Chapter 491: An Assassination Story
For a moment, Nightingale felt as if the entire world had trembled.
She stepped out of the Mist and the scene reassembled itself in color—the darkness the magic stone had thrown over everything beginning to lift, her heart finally slowing its frantic percussion. The man on the ground was not Roland. He was a guard she had never seen before, dressed in the standard uniform of the Honeysuckle Family, a dark red mark spread across his chest where a bullet had found him.
“Why are you here?”
The voice was familiar. She turned and found Roland himself, surrounded by rings of bodyguards in the corner of the hall—which explained why she had missed him entirely when she rushed in.
“I—” She opened her mouth and discovered her throat was raw. Her limbs were cold, numbed through; her whole body felt wrung out as if she had just walked away from something that should have killed her. What she wanted—needed—was to pull him close and hold on. But there were nobles still in the hall. She was head of the Security Bureau. There were rules she had set for herself.
Her brain said stop.
She entered the Mist and walked straight to him, cutting through the lines of guards as though they were smoke, and pressed herself against him with everything she had left.
Gasps from the crowd. Murmured confusion—a witch appearing from nowhere, vanishing without a word.
Inside the Mist, Nightingale held the prince with both arms. She pressed her face against his chest and listened. His heartbeat. Just that. It was the only evidence she could trust—the only proof that the alarm had been false, that the world had not, in fact, split open.
Roland understood. He let a moment pass, then raised his voice into the hall. “Everyone to the dining hall for lunch. No one leaves the castle. We resume the meeting this afternoon.”
When only his guards, Petrov, Sylvie, and Lightning remained, Roland spoke again. “Does the murderer connect to the assassination attempt?”
Nightingale stepped back from him—reluctantly, with effort—and let herself be visible again, as though she had not moved at all. “He does,” she said. “When I found out the man directing the criminal was a Honeysuckle guard, I came here immediately.” She laid out her findings and Maans’ confession, the full chain of it. “I didn’t realize his real purpose was to draw us away and open a window to get to you. Thank the gods you’re safe.”
“His plan worked until the final step,” Roland said, “and he calculated my arrival time accurately, predicted the witches’ movements.” A pause, almost admiring. “He was wasted as an assassin.”
Petrov dropped to one knee. “Your Highness, I truly did not know that he—”
“Stand up.” Roland cut him off, not unkindly. “You’ve said so already, and you know I don’t enjoy punishing people. But it’s clear that through negligence of duty, agents entered among the castle servants and the outer guard.”
Petrov’s mouth opened, then closed. He lowered his head. “I am guilty.”
“Find out the assassin’s identity and background. I want it quickly.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
When the eldest son of the Honeysuckle Family had gone, Nightingale let the question she’d been holding surface. “How bad was it?”
“Threatening but not dangerous.” Roland almost smiled. “Thanks to Sylvie’s warning—though the assassin had already put himself at a disadvantage by choosing the meeting hall.”
She listened to the full account and began to understand the shape of it—though Roland described it with a lightness she couldn’t share. Weapons were forbidden in the hall, but the man had concealed a dagger under his clothes. Castle guards weren’t searched. His only error had been wearing a God’s Stone of Retaliation—conspicuous because all nobles had been asked to remove their adornments for Sylvie’s sake. The black void it carved in her perception announced him the moment he stepped into range. When he moved toward Roland, she called the warning.
Everything after that happened fast and close.
The hall ran twenty meters a side. The assassin, hearing the warning, accelerated—charging toward the main seat where Roland sat. By the time Roland had the revolver clear and the safety off, the dagger had already struck his lower back. A trained killer targets the waist because the body doesn’t defend it by instinct the way it protects the chest and head; one clean strike to the right spot could end a man’s ability to resist, leaving his throat open for the follow-through.
Soraya’s protective coating held. The blade didn’t penetrate. Roland fired with the barrel pressed flat against the man’s chest—two 12mm rounds, both fatal, a detonation that shook the hall and set everyone screaming.
Cold sweat traced Nightingale’s spine as she worked through each step. If Roland had been a fraction slower with the safety lock. If the gun had misfired.
