Lord: I can see loyalty.

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Zane's figure transformed into a black lightning bolt, rushing into the depths of the dark forest.

The sunlight was cut into fragments by the tree canopy and retreated rapidly at his feet.

The wind whistled in his ears, and tree branches whipped against his face, but he did not slow down at all. The figures of the four people were just ahead of him, appearing and disappearing in the darkness at any moment.

"Quick! Split up and run!" one of them shouted.

The four immediately scattered and fled in different directions. Zain, however, did not hesitate and clung tightly to the one in the middle.

Since joining Count Vio's ranks, he has learned the Dune Swordsmanship—known for its speed and balanced offense and defense, making it the most suitable swordsmanship for a one-eyed warrior like himself. Although he has not been practicing it for long, his speed has already far surpassed what it used to be.

However, the figures in front of him maintained a constant distance, as if they were toying with him.

We can't catch up.

Those guys were moving way too fast, abnormally fast.

Zain gritted his teeth and pushed his breathing technique to its limit, sending fallen leaves flying everywhere under his feet, but the figure in front of him was still faintly visible.

Even more strangely, the footsteps chasing behind were getting fainter and fainter—Xavier, Commander William, and the Azure Knights were fading into the distance.

wrong.

Zain's brow furrowed sharply.

Although he was fast, Xavier and Commander William were not weak either, and the Azure Peak Knights were elite knights, so it was impossible for them to be left behind so quickly.

Moreover, although the figures in front kept running, their positions never changed. It was as if they were standing still, yet constantly moving forward.

Years of combat experience made Zane's hair stand on end.

He suddenly stopped in his tracks.

What followed was an extremely bizarre scene!

The fleeing figures continued running ahead, but their movements became strange and repetitive, as if they were frozen in a certain moment.

The surrounding woods had changed; the tree trunks were twisted, the branches and leaves were blurred, and the whole world seemed to be covered with a thin veil.

Is this... magic?

Zane's pupils contracted sharply. Although he didn't understand, he knew for sure that he had fallen into a trap!

The next moment, a sharp sound of wind breaking came from beside my ears.

That was the sound of a rapier cutting through the air, a sound Zane was very familiar with, because he had heard it countless times on the battlefield.

His body reacted faster than his brain; he jerked to the side, and a rapier grazed his shoulder, tearing through his leather armor and drawing a trickle of blood.

Zain didn't turn around; he just kept moving and dodging.

Unable to see the enemy's location, he could only rely on sound and his instinctive sense of danger to maneuver in the darkness.

The sword wind attacked from the left, and he ducked to dodge. The sword wind attacked from the right, and he raised his sword to block. The sword wind attacked from behind, and he lunged forward and rolled on the ground, barely avoiding a fatal blow.

But he still had several wounds on his body; his leather armor was torn open, and blood seeped out, soaking his clothes.

Zane gritted his teeth, remained silent, and continued to evade, searching for an opportunity to retaliate.

"That bastard Aldrich! Didn't he say he could put people into hallucinations?!"

A voice suddenly came from all around, filled with anger and disbelief.

"What's wrong with this guy? Has the magic failed?" another voice chimed in, tinged with panic.

"Run! Damn it! Those guys are catching up!"

Zane then realized that he had indeed been under a spell, the kind that could induce hallucinations.

He couldn't see the spellcaster or the enemy's location, so he could only passively evade.

But he could also tell that those people were even more panicked than he was.

The footsteps gradually faded away, and the sound grew fainter and fainter.

The illusion began to blur and dissipate, the moonlight became real again, and the shadows of the trees became clear again.

At the same time, Zain's vision began to blur. It wasn't a hallucination; it was from blood loss. He had several wounds on his body, none of which were deep, but each one was bleeding.

Even so, Zain had only one thought in mind: he couldn't let them get away.

He gritted his teeth and chased after the blurry figures, not as fast as before, but his will was stronger than ever.

He pounced and tackled the last person to the ground. The two rolled around in the fallen leaves, splashing up a shower of dry leaves.

The man was incredibly strong; with a sudden struggle, he threw Zain off his feet.

Zain staggered backward, regained his balance, and pulled out the broken piece of his longsword. The men stopped, turned around, and surrounded Zain.

"Didn't you say it would last at least a minute?!" someone yelled.

"Damn it! Kill him first!"

All four attacked at the same time.

Their strength was outrageous; each strike carried a whistling sound as it hit Zane's broken sword, making his hands go numb.

However, their swordsmanship was mediocre; they were certainly no match for Zane.

Zane's Dune Swordsmanship was both offensive and defensive, and he managed to hold his own against the four attackers, even managing to launch a few counterattacks and leave several wounds on them.

Zain gradually understood.

These people are indeed powerful, which is probably due to the effects of so-called magic.

However, their physical strength did not improve accordingly, and their swordsmanship was mediocre. As long as they could withstand the initial onslaught and their stamina decreased, it would be their chance to counterattack.

"ah--!"

With a scream, an enemy was pierced through the shoulder by Zane's sword.

