Chapter 163: Chapter 162: Speculation

The events at the Wushan City Beast Fighting Arena swept through the entire city like a hurricane. Upon hearing the news, the nobles were all utterly shocked.

Her Highness Princess Blanche had only just arrived at Wushan Castle this morning, yet she was subjected to an assassination attempt at the Beast Fighting Arena in the afternoon.

Furthermore, judging from the assassination itself, it was clear the perpetrators had made arrangements in advance.

For one thing, the assassin who had previously infiltrated the arena as the Gladiator Mundo was not someone who could have been hired on short notice.

Beyond this, there was another matter that took all the nobles by surprise—Ronin’s strength.

The eldest grandson of Wushan Castle, who had been stripped of his inheritance by Lurans, had emerged as a hero in the assassination attempt on the princess. Not only did he repel the assassin, but he also revealed his power to the world.

’This is impossible!’

In a suite within Wushan Castle, Baron Reisen’s face changed the instant he heard the news.

He could have grudgingly accepted it if the rumors claimed Ronin was an Intermediate Knight. But now they were telling him he was an Advanced Level Knight?

It was foreseeable that a Ronin with such strength would definitely be highly valued by Wushan Castle. The possibility of him rising to prominence in the future was extremely high!

And now, this very person was the neighbor of Sain Territory. More critically, the two sides were currently in a state of dispute and animosity.

’How could a Basic Level Knight who only just activated his Fighting Qi Spirit Seed become an Advanced Level Knight in such a short time?’

No matter how he thought about it, Reisen found it impossible. ’Could this be Wushan Castle’s attempt to build momentum for a marriage alliance with Princess Blanche?’

He frowned, unable to figure out the reason behind it all.

However, there was one thing Reisen was very clear about: this Ronin could not be allowed to remain. Letting him be would lead to endless trouble in the future.

He knew this, and Ossen Count should know it too.

’So, could this assassination have been the work of Ossen Count?’

Although Reisen was on good terms with Barrington and stood on the same side as the Hyde Clan, he was not privy to Ossen Count’s every move.

Standing guard outside the door, Knight Joffrey watched the Baron pace back and forth inside the room. His heart was in turmoil, unable to find peace.

He was beginning to feel more and more that following Reisen was not a good choice. It was just that back when he had other options, Ronin hadn’t yet become the lord of Mountain Forest Town.

While some worried, others naturally rejoiced. This was especially true for the nobles of Wushan Territory who disliked the Hyde Clan; they were more than happy to see Ronin’s rise.

This was because Ronin didn’t have a complicated network of powers behind him like Bretton did, which would make future relations much easier to handle.

At this time, people also began to speculate why Lurans had stripped Ronin of his inheritance rights.

Was it purely because the grandfather and grandson had a bad relationship?

That didn’t seem likely.

After all, if their relationship was truly that bad, Lurans wouldn’t have gifted him such a valuable Magic Scroll, nor would he have let Ronin be the one to receive Her Highness the Princess.

After much thought, everyone could only conclude that the Marquis must have had some other profound meaning behind his actions.

’Profound meaning my ass!’

Listening to Mosite’s report on the nobles’ discussions, Lurans vigorously rubbed the bridge of his nose. He felt both furious and happy at the same time.

He was furious that those criminals dared to assassinate the princess in Wushan City, and nearly succeeded.

He was happy about the performance of his grandson, Ronin.

Although repelling the Golden Level assassin was due to the Magic Scroll he had gifted Ronin, the fact that Ronin didn’t pass out after using the Scroll was something only an Advanced Level Knight could achieve.

Therefore, he was certain that Ronin had already become an Advanced Level Knight.

An Advanced Level Knight at seventeen. A genius had finally appeared among the descendants of Wushan Castle once again.

Lurans was pleased by this.

However, the thought that he, the grandfather, was only finding out now just like everyone else, left him feeling a little disgruntled.

