SWNOVELS Chapter 14
Chapter 14
But his persona was a far cry from the great general she held in her mind.
It seemed to matter little
She’d never actually met the Sixth Master Blackthorn, so how could she know what kind of person he was?
“I am… the apprentice of Sixth Master Blackthorn, dubbed Sixth Young Master!” Markus finally spat out.
What a curveball!
Abigail was dumbstruck.
Apprentice?
The Sixth Young Master?
Abigail was on edge thinking he was the Sixth Master Blackthorn, and then he claims to be mèrely his apprentice, the Sixth Young Master?
For a moment, she was convinced she had met the real Sixth Master.
She thought she was so lucky.
“What’s wrong, you don’t believe me?” Markus asked with sincerity written all over his face.
Well…
Abigail tried to clear her head. She was having a hard time believing him.
“To my knowledge, the Sixth Master Blackthorn doesn’t have an apprentice!”
Markus chuckled, “According to your knowledge, how much do you really know about Colonel Blackthorn?”
Hearing this, Abigail found herself nodding.
The name Sixth Master Blackthorn was known far and wide, almost impossible not to know.
But how much did the common folk truly know about him?
In reality, very few could claim to know him.
Speaking for Abigail, all she knew were his exploits.
“There you have it. I’m truly the apprentice of the Sixth Master Blackthorn, no doubt about it! My confinement in Greenvale Mental Institution, that’s because of the battle a year ago, Markus asserted, not missing a beat.
With this, Abigail found herself somewhat convinced.
Although the Battle of Snowscale Pass ended in a victory over the Primordia Army.
The intensity and ferocity of it were beyond description.
That battle had left a trail of blood and tears for miles.
Field Marshal Aurelius had fallen!
Three of Aurelius’s six adopted children had perished!
The Brigadier General Sixth Master Blackthorn, lost without a trace.
Of the two hundred thousand soldiers of the Legio Aquila Commandery and Legio Fenricus Commandery, less than a fifth survived.
Yet, rumor had it that the Battle of Snowscale Pass should not have ended in such a fashion.
The Field Marshal and his three adopted children should not have fallen in battle.
The tragic conclusion came about due to a catastrophic blunder in the strategic playbook.
Given this, the Eribourne’s cabinet would undoubtedly call for accountability once the dust had settled from the war.
The demise of Field Marshal Aurelius necessitated a justified explanation to the people.
Thus, hauling a bunch of Northern Boundaries’s generals to the Greenvale Mental Institution for a grilling made sense…
As Markus Blackthorn was an apprentice of the Sixth Master Blackthorn, it was only natural that he was counted among the
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Chapter 14
generals of the Northern Boundaries.
However, since he’d been let off the hook, it suggested that the horrific battle at Snowscale Pass had zilch to do with him. This revelation allowed Abigail to breathe a sigh of relief.
Possibly because Markus was not the celebrated Brigadier General Sixth Master Blackthorn, it meant that the unsullied image of the Brigadier General in her mind was still intact.
The Sixth Master Blackthorn, a natural-born Brigadier General, shouldn’t resemble a libertine like Markus.
In her books, the Brigadier General Sixth Master Blackthorn should be a noble hero, bearing the weight of the nation and its people on his shoulders.
“Alright, I believe that you’re the Sixth Master Blackthorn’s apprentice! Can I inquire about the current whereabouts of the Brigadier General? He’s been MIA for a year,” Abigail asked earnestly.
“Given that it’s one of the highest state secrets of Sinoval, do you think I can spill the beans?” Markus countered.
Abigail expressed regret, accepting that it was within reason.
The location of the Brigadier General was, indeed, a top-secret matter of national security.
Sensibly, Abigail didn’t push the topic.
She then rose to turn off the recording device, saying, “I’ll scrub the first part of our conversation. No one will know what we talked about subsequently.”
Feigning surprise, Markus asked, “What, are we going to delve into the serious business of human lineage continuity next?”
A slight twitch crossed Abigail’s cheek, but she appeared immune to Markus’s smooth talk and didn’t respond.
‘According to protocol, we need two on-duty officers present during an interrogation! Therefore, from the get-go, I didn’t plan to grill you! I have a handle on everything that transpired at Insatiable Bar today. Morally speaking, you did no wrong! However, from the perspective of Sinoval’s law, you’ve overstepped your boundaries. Nonetheless… I can let it slide.”
