「Seven days ago, in the early hours of the morning.」
Murphy walked out of Red Leaf’s stable, Knight’s Sword in hand, his gaze sweeping over the familiar dormitory nearby.
’When did I move to a different place?’
’Was it after I encountered the illusion?’
’It doesn’t matter.’
He closed his eyes, letting his spiritual consciousness spread out like ripples.
In his perception, the sleeping stable took on a different appearance.
The chestnut warhorse in the next stall seed restless from the pain of laminitis.
A brown warhorse in the corner exuded a comfortable, stable drowsiness.
The spiritual fluctuations of the old horse in the distance were weak and chaotic.
And Red Leaf, behind him...
It was in such a deep, heavy slumber, incredibly serene.
This was the ability Murphy had gained from the reward for Option Two: [Horse Trainer: Ascending the Hall and Entering the Room].
Perseverance doesn’t exist because one sees hope; rather, one eventually sees hope because one perseveres.
Murphy had managed to break free from the illusion’s influence not only because of the unyielding persistence deep within his heart, but also because the ti limit was up, and the system had delivered the reward for Option Two on schedule.
Setting aside the vast knowledge and skills of horsemanship, the most crucial aspect was the significant enhancent of his Spiritual Power. He could now perceive the emotions of horses within a certain range just by sensing them, without touching, seeing, hearing, or slling them.
It was precisely this growth in Spiritual Power that had allowed him to see through the Illusion Realm’s falsity.
And since it was an Illusion Realm, no matter how severe his injuries were within it, as long as he refused to believe, his physical body in reality would remain completely unhard.
Beyond that...
Murphy lowered his head and looked at the Black Light gradually appearing in his hand. The dim glow flowed between his fingers, silently lting into the night under the moonlight, becoming one with the surrounding shadows.
This was sothing that had rged with him during the growth of his Spiritual Power, sothing from the very being that had created the Illusion Realm he had just shattered.
Although he didn’t know the nature of this power, he could clearly perceive its existence within his spirit and control it at will.
What surprised him even more was that this power had a strange influence on his ridians. It seed able to easily infiltrate the deeper Floating ridians, affecting their expansion.
But now was not the ti to focus on that.
Murphy looked toward the fifteen- or sixteen-ter-high Inner Castle of Baron Duval’s Castle. Feeling how the dim light could rge perfectly with the night, and recalling his perseverance in the Illusion Realm, he unhesitatingly raised his Knight’s Sword and silently walked toward the stable’s main door.
...
Baron Duval’s Castle was shrouded in the deep darkness of the early morning.
On the stone path leading to the Inner Castle’s courtyard, two Chanting Scholars hired from the Church Court hurried along.
"The Duval Clan requested continuous prayers for three hundred and sixty-five days... Today is already the three hundred and sixty-fourth."
"Oriane will protect the Lord Baron."
Murphy’s figure flashed past them, the Black Light flowing like water over the stone steps.
As he crossed the courtyard, a patrol of Guards ca around a corner.
"The festival is finally over," the young Guard yawned. "I was on watch for three straight days before this. My legs were about to break."
"Be grateful," the captain said, patting his shoulder. "The kitchen said the leftover ad can be given to the guard unit. We’ll get to drink it tomorrow."
Murphy’s form flickered, and as the Black Light swirled, he was already hidden in the shadow of a corner.
In the followers’ residential area, ambiguous sounds ca from a window.
"Keep going, Luca..."
"Don’t worry, almost..."
Murphy walked calmly past the window, the Black Light casting a fleeting shadow on the window paper.
In a corridor of the Inner Castle, an open oak door revealed the brightly lit Clerk’s office.
The Clerk anxiously flipped through the ledgers, scratching his hair from ti to ti. "The festival expenses went over budget. I have to find a way to cover it from other projects... The expenditure on incense and candles for the prayers—that money can’t be cut."
Murphy’s figure paused briefly outside the door before the Black Light flickered, and he slipped past silently.
On the staircase, two Maids carrying laundry walked down slowly, a hint of exhaustion on their faces.
"The Lord Baron was incontinent again tonight. The sheets have to be changed again."
"May Oriane bless him and let the Lord Baron suffer less..."
Murphy stood at the corner, his entire body enveloped in Black Light, blending perfectly into the shadow of the wall.
Finally, Murphy stopped behind a wall not far from the Baron’s bedroom.
Outside the bedroom door, four fully ard Guards stood vigilant. Two were stationed in front of the door, and two patrolled the corridor.
The candlelight illuminated this section of the corridor as brightly as day, leaving nowhere for anyone approaching to hide.
Murphy focused his Spiritual Power to perceive his surroundings. He discovered one strong and two weak human presences in the Attendant’s Room next to the bedroom, as well as one human presence in the bedroom itself, right next to another, weaker one.
Based on what he had heard, he imdiately deduced that the person constantly watching over the Baron in the bedroom was the personal Attendant on duty.
