Assassin’s Chronicle - Chapter 541

Chapter 541: Clean-up

 

Anfey looked puzzled. Midof had deliberately drawn close to Julie and isolated Shinbela. Julie was not the only spy. Those few female swordsmen, who were always following behind Julie, looked suspicious as well. If Julie was being killed, Midof would naturally be the next candidate. Wester would try all means possible to get Midof on his side. Anfey would then meet his objective. However, there was a condition attached to it. Julie was only a bit player. If Julie was close to Wester and held a higher position, Wester would have to send another trusted aide, should Julie be killed. He would not place his bet on Midof, who had just joined their gang.

“Anfey?” Suzanna, who was filled with killing intent, walked toward him. Batusimon had brought more than 20 men with him. Ye had killed four of them, and the rest had been killed by Suzanna. No matter how good-tempered one is, there is a limit. Suzanna was enraged that someone was plotting against little Shally!

Suzanna knew of Anfey’s plan for the night. He had intended to kill Batusimon and then proceed to the Garrison to kill Julie. Alice would find an excuse to throw a feast and invite the generals of the Roaring Dead Legion. She would do her best to hold Shinge back. When the feast ended, it would be the end of Shinge’s life as well. Alice would not let him return to the campsite alive. As she knew that Anfey had a compact plan, Suzanna was worried when she saw that Anfey was buried deep in thought.

“Suzanna, don’t worry,” Anfey shook his head and said. “Since Wester has struck, he would have been well prepared. He will be sending another batch of men over, since these people have been killed. He will use crazier means. Hahaha…let’s trick him and make him believe that things have gone according to his plan. Then we can take it easy. When the time is ripe, we can make use of these people to torture him.”

“Then, should we leave these people alone?”

“We still have to deal with these people. If we leave them alone, there will be more trouble. As long as we constantly remove this trash, we can then get what we want.” Anfey said softly. “I have discussed with master about Shinge, so Granden will get wind of it. Guess what he will be thinking?”

“At least he can’t blame us,” Ye smiled and said. “Sir, there is nothing great about Wester. He is so silly. He has offended two people in a row. We can just sit back and relax. Someone will deal with him!”

“He has failed.” Anfey shook his head. “What if he has succeeded? Shinge is Granden’s man. Who do you think we will hate? If he can attack us, and can create a feud between us and Granden, do you still think that he is silly?”

“But he shouldn’t have asked Shinge to take action. It is not easy to plant someone by Granden’s side. Now, he has lost everything.”

“Wester is unable to find a more suitable person. Although Batusimon is not smart, he is not stupid either. He doesn’t simply trust anyone. Shinge is General Shawn’s right-hand man, and General Shawn is the deputy head of the Roaring Dead Legion. Many people think that when Marshal Baery passes on one day, General Shawn will take over his role as the leader of Roaring Dead Legion, and then pull Shinge along. Shinge has used these things to persuade Batusimon to work with him.”

Anfey looked up at the sky and said, “Enough of this. It is time for action. Suzanna, you will go with Christian to the Garrison. I will go to Southern City to stop Shinge.”

“Anfey, why have you decided to take action suddenly?” Christian asked inquisitively.

“This is because I have looked upon Julie as a smart person for the time being. Batusimon has been killed for adultery, and Shinge has been assassinated on the same day. If you were Julie, what would be going on in your mind?”

“Everything will be exposed.”

“It is not a good thing to leave behind an opponent who is wary. It is better to have her killed.”

Anfey pondered this and said, “Suzanna, I want her alive! Try not to hurt her. Edy, you will go with Suzanna. I will go to Southern City by myself. Hmnn…by the way, Ye, you make a move first. Let Shinbela tell Midof about it, so that she will be more courageous at the critical moment.”

“All right.” Suzanna nodded.

On the streets of Southern City, a few hundred knights were moving toward the city gate. More than 20 people, who were leading the way, were dressed in ordinary attire. Following behind were a few hundred warriors in bright grey armor. Baery was extremely strict with his army. He had given instructions that the people must not be harassed. Thus, as the deputy head, Shawn dared not create trouble. After quartering beside Moonlight City for such a long time, the generals had been bored to death. This night, the Executive Governor, Alice, had used “fellowship” as an excuse, and had invited some of the generals to the feast. Those who had been invited were elated, but those who had not been invited were filled with envy. They had quarreled over things like “spare tyre” or “replacement”. Baery knew of these, but he did not interfere.

Alice was extremely generous. She had her guests served with wine and other delicacies, and had invited ladies and escorts to keep them company. The funny part was, Alice had over-estimated the army. During peace, they were not conscious. She had told Anfey that she would do her best to detain Shinge, but in actual fact, none of the generals had wanted to leave. In fact, it was hard to get them to leave. If Shawn had not shown his displeasure, the generals would still be drinking till dawn!

Anfey stood quietly at the city wall. He was holding onto a bow. The fine bowstring radiated a red light in the dark. Although Anfey still retained the instincts of an assassin, in terms of vigilance, sobriety, acumen, etc., he had lost touch with his former profession. Anfey had to be vigilant. If a venomous snake hid itself among the bushes, waiting for an opportunity to attack a sleeping tiger, the act was similar to assassination. However, if a tiger followed cautiously behind an ant, and attacked it while it was not paying attention …it would be absurd. Absolutely absurd.

Anfey’s current ability was supreme. Only Morgan, Desvidia, and a few other talents were qualified to be his targets. Even Golman was still not qualified. Very often, an ox cleaver had been used to kill a chicken. However, Anfey had to do it, as he preferred to get his hands dirty.

Anfey was 500-600 meters away from Shinge. He slowly drew his bow. In this magic Kekkai, the speed of a magic bow was faster than the sniper rifle. It was especially so with the magic bow that was used to loose the wind blade. It could go against the wind. The only thing is to aim correctly. Vision and feel could not compare to technology. A small discrepancy would make a great difference. Although Anfey could sense the surroundings within the radius of dozens of miles, to be on the safe side, he had to let the target get within 500 meters, since he had chosen to use the bow.

Finally, Anfey released his grip on the bow and a black arrow shot out. Shawn, who was leading the way, looked up, but he did not dodge it. He saw the arrow shoot past him and charged toward Shinge, who was behind him.

Shinge looked as though he was punched by a giant, and was thrown back. He crash-landed on the ground. If he had not had his stirrups on, he would have been sent flying.

The battle steed that he was seated on reared in terror. As the battle steed was about to take flight, Shawn displayed the disposition of a Sword Master. In the blink of an eye, he withdrew his long sword and slashed down hard on the neck of the battle steed. Its head spun off. The headless battle steed kicked and fell weakly onto the ground.

“There is an assassin!” Shawn shouted. He found it a pity that Shinge was Wester’s man. On a personal level, he liked and admired Shinge. However, he had to kill him! The army would only give their support to two princes, Granden, and Christian. Wester was not on their list!

At the Garrison, Julie stood in the field, looking pale. She fixed her gaze sharply on Suzanna, who was standing before her. However, she did not have the courage to take Suzanna on. Shinbela had instructed them to remove their armor in the name of training. It would be impossible to take on a Sword Master bare-handed.

“Madam, what mistake has Julie committed?” Having said that, Midof stepped out from the crowd.

All the female swordsmen were stunned. Everyone knew that Suzanna was Anfey’s wife. Given her special status, it would be impertinent of Midof to question Suzanna!

Julie turned more ghostly pale. Although she was grateful to Midof for speaking up for her, she knew that the situation had spun out of control. She quickly turned and signaled Midof with her eyes to stop talking.

However, Midof was very loyal to her friend. Instead of retreating, she stood in front of Julie and looked at Suzanna with animosity.

“Back off,” Suzanna said nonchalantly.

“Madam, may I know, what mistake has Julie committed?” Midof asked again with dignity.

Midof was overdoing it! Ye felt a little helpless. Anfey had wanted Midof to be more courageous, but to question Suzanna before so many people…even Anfey had never done that before. Midof was not qualified to do that. Seeing that Suzanna was enraged, and had laid her hands on her sword, Ye quickly stepped forward and shouted, “What are you doing? Julie is a spy from the Shansa Empire. Back off!”

Midof was not afraid of Suzanna, but she was afraid of Ye. She was puzzled, but since Ye had spoken, she lost her courage and timidly stepped back.

“Arrest her.” Ye waved his hand, and a few soldiers from the inspectorate quickly moved forward. Suzanna was here to “hold the fort”. She did not have to do the job herself.

Julie grasped her fists and suddenly let go. She shifted her gaze to Feller, who was standing to the side. She had been on good terms with Feller. If she needed someone to help her, that would be Feller. However, Feller turned and looked away from her. Seeing this, Julie cursed in her heart.

Chapter 542: Treatment

 

Anfey and Hui Wei were walking together and chatting about something. However, Hui Wei’s mind did not appear to be on the subject they were talking about. Noticing this, Anfey frowned and asked, “Is something wrong? You’ve been acting strange lately.”

“I…” Hui Wei sighed and said, “there is something…”

Before he could finish, Robert appeared and nodded at both of them. “I’ll tell you later,” Hui Wei said. He glanced at Robert and continued, “I have to go.”

Anfey nodded. He was curious, but he did not want to push Hui Wei. Hui Wei nodded and left in a hurry.

“I hope I didn’t interrupt anything,” Robert said, looking at Hui Wei.

