Knight and Wand

Chapter 136 Visitors from afar
Before dawn, Longka was still silent in the early morning.

Inside the dim prison cell, Leon stared at the frozen corpse in front of him, his expression becoming more and more solemn.

"Leon, this is a wound caused by a spear piercing through the front. The shape and depth of the wound should not be caused by a sword or a dagger." Olivia, who came with her lover, stroked the hem of her skirt, squatted down, and carefully looked at the burly body of Canis kneeling stiffly on the ground.

"Just like this." She stood up and took a step back. She grasped the non-existent spear in her right hand and pushed it forward with all her strength, trying to recreate the single stab that killed Canis.

".Front-on." Looking at the girl's simulated attack, Leon couldn't help but frown, trying to reconstruct the assassination in his mind.

There is no doubt that judging by the posture of the corpse, Canis must have been conscious before his death.

But he did not fight with the assassin.

It's ridiculous.

Leon had fought with Canis before and was very familiar with the opponent's martial arts. In a one-on-one situation, even if Olivia wanted to kill him, it would not be so easy.

The young master of the Lang family's legs were not injured, so why didn't he even dodge before he died?

"When did you find out that Canis was murdered?"

He turned around and looked at the soldier whose face was pale and extremely frightened.

"Just now, as soon as we realized something was wrong, we immediately went to inform you." The soldier guarding the prison answered with sweat on his forehead and an uneasy expression.

The soldiers behind him also had sweat on their backs. Such an important prisoner of war died in such an unclear manner. As guards, how could they not be afraid and hold someone accountable?

"Why are you all outside the cell? Is there no one left in front of the cell to watch him?"

Leon did not attack these trembling soldiers, but continued to ask questions calmly.

"We can't do anything about it. Didn't the gentlemen say yesterday that we could try to satisfy that Excellency with some small matters?

As a result, this knight suddenly got angry last night and scolded us all out, saying that he couldn't sleep because someone was watching him.

We had no choice but to stand guard outside the door, but when the shift was about to change, we came in and saw that he was dead!" The soldier had a sad face, as if he had lost his parents.

"You didn't hear any noise all night? Didn't you see any suspicious people approaching the cell?"

"No, sir. We have been standing outside the door all night, so close to each other. Just, just, just..." The guarding soldier became more and more anxious and stuttered.

Leon stared at the soldiers in front of him, then looked at the wound that pierced Canis' chest, and knew that these people might have been lucky enough to survive.

If these soldiers had not gone out, it would have been easy for them to sneak into the prison silently under heavy guard and kill Canis's assassin, and take their lives at the same time.

The premise is that this sudden accident was not the result of a conspiracy among these soldiers.

Thinking of this, Leon examined the body of the young master of the Wolf family from top to bottom, and then looked around for traces in the prison.

There were no signs of a fight.

It is impossible for these ordinary soldiers to capture a Knight of Arms with superb martial arts skills without any harm. Even if his hands are shackled, with Canis's physical strength and struggle hard, he is more ferocious than a wild beast.

Moreover, no matter how bad the situation is, Canis is not mute and can shout for help loudly. There are more than just a few soldiers guarding the prison in the military camp.

But from the scene, the fatal blow that pierced the heart was clean and sharp. The expression of the young master of the Wolf family was frozen with only anger, and he didn't even have time to fight or resist.
So who killed Canis?

From Lonca? From Farolis?
Unlikely.

Could it be someone from the Wolf family? This might explain why Canis was caught off guard while awake, but why would someone from the Wolf family kill their lord's eldest son?

Leon shook his head in his heart.

The real problem right now is not to track down the murderer, but how to deal with the consequences of Canis's death.

It would be fine if he died on the battlefield.

Even if he and Baron Gunnar were enemies, the conflict was between the two sides, and the other party attacked first. He was in the right if he killed the enemy head-on in a fair fight.

But for the country's noble prisoners of war, the impact of killing the enemy and killing the prisoners was worlds apart.

Especially since the other party had already given up resistance and surrendered, and we had just signed an agreement with the Gunnar family to treat the prisoners well in exchange for a ransom.

