A Dragon against the Whole World

Chapter 371 - 306: The Albert Family’s Downfall

Count Mills stood up, wanting to go to the window to get some air, but as he turned, his arm accidentally knocked a delicate bone china teacup on the edge of the desk.

The teacup tipped over and was about to fall to the ground.

However, in the next moment, a steady hand reached over and caught the teacup, effortlessly handing it back to Count Mills.

"Thank you."

Count Mills instinctively expressed his gratitude.

Before he finished speaking, his entire body suddenly stiffened, a cold chill shooting up from his spine to the top of his head, sending shivers down his spine.

His study was an absolute private sanctuary, without his summons, no servant dared to step inside.

So the question arose.

Whose hand was this?!

Count Mills sharply inhaled, suppressing the scream that nearly escaped his throat, forcing himself to calm down as quickly as possible.

He slowly turned around.

And then.

A face he knew all too well, impossibly handsome, appeared in his gaze.

"Mr. Mills, how have you been?"

Flower Knight Shire Haines had a brilliant smile on the corner of his lips, indistinguishable from his usual expression, yet there was no joy in those blue-green eyes.

"Shire?! You’re all right?!"

After a brief silence, Count Mills squeezed out an expression of surprise.

"By the gods above! This is wonderful! I always thought... thought you had met with misfortune in the Evil Dragon’s territory."

The Count spoke excitedly, extending his hand naturally.

He wanted to warmly grasp Shire’s hand as usual, expressing his closeness and concern.

This was his usual tactic for winning hearts.

Through simple physical contact and the condescending posture of a superior, he could easily move those young and inexperienced people, evoking warmth.

But this time.

Shire Haines took a step back expressionlessly, avoiding Count Mills’ outstretched hand.

That hand hung suspended in mid-air.

The Flower Knight gazed at the Count’s seemingly genuine expression of surprise, recalling the Crystal Ball communication, where the other party’s voice was indifferent and filled with annoyance and disgust— an invaluable waste, the Albert family wouldn’t spare even a copper plate for it!

The stark contrast made the Count’s genuine emotions at this moment appear extremely hypocritical, contrived, and even nauseating in Shire’s eyes.

"Mr. Mills."

Shire’s voice was calm and unruffled.

"Before coming back, there was a question that puzzled me, and I wanted to ask you in person."

"Oh? What question troubles you so, my child?"

The Count’s tone remained gentle.

Shire said, "Rod Albert, Sienna Albert, Sanchez Albert... they, along with many of your private military leaders and elite warriors, share a common trait."

"They are all orphans, their backgrounds as clean as a blank page."

"The Albert family recruits so many warriors from tragic backgrounds yet exceptionally gifted, willing to die for the family unconditionally."

"Is all this just a matter of luck?"

The Flower Knight stared at Count Mills, observing his reaction.

"The family has established numerous charitable orphanages under its banner, Rod and the others were indeed once homeless children, taken in by the family, given education and warmth."

Count Mills maintained superficial calm.

He counter-questioned, "They are grateful for the family’s nurturing grace, hence they strive and willingly pledge loyalty to the family, is there anything wrong with that?"

"Is that so?"

The Flower Knight slowly said, his voice dropping.

"I returned to the south a step before Rod and the others."

"To prevent myself from being blinded once more by lies, being misled and deceived, in the past time, I was not idle."

Shire took a small step forward, and an invisible pressure began to spread.

"I spent considerable time and effort, like a true detective, rather than the naive knight you expected, conducting detailed, in-depth, and even perilous investigations throughout the Albert family’s domain."

Count Mills’ brow slightly furrowed.

"During the investigation, I discovered a rather intriguing phenomenon."

"The Albert family generously offers various benefits to the territorial people, such as tax reductions, road repairs, and inexpensive medicines."

"Yet after every good deed, should the family receiving the benefit have young children, the family’s goodwill goes a step further."

"They enthusiastically offer free testing for the children’s various talents and potential."

The Knight’s gaze swept over the Count’s slightly tense jawline and continued, "Even more interesting, the security in your family’s domain seems exemplary on the surface, the patrol teams are diligent, the crime rate quite low."

"However, the frequency of various accidents occurring is exceptionally high, and especially favor those families whose children have just undergone testing and are considered to have decent or outstanding talents."

"Fires, landslides, monster attacks, even simple accidental drownings... these accidents consistently create new orphans."

"Thus, the number of orphans in Albert Territory far exceeds the standard scope for a Count’s domain, yet this is usually unnoticed."

Speaking, the Knight again stepped forward.

The distance between him and the Count was less than three feet.

"Mr. Mills."

Shire calmly asked, "Can you explain to me why this is?"

Count Mills’ face finally darkened.

"I don’t know what nonsense you are spouting."

"Shire, I was genuinely delighted to see you return safely, but these unfounded malicious conjectures of yours make me very displeased!"

His voice was deep, tinged with rebuke.

"The Albert family does good deeds for free, adopts orphans, provides widespread benefits, yet you use such dirtied ideas to tarnish this kindness! Do you use the knight’s spirit you believe in to thus speculate about your benefactor?"

Speaking, his fingers discreetly brushed over the gemstone ring on his finger.

That is the magic item that triggers an emergency call.

However, a dead silence surrounded, and nothing happened.

