Chapter 301: Anfey’s Trump Card

“Good morning,” Anfey greeted Ernest with a smile.
Ernest pulled his sword back to end his sword practice. He moved one step back and looked up and down at Anfey. “Don’t you need go to magic academy today?”
“Anfey, you look good today.” Suzanna partnered with Ernest for the sword practice. She moved one step back as well. She was curious when she saw Anfey looking refreshed.
“I am not going to the magic academy today,” Anfey said, laying his eyes on Suzanna. “Suzanna, you should cherish the opportunity to practice sword fighting with Uncle Ernest!” As his fiancé and number one fighter, Anfey had high expectations of her. He had hinted that Suzanna should learn more.
“Do I need you to tell me that?” Suzanna said, rolling her eyes.
“Why aren’t you going to the magic academy?” Ernest asked.
“I learned a lot yesterday. I need some time to digest it. I am not going to the academy for next few days,” Anfey said. Anfey had learned a lot after talking with Saul almost the whole night, as if it had been a one-on-one tutoring session. Anfey’s understanding of magic had improved by leaps and bounds.
“Yesterday?” Suzanna was shocked. Yesterday Anfey had been in the magic academy during the day. He came back early and spent the night with them. Suzanna wondered whether something had happened in the magic academy.
Ernest suddenly had a realization: “It seems that Saul finally wanted to spend some time instructing you.”
Anfey smiled. In fact, since Saul took him home, he had never taught Anfey anything. He put Anfey in the magic academy and never bothered teaching him. Anfey did not complain. He knew himself, and he also knew Saul. A mathematician can teach college students calculus and functions. However, if he is asked to teach kids simple math, like 1+1, or 2+2, he could go crazy before too long. It was such a waste for a mathematician as well.
“Did you learn quite a lot from Saul?” Ernest asked.
“Yes,” Anfey said, nodding.
“Great.” Ernest had a satisfied smile on his face. He seemed to think of something and frowned. “Anfey, what did you say to Suzanna?”
“Me?” Anfey was shocked for a second and took a look at Suzanna. “I told her to cherish the opportunity to practice swordfighting with you.”
“Good.” Ernest nodded. “Come on!”
“Where are we going?” Anfey felt headache coming on. In fact, he already understood what Ernest meant.
“Now it is your turn to cherish this opportunity.” Ernest obviously did not want Anfey to leave without practicing sword fighting with him. “Come here!”
Suzanna walked over to Anfey and smiled. She suddenly pushed Anfey in the back. Anfey could not help rushing a few steps forward and stopped right in front of Ernest. Ernest positioned himself to start the fight. Anfey glanced at Suzanna out of the corner of his eye, as if complaining. Was it a betrayal? It was such a waste that he had been treating Suzanna so well. A wife-to-be should take over the fight for him instead of pushing him to the front.
“Are you ready?” Ernest started to look serious. “Show me what you got.”
“Uncle Ernest, we’d better say it up front…” Anfey said.
“I will definitely use combat power,” Ernest said, interrupting Anfey as Anfey was just about to say it. Anfey had been devious in front of Ernest. Ernest had known what Anfey was going to say.
“This is not fair,” Anfey said.
“It is not fair to me if I am not allowed to use combat power,” Ernest said.
“You are as old as my father,” Anfey said bitterly. “Shouldn’t you yield something to me?” The common thinking about a person’s nature being hard to change really made sense. When Anfey was fifteen years old, his father thought it was time for him to practice real fighting. Anfey had demanded that his father tie his right hand behind his back and a hundred-pound iron sand bag on his left leg for their first fight. Anfey was cunning when he was little. If both of his father’s legs had hundred-pound iron sand bags, his dad would not be affected too much. If only one leg had the sand bag, he would be a cripple. In addition, with his right arm tied up behind his back, it was hard for his father to keep the balance. His hand-eye coordination, accuracy, and consistence of movement were hugely affected.
It was not that Anfey was too naughty, but he was too competitive. He had to see some hope of winning, otherwise he would not be able to fight with full force and try his best. If his demands were not met, Anfey would just toss his weapon on the floor and close his eyes. He knew that since he was the only son, his dad would not dare kill him.
In that fight, Anfey was chased everywhere by his annoyed father at the beginning, but he did not give up. After hanging in the fight for over half an hour, he finally found a chance before he exhausted his energy. He risked being hit on his shoulder to step on his father’s left foot. His dad had fallen backwards.
“Who should yield between old and young?” Ernest firmly declined Anfey’s request.
At this moment, Entos and the commander of Band of Brothers mercenary group, Marino, walked over from a trail. They saw Ernest and Anfey preparing for a sword fight. Their eyes brightened. It was rare to be able to watch Ernest’s sword skills, even though his opponent was not that great.
Anfey moved his eyes. He raised his voice and shoulted, “Bro Entos!”
“Yeah?” Entos was shocked for a second. They had not had a chance to spend a lot of time together. What Entos had learned about Anfey from the information he gathered was not enough.
“Bro, can I borrow your magic wand?” Anfey said, walking over to him.
“To do what? Do you want to use magic to fight with Master Ernest?” Entos asked.
“Yes,” Anfey said.
“Are you sure?” Entos did not know if he should laugh or cry. If Anfey could use the sword skills he got from that mysterious sacred swordsman, Entos believed they would have an amazing fight for a short period of time. Anfey had better not use magic. In addition to the fact that Ernest could counter an enormous amount of magic, Anfey could not even release a complete magic shield. Ernest could have knocked Anfey down with one finger.
“Yes!” Anfey looked serious.
Entos gave a wry smile. His magic wand was not a regular one. Its original name was Blessings from Winds. It could release winds instantly. Later Saul and arch-alchemist Jacob revised it. They wiped off the wind magic and switched it with senior magic, as Entos wished. This magic wand was special. Even if Saul and Jacob could meet again, they would not be able to make an exact replica of this wand because there was only one Blessing from Winds, and material that old was rare.
“I will not let you down,” Anfey said slowly.
“O… Ok.” Entos nodded even though he was quite helpless at that moment. He had been treating this wand as a treasure. He never lent it to anyone, no one was even allowed to touch it. However, Ernest and Niya were there. Anfey was special as well. He had to lend his wand to him out of courtesy.
Anfey took the magic wand and weighed it in his hand. It was pretty heavy for a wand. He knew the secrets of this wand and knew how to use it.
“Are you ready?” Ernest looked curious. He wanted to see how Anfey would attack him with magic. Since Anfey told Entos he would not let him down, he must have something up his sleeve.
Anfey nodded and took a deep breath. He swung hard with the wand, pointing forward. He looked aggressive. The wand made a whooshing sound in the air. Others all felt strange because there were about a dozen of yards between Anfey and Ernest. Unless the wand could grow more than ten yards longer, it could not even touch Ernest.
Anfey swung the wand forward. As he almost completed his move, Anfey suddenly disappeared. The next moment he was already in front of Ernest. The wand was about to hit Ernest in the head. Ernest’s hair was instantly blown by the gusts. All the audience looked surprised, including Ernest himself. By the time he figured out something was wrong, Anfey’s wand was less than four inches from his head. Most people would not react in such a short time, but Ernest did. He was a master swordsman. His body suddenly radiated shining radiance. He lowered his body and waved his sword so fast to counter Anfey’s wand that his sword left shadow traces.
With a loud sound, Ernest countered Anfey by instinct with full force. Anfey lost his wand. The wand flew in the air as Anfey was knocked back like a straw in the wind. He knocked against a tree and rolled onto the grass.
“Anfey!” Ernest and Suzanna yelled his name at the same time. The two of them rushed towards Anfey.
Entos was faster than them. With Instant Transportation, he was right next to Anfey. Entos held Anfey as he struggled to stand up. He asked worriedly, “Are you ok?”
Anfey coughed and a trace of blood came from the corner of his mouth. “I am fine.” Anfey barely could hold his arm out and pointed upward.
“Uh! Uh uh…” Entos screamed. He did not remember his poor wand until Anfey reminded him. His magic wand was tough, but no one knew if it would be fine after Ernest attack with his full force. He could not spare any more time on Anfey. Again using Instant Transportation magic, he disappeared.
Anfey fell again after Entos stopped supporting him. However, he had a satisfied smile on his face. In fact, he was not hurt at all. In other words, it should not be counted as damage. Saul held Entos in high regard. He told Anfey that even though Entos played loose with the rules, but he was very trustworthy. Anfey had many doubts about him. He had to test Entos himself, otherwise he would not know how to manage the relationship between them. If Entos did not care about him and only cared about his wand, then Saul had exaggerated his virtue and Entos was not worth being his friend. In the end, the first reaction Entos unconsciously had was to check himself. Anfey knew Saul was right about Entos.

