Chapter 536: The Overture Begins

“Let’s go.”

The small boat drifted up to the shore. Muen reached out to lift the curtain, gesturing for Albert and Lavini to go first.

“Stay alert. The road ahead won’t be as leisurely as it was just now.”

“This route is more concealed than I expected.”

Albert stepped out of the cabin and was the first to survey their surroundings. He discovered that they were currently on a remote riverbank; within several hundred meters there wasn’t a single building, only waist-high weeds swaying in the wind.

“Of course it’s concealed. This was a smuggling route to begin with.”

“Smuggling?”

“Heh. You didn’t think that certain noble lords in the Upper District keep their amusements strictly within the bounds of what the law allows, did you?”

Muen followed behind the two of them, casting a glance at the silhouette of the distant bridge.

“Just relying on the checkpoints on that bridge isn’t ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ enough to stop desire.”

“......That makes sense.”

Albert’s gaze flickered, as if something had occurred to him, and he nodded in agreement.

At the edge of the riverbank, a carriage had already been waiting there.

The three quickly boarded it again. Albert changed out of the gentleman’s formal attire he had been wearing earlier so that his clothes wouldn’t draw attention, and his silver-white hair was concealed beneath a hat. Lavini also gathered her long hair again, donning men’s clothes.

Muen rapped on the carriage wall. The carriage set off; enhanced by special magic, it made no sound at all as it moved, speeding swiftly into the Lower District’s spiderweb of narrow streets and alleys.

“According to the planned route, it should only take half an hour to reach the destination.”

Muen took out a map and examined it under the dim light inside the carriage.

“Even Prince Andrew shouldn’t be mad enough to make a move on you at the banquet, so once we arrive, Your Highness will be safe.”

“That sounds... easier than I anticipated?”

The carriage raced along, and up to this point everything had gone smoothly.

The heart Albert had been holding high finally relaxed a great deal. Earlier he had worried about all kinds of dangers, but on second thought, even his younger brother shouldn’t have eyes and hands reaching the heavens to the point of controlling the entire Lower District.

Besides, a portion of the Lower District’s gangs weren’t even in the Inner Council that currently supported him; his ability to exert control here was even more limited.

Thinking it over like this, had he... overestimated him?

“No matter how strong a force is, if it can’t find a target, it’s wasted. That’s also why we’ve been so cautious along the way. If the problem can be resolved without violence, that would be best—after all, for a civilized person like me, I’ve always hated fighting and killing the most.”

“But...”

Muen’s brow was still tightly furrowed, his eyes roaming across the map marked with various pieces of information.

“I keep feeling like... hasn’t this road been a little too calm?”

“You mean...?”

Albert’s expression grew solemn as well. He wasn’t a fool, and he certainly wouldn’t pin his hopes on something like luck.

So even though nothing had happened along the way and his tension had eased slightly, while Muen studied the route, he himself had been pondering all the possible arrangements his younger brother might have made.

“Hard to say.”

Muen didn’t answer immediately. He lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and looked outside.

The Lower District at night was still just as tranquil. Because most households couldn’t afford expensive magic stones for lighting, after finishing dinner by candlelight they would go to sleep early.

Yet this quiet night scene failed to put anyone at ease; on the contrary, it made Muen faintly sense that something was off.

“You’ve already thrown out all of Your Highness’s bait, right?” Muen asked suddenly after thinking for a moment.

“Of course,” Albert replied. “I’m not so careless as to make that kind of low-level mistake. Marquis Angus cooperated as well—everything is absolutely convincing. There won’t be any obvious flaws.”

“Then... what about the results?”

“The results?”

“The results of the bait. The fish... did it take the hook?”

Albert’s pupils constricted. After Muen’s reminder, he reacted at once and immediately took out the transmission stone to confirm.

Very soon, news from the other side came through.

“It took the hook.”

Albert let out a breath of relief.

“The Royal Orchestra was detained by the Royal Knights—supposedly for an assassin screening. And on the other side, the procurement team was attacked by a mysterious group. As for the outcome... it’s unknown for now.”

At this point Albert’s expression turned strange again. He closed his eyes slightly, in some pain. Though it was said to be an unknown outcome, he could already imagine the fate of those people. In a certain sense, those innocent people had died because of him.

“This isn’t Your Highness’s fault.”

Muen’s gaze swept over Albert’s face. After hesitating for a moment, he still raised his hand and patted Albert’s shoulder in comfort.

“You’re a victim too.”

“Thank you...”

“But it’s good that the bait was taken. If it bit, that means they really were fooled, and that can buy us a great deal of time.”

Muen continued studying the map, thinking about just how much time the other side would need to react.

Since Old Ghost’s return, in this period he had already used his methods to regroup quite a few Lower District gangs. Therefore, once that Andrew caught on, he would inevitably be able to rely on Old Ghost to block off some of the main roads leading to their destination.

But as long as the delay dragged on too long, the other side wouldn’t have time to mobilize enough forces. Relying solely on a few gangs, it would be impossible to stop—

Huh, wait?

“There’s still one more bait.”

Muen raised his head, his eyes locking onto Albert as he asked abruptly:

“When you discussed this with me before, Your Highness, you mentioned that there were three baits, didn’t you?”

“Yes. The last one is Marquis Angus. He’s the most aboveboard one—the one who will openly bring ‘me’ to the banquet venue.”

“And the result?”

“The result...”

Albert dialed the transmission stone again.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Very quickly, the transmission stone connected.

After a brief dead silence, a low, weathered voice came from the other side.

“All the way has been safe. Take care, Your Highness.”

Click.

The connection cut off.

But those eight words alone were enough to make the expressions of all three people in the carriage tense up instantly.

“Your Highness, do you think he has the nerve for it?”

“......Of course he does.”

“He has the nerve—but he didn’t do it.”

Muen tugged at the corner of his mouth, his smile not reaching his eyes.

“Your younger brother really loves you, Your Highness. After going this far, he won’t even be bothered to spare a bit more force to at least put on an act.”

“Maybe he felt that, after all, it was Marquis Angus. If he really moved against him, the price to pay would be too high.”

Albert followed with a bitter smile. “Sorry.”

“Damn it. You don’t have any reason to apologize to me!”

Muen cursed under his breath, then abruptly turned around and lashed out with a kick at the front panel of the carriage.

“Quick—change routes! This road has already been exposed!”

“Yes!”

The driver in front received the order and yanked hard on the reins.

Pulled by the reins, the horses reared up, letting out a loud neigh before swiftly turning onto another road.

But just at the moment when the horses’ front hooves were about to touch the ground again—

“Boom!”

A blaze of light erupted from the darkness. The thunderous roar nearly tore their eardrums apart.

Amid countless shards of flying stone and clouds of smoke, a single explosion completely shattered the tranquility of the Lower District.

Brilliant fireworks lit up the sky. Figures in the darkness shouted in excitement, everything mixing and intertwining—like the magnificent overture before a story surged toward its final climax.