Lord: I can see loyalty.

The night was deep, and the moonlight, like water, shone on the glazed tiles of the Emerald Palace, giving it a cool and clear glow.

In the distance, the lights of the capital gradually went out, and the entire city fell asleep.

Only the sound of patrolling guards' iron boots echoed on the stone path, occasionally punctuated by a few barks of dogs, which were quickly swallowed up by the night wind.

Vio lay in bed, eyes open, staring at the intricate carvings on the ceiling. He had been lying there for a long time, but he was wide awake.

His mind was filled with Cedric's ambiguous smile, Christ's unfathomable eyes, and the scheming expressions of the representatives of the Northern families.

Marville of the Golden Saddle family is secretly observing him, Elaine of the Black Serpent family is watching her brothers put on a show, Edmund of the White Horse family is worried, and Marcus is running away—everyone is a pawn, and Cedric is the one who holds the pawn.

"Can't you sleep, Earl?" Alec's voice came from the next bed, deep and clear.

"You too." Vio didn't turn around.

Alec paused for a moment, then said, "I'm wondering what Cedric's next move will be."

"No matter which way he goes, we can only keep going," Vio said, closing his eyes. "But we can't keep taking hits forever."

The two fell silent, the room quiet. After all, this was enemy territory, and they couldn't say too much.

The fire in the fireplace had gone out, the embers glowing a dark red in the darkness. The wind outside the window blew intermittently, rattling the windowpanes and making a slight creaking sound.

But at that moment, Vio's brows furrowed suddenly.

He seemed to have heard something.

It wasn't the sound of wind, nor footsteps, but an extremely subtle, almost imperceptible sound.

It sounded as if someone was deliberately suppressing their breathing, or as if some kind of magic was flowing through the air. For an ordinary person, this sound would not attract any attention at all, since such a large palace could not possibly be completely quiet.

But Vio is no ordinary person.

His fourth-order perception allowed him to hear far beyond that of ordinary people; he could distinguish between the sound of wind and breathing, and could sense subtle magical fluctuations in the air.

"Someone's here," he whispered, already half-sitting up and his hand resting on the Demon Feather Sword beside his pillow.

Alec sat up instantly, his gray eyes flashing with a wary light in the darkness.

"several?"

"One, but... something's not right." Vio rolled out of bed, his bare feet making no sound on the cold floor. "I can't sense his malice, I can't even sense his presence. If it weren't for that aura, I wouldn't have noticed him at all."

Alec frowned. "The fact that you can't even sense him means he's quite powerful."

"Or perhaps he has some way of concealing his presence." Vio walked to the door, pressed his ear against the door panel, and slowly circulated his breathing technique to expand his perception to the maximum extent.

Outside the door, the presence was at the end of the corridor, slowly and silently approaching.

He could feel the other person's breathing and heartbeat, but he couldn't sense any killing intent. It was as if the person who came wasn't an assassin, but an ordinary passerby.

"Here it comes." Vio took a step back, and the Demon Feather Sword was drawn, its purple patterns glowing in the darkness.

Alec also drew his greatsword and stood beside Vio, the two of them guarding the door from either side.

The footsteps outside grew closer and closer, stopping at the doorway, and finally, the door was pushed open.

Moonlight streamed in from outside the door, illuminating a thin figure.

He was an old man with a head of neatly combed gray hair, wearing a dark gray robe with intricate silver patterns embroidered on the hem.

His face was covered in wrinkles, but his eyes were exceptionally bright, like two stars twinkling in the darkness.

He had no weapon in his hand, only a black cane.

"Are you two still awake?" The old man's voice was hoarse but calm, with even a hint of a smile on his lips. "I was sent by His Majesty to check on your safety and see if there's anything I can help you with."

Alec paused for a moment, his greatsword drooping slightly.

He glanced at Vio, then at the old man, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his face. "Old man, it's so late, I won't trouble you any further."

