Warhammer Divine Throne

The girl’s voice was quite excited.

”Yes, I need your help, Amelia.” Laine beckoned to his little maid: ”Follow me!”

”Y-Yes!” Amelia’s eyes shone, and the girl ran swiftly to Laine’s side, the sound of her little shoes clicking along. She appeared just like a joyful butterfly.

”My Duke, Surya, Miss Sylvia, we will depart first.” Thus, Laine set off with Amelia and Hex, heading toward the place where the black-robed figure had just disappeared.

Today, Amelia was dressed in a blue wool sweater and a black checkered skirt that reached below the knees, covered with a white cloak and wearing black shoes. Her slender legs were encased in white opaque tights, and her golden hair was styled into a beautiful princess updo. Her blue eyes blinked with an effortlessly charming demeanor, as if after spending some time with the female knight, Amelia had become much more cheerful: ”Laine? Where are we going?”

”Amelia, pretend to be a noble lady, and I’ll protect you as you browse around the marketplace.” Laine first instructed Amelia and then turned to Hex: ”Hex, act as though you’re still a wandering Ranger Knight, head into that tavern for a few drinks, and ask the innkeeper if there was a black-robed figure who checked in.”

”Understood!” Hex, being a Ranger Knight, had the advantage of being a local of Le Anglong.

In Brittania, there was a custom where peasants rarely ventured far from their villages unless authorized or ordered by their lords. Thus, over hundreds of years, various regions developed distinct customs and some local dialects.

This point, being born in the Anglong Duchy, was well understood by Hex. A Ranger Knight who could speak some local dialects and knew various insider details could easily blend into the tavern environment without facing subtle exclusion from other patrons and peasants, facilitating intelligence gathering.

Indeed, after a few dialect phrases and subconscious gestures, the innkeeper immediately treated Hex as a local: ”Honored Lord Knight, what would you like?”

”A Porter beer, please.” Hex took out some Silver Coins: ”Remember, if it’s watered down, I’ll overturn your tavern! Le Anglong’s lighthouse proves everything!”

”That won’t happen, no, I wouldn’t dare deceive Lord Knight, hahaha~” The giant lighthouse of Le Anglong was a renowned high elf marvel in the entire Old World. Hearing this secret code, the innkeeper immediately realized the knight before him was not one to be fooled. Hence, he stretched out his hand and filled a wooden beer mug with Porter beer from a wooden barrel. This beer had a dark color and a lot of foam; however, its taste was much worse than the ale beer Hex preferred in his territory.

But this particular Porter beer was a specialty of Le Anglong.

The knight drank half of the mug in one gulp and burped without any drinking manners: ”Ah~ the taste of home.”

”Haha, Lord Knight must be returning from travels, ready to watch the knight tournament?” The innkeeper was having a typical day in business and was happy to chat a bit with the knight: ”The knight tournament is starting soon; many outsiders are coming to watch the tournament. Just now, two Holy Grail Knight Lords appeared on the streets!”

”Yes, I saw them too.” Hex’s face showed no smile as he smoothly asked: ”Did a black-robed figure just come in here?”

”Ah? Oh.” The innkeeper’s expression froze for a moment as he responded casually: ”Yes, indeed, a black-robed figure came in earlier. He ordered two cups of ale beer and some food, took it to-go.”

”Could you tell me more details?” Hex’s face was full of seriousness.

”Lord Knight, we are in business, and there are basic rules we have to abide by. I can only tell you this much: he ordered two cups of ale beer and hurried away. His accent didn’t sound like it was from here or the Empire, um…that’s all.” The innkeeper said to Hex.

The serious Hex clenched his fists, wanting to ask further. But being well-educated in the Empire, the Ranger Knight knew he probably couldn’t gain any more information. So, he finished the beer in his wooden mug, then took out a Gold Crown and placed it in the innkeeper’s hand: ”Did you see which direction he went?”

Simultaneously, the Ranger Knight placed the Longsword from his waist on the bar.

”...” The innkeeper hesitated for a moment, then discreetly slipped the Gold Crown into his sleeve, looked around, and lowered his voice as he approached Hex’s ear: ”Do you see that black carriage outside, beyond the road?”

Hex gazed toward the outside of the tavern, indeed, in an alley across the street, there was a black carriage.

”He got in it,” the innkeeper whispered. ”Don’t say I told you.”

Hex nodded, the Ranger Knight pushed away the wooden cup and stood up.

At this moment, Laine and Amelia were pretending to shop, the girl happily following behind Laine. Vendors enthusiastically promoted their goods to the esteemed Holy Grail Knight, their faces showing unusual fervor.

”Twenty percent off! Esteemed Holy Grail Knight, we have the finest Southern Realm fabric here, only five Silver Coins!”

”These are local apples, Lord Holy Grail Knight, the sweetest ones!”

”Pork, the best pork! Thirty-five Copper Coins per pound!”

Laine and Amelia looked around and bought quite a few things. He noticed Amelia seemed extremely happy, like a small bird fluttering around wanting to buy this and that. Meanwhile, Laine was waiting for Hex’s response.

The Ranger Knight squeezed through the crowded people and arrived beside Laine: ”My Baron, do you see that carriage?”

The black carriage was parked in the alley, lonely, and unresponsive to the outside world.

”That black-robed figure boarded that carriage?”

”Yes, he did. The innkeeper said that the black-robed figure had a strange accent, unlike those from the Old World here, ordered two cups of ale beer and some food, and then boarded that black carriage.” Hex spoke softly.

”...Ordering food suggests the black-robed figure isn’t a dead person or a Vampire.” Laine thought for a moment, deciding to observe further: ”Don’t act hastily yet, Amelia, I need your help.”

”Yes!” Amelia took out a variety of disguises, and the three of them found a secluded spot.

Ten minutes later.

A tall figure with a face covered in dirt, dressed in ragged robes, stumbled toward the carriage. He extended his withered hand, leaning on the front of the black carriage, and spoke toward the inside of the carriage’s curtain: ”Ah~ Sir, Sir, please have mercy, I haven’t eaten for three days, Sir!”

”Yes, please have mercy, Sir!” Several beggars from the roadside immediately joined in, stretching their withered hands toward the curtain.

The curtain was lifted, and a Magic Staff engulfed in cyan flames extended from within the carriage and pressed against the head of the leading beggar.

The lead beggar seemed petrified by this terrifying change, immediately raising his hand: ”Heaven bless the Lady! Praise the Lady! I meant no harm, I just…”

”Scram!” The person inside the carriage hesitated for a moment, then spoke softly upon hearing the constant chants of the Lake Fairy from the beggar.

”Y-Yes! Praise the Lady! Praise the Lady! I’m leaving, I’m leaving.” The beggar retreated with a pale face and scrambled away like a frightened stray dog.

The black carriage started moving upon witnessing this. Strangely, there was no coachman yet the horse began moving independently deeper into the alley.

Inside the carriage, a young voice spoke: ”Godfather, why not kill that beggar?”

”We can’t, didn’t you notice? Holy Grail Knights just appeared nearby; if we kill indiscriminately, we might attract those Holy Grail Knights at any time! Now, focus on achieving your goal; ensuring victory in this knight tournament is crucial!”

”Yes!”