Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

Now he understood why his father had so much faith in them—or rather, in this man.

“I told you how I escaped, didn’t I?” Felix stood behind his eldest son, putting his hand on his son’s shoulder. “But I don’t think I told you that he almost single-handedly killed a dozen knights.”

Although the knights didn't charge, the guards here weren't equipped with such superior gear. It wasn't worth it for Raslaufer to do something like that…

Felix felt that perhaps he had become too numb.

"Let's go up and take a look."

Upstairs, Daisy had already taken control of the situation. Before Felix could even speak, the countess had already completely submitted. Except for a few things she couldn't accept, she was willing to accept all conditions, as long as it saved her and her children's lives.

With Hunter right there beside him, Felix couldn't ask for anything that Hunter couldn't accept, so by the time the next morning light appeared on the horizon, all the work was done.

Felix stood on the highest watchtower of the castle, with Hunter standing beside him.

“Look, I never knew that you could see such a sunrise from such a high place,” Sir, or rather, Earl Felix, breathed in the fresh morning air that still carried a hint of rust. “Hunter, tell me, what are you thinking?”

“…The terrain here is higher, and the castle itself is bigger than my home,” the boy said after thinking for a moment.

“Barely,” his father said, clearly dissatisfied with the answer. “Has the butler already set off?”

“Yes, with that figurehead,” Hunt nodded, but his brow furrowed slightly. “But Father, if Miss Angelita disagrees, won’t this premature action put you at odds with them? That Dupler…”

“She has no reason to disagree,” Felix shook his head. “What do you think she would want such a figurehead for, for ballast? That thing is completely useless to her, while we are at least more meaningful than a statue.”

“Our current situation is very delicate. Despite all we have done, our lives may still not be on our side. So all we can do is race against time and make arrangements for everything in advance.”

"Fortunately, at least our risky moves so far have been successful."

Felix fell silent, watching the ever-brightening sphere of light. It was new life, it was freedom, it was... something new, a new goal.

"Let's go, we still have unfinished business to do."

Felix wasn't quite sure what that meant, but he knew that without thorough preparation, everything would be in vain. So, soon the father and son, along with several trusted men, set off for every village and town in the earldom, spreading tales of the Earl of Moser's family's many transgressions and the stoic loyalty of Felix's "Sir."

“I hope he can keep this place away from the war,” Bella sighed softly, watching the Moser River recede into the distance. “At least, he shouldn’t get involved in the current chaos.”

“That’s probably unlikely,” Leslaufer poured cold water on his companion’s enthusiasm. “But you can look on the bright side: at least their fighting at that fortress should stop soon.”

Even if Count Moser, who has already been branded a traitor, can remain calm after his hometown has been raided, his men, from knights to slaves, are unlikely to stay composed. If they do not retreat under these circumstances, the count will add another glorious chapter to the list of noble deaths in war.

In truth, this should be the best-case scenario: Felix no longer needs to worry about his lord returning home, their king no longer needs to concern himself with his reputation, the Earl's family can be spared, and even the inhabitants of the territory can live in peace, without having to waver between loyalty to one side or the other. Everyone except Earl Moser himself can have a bright future.

Although, it is probably very difficult to get someone to give up their power.

"Have you heard? The Moser River region has a new lord! Appointed personally by His Majesty the King!"

A few days later, Leslaufer and his companions heard the follow-up to the incident at a roadside inn.

Angelita sipped her "fermented grape juice," seemingly uninterested in the matter, but her ears were already perked up.

"Who's the new lord? That 'Full Moon Tide'—"

"It's the master of the Full Moon Tide, Sir Felix, but now he's Earl Felix! The Full Moon Tide is now open to everyone, but that man has set strict restrictions, dividing it into three areas based on kinship. Outsiders can only fish in the outermost area, and if they happen to make a catch, they'll have to pay a fee."

"The range? That's still better than before. The old count's men wanted to move the river to their own house. Even if they didn't charge us, we still couldn't get a spot on the river!"

"Who says otherwise? This idea is great! If we're going to steal, let's fight among ourselves!"

“There are far more outsiders than locals,” Mary muttered. “Even if the three areas are the same, the outsiders will still be at a disadvantage.”

“Otherwise, we can’t please outsiders,” von Dahl added half a glass of ale to his cup and laughed. “Wouldn’t that be a lose-lose situation? The only people we can truly rely on are our own people.”

That night, when Felix stormed the castle, there wasn't a single outsider among them.

"Hey, what about the former count?" Suddenly, a customer asked curiously. "I met that guy once. He looked fierce. He didn't seem like the kind of person who would just swallow his anger."