“Don’t worry about it. How are things going?”

“Everything is prepared,” Robert said.

“And the news?”

“Yes, sir,” Robert said. “But…something went awry.”

“What is it?”

“One of the children was killed before they could do anything,” Robert said. “He didn’t even get to draw his sword.”

“You mean it’s Kamlin’s work.”

“I must be,” Robert said with a nod. “Judging from his wounds, Kamlin must have tortured him for information. He died of a shattered skull. As if something had squeezed his skull so hard that it just shattered.”

Anfey stopped and frowned. He knew how strong human bones were and how hard it must be to shatter someone’s skull.

“The child is one of mine and knew about the plan. If Kamlin was behind it, he may already know where his daughters are now.”

“Will your men talk?”

“I have faith in them,” Robert said. “They won’t say anything.”

“Where did this happen?”

“About fifty miles east of here,” Robert said. “Some of the children were wearing common armor, some were dressed up as merchants, some were wearing the League’s badges. Only those who were wearing badges were attacked.”

“When did this happen?”

“Around sundown.”

“Sundown? How did you get back so fast?”

“I asked for help from the druids,” Robert said with a smile.

“Then Kamlin must be close by,” Anfey said with a frown. He expanded his mind and began searching through the city. His mind was very powerful, but in a place like Moonlight City, he would still grow tired very fast. He knew his limits, and although he tried to comb through the city thoroughly, but he did not notice anything strange.

“Kamlin’s goal is to save his daughters. He won’t do anything before he finds them,” Anfey said. “Just in case he wants his own hostages, we still need to prepare ourselves. Tell Suzanna to stay with Alice for the night. Send Shinbela and Anthony to protect the mages, and declare a curfew. No one can be in the streets except for the patrols.”

Robert nodded. He turned and waved his hand. Two men appeared, and he whispered a few orders to them. The two men nodded and disappeared again.

“Thankfully Niya and Shalley are with Master Saul,” Anfey said, glancing at the sky.

“Kamlin exceeds our expectations,” Robert said. “We have an image of him, and I had asked Lord Kumaraghosha to keep an eye out for him. I didn’t expect him to be able to get so close to the city. He must have left Diamond City earlier than we had expected.”

“Let him come,” Anfey said. “I’m prepared.”

“We still cannot underestimate him, sir,” Robert said. “Should I…”

“Don’t worry,” Anfey said. “Suzanna and I can take care of it. Plus, Anthony is still here. There is no way Kamlin can take on so many people at once.” He paused, then added quickly, “I’m going to greet Andrea tomorrow when he arrives.”

Robert nodded. By the time Anfey rounded the corner, Robert had already disappeared again.

Anfey walked into the yard of a small building and saw that Ye was already waiting for him.

“Sir,” Ye called, when he saw Anfey.

“Did you find out anything useful?”

Ye shook his head. “She’s a tough one. I haven’t gotten anything particularly useful so far.”

“Take me to her.”

Ye nodded. “Sir, pardon my intrusion, but… I think handing her off to Edy is our best bet.”

“It’s still too early for that,” Anfey said, shaking his head.

“What if we change our plan?”

“What are you thinking?”

“If we release her, she will surely go find help. If we follow her with the Eye of the Sky, we can find out who she is meeting with.”

“I don’t think she will fall for that,” Anfey said. “Julie is close with Wester. She is likely the handler of all of his spies. She is too smart for that.”

Ye frowned but nodded. He led Anfey into a room in the small building. Inside, Julie was tied to the wooden post, guarded by four mercenaries. Seeing Anfey, she quickly lowered her eyes to the ground.

Anfey sat down on a chair and stared at her. Her hair was messy and her clothes were in tatters, but she had almost no blood on her. Clearly, Ye had followed Anfey’s order and not tortured her.

Julie looked confused at first, but after a few minutes of silence, found herself staring into Anfey’s eyes.

“You already know me, don’t you?” Anfey said.

“I don’t know what you mean, sir,” she whispered.

“You’re not worth my time,” Anfey said, shaking his head. “I came to ask you one question and one question only. Do not try to fool me.”

Julie bit her lip and lowered her eyes.

“I don’t want to do this to you,” Anfey said. “Because I know. I remember. You saved my life once.”

“I really don’t…” Julie stuttered.

“I see,” Anfey said. He stood and walked over to Julie, who straightened herself to look at him.

“Back then, we were weak and vulnerable. You don’t want to work with us because you still see us as children.” He grabbed a mercenary’s sword and stabbed Julie through the arm with it. “I’m here to tell you that you’re wrong.” He thrust the sword, sending it through her other arm, nailing her two arms behind her. Julie’s chest heaved with pain, but she still did not say anything.

Anfey grabbed her shoulder. “Listen,” he said, staring into her eyes. “I don’t care if you saved me once. If you try to hurt people I care about, if you try to hurt my family, I will make you regret ever being born.”

Chapter 543: A Despicable Duel

 

The heavy footsteps had disturbed the tranquility of the mountain peak. A shadow walked out slowly from the woods. Anfey was leaning against an old tree at the mountain peak, enjoying the view at the foot of the mountain. He had heard the sound of footsteps, but he did not turn around. He looked calm, and his eyes were bright. His long, white, magic robe was fluttering, making him look graceful.

The footsteps sounded steady and heavy. It was as though the body had been made from iron and steel. The shadow stopped when he was more than 10 meters away from Anfey, and said in a deep voice, “Do you have a letter for me?”

“Yes.” Anfey smiled amicably and took out a letter. “Here it is.”

The man glanced at Anfey and walked slowly toward him. Anfey could hide his strength well, and even Saul, Ernest, Baery and the other top level powers had been deceived. This man must have been deceived as well, but he was very cautious. When he was two meters away from Anfey, he stopped and took the letter from him.

Anfey smiled and continued to look at the foot of the mountain.

The man could not sense any animosity from Anfey. Moreover, he was confident of himself. Anfey seemed to be a low level magician, and his power was extremely weak, so he took only one step backward and quickly opened the letter.

There were only a few words on the letter: Your daughter has been killed by Anfey!

The man turned pale and squashed the letter. The thin paper tore in two. Suddenly, he frowned. He felt that something was amiss. Anfey had expended much effort in capturing his daughter from Diamond City, so he would not have killed her so suddenly!

As the man was frowning, Anfey had taken action. He was indescribably fast. To a bystander, Anfey had just moved his shoulders, but he was already close to the man. His fist was about to hit upon the man’s face.

The man was quick, too. He stepped back and countered with a backhand. He had wanted to block the blow and seize Anfey’s fist.

The punch and the palm met, and there was a loud bang. The man’s hand had been pushed back a few inches. He had wanted to seize Anfey’s fist, but he ended up grabbing into the air. Anfey had borrowed strength from the force and had now retreated.

“Your palm is very warm and moist. Did I give you a fright?” Anfey said with a smile. He was professionally trained to put on a deceptive smile. Other than those who knew him, the rest of the people would have thought that he was smiling like a big brother. To Kamlin, Anfey did not look like a big brother, but rather an energetic youth.

“What do you want?” Kamlin asked coldly. He was puzzled. Although he was shocked by the punch, he perceived that Anfey was only testing him, and had not wanted to attack him.

“Your reaction is quick and your strength is superb. You do have a chance to save your daughter.” Anfey smiled.

“From where do I save her?” Kamlin asked anxiously.

“Here.”

“Here?” Kamlin was stunned for a while, and suddenly said coldly, “You mean here?”

“That’s right, here.” Anfey scanned the surroundings and said: “Look at the sunset, clouds, mountain peak and strong wind. This is such a beautiful and exciting place. You can die here without regrets.”

“You are Anfey?” Kamlin shouted. He was of a bigger build than Anfey. With the shout, he seemed to have grown even bigger.

“Bingo,” Anfey said flatly. “But…if you strike now, it will be to your disadvantage. You should be standing there.” Having said that, Anfey pointed toward the cliff.

“Why?” Kamlin said coldly, while he kept glancing at Anfey. He had heard that Anfey was terrifying, but he could not see how terrifying Anfey could be. Since his track record had shown to be so, Kamlin had to be careful.

“Since your daughters are there, and you want to protect them, shouldn’t you be there?”

Kamlin took a deep breath. He stood frozen to the ground, and after some time, he slowly walked past Anfey, moving toward the cliff. When he was a few meters away from the cliff, Kamlin suddenly lost control of himself and pounced forward. His hands were on the edge of the cliff, and he looked down.

This should be the best time to attack. but Anfey stood firm and did not move. He found it interesting. It was a rare opportunity to watch the performance of a top level power. Moreover, the top level power was lying down there, like a dog. Anfey felt entertained.

Kamlin’s right foot was deep in the mud, and his back muscles bulged. The most valuable thing about this was, Kamlin had stopped breathing. He was ready to attack. He had pretended to lose control in order to deceive Anfey into attacking—a decoy of sorts.

Holding one’s breath could condition the body into tip-top condition. Anfey had known this since he was young. When one stopped breathing, his punch would be at its quickest and most powerful. His senses would be at their sharpest, and he would be very focused. It was like jumping down from a high place. Before landing, one would naturally stop breathing. If he had deliberately started to breathe in or out, he would suffer internal injuries.

After a while, Kamlin slowly stood up and turned to face Anfey. He looked puzzled, but at the same time, angry.

