Free Web NovelChapter 1129: Chapter 1066
The moon is high in the sky, and the world is silent.
The lights in the inns of Brook Creek Town dim one by one, leaving only a lone light on the first floor and a few staff guarding the gate.
The young lad at the Great Oak Inn leans his head against the gray wall, drool dripping down the corner of his mouth.
When several shadows flashed past the window, even making a slight creaking sound.
The young lad just hummed twice in his sleep and continued wandering in his dreams.
"Very good." The leading Shadowless Man, Drake, climbed onto the eaves and hoisted himself to the roof. "We haven’t alerted the guards at the door."
"How’s the stable?" the second Demon Hunter, Stumuru from Golden Horn Bay, asked in a low voice.
Drake immediately puffed his cheeks and produced a few soft cricket chirps.
Soon, a responding cricket chirp came from nearby, indicating that the stable was under control and they could escape at any moment.
After confirming the stable was secured, both Drake and Stumuru breathed a sigh of relief.
Due to excessive logging around Brook Creek, there were only a few shrubs and sparse woods nearby.
The stream was shallow and slow-flowing, and the Holy Alliance reinforcements had set up many concealed posts and patrolling guards around.
Without fast-moving tools, they feared that even if they killed the Holy Alliance witch, they couldn’t escape.
Although they came with a resolve to die, survival would certainly be better than death if possible.
Perhaps due to the outer posts, the Holy Alliance inside the inn was lax in defense, unexpectedly allowing them to find an opening.
However, there’s no time to delay; quick, decisive action is needed. Otherwise, if the stables are discovered by patrolling Night Watchers later, escape would be impossible.
From his waist, he took out four Holy Water Grenades, bit the pull cord with his teeth, and Stumuru glanced at Drake.
Drake raised three fingers, followed by two, then one.
"Do it!"
"Bang!"
Drake kicked the window to shatter it, and Stumuru tossed the four Holy Water Grenades inside.
The jetting mist swiftly filled the room, shrouding everything in shadows.
Hunching down and lowering his head, Stumuru darted inside, agile like a cat, leaping from the windowsill to the table.
Then his thigh muscles swelled, his body soaring high.
Raising the White Crystal Steel sword smeared with Holy Oil, he slashed toward the bed like a tiger descending the mountain.
The sword wind swirled the mist, cleaving a V-shaped vista before Stumuru’s eyes.
The blade tore through the quilt—one layer, two layers, three layers—and pierced the straw, striking the bed frame with a clang.
This sensation...
Having killed countless, Demon Hunter Stumuru understood the feeling of the sword when taking a life.
From the back of his hand to his neck, goosebumps rose with bristling hairs as he shouted hoarsely, "Run!"
"Wind!"
As the room door swung open, an unnatural gust rushed in.
The mist spewed like breath from the window; Drake and Stumuru scrambled to leap out.
But two guards in breastplates had already charged into the room. Within seven or eight meters, they wielded the most advanced Kanni Di 1453 spring-loaded rifles.
A loud bang erupted; Drake’s back head exploded, shards of skull flying out.
He was halfway outside the window, but his waist got stuck by the sill, arms and legs drooping, sprawled over the ledge.
Beside him, Stumuru felt pain in the leg bends and knees, his leather armor and clothes fluttering like shattered butterflies.
He instinctively managed to jump out, but the window blocked by Drake and a shot ruptured his Achilles tendon.
No need to touch it, Stumuru knew his tendon had already snapped.
With the mist dispersed, Stumuru leaned into Drake’s backside and thigh, sitting down slowly.
And before him, soldiers in breastplates walked in, aiming gun barrels at him.
He grimaced with a bitter smile, removing the poison pouch from his necklace to toss into his mouth.
Yet, just as his hand lifted, a flash of white light appeared before his eyes.
Next, he felt a numbing sensation quickly spreading throughout his body.
Not only couldn’t he lift his hand, his tongue was too numb to speak.
Stiffened in place, a woman with the appearance of a girl approached before Stumuru.
On her fingertips, electric snakes coiled, large black braid hanging down, and on her forehead was worn an inverted W-shaped anti-Scripture Recitation Divine Technique headband. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
No doubt, the monk who invented the anti-Scripture Recitation Divine Technique headband would become the first recipient of the "Patrick Invention Award."
Lightning, black hair, braids.
Even with a shattered knee, Stumuru knew who the woman was before him.
That damned Shadowless Man, this is the Holy Alliance Apostle-level High Monk and Witch?
Jeanne D’Arc, Thunder Saintess, Holy Alliance’s first Marshal, Imperial Cardinal Conference Grand Judicator!
Amid despair, Stumuru thought, turning out she really is both a Holy Alliance High Monk and Witch.
Both High Monk and Witch!
"Don Jilo, pry useful information out of his mouth within a quarter of an hour."
Looking at the middle-aged man approaching with a troubled expression, Sturmulu’s face turned pale.
The number one traitor among the Demon Hunters, Don Jilo.
