Chapter 274: Calculating

“This is your fault, my lord,” Entos said. “Should a problem arise, we should try to find a solution as fast as possible. Denial will not only not solve the problem, it will worsen it.”

Entos’s tone was gentle, but his words made Slanbrea feel frustrated. For him, Entos’s attitude was very irritating. He narrowed his eyes and was about to say something when Saul took a step forward and said, “Do you have a solution, Entos?”

“Yes,” Entos said, bowing. “As you know, Master Saul, I always enjoy discussing topics relating to humanity and our existence. It is easy to understand a normal man, but it is the stubborn ones that are interesting. Their minds shift and change, filled with contradictions and foolishness. These are the minds I love. Therefore…” Entos grinned and turned his gaze to Slanbrea.

“When will you start being serious?” Saul frowned and interrupted Entos. He knew that the young man wanted to take this opportunity and humiliate the Church of Light, but his words may cause strife between him and one of the most powerful men in the world. Saul was a righteous man, and he knew what was appropriate to say under what circumstances. Even if he did make Slanbrea his enemy, he would not humiliate him, either.

“You are always right, Mast Saul,” Entos said, smirking.

Slanbrea realized who Entos was after hearing him refer to Saul as master. Of course, Saul’s student was already infamous. When he was dealing with the nobility of Ellisen Empire, Slanbrea had heard several times that a real archmage should not have a student like Entos. Entos’s words were infuriating, but Slanbrea chose to ignore them. He did not have the power to remove the Divine Punishment spell, and the only way out was to ask the pope.

“Tell me about your plan,” Saul said.

“Divine Punishment is a hard spell, my lord. The success rate is low enough, but combined with the rigid requirements, it is almost impossible for most of the population to endure this spell. If a person is a commoner, the strength of the angel would decrease significantly. If the power of a person is too great, the person may overpower the angel. An angel in spirit form cannot do whatever it wants. Powerful men like yourselves would be dangerous to these angels.”

“Get to the point,” Saul snapped. He never lost his patience with his students, but Entos was an exception. He knew Entos too well. When he was with others, Entos would act his age, but when he was with Saul, he would act like a child. Saul knew he had to be stern with him.

“It’s easy. The angel’s form is contained in the Scepter of Light. You can banish the angel if you destroy the Scepter.”

Slanbrea frowned at Entos’s comment. There should less than five people who knew the Scepter’s secret, and they were all leaders within the Church. Slanbrea could not fathom who had spilled the secret. Slanbrea wished he could simply kill Entos and keep this secret, but Saul was present, and his hands were tied.

Before Maho Empire and Ellisen Empire went to war, many thought Saul was no match for Newyoheim. Even the pope chose to simply observe. Yolanthe was too stubborn and had rejected the Church’s advancement. Ellisen Empire was much more open in comparison. The pope had favored Ellisen Empire from the beginning, but he did not choose a side. In the end, Saul shocked everyone by defeating Newyoheim. This showed how much he had grown, even though Saul did not care about politics and his rank.

The nations had came to a truce because of the return of the necromancers. The nations felt the need to band together against a common threat. Moreover, this was to prevent Yolanthe from further expanding his power.

“That should be easy,” Saul said quietly.

If Entos’s statement came as a shock, then Saul’s came as a blow to Slanbrea. The Scepter of Light was a holy artifice in the Church of Light, and what did it mean to destroy something regarded as holy by the religion with the most believers in the world? Wars, revenge, countless deaths. Was Saul really willing to take responsibility that would claim the lives of hundreds of thousands of people?

“It is easy,” a voice said as a figure stepped into the clearing. Ernest appeared through the light, his entire body covered with light, as if wearing an armor of light. He walked slowly and confidently, but was in front of Slanbrea within seconds.

“This is the Church’s holy artifice,” Slanbrea said, taking a step back. “I will not give it to you.”

“You can stay,” Ernest said. “I don’t mind.”

Slanbrea took a deep breath. He knew that Ernest had spent a lot of time with Saul lately, and he was the only one who dared to talk to Slanbrea this way. Slanbrea always knew that there was no way to reason with the brute. If Ernest wanted to do something, only death could stop him. Slanbrea stared at Saul, and finally said, “I hope you can calm down, Lord Saul.” He did not want to further excite Saul.

“Look who’s talking,” Entos said mockingly. “It’s not a situation where we should calm down. You are at fault here. One of our people is furious.”

Slanbrea felt his body growing cold, and turned his gaze to Bruzuryano. If words were losing their power, then the only thing he could do was to fight. However, the curse placed on him by the necromancers was still bugging him. The only way he could win was to enlist Bruzuryano’s help.

Bruzuryano had already transformed back into his human form. He lifted his head when he felt Slanbrea’s gaze, then lowered his eyes again and shook his head slightly. Everyone was selfish, and Bruzuryano was no exception. He had let Anfey borrow the Heart of Nature not only because he was good friends with Saul, but also because he needed connections. Everyone loves secrets, and even if they could not be the only one who knew the truth, they could at least share it. He was a religious leader as well, but the followers of Goddess of Nature tended to be more passive and would not seek glory the way followers of the Church of Light did. The two religions were examples of passiveness and aggressiveness when it came to their ways of life. A majority of Goddess of Nature’s followers resided in Maho Empire, more than followers of the Church. If Bruzuryano really helped Slanbrea now, he would make Saul his enemy, and he knew Yolanthe and Saul would not hesitate killing all those followers of Goddess of Nature.

Slanbrea was, of course, in the wrong. He had made the plan to lure out the necromancers using Saul’s students in order to make himself more famous and win glory for his church. He did not even wait to defeat the necromancers to put another plan into action. He kept everyone in the dark, as well. Slanbrea wanted to keep the secrets to himself, and did not treat Bruzuryano with the proper respect.

“Fine,” Slanbrea spat. He suddenly remembered what his teacher once told him, that he focused too much on creating plans to win himself glory and it would one day destroy him. He learned what would happen to someone who was not cunning. A cardinal who could use the ultimate forbidden spells without the help of the papal crown would surely be seen as a threat to the pope and his power. In the end, Slanbrea’s teacher was framed for crimes he did not commit and was incarcerated.

Who knew his words would one day come true? If he wasn’t so calculating, maybe everyone would walk away from the situation unscathed. Now it was too late. There were only two ways to end the effects of Divine Punishment. One was to destroy the scepter, the other was to ask the pope for a blessing. Ernest and Saul obviously chose the quicker route. For them, asking the pope for blessing was too much work.

Slanbrea suddenly waved the scepter in his hand. If he was facing another foe, the best option might have been to hide the scepter away in his dimensional ring and defend the honor of the Church. However, he knew that was not a good plan, since his opponent was Saul. He knew the structure of dimensional rings too well for that plan to work. As long as he was alive, Saul would know how to open a separate dimension that would lead into his dimensional ring.

