Chapter 89: Tenth Episode: Chapter 7 (1/2)

Chapter 89: Tenth Episode: Chapter 7

Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation

We knew that most of the Church’s Year 792 had passed in peace. However, to speak about a matter out of people’s expectations, a new, imminent war was about to befall Titan Empire.

The encounter of the Imperial Household’s Prince with assassins was not by chance. Before executing the assassination operation, the uprising organization had to organize the manpower, determine the target, and formulate a plan; and the most important point was that this was not the only operation. The Secret Service Department’s investigations after the incident revealed that on the 10th to the 11th month of Year 792, the uprising guild had carried out nine assassination operations, targeting nobles of different classes in the Empire within a short span of just one month. What astonished the people was that aside from His Second Highness The Prince being spared; the remaining eight noblemen were all assassinated.

This signified that the large-scale assassination operations had undergone a careful deployment, assignment, and cooperation in order to be accomplished. According to the speculations of Count Rudolf Hoss of the Secret Service, all the anti-government activists and rebels in history would end up adopting dangerous terrorism as a guide for their ideas after a certain period of time. These terrorists would all utilize hidden armed forces to assassinate and carry out other methods to create all sorts of terrors. Speaking of their fundamental goals, they would still do it for the sake of creating terror even when they knew that they were unable to achieve their expected goals when confronted by a strong, national force.

Outsiders did not know about Count Rudolf Hoss’ abilities since his line of work required the assistance of strictly secret networks. The people could only get a rough idea of what the Secret Service was up to from the notice of the Imperial Secretariat.

During the assassination offense by the surviving rebels from the Great Southern uprising in year 791, what could the Secret Service be doing?

Firstly, Count Rudolf Hoss had ordered all the agents, informants and liaison officers under his control to be on standby for twenty-four hours. He informed all the people serving in the Secret Service Department and the Imperial Household that they must be prepared to launch an attack anytime. Secondly, when the news about the His Second Highness The Prince encounter with assassins had spread to Dulin, Rudolf immediately noticed that the assassination operations had started to spike to a degree in which it threatened the highest ruling class. He urgently contacted the person in charge of the Empire’s Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Civil Affairs, and during the hurriedly-put-together coordination meeting, this huge crafty hound formulated the steps attempting to intensify the military attack and encirclement and speed up the tactic of redistributing the people of the mountain and their immigration to the interior regions. This was because only by pressuring the insurgents through military and civil affairs would the insurgents give their game away during their operations. If sufficient time was allocated for them to plot a new wave of assassination operations, then the old hound, Count Rudolf Hoss, could hand in his resignation letter in advance!

Soon after that, during a meeting convened by the Ministry of Senior Nobility, Rudolf Hoss gave a brief report and, based on the current state of the domestic and international affairs, he set the tone for the next phase of secret operations: Anti-terrorism! For every sector that might be destroyed and for every target that might be hit; for the first time, the Secret Service Department’s proposal to request for the allocation of special expenses received a unanimous vote for approval.

Lastly, this hound instructed His Majesty to award His Imperial Highness The Prince O’Neil the Empire’s Lion Heart Medal for gallantly defending the Imperial Household’s honor and capturing those terrorists alive, and to request His Highness to hand over the terrorists under his captivity. However, knowing Prince O’Neil’s temperament; he received the medal, but his answer to the Secret Service Department was still ”Absolutely not!”

Hence, at the very end, Rudolf Hoss, aside from instructing the Emperor to urge the Prince three times a day, was at his wits’ end.

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”Absolutely not! Absolutely not!” Oscar yelled in annoyance at Lady Countess Antonia, ”I will absolutely not raise cats in the house!”

Annie’s face showed that she was helpless; she did not know how to handle this stubborn lad.

”Just look at my clothes; when I do not even have a cat, they are already contaminated by so much cat hair! If I really do raise a cat, then that will be a nightmare!”

Annie took the clothes and tidied them up, ”No one asked you to leave the house looking like that. Moreover, this is Sparjoxin; since it is the University Town, which is also the City of Tortoiseshell cats, it is very strange not to have a cat at home.”

Oscar shook his head, ”No, I’d rather let Alanis bring her leopard when she visits me! That little monster, LeFou, is already one meter five long. It can tear a purebred Deiss wolfdog to shreds. It will definitely love those small animals, and may it turn the whole Tortoiseshell Cat City upside down!”

