My Computer Leads to an Instance Dungeon-Chapter 163 - 138: Her Identity Is Actually...?

Fang Zhen headed for the Redstone Tavern to have a word with Father Matthew and Dalia.

'For Viscount Montagu to split his forces and pursue them all the way to Redstone Town during a critical time like the siege of Ashton Castle, there must be something here that attracts him.'

'Redstone Town had been around for ages. If there was something truly special about the place, it would have been discovered long ago. So it was unlikely the town itself was the problem. The variable had to be the Countess.'

'Fang Zhen concluded that Viscount Montagu's Knight's Squires were most likely after Dalia, and that Dalia hadn't told the truth—at least, not the whole truth.'

He walked all the way back to the Redstone Tavern, went straight inside and up to the second floor, and knocked on Dalia's door.

The one-eyed Female Warrior opened the door.

Seeing Fang Zhen's grim expression, the Female Warrior frowned and moved to block his path.

Fang Zhen paid her no mind and walked straight in.

The Female Warrior's face flushed with anger, and her hand went to the hilt of the Thrusting Sword at her waist.

"It's all right. Let him in," Dalia's voice called out.

Dalia stood up and looked at Fang Zhen.

"Your martial prowess is astounding, especially your archery. It's truly impressive," Dalia said.

"I'm not here for flattery. You haven't told me the whole truth, have you, my lady?" Fang Zhen said coldly. "If I'm not mistaken, Montagu's men are after you. What's your secret?"

"I thought our partnership was built on a foundation of trust, a foundation you are currently undermining."

Dalia pressed her lips together, saying nothing.

Father Matthew, who was also in the room, saw how tense the atmosphere had become and stood up to mediate. "Dalia has her reasons..."

"Will Von Kleist and Montagu care about her reasons? Will they spare her life? If not, then those reasons are irrelevant," Fang Zhen said. "I need you to tell me the truth. The part you've been hiding from me."

Matthew started to say something else, but Dalia stopped him.

"I can understand your feelings. I was... reserved about this matter, and that was my mistake," Dalia said. "It's just that my identity is rather sensitive, and revealing it would have created additional risks, so I kept it to myself."

"You can tell me now," Fang Zhen said.

"Very well. There's really not that much to hide," Dalia said, letting out a long breath. "I am a descendant of the Cristin Clan. In fact, I am the last of its bloodline."

After she finished, Dalia looked at Fang Zhen, as if awaiting some kind of reaction.

"And?" Fang Zhen was completely unfazed.

'To him, the Cristin Clan was no different from the Montagus or the Ashtons—just another name. He had no idea what reaction Dalia was expecting.'

Now it was Dalia's turn to be surprised.

Her clear eyes widened as she stared at Fang Zhen in disbelief, as if she couldn't possibly have anticipated his lack of a reaction to the Cristin family name.

"Ahem." Matthew coughed. The Priest, likely guessing that Fang Zhen knew nothing of noble lineage, added, "The Cristins were one of the three great families who helped found the Kingdom. They're one of the oldest noble houses in the Kingdom, renowned for their wealth and their large collection of Extraordinary Items."

"Minstrels often sing legendary tales of the Cristin Clan. To this day, there are still legends that the first Marquis Cristin hid a vast fortune and fabled Extraordinary Items in a secret location that has never been found. It's said that every generation of the Cristin family has guarded the secret of this treasure."

"Heh," Fang Zhen said, shaking his head with a small laugh.

'That kind of rumor was just a story and nothing more. Besides, judging by how Dalia was faring now—married to a Viscount whose domain was under attack—if she really had access to so much treasure, she would have turned her fortunes around long ago.'

He glanced at Matthew with a touch of curiosity.

'Dalia was the sole heir of the Cristin bloodline, and Matthew was her older brother. So, what did that make him?'

Catching Fang Zhen's gaze, Matthew seemed to understand what he was thinking.

Matthew lowered his head, his expression downcast and a little ashamed.

"My mother was not a noble. She was just a common attendant," Matthew said.

Realization dawned on Fang Zhen.

'An illegitimate son.'

'No wonder Matthew joined the Tade Church. In this era, illegitimate children had no inheritance rights, let alone any claim to a noble title.'

Dalia looked at Matthew sympathetically. "You've already done so much for the Cristin Family. It's not your fault, brother."

They shared a deep sibling bond.

After a moment of self-pity, Matthew shook off the emotion, looked up at Fang Zhen, and continued, "The Cristin Clan was once the family of a Marquis, but after many incidents, its rank was demoted again and again. By the time it reached Dalia, all that was left was the rank of Viscount. And with no direct male heir, the Cristin bloodline is about to be extinguished."

"Dalia and I grew up together. Even though I can't inherit the title, I don't want to see our family's legacy come to an end."

"The reason Viscount Montagu sent his men after us is for that legend: the legend of the Cristin Clan's hidden treasure."

Fang Zhen understood.

'Men die in pursuit of wealth as birds die in pursuit of food.'