“How is Ronin now?” Lurans asked.

“After Galier escorted them back to the castle, the Young Master left to rest, using the excuse of being dizzy and exhausted.”

Mosite replied, “He should be asleep by now.”

“A great expenditure of Spiritual Power certainly requires a good rest. Don’t have him attend the banquet tonight. It will also save him the energy of having to socialize.”

Lurans then asked, “And Her Highness the Princess?”

“Her Highness the Princess is doing well, but I’ve already had someone prepare and deliver a Calming Soup. I expect she is also resting now.”

Although the incident was perilous, the two key individuals were unharmed. This was a blessing in disguise.

“How have Earl Jesus and Vice Leader Broel of the Griffin Knight Order reacted?” Lurans asked.

“They are furious. Right now, they are at Wushan Fortress, fiercely discussing the matter with Lord Wiggin, Ossen Count, Marvin Viscount, and other nobles.”

Mosite’s reply was grave and troubled.

“In particular, the princess’s uncle, Earl Jesus. He believes this assassination is a provocation against the Oduin Royal Family and is demanding that Wushan Castle provide a satisfactory explanation as soon as possible.”

“An explanation must be given.”

Lurans stroked the head of his cane, then used it to push himself to his feet. “When it comes down to it, this incident was due to our own lack of consideration. We allowed Her Highness the Princess to be frightened, so we should apologize and take responsibility.”

With that, he started walking toward Wushan Fortress.

Whether it was Wiggin, Ossen, or any other noble, none of them could represent Wushan Castle in this matter. Only he could step forward.

But the question that occupied Lurans’s mind the most wasn’t where the assassin came from or who was behind it.

He was constantly thinking about Ronin.

“Mosite, tell me, how did Ronin cultivate? Why did we never discover that he had awakened a Fighting Qi Spirit Seed before?”

If someone claimed Ronin had only activated his Fighting Qi Spirit Seed in August and now possessed the strength of an Advanced Level Knight in December, he would absolutely not believe it.

In his decades of experience across the continent, Lurans had never heard of anyone going from an ordinary person to an Advanced Level Knight in a mere five months.

Therefore, the only possible explanation was that the boy, Ronin, had awakened it long ago, and they had simply never noticed.

Based on typical cultivation timelines, the awakening would have likely happened three or four years ago, when Ronin was thirteen or fourteen.

Awakening at such an age meant Ronin’s talent was in no way inferior to Bretton’s.

If Lurans had known Ronin possessed such talent, why would he have worried about all those other things?

How could Mosite possibly know the answer to that question? He could only offer a random excuse. “Perhaps… Young Master Ronin was more playful back then and didn’t want others to know about his strength?”

Lurans shook his head. That explanation was far too absurd.

Yet, he couldn’t think of any other, more reasonable explanation.

Meanwhile, Ronin was lying in bed, resting.

The image of the Golden Knight, Mundo, leaping before him kept replaying in his mind. Who could have ordered such a man to act?

If the assassin’s primary target had been him, Ronin could have guessed the mastermind was Reisen, or perhaps someone like Ossen Count.

But the target was not him; it was Princess Blanche.

Assassinating a princess opened up a wide range of possibilities for the mastermind’s identity. After all, the status of a royal princess was incredibly complex in itself.

There were far too many people who would want to kill Blanche to trigger a conflict between the Royal Family and Wushan Territory, or even to incite more bloodshed.

The culprits could be forces from the Tricia Kingdom, certain powerful clans or high-ranking nobles within the Oduin Kingdom, or even members of the Royal Family itself.

Was it not possible that Earl Jesus, who had shown up uninvited and was currently venting his fury at Wushan Castle, was involved?

It was certainly possible.

How could Moonlight Valley possibly satisfy the appetite of a royal Earl?

’He must want vaster lands and a larger populace, to become a great duke like Ference.’

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Tom knocked on the door. “My lord, Princess Blanche wishes to see you.”

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