Chapter 111: Injustice
The terrifying conjecture Baldwin IV had once made caused Lothar to immediately realize where he should allocate those newly acquired attribute points.
Spirit.
Only a powerful spirit could resist the erosion of the Dragonborn bloodline upon him. Furthermore, increasing his spiritual power would also allow him to better utilize the efficacy of Blood Magic.
The effect was immediate. As Lothar's spiritual power exceeded twenty points, thoroughly making him a supernatural, the agitation previously emanating from his bloodline swiftly vanished.
But Lothar knew that the "tyrannical cruelty" and "wildness" rooted in the Dragonborn bloodline couldn't possibly disappear so easily; they had merely chosen a temporary dormancy. As his bloodline continued to strengthen and awaken, the day they resurfaced would still come.
'Bang—' The sound of a stone wall shattering echoed.
The somewhat heavy footsteps made Lothar alertly stand up, blood magic power gathering in his palm, re-condensing into a blade as crystalline as blood.
After this battle, his control over blood magic was already worlds apart from before. It was like someone who had personally commanded tens of thousands of troops finding it easy and skillful to then command a small unit.
"Milord, it's me." The cool voice, however, sounded as melodious as music in Lothar's ears.
"I'm here!" He hurried towards the source of the voice, only to find Banu cradling Fringilla, whose face was deathly pale and who had already lost consciousness.
A trace of panic appeared on Lothar's face. He quickly strode forward and asked, "Fringilla, she... what happened to her?"
"It's nothing, just exhaustion. Because her physique doesn't match her strong magical power, spellcasters often encounter such situations. If she were a human mage, she might have lost half her life. But thankfully, Fringilla is a vampire; it shouldn't be a major issue. She'll be fine after sleeping for a few days." Perhaps somewhat unaccustomed to speaking such long sentences, Banu fell silent for a good while after finishing.
Lothar's taut nerves relaxed slightly. He looked Banu up and down and asked with concern, "Are you alright?"
Banu nodded. "I'm fine. What on earth happened here?"
Lothar started explaining, "Humphrey is dead. He was being controlled by a weakened ancient god and attempted to use us as sacrifices to it." Recalling his earlier experience, he still felt a lingering fear. "Thankfully, Fringilla transferred her power to me; otherwise, I would definitely have died here."
A trace of worry flashed in Banu's eyes. She said gravely, "Milord, spatial magic is not omnipotent. This evil god also used teleportation magic on us, but both Fringilla and I could resist it. So... I hope you can strengthen your weakness in this area, and, in the days to come, allow me to protect you without leaving your side."
Lothar nodded. "I promise you. During this time, I will use the Witch Association badge to seek Anna's guidance on how to defend against spatial magic. I should now be qualified to learn as well."
He felt that after acquiring the Dragonborn bloodline, his resistance to magic should have already greatly increased. If it happened again, this evil god might not have another chance to teleport him away. But this, ultimately, was still not safe enough.
He had already obtained the long life that ordinary people, and even secular monarchs, dreamed of. In the coming days, it was better to be more cautious. There was plenty of time ahead.
Banu inquired, "Milord, should we take this opportunity to capture Montreal?"
Lothar was somewhat tempted, but still refused. "Forget it. Though Montreal is alluring, taking it at this time holds no meaning. Sir Humphrey died, and by my own hand. Explaining this matter clearly won't be so simple. If I then forcibly occupy Montreal, this suspicion will probably be impossible to completely clear."
"Let's go up first." This corridor was built in the underground part of Montreal's inner keep, not actually far from the castle itself.
Lothar followed the breach Banu had smashed all the way through and arrived inside the castle. Looking at the walls, each smashed through the center, he could tell how urgent Banu must have been when she rushed over.
Outside the castle, it was a scene of clamor. Most of the servants inside the castle had been infected by the evil god and had already been eliminated during the siege against Banu and Fringilla. But a small portion had managed to survive.
These people, hearing the commotion was not right, had immediately gone to gather the knights and sergeants loyal to Humphrey. They were now clamoring outside the castle, ready to attack at any moment.
Lothar walked out of the castle hall and was immediately met with a barrage of questions.
"Where is Sir Humphrey?"
"Why did only you come out?"
"What on earth happened inside the castle for there to be such a huge commotion?"
Lothar cleared his throat and shouted loudly, "Silence! Sir Humphrey, having been bewitched by an evil god, attempted to sacrifice the entire city's populace to it! I happened to uncover this conspiracy and have summarily executed him!"
As soon as these words were spoken, there was an uproar.
"Nonsense!"
"This is impossible!"
"Do you think this is some legendary novel, being possessed by an evil god?"
The knights one after another clamored, "You despicable outsider! Our lord kindly invited you to a banquet, yet not only are you ungrateful, but you also slander him so!"
Lothar sneered. "I remember you, knight. You still owe Pepin a duel."
The pimply-faced knight's face turned livid. He said loudly, "This has nothing to do with my lord's sole heir being assassinated! I will fulfill the sacred oath of the duel, but not now!"
Lothar said no more, merely watching these knights and sergeants, who were agitated and seemed ready to surge forward and stab him to death at any moment. The clamor gradually subsided.
Under the noon sun, Lothar's body seemed to be veiled in a layer of golden light. Though he said nothing, nor showed any angry expression, a chilling, hard sense of majesty still assailed them. Many people subconsciously closed their mouths. In a daze, people actually felt as if they were having an audience with a king.
This was the Dragonborn's oppressive aura.
Lothar said gravely, "The evidence is all hidden within this castle. My two female companions and I attended the banquet alone, arriving at this castle less than an hour ago in total. Surely, in such a short time, I couldn't have laid a trap to frame Sir Humphrey as a servant of an evil god, could I? You can go and verify it yourselves. I am very glad so many can witness the truth together; otherwise, I might have had to suffer an unjust wrong with resentment." Lothar very readily gestured for everyone to freely enter the pitch-black castle behind him.
The knights looked at each other but made no move.
Lothar continued, "I believe Sir Humphrey himself bore me no ill will, but the evil god's bewitchment is not something mortals can resist. At the same time, I do not intend to occupy Montreal. This city still belongs to Count Raynald. But before that, out of my duty as Grand Master of the Royal Knights, I have the obligation and responsibility to ensure this city's stability. The Kingdom needs a stable Montreal to provide ample baggage and supplies for the arriving Crusaders."
A knight boldly said, "Saying so much, aren't you still trying to usurp sovereignty over this city?"
"No, you misunderstand. I need someone to replace Sir Humphrey and fulfill the duties of 'castellan.' I will supervise this to ensure he is competent for this difficult mission, but it does not mean I will do it myself. Gentlemen, please enter. The answers you seek are laid out before you. You can rest assured, the evil within has been entirely eliminated by me."
At this, someone finally spoke up. "Alright! Let us go and witness it together! If what you say is true, Baron Lothar, not only should you not suffer such injustice, but you will also be the hero who saved Sir Humphrey from the evil god! But if you dare deceive us, we will definitely not let justice be shamed!"
"Yes, that's right! Let's go see together!"
The knights surged in. Their squires and sergeants, however, remained surrounding the towers and ramparts of the castle's outer wall, their bows, crossbows, and javelins aimed at Lothar, on high alert.
Lothar was unconcerned about being targeted by these powerful bows and crossbows. Such attacks couldn't even break through Banu's bodily defense; with her level increase, her strength had also grown considerably.
Although he often inwardly admonished himself not to rely too much on Banu, whenever he stood beside her, he still felt an irrepressible, strong sense of security.