"Let's go." Iris took the lead downstairs, her steps hurried. "How long can your Truesight last?"
"Twenty minutes left," Anser replied.
"We're going to gather the Union's senior leadership now. Help me check them—I'm afraid they might be possessed." Iris's eyes showed concern.
"No problem. Do the people inside the castle need to be screened?" Anser suggested.
"No. Any creature with malicious intent or of an evil alignment will be marked by the magic array the moment it steps within the castle's perimeter." Iris turned slightly to glance at him, the corner of her lips lifting.
"Oh~" Anser's gaze flickered.
No wonder no one was willing to come to the castle. That magic array was a bit disgusting—and a bit extreme.
What if someone of evil alignment appeared among Fort Jacqueline's direct bloodline?
Iris arrived at the great hall and pressed the eye of the bas-relief beast embedded in the wall. A rapid alarm rang throughout the castle.
Then she stood at the entrance, waiting quietly.
About a quarter of an hour passed.
The crisp sound of hooves rang out as teams of fully armed knights formed up from the opposite side. Black horses, black armor, black helmets, a purple flower crest—their presence was solemn and imposing.
Anser looked into the distance. Fort Jacqueline was quite large; he had not been wandering around casually, and he had not expected that such a powerful armed force was hidden here.
He counted—seventy-two in total. Each one tall and broad-shouldered, arranged in seven rows of ten, filling the field of vision. The shock they brought felt greater than that of several hundred soldiers.
'So many classed individuals. They're truly wealthy.'
He used the dice to inspect a few of them; those standing in the front rows were almost all classed individuals.
"Well?" Iris seemed very satisfied with Anser's expression, a faint smile on her face.
"Impressive. It must cost a lot of money?" Anser praised.
"This isn't something money alone can accomplish." Iris lifted her chin, a trace of pride in her expression. "The Fort Jacqueline Knights number over a hundred in total. I've sent several squads out to deliver messages or search for people."
"All the knights are trained by the family itself. One-fifth are classed individuals—absolutely loyal…"
The knight order also had a hundred auxiliary soldiers, all with horses as well, though they would not be brought along unless traveling far.
Moreover, the knight order was different from the castle guard. They were not dispatched for ordinary tasks; aside from training, they fought.
Anser only nodded. Inwardly, he felt that Iris did not need to introduce things in such detail.
"With such a large display, don't scare the other party away."
He had originally planned to seize the person directly. If they fled, it would be troublesome. He had brought Iris mainly to avoid misunderstandings—after all, attacking someone on the street without cause could easily trigger the Union's sensitive nerves.
"It's fine. First, we ensure the senior leadership hasn't been infiltrated. Then we conduct regular inspections. Something like this requires many people—it's impossible to do it quietly." Iris took out the flying carpet, jumped onto it, and gestured for Anser to come up.
"I don't need to. I've got a horse—outside the gate." The moment Anser finished speaking, a neigh rang out beyond the castle walls.
"I know, Mr. Anser Holrewen." Iris enunciated each word heavily.
She had not gone out this morning merely to post a commission and contact friends to resurrect Stoll—she had also gathered a great deal of intelligence, including rumors related to Anser.
Anser's expression remained unchanged. "Let's go. We shouldn't delay."
As he spoke, he spread his butterfly wings, flew over the castle walls, and glided down onto Nornoth's back.
Nornoth hovered above the ground—huge in size, yet landing lightly—and broke into a steady run all the way toward Durlag.
Giant Tail took long strides, following behind.
Behind them, the castle's main gates swung wide open. Hoofbeats thundered as they rapidly closed in.
Riding her flying carpet, Iris traveled alongside Anser, studying Nornoth and the horseshoes on its hooves with close attention. Her gaze burned bright, as if a glimmer flashed within it.
"What kind of creature is this? I've never seen it before."
"A fey horse. You can call it Nornoth."
"Truly unusual. But I still prefer the flying carpet."
Before she even finished speaking, she shot up into the sky with a whoosh—astonishingly fast.
Nornoth understood, and at once grew unwilling to concede. It snorted and sprinted at full speed, muscles bulging, posture stretching out, as if it were flying just above the ground.
But the flying carpet's speed was comparable to a wyvern's, and it had the advantage of a direct route—how could it possibly catch up?
