msmithbooks 040. Simone's Defeat
040. Simone's Defeat
The air suddenly froze.
Gordon stared coldly at Simondo, who was in the lead. With a slight twitch of his finger, the investigation order spontaneously combusted as if it had been soaked in oil.
Simon was so shocked that his hand trembled, and he threw the investigation order to the ground. His face was filled with doubt and uncertainty as he took two steps back, watching helplessly as it turned into a handful of black ash and scattered in the night wind.
He knew that only Gordon had that kind of ability.
The ability to cast spells without any prelude, which Gordon received as a gift from the "angels" back then, was merely one of his least noteworthy skills.
"You! You are disobeying King Bermelt's orders!"
Simondo's temples bulged with veins, and he pointed his finger and cursed angrily.
Gordon, however, shrugged nonchalantly, even with a hint of a smile:
"Is that so, Simondo...?"
"If this matter really reaches the King, I don't think you're qualified to interrogate His Highness the Third Prince."
Simondo paused for a moment, wanting to argue, but found Gordon staring intently at him.
Simondo paused, his face still showing sinister anger.
"Are you questioning the King?! Aren't you afraid—"
Gordon interrupted Simondo before he could finish speaking:
"I don't know who gave you the audacity to investigate His Highness the Third Prince..."
"But if you want to continue the investigation, you should at least present the investigation warrant clearly for me and the Third Prince to review, right?"
"The investigation warrant has been burned by someone, and its contents are unknown. On what grounds should I allow you to investigate the Third Prince without cause?"
"you!!"
Simone's nostrils twitched, and his deep nasolabial folds revealed anger and helplessness.
Simondo was already seething with anger because of Gordon's overbearing behavior and because he had no evidence that Gordon had burned the investigation order.
Seeing that Sinlai still wouldn't look at him directly, Simondo's anger surged to the top of his head.
As the battalion commander of the 14th Battalion of the National Security City Defense Force, he is about to become the next reserve dungeon guardian, with a rank and status equal to Gordon's.
Since Sinlai was already under suspicion, she naturally had nothing to worry about. Simondo suppressed his anger and instead pressed Gordon's questions, following his lead:
"Gordon, your obstruction of my investigation into His Highness the Third Prince... Could it be that this attack is truly related to him?"
"When have I ever stopped you?" Gordon walked forward slowly, as if strolling in a garden, forcing the city guards to retreat repeatedly.
Their retreat was not due to Gordon's official rank; no matter how high that rank was, it couldn't compare to that of the eldest prince, Galund.
They were showing weakness because they feared Gordon might scatter their ashes in a fit of rage...
"Show me the warrant, and I'll move aside immediately."
"Who knows if you're acting on someone's orders, coming here specifically to make things difficult for the Third Prince?"
Gordon's words were like daggers, causing Simon to clench his fists, his knuckles cracking, clearly a display of impotent rage at being exposed but unable to refute.
Gordon, pressing his advantage, shook his head and pointed towards the door:
"Since you can't produce it, and the king has ordered me to protect the third prince well..."
"Then please return, Battalion Commander."
Gordon saw his guest off with an elegant and confident demeanor, his smile full of threat.
Simondo bypassed Gordon and stared directly at Sinley.
Xinlai had already sat back on the sofa, legs crossed, sipping the scarlet wine with an indifferent expression, not even sparing him a glance.
Simondo knew that arguing with Gordon at this moment would be pointless, and said in a deep voice:
"Your Highness, I am only following orders. Please cooperate."
Xin Lai paused slightly in her wine glass, turned her head, and said with a half-smile, "Did I say I wouldn't cooperate?"
Simondo's face darkened: "You arranged for Gordon to obstruct us and burn the investigation warrant. What is this if not non-cooperation? Your attitude itself is problematic!"
Sin Lai's identity and his heterochromatic eyes meant he didn't have much prestige in the army, and Simondo naturally wasn't afraid of Sin Lai, since the person behind him was Galund.
Xinlai stood up, walked over to Gordon, and shook her head with a pout:
"The battalion commander stormed into my house, and his men surrounded my castle like they were surrounding a criminal. Whose attitude was the problem first?"
