Inside the dark dungeon, a man reeking of blood was roughly carried by the guards into a cell.
After locking the cell door, the guard spat in disgust and left cursing. Prisoners in neighboring cells stood up to get a look at the newcomer.
“Hey, what’s your name?”
“…..”
The man thrown on the ground did not answer them. His tongue had been cut off earlier, so he could not make a sound.
After losing a large amount of blood, he had no strength to move, yet his consciousness remained on the verge of death.
He was fully conscious of the pain, of the feeling of being a failure.
Penrose had lost his former glory and his lofty status, reduced to a pitiful prisoner.
He had founded the Tea Rose Chamber of Commerce. To go further, he chose to become a chess piece.
This earned the Tea Rose Chamber a place among the top five chambers of commerce, but it also set the stage for his fate, ultimately leading to this end today.
It could be said that everything was his own doing.
He was a man who loved gambling. In the first half of his life, he had won many times. Though he had also lost, they were only small losses.
With his own ability, he thrived in Lakeside City.
After serving as the head of one of the top five chambers for several years, he developed an ambition to break free from his role as a chess piece and take a seat behind the scenes.
Therefore, he entered into deep cooperation with Horn. This time he bet too big and lost too thoroughly; there was no chance for a comeback.
Penrose had thought about what he would do if he lost. He had prepared two plans, intending to cooperate with that Disaster Cultist to counterbalance the Three Kings behind Horn. But in the end, that Disaster Cultist took the money and ran.
Lying on the ground, barely alive, Penrose thought about the Disaster Cultist. Then, in a haze, he understood—perhaps he should have fled back then.
If his desire had not been so overwhelming, blinding his eyes, he would have seen that the woman using the name Einfel had an identity and power that were absolutely terrifying.
No one wins forever, especially a gambler who stakes everything.
How ridiculous…
The last trace of light in Penrose’s eyes closed.
Lord Cleveland paced back and forth in his own bedroom. His wife was not lying on the bed in the room. After a while, a figure appeared at the open window.
The person jumped in and said respectfully to Cleveland,
“Lord, when I went there, that Penrose was already dead.”
“Ah?”
Cleveland was somewhat surprised. Penrose himself had some strength; he was a Fifth Magicka Stage practitioner, with a physique much stronger than an ordinary person.
Even with his magic power sealed and continuous blood loss, he could still hold on to a thread of life. He was as tenacious as a cockroach!
A guy like that was already dead before the killer arrived?
Cleveland quickly pressed,
“How did he die?”
“No new wounds. Presumably heart failure.”
“Heart failure…”
Cleveland muttered the word, then sneered.
“He couldn’t find a way out and gave up struggling. But, Penrose, you died well. Dead, you can take the blame. From now on, I’ll continue to eat and drink well!”
The next day. Cleveland had someone prepare a carriage early and went to Lily of the Valley Manor.
When he arrived at the gate, he found someone had come earlier than him. However, that carriage had no emblem or mark, so he didn’t know who had come in secret.
He guessed it was most likely Melita. He asked the gatekeeper to announce him, and soon received permission to enter.
Guided by a servant, he walked toward the mansion in the estate.
Inside the study, Enya lifted her eyes to glance at the young man sitting upright on the chair to her right. She withdrew her gaze and looked at the letter in her hand.
After reading it, Enya pursed her lips and sighed lightly,
“Fine, I don’t care about these things anyway.”
The seated young man breathed a sigh of relief.
Knock, knock, knock. The door was knocked. Enya gave Lucia a meaningful look. Lucia immediately opened the door. A plump white man walked in from outside—he was Lakeside Lord Cleveland.
Cleveland had a bright smile on his face. After all, no matter how the power in Lakeside City shifted, his position as lord remained.
He thought that as long as he acted fawning and ingratiating, he could continue to steadily collect tax money.
But the other person sitting there was not Melita as he expected, but a character he never anticipated.
Cleveland stared at the young man, stunned.
“You… why are you here?”
“I came back from Zephyr.”
The young man, upon seeing Cleveland, was not as stunned as Cleveland. Instead, he wore a mocking, sarcastic expression.
Enya saw the scene and smiled faintly. Then, feigning confusion, she asked the standing Cleveland,
“Do you know him?”
“…..”
Cleveland remained silent.
The young man rose from his chair and bowed respectfully to Enya.
“We were father and son.”
