Shameless Sneak Attack

Meanwhile, on the second floor of the "Wandering Dragon" tavern, in the Sage's room.

Gray Raven slumped in the soft armchair, several accounts of the territory spread out in front of him, but he couldn't concentrate on reading a single word.

The thin wooden wall couldn't block out the noise from next door at all.

Grumman's beastly lewd laughter and the girl's pitiful pleas kept replaying in his mind.

"...This stupid donkey that only knows how to go into heat." Finn slammed his quill on the table angrily, rubbed his bloodshot eyes, and said, "His stamina is really good."

Buck, the bodyguard standing behind the door, shifted his numb legs and chuckled, "Boss, you'll get used to it. That guy was stuck in the woods for three days, barely managing to complete his mission. You expect him to recite poetry like a gentleman from Susar? He'll be lucky if he doesn't end up with ten maids in one go."

"What I find strange is, why didn't that bastard just come to collect the final payment when he entered town this afternoon?" Gray Raven frowned, tapping the table. "He had to go to the lobby first to throw money around and treat everyone to drinks until he was completely drunk before going upstairs."

"Hey, isn't that simple?" Buck sneered. "Don't you know what kind of person Grumman is? He must have plundered a lot of good stuff from that bastard's carriage. The kind of person he is, he's eager to squander money as soon as he gets it, and of course, more importantly, he can't bear to part with that half-elf girl."

"You're right," Gray Raven nodded in agreement. "If it were me, I'd also want to lock myself away and enjoy myself to the fullest first. How could I possibly be in the mood for business?"

"That bastard is lucky to have such a beautiful maid—half-elves are rare in our eastern border region. It's a pity that the barbarian got such a good deal." As he said this, Buck licked his chapped lips, a hint of greed in his eyes.

Finally, the frenzy next door stopped, replaced by a man's heavy snoring and a girl's intermittent sobs.

"Phew...it's finally stopped." Gray Raven let out a long sigh of relief, leaning back in his chair. "That beast is finally asleep."

"Boss, you said Grumman went all out, will that girl still be able to come with us tomorrow?" Buck sheathed his longsword and asked with a hint of gossip, "The last time he robbed a caravan near the Masena Bridge, the woman he brought back died the next day. I heard he played with her until there was blood all over the ground, tsk tsk... In the end, he could only throw her into the woods to feed the dogs."

"Not this time," Gray Raven said grimly. "Grumman may be mad, but he's not stupid. That half-elf slave girl was evidence that he killed that bastard, a 'trophy' that the lady wanted to see in person. If he kills her, where will he get his remaining 1,400 gold coins? At most, he'll suffer a bit, but he'll still have his life."

"Yeah, that girl is quite cute, those pointy ears..." Buck chuckled, his tone turning lewd. "Once Grumman hands her over for the reward, if the madam doesn't order her execution, could we ask our superiors to let us take over?"

"Keep dreaming. This kind of stuff is worth a lot of money even after it's depreciated," Gray Raven punctured the bodyguard's fantasy.

The two chatted casually for another half hour.

"Damn it, didn't Kress say he was going to find his lover? It's been almost an hour, hasn't it? Why isn't he back yet?" Finn glanced at the hourglass and frowned slightly.

"You know what kind of person he is, he can't resist women." Buck said with a sneer. "After eavesdropping for so long, it's normal that he couldn't stand it. Let's wait and see. Only he would do something so shameful."

Another long half hour passed.

"No, it's almost midnight. Even if he went to the back alley to find that halfling, he should be back by now," Gray Raven muttered under his breath. "That idiot with no sense of time! When we get back to the territory, I'm going to tell Madam all about him!"

"It can't be that bad..." Buck hesitated. "I know Rex's stamina. He doesn't have the energy to go multiple times. Even if he's done and takes a nap, he should wake up by now. Firefall Town isn't that big; he can't just fall into a cesspool, can he?"

Although the gray crow was annoyed, it still didn't think about the possibility of being "attacked".

