The Adventures of an Overpowered Knight in Another World Chapter 577- The Identity of the Invader (2)

Jerrel clenched his jaw. He grabbed the sealed dossier and pushed it across the table.

"Hm?"

As Reinhardt’s gaze fell on the report and he scanned its contents, a deep frown formed on his face.

The document described a massive armed raid on one of Rune’s western cities, heavy civilian deaths, vanishings, bizarre army shifts, and hints of shadowy elite squads.

The incident dated back one year. Strangely, no follow-up records existed—no probes or royal reactions.

"The report got buried," Jerrel said in an irritated voice. "The chamberlain handling the archives stashed it on purpose. Once I took the throne, I found out he was a spy from abroad, planted deep in the palace"...

"He’d concealed multiple critical military reports from the king’s eyes too."

"They took advantage of the throne’s chaos and Rune’s weakness to grab what they sought," Reinhardt said, grasping the scheme instantly.

Jerrel gave a wry smile and nodded.

"Exactly. They knew the old king had crumbled after his son’s death. They struck during that split in Rune’s strength and focus for their operation. Plus, they trusted their spy to wipe every trace clean, leaving no risks."

Launching an open assault on another country would spark hatred from the Seven Kingdoms and shatter key treaties.

But if the target kingdom drowned in internal fights and the report never reached the throne, the invasion might as well have never occurred.

Reinhardt’s eyes narrowed. The foes had smartly struck Rune and seized their goal.

"Imagine, a foreign spy climbing to chamberlain rank. Who knows how many secrets got leaked, cities exposed, lives bartered for coin and alliances."

Jerrel sighed in regret, faulting himself. If he’d foreseen the old king’s schemes and the rot among top officials, he’d have claimed the crown sooner.

Maybe then he could’ve blocked the enemy from snatching the High Elf.

"What’s past is past. You’ve stabilized the Kingdom of Rune. Our focus now: unearth all intel on that traitor, leads to her current spot."

Reinhardt clapped Jerrel’s shoulder.

"I’m handling it. My team’s combing through the chamberlain’s files. Results soon."

Right then, the library door flew open as a subordinate dashed in, gasping for air.

The man knelt before Jerrel, gripping thick scrolls and sealed missives.

After catching his breath, the subordinate delivered his update.

"Y-Your Majesty, per your command, I probed the ex-chamberlain’s personal logs. Found heaps of proof on his graft."

Jerrel’s gaze turned razor-sharp.

"Out with it."

The subordinate dipped his head and laid out the discoveries.

"Smuggling paths, drug peddling, abductions, faked shortages of food and mana crystals to jack up costs. Rampant payoffs. He ran multiple crime groups and illicit trades"...

"He siphoned whole towns and hamlets bare under his orders."

With each filthy deed the subordinate exposed, the room’s air grew heavier.

Jerrel’s royal aides couldn’t mask their disgust. The chamberlain had dipped into every depravity. His treason went beyond betrayal.

He’d festered the kingdom from within.

While others fumed at the chamberlain’s crimes, Jerrel stayed unnaturally poised.

He flipped through the parchments with cool precision.

"Keep steady. He’s gone. We can’t erase his sins, but we’ll prevent repeats in Rune and aid the victims."

With that, Jerrel set aside the files, eyes landing on the sealed letters pile.

"These are..." He snatched the letters and began poring over them.

At last, his control shattered, and he erupted in curses.

"That scum, how low can he sink?"

He pounded the desk, wrestling back his rage.

His outburst stunned everyone. Jerrel, ever the ice-cold ruler, cracking like this.

What secrets hid in those letters?

Jerrel forced calm and handed the letters to Reinhardt, face dark as storm clouds.

"As suspected, that figure’s tied in."

A dark veil fell over Reinhardt’s features as he accepted the letters and read them through.

Every letter went to the same addressee—a chain of exchanges plotting hidden ops in Rune.

Mystery attacks, vanishings without trace, regional market crashes, stealthy elite troop redeploys, hauling of prized prisoners.

All laid bare in the letters.

Reinhardt’s dreaded nightmare unfolded. The letters pinpointed the culprit—or power—behind it all.

The strike on Cecilia and Lirae’s city wasn’t random; it was planned.

A precise assault with crack teams that could raze a city, erase evidence, plant fakes, and vanish neatly in hours—no rogue group pulled that off so flawlessly.

Such prowess matched the Seven Great Knight Orders of Solaris at minimum.

Even Reinhardt’s face grew somber.

If this linked to that country, it escalated from secret plots to full-scale international conflict.

Silence gripped the room.

All eyes turned to their leaders.

The tension crushed everyone there. Though questions burned, no one pried into the letters’ horrors. They sensed the burden of quiet, some secrets too heavy for words.

Jerrel composed himself and spoke, fury leashed in his tone.

"Those bastards got bold. Thinking they can stomp my Rune with impunity. Small or not, the Kingdom of Rune won’t kneel to power."

He shot Reinhardt a grim smile.

"I aimed to aid you for my debts, but that player’s role exceeds my lone reach. Still, fear not—I hold the evidence. These papers suffice as cause"...

"I’ll haul this to the Seven Kingdoms Council; they’ll have to respond. In the open."

Reinhardt, deep in thought, nodded quietly. He held no grudge against Jerrel’s caution. The man stretched every limit to assist.

Only the sheer might of the implicated party—or its backer—overwhelmed Rune’s might.

"I trust you with this. I’ll reach Her Majesty in Solaris and demand the Seven Kingdoms Council meet at once."

"Good."

Soon after, the meeting wrapped, and Reinhardt plus his group left the royal library.

.

.

Beyond the doors, afternoon sun’s golden rays bathed the world in enchanting orange glows.

The scenery dazzled, yet the four emerging from the palace couldn’t savor it.

At last, breaking the choking quiet clinging to Reinhardt, Zerina ventured carefully.

"Commander, what’s happening? What did those letters say? Why summon the Seven Kingdoms Council for Cecilia?"

Elina and Lirae eased their pace, ears attuned.

Reinhardt looked to his followers.

Concern and wonder mixed on their faces, brimming with unvoiced queries. His mood had leaked, stirring their unease.

Reinhardt’s look warmed, the heavy aura fading.

"Fine, I’ll tell you."

With that, he strode toward their quarters.

"The letters chronicled the chamberlain’s schemes. Beyond peddling secrets, he orchestrated huge kidnappings across Rune. Villages, outposts, border settlements—wiped clean. Folks vanished under night’s cover. Human, demi-human, no difference"...

"Bound tight, crammed in wagons, hauled to some destination. The chamberlain smothered it all; Rune’s folk never knew."

The trio’s eyes widened in shock.

After the chamberlain’s graft parade, they figured nothing worse lurked—yet his deeper evils stunned anew.

Elina pieced it together and pressed, "So Cecilia..."

Reinhardt nodded, "Yes, likely swept up with the rest."