HTLCCBFT Chapter 126

Has The Lord’s Career Chart Been Filled Today? – Chapter 126

While Oliver was staring fixedly at the unblinking corpse, the attendants and soldiers’ first reaction was to look upward.

Under the dim moonlight, the silhouettes against the light from the windows above were unclear in appearance, but their approaching movements could be vaguely discerned.

After a brief moment of eye contact, the figures suddenly shouted in a malicious tone: “Hey, noble lord, this is your favorite woman!”

“Take her!”

“There’s more!”

As soon as the words fell, the figures above abruptly vanished.

In the blink of an eye, a dozen or so “long, heavy objects” were chaotically pushed down from the shadowy window ledge.

The dark shadows plummeted downward, and after a series of over a dozen spine-chilling thuds, they crashed onto the ground one after another.

This time, even without approaching, the people of Laina gathered around the castle knew exactly what they were.

Those smashed into pitiful masses of flesh—all were long-deceased former servants or stewards’ relatives who had worked in Albury Castle.

Oliver closed his eyes.

Even with his eyes shut, the images from his brief glimpse remained vividly imprinted in his mind.

A neck mercilessly sliced by a sharp blade, with only a layer of flesh less than half a finger’s thickness remaining.

Limbs twisted and broken from the high fall.

The back of the head, crushed like a trampled rotten fruit, completely collapsed, while the long hair that once showed signs of careful maintenance was matted into an ugly, filthy mess by blood, dust, tears, and grease.

Her eyes were wide open, vacant and unnaturally bulging, her mouth agape as if she had been desperately pleading with her tormentors before death.

Tragically, all her efforts had failed to earn any mercy from those merciless brutes.

The thin face of the unfamiliar woman was etched with terror and despair.

After enduring the torment of winter, this scarred seed had still died in a place untouched by the warm spring sunlight.

Oliver slowly drew a breath and murmured softly, at a volume only he… and the Cat God with hearing far beyond humans could hear.

“Unforgivable.”

He murmured.

He was wrong.

Those who could commit such beastly acts without batting an eye did not deserve to be called “human.”

So why continue treating them as humans?

“Your Highness, please be careful.”

Fosse’s reaction was as swift as ever.

Even though he knew they were out of range, the moment the other party spoke, he dutifully raised his shield.

Simultaneously, he took a large step forward, using the sturdy shield and his own body to firmly shield Oliver behind him.

“No need.”

Oliver’s tone was unexpectedly calm, catching Fosse off guard. “Step back, Fosse.”

Fosse was slightly stunned.

As he turned around, he was abruptly blinded by a sudden, intense, and sacred radiance that illuminated everything around as bright as day.

Squinting uncomfortably, he asked in surprise, “Your Highness?”

Oliver did not respond.

He seemed to be deep in thought, or perhaps he had made up his mind completely, thinking of nothing at all.

He retrieved from his game backpack the two rings of the Cat God, which had long been left unused due to their ostentatious nature, and slowly, deliberately slipped them onto the ring fingers of his left and right hands.

His slender, elegant fingers trembled slightly as he struggled to suppress his intense fury.

The cat-shaped deity silently widened its eyes.

From its vantage point, those pale golden lashes appeared long and curled. Bathed in the radiant glow bestowed by divine power, they cast a breathtakingly beautiful shadow upon his snow-white eyelids, softening the contours of his finely sculpted features.

The azure eyes hidden beneath those lashes had now been subtly tinged by the night, transforming into the most perilous and profound shade of ink-blue.

It was as if a pot of ink had been spilled into a clear puddle.

Oliver, it seems……

It struggled to find the words.

……extremely, enraged.

Was it because of the deaths of these strangers?

Oliver rarely wore such an expressionless face.

After steadying the tremor in his arm caused by his fierce anger, he calmly took out the pickaxe—an object that seemed utterly out of place both for him and for the occasion.

Fosse’s hesitant gaze fell upon the pickaxe, and an incredible thought crossed his mind.

“Your Highness, could it be that you—”

He furrowed his brow tightly, wanting to dissuade His Highness from undertaking such a dangerous endeavor.

But the moment he met those eyes, fixed upon the castle above with profound disgust and icy resolve, he involuntarily changed his mind—

This is the young master’s wish, after all.

Given the young master’s kindness, it was only natural that he would not stand idly by.

The loyal butler bowed deeply, performing a knight’s salute with meticulous precision. “My esteemed Lord. Your most devoted butler swears upon the family crest that I will neither dissuade nor hinder you. I only pray that, wherever you may go, you will allow me to follow in your footsteps.”

His duty was to fulfill Lord Oliver’s wishes.

“I’m sorry, my dear Fosse, but this time I cannot allow you to accompany me. I have an equally important task that requires your leadership.”

What made Fosse’s heart sink abruptly was that Oliver firmly and decisively refused him this time.

The Duke Lord turned directly to the blond youth who, in Fosse’s eyes, had always seemed somewhat vacant—tall and imposing, yet leaving Fosse with the impression over time that, aside from being obedient, he was likely of little use.

He said calmly, “Will you come with me, Jin? You need not do anything… and I ask that you refrain from doing anything.”

“Jin’s” eyes brightened slightly, and he nodded without hesitation.