However, Zane's sword also broke completely in the collision, leaving only the hilt.

Without hesitation, he threw away the sword hilt and charged forward with his bare hands!

Before the man could react, Zane had already bitten his throat.

Then blood gushed out, the warm liquid splashing all over Zane's face.

The man let out a piercing scream and struggled desperately, but Zain held on tightly and refused to let go.

Finally, the man's body went limp, and he collapsed into a pool of blood, motionless.

The remaining three people were stunned.

They looked at Zain, covered in blood and with flesh and blood in his mouth, their eyes filled with terror.

"A madman...this guy is a madman!"

"run!"

But it was too late for them.

Behind them, hurried footsteps came from the woods. Xavier and William arrived with the Sky-Top Knights. A dozen fully armed knights and mercenaries surrounded the three of them, their swords pointed at their throats.

"Don't move if you want to live!"

The three men exchanged a glance, dropped their weapons, and knelt down.

Zain collapsed to the ground, panting heavily.

His body was covered in wounds, the worst being a sword wound in his abdomen, from which blood was gushing out and staining his clothes red.

Then, everything went black, and he collapsed.

…………

Gray hyena camp, medical tent.

Zane lay on a simple cot, his body wrapped in bandages.

Valentine stood by the bed, leaning on his cane, his old face full of exhaustion, but with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

He had just finished treating Zain's wounds; the sword wound in his abdomen had nearly pierced his internal organs, and if it had gone any deeper, he would have been dead.

"He's incredibly lucky to be alive." Valentine stroked his beard and shook his head. "Any later, and I wouldn't have been able to save him either."

William stood to the side, his face ashen.

He looked at the unconscious Zain, then at the several spies bound hand and foot outside the tent, his eyes blazing with fury.

"Lord Xavier," his voice was hoarse, "interrogate him."

Xavier nodded, turned and walked out of the tent.

The spies were taken to a large tree at the edge of the camp and tied to a stake.

They were all wounded. One of them had his throat bitten off by Zane and was already dead. The remaining three were covered in blood, pale-faced, and filled with fear in their eyes.

"Speak," Xavier said, standing before them, toying with a short sword in his hand. "Who sent you?"

The three people exchanged a glance, but no one spoke.

Xavier sneered and gestured for the Azure Knight beside him to step forward. The knight drew his short sword and pressed the tip against one of the knights' fingernails.

"Everyone has ten fingernails, oh no, twenty, I'll just count to three..."

"one."

"I'll talk! I'll talk!" The man finally broke down, his voice trembling with tears. "It's...it's the Golden-Maned Griffin family! Lord Aldrick sent us!"

"Audreck?" Xavier frowned. "...That magician?"

I recall this person being mentioned in intelligence reports.

"Yes! It was him! He gave us a magic potion that would make us stronger for about a day! He also gave us a small ball that could create illusions; it's a magical item that could last for about a minute. That's how we shook off our pursuers..."

Xavier and William exchanged a glance, both seeing seriousness in each other's eyes.

Potions, illusion magic—the Golden Griffin family has more tricks up their sleeves than they anticipated.

"Anything else?" William stepped forward. "What else did Aldrick give you?"

"N-nothing..." The man swallowed hard. "Lord Aldrick said that His Majesty Cedric has arranged for him to personally assassinate the Earl of the Southern Border..."

"That's right...that's right! By this time, your count should be dead beyond recognition!"

At that moment, another spy suddenly shouted out, his voice filled with madness. He looked up, a glint of expectation in his eyes.

He was looking forward to seeing Xavier and William's panicked expressions, to seeing them bewildered, fearful, and desperate.

However, he was met with Xavier's expressionless face, and Commander William even deliberately yawned.

"You...you guys..." The man's smile froze.

Just then, a voice came from the direction of the tent at just the right moment.

"The Lord Aldrick you're talking about, is he the magician disguised as an old man?"

Backlit, Vio emerged from the tent, followed by Alec.

His robes were still stained with blood, but it wasn't his; it belonged to the sorcerer Aldrick they were talking about.

Vio's steps were steady, his gaze calm, as if he had simply gone for a walk.

"Unfortunately, I've already killed him."

The three spies turned deathly pale instantly.

Their lips trembled; they wanted to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.

"Your Excellency." Xavier knelt on one knee to pay his respects, and Commander William followed suit.

Vio waved his hand, signaling them to get up.

"So it seems those blueprints we found on Aldrick were the potion recipes. We'll have to show them to Uncle Valentine later..."

The three men were trembling all over, with no hope left.

Vio turned to Commander William and said, "Continue the interrogation. Interrogate as many people as you can, as long as the focus is on the so-called 'army.' As for Zane's reward, you arrange that."

"Yes, sir!" Commander William clasped his hands in a deep fist salute.

Vio and Alec turned and left without looking back, ignoring the pleas and screams of the spies behind them.

Assassination, spies, a trap... Vio thought to himself, and finally couldn't help but let out a cold laugh.

Cedric, you've got quite a few tricks up your sleeve. What else do you have? Bring it on...