Chapter 302: Forgiveness

“How’s it going?” Ernest appeared next to Anfey and asked. He saw Anfey’s eyes were looking at something, and found Entos following Anfey’s gaze. Entos had just reappeared and caught his magic wand. Ernest knew it was Entos who threw Anfey and was very unhappy with his actions.
“Anfey!” Suzanna exclaimed and crouched down next to him. She rested a hand on his shoulder and looked at him nervously.
“I’m fine,” Anfey said with a grin.
“Why are you smiling?” Suzanna asked, frustrated with his attitude. She was worried, but she did not want to show it because she knew it would make Ernest feel even worse.
“I’m fine, really,” Anfey said, pushing himself up.
“Wait,” Ernest said. “Take your time.” He reached out and supported Anfey with his hand. Even though Anfey attacked first and Ernest was forced to fight him, Ernest still felt bad for hurting him.
“I’m really fine,” Anfey said. “I know myself. Don’t worry,” Anfey said and pushed himself off of the ground. Ernest hadn’t actually directly attacked him. Anfey was only thrown back by his combat power. The only damage this would cause was some bruises. Anfey only acted injured to test Entos’s reaction. He kept his act because he didn’t want Entos to realize he was only acting.
“Be careful,” Ernest said. He was still worried after seeing Anfey stand up. “Are you sure you’re fine?”
“Really,” Anfey said with a smile. “Relax. Today is a successful day, I think.”
“Anfey!” Suzanna said, frowning. There was fleeting suspicion in her eyes. Anfey’s actions today were strange. Normally, even when Anfey was losing, he could hold his ground. Today he was defeated after one blow. This was very unusual. She knew that she was nowhere near as powerful as Ernest, and Anfey might not be able to hold his ground against Ernest, but it was still very strange.
Anfey raised his arms and took a few steps forward. He suddenly stumbled as if he still needed support. He looked at Suzanna and leaned against her. “We need to talk,” he whispered. Suzanna nodded.
“What is successful?” Ernest asked.
“Well, I came to understand the difference between a top level power and me,” Anfey said. “Also, I found a path that suits me.”
“A path that suits you?” Ernest asked, lifting a brow. He recalled the fight and frowned. It was the first time Anfey had used teleportation in combat, and he did not choose the right spot to reappear. He had to bend down to hit Ernest with his staff. If he become familiar with this fighting style, it would be very effective. What if he was using weapons he was familiar with? It would be very effective, indeed.
“It will work the first time, but not a second time,” Anfey said, shaking his head.
Entos and Marino were walking over. After hearing Anfey and Ernest’s conversation, they both frowned.
Entos looked down at his wand. His wand could use instantaneous teleportation and did not require spells. It was his last resort. The stronger he grew, the less he needed the wand. He hadn’t used it in a few years now.
Entos realized he had made a mistake. He did not remember that strength and momentum were preserved even after he teleported. Usually, he wouldn’t start attacking until after he had teleported. Anfey, however, attacked before he teleported. This saved a lot of time and could have changed the fight if he were really fighting for his life. If he had anticipated Anfey’s method, he would have won.
“A second time?” Ernest asked, then nodded. He knew what Anfey meant. This method only had one chance, and it had to be lethal. If the first time did not work, the opponent would be prepared for a second time. He lifted his head suddenly to look at Marino.
Entos once said that the heads of the major mercenary groups were all difficult people. Marino proved Entos correct. He realized Ernest was staring at him and understood Ernest’s mistrust towards him. He raised his hand and said, “You know I would not tell anyone what happened here.”
Ernest nodded, then turned back to Anfey and said, “Take a few steps and see what happens.” He was very worried before he noticed that Anfey’s breathing pattern was still very steady. He relaxed visibly.
Anfey nodded. He let go of Suzanna’s shoulder and took a few careful steps. His acting was good enough that no one became suspicious.
“What are you doing?” Saul’s voice asked from up ahead. He was coming down the path with Niya. Saul looked at ease, but Niya seemed depressed. If it was another person, her change in mood would be unnoticeable. However, NIya was a very outgoing and happy person, and it was rare to see her in such a bad mood.
“I was just practicing, Master,” Anfey said.
“I see,” Saul said. “Good. Don’t let yourself rust.”
Niya suddenly frowned and glanced at Anfey. She blinked a few times and stopped. However, her actions were too conspicuous and everyone saw them. Anfey felt Entos and Marino were both staring at him strangely.
“Father, I don’t want to go anymore,” Niya said quietly.
“What?” Saul asked, surprised. “Why not?”
“I just don’t. Go without me, alright?”
“Alright,” Saul said with a sigh. “I know you had a restless night last night. Go take a nap and rest. Don’t be so childish tonight.”
Niya nodded.
“Ernest, come with me. And Anfey, if you’re not too busy.”
“What is it?”
“You’ll now when you get there,” Saul said with a shrug.
“Father!” Niya suddenly called.
“What is it?” Saul asked gently. He knew that Niya was in a bad mood, so he was extra patient with her.
“I have to…I have to talk to Anfey.”
“What is it? Can’t you talk about it here?” Saul asked, amused. Seeing Niya’s frown deepen, he quickly changed the topic and said, “Anfey, go with Niya. I’ll wait for you.”
As Anfey walked away with Niya, he felt acutely the strange looks from Entos and Marino. He hoped that no one would think anything was going on between him and Niya and no rumors would stem from this. He followed her slowly and stumbled as they disappeared out of sight.
Niya stopped after she made sure they were out of earshot. She opened her mouth but hesitated as if she did not know how to say what she needed to say. She did not look at Anfey and was rubbing her shirt.
“Niya, what happened?” Anfey asked.
“Yesterday…was Christian angry?” Niya asked quietly.
“You have to ask him about that,” Anfey said gently. He realized Niya was unhappy about missing Christian’s party and he felt bad for her.
“I don’t want to,” Niya said, shaking her head. “I feel too bad. I felt like a thief coming down the stairs today. A thief in my own home! All because I’m too afraid to…” Niya’s voice trailed off. She knew that Grandon shouldn’t have hosted a feast at the same time as Christian, especially when Christian had sent out the invitation weeks ahead. Normal feasts could be rescheduled, but birthdays could not. Niya felt bad missing Christian’s birthday.
“You’re overthinking,” Anfey said. “We know you made your decision for a reason. We all understand.”
“You’re lying,” Niya said, shaking her head. “I know everyone must hate me right now.” Her voice quivered as she spoke. Friendships were priceless, and after everything they had been through, they were practically family. Niya knew that her friendship with Christian was very important, and she was afraid of losing her friends.
“No way,” Anfey said with a smile. “We would never stop being friends with you, Niya.”
“You…” Niya was used to Anfey using sarcasm and did not believe him. Tears swelled up in her eyes.
“Seems like I can’t speak for Christian,” Anfey said with a sigh. “It sounds like you need to talk to him. Christian! Niya needs to talk to you!” His sudden increase in volume and the mention of Christian’s name spooked Niya, and she jumped behind him and hid her face in his shirt.
“My god, Niya,” a voice suddenly said. “Suzanna’s going to kill you.” Blavi laughed as he walked out from the trees.
Niya was startled and grew red with anger. Some jokes could be made among friends. Blavi was just acting the same way he always did, and Niya quickly remembered their friendship. She wiped away her tears and glared at him. “You idiot!” she called. Before she could say anything else, she suddenly froze, her eyes wide as Christian walked out of the trees.
“Niya,” Christian said with a warm smile. “We’re just about to go take a walk. Want to come along?”
A lot of times, words were not enough. Actions were the only way to solve the problem.
In reality, none of them blamed Niya. Saul treated them like their own children, and he was like a father to his students. Even Saul had to go to Grandon’s feast. Niya surely had no choice. Christian never blamed Niya for missing his birthday. Even though he was sad that Grandon purposely hosted a feast on his birthday, Niya had nothing to do with it. Christian wouldn’t be angry at her for something she could not control.
“I…I…” Niya said, stumbling over her words.
“What?” Blavi asked, smiling. “Do you want to go with Anfey? What would Suzanna think?” Niya grunted and reached for her sword. When she realized she didn’t bring her sword, she looked around and searched for a branch. Finally, her eyes landed on a branch on a small oak.
Just as Niya was about to run towards the tree, Christian took a step forward and stopped her. “It’s alright,” he said, “just ignore him. You know how he is. Come on, you should go and wash your face. People may think we’re taking advantage of you if they see you like this.” He paused and said, “But you have to give me a present. Don’t think you get to skip giving me a gift just because you missed my birthday.”
“I already have it ready,” Niya said, lowering her head.
“Where is it, then?” Christian asked.
“Wait,” Niya said. She looked at Christian hesitantly then smiled. She turned and dashed towards a nearby building. It seemed like Niya had come out of her depression and her happy self had returned.

