Chapter Twelve: The Truth Revealed Through Food and Drink

No one counted how many bonfires had been lit. Tomorrow, they would leave—bounties and land for everyone, all treated like victorious warriors. What did it matter if more wood was burned?

Safe, with delicious food and a promising future, it was destined to be a night of celebration. Smiles appeared on everyone’s face; laughter echoed throughout the valley.

Only a small, discordant group gathered together, serious-faced and abstaining from drinking. They were the warlike members of the guard, brave in battle and proud of honor. Many of them were originally local militia tasked with maintaining order, and they shared one trait: they were young.

Young people are often passionate, believing firmly in the idea that glory can be achieved quickly.

Nio was among them, eating together. He had thought Victor might tamper with the food, but he was wrong—the food was fine, absolutely fine, as he had verified repeatedly.

Of course, Nio was convinced Victor was working against the migration group. Since nothing was wrong with the food, it only proved he hadn’t guessed Victor’s true methods. Moreover, these fresh vegetables, fruits, and snow-white flour made Nio think not of the Union’s generosity or the duchy’s kindness. Just as he had predicted, the entire Dark Invasion wasn’t limited to Edrith’s lands—the demons’ agents were acting everywhere, causing the people of the western, southwestern, and western regions of the Frey Union to endure a harsh winter.

Asia, the largest supply hub in the west, was currently facing multiple problems. Its role as a transit center had been severely affected, and even the nearby Refuge Valley couldn’t get enough supplies. One could imagine the situation in more distant areas.

Nio learned all this from Marian and a few other bandits. Life was hard for everyone, including the bandits, who naturally became more reckless and desperate, regardless of how much the situation deteriorated due to their madness.

“If everyone knew that tonight, our area has the richest and best food in the entire western region, I wonder what they’d think…” Nio kept his thoughts to himself. He simply ate silently, chewing slowly, pretending to have an excellent appetite, as if he could eat ten days’ worth in one meal.

He had done everything he could and given all the orders necessary. It was these young men—full of passion, admiring him greatly, and almost blindly loyal—who were willing to follow orders without question. Nio only told them what to do and explained that this was a quasi-military operation, and he would bear all consequences.

“Nio, Lord Zevier asks you to come for a meeting.”

Nio was surprised. “Meeting”? That was too generous a term. In fact, ever since the Church and the duchy’s airships arrived, Zevier hadn’t even glanced at him. With the Clawed Werewolves stationed there, his role was insignificant. Nio figured Zevier wouldn’t summon him unless his anger subsided.

Nio smiled slightly, showing off his greasy hands, and said to the messenger guard, “Go ahead with your duties; I’ll be there soon.”
“Sure!” The guard left cheerfully. Seeing him head toward a nearby table full of delicacies, Nio raised his eyebrows slightly. It seemed this impromptu summons, requiring no response, wasn’t some urgent or important matter.
Indeed, for Xavier, getting rid of Nio really wasn’t a big deal anymore. Victor had taken charge of it and promised to handle it right away—subduing that rebellious, ambitious wolf right in front of him.
“Your Highness, Lord!” Nio gave a half-hearted military salute, mainly because he didn’t want to kneel before either of them, not even on one knee.
“No need for formalities. Sit, sit. Let’s talk while eating.” Victor acted like the host, pointing to a seat across the table from Nio. Then he clapped his hands to summon servants, who quickly arranged everything. Delicate dishes were served one after another—expensive ones like caviar, and fresh ones like fried cod and braised clams, all of which Nio had never tasted before. These dishes were prepared by Victor’s personal chef, so they were certainly extraordinary. As for the wine, Thures had plenty of fine wines before, and like most spellcasters who needed to keep their minds clear, Nio wasn’t much of a drinker, unlike most of his compatriots.
Xavier was displeased. What he wanted to see was Victor giving an order for some fierce werewolves to storm in, capture Nio swiftly, and execute him on the spot. Instead, Nio was treated like a guest—a slave who had taken the opportunity to demand freedom. What right did he have to sit at the same table as a prince and a future viscount?
Leaning back comfortably, Victor swirled his wine glass, took a small sip, and smiled at Nio. “So, is the food good?”
“I was already full when I came,” Nio said, continuing to eat slowly. It seemed he wouldn’t leave until he finished all the food in front of him.
“A straightforward compliment,” Victor said, sitting up straight. “I must say, from Solis City to this Red Earth Wasteland, your actions deserve to be rewarded with such food for a lifetime—if I were your master.”
Nio stopped eating and glanced at Xavier. Victor was referring to Solis, not Thures—there was a big difference between the two. He didn’t believe Xavier would bring up that part of Solis’ history. Even if Xavier wanted to get rid of him, there was no need to revisit that matter.
Sure enough, Xavier’s smile vanished. Publicly insulting him was already a form of protest.
Victor ignored this protest and smiled. “Don’t just listen. Keep eating. A few dishes will lose their flavor if they cool down.”
Nio also smiled. “True enough.” He continued eating.
Nio’s reaction earned Victor’s approval. “As expected—your reflexes are fast, you’re calm, composed, and smart.”

