Lord of Winter: Beginning with Daily Intelligence Chapter 752 - 419: Madness (Part 2)

They possessed an uncanny knack for appearing in the most unexpected places.

Despite the supply convoy deviating from its usual route, an ambush struck just as a torrential downpour loomed...

Every maneuver seemed to defy logical deduction.

They bypassed the closest target, refrained from pursuing fleeing soldiers, and declined to capitalize on their successes, consistently opting against the most rational courses of action.

It gave the unsettling impression that someone possessed foresight into his very thoughts.

It felt as though an unseen observer stood behind Kael, privy to his commands only to strategically counter each move.

A singular occurrence might have been dismissed as mere chance.

But with such repeated events, where every coincidence aligned in a singular direction.

Only one explanation remained plausible.

The castle had long been compromised, its defenses as porous as a sieve.

From scouts and quartermasters to nobles and even those venerable retainers whose names he knew by heart, any one of them could have been the source of leaked information.

Otherwise, how could the Red Tide have possibly divined the location of his hidden grain reserves?

How could they have so precisely predicted the rain, the wind's direction, and even the exact moment he would issue orders?

Their current silence, to him, was not born of fear but of guilt; their retreat was not an escape but a strategic repositioning, awaiting the action of their confederates.

The Baron's lifeless form lay sprawled across the ground, his blood seeping into the stone's crevices.

Kael did not grant the body a second look.

That individual, who had served the Remont Clan for three decades, had long ceased to hold any significance in his eyes.

"Whoever dares to make a move, I shall slay them first!" Kael brandished his longsword with frantic energy, compelling everyone to fall back repeatedly, "I am Raymond!"

His voice boomed; as long as his identity held sway, as long as fear persisted, they would hesitate to press their attack immediately.

"None of you should even consider betraying me!!" He retreated step by step, his back colliding forcefully with the cold stone pillar, leaving him with nowhere further to flee.

Within Kael's field of vision, the menacing pack of wolves was closing in.

And the assembled figures within the council hall could only watch in helpless dismay as their young master, encircled by perceived adversaries, succumbed entirely to overwhelming, uncontrollable terror.

Just as the assembled nobility stood frozen in shock at the gruesome spectacle, Kael solidified one crucial realization—they were afraid, and he had, against all odds, survived.

This was a harrowing brush with death.

Granting no one further opportunity to react, he abruptly pivoted, and like a startled wild animal, charged toward a side exit.

The robust wooden door yielded to the brute force of his shoulder, and he stumbled through it.

Everyone remained stunned into silence, witnessing Kael's desperate flight.

"Thinking of cashing in my head for a bounty? Dream on." He gasped for air, his voice ragged yet tinged with a desperate excitement, "I still possess one final gambit."

"What my father bequeathed, even if it must be destroyed, will not fall into Louis's hands."

He pushed himself against the wall, dragging his bloodied longsword, and lurching deeper into the castle's depths.

As he descended the stairs, the atmosphere grew heavy and humid, a distinct, pungent aroma of sulfur mingling with the scent of blood, emanating from the levels below.

This was the Remont Clan's ultimate, hidden safeguard.

The immense portal at the lowest tier of Grey Rock Castle slowly creaked open before him.

A sudden flood of light illuminated the space.

The subterranean chamber was bathed in illumination brighter than the surface, with numerous alchemy lamps casting a brilliant glow across the entire expanse.

At its heart lay a blood pool, its diameter spanning nearly twenty meters; the dark crimson liquid shimmered with an eerie silver luminescence under the lamps' glare.

Submerged within the pool were the remains of an Ancient Dragon, resembling a fractured mountain range.

Bones, bleached white, and splintered wing fragments hung suspended by chains, sinking once more into the viscous blood.

Within the dragon's exposed thoracic cavity, countless alchemy pipelines were densely embedded; pumps situated beneath the dragon's chest rhythmically expanded and contracted, emitting low, resonant pulses as if artificially sustaining the life of this colossal, deceased creature.

Lining the perimeter of the hall were rows upon rows of darkened iron cages.

Hundreds of children were crammed within these enclosures.

Thin metallic tubes protruded from their small bodies, through which medicaments flowed at a glacial pace.

Some exhibited faint tremors, others remained utterly still, while a few emitted guttural moans that barely resembled discernible words.

They bore no names, only numerical designations.

"Young Master!" The Chief Alchemist approached, entirely oblivious to the events unfolding above in the laboratory, assuming a routine consultation, he commenced his report.

"The containment field has breached the red zone! The fully-formed entities have not completed their stabilization, and the partially developed ones are exhibiting extreme resistance! Releasing them at this juncture..."

Before his words could fully form, a swift glint of steel flashed through the air.

The Chief Alchemist's voice ceased abruptly as his body collapsed from a single, decisive blow, his blood spattering across the intricate talisman array etched onto the ground.

"Stand aside." Kael's voice was remarkably steady.

He stepped over the fallen alchemist, disregarding the terrified cries of the others, and ascended to the primary control console positioned adjacent to the blood pool.