The Words of a Madman

Nightfall in Marina, Farnodt Kingdom.

In an inn at the heart of Marina, two men, two women and a young girl had gathered in a room, observing a man closely.

This man had just finished explaining a situation and a plan, in an effort to seek assistance from the group leader who was present in the room.

The leader was a young woman with long white hair. Her face, adorned with beauty, appeared cold, devoid of any overt emotions.

This woman is Commander Kirana Kataleya. She had just listened to Reiss's plea for help in launching an attack on the southern gates of Blackwinter City.

Did Kirana believe the words of this stranger she had just met? Certainly not.

But when she heard that the plan was devised by Reiss and Princess Sravati, Kirana's internal skepticism began to dissipate.

That wasn't all—Reiss also mentioned that he knew Legia and Jamie, two Ethyria soldiers sent by Kirana to protect Princess Sravati.

"What do you think, Commander?" Asked a large man named Logan.

Kirana sat on the bed, hand in chin, appearing deep in thought.

"Princess Sravati's plan with you seems raw. It appears rushed, with many flaws within. How could you come up with a plan like this without knowing the situation in the north of Blackwinter? Or at least the situation in Huntara itself?

"Although I am currently confident that the rumors about Huntara are false, there is still a slight possibility that they might be true. How can you be certain that a civil war will break out in Blackwinter?"

Kirana didn't immediately swallow all of Reiss' words.

Kirana also didn't inquire about the situation of Legia and Jamie. Because for her, there was still a possibility that Reiss was bluffing and was a spy sent by Farnodt.

'But how did they know that Princess Sravati had visited Farnodt once?'

Question after question swirled in Kirana's mind. She imagined various possible situations.

But almost all of those situations were dead ends because of one thing. The situation in Huntara!

How did Reiss know the situation in Huntara and then make a plan with the Princess based on that situation?

As far as Kirana knew, there was absolutely no information from Huntara. The situation in the northern kingdom of Kastia was dark. Everything seemed to be blocked by Blackwinter.

The spies her mother, Ethel, kept in the Kingdom of Huntara didn't provide any news at all.

From this, Kirana knew that the information had been blocked. Even Sonic Bird as a message carrier bird seemed unable to pass through the Blackwinter City.

That's why, for Kirana, Reiss' plan seemed to have a big hole.

In response to Kirana's questions, Reiss pondered for a moment before realizing his negligence.

"Ah! Princess Sravati and I learned about the situation in Huntara from Lord Millard!"

"Millard?"

Upon hearing that name, Kirana was instantly taken aback. For her, the name Millard was something that reminded her of the happiest and the worst times of her life.

The name Millard was a name that Kirana and her mother had discarded after the disappearance of her father and the declaration of his death.

She didn't expect to hear the name Millard by Reiss. Kirana seemed lost in thought for a moment upon hearing that name, but she snapped back to reality when Reiss spoke again.

"Ahh... Lord Millard is a Shop Owner in Death Valley."

""Huh?""

Kirana's three subordinates were startled by this revelation.

"Hey, hey, Uncle~ if you want to lie, please use your brain a little! No one wants to do business in Death Valley..." said Kirana's slender arrow-wielding subordinate, a man named Green.

"Even if there really is, he must have some deficiencies in his brain and mentality," added a muscular woman named Gina.

"It turns out you've been crazy from the start..." Logan concluded, looking sympathetically at Reiss.

Upon hearing their responses, Reiss felt the veins in his face ready to burst. His eyes twitched, as he couldn't come up with a retort.

Like them, Reiss initially thought Cien was someone who was already insane.

"Ugh... I don't know if he's crazy or not. But I think he's more like a hermit than a madman," Reiss explained, then turned his face back to Kirana.

"Before Princess Sravati's entourage arrived at the shop. Lord Millard... about a week before, he went to Huntara to attend the Polaris Festival in Wynteria. That's where he learned about the situation within the kingdom."

Reiss explained, revealing where he obtained the information about the internal situation in the northern kingdom.

"How could he go to Wynteria? Isn't Blackwinter closed? Don't you think the Shop Owner is lying to you?" Gina asked, feeling suspicious about the existence of Lord Millard, if he even existed.

Gina still couldn't believe that there was someone living in Death Valley, let alone running a business inside it.

"I think he's not lying. I have no idea how he managed to cross Blackwinter. But Lord Millard is no ordinary person. He can hunt Rank 5 and even Rank 7 monsters alone," Reiss added.

"To be honest, the more we hear you speak, the more unbelievable it becomes," Green retorted.

But Kirana unexpectedly asked something.

"So, this Millard, is he a citizen of Huntara?"

Reiss was momentarily taken aback, not expecting a question like that.

He replied, "I believe he is. Considering he participated in the festival commemorating the hero of Huntara. But right now, I think Lord Millard is more accurately described as a resident of Death Valley."

'Death Valley isn't a country...' Logan and his friends thought.

Upon hearing that answer, Kirana felt a sense of sadness for some reason. Perhaps hearing the name Millard sparked a hope that he might be her father. But it seemed that it was just wishful thinking.

Kirana let out a long sigh, then began to piece together all the information she had received.

Her skepticism towards Reiss had nearly vanished. With the recent explanation, Kirana could already see the bigger picture of why Reiss and Sravati had devised their plan.

Kirana also knew how Reiss and the Sravati group were acquainted with each other. Only Kirana and her team knew that Sravati had gone to Death Valley.

'The Millard mentioned by Reiss is likely the person who introduced them. Hmm... attacking Blackwinter?'

A small smile appeared on Kirana's cold face. She turned to her three subordinates who were currently in the room.

"Anyone up for stretching their legs for a bit? Hunting seems like a decent way to pass the time."

Logan, Green, and Gina, upon hearing this, looked at the rarely seen thin smile on the Commander's face and were taken aback. However, it only lasted for a moment before they all smiled widely, revealing their white teeth.

"O-kay! Some rats and demons will make for interesting prey," Logan said, clenching his fist.

"Commander... are you sure about this? What if this madman is lying?" Green remained skeptical, but one of his hands began counting the number of arrows on his back.

"I will inform the others. But how do we get out of here? I'm not sure the gatekeepers will let us leave the city," Gina asked, while looking at the sleeping little girl on the bed with concern.

"We are hunting, not waging war. Take off your armor and go as adventurers."

All three of them smiled broadly upon hearing Kirana's response. Logan then approached Reiss, who was still sitting in shock in the chair.

Logan patted the man's shoulder forcefully, awakening Reiss.

"It seems you're in luck, madman!"