If the matter is reported to higher-level nobles or even the king, it will be a huge trouble even for his own feudal lord, Baron Elliver.

As for arguing that you are not the murderer?

To the countless royal nobles who were eyeing the Thorn Flower Family, the truth was not important, and it was not important to those people who killed Canis.

The important thing is that Canis is dead. After surrendering, he was "brutally killed in prison" by himself, a knight of the Thornflower family. Having this reason is enough for them.

Once the news leaks, the conflict will immediately escalate from the Gunnar family against the Farolis family to the royal party against the Farolis family.

As long as the internal disputes among the nobles of the Northern Kingdom did not rise to the level of suppressing rebellion, killing surrendered nobles was seriously against the rules and traditional consensus.

Leon immediately turned to the soldiers and ordered, "From today on, you will live in the same barracks with my guards. Your freedom will be temporarily restricted until the truth is revealed. Also, from now on, you are not allowed to mention this to anyone else! Remember, anyone! Including Sir Redo and the others, otherwise I will punish you severely!"

"Yes, sir." Several soldiers felt temporarily relieved. They felt fortunate that they were just under house arrest and kept their mouths shut.

"Zabron, go guard outside and don't let anyone get close to the prison."

Ordering the guards to seal the cell, Leon sighed, stared at the corpse in front of him, and continued to think of countermeasures.

Things have already happened. At least until Baron Elliver returns, the Wolf family cannot be allowed to know that their young master died tragically in prison under unclear circumstances.

Otherwise, Baron Grey Wolf would probably be so angry that he would lead his troops back to the country and come all the way from Mamor County to question him.

The consequence is just like...
Just like what the thieves who broke into the Farolis Castle and tried to murder Lady Adelina expected, only the identities were swapped.
Probably the same group of people.

Perhaps just as Baron Elliver had expected, those behind the scenes did not see the desired war between the two families, so they took the initiative to jump out and change their target again.

They are really everywhere, and they are even next to me.

What to do now?
How to reverse the serious consequences of Canis' death at his hands? Leon covered his mouth and fell into deep thought.

Until an idea that shocked him came to his mind!

But, will this work?

Gritting his teeth, Leon changed his mind and put aside his hesitation.

No matter whether it works or not, you have to give it a try. Give it a try.

The sun sets in the west.

A coachman who looked like a servant drove the covered wagon, and the two axles slowly pressed across the dirt road in the countryside.

The covered wagon, carrying six or seven women with their faces covered by headscarves, swayed and creaked as it passed the northern slope of Selva, towed leisurely by two pack horses.

On the driver's side, there was a young rider riding a horse, guarding the moving carriage.

The young rider wore a light coat of mail and leather, a large traveling cloak over his uniform, and the sheathed Uriah sword was slung at his hip.

The rider with the sword took off his hood and urged his horse to a craftsman who was walking down the hillside carrying tools.

He asked in Feru with a strange accent: "Old man? Excuse me, is this Selva? Is the local lord a knight named Pendragon?"

The old carpenter employed by the locals looked at the other party's horse, armor, and young and handsome face, and quickly made way for him and bowed his head to salute: "Yes, sir, this is Selva, and Lord Leon Pendragon is the owner of this place."

The knight with the sword was delighted to hear this and asked quickly, "I am a knight from afar and would like to pay a visit to Lord Pendragon. May I ask where I can find him?"

"You've come at an unfortunate time. The lord doesn't seem to be in Selva right now. But if you have anything to say, you can go to the big house and talk to the housekeeper, Ms. Elena." The old carpenter pointed to the house where the lord lived at the foot of the slope.

".Elena?" Several masked women in the caravan at the back looked over and then couldn't help but stare at each other.

"It must be a coincidence that we have the same name, Sister Martha." A younger girl with good looks whispered to the woman next to her.

"Same name? What does that mean?" Another masked girl sitting opposite them asked curiously.

"When we were there before, we had a companion with the same name, but I don't know what her situation is now." The lady named Martha answered with some sadness.