“Did you see it? Sir Kamlin, what do you think…under such a situation, a father will do?” Anfey put on a devilish smile. However, since he was a gentleman, he was a polite devil.

It did not bother Anfey that Kamlin was agitated. He had been well-entertained! The sky was getting dark, and the moon would soon be out. Anfey was not affected by the darkness. If Kamlin was not used to the dark, he would definitely lose out! This was all about timing.

There were only a few old trees on the mountain peak. However, the foot of the mountain was thriving with woods. It was summer, and the rich smell of nature was enough to replenish the energy that Anfey had lost when he was using his mental strength to spy on Kamlin. The cliff was behind Kamlin. Anfey would not use magic. Even if he were in danger, he would have stayed put. To prevent the mountain from destruction and causing rockslides, he would not exert full force. This was his topographical advantage.

The two daughters of Kamlin had been tied up to a long rope, which was hung somewhere at the foot of the mountain, over 30 meters away. Should Anfey get into danger, he would attack the rope in order to turn the situation around, forcing Kamlin to save his daughters. At the very least, he was in an unassailable position. This was about people.

Anfey had all three elements to his advantage: timing, topography, and people. His preparation was much more than these!

“Anfey, we need to talk.” Kamlin controlled his anger and tried to speak calmly.

“Talk? Of course.” Anfey nodded and said: “If I release your daughters, you must pledge your loyalty to me and kill Edward VIII.”

“You…” Kamlin grasped his fists, and his body made sounds, similar to the popping of popcorn.

“Is the deal off?”

“Kamlin, are you qualified to question me?” Anfey said with a smile. “Lord Yolanthe will definitely unify the continents, but you chose to go against the Maho Empire. This is your first mistake. In order to save your daughters, you have snuck into the Rozin Province. Now, you can only depend on yourself. This is your second mistake. Your third mistake is that you don’t understand me. This is a grave mistake! You said that I have gone overboard, hahaha…I like to go overboard. What can you do to me?”

Kamlin maintained his composure, but the nerves on his neck had protruded out. He was obviously enraged.

“Kamlin, I think my request is reasonable. I will let you and your daughters off, and have only asked of you to pledge your loyalty to me. Is this asking too much?” Anfey raised his brows and said, “Do you have other means to save your daughters? All right, even if you manage to kill me and save your daughters, where can you go to? After Lord Yolante has unified the continents, there will be no place for you. If you have surrendered then, will you not become a laughing stock?”

Finally, Kamlin’s expression changed. What Anfey had said was true.

“Moreover, if you kill me today, do you think that Lord Yolanthe will take you in if you surrender in the future? My master will be heartbroken, Lord Christian will be heartbroken, all those people who serve the Maho Empire will be heartbroken! Frankly speaking, Kamlin, the only way out for you is to submit to the Maho Empire. You have to do it now. If not, your life will end here. You can’t even save yourself, let alone others!”

Kamlin stood still, without saying a word.

The sun had set, and the sky had gradually darkened. After some time, Kamlin said in a hoarse voice, “Anfey, If I pledge loyalty to you, will you release my daughters now?” Kamlin seemed to have come to a decision. With Anfey around, it would be impossible for him to save his daughters. Even he was in danger. The only way out for him was to compromise.

“That’s right.” Anfey nodded.

“All right…” Kamlin said reluctantly, and slowly knelt down on one knee and said, “I, Kamlin, swear to Dragon God that I will pledge loyalty to Sir Anfey from now on.”

“Hahaha…” Anfey suddenly broke out into laughter.

“Sir, why are you laughing? Are you insulting me?” Kamlin lifted up his head and said.

“Hahaha…” Anfey suppressed his laughter and said, “Kamlin, you don’t understand me, but I know you well! I have heard that you have been living in seclusion for a long time. It is a pity…I think it suits you well to lead such a life. You…shouldn’t have come out. You really shouldn’t have!”

“Sir, what do you mean?”

“No matter how well you have controlled your emotions, or how sincere your words sounded, they will not help you gain my trust. It is your choice that counts.” Anfey sighed and said, “You are stubborn, strong, and courageous. My master has told me that you are a valiant warrior. Hahaha…I don’t think so. You are stupid enough to bring your wife to challenge the master necromancer, Morgan. I don’t think you will submit to me and serve me.”

“You are doubting my sincerity?” Kamlin slowly stood up and said. “Why don’t you tell me, how can I prove my sincerity to you?”

“I am not doubting you, I just don’t trust you at all.” Anfey laughed. “I have said, I know you well! You are very particular about your reputation. After your wife had been killed by Morgan, you were too ashamed to face anyone, so you chose to live a secluded life. If you have rejected my offer and promised me that you will bring your daughters to live in seclusion and no longer involve yourself with the matters of the Shansa Empire, …I would have probably believed you. Given your character, this is what you would have done.”

Kamlin’s cheeks twitched, and he chose to remain silent.

“Kamlin, you know how to bargain, don’t you? If you had wanted to compromise, you would have come up with various solutions to preserve your dignity, and at the same time, to save your daughters.” Anfey said slowly, “It is a pity that you have been thinking of ways to deceive me instead. You have placed your energy at the wrong place! This is why you have not realized that not bargaining with me was a mistake!”

“Sir, you…” Kamlin opened his mouth, but could not get out a word.

“One more thing, you have never mentioned someone! The kid that you have sent to assassinate Alice was the descendant of dragonborn! Why have you not mentioned it? Are you worried that I will doubt you?” Anfey laughed out loud. “Since you have not mentioned it, all the more, I will not trust you! You have withdrawn from your seclusion and worked with Edward VIII to avenge your child, haven’t you?”

Kamlin moved suddenly, and like a crazy wild ox, he barged toward Anfey. His hair and clothes had been straightened by the strong wind.

Anfey continued to smile, and lifted up his hand to release magic. A blazing meteorite appeared in the air, and with a hiss, it dropped down.

Kamlin was stunned at first, but quickly turned around and pounced toward the meteorite. The meteorite will fall to the foot of the mountain, and Kamlin knew now who Anfey was planning to attack.

Kamlin’s skin was immune to fire. The weight of the meteorite was not a threat to him. With a wave of his backhand, Kamlin sent the meteorite toward the side of the mountain.

“Have you been exposed? I was testing you earlier. It is a pity that you did not pass the test,” Anfey said with a smile.

Kamlin was stunned. He felt like vomiting. When Anfey had pointed out the mistakes that he had committed, and had mentioned that not understanding Anfey was a grave mistake, he had thought that Anfey was bragging. However, Anfey had now become a devil to him. He did not know when Anfey was telling the truth. Even at this moment, he did not know if Anfey was testing him, making fun of him, or ridiculing him.

When he was on his way up the mountain, he was calm. When he saw his daughters being hung at the foot of the mountain, he was composed. However, he was now confused. His thoughts could have been led by Anfey, or the confusion could be due to the teasing and sneering.

Regardless of what it was, he had to fight. Kamlin roared and stabbed toward Anfey.

Anfey lifted up his hand. He still had the smile on his face, he had maintained his posture, the magic was still there, and the target remained unchanged. Kamlin could only repeat his earlier actions, which were to stop abruptly and then pounce toward the back.

“Anfey, as the heir of the Sacred Level, you could only attack the innocent?” Kamlin shouted. He could not explain how Anfey was able to release the meteorite. He only knew that if they continued to fight, he would be at his mercy!

“What do you mean by innocent? When I first learned magic from my master, I was innocent. But, I have been framed. I have wanted to remain innocent, but after a few days, Phillip’s grandson, Zeda, barged into the master’s house and wanted to kill me. He was ruthless. Was I not innocent? After that, I met a high priest. I respected and trusted him, but what did I get?”

Anfey sneered. “Everyone is innocent. Anyone can hurt another innocent person, so why can’t I?”

“Bullshit!” Kamlin shouted. “If you are a man, have a fair duel with me!”

“Only an idiot will have a fair duel with you.” Anfey smiled sarcastically. “When you were after Morgan’s life, did you go with your wife? When the people asked you to be fair, were you being fair to them?”

At this instant, a magic signal was sent from the foot of the mountain, which took Kamlin by surprise. Anfey said knowingly, “It seems like you have gotten yourself help. What a pity…they will not be able to help you!”

“Great…you think you are great!” Kamlin’s eyes gradually turned red.

Chapter 544: Stubborn

 

Anfey observed Kamlin carefully. The Dragonborn’s eyes changed to a dark red color as the shape changed as well.

Kamlin suddenly lunged at Anfey, swinging his fist. He was too far away to do any physical harm, but as he swung his fist, a ring on his hand suddenly burst into light. The light caught Anfey off guard, forcing him to turn his head away so he wouldn’t be blinded by it.

As Anfey turned his head away, Kamlin moved closer. In order to reduce any noise, he slowed his speed and movement. He only picked up his speed when he was very close to Anfey.

Anfey jumped back, shielding his eyes from the light of the ring. He was slower than Kamlin, but he summoned his ax in time to block his punch.

Kamlin’s fist slammed into the ax, sending both Kamlin and Anfey flying backward. Anfey stumbled and landed, gripping the ax in his hand. As Kamlin landed, he immediately pushed himself off of the ground and dashed towards Anfey again.

