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He opened the door to find Everett standing there, visibly irate. Upon inquiring, Rafael learned that no one had wanted to disturb the newly reunited couple, so everyone had hesitated to interrupt them. That left Everett no choice but to come personally to knock on the door.
Naturally, it was an embarrassing situation, so getting angry was a normal reaction.
While Rafael had bathed, Everett had taken it upon himself to question Tiberius. He learned that these private soldiers belonged to Yuvan, and Tiberius was responsible for covering up and transporting grain on Yuvan’s behalf.
Tiberius insisted he had no knowledge that they were private soldiers and claimed to have never transported weapons. He distanced himself from any wrongdoing, but Everett wasn’t looking for a confession at the moment. They had bound Tiberius and planned to deal with him properly when they returned to the capital. When they reached the Supreme Court, he would be forced to reveal whatever he knew.
Now that everyone had gathered, a heated discussion ensued, with no one certain whether these men were bandits or private soldiers.
Everett raised his hand to silence them. “Enough. I have a plan.”
As soon as he spoke, the room fell quiet. All eyes turned to him, waiting for his guidance.
Everett continued, “First, we need to determine how many of them there are. If it’s only 5,000, then I recommend we take action. We’ve got people on the way here, and with them, we’ll have about three to four hundred people.
“Plus, most of us are skilled in martial arts, so fighting them head-on shouldn’t be a problem. Also, Lunvale should have forces ready to fight bandits. If we declare our intention to crush the bandits, the local authorities will be forced to send troops.”
Rafael had already been considering some action. Originally, he had planned to request reinforcements from Ebonflow after gathering more intelligence.
However, with Sophie bringing the Mystic Army and a number of skilled martial artists, as well as Everett having brought in apprentices from Meadow Ridge, their combined forces numbered three or four hundred. Plus, they were all trained in combat, with many experts among them. With this force, their chances of winning were quite high.
Based on the terrain, they could only engage in flexible, small-scale operations and couldn’t launch a large-scale attack. They had to be cautious of any traps, especially since the enemy had been stationed there for some time and likely had developed strategies for defense. A full-scale attack could lead to heavy casualties.
Rafael shared his opinion, and everyone agreed.
In Lunvale stood the grand Eternalis Atrium, towering by the expansive banks of the Lunvale River. To dine at Eternalis Atrium was a privilege reserved only for the wealthy and the elite.
However, on the left side of Eternalis Atrium and facing the dock was a spacious and messy area where vendors set up their stalls every day. Some sold grain, others sold flatbreads or ravioli. The food was good and cheap, and most of the people coming here were common folks or dock workers.
Outside each stall, there were a few crude, low tables surrounded by small stools. The diners gathered here, eating heartily in the noisy crowd. Conversations buzzed around them, discussing everything under the sun-except for matters of the state. Politics were too far removed from the daily lives of these people.
At one of the ravioli stalls, two men sat. They were dressed simply, blending in with the rest of the crowd. One wore a gray cotton jacket and a faded cap, looking to be in his thirties. The other man, perhaps in his forties, wore a coarse green tunic. Despite the chill of the spring air, his attire seemed thin. After finishing his bowl of ravioli, he wiped his brow, small beads of sweat dotting his forehead.
The man in the gray jacket placed his cutlery down and spoke first. “So, we just let it go like this?”
The man in the green tunic wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his voice low and measured. “They came prepared. Let it be for now.”
“What a pity,” the man in gray remarked.
The man in green gazed at the remaining sauce on his plate, which shimmered with a thin layer of oil. “It’s time to make Yuvan uneasy. If we leave him to his own devices, he’ll grow more entrenched. The longer we wait, the less chance we have of overcoming him.”
“I’ve never understood why the king decided to release Yuvan from the capital,” the gray-clad man said.
He shook his head, troubled by the decision. He felt that those in the capital couldn’t possibly be unaware of Yuvan’s rebellious intentions. Letting him go was like releasing a tiger back into the wild.
The green-clad man’s lips curled into a cold smile. “They let him go because they know there’s someone else lurking in the shadows and waiting to strike.”