Annie put down the work in her hands and lifted her head, ”My little Oscar! What happened to you? Ever since you returned from the hunt, you’ve been acting strange! Why must you speak of that matter in that way? Take those tortoiseshell cats for example; who shall we rely on to protect the books in University Town? Half of them are the librarians and another half are these adorable little animals. They catch mice, and mice are the natural enemy of books…”

”Annie!” Oscar slapped his forehead in distress, ”To change the subject, you should have an idea about what I meant by ‘absolutely not’; that means that there is no room for discussion! Enough! Where is our young lady?”

Annie did not intend to continue blathering on with the lad who was impervious to reason.

”She, Aeolia and Lady Rolanda went to base together, saying that they were visiting friends.”

Perhaps Annie did not notice, or perhaps she just did not want to notice, that little Oscar face had turned into the color of mackerel caviar after he heard those words. This color would usually signify that the caviar was the most delicious, but, when it was on the Prince’s face, it meant that His Highness was building up a storm.

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The base of operations of the Narcissus Knight’s Red Tiger Assault Division was situated in the Northern suburbs of the city, occupying a vast area. Based on the principle of ‘if it is cheap, then why not take it,’ His Imperial Highness The Prince had extorted all the expenses required in building the huge barracks from the Imperial Military Academy. It was called a base because its existence possessed a special significance. This huge barrack was not only used to station soldiers but also had a lot of focused training programs located there.

An example of such would be the counter-interrogation training room; it was the first time that Major General Murat heard of such a military term because, in the war of the Narcissus people against Persian, such a term as resistance to interrogation did not exist! The captives of both sides did not have such a good end, and so everyone wanted to be a hero! Under these circumstances, wanting to interrogate for valuable war information out of them was something completely nonsensical. However, it was different in the Western Sovereign States where both parties at war not only had to abide by the law of the Religion of the God of Light, but the soldiers participating in combat also had to adhere strictly to the spirit of the knights.

The so-called spirit of the knights, Murat sneered; he had the perception that it was only something fabricated by the Emperor and the authors of legendary novels. What with the knight’s mission in life… the knight’s military merits… the knight’s advancement… All of these were made up! To this General, knights were only a resource of war that was slightly superior to that of infantries. The existence of this special class, the knights, was only for the service of war and fundamentally, it was merely a means by which the rulers to control the war resources.

Just like this counter-interrogation training room, it was prepared for the knights. No one would care about the fates of civilians on the battlefield, but if the captive were a knight with a title, then that would be different. The enemy would be able to help him pass on messages from the family; if the ransom was fitting, then the knight could secure freedom in no time. And the counter-interrogation training was to train the knights to resist the enemy’s extortion for a confession when captured. However, this training could only equip the knights with techniques to withhold critical information; if the enemies resorted to torture instruments, then it all came down to the person’s willpower.

Undoubtedly, Murat always believed that the counter-interrogation training room would never be put to use, but this world also had things that were unpredictable even by the God of Light. So, when the leader of the insurgents was escorted to this tiny room, Murat did not hesitate and practically started his interrogation right away. However, this was something that had taken place half a month ago.

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”Is he alright?” Sasha asked anxiously.

”Good… Good… Simply perfect! When we examined his body yesterday, we even discovered that he has gained weight!” Murat shrugged in exasperation. Because of this young lady, no one dared to use torture instruments on the prisoner who committed a felony. As a result, no matter how angry the Prince got, it was pointless; the interrogation for the past half month had borne no fruit.

Murat opened the huge metal doors of the prison cell, but those doors did not really lead to the cells, but to a training facility instead. In the room was a table, a chair, a low bed, a lamp and, according to the young lady’s wishes, the knights even placed a bathtub and a chamber pot behind the wooden screen. The whole room appeared clean and tidy, and the lighting was pretty good.

A few days ago, Mister Morpheus had shaved off the beard that grew all over his face. As the leader of the insurgents coordinating the secret operations, he did not have a fixed dwelling place. He had to avoid the search from the Ministry of Justice’s patroling soldiers as well as concealing himself using all sorts of secret methods. As a result, the first time he viewed himself in the mirror after four months, he realized that he had become a monster; no wonder the lady taking care of him kept her distance from him all the while.

Sasha admitted that the first time she set eyes on Mister Morpheus’ true appearance, she had exclaimed ”What a beautiful man!” That was a rough face that held a lot of meaning, and those were a set of wise and farsighted eyes. The young lady knew that she was blushing, perhaps it was because she was still young and did not know how to get along with a mature man of a unique status.

