Wandering Swordsman |

After a long while, when the Marquis of Henry had vented his frustrations and was slumped in his high-backed chair, panting heavily, the clerk who had remained silent with his head down slowly stepped out of the queue.

His footsteps were light, but his eyes were as sharp as a hawk's.

He first waved for the servants to clean up the debris on the floor. Once the hall was quiet again, he stepped forward, his voice deep and magnetic, possessing a calming magic: "My lord, please calm your anger. To wage war over a momentary squabble would not only damage your prestige but also put us in an unjust position. Count Cassio may be old, but he still enjoys considerable prestige within the territory. If we were to directly wage war against the royal family for disrespect, we would inevitably give others grounds to accuse us of bullying the weak."

The Marquis Henry, panting heavily, squinted at him. "And what do you think? Am I just supposed to swallow this insult and watch that brat swagger around in Marseille?"

The clerk's lips curled into a chilling smile. He slowly walked to the Marquis Henry's side, lowered his voice, and whispered like a viper's hiss, "Why must you get involved yourself, sir? Why not use someone else to do the dirty work?"

He paused, a sinister glint in his eyes: "Today's Thorne is a confidant of Odin, the Invincible Duke of the Tsarist Empire. As everyone knows, the Invincible Duke has always been arrogant and has never taken the Papacy seriously. But our England Empire is the Papacy's most loyal supporter."

"My lord, what if we revealed the news that 'the Invincible Duke's trusted knight commander had secretly visited Casio's territory' to the cardinal of the English Papacy... and then, with a little 'embellishment,' implied that Count Casio was colluding with the Invincible Duke in secret, intending to overthrow the Empire, or even... believing in heresy?"

The clerk's voice grew softer and softer, yet every word was like a knife, etched into the Marquis Henry's heart.

"What does the Papacy hate most? Heresy! Once the Papacy sends in its 'Inquisitors of Heresy,' Count Cassio will be unable to defend himself. At that time, we can then use the pretext of 'assisting the Papacy in purifying heresy' to send troops to Marseille. This will not only be a legitimate reason for our actions, but also a way to rid the empire of a scourge. Even the royal family will have to praise your loyalty and courage!"

After hearing these words, the Marquis Henry's originally cloudy eyes suddenly lit up.

He stared intently at the clerk before him, his chest no longer heaving violently, but instead filled with a chilling excitement.

He seemed to see Count Casio kneeling and begging for mercy, to see the boy named Hua Tianyou being consumed by the flames of the Papacy, and to see the rich land of Marseille finally being planted with the banner of his Henri family.

"Using someone else to do the dirty work...what a clever 'using someone else to do the dirty work'!"

Marquis Henry slowly stood up, the ferocious anger on his face gone, replaced by a sinister smile of certain victory.

He extended his finger and gently tapped the clerk's chest, his voice trembling slightly with excitement:

"This plan is brilliant! It's flawless! It eliminates a major threat and earns us a reputation for loyalty and patriotism... Those fools in the Papacy love nothing more than arresting heretics."

He whirled around, facing the night outside the window, as if pronouncing a death sentence on the Casio family: "Prepare the horses immediately! I'm going to see the cardinal myself! We'll make sure Casio dies a horrible death!"

......

The night in Marseille is quiet, without the noise of music or the clinking of glasses; only a tiny lamp flickers gently in a side hall of Count Casio's mansion.

Tonight's gathering is simple to the point of being shabby, yet warm as spring sunshine melting snow.

On the long table were only a few simple home-cooked dishes: a pot of thick onion soup, several pieces of freshly baked rye bread, a large plate of perfectly roasted herb-stuffed lamb chops, and a dish of honey desserts made by Heinila herself—a taste that Hua Tianyou loved most as a child. Count Casio dismissed all the servants, allowing only the family to sit together.

Of course, there is also an "outsider".

Albert, one of the "Seven Stars" renowned in the far west, sat at the lower end of the table, yet he was as reserved as an apprentice visiting for the first time. He was carefully holding a bowl of onion soup, his eyes occasionally glancing at Hua Tianyou beside him.

