“That’s enough.”
Field firmly clamped onto the hand Walter intended to strike Natalia with.
Her voice carried no trace of emotion, yet it possessed a majesty that was hard to resist.
Wearing her golden mask, Field left no way for anyone to discern her current expression.
Walter exerted force in his arm, trying to shake off Field’s grip.
To his shock, no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t break free by even half an inch.
The hand holding him was like an iron vice, pinning his wrist in mid-air, rendering him immobile.
To the onlookers, it appeared as though they were simply at a standstill without much effort being exerted by either side.
In reality, Field’s strength had completely suppressed Walter.
If Walter’s clothes had been a bit tighter or if he were wearing short sleeves, those around him would have immediately noticed the veins bulging in his arm.
The reason Field could completely overpower a man like Walter in terms of raw strength was thanks to her traits as a Magic Swordswoman.
She wasn’t a pure magic user; she was a combatant whose physical constitution enhanced far more than a typical mage as her level increased.
An ordinary person or a pure magic user stood no chance against her in a contest of strength.
Even within their Royal Magic Academy, Field’s current physical stats and power were likely second only to Liyakade, who possessed the Demon Bloodline.
“Let go.”
Walter glared coldly at Field.
Having reached this point, how could he possibly back down so easily?
Since he couldn’t break free through strength, he demanded she release him.
“If I let go, will you back off and stay out of this?”
Field didn’t release him immediately.
Instead, she countered with a question while increasing the pressure of her grip.
“That is, if you don’t want to make a fool of yourself here.”
Walter’s eyes narrowed.
He could feel Field’s vice-like palm slowly contracting, and a sharp pain radiated from his wrist.
Looking at Field’s effortless, composed demeanor, Walter’s heart tightened.
He realized this was far from the limit of her strength.
Her words weren’t a joke; if he continued to be overbearing, she really would crush his wrist right here.
“I agree. You can let go now.”
Despite recognizing the crisis, Walter didn’t show much panic.
His tone softened considerably as he indicated he would stop beating the two men.
Once the words were out, he felt the pressure on his wrist lighten.
Though Walter’s attitude was usually arrogant, he was quite perceptive when it came to judging pros and cons.
He could clearly feel that this masked person possessed strength far beyond his own and likely held a status higher than his.
Continuing his bravado would only result in his own ruin.
Since Field had provided him with a way out, he would be smart enough to take it.
Upon hearing Walter’s words and his sincere shift in tone, Field gently released his hand.
Walter kept his promise and stepped back.
The two men slumped on the ground looked at Field with eyes full of gratitude, even bowing their heads to her a couple of times.
However, while Walter agreed to stop beating them, he didn’t stay silent.
Of course, after witnessing Field’s power, his attitude had improved significantly.
“Master Feide, since you’ve stopped me, what is your view on this matter? Could you share your thoughts with everyone present?”
Walter’s sudden respectful tone surprised the crowd.
Those who knew him were aware he was a prominent noble in the Royal City with a very eccentric temper—prone to outbursts like the one just now.
Yet here he was, suddenly doing a complete reversal.
As for Field, though no one recognized her, they knew she was a noble of high standing.
Just a moment ago, many people wanted to cause trouble or interrogate the guards.
Walter had acted as the vanguard to voice those thoughts.
Now that he seemed to be standing on the same side as Field, those who wanted to stir up trouble fell silent.
“First, I believe this poisoning incident has nothing to do with the caravan.”
After Walter’s inquiry, all eyes focused on Field.
She didn’t rush to answer but remained silent for two seconds, ensuring everyone’s attention was centered on her before speaking unhurriedly to analyze the situation.
Upon hearing this, Graham, the caravan leader, finally felt the weight lift from his heart.
With Field’s statement, the criticism against the caravan would at least lessen, and he wouldn’t be under constant suspicion.
“On what basis do you say that, Master Feide?”
Walter continued to probe.
“Simple logic.”
Field glanced at Walter, then slowly scanned the crowd, holding up one finger.
“Point one: none of the water consumed yesterday had any issues. Therefore, the water the caravan initially prepared was absolutely fine.”
Field held up a second finger and continued.
“Point two: the caravan would not do something to destroy its own reputation. If the caravan stole from its own stock and poisoned the water, it would be ruining its own brand. If the culprit isn’t found, then just like right now, people will pin all responsibility on the caravan. This would result in massive losses to both their reputation and finances.”
“No matter the reason for creating chaos, it is a thankless task for the caravan—all harm and no benefit. Unless there is a truly precious item or a vital objective involved, the probability of the caravan poisoning itself is extremely low.”
“Furthermore, check your goods, wealth, or treasures. Is anything missing? Are any of your companions gone?”
Field stopped talking, leaving time for the others to process.
The people in the crowd looked at one another.
When the chaos first broke out, those who were sober had immediately checked their belongings.
It was exactly as Field said: there were no losses of treasures or companions.
No one stepped forward.
This scene made Vidar, hiding in the crowd, grit his teeth in rage.
He had been secretly pleased when Walter stepped up to cause trouble.
