Chapter 20

Dusk.

As the sun sets, the cooking smoke rises, and the lamps are lit.

After bidding farewell to Maggie and leaving the Royal Central Academy, Xalan returned to the inn, once again encountering the suggestive gaze of the attendant. Xalan knew she had come.

The door was unlocked, and he pulled it open and closed it directly. Nini Luo leaned against the sofa, looking at him just as she had last night, seductively tempting.

Nini Luo played with the hair by her ear, teasingly saying, "Not surprised?"

Sitting opposite her, Xalan shook his head: "Someone would tell me you came."

Nini Luo tilted her head slightly, somewhat puzzled: "Who?"

Xalan said: "The inn attendant."

Nini Luo let out a coquettish laugh, stood up, and sat beside him, her long, sensual hand caressing his cheek and chest.

"Did you seduce some girl today?"

"No." In response to Nini Luo's actions, Xalan showed no reaction, calmly answering her questions.

"Then why are you dressed so beautifully?" Nini Luo asked.

"Because I need to." Xalan said.

"Is it important?" Nini Luo asked.

"Not too heavy, not too light." Xalan said.

In this regard, they had an understanding. She wouldn't ask him about things, just as he wouldn't ask her. They both knew what kind of people they were, and some things didn't need to be pursued to the bottom.

"Do you need exercise before dinner?" In his ear, Nini Luo extended her fragrant tongue to suck on his earlobe, her voice soft and alluring.

Xalan tilted his head to avoid her provocation, saying: "No need."

Nini Luo's slender hand slid down to his lower body, giggling: "Weren't you very strong last night? Why not today?"

Xalan stopped her hand from moving further, turned to look at her, his face as usual cold: "I want to understand the details of your plan first."

He needed a clear head. Intimacy would affect his spirit, and her plan was very important. A peak upper-class swordsman was not a piece of wood to be casually cut. The slightest negligence could lead to death.

He didn't want to die, especially not due to his own negligence.

"Boring man." Nini Luo huffed.

As night fell, the purple moon rose, and the stars surrounded it.

"Dulentes Hannel Alec, a young noble from the Hossefa Province, showed astonishing sword skills from a young age. He passed the examination at thirteen and entered the Royal Military Academy. After graduation, he didn't choose the military but began a long journey. No one knows about his blank period during his travels. At thirty-two, he returned to the capital as an upper-class swordsman and again refused the military's call, subsequently becoming elusive and unpredictable." Nini Luo held a document and explained the background of this peak upper-class swordsman to Xalan.

There were two documents. Xalan held one and flipped through it, only the intelligence on the peak upper-class swordsman's combat was of interest to him.

"During the Royal Military Academy's swordsmanship competition, he won seven consecutive matches with a single sword, all with his left hand, and then withdrew from the competition for unknown reasons."

"Upon graduation, he had a conflict with military personnel, briefly engaging in combat and gaining the upper hand, using his left hand."

"At thirty-two, he returned to the capital and again refused the military's call, leading to an incident. He defeated a certain upper-class swordsman from the military, using his left hand."

"There are rumors that Alec's right-hand sword is even more fierce, but no one has seen it firsthand."

"He excels with short swords, his strikes are extremely fast, and his counterattacks are even more fierce."

The combat records of this peak upper-class swordsman were few, especially the mysterious blank period during his travels.

Xalan put down the document and looked at Nini Luo, seriously saying: "There's too little information on his sword techniques."

Nini Luo spread her hands, somewhat helplessly: "This is the maximum I can collect. I think only the military's archives have more information on him."

Military archives?

"I need the information of someone who can enter and exit the military archives at will. Can you do it?" Xalan asked.

Nini Luo was surprised: "Are you crazy?"

Xalan's expression and tone were firm: "I have a way."

Nini Luo carefully examined Xalan, confirming that he was serious.

Would he not know what the military archives were? It was the most heavily guarded place in Adria, even more so than the royal palace.

Nini Luo waved her hand, sighing: "Is it worth the risk?"

Xalan nodded: "It is."

"Why?"

"Because I fear death."

"Ha-ha—" Nini Luo laughed heartily, pointing at Xalan: "I've never realized, you're really cute."

Cute? Xalan asked himself, probably ridiculous.

Interrupting her laughter, Xalan asked again: "Why is there no information on Alec's usual whereabouts?"

Nini Luo, lying on the sofa after laughing, calmed down and shook her head, explaining: "He has no fixed whereabouts. Sometimes he disappears without a trace, so there's no information on his movements. But I know he will definitely be in a certain place a month from now!"

Xalan pursued: "What's the specific plan?"

Nini Luo looked at the ceiling, her tone casual: "That day, he will meet a woman. If you ambush in a certain part of the room, you can strike when he and the woman are most relaxed."

The room fell silent. After a moment, Xalan asked: "What about you?"

"Me? Ha-ha—" Nini Luo leaned against him, her fingers lightly tracing his long neck, giggling. "Of course, I'll help you kill him, silly."