“It’s going to rain. No matter how worried I am, what good does that do?” Neo said as he put a small spoonful of caviar in his mouth, closing his eyes slightly to savor its exquisite taste.
Xavier’s face had already turned a bit blue.
“Hehe…” Victor laughed happily. He liked talking to smart people—those whose words were full of wit and variation, truly interesting. “So you’ve already guessed why you were called here?”
“To get rid of you. That’s what you want to hear, right?” Neo poured himself half a glass of white wine, which was quite good as a pairing for fish and seafood.
Victor continued to laugh, then glanced at Xavier, laughing even louder.
Xavier’s expression grew even worse. He wasn’t an idiot; he could figure out what Victor’s behavior meant. Without saying anything, he poured himself some wine and took the opportunity to add the potion that hadn’t been useful even during his fight against the rock-beast into it, then drank it all in one gulp.
Victor didn’t notice Xavier’s trick. All his interest was in teasing Neo. He said, “See, our Lord Xavier is also very smart. But why would such a smart person destroy his own foundation just to get rid of you?”
“He needs a dog—fierce and capable of getting the job done. Often, it’s a wolf.” Neo said as he brought over a crispy, golden-brown roasted lamb leg, tearing off pieces and eating them slowly with salt and pepper.
“Tsk tsk! You know everything. How come you didn’t think of escaping? To achieve great things, one must overlook minor details. Your girl is gone. Do you really think the Migration Tribe will support you? You can’t be that stupid. From the start, your position wasn’t legitimate; you were destined to work for others. You should know that.”
“How could you, a person whose mind is filled only with exploitation and being exploited, possibly guess my thoughts? Of course, I also underestimated Lord’s tolerance for me. I thought that even if I overstepped my authority, Lord would wait until I was firmly in place before dealing with me. After all, he knows well that, out of loyalty to Melian, I would only help him and not abandon him in trouble.”
Xavier’s face turned red with anger and embarrassment. He snapped, “It’s all because of you, you wretch! You caused such a big mess and kept me completely in the dark!” he roared at Neo.
Neo glanced at Xavier. “It seems that when Dave discussed this matter with you, you refused outright without any room for negotiation.”
“That bastard lied to me about such an important matter!” Xavier was furious. He was not only angry that Dave dared to hide it from him, his father, but also angry at Dave’s stupidity. Couldn’t he see how serious the consequences of such actions would be?
“Lord, we all know how stubborn you are. And Dave is just like you on this matter.”

“Look! Look! It’s these trivial matters that ruin everything. I told you—how can emotions get involved in a man’s career?” Victor said with regret, addressing Xavier. “Actually, a viscountship isn’t that important. Money isn’t much of a concern for our Greenhill family either. At least the demands you mentioned can be met with little expense. But you lack ability and have excessive ambition. Moreover, from your attempt to use me to get rid of Neo, it’s clear you’re heartless yet emotional. And look at your ability to manage household affairs—your son is disloyal, and your daughter… oh!”
Victor gritted his teeth and shook his head. “No matter what your motives are, she shouldn’t be such a delicate flower. Not even in a lordly family with little land or wealth—let alone in an earl’s family—such a daughter would be considered extravagant. If you treat her as a tool, she’ll wither away soon. If you go along with her nature, she won’t fit into this world full of storms and hardships and will still wither, becoming a pitiful canary with a pleasant voice.”
Victor shook his head again. “What use is someone mediocre like you?”
Victor’s words left Xavier utterly embarrassed. “Clinging to faults and only seeing people’s shortcomings—Your Highness, you’re not very mature either.”
Frowning and pouting, Victor said, “I know what you’re implying. You’re trying to say your governance skills are good, your territory management is satisfactory, your small business is thriving, and you’re hardworking, right? But do you know? All these strengths aren’t enough to cover up your flaws—fatal flaws that ensure you’ll end up as someone else’s stepping stone.”
“So, Your Highness really intends to kill me?” Xavier stared at Victor with a dark expression.
“Enough, sit down! Old man! Look at your attitude.” Victor shook his head disdainfully. “In such a hurry to turn hostile? Really! People are just talking—your expression looks like you’re struggling to defecate after holding it in all day!”
“Hey, use polite language. We’re still eating here!” Neo said, continuing to struggle with the lamb leg that was already two-thirds eaten.
Victor finally let go of the nearly dead Xavier. To be honest, he was really interested in Neo. Taking a big gulp of wine, Victor leaned back, propping his legs on the table. “What a shame…”
“What’s a shame? That I handle matters related to men and women in a childish way?”
“Uh… well, there’s that.” Victor spoke in a condescending tone. “I bet you haven’t slept with any woman yet.”
“That sounds more like you’re bragging about yourself. When? At 13? Or 12? Don’t tell me it was 11—that would mean you’ve been taking some kind of growth-stimulating drug for a long time. And who was your first? A maid? A noblewoman’s daughter? Or maybe your own sister or aunt? I heard people of your status are quite carefree in that regard.”

