Soon, a crowd gathered, eager to ask Jennifer what had happened. Naturally, Rudolph did not interfere in the affairs of the castle. Jennifer instructed a maid to lead the way, and Rudolph and Yvonne followed her into the knight's study.

  It was a spacious room, about 30 square meters in size. A heavy wooden desk stood in the center, while a set of sofas was placed by the window. Three rows of bookshelves lined the walls, filled with books of varying thickness.

  The maid said, "Please wait here. Miss Jennifer will return shortly."

  "Alright," Rudolph replied, then asked, "May I look at these books?"

  The maid nodded. "Of course. Sir Jacques often boasted about his collection to guests. You are free to browse them."

  She then left the study, returning soon after with tea for Rudolph and Yvonne.

  From outside, the deep, heavy chimes of the castle’s bell echoed—a sound reserved for major announcements. One toll after another rang through the air, casting a somber atmosphere over the estate. The people of the castle, upon hearing the continuous chimes, gathered in the courtyard.

  Rudolph stood by the window for a while, observing the unfolding events. Jennifer stood on a raised platform, waiting for everyone to assemble. It was a moment of grief—not only had Jennifer’s father and brothers perished, but all the knights who had accompanied them had also fallen in battle. These knights were local recruits, men who had little hope of becoming squires. They had expected to serve under the knight until retirement, after which they would live as farmers or stewards on his land.

  With the steward by her side, Jennifer solemnly announced the tragic news. The knights had families, and soon, the courtyard was filled with cries of sorrow.

  Rudolph admired Jennifer’s courage. Compared to dying in battle against werewolves, facing the grieving families of the fallen required even greater bravery. Yvonne, unable to bear witnessing such a scene, kept her head lowered, focusing on the steam rising from her tea.

  As the arrangements for compensation would take time, Rudolph had no interest in watching further. He walked over to the bookshelves, looking for something to pass the time.

  One book’s spine immediately caught his attention—"An Overview of Heretical Apostles." He took it from the shelf.

  The title alone was quite ambitious. Upon opening it, Rudolph found that it truly was just an overview—very brief and lacking depth. Surprisingly, it was written on parchment, which suggested its age. Given the thickness of parchment, the book couldn't contain much information, and its ancient nature hinted that it had been written long ago.

  Rudolph skimmed through it. Each type of heretical apostle was described in just one or two pages, providing little useful information. This book was merely part of the knight’s public collection and wouldn’t contain any truly classified knowledge.

  As he turned the pages, he noticed that the book started with knights, broadly introducing the abilities of twelve types of apostles. The first chapter was dedicated to knights.

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  From the tone of the text, Rudolph guessed that this book had been written by one of Jennifer’s ancestors. The author had slipped in quite a bit of personal opinion alongside factual descriptions. In fact, a full five pages of precious parchment were dedicated solely to praising knights:

  "Every swing of a knight’s sword is a step toward perfecting the physique."

  "Every knightly code exists to showcase the nobility and chivalry of knights."

  "Every gaze of a knight is meant to let ladies feel their grace and elegance."

  The book was clearly very old. It even expressed concerns about alchemists, stating that, in the author’s time, alchemists boldly declared their pursuit of truth, walking fearlessly to the stake. This ideology baffled and frightened nobles and knights alike.

  Rudolph raised an eyebrow—he had finally reached the section on wizards.

  "From the very moment of their existence, wizards have been linked to the most wicked of words. Just look at what they study!"

  "Thirty-six possible locations where knights may develop relics…"

  "Whether the Knight’s Sword is the most powerful wizard artifact for a knight…"

  "Notorious, despised by all—wizards must die!"

  "Every vile curse should be placed upon wizards, for they deserve nothing less."

  Throughout history, countless punishments had been devised for dealing with wizards—burnings, needle tests, cold-water trials. Wizards were cunning, constantly disguising themselves as ordinary people or even as other apostles, hiding among society. This deception led to the rise of "witch hunters," a profession requiring vast experience.

  Yet, human nature is wretched.

  Shockingly, wizards always managed to find those who craved their dark arts. Even among apostles, there were traitors—people who harbored wizards. The magical artifacts created by wizards were highly sought after, either for power or survival. For some influential figures, this made wizards invaluable.

  "Curse those high-ranking figures who secretly raise wizards! The best fate for them is to be turned into magical artifacts by their own wizards. In fact, this has happened more than once."

  "If a king suddenly vanishes, there’s no need for speculation—nine times out of ten, he has been turned into a crown or a so-called ‘Royal Sword’ by his wizard."

  "How many Royal Swords exist in this world? At least six that I have heard of. Each one holds the remains of a different king—isn’t that ironic?"

  Rudolph was stunned—so wizards had such a method of survival? Becoming magical artifact makers for the elite?

  Thinking about it, it wasn’t surprising. Powerful figures would indeed have such needs. Still, Rudolph decided it was best never to be captured by such a "great figure." If a wizard was too skilled, they might turn their employer into an artifact. If they weren’t skilled enough, their employer would skin them alive and burn them at the stake.

  "I hope my descendants will be wary of wizards. In their lands, all wizards must be eradicated."

  "My grandfather’s cousin’s son-in-law’s brother’s family was once the greatest knightly house in Fabbro City. That family produced nine knights, two second-tier knights, and one third-tier knight. Yet, despite their prestige, they were completely wiped out by a single wizard overnight."

  "I have seen the ruins of their castle—every crack in the stone walls ran with the noble blood of knights. Back then, the black market in Fabbro was flooded with knightly swords, all thanks to that wizard."

  "Can you imagine? The sacred first-tier knight swords were being sold for the price of a dozen vials of wolfsbane poison. Such disrespect!"

  "Even worse, second-tier knight swords didn’t drop in price at all. That damn wizard must have been targeting me! I had to borrow a great deal of money just to buy one second-tier knight sword. As for the third-tier knight sword—who knows who bought it?"

  "That said, wielding a knight sword truly brings a staggering boost in power."

  Rudolph pondered for a moment. It seemed that Jennifer’s family’s second-tier knight sword had likely been lost over time. Otherwise, Sir Jacques wouldn’t have died so easily.