Chapter Forty-Six: Barton Had Already Seen Through Everything

When Andy arrived at the city lord’s manor with the members of the Storm Knight Order, they naturally found no trace of the so-called “Viscount Colin.” Since many in the Order were wounded, and there were fallen comrades needing burial and compensation, Captain Barton did not linger long at the manor. He promptly led his knights back to their headquarters to rest and regroup.

It was only after the Storm Knight Order had departed that Bill finally arrived, somewhat belatedly. Upon his return, Andy and Jera cornered him in a room. Jera instructed Bill never to use the identity of Viscount Colin again, and questioned him about his sudden disappearance without a word of explanation.

Normally, if Bill had accomplished some small feat, he would be sure to boast extravagantly before Jera. But now, Bill felt he had just saved the world; to brag about it would seem rather undignified. So he chose to keep his achievement hidden.

Smiling awkwardly at Jera and Andy, he said, “I couldn’t get used to the manor’s cuisine, so I went back to my old lodgings to fetch some spice packets.” As he spoke, he truly produced two packets of seasoning from his pocket.

Seeing the speechless expressions on Andy and Jera’s faces, Bill added, “Are you hungry? I’ll whip up a couple of dishes for a midnight snack.” With that, he headed toward the kitchen, straightening his back as he passed Andy.

Bill thought to himself, “This is the kind of man I want to be—saving the world by day, quietly cooking at home by night…”

Without the borrowed prestige of Viscount Colin, Andy and the others were no longer suited to reside in the city lord’s manor. The following day, they moved to Bill’s former lodgings.

During this time, Andy slipped out quietly, keeping it a secret from Catherine. He went to Catherine’s old residence to rebuild a tombstone for Old Brown, then exhumed Catherine’s body, which he had buried days before. Since it was underground, the layer of ice had not completely melted. Andy used the sorcery “Water to Ice” to reinforce it once more, then placed the body in his portable space pouch.

Unbeknownst to Andy, in a place he could not perceive, the newly formed ghostly spirit, young Wheat, followed him, making menacing faces as he went…

For the next two days, members of the Storm Knight Order searched the city for Viscount Colin and Edward. Andy, worried that their actions might be exposed, wanted to flee at once, but was stopped by Jera.

Upon reflection, Andy decided he could simply fight his way out if things turned sour, so he no longer mentioned running away.

…

At the Storm Knight Order’s headquarters, Knight Barton quietly organized a file—a report to Marshal Vaughn on the events in Dallas City.

After failing to locate Viscount Colin and his son on the first day, the Order shifted focus to investigating the events that had occurred in Dallas City before their arrival. The deeper the investigation, the more certain Barton became that something was amiss.

Yet some findings puzzled him: Why had Edward killed his mentor, Stein? Why had Andy and Viscount Colin fought bitterly one day, only for Andy to be treated as a guest of honor at the manor the next? And why had Viscount Colin sought the Order’s help to destroy his own son at the wizard’s tower?

Later, the Storm Knight Order obtained two clues from Kelly, the former head maid at the wizard’s tower. Captain Barton finally began to piece together the threads of the situation.

Kelly, hoping the Order would help her find her recently missing husband, answered their questions with complete candor. Thus, Barton learned that Stein’s health was failing, and Edward, along with his henchman Compson, had once plotted to poison Andy.

With these clues, and recalling the typical behavior of noble youths in the kingdom, Barton felt he had grasped the truth.

It was a classic case: two apprentice wizards, locked in a deadly rivalry for the inheritance of their mentor’s wizard tower.

Barton’s deductions unfolded thus: Stein had several apprentices, but favored two in particular—Andy Charles, heir to an old friend, and Edward Colin, the city lord’s son.

Edward, gifted in sorcery, stood out among Stein’s apprentices, while Andy, though diligent, lagged due to lesser talent. If things continued this way, Edward would inevitably inherit the tower after Stein’s death, gaining the resources to advance further as a formal wizard.

Yet, whether due to Stein’s favoritism or some fortuitous encounter, Andy’s sorcery suddenly began to improve. Feeling threatened, Edward plotted to nip this in the bud.

When his scheme was exposed, Edward sought Viscount Colin’s help. Seizing the opportunity while Stein was away, they launched a thunderous assault on Phillips Manor.

Unexpectedly, Andy had made progress in sorcery and had advanced to knight status in swordsmanship, aided by the newly elevated high apprentice wizard, Bill. Thus, Andy and his companions escaped the manor.

They immediately sought out their mentor, Stein, but by then Stein’s old wounds had resurfaced, leaving him unable to confront the great knight Cromwell in the city lord’s manor.

Fortunately, Stein possessed unique methods to rapidly enhance Andy’s power. Andy entered seclusion, quickly advancing from junior to senior apprentice wizard.

Meanwhile, Viscount Colin, sensing Stein’s weakness, decided to take drastic action and ransacked the wizard tower.

Once Andy had fully mastered his abilities, he launched a nighttime assault on the viscount’s manor, slaying nearly all knights and above, including the great knight Cromwell.

Seeing the tide turn, Viscount Colin surrendered at once, negotiated with Stein, lifted Andy’s wanted status, and acknowledged him as the primary heir to the wizard tower. To curry favor, he also invited Andy to be a guest of honor, and imprisoned some guards who had previously pursued Andy to appease him.

It seemed everything was resolved. But Edward, unaccustomed to failure, was unwilling to concede. To avenge himself, he began studying forbidden sorcery and colluding with the radical Gillian organization in the city.

Edward hated his mentor Stein even more than Andy Charles. Once he felt he had mastered forbidden magic, he went to the wizard tower, either by treachery or direct attack, and murdered his mentor.

To ensure his success, he even had his trusted soldiers deceive the inner city guards to let the Gillian radicals in for support.

However, the Gillian group had their own agenda, committing horrific massacres near the wizard tower. When Edward realized the situation was spiraling out of control, he willingly joined their descent into chaos—or perhaps the forbidden sorcery had driven him mad.

Naturally, all this happened without Viscount Colin’s knowledge. The poor viscount believed it was merely the work of the Gillian Brotherhood, so he requested the Storm Knight Order and Andy to restore order, only to inadvertently corner his own son.

After Edward escaped with bizarre sorcery and reunited with Viscount Colin, the viscount finally learned the truth, but it was too late. They fled by secret means and vanished from Dallas City without a trace…

Such was the truth of the recent events in Dallas City, as compiled by Captain Barton from his experience and the clues gathered over the past days.