CHAPTER 494: CHAPTER 472: LET THE DEMON HUNTER INVESTIGATE THE DEMON HUNTER

In the cramped and dim interrogation room, droplets on the moss slipped down the damp walls, much like the sweat trickling from Aijia Lang’s forehead.

At this moment, his hands and feet were bound to the chair, which was anchored to the floor.

He had struggled for a long time, but all he felt was the pain of the leather ropes chafing his skin.

The burning sensation made Aijia Lang involuntarily groan lightly.

He really couldn’t fathom why only he showed up on the planned day of the attack.

Where had those cowardly bastards gone?

The answer was simple, except for their leader Favalari, all his associates had been captured.

Before the Kush Youths arrived, Jilo had rushed day and night on horseback to Autumn Dusk Island, taking two days to drag out all three Demon Hunters.

Through a small window hole behind Aijia Lang, Horn could see him desperately twisting his body.

"You did quite well this time." Horn circled Jilo as if meeting him for the first time, "Since when did you become so reliable?"

"All thanks to Saint’s Grandson’s leadership, without your guidance, I..."

"Oh, oh, enough, enough, who taught you that?" Horn quickly interrupted Jilo, observing Jilo’s silent smile, he knew immediately.

"What are Busak and Armand up to... How did you think to investigate the day laborers?"

"Your Majesty, for others identifying a Demon Hunter is like finding a grain of rice among wheat, but for Demon Hunters, a disguised one is as conspicuous as a green bean in a pile of red beans."

Jilo chuckled at Aijia Lang still puzzled in the interrogation room: "Once you’ve confirmed there are Demon Hunters on the island, it’s easy.

Just find the largest, fastest-moving occupational group on the island.

Then identify the highest-paying jobs within that group, and from there sift out the strongest, most hardworking, stingiest individuals, you’ll soon uncover their trail.

I know them too well; with island wages, it’s impossible for them to resist doing side jobs.

The only exception is this kid, surprisingly working a low-paid construction job, leading to today’s attack.

As for the leader, reacting so swiftly, fleeing early, and pushing this kid to take the fall, he really escaped Autumn Dusk Island."

"How did they get in?" Raphael, in charge of this aspect, quickly asked.

"It actually has nothing to do with the checkpoint." Jilo scratched the back of his head, "According to testimonies, they came through a mountain tunnel, supposedly connecting Kush Territory directly to Daze Village, bypassing Blood and Sweat Long Road."

Horn exchanged a glance with Jeanne, instantly remembering that Hilov had previously mentioned that a group of Demon Hunters had suddenly intruded on the island and took away all the data.

That group of Demon Hunters must have come in through this narrow path.

"We’ve already escorted them to search, we should find it soon."

"Good." Horn shut the small window and sat back at the table, "Report to me once found, I will personally oversee the investigation."

"Yes."

"Have those Kush youths arrived at Frick Grammar School?" Jeanne recalled the fate of those children after the Demon Hunter situation was resolved.

"They’ve all arrived, currently checking in, no casualties." Patrick happened to come in, overheard Jeanne and replied promptly.

"Why are they attempting to assassinate these Kush youths?" Jeanne turned to Jilo beside her.

Jilo quickly bowed before speaking: "According to their account, the mastermind behind this is the Oslar Clan of Thorn Garden, they paid 50 gold pounds to hire them with the aim of undermining your relationship with the Kush Nobility."

"Undermining my relationship with the Kush Knights? The Oslar Clan?" Horn felt this name sounded familiar but couldn’t remember where he heard it.

Boned, seeing Horn’s confusion, explained immediately: "The Oslar Clan is the leader of Northern Nobility, although they only have two counties in Thorn Garden as their fiefdom, their influence spans across Thorn Garden and Shattered Stone Plain.

The Lanfeng Dynasty grants them many privileges, nearly all Northern People follow their lead."

Under the Empire’s rule, administrative units beneath the province are called "territories."

Horn’s Armored Wood Province has three territories: Thousand River Valley, Shattered Stone Plain, and Black Snake Bay.

Horn didn’t even possess the strength of two counties, while the Oslar Clan’s influence could span two territories.

If Eagle’s Claw Bay in the northwest is included, then the Northern Nobility’s influence is entirely delineated.

The internal structure of Leia Kingdom can largely be divided into three factions: the Changge Nobility, Northern Nobility, and Manor Nobility.

The Lanfeng Royal Family and the nobles of Changge control the most fertile land of Dawn Island and River Island, while the manor nobility refers to those nobles who are not part of these two factions.