Chapter 303: Reaper

“Professor, what are we doing here?” Anfey asked, confused, looking at the highly-secured magic array in a distance.
“Picking someone up,” Saul said.
“Who is it?” Anfey asked.
“Someone you know,” Saul said with a smile.
Anfey thought about it and frowned. Among the people he knew who could make Saul come to pick him up, it had to be that old fellow.
Soon, the magic array slowly started. A thick radiance soon covered the whole magic array. Saul walked up, still smiling. He walked two steps forward and then stopped. He looked very sharp.
Bruzuryano walked out of the magic array first. He was followed by a middle-aged man, and then four young elves. Of course, they were comparatively young. Everybody knew elves had long life spans. Those elves looked like they were about 18 years old, but in fact, they had lived in this world for hundreds of years.
“You are on time” Saul said in a low voice.
“I got stuck with something, otherwise we could have been in Sacred City yesterday,” Bruzuryano said with a shrug.
The middle-aged man behind Bruzuryano stopped and stood next to him. They looked quite different. Bruzuryano was thick and strong, while the other man was thin and tall. He was almost a half head taller than Bruzuryano. Bruzuryano looked calm, while the middle-aged man looked aggressive, with sharp eyes, ready to pinpoint something wrong with others.
The moment the magic array started, Saul immediately sensed two strong surges. At that moment, the middle-aged man was not shy standing next to Bruzuryano. With the information Saul had, it was not hard for him to guess who he was. Saul slowly asked, “Are you Reaper Manstuly?”
“Dear Master Saul, it is my great honor to meet you.” The man respectfully bowed. He sounded very humble, but his smile looked as aggressive as his eyes, giving others a feeling that he was dangerous.
“I am flattered.” Saul reached out his hand to give the man a handshake. Saul glanced at Bruzuryano and saw him just standing there with no facial expression. Saul thought about it and said with a smile, “This is not a great place to talk. I have prepared a place for you to stay. It has been cleaned and tidied. Follow me.”
“Master Saul, I think we are missing a person.” Manstuly did not move. He looked around and asked, “Where is Master Jacob?”
“He is not in the Sacred City right now,” Saul said.
“Not here?” Manstuly’s smile disappeared. “Didn’t you find him?”
“Yes, we did, but Jacob had something urgent he had to deal with. He cannot be here right now.”
“Then what about our cooperation?” Manstuly asked.
“As far as I know, we are going to talk about cooperation in more general terms, not just about creating Sacred Spirit potion,” Saul said casually. “Jacob is not here, but that will not affect us working together, especially since Jacob has told me that the job of creating Sacred Spirit potion will be finished by his student.”
“Jacob has wanted to create this legendary Sacred Spirit potion for many years. How could he give up this opportunity?” Bruzuryano asked in surprise. “When did Jacob enroll a student? Why didn’t I know about it?”
“You should ask Jacob these questions yourself,” Saul said with a smile. “You have seen his student actually. He is the alchemist in Anfey’s legion. You saw him often hanging with Anfey. His name is Hagan.”
“Alchemist? I do not think we should give such an important job to an alchemist. I really do not get what Master Jacob is thinking?” Manstuly said.
Anfey was worried that his plan would fall through. It was his idea. However, it was easy to suggest something, and harder to carry it out successfully. Anfey thought Bruzuryano was easy to fool. He had made a mistake. Luckily, Saul had a great reputation. When a honest person lied, others tended to believe him, so he was not easily caught in the lie. That Manstuly focused on Jacob and did not doubt Saul. Anfey could help with nothing at that moment. He had no position to talk, so he could only watch Saul coping with changing situations.
“Jacob has told me Hagan is very talented. He is the only person Jacob has ever found who could possibly take on his skills and knowledge. It was not a big deal for Hagan to create a potion, not even a Sacred Spirit potion.” Saul still looked normal. “If you are still worried, we can wait about ten more days until Jacob comes back to Sacred City.”
Either talking about the future arch-alchemist, or mentioning the 10 more days seemed to do the trick. Manstuly smiled again. “My honorable Master Saul, please forgive my rudeness. After all, it would benefit both of us if we can successfully create Sacred Spirit potion.”
“Anfey, come here.” Bruzuryano waved at Anfey.
Anfey was shocked for a second and unconsciously looked at Saul. He did not walk toward Bruzuryano until he saw Saul slightly nod in agreement. “Master Bruzuryano, how can I help you?”
“These are the elves I personally picked for you. From now on, they will teach you Nature magic. You do not need to treat them as your teachers. In fact, they will be your maids. However, you cannot do anything bad to them, otherwise there will be consequences.”
Anfey did not know if he should laugh or cry. Slanbrea died, but planted a seed of Light in his body. He had wanted Anfey to learn Light magic. Now Bruzuryano gave him four elves to teach him Nature magic. Why would everyone think Anfey was so good?
“Thank you, but I do not want to learn Nature magic.” Anfey turned Bruzuryano down. “I think I have found the magic I am interested in.”
“You can ask your professor’s opinion before you turn it down,” Bruzuryano said.
Anfey looked at Saul and saw him nodding after thinking a bit.
Anfey scratched the back of his head. Since he had seen Entos’s Instant Transportation magic, he had shown strong interest in it. If he could have similar ability, with the martial arts he inherited from his family, his fighting power would improve significantly. The key was that Anfey could escape using Instant Transportation magic when he was in danger. Anfey as an assassin had to design a plan B, otherwise he would not be a successful. Anfey had always put considerable stress on his escape plan. In Chinese history there was an assassin called Jing Ke. He sacrificed his life for the brotherhood without considering himself. More specifically, he should not be considered an assassin, but a hero. Anfey never wanted to be a hero. He’d rather accept failure than give up the opportunity to live on. If he could master the Instant Transportation magic, he could fight as he wanted, or escape as he wished. No matter what he decided to do, it would be very convenient to know Instant Transportation. Anfey had made the decision to practice Space series magic. He even put the internal energy practice aside, since he had not been able to go further with it. At this moment, he could not spare any time for Nature magic.
“Anfey, there have been very few people in our history who could connect with the Heart of Nature. Don’t worry. I am not going to hurt you,” Bruzuryano said slowly. He looked sincere and determined.
Since Saul had nodded and Bruzuryano also said something like this to convince him, it pushed Anfey into a corner. He hesitated, then decided he needed to accept it. “Ok, but I am stupid. I hope you will not get mad at me if I cannot get Nature magic.”
“You are stupid?” Bruzuryano could not help laughing. “Ok, let me introduce you. This is Jane, Pagelya, Weiss, and Yubokeve.”
The four elves had their heads down. As Bruzuryano called each name, the elf would look up without saying anything. Every year, elves and druids would have bloody and brutal battles on those horrible elf hunting teams. However, elf hunting teams never dissolved, even though they were banned. It only proved how attractive those elves were to men on the Pan Continent. Without a market, elf hunting teams would have disappeared long ago. Among the four elves, only Pagelya was not gorgeous, but the other three could be described as out-of-this-world beautiful. They looked feminine. They looked elegant in dresses that highlighted their curves. Most girls would look plain standing next to them.
Anfey did not show any interest in the elves. He nodded to greet them. Manstuly’s face changed as he saw how Anfey interacted with the elves. He thought Anfey would definitely have some ridiculous look on his face since he was so young that he should have strong sexual desires. He did not expect Anfey to look so aloof towards those elves. He looked at them like they were just regular stones on the road.
“Anfey, from now on, they will be your maids.” Bruzuryano waved his hand. “Don’t think I am nagging you. You have to protect them well. Do you understand?”
“I do not need maids. I can take care of myself,” Anfey replied.
“Anfey, you are going to be a nobleman soon. You should have a few elves with you. It is nothing special,” Saul said in a low voice.
“Well…” Anfey said.
“Are you not happy with them?” Manstuly frowned.
“No, you misunderstand me. I am just used to taking care of myself.” Anfey tried to please Manstuly with a smile.
“I will take these elves for you this time.” Saul casually shook his magic robe to tidy it. “Let me take you to your place now. There are some details we need to discuss.”
“After you.” Manstuly turned to the side and said humbly.
Bruzuryano patted Anfey’s shoulder and smiled. He walked behind Mantsuly and Saul. The four elves looked at each and did not know if they should follow Bruzuryano or Anfey.
“Uncle Ernest,” Anfey asked as he watched Saul, Manstuly and Bruzuryano walk away. What does that Manstuly do? Is he a top power?”
Ernest had been quiet. Bruzuryano had nodded at him with a smile as a greeting. It was not unexpected, since they had known each other for a while. The middle-aged man named Manstuly acted like he did not see Ernest. It was not nice of him, but Ernest did not seem to get affected by how other people saw him. Hearing Anfey’s question, he cleared his throat and said, “Druids have three kings: Protector—Bear King Bruzuryano; Reaper—Wolf King Manstuly; and Insighter—Hawk King Mauso. They are all archdruids.”
“Haha… Sacred City is getting busier. Uncle Ernest, let’s go,” Anfey said, glancing at the elves.
“Okay,” Ernest responded.

