CHAPTER 410 - The War Mason Never Fears Death

Knowing that her husband was also involved in this matter, Tiyana was just as terrified as Pieter had been earlier, afraid that this would drag the Crownguard down as well. 

Fortunately, knowing that the King would not hold them accountable for their actions, she felt a bit more at ease.

After gathering the eight squads of Dauntless Vanguard, Tiyana ordered two of the squads to handle the Cartel and the Omar family, while the other four followed Barrett's orders to seal off the other four conspirator families. She, along with the King, would lead the remaining two squads to the Crownguard estate in Dawnkeep.

Worried about his own family, Peter applied to follow the King back to his family's estate, while Jarvan IV and Xin Zhao, of course, stayed by the side of Jarvan III.

Li Lin had initially planned to avoid getting too involved in the handling of the rebellion's accomplices in Demacia, intending to return to his room and await the outcome. 

However, much to his surprise, King Jarvan III personally invited him to join the capture of Eldred, wanting to have him around as a precaution in case of any unforeseen events.

After all, according to Newman, Eldred might be colluding with the Noxians. Furthermore, the mysterious imposter who had been pretending to be an Illuminator had yet to be found, and surely had a very safe hideout.

Tiyana believed that the Crownguard estate was likely one such place.

Considering all these factors, Li Lin agreed to the King's request, joining them along with the two squads of Dauntless Vanguard, over two hundred men, as they made their way to the southern part of Dawnkeep Castle.

Earlier, at the Crownguard Estate, Eldred's Room.

Eldred, dressed in his usual clothes, his gray-white hair tangled and messy, paced back and forth anxiously in his spacious room.

Since the investigation into the mageseekers society had begun a few days ago, and a large number of high-ranking officers had been arrested, Eldred had been dismissed from his position by the King and confined to his room.

Outside his door, two shields, sixteen Dauntless Vanguard soldiers, stood guard, taking turns every 24 hours, while meals were delivered to him three times a day. He didn't have a single chance to step outside.

If it hadn't been for the fact that he'd never personally assigned those people to do anything, he would have long been exposed by the "truth serum" and thrown into a dungeon rather than kept in his room.

"Damn it, damn it… how did that damn Li Lin get involved!" Eldred muttered angrily.

Luckily, the Dauntless Vanguard outside knew he was Tiyana's husband, and despite their poor relationship, they still showed him some respect and generally didn't disturb him.

Additionally, Eldred had overheard, during a shift change, that the King would be holding the Shield Council today. 

For some reason, he couldn't shake the ominous feeling in his heart, as if something bad was about to happen. He was particularly worried that the three idiots might cause some unexpected trouble.

Especially with the "truth serum" on hand, Eldred was more anxious than ever, fearing that something might happen in the coming days.

If he were exposed, it would all be over.

"I can't wait any longer, I have to arrange for Fabrice to leave the city…" Eldred murmured.

But he had seen Li Lin's mechanical army firsthand. Even the sewers leading to the Guardian's Sea and Conqueror's Sea were guarded by floating machines, which made him even more uneasy.

After a quick glance at his door, Eldred quietly approached it. 

Even within the heart of Dawnkeep, the Crownguard estate resembled a small manor. The walls were made of marble mixed with anti-magic lime powder, not only suppressing magic but also providing excellent soundproofing.

To be cautious, Eldred opened the door, casually telling the guards that he was going to take a bath, which fit his usual routine, so they wouldn't disturb him.

He then gently locked the door behind him, closed the window, and ran into the bathroom, turning on the showerhead. Afterward, he quickly walked to the bookshelf, brushing his hand over the top row of books. He pressed against a smooth section of the wall.

A low rumbling sound followed, and the wall next to the bookshelf slowly slid open.

The Crownguard estate originally didn't have any secret rooms, but Eldred had secretly had his trusted men carve one out over the past two years. After all, he and Tiyana had always slept in separate rooms, so there was no concern of being discovered.

Stepping into the narrow passage, Eldred pressed another switch on the wall. The door behind him shut with a soft click, sealing itself seamlessly into the wall.

Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and make his way down the steps, slowly descending until he arrived at a small room, about 30 square meters in size, dimly lit.

Before he could speak, the sound of a sharp object cutting through the air caught his attention, and he suddenly felt a cold chill on his neck as a sharp dagger pressed against his skin.

"Fabrice!" Eldred frowned, calling out softly. The dagger moved away from his neck. 

"I told you, only I know about this place. It's perfectly safe for you to stay here," he reassured her.

"As long as I'm still in Demacia, no place here is safe for me," came a crisp female voice in response.

She spoke fluent Demacian, with just a faint hint of a Dawnkeep accent. 

At first glance, she sounded like someone who had grown up in the capital, a true citizen of Dawnkeep. 

However, those with a sharp mind would quickly notice the oddities in her speech—her accent was unnatural, almost as if she was mimicking it.

In fact, even her name, "Fabrice," hinted at something unusual.

Demacia prided itself on elegance and refinement, and even names reflected this ideal. Fabrice, however, sounded more like a man's name, completely at odds with the notion of elegance—it was more rough and rugged.

Eldred walked to the center of the room and lit the oil lamp on the table, casting light on the dim, somewhat dank underground space.

