"Little Ears wanted to argue a bit more, but Edward II had already spoken, ’Bring him here and hold him down!’"
Imdiately, two Imperial Guards stepped forward, and without explanation, they thrust the informant to the ground.
It was as if an immobilization spell had been cast on Little Ears; his body stiffened completely until his cheek slamd heavily onto the ground and he ate a mouthful of dirt. Only then did he slightly regain his senses.
However, this was hardly good news, as he then saw a tall, muscular knight approaching him.
In his hand was a long whip, thick as three fingers and covered with barbs.
’Don’t worry, try to think positively—you won’t be in pain for too long,’ said the Wandering Knight.
Unfortunately, his attempt at consolation was ineffective; Little Ears had already curled up into a ball, trembling all over.
Though he was a Half-Beast, he had always made a living by trafficking information, never practiced any Martial Arts, and was frail even amongst Half-Beasts, barely stronger than a human.
Indeed, if he were to endure a hundred lashes, he would almost certainly die.
As if to confirm his fears, in the next mont, the whip had already struck his back, piercing through his clothes and ripping his flesh apart.
Little Ears let out a scream like a slaughtered pig, nearly passing out.
Then ca the second lash, and Little Ears felt not just his flesh but even his bones might break.
He even hallucinated, thinking he had already died.
Then ca the third lash, the fourth lash... After ten lashes, Little Ears had nearly lost half his life, becoming as weak as a whisper.
Miss Rabbit, hands on hips, couldn’t help but admire him. ’I really hadn’t expected this guy to be so tough. He wasn’t boasting after all. He really deserves his reputation as the best informant in the city, considering his promises to his clients more important than his own life.’
’I think he might have simply forgotten,’ Ruby muttered softly.
’Hmm? That can’t be,’ said the Lady, scratching her head. ’Being forgiven by the slandered to avoid whipping is sothing known throughout the Empire, especially to an informant.’
’But seeing how he seed completely petrified from the start, forgetting isn’t impossible.’
’Oh, in that case, Orwell, stop for a mont. Let ask him,’ the Lady said.
After Ireya finished speaking, the Wandering Knight put away his whip. The Lady leaned in closer, glanced at Little Ears’ blood-drenched back, and then whispered in his ear, ’Who exactly told you to report ?’
Little Ears didn’t answer.
Seeing this, Miss Rabbit couldn’t help but respect him. Just as she was about to ask Orwell to increase the force, she rembered sothing. She knelt down, pried open Little Ears’ eyes, and found he had fainted.
After a bucket of water was poured over his head, Little Ears slowly ca to, then began to groan in pain again.
The Lady repeated her question, then said, ’You can keep resisting, but...’
’I’ll tell, I’ll tell! It was Earl Clyde, Earl Clyde told to do it!’ Little Ears said hurriedly. ’Please, don’t hit anymore, I beg you, I’ve realized my mistake.’
"Clyde? Who is that?" Miss Rabbit frowned, clearly unfamiliar with the na.
"Earl Clyde is the Family Head of the Wendell family."
Torres had been in the Royal Capital for a long ti, and he had co to know the key figures quite well.
"The Wendell family, I shouldn’t have offended them," Ireya said, growing even more puzzled after the answer was revealed.
"Moreover, Clyde also serves as the swordsmanship instructor to Prince Edward," Torres added in a hushed tone.
"Ah?! How did it involve the Prince again?" Miss Rabbit wondered about her luck, having been in the Royal Capital for just a few days and nearly eting all the major mbers of the Imperial Family.
The question was, why did the Prince want her kicked out of the dueling tournant so badly?
Could it be that he had bet all his fortune on the Earth Bear, hoping to make a fortune through this bet, hence the need to eliminate all unstable factors?
But then again, as a Prince and the heir of Edward II, the next Emperor of the Empire, did he really need to worry about making money like she did?
As she thought this, the Emperor had already started urging from the stand, "Lady Ireya, have you identified the person who frad you? Speak his na boldly and without fear.
"The spy did get one thing right, this is my city, my Empire, as long as I am on that throne, I can assure you that no one will dare to touch a hair on your head."
Upon hearing this, Miss Rabbit didn’t think further and truthfully nad Earl Clyde.
As a result, Lady Ireya saw Edward II fall into silence.
Prince Gars’s expression also turned sour. He approached the Emperor and seed to want to say sothing, but Edward II stopped him with a wave of his hand.
"I understand, Ireya. Focus on your competition for now. I assure you, such incidents will not happen again. As for Earl Clyde, I will have soone investigate and definitely give you a response. You will not be wronged," he added.
Miss Rabbit was quite satisfied with this outco; as long as she could complete the martial arts tournant in peace, she could return ho to the West with her reward. Whether or not Earl Clyde was investigated didn’t really concern her.
Although she had only been in this city for a few days, Lady Ireya had already experienced the scheming of these nobles. Their relationships were too complex, and Ireya did not want to wade into these murky waters, especially those involving the Imperial Family.
She handed Little Ears over to the defense force, and along with Crow, he was taken away for investigation, while Ireya continued in the tournant.
After easily defeating another opponent, she had successfully advanced to the top sixteen. This ant that after four more rounds of competition, the Champion of the tournant would be decided.
Lady Ireya then received more good news: her opponent for the next round had been injured in the waist by a sword in the just-concluded battle and could not continue fighting, thus withdrew voluntarily.
This ant that Lady Ireya didn’t even have to fight to advance directly to the quarterfinals.
Furthermore, there was another piece of good news; Edward II had returned the bribe she had proactively handed over.
It seed the Emperor didn’t care for such a small amount of money, but Miss Rabbit never thought any sum too great to refuse, and the one thousand gold lions were practically a windfall.
It was just that the three thousand on the promissory note was probably lost for good. Regrettable as it was, Lady Ireya did not insist, especially since Crow had already suffered enough and would likely be unable to stay in the Royal Knight Order.
It would indeed be adding salt to the wound if Ireya went to ask him for money now.
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