CHAPTER 634: CHAPTER 631: FESTIVAL PORT

Harvest Day celebration night.

Patricia stood alone at the port.

Although she was right in the midst of a lively festival celebration, her distinctly recognizable platinum blonde hair ensured that even if someone spotted her, they wouldn’t come up to talk to her.

"..."

Patricia silently watched the bustling festivities, then turned her head back toward the seawater at the edge of the dock. Her expression gradually returned to calm, not a ripple disturbing it, and then she exhaled as if reflecting on the weather,

"Huff—"

She had experienced this environment from a young age.

Commoners, seeing her, naturally knew she was a noble they shouldn’t approach; on the mysterious side, Nicholas nearly wore a label of ’do not approach’ on his face, and of course, no one would initiate a conversation; and the new nobles, with their natural hostility toward the old nobility, made interaction impossible.

Such was the case, even now that she was an adult.

Patricia had become quite accustomed to this situation.

Quietly standing by the sea, Patricia began to test out her newly acquired abilities. She still needed to familiarize herself with the sudden slicing abilities so she could utilize them more effectively in real combat.

Pat, pat, pat—

Ronald had been in the water for about half an hour.

Rhythmic footsteps approached from behind Patricia.

The young woman turned to look, and the source of the footsteps was three investigators from the bureau, one of whom Patricia had met before—an elite investigator responsible for the security of Crown Road—Orport.

The guy came from a noble family with a legacy of spells and was also a well-known caster newcomer in Spring City.

As the three approached Patricia, Orport immediately performed a standard salute and then smiled as he spoke to Patricia,

"Miss Patricia, I heard you and Mr. Ronald were active together in the city tonight, helping us deal with many challenging issues. Please allow me to express my gratitude once again."

Orport bowed again to express his thanks, then raised his head once more,

"You know, today is the rare Harvest Day celebration, our investigation bureau, um..."

Seeing Orport about to deliver a long speech, Patricia promptly interrupted him,

"You want to ask about Ronald’s whereabouts, right?"

"..."

Orport blinked.

It wasn’t his first experience with this type of conversation.

But it was relatively rare for Patricia, as a noble, to interrupt in such a manner.

Orport quickly adjusted his expression.

Then, immediately abandoning the prepared pleasantries, he nodded directly at Patricia,

"Yes, we would like to know Mr. Ronald’s movements."

"He is among the strongest known casters; we can’t ignore such a presence."

Patricia was about to point toward the sea.

But at that moment, she realized an issue.

The investigators in charge of today’s festival were usually the most elite members of the bureau, and typically they operated in pairs. Earlier tonight at Battida Restaurant, the investigators assigned to tailing were also grouped in pairs.

But what about now?

The investigators before her were grouped in threes.

In such a critically important situation, would the bureau really arrange a team of one experienced with two newbies? Even if for argument’s sake such groupings could exist elsewhere, they certainly wouldn’t be at the crucial finale of the festival!

The hand that she had just raised naturally curved to rest on the hilt of her sword, and Patricia’s tone changed,

"Orport, are you paired in twos tonight?"

"..."

For a moment.

The air fell silent.

The lively celebration scene nearby seemed to be separated by an invisible barrier.

Patricia, already on high alert, did not need any further explanation.

The team of investigators from Orport had also fallen into an eerily peculiar atmosphere. The head of the team, Orport, when asked a question, subconsciously began to reply but found himself unable to speak.

He wanted to say, "Naturally, we work in pairs."

But the reality was different.

His team worked in groups of three.

Even more accurately, when they prepared to move out in the morning and split up from the main troops, he and his colleague had still been in a pair.

But at some point,

an extra person had joined the team of two.

And whether it was during today’s mission, or interactions with other investigative colleagues, no one had noticed anything odd.

As if... it was meant to be!

Who was this extra person?

If Patricia hadn’t reminded him, what would have been the outcome?

These questions merely surfaced in his mind.

Orport’s back was completely drenched in cold sweat.

At that moment, an even more nerve-wracking situation occurred. Orport wanted to carefully analyze the situation, but as he tried to recall today’s encounter, he couldn’t remember the face of this additional person at all.

To confirm the identity of this person,

he now had to turn his head back to look!

—Undoubtedly, it was a Spirit Interference Spell.

—When had he been hexed?

"..."

As an elite investigator, Orport was momentarily hesitant.

Beside them was the bustling celebration scene.

If he rashly took action and drew the attention of ordinary people, there would be no going back to Crown Road Duty tomorrow—perhaps he would even make the internal bulletin of the Investigative Bureau!

"Ah..."

At the same time, Patricia heaved a sigh.

The reaction of the investigator in front of her had confirmed her suspicions. Watching the last person in the team, whose face was hidden under a hood, Patricia’s right hand swiftly grasped and drew her sword handle.

Clang—

The sound of metal clashing echoed.

The last person’s cloak was instantly split in two by Patricia.

But before the invisible sword strike could pierce the body, the figure perfectly leapt backward while raising an arm, using a metal bracer to block the damage.

Snap, snap—

This instant of combat seemed to flip a switch.

Orport, who had been frozen on the spot, and his real companion instantly leapt forward to Patricia’s side. As both of them turned around, they started preparing their best known Spells.

On the other end, the enemy whose hooded cloak had been cut by Patricia stood there.

And also revealed her appearance.

She was a very young girl, definitely not over twenty years old.

On a face that even the night could not overshadow.

Her eyes shone like gemstones, a deep emerald green, gazing at Patricia—or rather, at the Longsword at her waist.

"Hmm—"

"Cold Strike Blade?"

"A precious item of the Nicholas family, now carried by such a young person, would you give me a chance to play with it?"