being appointed Knight Commander by the King, she had fought in many battles with the army, so how could she not understand what this expedition meant.

But even so, she still came to Ximu Town and calmly prepared to die here.

Keeping his brothers away from the imperial capital might be the only way to keep them away from persecution, and what he had just said was probably in the hope that the dignitaries in the imperial capital would allow this group of knights to stay in a small border town far away from the center of power to live out the rest of their lives for the sake of Margaret's family.

Hearing this, Bi'an just smiled, as a sign of agreement.

"Knight Commander, I have a guess. Should I tell you?"

"Speak now!"

It was Ivy who spoke, her tone urgent.

"Let's assume that you knew this was an expedition with no return before you set out. As a member of the Council of Seven, why did you willingly fall into the trap?"

For a high-ranking knight of the Templars of Netheril who had made great military achievements, this way of death was too unfair. It was not the enemy who killed her, but the empire she had tried her best to defend.

Zhaocai heard the noise in the living room, walked out of the kitchen, stood at the door, and looked at Ethan from a distance with a strange look in his eyes.

It was not until he finished reading the story of "Jacqueville the Lightbringer" that Ethan vaguely grasped the answer to this mystery.

Bi'an changed her cynical personality and became more like an imperial knight commander after she calmed down. She asked softly, "I'd like to hear more about it."

"Because the information about the appearance of evil god fanatics in border cities is true, and they will indeed greatly affect the security of the empire. As long as these two things remain unchanged, you, as the commander of the imperial knights, cannot violate your responsibilities, even if you know that this is most likely a conspiracy. No, it might be more appropriate to describe it as an open conspiracy."

"Why, if it is——"

Ivy instinctively wanted to refute, but she was suddenly stunned and said in a lost voice, "...Break the oath!"

Once the knights break their oaths, the great knight lord will take back their power. The knight commander is the sword of the empire, and defending the peace of the empire is their oath.

Even though they knew it was a one-way battle, they still fought without hesitation - this was the glorious tradition passed down from the time of the first king. In fact, the territory of the empire was built on the bones of countless knights, and during the most glorious era of the empire, countless beautiful stories that were widely circulated among the people also emerged.

Ethan tore through the beautiful packaging and saw the essence of the oath.

For the Knights of the Temple of Netheril, this is a one-way shackle tied around every neck. From the moment they joined the Kingdom's Army and swore allegiance to the Empire, they voluntarily put on this shackle created by the first king himself.

The sword of the Empire must never be pointed at the Empire, even if they have been treated unjustly.

Perhaps it was with this in mind that the great first king made the "Oath" and gave it as a gift to his descendants.

Even if Higan planned to violate his duties as Knight Commander, a knight who broke his oath was nothing to worry about.

"The only one who can give you orders is a member of the royal family. His Royal Highness the Prince..."

"This was an order given by the prince himself, who wished us a triumphant return in the presence of your majesty."

The reply from the other side left Ivy speechless for a moment. The golden hair on her head drooped down. Although she still had no idea why His Royal Highness the Prince gave such an order, it was all irreversible.

Bi'an changed the subject and said, "Some things cannot be changed just by knowing them, and what you just said is enough for the Inquisition to tie you to the stake and burn you to death. People like you must stay away from the imperial capital in the future."

"So, the followers of the evil god can also use the oath to lead you step by step into a deeper level of contaminated area."

Once Ethan put himself into the perspective of the cultists, he could easily think of many ways to deal with the other side in the contaminated area.

"But, you have a plan."

Ivy took a deep breath and looked at Ethan hopefully.

This person's mind was full of wild ideas, but he could always come up with some ideas that even she couldn't think of when things were at a stalemate. "You also have a plan this time, right?"

"Yes, I have a plan."

Ethan said in a deep voice, "Then I will enter the contaminated area, and you will set up an ambush in Riverside Town. I will do everything I can to lure the mastermind out of the contaminated area. That is our only chance."

"This is too dangerous!"

Bi'an and Ivy almost blurted it out.

"If you die, we won't be able to return alive! There is no such thing as a foolproof plan now."

Ethan interrupted them forcefully, "And don't forget, at Depth 3, everyone will have their powers taken away, but Director Jacqueville managed to escape from there. I will leave corresponding clues at the level I reach. If I fail to get out of the contaminated area within a day, the rest will be up to you, Ivy."

In order to enjoy the experience alone and delve into the study of upgraded magic, Ethan risked his life.

He also designed this speech in his study.

He cannot miss this opportunity. Troubled times are coming and he must be prepared.

He paused for a moment, then put on a fearless expression, "But if I succeed, please give me an excellent rating in my performance review."

(End of this chapter)