The Mighty Dragons Are Dead

A thief capable of invisibility or similar magic.

She stood by the window of the study, leaning against the wall, spying on him. After the initial panic had subsided, Liszt began to think about how to respond.

Based on his understanding of the Smoke Mission, or rather, the fate represented by the Smoke Dragon, he knew that handling this situation well could reap a reward.

After all, the thief’s prying appeared in the form of a reward from the Smoke Mission.

“But how should I respond, directly expose the thief’s disguise?” he asked nonchalantly as he adjusted the chair, preparing to sit back down. “That’s not good, it’s too awkward to just expose her. What if she lashes out… Her strength is unknown, better to play it safe, and stabilize her first.”

The other party was a female thief. Although he couldn’t see her face clearly, her figure was very graceful.

Of course, her figure wasn’t important. What Liszt saw was her relaxed stance.

She did not seem poised to attack.

It was as if she had come just to see a handsome man.

“The good Lord provides, inheriting Melissa’s looks certainly attracts attention. This thief might simply be admiring my beauty,” he even had time to muse.

The female thief, drawn by his handsomeness and demeanor, would suddenly emerge from the shadows, see the error of her ways, and confess everything to him.

As sleazy as that thought was, it was not outside the realm of possibility.

Although he did not know her purpose, at least for now, the female thief’s inaction gave Liszt ample time to prepare.

However, just as he had sat down and was about to consider his next move, a slightly husky female voice suddenly reached his ears, “Who would have thought that in such a rural castle on this island, someone would be able to see through my form.”

It was the female thief speaking.

Liszt almost didn’t react in time—he had been discovered? But his response was quick, and he immediately stood up alertly from the chair.

He looked towards the window, following the voice: “Who’s there!”

“Baron, your acting is not very convincing, even worse than the farcical actors I’ve seen perform in Coral City,” the female thief’s magical power flowed, and in the next moment, her body slowly became visible.

A type of magic similar to the Invisibility Technique had been dispelled.

Tattered leather armor, a greatsword as tall as a person, disheveled hair, a tight chest. She wore a scarf that covered most of her face, only revealing a pair of bright eyes.

This attire made Liszt think of the typical antagonist side character from a Knight’s Novel—the mercenary.

Mercenaries were a middle class in society, usually knights in decline who would work as mercenaries for landlords, merchants, and the like in exchange for compensation. They had a bad reputation since most mercenaries were notorious for committing all sorts of crimes such as robbery and murder.

Compared to the lower-class rats, they were only a notch more legitimate.

Liszt also knew that the slave trade couldn’t do without mercenaries, as knights were meant for charging into battlefields; capturing serfs was something mercenaries were most skilled at.

The female mercenary had revealed her true self.

This disrupted Liszt’s train of thought, but with the soul of an adult, his ability to stay composed was still quite adequate. Touching the Crimson Blood Sword lying on the desk, he felt his mood completely stabilize—after all, as an Elite Earth Knight, his strength was already formidable.

Unless the opponent was a Sky Knight-level mercenary, the Crimson Blood Sword was merciless.

“Was my performance really that bad? I felt that my movements and expressions just now were very natural,” Liszt smiled, showcasing his handsome and charming side, “Please have a seat, uninvited lady. Would you like something to drink? Red wine, coffee, or perhaps milk tea?”

The charm offensive was in play.

The female mercenary sat down calmly, clearly an intruder, yet she behaved as leisurely as if she were the host: “I’m not thirsty at the moment, but if you’d like something to drink to calm your nerves, please go ahead.”

Liszt was a bit puzzled: “Do I look nervous to you? In fact, I’m quite relaxed right now.”

“Your performance indeed surpasses many, but there are still quite a few flaws,” the female mercenary crossed her legs, her attire rough-looking, but the trousers tied with cloth strips and fitted with kneepads hugged her legs, accentuating their length and straightness beautifully, “As an Earth Knight would not lose control of their body to the point of knocking over their own chair.”

Liszt suddenly realized: “So I was exposed right from the start.”

“Actually, I’m more curious about how you saw through my Invisibility Technique. I’ve infiltrated many castles, and I’ve only been exposed in front of a Sky Knight, never seen through by an Earth Knight.”

“Are you a professional thief?” Liszt responded with a question instead of an answer, as he wouldn’t reveal the secret of the Eye of Magic.

The female mercenary countered with her own question: “Do you intend to capture me?”

“Sneaking into my castle, peering into my study, don’t you think you’ve already infringed on the authority of a landlord, and on the sacred legality of my territory?”

A landlord has absolute control over their territory, a system followed by all nations.

“I walked in through the castle’s main gate and have been generously standing in front of the window,” said the female mercenary. Then, in a light tone, she added, “And I don’t think offending a Baron is a problem. Many Barons felt offended by me, and in the end, they were all killed by me.”

A casual statement, as if it was just small talk.

But Liszt could feel that she was quite relaxed when speaking, as if stating something that was a matter of course. He did not suspect whether the other party was lying or narrating; everything seemed natural.

It could also be that her acting skills were just too good.

He raised an eyebrow, his smile unaffected: “Then tell me, what brings you here? Braving the heavy snow to come to a small town, you must be in need of something.”

“I originally planned to kill the landlord who trades serfs in this rural area and take someone away with me.” The female mercenary was quite straightforward with her intentions, “But seeing that you don’t commit atrocities in the town, killing you would unjustly involve innocent civilians. I’ve decided to change my plan and just take one person away.”

It sounded like he had narrowly escaped a disaster.

But Liszt certainly didn’t believe that with his diligent training, as an Elite Earth Knight armed with the Crimson Blood Sword and the Eye of Magic, he would be easily defeated.

The total magic power within her didn’t seem outstanding in his eyes, nowhere near the level of a Sky Knight.

Moreover, judging by her attire and distribution of magic power, she was clearly one who practiced Dou Qi, not a magician. Perhaps relying on the Invisibility Technique for surprise attacks had killed many Earth Knights, giving her an inflated confidence.

During these thoughts.

He spoke up in response, “Whom do you want to take away?” No sooner had he asked this than a flash of insight crossed his mind, suddenly reminding him of someone—the little maid Maggie practicing in the kitchen.

The rewards from the Smoke Mission had included goodwill from the serf Maggie, and this had sparked his interest, guessing there would surely be follow-up tasks involving Maggie. Now, the sudden arrival of the female mercenary led him to link these two tasks together; this thief spying on the landlord must be after Maggie.

And furthermore.

Liszt had probably guessed her identity—there was a record in the serf registration documents that Maggie had a magician sister who had run away from home.

So, he had already speculated on what the so-called Smoke Mission would ultimately reward him.