Winter Lord: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 363 Evidence
Lambert's cloak billowed in the wind, his visor covered in ash, and he said in a low voice, "Finish it off. Leave a few alive, and clean up the rest."

The Red Tide Knights launched a bloody crackdown.

As dawn approached, a sliver of white appeared on the horizon, and the knights stationed outside the city and their support teams arrived one after another.

The crowd stopped amidst the ruins; the air was thick with the pungent smell of burnt grease, so strong it was nauseating.

They looked at the scene before them: the charred courtyard, the collapsed statues, the metal twisted by the flames, the snow soaked in blood; the entire manor seemed to have been devoured by hellfire.

A young soldier's Adam's apple bobbed, his voice trembling: "What...what happened here?"

The Crimson Tide Knights were now using their spears to neatly lift up the corpses, occasionally letting out a dying roar from the barbarians, who were quickly finished off.

In the end, Red Tide only left behind a few prisoners who appeared to be of high status.

The barbarian chieftain Uru and his two lieutenants were chained together, while the rest of the barbarians were executed.

After the casualty count was completed, Lambert stepped forward and knelt before Louis in respect.
"My lord, the count is complete. The nobles have suffered heavy casualties. Of the thirty-odd nobles who attended the meeting, nearly half were affected, and seventy-five knights have died."

Three nobles died on the estate, and two were killed by arrows while fleeing. The eldest noble was Viscount Bolton, while the sixth prince, Asta… has also been confirmed dead.

Louis paused slightly upon hearing this, his brows furrowing slightly, clearly somewhat surprised.

His original plan was to use this attack to detain the prince and force him to submit completely.

I never expected Asta to die so easily. He's such a coward.

Louis remained silent for a moment, reasoning about the chain reaction that Asta's death could cause. His expression gradually calmed down, and a cold thought flashed through his mind.

So be it, they're dead. The objective has been achieved, the effect is the same, and the impact is limited.

The princes in the capital are busy fighting amongst themselves and have no chance to pay attention to this matter. Asta's death may only provide him with some fodder for conversation at a short banquet, and no one will send anyone to investigate.

As for the North, Louis didn't believe anyone would dare to get involved.

Louis's gaze swept across the ruins, the crimson morning light reflecting in his pupils as if he were calculating what to do next.

“However… the act still needs to be performed,” Louis said softly. “Now that the Sixth Prince is dead, there has to be an explanation.”

He turned to Lambert and said calmly, “Summon all the uninjured nobles. We need to hold a meeting to get to the bottom of this attack.”

Lambert nodded in response, "Yes, sir."

He turned and left, then began directing the knights to summon the nobles.

The flames illuminated Louis's profile, his expression as cold as ice, and no one knew what he was thinking.

…………

At dawn, the blood mist had not yet dissipated, and the smell of tar mixed with the stench of corpses, like a nightmare that had not yet ended.

At this time, a clean area had been temporarily cleared out of the Frost Dragon Territory manor, but mutilated corpses were still piled up around it.

The knights of the Crimson Tide stood in a circle, the blood still on their armor, exuding an eerie and chilling aura, the air so oppressive it felt like it was about to freeze.

The nobles stood in a circle, their clothes disheveled and their expressions terrified. Several young noblewomen were protected at the back, their tears still wet on their faces. They were relatively fortunate, though, as several nobles had already died mysteriously in the attack.

"Who dares to attack the prince's meeting?!" an old nobleman's voice trembled.

“This isn’t a rebellion…this is murder!” another man roared, but his voice sounded so weak in the empty ruins.

The crowd was noisily discussing what had happened yesterday.

Just then, Louis slowly ascended the flame-blackened steps, without a sword, simply standing with his hands behind his back.

"Gentlemen, last night's tragedy not only shed blood in the North but also brought shame upon the Empire! We must find the culprit! Without our help, these barbarians could not have entered so easily!"

Louis's tone was somber, yet subtly sharp.

He scanned his surroundings, and no one dared to look him in the eye: "If we don't find the real culprit, we will all become a laughingstock of the empire! And we will not be able to avenge our friends!"

The nobles all echoed Louis's words.

"This absolutely needs to be investigated!" Yorn exclaimed excitedly, having been quite frightened the previous night. "The boss is absolutely right! This despicable conspiracy must be thoroughly investigated!"

"Someone is plotting something!"

