Chapter 821: A Meeting
“My lord, your guest is here,” said the maid, pulling the curtain aside and leaning through.
“Send him in.” Otto Luoxi pressed a silver royal into the bar girl’s palm. “I need a private moment with him. I’ll call for you later.”
“Yes, my lord!”
The man who entered removed his hood and swept the room with a practiced eye. “Is this the covert place you mentioned? If I hadn’t seen the Luoxi guards outside, I’d have thought I’d come to the wrong address.”
“It isn’t easy these days to get time with you.” Otto grinned. “I had to take precautions.”
The guest was Hill Fawkes — a member of the emissary delegation who had, by the Kingdom of Dawn’s official account, “betrayed the King of Dawn, murdered guards and knights, and fled the City of Glow with a handful of fallen minions.” Since Yorko’s secret departure, Appen Moya had made his fury the kingdom’s public property: a blatant provocation, a contempt of the Kingdom of Dawn, a witch’s hand behind his father’s death, and his absolute refusal to suffer such evil within his domain.
Otto knew rather more than the official account. While Appen’s men hunted for the witches, a separate company of knights had been dispatched to run down every member of the emissary delegation — every member except Yorko, who could be killed on sight, particularly the witches who had dared to conspire with a neighboring crown. Investigations spread through the City of Glow. Denise, the businesswoman who had been so close to the ambassador, was summoned to the palace for questioning several times. Hill and the others who had stayed voluntarily as contacts simply vanished.
Otto heard nothing from Hill until a few months later, when the incident had receded from public conversation.
This was their first meeting since the delegation’s departure.
“Something to drink?” Otto patted the cushion beside him. “I imagine you don’t get many chances at comfort these days.”
Hill didn’t sit. He moved to the window and checked the alley below. “We’re on the second floor. Where is the path you mentioned in the letter?”
Otto — eldest son of the Luoxis — sighed, rose, and lifted a panel beneath the couch, revealing the passage underneath. “Slide down, you arrive at the back garden. There’s a hidden door and a dry well. Your choice.”
“No one else knows this route?”
“Both the garden and the tavern belong to my family.” He shrugged. “Sir Yorko always called you a fox. I see what he meant — still careful as ever.”
“If I weren’t,” Hill said, “I’d be hanging from a gallows by now.” He drew a coin from his pocket and dropped it into the shaft, listening until the sound died. Then he closed the panel. “For the future — write me an encrypted letter. Meeting like this isn’t safe.”
“An encrypted letter carries its own risks. If anything from the palace leaks, King Appen will suspect our families.” Otto exhaled. “He’s no longer the friend who used to tell me everything.”
Hill raised his eyebrows, neither agreeing nor denying. “Does the King of Dawn have any new plan?”
“He intends to strike the Church of Hermes. Revenge for his father.” Otto recounted what he’d heard at court — the ministers’ objections, the king’s refusal to yield, the grain levies already underway in the City of Glow. “When the snow clears after the Months of Demons, he moves. The royal knightage alongside Duke Carb’s forces from the Western Field.”
“No wonder porridge has gone up a bronze royal…” Hill rubbed his chin. “The Kingdom of Dawn’s stores can absorb that, at least. In Graycastle, you don’t levy grain during the Months of Demons unless you want riots.” He was quiet for a moment. “What’s the state of Hermes?”
Otto knew why he asked. The battle on Coldwind Ridge had been reported as a Church defeat, yet both sides had withdrawn to their own territory afterward. The ministers’ consensus: the Church had suffered, but not collapsed. If it had truly been routed, Roland Wimbledon would have marched on the Holy City and stripped centuries of accumulated wealth from its coffers.
Perhaps Appen had been deeply impressed by the God’s Punishment Warriors the Pure Witches brought. He had dispatched more scouts but held back from further commitment.
If he had since changed that calculation, something new had reached him.
Whether it was grief for his father or hunger for the spoils of a weakened foe — that distinction mattered less than the fact of it.
“His Majesty hasn’t shared details. But the merchants returning from the west speak of refugees appearing in the old Holy City.”
