"I underestimated you." The duke's voice was devoid of any vitality, merely spitting out the words one by one. "You never asked about state affairs, so I didn't guard against you. I thought you were just like those military ministers, nothing but straightforward and lacking in brains. Who would have thought that you could see through things and even form an alliance with our original enemy on the battlefield, putting on a good show for us."

  "People who manipulate power are always clever. But those who don't manipulate power aren't necessarily stupid." Colonel Roland said calmly.

  The duke nodded slowly. If you gaze too intensely, it will obscure your reason. Paying too much attention to some things makes it impossible to feel the overall situation and its subtle changes. Being attracted by a single leaf, one cannot see the entire forest.

  He actually knew these principles. However, he had been chasing after power and plotting for so long that he was too deeply indulged in it. His eyes could only distinguish things through the means of power struggles.

  "Although I don't know much about him, and the incident where our team member was killed by a Death Knight also made me suspicious of him, at least I can see that the wound on Your Excellency's body is not something that he, who doesn't even know how to use a sword, could have inflicted. Although you've tried to cover up the wound, it's still obvious to my eyes. Even if I don't dare to confirm it was you, at least I can confirm it wasn't him."

  The duke smiled wryly. He himself felt as if even the expression on his face was collapsing. "I actually forgot the gaze of the Empire's First Swordsman."

  "That's because your trap is too perfect. So you don't need to care about other details at all." Colonel Roland said calmly, but his eyes didn't have a hint of friendliness. "The previous death mage killing the Holy Knights' members, the wanted poster signed by the Archbishop himself, and over a hundred priests as witnesses. Even if I saw something off, I can only follow the path you've arranged for me."

  "If it wasn't for the Archbishop's strange attitude towards the Necromancer incident earlier, I wouldn't have dared to negotiate with a Necromancer even if I had suspicions. And that's how I found out about the true circumstances of the wanted poster. Since the person being pursued can't be the killer, there aren't many people in the entire capital who qualify as suspects. Based on some clues and your behavior at the scene, I'm almost certain you're the killer." Roland's voice and gaze turned sharp together. "Why did you kill Archbishop Ronis?"

  "Why?" The duke sneered. "Because he's in my way and I'm in his. He'll strike first, so it's either him or me."

  "What's going on?"

  "I'm too lazy to say anything more. Now that you're in control, you'll figure it out slowly." The duke let out a long sigh. "But even if you and this dead spirit master joined forces, with what you know and the means at your disposal, there's no way you could have made it this far." He slowly turned his head to look at Rodhart. His eyes didn't hold any anger of betrayal, only a dull despair. "There must be many things that were arranged by him, but I don't know how you managed to win him over."

  "We didn't persuade him, he chose to believe in his friends and justice himself." Captain Roland looked at Rodhart, with a hint of approval in his eyes. "Just after I discussed it with Mr. Sandru, when I was suspicious of you but didn't know how to proceed, he came to find me. He told me that he believed his friend was not a spy for the Death Spirit Society, and that there must be some other hidden reason behind this matter."

  Asa looked at Rodhart with some surprise.

  Although the topic fell on himself, Rodhart still stood upright, still so calm and composed, and smiled warmly at Asa with a gentle smile.

  "To know that at that time, in such a situation, someone dared to stand up and speak for their friend, must be a person with vision, responsibility, and confidence in their own judgment. So I believe him, and told him all our suspicions. As for his coming here to infiltrate, it was his own suggestion. We can take advantage of your plan and go with the flow, this is all his credit."

  "His merits..." The duke thought for a moment, and the eyes that had been dulled by failure and despair suddenly sparkled with some light. It was as if a stagnant pool of water had been stimulated again, and some vitality surged up from the bottom. He looked at Rodhart. "I remember you participated in the battle to besiege the Death Spirit Mage."

  "Yes." Rodhart nodded, still answering with courtesy and humility.

  "As Colonel Roland would say. You found him right after the battle and expressed your trust in your friend and justice." The duke's voice regained some vitality, his lips curled up slightly, as if he was smiling wryly.

