Chapter 9: The Puppet Mage
Coldly staring at the Ram Knight before him—handsome in appearance but brimming with arrogance—another Ram Knight remained silent, sitting quietly in the guest seat as if lost in thought. Komer sat upright in his chair in the lord’s council hall, a tense atmosphere hanging between them.
“I’m sorry, Knight Jep, but I can’t fulfill your request. The evidence you’ve provided isn’t sufficient. I’ve heard of the Great Secret Sect, but I’m not an enthusiast of religious studies—never have been. Thus, I can’t believe your claim that members of the Great Secret Sect are appearing frequently in the Caucasus and that this implies their secret activities in my territory. As for your request that my lord’s household send people to investigate and issue warnings to the people to be wary of their invasion, that’s even more unacceptable. I can’t issue such a proclamation that could disrupt the peace and stability of the Caucasus based solely on your words. As for your offer to help the judicial officers track down these members of the Great Secret Sect, it seems contrary to kingdom law, and there’s no precedent for this. I can’t authorize anyone other than the judicial officers—I’m truly sorry. However, I’ll inform Judicial Officer Rese of your concerns and ask him and his subordinates to pay attention to this issue in their daily work. I wonder if this approach will satisfy you?”
Komer tried hard to control his emotions and act like a polite noble, but this arrogant man was utterly detestable. If it weren’t for the status of being a Ram Knight, Komer might even have wanted to challenge him to rid himself of this feeling of having a fly in his mouth.
“I’m sorry, my lord. It seems you’re too indifferent to the problems in your territory. The Great Secret Sect is far from as simple as you think. Their secrecy and evil nature aren’t something ordinary people can detect. I don’t understand your approach. Do you really turn a blind eye to everything happening in your territory?”
Jep felt intense disgust toward this baron, whose eyes always carried a mocking tone. This seemingly elegant noble was, in truth, just as full of disdain for him as he was for the other. He could sense this hostility. Though it couldn’t prove the other possessed dark magic, this subconscious hostility proved he wouldn’t have any goodwill toward the Church of Light.
“Knight Jep, I cannot agree with your views. As for your claim that I am neglecting my duties as the lord of the Caucasus, you are free to file a complaint with the Kingdom’s Star Chamber. But one thing you must understand: I am the lord of the people of the Caucasus, not the lord of any particular religion or sect!” Seeing the other party’s rude tone, Komer also became angered, and his voice turned harsher.
“I’m sorry; perhaps my companion was a bit too forceful. But Lord Baron, I believe our positions are not contradictory. In fact, our interests should be aligned. The Great Secret Sect is indeed a very evil sect, adhering to dark principles and worshipping death and paranoia. If such a sect spreads in your territory, I’m sure neither you nor we would want that. Even as a precaution, I think Lord Baron should take some measures.” As the tension between them grew, the other knight, who had remained silent until then, could no longer stay idle. He cleared his throat and spoke up.
“Knight Green, your reasoning is correct, but you also know that the land of the Caucasus has only just entered a period of development. The people here come from all over the continent, many of them immigrants who lost their homes to orcs. They’ve finally found a stable environment to live in peace. Now, just because of some unfounded accusation against the Great Secret Sect, everyone is panicking. I think this doesn’t reflect the actual situation in the Caucasus. Moreover, I’ve always said that religious affairs are not the focus of the lord’s household. Religious freedom is a principle I’ve long upheld—any religion can preach in the Caucasus as long as it doesn’t violate the kingdom’s laws. The Light Church can, so can other sects. Of course, the Great Secret Sect, if it’s prohibited by kingdom law, is an exception. I don’t want some people to use the guise of punishing evil and promoting good to actually suppress other sects and promote their own doctrines.”
Komer’s sarcastic remarks made Knight Green’s face turn ugly, while the other knight’s expression changed drastically as well.
“Baron Komer, I didn’t expect you to hold such deep misunderstandings about our Church of Light. Since you insist on your views, I and my companions have nothing more to say. But I must remind you that we will report everything we discover to the Holy See. The Kingdom of Nicosia and our church have an agreement: any sect that promotes darkness and death is prohibited. It is our duty as the Church of Light to uphold this responsibility. The Inquisition is even more interested in such matters. I hope their arrival won’t displease Lord Komer.” Knight Green’s words were soft on the surface but carried a hard edge, ending with outright threats that made Komer’s heart tighten.
“Knight Green, I cannot agree with you. Whether I misunderstand the Church of Light or not is not something to be determined by you and Priest Belan or Pastor Gustav. As for whom you need to report to, that’s not something I care about. In short, it’s up to you. I welcome anyone to the Caucasus, as long as they do not violate the laws of the kingdom or the Caucasus. Otherwise, I believe the people of the Caucasus will not agree either.” Komer’s reply was equally firm and unyielding.
