Chapter 563

Odalys retrieved disinfectant and medicine from her canvas bag. After treating Percival's wound, she carefully bandaged it.

Percival sat on the ground, watching her lower her head and carefully tend to his wounds. His eyes sparkled as if he weren't the one injured.

Odalys looked up, meeting Percival's amused brown eyes. "How could you still smile?" she asked.

Percival laughed softly and reached out to smooth her hair. "My Odalys is amazing."

In the past, Odalys felt nothing when others praised her. Now, being praised by Percival, her heart skipped a beat.

"Try to see if you can stand up," Odalys said. "I applied a numbing medicine. You won't feel pain, but the anesthesia will wear off in two hours, and it will definitely hurt then."

Percival got up and found his leg numb. He moved freely, feeling no pain.

"It really doesn't hurt," Percival said.

Odalys hurriedly pulled him aside, staring intently at the pit. "Something is wrong with this place." Initially, she thought it was a hunting pit, but that seemed incorrect.

"Why do you say that?" Percival asked.

From the outside, it appeared to be a hunting trap.

Odalys explained, "Orientation is important. This location was to stabilize the river embankment. The embankment was washed away after this hole was dug. And look at the wooden stakes above. They're arranged like a sacred magic zone. But there are sharp steel piles on the edge, like piercing a person's heart. Someone deliberately tried to destroy the local energy field by building an artificial lake or driving piles in a critical location. The energy field was completely destroyed."

Percival listened silently. He'd heard that someone built a lake in the heart of an energy field near a queen's tomb, disrupting the royal family's energy field.

"This flood was caused by human actions," Odalys said coldly.

A man's panting voice came from nearby. Orson ran over, flushed, seeing the two standing there.

Orson was furious. "Percival, how could you do that? You came back for Odalys after sending me away! Do you think I'm a coward afraid of death? We grew up together. You sent me away to drive back alone. If something happened, were you planning to die with Odalys?"

When Percival drove away, Orson was stunned. Unexpectedly, Percival drove to a safe location, threw the car keys to Orson, and said, "You go back by yourself." Then Percival got out and hurried back.

Orson was shocked. He made arrangements and returned, only to find the flood had uprooted trees and covered the ground in mud. Percival and Odalys stood there, seemingly on a date.

"Stop!" Odalys said sharply.

Orson startled, quickly retracting his outstretched foot. Following her gaze, his face turned pale. He had lingering fears looking at the wooden stakes. If he'd taken two more steps, he might have fallen. "Back up," Odalys said. Orson hurriedly backed up.

They stood there, staring at the pit.

"The Bennetts did this," Odalys said. Her words stirred up a maelstrom of emotions. "Windsor did this. His aura could be felt."

Percival's brown eyes narrowed. He made a phone call. "I just had someone look into it," he said to Odalys after a while. "Surveillance cameras show Windsor drove here alone this morning when Hannah and Sophia caused trouble for you. His image was captured nearby. My men found he asked farmers for a shovel, steel bars, and a knife. This is the footage of him walking towards the woods with those items."

Odalys didn't expect her guess to be correct.

"We might suspect him, but there are no cameras here, so it's hard to prove it. Besides, is he insane? Digging such a pit could kill someone," Odalys said.

"Hunting traps are usually set in large forests. Why did he make this one in such a confined area?" Orson muttered.

Thinking of Windsor, Orson wanted to curse.

Odalys said, "Someone instructed him to dig this pit to destroy the energy field. Once the flood hit, many people would be killed or injured, and houses washed away. Crownridge would be in chaos, and no one would pay attention to the Bennett family's actions. Oliver wanted to attack Francis last night, but I thwarted his plans. He must hate me. If the flood broke out and people died, there would be rumors that I'd been playing God in Crownridge, angering Poseidon and causing the riverbank to collapse. Public opinion would destroy me. I might have a clear conscience, but others might not think the same. People who gossip are easily swayed by emotions. They don't care about the truth. They'll use it for cyberbullying."

This was the unfortunate reality of the developed network. Many people didn't want to find the truth but simply followed popular opinion.

"They caused this to target me, trying to destroy me to divert attention from the Bennett family. It seems the Bennett family is planning something," Odalys said.

Percival listened quietly.

"Previously, you led Oliver and Brandon to the Bennett Villa so they would fight. Although they faced backlash, they remained. Now that Windsor has made a move, he probably reached an agreement with them," Percival said. Their target was Odalys.

"I'm just worried they won't make a move," Odalys said.

Sirens wailed in the distance. Police and firefighters rushed over and found that although the surroundings were washed away, the damage was minimal due to low water flow. They found the collapsed location was supported by a single wooden stake.

Everyone was stunned, unable to believe their eyes. A single wooden stake held back the water.

"Take care of it," Percival said to Odalys.

Before leaving, Percival signaled Orson to escort Odalys back to the car to avoid accidents, while he went to negotiate with the police.