As for the strong presence in the Attendant’s Room, he guessed it belonged to a Knight’s Attendant, while the two weaker ones were personal Attendants who were resting.
Murphy silently retreated, using the cover of the shadows to reach a stained-glass window at the end of the corridor.
From this angle, he could both observe the movents of the sentries in the tower through the window and lock onto the position of the Attendant inside the bedroom with his spiritual perception.
Ti passed in silence. Like the most patient of hunters, Murphy avoided the patrolling Guards and passing servants.
The darkest hour before dawn arrived. At the very mont the tower sentry showed signs of fatigue, turned his back to the Baron’s bedroom wall, and leaned against the railing to rest, the Attendant inside the bedroom also happened to get up and walk out.
Murphy nimbly slipped out the window. Like a black gecko, he moved swiftly along the outer wall, silently climbed onto the bedroom balcony, slipped inside, and quickly reached the bedside, where his Knight’s Sword accurately pierced the heart of the sleeping Baron.
[Wandering Seeker of the mortal world, fate has manifested two vastly different paths to heaven before you.]
[Option One: Realize the obsession in your heart and slay the Pavilion Master under the moon. From now on, you will roam the nine provinces, a green-robed swordsman. For five years, you will test your blade against the world, et the heroes from all corners, fuel war with war, and verify the true aning of Martial Arts.]
[Reward: Breathing and Guiding 「Entering the Hall」]
[Option Two: Realize the obsession in your heart and slay the Pavilion Master by night, hiding your tracks. Lie low as a humble Groom, secretly vowing to overthrow Lingyun. You must now pass the Court’s review to continue your sches.]
[Reward: Thousand-Faced Illusion 「Initial Glimpse」]
Murphy was slightly stunned.
Then he imdiately returned the way he ca, the entire process clean and swift.
Only the Baron’s gradually cooling corpse remained in the bedroom, as if no one had ever been there.
A mont later, the personal Attendant returned to the bedroom carrying a basin of warm water.
When he saw the scene on the bed clearly by the bright candlelight, the bronze basin in his hands fell to the floor with a CLANG, splashing water everywhere.
"L-Lord Baron!" His face was deathly pale, his voice sharp with terror. "Soone! Soone, quickly!"
In the Attendant’s Room next door, the Knight’s Attendant, Lawrence, heard the cry and was the first to rush into the room.
This young Attendant was the nephew of Roton Knight and was deeply trusted, which was why he was guarding the Baron’s room.
He quickly scanned the scene, his expression changing drastically as he placed his right hand on his sword hilt. "What happened? The Lord Baron, he..."
"I... I just went to get a basin of hot water..." the personal Attendant explained incoherently. "I was only gone for a mont..."
At that mont, the other two personal Attendants from the Attendant’s Room also arrived, drawn by the noise.
Seeing the horrific state of the bed, one of them collapsed to the ground on the spot, while the other ran out in a panic. "Guards! Call the Guards!"
Lawrence swallowed hard, feeling a chill run through him, but he forced himself to remain calm. He ordered the Guard captain who had rushed over, "Go and get Roton Knight and Lord Kelvin imdiately! Quickly!" He turned to the three Attendants. "All of you, stay where you are. No one is to leave before Lord Roton arrives."
Then, Lawrence stood guard by the Baron’s body, waiting with a heart full of apprehension.
As the Attendant on duty tonight, he could not escape responsibility for such a major incident.
When Roton and Kelvin arrived in a hurry, Lawrence knelt on one knee. "My lords, I..."
Roton raised a hand, cutting him off. "You are dismissed for now. The rest of you as well."
Lawrence looked at Kelvin, who also nodded. "Wait outside to be summoned. Lawrence, you keep an eye on these people."
Lawrence nodded firmly.
After everyone else had left the room, Roton carefully examined the Baron’s wound.
His gaze swept back and forth between the wound and various parts of the room, his right hand unconsciously resting on his sword.
"A standard wound from a Knight’s Sword," Roton said in a low voice. "About two fingers wide, deep enough to pierce the heart. It perfectly matches the characteristics of a Knight’s Sword. A single, clean, fatal blow."
Kelvin stood at the foot of the bed, his face pale, but his voice was relatively calm. "To carry out such an assassination in the heavily guarded Inner Castle, the killer is no ordinary person."
Roton turned his head, his sharp gaze fixed on Kelvin. "This makes think..."
...
「Seven days later, at noon.」
During his break, Bart went to the main stables in the outer area to find Murphy. "Bishop Alberto has arrived. I heard that besides holding mass for the Lord Baron, the Lord Bishop is also here to bless the domain."
He wiped the sweat from his brow, his tone filled with anticipation. "As long as the Bishop recognizes Lord Kelvin, the domain should beco much more stable. Then..."
Hearing this, Murphy showed a gentle smile. "The Lord Bishop’s arrival is indeed a good thing. May the light of Oriane forever shine upon this land."
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