I'm not a Witcher anymore.

Chapter 153 Warning

Upon hearing this, Radji also sighed.

"Your Highness is right. Although His Excellency István is a foreigner, his courage and sense of responsibility in risking his life to cross the blockade for justice are admirable."

He walked over to the body, bent down, and carefully examined the wounds.

"That sword strike—" His brows furrowed deeply, "was both accurate and ruthless, piercing straight through the heart, killing instantly. The killer is either a highly trained assassin or an extremely cold-blooded veteran."

His gaze shifted to Zieg.

"Your Highness, did you hear anything last night?"

Zieg's expression remained unchanged.

"I went to bed early after returning to my room last night," he replied calmly, speaking at a measured pace. "The journey was tiring, and I had drunk some wine at the banquet, so I slept very soundly. I didn't find out about this until my servant knocked on the door this morning."

He frowned, as if trying to recall something.

"His Excellency István's room was almost a whole corridor away from mine, so if there had been any noise at the time—I'm sorry."

I definitely didn't hear it.

Radji nodded, his eyes showing no doubt.

"It's good that Your Highness is sleeping soundly," he said, a hint of self-reproach in his voice. "It was my negligence in not having enough guards in the castle. If the murderer's target hadn't been Lord Istvan, but Your Highness—"

He didn't finish his sentence, but his face was filled with lingering fear.

"From this day forward," Radji's voice became solemn and firm, "I will assign two of my most elite soldiers to protect Your Highness's safety. Wherever Your Highness goes, they will follow you without leaving your side."

Looking into Radji's worried eyes, Zig felt a pang of emotion.

Although Radji was politically naive and somewhat pedantic, his loyalty and concern for him were genuine.

He truly regarded himself as a lord worthy of protection, and was genuinely worried about his own safety.

This kind of heartfelt loyalty is especially precious in this deceitful era.

"Thank you for your kindness, Lord Radji."

Radji's promise warmed Zieg's heart, but he quickly suppressed the feeling.

There are more important things to deal with right now.

"Lord Raddy." Zieg's gaze shifted from Istvan's corpse to the burgher of Skalitz. "While the death of Lord Istvan is indeed regrettable, I have a more pressing matter to discuss with you."

Radji paused for a moment, then nodded.

"Please speak, Your Highness."

"Let's talk somewhere else." Zieg glanced at the still-uncovered corpse in the room and the soldiers searching around. "This place isn't convenient."

Radji understood and led Zig away from the room that reeked of blood.

The two walked down the corridor toward the Lord's Hall, with two guards assigned by Hightar and Radji following behind at a proper distance.

The atmosphere inside the castle remained tense.

Every servant they encountered walked past with their heads down, not daring to make any eye contact with these two important figures.

The soldiers stood in small groups in various corners of the corridor, their hands on their sword hilts, watching each passerby warily.

After entering the lord's hall, Radji waved for the servants to leave, leaving only him and Sieg.

Zieg walked to the rough map on the wall, his gaze sweeping over the hills, woodlands, and roads surrounding Skaritz.

"Lord Raddy, I have heard that Kutenberg has fallen."

Radji's body visibly stiffened.

"His Highness is well-informed, but the phrase 'fallen' might not be accurate, because there wasn't even a proper battle taking place there."

"The German mine owners and wealthy merchants of Kutenberg—they valued their silver more than their reputation. As soon as the Cuman cavalry of Sigismund appeared on the horizon, they eagerly opened the city gates."

"They bribed the red fox with chests of silver to survive. Now, Sigismund has made it his palace and treasury in Bohemia, feeding his greedy Hungarian army with our Bohemian silver mines."

Sieg nodded: "But Sigismund's greed will not stop there; Kutenberg is northeast of Skarlitz."

Now that Sigismund has taken that place, where will his next target be?

This question was like a sharp blade, piercing straight into the corner of Radji's heart that he least wanted to touch.