Watching the two Rema knights leave in anger, Komer shook his head with a bitter smile. He didn’t want to confront the Church of Light, but he couldn’t resist their pressure. If he yielded this time, they would demand even more next time. They hadn’t obtained anything valuable in his territory; they just wanted to use this opportunity to gain greater power to search more freely wherever they deemed suspicious. Of course, he couldn’t agree to their demands. However, the members of the Great Secret Order had indeed been active in the Caucasus quite frequently lately, which was also not a good sign. It was necessary to take precautions from the very beginning.
Facing the tall and thin mage, Komer silently recited spells as he carefully summoned a light-based magic shield. It was a highly standard “Radiant Light” defensive spell—blueish starlight scattered across the silver-white halo floating around his body, shining brightly. From the opponent’s astonished gaze, Komer could sense Mihajic’s confusion. For a spell of such pure light magic, though not particularly advanced, it was nearly impossible for a mage with dark tendencies to cast, given the high demands for purity in light magic. No wonder the tall and thin mage had shown such surprise when Komer used this spell to kick off their duel.
Although it was merely a practice match, Komer knew these mages would never hold back in such confrontations. Of course, they wouldn’t kill him, but failure would still result in an embarrassing outcome. He didn’t want to lose so badly in a competition that could harm his reputation.
Mihajic wore a solemn expression. It seemed this lord was indeed as formidable as Rebril had said—a master who hid his true abilities. If not for Rebril’s warnings, he would never have believed the other party to be a necromancer with considerable dark magic power.
As his fingers moved slowly across his forehead, a cold aura emerged in the air. Two skeleton warriors appeared out of nowhere. The two-meter-tall illusionary skeletons carried massive black-gray scythes on their shoulders. Their smooth, bald heads featured empty, dark eye sockets that seemed capable of devouring all light. Their neatly arranged ribs had an artistically pleasing gray-white appearance, and their thick tibiae were slightly apart as they stood obediently before Mihajic.
Komer was quite impressed by how easily the tall and thin mage summoned two skeleton giants. He wasn’t sure whether the skeleton warriors in front of him were illusions or real necromancers. The approaches needed to deal with these two magically created beings, though similar in appearance, were vastly different. He had to take the initiative and launch a probing attack to determine which type of entity the two skeletons in front of Mihajic belonged to.
The staff in his hand moved gracefully, and as the speed of chanting the spells increased, a massive orb of light was rapidly released just before delivering a devastating strike. It exploded in front of the two skeletons that had barely managed to launch their attacks, causing the holy light to become several times brighter—so intense that it was almost impossible to open one’s eyes. Countless specks of light rushed toward the two skeleton warriors leaping at him. The giant skeleton on the left suddenly turned into a shadow and then gradually disappeared, while the skeleton on the right merely let out a deep roar as the shattered light particles struck it. A few wisps of smoke rose from its body, and even its bones made creaking sounds, but it still managed to withstand the attack. The giant scythe in the skeleton’s claws generated a strong wave of foul wind as it swung three times in succession, attacking Komer from above, below, and the sides.
Indeed, these were two different kinds of enemies. The illusionary skeleton couldn’t withstand his “Heavenly Light to Exorcise Demons” attack; any magical illusion would simply vanish into dust under such overwhelming holy light. As for the skeleton that lunged at him, it was clearly the necromantic spell that Mihajevic was most skilled at. For such skeleton warriors created through necromantic magic, if they were of a considerable level, most mages would prepare alternatives to distract the attacker, reduce the impact of the blows, and combine forces with the actual skeleton for a fatal strike. Yet even the tall and lean mage hadn’t expected Komer to go straight for a decisive attack, eliminating the illusionary skeleton without even giving him a chance. Now, all that remained was to see how this skeleton warrior performed.
Komer moved swiftly, dodging the skeleton’s sweeping scythe. With a light tap of his fingers, he generated successive holy light orbs in his hand. With a series of “pop” sounds, the orbs flowed from his palms and bounced out one after another. The skeleton’s giant scythe created countless shadowy slashes in the air, aiming to intercept the light orbs. Dull explosions rang out continuously, but they couldn’t stop the skeleton from pursuing him.