Anfey gripped the ax in his hands. He knew that Kamlin must have had a backup plan and was ready for it, but he still fell for the Dragonborn’s trap.

Kamlin walked around Anfey and was very careful with his movement. He knew how powerful his ring was and knew its effects. He had time and he knew there was no need to rush into a decision.

Normally, a blinded man would start attacking randomly. Mages tended to resort to levitation spells. Without his sight, Anfey couldn’t use his mind magic and couldn’t attack Kamlin’s daughters anymore.

Anfey stood firmly with his head down.

Kamlin frowned then moved towards Anfey slowly. When he was close enough, he swung his fist at him. Last time, Anfey was able to detect his movement. This time, any wind current his attack caused would have been blocked by Anfey’s clothes.

Anfey did not move until Kamlin was very close to him. He suddenly leaned forward, letting go of his ax. A burst of flames appeared in his hands and flew towards Kamlin. As soon as the flame left his hand, Anfey reached over grabbed the falling ax again.

The flame flew towards Kamlin and struck his face, exploding into a burst of blinding red light.

Kamlin took a step backward instinctively, caught off guard by this unanticipated change. He suddenly saw the ax through the red light and it was flying towards him.

Not only was his skin immune to most magic, it was also able to protect him from physical attacks. That was why he was able to become very powerful without being able to use magic or combat power. However, Anfey’s attack was too sudden and too close. He couldn’t risk taking a hit that could have injured him. He took a few steps back to block the hit.

As Kamlin was retreating, a wall of fire appeared under his feet, enveloping him. A few moments later, Anfey appeared through the fire and swung the ax at him.

Anfey was taking a risk by fighting Kamlin while blinded, but Kamlin did not want to take the risk too. He kept retreating, putting as much as distance as possible between himself and the ax. With a rumble, a wall of earth appeared behind him, blocking his path.

Both Kamlin and Anfey were very fast. In a fight like this, a moment of hesitation could have meant life and death. The wall of earth made Kamlin hesitate. By the time he recovered, Anfey’s ax was already too close for him to duck.

With a loud thud, Kamlin bursted into golden light. The ax clashed with the light, sending him crashing through the wall of earth.

Anfey walked towards Kamlin slowly, his eyes still closed. He wasn’t planning on using magic in the fight, but he remembered Saul’s words about how magic wasn’t all about hurting and attacking.

Kamlin stood up, staring at Anfey with a frown. He raised his ax and took a deep breath.

Before Anfey could attack again, the image of a creature appeared behind Kamlin. The creature expanded and did not stop until it was towering over both men. Then, it suddenly disappeared and Kamlin’s skin deepened to a dark blue. He took a deep breath slumped to the ground.

Anfey was very sensitive to magic surges and he could detect a strange surge around Kamlin. He guessed about the creature that appeared behind Kamlin. He must have summoned a dragon.

Anfey disappeared from where he stood as the strange surge reached him. Then, he reappeared above Kamlin and slammed down his ax.

Kamlin jumped back to distance himself away from the ax. Anfey did not chase after him. He knew he was faster than Kamlin, but not by much. Until the strange surge disappeared, he did not want to return to the ground.

Kamlin inched closer to the cliff. He knew how difficult it was to fight someone who used teleportation. He still needed to go save his daughters.

Kamlin glanced at Anfey, then turned and jumped off of the cliff. A pair of dark blue wings appeared on his back.

Anfey frowned. He chased after Kamlin, summoning firebirds and lightning. However, he was too slow compared to Kamlin and his magic could not do him any harm.

Kamlin dove down from the sky, grabbing the rope that bound his daughters. He broke them and gathered the two girls into his arms. He flew towards the ground, holding his daughters. Suddenly, he felt something dragging him the ground.

He was strong, but it was still hard for him to carry two people as he flew. The gravity spell just made it even harder. Kamlin was stubborn and never would have abandoned his daughters for his own safety.

Suddenly, Anfey appeared above Kamlin and his ax caught him in the back. Kamlin grunted and his daughters, upon seeing blood, fainted.

Kamlin fell from the sky to the ground, blooding trailing in the air. Anfey chased after him, determined to make sure that his opponent did not get back up again.

Chapter 545: Apology

 

After dinner, Alice returned to her office, as usual. However, she felt unsettled. One moment, she was flipping through her documents, and the next, she was pacing up and down the office floors, or looking out the window. Hui Wei, who was sitting opposite her, felt strange. After a while, he could no longer hold back, and asked, “Alice, what is the matter with you?”

“Anfey is not back yet,” Alice gently opened the window and said. “Do you think…something has happened to them?”

“I think Anfey, Suzanna, and Anthony went together. I think they should be fine!” Hui Wei said with a smile. With Anfey’s ability, and Suzanna and Anthony to help him, no one in the continent should pose a threat to them.

“I know they went together, but…” Alice hesitated for a while and said, “I have a bad premonition.”

“Oh?” Hui Wei went blank, and just as he was about to speak, someone knocked on the door. Shinbela, who was standing outside the office, said, “Sir, Sir Anfey is back.”

Hui Wei nearly broke out into laughter. Alice was just telling him of her bad premonition, and someone immediately reported that Anfey was back. This was funny. Hui Wei suppressed his laughter, and looked through the documents that he was holding on to, and acted as if nothing had happened.

Alice’s face turned slightly red, and she quickly went back to her seat. She shuffled her documents and said, “Come in.”

Shinbela opened the door and looked in. She could not understand why Alice had asked her to come into the office, when she was just notifying her. Why did she have to go in? Alice was flipping through a document, and was scribbling and circling something on it. One moment she was frowning, and the next, she was relaxing. She looked as if she was seriously looking through the document and was in deep thought.

Hui Wei covered his mouth and looked at Alice in amusement. Why was she working so hard now, when she could have done this earlier?

After a while, when no one spoke, Alice lifted up her head in surprise and asked, “What is it…where is Anfey?”

“Sir Anfey is not here yet.”

“Did you not say that he is back?”

“Sir, I have sent someone to wait at the city gate, since you have asked me a number of times today. The moment I received news that Sir Anfey is back, I rushed here immediately to report to you,” Shinbela smiled wryly and said.

Alice was stunned for a while, then broke out into laughter. She had thought that Shinbela was telling her Anfey had come to the office. However, Shinbela was merely informing her that Anfey was back. “What is wrong with me?” Although she felt stupid about her actions, she did not try to cover this up, but laughed at herself instead. She knew that the more she attempted to cover things up, the more embarrassed she would be.

Hui Wei merely observed and pretended not to have heard anything.

Alice threw down the document on the table and said, “That is all for today.” She then stretched out and said, “Ah…I am feeling sleepy.” Alice had put on silk clothes, as it was summer. When she lifted up her arms, the sleeves glided down, showing her fair skin.

“Sir, this is so unglamorous,” Hui Wei said with a wry smile. Having assisted Alice for a while, this was the first time that he saw her stretching out.

“Does it matter?” Alice chuckled, then walked slowly to the window.

“If there is nothing else…can I make a move first?” Hui Wei asked.

“Yes,” Alice nodded.

Hui Wei stood up and started to pack the documents on the table. Alice let out a sigh and sat sideway on the windowsill, humming a song. Hui Wei hesitated for a while, as though he wanted to say something. However, he decided not to, and let out a sigh.

Sometimes, one must pretend to be muddle-headed. Take Anfey, for example. Saul, Baery, and a few others knew what he was up to, but they pretended not to know. Everyone knew what Alice was thinking, but other than pretending to be ignorant, they could not do anything. No one could interfere in such a matter.

Anfey patted Shinbela’s shoulder. Having seen that it was Anfey, Shinbela quickly stepped aside. When Anfey saw Alice sitting on the windowsill, he was shocked and asked, “What are you doing?” To Anfey, Alice was a helpless woman. What she was doing was dangerous.

“Anfey!” Alice was both surprised and glad to see Anfey. She looked at him and said, “Are you alright?”

“What can happen to me?” Anfey shook his head and said, “Come down, don’t sit there. It is dangerous! If you feel bored in this room, you can change to another room. How about shifting to the fourth level? There are a few rooms with a balcony. You can take a rest in the balcony when you are tired.”

Having said that, Suzanna and Anthony walked in. Alice regained her posture and slowly made her way to her seat. A woman would become stupid or crazy under certain special situations. When Anfey had said that it was dangerous, a thought flashed across Alice’s mind. She had thought of pretending to have lost her balance and falling out of the window, so that Anfey could save her. However, when Suzanna showed up, she gave up the idea.

“Anfey, you can have this seat. I am going to look for Ozzic to discuss some matters with him.” Hui Wei gave up his seat and said, “Oh, Alice, I have something to tell you.”

“What?” Alice was stunned.

“I will never trust your premonitions anymore. Hahaha…” Hui Wei walked out, laughing.

Alice stared at his back, laughing as well.

“What premonition?” Anfey asked curiously.

“Who knows what this guy is talking about!” Alice changed the topic and asked, “Anfey, has everything…been settled?”

Suzanna visited the office every day, so she made herself comfortable bysitting down on a chair. However, it was the first time for Anthony to visit the office. When he saw the documents on the table, he was amazed. There were three big stacks of documents, a meter high, on the table. When would she be able to finish reading them?

“Yes.” Anfey nodded, as he sat on Hui Wei’s seat. “Alice, I met Ye at the city gate. He said…we will be having war soon.”

