My older sister is a villainous rich girl

Moreover, leading the royal guards to search for clues left by Archduke Laird presents many inconveniences, so he can only find a way to assemble a fleet on his own or hitch a ride on someone else's ship.

The island was not within the area depicted on the map in Wayne's possession, and it was unclear why Archduke Laird would have thought of drawing a map leading overseas on the ceiling of his bedroom.

What is hidden on that island?

Simple gold and silver? A Laird family heirloom? Or perhaps a secret related to dark magic?

“This place… seems to be cursed,” Lawrence said in a low voice.

Wayne stopped drawing and looked up at Lawrence.

"I had nightmares all night last night. I dreamt that a curse brought a great flood that submerged the entire city of Buffalo, and then you dragged me to the roof of the Radiant Palace and screamed for help." Lawrence was still in shock.

"..." Wayne said irritably, "That's just because you've been thinking about it during the day and dreaming about it at night."

He rolled up the marked map again and put it away.

“Bishop Mellen also said that I was worrying too much. Last night was peaceful, but I think it must be some kind of omen! I rarely dream.” Despite having no scientific basis, Lawrence remained very certain of his conclusion.

“Alright, alright, let’s start investigating from the clues we have so far,” Wayne reassured us dismissively. “We don’t have much time left in Bufania, so we have to hurry. By the way, don’t you think Count Sivers seems eager for us to leave Bufania as soon as possible?”

Lawrence paused, then his expression turned suspicious. "Now that you mention it, it does seem to be true."

"However... from his perspective, it's not incomprehensible that he wants to get rid of us as soon as possible so that he can do whatever he wants in Buffalo without any scruples."

It's really impressive that you even thought of that.

“So he’s not on our side. We have to be wary of the people and things he arranges,” Wayne advised.

With Lawrence as a shield, Wayne disregarded the objections of others and personally visited several locations in Buffalo.

Nobles strutted down the streets with their noses in the air, blacksmiths repaired weapons and farm tools, commoners lived in narrow alleyways, merchants traveled from town to town trading goods, and beggars huddled at the city gates begging passersby. Although they all lived in the same city, their lives were worlds apart.

The world appears differently to different people.

“Lord Sivers? Hmph, how would I know about such a big shot? I only hope that tonight I can still enjoy the same fine wine and food as during the city-wide celebration a few days ago.”

The beggar in front of me was filthy, and his face was completely covered by a thick beard. "Hey, are you guys going to give me any money or not? If not, get out of my way and don't get in my way!"

Lawrence was furious. He hadn't expected a beggar to speak so rudely, even though he had just been speaking to him politely and hadn't seemed to mind the man's filth. Just before Lawrence could explode, Wayne grabbed him and pulled a silver coin from his pocket.

The beggar's eyes lit up, and he reached out to take it. Wayne, however, raised his hand slightly, avoiding the beggar's grasp.

“There was another beggar at the street corner we just came from. He looked a little more pitiful than you. Perhaps my little bit of kindness should be given to someone who needs it more.” He lifted his leg as if to leave.

The beggar grew anxious. "I know who you're talking about! That old man laments every day about how hard his life is, but he only preys on outsiders. It's better to feed his kindness to the dogs than to give it to him. As for me, I have a wide circle of friends. The guards at several city gates know me. I know everything that happens in the streets and alleys of Buffalo! Just one silver coin! I'll answer any question you ask."

Wayne tossed him the silver coin. "Are there any organizations behind the beggars in Buffalo? Like mob bosses or something?"

The beggar's eyes darted around, and he said with a smile, "Yes, but if you want me to introduce you to our boss, that's a different price."

Wayne ignored the previous question and went straight to the next one: "What is his relationship with Earl Sivers?"

The beggar rolled his eyes at him. "The Earl is the most powerful and highest-ranking nobleman in the entire city of Buffalo. How could we beggars possibly have the chance to associate with him? Even if we meet him on the main road, we have to quickly lie down in a corner to avoid offending his eyes. Only that young master from the Duke's family in the capital of Lornes is a discerning person. He celebrates the occasion without regard to status, allowing us to enjoy a meal of fine wine and food as well."

