Chapter 281: A Knight Cannot Go Back On His Words
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Within the ruins of Oswald’s Mansion.
“d.a.m.n it!”
A furious Joseph punched through a half-broken pillar, making it collapse and causing dust on the ground to fly up.
Although it appeared that Joseph had gained the upper hand right from the fight duel, Wilde hadn’t even turned up in his physical form and was merely using the sorcery of Flesh Puppet.
The few punches that Joseph threw appeared completely dominating, but they had no effect in truth. Attacks on the puppet—with the exception of curses—were ineffectual on the caster and were only useful for one to vent some displeasure.
But for a magician of Wilde’s standing, even a curse on the puppet would probably be largely useless and result in a backlash on the user.
Aside from that, Wilde’s parting words had severely affected Joseph’s mood and made him feel as though he had been led by the nose…
This meant that perhaps Wilde knew far more than himself with regards to the behind-the-scenes happening at Secret Rite Tower!
Such a realization caused Joseph to feel exceptionally frustrated.
Furthermore, Wilde’s words implied that this incident had something to do with the Council of Elders.
After all, Oswald, as one of the Great Radiant Knights, could only be restricted and supervised by the Council of Elders. Before the Council of Elders made their judgment, no one would suspect a Great Radiant Knight since they were the faces of Secret Rite Tower.
If he had really committed more heinous crimes than what had surfaced, for instance—as Wilde had mentioned—being a spy for the Path of the Flaming Sword, all this time while a.s.suming such a sacred role, then it definitely had something to do with the Council of Elders.
In other words, the Council of Elders… might have really been infiltrated by a mole from the Path of the Flaming Sword!
This was an absolutely horrifying realization.
Once a mole managed to infiltrate into the highest echelons and gain power to control the entire organization, it basically meant that such an organization would be finished very soon.
The Church of the Dome that had been recently taken down was the best example.
Joseph’s face contorted in displeasure several times before he managed to calm down and unclenched his fist.
I can’t rule out the possibility that Wilde is trying to mess with my mind. This is a grave matter that requires me to make reliable judgment.
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Although Wilde had claimed to have come under Boss Lin’s orders, Joseph knew that he definitely couldn’t trust anything that guy said from having dealt with this diabolical adversary over the years.
There was a slight twinkling in Joseph’s eyes as he took his gaze away from Oswald’s dead body.
But… Wilde took Oswald’s soul to repair the stone gargoyle he had gifted to Boss Lin.
And back then, Oswald’s grandson had sent someone to search the bookstore and ultimately reported it in an attempt to frame Melissa.
Wilde had just so happened to step out of the bookstore at that time. According to Claude, in his hands at that time… was the shattered stone gargoyle!
If Boss Lin’s intention then was for Wilde to restore the stone gargoyle, then Wilde would naturally understand that those small fries and even Todd weren’t worthy of Boss Lin to mention them. Moreover, the souls of these weaklings are probably insufficient for the stone gargoyle’s restoration.
The message here was clearly for him to capture Oswald’s soul!
If all this was Boss Lin’s will, then, on the contrary, it seems to be the most reasonable explanation…
However, Wilde mixed the a.s.signment with his own personal agenda, making use of Oswald to deal a heavy blow to Secret Rite Tower knights who went forth to apprehend the latter.
This was his first act of vengeance upon his return after two years.
And things would only increase in severity in the future.
Joseph’s train of thoughts was broken by Caroline’s voice. “I can find some traces of information left behind by Wilde just now. If I follow them, I would be able to locate his physical location relatively quickly. Do you need me to make the necessary arrangements and coordinate with you?”
Although this was what Caroline said, relief was written all over her face. In truth, she heaved a great sigh of relief when she saw that this battle wasn’t going to pan out.
They were in the Central District after all, and if the two Destructive-ranks were to engage in a fight, there would be tremendous stress on the Logistic Division. If ‘the ones’ in slumber were to be startled awake, the consequences would be disastrous, and Secret Rite Tower would have to answer for it.
But from this point of view, Wilde probably had the same concerns, which was why he chose to employ Flesh Puppet instead.
Joseph shook his head. “Even if we head over now, he would have probably set up a trap or hidden himself by the time we arrive there. It’s futile even if we can track him down… This operation by the Intelligence Division is a complete failure and I cannot allow my subordinates to be exposed to any more danger given the circ.u.mstances.”
Without a doubt, they were adversaries that knew each other inside out.
However, the operation this time around had been headed only by the Intelligence Division, without any professionals from the Combat Division due to fears that Oswald would be informed. As such, the overall combat strength was obviously insufficient.
And with this lethal move from Wilde, the strength of the Intelligence Division had been halved.
Especially so for Claude… the sole disciple of Joseph had nearly perished at Oswald’s hands.
At the moment, besides the pent-up years of vengeful rage, Joseph probably also felt a deep sense of dread.
He certainly couldn’t afford any more risks from both an emotional and logical standpoint.
Caroline nodded and offered some comfort, “He will surely make another move. When you have officially resumed the position of Great Radiant Knight and have control of the Combat Division, that would then be when Wilde gets his dues.”
Joseph’s brows narrowed as he was reminded of Wilde’s words—how did Oswald manage to keep the position of Great Radiant Knight all these years?
If he really had a member from the Council of Elders as a backer, then what would this person do with Oswald’s successor following his death?
‘Joseph’s comeback’ appeared to be a matter of course to everyone, but what if it was all a scheme being manipulated by someone?
“No,” Joseph uttered. “I once promised Winston to never vie with him for the position of Section Chief of the Combat Division. A knight cannot go back on his words.”
Caroline was slightly taken aback. “So, what are your plans?”
“Wasn’t Oswald from the Training Division originally? I’ll just replace his position then.”
Joseph continued, “As for the position of Section Chief of the Intelligence Division, I’ll leave it to Claude once he has recuperated. He has already grown into a force of his own.
“I believe the Council of Elders will probably adopt my suggestion.”
Having aired his intentions, Joseph changed the topic. “You can continue with your work that was interrupted. As for the information about Oswald…”
You probably retained it, right?
Joseph stared at her with a profound gaze, then extended his hand and the words ‘Bookstore’ appeared in gold on his palm.
Caroline was startled and hesitated for a moment before nodding. Turning her attention back to Oswald’s corpse, she further examined the information embedded within…
——
Theodore officially moved his shop into the unit within the mall constructed by Rolle Resource Development.
He surveyed his unit that had been renovated before letting out a sigh, after which he picked out a book from a box in the corner.
It was this special book that made many people and even powerful factions take note of him.