“So soon?”

“We are already behind schedule,” Alice said with a smile. “Our Lord had wanted to end the war before winter. We have sent our army in spring, and it is now midsummer, but we have only captured one province. If we delay it further, we will have to drag the war out to the following year.”

“You have not been resting for two months. If this continues…” Anfey said softly, “you may not be able to take it.”

“What to do? Although our Lord has never hastened me, I know that everybody is waiting. Everybody is waiting for the situation in Moro Province to stabilize. I can only fight on.” Alice looked helpless and said, “But things will get much better. In these two months, I have around 300 people coming to me on a daily basis, looking for opportunities. Some have been recommended, and some came of their own accord. There were also some who were the relatives of the officers. There were quite a number of talents. Of course, this is a rough gauge. In terms of their capabilities and personalities, we will have to leave it up to time to tell us. My objective is to put the framework in place, so that Moro can function properly.”

“I am thinking…our Lord could be testing you,” Anfey said slowly. “That is why, our Lord has instructed the army to stay put in Moro Province. If you are unable to handle a single province, then our Lord…”

Alice pondered this for a while, and lifted up her head to look at Anfey. She had been too busy to consider other things. What Anfey had said had enlightened her. “Our Lord is amazingly patient. Although he has decided to end the war before winter, he has waited patiently for me for two months. What if I fail to handle this well?”

“No, you have handled things very well. No one has done a better job than you.” Anfey said this with a smile. “As for our Lord…hahaha, he has waited for donkey years, what is two more months to him? All right, let’s not talk about this. Please continue with what you have to say.”

“I will keep half of the talents that have been selected, and the rest will be sent to Yellowstone Province.”

“You mean you intend to let them manage Yellowstone Province?”

“Yes.”

“Then what about those people in Yellowstone Province? They will be resentful if we are not getting the locals to manage them,” Anfey said with a frown.

“We can promote some of the locals and let them work together. As for the rest of the people, I will send them to another province. In this way, I can set up the framework within a short period of time,” Alice said. “The greatest problem that we are facing now, is that there is no suitable candidate. Once we can get this person, the rest will be easy.”

“What will happen to the remaining ones?”

“Anfey, have you been to the Sacred City? Are there many royal families?”

“Needless to say.”

“It is the same with Diamond City.” Alice smiled. “I have a premonition that, when we step into Diamond City, there will be bloodshed. A lot of people will be wiped out, and their positions will be enough for our people to fill.”

“Premonition? Hui Wei has just said that he no longer trusts in your premonitions.” Anfey teased her.

“You…we are talking about a serious matter!” Alice was annoyed and amused at the same time. She turned over and said to Suzanna, “Suzanna, you need to take him in hand!”

“Me?” Suzanna was stunned for a while, and then said with a smile, “Sorry, Alice. Anfey always speaks his mind.”

Chapter 546: Refugee

 

Baery and Kumaraghosha’s forces had swept over almost half of the entire Shansa Empire. Edward the Eighth had not made any moves to defend the other provinces from invasion and instead concentrated all of his troops near Diamond City.

As more and more cities fell to the Maho armies’ invasions, Edward the Eighth was forced to ask the Ellisen Empire for help. The Ellisen court became divided on the matter. Half of the court supported sending troops while the other half did not.

The Ellisen Empire was not doing well while not under invasion either. It had lost several important mages and did not want to get involved in another war, especially not against the Maho Empire.

Many of the generals in the Ellisen Empire believed that Yolanthe wanted to see how the Ellisen Empire would have reacted, which was why he didn’t make any further moves after he took the Morro Province. He must have had a plan on how to deal with the Ellisen Empire if it ever decided to help the Shansa Empire.

The nobles knew that the only hope they had was Scarlet. She had the support of the Church of Light, the mercenaries, and the druids. The Shansa Empire provided everything to fight the last battle. Scarlet was the only one that was able to halt the invading armies of the Maho Empire. Without her, there was no hope for the Shansa Empire. The Ellisen nobles were well aware of this, which was why they did not want to help the Shansa Empire.

For the mercenaries in the League, it was less like a war and more like traveling. The League was met with little resistance and any resistance was easily repressed. Before anyone realized it, summer was nearing its end.

At dusk, Anfey strolled through the yard of the house he was occupying. Four elves heard him coming and hurried out into the yard.

“You’re back, sir,” Yalbevin said with a small bow. “Dinner is ready.”

Anfey never had servants and the sudden addition made him uncomfortable. However, what happened a few weeks ago changed his mind. A few mercenaries got drunk and tried to assault the elves. Luckily, they were easily subdued and caused no further damage.

Burzuryano was around when it happened. When he heard about it, he was offended and asked Anfey to do something about it. Anfey was very interested in Paglia and decided to let the elves live with him for a while so he could keep an eye on her.

“Is it the same thing as yesterday?” Anfey asked. The elves had a routine and did not like deviating from it. This meant that dinner was the same every single day. Elves were very close to nature and the food they prepared reflected it. The dishes were made of fruits and flowers and were not seasoned. Luckily, he did not need to eat that often so he did not need much food.

Yalbevin hesitated and nodded. “Would you like to switch it up, sir?”

Anfey sighed and shook his head. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. He went inside and saw dishes of fruits and jars of honey sitting on the table. There were three chairs around the table, and a unicorn occupied one of them. Seeing Anfey made the unicorn snicker happily.

Anfey sighed and sat down in one of the chairs. He grabbed an apple and played with it. He knew Alice was holding a feast. Maybe he should have gone to check out the feast. As he was about to take a bite out of the apple, he realized something was off about the fruit. He turned it around and saw it was missing a chuck. He frowned and checked the other apples on the table and realized all the apples were missing a chuck or two. He knew the elves would never have served food like this. He turned to the unicorn. “Did you do this?” he asked, shaking his head.

The unicorn stood up on its hind legs and stared at Anfey with its bright blue eyes.

“Did you steal food again?” one of the elves came up and asked, giving the unicorn a light smack on the head.

The unicorn whined and swung its legs. It was becoming anxious and wanted to eat.

“He’s getting smarter,” Anfey said, patting the unicorn’s head. “At least he knows how to hide his crimes.”

Yalbevin smiled. “Of course,” she said. “He will grow into a top-level magic beast.”

Anfey pushed his dish over to the unicorn. “Eat,” he said. “Hopefully I will live to see that day.” The unicorn snickered happily and delved into the food. Anfey turned to the elves and asked, “Do you not need salt?”

The elves shook their heads.

Anfey smiled. “It seems like we are very different, after all,” he said. “I can’t always eat food with no flavor.”

“I will speak with Lord Feller tomorrow,” Paglia said. “Maybe he can find you a few cooks, sir.”

Anfey nodded and smiled at Paglia.

Just then, someone came into the yard. Yalbevin hurried out to greet the newcomer. “Welcome back, my lady.”

“Is Anfey back?”

“He is inside, my lady.”

A few moments later, Suzanna came into the room. Anfey smiled. “Come join me,” he said.

Suzanna glanced at the food and frowned. “You have the unicorn,” she said. She was a swordsman and needed actual food to sustain her. The elven food was far from enough to do so.

“Come on,” Anfey said. “Please.”

“Never,” Suzanna said, rolling her eyes.

“You’re back early,” Anfey said, standing up.

“Alice has a feast tonight,” Suzanna said. “I wasn’t needed there. I will go back later.” She paused, then said, “Another thing. Douminge’s students got out of Diamond City.”

“His students?”

Suzanna nodded. “They just arrived. Six of them to be exact. They have information. Alice and Douminge are speaking with them.”

“What about?”

“Edward the Eighth is focusing all of his armies on Diamond City,” Suzanna said. “He has a lot of food and magic crystals prepared.” She sighed and shook her head. “This war has created many refugees. They are heading this way as well.”

“Suzanna, what do you mean those students got out of Diamond City?”

“Edward the Eighth kept them as prisoners after Douminge joined us.”

Anfey sighed and shook his head. “Come on, Suzanna,” he said. “I want to go talk to them. Maybe we can get some real food as well.”

Suzanna glanced at the untouched food on the table and giggled. “Alright,” she said. “Let’s go.”

Chapter 547: Carrot and Stick

 

Diplomats usually used the carrot and stick approach. In normal circumstances, one would first apply the stick approach. If one first gave out a carrot, he could be looked down upon. The stick approach would then be ineffective in the future.

Alice was applying a similar strategy. In the Moro Province, after she had killed many people, she mellowed. The situation in Moro Province was very different from the other provinces. Moro Province was at the border of the Maho Empire. As it was their native land, some of them could not bear to leave, whereas some could not make it on time to leave. Most of the royal families had stayed in their feudal estate, and there was chaos.

After the royal families had heard about the situation of Moro Province, they were afraid. Many had escaped to Diamond City. They were running for their lives, and could not be bothered with dealing with their properties. Those who had decided to stay put were disappointed with Edward VIII. They were looking for other opportunities. In fact, they were looking for a new master. These people need not be treated harshly.

Alice had arranged a cocktail party for a purpose. She was trying to break the ice between the two parties, so that they could get comfortable with one another. In another words, form a united front. Alice had reaped the fruits of her labor. The atmosphere was cordial. The generals of the Maho Empire and the royal families were chatting happily with one another. The royal families were looking forward to making themselves a place in this new world. They did not want to be abandoned by this era. The generals in the Maho Empire had no personal feud with them. As for state hatred…since Lord Yolanthe did not pursue the matter, it was pointless for them to do so. Everyone knew that, by having more friends, it would open up more opportunities for them.