'Still, the Cristin Clan's wealth was likely nothing more than a mirage.'

'From what he knew, it was uncommon for a noble family's rank to be lowered. That usually only happened after a major disaster, which would cause the family's title to be reduced.'

'Things like treason, falling out of royal favor, losing a political struggle, financial ruin that prevented them from fulfilling their obligations to the King, or a succession crisis that made legal inheritance impossible.'

'The Cristin Clan were founding heroes of the Kingdom. For them to fall from Marquis to Viscount, they must have made some colossal blunders.'

"Viscount Montagu wants to capture me and torture the secret of the Cristin treasure out of me. I believe Baron von Kleist has the same idea," Dalia said. "But while I am indeed the last legitimate heir of the Cristin Clan, I know just as little about any treasure as anyone else."

"If I knew where it was, or if my father had known, the Cristin Family wouldn't have ended up in such a miserable state."

"The reason I didn't tell you is that I was worried you might get... other ideas if you knew I was an heir of the Cristin Clan. But it seems I was overthinking things," Dalia said. "You've never even heard of the Cristin Clan. To be honest, your reaction was something of a blow."

Fang Zhen looked at Dalia.

'He didn't know if she was telling the entire truth now, but it didn't affect the overall situation.'

'As long as it was a plausible story, it was good enough.'

'He even suspected these clues might be what was needed to trigger Act Four of the Nameless World.'

"Viscount Montagu will continue to pursue you," Fang Zhen said. "The fact that he could spare troops to chase you to Redstone Town means he doesn't consider Ashton Castle a major threat. He's confident he can take it."

Dalia said, "Yes, I've considered that. I want to leave Redstone Town as soon as possible, with you as my escort to Viscount Perrington's Territory."

"Viscount Perrington is my godfather and a good, upright man. I'll be able to find sanctuary in his lands. From there, I can travel to the Royal Capital to formally accuse Viscount Montagu. I might be able to use political means to regain ownership of the Ashton Territory."

"I'm not holding out much hope, but it's a path forward. And right now, it's the only one I have."

Fang Zhen thought for a moment after hearing her words.

"Lady Dalia, you concealed the truth about the Cristin Clan, you concealed that Viscount Montagu is hunting you, and you concealed that Baron von Kleist is also extremely interested in your capture. That is a breach of trust."

"I believe," Fang Zhen said, "that we need to renegotiate the terms of our previous agreement."

"Are you trying to tear up our agreement?" Dalia's crescent-shaped eyebrows knitted together. "Or are you trying to use this as an opportunity to squeeze more money out of us? To raise your price?"

Matthew immediately interjected, "Dalia, Fang Zhen isn't that kind of person..."

"Heh," Dalia sneered. "I've seen far too many people like that in noble circles. You're thinking the same thing, aren't you, Fang Zhen?"

"They see a noble house on the verge of collapse and circle like vultures, eager to squeeze out every last drop of value before tossing us aside like worthless rags."

"Brother, I think we were wrong about him. Fang Zhen is not someone we can trust."

Fang Zhen just smiled, unconcerned, ignoring the siblings' good-cop, bad-cop routine.

"No, no, my lady. You were the one who concealed critical information from me first. You can't put the blame for this on me. Besides..." Fang Zhen shook his head. "I'm not here to take advantage of your plight. I'm here to offer you another path."

"Another path?" Dalia repeated, momentarily stunned.

"Do I have any other options?"

"Of course. In any situation, there are always at least three options. I'm the one here to give you another," Fang Zhen said with a nod.

"My lady, you concealed the truth, which has displeased me. You also concealed a great deal more danger—the fact that I'll be protecting you from the pursuit of Viscount Montagu means I'm taking on far greater risk. Asking for one more Extraordinary Item isn't unreasonable, is it?"

Hearing Fang Zhen raise his price, Dalia's expression turned icy, and she looked ready to erupt.

Fang Zhen didn't give her a chance to speak, continuing, "Of course, I understand that three Extraordinary Items are quite precious to you. You might not feel that simply escorting you to Viscount Perrington's Territory is worth that price."

"So how about this? You raise the price a little—say, one more Extraordinary Item, or One Hundred Gold Coins—and in exchange, I'll kill Viscount Montagu for you. What do you think of that?"

Fang Zhen's voice wasn't loud, but his words struck like a thunderbolt, leaving everyone else in the room stunned.

Dalia, who had been about to accuse Fang Zhen of extortion, froze with her hand over her mouth. Her eyes were wide with shock as she stared at him as if he were a monster, completely forgetting what she was going to say.

Beside her, Matthew's mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.

Even the one-eyed Female Warrior's eye was wide, and she stared at Fang Zhen as if he were a madman. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Fang Zhen didn't seem to think it was a big deal and continued, "On second thought... look, I'm already offering to eliminate Viscount Montagu for you. Since we've already come this far, we might as well go all the way, as an old saying from my homeland goes."

"You raise the price a little more, and I'll take care of Baron von Kleist for you as well. How about it?"