In the dimly lit prison cell, a figure clad in black night attire was bound to a chair, facing George and his two companions who were conducting the interrogation.
Katherine set down the torture instrument in her hand, waiting for Marcus to continue speaking.
"Let me think, which nobles in the northwest region would hire an assassin like you?"
"Mortling? Odling? Or Chaski Territory?"
These territories were all closely associated with the Ossos people, either as noble lands of the Ossos or as regions with strong ties to them.
As Marcus spoke, the shadowy figure lowered his head deeply, obscuring his expression.
Unable to bear it any longer, Katherine grabbed the short hair of the figure, forcing his head up.
"Didn't you hear Knight Marcus speaking to you? Understand your situation, boy."
Clearly, the territories Marcus mentioned had no connection to the figure. He coldly glanced at the three before averting his gaze again.
"Still keeping silent? There are plenty of ways to make you talk." Katherine impatiently raised the torture instrument, ready to act.
Suddenly, George, who had been silently listening, spoke: "Manvido County."
The figure's body stiffened, his pupils dilated involuntarily. He couldn't understand how George had guessed this place.
"So, it's true..."
After pondering for a moment, George turned to the butler, Jess, who had appeared outside the cell unnoticed, and said, "Jess, investigate who in Manvido County has connections with our family."
"Yes, my lord."
Receiving the order, Jess immediately prepared to leave for the investigation.
"Wait."
At this moment, the previously unresponsive figure suddenly spoke.
"Hmm?" George turned to look at him, waiting for his next words.
"Give me a quick death."
George shook his head. "That depends on whether the information you provide is valuable."
"I, Jorson Bex, swear upon the honor of the Bex family that from this moment on, every word I speak is true, without falsehood."
Hearing this, everyone present became solemn.
One might not believe a noble's oath on their life, but an oath on the family's honor was undeniable, for to them, family honor outweighed their own lives.
"I also ask Baron George to swear not to harm my family members."
"Jorson, out of respect for noble honor, I can indeed swear, but you must understand, if someone from your family seeks revenge..."
Seemingly understanding George's implication, the figure explained, "Please rest assured, Baron. Besides me, my family consists only of the elderly, weak, and infirm. The only young member is my sister. Moreover, I did not inform them about this matter."
George nodded, then raised his left hand and swore, "I, George Gerard, swear upon the honor of the Gerard family not to harm the Bex family."
"Thank you, Baron George."
After expressing his gratitude, Jorson, the shadowy figure, took a deep breath and said, "Wenlai Castle Knight's Domain."
"Wenlai Castle Knight's Domain?"
Wenlai Castle Knight's Domain was a region under Manvido County, traditionally held by the county's knight commander.
"Yes, the Baron should know who it is."
George frowned slightly. "Of course, I know who, I just didn't expect it to be..."
"Anything is possible, Baron George."
Sighing, George said, "Katherine, give him a quick death."
"Yes, Lord George." Setting down the torture instrument, Katherine took a dagger from Marcus.
"Do you have any last words?"
Hearing Katherine's question, Jorson suddenly straightened up, staring intently at George. "I ask the Baron to keep his promise."
George met his gaze without fear. "Of course."
Then, Katherine firmly stabbed the dagger into his heart.
Without any struggle, blood flowed from his mouth. Like someone falling asleep, Jorson closed his eyes and stopped breathing.
"Jess, take care of his body."
"Yes, my lord."
"Marcus, Katherine, you've worked hard tonight. Rest well, we'll discuss further tomorrow."
"Yes, Lord George."
After giving his instructions, George returned alone to his bedroom. Gazing at the continuously burning fire in the fireplace, he sat silently, lost in thought.
...
Morning.
As the rising sun illuminated the entire castle, the barony began a new day.
In the kitchen, chefs prepared the Baron's breakfast; maids cleaned the castle; in the garden, gardeners trimmed the branches; on the training ground, soldiers gathered for morning drills.
As for the castle's master, George, he still sat by the fireplace, contemplating.
Soon, his personal servant led him to the dining table for breakfast.
Burdened with thoughts, he did not engage in his usual morning training after breakfast but stayed in the study, waiting for Marcus and Katherine to arrive.
"Knock, knock, knock."
It seemed Marcus and Katherine had arrived outside the door.
"Come in."
"Lord George." Upon entering, the two saluted George.
"Sit down." George pointed to the chairs in the room, indicating for them to be seated.
After they sat, George took the map from his desk and placed it at the center.
"What are your thoughts on Wenlai Castle Knight's Domain?"
After pondering for a moment, Marcus cautiously said, "My lord, Wenlai Castle has elite and abundant troops, and its master, Knight Horst, is your uncle..."
Horst Gerard, George's uncle and the younger brother of the late Baron Rachel Gerard.
His experience was quite similar to Marcus's; both were entrusted by their fathers to titled comrades. The only difference was that Horst served a count.
Therefore, his advancement in extraordinary ranks was faster than Marcus's. The count valued him greatly, and in less than ten years, he became the count's knight commander.
Shaking his head, George said self-deprecatingly, "Yes, isn't he my dear uncle? I've been deceived by him all these years, never expecting he had designs on our barony."
"But, thinking about it, it makes sense. If I, the current Baron, were to die, wouldn't he be the next heir?"
"At that time, he could investigate the cause of my death, find a scapegoat, and seamlessly take over the barony."
After speaking to himself for a while, realizing his lapse, George looked at his two silent subordinates and coughed lightly. "Marcus, Katherine, don't worry about his identity. When he decided to act against me, he ceased to be my uncle."
"Yes, my lord."
Immediately, Marcus looked at the knight's domain on the map and said, "My lord, as the count's knight commander, he has far more troops than other knight's domains, roughly equal to our barony."
"Moreover, as far as I know, Knight Horst places great emphasis on training soldiers, so his troops are very brave and skilled. If our soldiers were to fight them, it would be a tough battle. Most importantly, Knight Horst is a Tier 2 novice knight extraordinary. Even if the three of us combined, we couldn't defeat him."
George nodded. Marcus's points were valid. On their side, all three were Tier 1 extraordinaries; no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't defeat a Tier 2. That was a fact.
"Therefore