Chapter 32: Surging Darkness (III)

“What… what exactly is going on, Dean?”
Faced with Professor Hodde’s shocked expression, the old dean shook his head and said softly, “I’m not entirely sure about the details yet. Those guests, upon learning that you encountered that man, insisted on waiting until you arrived before explaining everything in detail. So for now, all I know is that the man you met, named Argus, is likely the same person as the one those guests mentioned!”
“Dean, I indeed met that man, but in my opinion, he doesn’t seem like that kind of person…”
“Haha, that’s not something you, who are usually so composed, should say,” the old dean said with a smile, pausing habitually as he rested his walking stick before glancing at Jiang Zhe and the other kids. “We’ll discuss the details later. Come with me first. Oh, and tell those kids to go to their new dormitories. Let Miss Tilda arrange it…”
“Yes, Dean,” Professor Hodde replied, his eyes filled with seriousness at the urgency of the situation. But after thinking for a moment, he added, “By the way, Dean, those children have also encountered that man. Should we…”
“Hmm…” The old dean glanced at Jiang Zhe, who was looking outside the school gates, and smiled. “No, that’s enough!”
“Understood,” Professor Hodde nodded and turned to the kids. “Kids, I have some matters to attend to. Go find Miss Tilda first…”
“Okay, Professor!” Lavia nodded.
“Then… let’s go, Dean!”
“Hmm!” The old dean smiled kindly at his children, then placed his left hand on Professor Hodde’s shoulder. Slowly, waves of magic rippled from their bodies, and in a flash, they disappeared from sight, leaving everyone nearby in awe.
[Space Teleportation]!
After all, this was an extremely special advanced space magic. Its difficulty far surpassed that of [Flash], and only those with the strength of a grand mage could cast it successfully.
But ultimately, it merely required precise control and ample magic power!

Unlike Flash, the spell of spatial displacement is somewhat similar to folding space. It’s like drawing two points on a piece of blank paper; theoretically, the shortest distance should be the straight line connecting the two points. The effect of spatial displacement is to fold this space, bringing the two points on the paper together, and achieving spatial transfer by passing through a channel to the [Antimatter World]. No explanation is needed for now.

“What… what kind of spell is this?” Clearly, even Jiang Zhe was surprised by the spell cast by the old dean.

Of course, he wasn’t surprised by the spell itself, but by the fact that he saw it with his own eyes. He had originally thought there were no such spatial spells in this world!

Indeed, as the most special type of spell, there are very few magicians who possess spatial magic, and even fewer who can master its key aspects. It can be said that throughout the entire empire, only a handful of people can master such spells. As far as we know, they are probably only the Royal Chief Mage Veston Malajiji Hastings and the Dean of Riox Academy, Greta Kaines.

Some might ask, since that Royal Chief Mage possesses spatial displacement, why didn’t he use it when he went to the western border a year ago?

It’s actually quite simple!

Because spatial displacement is a highly advanced spatial spell that requires passing through the [Antimatter World], making it somewhat dangerous. Attempting a long-distance spatial displacement with two attendants? If not handled carefully, the three of them might never be able to return to their original world.

Moreover, this spell consumes several times more magic power than Flash. Although it allows for much greater movement distances—still only a few miles at most—even the empire’s royal mages don’t have the ability to transport themselves and their attendants from the imperial capital to western fortresses. So, rather than wasting precious magic power to travel a few miles, Old Veston preferred to ride a horse.

Perhaps for humans, spatial magic is indeed too advanced and difficult to understand. Although a few great mages have mastered spatial displacement, which is even more advanced than Flash, I don’t think anyone would use it frequently. At this stage of research, it’s a rather useless spell.

Since it is necessary to find the spatial coordinates of the displacement, the caster pauses for a few seconds before casting this spell. During this time, the caster is almost defenseless, so it basically cannot be used in combat with enemies. As for traveling, the high mana consumption of this spell means the caster cannot cast it repeatedly.