The expected guards breaking through the door, flashing alarm lights, the activation of the defense array... nothing happened.

"Don’t waste your efforts, Mr. Miles."

"Neither your voice, nor the magic signals from your ring, nor any attempt to penetrate here have been isolated."

Shire slightly tilted his head and said, "They, like you, are trapped in this cage of space, unable to reach the shore you long for."

For the first time, Count Mills showed fear on his face.

"Shire!"

The Count struggled to maintain his noble dignity, growling menacingly from a vulnerable position: "What... what exactly do you want to do? Have you forgotten the favors I once granted you?!"

"Who is the one that generously helped when you were penniless and at a loss? Who offered the invaluable antidote when your life was hanging by a thread from poison?! Is your knightly virtue used to repay benefactors with betrayal and a blade?!"

Clang—!

His agitated words were suddenly interrupted by a crisp and cold sound of metal friction.

The Flower Knight drew his Cross Sword.

"The favors you speak of have already been repaid with my life and freedom, we owe each other nothing now."

Shire slowly raised the longsword in his hand, the tip steadily pointed at Count Mills’ heart.

"Before you now stands only a knight resolute in eradicating evil and hypocrisy."

Count Mills retreated step by step, cold sweat seeping from his forehead.

"Don’t do anything foolish! Shire! You must have been bewitched by that Evil Dragon! Lost your mind!"

"We can talk this through! All doubts and suspicions in your heart, I assure you, will be given a perfect and reasonable explanation! Trust me!"

The Flower Knight was already deaf to his words.

He didn’t want to waste any more breath on this hypocritical count, and took a step forward, the Cross Sword in his hand transformed into a cold glint, and thrust straight forward.

The blade easily tore through several layers of defense shields that instantly activated on the Count’s body, precisely piercing the heart under the luxurious velvet suit.

Count Mills suddenly widened his eyes, a face filled with disbelief and ultimate fear of death.

He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but could only feel his life force rapidly ebbing away like an outgoing tide, ultimately unable to utter a word, only the sound of gasping for air.

The Flower Knight slowly drew out the blood-stained Cross Sword, looked at the Count’s body collapsing softly, and uttered the last words.

"By the way, King of Molten Iron asked me to send you his regards."

King of Molten Iron?!

It was that damned Evil Dragon manipulating everything behind the scenes! It seduced Shire!

Boundless anger and regret instantly engulfed Mills’ consciousness, he finally fell heavily to the cold, luxurious floor with eyes wide open, filled with resentment and unwillingness.

Died without closing his eyes.

Flower Knight Shire Haines stood silently in place.

With a light shake of his wrist, he flicked away the last few drops of blood from the surface of the sword, then calmly sheathed the longsword.

Ripple-like waves appeared around him, his figure became blurry and transparent, like a shadow merging into the air, ultimately disappearing without a trace.

Yet he did not immediately leave the Albert Family estate.

Boundary Walker strolled in the gaps between spaces, like a ghost, silently traversing the heavily guarded corridors and gardens of the estate.

He arrived at the bedroom of the Alchemist Sienna, at the bedside of the Defense Mage Sanchez.

Finally, he stopped at the room of Rune Knight Rod Albert.

In each room, he left a stack of neatly arranged papers carrying truths.

They were quietly placed within reach of the sleeping person’s pillow.

After completing all this, Shire’s figure completely vanished into space, as if he had never appeared.

"Who?!"

Rod Albert abruptly opened his eyes.

This Evil Wolf General of the Albert Family, who had hovered countless times on the brink of life and death, had a sensitivity approaching instinct.

Though he failed to discern the barely perceptible spatial fluctuations, he was still awakened, instantly springing up from the bed.

The room was empty, with no obvious traces of invaders.

However, his gaze was instantly drawn to the stack of papers that had suddenly appeared on the bedside table.

Rod frowned tightly, cautiously picked up the stack of paper, and began to read carefully.

The night was quiet, with only the faint sound of pages turning.

Those about the talent test selection list.

Those investigation reports on accidental events.

Those hidden clues pointing to directives from the family upper echelon.

Every name, every date... like sharp blades, tore open those blurred childhood fragments deep in Rod’s memory.

The accident of losing both parents, the family orphanage shelter, the indoctrination of gratitude and loyalty... As the reading deepened, his pupils suddenly contracted, the expression on his face began to change violently.

From initial confusion, to shock, and finally to uncontrollable anger.

Finally, his face turned thoroughly ashen and twisted, as fierce as a wolf thoroughly enraged.

Just as this emotion was about to completely erupt.

Rod Albert, this Evil Wolf General of the Albert Family, suddenly closed his eyes.

When he reopened them, all the violent external reactions previously shown, were gradually suppressed bit by bit.

The fierce ashen on his face slowly faded, his muscles relaxed, the twisted expression returned to calm, expressionless.

Only.

Some things that once supported his life, for which he fought bloodily, have already collapsed completely like a sandcastle, dissipated into smoke, while others completely different, dark and intense things, were silently sprouting, crazily growing on the ruins of loyalty.

It can be foreseen.

With the master’s death, with the original staunch pillar defecting, it won’t be long before the Albert Family will exist in name only.

It’s hard to believe:

It all began with a Red Iron Dragon hundreds of miles away.