"I'm getting old and can't sleep, so I came out for a walk." The old man leaned on his cane and walked unsteadily into the room, his eyes scanning the surroundings. "This courtyard is quite quiet, suitable for retirement."

Alec frowned. (The latest update is now available on Cola Novels; your interpretation awaits.) He was about to say something when Vio raised his hand to stop him.

Vio stared at the old man, his gaze sharp as a knife.

He could sense that something was wrong with the old man—not malice, nor murderous intent, but a more subtle danger.

His intuition told him that this old man was no ordinary person, but his senses couldn't detect anything unusual. This contradictory feeling made the hairs on his body stand on end.

"Sir," Vio began, his voice calm, "what is your name?"

The old man stopped, turned around, looked at him, and a glint of something unfathomable flashed in his bright eyes.

"Old man Aldrich Blackwood."

Name: Aldrick Blackwood

Race: Human

Age: 38

[Faction: Magic Advisor of the Golden-Maned Griffin Family]

[Hobbies: Magic, money, power]

【Characteristics: Mage, specializing in Curse Magic, Sealing Magic, and Assassination Magic】

Loyalty: Not loyal to you

[Status: Disdain, Observation]

38 years old, not old.

Furthermore, he possessed a special skill in assassination magic, and Vio's lips curled up slightly.

Sure enough, Cedric wouldn't let him sleep peacefully.

"Make your move." He didn't explain, but simply drew his Demon Feather Sword, unleashing his full knightly aura.

Although Alec didn't understand what had happened, he trusted Vio's judgment.

He held his greatsword horizontally, activated the White Whale Breathing Technique at full power, and lunged at the old man!

The old man's expression changed instantly.

He swung his staff sharply, and a black shield of light appeared in front of him, blocking Alec's greatsword.

But the light shield cracked under the impact of the immense force, and the old man was jolted back several steps, crashing into the wall.

"You guys...!" Before he could finish speaking, Vio's figure had already appeared behind him.

The Demon Feather Sword, glowing with purple light, pierced straight towards his back.

The old man twisted his body with all his might, and with a wave of his staff, a dark mist spewed out from the tip of the staff, enveloping the entire room.

With his vision obscured and breathing becoming difficult, Vio felt his movements slowing down—it was a form of assassination magic.

"Alec, step back!" Vio shouted, raising his magic shield in front of him. The purple magic shield instantly unfolded, blocking the mist outside.

Alec retreated to the doorway, holding his greatsword horizontally in front of him, and warily stared at the black mist.

The next moment, the old man burst out of the mist, his staff pointing directly at Vio, and a black lightning bolt shot out from the tip of the staff!

Vio dodged to the side, and lightning struck the wall, blasting a large hole and sending debris flying.

He was too fast; the old man's magic couldn't keep up. In just a few breaths, he was in front of the old man, his Demon Feather Sword aimed straight for his throat.

A look of terror flashed in the old man's eyes.

He tried to retreat, tried to cast a spell, but Vio was too fast. Before he could finish his incantation, the sword was already pressed against his throat.

"Don't move." Vio's voice was calm. "If you move again, I can't guarantee your head will still be attached to your neck."

The old man's body stiffened.

His staff slowly lowered, his bright eyes filled with disbelief.

"How did you discover me? My magic... even Lord Cedric couldn't sense it."

Vio didn't answer, but simply sheathed his sword and struck the old man on the back of the neck with a palm strike. The old man's body went limp and he fainted.

Alec stepped forward, looked at the old man on the ground, and then at Vio. "Your Excellency, he is...?"

"An assassin sent by Cedric." Vio crouched down, searched the old man, found several bottles of potions and a scroll on his body, and handed them to Alec. "He's also a mage skilled in assassination magic."

Alec's expression changed. "Then we..."

"Let's finish him off... This kind of magician might still have a backup plan, we can't let him live." Vio stood up, clapped his hands, "Get ready, let's leave here. The commotion just now was quite loud, we can't delay."

Alec nodded, drew his weapon and ended the man's life, then joined Vio in cleaning up the scene.

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