After a full day of official duties, Ruper returns to his residence.
As soon as he steps inside, the laughter of his children reaches his ears, easing the gloom etched between his brows.
His wife greets him warmly. “Why are you ho so late today? You haven’t had a break for two months. Even uncle hasn’t given you a day or two off. Yinxin City is peaceful now, what on earth have you been so busy with every day?”
Ruper sighs deeply. “You don’t understand. The political situation is unstable. The prince and princess are both confined within the palace. None of these princes are easy to deal with. Their troops hold their ground, ignoring the kingdom’s orders. “
”Now Vorry has begun military actions. The kingdom’s standing legions are all being sent to the border. The princes’ forces are no longer restrained; they’re subtly shifting direction, trying to approach Divine Revelation City.”
“So want to defect, others plot rebellion. All kinds of intelligence and secret etings happen right here in Yinxin City. Assassinations and counter-assassinations have turned this city into a dangerous place. If any key figure dies here, it would be disastrous. As Yinxin City’s defense commander, I have to balance all sides to prevent chaos.”
“On top of that, I have to keep the desperate criminals in check. Those young n eager to make a na for themselves are probably already tempted by the huge bounties. The worst are those with nothing left to lose, they’ll do anything for money. If they die, it’s over for them, but I’m the one who suffers. The entire city would pay the price for their recklessness.”
His wife takes the helt from Ruper’s hands and smiles. “Then just have your subordinates warn them. Why do you have to handle it yourself?”
Ruper shrugs helplessly. “The problem is, so outsiders can only be dealt with by . I can’t have the city lord get involved all the ti.”
As a servant helps Ruper remove his armor, a little girl of about four runs over.
“Father, you’re ho! Are you good at climbing mountains?”
Ruper crouches down, smiling at her childish voice. “Yes! How did you know? I’m great at climbing trees!”
The little girl looks up. “Not trees. I an really steep mountains, bigger than the city walls. Can you climb those?”
“Of course! Your father’s very skilled. When I was your age…”
Mid-sentence, Ruper’s expression stiffens and his muscles tense.
He forces himself to calm down. “Who told you that?”
The girl beams. “Your friend, the one you played with when you were little!”
Ruper grips his sword’s hilt, trying to keep his tone natural. “My friend? Who? Where is he?”
“He’s in the garden, playing with David! He has lots of little toys!”
Ruper stands and takes the helt from his wife’s hands. “Daisy, take our daughter to uncle’s place for dinner. He said he hasn’t seen you in a long ti.”
Daisy isn’t naive. Hearing this, she fights back tears. “Wait for here. I’ll be quick. Promise you’ll wait for to co back!”
Ruper gently kisses his wife and daughter on the forehead. “Don’t worry. If he got in here, it’s not to cause trouble. The main question is which side he’s on.”
Tears well in Daisy’s eyes as she watches Ruper, sword in hand, head toward the garden.
On the short walk over, Ruper’s mind races. He knows this isn’t a simple matter.
Standing outside the garden gate, he cocks the crossbow slung on his arm, concealing it beneath his sleeve. Taking a deep breath, he steps inside.
The garden is small, and Ruper spots the intruder imdiately.
Relieved yet annoyed, he approaches. “Henwell! What are you doing here?”
Henwell stands, handing a toy to Ruper’s child. “Flying Ant, you’ve got it wrong. I’m not here to threaten you. My situation is sensitive right now. I ca to Yinxin City quietly because I need your help. You’re a big figure here, only you can cover for .”
Ruper, or rather the forr boy gladiator known as Flying Ant, frowns. “Then you should have sent a secret ssage, not just barge into my ho like this. You scared my family, my wife even went to the city lord for help.”
Henwell looks apologetic. “Sorry, Flying Ant. I swear no one else knows I’m here.”
Ruper glares at Henwell for a long mont, then sighs. “Fine. What do you want?”
“I want to know what really happened with Ulysses’s assassination attempt. Why did his condition suddenly improve? And why is he suddenly placing his own children under house arrest?”
Ruper doesn’t answer directly. Instead, he turns to his son and says a few words, sending him off to play nearby.
Then Ruper finally speaks. “Henwell, the questions you’re asking are top secret, these are information every nation is trying to uncover. I’m just a defense officer in the City of Sin.”
Henwell smiles. “So you do know so of this intelligence?”
Ruper falls silent for a mont before letting out a chuckle. “Of course I do! The question is, what information do you have to trade? Henwell, you really looked out for us back then. If it weren’t for you, we might have died in the arena. I’ve never forgotten that debt. When your people were in Yinxin City, I took care of them as best I could.”
“Later, during the Marriage Alliance War, I risked my life to help you escape, getting your people out of Billie quickly. Even when the kingdom hunted down your remaining forces, I sheltered so of your n. I haven’t fully repaid that debt yet, but at least I’ve paid back most of it.”
“It’s not greed. Now I have a wife and children, I need to secure a future for them. If I were alone, I’d gladly tell you everything. But things are different now. This information is too dangerous.”
Henwell nods gently. “No need to explain. I understand perfectly. I’m not the kind to demand repaynt for favors. Honestly, I never thought I did much for you. Back then, I was barely hanging on myself. We just banded together to survive, doing whatever it took. Tell , what do you want? Or better yet, what do you think this information is worth?”
Ruper thinks for a mont. “I don’t know all the answers to your questions. I only know part of it, for example, who arranged the assassination attempt on Ulysses. I don’t know the rest. But I can tell you who knows the answers to the other two questions.”
Henwell says, “Alright, tell . What’s your price?”
Ruper fixes Henwell with a steady gaze. “Five hundred thousand gold coins.”
Henwell is surprised, that’s a hefty sum.
But he doesn’t refuse. Ruper continues, “Also, I want my entire family to safely relocate to the Western Federation and gain permanent residence there.”
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