The Duke's Passion



884 A key information

"In it was the path we can use to keep the survivors safe. The land of Spade has more surprises than we thought. Underneath the very ground we are standing on had many paths leading from one town to another. It was the reason I caught up with Sir Knight."

Heliot narrowed his eyes as he scanned the scroll. It was not a letter or anything like that, but the content in it was an architectural drawing. If he was not adept at these sorts of documents, he wouldn't understand the importance of it.

"Did you say underground paths?" Rufus broke his silence. Ile hadn't seen the blueprint, but he was already rid of all suspicion about Law's identity.

"Yes" Law nodded. "To make the long story short, before this night, problems in the Spade Kingdom were already occurring, such as rebellions. Unfortunately, against a man like Quentin Moriarty, they stood no chance. Utilizing the underground space, they made ready for the day the king exposes his true colors."

"As you can see, there were shortcuts made - paths that would grant an efficient way to rescue people without going through the hordes of undead, he continued. "Although these paths were only useful for these survivors because they didn't have to worry about being attacked by the undead. However, for the Divine Orders, including Sir Rufus, these paths were useless.

"I see." Heliot rocked his head, keeping his eyes glued on the scroll as if memorizing every line. on it. "The nearest exit in this area is this one. Is this where you came from?"

Ileliot pointed at a location, glancing at Law.

"Seeing that you exited in this, I assume you came from this place. If so, then it only made sense you caught up with Sir Knight." Heliot set his eyes back on the scroll, nodding in satisfaction. "This is truly a helpful piece of information. It seemed there were at least one or two entrances in most towns. I often heard the royal family of this land could disappear and appear without a trace. The Moriartys were known for their discreet nature, and no one would know they left the palace unless they made it known. It seemed I now understand their trick."

Heliot etched every little detail of the scroll in his head before passing it to Rufus. "Even if the paths were useless for the likes of you, it'll be handy"

Rufus caught the scroll, ignoring the rudeness Heliot was displaying. He unrolled the scroll and studied it. Just like Heliot, Rufus was no stranger to studying maps and geography, as it was necessary for wars. This scroll contained the map of this land. However, what made it stand out was the connecting lines drawn on the map.

"What is this place?" he wondered, noticing a wider space in a particular town. "If I'm not mistaken, this is the town where I parted from you and Madam."

"That is the main shelter of the survivors. Law didn't beat around the bush. "The former rebels created a small town with housing, preserving food and water, and all necessities they could. I mentioned it before. The problems in this land didn't just happen overnight."

"I sec." Rufus nodded in understanding before lifting his eyes back to Law. "Where's the Madam?"

"She told me to tell Prince Heliot about the situation, considering he was in charge of the rescue operation." Law shifted his eyes to Heliot. "Although she didn't give any instructions,

saying His Highness will know what to do with this information. Adding to that, she also said she's sorry for annoying you."

Heliot maintained a poker face, but his mind drifted to the look Lilou had as her son relayed the message. "Your mother always speaks as though she knew me from inside and out. My displeasure toward her surely increases steadily. Somehow, I admire her for getting on my nerves successfully."

"In any case, this information is a helpful key" Rufus moved his eyes at the survivors, who were gazing at him with fear in their eyes. "The most important thing here is that we don't need to drag all these people everywhere we go!"

Heliot looked back and nodded.

Rufus was right.

This piece of information was more helpful than one would think. Just now, Heliot was having trouble advancing whilst protecting these people. Heliot couldn't blame Rufus for his reluctance in protecting them because Rufus had his hands full. With this information, their dilemma was instantly resolved.

"Alright." Heliot huffed, about to relay his orders as he already concocted a plan. However, just as his lips parted, his brows furrowed.

"Ahhh!!!!"

All soldiers in the area raised their swords at the group, approaching them with such vigor. The group stopped as soon as they saw the glints of the swords flashing toward them.

"And who... are these people?" Heliot squinted his eyes, assessing the group of ten people with weapons in their hands. "From the looks of it, they didn't look like they were undead."

Law furrowed his brows, studying the people. The men that suddenly appeared in the picture looked worn out. However, their physiques were quite good. Anyone could tell they had the physique of warriors.

"These people..." Rufus also narrowed his eyes, wondering where he had seen these men. "You!" the man leading the small group pointed his ax in their direction. "I don't know who you people are, but if you are working under the orders of the mad king, I'm warning you not to cross this place! Moreover, hand over those innocent victims if you wish not to shed blood." "..." Law studied the haggard men. It was hard to take the man's warning seriously, seeing that they looked so exhausted they could barely catch their breath.

"Ah." Rufus rocked his head as he finally figured out who these men were. "Weren't you with Claude?"

"Huh?" The men blinked, confused. They moved their attention in Rufus's direction, and the moment their eyes landed on him, their eyes brightened up. "You! You're here!"

Rufus didn't dwell on the warriors as he faced Heliot. "They were warriors of the Coliseum whom Claude saved. Though I am not sure why they were here, shouting their lungs out, they'd be a helpful addition to whatever plan you came up with!"

"I was having some trouble deciding a certain matter, but it seemed it's been resolved even before I can address it. Heliot glanced at the worn-out warriors, while the newcomers cocked their heads to the side.

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