After choosing to leave, they regretted it.

"Fire! There's a fire!"

"Put out the fire!"

The rising smoke and flames plunged the few remaining guards in the house into a new round of chaos.

The soldiers guarding the reception room were closer to the fire and rushed over subconsciously without thinking much.

They'll soon realize something's wrong, but that's enough time.

Aize rushed out from the darkness, kicked open the door of the living room and rushed in.

The living room was furnished as before, and inside was a man in his thirties with blue hair.

Rufus, Brian's butler, was someone Aize had met before.

He quickly pulled down the brim of his helmet to avoid being recognized immediately.

Being suddenly interrupted, the other party was obviously unhappy:

"What are you doing?! Didn't I tell you not to come in without permission?"

"I know, but there are a lot of unusual things happening outside, and the Duke asked me to come and take a look at the situation."

"The master asked you to..."

"Um... uh—"

Rufus didn't finish his words because a faint moan was heard from the corner.

Chapter 110 Conversation between Smart People

Aize and Rufus' bodies shook at the same time, and they looked towards the source of the sound.

There, a small red-haired figure was lying limp on the ground, twitching and groaning constantly.

——Without a doubt, it was Heidi.

Aize, who had long anticipated that there was something wrong with this room, figured out the whole story in 0.2 seconds.

Stasis.

After Heidi was tricked here, she must have encountered something, such as being seriously injured or poisoned, and the stagnation skill in the Brave's Blessing was activated.

It cannot be moved or handled, so we can only control this reception room.

Rufus, a very skilled magician for a human, was probably ordered by Brain to find a way to break the stagnation.

And now that I have broken in, I just meet the conditions for lifting the stagnation.

not good.

This is not good.

It was unclear how much Rufus knew about stagnation, but this would most likely expose his identity.

We must take action.

The moment he figured out the problem, Aize's hand had already been placed on the fine steel broadsword at his waist.

Without hesitation, he stepped forward, drew his sword, and slashed, the blade slashing towards Rufus' throat - the opponent was quite strong, and he had to solve the problem before he could recover.

However, it was too late——

bite!!!

The sword was just inches away when it was blocked by the glowing wall constructed of magic. The crisp sound of the slash, accompanied by sparks, echoed in the room.

Rufus was stunned at first when he finally saw Aize's face through the wall, then smiled.

"Oh my, I was wondering who it was. Turns out it's the brave Lord Aize. My apologies."

"Tsk——"

Aize flicked his tongue, retracted his weapon and quickly distanced himself, then approached again and tried to attack from another direction.

However, it was useless and was still blocked.

Rufus's expression was very proud:

"In order to resolve Her Highness the Princess's stasis, I needed a fellow hero to come down. I was just thinking about how to bring Lord Aize here, and Lord Aize came to me on his own. How thoughtful."

Seeing that the situation had reached a stalemate, Aize was no longer in a hurry.

He sighed, put down his sword, and asked with a mocking expression:

"Didn't you blow me and my house up in the air? Why are you still looking for me? Can't other heroes do the same?"

"You are right. As the most formidable hero, neither I nor the master are naive enough to think that assassination can kill you."

Despite being in combat mode, Rufus remained polite in both tone and demeanor.

It's an occupational disease.

"As for why I chose you instead of other heroes, it's simply because your combat power is weak and easier to control. If it were a strong one like Lady Uriel, I wouldn't be confident that I could suppress her after bringing her here."

truth.

Rufus didn't mean to mock me when he said this; he was simply stating the facts.

Ai Ze just smiled bitterly and shrugged:

"Who says it isn't?"

During the fight, the guards who had just been drawn away by the fire realized that something was wrong and rushed back, blocking the exit of the reception room with hand gestures and weapons.

There were enemies in front and behind, and we were completely surrounded.

Heidi, who had recovered from her stagnation, was also shocked by the situation.

"Aize...how could it be...wu——"

For a moment, she thought she was hallucinating in the extreme pain.

After all, according to Uriel, Aize should have been dead to the point where not even a trace of his body remained.

"Oh, I'm really... so stupid..."

Heidi smiled bitterly again and shook her head.

Come to think of it, there's no way Aize could die so easily.