"They must be punished!"

Voices rose and fell, and many nodded in agreement, seemingly truly ignited by Louis's words.

But beneath that enthusiastic response, undercurrents were stirring, and their unease grew stronger, fearing they might be drawn into a conspiracy.

Some nobles exchanged glances and whispered questions, while others frowned, sensing that something was amiss.

The older lords coughed twice, but said nothing more.

The discussion spread like a turbulent current.

Just as the commotion was about to reach its peak, Louis simply raised his hand slightly and pressed it down gently.

The movement was small, yet it felt like an invisible pressure was pressing down.

The conversation stopped abruptly, and the lords all lowered their heads in unease.

The surrounding chaos contrasted sharply with the order at this moment.

Although Louis was merely an invited guest, he silently took control of the order here.

The ruins of the manor at his feet seemed to have become the territory of the Red Tide.

The nobles and knights of Frost Dragon Territory had already subconsciously come to believe that he should be in charge.

Just then, Lambert rushed to Louis's side, deliberately raising his voice: "These are items that were taken from the body of the Sixth Prince Asta."

He held a blood-stained wooden stick high in front of everyone.

The surface of this wooden stick is engraved with the blood oath pattern of the barbarians, a sacred object that only allies can possess.

The nobles exchanged bewildered glances, and whispers quickly spread: "This is a sacred relic of the barbarians... how did it end up on His Highness?"

"Could it be that……"

"This is impossible! How could the Sixth Prince..."

Louis remained silent, only glancing briefly at Camille standing in the corner.

That one glance sent a cold sweat running down Camille's back.

He immediately recalled the secret letter that had appeared on his bed a few days earlier: "When chaos descends, identify Asta, Holmes, Crane, Bolton, Harlow, and Seaman."

Camille was breathing heavily, his heart pounding like a drum. At that time, he didn't understand what was going on, but now he finally realized that this game had been planned from the very beginning.

So Louis had already foreseen this? How terrifying.

And he knew he had no choice but to live. After a moment, Camille mustered his courage, raised his hand with difficulty, and said in a trembling voice, "I...I have a clue. His Highness Asta hinted at it to me."

He allied with several noble families, including Holmes, Crane, Bolton, Harlow, and Heman, and also came into contact with barbarians...

He planned to control the reconstruction meeting and wanted me to make things easier for him at the Imperial Censorate in the capital. At the time… I had no choice but to temporarily agree. Could this be related to that?

Although the acting was somewhat abrupt, everyone's attention was focused on the few surviving nobles.

The group looked at each other, their expressions stiff.

Holmes forced a smile and said, "I...I don't know Your Highness's attendants at all. If there is any interaction, it is only out of courtesy!"

Crane, his face deathly pale, added, "We were victims of this attack too! All my knights are dead!"

Harlov and Heman nodded repeatedly, muttering, "We have nothing to do with barbarians, never..."

Their voices rose and fell, their tone was panicked, and their words became increasingly fragmented, even they themselves didn't believe it.

The words of explanation were torn apart by the cold wind in the empty ruins, sounding particularly powerless.

Louis coldly surveyed them: "If you're truly innocent, then how about proving your innocence? Go search and see if you find any clues."

The four men turned pale and tried to say something but couldn't utter a sound.

Lambert led several Red Tide Knights forward to search their residences.

They could only lower their heads, unable to refuse.

Just then, the chains clanged, and Uru was brought in, his face pale and his steps unsteady.

He knew that his wife and daughters were in the hands of the Red Tide. Now that the barbarian tribe's hopes had been completely dashed, all he could do was give up everything in exchange for their safety.

Louis spoke calmly: "Speak, who gave you the orders?"

Uru looked up and glanced at the young lord; that look reminded him of the wolf king on the snowfield.

He lowered his head, his voice hoarse, and confessed in detail: "It was His Highness the Sixth Prince... He ordered us to use the power of the barbarians to disrupt the Red Tide, saying that as long as we created chaos, we could exchange it for grazing rights, grain, and salt and iron."

Knowing that all the important nobles of the North were gathered here, we decided to use this opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Frostdragon Territory during the meeting.

The nobles were instantly in an uproar, and their discussions echoed among the ruins, but they were not as noisy as before.

Some people gasped, while others muttered: If all of this is truly related to the prince, then there is no other explanation.