Anfey was leaning against the railing at the balcony. He was observing the people below. He was very sharp and caught sight of Douminge, who was walking out of the backyard. He was surprised and said, “Douminge doesn’t like to attend banquets. Why is he here today?”

“He should be here to pave the way for his students,” Suzanna said softly.

“Not bad, you have improved!”

“Do you think that I am stupid?” Suzanna stared at Anfey.

Anfey was about to say something, when he saw Baery following behind Douminge.

“Marshal Baery is here too!”

“At dusk, Alice sent someone to invite Marshal Baery. It seems like she wants the students of Douminge to hand over the information to Marshal Baery personally.”

“Seems like you are right. Douminge is paving the way for his students,” Anfey said with a smile. “Ever since we stepped into the Shansa Empire, Douminge has never taken any action. Do you believe that? When we attack Diamond City, Douminge will volunteer to participate in the war. Hahaha…I guess Douminge has remained silent because he was afraid that he might do something drastic that will cause Edward VIII to lose his cool and vent his anger on Douminge’s students.”

“It is hard on him. As the great magician, he still has to defy his own wishes and do the things that he doesn’t like.” Suzanna understood what Anfey meant. Douminge would not only volunteer himself, he would give his best, in order to pave the way for his students.

“I can understand. How has the master been treating us? Douminge is also a good master.” Anfey smiled and said, “Moreover, he has to make it up to his students, as his betrayal has put his students in danger. They have been imprisoned, and that has made Douminge feel guilty.”

At this instant, Alice appeared in the courtyard with five to six people in magic robes. They ranged in different ages. They gathered around Alice, as though she were a star. Alice was very warm toward them, and chatted happily with each.

“They are the students of Douminge.” Suzanna saw that as well.

“Alice is Douminge’s student. It seems like they have known each other for a long time.” Anfey suddenly frowned. “I find it weird that, when Alice was being forced to marry into the mercenary country, they did not stand up for her.”

“Probably they were not in Diamond City, or…their words do not carry any weight. Nothing would have changed, even if they had stood up for her.”

The presence of the host made the atmosphere even better. Now and then, the royal families would go up to Alice and greet her. Alice would always reciprocate politely, and introduce the people who were beside her. Anfey had computed that Alice had been held back more than 20 times, when she moved from the courtyard to the main hall. She had also said the same words more than 20 times. Douminge, who was in front, was surrounded by people as well. He looked extremely friendly, and was high-spirited. He was chatting happily with the people.

However, Baery was being neglected. As the number one in the Maho Empire’s army, and Marshal of the Empire, he was more useful than Alice and Douminge. However, the royal families dared not go near him. They were not qualified to do so, as well. If the generals of the Maho Empire were to go to the Marshal and talk rubbish to him, that would be digging their own graves. There was no one around Baery. When the royal families of the Shansa Province saw Baery walking toward them, they would smile and step aside. For the generals of the Maho Empire, they would stand upright, and after Baery had walked past them, they would quickly sneak to the side.

“Since the host is here, why are you still up here?” Suzanna asked softly.

“Why should I go down?” Anfey shook his head and said. “I am just a calefare.”

“Those few elves really are…” Suzanna felt helpless and said. “I think there is a slave market here. I will go there tomorrow and get you two maids. These elves are not capable of taking care of people.”

“Forget it.” Anfey looked at Suzanna with a smirk and said, “Who knows, someone may get soft-hearted later and let them go. Although your husband is now filthy rich, you can’t possibly buy all the slaves in the entire continent!”

Suzanna’s face turned red. When Anfey had been confirmed as earl, someone had told her that it would seem improper not to have a few servants to serve Anfey. Suzanna had thought that it was a good idea to have a maid around, to take care of the house and of Anfey when she was not there. She had then gone to Violet City and bought a maid from the marketplace. Out of curiosity, Suzanna asked about the girl’s life. She found out that the girl was from the Maho Empire and had been captured by the army of the Shansa Empire. She was later captured by the soldiers of the Maho Empire. When she told the soldiers that she was from the Maho Empire, the soldiers told her to keep mum, and threatened to kill her if she told others about it. After that, she had been sold as someone from the Shansa Empire.

There are black sheep everywhere. For the sake of money, the soldiers could not care less. This was detestable.

Suzanna took pity on her, and knowing that the girl was from Blackania City, she gave her some money and let her go. Suzanna tore up the slavery contract on the spot, and told Anfey about it. Anfey laughed about it, and when Suzanna had wanted to buy another slave, Anfey stopped her. No one in the world would want to be a slave. Every slave had her own sad story. Once Suzanna let one go, there would be a second, and a third. It would be pointless to buy a slave. Moreover, Anfey preferred not to have someone to disturb the two of them. Suzanna also liked the idea and agreed with Anfey, so she gave up on getting a maid. However, since the two of them were digging up the past, she felt a little embarrassed.

“I am only showing my concern for you!” Suzanna said angrily.

“Be good, don’t be angry.” With one hand, Anfey held onto Suzanna’s waist, and with the other, he pinched her cheek and said, “Marshal Baery saw us.”

When Anfey had said the earlier sentence, Suzanna was still pouting when she looked at him. However, upon hearing the latter, she quickly moved away from his arm and looked down. Baery was smiling as he looked at her. Suzanna felt embarrassed. She stamped her foot and said, “You are so bad! You know that someone is watching, and yet you…”

Baery had reached the balcony. “Anfey, why are the two of you still up here?”

“This is a good spot,” Anfey said with a smile. “Sir, those few people…can the students of Douminge be trusted?”

“This is not important. Anyway, Edward VIII cannot play any tricks now. He can only make his last ditch defense in Diamond City.” Baery suddenly frowned. “But…there are 22 mage towers in Diamond City. Edward VIII’s palace mage group has never taken part in combat, so they did not suffer any losses. If he is scared, this will pose a problem. We will not be able to capture Diamond City before winter. Anfey, you are lucky and full of ideas. Any suggestions?”

“Sir, what suggestions can I have?” Anfey smiled wryly. “Previously, when I suggested assassinating Scarlet, you were being implicated. Till now, I am still…”

“Don’t say this, Anfey.” Baery waved his hand. “No one expected Scarlet to have the Ring of Immortal. It was just an accident. Why? Just because of one incident, you dare not speak out now?”

“I am not good at military operations, so what suggestions can I have?” Anfey shrugged. “But, if you need me to kill someone, you can just tell me. Wherever you point to, I will just go!”

“Hahaha…I am not asking you to give me any suggestions now. Do think about it, though. We still have two more months to go.” Baery laughed loudly and gave Anfey a pat.

Baery’s laughter attracted the attention of the people. They saw Baery talking happily to a young couple. Ever since Anfey had buried the dragonborn, Kamlin, he had been keeping a low profile. The royal families did not know Anfey. They were whispering to one another and making speculations.

Chapter 548: Mysteries

 

A few moments later, Alice and a mage walked onto the balcony. Alice smiled at the mage and asked, “What are you doing here?”

“You don’t want to see me?”

“Of course not,” Alice grinned. She turned to Anfey and said, “This is Bensent, Master Douminge’s best student.” She turned to Bensent and said, “This is Anfey. I know you’ve been wanting to meet him.”

“It’s great to finally meet you, sir,” Bensent said with a bow.

“You’re too kind,” Anfey said with a smile.

Baery patted Anfey on the shoulder and said, “I’ll leave you to it.” He paused and lowered his voice, “Think about what I just said.”

Anfey nodded. His reputation preceded him, but that was not always a good thing. With Baery, Saul, and Steger there, he did not have to take the risk.

Alice glanced at Baery curiously, but she did not want to ask with Bensent there. She turned back to Anfey and said, “Bensent is a good friend of one of our mercenaries.”

“Really?”

Bensent nodded. “I was a part of the Jagged Rose Mercenary group. I didn’t return to my home nation until two years ago.”

“You know Shinbella?”

Bensent nodded. “I heard what happened between Manlyn and Shinbella. It was truly unfortunate. Manlyn was the one who invited me to join the mercenary group, but the more time I spent there, the more I realized that Manlyn isn’t who he says he is. Shinbella, on the other hand, was righteous and treats everyone with respect. I wanted to warn her about Manlyn when I left, but I knew she wouldn’t listen to me.” Bensent sighed and shook his head.

Alice sighed as well. “Poor woman,” she said.

The young people clearly got along very well. They spoke of everything from lives of mercenaries to the current situation to Douminge’s past.

Douminge was downstairs at the feast and could see the four speaking on the balcony. He smiled as he watched them as they were engaged in a long conversation. Alice was in charge of several different provinces, Christian was participating in a war that would decide the future of the world. Both Alice and Christian would one day become rulers. Anfey was the leader of the League and the one who bound everyone together. The three of them together would one day shape the world.

In order to stabilize the chaotic situation, Yolanther had to rely on Alice. Anfey was well respected in the Country of Mercenaries and was Saul’s student. Yolanther knew better than to get rid of Anfey and Alice, but if he wanted to choose Grandon or Wester to be his successor, he had to.