Komer’s gaze shifted as he tilted his body to avoid the foul wind caused by the giant scythe passing overhead. With a swift grab downward with his left hand, a massive earth troll was instantly formed, standing in front of the skeleton warrior. This was also a way for Komer to test his progress in elemental magic. After all, with the priests and knights of the Light Church always aware of his mastery in magic, he had to improve his outward skills to conceal the dark side hidden deep within him. Aside from using light-based magic to cleanse himself as much as possible, the only option left was to strengthen his practice of elemental magic to deceive others.
Stars flashed in Mihajlovic’s eyes. An earth troll?! Hah, this lord truly was extraordinary—wielding high-level earth magic effortlessly, as if it were nothing at all. He seemed to hold a sense of superiority over the world. It seemed he wouldn’t be convinced unless Komer showed some real skill. A faint smile appeared on his lips as his gaze became fixed. His staff, already ready, was raised high toward the sky. The tall, thin mage wore a solemn expression, and his deep voice echoed across the open field, “By the will of the gods, grant me the power of the stars! Go!”
The sky suddenly darkened, and a strong spatial distortion spun around Komer. Even the formidable “Holy Light Shield” gradually faded under such immense force. The earth troll he had created managed to take only one step before dissolving into mud and dust, carried away by the wind.
As that strange distortion force struck, Komer had already applied acceleration spells repeatedly to himself, moving rapidly to avoid the core impact zone of this star-based attack magic. At the same time, he countered with two advanced lightning spells—Thunder God’s Hammer. Thunder and lightning filled the sky, with bright arcs streaking across the heavens. Rolling clouds and thunderous booms surrounded the tall, thin mage. The shadow of Thunder God appeared faintly within them, with the giant’s head constantly changing forms. As thunder cracked, the solemn-faced mage had already summoned three magic puppets. These puppets floated in the air using wind magic to attract the force of Thunder God’s attacks. When two of the puppets were shattered by the continuous assaults, Thunder God’s shadow gradually faded, and the sky returned to its normal state.
“Amazing!” Komer couldn’t help but exclaim in awe. The only skill he had developed after half a year of hard practice in lightning magic was effortlessly dispelled by the other party. Moreover, Komer had never imagined that aside from using his own strength to counter and dodge lightning magic, puppets could also be used to divert it. It was clear that the other party hadn’t gone all out either—the three puppets summoned casually were clearly not of high quality; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been released all at once. The skeleton warriors lurking nearby, however, were still quite formidable. Even under the full force of his “Skylight Crossing Magic,” they only left a few marks on the other party’s bones, and Komer clearly noticed that as the other party’s necrotic energy grew stronger, those marks gradually faded away.
“The Lord is quite impressive as well. I’m very curious about how you manage to combine dark power with holy power. As far as I know, while these two completely opposite types of magic—light and darkness—can indeed coexist in one person, the ‘Skylight Crossing Magic’ you demonstrated just now is already a high-level spell among the light-based divine arts. It’s absolutely impossible for a magician with dark powers to achieve such a thing. Could it be that what Rebrí told me wasn’t true?” The tall, thin mage was indeed puzzled. None of the spells used earlier were related to dark or necrotic magic—aside from light-based spells, there were elemental magic or some neutral auxiliary spells. This was vastly different from what Rebrí had described, which naturally surprised the tall, thin mage.
“Mr. Mihajić, nothing is impossible in this world. Many things don’t reflect their true nature at first glance. Just like the light-based spells and elemental magic I’ve shown you now—this is nothing. What is the true origin of magic? Light or darkness? Who can define it? We need to spend endless effort exploring this. At least, I don’t think anyone can easily draw a conclusion right now.”
His vague and ambiguous words left the tall, thin mage feeling as though he had grasped the truth yet also as though he hadn’t understood anything. This was exactly the effect Komer wanted—neither rejecting the other party and arousing suspicion nor revealing his true capabilities. Allowing them to guess and speculate in confusion was precisely what Komer aimed to achieve.
What was expected to be a fierce competition ended inconclusively, much to the disappointment of the mages and dark knights who had come to watch from a distance. Yet even just a few moves were enough to demonstrate the tall, thin mage’s exceptional skill in puppet magic, while Komer’s diverse array of magical abilities left them in awe—merely the ability to freely switch between elemental magics was something not every mage could accomplish.
Komer was equally fascinated by Mihajic’s puppet magic. The purpose of their sparring was to learn from each other, improve together. Mihajic’s curiosity about Komer’s light-based divine magic became the basis for them to exchange secrets of puppet magic. Soon, the two became close friends in the magical world. Mihajic was far more straightforward than that old fox, Rebril. Komer gained much from him, and he also shared some of his insights on transforming the nature of magic as part of the exchange. As for how much benefit Mihajic could derive from this, that was beyond Komer’s concern.