  Rodhart nodded, letting out a slightly regretful sigh. "I only found out about the assassination of Archbishop Ronis after receiving the order, and I was truly shocked at the time. The scene was also too chaotic, and I hesitated for a moment, so I didn't make it in time to stop the fight between Commander and Mr. Sandru. Fortunately, they were able to distinguish the situation themselves."

  The duke thought for a moment, then nodded slowly. His expression was still dispirited, lost and sorrowful, but it was no longer lifeless. As if through these thoughts that had become part of his soul, he regained some interest in life. "I once said that I knew you were a person with vision, decisiveness, and strategy. But now I realize that my evaluation of you was still too low." He squeezed out another bitter smile. "I originally thought I was raising a cat that hadn't become a tiger yet, but it turned out to be a tiger disguised as a cat trying to swallow me whole. However, knowing this point makes me feel somewhat relieved, because I didn't lose in such a muddled way, it's just that the new generation surpasses the old one."

  "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to defy you, Your Excellency." Rodhart's expression was very serious and sincere, like a child expressing his true feelings to an adult. "I just did what I thought needed doing."

  "Good move. Good vision." The duke smiled and nodded his head. His smile was bitter, but it seemed to have a hint of admiration. Like the loser in a magnificent and profound game of cards, although defeated, he did not feel angry or resentful, but instead had a sense of defeat and loss, as well as a bit of admiration for his opponent.

  But outsiders obviously couldn't understand the profound meaning in his eyes. Colonel Roland sighed, and to a cunning and treacherous enemy like the Duke who gave up so quickly and thoroughly at the moment of defeat, he seemed to feel some regret. "Actually, I didn't expect you to admit defeat as soon as we appeared. I thought you would struggle a bit, at least defend yourself."

  "Since you dare to appear before me at the same time, it means that you have already given up any intention of giving me a chance to struggle. In this situation, there is no longer any means or trickery that can be effective. Can't I see even this?" The duke's gaze swept lightly over Roland and Sandru's faces. "With the two of you wanting to kill me, it's not much different from killing a chicken. Why do I need to die like a chicken?"

  Colonel Roland looked at the Duke in silence for a while, then sighed: "Actually, with your intelligence and talent, no matter which aspect you apply yourself to, it would be enough to leave a name in history. Even if you don't rush, taking ten or more years, the entire empire might really fall into your hands. Why do you need to walk further and further down this road of power, until you've buried yourself?"

  The duke was taken aback for a moment. Now that he thought about it, it seemed to be true. If he hadn't gone further and further in this way, wouldn't things have been better?

  But then he thought about it and the duke smiled wryly, shaking his head. It's impossible, because I've already started walking. Many things, once they start, can't be stopped. After victory, there will be new goals, and then continuous advancement, wanting to keep going higher and stronger... In the end... The duke suddenly remembered a story he had told his daughter a long time ago, a fairy tale about a pair of shoes that, once worn, would make you dance non-stop until death. He was the one who loved to dance, power and ambition were those magical shoes, and once you put them on, they would drive you crazy until you died.

  "Your mistake is that your ambition is too great, your expectations are too strong."

  "I said it. I wasn't wrong, I was defeated." The duke suddenly stood up, his voice fully restored to its usual vigor. "I wasn't wrong. I'm not the first one to walk on the path of power and ambition, nor will I be the last. I just failed, fell by the wayside. Naturally, there will be others who follow in my footsteps, trampling over my corpse to climb higher." The duke's eyes didn't look at anyone, but instead gazed up at the ceiling. His face was stern, like a solitary believer reciting his own personal scripture. "The reason I failed is that I was too arrogant, too enthralled by the power of authority. Desire can blind one's intellect. Paying too much attention to some things means you can't grasp the overall situation and its subtle changes. Being captivated by a single leaf means you can't see the entire forest. Only by not being confined to the present moment, by broadening your vision, can you go further. Pursuing power without becoming obsessed with it is the only way to truly attain it. My successors will definitely learn from my lesson and go even further."