“Oh? That’s perfect…”
The smile on Enya’s face grew richer. Her gaze shifted from the young man to Cleveland, and she parted her bright red lips.
“Cleveland, let him be the lord.”
“!?”
“That old thing Horn will agree.”
“You send…”
What Cleveland valued most was his current position as lord. How could he let it be taken away by a single sentence?
His anger had just risen when he saw a shadow quickly flash past him. Then a burning pain came from his face.
Cleveland reached out and touched his face, and his hand came back covered in blood.
“Ah?!”
He was so frightened that he fell to the ground, his fat thighs trembling.
Zeta pouted her little mouth and snorted. At this moment, the Fox Princess was already in a maiden form. After a night of rest, her strength had recovered considerably. Killing a small fry like Cleveland was even easier than tearing apart a cabbage. She hadn’t scratched Cleveland’s head into five pieces because she didn’t want to make the place too dirty.
Cleveland, who was on the ground, scrambled in panic. He wanted to run out, but Zeta was standing right at the door. Seeing the Fox Princess’s appearance, he was shocked again. Cleveland screamed and said tremblingly,
“It’s you!”
“Mm-hmm~ It’s Zeta!”
Zeta grinned, a very bright smile.
Not long ago, after killing an assassin from the Hall of Shadows, she had disguised herself as that assassin and met Cleveland and the others.
At that time, Zeta wore a cloak, covering her fox ears. When Enya had brought her before, she had shrunk into a child form.
Now that she had recovered, Cleveland finally recognized her. She was the assassin who came that day—after attempting to assassinate Enya, she had disappeared without a trace.
Then the entire City of the Other Shore was sealed off, and then the City of the Other Shore simply vanished.
Cleveland’s eyes darted back and forth between Enya and Zeta. Finally his eyes widened, and he shouted hoarsely,
“You two are actually working together!”
No one paid him any attention. Cleveland’s eyes bulged, and he said hysterically,
“No, impossible! I am the lord! I am the lord!”
“Tsk, tsk.”
Enya clicked her tongue, her tone light.
“Have you ever thought that your existence is unnecessary? A person who has only the title of lord but absolutely no power—why use taxes to support such a thing? Wouldn’t it be better to use that money to open a few more free literacy classes?”
“No! I am a noble! I am a descendant of the Golden Empire! You have no right to strip me of my lord’s identity! You vicious woman, you are the one who should leave this city that belongs to me!”
Cleveland understood that Lakeside City was now Enya’s word alone; she had become the de facto queen of this land. But how could Cleveland be willing to accept it? Still, he was so insignificant—how could he stand against the will of the times?
Enya didn’t like to watch a fat man rolling around and yelling in front of her, so she directly had someone throw him out.
After Cleveland was thrown out, Enya looked at the young man. No emotion showed on his face, but Enya could tell he was excited and elated.
“Remember, if you don’t do well enough, you can get out at any time.”
“Yes, Saintess.”
The young man bowed solemnly.
After he left, Zeta quickly ran to Enya’s side and hugged her, grinning.
“Enya, big sister is so cool~”
“Same…”
Enya laughed sheepishly. She didn’t like doing this kind of thing. It was more in her nature to act swiftly and cut people down.
“Alright, stop clinging.”
“Mm-hmm!”
Zeta let go of Enya’s hand, her smile growing even brighter. Now that two people had been dealt with, the time for Enya to go with her was closer, so of course Zeta was overjoyed.
The Fox Princess’s thoughts were all written on her face. Enya was helpless. She turned to ask Lucia to arrange a meeting with Melita.
The Marigold side still needed to talk to her. Of course, it was to talk with the Master of a Thousand Faces behind the various front organizations like Marigold, Golden Town, and Golden Opera House.
Lucia moved efficiently and quickly went to arrange Enya’s outing.
Zeta watched Lucia leave, then looked at the bewildered Wendy beside her. She turned to Enya and asked softly,
“So, what is this elf that Sister Enya caught for?”
“An ornament.”
Enya evaluated Wendy without any politeness.
When Wendy heard that, she pursed her little lips.
She wasn’t sad; she was even a bit happy. At least she was still a little useful—an ornament could be a decoration that pleases the body and mind.
Zeta pouted her little mouth, then raised an eyebrow and said with a wicked smile,
“Sister Enya, I want to eat her~”
“…..”
Wendy’s body trembled.
The orc is going to eat me!
Enya directly reached out and grabbed the fox’s ears.