Chapter 163 Finding the Trail

Leaving the academy, Lando instantly felt a sense of boundless freedom, like a bird soaring through the vast sky.

"As expected, I am simply unsuited for disguises and play-acting. Free and unhindered exploration is what I was truly meant to do."

The Tolansy family was based in the northern part of the Empire, which also happened to be Bishop Bridget’s primary sphere of influence. Because of this, although the bishop had orchestrated numerous tragedies akin to the one in the small town where Roeller lived, he had always carried them out on other people's turfs. Not a single similar incident had ever occurred in the northern Empire.

Lando stretched lazily. Before leaving Gusman, there were still a few matters he needed to attend to; otherwise, his state of mind would remain unsettled.

Arriving at the inner district where the imperial court's nobles gathered, he easily bypassed the guards' line of sight. Familiar routes flowed through his mind, and moments later, Lando stood before a grand mansion.

Leaping into the estate with effortless grace, he startled not a soul, even in broad daylight.

Having visited once before, he was thoroughly familiar with the layout. He quickly located his target within the study.

In the study, Count Tolansy had been plagued by the feeling that someone was plotting against him ever since he inexplicably obtained Lando's intel last time. Consequently, he had increased the number of guards around him during this period, even having his two seventh-tier powerhouses take turns standing guard nearby. Fortunately, his business at the imperial court was nearly concluded; in a few days, he would return to his northern domain, where not even a legendary expert would dare to touch him.

As for that youth named Lando, he would simply have to wait for a future opportunity to deal with him. Surely the boy could not remain in Gusman forever.

Suddenly, wisps of mist began to permeate the study. By the time Count Tolansy sensed something amiss, Lando was already standing right beside him. Under the count's astonished gaze, a ray of lethal light pierced straight through the space between his eyebrows. The current head of the Tolansy family, Count Tolansy, died then and there without a sound.

Lando withdrew his finger without sparing him another glance, departing as quietly as he had arrived, leaving behind not a single trace, just as he had come.

The guards outside, including the seventh-tier expert in the room adjacent to the count's, remained entirely oblivious to the fact that the nobleman they were protecting had quietly met his demise. They continued to steadfastly hold their posts with unyielding loyalty.

Having visited previously, Lando knew there was no worthwhile wool to shear here—after all, it was merely a temporary residence. Thus, after dispatching Count Tolansy, he simply left.

As for the turmoil the count's death might unleash, Lando cared not a whit.

Without pausing along the way, it took him a mere three days to reach the territory of the Tolansy family.

During the journey, Lando had wanted Little Ash to grow larger so he could ride him, but the little creature adamantly refused. Even dangling the nectar of the Fresen flower as bait proved utterly useless, leaving Lando rather disappointed.

According to the information provided by Roeller, Bishop Bridget resided year-round within the Tolansy family's castle estate and rarely ventured out, making him quite easy to track down.

The Tolansy family's castle estate was situated not far from Ragner, a massive metropolis in the north.

When Lando arrived in the vicinity, night was just beginning to fall. Rather than entering the city, he headed straight for the Tolansy estate.

The estate was massive, rivaling a small city in scale. It was fully equipped with all manner of facilities, housing at least several hundred servants whose sole purpose was to serve the dozen or so members of the Tolansy family.

The castle itself was built upon a small hill at the center of the estate, affording a view that overlooked the entire grounds from within.

Even though night had fallen, the estate was brightly lit. The castle appeared to be hosting a banquet, with servants continuously carrying fine wine and exquisite food through its doors like a flowing stream.

Lando casually captured a few informants and briefly questioned them about the estate's situation. Naturally, these lower-level servants knew nothing of the Tolansy family's legendary expert, but simple information regarding the quarters of the family's core members was easily extracted.

At the same time, Lando learned why the banquet was being held tonight: it was the thirtieth birthday of the eldest son of the very Count Tolansy whom Lando had recently dispatched. Consequently, the Tolansy family had invited many distinguished figures from Ragner to attend.

Lando: ?!

Had they seriously not received the news that their patriarch had kicked the bucket? Or was the son perhaps not even biologically related?

Although Lando had traveled without stopping, the journey still took three days. He had initially assumed the Tolansy family would have already received word of Count Tolansy's death, considering this world possessed teleportation arrays.

Upon second thought, however, the teleportation arrays in this world were likely all controlled by the Dark Cult; the imperial court seemed to possess no such means, and long-distance communication essentially relied on riding horses at a gallop.

Since Bridget's power base was entirely in the northern Empire, the absence of a direct teleportation array to the heart of the imperial court made complete sense. At the very least, Prince Gig would never have allowed such a thing to exist.

Minutes later, a new guest imperceptibly blended into the banquet crowd.

Lando slightly dampened his presence, yet he still effortlessly drew the gazes of various maidens in the hall.

As he sampled the delicacies, Lando mentally sighed at his own damned, inescapable charm.

Truth be told, the banquet was of a remarkably high standard; the food was delicious, and the wine was exceptional. However, fully aware of his mission, Lando reluctantly set down his food the moment he spotted his target—the protagonist of tonight's banquet—and walked toward him.

Having already conducted a brief sweep, he knew there was no aura of a legendary powerhouse within the castle. Thus, the quickest way to find Bridget was naturally to directly question a core member of the Tolansy family.

As he approached the eldest son, the circle of noble socialites surrounding him naturally parted.

The target very naturally followed Lando into an empty room.

The entire process raised not a single eyebrow among the onlookers.

Lando couldn't be bothered to learn the man's name and asked directly, "Where is Bridget?"

The eldest son, whose mind was veiled by the Mind Palace space, hesitated for a moment before asking, "Bridget... who is that?"

Lando's brow twitched as he asked in a deep voice, "Does the Tolansy family have a legendary expert?!"

"Our ancestor is... a legendary expert. Oh... right... our ancestor is named... Bridget."

Lando: (??へ??╬)

To actually forget the name of his own family's patriarch! For a fleeting second, Lando had wondered if both he and Claire had been duped by Roeller, only to realize it was merely this fellow's utter incompetence causing a blunder.

"You can even forget your own ancestor's name?"

"I only ever called him... Ancestor, never by his... name. The ancestor's... name... was something I found out... purely by accident."

"..."

"Cut the crap. Tell me where he is."

"The ancestor is usually... in the underground secret chamber... of Ragner City's Lord's Mansion."

"The Lord's Mansion's underground secret chamber?"

When the eldest son snapped back to his senses, he found himself standing alone in an empty room, utterly unable to recall why he was there when he should have been at his own birthday banquet.

A sudden, inexplicable chill ran down his spine. He hurried out of the vacant room and returned to the lively banquet hall, where the unease in his heart finally subsided just a fraction.