Chapter 304: Extreme Training Methods

After walking two blocks, Anfey stopped and rented a carriage from a nearby shop. This was because the four elves walking next to him were too eye-catching. Even though elves were the most beautiful and brilliant creatures in the world, they had mostly retreated away from the spotlight and into the forests. In most places, elves were rare.
Due to the elves’ beauty and rareness, most people had come to desire elves. Perhaps because people knew that they were inferior to elves, they would capture and enslave elves out of retaliation. Because of this, most people did not treat elves with friendliness.
Luckily, this was Sacred City, where no one was who they seemed to be. No one wanted to start anything for no reason. Niya could do whatever she wanted because she was Saul’s daughter. Zeda could do whatever he wanted because his grandfather was Philip. It was a rare sight to see someone walking around carelessly with four elves. No one wanted to go near people with four elves, so Anfey made it to the carriage shop with no trouble.
This was proof that elves were no longer the most important species in the world, and instead were treated like slaves. If Anfey had four beautiful human women with him, he would not have attracted so much attention. This was because even though the human women were of low status, they were still human and had rights. Elves, on the other hand, would be considered properties. Killing a maid would be considered murder because she was a human, but killing an elf would be considered damaging property.
People with elves would always carefully hide them. Displaying elves the way Anfey did was very dangerous. According to official laws, if someone tried to attack the elves and Anfey fought back, he would not be charged. If he wasn’t there, however, he could do nothing about it. Anfey’s knowledge of this world was improving, but he was still ignorant of a lot of customs and unspoken rules. Unlike other people, he considered the elves to be human’s equal and potential allies. He did not grow up in this world and did not have the prejudice that people in this world held against the elves.
When he left the carriage shop, he noticed that the streets were emptier than before. After seeing him disappear into the carriage shop, people had figured out who he was. A lot of people had run off to talk to their friends about who they had just seen.
After he killed Zeda and Shamash, he had made a name for himself. It seemed like he would brutally murder the children of whoever offended him, and that made people afraid of crossing him. Plus, he was still alive and was made a count. This showed that he was supported by not only the archmage Saul but also the king, Yolanthe. Most people did not want to do anything to offend their king. It was better to just stay away from Anfey than to accidentally offend him and have their entire family murdered.
The carriage was stopped by the palace guards when it came up to Saul’s mansion. Anfey lifted the curtain and nodded at the palace guards. Seeing that he was authorized to be near Saul’s house, the palace guards allowed the carriage through. The servants in the courtyard all frowned when they saw the elves. Even in Sacred City, elves were rare, and they had never seen anyone foolish enough to display elves like that.
The old butler hurried over and asked, “My lord, they are…?”
“My maids,” Anfey said. “Find some rooms for them.”
“There are two empty rooms next to the lady’s room.”
Anfey shook his head. “Aren’t there empty rooms on the first floor? Put them there.” He did not know the elves and did not trust them. If they lived close to Niya, they could become good friends with her. Since the elves’ intention was still unclear, they might try to use Niya as an informant.
“There’s only one empty room,” the old butler reminded him.
“Try cleaning it up. We can’t put them next to Lady Niya, can we? It’s not exactly safe.”
The old butler nodded. “I’ll see it done.”
“Where’s Suzanna?”
“In your room, I believe. And Lord Entos is looking for you. He wants to meet you in his room.”
“Did he tell you what he wanted to talk about?”
“No, but he seemed troubled. He even ran into a maid today. Almost pushed the poor girl down the stairs.”
“You sure he’s not just taking advantage of her?” Anfey asked with a smile.
“Lord Entos isn’t like that,” the old butler said.
“I’ll go find him then,” Anfey said. He saw the elves following him and waved his hand. “Go with him to clean up your room a bit.”
“Come with me, my ladies,” the old butler said, turning around and waiting for the elves.
The elves watched Anfey disappear; all four were frowning. None of them wanted to go to the human world. To these elves, just being around humans was degrading. However, they were pressured by their elders and had to sacrifice themselves. They had to learn more about humans in order to destroy humans and take back elves’ rightful place as the most intelligent species. They were frustrated and angered that the man they had to serve would not even spare them a glance. Anfey’s actions clearly did not help lessen the elves’ hatred for humans.
Anfey stopped in front of Entos’s room and knocked on the door. “Who is it?” he heard Entos ask.
“It’s me.”
“Come in.”
Anfey pushed open the door and walked into the room. Entos was alone in the room and was sitting by a table. “I’ve been waiting for you,” Entos said.
“I heard you tried flirting with a girl today,” Anfey said, smiling.
“Not true,” Entos said. “Sit down.”
“Everyone’s talking about it.”
“Doesn’t make it true,” Entos said. “I thought you’d be smart enough to distinguish the lies from the truth.”
“Is she pretty?”
“That is none of your business,” Entos said. “Just like it is not mine. I have to talk to you.”
“Tell me,” Anfey said. He wanted to disrupt Entos’s thought process and get more information, even though Entos was clearly not falling for it.
Entos frowned and said quietly, “I never thought magic and combat power could be a powerful combination. Do you really want to become a paladin?”
“Yes.”
“I can teach you some of the things I learned about magic, especially about teleportation, but we have to settle two things first.”
“What is it?”
“First, my methods are very extreme. You’ve only used teleportation once, so you won’t understand the pain of using teleportation dozens, even hundreds, of times a day.” Entos paused as if waiting for Anfey to understand his words. “Of course, you can use other methods, but you won’t ever reach my level. I am confident to say that when it comes to teleportation, I am the best in the world.”
“I see,” Anfey said. “I don’t mind extreme methods. That shouldn’t be a problem.”
Entos looked at Anfey, then nodded. “Call me curious, but if you want to be a paladin, why aren’t you practicing combat power? You have Suzanna and Christian, both of whom would make great teachers. But you aren’t practicing with them. You know another way to do it, don’t you? And you know that whatever way you’re doing it would be more powerful than combat power. Am I wrong?”
Anfey froze. He stared at Entos, shocked. He thought his secret was better guarded and never thought someone else would see through his lie so easily.

Chapter 305: Dadao

“Don’t think too much about it. I was just curious; didn’t mean to pry into your secrets. If you don’t want to talk about it, we can switch topics,” Entos said.
“It’s not really a secret. Professor and Uncle Ernest know a little about it,” Anfey said.
“Are you suggesting that they are not pressing you for your secrets like I am?” Entos said. He was quiet for a while, then said, “Anfey, you should know how important it is. Professor and Master Ernest did not ask you about it only because they respect you and did not want to make you feel offended. You cannot keep it secret forever though. No one knows how a brand new and unique practice method could benefit Pan Continent. Luckily, others do not yet know much about you. They only know that you have learned from a supreme power. Their curiosity stops there. However, if they found out that you know another way to train, you would have a lot more trouble.”
“Well, I do not think my secret would get out, would it?” Anfey smiled.
“If I could tell you have a different training method, so can others.” Entos shook his head. “There is never an absolute secret. Do you know why Evil Mist wanted you?”
“Sort of, but I’m not quite sure,” Anfey said.
“You killed their people in Home of Roses Hotel in Tumen Commercial Union. King Yolanthe and Evil Mist investigated it at the time. They both targeted you at the end of the investigation,” Entos said slowly. “King Yolanthe also talked to the professor about you. Master Ernest had already talked to Saul about the existence of supreme powers. He believed the mysterious old man who taught you sword skills in your hometown could very possibly be a supreme power. Ernest said your sword skills were very sharp and powerful. You had fighting ability even though you did not have any combat power. He believed that mysterious old man’s power would be unimaginable. Professor did not want anyone else to know about your secrets, but King Yolanthe pressed him very hard. He was very suspicious about your background and even wanted to catch you to interrogate you. Professor had to tell the king about Master Ernest’s speculation.”
“I see,” Anfey said,smiling bitterly. He finally realized why he had such doubts about the situation.
“It should be a secret, shouldn’t it? Only the king, professor, and Master Ernest knew about it, but in the end, Evil Mist got to know about Master Ernest’s speculation somehow,” Entos said, smiling. “Don’t think that any of those three sold you out. You know, no matter how trivial it could be, everything had to be recorded in the palace and kept on file. The person who was in charge of those files was the commander of Storm mercenary group. I do not know him, never saw him either, but I know his loyalty cannot be questions, otherwise, the king would not be alive today. Later, they figured out what went wrong. When the king found out your secrets had leaked out, he was furious about it. He ordered the commander of Storm mercenary group to do a thorough investigation. They found out at the end that the person whose job was to put words in magic crystals leaked your secrets out. Unfortunately, when secret agents rushed to his home, he was already dead.”
“What happened afterwards?” Anfey asked.
“The professor got really mad and even advocated with the king on your behalf. Anfey, the professor has been nice to you because of who you are. It doesn’t matter whether you are a fool or a smart guy with all the secrets. You are his student. He will do what is best for you.” Entos sighed. “However, the king is different than our professor. If there were nothing of interest to him, would he protect you? In Violet City, you had a personal fight with someone in public and killed an heir of a marquis. If it were Philip, he would have thought about the consequences of doing that before he did anything. Just like right now, he did not dare trouble you. You had the excuse of managing the city. If you could find an excuse for your behavior, those government officials could have found hundreds ways to against you. Were you the city master of Violet City? Did you get your official appointment yet?”
“I know all of these things,” Anfey said. “I killed Shamash for two reasons. One was to better control and manage Violet City; the other was to test the king.”
“It’s good that you considered these things,” Entos said, nodding. “In fact, I agree with you. If I were you, I would never let Marquis Djoser live. Since you already had a conflict with him, why would you let him live if you knew he hated you with a passion? I heard Marquis Djoser had brought people to the military camp in Violet city. You should have killed him back then when it was in chaos, in case later he would make more trouble for you.”
“He is a marquis no matter what,” Anfey said, smiling bitterly.
“You are still a little timid,” Entos said.
Anfey opened his mouth, wanting to ask if he was too timid or Entos was not afraid of anything, but he decided against it.
“He will be your pain in the neck. Marquis Djoser will definitely make trouble for you. As long as he is in Violet City, there would be no peace,” Entos said.
“Don’t you know?” Anfey was shocked for a second before he asked, “Didn’t Master Mioritch tell you?”
“Tell me what?” Entos asked.
“Marquis Djoser asked someone to help him. He asked Master Jacob to help him,” Anfey said.
“He must be a nut!” Entos was startled to hear that. He said, “Did he really ask Master Jacob to fight against you? He’d better kill himself right now. It’s better than die from being too upset and angry later.”
“I don’t think he knows about the relationship between Master Jacob and our professor,” Anfey said.
“Probably not! Almost no one knows his plans. He likes to do things on his own. Some people even think he died a long time ago,” Entos said.
“Hagan was startled when he saw Master Jacob,” Anfey said.
“Hmmm…” Entos raised an eyebrow. “Master Jacob should come to Sacred City soon. I need to remind our professor not let anyone know about Master Jacob coming. Marquis Djoser has been close with Prince Wester. It seems that Philip is on Wester’s side now as well. If Master Jacob were seen by Philip, he would make trouble,” Entos said.
“Brother Entos, that’s incredible. You have thought about everything,” Anfey said.
“Stop it!” Entos stood up, smiling. He suddenly paused and went quiet for a second. He turned to give Anfey a weird look. “Almost, I almost fell for it.”
“Brother Entos, what do you mean?” Anfey asked.
“Anfey, I think you are good at distracting people.” Entos sat back down. “You have not answered my question yet. Do you know another way to train yourself? I need a definite answer.”
“Yes.” Anfey could not dodge this question anymore.
“What kind of practice is it? Can you tell me about it?” Entos asked.
“How to put it?” Anfey thought for moment about how to put it into words, then said, “It seems similar to the practice of combat power but quite the opposite. That old man called this practice “Dadao”. I learned quite a lot about combat power from Suzanna. Combat power is to push the power out to protect the practitioner and attack the opponents, while Dadao is more introverted power, which keeps the power in the body. The person who practices Dadao is a weapon himself. Weapons, such as spears, swords and other metal weapons are not necessary for Dadao practitioners.”
“Can you talk more about it in detail?” Entos asked.
“In our bodies, there are three main energy channels, the conception vessel, the governing vessel, and the middle vessel. There are over a dozen subordinate energy vessels besides those three main ones. Energies are always flowing in these vessels. There also three places on the body called ‘pubic regions,’ where the energies are stored.” Anfey took a look at Entos and smiled. “Brother Entos, I do not think you would understand it if I just talked about these vessels and energy flows. Never mind.”
“A storage room for energy? Like magic beasts’ magic crystals?” Entos asked in surprise.
“No, the energies stored in pubic area are not visible as magic crystals,” Anfey said.
“Is your practice to control those energies? To control how they flow in the vessels?” Entos asked.
“Yes,” Anfey answered.
“How do you control the energies?” Entos asked.
“It is too complicated. I could not explain very clearly. Once you reach a certain level, you need to switch your practice method. For instance, at the beginning, you could only store the energy in the lower elixir field, and then gradually control the energy flow towards the governing vessel. After practicing that for a long time, you could gradually induce the energy to the conception vessel,” Anfey explained.
“What if my energy was in a different energy vessel instead of lower elixir at the beginning?” Entos asked.
“You would die from it,” Anfey said.
“Die?” He had only heard that mages and swordsmen could die in battle, but never heard training could make people die, except for doing experiments in magic labs.
“I am not lying to you. It could cause people to die,” Anfey said.
“As you said, this training method cannot be practiced by most people, can it?” Entos asked.
Anfey smiled. “If there were more and more people practicing Dadao, maybe in a hundred years, most people could practice it, but not now.”
Entos watched Anfey’s face as he said slowly, “Could most people practice the very basics?”
“Very challenging for right now,” Anfey said.
“Ok, we will talk about whether it could be practiced by most people later. Did that old man tell you this training method could definitely help you reach supreme power level?” Entos asked.
“I do not know. He never told me how the levels are divided on Pan Continent. He had a very special way to define different levels,” Anfey said in a low voice.
“What did he say about the power levels?” Entos asked.
“He told me once the practitioner could reach to the highest level, that person does not have to be constrained by ‘Three Boundaries’ and ‘Five Elements.’ He could do anything and go anywhere without any constraints,” Anfey said.
“What is ‘Three Boundaries’?” Entos asked.
Anfey shook his head.
“What is ‘Five Elements’?” Entos asked.
Anfey shook his head again.
Entos frowned as he was in thoughts. “Do anything, go anywhere, without any constraints. Does this mean he could ignore the rules of the nature?” Entos asked.
“You may be right about that,” Anfey said.
Entos went quiet for a while, but could not figure it out. He had to find answers from someone else. He slowly stood up. “Ok, we will stop here. Thank you for your trust. I will pass what you told me on to our professor. Don’t worry. I will remind the professor to keep it secret for you and will not tell anyone else about it, not even King Yolanthe. There will be no more accidents.”

