39: Beheading

Airo, carrying a heavy bag of artifacts, returned to the restroom she had previously infiltrated.

On her way back, she encountered two patrolling sailors and a wandering Imperial Knight.

Thankfully, she managed to avoid them all without incident.

She flipped out of the window and slowly climbed down the side of the ship.

The night was as dark as ink, completely black, with only the rustling sound of waves.

A few swaying oil lamps suddenly cast light from the edge of the deck.

She immediately stopped, pressing her body tightly against the ship to avoid being discovered.

Conversations drifted down from above; it turned out to be a few sailors taking a break on the deck.

A moment later, an angry shout rang out, and the oil lamps disappeared.

A string of curses followed, then silence.

Immediately after, another oil lamp appeared.

A man with a full beard peered out, looking down vigilantly.

When the faint light of the oil lamp swept over where Airo had just been, the spot was already empty.

The bearded man mumbled a few words, then retracted the oil lamp and left.

Airo, hanging from the stern rope, let out a sigh of relief.

The instant the shout rang out, Airo had quickly moved aside.

This decisive action undoubtedly saved her life.

Once the lights completely vanished, she followed the rope back to the ship's hull and continued to climb down.

Halfway down, Philip at the stern spotted her and quickly painted the gangplank.

As Airo approached, he immediately reached out to help.

“This is simply amazing, you have to teach me that trick!”

Philip placed the heavy bag of artifacts on the gangplank, saying with an envious expression, “Believe me, you wouldn’t want to learn it. Let’s go.”

-----------------

Three small boats headed towards the dock, with Arthur and Olaf in one of them.

Olaf, the Knight Captain, who had successfully concluded the business deal, seemed exceptionally excited.

He talked incessantly about the strange tales and anecdotes of the capital city along the way.

However, anyone could see that his mind was no longer there.

As soon as the boat docked, the Knight Captain impatiently asked, “Where is that bitch?”

“Come with me. Time is a bit tight, so I haven’t arranged a very good place for you. She’s in the warehouse,” Arthur said.

“No matter, fellow.” The Knight Captain laughed, “Even doing her in a warehouse is worth it.”

Arthur glanced at the two confidants accompanying Olaf.

They were not wearing armor, only carrying a longsword, and reeked of alcohol.

The group arrived in front of the warehouse, and Arthur gestured for Olaf to enter.

The Knight Captain told his two subordinates to wait outside and pushed the door open, entering the warehouse.

Arthur closed the door behind him and looked towards the Orc who had been waiting for a long time.

-----------------

The warehouse was brightly lit, and Olaf was full of anticipation, but he did not see the noblewoman he had been dreaming of.

What met his eyes was a man with his back to him.

The man stood at the end of the warehouse, thoughtfully toying with a short sword in his hand.

“What the hell is this?”

The Knight Captain cursed and turned to walk out.

Just then, five armed men appeared from behind the cargo crates on both sides.

They blocked the only exit.

Olaf realized something was wrong.

But he still shouted, “I remember you bastards.

“What does that little noble want to do? He tricked me here; does he want you to teach me a lesson?

“He’s got it all wrong! Remember how you lost on the ship?”

At this, he drew his sword and took a fighting stance.

“Once we’ve killed all of you, I’ll go find that brat.

“I’ll let him know the consequences of provoking an Imperial Knight!”

“Your opponent is not us.” A female voice came from the direction of the two Horse Herding.

Catherine, holding a short sword, stepped out from behind the horses and stood with the others.

She said coldly, “We’re just making sure you don’t die too easily.”

Hearing this, the Knight Captain’s expression tightened, and he cautiously turned sideways, his gaze falling on the man.

At this moment, the man had already turned around.

Olaf’s pupils suddenly dilated; he naturally recognized this person, “You… it’s you…”

Before he could finish speaking, the man lunged at him like an arrow released from a bowstring.

-----------------

The Orc’s axe struck the closest knight.

As he moved, Arthur pulled out his dagger and stabbed the other knight in the abdomen.

The knight grunted, pushed Arthur away forcefully, pulled out his longsword with one hand, and clutched his injured abdomen with the other, his face filled with confusion and shock.

“You… you bitches, dare to act against the Empire…”

Before he could finish, the Orc chopped off his head with an axe.

Then, he suddenly turned to look the other way.

He saw Airo emerge from behind a pile of ropes, holding a man at dagger point.

Arthur frowned slightly.

“Caught a little bug,” Airo said to Arthur, “Should I kill it?”

The man quickly explained, “Listen to me, I was just… just delivering a letter. Lord Arthur, I never thought I would…”

“Godwin?” Arthur asked uncertainly.

“Yes, it’s me, my Lord,” the exiled noble quickly replied, “I swear, my Lord, I wasn’t spying on you.

“I brought the letter you wanted to that small building, but no one was there, so I thought I’d go to the castle to find you.

“But you weren’t at the castle either, so I thought I’d try my luck at the dock.”

“It’s alright, Airo, he’s one of us.” Arthur gestured for Airo to release him.

The cold dagger left Godwin’s neck, which brought immense relief to the exiled noble.

He instinctively rubbed his neck, stepped forward, took out a letter, and handed it to Arthur.

Arthur took the letter but did not open it; instead, he handed the dagger in his hand to the other party.

“Kill him.”

He pointed to the knight who was still alive.

Godwin did not hesitate at all; he took the dagger and neatly slit the knight’s throat.

“As your attendant, my Lord, may I know what exactly is going on?” he inquired.

“Treat to a feast, behead, take as a dog,” Arthur replied indifferently, “I already have a dire wolf, so I don’t need a dog.”

Godwin didn’t understand Arthur’s words.

But he didn’t ask further; he knew the answer would eventually be revealed.

-----------------

Olaf strenuously parried his opponent’s swift attack, trying to redirect his sword to stab the other’s shoulder, but he missed.

His opponent completely overpowered him in speed, strength, and experience.

He cursed loudly, panting, but it was useless.

Soon, his calf was pierced by the short sword, and the intense pain made his sword movements even more chaotic.

“Harboring the number one most wanted criminal, attacking an Imperial Knight, that damned little bastard will be sentenced to death!

“What if he is the Baron of Qingfeng Valley?” Olaf screamed as he retreated, “And you… you criminals will all face judgment!

“If… if you let me go, I can… I can not pursue…”

He raised his sword to block, but the short sword suddenly changed its trajectory, stabbing from below.

Olaf felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen; he wanted to endure the pain and counterattack, but his sword-wielding hand was firmly held down.

The short sword twisted in his abdomen, and the Knight Captain finally couldn't hold on, retreating backward and falling to the ground.

Jessica Hughes snatched the longsword from her opponent’s hand, dodged aside, and said to the six people behind her, “He’s yours.”

-----------------

A chilling scream came from inside the warehouse.

Arthur closed the letter and said, “It seems things inside are settled.”

He handed the letter to Airo, instructing her to deliver it to the Sheriff.

Then, he looked at Godwin: “Come with me, I will explain everything.”

With that, he pushed open the warehouse door and walked inside.