Lord: Stripped of My Inheritance from the Start

Chapter 526: Chapter 499: Assassination

The smell of blood filled the room.

"Rest easy, Father."

Garrett drew his longsword, then knelt and brushed a hand over Bruno’s face, closing his open eyes.

When he stood up again, the grief and apprehension on his face were gone, replaced by only madness and resolve.

Now, he was no longer the Crown Prince, but Oduin VI, King of the Kingdom, the Lord to whom all nobles would pledge their fealty.

"No one will control my will ever again! No one!"

He clenched his fists and glanced at the corpse at his feet. ’Now, let me deliver the Wushan Clan’s first grand gift!’

Garrett let out a dry laugh, then pushed open the door. The reek of blood from the hallway assaulted his senses.

But he didn’t pause for a second, striding away from the scene like a shooting star.

Although he was the Kingdom’s first heir and the throne was his now that Bruno was dead, that didn’t mean Garrett dared let the outside world know he was the one who had murdered Bruno.

If word got out that he had killed the King—his own father—most of the nobility would refuse to recognize his claim. It would only take one person to lead the opposition, and the Kingdom would instantly be thrown into turmoil.

But he was the last person to see the King, so he couldn’t escape suspicion.

Therefore, Bruno’s death needed a cover-up.

"Your Highness!"

Outside the bedchamber, the Guards who saw Garrett emerge all bowed to him.

"Mm."

Garrett responded coolly, speaking as he walked, "Enemy kingdoms have been active recently. Stand your posts well. If you notice any signs of trouble, report it immediately!"

The Guards’ expressions turned solemn. "Yes, Your Highness!"

Garrett nodded, then quickly left the scene.

An unknown amount of time passed before a bizarre, cold wind swept past the bedchamber, forcing the on-duty Guards to circulate their Fighting Qi to ward off the fatigue and chill.

"What the hell is with this weather? Usually by January, the winter snow is long gone. This year is so abnormal!"

"Yeah, it’s freezing! Colder than when it’s actually snowing!"

"I wonder if it’ll be sunny tomorrow."

The Guards conversed in low voices. Some looked up at the night sky, trying to predict the next day’s weather from the stars.

"What’s that?"

someone shouted in alarm.

Everyone looked over. A massive black shadow had appeared above them at some point. Without a second glance, you might mistake it for a dark cloud.

But this shadow seemed to have a head and a tail; it was obviously not a cloud.

"A Magical Beast?"

"What kind of Magical Beast is that big?"

"No, Ronin Duke’s Dragon is that big!"

If it was a Magical Beast, it was a threat.

The Guard squad leader immediately shouted, "Go, inform Lord Broel! Have the Griffin Knight Order go on alert. I’ll inform the Leader!"

Just as they were about to move, a black figure descended from the sky, landing directly in the courtyard.

"Assassin!"

The Guards in the courtyard reacted quickly, drawing their longswords with cries of alarm.

But they were no match for the newcomer. Before they could even make a move, their throats were slit by a cold blade, and they collapsed into pools of blood.

After dealing with the Guards in his way, the assassin flashed into the bedchamber.

"Quick, sound the Horn!"

"There’s an assassin!"

the Guard leader yelled frantically. The piercing sound of the Horn shattered the tranquility of the winter night.

Broel’s residence was nearby. He heard the sound and rushed over at once.

But just as he reached the entrance, a thunderous explosion erupted from within. A powerful Combat Skill had blasted a huge hole through one of the palace walls.

’This is bad!’

Broel’s expression changed drastically. In a single step, he vaulted through the hole to the second floor.

But what he saw was Philimon, half his body missing, and corpses littering the floor.

"Your Majesty!"

Broel frantically charged into Bruno’s bedroom, only to see a masked figure in black walking out.

Blood dripped from the longsword in the assassin’s hand, and there was no sound from the room behind him.

"Damn you!"

Wielding his longsword, Broel charged forward like a madman.

The assassin raised his sword to parry, effortlessly blocking Broel’s attack. Then, he kicked out, sending Broel flying. He smashed through several walls before finally coming to a stop.

