Work Prophet

"Shouldn't we be more cautious, call off the war for now, and investigate the matter with the Italian Cannons?" Ivan suggested.

"Ireya might have planned just that. If those so-called Italian Cannons are really that powerful and she possesses a hundred of them, she wouldn't need to waste words with Harvin. She could directly crush those thirty thousand men to demonstrate her strength to us."

"Your analysis is sound, but... Sir Irelia might simply dislike the sight of bloodshed. Edward II once appraised her, saying she had a heart of gold and noble character."

"That's easy, just command Harvin to launch an attack, and we'll soon find out whether Ireya is truly noble or just bluffing," Lannita said languidly.

"But what if..."

"There are no 'ifs'," Lannita interrupted the former Chief of Intelligence, "those thirty thousand were my bargaining chip to probe the Arias Family from the start. It's no big deal if we lose them."

"Alright, I understand," Ivan nodded. Having spent so much time with Lannita, he gradually came to understand the young winged girl's approach to things.

She was someone with strong convictions and a strong desire for control, who hated most to have her decisions questioned.

The former Chief of Intelligence hesitated, then said, "Then, about Angela..."

"Let me think about that one," Lannita replied.

At that moment, a knock sounded from outside, and two maids came in carrying a large bucket of water.

Lannita's eyes lit up at the sight, and she immediately stripped off her clothes and jumped into the wooden tub.

Ivan hurriedly turned away.

But behind him, the sound of a girl's giggling echoed, "You say you've been learning our language and traditions, aren't you curious about our bodies too?"

"Lady Lannita," the former Chief of Intelligence said with resignation, "please don't tease me for fun."

"Why not? Isn't life all about looking for fun? Or do you think I'm not pretty?"

"You are undoubtedly beautiful, but I'm afraid of dying."

Lannita smiled, "You're quite honest, but rest assured, I can guarantee I won't kill you after we sleep together."

"Those men who died at your hands, just moments before you were still pledging eternal love to them," the former Chief of Intelligence said as he took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

"I think I'll take my leave now, you can call me in when you're free to discuss the matters of the Immanuel Family."

"Boring fellow." Lannita then began to bathe with the help of the two maids.

She leaned against the edge of the tub, a pair of wings airing out over the rim—while one maid massaged her shoulders, the other combed through her feathers.

Just as Lannita was starting to relax, one of the maids suddenly stopped what she was doing, pulled out a small knife from beneath her skirt, and slashed at Lannita's throat.

However, just as the blade approached Lannita's neck, her wings suddenly flared open, striking the maid's hand and sending the knife flying.

Then Lannita grabbed the maid by the neck and pushed her head into the bathing basin.

The maid was desperately struggling, trying to scratch Lannita's arm with her nails.

But Lannita then pinned her shoulders, making it difficult for her to move, and after a short while, the maid stopped struggling.

Lannita looked up and turned her gaze to another maid, whose expression was filled with terror. She stammered out, "I...I have no association with her, I know nothing."

With a slight smile, Lannita stepped out of the tub, picked up the small knife that had fallen to the ground earlier, and the maid immediately let out a piercing scream.

She turned and fled towards the door, but the next moment, a figure descended from above, blocking her path.

"I know you might not have anything to do with this matter, as just now you were obediently standing there, but... I cannot completely rule out your suspicion, so I had to choose the simplest solution."

Lannita, not caring whether the other could understand, had already swung the knife in her hand, plunging it into the maid's eye socket.

By the time the guards and Ivan arrived at the castle, they found two dead bodies and Lannita beside them, seemingly deep in thought.

"You don't spare even women?" the former intelligence chief's face changed color as he couldn't help but say.

"Ha, what are you thinking? They are assassins, or at least one of them is an assassin. They attacked while I was bathing. Do you think she was a follower of the Sabbath?"

Upon hearing this, Ivan walked over to the bodies to perform a thorough examination. After a moment, he rose, chatted with the guards at his side, summoned two more maids and a wet nurse to question them, and then turned to Lannita.

"They shouldn't be from the Double Rest Sect because they had been working in this castle long before Merlin came to the Western lands, and they didn't have any contact with the Sabbath from the sect afterward."

"Then whose people are they? Some noble in the city who holds a grudge against me?"

The former intelligence chief hesitated, "They could be from the Blood Moon Association, because I asked around the castle, and everyone says Emma and Rosanna were very devout to Pisya. Especially Rosanna, but she was somewhat dissatisfied with the actions of the Silver Moon Church."

Ivan pointed at the body beside the tub.

"Blood Moon Association? Them again," Lannita said dispassionately.

"The leader of the Blood Moon Association, Hirodod, died at the hands of your kin. It's not surprising that they would launch an attack on you. Moreover, the Blood Moon Association is very skilled in assassination and poisoning. You'd better be more careful with this in the future," the former intelligence chief said earnestly, "Most people in the Western lands are devotees of Pisya, so the remnants of the Blood Moon Association are everywhere."

Lannita, unusually serious, dropped her usual careless facade and a hint of helplessness flickered in her eyes.

She had investigated the Blood Moon Association before coming to the Western lands, knowing the kind of people that filled its ranks. With Hirodod's death, the remaining factions went deeper into hiding. Unless she killed the entire Western lands' population, finding them would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

These guys currently have limited influence in the Western lands, but the level of trouble they cause has not diminished, only increased. Being entangled with them meant never getting a moment's peace.

Even Lannita didn't want to get involved in this trouble.

The maiden said, "Forget it, I'll go out for a walk to clear my head."

"Where do you plan to go?"

"Black Stone City; that place is now the territory of the Double Rest Sect, right?" Lannita huffed, "There shouldn't be any remnants of the Blood Moon Association left there, right? I can also take the chance to teach that Lady named Angela a lesson."