novelraw Chapter 306: The End of the Albert Family
Chapter 306: The End of the Albert Family
Count Mills stood up, wanting to walk to the window for some fresh air. The moment he turned around, his arm accidentally brushed against an exquisite bone china teacup on the edge of the desk.
The teacup tilted, seemingly about to crash to the floor.
Yet in the very next instant, a steady hand reached out from the side, caught the teacup, and smoothly handed it back to Count Mills.
"Thank you."
Count Mills instinctively expressed his gratitude.
Before his words fully faded, his entire body suddenly stiffened. An icy chill shot up his spine to the top of his head, making his hair stand on end.
His study was an absolutely private sanctuary. Without his summons, no servant would dare set foot inside even half a step.
So the question arose.
Whose hand was this?!
Count Mills sharply inhaled, suppressing the scream that almost escaped his throat, forcing himself to calm down as quickly as possible.He slowly turned around.
Then.
A face he knew all too well, an exceptionally handsome young countenance, came into his view.
"Mr. Mills, how have you been?"
Flower Knight Shire Hynes wore the same brilliant smile as always at the corner of his mouth, but his azure blue eyes held no trace of warmth.
"Shire?! So you're unharmed?!"
After a brief silence, Count Mills squeezed out an expression of pleasant surprise on his face.
"By the gods! This is truly wonderful! I had thought... thought you had met with misfortune in that evil dragon's territory."
While speaking excitedly, the count extended his hand with extreme naturalness.
He wanted to enthusiastically grasp Shire's hand as usual, expressing his closeness and concern.
This was his habitual tactic for winning people over.
Through simple physical contact and the condescending posture of a superior, he could always easily move those inexperienced young people and earn their goodwill.
But this time.
Shire Hynes expressionlessly took a step back, avoiding Count Mills' outstretched hand.
That hand hung suspended in mid-air.
The Flower Knight looked at the seemingly heartfelt expression of delight on the count's face, then recalled the other's utterly cold voice during the crystal ball communication - filled with disgust and irritation as if discarding garbage - "A worthless waste, the Albert family won't spend even a single copper coin for him!"
The stark contrast made all of the count's current emotional displays appear incredibly hypocritical, artificial, and even nauseating in Shire's eyes.
"Mr. Mills."
Shire's voice was calm, without fluctuation.
"Before returning, I've always had a question in my heart that I wanted to ask you face-to-face."
"Oh? What question troubles you so, my child?"
The count's tone remained gentle.
Shire said: "Rod Albert, Sienna Albert, Sanchez Albert... these three, along with many of your private army commanders and elite warriors, all share a common characteristic."
"They all have no parents, their backgrounds clean like blank paper."
"The Albert family managed to recruit so many tragically orphaned yet exceptionally talented warriors willing to die unconditionally for the family."
"Is all this just due to good luck?"
The Flower Knight gazed intently at Count Mills, observing his reaction.
"The family operates several charitable orphanages. Rod and the others were indeed once helpless orphaned children, adopted by the family and given education and warmth."
Count Mills maintained superficial composure.
He retorted: "They're grateful for the family's nurturing kindness, therefore striving diligently and willingly pledging loyalty to the family. What problem is there with that?"
"Is that so?"
The Flower Knight slowly spoke, his voice lowering.
"I returned to the south earlier than Rod and the others."
"To prevent myself from being deceived by lies again, being manipulated and fooled, I haven't been idle during this past time."
Shire took a small step forward, an intangible pressure spreading around him.
"I spent considerable time and energy, acting like a true detective rather than the naive knight you expected, conducting detailed, in-depth, and even dangerous investigations throughout the Albert family's territory."
Count Mills' brow slightly furrowed.
"During my investigation, I discovered a rather interesting phenomenon."
"The Albert family generously bestows various favors upon the commoners in their territory, such as tax reductions, road repairs, and distributing affordable medicines."
"But after each act of charity, if the benefiting families have young children, the family's benevolence goes a step further."
"They voluntarily and enthusiastically conduct various talent potential tests for those children free of charge."
The knight's gaze swept over the count's slightly tightening jawline, continuing: "What's even more interesting is that your family's territory security, while exemplary on the surface with dutiful patrols and extremely low crime rates."
"However, the frequency of various accidents is abnormally high, particularly favoring families whose children were recently tested and deemed to have acceptable or excellent talent."
"Fires, landslides, magical beast attacks, even simple accidental drownings... these accidents always manage to create new orphans."
"To the extent that the number of orphans in the Albert territory far exceeds that of normal counties, though usually no one pays attention."
As he spoke, the knight advanced another step.
The distance between him and the count was now less than three feet.
"Mr. Mills."
Shire asked calmly: "Could you explain to me why this is?"
Count Mills' face finally darkened.
"I don't know what nonsense you're spouting."
"Shire, I was originally very happy to see you return safely, but these baseless malicious speculations of yours make me extremely displeased!"
His voice was low, carrying a tone of reprimand.
"The Albert family performs charity without compensation, adopts orphans, widely bestows favors, yet you use such filthy thoughts to tarnish this goodwill! Is the knightly spirit you believe in meant for such speculation about your benefactor?"
As he spoke, his fingers subtly brushed against a gemstone ring on his hand.
