According to the middle-aged nobleman, in just two days, there have been as many as fourteen disappearance cases in the city. Four of them have been killed, three were rescued in time by patrolling security forces on the way, and the whereabouts of the remaining seven are still unknown.
As he spoke, the middle-aged noble was extremely worried that these seven people would also be killed. Although he wanted to rescue him, he couldn't even figure out the intention of the perpetrator!
The most helpless thing is that although the security forces had a chance encounter with the gangsters, they unfortunately failed to catch them. The opponent's skills were too agile, and he was very familiar with the layout of the town streets, so the security forces had nothing to do.
Leonhardt, who was silent during the middle-aged noble's narration, glanced at the carriage, his eyes gradually becoming firmer.
Leonhardt said: "Lord Willett, take us to see..."
The middle-aged nobleman was shocked and hesitated but did not agree.
If the princess and her party would not take away the manpower currently lacking, but would also be willing to help, he would of course be very happy! However, just like the reason why Leonhardt did not directly say that he wanted to help before, the middle-aged noble also knew very well that if the princess and her party were really involved in the case, no matter whether the case could be solved or not, the whole thing would become very difficult in the end. .
When it comes to personal honor, the middle-aged nobleman will not hesitate. Even if it affects his family, he chooses to believe in his bloodline.
But this is related to the country's reputation, and he cannot be allowed to make a decision easily!
Leonhardt could see the hesitation of the middle-aged nobleman and understood the reason. He raised his voice a little higher and said with a hint of direction: "Lord Willit, we are just 'passing by'."
Leonhardt emphasized the word "passing by" very strongly.
In fact, regardless of the mood of Leonhardt and others at the moment, if the princess and her entourage pass by and do nothing, they will still be criticized afterwards.
The best solution is to secretly lend a helping hand, and then publicly insist that you are just passing by. This will not only ensure the face of the kingdom, but also allow those affected by the case to know the truth and keep rumors to a minimum.
Under Leonhart's emphasis, the middle-aged nobleman understood. Looking at Leonhardt again, his eyes were filled with gratitude. The civil servant even smoothed his sleeves and solemnly performed an official salute.
Leonhard stretched out his hand to lift the civil servant's arm, his eyes half smiling.
The civil servant looked embarrassed and avoided looking.
The middle-aged noble, who was in a good mood and didn't pay attention to the two people's movements, raised his hand sideways and said with a smile: "Master Guardsman, you are tired from the journey. Please rest here for a while before setting off. I have arranged meals for everyone to enjoy."
"Then I'll trouble you Lord." Leonhardt also responded with laughter.
The middle-aged nobleman called the security army officer to his side and gave some instructions. The other party nodded and left.
After a while, the security forces who blocked one street entrance moved to another place. After they took away the roadblock and threw it into a hidden place, the middle-aged noble said: "Please follow me."
Leonhart nodded.
The princess's motorcade, accompanied by a small number of security forces, entered this quiet street. Residents who heard the commotion did not even dare to open their windows and take a look. They held the hands of their family members and hugged their curious children tightly.
When the Queen's motorcade went deeper, the security forces once again blocked the street entrance. They scanned the surrounding dark corners over and over again with scrutinizing and angry eyes...
…
Leonhardt didn't walk for long before he noticed the marks on the ground.
Although he had gone through several cleanings, he could still recognize that these marks were caused by blood spray...
"..."
Leonhart looked up and observed the surrounding terrain.
This seems to be a square with a fairly wide terrain and a small fountain in the center.
This should be a place where urban residents take walks and gather to chat on weekdays. According to normal schedules, the three time periods in the morning, noon and evening should be the most crowded time here. The guard box on the side proves how lively this square is on weekdays.
Now is a good time to take a walk to eat after lunch, but...
"What a dazzling mark." Leonhardt looked at the ground and muttered.
Broken sentry boxes, messy squares, fountains full of debris...
Leonhardt seemed to be able to see people panicking and running away in a hurry, not even caring about their fallen belongings. If it weren't for the security forces on duty, no one knows what would have happened to the crying children who were separated from their adults.
"Hiss-hoo-" Leonhardt tried to calm down his emotions.
The middle-aged noble said: "Because cases occur frequently, we have no time to clean up this place, so we can only remove the most conspicuous blood stains first..."
The civil servant patted him, stopped him from explaining, and continued: "According to the testimony of the witnesses, the perpetrator was on the roof, throwing... threw... from a high place... Phew, the process of committing the crime and several other They are the same everywhere. We investigated the roofs of surrounding houses and found only footprints, but no traces of devices."
While talking about the case, perhaps because bad memories were brought back, the civil servant's mood fluctuated significantly, and veins popped up on his forehead. He skipped some well-known words and controlled his emotions before finishing the case and clues.
Are there any powerful warriors among them...
After visually measuring the distance between the houses around the square, Leonhardt made a guess.
To provoke panic in a town, the perpetrator will definitely choose a crowded place. In situations like this, most of the terrain is wide, and throwing... from a high place to a conspicuous location will definitely require strong enough wrist strength or the use of tools.
If there is no trace of the latter, it is the former.
But do they have the resources to train so many strong men?
Leonhardt asked: "Is this all the case?"
The civil servant shook his head: "Only here."
really.
Use tools when committing a crime for the first time or in places with complex terrain, like the square where you have a wide view, and use strong people in places where it is inconvenient to escape...
The enemy lacks high-end combat power...or is this also setting up a fog?
...No, it should be the former.
With the combat power of the Imperial City Guards, there is no need for them to hide their combat power, not to mention that this is just a part of the plan. The presence or absence of the fog is insignificant. Revealing it will make the effect of the plan better - the perpetrator Among them, there are people with outstanding military force, which is even more troublesome for the party maintaining law and order.
Leonhardt made a systematic analysis. With these clues, he would be able to be adequately prepared to deal with the enemy's offensive.
Breaking away from the state of thinking, the scene in the square inevitably caught Leonhardt's eyes. His breathing was slightly confused and he couldn't help but glance in the direction of the carriage.
Just in time, Leonhardt saw Ann lift the curtains and observe the surrounding situation.
Noticing the sight, An looked over. His eyes were unusually calm and it was hard to tell what he was thinking.
Leonhardt felt a palpitation in his heart for no reason. When he came back to his senses, he saw An nodded to him.
"...You two wait a moment." Leonhardt said hello to the middle-aged nobles and civil servants, and walked towards the carriage.
When the middle-aged noble saw An, he was surprised and said, "Who is he?"
"That was Mr. Hutto's student. I met him once in the court." The civil servant looked at An with appreciation and admiration in his eyes, but then he hesitated.
How come the Empire's captain of guard behaves so...respectfully when facing Lord Hutto's students?
"So that's it, he is that Lord's student!" The middle-aged noble looked at An with admiration, and then said to the civil servant, "I remember that you were taught by Lord Hutto for a period of time, so why didn't you become a student in the end? "
The civil official's thoughts were interrupted by the middle-aged nobleman. He rolled his eyes: "You are a martial arts idiot. How can you understand how difficult it is to become Mr. Hutto's student? How many people can only dream of it? Being able to be taught is already my dream. Fortunately, I have benefited a lot.”
"Okay, if you don't understand, you don't understand." The middle-aged noble waved his hands and rubbed his forehead with tired eyes, "As long as that student of your Excellency can help with this case, I will be satisfied."
"Mr. Hutto's students will not ignore this matter." The civil servant said with great certainty.
After some time, Leonhardt returned.
In the expectant look of the middle-aged nobleman, Leonhardt said: "You two, although it is a bit abrupt, I have something to ask of you..."