The walls of the room were uneven, clearly hacked out by a hammer. 

The room contained only a table, a chair, a small locked wooden box, and in the corner, a thin mat of straw covered with a thin blanket.

On the opposite side of the room, there was a small hole covered with a thin iron plate, from which a dripping sound could be heard—it connected to the sewers beneath the Crownguard estate.

"I will arrange for you to leave the city."

Eldred's face was marked by a hint of disdain. It was clear he found the filthy, sewer-scented environment repulsive. However, since he was facing away, Fabrice couldn't see his expression.

"I've already heard you say that at least thirty times in the past few days, Eldred," Fabrice's voice was cold. "You're barely hanging on. We've failed completely."

"No!" Eldred slammed his fist onto the table, his eyes bloodshot as he turned his head, lowering his voice. "We still have a chance…"

Fabrice met his gaze for a moment before sneering and shaking her head. "Are you scared now?"

"What did you say?!" Eldred's anger flared, and he became even more agitated. "How dare you…"

"A few days ago, you were a king, second only to the monarch. You wielded power, relying on the Crownguard family and the special status of the Mageseekers' society to do as you pleased. Now, you're nothing but a pathetic stray dog."

Eldred's eyes widened, the veins on his forehead bulging as he was enraged.

"This is still your fault!" he roared, unconcerned about anyone overhearing them.

"I did think about having Sylas lead the mage revolt, but in my plan, we had to wait until Luxanna reached the capital to make contact with that special person! 

"If that happened, with the Crownguard family's status, even Tiyana wouldn't let her niece face trial. That way, she'd interfere with Jarvan III... No, by then, Jarvan III wouldn't even exist.

"Our young prince would definitely order an investigation into the mage rebellion, and with Tiyana's 'help,' we could distance ourselves. 

"I had planned for the return of the Winged Protector. I would have assassinated the king, used magic to stir up public resentment, and naturally shifted the blame to the mages. It was a perfect plan.

"But you all—how could you send me Jemira, a useless fool who couldn't even kill an old Jarvan III with the legendary weapon and got caught by those damned Piltover bastards… and you!" 

Eldred's face flushed red with rage, his fists clenched as he slammed the table. "You dared to go behind my back and meet with Sylas, releasing him from prison. Even worse, he didn't even leave the boundaries of the High Silvermere Tower!"

Fabrice remained indifferent, not affected by his outburst. "This is all the Pale Lady's arrangement."

Eldred was momentarily stunned, lowering his head.

After a long silence, he spoke again, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Heh, the Pale Lady… it's always the Pale Lady. Did she approach me twenty years ago just to make all my efforts meaningless today?"

Suddenly, he jerked his head up and lunged forward, slamming Fabrice into the wall by her neck. His strong right hand tightened, making it hard for her to breathe.

"You can't kill me now…" Fabrice managed to say, struggling for air. "It's too late... there's no turning back."

Eldred punched the wall beside her face, venting his fury before releasing his grip, slumping back into his chair and exhaling deeply.

"What should we do now?" he asked, his voice heavy. "What is the Pale Lady's plan?"

Fabrice didn't answer his question. Instead, she walked over to a wooden box, retrieved a palm-sized, opaque glass jar, and returned to stand before Eldred.

"What is this?" he asked, frowning.

"Alchemical Flames."

Fabrice's answer made Eldred's pupils contract in shock.

"Alchemical Flames." The name struck fear into him.

This was a terrifying chemical weapon from Zaun, first used on the Ionia battlefield a few years ago.

Due to its highly unstable, flammable, and volatile nature, once thrown, it would burn everything in its path, including rocks. Even if large amounts of water could extinguish the flames, the remaining chemicals would seep into the land, causing severe pollution.

He had heard that this weapon caused major setbacks for Noxus in their campaign, with the Blademasters from Wuju being wiped out in one night by the flames.

On the battlefields of the Navori Plains, the chemical bombs obliterated the resistance, severely weakening Ionia's forces.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Eldred instinctively leaned back. "Get that damn thing away from me!"

"This is our only way out, Eldred," Fabrice said calmly. "But to be precise, it's yours."

"You can't be thinking of using this to threaten the king, can you?"

"As long as we can escape the capital, I have a hundred ways to lose the Demacian pursuit, including the Dauntless Vanguard," Fabrice replied coldly. "If we can't escape, we'll use this to bring down the Lightshield family with us."

Eldred fell silent, but inside, he was cursing the woman in front of him.

If only he had stuck to his own plan, taking things slow and steady, none of this would have happened.

He thought long and hard, but he still couldn't bring himself to speak his mind.

Just as Fabrice had said, there was no turning back now.

Seeing the expression on his face, Fabrice continued, "So, when I asked you if you were scared earlier…"

She paused before adding, "I meant, scared of death."

"Since I formed an alliance with the Pale Lady, there's no such thing as fear in my dictionary, let alone death," Eldred sneered.

"What about you?"

Fabrice's expression grew serious. "As a Noxian war Mason, we do not fear death."

(End of Chapter)

=========================================================

DROP THEM POWER STONES PLEASE

SUPPORT ME ON P@TREON IF YOU'D LIKE ACCESS ON ADVANCED CHAPTERS

PAT REON . COM / TurdTranslations (Just remove the space).