Xalan was speechless, suddenly pulling the woman up and holding her in his arms, his hot lips fiercely covering her inviting mouth, his tongue prying open her teeth and delving in, savoring her sweet fragrance.

The woman responded passionately, their tongues intertwining, their saliva mingling.

Their lips parted, and the man kissed her proud, sensual collarbone, his large hands tearing open the restraints of her clothes, leaving marks on her full, rosy flesh.

The man, like a beast, tore at her dress, fiercely colliding with her round, inviting body...

A storm of passion, a scene of disarray.

"How long will you stay in the capital?" The woman, lying between his legs, her fingers lightly sliding over his chest, asked.

The man's expression was cold: "A long time."

"Looks like you'll be very busy." The woman said.

"Yes." The man said.

"Very important?" The woman asked.

"Very important." The man answered.

For a moment, the room was quiet, each lost in their own thoughts.

"I'm leaving." Nini Luo got up from him, shamelessly displaying her beautiful body.

"Put it on before you go." Xalan's ring flashed, and a simple white robe appeared in his hand.

Nini Luo took the robe from Xalan and slowly put it on. Her tall figure made the robe fit perfectly. She spread her arms and looked at him, smiling: "How do I look?"

Xalan nodded: "Very good."

"I'm leaving—" Putting on her shoes, Nini Luo gave Xalan a final look at the door: "See you then."

The sound of the door closing echoed in the quiet room. Xalan didn't turn around, not since she left.

He tilted his head, as if deep in thought.

After that day, Nini Luo never appeared in his room again.

Three days later, the disguise cooled down, and he used it again. It was night.

In front of him was Andien, in his bright and luxurious room.

Andien looked at the middle-aged man in front of him and smiled: "I'm glad to see you again."

The middle-aged man nodded: "I'm also glad to see you again."

Two people, two sentences, seemingly polite, but they both knew what they meant.

Andien clapped his hands, and a subordinate entered the room, carrying a box and placing it in front of the middle-aged man.

"The item is here." Andien said: "Also, Old Shaker asks when."

The middle-aged man frowned, thinking for a moment, then said: "At most, three years."

Andien shook his head: "Old Shaker hopes it's sooner."

The middle-aged man pointed to the box: "Perhaps it can be."

"Then, good luck." Andien stood up, pointing to the box: "Remember to destroy it."

The middle-aged man nodded, and as he was about to leave, Andien suddenly said: "I forgot something. There might be some minor trouble on your way back."

Minor trouble? That means it's not much trouble.

In that alley, the bridge between Gertdan and Paulownia districts, the middle-aged man understood what Andien meant by minor trouble. He was blocked by a young man.

The young man held a black short stick, blocking the middle-aged man's path, his tone excited: "I finally found you! Murderer."

The middle-aged man frowned because he didn't recognize him. Because of the young man's words, he didn't speak, and the young man began to speak non-stop about his suspicions.

"Three people died here three nights ago, and no one knew who the murderer was. Although my superior told me not to worry about it, as a qualified constable of the Royal Guard, how could I not care about such an incident in the capital! So, these three days, I've been investigating openly and secretly in Gertdan and Paulownia districts, and I finally found a major clue!"

The young constable became more excited: "There was also a murder in Gertdan that night, and the murderer didn't kill an important witness. Perhaps heaven was helping me, and I accidentally overheard the witness's description of the murderer: a middle-aged man, holding a knife-like weapon, wearing a rough black robe. I've been waiting for so long, and finally, I found you!"

"Now, as a constable of the Royal Guard in Paulownia district, I solemnly declare that you are arrested on suspicion of two murders."

Hearing the young man's passionate and righteous words, the middle-aged man was stunned.

"Two?" The middle-aged man asked.

The young constable only explained one of the murders, but the alley murder was left unfinished.

"This—" The young constable also realized he had left something out but quickly regained his righteous tone: "Because I suspect the alley murder is also related to you, so two is not too many, right?"

The middle-aged man nodded: "Yes, because I did kill people in both places."

Hearing this, the young constable became even more excited: "So, you admit to both murders?"

The middle-aged man sighed: "Yes, do you know why I'm telling you this?"

"Why?" The young constable, coming out of his excitement, asked in confusion.

"Because the dead will keep this secret."

With that, the middle-aged man swung his knife in front of the young constable's incredulous eyes.

The middle-aged man looked at the young constable, who fell to the ground clutching his neck, shook his head, and whispered: "I like your sense of justice, I have no ill feelings towards you, and I even didn't want to kill you. But if I don't kill you, minor trouble will become major trouble. So, I can only choose to let you die."

The young constable's limbs stopped moving, his wide-open eyes filled with intense unwillingness and disbelief.

He didn't want to die, but he did.

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PS: The renovation upstairs is making a lot of noise, which is driving me crazy. It looks like I'll have to be a night owl for a while. I'll do my best to keep updating.

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