It took less than a quarter of an hour for Sturmulu to disclose everything he knew.
Unfortunately, Sturmulu wasn’t a key figure, and the information he provided was limited.
Those few at the stables were just minor lackeys and didn’t know the specifics.
The core figures outside who were supposed to liaise fled when things went south, and currently, the Kush Cavalry is still pursuing them.
As for the main conspirator who was clear about the situation, Drake, he got shot in the head and died by the window.
Originally, the shot was only supposed to hit his shoulder.
But he seemed to know the power of the clockwork gun, insisted on moving his head to avoid it.
The result was that he moved his head towards the bullet, causing an unexpected outcome.
Amid hurried footsteps, the Great Oak Inn suddenly lit up brightly at night.
In Jeanne’s room, all the Holy Alliance elites supporting Longbow Castle gathered.
After listening to the analysis of the intelligence, everyone looked shocked.
In the evening, the cavalry sent by Jeanne to Longbow Castle returned with bad news:
Longbow Castle experienced a change, the city gates suddenly opened at night, and a large number of vagrants and Robber Knights entered the city.
The Demon Hunters who attacked in the evening gave them another piece of bad news.
There’s a church spy within the City Council who stole itinerary information from there to carry out this attack?
From the information currently available, that seems to be the case.
But can we be sure that the information obtained from these people is correct?
Is it that Longbow Castle has a spy who wants to kill them, or does the Longbow Castle Council want to kill them?
The sixteen-member council has accumulated massive wealth over hundreds of years, and once there’s a rebellion, if suppressed, they can’t escape.
The forty-five-member guild is the same; they definitely can’t maintain their current status.
Probably only the lower-class poor and vagrants won’t be oppressed by Leia, but their numbers are bound to rise sharply.
But having experienced various wars during the Thousand River Valley uprising, Jeanne and the Holy Alliance elites already realized—the pure rational person model is unreliable.
Even if the opposite side is aligned with ours, there’s no telling if one of them might betray Jeanne and Longbow Castle.
If Longbow Castle truly accepted the Holy Alliance’s stance, they would have come to meet them long ago.
Currently, they paid for everything arranged, yet until now haven’t given a clear statement. ƒreewebɳovel.com
At this ambiguous moment, there’s news of an attack, disorder in Longbow Castle, and caravans being prohibited from entering.
It’s hard not to doubt the Longbow Castle Council’s stance.
"If the Longbow Castle Council really chose Leia’s side, wouldn’t we be throwing ourselves into the lion’s mouth if we go there now?"
A Holy Alliance monk asked.
"Without seeing it firsthand, merely retreating out of fear based on hearsay, amusing silver leaf," a Norn officer said in a muffled dialect.
"What’s more important, face or Her Highness Jeanne’s safety?" Another officer stepped forward, "If the church catches Her Highness Jeanne, do you know what the consequences are?"
Jeanne’s status within the Holy Alliance is definitely top-tier.
Until now, neither Leia nor Falan has been able to catch a monk of apostle level or a Corps Commander-level officer.
If caught, Leia certainly couldn’t tear their face and burn her, they don’t have the nerve for that.
If they anger Horn, the Holy Alliance would storm in ferociously, and Leia in its current weakened state, might truly be destroyed.
But using Jeanne for leverage or to obtain significant interests, the Leia Royal Family wouldn’t just have guts but considerable daring.
Exchanging even one or two cities from the Five Cities Alliance for Jeanne would be worth it.
Thinking of this, many supporting Holy Alliance corps members suddenly realized.
It seems they found the reason Longbow Castle turned traitor.
"Even I, this old lady, can tell Longbow Castle doesn’t know Jeanne is coming; otherwise, do you think there would only be a few big cats and small cats?" The old grandmother, wearing pajamas, yawned, "Even if they are traitors wanting to attack, they should wait until we enter the city, attacking in this wilderness, aren’t they afraid the target would escape?"
"Vivian Granny is right." Jeanne put down the interrogation records, "And the opposition clearly resists us entering the city, rather than luring us inside.
If they wanted to lure us in, the current action is obviously pointless.
Our opponent hopes we don’t enter the city, so we must enter the city."
"Your Highness." Socette suddenly stood up, "You can’t be sure of their thoughts; what if this ambush is merely an accident?
Originally, staying in Brook Creek Town would allow us to respond flexibly to changes.
You want to mix in with the Robber Knights to enter the city, not to mention the success rate, the risk is indeed too high."
"Guess the other’s motives in your mind, and you won’t reach a conclusion." Jeanne retorted bluntly, "Socette, are you a coward?"
"Of course not."
"Michelle, are you a coward?"
Michelle naturally shook her head.
After asking Perini and others, everyone said they weren’t cowards.
"This risk is worth taking; if it’s church spies causing chaos, we outsiders are the most crucial force." Jeanne tied her boots and stood up, straightened the W-shaped forehead protector, "Since none of you are cowards, do you dare to come and see with me?"