“Refugees.” Hill nodded slowly. “I’ll report that to Neverwinter.”
“There’s one more thing.” Otto hesitated. “At last month’s court meeting, the Minister of Foreign Affairs raised the subject of Graycastle. His argument was that Roland Wimbledon cannot be counted a legitimate ruler — no formal enthronement, never resided in the palace. And many nobles in Graycastle, especially in the Eastern Region, openly oppose him. Since Roland broke the alliance, the Kingdom of Dawn ought to view him as a threat to be contained. The suggestion was to support those nobles against Wimbledon’s rule.”
Hill’s expression sharpened. “What did the King of Dawn say?”
“He didn’t respond immediately. But his face — he was interested.”
Otto turned his glass in his hands and said nothing for a moment.
He wasn’t certain why he shared these things with Hill. With Roland. Looking at the shape of events, the gap between Graycastle and Dawn was widening, and his loyalty should have run in one direction only — toward Appen Moya, toward the family the Luoxis had served for generations.
But he could not bring himself to accept what Appen had become. Killing all witches meant killing Andrea Quinn, who was nothing like the monsters Appen described. He had argued this distinction many times — witches versus the Pure Witches of the Church — and been ignored every time.
Appen no longer regarded him as a confidant.
And Otto, though he still addressed the king as Your Majesty, found the word had hollowed.
He had turned this over for a long time. Perhaps what it came down to was that he had seen Andrea in Neverwinter — free, unbothered, alive — and he wanted that to remain true. For that to remain true, Roland’s rule had to hold.
“I understand,” Hill said, his voice dropping. “Don’t worry. That plan won’t come to anything.”
Otto nodded and let the silence settle. Then, more quietly: “Can you tell me how Miss Quinn is doing these days?”
Chapter 821: A Meeting
Translator: TransN Editor: TransN
“My lord, your guest is here, ” said a maid who pulled the curtain and poked her head in.
“Send him in,” Otto Luoxi handed a silver royal to the bar girl beside him and said, “I need a private minute with him. I’ll call you later.”
“Yes, my lord!”
“Is this the covert place you mentioned?” The man who came in removed his hood and glanced around. “If I hadn’t seen the Luoxi guards standing outside, I would think I’d come to the wrong place.”
“It isn’t easy these days to see you, I had to take extra precautions, ” replied Otto, grinning.
The guest was Hill Fawkes, a member of the emissary delegation who “betrayed the King of Dawn, killed the guards and knights and escaped from the City of Glow with some fallen minions”. Ever since Yorko’s secret departure, Appen Moya, the King of Dawn became so furious that he claimed it was a blatant provocation to and contempt of the Kingdom of Dawn on Graycastle’s part. He also said that it was a witch that killed his father and he absolutely did not allow such an evil existence in his domain.
Of course, Otto knew far more than that. For example, that while Appen was searching for the witches, he also dispatched a group of knights to chase the emissary delegation. He ordered that any member of the emissary delegation, other than Yorko, could be killed on the spot, especially the witches who dared to collude with the neighbor country. At the same time, investigations were carried out in the King’s City. Denise, a businesswoman who had an intimate relationship with the ambassador, was taken to the palace several
times for inquiries. Hill and the others who voluntarily stayed as contacts, on the contrary, disappeared.
Otto did not hear anything from Hill until a few months later when the event no longer received so much public attention.
This was their first meeting after their last departure.
“Would you like some drinks?” Otto patted the soft couch beside him and asked, “I guess you usually have no chance to enjoy it.”
Hill did not sit down; instead, he walked to the window and looked around. “We’re on the second floor. Where’s the reliable path you mentioned in the confidential letter?”
Otto, the eldest son of the Luoxis, sighed, stood up and opened a board under the soft couch, revealing the dark passage beneath it.
“Slide down from here, you’ll arrive at the back garden. In the yard, you’ll find a secret door and a dry well. You can choose either way to leave.”
“Nobody else knows this path?”