  Asa remained silent, quietly listening to the conversation between the Duke and Colonel Roland. Rodhart also listened very carefully. Sandru's mind seemed to be elsewhere, sometimes lowering his head in thought and sometimes looking around.

  The duke lowered his head, his eyes scanning each person's face, and said slowly and calmly: "I'll say it again, I wasn't wrong, I just failed." He sat back down, picked up the slender sword on the table, turned the blade around, and plunged it into his own chest.

  Asa stepped forward subconsciously, but he saw that Roland and Sandru were still standing there without moving.

  The slender sword had passed through the duke's body, protruding from his back and then piercing the chair back, with blood constantly seeping out of his chest. This one sword had pierced right through his heart.

  With a faintly painful expression, the duke sighed. He met Asa's strange gaze with a slightly strained voice and said: "Actually, sometimes I think that people like you who don't care about anything and don't pursue anything are stupid, but they're really easy-going..." As the crimson on his chest and back of the chair continued to spread, the duke's voice grew smaller, and his head slowly drooped. Finally, he died.

  The room was very quiet, except for Sandru, everyone looked at the Duke's body still sitting there with different eyes. After a while, Asa suddenly asked: "Why did he have to commit suicide?"

  "In any case, he's going to die. Suicide is no different." Colonel Roland replied.

  "I didn't mean that. I meant he just died like this, and we can't come up with any evidence to prove it, would others believe that he killed the bishop?"

  "Others naturally wouldn't believe it either. Nor is there a need to believe."

  "Ah... Sa... I..."

  "Sorry." Although he said sorry, Roland's gaze at Asa was calm, as if there was no hint of apology. "You are still a wanted criminal. The crime of killing the Archbishop will still be pinned on you."

  "Why?" Asa was completely bewildered, the culprit had already been caught, but this scapegoat couldn't be removed.

  "The reputation of Duke Mula is very good whether in power or out of power. His influence is also great. You know these things."

  "I know." Asa nodded. The Duke's reputation was not just good, but in combination with the now-rising power, it had almost become a common goal recognized by people from all walks of life.

  "If we suddenly announced that he was actually the real murderer of Archbishop Ronis, there would definitely be a huge uproar. An image that had been so upright and outstanding in everyone's mind would suddenly shatter, what would happen then?"

  "I don't know." Asa shook his head.

  "This is a great scandal for the empire. The reputation of the empire will be hit among nations, and the relationship between the church and the empire will also be affected. Internally, the people's trust in the imperial court will plummet. Under the turmoil, it's hard to say what those officials and merchants who relied on the duke will do, but it's definitely not good for the empire. So the news that the duke is actually the murderer cannot be spread. It's enough that only the people here know."

  "So I have no choice but to take the blame for him." Asa frowned.

  "Sorry." Colonel Roland sighed, seemingly also looking at Asa with a bit of depth. "Actually, I don't want you to be caught either. After all, such a large bounty is not a small burden on the imperial treasury."

  "You're already used to being wanted, so what's the big deal if you're wanted again?" Sandro glanced at him with a weak tone. "Besides, this wanted notice also has its benefits for you. If I'm not mistaken, those bastards from the Death Spirit Guild are also after your life, right? This wanted notice can help you stay on high alert at all times."

  Asa let out a weak sigh and replied, "Alright. Refusing won't do any good anyway. But if the duke isn't the one who killed Bishop Ronis, then how do you explain his death?"

  "Of course, you were the one who killed him." Colonel Roland said calmly. "Anyway, you've already borne such a heavy crime, shouldn't be bothered with this additional one. Don't worry, this is just a temporary expedient, when the time is ripe we will help you clear these crimes."

  "Who would have thought that after the mastermind died, I'd be the one to inherit all his crimes." Asa sighed helplessly and suddenly remembered. "But if I'm still the murderer... then what about Xiao Yi? She... she's also with me..."

  "Right. As you said, she also has something to inherit. It's just a bit different from yours." Colonel Roland nodded and said to Rodehart, "You go bring her here."