At this point, he sighed with extreme disappointment, "Alas! How useless those rebels are! If they had resisted a little longer and broken up the victory into several stages, I might have been able to eat several more meals."

As he vividly described the count's extravagant travels, Lawrence snorted dismissively. "That count has even more airs than a prince."

“In this city of Buffalo, even if Prince Lornes came, it wouldn’t matter without the Earl’s approval. Once that young master of the Duke’s family goes back, everything will be back to normal!” The beggar weighed the silver coin in his hand, shook his head, and walked away.

The two watched his figure disappear around the street corner. Lawrence suddenly realized something and was quite indignant: "That guy is really something. We gave him a silver coin and he only answered a few words before running away."

After a moment of contemplation, Wayne said, "He probably guessed that we were from the capital, so he flattered me intentionally or unintentionally, and then implied that Count Sivers' control over Buffalo was so deep that no outsider could shake it."

Lawrence glanced at his clothes. "We've all changed into civilian clothes, are we still that obvious?"

Judging from your words and actions, it's clear you come from an extraordinary background.

"It's probably because we were a little too obvious in trying to find out about Sivers, and locals are usually very secretive about these kinds of things." He changed the subject. "Next, let's go and take a look around the area near the Countess's house."

The king only charged Count Sivers with negligence, but in his letter he severely reprimanded the Countess and demanded that she be burned at the stake.

Chapter 726 Sneak Attack

Burning at the stake was one of the cruelest punishments, and the Earl of Sievers had no objection to the king's verdict.

However, Countess Nerpha is still in Wayne's hands.

She was imprisoned in the dungeon of the Radiant Palace, guarded 24 hours a day by a squad of mages. Count Sivers had requested to see her one last time before executing her as soon as possible, but Wayne refused, citing the need for further investigation.

Although this countess doesn't seem very bright, she is probably the person who knows Sivers best right now.

The Countess's family was originally a prominent clan in Buffalo, but immediately after the Battle of Mist Moon, they pledged allegiance to the Royal Family of Lornes, thus retaining their former noble titles. In particular, after Count Heap's youngest daughter, Nelfa, married Count Sivers, the two families supported each other in Buffalo affairs and maintained close ties.

On the night of the incident in the underground passage, Count Heep took all the blame upon himself and committed suicide with a confession. The evidence was irrefutable, and the entire once-prosperous family collapsed in an instant. Now, Count Heep's mansion has been sealed off, and friends who had previously associated with him are now afraid of being implicated in the trouble, and dare not even pass by the mansion.

So, in just a few days, the neglected count's mansion had already developed a rather eerie atmosphere.

"Are we... really going in?" Lawrence swallowed hard.

"Are you afraid?"

“I’m not afraid at all!” Lawrence said immediately. “I just feel that we are not well prepared.”

“Indeed, precisely because our preparations were so inadequate, and no one in the Radiant Palace knew we were coming to investigate Earl Shipp, the success rate of ambushing us at this time was the highest.” Wayne directly scaled the wall and broke into the earl’s mansion.

There were two Buffalo guards at the gate, but they both looked like they were dozing off against the wall and weren't actually on guard.

Lawrence was very nervous, but he didn't dare to stay outside alone, so he followed Wayne and climbed over the wall.

This was an experience he had never had in the capital before. After the initial fear subsided, he was filled with excitement, touching and exploring everything in Count Hep's mansion with his eyes practically shining.

Count Heap's study was in a mess, clearly having been searched.

Sandoval had previously confessed that Count Heap and Count Siefus had a close relationship. He even knew that there was a secret compartment in Count Heap's study containing a little secret, which he had seen with his own eyes when he happened to visit Count Heap to discuss official business.

Just as Sandoval deliberately preserved evidence and left himself a backup plan to protect himself, Count Heap had also made some preparations. He and Sandoval were on the same page about certain matters; after all, Sandoval was a leading candidate for the new governor, and their mutual understanding would make future cooperation more pleasant.

