“So, what’s the plan? We just storm the castle and kill the viscount?”
Taketori’s suggestion was as brash and reckless as ever.
Li Lin shook his head, immediately dismissing the idea.
“There are at least two hundred guards in Wilson Castle, well-equipped, even with heavy crossbows. In a direct confrontation, we’d likely be the ones crushed.”
It was a fair point.
Deceiver Mages weren’t known for raw combat power, but in illusions, misdirection, and control skills, they were unmatched.
Though Taketori grumbled, she deferred to his leadership.
“The castle’s defenses are much lighter at night compared to daytime, so we can try infiltrating after dark. Until then, everyone should wait in the tavern. I’ll notify you when the time comes.”
Li Wen didn’t stay put in the tavern.
She wandered the streets of Wilson Town alone.
Her ears caught the townsfolk’s heartfelt praises for Lord Wilson, which she found laughable.
What kind of people publicly sing the praises of their oppressor?
Yet, surprisingly, the number of voices joining in was overwhelming.
If she didn’t know about Wilson’s ties to the mercenaries, Li Wen might have mistaken him for a beloved lord with the people’s support.
“Excuse me…” Li Wen pulled off her hood, employing her nonexistent charm for information-gathering.
“Who’s this Lord Wilson you’re all talking about?”
She knew perfectly well who Wilson was, but questions needed an opener.
As expected, someone immediately took the bait.
“Lord Wilson is our most revered lord!”
“Sorry, I’m not from around here. What exactly has Lord Wilson done to earn such admiration?”
As her words fell, everyone around her turned to look. Their faces bore smiles, but their gazes were hollow, devoid of life.
“Lord Wilson brought us bountiful harvests.”
One person spoke.
“Lord Wilson made our cattle and sheep prosper! Every household has borne children!”
Another added.
“Lord Wilson eradicated bandits, brigands, and goblins.”
A third continued.
“Lord Wilson brought peace and tranquility!”
“Lord Wilson deserves to be canonized as a saint!”
“He should be king!”
“He’s our savior!”
Li Wen quietly distanced herself from the increasingly fervent crowd.
What is this? Some kind of mind-control spell?
She didn’t think it was that simple.
The townsfolk appeared zealous, yet there were no traces of magical manipulation. In other words, their words were genuine.
This place was growing stranger by the minute.
If she didn’t have to kill Wilson, Li Wen wouldn’t want to stay here a moment longer.
She arrived at a plaza, seemingly set up for some sort of ceremonial event.
A towering wicker effigy stood at its center, surrounded by people wearing animal masks, circling it in a bizarre, ritualistic dance.
Li Wen studied the wicker figure, her brow furrowing. If she wasn’t mistaken, this was likely a sacrificial ritual.
Before the Radiance Cults breached the walls of the Noraton Empire, its dominant faiths were the Church of Truth and the War God’s Church.
Among the common folk, however, the Bloodlust Sects were more prevalent.
After Noraton’s fall, the Arthurian Kingdom, one of its successors, inherited its vast magical legacy, but certain remote regions retained their fervor for the Bloodlust Sects.
One such sect, a fusion of primal nature-worshipping Druidic beliefs and Bloodlust doctrines, gave rise to a cult that had long vanished but left a dark mark in history.
Li Wen couldn’t recall the sect’s name, but she vaguely remembered that this wicker effigy sacrifice was one of their practices.
In such rituals, the sacrificial offering—preferably a living person, though livestock would do—was sealed inside the wicker figure and burned alive.
The ashes were then collected, either used as fertilizer to double crop yields or consumed by women to hasten pregnancy and ensure rapid growth in their children.
Such a forbidden ritual, now being performed openly and without restraint, could only be tied to Viscount Wilson.
Having gathered enough intelligence, Li Wen saw no point in lingering.
She turned back toward the tavern.
Enchanting her new weapon had drained much of her magical energy, and she needed to meditate to restore her condition for tonight’s battle.
Unbeknownst to her, as she left, everyone in the plaza froze, their movements halting as they stared at her retreating figure with stiff expressions and empty, lifeless eyes.
Night fell, and the players readied themselves for the mission.
Li Lin produced a map—remarkably, a detailed layout of Wilson Castle’s defenses and structure. Where he’d gotten it was anyone’s guess.
“My original plan was to enter via the moat’s waterway, sneaking into the castle to bypass the defenses… but that’s no longer necessary.”
“Why not?”
Taketori naturally took on the role of the skeptic.
“Because the town is holding a grand celebration tonight. Most of the castle’s guards have been reassigned to maintain order at the event. Right now, there aren’t many guards at the castle’s entrance, so we can waltz right in.”
“Sounds like a trap, just waiting for dumb rats to scurry in,” Taketori quipped, proving she wasn’t as dim as she seemed.
“Relax. Even if it’s a trap, it needs a target. We’re in the shadows, and Wilson’s in the light. He can’t possibly know we’re here, so there’s no way he set a trap for us.”
Li Lin’s tone was brimming with confidence.
After some discussion, most players agreed with the beta tester’s reasoning and endorsed his plan.
Li Wen had no objections. Whether they entered head-on or sneaked in made little difference to her.
Besides, she was genuinely curious to see what Li Lin, ranked seventeenth among beta testers, was capable of.
Outside, the lively cheers of the celebration echoed, signaling its start.
Under the cover of darkness, the players slipped out of the tavern, moving stealthily toward the castle on the hillside.
Li Wen gripped her Raven Feather Dagger, knowing tonight would be a long one.
As for that ghostly fairy Marsha, who knew where she’d wandered off to now?