It’s like what the old dean is doing now—after all, human research in spatial magic has seen little progress over hundreds of years.

“It seems something important has happened!” Lailira said softly.

“Hehe, even if something major has happened, it’s not our turn,” Allen said with a laugh, casually slinging his large travel bag over his shoulder. “Come on, guys. I miss the food at the academy. To be honest, the meals prepared by the professors aren’t very good…”

“Have the guts to say that in front of the professor!” Jiang Zhe said half-jokingly. Professor Hodde was always very confident in his cooking skills, but to be honest, his meals really weren’t that good…

“Hey!” Scott glanced at Allen, shook his head, pushed up his glasses, and said, “Alright, let’s go find Ms. Tilda first. If I’m not mistaken, there won’t be any changes in dormitory assignments…”

“Hey, that’s great!” Allen said with a smile, placing his hands on Jiang Zhe and Scott’s shoulders. “We’ve all lived together for a year. If there were sudden changes, I’d feel uncomfortable!”

“Do you think anyone other than us could tolerate you?” Although he said it in a mocking tone, Scott’s eyes showed a rare hint of warmth. But then, as he turned to look at his shoulders, his brows furrowed again, and he said in a deep voice, “Put your hands down. What’s the point of this?!” Whether in public or private, Scott held himself and his roommates to the standards of noble etiquette.

“Okay, okay!” Allen reluctantly lowered his hands and shrugged. Then, turning to see Jiang Zhe staring blankly at the crowd outside the academy, he asked with a smile, “What are you looking at, buddy?”

“Hm? Oh,” Jiang Zhe snapped out of his thoughts and pointed at the crowded area at the academy entrance. “I was standing there last year. I was very hesitant because I only had eighteen gold coins and over sixty silver coins in my pocket…”

“Now you’re the same, poor wretch!” Lavia was still somewhat resentful, but there was no hint of contempt in her voice. Clearly, she cared about something else…
“Hey, at least I have a dozen gold coins in my pocket,” Jiang Zhe said unhappily, turning to look at Lavia. “Remember? The last time we met, Argus only had two silver coins in his pocket—much better than me…”
“Hmph!” Lavia snorted lightly. Clearly, her goal wasn’t to argue with Jiang Zhe about the amount of gold they had; she was just venting her dissatisfaction over other things.
Meanwhile…
“Achoo!” In a magnificent hall, Argus, as mentioned by Jiang Zhe, rubbed his nose inexplicably and said to himself jokingly, “I’m not sick. Could it be that someone is missing me?”
“Hmph!” Standing behind Argus, the mysterious mage Puul said in a calm tone, “Someone missing you? That’s quite unusual. Don’t you think it should be curses or something? Like those agents of the Church…”
“Oh?” Argus smiled slightly, waved his fingers, and said mysteriously with a hint of humor, “I don’t think so. If it were those guys… that tricky old fellow might give me chills!”
“Hm?” Puul was stunned and said sarcastically, “Besides those, who else could it be?”
“Hehe… Of course!” Argus laughed heartily.
Just then, a man dressed like a guard walked over, glancing at Argus and the others with arrogance, and shouted in a low voice, “Daring to shout here? Don’t you want to live?”
Instantly, a fierce glint appeared in the eyes of the necromancer Puul. But just as he was about to take action, Argus gently patted his shoulder and smiled at the guard, saying, “Sorry, sorry. My companion has never been to such a magnificent palace before. He’s a bit excited…”
“Hmph, I guess so!” The guard nodded arrogantly and scolded, “Don’t forget, this is Prince Gran’s palace. It’s already a great honor that the prince is willing to see you…”
“I know, I know,” Argus nodded with a smile and said softly, “I just wonder when the prince will…”
“Hm?” The guard frowned and said in a low voice, “What do you mean? It’s already a huge honor to have you here. Do you expect Prince Gran to personally entertain you?”