Seeing that it still refused to give up, Anser had no choice but to bolster it with a casting of Longstrider. Its speed immediately rose by a large margin; it barely managed to keep up and was not left too far behind.
The distance of several kilometers vanished in a flash.
As they neared the town, Nornoth slowed, panting hard. It stared up at the sky, eyes wide as saucers—this was the first time in its life as a horse—no, as a fey—that it had felt such an intense longing to fly!
Sensing its mood, Anser rubbed its big head hard. 'That competitive streak is pretty strong. The road ahead is long—what's the hurry.'
At that moment, Iris flew back over, a hint of teasing in her eyes. Her red lips parted slightly. "Tsk, tsk…"
Nornoth immediately lifted its head and glared at her—seven parts unconvinced, eight parts indignant.
"Stop provoking it. We have work to do." Anser gave a helpless smile; he had not expected Iris to have this kind of mischievous taste.
Nornoth was stubborn. Once its temper flared, even he could not easily manage it.
"I've already given all the orders. The four gates are to be sealed immediately—entry only, no one leaves." Iris reined in her expression and waved him over. "We're going to the Union headquarters. From here on, it's on you."
"Alright."
The Union headquarters lay in the northern part of the city: a complex of buildings—nearly ten wooden towers—with people coming and going in dense crowds.
This was Durlag's political center—administration, public order, commerce, taxation, and more were all concentrated here.
The knight order dispatched several squads to deliver commands and seal the city gates. The rest followed Iris to the Union headquarters, aggressive and imposing, stirring a major commotion.
Iris led Anser into the largest four-story wooden building and waited on the top floor.
About half an hour later, all the senior members had arrived. Aside from the five councilors, there were also several high-ranking officials in charge of municipal affairs, public order, taxation, and other duties.
Iris invited everyone to sit, while giving Anser a look.
Anser understood. He activated the True Sight Ring and carefully observed the room. Everything was normal—no Intellect Devourers or Mind Flayers.
Not only that, among the dozen or so people present, not a single one was of evil alignment. Being able to resist Amn's monetary offensive, they were likely people with principles and convictions.
On second thought, it made sense. With such a large display from Iris, anyone harboring guilt would not have walked straight into a trap.
"What's happened this time?" A gray-haired old man with a hooked nose looked weary. His gaze swept over Anser before settling on Iris.
The Union had been founded single-handedly by Stoll. He did not manage affairs much, but his prestige was high; no one failed to heed his words. That also meant the Union did not have many factions.
Iris was usually more reclusive, and many matters were handled by the old steward. But her personal strength—and that of Fort Jacqueline—was second only to Stoll's. By default, she was considered the next candidate for president.
Therefore, no one suspected her of plotting anything.
"Uncle Quentin, an Intellect Devourer has been discovered in the city. To be safe, I had no choice but to call everyone here for identification…" Iris explained gently.
"An Intellect Devourer?" Quentin shot to his feet, his expression grave.
Most of the others looked blank, clearly unaware of what an Intellect Devourer was.
Iris patiently explained it to everyone. After hearing her, an uproar broke out.
The news about Stoll had already exhausted them; no one expected another crisis to arise before the previous one had settled.
"We've been targeted by Mind Flayers?"
"They want to turn us into a second Baldur's Gate? Not a chance…"
"Stop bragging. Find the Mind Flayer first before you talk."
"If President Stoll were here…"
"Lower your voice…"
"…"
"Silence!" Quentin slammed the table hard, his gaze pressing down on the crowd. "What are you panicking for? It's just an Intellect Devourer."
Iris nodded slightly in agreement. "That's right. I suspect this may only be a probing tendril for the Mind Flayers to understand Faerûn. True infiltration may not yet have begun. There's no need to fear."
"Where is that Intellect Devourer?" Quentin turned and fixed his eyes on Anser.
The others followed suit, all looking at Anser with curiosity.
"This gentleman is named Anser. He was the one who discovered the Intellect Devourer—and he was also the one who helped bring Stoll back…" Iris smiled as she stepped to Anser's side; her intention was obvious.
Anser's expression was cold and composed. He nodded to the crowd. "Good afternoon, everyone."
"I know you—the Ashen Knight!" Quentin's voice rose, his deep tone reverberating through the room.
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