Unexpectedly, before Sandoval could even take the throne, Count Heap was decisively abandoned by Siefus.

Wayne opened a hidden compartment behind the wall from the top shelf and found the book Sandoval had mentioned, "Travels in Buffalo".

Then remove it and turn it over.

On the title page, a line of neat handwriting reads: Everything in the City of Glory is so beautiful, yet just as there is shadow under the light, there is filth in beauty.

Upon seeing this sentence, Wayne raised an eyebrow.

It appeared to be Heap's own handwriting. He had seen Count Heap's will, and judging from his word choice, the count was quite a literary man.

"What's that?" Lawrence asked curiously, examining the object in his hand.

"This book is a token; it can be used to retrieve the gold that Count Shipp kept in the safe at the Buffalo Union Trading Company."

"...You searched for so long just for this?" Lawrence looked extremely suspicious.

"Of course, it's not just for that. You'll understand once we get the gold out—"

Before he could finish speaking, a blinding light shot straight into Wayne from outside the window, and violent flames suddenly exploded out of the room.

At the critical moment, a clear yellow magical barrier rose up in the center of the flames, just in time to block the fierce attack.

"Be careful." Wayne pulled Lawrence along.

He had been on guard against a possible sneak attack, so he wasn't surprised at this moment.

Lawrence was startled: "These people are incredibly audacious! Someone actually came to assassinate us!"

“Last night, the Radiant Palace had a large and well-prepared force, so the ‘curse’ couldn’t be activated. Now that the two of us have run out alone, aren’t we just giving them the opportunity to make their move?” Wayne said with a half-smile.

He was just waiting for the other side to get restless and make the first move. As long as the commotion was big enough, the rumors of the curse would naturally be dispelled among the people.

—It's clear that someone is using curses to carry out assassinations, killing people to silence them.

Three people, all high-level mages, appeared in the room, their bodies completely shrouded in black cloaks.

Lawrence suddenly slapped his palm, and exclaimed with delight, "I knew my nightmare last night was a premonition! I dreamt that we were drowning and screaming for help. Dreams and reality are opposites, so now we're going to be burned and scream for help."

Is this the time to talk about this? Wayne was speechless.

The three black-cloaked figures showed no interest in small talk, remaining completely silent. In the blink of an eye, the entire earl's mansion was engulfed in flames. Ironically, the study, which had been initially attacked, was barely kept afloat thanks to Wayne's protection. However, under the relentless magical onslaught, the building's structure would likely collapse soon.

"Do you know who you assassinated? I am the second prince of Lornes! If you abandon your evil ways and reveal the mastermind behind it, I, the prince, may spare your lives!" Lawrence finally started to panic.

His strength is only average, and he can hardly play a role in this situation.

However, the other party did not react at all, which suggests that they were fully aware of the target's identity and had already prepared themselves mentally.

“With such a big fire here, it can’t be hidden. The people who are supposed to pick us up aren’t far away. We just need to hold out for a little while,” Wayne said in a low voice.

The rapidly rising temperature around us made us feel somewhat uncomfortable.

High-level mages are not easy talents to cultivate. Each one requires a huge investment of resources and money. For any faction, losing a powerful and loyal mage is extremely painful.

If the three opponents cannot kill themselves and Lawrence in the shortest possible time, then they will be the ones left behind forever.

Wayne deliberately revealed a flaw, gambling on the probability that the other party thought they could take a chance. If he missed this rare opportunity, and he and Lawrence continued their relentless investigation, Count Sivers, who already suspected that he was being targeted, would inevitably worry about being implicated in other matters.

Chapter 727 Suspicious Points

Based on the evidence provided by Sandoval, it can be proven that Count Sivers accepted bribes and assassinated his personal enemies.

But that's not serious enough.

