Chapter 142: Bard Wendell’s Intelligence

There was little doubt now—the cultist’s identity had been uncovered.

Bard Wendell, former Wolf General of the Typhon Empire, son of a duke who once held a brilliant position and an immeasurable future.

Yet here he was, defeated by Gawain as a fifth-level fallen druid, and in the end, even losing an arm to a grenade blast.

What on earth had happened in between?

Discovering such a massive scandal involving a high-ranking figure from a neighboring country—now effectively an enemy state—was certainly a valuable find. But at this moment, Gawain was more curious about the incredible life journey that had brought Bard Wendell to this point. Such a drastic transformation couldn’t be explained by mere ups and downs in life; it was more like a series of catastrophic falls. He couldn’t help but ask the agent before him, “I’m not very familiar with the current nobility of other countries. What do you know about Bard Wendell and his family? Can you tell me as much as you can?”

“Silvermyst Treasury isn’t a dedicated intelligence agency,” Melita nodded slightly. “What we know is limited to publicly available information that doesn’t involve secrets. Bard Wendell was the only son of Duke Pedinan Wendell. He was exceptionally talented and diligent, and a devout follower of the war god Kael. From a young age, he received elite noble education and was trained in the doctrines of the War God’s faith. At ten years old, he displayed a spiritual gift from Kael—after his conversion, he quickly rose to become a powerful divine knight, his strength nearing the upper echelons. Among Typhon’s younger generation, he was the most outstanding supernatural.”

“Stop,” Gawain interrupted. “So his supernatural class was Divine Knight?”

“Exactly—that’s what the outside world believed, and I think this information is reliable.”

“When I fought him, he only displayed strong swordsmanship skills. There wasn’t a trace of Kael’s divine power on him,” Gawain said seriously. “All his supernatural abilities were druidic magic. I’m certain of that.”

“Perhaps some reason caused him to lose Kael’s protection,” Melita speculated. “That might be why he turned to the cult.”

“Enough. Continue—earlier you mentioned Bard disappeared over a decade ago. What happened?”

Melita nodded. “After passing Kael’s trials and tests, Bard Wendell officially inherited the family title of ‘Wolf General’ from his father and was promoted by the Typhon Emperor to Knight Lord, becoming one of the high-ranking commanders of the Empire’s knight order. But he held that position for only a year. During a routine standoff on the Ansu-Typhon border, he and an elite knight squad were sent out to scout beyond the city. In broad daylight, they entered a thick fog—and vanished along with it. Three days later, a few deranged knights were found wandering the wilderness, but Bard Wendell and the rest of the elite knights remain missing to this day.”

Melita added casually, “In recent years, relations between Typhon and Ansu have worsened, and Bard Wendell’s disappearance greatly intensified this trend. Typhon accused Ansu of using dark magic to assassinate their commander, while Ansu claimed it was a staged farce by Typhon to justify troop reinforcements. This nearly sparked a war, but at the worst moment, Duke Pedinan Wendell himself declared his son’s disappearance had nothing to do with Ansu, preventing the outbreak of war.”

Gawain lightly pinched his chin. “Pedinan Wendell? Was he an anti-war advocate?”

“No, quite the opposite. Before that, he was a key military minister of Typhon and a staunch proponent of war. He helped the emperor implement several military reforms. So when the old duke suddenly stepped forward to stop the war, it shocked many. Afterward, he shifted from a pro-war stance to a neutral one—still pushing military reforms but repeatedly delaying border operations citing ‘immature timing.’ Though later events proved his judgment correct, his change of heart sparked much speculation.”

Gawain exhaled slowly, rubbing his brow in thought.

A once-bright rising star, a devout and powerful ‘Wolf General’ vanished during a simple military mission. Over a decade missing, he suddenly reappears in some godforsaken corner of southern Ansu—not only stripped of his divine knight powers but reduced to a fifth-level fallen druid. Meanwhile, the formerly hawkish duke, after losing his son, neither pursued the ‘suspected culprits’ nor stirred trouble; instead, he repeatedly prevented war. What was the connection between these events? Did the duke’s transformation stem from some knowledge he gained?