Chapter 306: Apologies

Anfey retrieved all the magic books from his dimensional ring and placed them neatly on the shelves in the library. This would be the last time he was in that library for a long time. Niya had told him earlier in the day that his appointment to be a count had already been finalized. That meant that he should head to Violet City in a few days. He did not feel sad about leaving the academy. Even though Steger had purposely placed Anfey in an elite class with all the best students, Anfey had not made any friends due to his introverted nature. If Anfey was more like Christian, he would make a lot more friends. Developing a network might sound easy, but it was much harder in reality.
After he returned all the books to the shelves, Anfey left the library. He looked around and saw Doris walking down the hall with another girl. Doris saw Anfey and waved at him. “Hey,” she said, “how are you? This is Jenova. Remember her?”
“Of course,” Anfey said, holding out his hand. Jenova was Doris’s best friend, if his memory served him well. He had met her once before.
“Really?” Jenova asked dryly. “You remember me.”
“Of course…”
“I’ve seen you in school before,” Jenova said, shaking her head. “I know you don’t remember me. You don’t have to lie.”
Doris smiled and tugged on Jenova’s shirt.
Anfey turned to Doris and asked, “Doris, how are things going for you?”
“It’s all done,” Doris said. She retrieved something from her dimensional ring and handed it to Anfey.
It was a senior mage’s badge. Anfey accepted the badge gingerly and clipped it onto his shirt. Of course, he needed his graduation diploma. He didn’t know the school well enough and the only places he knew the location of were the library and his classes. He didn’t know the teachers either and he didn’t want to trouble Steger for such a minor thing. The only person he could turn to was Doris, who had already studied at the school for three years.
“And this is the document from the guild,” Doris said, handing a piece of clear crystal to him.
“You got the document?” Anfey asked, surprised. “Thanks,” he said. “I know it’s a lot of trouble for you.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Doris said. “The guild is right across the street.”
“That building?” Anfey asked. “Really? I never noticed.”
“You’re the count of Violet City now,” Doris said. “You have to help us when we go out and practice. Consider it repayment for me helping you get your badge and the documents.”
“No problem.”
“For real?”
“Of course. Not just Violet City. If you want to go to Country of Mercenaries, I have connections there as well. Just write me a letter and I’ll talk to my people there. They will look out for you two.”
“You’re not bluffing, aren’t you?” Jenova suddenly asked.
“I promise you,” Anfey said sincerely.
“Don’t you remember?” Doris said to Jenova. “Entos is the deputy leader of Brother mercenary group. Lord Marino is here as well. I’m sure they can help us.”
“You seem to know Lord Saul’s place very well,” Jenova commented.
Doris blushed and lowered the head. There were people who wanted to stand out and be leaders, but there were also people who wanted to blend in and be followers. Doris was one of the latter. She wasn’t very powerful and she was not as talented as Saul’s students, but she wanted to stay with them even if it meant that she would become unnoticeable. She realized that leaving home and traveling was not the only way to learn new things. Plus, she felt very safe spending time with students of one of the greatest mages alive. Since it may appear that she was just staying at Saul’s for no reason, she had tried very hard to help around the house. If the servants were too busy to take care of certain areas of the house, she would take it upon herself to do those chores. She would volunteer for other minor chores as well. It was difficult to juggle studying magic and taking care of Shally and her chores, but she managed. Luckily, no one had said anything about her presence in the house yet.
“You’re going to leave the city again?” Anfey asked. “You just came back.”
“Yeah,” Jenova said, nodding. “After we take the test…” She suddenly paused after spotting something behind Anfey.
Anfey turned around. He frowned after seeing who it was and sighed. Then he walked over and bowed to the man. “Prince Grandon,” he said.
Grandon reached over and helped Anfey up, but did not say anything. He looked at Doris and Jenova, who quickly walked away.
After the girls were out of earshot, Grandon turned to Anfey and said, “You don’t have to be so rigid. I’ve been too busy lately, or else I would have already visited you. Hopefully you’re not mad at me for that.”
What Grandon said was cliche, but he couldn’t have said anything else. After all, he had only met Anfey once, in Niya’s carriage. If Grandon did not pick his words carefully, he would appear too friendly.
“Of course not,” Anfey said with a smile. “I’m grateful that Your Highness can find time to visit me. It really should have been the other way around. I apologize for my inappropriate behavior.”
“I know, I know,” Grandon waved his hand and said. “You’re busy too.” He paused for a second, then asked, “How’s Niya?”
“She’s good,” Anfey said. It was very awkward to talk about Niya with Grandon, and Anfey quickly changed the topic. “It seems like you’re familiar with the academy.”
“I graduated from this school,” Grandon said. “I know most of the people here. If I had a better teacher… Of course, that’s a story for another day.” Grandon glanced at the badge on Anfey’s shirt and sighed, “Is Niya angry at me?”
“Why would she be?” Anfey replied. He did not like the direction of this conversation. It was too hard to figure out what Grandon was implying. After all, Grandon was much better at masking his true intentions than Anfey. “Are you here alone, Your Highness? Isn’t it dangerous?”
“My guards are all outside. I’m not worried about people in this school,” Grandon said with a smile. “Anfey, don’t lie to me. Is Niya really…” Grandon suddenly paused. Both he and Anfey suddenly realized that they were just replying to each other’s questions. Even though they were not arguing, they were not having a friendly conversation, either.
Grandon sighed and opened his mouth again. “I know that you guys are angry,” he said, shaking his head. “I am at fault. I am not going to deny that. Father had complimented me in front of the entire court that day, you see, and I was very happy and wanted to share my happiness. I forgot it was Christian’s birthday. I apologize for making things awkward.”
“You’re overthinking, Your Highness,” Anfey said. “But I’ll tell them about this.” He did not know why Grandon would keep making such elementary mistakes even though he was supposed to be the smarter one. First he held a feast on Christian’s birthday, then he made such a half-hearted apology to an irrelevant person. Maybe how he apologized did not matter to Grandon. It was the fact that he did apologize.
“Don’t worry about that,” Grandon said. “I’ll do it myself. Aren’t you leaving the city soon? I’ll hold a farewell dinner for you. I ordered a room at Night Elf Hotel, and I only invited a few people. Hopefully they will accept my apologies.”
Anfey frowned and hesitated. “As you know, Your Highness, I cannot accept anything on behalf of Christian and Niya. I’ll talk to them about it and get back to you.”
“Of course, of course,” Grandon said, smiling.
“If Your Highness doesn’t mind, I have to go now. I still have another class.”
“Alright,” Grandon said. “Hopefully I’ll see you tonight.”
Grandon sighed as he watched Anfey and the two girls leave. As long as Anfey, Christian, and Niya agreed to have dinner with him, his plan was already half successful.
“You’re too impatient, Your Highness,” an old mage in a black robe appeared behind Grandon and said.
“You’ve already told me,” Grandon said, shaking his head. “Lord Saul was my greatest supporter. Do you know how anxious I am now that Christian’s real identity is revealed?”
“I’m not talking about that time,” the old mage said. “I’m talking about this time.”
“This time?”
“None of those three you’ve invited are people who can be easily convinced,” the old mage reminded Grandon.