Saul stepped forward and shielded Niya with his body as the bright ball of light appeared. “Why?” he asked Slanbrea with a sigh. Slanbrea did not reply. Saul’s magic staff was still in his hand, and as he waved his staff, a dozen wind blades shot towards the ball of light. He knew what state Slanbrea was in. Light magic could overpower death magic, but a powerful enough necromancer could defeat a light mage, as well. Even if he was facing a cardinal of light in his prime, Saul knew he could still win. After all, elemental magic was more powerful than light magic. Slanbrea could not pose a threat to them.

Suzanna started moving as well. However, before she could reach the battle, Ernest had already stopped her. Two swords clashed with a loud thud, and a ball of light enveloped the two. Both of them took a few steps back, but Ernest recovered quickly and dashed towards Suzanna again. His sole mission was to keep Suzanna away from the fight.

Chapter 275: Killed A God

Slanbrea smiled wanly when he saw Saul’s Wind Blade shred the light ball into millions of tiny light chips, splashing everywhere. He had no time to suppress the curse, so he let the toxin spread in his body. He used all the magic power he had left to chant. A light, gold-colored light dome appeared, covering Slanbrea underneath it.

Absolute Barrier was a magic that could help a mage survive in a very difficult situation. Even if thousands of people were dying, the people under the Absolute Barrier could survive. Even when being attacked by the Forbidden spells, or if an area of hundreds of square miles had been burned, Absolute Barrier still could provide a mage a safe space. No matter what form of elements, they could not pass through the Absolute Barrier, but the mage inside the dome could attack the outside targets with any magic he wanted.

Absolute Barrier and Holy Guardian were the most advanced magic among all the defensive magic spells in the Church of Light. They had totally opposite properties; one was a defensive magic, while the other could counter all the physical attacks. Maybe Gods did not want humans to be too powerful, so nobody had ever mastered both types of magic. If there were, the two spells would cancel each other out and lose their effects.

Saul saw Slanbrea releasing Absolute Barrier. He shook his head and then saw Slanbrea chanting again. A weird element started to fluctuate in the air. They moved in a chaotic way, like a Magic Array of Chaos.

Saul looked serious and concerned. He raised his hand and released Meteorite magic in the blink of an eye. A meteorite with flame fell from the sky with a whooshing sound, right onto the Absolute Barrier. With a huge bang, the meteorite turned into millions of flames and flashes, but the Absolute Barrier only slightly went out of shape and returned to normal.

Absolute Barrier was a great defense for magic, but not so great against physical attacks. Gods would not teach humans any perfect magic. If Absolute Barrier had the physical defense as if Gods were guarding them, then any top power who had mastered the Absolute Barrier could ignore any rule and law in the world.

Saul did not stop. Magic spells were consecutively released, but none of them was senior-level magic. A wall grew out of the ground and knocked Slanbrea into the air, causing him to stop chanting. When Slanbrea immediately released Levitation magic to move to the side, another meteorite smashed both the Absolute Barrier and Slanbrea to the ground. A pile of debris sprang out from the ground and hit Slanbrea into the air like a ball.

Saul looked confident, but he actually was very nervous. He wanted to see what Slanbrea would do. Self-explosion!

Entos had moved to the side. He looked like he was thinking about something with his eyes blinking. Anfey still stared at Slanbrea. He knew he was not good enough to participate in this fight between Saul and Slanbrea. He could accidentally cause trouble for Saul, although he wanted to pierce several holes in Slanbrea. At the moment, he could only quietly watch their fight.

Slanbrea did not look strong. He was awkward and looked to be in pain. Saul played a ball game with him, but he was the ball. Slanbrea was in a bad situation. He was knocked down by a meteorite from the sky. As he fell rapidly, he was hit back into the air by the pile of debris. The free fall suddenly stopped. Slanbrea was tossed back into the air. The physical attacks from these spells could not break the Absolute Barrier, but these fast movements were beyond what Slanbrea could take. He was just a Priest of Light so his physical stamina was limited. He felt his blood all rush into his brain at one time, dizzy at another time, and then all his organs crunched together at other times. In addition, the cursing had corroded his body quickly. Slanbrea felt he had a concussion. He barely remembered what he was doing. If Slanbrea fought with Saul in his best condition, after he released the Absolute Barrier, Saul probably could only choose to run away, since the Absolute Barrier would not stay forever. The problem was Slanbrea had activated a Magic Array of Chaos. If he made it, only a few more people would die with him. If he had not made it, Slanbrea would not be able to rearrange elements and would lose his ability to control elements. The Levitation magic he released had already been against the rules of elements. He was not countered by it because the control and understanding of elements he had gained by working with them were tremendous. He wanted to release magic again, but he just could not.

Entos took out a dark black magic wand from somewhere. He raised it and waved a little. Saul thought about why Entos did that for a second and stopped releasing magic. The ball-shaped Absolute Barrier wrapped around Slanbrea and fell hard on the ground.

Slanbrea was very experienced with fights. He knew he could not give up at this point. Saul had turned against him and the Church of Light on behalf of Anfey. If he gave up right now, he could not even die easily. With no time to take a breath, Slanbrea gripped the Glory Scepter. This was the last step to activate the Magic Array of Chaos. “God said…”

Entos suddenly disappeared and then reappeared behind Slanbrea. He raised the dark black wand toward Slanbrea. Surprisingly, the Absolute Barrier did not block Entos and his wand. His wand got into the Absolute Barrier without any trouble. Blood splattered and Slanbrea was knocked to the ground. Slanbrea’s blood had dyed a piece of the Absolute Barrier red.

One strike did not seem enough for Entos. He jumped high as he swung his arm to continue hitting Slanbrea. Slanbrea was struggling to crawl along the ground when Entos hit him the second time. Blood splattered again. The next moment, Entos appeared about a dozen of yards away from Slanbrea, carefully watching him.

Slanbrea was down. Everyone was startled.

Saul slowly walked a few steps forward. He heaved a long sigh when he saw Slanbrea writhing on the ground.

The light of Absolute Barrier got dimmer. Slanbrea struggled for a while and tried to hold on to the Glory Scepter to stand up. He kneeled on the ground. There was no way he could stand up. Because of the explosion of the Magic Array of Chaos, no one would be able to remember the chant after experiencing the concussion, not even Slanbrea. Right now he probably did not even remember his name.

Anfey suddenly walked two steps forward and rushed at Slanbrea. He gave him a high kick right to his chin. Slanbrea was skinny, only weighing about 130 pounds. This kick wobbled him. Almost at the same time, Anfey punched his left fist out and hit hard on the neck of Slanbrea. There was a terrifying sound of bone breaking. Slanbrea fell back to the ground. His head fell to one side in a weird angle. There was no trace that he was still alive.

