Following Roland back to the office, Nightingale whispered, "I failed to protect you..."
"No, you did a good job." Roland shook his head and said, "Think about it, why did this assassin named Shio attack me in the conference hall? Because he knew that I was protected by a witch, and this witch was extremely powerful. If he didn't transfer her away, he would have no chance at all. The more arrangements he made, the more flaws he had, so in the end, he could only attack with a small dagger. "
"But he almost succeeded."
"It can't be considered a success if he didn't kill me on the spot, and your existence limited this possibility." He smiled. "If not for you, what would he have done? He would have waited patiently for an opportunity to launch a fatal attack. As long as he lurked in the castle, there would always be such an opportunity. So, you have protected me very well. In fact, the safer the territory is, the safer I am. "
"This is not comforting..." Nightingale thought, "His Highness really thinks so." This made her feel a surge of warmth in her heart, and the original uneasiness of self-blame dissipated. "I understand... but you can't let go of Lightning and Maggie this time!"
"Uh, what about them?"
"When I'm not here, they should be by your side to guard against potential enemies!" Nightingale said bluntly, "For example, in today's situation, as long as Lightning flew you, the assassin could not hurt you at all."
"She's just more lively."
"No! If Vendy and Scroll were here, they would definitely agree with me. If I don't let them feel that they are wrong, what if something really happens next time? "
"Well..." The prince touched his chin and thought for a while. "I understand. Then I'll punish them to stay in the house and not go out until they finish three sets of comprehensive mathematics, physics, and chemistry exercises. How about that?"
Nightingale could not help but suck in a breath of cold air. The comprehensive exercises … the mathematics part was still okay, but the elementary physics and chemistry were even scarier than the basic principles of nature. Just looking at the first page was enough to make people sleepy, especially those weird formulas and diagrams, which were no different from the spells in legendary stories. If it were her, she would probably never be able to go out. But thinking that it was his suggestion, he couldn't take it back, so he made up his mind and nodded. "In this way, they should realize their mistake."
…
The afternoon meeting continued. Nightingale guarded behind Roland until dusk. The general framework of the second level City hall and the first generation candidates were finally decided.
Pérot Hull was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of the Longsong Area. In addition to managing the City hall, he was also the Minister of Finance. His father, Earl Hull, was the Minister of Construction. He was the biggest winner among the nobles in Stronghold. Even Nightingale sighed inwardly. His Royal Highness really did not blame the Honeysuckle Family for the assassination. This could be considered as an extremely fair and benevolent performance among the lords.
As for the heads of other departments, some outstanding nobles were appointed. They used to be Baron or Knight and were not qualified to participate in high-level government affairs. They were very excited about His Royal Highness' appointment and expressed their willingness to serve His Royal Highness for the rest of their lives.
Although it sounded like the truth, Nightingale knew that once the situation changed and Timothy and the church overwhelmed the Western Region, they were likely to forget their vows.
Before the meeting was adjourned, His Royal Highness emphasized two employment principles. The department could use family manpower, but the proportion should not exceed 30%. At the same time, the files should be sent to the superior City hall for filing. The other point was that regardless of whether or not family manpower was used, the salary would be paid by the City hall. Anyone who violated this rule would be punished as a criminal.
Nightingale was not interested in these contents and kept yawning. She only cheered up when she saw Maggie fly into Longsong Castle with Earl Spear on her back.
After the dinner, they followed Earl Elk to Shio's residence. It was an ordinary bungalow in the Castle District. The room was so clean that not even a piece of paper was left. Obviously, Shio was prepared and had destroyed all evidence before the operation.
"Shio needs to stay in the Castle District during the day, so we only need to reproduce what happened at night," the prince told Summer. "I need to check everything he did from the time he contacted the former patrol member, Maans, to today in this room. I want every scene."
Countess Spear summoned a magic channel and connected Maggie and Summer together.
Summer, who had temporarily gained enough magic power, began to retrace the details of every night. Shio seemed to come back to life. Sometimes he sat by the fireplace, meditating, and sometimes he wrote something on a piece of paper. Soroya recorded all of this.
On the fourth day, he sat by the fireplace as usual, but this time there was an emblem in his hand.
"Wait … I think I've seen this thing before." Roland's voice sounded a little surprised. "Draw it and let me see."
The emblem was quickly drawn on the paper with a magic pen. It was about the size of a thumb and was a round gem polished into the shape of a button. Both sides were engraved with the standard symbol of a tower and a spear, which was a typical royal emblem.
"Is he Timothy's man?" Nightingale couldn't help asking.
Roland frowned and said nothing, as if he was thinking about something. After a long time, he shook his head slightly. "No, this is a token of Wimbledon III."
"You mean … your father?" Rennes asked in surprise.
"Isn't the king already under the control of Prince Gerald?" Pérot was also surprised.
"When I was a child, I saw this emblem on the desk of Wimbledon III and asked him what it was. He said that each gem represented a warrior loyal to the royal family, and the more gems there were, the more stable the throne of Wimbledon would be." Her Highness sighed. "It seems that Shio is the secret pawn the king placed beside Duke Ryan to monitor the movements of the entire Western Region."
"Then why did he attack you?" Rennes was puzzled.
"Maybe Timothy found the list of gems and passed down the assassination order … For them, the emblem means everything. No matter what order it is, they will carry it out."
"I see …" Nightingale looked at the assassin formed by the magic illusion. He stared at the emblem for a long time and finally threw the gem into the fireplace. He looked a little disappointed, but at the same time relaxed. Perhaps in Shio's eyes, this order also meant freedom.
However, after figuring out the reason, Roland didn't show a relaxed expression. Instead, he looked at the fireplace with a solemn expression and didn't look away for a long time.
…
Late at night, after Summer fell asleep, Nightingale quietly sneaked into Roland's room.
Ever since she was scolded by Vendy, she hadn't done so again. However, today's assassination had made her feel unsettled, and without Vendy and Anna in the castle, she felt less restrained.
Looking at the sleeping Roland Wimbledon, she slipped out of the Mist and quietly walked to the bedside. She leaned over and kissed his forehead.
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