Assassination and Indignation

Originally planning to spend the night reading in the library, Baroque had to give up because of his injuries.

Baroque followed Celine back to the small house. Rak, with his swollen belly, waddled out, and Baroque almost didn't dare to imagine the scene in the kitchen. He was well aware of Rak's appetite, fearing there would be nothing left in the kitchen except vegetables.

"Woof, woof!" Rak suddenly opened his mouth and made a noise, sensing that Baroque was injured! His mind was filled with anger. The thought of the Frost Wolf's simple mind was clear: Baroque was his brother, and if someone dared to hurt him, they would face punishment. Ideally, Rak hoped to devour the offender.

While Celine was momentarily away, Baroque quickly calmed Rak, who was bristling with fur, ready to transform into his Frost Wolf form and show himself. "Hey, don't worry, buddy. I'm fine. Remember, we agreed not to expose ourselves easily. There's so much good food here. Don't you want to enjoy it for a while longer?"

Rak, being simple-minded, tilted his head in thought and readily accepted. After confirming that his brother was truly unharmed, he relaxed and settled onto a soft chair in the living room, closing his eyes to sleep and digest the food in his belly.

"There are no men's clothes here. Let's just borrow a magic robe for now. I'll get you a set tomorrow." Celine emerged from the room with a black magic robe in hand. Although it was designed for women, the style of magic robes was similar for both genders, and as long as they didn't leave the small house, no one would notice.

Baroque shook his head repeatedly, jokingly refusing to wear women's clothes... he might as well continue to spit up some more blood. "Forget it, I'll wash the blood stains off my clothes. They'll dry quickly. It should be fine to stay hidden in the room for the night."

Celine pursed her lips, deciding to let go since Baroque didn't want the magic robe. Pointing to a room, she said, "That's the bathroom. Go wash up. I'm going back to rest. Don't forget we have to go to the palace tomorrow, so get some rest early!" With that, she turned and went upstairs. Annoyingly, Baroque noticed that Celine had cast a warning spell near the stairs... as if she were afraid he would sneak upstairs at night!

Entering the bathroom, Baroque took off his leather armor. The bloodstains on it were easily washed away with a brush. The linen undershirt inside wouldn't dry quickly, so after washing it, he laid it out by the fireplace in the living room. It would be dry by morning.

After taking a refreshing bath, Baroque, with his muscular body only clad in a pair of loincloth, casually tossed his battle axe outside the door and returned to his room. Since the day his tribe was destroyed, Baroque had never stopped practicing shamanism. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, he softly chanted barely audible shamanic spells, gradually closing his eyes.

A gentle force emanated from his body, and in the moonlight outside the window, it seemed as though the soft silver fur on his body was glowing, enveloping him in a halo of light.

Today, Baroque had read many scrolls and clarified many past doubts. The power of a shaman was not just about communicating with beasts or gaining combat magic. They also followed a similar process of cultivation as mages or aura warriors. Aura warriors condensed aura clusters, mages meditated to enhance their mental power, and shamans communicated with the elemental forces of nature to empower their soul strength. The orb in Baroque's mind was akin to a mage's representation of their primary strength, a "spiritual sea" known as the "Soul Sea" among the orcs. The larger and denser the orb, the stronger his shamanic powers.

Baroque didn't manifest an ice ring outside his body this time. Naturally, Rak, lounging in the living room, was not alarmed. However, the watchdog still twitched its ears, lifting its head alertly and gazing outside... its animal instincts sensing an approaching danger!

There's a profoundly tragic thing in the world: when you think you have a situation under control and everything is going according to plan, a tiny incident disrupts everything, leading to an uncontrollable chain reaction and eventual collapse.

Outside the door, two wizards received instructions from Duke Deltar's confidant, Rumi. In their eyes, killing a small orc was a simple matter. It even felt beneath them, as noble wizards, to act together for such a task. However, they knew they had to be cautious even though they were tasked with eliminating a suspected paramour of Lady Celine. They couldn't afford to anger her or risk exposure, so they chose to act together.