“Of course…” Argus took a deep breath and chuckled, “Of course not! How could we possibly ask His Highness the Prince to entertain us personally?”
“Hmph! Good that you understand! Stay here quietly. If you make any more noise, don’t blame me if I become ruthless!”
“Yes, yes!”
“Hmph!” With a cold snort, the guard left the hall.
Before he could exit, Pule sneered and said in a low voice, “A foolhardy insect!” Then he turned to look at Argus, with a mix of doubt and suspicion, and said mockingly, “I can’t believe those words came from you, Argus…”
“What’s there to believe?” Argus shook his head and smiled lightly, saying, “As you said, he’s just a foolhardy insect. Even if we kill him, what’s the point? It won’t help our goals at all; instead, it will only cause obstacles…”
“Huh?” Pule was surprised. He stared at Argus for over ten seconds before saying in a low voice, “Argus, you’re truly a terrifying man…”
“Weren’t you already aware of that?”
“No!” Shaking his head, Pule took a deep breath and explained, “I’m not referring to your strength. It’s not the ambitious people who are terrifying—it’s those who are ambitious and know how to hide their intentions… I’ve always had the feeling that partnering with you might be a mistake. I can smell scheming from you… You’re using us, right?”
“Using you? No, no, no,” Argus shook his head smilingly and shrugged. “How could I use you? We’re allies, partners. If we’re talking about using each other, aren’t you also using me? You want to use me to return to the light as a victor, right?”
“Yes, you’re right,” Pule nodded honestly, then looked at Argus and said in a low voice, “But we just want to end this unfair treatment. Does the world dictate that we must live in the shadows? And you… We’ve been in contact with you for almost two years, yet you still haven’t told us your goals… Is this what allies are supposed to do? Why won’t you tell us the truth? Because of this, we’ve been hesitating, wondering whether to cooperate with you!”

“Ah ah, I meant well,” Argus said with ahehe laugh, glancing at Poole before his smile faded gradually. In a low tone, he added, “If I tell the truth, I’m afraid it might scare you…”
“ Ridiculous!” Poole sneered disdainfully.
Argus wasn’t angry. Instead, he shook his head and spoke earnestly, “It’s not ridiculous at all!” Then, he pointed with his right index finger upward and whispered, “You don’t have the courage to follow me there!”
“There?” Poole raised his head slightly in confusion, then seemed to understand something. His eyes widened as he pointed at Argus with trembling fingers, shouting, “Are… are you crazy?”
“Crazy?” Argus spread his hands and shrugged jokingly. “I just want to stand higher and go further. Yet you call me crazy? Hehehe.” He stared deeply at Poole and said in a mysterious tone, “You know what? What determines how high a person can reach isn’t strength or power… it’s an unquenchable ambition, an unstoppable desire, and… courage!”
“You…”
“Aren’t you thinking the same way, Poole? Is all you seek to stand in the sunlight like an ordinary person? Haha, what a cheap desire…”
“Is this funny?” Poole’s breathing became slightly rapid; it was clear he was getting angry.
Argus obviously noticed this. Waving his hand, he explained, “Don’t misunderstand. I’m not mocking you. I just feel… a bit disappointed.”
“Disappointed?” Seeing that he wasn’t being mocked, Poole’s expression improved significantly.
“Yes, disappointed!” Argus nodded, took a slight breath, and shook his head. “When I first met you, I could tell from your tone of voice and movements that you were about my age… I certainly don’t want my companion sent to help me to be some old fool who can’t even recite spells properly…”
“Heh… cough! But my strength is nowhere near that of those elders…”
“That’s not the issue, my dear companion,” Argus said, waving his hand with a mysterious smile as he whispered persuasively, “Become my companion, Poole!”
“Aren’t I already your companion?”