Next door, Grumman was still snoring loudly, and there were no sounds of fighting anywhere else.

He waved his hand impatiently: "Alright, stop speculating. Buck, go out and take a walk, drag him back from that bitch's bed."

"Alright, I'll be right back." Buck shrugged and pushed open the door, walking into the dimly lit corridor.

Ten minutes have passed.

Twenty minutes have passed.

Gray Raven stood in the center of the room, his initial anger gradually replaced by a bone-chilling cold.

The corridor was eerily quiet; not only were Buck's footsteps absent, but even the occasional snoring that had been heard moments before had vanished.

As the baroness's male servant, he was physically weak and his only support came from the two professionals sent by the baroness.

Now, the two of them have been silent since they left the house, as if they had fallen into a bottomless abyss, without even a sound coming back.

"Something's happened..." He realized the problem.

Go! I need to get going!

He dared not go through the front door, and scrambled toward the window, trying to climb down the eaves to escape.

He had just reached the window, and hadn't even touched the latch yet...

boom!

The door was smashed open by a brute force!

The gray crow turned around in alarm and saw a towering figure walking in against the dim light of the corridor.

It was Grumman, who should have been fast asleep next door.

Behind him, the half-elf "slave girl" Ellen, who should have been ravaged beyond recognition, was looking at him with a cold expression, holding a bundle of bloody hemp rope in her hand. She looked nothing like a weakling.

Behind them, Kane and two other "robbers" filed in.

Two people, stripped of their armor, gagged, and bound like silkworm cocoons, were thrown onto the floor.

Who else could it be but his two bodyguards?

The two men had bruises and swelling on their faces, their eyes filled with terror; they had clearly been subdued before they could even react.

"Grumman... Grumman? What are you doing!" Gray Raven leaned against the windowsill, his voice trembling and incoherent. "The bounty... I'll give you the bounty right now, why did you have to attack them? Are you crazy?"

To the astonishment of the gray crows, "Grumman" grinned, revealing a sinister smile.

Immediately afterwards, his muscular body began to shrink, his wild, messy hair transformed into neat black hair, and his ugly, bearded face instantly became a handsome one.

"It's been four years, Gray Raven."

Although he was much more handsome than described in the intelligence reports, Gray Raven recognized the face at a glance.

"You are... Ye Wei'an? That's impossible!"

Ye Weian, who should have been killed, appeared here wearing Grumman's equipment—that could only mean one thing: Grumman failed and was killed by the enemy, who then tracked him down.

But... how could this be?

According to their intelligence, this illegitimate son should just be a mage apprentice who's just coasting along in Susar.

How could he possibly kill Grumman? And how could he possibly possess such disguise magic?

The two bodyguards, who were tied up like dumplings, could hardly believe it.

When they were attacked before, they thought it was Grumman double-crossing them.

To everyone's surprise, the supposedly cowardly and incompetent bastard turned out to be an unfathomable spellcaster—pretending to be Grumman to launch a shameless sneak attack on them!

The two of them, a Lv.2 warrior and a Lv.2 rogue, were captured without even a chance to resist.

Realizing the mission had completely failed, Gray Raven forgot his shock and turned sharply to try to climb out of the window.

He needed to find a way to get the message back to Firefall Fortress; Lady Serena had to know about it.

But someone was faster than him.

"Behave yourself!"

The seemingly petite half-elf slave girl, Elaine, resembled a young leopard in the forest. With a swift sidestep, she blocked Gray Raven's retreat, her right hand forming a claw as she precisely gripped Gray Raven's shoulder and twisted it backward.

Gaba!

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts—"

Ellen skillfully used a joint lock to pin Gray Raven firmly to the cold floor.

"Young Master, we've caught it." Ellen quickly tied Gray Raven into a twisted ball and then showed it to Ye Weian like a treasure.

"here you go."

Ye Wei'an patted Ai Lian as a reward.

Now, we have the most crucial witness testimony.