Chapter 244: Enforcement Guards
"Y-You actually dare to attempt murder someone in the capital??!" Jasper's lackeys were in full panic mode.
Jasper had collapsed to the ground, his chest had an open hole covered in blood. He was breathing, but it appeared that he couldn't move his body much.
"Quick, someone call the Imperial Guards!" One of Jasper's lackeys hurriedly shouted.
They didn't dare to confront Leonard directly, but rather requested that the capital's enforcement guards enforce the laws.
Within the capital, using violence in public was a violation of the law, especially when it concerned mana.
Secondly, these lackeys weren't dumb enough to provoke Leonard further when the latter had already broken the law and injured Jasper deeply.
They weren't blind either. They had all witnessed how Jasper's defensive magic shield was shattered in an instant.
Such a lethal move, who would dare to step forward and face it?
They were lackeys only for the benefits. As if they would forfeit their life for someone like Jasper.
As the commotion quickly escalated, the nearby crowd discreetly distanced themselves from Leonard's table. Even the waiter of the food stall was frightened deeply.
Although there were indeed some minor skirmishes from time to time between people in the capital, none had ever dealt such a lethal blow to another.
And in the public eye at that!
Meanwhile, the culprit of this shocking moment remained utterly nonchalant.
He calmly returned to his table and glanced at Eleanor.
"Sorry, you got implicated because of me." Leonard apologized. He refused to believe Jasper would pick a fight with them out of nowhere. The latter was either instigated or manipulated by others to target them.
As for the main reason, it was naturally because of his presence.
Lots of people in the capital didn't hold him in high regard. News of Eleanor's arrival at the capital must have also been spread, so they definitely wouldn't want the two of them to be too close.
'The same old sowing discord trick. No matter the world or era, the method never changes.' Leonard was too used to such tactics.
Still, he reckoned that this incident alone should make Eleanor change her mind.
He might be the Crown Prince, but his political power was very limited.
"Why should you apologize?" While Leonard was thinking, Eleanor finally spoke up.
"Did you order that clown to disrespect us?"
"Umm… of course, not."
"Then, did you regret injuring the clown heavily?"
"Not at all!"
Leonard was quite satisfied to injure a person like Jasper. Since Jasper wanted to become a pawn for others, he would gladly capture this pawn.
Why bother overthinking whether capturing the piece was worth it when his desire brimmed high?
Sometimes, impulsiveness would take over when suppressed for too long.
Suddenly, Eleanor began to giggle sweetly.
"If you didn't cause the incident nor regret your action, why bother apologizing? It can't be that you want me to pay for the medical bill, right?" She teased jokingly.
Her laughter and teasing were rather loud for the nearby crowd to hear.
And it was precisely because of how casual her reaction was. It caused the rest of them to ponder that the situation didn't seem so simple.
After all, Jasper's lackeys had already declared his status and background. Yet not only did these two disregard the information, they even showed a more aloof expression.
"What could these two identities be?"
"They definitely can't be regular students."
"But I don't recognize them."
Due to the fact that Eleanor hailed from the Xundraeth Continent and rarely showed herself in public, it was only right that not many recognized her.
As for Leonard, he was always cooped up in his own palace. Hence, not many people had seen his appearance, except for those at the top of the social pyramid.
A few seconds later, a group of uniformed guards clad with swords arrived at the food stall.
"What is this commotion?" A man, clearly more fancier than the others, stepped forward and asked coldly. His gaze was rather hostile when he turned his attention to a particular table.
'Now, whose person is this from?' Leonard wondered silently. For the enforcement guards to arrive this fast, almost as if they were on standby already.
Even a fool could tell that someone was orchestrating this behind the scenes.
Only a clown like Jasper would be manipulated into cannon fodder.
"Someone really didn't like your Crown Prince status, Leon." Amidst the tension, Eleanor suddenly giggled and teased him.
"Or maybe they really didn't like a blind woman in the capital." Leonard shrugged.
"The discrimination is that big in the capital?" She gasped and appeared to be in dismay. "You wouldn't discriminate against me as well, right?"
Before Leonard could even respond to her Emotional Quotient (EQ), the leader of the enforcement guard raised their sword at them.
"The two of you!" He exclaimed loudly. "Get up from the table and turn around without any resistance."
As if to emphasize the severity, he unsheathed his sword, seemingly ready to apprehend them with force.
"What big authority you have." Leonard snickered and clapped his hands.
"Who sent you here? My eldest brother?" He rubbed his chin softly before shaking his head. "Maybe not, it's probably my second brother. But also not quite. My second brother, Derrick, carries immense influence among generals. So it's probably one of those generals who wanted to give me a lesson."
Sure enough, the enforcement leader's body jolted slightly.
They had never thought Leonard was clever enough to figure out the matter.
Although the mastermind remained hidden, based on this kind of trajectory, it wasn't going to take long either.
'The Crown Prince couldn't be that smart…' The person thought as their eyes shifted to Eleanor. 'Our plan being exposed should definitely be related to this strategist from Xundraeth Continent.'
They had long been informed about Princess Eleanor, the great strategist, being present. The risk they carried with this farce today was something they had known.
Still, they chose to proceed with it because this was their only chance to dampen Leonard's prestige from his return at Velastra.