She turned and caught Lightning’s eye. The girl dropped her gaze immediately.
“Your Highness, we have it.” Petrov returned. “His name was Shio. Not from the Western Region—formerly one of Duke Ryan’s castle guards.”
Roland’s frown sharpened. “Why would you take on someone like that?”
“He was just an ordinary guard. After the families fell, manpower was short everywhere. I brought in those who seemed unattached to the Duke. It’s how these things are done in Stronghold.” Petrov answered carefully. “I don’t believe he acted out of revenge.”
He isn’t lying, Nightingale noted. When a great family collapsed, those without title or land were simply redistributed—regarded as resources by whoever had the means to claim them. A change of owner, nothing more. The Honeysuckle Family had surrendered early, and Petrov had always managed Stronghold; no one had thought to examine this particular batch of inherited men.
“How many others have similar backgrounds?” Roland asked. “Did you take on men from the Wild Rose, Maple, and Wolf families as well?”
“Three or four in the outer guard,” Petrov said. “The servants and citizens from the other three families were assigned to the Honeysuckle and Elk families. They won’t appear in Stronghold—I can guarantee that.”
“Then I won’t concern myself with them further. But inside the castle perimeter, even the garrison men must come from your family going forward. Is that understood? As for the inner castle, I’ll arrange that myself.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Seal off Shio’s residence. I intend to find out the real reason behind this attempt.” Roland glanced at Lightning. “Tell Maggie to fetch Countess Spear.”
Chapter 491: An Assassination Story
Translator: TransN Editor: TransN
For a moment, Nightingale felt as if the entire world trembled.
As she walked out of the Mist, the scene before her eyes regained its usual color. The darkness created by the magic stone also began to dissipate, allowing her heart to stop beating frantically. The man lying on the ground was not Roland, but a guard whom Nightingale had never seen before. He was wearing the standard uniform of the Honeysuckle Family, and on his chest was a dark red mark which looked like a gunshot wound.
“Why are you here?” She heard a familiar voice cry out from beside her.
She turned her head and realized that the person speaking was Roland himself. He was surrounded by layers of bodyguards at one corner of the hall, which explained why Nightingale did not notice him when she rushed in.
“I…” As Nightingale opened her mouth, she realized that her throat was terribly hoarse, while her limbs were cold and numb. Her body felt so feeble that it was as if she had just narrowly survived a disaster. All that she desired to do at that moment was to hug Roland tightly, but she knew that she could not do so as there were other nobles around. Therefore, if she truly wanted to lead the Security Bureau and protect this territory, she had to avoid acting overly intimate with Roland.
Although her brain forbade her from doing so, she entered into the Mist and walked up to Roland, cutting through the lines of guards. Then, she hugged him with all of her remaining strength.
At once, gasps were heard from the crowd. The onlookers apparently could not understand why a witch appeared out of nowhere and disappeared
without saying anything.
In the Mist, Nightingale held on to the prince with both arms. She tucked her head against his chest and listened attentively to his heartbeat. Perhaps, this was the only way to confirm that it was all just a false alarm.
Roland also began to sense what was going on. He clapped his hands and announced, “Everyone shall proceed to the dining hall for lunch first. No one is to leave the castle in the meantime. We’ll resume the meeting in the afternoon!”
When only his guards, as well as Petrov, Sylvie and Lightning were left in the hall, Roland asked, “Does the murderer have anything to do with this assassination attempt?”
When she heard Roland’s voice speaking to herself, Nightingale began to calm down gradually. She took a few steps back reluctantly and revealed herself once again, pretending that she did not move towards the prince at all, and replied, “Indeed. When I found out that the person directing the criminal was a guard of the Honeysuckle Family, I immediately rushed here.” She then explained her findings and Maans’ confession. “I couldn’t tell that the real purpose was to divert our attention in order to create an opportunity to lay hands on you… thankfully, you’re safe.”
“His plan worked until the last step, and he accurately calculated the time that I would arrive, as well as predicted the witches’ movements.” Roland gave a sigh. “This person is wasted as an assassin.”
