Chapter 32
As I bid farewell to the professors and turned to Ezekiel, his confused expression caught my attention. I couldn't help but let out a chuckle and ask, "What's wrong?"
Ezekiel's voice dripped with confusion as he asked, "Why did you add that condition?"
I couldn't contain my grin as I replied, "Can't let you fall behind, can I? Since I became Lady Calliope's disciple, you won't be able to learn with me. So, what better way to keep you from falling behind than to get academy professors to teach you?"
Ezekiel went into deep thought for a moment before showing a smile. "I guess so. I feel like I'm becoming more and more indebted to you, Lucas. I'll make sure to repay you in any way I can."
I shook my head and said, "You don't need to worry about that, my friend. This is out of the goodness of my heart. Plus, what kind of friend would I be if I left you behind?"
As I parted ways with Ezekiel, I noticed Andrew making his way toward me. His face was stoic as ever, but he seemed to be walking with a bit more speed than usual. He arrived in front of me and leaned in to whisper, "Code red. Owen has fallen."
My smile fell immediately. This wasn't good news by any means. If Owen had fallen, it meant that he was either defeated or worse, killed. And as the person in charge of keeping my expansion safe in territories, this was aimed toward my business.
"Condition?" I quickly asked with a serious tone, while clenching my fists in anger.
"Stable. He didn't suffer any major injuries, seemed to be concussed, and had a few broken ribs," Andrew replied. Did they spare him because maybe he was considered a non-threat?
"Is there any evidence of a motive?" I asked, trying to piece together what had happened.
"They targeted the business. They burnt down the storage and store in the Baron's Smith territory," Andrew said.
"They didn't take any documents or the spinning jenny?" I asked, confused. If it was an attack based on harming my business, they would have simply taken the spinning jenny and reverse-engineered it or they could have taken some documents which would show some irregular movement of funds toward some nobles.
"No, the documents were found burned and the pieces that make up the spinning jenny were also found burned," Andrew replied.
Then what was the reason for the attack, a warning or simply to slow the expansion down?
"Send a messenger to Owen and tell him to come to Silverglade. I will personally meet him. For now, incite the rebuild of the meeting and send a message to Jason, Fred, Malachai, and Preston to be on the lookout and be careful to engage," I said with a serious tone.
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A few nights ago
The town at night was quiet and peaceful, with little to no activity on the streets. The cobblestone roads were illuminated only by the dim flicker of torches mounted on the walls of the buildings. The houses and shops were closed up, their wooden shutters tightly secured against the night. The moonlight cast eerie shadows across the empty streets, adding an element of mystery to the tranquil scene.
The streets were quiet as Owen closed up the store for the night. "I'm closing the store now, Owen. Stay safe," a young lady in her early 20s named Sasha said with a smile before leaving for her home.
"Have a good night, Sasha," Owen replied, watching her disappear around the corner before turning towards the storage area to give it a checkup. As he walked, his mind was preoccupied with the task at hand.
'I can't get much info on Baron Smith. It seems he's good at keeping secrets,' Owen thought to himself. He wasn't only tasked with protecting the business, but also with gathering information, which he usually did by befriending servants and maids within the estates of the nobles he was investigating.
Suddenly, Owen felt three presences nearby. He instinctively grabbed the hilt of his sword before looking toward the source of the disturbance. His eyes narrowed as he saw three shadowy figures lurking in the darkness.
As Owen stood alert, two men and a woman emerged from the shadows. They fixed their gaze on Owen, and the man in the middle spoke, "Get rid of him, but don't kill him. Remember, he doesn't want any casualties." With those words, he turned and launched a fireball toward the building.
Reacting quickly, Owen drew his sword and blocked the fireball with his blade. He then charged toward the nearest attacker, the woman. She drew two daggers from her waist and deftly blocked Owen's initial hit. She then attempted to strike at his leg with one of her legs, but Owen managed to dodge the attack.
Owen engaged the woman in a series of swift sword strikes, trying to disarm her, but she was skilled and quick, dodging his attacks and launching counterattacks of her own. Owen parried and dodged, but she was always one step ahead. Suddenly, Owen felt a sharp pain in his side as one of the other attackers, a man, struck him with a blow from behind. Owen stumbled but managed to keep his footing and swung his sword at the man, forcing him to back off.
As the man made one more strike, Owen managed to grab his arm and prevent the blow from landing. At that moment, his attention was drawn to a peculiar symbol on the back of the man's hand - a stylized eye with a prominent iris and pupil in deep shades of red. The iris was encircled by a design resembling the rays of the sun, radiating outwards from the center of the eye.
As Owen held the man's arm tightly, he quickly swung his sword wide and struck him on the side, causing the man to cry out in pain as he had little armor to protect him. However, before Owen could make another move, the woman sprang into action and hit him with great force, breaking one of his ribs. The excruciating pain made Owen stumble backward before being held down while the man in the middle walked towards him.
"You put up a decent fight, much better than I expected," the man said as he raised his fist and swiftly knocked Owen out, sending him crashing to the ground in a heap.