Chapter 124: Chapter 106 Interesting_1
Upon hearing the Elf Scout’s report that the Emperor was still alive, Duanmu Huai immediately realized the problem, and understood why the Elf Scout had come to him with this information.
The reason was simple – if Elisa was indeed the Emperor’s daughter, he, returning one day, could potentially dismiss her from the throne.
But in terms of lineage, she was actually the Emperor’s sister… that… complicates things considerably.
Duanmu Huai was reminded of a historical account in which an Emperor had been captured by Mongolians, and his younger brother ascended to the throne, leaving… well, no aftermath to tell.
But Duanmu Huai was still puzzled – after all, he had been fervidly assured of the Emperor’s death before, and now he was hearing that the Emperor may still be alive. What game was being played here?
Only after the Elf Scout explained did he understand the situation.
Firstly, considering that this was a world with the cultural and technological standards of the Middle Ages, the transmission of information itself was naturally slow. As for the Elf Scout, despite being a Royal Spy, she wasn’t privy to the news at the time it broke. She also hadn’t witnessed it herself. All her information was gathered from her spy network retrospectively, from which she drew her conclusions.
In such situations, she naturally could only obtain rough intelligence.
It was only after the group left the Imperial region and sought refuge in Bartonilla, that the Elf Scout found some free time to look into the matter meticulously.
Only then did she learn the exact sequence of events.
Firstly, it was true that the Emperor was attacked during his expedition to combat the Barbarians in the Northern Land. But the course of what happened was somewhat different.
According to the intelligence the Elf Scout had gathered, during a battle against the Northern Barbarians, the Emperor shattered their forces. Ordinarily, pursuing a defeated enemy wasn’t a wise move, but for reasons unknown, the Emperor led his forces further into the enemy territory. Strictly speaking, it wasn’t too deep; he merely wanted to kill off more enemies.
However, this was a trap set by the Northern Barbarians. As the Emperor and his forces charged deep into the enemy territory, they triggered an evil spell that caused a collapse and an avalanche, separating the Emperor from his troops. When the subsequent troops arrived, all they found were dead bodies everywhere. The whereabouts of the Emperor were unknown; all they found on the battlefield was a severed arm clad in armored gauntlet.
Why does this sound so familiar?
After that, the Imperial Army conducted a wide search around the battlefield, but failed to find a trace of the Emperor. This led to two theories among the army – the first being that the Emperor was likely killed somewhere they had not yet found. The other possibility was that the Emperor was taken captive by the Northern Barbarians.
However, subsequent investigations by spies caused the second possibility to be progressively dismissed. There seemed to be no signs or movements from the Northern Barbarians; they didn’t approach the Empire for negotiations, nor was there news of them intending to use the Emperor in some ritual. Nevertheless, if the Barbarians had indeed taken the Emperor captive, they would undoubtedly celebrate it extravagantly. But since there was no news, this possibility was dwindling.
Concerning this, the “The Emperor is dead in Battle” party soon gained dominance, arguing that if the Emperor had escaped somewhere, he would have definitely returned to his troops. Since he hadn’t returned, it was most likely he fell in battle.
But that didn’t mean everyone agreed with this theory. After all, one needs concrete evidence of someone’s death, right?
This was one of the reasons why the reaction was so intense when news of the Great Crown Prince’s ascension reached the expeditionary forces.
However, Duanmu Huai was still confused: even so, why did the Elf Scout assert that the Emperor was still alive?
“Because a hideout has been used.”
According to the Elf Scout, Royal Spies like herself were stationed all over the continent, virtually in every region. For insurance purposes, each region had a hideout, mainly used to store supplies and food for emergencies. For instance, when the City of Silver was besieged by Ratmen and the Evil God Cultist, the Elf Scout had suggested taking refuge at a specific location, which was her hideout in the territory of the City of Silver.
But of course, their plans didn’t pan out as expected and they didn’t end up going.
Outside the circle of Royal Spies, only the Emperor knew about these hideouts. Recently, a spy located near the Northern Land discovered that her hideout had been accessed during a routine inspection. Someone had taken some food, medicine, weapons, gear, and valuables. If it were thieves, they would have certainly looted everything. Instead, only some of the supplies were missing. Given the Emperor’s disappearance, it was highly probable that the Emperor had visited this place, so the spy immediately sent this information to the other spies using secret communication methods.
These Royal Spies were loyal only to the Emperor. As far as they were concerned, the three princes in Aldorf didn’t qualify as the Emperor. If there was a chance the Emperor was still alive, these spies would certainly spring into action.
“If it really is the Emperor, why isn’t he waiting there? Wouldn’t it be more convenient to have some help?”
“The royal spy operates independently and is only accountable to the Emperor himself. However, some people may betray the Emperor for various reasons, especially at the border of the Northern Land. They need to be extra careful.”
“Why didn’t he return to the military camp then?”
“I’m not sure about that. His Majesty must have his reasons. He’s a whimsical character, full of odd and unusual ideas. A lot of times, even we don’t know what he’s thinking.”
“Hmm… Honestly, hearing all this, I think I already know what you want me to do.”
“That’s correct, Sir Knight.”
The elf scout looked at him with a playful grin, but her eyes were deadly serious.
“I hope you can lead your warband to the Northern Land to cooperate with His Majesty the Emperor with the goal of safely conveying him to Aldorf.”
On hearing the elf scout’s request, Duanmu Huai crossed his arms and began to deliberate.
He indeed didn’t want to become the Imperial Emperor. As it stands now, the three Princes are utterly useless imbeciles. Elisa might work, but since her life is currently quite decent, Duanmu would naturally avoid thrusting her into this mess. Under such circumstances, if the Emperor is still around, he’s indeed the best choice.
“I have no idea where he is, and I don’t even know what the Emperor looks like.”
“You don’t have to worry about that, Sir Knight. Before he ascended to the throne, His Majesty roamed across the entire empire as a mercenary. He has notable skills in battle. I don’t know what exactly he wants to do, but he definitely will be looking to find a mercenary warband to assist him. If you, Sir Knight, showcase a strength that can attract His Majesty, he will surely seek you out himself.”
“And what if we don’t run into each other?”
“Then we’ll see if this country is still blessed by Sigma.”
Since the elf scout had made herself clear, there wasn’t much left for Duanmu Huai to say.
“Alright, in that case, I’ll give it a shot. I still have half a month until the feast… We’ll see whether Sigma is watching over this empire. But you should at least give me a detailed location. I can’t go all over the Northern Land trying to find someone.”
“Of course not. Based on the information I have, His Majesty is likely in the Midon territory, that is to say… ”
At this point, the elf scout looked at Duanmu Huai intently.
“He is very likely in the capital of Midon domain — Midheim.”
Upon hearing the elf scout’s words, Duanmu raised his eyebrows.
This is getting interesting.