Count Cassio took it all in, his heart filled with turmoil, but his face remained impassive.

"Albert, one of the Seven Stars, is actually beholden to Tianyou? This...this is utterly absurd!"

In the far west, the Seven Stars symbolize the pinnacle of martial arts, surpassing even royal power, a status that even the king must defer to. Yet, the eyes of this Albert before him were filled with awe and reverence for Hua Tianyou.

Count Casio was utterly shocked. To conceal his inner turmoil, the count picked up the rough porcelain bowl, his voice trembling slightly with emotion: "Your Excellency Albert, you are a guest from afar, please make yourself at home. If you do not mind the simplicity of the count's residence, please make yourself at home."

Albert was flattered and quickly stood up: "Your Excellency, you flatter me! It is my honor to be treated as family by Mr. Hua and to sit at the same table with him!" He glanced at Hua Tianyou and saw his master nod slightly before he dared to sit down again, his movements still showing a hint of obedience in the face of a powerful figure.

To Count Casio, this scene was nothing short of a miracle. But he didn't ask any questions; instead, he silently channeled his shock into a deeper appreciation for Hua Tianyou.

He no longer saw Hua Tianyou as a grandson who needed protection, but as a pillar that could support the future of the Casio family.

During the meal, the candlelight crackled, illuminating Henila's gentle profile.

She was carefully slicing lamb chops for Hua Tianyou, as if she wanted to melt all the maternal love that she had missed for so many years into each piece of meat.

Hua Tianyou looked around at this simple yet cozy place, and his heart, which had been wandering for many years, finally found its home.

Suddenly, he remembered something, put down his knife and fork, and his silvery-white eyes appeared exceptionally deep in the candlelight.

"Grandpa," Hua Tianyou's voice, clear and cold like the clash of jade, broke the warm tranquility, "Could you tell me more about what happened with Marquis Henry today?"

Count Cassio paused slightly in his movements.

He looked up into his grandson's terrifyingly calm eyes, and the image of the Marquis Henry, arrogant and boastful, threatening to flatten Marseille, involuntarily surfaced in his mind. That was the greatest crisis his Casio family had faced in decades, a mountain weighing heavily on his heart.

But at this moment, facing Hua Tianyou's question, the Earl suddenly felt that the so-called "crisis" was probably not even dust in front of this young man.

"Hmph, that clown who jumps around..." Count Cassio was about to describe Henry's threat in detail, but he swallowed the words back down.

He looked at Hua Tianyou, at Albert, and at the bright moon outside the window, and suddenly felt that talking about such sordid things at this moment would be a defilement of this night of reunion.

"Never mind," Count Casio waved his hand, a relieved smile appearing on his face. He poured himself a glass of cheap fruit wine and drank it all in one gulp. "Tianyou, now that you're back, let's not talk about those troublesome things. The most important thing now is that our family is finally reunited."

This is the truest reflection of Count Casio's inner thoughts.

In his original plan, the Marquis Henry was a collateral branch of the royal family with powerful military strength. Faced with such a behemoth, the Casio family could only do their best to fight to the death.

But at this moment, looking at Hua Tianyou's composed demeanor and Albert's respectful posture, the Earl's worries were replaced by an absurd confidence.

Hua Tianyou seemed to see through his grandfather's thoughts. He picked up a napkin, wiped his mouth, and slowly stood up.

The moonlight streamed through the windowpane, casting its glow on his silver-white robe and outlining a tall, sword-like figure.

He didn't look at the count, but gazed out the window at the deep night, as if recounting a trivial matter:

"Grandpa, don't worry. If that Earl Henry is foolish enough to start a territorial war..."

Hua Tianyou paused, a cold smile curving his lips. His voice was as soft as the wind, yet carried an unwavering killing intent:

"Then I will go and retrieve his head myself."

After he finished speaking, the hall fell silent.