That woman, Uriel, must have figured this out, which is why she spared me when the explosion happened.

What an annoying and cunning guy. He could have told me that night, but he didn't say a word and deliberately made me despair.

But he didn't die, and now he is surrounded by Brian's men. What should he do?

On this side, Rufus, who was convinced that Aize had no way to escape, also lifted the barrier.

He placed his hands on his chest, bowed lightly, and said politely:

"Such an impolite scene is truly embarrassing for Lord Aize. Please wait here for a moment. My master would be happy to chat with you. Before that, how about putting down your weapons and having a cup of tea?"

Aize glanced at the guard behind him and looked at Heidi in the corner.

He held his shoulders and moved his neck expressionlessly.

asked:

"Talk to me? You all want to kill me, what else is there to talk about?"

"There was no one alive in the exploded house, only puppets. We blew it up simply to deal with Her Highness. We are well aware of this, and you should be well aware of it too."

As Brian's biggest concern, regardless of what the Duke himself thinks, Rufus, who is actually in charge, is very familiar with Aize's abilities.

So there is no need to beat around the bush, just say it directly.

After all, when smart people talk, both sides understand.

Aize pondered for a moment, then glanced at Heidi and said jokingly:

"The one lying over there is still my fiancée, legally speaking. Is it really okay to just casually reveal this kind of frame-up plan?"

Rufus glanced at Heidi and smiled contemptuously:

"Are you kidding? Are you serious about that kind of engagement?"

"Otherwise?"

"Lord Aize, you didn't take it seriously, Her Highness the Princess didn't take it seriously, and I think the other nobles probably didn't take it seriously either. It's just a simple alliance of interests."

Whether the engagement is real or not is not important.

It doesn't matter whether the two have feelings for each other or not.

What is important is that the existence of an engagement itself is a declaration of a community of shared interests.

And since it is about interests, now that the situation has changed, there is of course no need to maintain it.

These words sounded natural to Aize, but to Heidi, they were like thunder.

Aize didn't take it seriously?

This is impossible.

If he didn't take it seriously, why would he—

"Well, that's the truth."

Aize did not deny it, and even nodded casually with an expressionless face.

This made Heidi's mind go blank as she tried her best to hold herself up, and her body fell back to the ground with a "bang".

After receiving Aize's affirmative answer, Rufus put his hands behind his back and smiled smugly:

"This country's royal family should have been finished years ago. The so-called Arte family is dead in name only and should have been swept into the trash heap long ago."

Every word of these words was like a nail piercing Heidi's heart.

She looked forward to hearing Aize's rebuttal.

Unfortunately not.

Aize just listened to the other party's narration in silence with no expression on his face.

"I'm truly impressed by your ability to maintain this mess for so long despite these circumstances. If Duke Brian could utilize this ability, it would surely achieve great things."

Aize smiled:

"In your plan, am I not already dead? How can I be used by you?"

"Plans can always be modified. Some unplanned factors need to be excluded, while others need to be included. Given your value, it is undoubtedly the latter."

Rufus spread his hands.

"So... what do you say? You're abandoning this worthless princess and joining Master Brain? He'll treat you just as you deserve, and you can even get back at those inhumane old teammates. Why not?"

Aize didn't say anything, as if he was thinking about something.

Then he smiled and said:

"Sure, but if you want me to join, you should at least tell me what Duke Brian's plan is. Otherwise, how can I know if your business venture will succeed? Are you just writing a blank check?"

The butler nodded:

"Don't worry, I'll let you know, but only if you put down your weapon first."

You can't expect the villain to be so complacent that he reveals all the secrets at once.

Aize didn't say anything, just let go of his hand, and the weapon fell to his feet with a thud.

This shattered the last glimmer of hope in Heidi's heart.

Even though my senses were numbed by the pain, I could still feel a bitter taste spreading in my mouth.

The taste was so unforgettable that it even overwhelmed the physical pain for a moment.

"Aize...don't...please...don't..."

I stretched out my hands with all my strength, but my body couldn't move even an inch.

He opened his mouth wide to speak, but his voice was smaller than that of a mosquito.

Easily drowned out by Rufus's laughter and applause: