Chapter 196: Unbelievable (Part 1)

  When Rodhart heard that the Empress had become a vampire and was being threatened by the new Cardinal, his face had become unspeakably ugly. Fury, shock, pain, sorrow... several expressions conflicted and tore at his face. Ethan even suspected his expression would fall apart from the excessive twitching of his facial muscles. He twitched and roared: "That guy... actually... actually..."

  Ethan, of course, knew about the relationship between Rodhart and the Empress, but he still told him this matter first. Because he knew that although this news was very hard to accept, it had to be told to him. Only after accepting these facts could one begin to deal with them.

  And he believed that Rodhart would definitely be able to withstand these blows. He knew that Rodhart had experienced more tragic, more sorrowful, and more helpless things than these, so even if he was agitated, he would eventually calm down on his own.

  Sure enough, after his face changed colors, Rodhart fell silent. After a good while, apart from a somewhat pale complexion, he had completely recovered his calm. He finally nodded and said: "I understand. But what do you plan to do now? Have you already told this matter to Lord Chancellor?"

  Ethan quickly shook his head: "This matter cannot be spread recklessly for now, otherwise the entire royal capital will fall into complete chaos. In fact, the most important thing now is that Necromancer who is a Cardinal. He is the root cause of everything. As long as he is dealt with, all difficult problems will be easily solved."

  "But I can't lead the people of the Paladin Order. I am only acting as the master's commander. As long as he uses his status as Bishop Ronis's successor, he can make it so the people of the Paladin Order cannot act against him... Moreover, I think the most crucial thing is that we cannot resolve this matter in the open. After all, he is a legitimate Cardinal personally appointed by His Majesty the current Pope. If we say he is a member of the Necromancer Guild, no one except those of us who know the inside story would believe it..."

  "So now everything can only be done in secret... Don't worry. I just need you to lure him to a suitable place, and I will naturally have a way to deal with him."

  "But Chris... can she be cured? I remember that old gentleman at the Magic Academy has magic of divine skill, wouldn't he have a way?" Rodhart asked. His eyes and expression were full of anxiety, like a prisoner waiting for a final verdict.

  Ethan hesitated for a moment, answering evasively: "Right, maybe... it's possible..." He glanced at the expression on Rodhart's face. He really couldn't imagine how such a sincere expression would collapse under cruel reality.

  Rodhart seemed to understand something, and gave a wretched smile. Ethan had never seen such a wretched smile.

  In Diya Valley, the four Necromancers who had not yet left were discussing the letter that had been teleported.

  "I think this is a rare opportunity." Norbolin was the first to express.

  Another Necromancer, however, shook his head and said: "But this is clearly for a power struggle and benefits. For these things, we need the Necromancers to gather and act together. What's the difference between Diya Valley and a bandit's den?"

  Master Aiden did not speak, only glanced faintly at the acting guild master.

  Marquis pondered, looking at the letter in his hand. The few lines on it were a request for help. Such letters were extremely rare in the history of Diya Valley. Those who could join Diya Valley were people who could stand at the top of this world, and those who could stand so high were all incredibly shrewd in terms of depth of thought, scheming, and ability. They were like felines of many years, deliberately maintaining a certain distance from each other. They would use and cooperate with each other, but would not take actions like asking for help, which was almost like showing weakness and putting oneself in another's debt.

  And now this letter was not just a request for help, but also briefly and concisely described the benefits and gains after this operation. No matter what everyone thought, in the elegant Diya Valley, to brazenly mention benefits and gains like a politician or a businessman indeed felt a bit out of place. Fortunately, Teacher Valthor, who was most repulsed by such things, had already left.

  Although it did seem a bit out of place, what was written in the letter was indeed related to Diya Valley's plans, and not every guild member was like Teacher Valthor, who could be completely unmoved by benefits. And at such a delicate time, the opinion of the acting guild master was undoubtedly the most important.

  "This letter is indeed a bit excessive. I apologize for my son's words in this letter." Marquis gracefully bowed to the other three members. "However, at the same time, I want to remind everyone that what is written above is indeed the truth. I will not express an opinion on this operation, nor will I personally participate. Please, you three, decide for yourselves whether to help him."

  "I'll go help him." The fair and fat Norbolin raised his hand. The nature of a magic merchant seemed to have made him sense that there was profit to be had here.

  Master Aiden said faintly: "I can go too, but if he can gain control of the Magic Academy, I want him to help me send that bitch Adelaide back to the Tower of Fangs."

  Marquis replied faintly: "That is a matter between you and him, Master Aiden. But I think since you are helping him, he will naturally remember your kindness."

  Master Aiden did not answer, only nodded.

  "Forget it, since you two are both acting, it's not good for me to put on airs." The remaining Necromancer also sighed and nodded.

  "But, Inham, are you really not going to act? Although we all understand you don't want to be suspected of favoritism, this is not a small matter."

  Marquis shook his head and smiled: "No, because there are more important things waiting for me..."

  One day later, three or four hundred li south of the royal capital of Ainfast.

  This was the temporary lodging palace of the Ainfast Emperor Grafenhardt XVII, temporarily built by local officials. Although it was simple, His Majesty the Emperor himself was not so particular, after all, he had not originally intended to go on a tour.

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  Although His Majesty the Emperor might not be considered a good emperor, he was by no means a bad one. At least he understood very well that he was not cut out to be an emperor, so he had always consciously followed the arrangements of those around him.

  Grafenhardt XVII was very unwilling to leave the seriously ill Empress and go on this tour alone. If it had not been the joint intention of the Empress's sister, Lord Chancellor, and Commander Roland, he would never have left the Empress unattended. Especially since Her Majesty the Empress's illness was very serious. Although he also knew that perhaps, compared to the Empress's illness, whether the new Cardinal could regain control of the Magic Academy was more important to the country, in his own mind, there was truly nothing more important than the Empress.

  During these days away from the capital, he sent people back every day to inquire about the Empress's condition. Finally, one day, along with the news of the Cardinal's arrival, there was also the news that he had actually cured the Empress's illness. This made Grafenhardt overjoyed. He even wanted to rush back to the capital and hand over the Magic Academy to this Cardinal on a silver platter, but that was just an impulse. He himself knew that when it came to matters of state, Lord Chancellor Mrak and Commander Roland were a hundred times more capable than him, and the loyalty of these two was absolutely unquestionable. Not necessarily loyalty to him, but loyalty to this country.

  "How is it? Is the Empress's body getting better?" Grafenhardt XVII asked.

  The guard who had just rushed back from the capital on a fast horse knelt below and answered: "Her Majesty the Empress's body is now recovering day by day, her complexion has completely returned to normal. Except for eating very little, Lord Cardinal says she has already fully recovered."

  "Then what about the vampire matter?" When His Majesty the Emperor asked this question, his face turned a bit pale. He had already made up his mind that if this matter showed any trend of developing in a worse direction, he would, no matter what, rush back to the capital with Commander Roland.

  "Reporting to Your Majesty, regarding the vampire matter, it has been confirmed to be just an ordinary murder case. Bishop Javi led the priests of the Magic Academy to later examine the body carefully and confirmed that it was actually murdered with a sharp weapon, and then forged to look like traces of a vampire's blood-sucking. Commander Rodhart of the Imperial Guard is under orders to investigate the murderer."

  "Good, good, good... The person from Celeste is truly extraordinary. It seems this Cardinal is truly remarkable..." The Emperor sighed and let out a long breath of relief. This was undoubtedly the most gratifying news he had heard these days. "It seems I should go back and thank this Cardinal properly." The Emperor looked at Commander Roland as if asking for his opinion.

  Commander Roland at his side, however, shook his head: "At a time like this, Your Majesty, it's better not to be in a hurry to go back."

  The Emperor sighed helplessly and could only nod again.

  In fact, Commander Roland also wanted to sigh. He hadn't expected that this Cardinal's arrival would be so timely. He had coincidentally cured the Empress's strange illness and also seemed to have resolved a false alarm. And the higher the reputation of this new bishop, the more troublesome it was for them.

  The Magic Academy could absolutely not be handed back to Celeste. This was not only about upholding Bishop Ronis's consistent stance but also about the vital interests of the Ainfast Empire. Therefore, they had to prevent the Emperor from contacting this bishop to avoid revealing any flaws, let Lord Chancellor and the high priests deal with him, and strive to make him retreat in the face of difficulties in the shortest possible time. But he didn't know what was going on in the capital. These days, news favorable to that Cardinal kept coming instead. It seemed they would have to continue staying outside for a while longer.

  In fact, perhaps they could use some extreme measures... After all, Celeste was now busy dealing with Oufu. Commander Roland impatiently and unconsciously felt a trace of killing intent arise in his heart.

  But he immediately became alert, because this was clearly not a reasonable solution. Then he immediately felt it was strange, because he knew very well that he was not a person who was easily agitated or reckless. This thought seemed to have come without any reason. This strangeness was immediately followed by extreme vigilance, and his hand had already moved to the hilt of the sword at his waist.

  To make an expert unconsciously feel killing intent, it could only be the killing intent emitted by another person. And this was not the kind of ferocious, aggressive, and overt killing aura, but another kind that was more plain, more gentle, more subtle, yet more like a silent, soaking rain that seeps into the bone marrow. Someone with such killing intent could not be a warrior, nor an assassin, but only a magic caster.

  "On guard." Roland shouted coldly. The surrounding Paladin Order members all drew their weapons. Since the vampire incident that occurred more than a year ago, those guarding the Emperor were no longer just ordinary guards, but a small squad of Paladin Order members.

  "What's wrong?" His Majesty the Emperor in the center was still dazed and unaware of the reason.

  It was very quiet outside the lodging palace. This palace was originally built by a rather quiet and elegant lakeside. But the other guards and human voices outside had disappeared without anyone noticing. It wasn't just human voices; even the expected birdsong and chirping of insects had disappeared. Only this terrifying silence and a faint killing intent, seemingly mixed with the air, remained.

  An incomparably sharp sword light suddenly shot out diagonally from the main hall of the lodging palace, and then this not-so-large house slowly split into two sections from the middle. The indoors and outdoors instantly became one, and the surrounding situation was completely clear at a glance.

  In the middle of the lake, someone was already standing. This person just stood on the surface of the water. The surrounding wind and birds were all gone, and even the lake surface under their feet was as calm as a mirror, a dead mirror.

  All the guards and others who were originally standing outside were now lying quietly on the ground, as if asleep. But it was clear that this was not real sleep, because no one would sleep until the skin all over their body turned a deathly pale.

  The person standing in the center of the lake was entirely within a large mage's robe, with only the lower half of their face exposed, while the upper half of their face was a bright silver skull mask. This mask didn't look particularly ferocious; it might not even scare a child. But the eyes of Commander Roland and the other members who saw this mask all narrowed, because they were not children, and they knew what this mask represented.

  The mage in the lake remained motionless like a statue, only the pair of eyes beneath the silver skull mask looked towards Roland's group.

  There was no dazzling light in these eyes, and they were rather turbid. Moreover, at such a distance, many people couldn't even see the eyes, but everyone had a feeling, knowing that this magic caster was watching them.

  A person can certainly look at a group of people, but to watch or gaze can only be directed at one person, as everyone knows. Yet, the Emperor and the surrounding guards all felt that this distant magic caster was watching them. That gaze and those eyes, though no trace could be seen, could be clearly felt. It was a kind of intuitive touch. Everyone felt a sense of weakness and helplessness begin to spread from their bodies. This feeling came very strangely, as if it was spreading unknowingly from within their own bodies, yet it was also constantly devouring the vitality in every inch of their flesh with an imperceptible sensation.

  "In the name of the Lord, purify all the impurities of this world." A priest recited the prayer in a deep voice, and the light of White Magic emanated from around his body. This strange feeling immediately disappeared from everyone's bodies.

  A White Magic caster who could become a member of the Paladin Order, in terms of strength, could absolutely rank within the top twenty of the Magic Academy. But this priest's face was still extremely ugly. He turned his head and said to Roland: "Commander, this is a dual erosion of Soul Magic and dark magic. My defense can only barely resist it. This cannot go on."

  Roland took a long breath and drew his sword.

  The sword was no more than three feet long, but his current distance from the mage in the lake was at least three hundred feet. But even so, he still drew his sword. To be able to strike from such a distance, Roland was absolutely the only one on the continent. Even Lancelot, known as the number one person on the continent, in terms of pure swordsmanship, probably could not be stronger than him.

  And this strike was also absolutely the only one of its kind on the continent, a strike capable of hitting a target three hundred feet away. An incomparably sharp white light shot towards the mage in the lake with this slash of the sword.

  The mage in the lake still did not move, only the water before him suddenly rose, becoming a thick wall of water. The white light struck the water wall with a huge roar, and the splashing lakewater created a downpour over the area.

  "Escort His Majesty, retreat." Roland's face was ashen. Releasing sword qi externally was extremely draining of physical strength, and at such a distance, he understood it would have no effect on such an enemy. Most importantly, he understood that since the opponent had made a move, they must be confident.

  Sure enough, an extremely dull sound of breaking wind came from the sky. Everyone looked up and saw four huge statues falling from the sky.

  With a huge roar, the ground shook. The four statues landed on the ground simultaneously. These were four iron-cast statues, a full five meters tall. Their carefully polished huge bodies were covered in magical runes, and their joints were made to be movable. One could tell at a glance that these were not ordinary statues, but magical constructs, golems.

  Any golem was an extremely expensive thing to create. It could be said that these things were almost equivalent to a pile of silver coins of similar volume and weight. And especially these steel golems were even more troublesome and costly to make than casting them directly from silver coins. Of course, compared to their huge cost, their immense combat power and difficult-to-damage bodies were also a nightmare for ordinary soldiers. And a magic caster who could deploy four such things at once was not numerous on the continent.

  Pies don't fall from the sky, and naturally, it's even more impossible for golems to fall from the sky. Dozens of bat-like figures were circling overhead; it was they who had thrown these things down. To be able to transport these fellows weighing over ten thousand jin to this place, the difficulty of dealing with these flying things was self-evident.

  But Roland's concerns were not just about these things. He could see that there were two figures on the backs of those black shadows. Although he couldn't see them clearly, he knew that those two people must also be wearing the silver skull masks.