"Aren't you even willing to ask Frank, the chief steward of the Silver Raven's Eye, where I was at the time? Is it because you're afraid, or are you deliberately avoiding the question?"
Xin Lai's tone rose, each word like a nail:
"What kind of mission is this that even your National Security City Defense Force is unaware of? Or... is this something your city defense force did on purpose?"
"Oh, right," Xin Lai said, as if remembering something, "What about the Public Security Bureau? Isn't that area under their jurisdiction? What are you all doing here?"
"It couldn't be that my dear brother sent you to cause trouble, could it?"
Simondo was speechless, his face ashen.
His reason for coming has been exposed, and his confidence has been completely stripped away.
The living room was thick with tension; the two sides were locked in a stalemate, neither willing to back down.
High Priestess Alaya of the Church of Light gained the support of Halleton and others by virtue of her help.
So Galunde had his concubine try to trick Alaya, and when that failed, he tried to kidnap her. But then a group of adventurers, whose allegiance was unknown, suddenly appeared.
Galund's men were all slaughtered, and the high priest fled. Galund was furious, and seeing that Sinlai was nearby, he sent Simondo to investigate...
However, it seems that the Third Prince's escape from the Church of Light has nothing to do with the matter.
Anyone with eyes to see can see that Galund is just looking for a plausible excuse to shirk his incompetence and poor performance.
Now that Sinlai has not only cleared himself of suspicion, but has also turned the tables on the city's defense forces by holding them accountable for their poor governance, Simondo is naturally in the wrong and dares not argue any further.
He hesitated for a moment, then bowed slightly:
"I apologize, Your Highness, for disturbing you. This matter has a significant impact and requires a routine investigation."
Xinlai turned her back, her tone laced with a hint of sarcasm:
"These days, it seems like any Tom, Dick, or Harry can become a battalion commander in the city defense army..."
"you!"
Before Simon could react, Sinley had already walked to the sofa and waved her hand:
"Show him out, Gordon. Let him in only after you have a warrant."
"Remember to make them pay for the money they paid for stepping on my carpet, and if the door gets a crack from being kicked in, make them pay for that too."
Upon hearing this, Gordon turned to Simondo, who was still unwilling to give up, with a stiff smile on his face:
"Please, Battalion Commander."
Simon clenched his jaw, his nostrils twitched, and finally let out a cold snort, flicking his sleeve:
"Hmph, Your Highness, please behave yourself and don't give us any more ammunition to use against you."
Xin Lai nodded in agreement, "Of course. Please also tell my dear brother when you get back that next time someone comes looking for trouble, please choose someone else. You're not worthy."
"..."
Simondo was speechless, standing there for a few seconds before turning back to glare fiercely at Gordon, muttering defiantly as he walked away:
"withdraw."
With his arrogance completely extinguished, Simondo led his city guards away in a sorry state, boarding the carriage like stray dogs.
Xinlai stood by the window, watching the carriage caravan rush into the endless night, a hint of amusement flashing in her eyes.
It seems Galendr is about to make his move...
They wanted to use Alaya to control the Church of Light's power in Asgard.
The situation is getting increasingly chaotic.
When the two major factions within the Golden Radiance Royal Family, Simien and Galund, actually start fighting, Xinlai will be the first to suffer.
We need to expedite the process of winning over Marquis Tanstin, and also catalyze Eve's transformation into a witch.
Once the city garrison wagons had completely disappeared into the night, Xinlai turned slightly to look at Gordon:
"Did you burn the investigation warrant directly?"
Gordon nodded: "That's a fake. Even if it were real, it would be a counterfeit, so it's fine to burn it."
Having seen much, he knew Simondo's intentions were not good the moment he saw the investigation warrant, which is why he dared to take action so rashly.
Xin Lai gave a thoughtful "hmm," then changed the subject:
"So, you really can cast spells without any pre-cast animation?"
Gordon, who had already willingly followed Sinlai, no longer hid anything.
"Yes... When I participated in the 'Angel Engine' project, I was injected with angel energy, and after that, I was able to do it naturally."
"Angel Engine... How come it sounds so closely connected to the Angelic Cult?"
Sinley turned her head, staring intently at Gordon, and probed directly.