’So strong!’

Broel was shaken to his core. He possessed the strength of a Late-stage Meteor, and could have held his own even against a Silver Moon Knight. But this person before him... he was too powerful.

He was no match at all!

’A Proud Sun Knight?’

The assassin seemed to have no interest in Broel. He leaped out of the bedchamber through the hole and saw a large number of Knights already assembled outside.

Seeing the assassin emerge, the Knights immediately unleashed their Combat Skills.

Over a dozen brilliant flashes of Combat Skills lit up the night sky, their power immense.

But the assassin struck with a single slash of his sword. Red Flame not only suppressed their Combat Skills but also carried enough residual power to heavily injure the Knights on the ground.

"Stay right there!"

A furious roar came from the distance, and a bolt of purple Thunderbolt surged toward the assassin.

"It’s the Crown Prince!"

"The Crown Prince is here!"

All the Guards were relieved. The Crown Prince was rumored to be a Proud Sun Knight; he could surely take down the assassin.

Unfortunately, the assassin easily parried the long-range attack, then stepped into the air and vanished into the dark clouds high above.

Immediately after, the dark cloud shot toward the horizon at incredible speed. By the time Garrett arrived at the bedchamber, the person had already escaped.

"Damn it, what happened here?"

Garrett roared in fury, demanding answers.

No one dared to answer.

"Your Highness, come inside."

Broel’s heavy voice rang out, making everyone’s heart leap into their throats.

Garrett finally seemed to snap out of it and flew over. "How is my father, the King?"

Broel was in a sorry state, with blood still trickling from the corner of his mouth.

But the horror of the situation had already made him forget the pain.

"His Majesty... is not well!"

"Damn it, what kind of protection was that!"

Garrett gave him an angry shove and walked inside, his expression so fraught with panic that no one could see anything amiss.

In truth, Broel didn’t even dare to look at his expression, as he was already drowning in boundless self-reproach.

For years, Philimon had been Bruno’s personal protector, while he himself had served as the second line of defense.

In the past, Silver Moon Knights were rare, and Proud Sun Knights nonexistent. There had never been any issues with Bruno’s safety.

But now the situation outside had changed too drastically, and their security hadn’t been upgraded to match, resulting in His Majesty the King’s death by assassination.

"No!"

Garrett’s shrill cry rang out, causing everyone’s hearts to sink to the abyss. They were all at a loss.

A seemingly absurd thought surfaced in the minds of the Knights outside—

’The King... is dead?’

Broel lifted his leaden legs and walked into the familiar bedroom, where he saw Garrett kneeling on the floor.

Bruno’s cold corpse lay before the Crown Prince.

The atmosphere was so heavy it was hard to breathe.

A long moment passed.

"Who was the assassin?"

Garrett slowly looked up. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was unabashedly releasing the aura of a Proud Sun Level expert, startling Broel.

"He was masked. I didn’t see his face," Broel said gravely. "But he is incredibly strong. He not only blocked my all-out strike with ease but also sent me smashing through several walls with a sudden burst of immense power!"

He paused before stating his suspicion, "I suspect... he must be a Proud Sun Knight!"

"A Proud Sun Knight?"

Garrett stood up, clenched his fists, and ground out a name through gritted teeth: "Ronin!"

’Ronin?’

Broel’s pupils contracted sharply. "Impossible, Your Highness! That man was definitely not Ronin!"

"Then it was his subordinate, Ridder!"

Garrett’s tone was unquestionable. "Looking at the Oduin Kingdom and the Tricia Kingdom, how many Proud Sun Knights are there? And that giant black shadow in the sky just now—if it wasn’t his Giant Dragon, what was it?"

"This..."

For a moment, Broel didn’t know how to argue, but his intuition told him the assassin was neither Ronin nor Ridder.

"Go. Go and bring my mother here."

Garrett said gravely, "Also, lock down all information. No one is to leak a word of what happened here!"

Broel felt something was wrong, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

He could only carry out Garrett’s orders, weighed down by guilt toward His Majesty Bruno and remorse for his own failure.

’The Kingdom... the heavens are about to change,’ he thought.