"Sir, we haven't found Lyndon, but we found these two people sneaking around outside the King's residence. They want to have an audience with His Majesty, but they refuse to tell us why, so we decided to bring them to you," the guard said while pushing the two men forward.
"I'm Kelvin Andrews, the commander of the guards and the son of Jerry Andrews, His Majesty's trusted advisor. Why do you wish to see His Majesty? Explain yourselves!" Kelvin questioned the two commoners who were dressed simply.
The two men exchanged glances before kneeling in front of Kelvin.
"Please stand up for us, Mr. Andrews!" the men cried out tearfully.
"What happened? You can tell me," Kelvin said with faux agreeableness.
"We're from Panville. A few days ago, a man came to our community. He said he was going to Filren to assassinate their king and needed a place to stay, so we took him in. But he turned out to be a cold-blooded killer instead!"
The two men paused and started wailing.
Kelvin figured out what was happening. He deduced that the two men were talking about Jethro.
"That murderer killed a few people in Panville and beheaded them. He also forbade us from reporting this to anyone."
Kelvin had a look of realization. Jethro was trying to trick them all. If this got out, Jethro would be dead meat.
Either way, Kelvin didn't care what the truth was. All he knew was that he had something to use against Jethro now.
"To think that such a deplorable person is roaming free in Diatoran! Rest assured, you two. I'll find a way to locate this man and punish him! Guards, tend to these two men. I'll meet His Majesty and report this to him right away," Kelvin said with a smile.
"Thank you, Mr. Andrews!"
The two men thought they had found a righteous official who would seek justice on their behalf. Alas, they had no idea they were entering the lion's den.
…
Avon had never met Jethro before. When he shook hands with Jethro, there was a brief trace of unease in his eyes.
Jerry picked up on that.
"Mr. Dunn, what did you do to His Majesty? His Majesty no longer responds to my commands," Jerry questioned Avon.
"I told you, Mr. Andrews. His Majesty is too frail right now. If you try to use witchcraft on him, his body will crumble apart!" Avon explained.
Jerry and Jethro both sported thoughtful looks.
Just then, Avon heard a barely audible whisper.
"Morse code."
It was something everyone in the army learned during their basic training, and Avon was well-versed in it as well.
He knew Caspian had something to tell him.
"I'm not familiar with witchcraft, Mr. Andrews. Let me check on His Majesty again," Avon said before sitting down on the edge of the bed.
He placed the fingers of his right hand on Caspian's wrist.
Using internal force, Caspian controlled his pulse and used it to convey a coded message.
"Have you found a solution yet?"
Avon tapped out his response. "No."
Caspian gave him another coded message. "I have the pill with the cursed bug under my tongue. Find a chance to get it out and study it."
"Got it."
Avon was thrilled by the news, but he didn't waste any time on unnecessary comments.
The pill with the cursed bug was precisely what he needed.
Meanwhile, Jerry and Jethro both felt apprehensive as they watched Avon, who had his eyes closed.
Balthazar was Jerry's trump card. If anything happened to Balthazar, Jerry wouldn't be able to continue having an iron grip on Diatoran.
All of a sudden, Avon gave Caspian a pat on the back.
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