RISE OF EROS-Chapter 566 - 565

Elder Lucían floated in the air with a serene and friendly smile, but the expressions on Andrew and Oliver’s faces were of surprise. Andrew had been under the impression that this elder possessed strength similar to that of Elder Anka or Elder Douma, but he was wrong.

Although it was only for a moment, the power that crushed the barrier formation that had trapped them and destroyed the attackers’ talismans was extremely powerful.

He may not be at the level of Zaros, Elidyr, or Lugia, but he was definitely stronger than Anka and Douma. Lucían watched Andrew and Oliver, frozen in place, knowing he had surprised them with his strength, but he didn’t want to stay here long, as he didn’t wish to reveal too much of his power.

"I know you’re surprised, but Zaros really wants to know who dares to cause trouble in his territory, so, can I take one of these guys?" Lucían asked again, pointing to the unconscious assassins.

At that moment, Andrew and Oliver reacted, so Andrew immediately said, "You can take whoever you want, Elder Lucían. After all, you helped us greatly," but Elder Lucían didn’t accept his words and replied.

"Certainly, it would’ve taken you a bit longer, but those guys weren’t a threat. Well, I’ll take this one," Elder Lucían said, and with a gentle movement of his hand, one of the assassins started to float.

Andrew and Oliver still didn’t know it, but the assassin Lucían had taken was the leader of this group, so it was obvious he had more information, but even if they had known, they wouldn’t have stopped him from taking him.

Although Lucían had said that these assassins weren’t a threat, it didn’t change the fact that danger still existed, and Lucían’s intervention had saved them from the unexpected, so there was nothing to refute.

Andrew watched as the lifeless body of the assassins’ leader floated alongside Elder Lucían, slowly rising into the air until disappearing in the distance. There wasn’t a trace of doubt in Lucían’s gaze, which only added more weight to the uncomfortable certainty that the situation was far more complicated than it seemed.

Andrew exchanged a quick glance with Oliver, and both knew what they had to do. "We need to take these guys to the Palace of Cannes," Andrew said, breaking the silence. "The others need to know what’s happened here."

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Oliver nodded, his expression still tense from the last few moments. Both began gathering the unconscious bodies of the remaining assassins, their hands steady, focusing on the immediate task.

The bodies were light, but the responsibility weighing on them was immense. They knew they were caught up in something much larger, and with every passing second, the mystery deepened.

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After a few minutes of silence, Oliver spoke in a low voice while dragging one of the attackers, "I didn’t expect Lucían to be so strong. Do you think Zaros and he really helped us because we would’ve failed?"

Andrew didn’t respond immediately, his mind occupied with processing everything that had happened. Finally, he spoke, "Zaros has his own plans. You know how he is. If he had truly believed we would fail, he would have intervened, but he let Lucían do it. So I think they weren’t really worried, just tired of watching us deal with the problem."

After ensuring all the attackers were securely tied up, they set off. The road to the Palace of Cannes wasn’t long, but the tension hung in the air like a dense fog surrounding them. Andrew, always the more impatient, frowned as he looked at the unconscious men.

"What do you think these guys are after?" he asked, although he knew Oliver didn’t have all the answers either.

"It’s connected to the previous assassination attempt, that’s for sure," Oliver responded. Pausing, he added, "In fact, I feel that the previous attack was just a test for us, and I don’t even think this will be the last attack we’ll face. That’s why we need to find out who’s pulling the strings."

Soon, the Palace of Cannes emerged on the horizon, and when they arrived at the gates, the palace guards, recognizing Andrew and Oliver, allowed them entry without delay.

Andrew’s wives, along with Gaston and the others, had dealt with the combat slaves, which is why there were already guards here. They may not be powerful, but they were organized and loyal, at least due to the soul seal left by the slavery contract.

The unconscious assassins were handed over to the Shadow agents for interrogation, as they were the specialists in extracting information mercilessly. Andrew and Oliver stood aside, watching from a safe distance as the interrogation began.

