Chapter 172: Chapter 171: Identification

Ronin’s words immediately sparked a heated discussion among the nobles, with the strongest reaction coming from his father, Wiggin.

No one who hadn’t lost a leg in an assassination attempt could possibly comprehend the depth of Wiggin’s hatred for the Skull Society.

A while ago, he had even opposed Lurans’s decision to have Ossen attack the Black Gold Brotherhood.

He felt that only an attack on the Black Gold Brotherhood by Wushan Castle’s Knight Order could quell his rage and hatred.

“Ronin, tell us exactly what happened with the assassination attempt!”

Wiggin demanded loudly, “What does Reisen have to do with this?”

“Yes, Father.”

Ronin then recounted the Shadow Assassin’s attempt on his life in Mountain Forest Castle. He highlighted two key points: the assassin’s affiliation with the Skull Society, and the fact that Ronin had captured him.

As he finished, he pulled the written testimony from his coat. Under the light of the Magic Crystal Lamp, the sheepskin parchment looked particularly striking.

“This is the confession of the assassin, Shadow.”

Ronin said, “If he had successfully killed me, he was to collect a bounty of One Thousand Gold Coins from Baron Reisen. Also, Baron German…”

German, on the balcony, hadn’t expected Ronin to suddenly call out his name. His heart seized. ’I have nothing to do with these assassinations!’

But he immediately recalled the ’gift’ Ronin had mentioned to him before. ’Could it be?’

At this thought, Baron German stepped forward and asked respectfully, “Baron Ronin, is there something I can help you with?”

“Back in August, when your son and daughter were returning from Wushan Academy to Lake Town, they were also targeted for assassination by Pedro of the Skull Society. The mastermind behind that incident was also Reisen.”

The hall erupted.

This accusation caused the nobles’ discussions to grow even louder.

Assassinating a noble was a capital offense. Repeatedly targeting nobles, especially their heirs, was compounding one crime with another.

The targeted siblings themselves, Marina and Malik, immediately began to rail against Reisen.

At the same time, the Dennis Clan, who were joined with the Green Clan by marriage, also made their position clear.

German vaulted down from the balcony, strode quickly to Ronin’s side, and took the sheepskin parchment, scanning it rapidly.

He believed the evidence Ronin held was undoubtedly authentic. Otherwise, Ronin would never have made such a public accusation in front of so many nobles.

Most importantly, the Marquis hadn’t uttered a single word since the beginning, which was, in itself, a statement.

“So, it was you, Reisen!”

He handed the evidence back to Ronin, his Fighting Qi surging powerfully around him, and threw a punch directly at the other man. “I challenge you to a duel!”

BAM! BAM! BAM!

German and Reisen immediately clashed. The collision of their Bronze Level Fighting Qi was even more intense than the earlier knightly matches.

Despite being one-armed, German’s fighting style was incredibly fierce.

“Slander! This is slander!”

Panicked by his guilty conscience, Reisen was flustered, and his defense was clearly lacking. He was soon at a disadvantage.

All he could do was shout, “We have no feud! Why would I want to assassinate your son and daughter?”

“No feud?”

A radiant punch from German shattered his opponent’s Fighting Qi Armor.

“Thirty years ago, during the Battle of Mist City, it was my father who risked his life to bring back a gravely wounded Gremes, yet you claimed the credit and have held a grudge ever since.”

German had once thought the feud between their two families would gradually fade with the passing of the previous generation of barons. And indeed, they hadn’t had any disputes or open conflicts in all these years.

It seemed he had been too naive. Reisen still resented the Green Clan and had already taken action.

“That’s right, Reisen. If there was a dispute over military honors, you could have just challenged German to a duel. Why resort to such underhanded assassination tactics?”

Marvin Viscount demanded coldly, then bowed to Lurans. “For a noble like this, Marquis, I suggest we immediately strip him of his noble title and domain, and sentence him to prison!”

As Marvin drew Lurans into the matter, the discussions died down. All eyes were on the Marquis, eager to see how he would respond.

“Let’s not be hasty.”

Lurans spoke slowly. “German, rein in your anger. Let Ronin finish what he has to say.”

Then, he glanced at Reisen. “You don’t need to be nervous, either. Wushan Castle will not wrongly accuse any noble.”

“Yes, My Lord!” German bowed respectfully to Lurans on the balcony, then stepped aside.

Ronin handed the sheepskin parchment to Bretton. “Take this up to my grandfather and the other nobles.”

“Of course.”

Bretton took the sheepskin parchment solemnly. He read it as he walked, his heart filled with unease.

’I just helped Reisen ask Ronin for the rights to manage the Wilderness Tribe a little while ago,’ he thought. ’Did he resort to assassination because he didn’t get them?’

’This is unbelievable! Assassinating a noble—and the Lord’s own grandson, no less! How could he dare?’

“That assassin is currently imprisoned in the Mountain Forest Town jail. I will have him transferred to Wushan Castle.”

Ronin’s voice rang out. “Reisen has long considered me a thorn in his side. This isn’t the first time he’s wanted me dead.”

He snapped his fingers, and Tom, who was at the edge of the crowd, walked over.

“Tom, you may remove your mask now.”

“Yes, my lord!”

Tom’s voice trembled slightly. He was both nervous and excited to be taking off his mask at such a grand occasion.

Reisen narrowed his eyes, his expression grim. He said nothing; his situation was now extremely dangerous.

’But luckily, there’s no confirmation yet,’ he thought. ’The culprit is still in Mountain Forest Town, and the transfer will take at least ten days to half a month.’

’In other words, a formal conviction will still take some time. There’s still room to maneuver.’

But when Tom took off his mask, Reisen’s pupils contracted.

“Reisen, do you recognize this man?”

Reisen recognized him. He knew the man was from Mountain Forest Town, but he couldn’t recall his name.

“I’m sure you’re all curious why I’ve brought out such a minor knight.”

Ronin announced loudly, “When I first arrived in Mountain Forest Town, Civil Servant Princest conspired with Baron Reisen to ambush and kill me on the road. And this man, Tom, was serving under Princest at the time.”

Tom knelt on one knee, his left hand over his heart. “My lords, I was once a knight who went astray. I believed the words of Princest and Reisen and drew my sword against the true master of Mountain Forest Town.”

At this, he looked at Reisen, his gaze resolute.

“Now, by my honor as a Knight and in the name of the Seven Gods, I hereby testify that Baron Reisen has been openly seizing countless amounts of grain and resources from Mountain Forest Town for several years! Furthermore, he plotted to murder Lord Ronin in an attempt to become the true master of Mountain Forest Town!”

Multiple assassination attempts on nobles and years of seizing Wushan Castle’s resources—Reisen could not escape these two charges. The color drained from his face, which twisted into an ugly expression.

Just then, Sir Toru of Wushan Castle’s First Knight Order, who had been absent until now, hurried into the square from outside.

He knelt on one knee just as Tom had. “Marquis, we found this garment in the bedroom of the Golden Level assassin named Mundo.”

Toru unfolded the garment. Starkly embroidered on its left side was a Golden Skull.

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