Chapter 67

The scent of blood filled the room, thickening the air with a sense of cold menace. The fire in the brazier flickered and slowly died, snuffed out by the gusting wind that rushed in through the broken door, lowering the temperature to match the chill outside.

The soldiers, huddled in the corner of the room, remained silent and still, frozen in place. The remaining knight stared at Torls' lifeless body, his eyes wide in shock, before quickly lowering his gaze, fearing he might meet the same fate.

Richard slowly sheathed his sword, his voice calm as he spoke, " Is there anyone else who desires not to heed my commands?"

The room fell completely silent, every person shaking their head in unison.

"Good." Richard nodded and scanned the group. ""I perceive that thou must be pondering that I ought not to have taken the life of Torls. Indeed, he should not have met his demise. He was unreasonable, even laughable, and he wrought mistakes, yet none of that warranted his death.

The reason for his end is straightforward: I required the establishment of my authority in this moment, particularly following the assassination of the Baron. As the adage goes, 'Slay the chicken to frighten the monkeys.' To rephrase, 'Punish one to caution or deter the many.' Thus… he is no more.

It was an unjust demise, yet it was not without purpose. From your responses, 'tis clear that his death has served its intent. Well, the account concludes here. I shall not have the leisure to tend to you all as a nursemaid, nor do I desire to squander that time.

My mandates are plain: I care not for your feelings or thoughts. All that matters is that you execute my orders without question. Otherwise… do not cast blame upon me for resorting to extreme measures to reaffirm my authority. I have ever held that death is the simplest and most efficacious means."

Richard smiled slightly, his voice turning casual as he continued, "Now, you can stay here and enjoy the brazier. I won't mind, as long as you find the thief within half an hour. Otherwise…"

Richard's smile faded and he didn't need to finish the threat. After a brief pause, he added, "Well, I trust thou shalt find joy in thy time by the brazier."

With that, Richard flicked his fingers, and a tiny, delicate flame appeared at the tip of his hand. With a swift motion, he tossed the flame into the brazier, and the fire reignited with a burst of heat. He turned and walked out of the room.

Tuku and the others seemed unfazed, accustomed to such extreme situations. However, the soldiers and the remaining knight could only stare, their eyes wide in disbelief, swallowing nervously, unsure of what to do next.

Soon, the entire castle erupted into frantic action. Soldiers, like desperate hounds, scoured every corner of the castle, driven by the same fear that had overtaken the soldiers in the small room.

Reports were quickly sent back to Richard's location.

"The stables are clear…"

"The warehouse is clear…"

"The small house is clear…"

"…"

Minutes passed, and soon, nearly every inch of the castle had been searched. However, the thief remained elusive.

Tuku rushed to Richard once again, furrowing his brow. " Master, we've searched every possible place, even the drainage tunnels leading out to the small river, but there's still no sign of the thief."

Richard narrowed his eyes. "This doesn't make sense. The thief couldn't have left the castle. He must still be hiding somewhere inside."

Richard absentmindedly drew his sword and lightly traced it across the floor as he muttered to himself, "The thief couldn't have been a match for the Baron, so he must be an ordinary man. When I entered the main castle, I ran into the Baron chasing him, which means the thief couldn't have gotten far. In fact, he probably couldn't have gotten more than thirty meters from the main hall.

It's likely the thief is hiding somewhere nearby, either in the main hall or close by. But the main hall is... wait!"

Richard's eyes flashed as a thought struck him. He recalled the typical layout of noble castles in this world. The first floor often served as the main hall, the kitchen located behind it, and the food cellar, or basement, located beneath the kitchen.

"Have you searched the cellar?" Richard turned to Tuku and asked.

Tuku blinked in confusion. "Uh… no, we haven't."

"Alright, looks like you haven't searched it." Richard shook his head. "No need to search now. Let's go directly and capture him. Be careful though—he's carrying a poisoned dagger."

"Understood, Master," Tuku nodded before leaving in haste, rallying the troops.

It wasn't long before Richard heard the sounds of shouting and commands being issued.

A few minutes later, Tuku returned, his face lit up with excitement. "Young Master, we've caught him! That damn thief was hiding in the cellar, inside an empty wine barrel! We almost missed him, but we spotted the corner of his cloak sticking out. We caught him red-handed."

"Good." Richard nodded without much excitement, his tone calm. "Take him to the dungeon for questioning. Be sure not to kill him, and let me know the results. I'll prepare the antidote for the Baron in the meantime. Hurry up—I want this done before I finish with the antidote."

"Understood," Tuku said before leaving again.

Richard made his way to the laboratory in the side castle. He took out the herbs he had gathered earlier and began processing them.

Flames danced in the furnace, and the liquid in the pots began to bubble with a low gurgling sound. The herbs slowly softened in the heat, releasing their potent fragrance into the air.

Over an hour later, the concoction was nearly done. It just needed time to cool. Richard frowned as he noticed that Tuku still hadn't returned. Deciding to check on the progress, he left the lab and descended the stairs.

When he reached the side castle's exterior, he encountered Tuku, who had come to report.

"So, did you get anything out of him?" Richard asked.

"Well…" Tuku looked uneasy, his face tinged with embarrassment. "Young Master, the prisoner was quite stubborn, so..."

"So you didn't get anything from him?" Richard asked, shaking his head slightly.

Tuku lowered his head in shame.

"Never mind," Richard said, shrugging. "There's still time for the antidote to cool. I'll go see for myself."

He paused, then added, "By the way, go and blindfold him first."

"Huh? Why blindfold him?" Tuku asked in confusion, but as soon as the question left his mouth, he quickly bit back his words and turned to head toward the dungeon.

Richard followed behind him, heading to the dungeon.

The dungeon of the Baron's castle was located in the southwest corner of the building, not far from the stables.

They pushed open the iron-barred door and descended the stairs. A narrow hallway stretched before them, lit by the dim yellow glow of oil lamps. Shadows twisted along the walls as they walked forward, and after about twenty meters, the corridor opened into a large chamber.

The dungeon was about five to six hundred square meters in size, with ten or more wooden cells arranged in a row. In the center of the room stood a wooden post, to which a naked man was chained. His body was covered in bruises, and although he appeared to be conscious, his eyes were covered by a black cloth.