A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 302 Why is it you, kid?

Alfred had other things to do. He mounted his ornately decorated steed and galloped to the palace. Many carriages swerved to avoid him in a panic; Alfred enjoyed seeing the disarray of the lower classes, it reminded him of his own nobility.

"Africa, you've come." A delicate white hand emerged from behind the silk curtain, and the commander of the Golden Rose Knights knelt on one knee, kissing it with reverence and love.

"Yes, Mother, our great and wise King."

Only when Her Majesty the Queen calls him does she swallow the last syllable, and unlike the other Storm City people who say "Alfred," which makes him feel that he has received a special affection from his adoptive mother.

The Iron Crown Knights commander's gaze didn't even fall on the ostentatious vase; he was preoccupied with reporting the situation to the Queen.

"A rebellion has broken out across the entire island of El. The main force of the resistance has now moved into Bellanst, the seat of the puppet council. Authorities and post offices in other cities have also been impacted."

Towns in the north are still maintaining order, and the ports are under the kingdom's control. Most cities in the south are out of contact; some of our dispatched administrators have already fled back to the island, but have been discovered and detained.

The Queen withdrew her hand and asked, "You've only talked about towns, what about the countryside?"

After a moment of silence, the Iron Crown Commander decided to report the truth, since El Island was not under the jurisdiction of his knightly order: "It is basically out of control. Due to famine, most of the farmers have rebelled, and they are also the main force of the rebels."

"Those who choose to threaten the administrators with methods such as explosions and assassinations are the grey elves in the town."

Alfred's eyes widened: "The fact that they still have the energy to rebel means we haven't taken enough food, right?"

The Iron Crown Commander didn't want to pay attention to this young genius, but in the end, considering his relatively good relationship with the Burning Lion Knights, he tried to salvage their defeat:

"Strange forces and attacks by unidentified creatures have been reported throughout El Isle, including the Battle of Bellanst, where giant trees grew to withstand cannon fire, and during the fighting, rebels were suspected of using supernatural powers to assassinate our knights."

"It's unclear whether it's a resurgence of Druidism, or..."

The Queen spoke for the leader, suggesting a possible explanation he was about to say: "It could also be Our Lady of the Earth."

"Yes, judging from the way the power manifests, this possibility cannot be ruled out, especially with the appearance of evil flesh-and-blood plants, which, combined with the swamp, have caused heavy casualties to our military and police. I dare to suggest suspending cooperation with the underground cult and questioning them about their activities on El Island."

"I understand." The Queen's response was ambiguous; she was behind a curtain, so others could not see her face or hear the nuances of her voice.

Alfred suggested, "Why not let those four elven orders fight, let the elves kill the elves?" Historically, four of the kingdom's twelve knightly orders were composed of elves. In the era of cold weapons, they were skilled with longbows and were also the first legions to transform into rangers and privates in battles against continental countries.

The Iron Crown Commander frowned at this ill-conceived plan: "The relationship between the Kingdom Elves and the Grey Elves is delicate; we don't need to provoke those four knightly orders."

"To eliminate external enemies, we must first ensure the stability of the main island. We must be vigilant about any actions the resistance organizations might take on the main island in coordination with the rebels. The Iron Crown Knights have been keeping a close watch on things from within Storm City, haven't they?"

"Yes, we have already begun the operation to close in."

"Very good," the Queen praised, then asked Alfred, "What about the matters I assigned you?"

"I have conveyed your will to the councilors, Mother. I assure you they will not hinder the kingdom at this critical moment."

"Alright." After saying that, Her Majesty the Queen dismissed them from the palace.

She waved her hand, and the curtains automatically rose.

The Queen of Istani, who has never had a partner, is said to be extremely beautiful and is popularly known as the "Queen of Purity".

The face that emerged from behind the curtain was indeed stunningly beautiful. She tucked her hair back, revealing long, pointed ears.

Benedict was certain he was being followed. He was used to following people on his own when he was a detective, but the two behind him seemed rather clumsy.

The fatal problem was that the two men were too tall and strong, clearly martial artists, and their ill-fitting clothes were stretched taut, making them look like gangsters.

As he weaved through the crowd, he tried to recall who he had offended. Gangsters? He'd been short on cash lately, earning rewards for reporting smuggling and collecting evidence of infidelity for others. But when Benedict passed the resistance's stronghold in Storm City, he noticed similar figures loitering nearby.

The actor-detective's pupils contracted, but he remained impassive and walked straight past the museum.

"What was he doing at the museum?"

"He has accomplices?" The Iron Crown Knight was puzzled but could only follow.

Clang! Bang! Ignoring the screams of the visitors, Benedict smashed the expensive glass, packing up as many grey elf artifacts as possible to take away. He even had an enchanted storage bag; whether you're an actor or a detective, that little bag is probably worth ten years' income.

The commotion attracted the museum's administrators and security guards, and the Iron-Crowned Knight also arrived. They rushed into the exhibition hall and saw only a tall, thin man wearing an ancient wooden mask.

"Sir, what are you doing!" the curator was still yelling when the Iron-Crowned Knight pulled a musket from his trench coat and fired at Benedict, but Benedict dodged it with a strange, twisting motion.

"You were supposed to buy a ticket, but the performance is free for now." He pulled out two daggers and began to dance, spinning and leaping, the sharp blades approaching the Iron-Crowned Knight as they flew.

However, the knights were not to be trifled with. Instead of reloading their muskets, they hurled them at Benedict and then drew their warhammers to fight back.

As the metal clashed, Benedict gradually lost ground. Performing alone was too difficult, without a good stage or accompaniment, and most importantly, without a good audience.

Despite Benedict’s astonishing agility as he moved through the warhammer and his daggers slashing across the knights’ bodies, both knights were protected by chainmail beneath their civilian clothes, and the cuts and other injuries did not stop them from continuing to fight.

The fight in the museum didn't last long; the knight became dizzy.

Damn it! The dagger is poisoned! Although the knight was very careful, each small injury still allowed the poison to seep in. For a specially trained human, this amount of poison wouldn't be fatal, but it was enough to paralyze the limbs and slow down movements, giving Benedict a chance to escape.

He didn't hesitate to strike, quickly shaking off his pursuers, putting away his mask, taking off his coat, and running wildly towards the Golden Harp Theater.

Fortunately, he wasn't discovered. He broke into the backstage area, bit his finger, and smeared the blood on the makeup mirror.

A ripple appeared on the mirror's surface, and it suddenly darkened. Benedict leaped into the underground world.

He was still at the Golden Harp Theater, but in the Shadow City; no wonder Rorschach recognized him.

"What's happening on the ground?" His companions were unaware that Storm City had launched a manhunt for the resistance.

"Wait a minute, I have something to do." Benedict headed straight for the small building next to the theater.

He knocked urgently on the door, "Caroline, Caroline, are you there?"

The door opened, and the person who opened it didn't understand the elf's urgency: "She's here. Who are you looking for?"

"What, it's you?" Benedict looked at Rorschach behind the door. He hadn't expected this kid to be living in Caroline's "home." Perhaps due to the recent battle and the frantic run, the "actor's" face was alternating between pale and red.

(End of this chapter)