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Rolanda kept hiding behind Sasha after entering the room. Her father had been a prison warden, and this had caused Rolanda to forever hold a bad feeling towards prisoners. However, this prisoner was indeed gorgeous! She nipped the young lady’s ear and whispered,

”Hey! Describing him as a beauty indeed isn’t an overstatement!”

Aeolia was still as she was before; after she stepped through the door, she buried her face in Rolanda’s shoulder. Sasha did not bother about her as she clearly knew that the purpose of Aya insisting on accompanying her was not as simple as merely paying Mr. Morpheus a visit.

The ”guests” entered and naturally, Morpheus wanted to get up stand up to greet them. However, the two fast-reacting knights forced him down, one on the left and another on the right; this scoundrel had a criminal record of holding someone hostage! The knights had restricted his hands and legs tightly onto the chair with leather straps, and he met his visitors in that state.

”Are you okay?” Sasha asked with concern.

”You already see that I am very well. Thank you for your concern. Also, send the regards of my companions in their place. If it weren’t for you, they would have been tortured to death already.”

Sasha had wanted to evade this topic all the while, but Mr. Morpheus seemed to want to keep reminding her.

”Ohh… I have brought two of my good friends along. This is Countess Hanning and this is Countess Aeolia. I think they should get to know you.”

”Oh okay, I see, two beautiful and noble ladies. Hey there! My current state may appear a little rude.”

Rolanda shook her head. Her curiosity had vanished once she had arrived here, for this place was of no interest to her. After all, this insurgent was a criminal, one who had violated the country’s decree and was even an ultimate criminal who intended to assassinate a member of the Imperial Household.

Aeolia’s face turned the color of beetroot. It really was unknown what kind of dye the Countess had used or what secret she had for being able to always color her cheeks in a magnificent, bright red.

”From your accent… You are a Southerner, but your homeland is definitely not in the mountain area.”

Morpheus gazed at Aeolia in astonishment. In order to operate in the Empire’s inland, he had concealed his Southern accent remarkably well.

”That means that Your distinguished Countess is also from South?”

”That’s right, my homeland is Austchen, close to Vielonna.”

”Hehe! You’ve guessed mine exactly right; it seems like we are neighbors.” Morpheus gave a pained laugh. Homeland! He already did not dare to imagine how it would be like. However, according to the villagers who later joined the rebellion, the nobles who returned for revenge had hanged a lot of people there.

In contrast to her timid face, Aeolia’s eyes were beaming with excitement. This could not be concealed from the young lady, and Sasha was aware that her friend that was adept in deception was setting a trap to make Morpheus confess.

”Oh, that’s right!” The young lady suddenly interjected; she did not wish to let Aya continue on, ”Speaking of gratitude, actually I would like to thank you; my brother and knights did not understand the situation at that time, but I knew clearly that when you initially crossed arms with me, you could have killed me, but you didn’t. When I rushed up to pursue and attack you; you had countless opportunities to end me, but again, you didn’t. Although you were forced to subdue me, I do not blame you because anyone in that situation would choose to use a hostage to escape, but my brother…”

Sasha could not go on and Morpheus had yet to utter a word. O’Neil Andrew Morisette, this name had become a common sore spot to the both of them.

Sasha did not understand how her most respected and loved brother could disregard human lives that way! It seemed that anyone who offended him would not have a good ending. During the ambush in the mountains, he ordered the knights to execute all the captives cruelly. At the family battlefield, he actually commanded that no critical care be given to the Persians. Next up was the arson at the hotel. Perhaps the others did not know, but occasionally she would hear the knights who were at the scene discussing the process of that execution by fire. Oh goodness, gracious! Oh, God! Save my brother, and save me!

To his consternation, Morpheus knew that the peace now was only temporary. The young Highness had come to visit him once and he would never forget that youngster’s gaze. Morpheus was a leader of the insurgents and his senses were very alert. When he was confronting O’Neil Andrew Morisette, he had a lingering sense of imminent death. Perhaps… this malicious, cruel, bloodthirsty and gigantic crocodile would pose as the largest enemy to operation ”Free Titan” in the near future!

”You see, the changes in the weather are very quick. Just a few more days and we will enter winter. The young lady and I have brought you some sweet liquor!” The silence was finally broken by Aeolia. However, we knew that this Countess did not harbor any good intentions.

”This is Fennel wine produced in my homeland. You should know that this Fennel wine is publicly accepted as best in the South.” Aeolia said while she pulled out the wooden cork. The knights then laid out light refreshments onto the table.