“Of course, both the back garden and the tavern belong to the Luoxis.” He said, shrugging, “No wonder Sir Yorko said you’re a fox. You’re still as cautious as you were before.”
“If I were not like this, I’m afraid I would have been hanged on a gallow now,” replied Hill, who took a coin from his pocket and dropped it down the tunnel. After listening to the sound for a while, he closed the board. “If you want to tell me any information in the future, write me an encrypted letter. It’s not safe to meet in this way.”
“But an encrypted letter is also not safe for me. If the information in the palace is leaked, King Appen will certainly suspect our families.” Otto sighed and said, “He’s no more my good friend who talked about everything with me.”
Hill raised his eyebrows without denying. “Does the King of Dawn have any new plan?”
“He intends to attack the Church of Hermes and avenge for his father,” Otto slowly told him what he heard during the court meeting, “although the ministers tried to dissuade him, His Majesty still persisted. Now they start to collect grains in the City of Glow. When snows melt after the Months of Demons, he’ll immediately take actions. The royal knightage will go together with Duke Carb who is in charge of the Western Field.”
“No wonder the porridge is a bronze royal more expensive than before… Fortunately, the supplies in the Kingdom of Dawn are rich enough. If it were in Graycastle, the lord would not prepare for the war during the Months of Demons unless he wanted to trigger riots.” Hill said meditatively, “Is there any problem with Hermes?”
Otto knew why he asked. Though the church and Graycastle had a battle on Coldwind Ridge and it was said that the Holy City was severely defeated, later it was reported that both of them retreated to their own domain. The ministers all agreed that the church might have suffered heavy losses, but had not been completely defeated. Otherwise, the King of Graycastle should have led the arm to loot the Holy City. As the core city of the church, it should be where all the wealth church had accumulated for hundreds of years was.
Maybe Appen was deeply impressed with the God’s Punishment Warriors brought by the Pure Witches. He just dispatched more scouts for further information without any further actions.
Since he changed his mind, it was possible that he had discovered something there.
As for whether it was to avenge for his father or take advantage of the chaos, it did not matter at all.
“His Majesty didn’t tell us many details. But I heard from the businessmen coming back from the west that many refugees appeared in the old Holy City.”
“Refugees?” Hill nodded while rubbing his chin. “I’ll report this to Neverwinter.”
“There’s one more thing,” Otto hesitated for a while and said, “in the court meeting last month, the Minister of Foreign Affairs mentioned Graycastle. He said that Roland Wimbledon could not be counted as the real ruler of Graycastle, as he hasn’t either held enthronement or lived in the palace. What’s more, many nobles in Graycastle oppose him, especially in the Eastern Region. Since he trampled on the alliance of the two countries, the Kingdom of Dawn needs to be cautious of him and suppress his power. For example, We should support those nobles to resist the rule of Wimbledon.”
“Well,” Hill immediately became serious and asked, “What did the King of Dawn respond?”
“His Majesty did not respond immediately, but his expression… showed that he has a great interest in the matter.”
Otto did not know why he told these things to Hill… or, to Roland. Judging from the current situation, he could see the relationship between Graycastle and Dawn was deteriorating. He should have stood on the side of Appen Moya, just as the family of Luoxi had assisted John Moore’s royalties for generations.
But he could not persuade himself to accept His Majesty’s policy. Killing all witches meant that Andrea Quinn should also be killed, who was definitely not evil as Appen described. He had tried many times to explain the differences between witches and Pure Witches from the church to His Majesty, but his explanations were futile.
Appen no longer regarded him as his hand.
Otto also found that although he still addressed Appen as His Majesty, he did not have the same respect as he had for the old king.
He had pondered over it for a long time. Maybe he admitted that he was unable to change the situation and had to put his hope on Graycastle. In
Neverwinter, he met Andrea who had a free and easy life. In order to let her continue to have such a life, he hoped that Roland’s rule could continue.
“I see,” said Hill in a lower voice. “Don’t worry. His plan won’t succeed.”
Otto nodded, took a deep breath and asked, “Then… can you tell me how Miss Quinn is doing these days?”