Author: 冬瓜茶仙人 / Winter Melon Tea Immortal

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 171

The Wolves and Monkeys’ attention was also focused on these two places.

The continuous small-scale strikes had indeed disrupted many services, forcing the Wolves and Monkeys to temporarily recruit many lower-level family members to fill some particularly urgent gaps. However, the armed forces of White Bridge (which couldn’t be called an army without royal authorization) and the management of the two families didn’t involve any outsiders. Therefore, the security part didn’t face the same embarrassment as the service departments, but it wasn’t much better either.

As per routine, there were three teams taking turns guarding the perimeter of the central building to handle any emergencies. Additionally, there was a team that didn’t have to wear uniforms, blending in casually. Some were smoking under streetlights, some were flirting with waiters in cafes, and others, looking like vagrants, sat in groups of two or three against the wall, playing cards and whispering jokes.

“Sain and his team are really unlucky… Do you know what he complained to me about this morning? They made him wear tight pants! So tight he couldn’t even hide a sheepskin dagger!”

“No choice. They’re short-handed. But if the boss were here, no matter how shorthanded we were, they wouldn’t have involved us.”

“True. When have we ever done such menial work before? I’d rather go to battle than serve people.”

“So where did the boss go? Even Alexander is missing,” a man sitting against the wall said. The more he spoke, the more frustrated his tone became, and he threw his cards on the ground. “Then some outsider is giving orders with the authority ring, wanting us to guard around his bedroom to prevent someone from assassinating him while he’s with his mistress, hmph!”

“I think something’s wrong,” another man with a melancholic demeanor said. “The boss has disappeared without a word before, but Alexander has never done this.”

This time, even Alexander had disappeared. The subordinates all felt something was off—what’s even more unsettling was that the higher-ups had no reaction and just handed them over to Azman.

What a joke. They were the guardians of the Wolf family, not the private soldiers of any ruler. Even Louis had to live, eat, and train with the first batch of troops for several years to earn respect, despite his young age. Although they were superiors and subordinates, the bond of the first companions was ingrained in their spirits, something even the head of the family couldn’t change, let alone an old man who usually only cared about eating, drinking, and having fun.

“They should be fine,” the man who started the conversation said seriously. “Although some fools think…” Louis, Adan, and Cameron had been assassinated, though they scoffed at this idea.

“Think they were eaten by the Lions?” Another man snorted. “I think… huh?”

He maintained his casual posture against the wall and nudged his companion from under his trench coat. “Is that Alexander?!”

Though he asked with uncertainty, the young man entering their view was indeed Alexander, despite wearing vacation clothes completely different from his usual style and pulling his hat low to cover his face. From the lower half of his face and his walking posture, it was unmistakably Alexander.

Alexander didn’t realize his disguise couldn’t fool his acquaintances. He stood behind a lamppost, staring unblinkingly at the entrance of the venue—the entrance was already crowded with carriages, and elegantly dressed guests were entering one by one.

But he didn’t see Louis.

“Alexander?” A voice suddenly sounded behind him, startling Alexander. He turned his head so quickly that his neck made a creaking sound.

But he quickly recognized the person—a captain of the city defense team who occasionally reported directly to Louis, named…

“It’s you, Alvin,” Alexander muttered, rubbing his neck.

“What do you mean ‘it’s you’? What’s going on? Where’s the boss?” Alvin, the man who had been playing cards on the street, walked with him to a corner where they could still see the entrance, and asked urgently.

“I’m looking for him too,” Alexander said irritably. “Don’t pull on me. These clothes are new, and if I don’t find Mr. Louis, I’ll need them to get into the auction.”

Alvin didn’t let go. “What exactly happened? You all disappeared suddenly, and now Azman is ordering us around. Many brothers are being run ragged.”

“I know.” Alexander said helplessly, “Too many people are on strike. They had to find replacements.”

“So you’re skipping work to avoid being conscripted?” Alvin retorted. “You’ve always followed the boss. What happened before he disappeared? It can’t be for no reason—”

“I really don’t know,” Alexander said, frustrated.

Alvin stared at him suspiciously for a while, then suddenly let go. “Then why are you here?”

Alexander didn’t answer.

Louis didn’t tell him anything, but Alexander felt his disappearance was related to Khalif.

Without Louis, Alexander couldn’t meet Khalif alone, but tonight was the last session of the auction highly valued by both families, and the astrologer everyone was watching would be there. Khalif would definitely attend.

Alexander had a feeling Louis might show up too.

……

“Two more hours until the auction starts,” Prima said, looking at the fiery sunset outside the window.

Amber, holding Emerald, remained silent, fully focused on the wriggling, struggling creature. It had grown from the size of a bat to a small dog due to abundant food, albeit a fat little dog.

The Duke had even worried that its weight might affect its flying speed and seriously considered putting it on a diet.

