...
As Hill. Fox walked into the palace basement, he felt his heart trembling—not with fear, but with excitement. An excitement he could barely contain.
The flickering light of the torches seemed to dance for him, and the echoes of his footsteps on the stone floor seemed to sing his praises.
He had never found the dim, quiet basement so wonderful.
After reaching the bottom level, Tassa searched him thoroughly once more, then patted him on the shoulder and whispered, "Go, don't stay too long."
Hill nodded, eagerly heading into the darkness... As he passed through a pitch-black passage, nearing the cage, he slowed his pace. This was a moment to be cherished, and he wanted to savor every bit of it.
Then he saw the murderer of his wife.
The pseudo king, Tifieco. Wimbledon.
In an instant, Hill covered his mouth, tears welling up in his eyes... All that he had done had not been in vain, and the result had come sooner than he imagined.
If his wife could see this, she would surely smile, wouldn't she?
"Who... is it?" The other turned around, eagerly pressing against the bars. "Is that you, demon... Have you changed your mind?"
Hill stepped out of the shadows, slowly walking towards the cage.
Tifieco paused slightly, then adopted a wary expression, taking two steps back. "Who are you? Who let you in here! Roland. Wimbledon? I want to see him!"
This was the king who was usually high above everyone else.
Hill had only seen Tifieco from afar during the coronation ceremony. At that time, he was wearing scarlet robes, holding a golden scepter, and wearing a glittering and luxurious crown. Surrounded by the knights of the royal capital, he had stepped onto the high platform to receive his coronation. Hill had also held expectations, hoping he would be a good king, one who could allow everyone to live a stable life, but the subsequent full-scale search had torn the circus troupe and his family apart, and all hopes for the future had turned to nothing.
And now, he was finally experiencing the taste of revenge—unlike the bittersweet description in the stories, there was neither pity for the enemy nor emptiness after success. He only felt sweetness and joy, and his long-parched heart was nourished again... Unexpectedly, he found that he quite liked this feeling.
"I am Hill. Fox, Your Majesty," Hill bowed. "A member of the 'Pigeon and Top Hat' circus troupe. You couldn't possibly know me, but I know you."
"..." Tifieco's face was cold, and he didn't say a word.
Hill didn't mind at all, and continued, "The circus troupe originally had seven members, but because of you, we lost a partner. The remaining six no longer focused on performances, but instead mingled with rats and taverns, inquiring about any news about you, and then compiling and analyzing the information before sending it to Lord Roland." He paused. "By the way, your plan to develop snow powder and conscript militia to invade the Western Region were all information we sent. In addition, I was also responsible for the sudden closure and relocation of the two niter fields in the suburbs."
"What do you want to say?" Tifieco narrowed his eyes. "A traitor who is pleased with himself for what he has done? A traitor who betrayed his king and exchanged honor for profit? I don't know anything about a Pigeon and Top Hat circus troupe, so drop your act, you commoner!"
"Profit? Traitor? No... Your Majesty, I was just following my heart," Hill said calmly. "That partner was my wife. She died in your witch hunt, in the prison. She was tortured and humiliated, and the murderer's final punishment was only twenty-five silver wolves."
Tifieco's eyes flickered.
"You remember?" He spread his hands. "Although the city hall issued three gold dragons as compensation afterwards, what use is that? My wife will never come back. She was not a witch, but she died unjustly because of you."
After a long while, the other party finally spoke, "That wasn't me."
This kind of weak answer was as sweet as honey. If it were normal times, he would probably only receive a disdainful sneer and "So what."
"It was Lanli who carried out the arrest order at the time, your
confidant, even the Steelheart Knights could do nothing about him. I just wanted a fair judgment, but the Court of Judgment and the City Hall both rejected my appeal, which was undoubtedly because you were behind the action—"
"No, enough, commoner!" Tifieco couldn't help but roar. "Do you know what you are doing? If the witch hunt only mistakenly killed your wife, then what you are doing is burying the entire Graycastle! Lord Roland? Fool, Roland. Wimbledon is long dead! Your master is the real devil, and you have decided to work for the devil for a woman?"
"...Is that so?" Hill raised the corner of his mouth. "When I begged the gods but received no response, I had already made a vow—as long as I can achieve revenge, even if it is the devil, I am willing to follow him to hell." He placed his hand on his chest and bowed. "Goodbye, Your Majesty. I am deeply honored to add a piece of firewood to your demise."
...
Walking to the entrance of the basement, Tassa nodded his chin at him. "Satisfied?"
Hill took a deep breath. "Yes, sir. Please take me to see His Majesty Roland."
Ascending to the third floor of the palace, he finally saw the person he had been working for for the past six months—compared to Tifieco, Roland. Wimbledon's expression was much more approachable. Although he had the same gray hair and gray eyes, he did not have the arrogant aura that kept people at a distance. He didn't even... look like a royal noble.
"It must have been hard for you to lurk in the royal capital these days," the other party's first sentence surprised Hill greatly. "Thanks to your intelligence, I was able to make full preparations and take the royal capital at the smallest cost."
"No, this is just what I should do—"
"Of course, I know you are for revenge. Tifieco will soon receive the judgment he deserves. Your purpose has been achieved, and you can start a new life in the future, but I hope that in addition to this, you can continue to work for me." Roland got up and walked to him, his eyes meeting his. "There are still many things to do to restore the city's stability, or even to return to its former prosperity. The rats need to be controlled, and those restless nobles also need someone to keep an eye on them. Tassa alone can't handle it. What do you think? You and your circus troupe can get a secret and official job to protect the people of this city and prevent similar tragedies from happening again."
"I am willing, Your Majesty," Hill knelt down solemnly. "Even if you didn't say so, I would follow you to the ends of the earth. You fulfilled your previous promise, and now it's my turn." He said word by word, "Hill. Fox's remaining life will belong to you."
The flower of revenge has finally borne its most delicious fruit. (。)