228: Assassin Court

There are twelve Grand Dukes of the Four Borders in the Kingdom of Asriel. In the North, there are three: the Grand Dukes of Cold Wind Duchy, stag, and Rage Bear.

In the South, there are four: the Grand Dukes of Immortal, Radiant Silver, Emerald, and Blackwater.

In the East, there are three: the Grand Dukes of Storm, Aegis, and Wild Surge.

In the West, there are two: the Grand Dukes of Crimson Flame and Blood Sand.

From the founding of the Kingdom of Asriel over a thousand years ago, when the Golden King conquered the four borders and established four Grand Dukes to guard the realm, to today, twelve hundred years later, the original four Grand Dukes have increased to twelve.

Every new Grand Duke was someone who led the human race to open up new territories and expand the kingdom's borders; the Kingdom of Asriel has continuously expanded outward over this millennium.

It can be said that every Grand Ducal family once made great contributions to the kingdom and humanity, serving as the cornerstones of the realm.

Today, someone actually assassinated a Grand Duke of the kingdom. The last time such a thing happened was hundreds of years ago during a dark and sluggish period for the kingdom.

Bjorn never expected such a thing to happen during his reign, which made him extremely furious.

A Grand Duke being assassinated—did that mean the kingdom under his rule today was inferior to that dark and sluggish period hundreds of years ago?

The wrath of a king is unimaginable. The campaign to wipe out the Assassins Court spread from the Golden Plains to the entire Kingdom of Asriel.

The Grand Dukes of the Four Borders were also surprisingly unanimous this time, sending out large numbers of elite and powerful Professionals to search for traces of the Assassins Court.

Many secret strongholds of the Assassins Court were discovered and destroyed, and many other assassin organizations were also uncovered and subsequently eliminated.

In addition to the Golden Royal Family and the Grand Dukes of the Four Borders, other nobles in the kingdom spontaneously organized inspections within their territories to search for any hidden assassins.

When facing threats to their own lives, nobles have always spared no effort to eliminate them, and this time was no exception.

A massive anti-assassin operation played out across the kingdom, but as long as sunlight exists, shadows will never completely disappear.

The Eastern Border of the Kingdom of Asriel is a fertile land. Besides vast plains and rolling hills, there is an endless sea at the easternmost edge of the Eastern Border.

The vast, boundless sea is a forbidden zone that humans cannot tread, but in the coastal areas near the kingdom's Eastern Border, there are still many islands, some of which have humans living on them.

The coastal area has thousands of islands; some have been discovered and settled by humans, while others have never been found.

No one knew that the headquarters of the Assassins Court, which all the nobles in the kingdom were currently searching for, was on a hidden island in the coastal area.

Shadow Island, the headquarters of the Assassins Court.

Having successfully returned from assassinating the Grand Duke of the Raging Bear, Shadow Assassin No. 5 walked through the Shadow Corridor and arrived at the Shadow Sanctuary.

The last time he entered this place was when he successfully emerged alive from the training camp to become a true Shadow Assassin; it was here that he received the Shadow Blade bestowed by his Mentor.

“No. 5, you completed this mission exceptionally well. The name of the Assassins Court has once again spread throughout the kingdom because of your actions. The Grand Mentor is very satisfied and has decided to personally reward you.”

“His Excellency the Grand Mentor is personally rewarding me?”

A trace of excitement appeared in No. 5's calm heart.

The Assassins Court has a strict hierarchy. Starting from the lowest level, it is divided into Shadow Slaves, Servants, Assassin Apprentices, Black-Robed Assassins, Seated Assassins, Mentors, and the Grand Mentor.

Outsiders call all assassins who come from the Assassins Court 'Shadow Assassins,' but the strength among them varies vastly.

Within the Assassins Court, those below the rank of Black-Robed Assassin are not considered their own people; they are all consumables. Only upon becoming a Black-Robed Assassin is one considered to have truly entered the door of the Assassins Court.

