Transcendent Dawn

Wolf Fort was calm under the cover of night.

Burning flames roared within the hearth, yet they failed to dispel the chill that lingered within the room.

“My dear Rophis, you were surely joking, weren’t you? Are you invoking the name of the Mother Earth Goddess in vain?”

Duke Frank Mitteis of Wolf Fort, looking at the Knight Rophis in his white robe and shiny silver armor, felt a chill running down his spine.

“I apologize…my liege.”

Rophis said, “The armour and remains of the knights have been properly collected and taken care of…”

“Mother Earth!”

Frank clasped his forehead and cried out in pain: “Where did I go wrong? Why does She punish me so?”

Loss of a tenth of his knights was a serious blow for a duke.

After accepting the harsh reality, a wave of rage surged within his heart.

“Who did it? Who dared to dishonourably murder nobles like Andrews?”

His eyes were bloodshot, like a furious wolf king: “This is a declaration of war against the Wolf Fort and the North Territory!”

“According to multiple investigations, we have a prime suspect…Su Lu Pottery!”

Rophis relayed the situation calmly, stating Mas’s jealousy, Andrews’s rash actions, along with some speculations.

“Wasn’t he the young man who came for an audience some time ago?”

Recalling Su Lu’s courteous demeanour, Frank found it hard to believe: “Also, considering Mas and Andrews…Alas, they were, after all, nobles and died there…”

The instincts of someone in power compelled him to protect his subordinates – it was impossible for him to act ‘justly’ when dealing with an outsider.

Even if he was a duke known for his rigidness and fairness.

“Sign an immediate wanted warrant and issue a nationwide manhunt for this murderer of nobles—Su Lu Pottery!” Frank decided without much hesitation: “The vengeance of the Wolf Family must be cleansed with blood! Moreover…send a raven to deliver this news to all the castle lords and to His Majesty the King. He is heading south and might venture into the Central Kingdom.”

“As you wish, milord!”

Rophis respectfully bowed: “There are other affairs regarding this Su Lu Pottery that I’d like to bring up.”

“Apologies… I had forgotten about that…”

Frank smiled apologetically, his expression quickly turning solemn: “Is it possible that this Su Lu Pottery, who was capable of slaughtering a squadron of knights and even a bronze knight like Andrews, has possibly reached the Silver rank?”

From young, the Duke was taught martial arts, thereby understanding the difficulties involved.

Despite his talent and the huge resources at his disposal, he had only manage to become an official knight.

Such success, within the history of his family, was actually considered an ‘excellent achievement’.

Besides the ancestors, the most powerful in the family lineage should be his grandfather – Leonard Metis – who was reportedly a Silver Knight. He fought valiantly in countless battles without sustaining severe injuries, taking the glory of the Mettis family to new heights.

If confronted with such an enemy, even the Duke’s family would be in a predicament.

“It’s hard to say… However, there is a possibility that his fighting style might lean towards that of an agile knight. While lacking in destructive power akin to the Silver rank, he may possess a fine weapon, or even a Marvel!”

With Spirit Tides running in parallel, ‘Marvel’ is not a new concept.

But devices that could be passed down for thousands of years, and still function, were rare. They were mainly kept by the royal family and the nobility, seen as the ultimate weapon and resource.

Of course, the Wolf family had some, and this was no stranger to Frank: “So it’s a Marvel…”

He felt that many things began to make sense.

“It’s not just that…I suspect that he may even be a ‘wizard’. At the scene, we detected numerous traces of witchcraft…”

Rophis continued.

Frank felt a throbbing headache again, harboring a fair amount of resentment towards Andrew at this point.

Barging out recklessly resulted not only in his own death but also provoked such a troublesome enemy, truly infuriating!

If the other party were alive, he would definitely scold him severely and even inflict punishment.

But now…

Frank rubbed his eyebrows: “The previous arrangement… remains unchanged. Also, add a note about the suspected wizard and inform the families to be cautious.”

“Your will is my mission!”

Rophis politely bowed and left, sweeping a glance to one side before striding away rapidly.

By the door, around the corner, there seemed to be a human figure in the shadows.

She stuck out her head to peek inside, seeming a bit apprehensive. She tiptoed backwards in her long dress and almost bumped into a nanny.

“Miss Linna!”

The nanny stared at the small figure and hastily bowed, “Where are your maids?”

“I told them to rest. You don’t need to worry about me!”

Linna said softly. She returned to her room and after closing the door, she stuck out her tongue, as if she had completed a grand adventure: “The Silver Hand is amazing. He seems to have noticed me.”

“Cough cough!”

At this point, a figure seated off to the side could not hold back a cough.

“Who?”

Linna was startled, her fur standing on end like a cat whose tail was stepped on. Upon recognizing the figure, she relaxed and gave a reluctant curtsy: “Mother!”

“Linna, how many times have I told you to learn how to be a lady?! But look at what you are doing… Skipping classes, frolicking around with Julian…”

Madame Monfari scolded Linna.

“But… Julian is very nice. She taught me a lot and played with me…” Linna tried to defend her friend.

“What use is she? A woman who will eventually be married off… You should be making friends with Gran and Cecil. They are the heirs to Wolf Fort! Especially Gran! He is the eldest son of the family, the natural heir! He can offer you tremendous help!”

Madame Monfari fumed.

“But… he is just as serious as the Duke, which makes him difficult to approach…”

Linna stuck out her tongue and quickly changed the subject: “I just happened to pass by the Duke’s study and overheard something frightening…”

“What is it?”

As expected, Madame Monfari’s attention was diverted.

“It’s about that wandering knight from last time. He killed so many people… he’s wanted now.”

Linna said desolately.

She originally fantasized that he was the protagonist in a knight novel but it seemed like now, at best, he would only become a major villain.

“That lowlife who refused my goodwill?”

Madame Monfari grimaced: “Nevermind… Without taking the hand I offered, he will not receive my help… Perhaps tomorrow you will find out that he was hanged at the gallows by Sir Mas.”

“No… Sir Mas is dead. So is Sir Andrews, and a platoon of the North Territory Knights… they were all defeated by Su Lu.”

Linna replied honestly.

“What?”

Madame Monfari stiffened, dropping the folding fan in her hand.