The Wizarding World's Forbidden Book Administrator

Chapter 19 Dog Tag

The castle in front of me looked gloomy and oppressive, and compared to Goring Castle, it seemed even more dwarfed.

However, I heard that the castle's owner was only an earl, while Natalie Lanes' father was a duke, so comparing this castle to Goring Castle seems a bit unfair.

Goringburg is magnificent, with clean white walls and towering towers, but my mother said Red Castle is even more beautiful.

Red Castle is located in the Forest of Capello, the hometown of her mother, which Natalie has never been to.

My mother said that apart from the outer walls being made of huge stones, all the houses inside Red Hill Fort were built with red trees, so you could smell the fragrance of trees everywhere.

However, these memories seem to be a distant past for Natalie.

Right now, she's just an unwanted tomboy being led by a stubborn knight to a home that no longer belongs to her.

Fortunately, Natalie found a clue about her mother.

Natalie deduced that the faceless corpse in the stream was related to her mother, as no one else could have cut the face so completely.

Natalie found another thin metal plate with writing on it next to the body. Bourne said it was called a "dog tag" and it recorded the soldier's identity.

So Natalie tracked them down here using the dog tag because she knew that her mother must have cut off her face to impersonate the other person.

If her mother is still here, Natalie must find her.

At first, Bourne was reluctant to stay in the city, but Natalie persuaded him.

Natalie's request to dye her hair is a reasonable one, as she has already been noticed for her unusual hair color on several occasions.

Dyeing your hair costs money, and even if you buy hair dye to do it yourself, it's not cheap.

But Byrne had been searching for the mother and daughter for three years, and had long since spent all his money. Now he was destitute.

If we dye Natalie's hair, we won't have enough money for our journey.

Besides, he also needs a sword; walking on a deserted road empty-handed is hardly reassuring.

Bourne compromised and stayed in the city to work and earn money for the time being.

Hmph, persuading people with reason is exactly what the mermaid excels at.

For the past two weeks, Natalie has been wandering around in front of this ugly castle every day.

She naturally couldn't recognize her mother disguised as a soldier, but her mother would certainly recognize her.

As long as her mother sees her, she will definitely approach her out of concern, and that way, the mother and daughter can be reunited.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as she wished.

It was getting late, and even in the city, the night was still dangerous, so Natalie returned to the hotel.

Bourne worked very late today and hasn't come back yet.

Natalie didn't wait for him and ordered dinner by herself.

She ordered eight ounces of bread, a serving of steamed sea bass, and a bowl of pea soup, for a total of fifty-three copper coins.

The food here is average in taste, but the portions are generous.

For some reason, Natalie's appetite has become very large recently. She used to not be able to finish even half of a meal, but now she can swallow it all in one go.

The hotel lobby was always lively, with people drinking and chatting, while Natalie enjoyed listening to jokes.

It would be even better if we could hear music.

Natalie had heard her father say that in lively places, there were always bards and singers who would write poems and songs about events and perform them to entertain everyone.

But Natalie had never seen them. On one occasion, Natalie even asked them, but the people in the bar were terrified of the word "singer."

Huh? Is it impolite to ask the singer directly?

The older sister, wearing an apron, brought dinner to Natalie, who immediately began tearing the bread into small, easy-to-eat pieces.

Just then, two soldiers walked into the hall.

At dinner time, soldiers inevitably frequented the food stalls.

At this time of day, Byrne would always urge Natalie to eat quickly and get out of the soldiers' sight as soon as possible.

However, the meal had only just been served, so Natalie had to remain seated.

To make matters worse, the seat opposite Natalie was empty, so the two soldiers sat down.

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense, and the chatter gradually subsided.

The pea soup was a bit too salty for Natalie, but it was perfect for dipping bread in.

The two soldiers started chatting.

"Damn it, it's been almost a month and we still haven't caught that singer."

"Yes, the city is under martial law every day, but it's us soldiers who are suffering."

"I don't understand, Your Excellency, why would you be with a lowly singer..."

Shh~ Don't say things you shouldn't!

"What are you afraid of? The Earl is sending his daughter to marry the King. Our words won't reach his ears."

Natalie finally understood why people were reluctant to even talk about "singers".

I also understand that steamed fish is really fishy, ​​tsk, I'll leave the other half for Bourne.

The soldiers' conversation continued.

"Perhaps the lady and that singer are no longer in the city."

"Oh? How so?"

