The second Street Parkour Contest—also known as "Operation Hunt Batman"—unfortunately couldn't last very long before the torrential downpour forced it to pause.
After all, no one could keep moving for long in weather this brutal. Rainwater flooded into armor, iron boots turned heavy, the pounding sheets of rain slapped against faces, and anything beyond ten yards became a smeared blur.
And so Batman's fourth season came to an end.
But compared to the first three, this one's impact ran far deeper. It happened in the afternoon, with far more witnesses. And there he was, high above the crowd, shamelessly putting himself on display—something the conservative-minded naturally deemed wicked beyond measure, while those with livelier hearts found themselves strangely moved.
That arrogance—throwing off restraints, calling out to freedom—paired with the classic line, "You're right, but I refuse!" turned "Batman" into a memory stamped onto a generation. His influence was spreading, known by more and more.
...
And just as the hunt for Batman ended in rain, the most serious crime of the past few years—the Vivaldi Bank Heist—also reached its conclusion.
The Scoia'tael escaped in full through a sewer route.
By the time the city guards outside realized something was wrong and stormed the bank, it was too late to stop them. They chased into the sewers, only for the downpour to force a filthy backflow through the tunnels—sewage surging up hard enough that several guards died in the chaos.
Forty-three hostages.
All thirteen women survived.
Every man was beheaded by the Scoia'tael.
The bank lost most of its gold reserves, and since Golan Vivaldi had already been stripped of his authority to manage it, under the principles of financial protection Temeria still had to compensate the Vivaldi family for half the loss.
An atrocity of this scale had to have someone to carry the blame—
the king's wrath.
...
On the second floor of the temporary command post, in the room that held the bard—and the same room where Batman had appeared—Keira Metz, royal advisor to the crown, slowly gathered back the scattered ripples of magic she'd released, her expression thoughtful.
A few of Thaler's men were still inside, searching the scene.
"Huh! There's a key to the handcuffs in the toilet?"
"That's odd. The cuffs and shackles were taken, but the key was left behind."
Keira frowned. Something about this stank. She quietly filed it away, then strode downstairs with her head held high.
Stopping outside the command room, she heard Lily Knight Roderick speaking within:
"...Reporting to you all—regrettably, our operation to capture Batman failed due to the heavy rain. The palace guard knights will shoulder full responsibility.
"And Her Highness Adda, exhausted and soaked through, has returned to the palace to bathe and rest. She won't be coming here today."
Keira arched a brow.
She slipped away neatly. With Adda absent, the final responsibility for the bank heist would slide off her shoulders by more than half.
Did that little slut think of this the moment she jumped out the window to chase him? Or—just like Triss said—was she a sly vixen, disguised as a capricious bitch?
"I understand. Anything else to add, Roderick?" Velerad's voice was low and even, giving away no anger.
The Lily Knight bowed deeply and said nothing. Velerad was no mere figurehead—anyone who could stand as King Foltest's right hand had real skill, and Roderick didn't dare slight him.
Keira pushed the door open and walked in.
Five men's gazes gathered on her.
Unfazed, she met each pair of eyes in turn—Velerad, the Lily Knight, the Rose Knight, Captain Vincent—until her attention landed on Director Thaler, and she burst into rude laughter.
Because the state of the King's Eyes right now—why, even nobles who hated him to the bone, who usually acted as if he didn't exist, would be willing to pause and offer a couple words of comfort.
Both of Thaler's eyes were blackened. His nose had been smashed by a punch. Six hits in total—three of them straight to the face. This Dark Knight clearly understood the art of beating someone where it shows first.
Keira suddenly wanted to meet this Batman. Everyone who'd seen him said his muscles were enticing—but honestly, how black his hands were was even more interesting than his biceps.
"My dear Lady Keira," Velerad said with a smile even as he spoke, "don't be in such a hurry to mock our esteemed spymaster. Tell us the result first."
To beat the King's Eyes into a pair of dark bruises without leaving permanent damage—this Dark Knight had made it entertaining, measuring the line perfectly. Anyone who loathed Thaler would find it delightful.
Besides the king and the Blue Stripes, there wasn't a soul in this country who liked the intelligence service. Thaler was long accustomed to the hostility, so he simply echoed Velerad's words in his thick, nasal voice.
"Lady Keira. What did you find?"
"What your magic surveillance detected was my magic," the sorceress said proudly. "No one cast spells in that room today except me. Vizima's Batman is not a spellcaster."
At that answer, the five men all loosened their breath at once. Not being a spellcaster was good—far fewer complications.
Ever since the Thanedd Island incident, the loyalty and management of mages had become a sensitive matter. Anything involving them was never small. The king always took special notice.
"Thank you, Lady Keira," Velerad said. "In that case, we return to our earlier topic—Batman's wanted notice?"
The Lily Knight spoke up. "Her Highness's stance is that Batman should be left to the palace guard knights. The lily insignia needs more training to shine again, and capturing him is our road to washing away this shame.
"Besides, given his habit of masked crime, a public warrant is meaningless. We don't even know his face—posting his outfit would only help spread his fame."
Velerad rubbed his bald head. "Then Batman is the Lily Knight's matter, and the palace guard knights'. If there's nothing else—dismissed."
"Wait," Thaler said, his voice still clogged from the beating that had ruined his dignity. "There is one more thing. I request a warrant for Victor Corion. That bard used the chaos of Batman's appearance to flee and vanish without a trace.
"As for the Vivaldi Bank Heist, I believe he is a key figure. I ask you all to assist the King's Eyes in pursuing him across all of Temeria."
The atmosphere in the command room turned strange.
After a brief silence, Rose Knight Siegfried spoke first.
"The Order of the Flaming Rose will not issue a warrant for Victor. You have proven nothing about these accusations, not once. I would even say... he left because he feared your continued slander."
With that, he turned, opened the door, and left.
The Rose Knight's reaction was exactly what Thaler expected. What he wanted was support from either the burgomaster of Vizima or the captain of the city guard—if either one backed him, a nationwide manhunt would become feasible.
But Vincent shook his head. "With me, he's always been a law-abiding citizen. He says the right things, does the right things. I don't believe he's a criminal."
He nodded to Velerad—his stance was also a report to his superior.
Thaler's heart sank.
Then Velerad spoke. "If he were in your hands today, interrogate him however you please. But since he's gone, then let him be gone. I don't care—and I won't issue a warrant for him."
With that, the burgomaster left first, Vincent following him out of the command room.
The Lily Knight let out a soft chuckle and went after them, leaving behind only a single sentence.
"Princess Adda just invited him to perform."
In the blink of an eye, the lavish room held only Thaler and the sorceress.
Keira smiled sweetly and shook her head at the intelligence chief. "An excellent observer and interrogator—but your political common sense is failing grade.
"You actually asked Velerad to tell the citizens that the dragon-blooded bard King Foltest personally welcomed a few days ago is an accomplice to bandits. You're a comedian."
She opened a portal with a spell.
"Though then again—if you understood politics, you'd probably have been executed by the king long ago."
With a thunderous snap, the portal closed, and Keira returned to her steaming bath where rose petals drifted on the surface.
In the temporary command room, the hearthfire still burned bright.
But Thaler felt nothing but ice in his chest.
//Check out my P@tre0n for 30 extra chapters //[email protected]/Razeil0810.