"Who said he swallowed his anger? When the appointment came down, he was still fighting against the Westerners. Upon hearing the news, he even abandoned his slaves and rushed back in four days, a journey that usually takes more than a week. It is said that he swore all the way that he would grind Count Felix to dust!"

"He was defeated? Count Felix is ​​that strong!"

"I don't know about that, but I heard that His Majesty the King sided with him and sent him a lot of men. And think about it, the count led a group of knights back in just four days. The horses must have been exhausted. They were panting heavily on one side, while the other side was full of energy. How could they possibly fight?"

Daisy looked at the guy surrounded by other drinkers with interest: "This guy is quite interesting. If he learned a musical instrument, he would be a much more professional bard than me."

Chapter 323 Disturbing the Neighbors at Midnight

Felix seemed to have the situation completely under control, and whether he could maintain it or for how long was not something that Reslaufer and the others cared about.

After dinner, everyone went upstairs to rest. The prices at this deserted inn were quite high, but fortunately, they were no longer short of money. However, what bothered Angelita was that although they could have paid the full amount in Imperial Gold Coins, only a third of the money that Raslaufer handed to the innkeeper was in Imperial Gold Coins, and the rest was some other miscellaneous counterfeit coins from the Valu River.

Although Valu gold coins are no longer worth much, the shopkeeper still accepted them all because they were genuine Imperial gold coins, unlike the townspeople of Ersore who were influenced by the witch.

“This is Central Inassassin. The reverence for the Empire is far less than in the West, but the greed is just as strong,” Raslaufer said, glancing at Angelita as he went upstairs. “So, if you don’t want to cause trouble, try not to show too much Imperial gold.”

For the mercenary, he was already "well-fed," so luring out greedy individuals for a treat wasn't necessary. Besides, the further he got from the Empire, the more valuable Imperial gold coins became, so he figured he should use as few as possible.

In Raslaufer's view, he had been cautious enough, and his group was quite large with excellent equipment; trouble shouldn't have come knocking. But some people always attract trouble, because while Raslaufer was sleeping soundly in the latter half of the night, a violent banging on the door abruptly shattered the peace, causing Dupler to open his eyes with a look of resentment.

"Stop playing dead! Get up and stand downstairs!" Several men in thin armor blocked the corridor. The leader, whose shoulder armor had two dark ribbons hanging out, was probably a leader or chief. He was pounding on the door with his hands and feet.

There are no solid wooden doors here. Just look at the few near the stairwell. If the guests behind these doors don't open them, they probably won't need to be closed anymore.

However, before the poor, thin wooden plank could shatter under the man's feet, a door two rooms away was kicked from the inside and sent across the corridor. The group, who had been banging on the door and shouting in the middle of the night, were just stunned when they saw a tall man walk out, slightly turn around, and stride straight toward them.

Those icy blue eyes shone brightly in the dimly lit corridor, and no one would have guessed that the other person was the type to come out on their own initiative and go downstairs to stand still.

"What are you doing?! Stop right there!"

The leader with the ribbons on his shoulder armor quickly turned around, placing his hand on the sword at his waist, seemingly ready to draw it at any moment. However, Raslaufer was much faster than him. With a loud thud, the leader spun around three times before collapsing to the ground. By the time the others helped him up, his teeth were nowhere to be found but in the blood.

"How dare you!" Faced with such a sudden and merciless attack, the remaining members drew their swords. One member quickly carried the unconscious leader away, shielding his comrades as he shouted, "Who are you? How dare you openly attack His Excellency the Judge!"

"Judge?" Leslaufer was not intimidated by the flashing blades in the corridor. He continued to rush forward, and the chaotic blades could not hurt him at all. Instead, these people were picked up one by one like chicks, or thrown against the wall and the ground, or simply faced the swords of their companions.

In no time at all, as the last unfortunate soul who had disturbed his sleep plummeted from the second floor like a bird with broken wings, Raslaufer followed. Before him stood the astonished innkeeper and the guests who had been forced to wait downstairs, and behind him were his companions.

Unfortunately for this squad of judges, their leader woke up someone they shouldn't have messed with when he knocked on the door of the last ordinary guest besides Raslaw and his men.

"Bring me a basin of cold water," Leslaufer ordered the hotel owner without turning his head. He then walked to the counter, sat down, and casually kicked over a high stool, placing it under his foot to look down at everyone.

In the lobby, apart from the innkeeper who was rushing to fetch water, no one else dared to utter a sound, fearing that this fierce-looking man would suddenly erupt and beat the noise maker to a pulp like the others.