Only by becoming a Seated Assassin can one be called a true Shadow Assassin. Mentors are the leadership of the Assassins Court, and the Grand Mentor is the strongest existence and the person with the highest status in the entire Assassins Court.

All assassins within the Assassins Court view the Grand Mentor as their idol and the goal they pursue throughout their lives; No. 5 was no exception.

Inside the Shadow Sanctuary, besides No. 5, there were several other Seated Assassins and a few Mentors.

The Seated Assassins wore black robes with white masks corresponding to their seat numbers, while the Mentors, though also in black robes, wore masks of various colors.

Although No. 5 was a Seated Assassin, he was not among the top few; there were four ahead of him, with their leader being No. 1.

As the leader, No. 1 stood to the side watching No. 5. His mask hid his expression, leaving those around him unaware of his current mood.

No. 5 could feel the gazes of his colleagues on him. A few of those gazes were very familiar to him; in response, he looked back at each of them without yielding an inch.

In the center of the Shadow Sanctuary, a distorted shadow suddenly appeared, and the Grand Mentor stepped out from it. Everyone immediately bowed to him in salute.

“No. 5, you did well this time. This Shadow Cloak is bestowed upon you. I grant you permission to enter the Sanctuary Core for advanced study. Once you finish, you will be a Shadow Mentor!”

The Grand Mentor did not waste any words and stated No. 5's reward cleanly and concisely.

“Thousand Faces, fill all the missing seats as quickly as possible and activate all our Shadow Rooms. I need more apprentices.”

“The era of the nobles is about to end. Our era is coming.”

The shadows on the Grand Mentor's body twisted and writhed frantically. His powerful aura shook the hearts and minds of the surrounding Mentors and Shadow Assassins.

“Nothing is true!”

“Everything is permitted!”

The crowd shouted the creed of the Assassins Court, looking at the Grand Mentor with fanatical eyes. That boundless power was exactly what they were desperately seeking... Inside Dora's garden at Red River Fortress.

Alistair sat by the Tree of Life with Renn by her side. Gentle life energy rippled slightly, and not far away was a beautiful and dazzling sea of flowers.

Despite being in such a beautiful setting, there was no joy in Alistair's heart; she simply stared blankly at the sea of flowers beside her.

After much thought, Renn had told Alistair the news of Grand Duke Karl's murder. After all, their wedding date was approaching.

Although they had said the wedding wouldn't be a grand affair, Karl would have certainly contacted Alistair even if he didn't come. It couldn't be hidden, and there was no need to hide it; Renn trusted his partner.

“Renn, do you know? I never thought I would feel this kind of sadness after he passed. Before this, I never felt he was important to me, and I couldn't even say I had any feelings for him.”

“I thought he was just the source of my bloodline, with no other ties. After all, from childhood to adulthood, he was an optional presence in my life.”

“I didn't expect that when the day of loss actually came, I would find he was so important to me.”

Alistair spoke to Renn in a calm tone.

“That's only human nature. After all, he was your father.”

“Yes, he was my father. But he was also the Grand Duke of the Raging Bear and the patriarch of the Raging Bear Family; only lastly was he my father.”

“But I still love him, just as I love my mother whom I never met.”

Taking a deep breath, Alistair stood up.

“Everyone has their day of birth, aging, sickness, and death. His lifespan was already in its final stages, but I didn't expect him to leave this world in such a way. It really is a tragedy, come to think of it.”

“So be it. Life must go on. Don't worry, I'm fine. We have our own lives.”

“Do you need to go to Rage Bear Fortress? The funeral is in a week.”

“No need. Once I left that place, I wouldn't go back. Besides, didn't my brother also not invite us?”

“He's likely in quite a bit of trouble right now. Since he didn't call us, let's not go and add to his troubles.”

“Alright!”

Renn didn't want to get involved in the messy situation at Rage Bear Fortress either. From the Shadow Guards, he knew that the current Rage Bear Fortress was far from as peaceful as it appeared on the surface.