"It’s windy out here. Let’s go inside the castle to talk. I’ve already had a welcome banquet prepared for you both."

The two didn’t stand on ceremony. They nodded and followed him.

The banquet was arranged in the castle’s small banquet hall. There were no tedious formalities, just Raylo, Gaius, and Herast.

The long table was laden with the specialties of Black Stone Territory, including roasted wild boar ribs, a savory mushroom stew, and fragrant fruit wine.

"The Duke is taking your situation very seriously."

Herast was the first to break the silence. He elegantly sliced off a small piece of roasted meat with a silver knife, placed it in his mouth, and savored it for a moment before continuing.

"You stated in your letter that Eliot is colluding with external forces to assassinate a landed noble of the Duchy. This is no longer a personal feud; it’s an affront to the dignity of the entire Duchy. The Duke’s position is that if they dare to reach out their hand, they should be prepared to have it chopped off."

Gaius said nothing. He just lifted his massive goblet, drained the full measure of fruit wine in a single gulp, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, letting out a satisfied sigh.

"I didn’t expect the Duke to send you two in person," Raylo said sincerely.

"I am truly honored."

"There’s nothing to be surprised about," Gaius finally spoke, his voice like grinding metal.

"The Duke wants at least one of them left alive."

"Only with me and Herast handling it can we guarantee it."

He spoke simply and directly.

"Your letter was both timely and clever," Herast added.

"You didn’t exaggerate, nor did you conceal your own plans. The Duke appreciates that about you. To face two Domain Level assassins not by holing up and defending, but by proactively setting a trap for a counter-kill... that takes courage."

"My hand was forced," Raylo said with a wry smile.

"Black Stone Territory is at a critical stage of development; it can’t afford a prolonged disruption. Rather than live in constant fear of an attack, it’s better to strike first and eliminate the threat for good."

"Well said." Gaius glanced at him with approval.

"So, tell us your plan. We didn’t come all this way just to be decorations. How are we going to deal with those two, ’Thorns’ and ’Withering’?"

Raylo’s spirits lifted. He knew it was time for the main event.

He stood up, walked over to the wall, and pulled back a curtain, revealing a massive, pre-prepared military map of the area surrounding Black Stone Territory.

"According to my intelligence, the two assassins will arrive in three days. The Black Water River lies on their path, and they’ll have no choice but to cross it."

Raylo’s finger tapped the blue line on the map that represented the Black Water River.

His finger traced the Black Water River westward, finally stopping at a ferry crossing.

"This is the only ferry crossing into Black Stone Territory. And it’s here that we’ll give them a grand welcoming ceremony."

Both Gaius’s and Herast’s eyes were fixed on the map.

"You mean to set an ambush here?" Gaius asked.

"Exactly."

"When they reach the Black Water River, I propose you two remain hidden. Then, appear suddenly and assassinate the Angel of Death, Sela. My Golden Dragon Knight will keep ’Thorns’ Graves occupied."

"Once you two have killed the Angel of Death, Graves will be a sitting duck."

Gaius grinned, flashing a set of white teeth.

"Those Angels of Death are nothing but blockheads who only think about their gods. There’s no use in keeping them alive. Crushing them up to feed the fish sounds just right."

"As for Graves, we’ll have plenty of ways to make him talk."

The three men exchanged a smile.

Outside the window, the night deepened, and the sky filled with stars.

Gaius and Herast didn’t remain in the castle.

For powerhouses of their caliber, it wasn’t difficult to wander about unnoticed.

Over the next two days, they explored nearly the entire core region of Black Stone Territory.

"A year ago, this place was nothing but barren land. But now, all of Black Stone Territory seems to have changed."

Herast, who often traveled between the Black Stone Mountain Range and the Thunder Dragon Duchy, had a vague impression of Black Stone Territory.

Gaius wasn’t so sentimental. His gaze swept over the troops drilling in the distance.

"His troops are good," Gaius said in his deep voice.

"Look at those Pegasus Knights. Their formations are orderly, and their dives and ascents are clean and precise—they’ve clearly undergone rigorous training. And those Earth Dragons and Mammoths... they’re well-fed and robust. The bond between the Knights and their mounts is strong; you can tell real effort has been put into them."

"But what surprises me most are those Griffin Knights."

Gaius pointed a thick finger at a squadron of Griffin Knights engaged in aerial combat training.

"That coordination, that fearless and ferocious spirit... they already have the makings of an elite corps. In my opinion, aside from their smaller numbers, they’re already capable of rivaling the Thunder Dragon Knight Order."

"Isn’t that why we’re here?"

Herast smiled. His gaze traveled past the training grounds and fell upon the Magic Tower in the distance.

"Eliot isn’t fit to carry the hopes of the Duchy. Therefore, the Duchy needs a new heir."

「On the morning of the third day.」

The first light of dawn had just pierced the night when Raylo’s door was thrown open with a BANG.

"Success! I’ve succeeded!"

A figure stumbled into the room.

It was Master Barnaby. His signature bird’s-nest hair was in an even more disastrous state than usual, looking as if a few sparrows had actually taken up residence within it.

His eyes were bloodshot and his sockets sunken. The dark circles under his eyes were so pronounced he looked like a panda that had been punched twice.

Despite this, he was in a state of extreme agitation, holding a palm-sized crystal bottle aloft.

Raylo had been standing by the window, watching the sky pale in the east.

Hearing the commotion, he turned to see Master Barnaby barge into his bedroom without a second thought, and a resigned smile touched his lips.

"You’ve worked hard, Master."

Master Barnaby strode to the table and slammed the crystal bottle down on the map with a THWACK. The liquid inside sloshed violently from the impact.

It was an utterly bizarre liquid. Its primary color was a deep, inky green, but within it, countless motes of golden light drifted and swirled, like a nebula trapped in a bottle—beautiful and deadly.

"Look at it! What a perfect masterpiece!"

Master Barnaby praised his creation in a tone like a dramatic aria, carefully picking up the crystal bottle and stroking it as if it were a lover’s cheek.

"I used thirty-seven different poisonous herbs! I used the venom of a Scorpion-tailed Lion as the core, then supplemented it with the juices of Abyssal Moss to both neutralize and catalyze it!"

He waved his arms excitedly.

"I guarantee it! The toxicity of this ’Sigh of the Giant Dragon’ is at least three times more potent than the venom from a regular Scorpion-tailed Lion’s stinger! Forget humans—even a full-grown Giant Dragon would be foaming at the mouth and convulsing within ten seconds of it entering a cut, unable to even speak a word of Draconic!"

Raylo looked at the bottle of dangerous, inky-green liquid, a sense of assurance settling in his heart.

He carefully placed it inside his Spatial Bag.

"Alright, Master. Your task is now complete."

Raylo looked at Master Barnaby, who seemed ready to fall asleep on his feet, and his tone grew serious.

"I’m ordering you: go to bed. Immediately. Right now. I’ve already had the kitchen prepare a calming tonic and a hearty meal for you. You can enjoy them when you wake up."

"No, I can’t sleep. I have to check my experiment logs. There’s still room to optimize the formula..." Master Barnaby started to argue.

"This is an order from your Lord."

Raylo’s tone was firm.

Master Barnaby opened his mouth, but seeing Raylo’s stern expression, he finally just nodded and let out a massive yawn.

"Alright, alright, I’ll listen to you. But I have to take a bath first. I feel like I could grow mushrooms on me..."

Muttering to himself, he shuffled unsteadily out the door.

Raylo watched his retreating back disappear through the doorway before finally looking away.