Upon hearing the keywords "Honorary Duke of Fontaine" and "Meropide," Khaerts felt a chill run down his spine, as if he had fallen into an ice cavern.
To him at that moment... Wriothesley's words were like some alien language; he recognized each individual word, but when put together...
He couldn't comprehend what the sentence meant.
Looking at Khaerts, whose expression was slightly dazed and whose body involuntarily began to tremble, Wriothesley suddenly felt like laughing.
How ridiculous. He thought he was so clever, but in the eyes of someone whose abilities and strength were immeasurably superior to his, he was merely a clown.
And now, his proud scheme had been exposed without warning, and his destiny was irrevocably altered...
Ah, no, to be precise... his own perception of his destiny had been altered at this moment.
After all, in the eyes of Yuto and Wriothesley, Khaerts had only one outcome: eternal imprisonment in the depths of Meropide.
He thought he could gain peace by sacrificing all his family members as pawns; he thought he could become a "lone wolf"...
But in Yuto's eyes, these tricks of his were mere garbage that Yuto had discarded three or four hundred years ago, and he was no "lone wolf."
He was just a "stray dog" by the roadside.
Thinking of this, a mocking smile appeared on Wriothesley's face, and then he gently waved his hand, signaling the guards behind him to quickly apprehend him when...
"Wait!"
Khaerts suddenly roared, then stumbled back against the wall.
Under the slightly dim streetlights, Wriothesley could clearly see his attire.
The slightly luxurious shirt clung tightly to his body, as if it had been completely soaked in water.
The fine beads of sweat on Khaerts's forehead were also incredibly clear under the light.
And these two points... jointly indicated his true emotions at that moment.
Seeing this, Wriothesley raised an eyebrow in surprise, then raised his hand to signal his subordinates to stop.
"What? Does Mr. Khaerts have anything else to say?"
"But I remember... you schemed against everyone in the Noclan Family? What else do you have to say at this point?"
Hearing this, Khaerts's expression did not change drastically as before; instead, it was uncharacteristically... calm.
—As if he wasn't surprised by it in the slightest.
He leaned against the wall to catch his breath for a moment, then slowly straightened up and looked at the crowd before him, asking in a hoarse voice:
"...I just want to know, how did you manage to track me down while also apprehending others?"
"Most of the police force should be at the Opera House guiding order now. You need those people, and you also need to disperse forces to corner me..."
"Even if you had a list of the Noclan Family members, finding their residences would still require manpower. How did you do it?"
Hearing this, Wriothesley chuckled and shook his head, then, as if sensing something, looked towards the darkness at the other end of the street.
Khaerts also followed Wriothesley's gaze towards the writhing darkness at the other end of the street, momentarily confused.
"What... is that?"
He murmured involuntarily.
Perhaps because he had spoken those words, the writhing darkness in the distance instantly stopped moving, replaced by a few black and red sparks.
The next moment, those black and red sparks, as if receiving a command, continuously overflowed from the darkness.
Boom—
A streak of black and red flame erupted from the darkness, like a giant beast devouring the night, instantly illuminating the entire street.
The next moment, the black and red flame that had illuminated the entire street instantly condensed into the shape of a half-wing, gathering before the darkness.
Tap—tap—tap—
The crisp sound of heels striking the cobblestone street echoed in the silent street, and a tall, silver-haired woman appeared before everyone.
As one of Fontaine's old noble families, the Noclan Family naturally knew who controlled the Northland Bank and who the current controller visiting Fontaine was.
Khaerts was naturally no exception.
His brown eyes instantly widened, revealing a hint of fear and disbelief, as if the woman was not human, but a ravenous beast preying on people.
"You, you are..."
The woman did not bother with Khaerts, whose pupils were trembling violently, but instead looked at Wriothesley and said softly:
"Thank you for your hard work, Duke Wriothesley. This joint enforcement was very successful."
"It's no hard work at all. We are all striving for Fontaine's long-term peace and stability."
Wriothesley spread his hands, then continued:
"To be able to resolve all this so smoothly... we owe much thanks to the Northland Bank for providing us with the specific addresses. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been so successful."
Arlecchino gently shook her head, then set her gaze on Khaerts, who was half-dead with fright. Just as she was about to say something...
The fellow had already fainted.
Looking at Khaerts, who had collapsed on the ground, Arlecchino's brows furrowed slightly, as if she was wondering why this fellow had suddenly fallen.
However, she did not dwell on the matter for too long, but instead looked at Wriothesley beside her and said:
"According to the apprehension plan... it should be completed now, Duke Wriothesley?"
"That's right, there are a total of forty-eight people on the list provided by the Northland Bank, and he... is the forty-eighth."
"That's good. If there are no issues... then I'll take my leave. Please extend my regards to Mr. Yuto and Ms. Furina on my behalf."
With that, Arlecchino waved her hand slightly, as if bidding farewell to Wriothesley, or perhaps signaling the debt collectors lurking in the shadows to leave.
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