His Majesty the King has a rather low moral standard. He doesn't care about the life or death of some insignificant people thousands of miles away. As long as Count Sivers can be of use to him, he doesn't mind gloating over some things that seem extremely bad to outsiders.

In fact, His Majesty the King would rely on people with dirt on them even more.

However, once His Majesty the King believes that Siphus has betrayed him, he will turn on him in the most ruthless way to prove his authority.

Therefore, only by confirming that Siphus colluded with the rebels can he be completely condemned for treason and unable to recover.

Based on what Wayne knows, it is indeed unlikely that Count Sivers would remain uninvolved.

Not only was Count Heap so close to him, but even the killing of the rebel leader Inofan by Viscount Frode was orchestrated by Sandoval behind the scenes.

If the rebel leader could be killed so easily, then what was Count Sivers doing all that time?

The answer may be right in front of us.

—In the name of the curse of Archduke Laird, they wantonly eliminate dissidents and cover up secrets.

Wayne abandoned any attempt to preserve the mansion's original appearance and instead used earth magic to flip the ground over, causing the house to collapse instantly. Taking advantage of this opportunity, he grabbed Lawrence's shoulder and jumped out of the window.

Outside the window is a garden full of rare and precious varieties, which are in full bloom at this time of year, displaying a riot of colors and vying for attention.

However, neither Wayne nor the three assassins showed any mercy. A large amount of flame surged from all directions, almost like a new sun rising from the ground.

With the three fire mages working together, Wayne, in his normal state, was indeed struggling to cope. He could only keep building earthen walls to act as a turtle shell, but it was difficult to keep out the heat.

If his strength hadn't been far beyond the normal level of his peers, he would almost certainly not have survived such a fierce attack.

Fortunately, this unexpected turn of events finally brought the help of the backup personnel that Wayne had arranged some distance away. Just as Wayne was beginning to doubt whether he would be forced to give up his lifelong reputation, several members of the magician's corps rushed to the scene.

"Your Excellency Wayne! Prince Lawrence!"

Things happened so fast that, despite Wayne's prior instructions, the people were still visibly panicked.

"Try to capture them alive if possible," Wayne breathed a sigh of relief.

The three assassins hadn't uttered a single word from beginning to end. Only when they saw that more ambushers were approaching did they finally exchange a glance and immediately fled in three different directions without hesitation.

“They’re all masked. It’s hard for a mage with such power to remain unknown forever. They might be a minor celebrity. Check which high-level fire mages are in the Southwest Province. Once we catch them, we’ll verify their identities.” Wayne quickly arranged for his men to split into three groups to give chase, and only then did he have time to instruct the remaining men who were protecting him and Lawrence.

Lawrence let out a sigh of relief. "That scared me to death! I thought I was going to die in this godforsaken place today."

“This matter needs to be dealt with seriously. Write a letter to your father and complain about the situation, making it sound more serious.” Wayne glanced back at the main structure of the house, which had been burned to pieces. Any other evidence should have been destroyed in the flames by now.

The only saving grace was that he had a clear goal and at least obtained the item in the hidden compartment in time. If he had been like a headless fly and delayed for a longer period of time, the outcome would have been hard to say.

……

“All three assassins are dead,” the magician Bernie said gravely. “They seemed to be very professional killers; they left nothing to identify themselves and resisted to the very end without surrendering.”

“Not surprising. Even if they surrendered, the crime of assassinating the prince would be enough to send their entire family to the gallows.” Wayne had already taken out the gold that Earl Heep had kept. Two hundred gold bars, as big as a large dictionary, were neatly stacked on his table. He was violently breaking them open one by one to check if there were any hidden items inside.

When he inspected the twenty-seventh gold bar, he immediately noticed that the weight was wrong as soon as he picked it up.

He paused, then said, "Bring Sandoval here and have him stay in the Palace of Radiance. Also, send a small team to monitor Count Sivers; if he makes any unusual moves, detain him immediately."

But a few minutes later Bernie came back, with an uneasy Sandoval following behind him.

Sandoval was not surprised to see the room filled with gold bricks.