Regions such as Windmill Land, Immortal Stone Field, and Thousand River Valley fall within the group range of the manor nobility, though they are far less close-knit and united than the former two.

"What do they have to do with us? Is he a staunch supporter of the Pope?" Horn asked in a puzzled manner.

"Have you forgotten Countess Marika whom you killed on the battlefield?" Boned drew the broken horned ox emblem of the Oslar Clan on paper and handed it to Horn, "The family motto of the Oslar Clan is to repay every debt and avenge every grievance."

"Does that mean when I go to war with their family, I’m not allowed to kill their people? How does that make sense?" Jeanne, who was following along, couldn’t help but curse.

"If you don’t kill them, they would surrender on their own and then pay ransom." Boned shrugged, "That is also part of repaying every debt."

"It seems that the Oslar Clan and the Lanfeng Clan have a pretty good relationship." Horn asked seemingly absent-mindedly while fiddling with the shaft of the crossbow arrow in his hand.

"No, quite the opposite, their relationship isn’t good; they could even be considered enemies." Although Boned hails from a lower-tier knight family from Falan, he has mingled with the Secretary Monks in the Church and is quite knowledgeable about the feuds among the nobles in Leia.

"Why?"

"That takes us back to the original war of succession." Holding the scroll in his arms, Boned recounted.

"Back then, the land of Duke Lanfeng, also known as the King of Fajinueman, was located at the northern end of Dawn Island, bordering the Oslar Clan.

He initiated a rebellion and received strong support and marriage alliances from the Oslar Clan.

King Fajinueman promised that if he ascended to the throne, he would appoint Duke Freylich of the Oslar Clan as the palace chancellor."

"But he went back on his word." Horn interjected.

Boned looked at Horn in surprise, "Yes, that’s correct, the old king reneged once he came into power...how did you guess?"

Isn’t that obvious?

From this account alone, Horn could easily surmise that the Lanfeng Clan’s power was already weak; they needed the combined strength of other nobles and the support of the Oslar Clan to rise to power.

If they allowed someone from the Oslar Clan to become the chancellor and also marry within the family, the royal family would owe them favors, and they even had control over finance.

A couple of generations later, would Changge City belong to the Blubsa (Lanfeng) or the Oslars?

"Never mind how I figured it out, just continue."

Gazing at Horn several times, Boned continued, "After being rejected, the Duke of the Oslar Clan sought a lesser position, hoping to gain a fiefdom on River Island and become a member of the Changge nobility.

This move was opposed by the Changge nobles of River Island, and ultimately, they offered the Oslar Clan a piece of land at the bottom of a river, excluding the water and the fish.

At that time, Duke Freylich of the Oslar Clan felt mocked and humiliated. In a fit of anger, he even refused the appointment as Royal Minister of Finance and returned to the family’s fiefdom.

Due to this incident, the Lanfeng Family made a series of compensations and concessions, awarding the Oslar Clan many fiefdoms and privileges, including part of the royal minting rights, allowing them to mint gold pounds.

However, the rift was formed, and they maintained a façade of harmony but confronted each other beneath the surface.

Otherwise, in this Lia’s civil war, the Oslar Clan wouldn’t remain neutral, watching as the Lanfeng Royal Family fought and bled."

Horn understood.

It’s the classic tale of local powerful families backing an agent to enter the central regime, thinking they could ascend in one go after success.

The new Lanfeng royal family feared the Oslars’ grasp over the monarch’s power, while the old Golden Finch Banner nobles feared they would bring the northern nobility into their domain.

The new monarch and the old ministers hit it off and kicked this local powerhouse out of the core ruling circle.

There’s nothing new under the sun.

Regardless, since this wealthy duke has made a move, it can’t possibly be only 50 gold pounds; they likely only captured a part of it.

Horn believed there was more to it than a few stray cats and dogs; the rest of the hidden or sneaking Demon Hunters had to be thoroughly captured.

"Announce externally that the Demon Hunters have been caught, then continue the secret investigation and strengthen vigilance." After pacing outside the interrogation room four or five times, Horn once again looked up.

"Deploy Cheka and an Imperial Guard regiment to station on Autumn Dusk Island."

"Accelerate the Night Watcher training, tripling the original number on Autumn Dusk Island, prioritizing recruitment from the Defensive Army."

"Double the number of police, prioritizing recruitment from military families."

"Yes, Your Majesty."