Chapter 237

Dylan continued to speak, sometimes hiccuping as he recounted the events in fragments. As the group of beggars scattered, Rafael happened to see a child beggar who looked remarkably like Carissa's nephew, Ryan. The child beggar limped and moved slowly. When Rafael tried to approach him, a cart suddenly appeared and crashed into several people.

While helping others after the crash, Rafael glanced at the limping child. A burly man quickly picked him up and loaded him onto a horse-drawn cart. Instinctively, Rafael called out, "Ryan!"

The child beggar's head jerked up, and he stared at Rafael in disbelief. Rafael immediately tried to pursue, but the same cart that had crashed earlier rushed toward him, blocking his path and knocking several people down. Rafael leaped over the obstacles and finally reached the horse-drawn cart, only to find both the burly man and the child beggar gone.

The streets of Greenbrook County were crowded and tangled with alleys, so Rafael had no way of knowing which direction they had gone. He had only brought Dylan with him, and the latter was preoccupied with holding the thief. Dylan had no idea whom Rafael was pursuing and stood there confused, waiting for the prince to return.

Unable to catch the burly man and child beggar, Rafael interrogated the thief Dylan had captured, who was also dressed as a beggar. The thief was mute and illiterate, providing no useful information. Rafael handed him over to the authorities. The county chief, upon learning of the Hell Monarch's involvement, personally came to meet him. When asked about the beggars and the thief, the county chief shook his head and sighed.

"These beggars have been in Greenbrook for a long time. Some beg for alms, while others engage in theft. They are controlled by someone behind the scenes. Despite several attempts, we haven't been able to catch those behind them. It's not just Greenbrook—several other prefectures have the same problem. The beggars are mostly rendered mute by poison, and some have had their legs broken. We can't determine their origins or send them back to their hometowns, so they are temporarily housed in the county's community hall. However, as soon as they are placed there, they escape. For instance, the thief you caught today has already been imprisoned two or three times for theft."

Furious, Rafael demanded to know how the county chief could fail to capture those behind the operation. Unable to hide the truth any longer, the county chief admitted that these beggars were members of the Beggar Guild. Each knew martial arts, and government officials had sustained many injuries trying to eradicate them. Over time, they simply gave up.

Rafael reprimanded the county chief for neglecting his duty, then remained in Greenbrook to continue the search. He also sent a message to the Pathfinders Guild, asking Carissa's master to contact the Beggar Guild's leader.

Eventually, the Beggar Guild intervened, revealing that these individuals were not true members but were using the guild's name to steal and beg. They were then required to hand over all stolen goods and alms to their leaders.

Dylan reported, "His Highness managed to track them to Eldoria, where he finally found the child beggar. But the child beggar had been rendered mute by poison and had a limp. When asked if his name was Ryan Sinclair, he neither nodded nor shook his head and remained extremely wary. He tried to escape multiple times. When His Highness attempted to take him, the child beggar either harmed himself by banging his head against the wall or bit His Highness. Given the long journey back to the capital, His Highness feared for the child's safety, so he asked you to go to him instead."

Carissa listened to Dylan, her heart pounding, her mind reeling. She shook her head in disbelief. "It's impossible," she whispered. It couldn't be Ryan. His body had been mutilated beyond recognition, his head severed… Ryan was dead! The memory of that scene surged within her, causing intense pain. She refused to believe it, she couldn't accept this false hope. However, she ordered someone to immediately fetch Lightning, her horse. She needed to depart for Eldoria at once.