"With someone's help, it wouldn't have been difficult for them to escape the city, and I heard that after they disappeared, one of the soldiers also went missing."

Upon hearing this, Natalie suddenly looked up.

Natalie had no interest in the scumbag affairs of this lady.

However, if it's a message from a soldier, it's likely related to his mother.

If her mother were truly still among the soldiers, she would have seen her long ago and would not have failed to come and acknowledge Natalie.

But Natalie didn't see her mother again, and now she heard that a soldier had gone missing, so she suspected that the missing soldier must be her mother in disguise.

But why did her mother give up her soldier's status? Natalie didn't think her mother was the kind of person who would support eloping...

"Get married..." Natalie murmured to herself... "Yes, that's it!"

The mother set out for revenge, and revenge required getting close to the king.

The count here is sending his daughter to marry the king. If we can blend into the procession, wouldn't we be able to get close to the king?

Natalie concluded that her mother had already left, and she had no reason to stay any longer.

She planned to discuss it with Bourne that evening and leave as soon as possible.

However, when Natalie came to her senses, she found that the two soldiers opposite her were staring at her with suspicious eyes.

Oh no, it must be her overreaction that aroused their suspicion.

The soldier asked her, "Hey kid, do you know something?"

Natalie quickly shook her head.

"I've seen that kid!" another soldier jumped to his feet. "He's always loitering outside the castle, acting suspiciously. I've seen him several times!"

There was still a third of the bread left, but Natalie didn't care anymore.

She dropped the food and fled the table.

However, the hotel exit was in the direction of the soldiers, and they grabbed Natalie with just one step forward.

Natalie's resistance was futile, and the hotel guests dared not help her. Natalie was forced to the ground and searched.

"This is it!" The soldier found the dog tag that Natalie had picked up.

"That's right, it definitely belongs to that missing soldier! That kid is definitely suspicious!"

They took out ropes, intending to tie Natalie up and take her somewhere.

"Hey! What are you doing!"

As the rough voice rang out, a man covered in filth came into view.

It's Bourne!

He immediately went to Natalie and shielded her behind him:

"What are you going to do to my son?"

"He is suspected of assisting the Earl in tracking down a criminal who escaped; we need to take him back for investigation."

Bourne said, "We've only been in town a short time, and the case you're investigating has nothing to do with us."

"Whether it matters or not is up to us. Do you want to resist?" With that, the soldier drew his sword.

Seeing this, another soldier also drew his sword.

The atmosphere in the hotel lobby plummeted to freezing point; everyone held their breath, and the only sound was the thunderous beating of their own hearts.

Bourne paused for a moment, seemingly analyzing the current situation, before finally saying:

"I'm taking my son with me, but don't touch him."

With that, Bourne picked Natalie up.

They were sandwiched between two soldiers with drawn swords as they walked along the cobblestone path. Natalie recognized that the direction they were heading led to the castle.

Suddenly, Bourne whispered in Natalie's ear, "Miss, can you still walk?"

Natalie nodded: "Yes, they didn't tie my feet."

"I'll put you down in a bit, then you immediately find a corner to squat down."

"good……"

Natalie understood that Bourne intended to make a move.

They cannot be caught; once their identities are exposed, they will certainly face death.

The closest route to the castle involves passing through a narrow, sloping alley.

This place is remote and secluded, making it an ideal location to take action, so Natalie remained on high alert.

Suddenly, Bourne put Natalie down.

Natalie immediately did as instructed and squatted in the corner.

At the same time, he secretly glanced behind him out of the corner of his eye.

Bourne grabbed a handful of dust from the ground and threw it behind him to obscure the view of the soldiers behind him.

He then rushed forward, attempting to snap the other man's neck with his bare hands.

Unfortunately, the opponent's full-face helmet was too thick, and Bourne could only twist it by a very small amount, which was not enough to cause any damage.

At that moment, a soldier behind Bourne also swung his sword forward.

Did it hit the target?

From Natalie's perspective, this sword is quite perplexing; it's estimated that the "Sprinkle Ash" move had some effect.

However, Natalie couldn't tell whether she had actually hit Bourne.

Bourne rolled and dodged to a relatively safe position.

His hand suddenly touched something, so he immediately grabbed it and held it in his hand.

It was a wooden stick.

He gripped the wooden stick with both hands as if it were a greatsword.

