My Computer Leads to an Instance Dungeon-Chapter 172 - 146: Blackmail

'A noblewoman?' Fang Zhen immediately thought of Dalia.

Dalia was the only noblewoman in all of Redstone Town.

'What kind of letter is Von Klei sending to Dalia? Are those two corresponding?'

'That woman Dalia sure has a lot of stories surrounding her.'

"Where's the letter?" Fang Zhen asked.

"It's on me. I don't know why, but security in Redstone Town is especially tight tonight. I hadn't delivered the letter yet. I had just captured a sentry to ask what was going on when I was discovered. Then someone threw a Magic Flame and burned two of us to death," the Mercenary replied.

Fang Zhen nodded and asked one last question. "It was just a few of you who came?"

"Yes, just the five of us," the Mercenary answered.

After answering, the Mercenary asked with a glimmer of hope, "You said you wouldn't kill me. Is that true?"

"I didn't say I wouldn't kill you, only that you'd live through the night," Fang Zhen said. "As for how many more nights you'll live, that depends on what the people of Redstone Town think."

He couldn't be bothered to lie.

The Mercenary was disappointed at first, but then a sense of relief washed over him.

'No matter what, I'm alive for now.'

"Quade, search him and find the letter," Fang Zhen said.

Quade immediately obeyed, starting to search the Mercenary. He soon pulled a letter from the man's breast pocket, stood up, and handed it to Fang Zhen.

Fang Zhen opened the letter.

Von Klei was a Fallen Knight, and Dalia was, in name at least, on Fang Zhen's side. Fang Zhen wanted to see what their connection was, lest he find himself betrayed by a fickle woman.

After opening the letter, Fang Zhen found its contents to be quite simple.

"Viscountess Ashton, your son Vic is in my hands. If you want him to live, come to the location in this letter before dawn tomorrow. Trade the secret of the Cristin Clan for your son's life."

"Also, I hear Redstone Town has a self-proclaimed hero who calls himself a Wandering Knight. Bring this Wandering Knight to the same place, by any means necessary."

That was the extent of the letter's contents. There was also a simple map, which appeared to depict the terrain within Baron von Klei's Territory, north of Redstone Town.

'Dalia has a son?' Fang Zhen's eyebrows shot up as he read the letter.

The letter's contents were better than he had expected. It wasn't Dalia betraying him, but a threat, coercing Viscountess Ashton with her son's life.

'Dalia hasn't received the letter yet. I wonder how she'll react.'

But in this matter, Dalia was a sympathetic figure. She hadn't done anything wrong; she was like a mother whose child had been kidnapped—a weak and pitiful victim.

Fang Zhen thought for a moment, then folded the letter and put it away.

He didn't intend to hide the letter. Instead, he planned to take it back, show it to Dalia, and ask her to explain what was going on.

'It's not good to hide the contents of this letter. It's better to be open and ask her face-to-face. Misunderstandings between us would be disastrous.'

After putting the letter away, Fang Zhen said to Quade, "Keep this one alive. Let the people from Redstone Town take him back. After tonight, how he's dealt with is their business."

"Yes, my lord," Quade immediately replied.

A dozen or so minutes later, Fang Zhen returned to Redstone Town.

Quade also informed everyone that the Mercenaries who had attacked Redstone Town had all been dealt with, leaving only one in the woods.

Ande immediately sent men to capture the remaining Mercenary.

Fang Zhen had a pretty good idea of what had happened. In his nervousness, Ande had mistaken a five-man squad disguised as Mercenaries for a small force of ten or twenty. After all, in the forest at midnight, it was easy to mistake trees for human figures. As the idiom goes, every bush and tree looked like an enemy soldier.

Fang Zhen could see Ande let out a clear sigh of relief. He had had enough of being terrified for one night.

"You... you really killed Montagu and his army?" At that moment, a stunned voice sounded from behind Fang Zhen.

Fang Zhen turned to see Dalia, her one-eyed female guard, and Matthew arriving together at the town's northern exit.

Dalia had changed out of her usual black long dress and was now wearing a brown leather hunting outfit. It accentuated her curvaceous figure and gave her a valiant, dashing air.

Dalia's gaze fell on Montagu's head on the ground. She seemed to recognize his features. After looking for a moment, her eyes moved from Montagu's head to Fang Zhen.

Fang Zhen could feel the fervor and hope in her gaze.

It was easy to understand. Dalia had placed all her bets on Fang Zhen.

The Viscountess's husband was likely dead, and the only person she could rely on was her godfather. If Fang Zhen hadn't appeared, Dalia's only path would have been to go to the Royal Capital, use her noble connections, and see if she could find a political solution to reclaim her territory.

However, it was difficult to know who your true friends were in noble circles. When a noble family fell on hard times, it was little different from a common family's ruin. They would be lucky to escape ridicule. Since ancient times, there have always been few who offer help in times of need, and many who add flowers to a brocade. Worse, some would kick a man when he's down.