“I didn’t realize you had such a hidden tendency toward being sultry and lecherous. You also have a sense of resentment. But then again, our circle is indeed a bit chaotic. I too was lost for a while—it’s a necessary experience in life. If you haven’t tried it, you can’t claim to have gotten rid of it. Just like now, you’re so obsessed with a woman that you’re ruining your own path. That’s not something a smart person would do. Even such a huge organization as the Church doesn’t do that, yet you position yourself as a victim, a pawn. I must say, from a political standpoint, you’re not even as good as our Lord. Without anyone promising you any benefits, you immediately choose a side and work hard, desperately so—idiot!”

Nio stopped and stared at Victor, chewing slowly without saying a word.

Victor chuckled. “Have you figured it out? Assassins have their price, and slaves have their advantages. What’s the benefit to you from orchestrating all this? Fame? Profit? You’re just making clothes for others. And you still won’t come out ahead.”

“Who do you think will thank you after all this effort?” Victor asked, then analyzed, “Our Lord certainly won’t. He rushed his daughter away because he wanted to kill you right away. Will Milien be grateful to you? For what? For giving her a shattered family? Or for the chaotic life with you?”

“Oh, right, and Dave! The biggest beneficiary of this whole affair. You can imagine—people in the Church treat him like treasure. Great! Just because the God showed favor to a non-Church member for the first time is enough to guarantee him all kinds of privileges. With the Church’s power and its emphasis on reputation, they’ll push Dave to a high position no matter what, just to honor that first time. Well, Dave has really risen to the top, but will he really be grateful to you?”

Victor smiled. “You surely haven’t forgotten who betrayed you back then! You should also know why he betrayed you—reputation! Nobles care about reputation. Do Temple Knights not? A werewolf slave who rightfully rides the master’s daughter…”

Victor sighed and continued, “When Dave succeeds, he’ll think about who helped him get into the Church—of course, it was Nio. But why did Nio choose Dave instead of just anyone? Of course, it’s because of Milien. Yes, it’s because of his sister. He allowed his sister to be ridden by a werewolf in exchange for a chance to rise above. The higher his position, the more he’ll care about this. Even if he doesn’t mind now, someone will make him care, because the higher he climbs, the more people want him to fall. They’ll stop at nothing, dig into his past, and always uncover the truth. Why? Because he has at least one foolish sister. I’ve already heard—associating with thieves. I guess it’s more than that; that thief must have learned a lot about you from Milien, which is why you were so passive at the beginning of the hostage rescue. Look! What a wonderful pair—they’re the evil sister and the ungrateful brother!”

Neo poured himself a bowl of old duck and bamboo shoot hot soup, scooped up a few spoonfuls, and took a couple of bites before saying to Victor, “Now I believe that inside your body hides a real devil.”
Victor snorted. “Are you saying I’m trying to deceive you?” He drew out the words. “Wrong… Why would I try to deceive you? Do you really think I’d cherish your talent and bring you under my wing? Please! You’ve got a huge pile of shit sitting on your back—no one will clean it up for you, and you must pay the price.”
“What price has the devil paid for you to serve them like a dog?” Neo’s gaze toward Victor was filled with disdain.
Xavier, sitting at the head, was shocked. He glanced at Neo and then stared intently at Victor.
Victor said with a smirk, “What makes you accuse me of such a thing?”
“You know too many secrets. Aside from the dark forces, no one else could possess so many secrets.” Neo continued drinking his soup.
Victor frowned. “You sound so sure. Are you really that confident?”
“I used to doubt it, but after hearing your words, I’m completely convinced. Bring out your dark allies for a meeting—after all, we’re all old friends.”
Victor stared at Neo. “I don’t believe you’re that clever. Since you know everything, name one of them.”
“Ebert.” Neo picked up a piece of toast without looking up, spreading butter and jam on it.
Xavier was stunned by this name, and Victor was equally surprised.
Neo raised his head and said to Xavier, “I’m sure you won’t want to tarnish your son’s reputation over Dave’s betrayal. Melian will also protect Dave’s hard-earned authority. Besides, the Ebert we knew is already dead.”
“Clap, clap, clap!” Victor applauded. “Now I understand why the Black Knights have been beaten up by you all along!”
With those applause sounds, two people came in—both familiar to them.
Ebert, or rather, some dark being that had taken over Ebert’s body. Neo guessed it was probably the same one who had sent his dark minions to attack Valentina during that incident with the Wind Team. His suspicions started after those two days of battles and forced marches—Neo was very weak at that time. The fake Ebert wanted to gain credit but was also worried about Neo’s strength, so he kept probing to figure out Neo’s capabilities. His eagerness to succeed raised Neo’s suspicions. With closer observation, more doubts arose. Even Jeff had privately told him that Ebert seemed preoccupied and lonely lately. If not for these issues, given their friendship, he would definitely have been among those delivering food and drinks to the Wind Team today. Neo wouldn’t have gathered a group of guards who admired him to handle matters without Ebert’s involvement either.
The second person was somewhat surprised—it was Macken, an old man who had been around since the founding of the Migration Team, an important leader of the guard team, and the main blacksmith.