Chapter 307: Best out of 36 Strategies

“Anfey, should we go?” Christian asked quietly.
“Are we that hungry? Do we need this dinner that bad?” Anfey smiled.
“Of course not. Who cares about this dinner?” Blavi burst into laughter.
“Then we are not going to his dinner.” Anfey looked firm about this decision.
“Is it appropriate?” Riska said hesitantly. “Prince Granden would feel embarrassed and get mad if we do not go.”
“We are madder than him!” Blavi said. He looked like a person who just worried that the world might not be in a chaos. That way he would have no entertainment to watch.
“I agree with Blavi. Christian, if you go, Granden would look down upon you even more. We need to let him know that it is not that easy to make up for what he did. Next time, he would think more carefully before he made a similar mistake,” Anfey said calmly.
“Right! If we just let it go and forgive him this time, he would ask us to forgive him again next time.” Blavi was so excited that he jumped on the chair after he received support from Anfey. “We need act to show him he should stop dreaming that we would forgive him so easily.”
“Ok. We are not going.” Christian had decided not to go. His announcement meant everything.
“Send a servant to tell them that we got stuck with something right now and could not go. As for the reason we cannot go…just pick any reason.” Anfey suddenly remembered something. “Oh, right. Hagan, can you unlock an Element lock?”
“Element lock? Did you see an Element lock?” Hagan asked.
“Yes. Can you unlock it?” Anfey asked.
“Yes. In fact, it is pretty easy. As long as you have the spells, you can easily unlock it,” Hagan said.
“Why would I ask you if we had the spells?” Anfey shook his head. “Can you unlock it without spells?”
“No. If Master Jacob is here, he may be able to unlock it. If we want to force it open, we have to know the permutation of the elements. Do you think I can do that?” Hagan smiled bitterly. “Where did you see the Element lock?”
“In a secret chamber,” Anfey said.
“Secret chamber?” Hagan was intrigued. “What’s in the chamber?”
“We have taken out all the other stuff. Only a big case is left. It is locked with an Element lock,” Anfey said.
“What’s in the case?” Hagan asked.
“Are you stupid?” Blavi could not help yelling at Hagan. “The Element lock is not unlocked yet, how could we know what is inside the case?” Blavi glanced at Anfey. In fact, he did know what was in the case. Suzanna had made it very clear that secrets should be kept among them and they should not let anyone else know about it. Anfey also stressed that they could not let anyone else know about it, so Blavi spoke before anyone else could because he was worried someone could have talked about the secret by accident.
“Hagan, can you unlock it?” Anfey repeated the same question.
“Without spells, we cannot unlock an Element lock, but I should be able to move the Element lock,” Hagan said.
“If you can, say you can. If you cannot, then just say you cannot. What do you mean when you say you should be able to?” Anfey frowned. This was a big deal. He had to get an accurate answer.
“Don’t push me too hard. I am just an alchemist.” Hagan smiled bitterly. “Theoretically, I can make the volatility of elements freeze for a short amount of time, but I have never dealt with an Element lock before. How could I be too sure about it?”
“Will you possibly fail?” Riska asked.
“Yes,” Hagan said.
“What would happen if you failed?” Riska asked.
“You will never see me.” Hagan heaved a deep sigh. He chose to be an alchemist because the timing had been right and he was timid. He neither wanted to face death in battle nor see those evil-looking magic beasts. Being an alchemist was not only a safe job, but also had a lot of benefits. Alchemists received more respect than mages. They had poor ability to protect themselves. However, people rarely gave alchemists a hard time. Hagan never thought he would become an “EOD expert.” The power of an Element lock would be the same as the power of more than a dozen intermediate magic arrays of Chaos together. He definitely would disappear if he failed.
“Anfey, do we have to move the Element lock?” Christian asked.
“Yes, this time is different than last time. We secretly left Sacred City last time, but we have received others’ attention this time. There must be many people stalking us. The secret of the secret chamber will leak, so we have to move that case away from the chamber,” Anfey said.
“Let’s kill all those stalkers!” Blavi said with hatred. They used to be a group of kids only knowing about practicing magic, but now they talked about killing all the time. On the bright side, they had matured. On the other hand, it showed the pathetic side of human nature. This group of kids had learned sometimes it is better to kill others before they could get killed themselves.
“What if the king sent them? Do we kill them? Do you want to rebel against the king?” Zubin asked.
Blavi did not know how to respond for a second. “What good ideas do you have?”
“How about letting me read through Master Jacob’s scripts to see if there is anything about the Element lock,” Hagan said. “Even if there is nothing about an Element lock, Master Jacob is coming to Sacred City in a few days. I could ask him in person and learn something new. I would be more confident when I have to move the Element lock.”
“Hagan, you have to be more alert. Ok? Don’t mention anything about treasure. Just tell him you are interested in an Element lock,” Anfey said.
“Don’t worry. I am not a little kid.” Hagan suddenly remembered something. “Anfey, are we leaving Sacred City for sure?”
“Yes,” Anfey said.
“How about my lab?” Hagan felt pained when he thought about how much time and effort he had put into the lab. He spent a couple of sleepless nights building the lab. He finally built his first lab. Before he could enjoy it for a few days, they had to leave. No matter what others would think, Hagan really did not want to leave.
“It was not a long term plan to have a lab in Sacred City, because we have to leave here soon or later,” Anfey said slowly. “Don’t worry. Either in Violet City or Sword Tomb Principality, we definitely will build a new lab for you. For the next few days, you can take down anything you feel will be useful.”
“Ok.” Hagan helplessly nodded.
Anfey looked around. “I think you guys could tell Sacred City is getting more complicated. It would not do us any good to stay here. Prince Granden thinks we are causing trouble for him. Prince Wester thinks we would be his opponents and never get along with him. We will have trouble sooner or later if we stay here. Christian, if you have decided not to fight for the throne, you should make it more clear and look more determined. You’d better leave Sacred City and get away from the troubles.”
Zubin cleared his throat, “Anfey, Wester is not quite like you think he is.”
“Oh?” Anfey said.
“Today I met two mages. They were very nice to me and wanted to be friends with me. They also let me know they are with Prince Wester. It seems that Prince Wester wanted to make friends with us,” Zubin said.
“Why didn’t you say it earlier?” Blavi said, frowning.
“Anfey called us over and started talking about Granden’s invitation right away. I did not get a chance,” Zubin said.
“This only makes the situation even more complicated,” Anfey said quietly. “We are not going to keep neutral in Sacred City. In addition, we might make our professor take on more weight. If something happens to us, the professor would have to take care of us. If we leave, the professor does not have to worry about us.”
“I agreed with Anfey from the beginning. I think we all can agree on this. I just do not know what choice the others would make.” Christian sighed. This conversation involved Suzanna, Hui Wei, and six others, not even half of the legion. It was hard to know what the other half of the legion would choose because they would not want to leave Saul. Choosing the right teacher was important in terms of magical study, and sometimes could be a determining factor.
“Christian, can you represent us and talk to the professor about how we see the situation. As long as the professor supports us, they would come with us,” Anfey said.
“Ok.” Christian nodded.
“If we leave Sacred City now, there is another benefit for us,” Anfey said, smiling.
“What benefit?” Christian was shocked.
“Leaving Sacred City means you have no interest in the throne,” Anfey said. “Right now the king should feel the most secure about you. I think he knows what happened on your birthday. We should not say Granden and Wester had any evil intentions towards you, but at the very least they were not nice to you. How would you protect yourself in the future?” Anfey said.
“Didn’t you say we are going to build our own Sword Tomb Principality?” Christian asked.
“We think so.” Anfey smiled. “The king should have made one, or even a few, plans for you, because he is your father. I think it will not take long after we reach Violet City for the king to ask you to take over Sword Tomb Principality. We have nothing right now, but once we are in charge of Sword Tomb Principality, we will be in much better shape.”
“I see,” Christian said.
“When we leave, we’d better ask Brother Entos to go with us,” Anfey said.
“I overheard the conversation between Brother Entos and Marino. They were discussing the time to go back to the Country of Mercenaries. I do not think Bro Entos would come with us,” Christian said.
“Christian, we need you to talk to our professor. You’d better make us look really sympathetic. If our professor asks him to go with us, then he does not have a say where he wants to go.”
“Good idea.” Christian’s eyes brightened. “Brother Entos has been travelling for so many years. He is a lot more experienced than us. He has been senior magister for a long time, so we can ask him if we have any question about magic.”
“Anfey, it would be even better if you could ask Master Ernest to join us,” Blavi blurted out.
“Well…I will try.” Anfey slowly nodded.

