AWDC Chapter 106

Two months passed in that state, and then Reverend Starfen visited me.

“They would like to meet you in the capital.” This meant that preparations for the Laval Church were complete.

I disguised ten soldiers as merchants, divided them into groups of two or three, and had them infiltrate the capital. After meeting them at a cheap inn, we secretly headed to the Laval Church.

The former instructor, Milona, greeted me. He introduced me to the head of the church.

“Thank you for coming,” the church executive greeted me politely.

“I heard you have a plan to defeat Hofer.”

“Yes, we have managed to place our people inside the inner palace.”

I was surprised by those words. Hofer lived inside the inner palace, and everyone there was under his mind control. Therefore, the only place to meet him was at the royal palace, making it impossible to interfere.

“I heard that the inner palace is full of people brainwashed by Hofer. How did you manage that?”

“Hypnotism was not developed by Hofer. It has been studied within the church for a long time to enhance or stabilize mental strength. Hofer used this for his own desires. We cannot overlook this. We have been trying to find a way to break Hofer’s magic.”

“So, you have managed to undo Hofer’s brainwashing?”

“Yes, we have managed to bring several court ladies in the inner palace out of Hofer’s influence.”

“Can’t you use those court ladies to assassinate Hofer?”

“That’s impossible. They are well-bred women and would never even consider killing someone.”

“Even with suggestion, it’s impossible?”

“Originally, hypnotism is a technique suited to promoting good deeds and suppressing evil deeds. With our power, we cannot suggest ‘kill’.”

Hofer had attempted to assassinate me. The fact that he was able to do that meant his hypnotic abilities were indeed abnormal and could only be described as eerie.

Instead, the church executive made another proposal.

“Master Hofer is constantly in the room of Queen Mother Margarita. Hypnotism does not work on His Majesty the King. If His Majesty were to enter here, it would be a serious matter.”

“Certainly, if His Majesty were to confront Hofer in the inner palace, problems would definitely arise.” I understood what that meant.

King Tareem was hunting foxes.

“Your Majesty, there is a magnificent deer over there,” Sadar, one of my subordinates, pointed out.

The deer was standing dazedly, its consciousness clouded by drugs. Even when the king and his entourage approached, it showed no sign of running away or being wary.

Tareem drew back his bow and released an arrow that pierced the deer’s neck deeply.

“Your Majesty, a splendid shot!” The attendants praised him.

“Hmm,” King Tareem was delighted, satisfied like a child. He had no suspicion about how easily he had taken down the deer.

“This is a very rare thing,” the prey was a rare white deer.

“Is it really that good?” The king smiled happily at the attendants’ praise.

“A white deer is an auspicious omen. Something good is sure to happen,” Sadar emphasized here.

“Is that so? Then my mother will be pleased, won’t she?”

“Of course.”

In the inner palace, Hofer was indulging in lust with Queen Mother Margarita. The Queen Mother was excited by the first intimacy after childbirth, and she screamed repeatedly, igniting Hofer’s passion. After satisfying himself and leaving the sleeping woman, Hofer felt a slight thirst. Wishing not to disturb the woman’s rest, he entered another room, naked, and reached for his favorite wine.

The king returned to the palace triumphantly.

“Is my mother here?” The king immediately headed to the inner palace.

“Yes, she is relaxing in her room.”

“Then, guide me.”

Usually, even for the king, he was given various reasons and rarely able to meet the Queen Mother. In the inner palace, even the king was not allowed to enter freely, and he had to be guided by the assigned court lady. Today, he did not expect to be able to meet her so easily.

However, today, the court lady said nothing and guided the king to the Queen Mother’s room. The king became even happier, thinking that this was also a blessing brought by the white deer.

“Mother, I have captured a white deer!” As soon as the court lady opened the door to the Queen Mother’s room, the king burst in and loudly reported.

There, unexpectedly, was a man. And a naked man at that.

“Y-you, what an outrageous fellow!” The king unhesitatingly swung down the sword he was carrying.

The king had met Hofer before. However, he did not recognize him at all because he was so different from his usual priestly attire.

He was filled with anger at finding a man in an outrageous state in his precious mother’s room. He did not realize what it meant that the man was naked near the bedroom.

The king’s martial arts skills were not particularly high, but his physical strength was above average. On the other hand, Hofer had no training in martial arts at all. Moreover, he was surprised by the sudden appearance of the king and dropped the glass he was holding on the floor.

“Gyaaa!” The sword swung down in a袈裟giri (袈裟 cut) was almost a fatal blow.

The scream reached the entire inner palace, and many court ladies heard it. And the Queen Mother also rushed over, wearing only light clothing.

The Queen Mother was distraught at the sight of her lover bleeding.

Her son was holding a blood-stained sword.

“What have you done! Murderer! You are not my son.” She rebuked and screamed at her son in an almost frenzied state.

The court ladies’ desperate attempts at persuasion were ineffective.