Dalia was not only exceptionally beautiful but also the heir to the legendary Cristin Clan, who were rumored to have a hidden treasure. If she went seeking favors and pulling strings, countless people would want to suck her dry. Worse still, some nobles might even try to possess the widow for themselves. After all, having a noblewoman as a personal plaything would satisfy the desires of many men.

Having interacted with Dalia, Fang Zhen didn't think she was a stupid woman. She must have been able to figure these things out. But circumstances had forced her hand, leaving her with no other path. She had to walk forward even knowing the road ahead was filled with wolves and tigers.

But Fang Zhen's appearance had given Dalia a second choice, an alternative to that path with an unknown future.

If Fang Zhen could truly kill Viscount Montagu, and also kill Baron von Kleist—who had been scheming to profit from her all along—then Dalia would have no enemies in the surrounding region for a short time.

Given some time to manage her affairs and reorganize her army, she could regain control of the Ashton Territory. She might even be able to swallow up Montagu's and Baron von Klei's territories.

Compared to losing her domain and going to the Royal Capital to be at the mercy of others, this outcome was the difference between heaven and earth.

That was why, even after Fang Zhen had raised his price, Dalia was willing to accept it and even offered a higher reward. She understood that the outcomes of the two paths represented two completely different fates and lives.

The only thing that troubled Dalia was whether Fang Zhen had the ability to deliver on his promises.

Now, the facts had proven that Fang Zhen had the skill.

Viscount Montagu's head was the most powerful proof.

A flush crept over Dalia's face. The red hue was so intense that Fang Zhen almost mistook it for some kind of physiological reaction to her excitement.

The look in Dalia's eyes as she gazed at Fang Zhen had completely changed. It was so fervent it seemed as if it could melt him.

Fang Zhen cleared his throat softly. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"My lady, I have fulfilled my promise. It's time for you to fulfill yours," Fang Zhen said.

"Alright. Whatever you want, I'll give it to you." Dalia was incredibly compliant now, completely different from her wary and guarded demeanor during the day. She even seemed gentle.

Fang Zhen wasn't sure if Dalia was being intentionally ambiguous.

He didn't really care about that. His main focus was on his own goals—the Extraordinary Items and the Gold Ropes.

"I want an Extraordinary Item for Spirit and mind defense. Also, didn't you offer a bounty of one hundred and fifty Gold Ropes for Montagu?" Fang Zhen said.

"Yes, it's all yours. Come with me to the Redstone Tavern," Dalia said.

Fang Zhen didn't move immediately. Instead, he said, "My lady, I found a letter on one of the men who attacked Redstone Town just now. I think you need to see it."

"A letter?" Dalia was very surprised.

It wasn't just her; Matthew, who was beside her, also showed a curious expression.

"Come over here. Let's look at it together," Fang Zhen said.

He pulled Dalia and Matthew aside to a relatively secluded spot. The one-eyed female guard held up a torch, standing watch over their surroundings.

Fang Zhen took out the letter from Baron von Kleist and handed it to Dalia.

After taking the letter and reading it by the light of the torch, Dalia's face, which had been flushed with excitement just moments ago, turned pale. Her expression was ghastly.

Dalia passed the letter to Matthew.

After Matthew finished reading, his expression also turned grim, and he seemed to have a look of guilt and shame.

"My lady, what are your thoughts on this matter?" Fang Zhen asked.

Although Dalia looked terrible, she remained rational.

"This is a trap. I will not go to the place Von Klei mentioned, nor will I betray you, Knight Fang Zhen," Dalia said.

Fang Zhen was a little surprised.

'Is Dalia really that tough? As a mother, she's not at all worried about her son's safety?'

'Is she planning to abandon her own flesh and blood?'

'Or is there something else going on?'

"It's a trap. Von Klei does not have Dalia's child," Matthew said at this moment.

Fang Zhen's gaze shifted to Matthew.

Matthew sighed softly and explained, "When the situation was already growing tense, Dalia entrusted her child, Vic, to me. She asked me to take Vic away from the Ashton Territory and bring him to Viscount Perrington's Territory, to Dalia's godfather, Viscount Perrington."

"But, Knight Fang Zhen, you know what happened next. I was attacked on the Dark Path. My servant and coachman died. While I was fleeing for my life with Little Vic, we ran into Rex and his gang."

"Rex and his men probably figured out Little Vic's identity. While I was being held captive in the cave, I overheard them plotting to sell Little Vic to the person backing them. We now know that was Baron von Kleist."

"But there was an accident. Little Vic suffered from epilepsy. He had a seizure after being badly frightened and died in the cave. Rex and his men buried Little Vic's body."

"After I was rescued, and after you had left Redstone Town, I asked the townspeople for help. We searched near the cave and found the place where Rex had buried Little Vic's body. We also confirmed the identity of the boy's corpse there."

As he said this, Matthew looked extremely guilty, while Dalia's face showed unconcealable grief.

"So, Little Vic has been summoned by the Tade God and has gone to the Divine Kingdom."

"Baron von Kleist couldn't possibly be using Little Vic to threaten her."