Nighttime at Eagle Castle.
As the bright moonlight illuminated the entire castle, everyone had fallen into a deep sleep, except for the patrolling soldiers who held oil lamps, vigilantly inspecting the surroundings.
Seizing a gap in the soldiers' patrols, a shadowy figure swiftly slipped into the castle. He looked up towards George's bedroom and began to climb up.
Inside the bedroom, George appeared to be asleep, his gentle breathing audible.
Suddenly, there was a slight noise from the window.
"Creak."
Followed by a soft landing sound.
"Thud..."
The shadowy figure quietly approached George's bedside.
Gazing at the seemingly slumbering George, the intruder felt a deep sense of confusion.
Just last night, he had shot a crossbow bolt into George's heart and had even witnessed him die.
How, after just one day, was George training by the castle as if nothing had happened? If he hadn't been cautious, he wouldn't know how to explain this to his superior.
Fortunately, George seemed intent on keeping the matter quiet, giving the intruder another opportunity to assassinate him.
This time, the intruder vowed to ensure the target was thoroughly dead.
With this in mind, he drew a long knife from his back.
He couldn't believe that even if he decapitated George, the man would still be alive and kicking.
Immediately, the long knife swung swiftly towards George. However, at that moment, George, who should have been asleep, opened his eyes and rolled to the side, causing the knife to strike the pillow behind him.
"Thud..."
"How could this be..." the intruder whispered in disbelief.
"Awake, you mean?" George, now off the bed, had already grabbed his longsword and stood up.
Realizing the situation had turned, the intruder remained silent, twirling his knife before attacking George again.
"Now!" George shouted loudly.
He then raised his longsword to clash with the intruder's blade.
"Clang."
Lacking the strength to match, George was quickly overwhelmed by the intruder's offensive.
More and more cuts appeared on George's body.
However, this didn't instill fear in George; instead, it awakened the beastly nature hidden in his bloodline.
He let out an excited roar.
"Howl!!!"
Gradually, his strength matched that of his opponent.
At that moment, the bedroom door was forcefully opened.
Two individuals clad in leather armor, a man and a woman, rushed in and swiftly assisted George in subduing the intruder.
In less than half a minute, the situation was completely reversed. At this point, the intruder, who had still harbored hopes of escape, gave up.
With a swift move, George knocked the knife from the intruder's hand and immediately ordered the other two to restrain him.
Retrieving a sturdy rope from the room, George, with the assistance of the two, tightly bound the intruder.
It was only then that George noticed something unusual about his body. He walked to the window and, under the moonlight, examined himself.
At some point, his arms had grown numerous white hairs, his nails had become longer and more slender than before, and two sharp canine teeth protruded from his mouth.
Just as George was astonished by these changes, they quickly receded, returning to normal, along with the cuts on his body.
"Speak! Who sent you to assassinate Lord George?"
While George was inspecting his body, the leather-armored woman began the interrogation.
Her name was Catherine Chus. She was born in Maike Village, under the barony where George resided.
From a young age, she displayed exceptional talent as a swordswoman, catching the attention of the former baron, Rachel Gerard, who took her under his wing.
Catherine did not disappoint the baron's expectations. At 16, she advanced from apprentice swordswoman to the first rank, and within two years, she reached mid-first rank. It was foreseeable that in the coming years, she would likely break through to the second, or even third rank.
Unlike the impatient Catherine, the other leather-armored man, after binding the intruder, approached George and had witnessed George's transformation.
He remained silent, standing by until George returned to normal, then asked, "Lord George, are you alright?"
Snapping back to reality, George looked deeply at the man. "Marcus, I'm fine. You and Catherine take the assassin downstairs."
"Yes, my lord."
As they departed, George's mind recalled memories of Marcus.
Marcus Aimer was the third son of Opid Aimer. As the third son of a baronial family, he had no inheritance rights. His future options were either to take on a clerical role within the family or become a wandering knight.
Coincidentally, Baron Opid and George's father, Rachel Gerard, were friends. Thus, he entrusted his son to Rachel, hoping he would earn a knighthood.
Marcus himself was diligent, not only quickly obtaining a knighthood with the help of his liege, Rachel Gerard, but also earning numerous merits, transforming his lifetime knighthood into a hereditary one.
Suppressing his curiosity about his body's changes, George knew now wasn't the time for investigation.
He exited the room, following Marcus and Catherine as they escorted the intruder to the castle's dungeon.
Outside the bedroom, the earlier commotion had drawn the castle's servants and guards to gather at the door, with the steward, Jess, trying to calm them.
As one of the few privy to George's plan, Jess's duty was to explain the situation to the others and soothe their emotions.
The trio paid no heed to the onlookers, passing through the crowd and descending to the castle's dungeon.
Marcus lit the torches on the walls, bringing a faint light to the dim dungeon. They locked the intruder in a cell, binding his hands behind a chair.
After ensuring the intruder couldn't escape, Catherine roughly tore off his mask.
A young Osothian face appeared before them, with green-blue eyes and short blond hair.
Looking at the unfamiliar face, George said in confusion, "A stranger... I don't know you."
The intruder remained silent, simply staring at the three.
Seeing the intruder's uncooperative attitude, Catherine punched him in the stomach, causing him to shiver in pain, yet he still didn't utter a word.
"Not talking, huh? I have my ways." Turning around, Catherine went to fetch the interrogation tools.
At this moment, the composed Marcus spoke up, "As far as I know, Osothians typically reside in the northwest regions of the kingdom, neither too far nor too close to us."
"Those among the Osothians who possess knightly supernatural abilities are usually nobles. However, noble offspring generally disdain becoming assassins, so he can only be a wandering knight or a fallen noble."
A slight change finally appeared in the intruder's previously indifferent eyes, indicating that Marcus's deduction was correct.