Saul was always worrying about the future, but Douminge knew better. He knew that Grandon was hoping to gain Saul’s support by marrying Niya. However, Niya and Grandon were separated at the moment and it would not have been hard for Anfey to ruin Grandon’s image in Niya’s mind. That way, Niya would not have wanted to marry Grandon.

Douminge knew that his students had to maintain good relations with Saul’s students. People like him and Saul were powerful, but they were growing old. Soon, they would have to give up the stage for the younger generation. Anfey was cruel, but he would never harm his friends or people who stood neutral grounds.

He noticed that Bensent was already acting more natural and the conversation was flowing without him trying. As long as his students tried to befriend Anfey and his friends, their future would be bright.

After a while, Bensent politely excused himself and went downstairs to rejoin his teacher. Alice remained on the balcony, leaning against the railing.

“What do you think?” Anfey asked her.

“Bensent is a good man,” Alice said. “That why I brought him to meet you.”

“You’re saying the others may not be?” Anfey asked.

Alice shrugged. “He’s the only one I know,” she said. “My status limited my freedom. I don’t know the others.”

“You just said Master Douminge inspired you when you were young,” Anfey said. “Was that true?”

“Of course it was.”

“But you’ve never said anything about him.”

“Because I decided to leave my past in the past,” Alice said. “There’s no need bringing up my past. Plus, if I keep talking about my teacher, you’d have thought I was threatening you.”

Anfey smiled at her but did not say anything.

“When I was young, I thought I was inherently better because I was royal,” Alice said. “We have wealth, strength, wisdom. We were born to be noble. Born to rule. I thought the peasants were greedy and lazy, and without us, they would destroy the world. It was Master Douminge who taught me that was wrong.” Alice paused and smiled. “I realized some are just unlucky. Even peasants can prove themselves to be great men and women. Master Douminge was a peasant once.”

“So was I,” Anfey said.

“You are luckier than he was,” Alice said. “He achieved everything by himself.”

“And I didn’t?” Anfey asked with a frown.

“Do you believe that?”

Anfey froze. Alice was right. Without the Heart of Nature, he would have never achieved what he was able to. And without Saul, he wouldn’t even know what the Heart of Nature was.

“Master Douminge also gave me my aunt’s belongings so I could study from them.”

“Princess Victoria?”

Alice nodded. “He gave me some of her diaries and some journals.”

“Why did he have her belongings?”

“I’m not sure,” Alice said. “I think it was because he was one of her suitors.”

“And they couldn’t marry because of status?” Anfey asked. Suddenly, as if he had just remembered something, he frowned.

“More like age,” Alice said. “What’s wrong?”

“Douminge was one of the princess’s suitor and Baery killed her,” Anfey said slowly.

Alice said. “You’re thinking too much,” she said. “You really think they haven’t worked it out?”

“They—”

“What happened wasn’t as simple as we thought,” Alice said. “There were people in the Shansa Empire who wanted her dead. They betrayed her.”

“What are you talking about?”

“She was the princess regent. She didn’t need to go to that meeting,” Alice said. “Our spies had already warned her of Baery’s ill intents, but she still didn’t bring any guards. She also had griffin knights guarding her, but she was still killed. None of it adds up.”

Anfey nodded. Alice was right. He was worrying too much. Surely Baery and Douminge had already worked out their differences. “I’ll ask him about it one day,” Anfey said.

“What’s the point?” Alice asked, shaking her head. “Just think. If one day someone asks you about how we met, do you think you would want to explain everything?”

“No,” Anfey said. “The past is in the past.”

“The past is in the past.” Alice nodded in agreement. “So you’ll understand they won’t want to talk to you about it.”

“Why are you talking like you’re old?” Anfey asked with a grin. “We’re still young.”

“For now,” Alice said. “Soon, we will grow old just like the others.”

“Wait,” Anfey said, interrupting her. “Wait. Let’s not delve into that. Let’s go back to the feast.”

Chapter 549: Jailbreak

 

It was getting dark, and the banquet was coming to an end. As the guests were bidding farewell to one another, a ray of dazzling white light shot toward the sky. It exploded, raining down light. A powerful magic surged throughout the city. Anfey, Suzanna, and Alice turned pale, and the guests were whispering to one another. It was obviously a magic signal.

“Please calm down,” Alice said aloud. Both she and Yolanthe wanted stability. She did not want anything to disturb the cordial atmosphere.

“Suzanna, you stay with Alice and protect her,” Anfey said in a low voice. He then walked out promptly, looking calm.

Suzanna was about to say something, but Anfey had already left. She let out a sigh. There was a limitation to the message being conveyed using the magic signal. There were a few magic signals in The League of Mercenaries. Red represented emergency, and white represented that enemies had been spotted, and that someone had been killed.

When the guards, who were at the door, saw Anfey, they stood upright. Anfey’s body turned into multiple residual shadows and shot past them, causing a strong wind that made them lose their balance. They had to release their combat forces in order to balance themselves once more.

The strong smell of blood was everywhere. More than 30 mercenaries in the courtyard had been killed. No one had realized it, however, until Ye brought some men to arraign the prisoner.

After Ye had sent out the signal, the first person to arrive at the scene was Anthony. It was his turn to patrol. Both of them looked pale.

A thunderous voice was heard from afar, and they saw Anfey, flying low in the air, heading toward them. As Anfey was approaching them, he lifted up his hand and created a magic wall. He stepped on the wall and it collapsed. Anfey slowed down, and with a somersault, landed gently in the courtyard.

Anfey scanned his eyes around and then said in a low voice, “How many people have been killed?” He did not ask about the enemy. When he left the banquet, he had released his mind power to sense the city. He had sensed Ye, who was checking on the dead bodies, and Anthony, who was rushing toward the scene. He did not find anything amiss. Ye had stayed put at the scene, and he did not find anything amiss either.

“33 of them.” Ye was not one to easily show his emotions, but he was now in deep grief. Those people who had died were his right-hand men.

“Are you the first to arrive?”

“Yes. I am here to arraign Julie. I could smell blood from afar, and then…” Ye paused for a while.

“Sir, Julie has escaped!”

Anfey was stunned. “Show me around!”

The cage that Julie had been locked up in had been destroyed. It was empty. Six mercenaries had been killed. Although they fell down in different positions, they had all been cut in the throat!

There were blood stains on the floor and wall. Anfey touched the stains, twirling his fingers. Although he was not a forensic expert, he had some knowledge in terms of conjecturing on the timing of death, based on the viscosity of the blood.

“Eleven of them, who were sleeping in the backyard, have been killed as well,” Ye said in a low voice. “These guys are ruthless!”

Anfey walked to the cage and gently touched the clasped mark with his finger tip. With his backhand, he drew out the long sword from the dead mercenary, who was now before him. He then carefully placed the blade onto the wound, slowly thrusting it in. The wound opened up when the blade slanted to one side.

After a thorough check on the wound, Anfey went to six other dead bodies and did likewise. He shook his head and said, “This must have been done by the same person.”

“Same person?” Ye was stunned. “Sir, it is impossible! There are more than 30 men here. If there was only one enemy, the rest would have sent out the magic signal!”

“Have the rest been cut in the throat as well?” Instead of replying, Anfey asked the question.

“Yes.”

Anfey lowered his head and went into the cage. He looked around and saw the broken chain and rope on the floor. There were blood stains on them, but judging from the color, the blood stains had been there for a long time.

“Whose blood is this?” Anfey asked softly.

“It’s Julie’s”

“Has she been badly injured?”

“How should I say…” Ye hesitated for a while and said, “Yes, very badly.”

“What is this for?” Anfey found two sharp pieces of ironware under the chain. They looked like giant nails, and the blood stains on them had turned black.

“Has this been specifically used by Julie?”

“Specifically used?”

“Sir, this is…just an instrument of torture,” Ye said with a wry smile.

“Understood,” Anfey nodded and said, “Tell me, can Julie move around freely now?”

“Impossible,” Ye said confidently. “Both of her legs have been crippled. Even if she takes several decades to recuperate, it will be impossible for her to stand up. Unless…she has the help of a high priest.”

“Have you not rushed over to arraign Julie? It has been so many days, and yet, you have not collected any useful information?”

“Sir, you don’t know how stubborn Julie was,” Ye said helplessly. “When she could not take the torture, she would divulge a little, and when I stopped to interrogate her, she refused to say anything again. The cycle kept repeating, and I did not push her too hard, as I was afraid that I would kill her accidentally.”

“You should at least have some information. Show it to me.”

Ye took out a roll of paper from the Dimensional Ring and passed it to Anfey. Nothing much had been written on the paper. The statements were scattered and meaningless. Anfey took a glance, then handed it back to Ye. “Send some men to guard the city gate tomorrow. Julie has been crippled, so it will be inconvenient to move her around. They may use the carriage. You don’t have to bother about those entering the city. However, for those who are going out, a thorough check must be carried out.”

“Sir, if your conjectures are right, and our men have been killed by one person, then he must be very powerful. Even if Julie is unable to move, it will not be difficult to bring her out of the city.”

“Will he get her out of the city in daylight?”

“Not during the day, but during the night.”

“Turn off the lights at the city gate and city wall at night. Withdraw all the men. No one should stay there.”

