Northern Human Alliance, Laiyin Duchy, Kaki's borders.
It was the rainy season, so the sky darkened very quickly. Not long after, the curtain of night had completely enveloped the city. The darkness was like a tidal wave, and only the stars in the sky could be seen.
There were fewer and fewer people on the streets. Even if they were in the safe castles, the commoners had already gone to bed early. Whether it was the artisans, tailors, or merchants, they closed their doors after the last ray of sunlight disappeared.
In this era, as long as they were not enslaved servants or slaves, they would not do anything after nightfall. Generally, they would have to wait until dawn the next day. Even if it was urgent, they would have to knock on the door, and it had to be someone they knew.
That was because the northern kingdoms were not as developed and efficient. Other than the liege's mansion, there were no soldiers patrolling the streets at night. When night fell, the city would become a paradise for kidnappers and thieves. Every few days, there would be a corpse with a completely unrecognizable face in the sewage river in the city.
There were black shadows moving through the streets, avoiding the vigilant and hostile eyes of the people. They were like fishermen spreading the bait. Every once in a while, they would carefully throw down a piece of paper. On it was written in the tone of an ordinary knight's squire, and there was an extraordinary story recorded.
It was not only Kaki's Lord's Town, but the other towns and even the other territories of Laiyin Duchy had the same scene.
— —
[My name is Brian Crowley, squire of a knight. I serve the Brendel family of the Laiyin Duchy in the Northern Kingdoms. When someone sees these words, I think I am already dead.
My master is Roy Brendel, the second son of Count Brendel. He is in charge of the Brendel family's wine, silk, mills, and other businesses.
But things are not as simple as they seem.
When Duke Ryan led his army to fight against the Evil Dragon and the Northern Kingdoms against the Green Capital, I found out that my master, Roy, was secretly supporting the Green Capital. His Brendel family provided the Mother of Poison with countless resources and information.
That year, the reason why the commander of the Northern Allied Armies was assassinated was because of Count Brendel's manipulation.
As Lord Roy's attendant, I have personally witnessed Count Brendel, Lord Roy, and the dragon's debauchery.
In fact, there were many attendants and soldiers who knew about this matter. This made me wonder why the Brendel family dared to be so brazen. Were they not afraid of Grand Duke Lionheart's punishment?
It was only later that I understood that the Brendel family not only had dealings with the Dragon, but also with the Devil. The Count used the powerful Devil to force us to sign a contract of loyalty.
If he didn't submit, he would die.
I escaped.
But I knew that I would not be able to escape the Brendel family's pursuit and persecution. So while I was fleeing, I wrote down everything I knew and gave it to a reliable friend to keep it safe for me.
I told him that when he could no longer contact me, he would reveal the truth of this secret. I wasn't a noble knight, but I still hoped that this trip would allow my soul to travel to the Kingdom of God.
I am willing to swear an oath to the True God of Mercy whom I believe in.
Brian Chloe.]
— —
If this thing was written in the common language, it would take a long time. Therefore, Caesar did not let the Shapeshifters rely on the parchment to spread it. Instead, he asked them to find a way to get their hands on thick paper produced by the Northern Kingdoms and copy it down before spreading it.
Considering the limitations of this era, even the humans who dominated the continent did not have many innate talents like the Shapeshifters, there were not many who could read and write.
In order to prevent the effects from not meeting his expectations, Caesar could only cast a wide net to catch the fish. This was the best method he could think of to spread the rumor.
But at the beginning, the results were not as good as expected.
This rumor did not cause much of a stir. It was now the Third Era, 1633. It had been seven years since the Battle of the Green Capital. It had been a long time, and the people were not interested in the matters of that time.
As for the Devils, they were not to be trifled with, and the people kept their mouths shut.
The real cause of the rumor came from a fragment in the letter. It was the adulterous affair between the Brendel's father and the Green Dragon. The people of the lower class did not care who the Brendel's family was secretly supporting, or which Devils they were dealing with. They were only interested in the gossip of the important people, and even made up many colorful stories to spread through word of mouth.
This was the reason why the rumor spread to the ears of the upper class nobles.
This was also something that Caesar did not expect.
After the uproar, the investigation of Brian Crowley began immediately. What was unexpected was that the investigators in the Brendel family's army found that there was indeed such a person with the exact same surname as Brian Crowley.
And that person did indeed disappear without a trace after the Battle of the Green Capital.
This news and evidence attracted the attention of the ruler of the Laiyin Duchy, Duke Pelisse Leon. After a short period of consideration, the Duke immediately sent out an executive to investigate the Brendel's family in Kaki.
Before this, the Brendel's family would never be subjected to such an investigation.
Count Brendel belonged to the radical faction in the Laiyin Duchy, and he was also an important noble at the border. He was responsible for the defense of the entire Laiyin Duchy, and his family had pledged their lives to the Laiyin Duchy several times.
This kind of loyal and resolute subjective image caused Duke Leon to not pay attention to the Brendel's family. Even when there was news of spies in the Northern Kingdoms, the ruler subconsciously excluded Kaki and unconditionally believed in the Brendel's family's loyalty.
So even in such a serious and serious war, the Brendel's family secretly supported the Green Capital's actions were not discovered by anyone.
But now, the investigation had caused problems.
Even though the Brendel's family had been doing their best to eliminate the effects of draining the pond to catch all the fish, there were still too many clues that were exposed. The missing caravans, the deceived mercenaries, even though they were now buried, they still used silent methods to accuse the Brendel's family of evil deeds.
The real evidence came from Kaki's army. No matter how they interrogated the soldiers, they could not get any information about the Brendel's family. Once the soldiers showed signs of leaking information, they would immediately turn into a pool of thick water and their souls would be destroyed.
There was nothing more direct than this to prove everything.
Duke Leon was furious and immediately ordered to detain the Brendel's family for interrogation. But Roy and his father were one step faster. Kaki directly started a war.
The Brendel's family wanted to use Kaki's power to fight against the Laiyin Duchy, and even the entire Northern Alliance.
Everyone thought that they were crazy, but the progress of the war was unexpected. The Brendel's soldiers were as swift and fierce as wolves, and as strong as lions. In just a short week, they destroyed three territories and hung the heads of the three nobles who supported Duke Leon on the city walls.