As long as Walter muddied the waters, Vidar could stay hidden.
But with Field’s intervention, for some unknown reason, Walter had suddenly backed down.
And now, not a single person jumped out to say they had lost something.
Even someone standing up just to scam the caravan for money would have been fine!
That way, Vidar could have joined in and claimed he lost something too.
If only one person claimed a loss, it would have low credibility and invite suspicion.
Perhaps it was Walter’s previous aggression combined with Field’s majesty that made the others afraid to lie.
Even if they could scam some money, they didn’t dare; if Walter found out they were lying, they might face a brutal beating.
“Master Feide, your logic is indeed sound, but I have one question.”
After hearing Field’s explanation, Walter found it very convincing, but he thought of another possibility.
“What if the caravan expected people to think that way, and so they did the opposite to throw us off?”
Yes, such a possibility existed.
The caravan could have known Field’s logic was the standard expectation and used reverse psychology to poison the water, creating chaos while minimizing suspicion.
But would anyone truly dare to use such reverse psychology?
“Heh.”
Field let out a light chuckle and looked at Walter.
“Walter, was it? You’re right; such a possibility does exist.”
“Then how do you rule it out?”
“Let me ask you: what is the likelihood of such a thing happening?”
Facing Walter’s question, Field didn’t answer directly but countered with her own.
“…In my view, the probability is very small,” Walter replied after a moment of thought.
“Exactly. Very few people have the courage or the resolve to make such a reverse-logic decision. The possibility is negligible. So, in the absence of much information or evidence, why are you so obsessed with a low-probability event that is almost impossible?”
The crowd found Field’s words very sensible.
Being so arbitrary without evidence was indeed too reckless.
Furthermore, prioritizing a low-probability event was time-consuming and exhausting.
It was better to rule out other possibilities first.
“I understand. I apologize for my previous recklessness, Master Feide.”
Walter bowed slightly to Field, then asked, “What about these two guards? Do we just let them go?”
“Of course not.”
Field waved her hand.
These guards had failed to perform their duty of protecting the water source, so they naturally had to be punished.
Field had no objection to that.
“They failed their job, so they must be punished. However, not now, and not through private punishment. What we need to do now is find the culprit and look after the others who were poisoned, rather than venting our anger on them.”
“Mhm, you have a point.”
Walter nodded.
After this conversation, he didn’t just acknowledge Field’s physical strength; he also respected her in other aspects.
“Master Graham.”
With that, Field called the caravan leader over.
“I’m here, Master Feide.”
“Send the remaining guards to look after the poisoned individuals. Carefully inventory the goods to see if anything is missing. If any other symptoms appear, report to me immediately.”
“Yes, Master Feide!”
Unknowingly, Field had become the core of the group.
This change made Vidar seethe.
Not only had he failed to make Field drink the water laced with Purple Thunder Fragrant Grass, but he had also failed to cause major chaos.
Now, Field had even become the commander of the caravan.
Vidar was so angry he was about to snap.
Under Field’s direction, everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.
The poisoned victims were still in a state of confusion, while the remaining people took care of them.
The caravan’s journey came to a halt.
“Natalia, can your cross purify these toxins?”
Field went with Natalia to search the carriage containing the water source.
While looking for clues, Field suddenly questioned Natalia.
Field had also drunk the water earlier and had become delirious until Alice used the Light Element to snap her out of it and purify the toxins in her body.
Thus, Field wanted to know if Natalia could purify the toxins or the water.
Natalia shook her head and replied to Field.
“Master Feide, the Light Element that the cross can convert is very minimal. It’s barely enough to purify the toxins in one person, let alone an entire polluted water source. And… I don’t know if the Light Element can even purify this specific toxin. Perhaps you should ask Lady Alice?”
“I see…”
Field mused for a moment.
Alice really was fundamentally different from other members of the Church.
Whether in her understanding or application of the Light Element, Alice far surpassed them.
“Actually, I drank the water just now and fell into a state of confusion.”
Natalia was shocked.
If the Princess had been poisoned under her guard and something further had happened, Natalia would never have forgiven herself.
But then she realized that since Field was standing here talking to her, it meant Field had found a way to resolve the toxin.
“Then how did you…? Was it because of Lady Alice?”
“Mhm.”
Field nodded in confirmation.
Then, she dipped a finger into the water source and tasted it.
It felt no different from ordinary water; she had no idea what kind of poison had been used.
“So, the Light Element should be able to purify these toxins. For now, we can’t seem to identify what the toxin in the water is. To find out, we’d have to go to a nearby town, but it seems we have a new problem.”
“What is it?” Natalia asked, puzzled.
“The water supply, of course.”
Field furrowed her brows.
She pulled out the map she had been studying in the carriage earlier and pointed out the markings to Natalia.
According to the map, the next water replenishment point was a long distance away.
Without a water source, the caravan wouldn’t be able to continue.
“…That is indeed a major problem.”
Natalia realized the gravity of the situation.
“So, I’m thinking about whether to have Alice try to purify the water source so the caravan can at least keep moving.”