“Sir, are you deliberately letting them escape? After that, then we…”

“No, he dares not escape,” Anfey said with a smile. “Suzanna, Anthony, and I will be in the city. Master, Baery, Steger and Bruzuryano are still outside the city. No matter how powerful he is, he could not possible fight against us. He will be extremely careful. Although it seems safer at night, he will not dare to escape then.”

“Sir, is he being careful? He has killed so many of our men!” Ye said with a wry tone.

“Think hard. He has killed so many of our men…I can give you another reason,” Anfey said flatly. “It is possible that he hates us, and he is very close to Julie.”

“You mean…” Ye pondered for a while and said, “To disregard his own safety in order to save her shows that they are very close to each other. If he sees Julie, or hears anything about her, …he will not be able to control his anger.”

“That’s right,” Anfey said softly. “Moreover…only our men and Julie are here. His target is very obvious. He is here to save Julie!”

“Sir, what should we do now?”

“Since he is so concerned about Julie, it will be easy.” Anfey paused for a while and said, “First of all, we must keep them in the city. Julie will need to be treated. And we know how many doctors, pharmacists, and priests there are in the city, don’t we?”

“Sir, I will send the men out now.”

“No. The mercenaries of the inspectorate are extremely unruly. They will let the cat out of the bag.” Anfey shook his head and said, “I have a candidate in mind.”

A figure flashed across Ye’s mind. Anfey must have chosen Robert.

“Ye, tidy up the place and then…bury them.” Anfey pondered for a while and said, “Go to Hui Wei for the pensions. Remember, don’t disappoint our men.” Although Anfey rarely handled f such matters, and had delegated the task out, he had his own principle: never let his men shed blood or tears. Whenever his men were injured or killed, he had to repeat himself.

“Yes, Sir,” Ye replied with a nod.

Anthony was still looking at the corpse, and was lost in contemplation when Anfey walked toward him. “Sir Anthony, have you found any clues?”

“I have seen a similar corpse before.” Anthony looked at Anfey.

“Where? In the Country of Mercenaries?”

“Yes.” Anthony nodded. “But, I was very young then.”

“What has happened since then?”

“It has been a long time. I can only remember that I was with Shanteler and Davidson. We were on our way back from the wild prairie and passed by the campsite of the mercenaries. As we were very young then, and liked to make friends, we had thought of going over to chat with the mercenaries. However, we found dead bodies in the campsite.” Anthony spoke slowly. “The wounds on the mercenaries were exactly the same. They had been cut in the throats. We found it weird, as the possessions of the mercenaries were still intact. We had even found nine magic crystals. One would usually kill for the sake of money in the wild prairie. If not for money…then it must be for hatred. The hatred must have been very deep to have the mercenaries in the entire campsite killed.”

Anfey frowned. In every society, there would be people who could not blend in with the current civilization. They would choose to be in seclusion. As it had been said, the greatest hermit would retreat into the noisiest fair, and the small-time hermits would hide in the mountains.

Regardless of the former or latter, many of them had great capabilities. Minosie was a dreadful representative figure. Even after his death, he held the world in disdain, and had caused the people in the continent to live in fear. According to Anthony’s conjecture, the opponent could be someone who was inactive. Such people would pose a problem, as not much information would be available about them. They would not know anything about this person, but he would know everything about them.

Chapter 550: Mole

 

The inspectors lifted the dead mercenaries onto the stretchers. Their movements were very careful as if they were trying not to disturb the corpses. The League didn’t have rules like a standard army, but the bonds between the mercenaries were much stronger.

Anfey exchanged a few more words with Ye and left with Anthony. Two carriages were already waiting by the door. Anthony could tell Anfey was in a bad mood and that he was thinking, so he simply nodded before disappearing into one of the carriages.

By the time Anfey got back to his place, it was well past midnight. Surprisingly, the elves were still awake. They were already waiting for him in the yard when he got off of the carriage.

“Is Suzanna home?” Anfey asked softly.

Yalbevin nodded. “My lady is waiting for you inside, sir.”

“I see,” Anfey said. “Go get some rest.” The elves nodded and Anfey hurried into the building.

Suzanna was sitting on the bed. She was staring at the air in front of her, thinking. Seeing Anfey walk into the room, she jumped off of the bed to greet him. “What happened?”

“The prison was attacked,” Anfey said. “We have some casualties. It’s not that big of a deal, but…”

“But what?”

“But Alice may find it difficult. I need to talk to her tomorrow. If I’m right, we need to investigate this in secret.”

“Alice will find this difficult?” Suzanna asked, surprised.

Anfey nodded. “We can do whatever we want back in Morro Province. But here, we have to be careful. You saw Alice’s feast. She’s trying to make create an illusion of peace. We can’t let her work go to waste.”

“But we were attacked,” Suzanna said, frowning.

“I know,” Anfey said. “Which is why the city will already be on lockdown if I’m in charge. You see, neither of us is the right candidate for this.”

“For what?”

“To be in charge,” Anfey said. “We have to go through with the plan to invade the Shansa Empire, for Christian’s sake. But when we’re done here, we can always go back to the Country of Mercenaries.”

“Anfey,” Suzanna said quietly. “You know what I miss?”

“What?”

“Back when we were still in the Forest of Magic Beasts,” Suzanna said, wrapping her arms around Anfey’s neck. “Sure, it was difficult, but we were together and we didn’t carry any burden.”

“For you,” Anfey said with a smile. “For them, those days were the hardest. Do you remember how excited they were when we got to Sacred City?”

“Were you?”

“Of course, but for different reasons.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I met you,” Anfey said. He wrapped his arms around Suzanna’s waist and held her close.

Suzanna giggled. “Good,” she said.

“What did Alice do after I left?” Anfey asked suddenly.

“Not much,” Suzanna said. “She asked for Hui Wei.”

“Which means she already knows,” Anfey said. “I have to go speak with her. I don’t want her to lose sleep over this.”

“Is this that serious?”

Anfey shrugged. “I think she’s more afraid I’m going to mess things up.” Anfey patted Suzanna’s shoulder and added, “Let’s go to bed.”

Before Suzanna could say anything, they both heard Ye’s voice. “Is Lord Anfey inside?”

“He just got back,” Yalbevin said.

“What’s wrong?” Suzanna asked, glancing out the window.

“I don’t know,” Anfey said, frowning. “I’ll go check.”

“I’ll come with you,” Suzanna said hurriedly.

“Don’t worry,” Anfey said. “I’m sure it’s nothing serious, otherwise Ye would be standing in front of us right now.” He hugged Suzanna and said, “Don’t wait up for me.”

Seeing Anfey, Yalbevin and the elves bowed and disappeared into their rooms.

“Midof wants to speak with you, sir,” Ye said in a hushed voice.

“Right now?”

Ye nodded. “She’s outside.”

Anfey followed Ye out onto the streets and saw a lone carriage parked not far from his place. There were no guards or carriage drivers. Anfey smiled at Ye’s caution. Midof was a sensitive person and it was best that she wasn’t seen with him.

Anfey poked his head into the carriage and saw Midof sitting inside. “Sir,” Midof said with a quick bow.

“No one saw you?” Anfey asked, getting into the carriage.

“No,” Midof said. “They trust me.”

“You’re doing well, I reckon?” Anfey said. “Still not listening to Shinbella?”

“As you ordered, sir,” Midof said.

“Don’t overdo it,” Anfey reminded her. “I don’t want to make things too difficult for her.”

“I understand, sir,” Midof said.

“I can’t always keep an eye on you,” Anfey said. “But that’s because if someone finds out you are working with me, you will be in danger. I hope you won’t disappoint me.” Of course, Midof wouldn’t be in real danger, but it could stop Wester from contacting them. Anfey wanted Midof to find out more secrets, which was why he was giving her so much freedom.

“I won’t let you down, sir,” Midof said sincerely.

“Good,” Anfey said. “Now, Ye said you needed to speak with me?”

Midof nodded. “Something happened here, didn’t it?”

“How did you know? Did Ye say anything?”

Midof shook her head. “I heard it from Barbara. She said she saw a group of mercenaries on the streets when she was out for a walk.”

“She’s lying,” Anfey said with a frown. “I remember clearly that there wasn’t a single passerby on the streets at that time.”

Midof frowned.

“Barbara, was it?” Anfey asked. “She must know something. Is that it?”

“No,” Midof said hurriedly. “It’s because Barbara seemed happy when she told us this. She also said that Sacred City had sent people and…”

“What else?”

Midof glanced at Anfey. She took a deep breath and said, “She said that you are going to start running into walls now.”

“Is that it?” Anfey asked. “Tell me everything.”

“This is it,” Midof said. “When she mentioned people from Sacred City, she seemed very respectful towards them. I figured it’s someone important.”

Anfey nodded. “Someone took Julie.”

“What?”

“I’ll find them,” Anfey said. “I’m not worried about Julie, of course. She may have some connections, but she’s not a threat anymore. Which is why I need you to save her when we find her captor.”

“Me? Save her?”

Anfey nodded. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure no harm comes your way. Julie is important. Her friendship will help you in the future.”

“I see, sir.”

“As for Barbara, she’s not important enough,” Anfey said. He paused, then donned a serious expression. “In the future, don’t contact Ye unless it’s something important. If someone sees you, everything we’ve done so far will unravel too quickly. If Wester tries to recruit you, say yes. If you have to fight us, do what you have to do. My mercenaries don’t know who you are. Understand?”

Midof nodded hurriedly. “I understand, sir,” she said.