Chapter 938: The Assassination from Sheffield
"Are those... humans?"
Eiji did not make a move.
He remained seated in the carriage, watching the battle outside through the window.
All dozen or so assassins were humans. Whether in terms of physical ability or magical power, they were far inferior to fairies. They probably couldn't even defeat the knights, let alone an officially appointed Fairy Knight.
"Why would humans come to assassinate me?"
Eiji fell into deep thought.
On the battlefield.
Fierce sword energy roared like the atmosphere, effortlessly sending the first few humans flying. Their spines shattered, chests and abdomens torn open—clearly beyond saving.
Barghest mercilessly slaughtered these assassins, her wrath toward those who dared assault the royal procession evident.
She offered utmost loyalty to the master she served!
She tore apart offending enemies without mercy!
No monarch would dislike a knight like Barghest.
"Damn it! Why is a Fairy Knight guarding him? We didn't hear any rumors about them traveling together!"
"Damn that Queen Consort! This person must have ill intentions toward Britain. It's a shame we can't kill him here!"
With just one strike, half the assassins were dead.
Yet the remaining ones still charged forward fearlessly, their eyes filled with indignation fixed on the carriage. Some lamented their own powerlessness, as if the person inside were some heinous villain whose head they must take, or else they'd disgrace their ancestors for generations!
"Leave a few alive."
"Yes!"
The command came from the carriage, and Barghest immediately complied.
She reduced her sword's force to less than a tenth, using the flat of the blade to strike the assassins, sending them flying several meters. They appeared severely injured but were barely clinging to life.
"Markus!"
The remaining assassin rushed forward upon seeing this.
With one thrust of his spear, he killed his heavily wounded companion on the spot.
"You bastard!"
"We warriors of Sheffield would rather die than be taken captive!"
Under Barghest's shocked and furious gaze, he pulled out the spear and stabbed it into his own heart, falling silent in an instant.
Barghest stopped moving.
Footsteps sounded.
Eiji came to her side, examining the fallen assassins.
"Please forgive my incompetence. I failed to capture any alive."
Barghest bowed her head in shame, full of self-reproach.
"This isn't your fault. I didn't expect them to be so decisive either."
Eiji waved his hand, signaling Barghest to raise her head.
"They probably aren't ordinary assassins, right?"
"Correct. It's already quite rare for humans to become warriors, and they were equipped with iron weapons. Very few in all of Britain would be willing to do such a thing."
Barghest's expression shifted as she continuously speculated about who could be behind this.
One thing was certain: those responsible were definitely not fairies hiding in forests or mountains. They generally kept to themselves and wouldn't command humans carrying iron weapons.
But judging by these people's demeanor, especially their resolve to commit suicide, they were certainly not mere rabble!
Someone had orchestrated this assassination attempt targeting the Queen Consort!
"Before he died, he said he was a warrior from Sheffield?"
"It's more likely a diversion, possibly false information he deliberately gave to mislead us."
Bagster said bluntly.
Though she was tall and sturdy, she wasn't foolish in the slightest—she didn't truly believe that was genuine indignation from the heart.
"However..."
"However what?"
"From the current standpoint, Sheffield is indeed the city most likely to do such a thing. Norwich can barely protect itself, Oxford has Fang as its absolute leader, and Salisbury is famously peaceful..."
Bagster voiced her speculation.
There weren't many cities that would hire humans as soldiers to begin with.
Broadly speaking, aside from the strictly neutral Gloucester, only Salisbury, Norwich, Oxford, and Sheffield fell into this category.
Oxford was a city ruled by the chieftain of the Fang clan. The Fang clan was renowned for their pride and belligerence. While they had accepted some human soldiers, in any conflict, Fang soldiers always took the lead, with human soldiers playing only a supporting role, handling tasks that only humans could accomplish.
The lord of Salisbury was the chieftain of the Wind clan, who was known throughout Britain as an exceedingly kind soul.
"As for Norwich, it's currently embroiled in the once-in-a-millennium Great Calamity and can barely protect itself. It's hard to imagine them sending people to stir up such trouble. Moreover, Norwich's lord is notoriously profit-driven and wouldn't do something so laborious and unrewarding... Only Sheffield—rumors say they've recently grown dissatisfied with the Queen's rule and are showing signs of rebellion!"
Bagster's tone gradually turned cold.
Rebelling against the Queen's rule meant undermining Britain's peace!
Such individuals ought to be purged as quickly as possible. Yet, for some reason, the Queen paid no attention to Sheffield, and as a subordinate, she couldn't rashly deploy troops.
"If they truly intended to rebel, they should lay low as much as possible. Sending assassins after me—how eager are they to draw Camelot's attention? Has Sheffield's lord grown tired of living, or is he simply a fool?"
"That is indeed a flaw... I can assert that Sheffield's lord is definitely not a fool!"
"You know him?"
"We've met once."
Bagster's expression grew distant for a moment, as if lost in memory, but she quickly recovered.
In that case, whether Sheffield had sent the assassins was still uncertain.
Eiji observed the dozen or so corpses on the ground for a while but found no particularly distinctive features.
If there was one consistent trait, it was that they were all young men in their twenties.
"Sir Gawain, all the Mors have been dealt with."
"Well done. Her Highness the Queen Consort has also spoken highly of you."
"Thank you for Her Highness's praise!"
The knights were instantly exhilarated.
It was just a pity that the Queen Consort kept her face hidden under a hood, so they couldn't catch a glimpse of the figure praised by Camelot's high-ranking fairies as "Britain's most radiant star." This left the knights quite disheartened.
"Bagster, give me a map."
"At once, Your Highness."
"Next, you're heading south, correct?"
"Yes."
"Then we shall part ways here."
Eiji carefully examined the map in his hand and soon made a decision.
Bagster hadn't left Camelot specifically to escort him. She had received orders from the Queen to carry out a mission in a southern region, which was why she was departing from Camelot.
Eiji felt that any place would be equally suitable for clearing his mind, so without further discussion, he joined her convoy.
"Your Highness, what about you?"
"I'm heading north, to Sheffield!"
Eiji folded the map, a cold smirk curling beneath his hood.
"I'm not some coward who swallows grievances. Whoever sent assassins after me will pay in blood!"