CHAPTER 396: CHAPTER 269: THE RIGHT EYE OF BALISTAN_1

This statement also matched Lance’s understanding of Tamara, as she was indeed capable of doing such a thing.

Is that something she can say? Lance was surprised she would blurt it out.

Although he didn’t know what the Sacred Object of the Romani was, its name alone sounded very impressive.

"That woman, Tamara... Hasn’t she ever mentioned it to you?" Amanda also realized she might have let something slip, but she quickly guessed something, and a scornful expression flashed across her face. "She really knows how to play the victim."

"I’ve said we’re not close; she only arrived here the night before last. We’ve only met a few times, and I know her name."

Lance clarified, partly to dissociate himself, but he was also curious about Amanda’s attitude. It seemed the dislike wasn’t one-sided; this was quite interesting.

"You seem to have a lot of issues with her. Can you talk about it?"

Since this was unrelated to the case, Lance’s attitude also softened; he was no longer as forceful.

"She’s been like this since she was young, always quick to blame others for all her problems, never reflecting on her own actions..."

Just as Tamara had accused Amanda, when it came to the grievances between them, Amanda became quite talkative.

From her description, it was clear that Tamara was very self-centered. However, at the time, her talent was indeed top-notch, so no one cared about the flaws beneath that halo.

Until one accident, Tamara caused a huge mess and almost lost control of herself. This led to the subsequent events.

The seal did exist, but it was there to protect her. In fact, if she hadn’t wanted it, she could have just refused and left the organization; no one would have cared if she lost control.

But she believed that everyone was persecuting her. To this end, she injured her own people and seized the opportunity to steal the Sacred Object, merely to satisfy her warped ideas.

Amanda’s earlier statements had been relatively guarded, with significant matters only mentioned casually. Thus, Lance found it difficult to glean more information from her brief words.

Lance didn’t press further. He was merely curious about the Supernormal Realm and didn’t want to get overly involved in their internal affairs.

It had to be said that Amanda’s cooperative attitude was far better than Tamara’s, who was always scheming. Lance always made a point of returning the respect he was shown.

"Very well, thank you for your cooperation. If you need anything, feel free to say so."

"I have a question," Amanda said, immediately fixing her gaze on him, her eyes filled with curiosity. "Who are you? And where is this place?"

"This is Hamlet, and I..." Lance grinned, "am Lance, the current Lord of Hamlet."

"Hamlet... the Northern Borderlands of the Empire..." Amanda muttered, her expression strange upon hearing the name. Then, she seemed to remember something. "Wasn’t this city supposedly annihilated? And its location shouldn’t be here?"

Lance saw her reaction didn’t seem feigned. It’s no wonder Tamara also failed to recognize this place as Hamlet.

In most people’s eyes, Hamlet had been destroyed over a decade ago. Now, this small town is like one of the Empire’s ubiquitous weeds, completely inconsequential.

"Correct, this is just an ordinary small town," Lance replied. He had no intention of answering her question about its history and was about to leave when he turned back to add a reminder, "I won’t interfere in your affairs, but violence is forbidden in Hamlet. If you have any grievances, settle them outside. Don’t die here."

Would Amanda believe him? Clearly not. The pain from that punch still throbbed faintly. To be able to overpower her in close combat—without a weapon and without using any abilities—surely indicated a Master Rank.

A normal small town producing such a powerful person? Impossible. Such strength would be renowned throughout the Empire; it couldn’t have simply emerged out of nowhere.

But Lance had already left, leaving her alone with her thoughts...

After leaving there, Lance naturally found himself at the door of the Nun’s cell. However, he hesitated for a moment, then chose not to enter and walked away.

She’d freeloaded a meal off him this morning, but Tamara had tricked her into being a henchman. After performing so many Divine Arts in a row, she definitely wasn’t in good shape. He’d let her get a bit hungrier first; then, bringing her food would be like providing timely assistance.

Dealing with someone like Tamara required a tougher stance. If you showed the slightest weakness, she’d walk all over you and leave nothing behind.

But when dealing with a nun of this character, a gentler approach was needed. Being too severe might only trigger the Church’s indoctrination. To break through it, one had to act like Reynard: make her contradict herself until she was mentally worn out from the internal struggle, creating an opening to step in.

What a leader truly needed wasn’t a set of abilities that transcended the era, but the skill to understand and utilize people.

Of course, in this world, a bit of personal strength was also needed as a foundation.

Stepping out of the sanatorium, Lance realized it was already evening; the day had passed just like that.

He had spent the entire day dealing with the aftermath of the wizard incident, hassled by Tamara’s schemes.

Thinking of something, Lance headed directly for the barracks.

He saw off-duty soldiers returning. They would go through roll call before taking over guard duty. Some headed north for a change of guard, allowing soldiers who had been clearing the front lines to return for a break.

They could manage this way because the controlled area wasn’t large. Once it expanded, they would likely need to arrange longer-term garrisons. Military planning would also need to advance, requiring more soldiers.