Several older nobles frowned, their tone tentative: "Perhaps it's a trick by those barbarians... to drag His Highness into this and incite internal strife."

But there was still a sense of oppressive unease in the air, and people secretly exchanged glances.

This is Asta's territory, and the barbarians' arrival was too coincidental. Even they themselves wouldn't believe that there was no connection between them.

Some people had other thoughts in their minds: Could this matter actually be related to the Earl of Red Tide? But no one dared to say it out loud.

Louis frowned slightly and said, "Don't talk nonsense! His Highness is of imperial blood, how could he do such a thing?"

Uru struggled to lift his head, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth: "I have evidence."

Before long, he was taken away, but was soon brought back.

Behind him, several Crimson Tide Knights carried a heavy iron box.

Inside were neatly arranged the Frost Dragon Territory envoy badge, the oath parchment scroll, the grain and salt ration order, the hand-drawn map of Frost Dragon Territory, several signed documents, and two contract letters.

Lambert knelt down on one knee and reported, "They were all found in the barbarian hideout."

All eyes were focused on the badge, the Frost Dragon Territory Envoy Badge, a token granted by Astar, which allowed the holder to issue official orders on behalf of Frost Dragon Territory.

The badge bears Prince Asta's mark on the back, suggesting it is not a forgery.

Another contract begins with a barbarian totem and includes the following oath: "By the blood of our ancestors, we swear that whoever signs this oath will share honor and disgrace with our allies. If we break this oath, our clan will be exterminated and our names will be erased."

The signature at the end includes Asta's name and the Frost Dragon's seal.

Another document states: "The sixth prince of the empire, Asta August, promises that after the Northern Council, the barbarians will gain grazing rights north of the Frostdragon River."

If you assist in creating a red tide, you will receive winter food, salt, iron, and permission to settle. Signed Asta August.

When everyone saw this irrefutable evidence, they were all stunned. They looked at each other, their eyes filled with fear and suspicion.

Asta's signature, the emblem of Frost Dragon Territory, the bloody fingerprints on the contract—each one struck my heart like a hammer blow.

"If it's truly a forgery, why are the seals so complete?"

"How could barbarians understand these document formats..."

Discussions rose and fell, the air thick with the smell of burning and blood, mixed with an indescribable emotion.

At this moment, they were already seven or eight parts convinced.

Someone glanced furtively at Louis, only to see the young count looking calm, his gaze sweeping over the crowd as if everything was under control.

However, Lambert's voice broke the silence again: "There are two surviving naturalized barbarians, Frostfang and Nak, who are willing to testify."

The two men were brought forward, their faces ashen, and they were wearing tattered guard cloaks.

Lambert said in a deep voice, "They were originally barbarians, but were later incorporated into the guards of the Sixth Prince's knights. On the night of the attack, it was the two of them who personally opened the secret passage of the North Gate."

This statement was like a boulder thrown into the ground, causing a great uproar.

The nobles all turned to look at the two barbarians, their eyes filled with disbelief and disgust.

Frosttooth trembled all over, his hands were chained, and his knees could barely support him.

He lowered his head, his lips trembling, and it was almost inaudible: "We...we were acting under orders...the orders came from His Highness the Prince..."

Halfway through his sentence, a look of fear flashed in his eyes, and he couldn't continue.

Nak was in even worse shape; his face was covered in blood, his eyes were bloodshot, and he was practically being pushed to his feet.

He trembled and stammered as he added, "It was...it was His Highness who gave us the badges and tokens...to help the barbarians enter the city."

After saying that, he knelt down heavily on the ground, his forehead pressed against the cold stone bricks, sweat and tears dripping down his face.

Their voices were pitifully faint in the silent ruins, yet they were like two nails, driving into everyone's hearts again and again.

The nobles exchanged glances, their expressions complex in the dying embers of the flames, a mixture of belief and disbelief on their faces, as if the air itself had frozen.

Shortly afterward, Lambert's searching knights returned, presenting several letters that had been found in the nobleman's residence.

The thick wax seal clearly reads: Holmes, Crane, Bolton, Harlow, Seaman.

The letter detailed the seating arrangement, speaking order, knight deployment, and public opinion guidance for the Red Tide, and included the statement: "If the Red Tide is attacked, it will be the will of Heaven, and we should seize power while the opportunity arises."

(End of this chapter)