Lady Celine was just an intermediate mage, and her alert spell meant little to the two senior wizards. They easily broke it and entered the living room, only to be surprised by the sight of a homely dog lying on the armchair, gazing dumbly at them.

One of the wizards, quick-witted, swiftly conjured a water sphere, enclosing the dog's head inside and suspending it in mid-air. But as the dog rolled its eyes and stuck out its tongue, they dissolved the sphere, leaving the poor dog lying on the ground, motionless and lifeless!

"Where's the orc?" one of the wizards whispered, sensing danger.

"The orc's weapon. That kid must be in this room," the other replied, pointing to the battle axe outside the door.

As one wizard approached Baroque's room, his magical array lit up with a faint light, signaling the brewing of a spell!

Among orcs, there's an ancient saying: "Ambushing a shaman is a joke." If the wizards knew Baroque was a shaman, they would surely reconsider whether their actions were worth it. After all, despite their power, mages had a fatal weakness: their physical frailty. Once an enemy got close, even the most ordinary warrior could easily dispatch a mage.

Baroque was in a state of deep meditation, his most sensitive moment when communicating with the elemental forces of nature. His soul seemed to be drifting in the air, interacting with the dancing elements, and he found this new state of being both fascinating and exciting. The disturbance caused by the two wizards had already alerted him. Even the annoying Rak's pretense of death was a result of his covert instructions. He was prepared to capture a live captive and see who dared to come to kill him... as a powerful Frost Wolf of level six, being drowned by a water sphere was a ridiculous notion. Even if we disregard his magical abilities, the sheer strength of a Frost Wolf could easily snap the neck of a wizard.

The two wizards had their spells ready when the first one gently pushed open the door and saw Baroque lying on the bed, smiling at them. Startled, his grip on his staff loosened, causing the magic to dissipate unintentionally.

Realizing the danger, the more composed wizard instinctively retreated, but was tripped by his companion, falling to the ground. Then, the seemingly ghostly Baroque appeared before them. With a swift blow to their heads, they knew nothing more before falling into unconsciousness, the last sight being the terror-stricken face of their companion... he was dead. The dog that should have been dead had bitten his neck and ended his life...!

...Divider Line...

Upon awakening again, Turgi found himself bound to a chair. Sitting before him was a muscular young orc, bare-chested, and Lady Celine and Celine stood nearby. The little girl was still half-asleep, unaware of what had happened.

"Sara, go back to sleep. This doesn't concern you. Don't worry," Celine said, envy evident in her gaze at the innocent girl. She then sent Sara back to continue sleeping before returning to the living room. Seeing Baroque lounging so casually with his bare body made her uncomfortable, despite his perfect physique.

"Turgi, what were you doing sneaking into my residence in the middle of the night? This isn't the behavior of a noble mage. Aren't you afraid of the consequences from the Council of the Academy?" Lady Celine was somewhat perplexed. If Baroque hadn't knocked on her door, she wouldn't have known her alarm spell had been easily broken. When she saw the intruding mage was someone she recognized, she couldn't help but berate him in outrage.

"I'm sorry, Lady Celine. This matter concerns your household, and I believe you may not want it to be blown out of proportion. We don't need to involve the Council. We can settle this privately," the wizard named Turgi replied, seemingly unconcerned. He knew all too well the sordid affairs of these nobles. Despite his tarnished reputation, maintaining a facade of purity and dignity was still important to them. In his view, Lady Celine wouldn't want the exposure of her affair with an orc male pet, which gave him the leverage to bargain.

"What do you want to say?" Lady Celine's beautiful face flushed with anger. She never expected that the man would send someone to kill Baroque the same night. What did he take her for?

Baroque's expression was odd, and he couldn't help but whistle in surprise. Duke Deltar was truly a remarkable nobleman! Engaging in such debauched behavior without any shame. Upon hearing the man's words, Baroque was certain: Duke Deltar had ordered the assassination because he couldn't tolerate the thought of a male orc being close to his wife. It seemed his extreme selfishness and possessiveness had reached its peak.

"Baroque, shut your mouth," the enraged woman was irrational, and Baroque, having whistled in surprise, also received her wrath, being scolded fiercely. Ongoing...