It was not decent to keep hitting Slanbrea as he had already been seriously injured. However, Anfey had to do it. First of all, he was worried Saul would feel bad and would not kill Slanbrea. Second, he felt it was his responsibility to kill Slanbrea. He could not let anyone else kill him. He made the trouble so he had to kill him. If later on Saul would not be able to take the pressure from the Church of Light, they could come to him. He would rather take responsibility for killing Slanbrea. If they wanted to kill him and were able to kill him, they could do that.

Whether Anfey’s thinking was naïve or not was another story. Thinking about what had happened previously and looking at what had just happened, Anfey did not want to bring any more trouble to Saul. He owed too much to Saul.

Saul looked at the back of Anfey. He used to treat Anfey as a simple and nice kid. He cared about him, but never paid too much attention to him, which had allowed Anfey some freedom to do whatever he wanted for a while. After getting to know Anfey a little more, it was not hard for Saul to guess something from Anfey’s actions, since Saul had seen so many different people in his life.

The match between Suzanna and Ernest was a draw. This fight was super hard for Ernest. He was in a super passive position. He did not want to hurt Suzanna but Suzanna seemed to fight for her life. She looked like she wanted to kill Ernest. At that moment, Suzanna’s fighting ability seemed better than Ernest’s. Ernest could barely counter Suzanna’s strikes. He got a deep cut on his left shoulder. The blood had dyed half of his shirt. Many people thought Ernest stubborn and hot tempered. What they thought made some sense. He was hit pretty hard, but never asked for help. If it were Anfey, he probably would have already called everyone’s name for help.

There must be something wrong with angels’ intelligence. If Suzanna could have helped Slanbrea, he would not have died so fast. Right now this angel wanted to fight Ernest. Her attacks got faster and fiercer one after another. She looked like she had decided to kill Ernest.

Saul did not have time to talk to Anfey. He waved his hand. A gust of wind element picked up the Glory Scepter from the ground and sent it to his palm. The scepter was carved with runes and looked holy. Saul thought for a while before he ran his fingers from the top of the scepter down .

Where Saul’s fingers passed, the runes suddenly dimmed. As his fingers reached the bottom of the scepter, the Glory Scepter had turned into a regular wood stick. Saul tossed the Glory Scepter into the air and shoot out a big fire ball. With a huge exploding sound, the wood stick burst into millions of pieces with flames. Church of Light had lost a holy item.

Suzanna suddenly stopped her attacks and screamed out in pain. The light wings disappeared as well. A blurry shadow came out of Suzanna. Saul chanted with his eyes closed. A one-yard-long crescent shaped black blade swung in the air and cut the rising shadow in half. Ernest had never showed any change in his face before, but this time he was so shocked that he screamed, “You killed a god!”

Chapter 276: Habits

Saul did not have time to answer Ernest. He transferred his wand from his left hand to his right and raised it into the air. Wind blades appeared in the air and rained down on the shadow. The shadow tried to avoid the attack, but there were too many wind blades and the perimeter of the attack was too great. The shadow was shredded to pieces in the blink of an eye. It hung in the air limply. Mist rose from its form and disappeared.

Saul turned his eyes to the pieces of the scepter and stared at it.

Small dots of light appeared from the scepter. The lights began clumping together and quickly formed a fist-sized ball of light. The ball burst into blinding light and began raising towards the sky.

Saul did nothing but shake his head, but Entos seemed strangely excited. “You may be an angel,” he whispered under his breath, “but even an angel can be killed when it’s disembodied.”

The mist around the ball of light disappeared when it was a few feet off the ground, and the light stopped. Then it began to spin quickly, and everyone felt a strange pressure. Saul, Ernest, and Bruzuryano could deal with the pressure, but the younger mages could not handle the overwhelming pressure. Niya’s face became pale. She reached out and grabbed at the air weakly. She felt the air became heavy as if it was turned into liquid by the light and was suffocating her. Saul waved his staff and summoned a magic shield that covered everyone. Niya took a deep breath. She stared at the ball of light, terrified, and grabbed Saul’s arm. She was a daughter of one of the most powerful mages, and she knew magic very well, even though she was not a mage herself. Niya knew that, normally, damage must be done through attack. This ball of light was defying the rules of nature.

The sound of high-pitched screams and static filled the air. It sounded angry and accusative. Thankfully, everyone present was protected by Saul’s magic shield, or else most wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure.

“It may be a battle angel,” Bruzuryano said, “but it is still an angel.” This was the first time he spoke since Saul appeared. While Anfey was trying to understand Suzanna’s change in attitude, Bruzuryano already knew what had happened. He chose to remain silent in order to avoid suspicion.

Ernest stared at Saul, who nodded slowly after a few seconds. Then Saul turned to Bruzuryano and smiled.

“You…” Bruzuryano wanted to say something, but he sighed and knew he wouldn’t be able to talk any sense into them.

Ernest shook his head, then turned and dashed towards the ball of light. Perhaps because it was spinning so fast, the ball of light was already losing its shape. Ernest’s figure looked like it was being picked up by a large hand. The light of his combat power was twisted and warped by the light. He drew his sword as he approached the light.

The screaming stopped and the pressure disappeared as Ernest’s sword sliced through the light. The ball turned into thousands of specks of light and rained down onto the earth like fireworks. Ernest landed on the ground and jumped back to rejoin Saul. A dozen specks of light landed on Ernest like golden fish scales, clinging to his clothing. Bruzuryano frowned at the sight. He opened his mouth a few times, but did not say anything.

Entos suddenly teleported himself and appeared under the specks of light. He opened his arms and stared at the light as if he had just seen the most amazing sight in the entire world.

“Entos!” Saul bellowed.

Entos froze, then returned to Saul’s side with another teleportation spell. “I apologize, my lord,” he said with a smile. “Call it a habit.”

“Saul, that may be a battle angel, but it is still an angel,” Bruzuryano said with an emphasis on the word “still”.

“I don’t know much about Divine Punishment,” Saul said, “but I know its consequences. This is to make up for it.”

Saul waved his hand and summoned a light breeze. The breeze blew the light towards Suzanna, who was still unconscious, and dropped the light all over her.

Bruzuryano sighed and shook his head. “I thought the most senseless archmage was Newyoheim,” he said.

“I’m just seeking justice,” Saul said with a smile. He turned to Anfey and said, “Everything’s fine now. The girl will be fine.” He paused then said, “Shouldn’t you look at me and say something now?”

Anfey turned around slowly and said, “Master Saul, I…” If none of this had happened, Anfey might have been able to greet Saul naturally. After all, he did spent a lot of time writing his script. After what had just happened, the only thing Anfey should do was thank Saul. He did not know what to say.