Radji's face darkened.

"I know, so I have already strengthened the defenses at the city gates and made an agreement with Talmu Fort to immediately raise the alarm if enemy troops are spotted."

"Not enough."

Zig raised his hand and pointed to several high points on the map.

"The enemy may not appear along the route we expect. The Cumans are light cavalry, not knights slowly advancing with siege engines. It will be too late to ring the bells when they appear at the city walls."

Radji's expression hardened.

"What does Your Highness mean?"

"Set up temporary beacon towers on all the high places outside the town where you can see far into the distance," Zieg said. "No need for stone towers or heavy troops. Dry firewood, wet grass, tarpaulins, and a few skilled horsemen will suffice."

He looked at Radji.

"Their mission is not to fight, but to spot the enemy, light the smoke, and then immediately ride back. As soon as the first plume of smoke rises, Skaritz will have a valuable amount of preparation time."

Radjid paused for a moment, then nodded emphatically.

"I understand. No matter which way the enemy comes, Skaritz will know first."

"I will make the arrangements myself. There will be people watching the high places outside town throughout the day."

After Radji left, the Lord's Hall fell silent once more.

The matter of the beacon towers can be left to Radji; that is the duty of this burgher and also his area of ​​expertise.

But Sieg didn't intend to just wait idly in the castle.

He turned away from the window, pushed open the heavy wooden door of the lord's hall, and walked into the corridor.

Haitar had been waiting outside the door, and when he saw Sieg come out, he immediately went to greet him.

"Your Highness, where are you going?"

"Let's go for a walk," Zieg said casually. "It's getting a bit boring staying in the castle for too long."

A hint of hesitation appeared on Haitar's face.

He recalled the events of that morning: Istvan had been murdered, and the killer was still at large.

Under these circumstances, sending His Highness the Duke out would not be a wise choice.

But he also knew that his master was not the kind of person who would easily change his mind.

"Then, please allow me to accompany you," Haitar said.

"Of course." Sieg nodded slightly. "And those two guards that Lord Radji arranged, call them along too."

Haitar accepted the order and left. A moment later, he returned with two soldiers wearing chainmail and carrying longswords.

The two soldiers both appeared to be in their early thirties, with robust builds and resolute faces, clearly veterans who had seen battle and bloodshed.

They were elites selected by Radji from his personal guard, specifically tasked with protecting Zieg's safety.

"Your Highness," one of them stepped forward and bowed, his voice deep and powerful, "I am Hinek, and this is Matos. Lord Raddy ordered us to protect Your Highness closely. Please rest assured, Your Highness, with us here, we will not allow anyone to harm you in the slightest."

Zieg glanced at the two of them.

"Thank you both for your hard work. I plan to go out and explore the local customs and culture of Skarlitz."

The two soldiers exchanged a glance, both showing a troubled expression.

"Your Highness," Hineck said carefully, his tone cautious and respectful, "the murderer who killed His Excellency István last night has not yet been found. This person is likely still hiding in the castle or in the town outside the castle. Until the murderer is caught, it may be dangerous for you to go out."

He paused, then added, "Of course, if Your Highness insists on going out, we will not stop you. However, we earnestly request that Your Highness not leave our sight, so that we can respond promptly in case of any unexpected events."

"I understand," Zieg said. "I've taken your concerns to heart. Let's go."

The four of them walked down the main staircase of the castle.

As they passed through the courtyard, several servants who were cleaning saw Zieg and his party and immediately stopped what they were doing, bowing respectfully.

Their eyes held a mixture of fear and curiosity—this young duke seemed quite different from the royal nobles they had imagined.

Ignoring the stares, Zieg walked straight toward the castle gate.

The moment I stepped out of the castle, a pungent smell of damp earth, animal dung, and the distinctive, acrid smell of sulfur and charcoal wafted towards me.

The town of Skarlitz is right next to the castle and stretches down the hillside.

>