Petrov immediately knelt down on one knee and said, “Your Highness, I really didn’t know that he’s…”
“Stand up. You’ve said this before, and you know I don’t like to punish people.” Roland interjected. “But it was no doubt that due to your negligence of duty, there were agents among the castle servants and the outer guard.”
“I…” Petrov opened his mouth to speak, and then lowered his head. “I’m guilty.”
“Find out the identity and background of the assassin. I want to know as soon as possible.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
After the eldest son of the Honeysuckle Family took his leave, Nightingale enquired about her worries. “How was the situation like?”
“Threatening but not dangerous,” Roland replied, laughing. “Thanks to Sylvie’s warning… but then again, the assassin was already at a disadvantage when he chose to do it in the meeting hall.”
After listening to the prince’s account, Nightingale began to understand how the attempt took place—but in reality, it was not as easy as Roland put it. Though weapons were not permitted to bring into the hall, the assassin had concealed a dagger under his clothes, and because he was a castle guard, no one conducted a body check on him before he was allowed in.
The assassin’s only error was to carry a God’s Stone of Retaliation. It was common for the outer guards to adorn magic stones, but in the hall, it appeared particularly prominent—in order not to distract Sylvie, all of the nobles would comply with the request to take off their adornments. Hence, Sylvie noticed the assassin the moment she saw the black cavity, and when he moved towards the prince, she immediately issued a warning.
Although Roland described the following scene as simple, Nightingale broke into a cold sweat as she listened to his story. The hall was approximately 20 meters in length and width, and when the assassin heard the warning, he picked up speed and charged towards the main seat of the long table, where his target was sitting. By the time the prince pulled out his revolver and opened its safety lock, the assassin had already struck him on his lower back with the dagger. As someone who had undergone assassination training, Nightingale naturally understood that compared to the chest and head, which a person would protect subconsciously, the waist area was very difficult to protect, and the severe pain that could be inflicted by a single strike might cause the target to lose his ability to resist, enabling the assassin to easily go for the vital blood vessels in the neck next.
Luckily, Roland was wearing the protective clothing that Soraya specially made for him. The dagger failed to penetrate its coating and thereby could not prevent Roland’s subsequent defensive action. He opened fire at the assassin while the gun was literally pressing on the assassin’s chest. The two 12mm caliber bullets fired immediately killed the assassin, causing a loud booming sound which led to a huge commotion in the hall.
Nightingale could clearly visualize just how risky this sequence of events was. If His Highness did not manage to open the safety lock in time, or the gun failed to fire off, the consequence would have been unimaginable… Nightingale turned her head and cast a glance at Lightning, who immediately dropped her head as though to acknowledge her mistake.
“Your Highness, we’ve figured it out,” Petrov re-entered the hall and said. “His name’s Shio. He’s not a native of the Western Region, but was formerly one of Duke Ryan’s castle guards.”
“Duke Ryan?” Roland frowned. “Why did you choose someone like that to be your guard?”
“He’s just an ordinary guard. At that time, every family lost a lot of manpower, and thus I brought in those who weren’t so attached to the Duke. This is how it’s usually done in Stronghold…” Petrov answered cautiously. “I believe that it’s unlikely that he committed this attempt as revenge for the Duke.”
“He’s not lying,” Nightingale thought. “When a large family fell, apart from the subordinates who were given land and title, the remaining people were perceived by the other families as resources that can be divided. To them, it’s simply a change of owner. Because the Honeysuckle Family had long surrendered to His Highness, plus the fact that Stronghold was always managed by Petrov, this portion of people was never examined.”
“How many men with a similar background are there?” Roland asked. “Did you also hire men from the Wild Rose, Maple and Wolf families?”
“There’re only three or four of them in the outer guard,” Petrov replied, nodding his head. “The servants, citizens and serfs from the other three
families were assigned to the Honeysuckle and Elk families. I guarantee that they won’t appear in Stronghold.”
“Okay, then I shall not concern myself with them. But remember, in the castle area, even the men of the perimeter garrison must be chosen from your family, understood? As for the inner castle, I’ll arrange them myself.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Meanwhile, seal off Shio’s residence. I’ll find out the real reason behind his attempt.” Roland then turned to look at Lightning. “Inform Maggie to fetch Countess Spear here.”