For a devout divine knight to betray his faith—and to the point of joining a heretical cult of another religion—was no simple matter. Suddenly, a thought struck Gawain: Could Bard Wendell have learned the truth that “the gods are dead”?

Among all the intelligence he had, only this could explain the staggering change in Bard’s life.

His mind raced further: If learning the truth caused Bard to abandon his faith, did that also mean his divine powers vanished for the same reason?

Is divine magic dependent solely on maintaining faith in a god?

Is it just a “cheap” supernatural ability granted by believing in some deity watching over you?

But such immense power must have a source…

After circling around the question, Gawain realized he had returned to the very problem that had troubled him recently:

If the gods are truly dead, then what exactly are the objects of worship for those priests and believers who still receive divine power through prayer and ritual?

“Your Grace?” Melita finally spoke, noticing Gawain had been silent for a long moment. “Are you listening?”

Gawain snapped back to attention, rubbing his temples. “Does Bard Wendell have any children?”

“Before his disappearance, he left behind a young daughter, Andersa Wendell. Over the years, she has grown up, and the Wendell bloodline’s influence shows in her: her swordsmanship rivals her father’s,” Melita said calmly. “Andersa has been appointed Knight Lord by the Typhon Emperor and commands a detachment within the Imperial Knights. This is likely a form of compensation. She’s doing well in her role, and the public believes that with one or two battle achievements, Andersa Wendell will inherit the ‘Wolf General’ title and become the next head of the Wendell family.”

“That reckless youth’s self-bestowed title has truly become a family honor,” Gawain mused, shaking his head. Then he asked, “So Andersa Wendell, like her father, follows the war god Kael and is a divine knight?”

“No, that’s the interesting part—she became a supernatural knight through orthodox knight training and magical cultivation. Duke Pedinan forbade Andersa from converting to any religion, so the young commander remains faithless.”

“Indeed, that is interesting…” Gawain repeated thoughtfully. “Very interesting…”

Melita smiled faintly. “Your Grace, that’s all the information I can provide. Have you thought of anything?”

“A few things, but it’s all jumbled. God knows how a once-promising divine knight could fall so far as to become a hopeless fallen druid,” Gawain sighed. Facing Melita, whom he didn’t know well, he withheld the earth-shattering secrets he possessed. “Thank you for the intelligence. Without you, I might never have guessed the cultist’s identity would be so… bizarre.”

“So, will you spread this news?” Melita’s eyes curved slightly above her veil. “That the cultist of the All-Things-Perish sect operating in Ansu is actually a former Typhon noble—this secret is worth more than a few gold coins…”

“No,” Gawain shook his head. “It’s pointless now. The news is too strange and negative; no one would believe it. Besides, the two countries are on the brink of war. At a time when insults fly freely, if an Ansu citizen starts talking about Typhon nobility’s dark past, who would take it seriously?”

Just then, Amber leapt out from the nearby shadows. “Even if the Ansu and Typhon people don’t take it seriously, it could still make the cultists nervous—such an important secret exposed…”

Gawain looked at the half-elf and chuckled. “You’re overthinking it. They’ve already thrown their lot in as cultists. Do you think they care about a little reputation loss? Do you mind being called a thief?”

Amber glared. “I do! I’ve cleared my name, okay? I’m the chief guard beside the duke!”

Gawain: “…Can you just play it straight once in a while?!”

Melita watched their usual bickering with curiosity but politely refrained from joining in. Taking advantage of their pause, she asked, “Your Grace, do you have any more questions?”

“Yes,” Gawain replied immediately. “The Silvermyst Treasury must hold many treasures, right?”

“Of course. There’s a saying: under any circumstances, the Silvermyst Treasury holds half the world’s treasures. It’s precisely because we safeguard such vast wealth that the big players entrust us with their valuables…”

Gawain cut her off, “Do you have anything in the treasury that can be sold?”

Melita hesitated briefly, then smiled. “Certainly. Some treasures lose their owners, some rare items go unnoticed. We’re happy to find them new owners—if the price is right.”

“How much for the Eternal Stone Tablet?”

(End of chapter)