The two groups might have reached an agreement. They had sheathed their weapons and retracted their Spiritual Energy, but they had to face one more problem.
They never thought there would be another party that was aiming for the marquis' life. The moment they reached the city, they saw the entire town panicking.
They were confused at first and tried to find out what was going on.
The answer could easily be seen when they reached the marquis' mansion.
Not a single of them thought that the marquis would have died and the mansion would have been burned to the ground earlier.
The Third Prince frowned before saying, "Old man. I think we need a truce first. We have to put out the fire and find any trace of the marquis."
"Indeed…" The Sword Arbiter nodded in agreement. He stepped forward while unsheathing his sword. "I shall make the first move…"
The Third Prince waved his hand as if telling his people to step back. He focused on the old man. The reason why he didn't want to fight the Sword Arbiter was because of his strength.
'The Sword Arbiter is one of the oldest Arbiters. His strength is also among the strongest… And his blade…' The Third Prince fell silent, watching the Sword Arbiter gathering his Spiritual Energy around his sword.
The moment the Sword Arbiter slashed downward, the Spiritual Energy flew away like that of a gale. The sharp energy cut everything in its path. The wall, the soil, and even the fire itself.
The burning planks on the ground immediately perished and the blazing fire that made contact with the gale immediately dispersed as if the energy could cut everything into pieces.
The energy continued until it hit the wall of the mansion, destroying it as a way for them to get inside.
With just a single slash, the Sword Arbiter had cut everything down, allowing them to enter the mansion through a straight path.
The Third Prince said, "We are going to enter the mansion right now. Our priority is to find the marquis and his office. Save every book you can find. Understand?"
The two Spirit Grandmasters nodded, waiting for their liege to proceed.
But before they entered, they found something weird.
"Hmm?" There was a single page of brown paper that flew in front of the Lightning Arbiter. She wasn't that surprised, considering the wind could easily blow away the paper from the marquis' office. But what shocked her the most was the content inside the paper.
"This is… This symbol… Why does it look like a Spirit Enchantment?"
Her statement alarmed both the Third Prince and the Sword Arbiter. Though, the latter was more concerned about the fact there was such a big reaction from the Third Prince.
"Isn't it just a normal Spirit Enchantment? He is a marquis, so we should expect him to have a few Spirit Enchantments, right?" The Third Prince tried his best to remain calm while trying to take a peek at the paper. He even extended his hand and asked, "Let me see…"
The Lightning Arbiter was still ignorant about the matter, so she handed the paper without any thought. She only added something that shocked the Sword Arbiter. "Please. Though, I feel something weird about this paper. It feels like the drawing is more complete and refined. I have seen a lot of Spirit Enchantment as an Arbiter, but this one is more complex than the one I have seen…"
The Third Prince smiled, not saying anything.
However, the Sword Arbiter had seen through the matter and realized that the reason why the Third Prince came here was to get this information. He told his subordinates to save every book earlier, meaning whatever he searched for was in the form of a book.
It wasn't that hard to link everything up. The Third Prince was actually trying to find a book related to the Spirit Enchantment which was more complex than the actual one. That book could be a result of research or something completely groundbreaking.
With that thought in mind, the Sword Arbiter frowned and said coldly, "I'm afraid that our cooperation has to end here, Third Prince…"
"Old man…" The Third Prince frowned. Although the Sword Arbiter was a man of focus, he still prioritized the Royal Family over his mission. The fact that there was knowledge that might threaten the royal family meant he had to stop whoever wanted it even if that person was the Third Prince.
They were glaring at each other again as the tension rose into the sky. Even the other three Spirit Grandmasters had started releasing their Spiritual Energy, preparing for the fight.
The Lightning Arbiter never thought that the situation was more complicated than she thought.
'A book that has this kind of knowledge? Something more complicated than the rune… if it's research, it's truly groundbreaking. If it's new but complete knowledge…' The Lightning Arbiter fell silent.
On the one hand, the Royal Family was a big figure. They were the strongest power in the kingdom. On the other hand, the Third Prince seemed to have connections and more resources to this kind of special knowledge. It couldn't help but pique her interest.
They might be having a conflict and might start a fight soon. But it didn't change the fact that the Third Prince seemed to be more resourceful than the current royal family.
"…" The Lightning Arbiter looked at the Third Prince mysteriously.
While the tension was rising in the city due to five Spirit Grandmasters, Anna and Illia were preparing to leave the city.
Illia asked, "Are you sure it's alright to show that kind of paper?"
"I know her personality. She must have blurted all kinds of information she had in her head when she saw that paper. It would create another wave of chaos. That's why we have to leave this town immediately. We have done our job and that hidden threat has left the city as well. We have achieved our objective."
