Chapter 4

Horn Town, located within Yorkshire, is very close to the Emerald Capital; it takes only about three hours on horseback.

However, Dean certainly did not have a horse; after all, a horse was still a luxury for him at this point—thus, after dealing with the bodies of 'Bat' Sally and her subordinates, changing out of the conspicuous military uniform, and altering his appearance slightly, Dean spent an entire day’s journey to enter Horn Town in Yorkshire.

This town was one of the stops on his way to the Ficharren Knights—indeed, according to the map, it was not particularly necessary and even somewhat out of the way.

However, according to Dean’s memory, something would happen here in the next few days—something closely related to him. Whether considering his future development or weakening the power of the Deputy Commander of the Central Knights, he had to participate in this matter!

Therefore, Dean chose to make this his first stop, even if it meant taking a detour.

Of course, he also needed to replenish some necessary equipment in Horn Town.

Although Horn Town is not large, due to its proximity to the Emerald Capital, it has become a stopping point for northerners, especially northern merchants, before they truly enter the Emerald Capital. Therefore, even though the town is not large, it is quite bustling, with taverns, restaurants, general stores, and even a tailor shop.

“I need a cloak, with a hood, preferably waterproof!”

Pulling out a silver kso, Dean flicked it with his thumb, and the shiny silver kso landed in the tailor shop owner’s hand, making his smile even brighter. In addition to the cloak, he also offered a pair of leather gloves—not particularly valuable, just ordinary animal skin. Thus, even with the gloves, the owner still made a profit; at least twenty copper coins.

This was clearly a very good deal for the tailor shop owner.

Therefore, when Dean left, the tailor shop owner very politely saw him off, all the way until Dean entered the restaurant next to the tailor shop—a restaurant that perfectly suited Horn Town’s location, situated in the center of the town, making it very convenient for merchants traveling north and south.

Inside the restaurant, there were scattered tables for townspeople and ordinary merchants, and upstairs, there were private rooms for the truly noble guests.

Dean, dressed in ordinary attire, was naturally led to the scattered tables—

“Sir, what would you like?”

The waiter was a young man, very energetic, and asked with a smile.

“I want a piece of roasted beef, from the hind leg, and a cup of ale! Remember to be quick, I’m so hungry from unloading those goods that my stomach is growling!”

Speaking very quickly, Dean handed over five copper coins—while the food he ordered was worth at most four copper coins; the extra one was clearly a tip.

“No problem, sir!”

The waiter’s smile became even brighter, and he subtly pocketed one of the five copper coins before quickly heading into the kitchen.

While the waiter was bringing out the food, Dean casually glanced around, just like the other guests waiting for their food to pass the time. However, compared to the genuine casualness of these guests, Dean’s gaze had a specific purpose.

But he disguised it very well, making it impossible to detect—Dean had done this countless times in his career as an assassin, almost becoming second nature to him.

Most of the people at the scattered tables in the restaurant were merchants, with a few locals. From their clothing and conversation with their tablemates, Dean quickly identified them. Clearly, none of them were his target—so, naturally, Dean’s gaze began to move upstairs.

Soon, a private room caught his attention.

Compared to the other three private rooms, this one on the far right had nothing special about it, except for the additional person at its entrance.

The leather armor and short sword indicated the person was a guard, and the alert expression confirmed it.

Dean’s gaze turned away before the guard’s scan reached him, but his peripheral vision continued to observe the area.

The noise in the restaurant made it impossible for Dean to hear what was happening in the private room, but from the guard’s tense expression, it was clear that something important was happening inside—though the guard was diligent, he was clearly not a skilled hand.

If it were a truly skilled hand, there would be no expression on their face at any time, even when stabbing an enemy in the chest and crushing their heart, they would remain expressionless, like the coldest of assassins—Dean believed that top-notch guards and top-notch assassins were similar in this regard; the latter just being more covert.

Of course, this situation was exactly what Dean wanted to see.

If a truly skilled hand appeared, it would undoubtedly make everything more difficult for him in his current 'clean' state.

“Ah!”

Just as Dean was carefully observing, a scream suddenly came from the private room, piercing through the noise of the restaurant—female, and relatively young.

Dean instinctively judged the owner of the scream, and the other guests in the restaurant also turned their gazes towards the private room where the scream came from. However, upon seeing the guard with his short sword and fierce expression, most of the rational guests lowered their heads and continued eating their food.

The waiter who received Dean’s tip quickly ran out onto the street, shouting loudly, “Guards, guards!”

At the same time, the restaurant owner ran upstairs, followed by a large, greasy man carrying a bone knife—clearly a cook.

“Stop!”

The diligent guard, holding his short sword, shouted fiercely.

“Respected guest, please don’t misunderstand…”

The restaurant owner was a thin man with a merchant’s smile, and at this moment, he was trying to make his smile even more sincere to gain the other party’s favor.

“The lady inside is my wife; she only helps me manage the business here and is not one of those… Moreover, my waiter has already gone to report to the guards due to the panic. You must know that Captain Mark is a very serious guard captain, so I believe there is a misunderstanding!”

With a smile, the restaurant owner continued to explain, but his meaning was clear, and the raised volume was clearly not directed at the guard.

“Hmm, there is a misunderstanding!”

A voice came from the private room, and then the door opened. A woman, looking flustered, ran out, clutching her chest, and quickly ran downstairs at the restaurant owner’s signal. Behind her, a large, well-dressed man slowly walked out.

“Noble sir, I did not mean to offend you…”

The restaurant owner, upon seeing the large middle-aged man, immediately bowed. The cook behind him did the same; as for the bone knife?

He had long hidden it behind his back.

If he dared to show the knife in front of such a big shot, he would be dead soon.

Slap!

The restaurant owner, who had just straightened up after bowing, was struck by a loud slap, causing him to stagger. Then, before he could react, a heavy kick was delivered to his abdomen, and the thin restaurant owner tumbled down the stairs like a ball.

“Now, the misunderstanding is cleared up!”

The large middle-aged man took out a white handkerchief to wipe his right hand, which had just struck the restaurant owner. Seeing the other man’s bloody and bruised face, he nodded in satisfaction, then turned to look at the silent downstairs, where everyone who met his gaze immediately lowered their heads and averted their eyes.

This made him even more satisfied.

Dean was also satisfied—though he pretended to be flustered and lowered his head, the moment he saw the man, Dean completely confirmed his identity: Ruman Bolla.

The uncle of the Deputy Commander of the Central Knights and the person in charge of the Bolla family’s underground business.

His main target this time, or rather… the interest the other party had to pay!

At this moment, the sound of chaotic footsteps and the clanging of sword scabbards came from the street.

Such sounds made the noble sir frown, and he abandoned the idea of bringing the woman back. After all, she was just the owner of a restaurant, somewhat attractive, but not worth his trouble, especially outside the Emerald Capital, where real trouble could arise. The Duke of York was not someone to be trifled with.

Moreover, he had an important mission to complete. Thinking of his brother, who was also the head of the Bolla family, the noble sir changed his mind. He signaled to the guard, whispered a few words in his ear, and then continued into the private room. The guard went downstairs and left the restaurant.

A moment later, he returned.

During this time, the sounds of footsteps and clanging sword scabbards also disappeared.

PS: During the release of my new book, I seek all kinds of support—clicks, recommendations, collections, and rewards—none of them can be missing. I thank you all in advance!