Neo glanced at Macken and said, “I’ve always known that besides those who are committed to taking root, our migration group should also include people from the Dark Forces. I guess you defected when you were in Tulip Town. A father knows his son best—Old Macken was right; his son truly isn’t fit for anything.”
Macken tried to defend himself, but Victor snorted coldly, “Shut up! You have no right to speak here. Since you couldn’t get into the inner circle, you were already exposed. Your contribution is almost zero—no, actually negative. You’re good at blacksmithing, though! Arm the guards!”
Macken lowered his head in anger after being scolded.
In fact, Neo didn’t know Macken was a Dark Force agent before meeting him. Those remarks were just his improvised responses. Back in the town, Old Macken often sighed, saying his son had the physique of a blacksmith but lacked the spirit of one (blacksmiths are usually the main fighting force in a village). It seems now that this seemingly honest man was underutilizing his skills as a blacksmith and should have become an actor instead.
Neo turned to fake Ebutter. “There are two things I still don’t understand. First is body possession—it’s a life-threatening act. I don’t think everyone in the Dark Forces is a brave warrior willing to sacrifice themselves for their cause.”
Fake Ebutter pulled open his shirt, revealing his left chest, where the muscles were twisted and already blackened. “We’re just making use of waste. He was already dying at the time, and taking root told us he was a big fish.”
Neo nodded. “Hmm, taking advantage of the situation. So you’ve obtained all of Ebutter’s memories?”
“Most of them. Please allow me to express my admiration for you. You are the wisest and bravest werewolf I’ve ever met, without a doubt.”
Neo was stunned, then chuckled twice, neither smiling nor serious. “The second question: since you’ve taken over Ebutter’s memories, you must know my weaknesses. There’s no reason not to use Milien to force me to submit, given all the complications in Wurtzburg.”
“Ebutter’s will to resist was extremely strong. It wasn’t until after the Wurtzburg incident that we were able to fully take over his memories. Moreover, we’re not part of the Black Knights.”
Neo nodded. He understood. Probably the latter was the real reason. Otherwise, even if fake Ebutter were slow to grasp things, after attending a few secret meetings, he should have realized the bond between him and Milien.
Xavier, sitting in the main seat, seemed numb from all the events. He sat there with a blank gaze and a deathly pale face, unsure what he was thinking.
“Thank you very much, Your Highness. Thank you for clarifying things for me. It’s worth dying for!”
“Tsk tsk tsk!” Victor lowered his legs from the table and leaned forward, staring at Neo. “What a hypocrite! Haven’t you thought that after learning about your glorious combat history, we’d still see you as a worthless scumbag? How could that be! Let me tell you—we’ve been keeping a close eye on you. You tried to poison the food by mixing in seeds of mutated thorns during inspections. We’ve figured that out. Your plan to kill people by controlling the growth of those seeds can no longer succeed! On the contrary, have you felt the potion we gave you?”

Nio’s expression changed; he lost all his composure. He reached out and cast magic at Fake Ebutt and McKenn, but nothing happened to them. At that moment, Victor pointed at him from afar, and Nio felt utterly exhausted, collapsing into his chair without even the strength to lift a finger.
“Hahahahaha! Nio, how does it feel to fail? What would you think if I told you that it was precisely the chicken you mentioned that suppressed the growth of your mutated thorns and tricked you into falling for it without you even realizing it?”
“Ebutt, McKenn, take our migratory team warrior Nio and take good care of him. Tell everyone outside that Nio is extremely happy today and has drunk himself completely drunk—this is a night of revelry! We won’t stop until we’re drunk!” Victor said, then turned around with a smile. “And you too, our lord—on such a joyful day, it’s not good to be gloomy.”