Chapter 381
“Askar,” Leon said tersely, pursing his lips.
“Askar?” Jessica and Leanna tensed up.
Magnus and Shawn exchanged startled glances.
“Assassins from Askar are actually working with these Novigrad people to target Your Highness?” Shawn
pondered, breaking into a cold sweat. “We didn’t have the slightest defense against Malik. Thank God he didn’t try anything against Your Highness.”
“Idiot!” Magnus shot him a glare, his face full of disdain. “Do you think there is only Malik in Askar?”
Shawn blinked and fell silent.
It seemed he had finally realized just how foolish he’d been.
“They’re Askar’s imperial death guards. These unique combat techniques were developed by the royal family specifically to counter their own death guards… What are you doing?” Leon said.
Leon’s eyes darkened. He quickly crouched down and protectively seized Jessica’s hand.
To everyone’s surprise, she actually reached out to undress the death guards.
Jessica looked up at him, her expression serious. “I just want to examine them.”
“Filthy!” Leon snorted, fixing Shawn with an icy glare.
Shawn immediately felt a chill run down his spine.
Shawn thought to himself, ‘Seriously? Leon knows it’s filthy and won’t let Ms. Yates touch it, but he has no problem making me do the dirty work! How is that fair? Talk about favoritism…‘
Leon narrowed his eyes. “Got a problem with that?”
Shawn stammered nervously, “No, no, no, Your Highness! I wouldn’t dare! Not a single objection!”
Shawn immediately crouched down and hastily stripped the three corpses bare.
He didn’t really see anything wrong with it. They were just dead bodies, nothing he hadn’t seen before.
Yet the moment Leon declared them filthy and forbade Jessica from touching them, he immediately ordered Shawn to handle the corpses. Such stark contrast left his heart chillingly cold.
Jessica crouched down, slipped on her specialized gloves, and began examining the corpses.
Leon watched, his frown deepening by the second.
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Chapter 381
‘She would rather touch those filthy corpses‘ chests than mine, Leon thought bitterly. It’s not like I’d stop her if
she tried…
“Your Highness,” Jessica said, unaware of the random thoughts running through the mind of Leon. After completing her examination, she concluded, “These men are recent arrivals in Novigrad. They couldn’t have stayed at Vrahmont Mount for more than five days.”
“You can even tell how long they’ve been here?” Shawn stared at her in disbelief. ‘What kind of incredible skill is
that?‘
Jessica explained, “The vegetation around Vrahmont Mount is quite unique. The surrounding mountain ranges form an enclosed basin, creating exceptionally humid conditions inside, even in late autumn.”
Jessica stood up and glanced at Shawn. “Their skin still shows signs of dehydration. Had they stayed longer, it wouldn’t be this dry. Since arriving here, haven’t you noticed even the chapped skin on your lips has disappeared?”
Her words gave everyone pause. As realization dawned, they were completely blown away, left in absolute awe of
her.
Back in Capitalia, they had indeed often suffered from chapped lips. As late autumn gave way to early winter, the arid air left their skin parched, with legs occasionally peeling and itching from dryness.
But after being stranded in the Stone Forest for several days, though dehydration left their lips chapped, their skin was surprisingly less dry.
It really was something amazing.
“So these assassins from Askar weren’t lying in wait in Novigrad all along. They must have rushed here after receiving their orders.”
After a moment’s contemplation, Elijah met Leon’s gaze. “Your Highness, it appears Malik hasn’t yet reached
Askar.”
So, it seemed the situation in Askar was even more chaotic than they anticipated.
Who knew how chaotic the infighting within the Askar royal family had gotten?