“That’s it?” Saul asked slowly. “I did not realize we are so distant that it’s hard for you to greet me.”

“Father,” Niya suddenly said, shaking Saul’s arm. “Anfey’s fine. He’s a good person.” Niya paused and nodded.

“He’s a good person? How so?” Saul asked with a smile. Even though he was happy that Anfey was able grow and make a name for himself, he still felt uncomfortable. Anfey was so unassuming when he was under Saul’s care, who would have thought he would be the one to take the lead once on his own? This could not change Saul’s fondness for Anfey, of course; he was simply curious and needed an answer.

Niya frowned and tried to recall what Anfey had done in the past. When she was living in Sacred City, she had relied on her father. After she left, Anfey took Saul’s place and she was able to rely on him. Anfey took care of his friends, and even though he had brought them unnecessary trouble, she knew he had done his job. Out of everyone, she was the most protected. She was not required to do anything dangerous unless she was the last one left. She felt safe when she was with Anfey. Everyone else respected him as well, and she began to respect him. Her dislike for Anfey was long forgotten.

Anfey had done too much, Niya did not know where to start. “I don’t care,” she finally said with a sigh. “He’s just a good person.”

“Just drop it, will you?” Ernest said as he walked over. He glanced at Anfey and turned away. Ernest was never good at expressing emotions. He was glad to see Anfey again, but he did not say anything.

“Don’t forget. He’s my student, not yours.”

“Father!” Niya said again.

“Alright, alright,” Saul said with a smile. He looked at Niya and stroked her hair gently. “My student is ignoring me, but my daughter shouldn’t.” Saul grinned widely and his eyes lit up with the joy of seeing his daughter again.

When he heard what had happened, Saul had been worried to death. However, he had a whole war to fight, and did not have the spare energy to deal with the situation back at home. He remained calm so his soldiers would not panic, but no one knew how he had suffered. After Ernest appeared and told him what had happened, he relaxed a little. As soon as he stopped worrying, he grew angry. He wrote to Yolanthe angrily and claimed that nothing would have gone wrong if Yolanthe had not send Miorich to prevent Ernest from reaching Niya. He claimed he would leave immediately to look for his daughter. Of course, Saul would not really desert his post. He was angry, but he could not let his emotions decide the fate of his nation. Yolanthe’s apologetic attitude towards the situation helped calm Saul’s anger, as well.

This was the first time he had seen his beloved daughter in almost a year, and Saul could feel nothing but happiness. At the same time, he was also slightly worried. He did not know what Niya had been through when he was away. He was powerful, but he could not protect her forever. What would happen after he died?

Niya rested her head on Saul’s shoulder and closed her eyes. Growth came from experience, and for some people, a peaceful life may not be the best for them.

Chapter 277: Covering for Anfey

Anfey walked up to Suzanna. He squatted down to look at her. She was covered with lights shaped like scales on a fish. Anfey could barely see her face. Without knowing how much time had passed, the lights on her body started to dim. When the last few scale lights went out, Anfey held Suzanna in his arms. She was still in coma and rested in Anfey’s arms with her head slanted to one side. Anfey felt her softness in his arms. Her hair was down and blown in the wind.

Anfey laid his eyes on Suzanna’s chest. Her chest slowly moved up and down with a strong pulse. He put his ear on it to check. He could clearly hear her heartbeat. He finally heaved a sigh of relief.

Anfey turned around, carrying Suzanna in his arms, looking at Saul and Niya not far from him. A question suddenly flashed in his head. There was a big age difference between Saul and Suzanna, almost forty years difference. Perhaps Saul had dedicated himself in magic and could not spare his energy in marriage, but something didn’t make sense. Where was Niya’s mom? Why had no one talked about her at all, not even Niya. When they were running away from Sacred City, Niya called “dad” when she had nightmares. It was a little weird. No one talked about it. Anfey never bothered to ask since it involved her personal life.

“Professor, is Suzanna really going to be fine?” Anfey did not want to interfere with Niya and Saul while they were trying to bond, but he had to. He had always been good at not asking too many questions and rarely nagged anyone. Now he was just worried for some reason.

“Don’t worry about it. She is fine.” Ernest said it before Saul could even say anything. He paused before patting Anfey on the shoulder. Ernest was not good at expressing his feelings. It was pretty rare to see him to give this kind of gesture.

“Even if she has lost something, what she gained is way more than what she has lost. You don’t have to worry about her,” Saul slowly said.

“William must be enraged. Saul, aren’t you afraid William will come to see you and blame you for everything?” Bruzuryano said with a bitter smile.

Annunciata had not made any move for a long time. The Evil Abyss must know she was killed by Ernest. Both Church of Light and Evil Mist had suffered serious losses. Church of Light lost a Priest of Light and a sacred item. Evil Mist lost a senior stateswoman. Judging from the way the phantom dragon showed up, it must have been released from a seal. The magic tool that sealed the phantom dragon might not be as good as Glory Scepter, but should be very similar to that sense. Church of Light seemed to suffer the same amount of loss as Evil Abyss.

“Slanbrea and Annunciata came to the end together. Even if William wants to take revenge, he should not seek me out,” Saul said calmly.

“Do you think William will believe your lies?” Bruzuryano twitched his mouth. There was a roaring behind them. A group of zombies wobbled over. The two zombies in the front were big. They actually used to be the druids of Bruzuryano. With no control over them, zombies went after any living organism by instinct. They had no idea what terror could feel like. They just wobbled over.

Seeing his subordinates turned into zombies, Bruzuryano thought about what he had paid for the battle, He was upset about it. He released Nature magic. Countless vines grew out of the ground and tied all the zombies together.

“It depends on how William thinks of it,” Saul said. “If William were as honest as he claims, he would believe me. If William only pretended to be honest, he would blame me for it even if what I told him were the truth.”

Bruzuryano was quiet in thought for a while. He heaved a long sigh. It was just like Saul said. If Pope William really aimed at wiping out necromancers, he would pay any price to fight the evil. He would not create conflict or make it worse than it should be at this crucial moment. If Pope William had ambitions of taking over Pan Continent, he definitely wanted to do more than wiping out necromancers. If he could not even wait for his bigger plan, he might use this as an excuse to create conflict with Maho Empire. Even if Slanbrea were killed by Annunciata, William still could blame them for something if he wanted to. He could stir up his followers and made them angry at Saul and Anfey.

“We probably have not seen each other for about five years, have we?” Saul looked at the horizon and squinted. There was a group of knights moving fast in their direction.

“Something like that,” Bruzuryano nodded.

“Would you like to come to my house?” Saul asked.

“To Sacred City?” Bruzuryano was shocked for a second.

“Yeah.” Saul smiled. “We are getting old. We do not have too much time left. If we miss this time, I do not even know if we would see each other again.”