Cold water was quickly poured on the leader's head. The chill jolted him awake, but feeling the draft through his mouth and looking at his bruised and swollen subordinates around him, he wished he could faint again.

“Wo Shi He Qi—”

"Alright, shut him up."

Raslaufer raised a finger, and one of the judge's men quickly tore off a strip of cloth from his superior's shoulder armor, stuffing it into his leaky mouth.

"Who are you people, and what are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

“We are from the Black Knights Armed Order,” the soldier who helped gag him said hastily, while rummaging through his superior’s arms. “We are under orders from His Majesty the King and the Patriarch. There is a cultist hiding here, and we are here to arrest him…”

"Alright, alright, no need to flip through it." Hearing this, Raslaufer roughly understood what was going on: the Black Knights, this sect was quite popular in the central and eastern parts of Inasas, their main purpose was to provide strong violent services to the rulers, and they were half-colleagues with mercenaries like Raslaufer.

Neither of them pledges allegiance to a particular ruler, but the difference lies in the fact that mercenaries typically serve themselves or money, while these two serve their own beliefs.

Although it's generally true that those in the same profession are enemies, Raslaufer had actually fought alongside some of the Black Knights' groups before, and now, having accidentally beaten them up, he felt somewhat embarrassed.

“(Eastern Inasas slang), get up, all of you get up, Bella, Daisy, please take care of this judge,” Leslaufer jumped down from the counter. “What a nuisance… You! Next time, show some manners, you hear? What time is it, banging on doors and shouting everywhere! I thought you were some ignorant bandit from the mountains!”

"Ugh! Ugh ugh ugh..." The judge, who had been beaten for no reason, had his mouth gagged and couldn't say a word, but judging from his distorted facial expression and urgent voice, he must have realized his mistake.

While my methods of carrying out official duties may have been somewhat rough, where was the politeness in that slap you gave me?!

Chapter 324 The Cultists in the Inn

"Tell me, what kind of cult members are you arresting that requires so many people?"

A moment later, everyone in the hotel sat down. Opposite Leslaufer sat the recovered judge, while his men were assigned to guard the surrounding doors and windows.

Aside from these two groups, the inn contained only a tavern owner, a timid couple, three traveling companions, and four lone travelers, all of whom matched the owner's ledger perfectly. This meant that no one had managed to escape during the chaos.

This person caused such a commotion; if they were truly a cult member, they would have fled long ago. Therefore, in Leslaufer's eyes, the inquisitor is most likely to come up empty-handed.

“He was a spy who previously served the king,” the judge said, his gaze sweeping across the hall. “This is the most troublesome part. The man’s nickname was ‘The Liar,’ and he was a master of disguise. Although we know all his public identities, they are completely useless.”

As he spoke, he looked at the man opposite him with some fear. Although the man had just beaten up everyone on his side, it had actually eliminated the suspicion that he might be a cultist. No matter how the man disguised himself, his basic physical abilities could not be changed. How could a secret agent take down all of them with his bare hands?

Along with this Duple, his companions also became objects of no suspicion, which undoubtedly greatly helped his work.

Thinking about this, even the pain on half of my face didn't seem so bad anymore.

"Then how did you know he became a cultist? Was he planning to assassinate the king?" Daisy couldn't help but ask. She had once used magic to disguise herself as a cultist, so she was quite interested in this.

“He slipped up during one of our collaborations,” the judge said in a deep voice. “His disguise was flawless; he was even one step away from stealing a sacred relic from the Order. But unfortunately, he developed feelings for a priest during the process, even resorting to and revealing his evil powers for it. However, our brother remained unmoved and, after the priest secretly imprisoned him in a fit of rage, risked his life to escape and expose the thief’s plot.”

"Wow—oh," Daisy exclaimed dramatically, her gossip-loving nature ignited. "What, is that cultist ugly, not the priest's type?"

“No, not at all…” The judge’s expression suddenly turned strange, and his colleagues also began to cough awkwardly. “Besides, didn’t I say that person is good at disguise? Even if he is ugly, he can always disguise himself.”

“Then your priest must be a very loyal believer,” Daisy nodded admiringly. “In my hometown to the west, some priests there can’t do that; they always try to satisfy their own desires.”

“Just think of it this way, young lady,” the judge sighed, “at least that guy… well, he was very loyal to the gender of the partner he wanted.”

Daisy: "?"

“Alright, although you are no longer suspects, it’s best not to delve into these matters further,” the judge, sensing the increasingly awkward atmosphere, stood up. “Boss here, could you please come over here again? You’ve been running this place for many years, and personally, I don’t believe you are that cult member, but we should still be on the safe side to prevent the possibility of a switch.”

