Chapter 8 : Chapter 8
Chapter 8: Infiltration
It was a dark night with a strong wind.
Wheatfield Town lay in black silence, deserted and still. At this hour, most of the townspeople had already gone to sleep.
Knight Kline and the other four walked along the muddy road.
None of them looked pleased, especially Knight Kline and Mage Orr.
“Why didn’t you just arrest that demi-human? You’re going to let him get away like this.”
Orr’s face was dark and sullen as he questioned Kline in a hoarse voice.
“The mission comes first,” Knight Kline said flatly.
“Once we return from Dusk Forest, it won’t be too late to capture him then.”
He continued,
“He’s only a demi-human. There wasn’t even any magic fluctuation on him. What exactly are you worried about?”
“Or are you still thinking about that woman from the tavern?”
At those words, Mage Orr let out a cold laugh. He had already been displeased with this fellow for a very long time.
“My affairs are none of Knight Kline’s concern. We were all summoned by Lord Gerson, and you have no right to order me around.”
“You—” Kline forcibly swallowed the curse on his tongue, then gritted out,
“What happened back there was witnessed by everyone in the tavern. If that woman turns up dead tomorrow, who do you think they’ll suspect?
“Could you at least use your brain for once, Sir Orr?
“If you really can’t bear the loneliness, then you can toy with any of the maids in my aunt’s house you like!”
“Are you lecturing me, Knight Kline?”
Mage Orr stopped at once and fixed him with a cold stare. This young knight clearly had no idea what he was dealing with.
“The maids in your aunt’s house aren’t even as pretty as your aunt. If it were you, would you be able to stomach it?”
“Damn you! Shut your mouth!”
Knight Kline flew into a rage and instantly drew his knight’s sword, pointing it at him.
At the same time, Mage Orr tightened his grip on his staff. A dark red magic array slowly emerged, radiating scorching heat.
The two of them looked ready to fight on the spot.
The other three felt nothing but helplessness. One of them, a burly warrior, strode between the two men. He was a warrior directly under the command of the lord of Gerson.
The burly warrior stared at them expressionlessly and said coldly,
“It seems both of you have already forgotten Lord Gerson’s orders.”
“He insulted my aunt first. Damn him!” Knight Kline clenched his jaw, but still withdrew his knight’s sword.
“I was only stating a fact.” Mage Orr sneered and withdrew his magic as well.
The burly warrior let out a sigh, then turned to Orr and said,
“Kline is right. Perhaps you should find some other target... Who’s there? Get out here!”
As he spoke, the burly warrior suddenly turned toward a shadow not far from the road.
The others all looked over as well, their eyes narrowing slightly.
“It’s me, my lords.”
Only when the figure came closer did the servant reveal himself.
He was trembling, disheveled, clutching his head, his face covered in blood, though little could be seen clearly in the darkness.
The moment they realized it was him, the others all turned away expressionlessly and continued walking toward Mrs. Heath’s residence, showing not the slightest concern for the servant’s condition.
Only the same burly warrior stopped him and asked in a low voice,
“Other than the tavern woman, are there any other pretty women in town?”
“Uh...” The servant hesitated for a moment, then seemed to think of someone and answered uncertainly,
“Maybe... the mayor’s daughter. Oliphis. She’s probably the prettiest girl in our town.”
“Good.” The burly warrior nodded with a smile, tossed him a copper coin, and then turned to Mage Orr.
“There. I’ve asked for you. This is the last time we’ll tolerate this from you, Sir Orr. Just don’t get caught.”
Mage Orr smiled at once and gave the burly warrior an exceedingly polite bow.
“Thank you, Sir Sotor. Once we return to Gerson City, I’ll prepare a gift for you that will more than satisfy you.”
“We’ll talk about that later. Let’s just hope your infiltration magic works, rather than leaving us to clean up your mess tomorrow.”
The warrior called Sotor waved a hand and said it without much concern.
Walking at the front, Knight Kline merely frowned and said nothing further.
That old lecher was hopelessly ruled by lust. If he did not find a woman to sleep with tonight, he clearly would not let the matter rest.
Only now did the servant realize what he had just done.
As he looked at those men again, a chill ran through his heart.
These lords were nothing like what he had imagined from what he had heard...
After they continued on toward Mrs. Heath’s residence,
within a small courtyard hidden in the darkness, a shadow slowly rose to its feet.
Jiang Lin had heard the entire conversation clearly. His gaze turned toward a building hidden in the black shadows some distance away.
The mayor’s house stood at the far edge of the town, some distance from Mrs. Heath’s residence.
It was already deep into the night, and most of the townspeople were asleep.
Jiang Lin stepped out, trod across the muddy road, and made his way quickly toward the mayor’s house.
That mage would probably not act so soon, which meant Jiang Lin had to take advantage of the time and set up his ambush in advance.
Jiang Lin did not know much about the mages of this world, nor did he know what methods they truly possessed.
But he did know that professions like this generally needed others to protect them before they could unleash their full power.
Whenever those boasters in the tavern talked about some legendary mercenary company, they would always mention certain battles fought by its members.
And every time, they would say things like how, under the protection of a host of warriors, some archmage unleashed a devastating spell and defeated the enemy in the end.
Assuming those people had not exaggerated too wildly.
Of course, there was still some basic truth buried in those stories.
And that was that all mages were weak in close combat.
If Jiang Lin struck in an instant, he was certain he could kill the man with a single blow.
Very soon, Jiang Lin arrived outside the mayor’s house. The mayor’s residence was fairly large, and it also had a spacious back courtyard.
Still, compared to Mrs. Heath’s residence, it was far smaller and nowhere near as grand.
Jiang Lin slipped quietly into the back courtyard and found a dense flowerbed to hide in.
Then he began to wait patiently.
Beyond the mayor’s back courtyard lay the town’s wheat fields, and farther south, the black darkness of Dusk Forest.
Jiang Lin had already drawn the woodcutter’s knife and concealed himself within the flowerbed, watching the darkness in the distance.
At last, after waiting for a little over an hour, a faint sound came from outside the fenced yard.
Jiang Lin narrowed his eyes and saw a gaunt figure standing by the fence. The man fumbled with something for a moment, seemingly preparing something, and then a faint glimmer of magic flashed.
Once again, Jiang Lin felt the spiritual energy hidden within that magical fluctuation.
Now was not yet the time to strike.
Since the other party was infiltrating as well, he would naturally be on his guard.
Only when he was about to make his move would he let that guard down.
And that would be Jiang Lin’s moment to strike.
Under Jiang Lin’s watchful gaze, the instant the magical fluctuation disappeared, the gaunt figure’s body gradually turned insubstantial. As he walked, he seemed to fade away until he vanished entirely.
The magic of this world could actually achieve such a thing.
Once the mage disappeared from sight, Jiang Lin adjusted his breathing and minimized his presence as much as possible.
Not long afterward, the back door leading from the courtyard into the house opened under a surge of magical fluctuation.
The mage seemed to have gone inside.
The night grew darker still. Ever since the moon had been swallowed by that bank of clouds, it had shown no sign of emerging again.
It seemed as though rain might fall.
After waiting a little longer, Jiang Lin gripped the woodcutter’s knife and went in directly.