But there was a benefit: a well-fed Emerald had much less desire for freedom and allowed the Duke and Amber, its food providers, to pet and hold it, though not for too long.

“What’s wrong with it?” Prima asked curiously. “Does it want to go out and play?”

“I don’t know.” Amber was afraid of squeezing Emerald too tightly and hurting it, but if he didn’t hold it firmly, it would break out of the window in agitation. It was the first time he had seen it like this.

At this moment, Erica came downstairs. Amber looked up for help. “Erica…”

“You two go upstairs.” Erica cut him off solemnly. “Now.”

Amber was stunned. He walked quickly to the window and looked out. The small garden was completely visible, and it was quiet, with no one in sight.

The boy pursed his lips, glanced at Prima, and led the way to the hallway, waiting for her.

Prima, a bit at a loss, instinctively got up to follow. She looked back and suddenly realized the house was unusually quiet.

It was as if someone had stolen the sound.

Seeing her following, Amber, holding Emerald, headed upstairs. The house had only two floors. He knew there must be uninvited guests—although they had moved in less than two hours ago, there were fixed guards in the garden and on the porch wherever Priscilla was, and none of them were in their places now.

They had just entered the hallway and hadn’t stepped on the stairs when they saw dark brown liquid seeping down from the wall at the end of the stairs, where it met the ceiling, emitting an ominous smell. Emerald began to struggle violently again.

A female mage ran out from the end, and seeing the changing wallpaper, she looked grim and placed a holly wreath at the stair entrance. A faint green light seeped from the wreath.

“Quickly, get the Lady out of this house,” she shouted to them. “Tell Erica the blessing spell wasn’t completed in time. The upstairs is contaminated!”

They had to go back the way they came. Finally, they saw some guards rushing past the living room, closing all the windows.

Erica was supporting Priscilla out of the bedroom. Priscilla had just fallen asleep and didn’t have time to change clothes, wearing only a robe, but her expression was calm.

“Upstairs—upstairs is contaminated,” Prima said, puzzled. “What’s going on?”

They had only moved here a few hours ago, and many belongings were still unpacked.

“Someone tried to break in.” Erica looked towards the door. “A mage.”

They had been careless. Most guest residences within White Bridge’s inner city didn’t have blessing spells. To keep a low profile, they had reduced their manpower, which turned into a flaw. But who had tracked them down so soon after they moved? For what purpose? Was the target Priscilla?

Whether or not, she couldn’t stay in danger.

Erica, supporting Priscilla, headed to the back door. A Brandenburg Knight left here by the Duke had quickly cleared the path for them, but this was only temporary. Since the opponent used magic, unless an anti-magic knight like Hasting was present, retreat was the safest option.

“You two get on the carriage too,” Erica said urgently to Amber and Prima.

Prima hesitated for a second, glancing from Erica’s stern face to Priscilla, then suddenly ran off without a word.

Erica: “??? Amber!”

What was wrong with this girl? Erica was both anxious and angry. “Bring her back. The opponent has many people, and we are short on mages.”

Though Priscilla was still the wife of the Duke of Mokwen, they didn’t dare keep too many of his people around her since Lestrop’s defeat and house arrest, fearing the remaining influence of Lestrop or the will of Tifa might harm Priscilla through these people. So, apart from the close maid from Lemena, Erica assigned by the Duke, a knight, and Amber, they only had two mages and a few guards arranged by Louis, without even mercenaries who were left at the previous house as a decoy.

Amber, still holding Emerald, chased after Prima. It wasn’t until Erica safely seated Priscilla in the carriage that they returned.

Erica didn’t use a coachman. She planned to drive herself, but Priscilla saw through her intentions and grabbed her arm.

“Wait for them,” she said.

Erica was anxious. “I’ll take you to a safe place first. Amber and Emerald will be fine. The knight will take care of Prima.”

Priscilla shook her head. Bad things always seemed to come in succession. She felt her stomach tightening in waves but didn’t mention it.

“We can’t leave them behind.” She tightened her grip on Erica’s arm and then quickly let go.

Erica was silent for a moment, then gently pulled her arm free.

“Sorry, Miss.” She still called Priscilla by her title from Brandenburg. “The Duke’s order is to prioritize your safety.”

Priscilla frowned and was about to speak when she saw Amber and Prima running from the back door through the half-open carriage door. The young lady might have never been so unladylike in her life, her face flushed with anxiety and exertion.

Before Erica could react, she shoved a somewhat messy bundle wrapped in bedsheets into the carriage.

“I-I packed some things,” she said, panting heavily as she climbed into the carriage. Amber silently followed.

“Scissors, painkillers, and cloth. Everything from the drawers is in there.” She sat on the bundle, seemingly exhausted. Amber placed Emerald inside, closed the carriage door with a bang, and sat in the front compartment pulling the reins, as if unaware of the noise of fighting in the house or the malicious whispers in the garden that had followed him and Prima.

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