“Sure,” Bruzuryano agreed quickly. He knew going to Sacred City was not going to be that simple. If he went, as a follower of Goddess of Nature, it would be an indication that Saul was innocent, which would be putting a decent amount of pressure on Pope William.

Anfey quietly listened to the conversation between Saul and Bruzuryano. He felt he had been too naïve. He used to live in a world where laws and rules governed people. He unconsciously believed it was a case of a homicide if he killed Slanbrea before Saul could. Now he understood, Slanbrea was not only Slanbrea himself, but Slanbrea of the Church of Light. One or a few people were responsible for a criminal case in his previous world, but in this world, a group was responsible for the death of Slanbrea, no matter who in the group killed him. In other words, he looked ridiculous when he tried to kill Slanbrea himself. Saul had made it clear that if Pope William could not wait for the conflicts, he would definitely blame Saul for it. It was a trigger. If that were the case, William’s aim was to make Yolanthe lose the whole territory of Maho Empire to Church of Light.

As Saul and Bruzuryano talked, a group of knights rushed over. A knight in the front hurriedly jumped off his horse. He bowed to Saul respectfully first and said in a low voice, “Master, Dean Steger has killed four necromancers and other mages. Two necromancers escaped toward the southeast.”

“Where is Steger?’ Saul asked.

“He chased after those two necromancers himself,” the knight said.

“Steger came too?” Bruzuryano asked in surprise. “I did not know you were so well-prepared.”

Hearing this, Saul frowned. “I almost forgot if you did not remind me. What happened? You should have already reached Mambo territory as we planned. Why did you guys just come here? If it were not for me feeling something was not right and taking people to see you, you guys would have been caught by Annunciata.”

“Do not ask me. Ask your favorite student,” Bruzuryano shrugged.

Saul scanned the group. Christian immediately walked up and try to calm Saul down with smiles. “Professor, it was my bad. After running away from Sacred City, we have been roaming everywhere and living an unstable life. We finally could come back to our country, finally felt relaxed…”

“I am asking you what took you so long to get here,” Saul interrupted.

“I wanted to see some nice scenery on the way,” Christian said.

“To see nice scenery?” Saul asked.

“Yes,” Christian said timidly.

Saul glanced at Anfey. He never believed what Christian said from the very beginning. This group of kids listened to Anfey. Saul knew Anfey would never let Christian see some nice scenery at this critical moment.

“Professor, it was my fault,” Anfey stepped forward.

Saul gave Christian a hard look and slowly said, “Anfey, can you explain why?”

Christian looked worried. He looked at Anfey in confusion. They had worked so long that Anfey should have known to say nothing right now or blame it all on Christian, since he had a very special background. Even if Christian made a big mistake, Saul would not do much to him. If it were Anfey, Saul could be very strict with him, even though Saul was nice most of the time.

“My bad, my bad!” Niya could tell Saul was getting mad at Anfey and wanted to punish him for it. She signaled Anfey by giving him an I-got-it look as she shook Saul’s arm. “I was not feeling good so I asked Anfey to slow down.”

“One wanted to see scenery while the other one did not feel good.” Saul had a fake smile on his face. “No bad, not bad. After getting some real life experience for about half a year, you learned nothing but to lie to cover for each other.”

“I did not. I really did not feel good,” Niya complained.

Anfey smiled bitterly inside. Even if they wanted to help him, they needed to come up with some better excuses. These excuses were too lame to be believable.

Saul looked at Niya in surprise. When she was in Sacred City, Niya was the number two person in the household. She scolded people as she wanted, and told on anyone who broke her stuff. She was pretty nice if she did not blame others for her own mistakes. Today Niya stood out to speak for Anfey! Maybe it was a sign that she had grown up.

Anfey was still quiet. He could not let others know the reasons why he did what he did. To be honest, it was not all Anfey’s fault. If Miorich and Bruzuryano could have talked about the plan with him, he would not have made the same decision. Anfey had achieved major accomplishments, but he was still a kid in Miorich and Bruzuryano’s eyes. They did not think he was good enough to work with them as peers.

“Ok, I am not going to force you to tell me the reasons if you don’t want to.” Saul waved his hand. “Get on the wagon first.”

Chapter 278: Poor

Saul had come in a hurry but he still brought enough carriages. The mages that came with him all had carriages. After the bulk of Saul’s men rejoined him, the mages were able to find a few spare carriages. Saul and Bruzuryano sat in the same carriage, and Ernest chose to sit with Anfey. Christian and Black Eleven were in the last carriage. Entos, on the other hand, chose to use magic instead of riding in carriages like the rest of them.

The carriages headed towards Mambo territory smoothly. The carriages all looked the same, but the atmosphere in each carriage was completely different. Niya sat next to Saul and was telling him about what she had experienced while she was away from the city. Her mind chose to forget the danger she was just in. She glanced down at Saul’s robe and said, “Father, why are you wearing this? It looks ugly on you.”

“What should I wear, then?” Saul asked with a smile. He was relieved that Niya was safe. “I’m poor now, darling. This is the only thing I can afford.”

“Poor?” Niya asked, frowning.

“The collection I accumulated over several decades was robbed, so I am poor now.”

Niya grinned and shook her head, imagining Saul’s face when he realized his secret chamber was empty. “Don’t worry, father. All those things are in Anfey’s care.”

“I’m not worried,” Saul said. “Niya, he didn’t damage any of the books, did he?”

“He burned them,” Niya said, “since they had no use to us.”

“What?” Saul asked, gasping, his eyes wide open. Those magic books were rare books he accumulated throughout his entire life. It was all he could do not to go mad with anger after hearing this.

“Don’t worry, don’t worry,” Niya said, patting Saul’s shoulder. “It’s a joke. We didn’t burn them. Why would we?”

Saul sighed and shook his head. If Christian or Anfey had told him what Niya just did, he would not have believed them. Of course, Christian and Anfey, unlike Niya, did not dare to lie to his face.

Bruzuryano watched Saul and Niya with a smile. He chose to stay quiet in order not to interrupt Saul and Niya’s reunion.

“Don’t worry, father,” Niya said with a sigh. “I’m happy now. I’m safe.” She smiled and leaned against Saul’s shoulder.

Saul looked at Niya dotingly and smiled, stroking her hair.

In the second carriage, there was only silence. Suzanna was still unconscious, Ernest had his eyes closed and was not talking, and Anfey was holding Suzanna and observing her expression.

Loss could cause some of the greatest pain, and hatred was torture. Having something you thought you had lost returning would bring overwhelming joy. Anfey had not experience such strong emotions in a long time, and he needed time to recover. He did not want to hide his emotions anymore, nor did he need to. He stared at Suzanna without blinking.