The gray-clad man froze, his eyes widening. “Do you mean we’ve been exposed?”
The man in green gave a low chuckle. “Not yet. If we were exposed, Rafael wouldn’t be coming to Lunvale. He’d be on our doorstep instead.”
He stirred the remaining sauce on his plate, the once-clear liquid turning murky as he mixed it, his eyes narrowing with cold intensity.
“Rafael likely came to Lunvale hoping to draw me out. We can’t involve ourselves in the matter of Stone Village. In a way, it’s working in our favor-forcing Yuvan’s hand. He can’t delay any longer. It’s time for him to act.’
The man in gray thought for a moment before nodding. “Yes. Once Tiberius is escorted back to the capital, Yuvan will be thrown into disarray. He’s already on edge. Pressure him a little, and he’ll make a move.”
The green-clad man’s voice was calm, almost indifferent. “Then inform Sandoria and Westhaven. If it’s time to act, they should prepare themselves.”
“Understood!” The man in gray’s expression was a mix of tension and anticipation, as if they had finally reached a critical juncture.
But the green-clad man remained relaxed, his tone almost casual, as though giving instructions for a dinner menu rather than plotting a revolution.
Their voices were quiet, and with the bustling noise around them, no one could overhear their conversation. Their humble attire and the crowded market setting made it impossible for anyone to suspect they were scheming a rebellion.
Rebellion, after all, was a far-off concept to the common folk. Though they would be the first to suffer if it came to that, it seemed too distant for their daily lives.
Meanwhile, apprentices from Meadow Ridge guilds were making their way into the city.
Rafael had gone to the Lunvale and revealed his identity to the local governor, Gilbert Salter.
Upon learning that the villagers of Stone Village were in fact the rebels’ private soldiers, Gilbert gasped, feeling as if the ground beneath him had just slipped away.
After his initial panic, he quickly said, “I will fully cooperate, Your Highness. Whatever you command, I will follow.”
Gilbert realized that his failure to address the rebel soldiers under his watch was a grave mistake-a capital offense. Right now, his only hope of saving his life was by making up for it with a decisive contribution-his position was the least of his concerns.
This operation was labeled as a bandit suppression mission.
The night before, they gathered to discuss the details. The mission wasn’t particularly dangerous or difficult, but there was one certainty-the people from Stone Village in Lunvale were not the same private soldiers from Stonebrook County.
So where had Yuvan’s forces gone?
Randall had mentioned before that several counties and states had similar strongholds. Rafael guessed they were likely similar in scale to Stone Village-several thousand people, not too many, but certainly not a small number either.
Without military posts, relying only on local authorities would be insufficient to wipe out 5,000 men. It would be too easy for the enemy forces to turn the tables and take control.
If the same amount of private soldiers in several areas rose up at once, it would wreak havoc on the common people. By the time the main army arrived, it would be impossible to know how many places would have already been taken over.
Suppressing the private soldiers in Lunvale was not the problem. The real threat lay further ahead. Over the years, Yuvan steadily built his power, especially during the war on the Southern Frontier. The court had no clear defense against him, and even after the Southern Frontier victory, his expansion had not been fully curtailed.
Now, someone was working behind the scenes, and no one even knew who it was.
Rafael felt somewhat passive in this situation. Ever since arriving in Lunvale, he had been preoccupied with trying to uncover the identity of this unseen force.
When he and Jacob had analyzed the situation before, they had ruled out many suspects. But there was one man they had initially excluded who had slowly crept back into their thoughts-an idea that refused to leave Rafael’s mind.
On paper, this man wasn’t the most likely suspect. Investigations had shown that his territory was neither especially rich nor troubled. It was peaceful, and he didn’t maintain a large private army.
There were no irregularities in his domain. Under normal circumstances, he would have been ruled out entirely. Yet Rafael had done just that-excluded him-only to later add his name back to the list, because something about him didn’t sit right.
This man the true mastermind was clearly behind Yuvan, operating from the shadows. He didn’t need to raise an army. Instead, he could secretly operate behind the scenes. He could target those around Yuvan and take control of everything Yuvan had in the end.