Release that Witch

”She’s fine. She lived on the Sleeping Island in Fjords for a while and has returned to Neverwinter now.” Hill laughed and said, ”I heard that Miss Quinn is especially close to Princess Tilly, His Majesty’s sister. So His Majesty will definitely treat her as a distinguished guest.”

Afterwards, Hill told him some trivia about Andrea. Otto learned that Andrea loved playing cards and improving her marksmanship. She occasionally argued with another card-playing buddy, but on the whole, she got along well with them.

Her news made him nearly forget about the passage of time.

Until he heard arguments outside the room.

”What happened?” Hill stopped talking and quickly walked to the door, peeping through the door slot, and then he said, ”Something is wrong on the first floor.”

”Let me send someone to check it,” Otto indicated Hill to sit down first. He then yelled toward the outside, ”Who’s making noise outside? Go to see what happened!”

”Yes, my lord,” replied the maid who had been at the door.

”Maybe someone is drunk.” He then said to Hill, drawing the blanket on him, ”It’s unusual, but does happen in the tavern. You mentioned Miss Quinn participated in a Neverwinter hunting competition. Who won?”

Instead of replying, Hill raised a finger to his lips as a sign of silence and gently leaned his ear on the door.

After a few seconds, his face clouded over.

”Those people downstairs are armored and armed.”

”What?” Otto was a little stunned.

”I heard the sounds of iron boots and sword hilts hitting the ground and chairs. Do you think anyone would wear a full set of armor when drinking?” Hill no longer waited for the maid but directly opened the soft couch. ”I don’t think a drunk would like to dress up as a knight. We’re in trouble.”

”How... how is it possible?” Otto frowned and said, ”Please believe me. I absolutely didn’t...”

”Of course. If I didn’t trust you, I wouldn’t be here,” Hill interrupted.

”Well... We can meet next time. You leave first. If they’re really coming for you, I can stop them.” Otto replied. ”After this meeting, I don’t know when I will learn about Andrea again,” he thought regretfully.

”Won’t you leave with me?” Hill was slightly surprised and asked, ”Apparently, they aren’t coming for a visit. You’d better go back to your own domain.”

”Rest assured. I’m the eldest son of Luoxi family. They can’t do anything to me,” Otto shook his head. He did not tell his father that he tried to rescue witches and secretly contacted Roland’s scouts. If people outside the room came to search for the emissary delegation members while he ran away, it might raise the suspicion of the king. Then he would really be in trouble. ”No one knows the secret path, but it isn’t difficult to find it. If they saw an empty room, they would be suspicious. I’ll stay in the room. Only in this way can you withdraw more safely.”

”Then, good luck.” Hill did not insist. He loosed his hands and slid into the secret path.

Otto rearranged the blanket and quilt and lay on the soft couch again.

A short while later, he heard heavy patters of footsteps at the staircases accompanied by the scraping of metal. The maid who left to inquire about the situation never appeared again.

Without knocking or asking for admission, they directly broke in.

A group of full-armored knights rushed into the room.

”What’re you doing?” Otto furiously questioned, ”This is the private property of Earl Luoxi! Are you planning to commit treason?” He intended to stand up and drive the rude knights out of the tavern. Out of his expectation, the knights stepped forward and tightly pressed him on the soft couch.

”I’m sorry, Sir. We aren’t committing treason, but you are.” The leading knight replied, shrugging. Though they wore the gold armors and royal knightage emblems on their chests, Otto found that he had never met this group of knights.

Hell, where did they come from?

”Let me go!” He struggled and shouted, ”That’s a slander!”

”Say this to His Majesty,” said the knight. ”You fail to live up to his trust, my lord.”

When he heard the name Appen Moya, Otto’s heart suddenly sank.

...

It was two days later when he saw His Majesty again.

”I heard that you haven’t eaten anything for two days, but insist to see me?” Appen said. He still seemed to be a little weary, but looked more mature. His eyes revealed emotions which Otto was unfamiliar with. ”Now your requirement is satisfied. Start to eat.”

”Where am I?” Otto asked in a hoarse voice, hands on the steel bars, ”Why did you do so? What did you do to my father?”

”Are you not satisfied with the room?” Appen said, looking around, ”It’s decorated according to your room in the Duke mansion. It’s not large, but you have a bed, a desk, chairs, and a bookcase. I think you can live a comfortable life here.” He paused and said, ”As for where it is... Of course, it’s under the palace. I can only feel at ease when you’re kept here.”

Otto gritted his teeth and said, ”Your Majesty, I need to talk to you. I didn’t...”

”Betray me?” The King of Dawn interrupted him, ”Do you think I’ll still believe these lies and continue to be deceived by you? It took me two months to find some clues about the witches. I have never thought that you were actually involved. You asked Yorko, the Ambassador of Graycastle, to ’Black Money’ to participate in the auction, and also helped him leave the City of Glow. Wasn’t that betrayal?” He raised his voice, as he apparently did not want to suppress his anger anymore. ”That day in the palace, didn’t you hear how the King of Graycastle abandon the covenant and trample on my father’s feelings?”

”I...”

”Do you want to talk about the traitors or the witches who should go to hell?” Appen asked in a tone full of hatred. ”Enough, Otto Luoxi! If you were not my friend since childhood, the eldest son of the three noble families, I would have long sent you to the gallows! I still need the support of the three families now. But that doesn’t mean I need you forever. This is my last chance for you. Don’t force me to do that!”

Otto’s heart sank at his words. He had never seen his playmate show such a ferocious look. Thinking of those ”royal kights” he never saw before, he suddenly understood something.

Perhaps they had lost the trust of the new king since the death of the old king.

”But the way, you just asked what happened to your father.” Before leaving, Appen suddenly said in a cold voice, ”Nothing happens to him. He still attended today’s court meeting. As long as you eat food, Earl Luoxi will still be a good loyal noble. Stop this stupid hunger strike. That’s good for both of us. If you persist, I have to take the hard way.”