That was a magical artifact for triggering emergency calls.
However, the surroundings remained deathly silent. Nothing happened.
The expected guards breaking through the door, flashing alarm lights, activated defensive magic arrays... nothing occurred.
"No need to waste your effort, Mr. Mills."
"Whether it's your voice, the magical signals from your ring, or any attempts to penetrate here with detection - all have been isolated."
Shire slightly tilted his head, saying: "They, like you, are trapped in this spatial cage, unable to reach the destination you anticipate."
For the first time, fear appeared on Count Mills' face.
"Shire!"
The count desperately maintained noble dignity, blustering with outward fierceness but inner weakness: "You... what exactly do you want to do? Have you forgotten the favors I once granted you?!"
"Who generously helped when you were penniless and desperate? Who provided that priceless antidote when you were severely poisoned and hanging by a thread?! Is your knightly virtue meant for repaying your benefactor with betrayal and blades?!"
Clang—!
His agitated words were abruptly interrupted by a clear, cold metallic friction sound.
The Flower Knight drew his cruciform sword.
"Those favors you mentioned, I've already repaid with my life and freedom. We are now even."
Shire slowly raised the longsword in his hand, the tip steadily pointing at Count Mills' heart position.
"Standing before you now is merely a knight determined to eradicate evil and hypocrisy."
Count Mills stepped backward, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"Don't do anything foolish! Shire! You must have been bewitched by that evil dragon! Lost your mind!"
"We can talk properly! I guarantee I'll give you perfect and reasonable explanations for all the doubts and suspicions in your heart! Believe me!"
The Flower Knight had already turned a deaf ear to his words.
Unwilling to waste any more breath on this hypocritical count, he stepped forward, the cruciform sword in his hand transforming into a cold gleam as he thrust directly.
The blade easily tore through several layers of defensive shields instantly activated around the count, precisely piercing the heart beneath the luxurious velvet formal wear.
Count Mills' eyes widened sharply, his face filled with unbelievable shock and extreme fear of death.
He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something more, but could only feel his life force rapidly ebbing away like a receding tide. Ultimately, he couldn't utter a single word, only producing faint gasping sounds.
The Flower Knight slowly withdrew the blood-stained cruciform sword, watching the count's body slump down, and spoke his final words.
"By the way, the Lord of Molten Iron asked me to send you his regards."
The Lord of Molten Iron?!
It was that damned evil dragon manipulating everything behind the scenes! He bewitched Shire!
Boundless anger and regret instantly flooded Mills' consciousness. Ultimately, his eyes wide open, filled with resentment and unwillingness, he heavily collapsed onto the cold, luxurious floor.
Eyes open in death.
Flower Knight Shire Hynes stood quietly in place.
His wrist flicked lightly, shaking off the last few drops of blood staining the blade, then calmly sheathed the sword.
Space rippled around him like water waves, his figure becoming blurred, transparent, like a shadow merging into the air, eventually disappearing completely.
But he didn't immediately leave the Albert family estate.
The Boundary Walker strolled through spatial crevices, like a ghost, silently traversing the heavily guarded corridors and courtyards of the estate.
He came to alchemist Sienna's bedroom, came to protective mage Sanchez's bedside.
Finally, he stopped at runic knight Rod Albert's room.
In each room, he left neatly arranged papers containing the truth,
Placed silently beside the pillows of the sleepers, within easy reach.
After completing all this, Shire's figure completely vanished into space, as if he had never appeared.
"Who?!"
Rod Albert's eyes snapped open.
This battle-hardened General Wolfbar, who had countless times teetered on the edge of life and death, possessed perception sharp to near instinctual levels.
Though he couldn't clearly detect that imperceptible spatial fluctuation, he was still awakened, instantly sitting up from his bed.
The room was empty, without any obvious traces of an intruder.
However, his gaze was instantly drawn to the suddenly appearing stack of papers on the bedside table.
Rod frowned tightly, cautiously picking up the stack of papers and carefully reading them.
The night was quiet, only the faint sound of paper turning could be heard.
Those screening lists about talent tests.
Those investigation reports about accidents.
Those hidden clues pointing to high-level family directives.
Every name, every date... were like sharp swords, tearing open the vague childhood fragments deep in Rod's memory.
The accidents that took his parents, the family orphanage's acceptance, the instilled gratitude and loyalty... As he read deeper, his pupils suddenly contracted, the expression on his face beginning to change violently.
From initial confusion, turning to shock, then to uncontrollable anger.
Finally, his face completely turned iron-gray and twisted, ferocious like a thoroughly enraged wolf.
Just as this emotion was about to completely erupt—
Rod Albert, this General Wolfbar of the Albert family, suddenly closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, all the previous intense external reactions were gradually suppressed.
The ferocious iron-gray on his face slowly faded, his muscles relaxed, the twisted expression returned to calm, expressionless.
Only.
Certain things that had once supported his life, things he had fought and bled for, had completely collapsed like sandcastles, vanishing without trace. Meanwhile, other entirely different, dark and intense things were silently sprouting, wildly growing upon the ruins of loyalty.
It could be foreseen.
With the family head's death, with the originally loyal pillars turning against them, before long, the Albert family would exist in name only.
It was hard for anyone to believe:
All this began with a red iron dragon thousands of miles away.