Even if Oliver hadn’t asked, he would have followed anyway.

But since Oliver had taken the initiative to invite him, he felt even happier.

“Though they may have had reasons to kill the women to conserve food, these cowardly, self-preserving scoundrels would not provoke me without cause.”

Oliver’s voice was cool and even, and the corners of his lips, usually curved into a graceful arc, now held not the slightest hint of a smile.

“They intended to incite my anger by discarding the bodies of the civilian captives, aiming to divert my attention.”

Oliver stated without hesitation, “The reason they chose night is the same: it makes it easier for them to escape through another exit.”

Fosse’s gaze sharpened.

In this castle without secret passages, what other “exit” could there that required them to go through such elaborate preparations?

“Ropes!”

Fosse suddenly spoke up!

“I’m not certain,” Oliver said calmly. “Those scum devoid of humanity, utterly selfish and cunning – in such dire circumstances where they can hardly protect themselves, they wouldn’t care about more companions dying.”

“Only equally cold and ruthless devils like them would be squeezed dry of their last bit of value, unknowingly providing cover for their escape…” At this point, he paused slightly, turning with apparent calm to look at the worried butler. “Fosse, regarding this matter, I need you to personally keep watch.”

Only with the exceptionally capable and meticulous Fosse present could Oliver feel completely assured that no one would slip through the net.

Fosse nodded. “Yes, Your Highness.”

“This is already my Albury.” The corner of Oliver’s lips curved slightly, as if offering a comfortless smile just to reassure Fosse. “Only the hardworking and kind-hearted people deserve the blessings and protection of our great Cat God.”

“As for those devils who have defiled this land and taken refuge in the castle…”

The angelic lord, who always gave the impression of being “gentle, kind, elegant, and pure,” now wore an expression of chilling indifference and severity around his beautiful brows.

He seemed even more enraged than when facing those vicious bandits.

Lowering his voice slightly, he enunciated each word clearly: “They must… all… go back to hell.”

Meanwhile, inside Albury Castle.

“Hey, what just happened?”

“I heard some noise – was someone shouting?”

“Damn it, who threw those stinking women’s corpses down?! How stupid! Why provoke those arrogant nobles!”

“Who did this!!”

“It’s over! Are they going to attack now?!”

Although they had entered the small warehouse where the women were held after their leader Lieder gave the order, had their final release, and killed them all… they hadn’t heard anything about throwing all the corpses over the walls!

Even without any killing power, how could those nobles who valued face more than money tolerate such severe provocation!

Realizing the enemy might be thoroughly enraged, the increasingly numerous torchlights revealing the cold expressions on the enemy soldiers’ faces further intensified their unease.

But by this point, it was too late to find the culprit.

If the enemy launched a night attack, storming the castle despite lacking siege equipment, they wouldn’t be able to hold out for long!

“Stop standing around dumbfounded! We must go ask Lieder what to do now!”

Someone shouted these words, and the previously disoriented crowd swarmed toward Lieder’s bedroom.

No one.

Not in the hall either.

The former slaves still hadn’t realized the severity of the situation, thinking he might have gone to the watchtower or elsewhere for inspection, so they frantically scattered to search…

“Not here!”

“Nowhere to be found!”

After a long while, the thing that utterly stunned them finally happened—after turning the castle upside down in their search, they came to a full realization.

Lieder was nowhere to be found!

Not only Lieder, but Deputi and the others had vanished as well!

“Well done.”

Lieder narrowed his eyes slightly, observing the chaos below and listening to the panicked wails and screams of the useless fools in the castle before letting out a soft scoff. “Hurry up, let’s go.”

While his trusted subordinates threw the women’s corpses downward, shouting and provoking the enemy to incite their rage, he had taken Deputi and the others to sneak onto the city wall outside the granary.

His plan was to wait until that group had drawn the full attention of the eccentric noble leading the army, then descend by rope at the farthest point from the castle gate. Once the chaos of battle erupted between the two sides, they would steal horses and escape.

It certainly wasn’t the safest method, but without a doubt, it was the best option among the paths available to him.

If they remained besieged, relying solely on those incompetent subordinates, it would be nothing but waiting for death.

As the rebel leader, he would die a hundred times more miserably than anyone else!

“Don’t joke around,” Lieder said, pricking up his ears to listen for movements on the other side of the castle while deftly tying knots, preparing to be the first to descend. “I have no intention of letting my head adorn that gallows so soon.”

“Lieder.”

Deputi’s voice, filled with terror, suddenly sounded beside his ear. “God…! What is that?!”

He frowned slightly and turned to look at Deputi, only to see his face as pale as paper, his terrified eyes reflecting…

A ball of light?

Lieder was taken aback.

No.

Quickly realizing what was strange, a jolt of fear shot through Lieder’s spine, paralyzing him momentarily.

He had deliberately chosen this shaded, low-lying area—only when someone was very close could they vaguely make out its outline.

How could he see Deputi’s face so clearly?!

Cold sweat drenched his body in an instant, and his hands, tightly gripping the rope knots, trembled uncontrollably.

Stiffly, he turned his head in the direction Deputi was pointing.

It really was a light.

A dazzling, brilliant, cold radiance enveloping a divine messenger—holy and majestic, compassionate and beautiful.

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