At this time, the saber rider in front also finished questioning. He took out a few Orland copper coins from his pocket and handed them to the old man: "Thank you for showing me the way."

The old carpenter took it with both hands in fear and bowed repeatedly: "I appreciate your generosity, sir, who has come from afar."

The saber rider pulled the reins, urged the horse back to the side of the caravan, and said to the attendant who followed him: "Go around the slope ahead and turn down. There seems to be an inn. Let's go over there."

After giving the instructions, he looked at his lover in the car again and said, "Margarina, the local lord is not here, so let's stay here for a few days and wait and see. If we still can't see the knights in Master Goliad's poem, we can continue on our way."

"Well, it doesn't matter if we go to the Kingdom of Dineshien in a few days." Magrena nodded.

Martha, who was standing opposite, took off her scarf and gave a bitter smile of apology to the young Knight Cantadar beside the carriage: "I'm sorry, Lord Larian, we have really delayed your journey along the way."

The masked women around also lowered their heads in shame.

They were of different identities, some were daughters of defeated foreign nobles, and some were from wealthy families who were captured. They were literate and could do math, and after being trained as slaves, they also knew how to do housework and cleaning, so they were not without the ability to make a living.

But now they are homeless. Without protection and a stable place to stay, it is hard to say whether they will fall into the hands of evil people again before they can find a livelihood, and become playthings and repeat their past unfortunate fate.

No family, no home, no protection from father, brother and husband, this is the cruel reality that ordinary women have to face in this era.

"Don't mind, Ms. Martha. Protecting women is my duty as a knight. I promise to live up to Master Goliath's trust and find a suitable place for you to stay." Larian smiled and comforted her.

Margarina also held Martha's hand and said, "Don't worry, Ms. Martha, I won't feel lonely on the road with you. Let Larian take a look at the characters of those knights and see if they are as good as described in the poems. If this is not a good place, you can just come with us to the Holy Kingdom to find a way out."

Martha did not refuse, but still sighed quietly in her heart.

Taking so many people on a long journey would cost a lot of money. How could she have the nerve to be supported by this kind-hearted couple who eloped for nothing?

He is now no longer wanted in Kantadar.

Regardless of what her companions planned, in the days that followed, Martha made up her mind to find a way to make a living in the Northern Kingdom as soon as possible, even if it meant selling her unclean body or working as a maid or mistress for country nobles.

We cannot continue to trouble Mr. Larian and Miss Margarina.
The carriage moved forward slowly.

Soon, everyone arrived at the neighborhood north of Selva and stopped in front of a brand new hotel building that was obviously newly built.

Larion walked in and was warmly greeted by the proprietress at the counter. He paid for the fodder for the horses and carriages, and booked three guest rooms of different sizes for the female relatives, servants, himself and his lover who were accompanying him.

The women in the carriage were not idle either, and they were moving the luggage skillfully.

After the team settled down, Larian asked his servants to stay and look after the women, and then left the inn and headed for the lord's house mentioned by the old carpenter, wanting to first visit the housekeeper named "Irina" there.

Walking out of the tavern lobby on the first floor of the hotel, Larian suddenly saw a beautiful woman wearing a gorgeous dress, a feather hat, and a flute hanging around her waist walking towards the hotel.

As he still remembered Master Goliad clearly, Larian couldn't help but pay more attention to the poet.

A female bard? Is she the resident poet in the tavern behind?
It's really rare. Is the world in Orland not so bad? He entered the northern kingdom and encountered many bandits blocking his way when passing through the mountains and forests.

Otherwise, he would not have asked the female relatives accompanying him to cover their faces with robes and scarves to avoid trouble.

At least in his hometown of Kantardar, Larian had never seen a beautiful woman wandering alone in the countryside.

Out of curiosity, he politely stepped aside and nodded slightly to the other party.

The poetess smiled brightly and walked away as usual.

A passing moment.

Larian's warrior instinct made his left hand touch the handle of the moonlight sword at his waist.

"?" The young knight tilted his head slightly and glanced at the poetess's sexy and slender back.

Such light steps.
(End of this chapter)