Chapter 308: Changes

Yolanthe’s court began to change when Sacred City welcomed the first snow of the year. After the war, Yolanthe and his cabinet had been debating how to reward those who had served the nation well. However, no decision had been made yet. Everyone had been waiting for the final decision.
Saul received the best reward. Saul had forced the leader of Dark Moon Magic Legion, Newyoheim, to fight with him and won the battle. He set up a large magic array that spanned a fifty miles radius. This saved Maho Empire’s army from Newyoheim’s forbidden spell and saved thousands of lives. Yolanthe decided to make Saul a marquis. This decision became the item everyone was talking about immediately after it was announced. There hadn’t been a new marquis in a century. Even though a marquis title like Saul’s could not be passed down to Niya, it was still a major event. A number of people thought perhaps the title was too great a reward, but no one objected, not even Philip. Saul was a popular person both among the nobility and among the commoners. Objection would not only alienate Saul, but also Yolanthe. No one wanted to offend their king.
Another one rewarded was Baery. He had led his Roaring Death Legion to cut off Ellisen army’s retreat route and prevented Ellisen army from overpowering Maho army. Yolanthe did not give Baery a noble title. Instead, he made Baery a head general and placed him in charge of the legions. This decision shocked Yolanthe’s court. Normally, the king would not give the role of general away until he was ready to pick an heir. This meant that Yolanthe was slowly giving up power. The legions could work together because the different legions respected each other. Now that all the legions had the same general, it would be harder for anyone to take the throne.
A lot of people had been trying to figure out why Yolanthe had named Baery the head general. In reality, Yolanthe’s intention was very simple. There were only two people fit to become head general, Baery and Miorich.
Baery had spent most of his life fighting foreign enemies and was known for his mercilessness. He was very just and popular among his soldiers. He was experienced and knew how to use his power.
Miorich, on the other hand, was less successful than Baery when it came to strategizing. He did not have Baery’s reputation, either. When Miorich arrived at Blackania City with his army, he actually fought the Shansa army. If Baery had been there, the Shansa army would not have fought him. This was because they all knew how good a general Baery was.
Baery was also well-known because he would spare any army that surrendered to him without a fight. If his opponent harmed even one of his soldiers, he would kill everyone he could capture. Of course, he would always spare the nobility because they were worth more than normal soldiers. After all these years, no armies would fight Baery unless they were certain that they could win the battle.
Due to Baery’s reputation, the polarization of Shansa army became more and more apparent. Whenever there was a conflict, the soldiers who would fearlessly charge at their opponents tended to be of noble descent, but the commoners would be more hesitant. In the past, they had a general who was even better than Baery. Now, after the old general’s death, Shansa Empire had yet to find a general who could defeat Baery. Even though Shansa Empire tried to restore its armies to its former glory, its soldiers were still terrified by the Maho general. Shansa Empire found itself more and more on the defensive.
Even though he did not have Baery’s reputation, Miorich was still rewarded. Yolanthe made Miorich a count and turned him into a landholding noble. He also made Miorich vice general.
There were other countless heroes as well. For example, Huni, who was in charge of the army at Blackania City, fought for more than a week and a half and held off Shansa army’s advance until Miorich’s arrival. When he went to greet Miorich, he collapsed and died of exhaustion in Blackania City. Yolanthe made him a count posthumously and his son a viscount as a reward.
The former military affairs minister, August, was made general of Blackania City for his work coordinating supplies.
Prince Grandon had been in charge of supervising the armies and was able to calm the anxious soldiers in times of crisis. Yolanthe made him the new military affairs minister and placed him in charge of supervising the empire’s military.
Former Finance Minister Constantine supported the military financially and subsidized families of dead soldiers. Yolanthe made him a viscount in charge of Swordbury Principality.
Prince Wester was able to take charge in Sacred City during Yolanthe’s absence and was named the new finance minister.
Both princes were given positions of power and became part of Yolanthe’s cabinet. However, Wester was given the better position. The military minister’s job was to train new recruits and ready supplies. The real power lay with the generals. Military ministers tended to make more money, especially during wartime, but Grandon had no need for money, since he was a prince and was already rich. Wester’s position seemed much more powerful to him.
The most interesting appointment went to Saul, who was named a marquis. He was a honorary marquis, and the only way he could become a hereditary marquis was to fight in another war. This meant that Yolanthe not only wanted another war, but he was actively preparing for a war.
Baery becoming the head general meant that Yolanthe was ready to pick an heir. This meant that those in court would soon find themselves facing the difficult choice of which prince to support.
Constantine becoming the minister of Swordbury Principality was the strangest appointment. Constantine was not well-known, but his older brother Baery was world famous. Now that it was revealed that Christian was the third prince, it was also revealed that Wester, Grandon, and Christian were born of the same father but not the same mother. Wester and Grandon had no relation to Baery and Constantine, but Christian was their nephew. This appointment was clearly meant to give Christian another chance.
There was an unknown power within Swordbury Principality as well. The army within Swordbury could only be activated when the empire was toppling. No one knew if Yolanthe would trust Christian with this legendary army.
Yolanthe took a step back and only made Anfey an honorary count. If Anfey did not continue to serve the empire, the right to Violet City would return to the king after his death. His descendants could become viscounts, but a viscount with no land was no different from a commoner.
Likewise, Duke of Swordbury could only be the king’s brother and child. The king was free to name new dukes after the old Duke’s death.
After the storm had calmed, Saul’s home became very busy. Countless people came to congratulate him on his appointment.

Chapter 309: Grand Gathering

“It looks busy in the front yard,” Suzanna murmured.
“If you would like, we can walk around out there for a little while,” Anfey said cheerfully.
“No, thank you.” Suzanna shook her head. “This little guy seems anxious. Others have no control over him. If we go to the front yard, what would we do with the little unicorn?”
That day, Saul was hosting a grand party. He had prepared this party very early. There were so many people coming that Saul could not handle all of the arrangements. Luckily, Yolanthe sent about a hundred palace maids and servants to help, and some government officials also sent their family servants over, which barely succeeded in making the party run smoothly. The huge front yard and the main building were lit up. People were walking everywhere. Saul’s house seemed to be highly secured. If today someone successfully attacked Saul’s house, he could have destroyed almost the whole upper class of Maho Empire. No one could let anything slip this time.
In fact, the chance that anyone could successfully attack Saul’s house was very, very slim. Even Philip, who did not see eye to eye with Saul, came for this party. The five top powers in Maho Empire were all here; Saul, Steger, Baery, Mioritch and Philip. In addition to the five top powers, Ernest, Bruzuryano, Manstuly, Jacob, and the old servant of Yolanthe were in the party. All top powers had gathered here. Facing such powerful opponents, even the craziest assassin would give up the idea of assassinating anyone that evening.
Maybe because so many top powers were present, the little unicorn had been looking nervous. He followed after Anfey closely. If the talking or laughter from the front yard were a little loud, the little unicorn would have a chill.
“This little guy is too timid. He should be better when he grows up a little bit more.” Anfey smiled. His smile looked forced. He had been waiting for news from afternoon till evening. He had not heard anything yet. When he went to the front yard to take a look, no matter whether it was Saul, Bruzuryano, or Manstuly, they were all talking and laughing together. He could not tell anything from their looks. Anfey actually felt quite nervous at that moment.
“Too timid?” Suzanna could not help rolling her eyes at Anfey. “Top powers are gathering here. Like the little unicorn, I even feel nervous. As far as I know, it is rare to have three or five top powers at one party. Right now there are nine. It has been a long time since we have had such a grand party on Pan Continent.”
Anfey was shocked for a second. He thought it was just a regular party. After hearing what Suzanna said, he suddenly realized perhaps Yolanthe had asked Saul to host this party to proclaim the power of Maho Empire to the whole Pan Continent. After thinking about this for a while, Anfey had a bitter smile on his face. It was really hard to understand what the king was thinking. There was no doubt that Yolanthe’s skills at recognizing and taking advantage of good timing were brilliant. No one could be as good as him.
They heard steps coming from the right. Hagan walked around the corner. He looked normal, but his eyes were constantly moving, which showed he was actually nervous. Ernest walked behind him.
“Uncle Ernest, what are you doing here? Christian just told me he saw you drinking with Baery and Mioritch,” Anfey asked in surprise.
“I did not pull myself away easily,” Ernst said with a smile. He was serious as he sharply and carefully looked around the room.
“Hagan, what happened?” Anfey laid his eyes on Hagan and asked in a low voice. “I have been waiting for you since this afternoon. Why did you come out so late?”
“How could I get out?” Hagan had a bitter smile on his face. He turned to nervously look at Ernest.
“Nobody is around us,” Ernest said calmly.
“They were watching so closely that I could only stay in the lab,” Hagan said, relaxing a little bit.
“Did you do it?” Anfey asked.
“Of course. I am a genius alchemist,” Hagan said.
“That’s not what I’m asking about. I am asking whether they were suspicious of you,” Anfey said. Hagan had promised to make the Sacred Spirit potion. He said it was not too complicated to make, and the recipe was flexible. He thought he definitely could make one. Anfey trusted him, but he cared more about another problem that went with it.
“I don’t know,” Hagan stammered.
“They should not suspect anything,” Ernest answered on Hagan’s behalf. “I was in the lab too. Hagan is a talented performer. He did very well.”
Anfey looked Hagan up and down and noticed he still looked nervous. How could he be a talented performer if he did not even know where to put his hands, and his hands still kept moving? If Anfey had other options, he definitely would not have let Hagan do it. Unfortunately, Hagan was his only hope. If he failed, they would have a lot more troubles, even though they still would have a chance to settle matters with Bruzuryano and others.
Ernest seemed to sense Anfey’s worries. “Hagan looked very scared and rambled to defend himself. Bruzuryano and Manstuly thought Hagan was afraid of being punished. They were not suspicious.”
“How many experiments did you do?” Anfey heaved a long sigh.
“How many could I do? Just on, and then they collected all the ingredients back,” Hagan said.
“They are so stingy,” Anfey said.
“Stingy? Anfey, Bruzuryano was flexible, but Manstuly was hard to deal with. If Master Saul did not cover for me, I think they would have suspected me,” Hagan said, grimacing bitterly.
“It is ok. Practice makes perfect. You will feel much better next time when you lie.” Anfey smiled at Hagan. “How much Sacred Spirit potion did you make?”
“Only this little bottle.” Hagan grabbed it with his hand.
“Where is the potion?” Anfey asked.
“Master Saul took it. I was not able to hide it on me.” Hagan felt more scared as he recalled what happened in the lab. The whole time he was making the potion, Bruzuryano and Manstuly were next to him and watched him. It was really hard to play any tricks. Luckily, Saul taught him how to hide the magic surges of the potion and helped him with coverage, otherwise he would have been found stealing potion a long time ago. Hagan had felt the urge to use the restroom in the lab several times and had cold sweat on his chest and back. He knew how important this job was, otherwise he might not have been able to hold up.
“Ok. One bottle is fine. We should not be too greedy,” Anfey said.
“Oh, right. Anfey, is Master Jacob one of our people?” Hagan asked.
“Yes.” Anfey nodded.
“I wondered,” Hagan sighed. “When I argued that the ingredients were not pure and resulted in failure, Uncle Ernest and Master Mioritch had left the lab. I saw Master Jacob walk in. I was startled. I did not expect Master Jacob would say those ingredients were not pure, although I knew the ingredients were fine.”
“What happened afterwards?” Anfey asked.
“Then Master Jacob said he needed to purify them first. We should wait a few days before the next experiment,” Hagan said.
“Ok. We should be fine then,” Anfey said.
“Anfey, Master Jacob said the leftover ingredients were only good for three bottles of Sacred Spirit potion,” Hagan said.
“That little? We should have more unicorn blood. Why could we only make three bottles?” Anfey asked.
“We do not have enough Spring of Life. The population of elves is declining. So is the Spring of Life. The Spring of Life they brought almost depleted all the Spring of Life that the elves have. We would not be able to get any Spring of Life in the next few decades,” Hagan said.
“Who is in charge of the ingredients now?” Anfey asked.
“That guy named Manstuly. I did not give him the unicorn blood,” Hagan said.
“Three bottles, too little,” Anfey said bitterly. He expected a lot more than three bottles. Bruzuryano had said feeding the little unicorn with Sacred Spirit potion would not have any side effects. Whether the little unicorn could be his helpful assistant totally depended on the supply of the potion. Now Anfey’s hopes were dashed.
“We cannot get all three of them. It seems that Master Jacob will take one bottle. Manstuly also will take one, so we can have one bottle at most,” Hagan said.
“It’s fine. Better than nothing.” Anfey nodded. “Hagan, can you act normal for the next few days? Even though you have finished your job, I am just worried they still could be suspicious of you. How about hiding yourself in your room. Don’t come out unless it is necessary.”
“Sure. I definitely could use the time to copy Master Jacob’s script. There are so many things I still do not understand, but I think I could comprehend them later.” Hagan looked confident as he talked.
“It is great as long as you think so.” Anfey took a look at Ernest and said quietly, “Uncle Ernest, do you think we are blameless, since the professor and I did this? I know Bruzuryano is our friend.”
Ernest smiled. “I have asked Saul. Saul does not like to take advantage of anyone, not to mention his friends. Saul has told me that he does not feel bad for doing it. I trust him.”
“Uncle Ernest, we indeed did nothing wrong!” Anfey said firmly. Now there was a queen among the elves. Anfey was not afraid of the consequence of not following his promise, but he did not want to pick a fight for nothing. He tried not to go against his promise.
“Are you saying we need be aware of Bruzuryano?” Ernest said, a bit angrily.
“No, Master Bruzuryano did want to work with us. He is a good man,” Anfey replied.
“If Bruzuryano is a good man, are we the bad guys?” Hagan asked out of nowhere.
“It is too naïve to label people as good and bad.” Anfey patted Hagan’s shoulder. “Ok. Go to sleep. You do not have to worry. Remember to hide yourself for the next few days.”
“I got you,” Hagan said with a nod.