Suzanna shifted slightly and let out a grunt. Then she opened her eyes slowly. Her gaze met Anfey’s, and she quickly shut her eyes again.

“Suzanna,” Anfey called. “Are you awake?”

Suzanna grunted. “Yes,” she said, opening her eyes again. Her gaze met Anfey’s and she did not turn away this time. She still felt uncomfortable under Anfey’s gaze, however, and turned her head away. “Why are you staring at me like that?” she asked. “Makes me uncomfortable.”

“Did I?” Anfey asked, then smiled awkwardly. He did not realize how intense his gaze had been. “I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. How are you feeling?”

“I’m alright,” Suzanna said. “What happened? Why am I here? What happened to the necromancers?” She reached for her sword and realized it was gone. She frowned and asked, “Where’s my sword?”

“I believe you’re looking for this,” Ernest said and held out Suzanna’s sword. He was a swordsman as well, so knew how important a sword was to a swordsman.

“Thank you,” Suzanna said and accepted the sword. She frowned and realized she had never seen this man before. She was still leaning against Anfey, which was something she did not like to do even in front of her friends. She felt strange displaying affection in front of a stranger.

Suzanna pushed herself up, but Anfey kept his arm around her tightly. “What are you doing?” Anfey asked. “Don’t move too much.”

Suzanna frowned and blushed. She had spend enough time with Anfey to trust him, and even though she could use combat power to escape Anfey’s embrace, she did not. She relaxed and let herself lean against Anfey, but she kept her eyes closed.

“It’s so rare,” Ernest suddenly said.

Suzanna frowned. She did not open her eyes, but she was listening to the conversation. Anfey looked relaxed and she deduced that Anfey must know the man. He may even be Anfey’s close friend or family. Suzanna wanted to know Anfey better, and that included getting to know his family and friends.

“What is rare, Mr. Ernest?” Anfey asked. He was very happy and was smiling because Suzanna woke up, and the atmosphere became more lively. Anfey knew Ernest, and knew that he disliked formality and small talk. If he said “how are you” or “I missed you,” Ernest may not even reply. Might as well let the conversation be more natural.

“She’s one of the youngest senior swordsmasters I’ve met,” Ernest said with a smile. “And her combat power is close to breaking the boundary. If nothing goes wrong, she can become a master swordsman in a few years. If opportunity allows, maybe even sooner.”

“Opportunity?” Anfey asked. “Does…what happened count?” Anfey did not want Suzanna to know what had happened, and so did not say anything more.

Ernest smiled and nodded.

Suzanna was shocked when she heard Anfey call the man Ernest. Ernest did not have the best reputation and was widely known as a man that relied on trickery and deception. When she just met Anfey, Anfey grew angry at her for mocking Ernest. She was very interested in the man after that. She wanted to know what kind of men could earn Anfey’s respect.

“By the way, Mr. Ernest, why did you let Jerrofick escape?” Anfey asked. Ever since he learned what had happened to Ernest, he wanted Ernest to get revenge. Compared to Saul, Ernest was much simpler and much more trusting. It wasn’t hard to guess what Ernest was thinking. This did not effect Anfey’s opinion of Ernest, and he felt angry that a respectable man like Ernest was called deceitful because of Jerrofick’s lie.

“It’s not my personal battle. He ran when he saw me. I couldn’t do anything after that,” Ernest said, shrugging.

“I think His Majesty must be very happy now,” Anfey said with a smile. Ernest believed it was not his personal battle, meaning that he must be a very obedient soldier. Ernest could not avoid serving Maho Empire anymore. Whether Ernest stayed or not depended on Yolanthe’s attitude. Saul was the only person who could help.

“Why bring up Yolanthe?” Ernest asked with a frown.

“Did you receive His Majesty’s invitation after the war?”

“Yes. Miorich was still on the eastern front so Yolanthe wanted me to take up the job of the head of the palace guards.”

“How did you respond?”

“I declined the offer.”

Anfey frowned and did not say anything. He wish Ernest would have stayed in Maho Empire, but Ernest had his own interests and pursuits, and Anfey had no right telling him what to do.

Someone knocked on the side of the carriage, then Entos appeared. “Did I interrupt anything?” he asked with a smile. Suzanna rolled her eyes when she heard another strange voice. She knew that Anfey would not let go of her, so she chose to bury her face in his clothes.

“Don’t worry,” Anfey said.

Entos wiped his brow and sat down on the ground. Entos had been using a teleportation spell instead of walking or riding in a carriage. When it came to teleportation, he was better than most people in the world. This was the result of years of practicing the same magic. Of course, Entos was interested in teleportation in the first place, or else he would never spend his entire life studying the same spell.

“I have to tell you about something,” Entos said.

“What is it?” Anfey asked, curious.

“No matter what you do, don’t mention Nana in front of Master Saul, understand?”

“Nana?” Anfey asked, frowning. “Alright. I see.”

Chapter 279: Future Concerns

Entos did not want to explain, so he sat quietly for a while with his eyes squinting. He changed the conversation topic. “Professor did not want to tell you, but I feel I have to remind you. You are not a regular person anymore. You are a count of the empire. You obtained many secrets that are politically sensitive. I would recommend you talk less, make few people notice you when you go back to Sacred City. No matter what, do not show your opinions too much, do you understand what I am saying?”

“Sir, are you saying Sacred City is not enjoying peace now?” Anfey asked.

“Hehehe, Anfey, we are both students of our professor. We do not need to address each other in such a respectful way. Of course, if you want to, I am not going to against it.” Entos smiled. “Christian and Riska call me Bro Entos. I like it better. It gives me a feeling that we are family. You may not know, but I am an orphan like Nana. I am just a little luckier than him. I do not have such low self-esteem as he did.” Entos looked sad and could not continue talking any more.

“My bad, bro Entos,” Anfey said smiling.

“Good.” Entos smiled with Anfey. Then he frowned: “Oh, right, where were we?”

“I was asking whether there are riots in Sacred City?” Anfey asked.

“It is not like that.” Entos shook his head and smiled. “Ellisen and Shansa Empires fell for Yolanthe’s faked death. You know about it, right?”

“Yes,” Anfey said.

“Our king is wise, both physically and intellectually powerful. He had vision and had ability to predict danger. I am sorry. I got used to flattering him. I was carried away. Let me put it in a simpler way since there are no other people.” Entos patted his forehead. “Our king’s plan was successful, but it also exposed his critical problem. Do you know what it is?”

Anfey thought about this question for a while. He seemed to get it, but he still shook his head.

“Our king does not have anyone to succeed him on the throne. If something happens, the whole country would be in chaos.” Entos sighed. “For the past few days, the two prime ministers and minister of defense had appealed to him to asked him to decide who would be his successor. You know, any country under this kind of situation…this is just the beginning. There will be more people getting involved. Situations can change as well.”