Perhaps because he had been "educated" by Raslaufer, the judge's tone became much more amiable. He raised a fist-shaped holy light and, as he chanted incantations, a faint, dark spherical light screen was created with himself as the center, enveloping the boss within it.

"This is the divinely blessed realm of honesty, where no one can conceal their true nature with lies," the judge explained. "Now we can test you: what is your name, how old are you, and what is your gender?"

The boss delivered the information as instructed, and the surrounding light screen remained unchanged—he had not lied about these matters.

Next, the judge asked a few more questions, which the other party answered truthfully.

“Very good, thank you for your cooperation,” the judge nodded, gesturing for him to stand aside, but not to leave the area of ​​the field. “Next, the two of you.”

“Sir, my wife and I are visiting relatives,” the two citizens confessed as soon as they entered the light screen, before the judge could even ask any questions. “My father-in-law has difficulty walking, so we visit him every month. We always stop here to rest on our way back and forth. We are definitely not spies or cult members!”

“What they say is true, I can—” the innkeeper tried to corroborate.

"No need for further explanation," the judge said, pointing to the surrounding light screen. "Whether what you say is true or not is for the gods to judge."

He then asked several more questions, this time including inquiries such as "Have you ever been to such-and-such place?" and "Do you know such-and-such person?", and even other more pointed questions. Although the couple was terrified, they answered each question as best they could and finally passed the test.

As for the other travelers, although they no longer had the innkeeper to testify for them, they all passed the test. The Realm of Honesty is not omnipotent; vague answers can still fool the system. Therefore, the judge used a question-and-answer format to give any potential cultists any chance.

However, even under such rigorous questioning, everyone passed without exception—not one of them was a cult member.

"Damn it, did he get away?"

The judge dispelled the spell and put away his holy symbol: "But something's not right... The prophecy before departure told me that the cultist was hiding in this inn! And my intuition tells me that the evil here is extremely strong! Boss, are there any other people here?"

"N-nothing?" The boss was also confused. "Neither the chef nor the helpers live here. Didn't we just approve them?"

“No,” the judge said, pressing his lips tightly together and turning to Leslaufer with great reluctance, “there is still a group of people who haven’t been tested.”

“You’re right,” to his surprise, Raslaufer nodded. “There are indeed people here who haven’t been tested, but as I see it, it seems we can find them without your spell.”

"Hmm?" The judge's eyes flashed. "Your Excellency, are we referring to the same person?"

"Then I have no idea what you're thinking." Dubul snorted and walked straight up to a soldier guarding the entrance to the kitchen.

"I've probably beaten everyone here up by now, so why are you the only one who dares to look at me like that?"

Chapter 325 Luring the Tiger Away from the Mountain

With that, Raslaw reached out and grabbed the man's throat. But the moment his fingers touched the man's neck, the soldier, who looked exactly like a physical being, suddenly turned into a wisp of pale pink smoke, and his true form vanished without a trace.

At the same time, a voice entered Raslaufer's ears:

"We're on the same side, don't mess around."

The mercenary's eyebrows immediately rose.

"What are you all standing there for? Chase them!"

With a loud shout from Leslaufer, the members of the cult snapped out of their daze, realizing they had been tricked. The inquisitor, his face flushed, rushed into the kitchen first. He saw two vegetable baskets seemingly carelessly tossed in a corner. He immediately went over, pushed them aside, and sure enough, saw a wooden plank lying crookedly on the ground. Below, in the darkness, lay the inn's cellar.

"This...this has nothing to do with me, I don't know anything..." The innkeeper followed in a panic, and upon seeing the scene, he was almost scared out of his wits, and hurriedly tried to explain. But the members of the Black Knight Order had no time to waste with him at this moment. The judge turned his head and nodded slightly to Leslaufer, as if muttering "thank you," and then turned and leaped into the cellar.

"This is really..."

Seeing the cult members who had suddenly appeared quickly leave, Bella stared blankly at the cellar entrance, which shouldn't be too deep but was bottomless in the night: "I never thought that your habit of resorting to violence at the drop of a hat would have such a wonderful use."

The imposter's disguise was incredibly lifelike; he even left out the marks of the soldiers' beatings. However, those who had experienced the brutality of Raslaufer's attacks could never fake the utterly submissive look they had when they looked at Dople.

“Saying that makes it sound like you weren’t the one who attacked me and Annie in the chocobo flock,” Leslaufer sneered. “But it seems that if I had just gone all out, I might have been able to kill him outright. If that were the case, even if all those Black Knights were wiped out, they could rest in peace.”