Chapter 310: Whim

Hagan hurried past Anfey and disappeared around the corner. Ernest turned to Anfey and asked, “Have you decided when you’re leaving for Violet City?”

“In a few days,” Anfey said. Everyone wanted Anfey to bring Ernest with him, but Anfey couldn’t bring himself to ask the question. Ernest was a master swordsman, and if he went to Violet City, he could no longer influence the politics of the empire. Ernest would be much more valuable if he stayed in Sacred City. Not just Saul, but also Yolanthe wanted Ernest on his side.

“I talked to Saul yesterday. He thought that you guys should have left Sacred City by now. Philip is getting more reckless after his alliance with Prince Wester. Who knows what he will do? If it really comes down to it, Saul can’t protect you.”

“He can always go look for me in Violet City,” Anfey said, shaking his head.

“Without an order from His Majesty, the magic array will remain closed. Philip doesn’t know magic and can’t open the portal even if he could get into it. If he tries to sneak out of the city, His Majesty would notice his absence. We can reach you faster through the portal.”

“We’re still at a disadvantage,” Anfey said, shaking his head.

“There isn’t another way.”

“I can try and talk to Lord Bruzuryano,” Anfey said. “The Wolf King should be able to take care of matters in Sacred City. He’s too cunning to fall for any tricks. Bruzuryano doesn’t need to be here.”

“Bruzuryano will not leave, and I would advise you to save your energy. You don’t know this, but his meetings with His Majesty could decide the fate of the druids.” Ernest paused then said, “If my sources are right, the Eagle King should have arrived in the city already.”

“Why isn’t he showing himself?”

“He’s too cautious for that.”

Anfey frowned. He thought he would surely reach an agreement with Bruzuryano, but now he realized his hope was false.

“Don’t worry,” Ernest said. “As long as Suzanna and Entos are with you, you won’t be completely helpless if Philip really does track you down.” Ernest was hiding things. Yolanthe had promised that he would keep an eye on Philip, which meant that Philip’s every move was under surveillance. However, he did not want to tell Anfey because he didn’t want Anfey to let his guard down. If something really did happen, that would place everyone in danger.

“Oh, I’ve been meaning to ask,” Anfey suddenly said, “I saw the remaining energy from the angel disappear into Suzanna. How would that affect her?”

“Do you know about dragon blood? People who are soaked in dragon blood are unusually strong, at least according to legend. I imagine the angel’s energy works in a similar fashion,” Ernest said. Suddenly, he turned around and said, “Hush. Someone’s coming.”

After Ernest’s warning, Anfey heard the faint sound of talking. If Ernest hadn’t said anything, Anfey would have missed it. An old man in white robes walked into view first. Saul was close behind. Another, older man was following them. The third man had long, silvery hair and looked very strong. He had a longsword and was taller than both of his companions.

The first man saw Anfey, Suzanna, and Ernest and smiled. “This must be Anfey and Suzanna.”

“Yes,” Saul said, nodding.

“Wonderful,” the man said. “I’ve been meaning to meet them. Come here.”

Anfey suddenly realized who the old man must be. He looked at Suzanna, and the two of them began walking towards the three newcomers. Suddenly, the unicorn bolted towards Anfey and jumped between Anfey and Suzanna and the three men. Then an arc of lightning appeared and struck the third man, who frowned but did not move to defend himself.

“How loyal,” the first man said with a laugh.

“Stay down,” Anfey ordered. Then he began walking again. The unicorn whinnied and grabbed Anfey’s shirt with its teeth and stood firm. Magic beasts weren’t intelligent and often relied on their intuition. It could sense the animosity and did not want Anfey and Suzanna to approach the three men.

“It looks like that thing doesn’t trust you, Philip. Maybe you should go home for the day. Don’t worry, Saul’s here and nothing’s going to go wrong.”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Philip said. He bowed and walked away. He did not look at Anfey even once, as if he did not care for him.

Seeing the unicorn still did not let Anfey go, Yolanthe sighed and walked towards them, staring at the unicorn. He had seen a lot of things as a king, but observing a living young unicorn this close was a first.

“Your Majesty,” Anfey said with a bow. Suzanna hurried and curtsied.

“No, no,” Yolanthe said, waving his hand. “Let’s just skip this formality, eh?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Anfey said with a smile.

“You seem unnatural,” Yolanthe said. “Like I’ve said, I want you to be natural. Pretend I’m your friend.” Yolanthe smiled, then he reached over to pat the unicorn. The unicorn craned its neck and gave a low whinny. The unicorn didn’t care if Yolanthe was a king. It did not know him and did not want to be patted by him.

Yolanthe sighed and shook his head, straightening his back.

Saul coughed. “Anfey,” he said, “you’re a count now. You don’t have to bow to everyone.”

“He’s right,” Yolanthe said. “You’ve been busy with your academic work, but you should read a little more about common courtesy. Counts are very important, and I need them to lead the lesser nobility.”

“Yes, my lord,” Anfey said, nodding. He thought that everyone had to bow to the king, and he hoped he did not offend the king.

“Saul, I heard you’re preparing for Anfey and Suzanna’s wedding?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. But Anfey and Suzanna are leaving for Violet City soon. They want to wait until they get there.” Saul smiled and said, “It seems like I can’t officiate the wedding.”

“Young people shouldn’t be constrained by the rules,” Yolanthe said, shaking his head. “Be more adventuresome. I had my wedding in Forest of Death. We had one guest who also officiated the ceremony.”

“Of course, Your Majesty,” Saul said. He turned to Anfey and Suzanna and said, “If you two want, you can have your wedding wherever, whenever you want. Even now.”

Anfey and Suzanna glanced at each other. Anfey did want to have his wedding in Sacred City and have Saul officiate it, but the situation in Sacred City was too tense. They wanted to wait on the wedding and have it after they reached Violet City. Neither expected Yolanthe would propose such a plan on a whim.

“Anfey, Suzanna, what do you say?” Saul asked.

Both Anfey and Suzanna could only stare at Saul. Even though this plan was proposed on a whim, the men who proposed it were too powerful, and both felt uncomfortable about turning down the offer.

“Today is a good day for it,” Ernest said. “Everyone’s here.”

“But we aren’t ready,” Anfey said hesitantly.

“What preparation do you need? Why don’t we find the others and ask their opinion?” Saul asked. He knew that his other students would never oppose the marriage.

“I…” Anfey said, then turned to Suzanna, who was frowning. She couldn’t say no, but she did not want to say yes, either.

“What do you think, Your Majesty?”

“I think it’s a good plan,” Yolanthe said, smiling.

“Master, can’t we wait a few more days?” Anfey pleaded.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Saul said, completely ignoring Anfey.