“What does the king think of it?” Anfey asked.

“The king has been keeping quiet about it. It is a big deal, since it could affect the fate of our country. He does not want to rush into making a decision,” Entos said.

“How about our professor? What does he think of this?” Anfey asked.

“Professor did not say anything about it either. That is also the reason I warned you to talk less and making yourself less visible. Do not talk about your opinions too much when things happen. To most people, we might represent our professor. If we could not help the professor, at least we should not bring him any trouble.”

“I understand.” Anfey nodded again. “How many parties are those government officials divided into in Sacred City right now?”

“Those few, you know. The eldest prince, Wester, is good at socializing. After the king’s fake death, he was in charge of government administration. He gave out a lot of goodies to government officials and received a lot of compliments from two prime ministers and other government officials. The second oldest prince, Granden, is popular in the armies. He has been on the frontier every time there was a war since he was sixteen. He bonded well with many generals and soldiers. The third oldest princess is Rodhart. When the empire was under the most serious threats, he was still drinking and fooling around. He was never motivated, so government official had given up on him,” Entos said.

Anfey was a little surprised, but did not show it. “So, there was probably tension between Wester and Granden, right?” Anfey asked.

“Not to that point. However, if our king keeps quiet about it, I think the tension is going to get worse.” Entos heaved a sigh. “No one knows what the king is thinking now. Smart people would not get involved. Unfortunately, there are not too many smart people.”

“Niya and Granden…shouldn’t our professor say something?” Anfey did not make it sound obvious, but what he was trying to say was obvious to Entos. Niya had been dating Granden. For Niya’s happiness, Saul should have supported Granden. Fights over the throne in the royal families were always bloody and cruel. There was no peaceful way to solve this problem. The losers either died or disappeared. If Saul did not want Niya to be a widow, he should help Granden to be the successor. This problem seemed very simple.

Entos smiled. “Anfey, do you think our professor is stupid?”

Anfey was shocked by Entos’ question. “No, why would you say that?”

Entos did not answer. He lowered his head and was lost in thought. He looked hesitant. He did not say anything for quite a while before he continued slowly, “Professor showed me the information about you. Anfey, I kind of know what sort of person you are. I should show my sincerity if I want to earn your trust. However…” Entos’s eyes laid on Suzanna and then back to Anfey.

“She is my wife,” Anfey said quietly.

“I hope you can keep this secret. If this were known by others, I will be in a very dangerous situation,” Entos confided.

Anfey was not so sure about this. He felt the pressure of the trust Entos passed on to him. For the sake of his future, he not only needed to experience this world, but also needed to get involved. It must be a top secret if Entos was so careful with it. Maybe this secret could allow him to see more clearly the situation he was in and allow him to figure out how he should be in the future, judging from the current situation.

Before Anfey could make a decision whether he would like to know about Entos’ secret, Entos had said, “Granden is three years younger than Wester, but was Wester’s first teacher.”

“First teacher? What do you mean?” Anfey asked in surprise.

“Wester was a typical wealthy and spoiled kid. He was addicted to all kinds of entertainment. He was not motivated at all. Do you know he used to be a joke in Sacred City magic academy? He spent eight years in the academy before he could even graduate. If it were not because of his special family background, the academy probably would have asked him to withdraw a long time ago. Professor used to tell me to be fair when criticizing anyone. Only this way, the criticism is closer to the facts. I did not mean to look down upon Wester. I only wanted to give you a better picture of who he is,” Entos said slowly.

“I understand,” Anfey said.

“Granden was mature at a young age. When he was about twelve years old, he asked that they find him teachers in different areas. His interests were broad. He learned astronomy, geography, military, politics, and even poems. When was about 15 years old, he liked to read pleas from the government officials with Yolanthe. He even spoke out about his opinions sometimes. Maho Empire had serious drought in many places when he was sixteen years old. Shansa Empire took advantage of it and invaded Maho Empire. Granden volunteered to supervise the war in the name of Yolanthe.

It was a tradition made by Maho Empire ancestors that the future kings had to supervise wars in case they lost themselves in their luxurious lives.

Anfey listened attentively.

“As time went by, King Yolanthe liked Granden more and more. Granden was strong, brave, aggressive and had many other strong points. Well, it is not because I am in the habit of flattering others. I am telling the truth.” Entos gave a fake smile. “Well, Wester has been scolded by King Yolanthe many times. Maybe he sensed danger. Without knowing from what time, Wester secretly changed. He still looked like a wealthy playboy, but that has become his camouflage. He could even receive two prime ministers’ compliments now. Do you know who contributed to his success?”

“Granden?” Anfey smiled.

“As I said, Granden is Wester’s first teacher,” Entos replied. “It is really off topic. Granden has come to our professor’s house very frequently since he was fifteen years old. He was not coming to ask our professor questions. He just came to play with Niya. He started to write love letters to Niya when he was eighteen years old. Niya was only fourteen years old back then. What did she know about love? She was embarrassed and mad at Granden and scolded him for writing her love letters. However, Granden did not give up. He has been after Niya for a few years. If it were Wester who was after Niya, he probably would be a joke to everyone. Granden was so smart. Why would he risk himself becoming a joke to go after Niya? Was it about love or something else?”

Anfey sighed quietly, but did not comment.

“Granden has proposed to Niya three times. Niya felt she wanted to have more fun and was not ready to settle down yet. She agreed to date Granden, but she turned down his proposals. She did not think it would be fun to be someone’s wife and listen to her husband all the time.” Entos looked at Anfey with a smile. It seemed that Entos and Anfey thought in the same way as Niya did about marriage. Entos said in a self-deprecating tone, “I thought our professor was too nice to see through it. In fact, our professor knows better than anyone else.”

“Why did our professor not stop him?” Anfey asked.

“Why would he do that? It was not wrong if Granden wanted to succeed to the throne. If he could not use the resources he had, he would be overthrown one day. In addition, Granden is a nice guy. He is upright, but flexible; brave but does not rush into things; hates anything unfair, but knows how to control his feelings. As for the motivation to go after Niya, we can understand him. He may have had some other intentions toward Niya at the beginning, but he really liked Niya later. He cares about Niya and takes good care of her. The most important thing is Niya likes him as well,” Entos said.

“Granden is too smart while Niya is so silly. Later…” Anfey said.

“She has me, and you in the future.” Entos smiled.

Anfey heaved a sigh of relief. He nodded. “You are right.” Anfey knew what Entos meant.

“The future is too far away and people are so complicated. Even the best astrologer could not tell what is going to happen to Niya. Our professor did not want much for Niya. He only wanted her to be happy. Right now, Granden has been doing well,” Entos said.

