Inside the manor's master bedroom.
After completing his checkup on Zhou Zhou, Fletcher turned to the soldiers.
"His lordship is fine."
"He should wake up in a couple of hours."
He said.
"That's good."
"Maris, you will stand guard here while Aegon and I stand guard in the sitting room."
"Hui Teng, take the soldiers outside and conduct a sweep of the city."
"Anyone not registered in the city's database is to be apprehended immediately."
"Theresa, see if you can divine how the lord was attacked."
Bai Yung commanded as he addressed those in the room.
"Understood."
Those called responded at once.
Three minutes later, Bai Yung received a result from the Extraordinary-tier seer.
"I saw the lord freeze in place for a second before suddenly crying out and collapsing unconscious."
"I didn't see any attacker."
She said to the military commander.
"That's even more troubling."
Bai Yung's voice carried a hint of unease at the possibility of a Godspirit targeting Zhou Zhou.
"You may leave now."
"Thank you for all you did."
He bowed slightly toward Theresa.
"There's no need for that. I am also a subject of the lord."
Theresa replied, quickly stopped him.
After escorting her out, Bai Yung returned to stand guard at the bedroom room alongside Aegon.
At the same time, Hui Teng led the soldiers in a city-wide search, waking civilians and inspecting their homes.
On the night of the 22nd day of the Lord of All Races Competition, Blazing Sun City stayed restless.
After nearly four hours, the inspection was finally completed.
"There's nothing out of place in the city."
Hui Teng reported.
"I would've loved to say that itself means something is wrong... but the lord built the city to be too structured to be out of place."
Bai Yung said, shaking his head.
"You should get go back to bed."
"I and others will keep watch through the night."
He said to the vice lord of the city.
"I'm also a soldier, you know."
"I can't go to sleep at a time like this."
Hui Teng said as he took out his mask.
"I'm doing this for you."
"You'll have a lot to deal with tomorrow."
"Getting proper rest will do you good."
Bai Yung said to the sand mage.
"I will manage."
Hui Teng said before finding a spot to stand.
"We understand how Theresa knew something had happened to the lord. But what about you?"
"You were the second person to arrive. How did you know?"
Aegon asked.
"I was returning to the administrative building when I saw Theresa flying towards the manor."
"So, I followed her."
Hui Teng replied.
Aegon fell silent, asking no further questions.
..
The next morning (23)
Zhou Zhou slowly opened his eyes, surprised to find himself lying in bed.
"How did I get here?"
He mumbled, rubbing his temples.
At that moment, a voice sound nearby.
"Good morning, my lord."
Snapping his head to his left, he saw the 5m kobold standing in front of the door.
"Were you the one who put me in bed?"
He asked.
"It was Hui Teng, my lord."
"I assigned to stand guard in case your attacker returned."
Maris replied.
"An attacker?"
Zhou Zhou frowned, confused.
At that moment, Bai Yung pushed the door open.
"My lord, you are awake."
Relief was evident on his face.
"How are you feeling, my lord?"
Aegon asked as he walked in behind Bai Yung.
"I'm fine."
"What happened?"
Unclear about what happened after he tightened the seal on his body, Zhou Zhou turned to his soldiers for answers.
Hui Teng stepped forward and explained everything - how Theresa had found him bleeding on the floor, and the actions taken afterward.
"Although, we were unable to apprehend the attacker."
"I failed as the city's military commander."
Bai Yung said, lowering his head.
"You all weren't able to apprehend the attacker because there was none."
"I got injured while training a new skill."
Zhou Zhou was speechless.
He wasn't sure how to react to the lengths his soldiers had gone on his behalf.
"What?!"
Bai Yung, Hui Teng, Aegon and Maris all stared at him in disbelief.
Especially, Bai Yung.
Under his command, the soldiers flipped over the entire city in search of an attacker, only for it to turn out that the attacker was the lord himself.
"No one else should know about this, my lord."
"It will reduce your prestige in the sight of the subjects."
He said as he quickly closed the bedroom door.
"That's correct, my lord."
Hui Teng also added.
"Perhaps no one would've known if you all hadn't overreacted."
"Still, I understand. I won't speak of getting injured to anyone outside this room."
"You four shouldn't speak of it either."
"I was attacked by a Godspirit displeased with my progress and the city's growth."
"That will be the official story."
Zhou Zhou agreed to Bai Yung and Hui Teng's suggestion.
"No more ears will hear of it, my lord."
The soldiers swore before taking their leave.
Outside the manor, Bai Yung informed his soldiers that the lord was safe and ordered tighter security to prevent such incidents from happening again.
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