”Oh? Really?” Morpheus’ eyebrows shot up. The strong aroma of wine stimulated his taste buds, making his mouth overflow with the saliva of his yearning. He was only too familiar with this smell, but it had already been a long time ago since he last tasted it.

Among ten Southern men, at the very least, nine of them would love Fennel wine. Aeolia knew that she had placed her bets right.

Morpheus took a swig, ”You’re right! It indeed is Austchen’s specialty, but... compared to the wine we brew, it’s still missing a little. We will steam the malt and fennel dry and then let them ferment together with the hops. If you have tasted Switzlow wine, then you would definitely feel that the Fennel wine of other places is not worth tasting!”

Aeolia leaned back in her seat gently; her objective had been achieved.

”Switzlow wine, made in Church’s year 563. It is named after the farmer who created it. Within the upper-class society of Faran and Riel Kingdom, it enjoys an everlasting reputation. Its main place of production was centralized in the Jegher Basin area at the foothills of the Northwestern Abaecis Mountain Range. So, is your homeland Pletz or Lozinger?”

”Aeolia! Enough!” Sasha suddenly jumped down from her seat, having just realized what Aeolia was doing.

Morpheus shot a look of disbelief towards the Countess; he knew what had just taken place! Oh gosh! A veteran expert in secret operations like him actually had his place of origin dug out by a young girl who kept blushing! However, analyzing it carefully, it seemed that the whole thing made a lot of sense. Using his trust in the young lady, his yearning for his homeland, and using to take advantage of the bad, wretched habits of the Southern men…

”Countess! It is indeed a waste for you not to serve in the Secret Service Department!” Since Aeolia had been exposed, Morpheus, having come to his senses, no longer had a reason to hold back.

”I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” The young lady blurted a string of apologies, knowing that the meeting should be ended.

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”Aya! Just what is wrong with you?” Sasha tugged at Countess Aeolia’s arm and interrogated her after mounting their carriage, her anger surging up.

Aya uncharacteristically shook off Sasha’s hand violently. However, she did not answer the young lady’s question; she seemed to still be immersed in the success of her strategy.

”I’m not sure if you guys noticed, a while ago when I gave Mr. Morpheus two options, first being Pletz, and the second Lozinger, his face paled when I mentioned Lozinger. In other words, there is an eighty-to-ninety percent chance that he was born into a family of wine dealers. Otherwise, he will not be that familiar with the process of brewing. Those wine dealers view the art of producing wine as their lifeblood. They always mix the drinks personally and even the workers have no way of knowing its secret. Haha! His recent quiet and comfortable life in prison has made him let a lot of his guard down. This is all thanks to you, our young lady. Otherwise, I will not have been able to obtain it so easily!”

A sudden urge to punch someone surged up from within Sasha, ”I have no interest in your intelligence; I only want to know why you used me to go against my friend?”

”Your friend?” Aeolia made a look of disgust, ”Go and ask our Imperial Highness! He will tell you who our friends are.”

”You are a heartless, oblivious con artist who lacks sympathy!” And practically in a blink of an eye, Sasha had given Aya a violent slap.

”Thank you!” Blood oozed out of Aeolia’s lips, but she did not give it much thought and locked eyes with the young lady.

”Girls… Girls, don’t be like this!” Rolanda, who had been hiding in a corner of the carriage could not stand it any longer, ”Although I have no idea what you guys are talking about… Still, Sasha, I am also your friend. I must remind you that making friends with an insurgent who attempted to murder the prince and whose goal is to overturn the nation… is of no benefit to you whatsoever! Moreover… Moreover, it may also hurt those around you!”

Sasha’s head snapped towards Rolanda in anger, ”Even you think this way too? You also think that Mr. Morpheus is an insurgent guilty of those terrible crimes?”

”That is what the facts say!” Rolanda averted her eyes from the young lady’s glare. Although she was older than Sasha, Sasha’s agitated appearance was certainly too terrifying!

”Then very well! Allow me to tell you what I think! Mr. Morpheus is an intellectual, informed gentleman. He is a man of honor and ethics, knowing when to advance and to give way. He has a sense of honor! Unlike SOMEONE among us…” Sasha said, shooting a glare at the Countess whose cheeks were flushed red.

Aeolia was tired of arguing with the girl. She believed that one day, young lady Sasha Andrew Nedgabel’s belief would be shattered by the ruthless reality! Hehe! Let us just wait and see!

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