The seated man turned to look at the burly, hooded figure and smiled—of course, the latter couldn’t see anything in the shadows of his hood.
"You said I wasn’t being transparent enough," said the seated figure. "How about this then? These fine n will be the ones to lead the charge."
He paused for a mont, his lips forming a cruel grin. "And I’ll be the one leading them."
Leading them? The portly, hooded figure thought in utter shock.
That ans he, too, is a Mana Core Magus?! But how? I couldn’t sense it at all...
Seeing him trembling in shock, the seated figure turned to him and smirked, "Cat got your tongue... Councilor Ives Ballard?"
The short and portly hooded figure standing in the center was none other than the Duke of Ravenfell, Ives Ballard!
He heaved a deep sigh and lowered his hood, revealing his appearance. He was an old man with blond hair and topaz eyes.
Frivolous, arrogant, and aloof, he was the sa man who had always opposed Adam in the past.
His face was unreadable for a few monts before his lips curled into a crafty smirk. "With this many powerful Magi, victory is assured."
The seated man raised a finger and shook it slowly. "Don’t be so overconfident, Councilor Ballard."
His voice turned icy. "Olin Barrett was overconfident, yet he was slain by Adam while he was still a Mana Liquefaction Magus."
The mysterious figure paused, his voice turning even colder, "Malcolm Morgan and the others, despite being extrely cautious and prepared, still lost their lives in the Blackshore Incident."
Thinking of the losses in that incident, the seated figure couldn’t help but turn angry. "I do not want the sa thing to repeat," the man said.
Ives Ballard was montarily taken aback. His gaze swept through the several Mana Core Magi standing behind the seated man, and he couldn’t help but ask, "Do you still believe we won’t co out victorious despite having such fighting strength?"
The seated figure remained silent. The fact that the Cult Leader had sent him another Forgotten Rune with specific instructions on how—and when—to use it, caused him to think that there were still faint chances that they might not succeed.
No, it is no longer a matter of us winning or losing, he thought to himself.
By the end of the battle, whether Ravenfell stands proud or crumbles to ashes does not matter...
What matters is that Adam Constantine will fall, and once he does...
He will have no choice but to surrender to us!
The seated man shifted his gaze to Ives Ballard, his lips curling into a confident smirk. "Win or lose," he said.
"In the end, the Cult of Bones shall prevail."
The hooded figure, standing to Ballard’s right, suddenly spoke, "When do we attack?"
The seated figure turned to look at him. The burly man had not lowered his hood yet, and neither had the man standing to Ives Ballard’s left.
But it did not matter. He knew everything about them anyway.
"Patience," he said only one, simple word.
The burly, hooded figure stared at the seated man with narrowed eyes. In the end, he nodded.
"Don’t renege on your promise," he said. "The path to the Mana Core Rank. As long as I get that, I am willing to do whatever’s necessary."
The seated figure laughed heartily, "Good, good, very good. Rest assured, you will receive what was promised."
He paused for a mont, his tone turning sly, "But of course... only after the battle is over."
The burly, hooded man gazed at the seated figure with an expressionless face. In the end, he silently nodded. There was nothing he could do about it, anyway.
For even the faintest chance to advance to the great Mana Core Rank, he was willing to sacrifice anything.
The pursuit of arcana.
That’s all he cared about.
The mysterious seated figure then turned to the hooded man standing on Ives Ballard’s left. "So this is the final mber of the Council of Seven to join us, eh?"
"...Yes, my lord," the lanky, hooded figure ekly answered. This was the first ti he was eting the man, after all.
Moreover, the latter also turned out to be a Mana Core Magus—sothing that greatly shocked him.
"Splendid!" The seated figure spoke enthusiastically. "With three Councilors helping us, Ravenfell is ours!"
Out of the three traitors of Ravenfell, one turned out to be Ives Ballard.
As for the other two...
Only ti would tell.
The seated figure’s expression gradually turned solemn. He turned to Ballard and asked, "Any news on Nylian Feno yet?"
Ives Ballard shook his head. "He simply vanished after the Blackshore Incident." He paused for a mont before adding, "There are whispers that he was grievously injured, and that he’s recuperating in hiding."
"Injured, hmm?" The mysterious seated figure rested his elbows on the table and clasped his fingers under his chin.
His gaze was distant, and his thoughts... a mystery.
***
anwhile...
Adam lay lazily on his back, riding comfortably on Valerian’s wide, furred back, as the latter soared above the clouds.
He held an open book in his hands, the last of the five volus on ritual magic he had received from the Brotherhood.
He had already finished studying the ones the Joker had given him, and this was the last of all the books on ritual magic.
Thanks to Valerian carrying him throughout the long journey from Constantine, he’d had the luxury of studying in the air.
Needless to say, his knowledge and understanding of ritual magic had deepened significantly.
He made a ntal note to consult soone regarding the astrological phenona in the solar system. After all, there was only so much he could do on his own.
Valerian, in his majestic winged-panther form, flapped his wings, making his way to Ravenfell.
He surmised, by the ti the sun set, they would have already reached ho.
Hehe, I can’t wait to go ho and eat... I wonder how Rowan is doing? Oh, that’s right! The new manor must also have been completed by now.
I am so excited!
He let his mind wander as he continued to flap his giant wings, effortlessly crossing large distances with each flap.
Suddenly, his eyes narrowed when he sensed sothing.
He saw several figures flying above the clouds and approaching him from the opposite direction.
He imdiately sent a ntal transmission to Adam.
’Brother, we have company!’
User Comments
0 comments from readers