Chapter 182

In Baron Omar's study room, at the city of Lockwood.

"Tap, tap, tap…"

Baron Omar's trusted knight was now kneeling in front of the desk, his head lowered, beads of cold sweat forming on his brow, listening to the rhythmic sound of fingers tapping on the table.

He was at the brink of life and death, half his body already on the side of the dead, merely awaiting his fate.

"It seems my brother's men are not competent. Even the knights are useless. They don't even know how their own master disappeared from the study room, right under their noses. Hehe... Hahaha..."

The wild laughter made the knight's sweat pour even faster. The owner of this voice was Baron Adam, Baron Omar's brother. He hadn't expected Adam to arrive so soon.

The knight had hoped to search for Baron Omar for a few more days. He had even prepared for the worst, planning to secretly slip back home with his family if Baron Omar couldn't be found.

Unfortunately, Baron Adam arrived early. The knight had been caught, and escaping was now impossible; he could only resign himself to fate.

"Tap, tap, tap…"

Baron Adam drummed his fingers on the table, squinting his eyes as he stared at the kneeling knight, his mind deep in thought.

Whether or not to kill a knight was not a matter he was considering. Baron Adam was contemplating the task at hand: to win over the nobles, which was the order given by their father, Count George.

He hadn't expected his brother Omar to go missing. This sudden twist turned Adam's previously somewhat relaxed attitude into one of immediate concern.

Adam had planned to leverage Omar's influence. With his understanding of his domineering brother, Adam knew Omar would likely use their father's prestige to assert his power here.

If Adam could align himself with the nobles that Omar had cultivated, his success would be almost assured. The position of Count heir would be his, and he could save a substantial amount of gold. Now, all of that was gone, and his foolish brother had managed to disappear.

Adam even wondered if his stupid brother had received some warning and deliberately avoided him to thwart his mission.

"That night, were you really outside the study room? Was my brother still in the study at that time?" Adam asked for details once again.

"Yes, Lord Omar was definitely still in the study room that night. I even heard him speaking from outside the door." The knight confirmed.

The knight hadn't expected that, after he pushed the door open that morning, he would find Baron Omar missing and only traces of rope marks near the window.

He had considered that Baron Omar might have been kidnapped, but that seemed impossible. The castle was heavily guarded, and he had been stationed right outside the door, without hearing any noise…

"Could it be…" The knight suddenly thought of the noises Baron Omar had made last, realizing it was rather strange now.

"What are you thinking?" Baron Adam's voice grew stern, "Speak up, or you'll be sent to the gallows." 

"Yes, I'll speak." The knight immediately voiced his suspicion, "I suspect that Lord Omar was kidnapped."

"Kidnapped?" Baron Adam's eyes narrowed. He had considered this possibility, but it seemed unlikely. `Was the knight trying to deceive him?`

No, Adam quickly dismissed that idea. Despite Omar's foolishness, he wasn't foolish enough to abandon his territory, which was crucial in the competition for the heir to the title of Count.

So, Omar had truly been kidnapped? It had been several days with no sign of him. Was he dead? Was it a vendetta? Or were the kidnappers simply demanding gold?

"Does Omar have any enemies in this western region?" Baron Adam asked indifferently.

"No!" The knight responded immediately. He dared not mention the matter of the bandits.

To date, the bandits have not returned. He had received news that the bandits had attacked Sakura City, but with the help of Sedona City, the lord of Sakura City had survived. The bandits were either captured or killed.

The knight suspected that Baron Omar's disappearance might be related to Sakura and Sedona cities, since those were the cities involved when the bandits attacked Sakura city.

"What are you thinking?" Adam leaned forward slightly, his voice cold, "Are you hiding something?"

"No, absolutely not," the knight insisted, terrified of mentioning the bandits. If he did, he would be silenced immediately.

"Is that so? I will give you three more days. If you still can't find my brother Omar, then get out of the castle." Adam said, waving his hand coldly.

"Yes!" The knight quickly got up, his body still swaying from having knelt too long. He thought he had narrowly escaped a grim fate.

"Bang!"

The study door was slammed shut. Baron Adam stared at the door and said coldly, "Find out what Omar has been involved in and if he has any enemies."

"Yes."

A figure in a black robe emerged from the shadowed corner of the room and silently left the study.

"This is really troublesome. That fool Omar is utterly useless. Just when I need him, he vanishes." Adam muttered, rubbing his brow with a dark expression.

His family, his father, Count George, had managed to connect with the Fourth Prince. If Adam failed this mission in the western region, this barren land—no, this very city of Lockwood—might become his retirement home.

The king's health was deteriorating day by day, and he was unlikely to last much longer. The princes were fiercely competing against each other, and the major nobles were privately aligning themselves with different factions.

Count George had staked everything on the Fourth Prince. The nobles in the western region provided some level of support—minimal but still a token of loyalty to Count George.

"We'll wait three more days. If there's still no news, I'll have to visit each one personally."

Baron Adam sighed. To persuade the nobles of this barren land, it would require significant expenditure—gold and gemstones would be essential.

"Fortunately, Father sent me some gold and gemstones. Otherwise, I wouldn't know how to impress these provincial lords."

He understood well that matters of the capital were too distant from the western region. Talking about backing the Fourth Prince was as useful as singing to a herd of cattle to these short-sighted nobles.

"So, the first target is…" Baron Adam flipped through the woolen scrolls on the desk, noting that Sakura City appeared frequently.

"Then, I'll visit Sakura City in three days."

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