The Villain's Retirement-Chapter 50: Lurking (1)

After some time, Reynard finally turned toward the doors and clapped his hands once. When he reached the carriage as they were about to leave, he faced the knights first.

"Regarding tonight’s incident involving Lord Ard is not to be mentioned by anyone," the Duke ordered. Standing before him, the knights outside immediately answered speaking together.

"Yes, Your Grace!" the knights immediately answered, "By my sword and by my life, I swear this vow. Should I break it, may my blade turn against me and my death come without honor."

After that, Ard started to walk inside the mansion and then, soft, but hurried footsteps started to be heard and the servants started to approach his direction.

"Lord Ard!"

Claire ran towards him first.

"Y-You were attacked...?" she asked. "We heard there were assassins..."

Behind her, Lina and Abby hovered just as close, with the exception of Clara.

"Please don’t scare us like that again." Abby said very carefully.

From the side, Lina leaned forward slightly, eyes shining—not with romance, but fascination.

"So you really fought assassins? Were they strong? Did they use magic?"

Before Ard could even answer, a sharp voice was heard from behind her.

"Lina," Clara warned mildly.

"Right. Sorry."

Ard paused. He thought whether he should tell them this information, but while he was debating, Clara, the older maid, who seemed to have a closer relationship with the Duke than just a mere servant nodded at him. With this, Ard answered them, particularly Lina, who seemed the most interested.

"Yes, there were assassins. I wouldn’t say they are strong, but they are certainly dangerous." Ard said.

"Wow." Lina replied.

Claire’s gaze then drifted briefly toward the corridor, then toward the closed doors beyond which the Duke and the others had already departed.

’There’s no woman.’

She noticed making her lips curve faintly. With this, she turned to Ard, smoothing her apron with deliberate care.

"Sir Ard."

Clasping her hands behind her back leaning in just a little, she spoke softly, tilting her head just enough as if to show kindness without crossing a line.

"You must be tired. We have prepared a bath for you."

Beside her, Abby stiffened. Then her fingers twisted into her skirt. After a moment’s internal struggle, she swallowed and gathered her courage. "I—I have already prepared your bed too, Sir. Would you like some tea or a—anything after your bath or just... someone to stay nearby."

She bowed slightly, mortified by her own words, her cheeks flushed.

Claire glanced sideways at her, amused.

Just then, Clara cleared her throat sharply.

"Lord Ard has just returned from a dangerous situation. No crowding him." She said, firmly reclaiming order. Both maids straightened immediately.

Ard looked between them and blinked.

"I appreciate it." He said calmly.

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After a few hours—

Moonlight filtered faintly through the curtains, painting pale lines across the ceiling. The mansion was silent. The servants and even the guards at the gate were merely waking up in turns to patrol.

Just then, Ard rose from his bed without a sound. His crimson eyes shone for a moment then the shadows in the room stirred as if responding to his breath. They peeled away from the corners, slid along the floor, and wrapped around his feet, his legs, his silhouette. The air rippled—then collapsed inward.

And Ard was gone.

Shadows silently moved through the cold stones travelling like mice in the dark.

Then eventually, a shadow started to ripple towards the castle, heading inside the meeting room. Then from the shadow, Ard’s head went out discreetly. Currently, he had arrived in the meeting hall of the Ducal Palace.

The meeting hall was lit brightly where various nobles could be seen talking seriously while surrounding a miniature replica of the large city in a humongous round table.

Reynard stood there, both hands resting against its polished surface. Around him sat men and women of rank—dukes’ envoys, royal vassals, senior knights, and nobles whose eyes all carried a trace of seriousness, some even very fresh injuries.

Faller and another knight stood to Reynard’s right, arms crossed. Gary leaned casually against a pillar near the wall.

Loud exchanges filled the room until Reynard raised a hand to command.

"Enough," he said quietly. "Margrave, give us a summary."

The room stilled as Margrave Daniel started to speak with a slight smile on his face as if even intrigued by the whole situation. Compared to the others, he was one who hadn’t suffered an injury as well, despite having clearly engaged in battle.

"As of tonight, there have been confirmed attacks on seven noble households within the capital and its surrounding districts. Four carriages were ambushed on their way home from the banquet, including Baron Poly along with his son Sir Landale, Viscount Ratsworth, and Baron Salience. Two estates were infiltrated directly. There were five deaths, but none on the nobility. But"—his eyes sharpened intently—"five nobles are missing. They are Viscount Ratsworth, Lady Fang, Sir Landale, and his father Baron Poly. Where they currently are, we currently have no leads."

"But more than likely, the Viscount, Sir Landale, and even his father are all knights of the kingdom, so for them to lose and get abducted even, if not killed, we are up against a large organization." The margrave continued. "This conclusion aligns with the attackers we have subdued thanks to the Ducal knights. The unit who attacked Baron Salience’s carriage for one had three knights, while the two units the Duke fought with the Ducal knights had a one high knight leading them, and several assassins at the knight level."

Before he was finished—

"Tch," a madam scoffed, as she clicked his tongue. "How is the traitor’s daughter’s interrogation? Cut off her fingers if she doesn’t want to talk. She’s a traitor."

A brief, uncomfortable silence followed the madam’s words. Several nobles shifted in their seats and coughed lowly. Others did not move at all.

Before, she was only listening quietly but now the Duchess’s fingers tightened slightly against the edge of the table and her cold voice cut through the room.

"Careful with your words," she said evenly.

"She is a Mur," the madam snapped back. "And her house fell for treason. That alone—"

"—is not proof of her guilt," the margrave then interrupted, his voice firm. "Not in this matter. I was about to get into that actually. Mistress Lianne, may you elaborate?"

A beautiful lady wearing prescription glasses in her thirties started to speak.

"As everyone know here, I am a mage that specializes in mind magic." Lianne said, "And I can certify that the the Mur daughter, like all the other assassins we have caught, is under some kind of magic that prohibits them her from giving out information. It is a very high-level magic, which not even I can remove or dare imitate."

Even after listening more, Ard who was listening in the background, could tell the circle of nobles actually had no clue at all.

He then remembered what the Duke had told him. That he won’t involve him in this matter and would allow him to live his quiet and peaceful ordinary life peacefully. However, Ard also understand that as long as this problem persists, he would always remain a target.

’At least with this group, I shall give him a favor then.’

Ard then sunk into his shadow, disappearing.

’I won’t involve myself. But in order to truly do that, I have to do it by my own terms. I’ll make sure this’ll never happen again.’