Inside the room, the second-in-command of the assassins began to regain consciousness. His eyes blinked, and upon realizing his situation, he tried to move, but the ropes binding him were too strong. One of the interrogators, a short, stocky man with a scar on his face, slowly approached him.

"You know you have no choice," said the interrogator in a deep voice. "Talk to us, and maybe we’ll let you live." The second-in-command of the assassins spat on the ground, his face remained defiant, but there was a flicker of fear in his eyes that he couldn’t hide. He knew there was no escape, but his loyalty, or perhaps fear of someone else, kept him silent.

Oliver watched from the other room, his mind beginning to piece things together. This group of assassins was organized, and too well-trained to be simple mercenaries. There had to be a structure behind them, a network directing them, and the previous assassination attempt was only a part of the plan.

"Who do you think is behind this?" Andrew asked, interrupting Oliver’s thoughts. "This was too organized to be the work of just a simple group of assassins."

"The Black Wings," Andrew murmured, almost to himself. Honestly, it wasn’t a surprising conclusion since this wasn’t the first attack, and for now, they seemed to be the only enemies, but they still didn’t know who was behind them.

The Black Wings are just an assassin organization based in the Kingdom of Bastilla that has extended its reach across the southern continent, but they’re just that, an organization that kills for money. They weren’t the real masterminds.

While Oliver and Andrew pondered this, the door to the interrogation room suddenly burst open, and one of the palace guards emerged with a serious expression on his face.

"We have something," he said urgently. "The prisoner mentioned a man but wouldn’t say more. The only thing we’ve gotten is that it’s connected to the previous assassination attempt and that the Black Wings are involved. However, the leader still refuses to talk further."

Andrew and Oliver exchanged glances. While they knew this fragment of information was important, they were still far from unraveling the entire mystery. The Black Wings were a threat, yes, but who was directing them? What was the true goal of these attacks?

"We could try to push harder," the guard suggested, but Oliver shook his head. "No," he said firmly. "If we try to force the situation, he may die before we can get anything more useful. We need to approach this with more care."

Oliver crossed his arms, his mind also working quickly, trying to connect the loose ends. The Black Wings are an assassin organization, so they wouldn’t operate so openly without a powerful reason behind it. Something bigger was brewing, something that threatened not only their region but perhaps the entire continent.

"We need more information," Andrew concluded. "This is just the beginning."

He knew the road ahead would be tough. The Black Wings were not an easy enemy to defeat, and whoever was behind them was skilled at hiding in the shadows. But Andrew also knew they could no longer turn back. They had been drawn into the heart of this conspiracy, and now they had to unravel it completely.

"Let’s prepare a meeting with everyone," Andrew said. "We need everyone to be aware of what’s happening and avoid making mistakes."

Oliver nodded. He was more aware than anyone of the danger they faced. In Cannes, they might not have problems, but they didn’t know if they’d be attacked in other places, so it was better to be prepared.

As Andrew made his way to the office, unable to shake the feeling that this was only the first step in something much bigger and that something dangerous was coming, Oliver had already informed everyone else to attend the meeting.

In fact, there wasn’t much to report, as most of them were in the office when they were summoned, so when Andrew entered, everyone was already present. Some of them had been at the Palace of Dunnas, so Andrew had to fetch them. Now, with everyone gathered, Andrew began recounting how they had been attacked.

His wives immediately grew worried upon hearing the story, and although it was clear that nothing had happened to him, they were still upset by the event. Their reaction was not unique, as everyone present, to some extent, felt the same way.

Here, only Andrew’s wives, guardians, and apostles were present, so everyone had a connection to him, and any grievance he suffered affected them. Even so, they didn’t act impulsively. They calmed down and began to assess the situation.

It was obvious they had an enemy in the shadows who was using a distant but problematic organization to deal with them. Unfortunately, they didn’t have more information, and that frustrated them.

What they didn’t know was that the leader of the group of assassins that Lucían had taken was now awake and in front of Zaros, begging to be in a dream or dead because the vampire in front of him was more terrifying than the worst nightmare or death."