Warhammer Divine Throne-Chapter 567 - 248, Panic-Stricken_2

"Hello, how should I address you?" The chubby merchant seemed confused by his situation, scratching the back of his head with a smile plastered on his face.

"I am Mathew Bade, pleased to meet you, merchant of the Empire," Mathew Bade said with a feigned smile, shaking hands with him.

The chubby merchant Gabriel Newell tried to pull his hand back after shaking, but Mathew Bade held onto it tightly, leaving the Marinburg merchant looking surprised. Initially, he was shocked: "Ah? Are you the Mathew Bade who lost to Champion Surya in the knight tournament? The first female champion in two hundred years, the first runner-up defeated by a woman in two hundred years? How did you end up here? Hehehe~ I heard that Miss Surya is very beautiful~ Hehehe~ Ah!!!"

Laine, disguised as Gabriel Newell, suddenly let out a scream like a pig being slaughtered, clutching his hand as if stabbed, and crashed to the ground. The chubby merchant's weight almost dragged Mathew Bade down with him in the fall.

The young knight quickly pulled the chubby merchant up, and Mathew Bade's face was visibly tense. This incident was a lifelong humiliation for Mathew Bade; whenever he thought of his defeat to Surya in the finals, he wanted to tear everything apart.

"Mr. Mathew Bade?! Show some respect to a merchant and your trade partner!" Laine took a moment to steady his breath, clearly angry: "Your behavior is outrageous! I protest! Protest!"

Powerless lackeys, weak servants; this merchant's character certainly matched the style of those Marinburg merchants. Seeing the chubby merchant both angry and fearful, quickly signaling the guards not to act while protesting with a smile, Mathew Bade felt a wave of disgust.

Thinking of this, Mathew Bade instinctively frowned, still sensing something amiss.

"Half-Elf? A steward with impressive sword skills? And these guards of yours? Mr. Gab? I apologize for my previous rudeness, but can you explain this? How did you find such skilled guards? And a Half-Elf?"

"Many are willing to fight as long as the price is right. I ship goods from Marinburg to here and use the money to ensure my safety. Is there anything wrong with that, Mr. Mathew Bade?" The chubby merchant retorted angrily, his tone turning harsh: "Perhaps you don't understand this, but why shouldn't I hire a Half-Elf? And a steward skilled in swordsmanship?"

"If it were just one or two, I might believe you somewhat, but all your guards are exceptionally skilled, truly suspicious." Mathew Bade remained doubtful, his handsome face scrutinizing Jerald up and down, finally focusing on his hand: "Oh my, dear steward, can you explain the callus on your index finger? Such a callus only develops from practicing knight swordsmanship from the age of seven or eight with over fifteen years of dedication. I need an explanation from you, knight of Brittania!"

By the end, Mathew Bade was almost shouting: "No one can hire a knight from the Knight Kingdom; you must be an undercover agent here to sabotage!"

Damn! Laine's expression subtly changed.

In this mission, all identities were carefully considered by Laine. Estelle and Des, being Half-Elves, had experienced enough of the world to skillfully handle most situations. As for the Demon Hunters Abel and Ju Le, their expertise in anything from assassinating Vampire Counts to wiping out corrupted villages, down to finding a lost dog for peasants, as long as there was payment, they could do it, making them unlikely to slip up.

Laine had not brought out Emilia and Surya, who had met Mathew Bade before. Considering Alfred and Teresa might not be suited for this either, he had already arranged for Veronica to take them back.

The only uncertain element was Jerald! This Kingdom Knight was a late addition to Laine's plan. He needed an assistant, but Jerald's identity wasn't as reliable or scrutinized.

"Well?" Mathew Bade's face was twisted with madness, motioning for the Desolate Tomb Guards to heavily surround Laine's group: "If you don't give me an explanation, I won't take your lives, provided you all accept the Embrace of Blood and become true Vampires!"

"..." Laine was about to demand a meeting with the Vampire Lord but then abandoned the idea, realizing it would only provoke Mathew Bade's frayed nerves at this moment.

This lunatic could ruin everything! Laine subtly signaled the Demon Hunters and Half-Elves: prepare to act.

Unnoticed by Mathew Bade, Abel was already stealthily reaching for the crossbow strapped to his back.

At that moment, Jerald spoke: "Have you heard of Ruike?"

"Ruike? Isn't that a small island off Marinburg?" Mathew Bade asked, puzzled.

"Yes, so do you understand now?" Jerald's face seemed to harbor shame and reluctance: "I need money, a lot of money, to make my life... I don't want to talk about it anymore. Let's leave it at that, shall we?"

"Wait, are you saying you're a descendant of Louis de Galle, exiled fifty years ago?" Mathew Bade recalled that indeed Brittania had exiled a knightly noble family after they lost a war. This family was later employed by Marinburg and given Ruike Island to settle.