Natalie saw Bourne's right hand suddenly relax, then his fingers twirl around, and the instant he gripped the stick again, Bourne suddenly shot forward.

Immediately, Natalie saw a light.

It wasn't just a feeling; she truly saw a dim blue light shine at the tip of the stick as Bourne thrust it out.

The wooden stick pierced precisely through the "T"-shaped opening in the helmet and into the soldier's head.

The soldier's body relaxed instantly, and Bourne stepped forward again, seizing the soldier's weapon.

At that moment, another soldier attacked, and Bourne blocked it with his sword at the last second.

Bourne kicked, but failed to penetrate the plate armor's defenses.

So he jumped back a step to create distance.

The soldier pursued, raising his sword to slash downwards. Bourne parried again with his sword, simultaneously slipping under the soldier's arm and circling behind him.

Full-face helmets restricted soldiers' vision, while plate armor made them move cumbersomely and slowly.

The soldier swung his sword horizontally as he turned, but his pattern seemed to have been anticipated by Bourne.

Bourne crouched down, and in the instant the soldier turned around, he aimed at the gap between the helmet and the collar, and plunged his sword into the man's chin.

Blood flowed freely from the blood groove, and the second soldier's death rose bloomed in the night.

Bourne pulled the sword from the flesh and stared, panting, at the sharp edge of the metal.

He reached out and pulled Natalie, who was huddled in the corner, to her feet, cut the ropes for her, and then casually tossed the sword aside.

Natalie flexed her hands, which were aching from the rope: "Bourne, that stick was glowing just now!"

“That’s martial arts, miss. It’s nothing special for a knight,” Byrne said. “If I couldn’t have that level of skill, I wouldn’t be your father’s most trusted subordinate.”

But my father still died, Natalie thought.

"What do we do now?"

"We can't handle the body, and there are too many witnesses in the hotel. We must leave this city immediately."

"But we haven't picked up our luggage yet."

Byrne shook his head: "It's too late, Miss. We could be discovered at any moment. Every second counts!"

"A sword?" Natalie pointed to the soldier's weapon.

"The sword is engraved with the emblem of hills. Carrying it will likely get us stopped at the city gate; the risk is too great. Alright, Miss, let's go!"

Natalie nodded, and the two set off.

Leaving the city went smoothly; the city gate guards only asked a few ordinary questions before letting the two of them out.

Byrne gripped Natalie's hand tightly, and Natalie felt a little pain, but this time she didn't say anything.

The two then saw a horse-drawn carriage and paid the driver to give them a ride.

They didn't ask each other's destination; right now, their priority was to get away from the city.

The two lay in the truck, and Byrne covered Natalie with the truck's tarpaulin, whispering:

"Alright, Miss, that's all settled. Go get some sleep."

Natalie nodded and closed her eyes.

The carriage was swaying, but Natalie quickly fell asleep.

Perhaps she was too tired, or perhaps she benefited from the previous sea voyage?

As dawn broke, Natalie had already woken up.

Perhaps it was because of the heavy rain that had lasted for several days not long ago that Natalie felt the air was fresh and humid.

It was as if she had returned to the library.

She likes to get up early and watch the sun rise over the sea from the library's rooftop.

She was usually alone; her mother would make breakfast for everyone after she got up, but the curator was a lazybones.

Only Henry would occasionally keep her company.

Henry was taciturn and didn't like to talk about himself, but Natalie could tell that Henry loved the ocean.

Henry wouldn't find her annoying only when they were looking at the sea.

Now that her mother is gone, and she is leaving with her, Natalie couldn't help but wonder, would Henry go to see the sea alone?

However, with the curator by my side and Bourne protecting me, Natalie managed a smile. It wasn't what she had hoped for, but at least she wouldn't be too lonely.

"Coo coo..."

Natalie's stomach growled.

Honestly, I get hungry way too fast lately.

Natalie shook Bourne, saying he should at least have some iron wheat cakes to eat.

However, Bourne did not respond.

Natalie then noticed that Bourne was pale and breathing weakly.

She frowned. "Bourne?"

Bourne seemed not to hear.

Natalie quickly stopped the merchant and asked him to come and help.

The two of them worked together to flip Bourne over.

"May God protect you..."

The merchant exclaimed in surprise, and Natalie's eyes widened as well.

A pool of blood had accumulated in the corner of the truck, and the ripped flesh on Bourne's back was conspicuous and horrifying.

A sword wound, running from the left shoulder to the right waist...