Chapter 184 Investigating Omar's Disappearance
In Solanis, at the study of Baron Omar, the sound of a finger tapping on the desk echoed. Omar's confidant, a knight, knelt before a man, sweat beading on his forehead, listening to the sound. The knight was on the brink of death, awaiting his fate.
"It seems my brother's subordinates are incompetent. They couldn't even keep track of their master's whereabouts," a voice, filled with malicious laughter, echoed in the room. It was Adam, Baron Omar's brother, who had arrived unexpectedly.
The knight had hoped to search for Baron Omar for a few more days. He had even made the worst-case scenario plan - if Baron Omar couldn't be found, he would immediately sneak back home in secret and escape with his family. But Adam's early arrival had put an end to that.
Adam, tapping his fingers on the desk, narrowed his eyes, contemplating his next move. Killing a knight was not his concern; his mission was to win over the nobles, as instructed by his father, Earl Purley.
However, he never expected Omar to disappear, which instantly changed Adam's somewhat relaxed mindset.
Adam thought of leveraging Omar's disappearance. With his understanding of Omar, his domineering younger brother, Adam was certain that he would come here and exploit his father's authority.
Once he arrived, Adam could use Omar's noble connections to win over those aristocrats, which would be quite simple.
Wouldn't the Earl's inheritance then belong to Adam? It would also save a considerable sum of gold coins, which were all gone now because that foolish Omar had disappeared.
Adam even considered whether Omar had received some information and deliberately avoided him to prevent him from completing his mission.
"Are you sure Omar was in the study that night?" Adam inquired, seeking confirmation.
"Yes, I heard him speaking," the knight affirmed.
The knight, however, failed to mention that he had found no trace of Baron Omar in the study that morning, except for marks on the window sill where a rope had been.
He had considered the possibility that Baron Omar had been kidnapped. But how could that be possible? The castle was heavily guarded, and he was stationed at the gate yet heard no sound at all...
"Could it be..." he recalled the strange sound Baron Omar had made before disappearing.
"What are you thinking?" Adam's voice turned cold. "Speak up, or you'll face the gallows."
"I suspect Baron Omar was kidnapped," the knight confessed.
Adam had considered this possibility, but he found it unlikely. Was the knight trying to deceive him?
Adam quickly dismissed the thought. Although Omar could be foolish, he wouldn't abandon his territory, especially with the competition for the title of Earl.
If Omar was indeed kidnapped, was he still alive? Was it for ransom?
"Does Omar have any enemies in the Western Lands?" Adam asked.
"No," the knight replied, withholding the information about the bandits.
The bandits had attacked Hyratos, and the news had reached him. With Eldoria's help, the Lord of Hyratos survived, and the bandits were either captured or killed.
The knight suspected that Omar's disappearance was related to Hyratos and Eldoria, as they were involved in the bandit attack.
"What are you thinking?" Adam's voice turned cold. "Are you hiding something?"
"Nothing, absolutely nothing," the knight said, knowing that mentioning the bandits would lead to his immediate demise.
"Is that so? I'll give you three more days. If you still can't find my brother, you're out of the castle," Adam said coldly.
"Yes!" The knight immediately got up, his body still weak from kneeling for so long, relieved that he had escaped punishment.
The study door slammed shut, and Adam, with a stern expression, ordered, "Investigate what Omar has been up to and who his enemies are."
"Yes!"
A figure in a black robe emerged from the shadows in the corner of the room and silently left the study.
"What a nuisance. Omar is utterly useless. Just when I need him, he's nowhere to be found," Adam muttered, his face darkening.
His father, Earl Purley, had finally made a connection with the Fourth Prince. If Adam didn't perform well in this mission, Solanis, this barren place, would be his only refuge.
The king's health was deteriorating, and his reign might not last for many more years. The power struggle among the princes was intense, and the major noble families had already taken sides.
Purley had placed his hopes on the Fourth Prince, and the nobles of the Western Lands were his little bit of support. It might not be much, but it was a statement of his allegiance.
'Wait for three more days. If there's still no news, I'll have to visit them one by one.' Adam sighed. He knew that persuading the nobles of this barren land would cost him a fortune.
'Fortunately, my father has provided me with some gold and gems. Otherwise, I really don't know how to impress these country bumpkins,' Adam thought to himself.
He understood that the matters of the Royal City were too distant for the people of the Western Lands. Talking about relying on the Fourth Prince as a backer was like singing to the deaf.
'So, the first target is...' Adam flipped through the scrolls on the desk, and the name that appeared most frequently was Hyratos.
'In three days, let's visit Hyratos!' Adam decided.