She sank back into her chair.
“The flipside of that coin is that I can hold you accountable,” Markus could naturally understand the underlying meaning. and cut to the chase, “Spill it, what do you want me to do?”
Abigail didn’t beat around the bush, “I need you to dismantle the Montague Crime Family, at the very least, obliterate Angelo Montague and his son!”
The Montague Crime Family has been a thorn in Riverside City’s side for a cool thirty years now. They’ve held the city’s underbelly in an iron grip for three generations. To think you’d peg me to help wipe out the Montague Crime Family? That’s a feather in my cap! Moreover, isn’t this within the City Watch’s remit? What’s it got to do with me?”
Abigail, righteous as ever, retorted, “You’re a people of Riverside, that makes it your business! Moreover, our dear Sixth Master Blackthorn is hell-bent on bettering the lives of the people of Sinoval. As his apprentice, you wouldn’t just sit on your hands while crime runs rampant, would you?”
Once she was certain that Markus was the apprentice of the Brigadier General, she knew the Montague Crime Family wouldn’t dare lay a finger on him.
His very presence gave her hope in the fight against the Montague Crime Family.
“Mar… Master determined to be hell-bent on bettering the lives of the people of Sinoval? You’re pulling my leg, right? He’s got that kind of lofty ambition?” Markus chuckled.
He’d never heard of any grand ambitions harbored by the esteemed Sixth Master Blackthorn of the Northern Boundaries.
“Everyone in the Sinoval knows.”
Markus waved off the comment, unimpressed, “Just because it’s common knowledge doesn’t mean it’s gospel truth. I’ll have you know he’s just an ordinary person content with a cushy life. Don’t paint him as some messiah. However… you’ve piqued my interest! The City Watch you represent is the arm of Sinoval’s law enforcement. If you’re not the protective umbrella of the Montague Crime Family, taking them down shouldn’t be an uphill battle.
“I refuse to believe, with all their wrongdoings, you can’t rustle up some evidence?”
Abigail fell silent for a beat, then lifted her gaze, “And if the Montague Crime Family’s protective umbrella is held higher than the City Watch?”
That left Markus quiet.
In the past, during his Riverside days, he’d been too far down the ladder to see the top rungs. He’d been out of touch.
Then he was transferred to the Legio Fenricus Commandery, seven years in the Northern Boundaries, which also kept him. in the dark about who was pulling strings behind the Montague Crime Family.
But right now, the puzzle pieces started to click into place.
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The Montague Crime Family’s reign in Riverside City for nearly thirty years wasn’t without reason.
At this point, Abigail started up again.
“In the past, the Montague Crime Family wasn’t so bad. The older generation, while they had their snouts in the trough, still played by some unspoken rules, and didn’t lose their moral compass. But with the rise of the young blood, there were no lines they wouldn’t cross. Riverside City has been turned upside down, its people bullied into silence by those who dare not speak out!
“Given that Sebastian blew the whistle, I’m naturally hip to Pablo’s scheme to muscle into the Leaky Goblet. This kind of strong-arm tactic is as old as dirt.
“I can almost hear you wondering why those downtrodden souls didn’t call the police, didn’t turn to the City Watch for justice. I’ll give it to you straight, it’s no use! The City Watch can step in and deal with the members of the Montague Crime Family, but it isn’t some small-time gang you can dismantle by netting a few minnows. It’s a hydra with a thousand heads.
“Take Sebastian as an example. He dropped a dime today because of the trouble at the Leaky Goblet, and tomorrow, a fresh crop of the Montague Crime Family’s goons will be baying for blood!
“The Montague Crime Family is lawless incarnate!
“Markus, you’re a soldier, how can you sit idly by while such gross injustice festers in our society?”
Crash!
Just then, a police officer barged in clumsily.
Abigail was fit to be tied. She’d been in the middle of a grand soliloquy, creating an atmosphere that had just gone up in
smoke.
“What is it?”
The cop was babbling, “Chief, there’s a girl, Emily Thompson, from the Astral Residences district over in the west end of the city. She took a leap off her balcony!”