Chapter 280: Privilege

Entos was very talkative. He spoke in a way that was very logical and clear. He was able to make the political situation in Sacred City easy to understand, even to someone like Anfey. Sacred City was much like the medieval period in Anfey’s old world with only a few exceptions. Yolanthe, the emperor, had two prime ministers. One was in charge of internal issues, the other in charge of communicating and dealing with foreign nations. Between the emperor and the prime ministers was another group of people: the top tier powers.

These people were some of the most powerful in the world. They could cause all kinds of trouble, but they could also help stabilize the country. The rules of nature hardly applied to these people, and it was not hard to find examples of these people murdering innocent people due to their mood swings. There were even examples of these powerful people murdering entire families. However, because they were so powerful, the kings rarely accused them of anything unless the king’s position was threatened. The price of justice was usually very high. If a king tried to capture or kill a top level power but he was able to escape, the consequences were deadly. Even a king as powerful as Yolanthe would not leave his city for years. Saul did not care for politics, but no one would ignore anything he said. This was a privilege reserved for powerful people. Anfey killed the grandson of master swordsman Philip, which landed him on the wanted list. If he killed a common patrol officer, no one would say anything because they were afraid of his teacher. If Saul wanted to punish Anfey, no one could stop him, either.

This privilege also helped keep the peace within the empire. Everyone wanted to join the most powerful people in the world, and as long as one had the talent and determination, it wasn’t a dream out of reach. A man’s birth could not determine his strength. Even a dying slave could become powerful if he came across the right opportunity. This gave a dream to people living at the bottom and helped turn their hatred towards the society into determination to become powerful.

The Country of Mercenaries functioned in similar ways. Every year, countless young and able-bodied mercenaries died with their dreams, their bodies left to rot in the Forest of Death and Wild Plains, but every year more young men and women would pour into the country seeking opportunities.

Wars were inevitable, but there was no need for drafting because the nations had no trouble finding soldiers. In order to keep soldiers qualified and fit to fight, the military would teach the new recruits how to use swords and combat power. A lot of commoners poured into the military hoping that it would be their springboard to greatness.

Anfey suddenly remembered the civil service exams. Even though it was two completely different ways of approaching the situation, the ultimate goal was the same. So many poor students spent every hour studying until they were half starved to death just so they could take the test and change their entire lives. This cemented many people’s wish to have their children study their way out of poverty.

However, there were too many people and too few positions. Only a few people were able to achieve greatness, and the rest were buried by history. People were only familiar with the few poor men and women who succeeded, but the other poor men and women were ignored. So many people could not achieve greatness themselves and rest their hopes on their children. Their children might not succeed, and would in turn rest their hopes on their children. This formed a cycle that solidified the system.

As the carriages entered Mambo territory, Entos finished his history lesson. Anfey rarely interrupted. He was taking in Entos’s words and turning them into something he could understand and remember. Anfey was a very good listener and could understand most of the things Entos talked about, but Entos was talking too much and Anfey did not find the right place to ask questions.

“Time to get off,” Saul said, knocking on the side of the carriage.

Anfey blinked and looked out. He tried to stand up, but found his lower body numb. He was still holding Suzanna in his arms, and his position prevented proper blood flow to his lower body.

Entos moved over a little and did not exit until Ernest did. Anfey stumbled out of the carriage after Entos, and Suzanna walked out after him. Suzanna had been holding the same position for the entire trip, so her situation was no better than Anfey’s. Her limbs were numb and she could hardly feel them.

“She’s awake already?” Saul asked when he saw Suzanna.

Anfey poked Suzanna’s side, but Suzanna kept her eyes on the ground and did not know Saul was speaking to her.

“Suzanna, let me introduce you.” Seeing that Suzanna wouldn’t introduce herself, Anfey sighed and decided to introduce her. “This is my teacher, Master Saul.”

“Oh,” Suzanna said. She hurriedly glanced up and looked as if she had just woke up from a dream. “Nice-Nice to meet you, my lord.”

“This is Mr. Ernest,” Anfey said, turning to Ernest. It had been a little awkward in the carriage earlier, but it was not too late to introduce Suzanna to Ernest. He had no need for small talk and formality, but Suzanna should be more formal to make a good first impression.

“Nice to meet you, sir,” Suzanna said, bowing to Ernest.

“I’m Entos,” Entos interrupted with a smirk. “Just Entos, if you would.”

“Nice to meet you as well,” Suzanna said. She lowered her gaze again. If it had just been Saul present, it would have been easier. However, both Ernest and Entos were in the carriage and had seen how Anfey was holding her. Suzanna felt too embarrassed to look either one of them in the eye.

Christian walked over. He giggled but did not say anything.

“Hey,” Niya walked over. “I’m Niya.” She grinned.

Suzanna smiled and shook her head. She lowered her head again so she did not have to deal with Niya and Christian.

“Alright, alright,” Saul said. He patted Niya on the head then turned and asked, “Is the portal ready?”

“Yes, my lord,” a nearby soldier answered respectfully.

Anfey glanced around. He had seen a lot of transmission portals, and the portal itself did not make an impression of him. What shocked him was the location of the portal. It was in a large, lavish mansion. Huge stone columns lined the outside of the mansion, and the ceiling was at least a hundred feet tall. However, he was only standing in front of the mansion and could not tell how large the entire building was. Besides the soldier standing next to them, there were no other patrols in sight. Anfey had heard that the lord of Mambo territory was a recluse and the territory itself rarely allowed visitors. Everything within the territory was a secret. Anfey was too busy listening to Entos on the way and missed the chance of actually observing the territory firsthand.

“Let’s go,” Saul said. “Let’s go home.”

“Yes,” Niya chirped happily. “Let’s go home.” Christian smiled as well. The more they ran, the more they missed their home in Sacred City. They were all overjoyed that they could finally go home now.

As he stepped into the portal, blinding light cut off Anfey’s connection with the outside world. A familiar scene appeared before him after a few seconds. The last time he was there, the first thing he saw was Miorich. This time, instead of Miorich, it was a thin old man.

The old man had peppered black hair and looked to be around Saul’s age. He was clean shaven and his thin lips were set into a tight line. He had a tall nose and deep eye sockets. He was smiling, but Anfey could tell he was a force to be reckoned with.

Saul’s smile was replaced by a scowl. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” the old man said, shaking his head. “Some rats tried to attack the palace. It is solved now.”

“Evil Mist?”

The old man nodded.

“They dare to… Do they know Steger and I are away? Or did they already abandon Annunciata?”

“Who knows? Maybe it was just some foot soldier seeking glory. You should ask His Majesty those questions. I’m only in charge of eliminating the threat.”

“How is His Majesty?”

“Alive.”

“Take me there,” Saul said. He paused, then asked, “Ernest, are you going?”

“No need,” Ernest said. “I’ll take them home.”