“No! You should understand—I’m not referring to this kind of relationship now… If your ambitions and desires haven’t been numbed by living in the shadows for so long, if the anger in your heart hasn’t been silenced… Be my companion, and reach the pinnacle of this world…”
“You… Can I take your words as an attempt to win me over? To use me to work for you?”
“Of course! But only if you qualify… Don’t misunderstand—I’ve always believed that a person’s value lies in whether they’re worthy of being used…”
“Hmph, what a strange notion…”
“But you agree, don’t you?”
“…” Pul opened his mouth but was speechless. After a short while, he said in a low voice, “If I convey these words to the elders of the organization, I think they’ll definitely reconsider whether to cooperate with you…”
“But will you?” Argus spread his hands and shook his head. “Those old fools may be powerful, but their hearts have been worn down. All that remains in them is fear! They fear this world. Otherwise, with such great power, why do you keep hiding in the corners of the world, out of sight of others? Heh, I know you’re waiting for the right moment, but it’s been far too long. I don’t know how much longer you’ll wait…”
“…” Frowning, Pul glanced at Argus and said in a low voice, “Argus, you underestimate the Empire. Its power is immense—far beyond your imagination!”
“Even if it’s powerful, my ambition to destroy it hasn’t waned for over a decade. In fact, it grows stronger with time!”
“Do you think the Empire’s magicians will just sit by and do nothing? You have no idea how many magicians the Empire has! Do you think Salonia will just sit by and do nothing? If the Empire collapses, it won’t benefit them at all! We’re at war with the world, Argus!”
“That’s not the point, my dear companion. Even if we’re at war with the world, so what?” Argus said, looking at Pul and pointing at his chest. “I only know that I will succeed, because the gods are on my side!”
“Gods? Heh!” Pul shook his head in mockery. Before he could speak, Argus added in a low voice, “I’m not joking, my dear companion! Haven’t you always wanted to know where this powerful dark force within me comes from?”

“You…” Purr murmured, staring blankly at Argus’s eyes, “It’s impossible…”
“There’s nothing absolutely impossible in this world,” Argus said with a smile, using a persuasive tone once again. “What do you say? Become my companion. We can’t possibly lose!”
Purr shook his head repeatedly, muttering, “How… how is this possible? It’s insane…” He glanced at Argus, who was waiting for a reply, then looked around nervously before hesitantly saying, “You actually bring up such things in a place like this. Aren’t you afraid someone might hear you and disrupt your plans?”
“Heh, a little obstacle is nothing compared to having a true companion…”
“Well… I… let me think. Your words are too crazy. Also, I still don’t fully trust you…”
“Alright, then let’s leave it at that for now. But I’ll treat you as a true companion,” Argus said with a slight smile, glancing around before shaking his head jokingly. “Look at all these decorations and furnishings—what a luxurious place…”
Following Argus’s gaze, Purr said with a cold smirk, “It’s probably just extravagance!”
“Heh, indeed!” Argus smiled satisfactorily. He could tell that the deep sense of distance and wariness in Purr’s tone had gradually faded.
Another one convinced then…
If he could convince that werewolf, things would be even more certain. Unfortunately… he’d try again next time he encountered him. He should go to that place…
Hmm…
Just as Argus frowned in thought, the door adorned with golden rose patterns at the back of the hall opened, and a middle-aged man dressed in luxurious red silk stepped out.
Well, calling him middle-aged wasn’t entirely accurate. Judging from the wrinkles on his forehead and around his eyes, as well as his deliberately hidden white hair, he was likely in his fifties. He was the cousin of the current Saxon King—Prince Gran.
According to rumors outside, Prince Gran was a good-for-nothing who only managed to cause trouble rather than achieve anything. He was obsessed with money, wine, and women, living a very extravagant life for decades. Not only among the common people of the empire but also among the nobility, many despised and loathed him.
Those people simply couldn’t understand why the current Saxon King had continued to “keep” this useless fat pig for decades. Of course, these were just rumors.

“Nice to meet you, Prince Gran. You seem in much better spirits than the rumors suggest!” Argus said first, performing a gesture commonly used by magicians.

“The rumors?” Prince Gran chuckled. With so much fat on his face, his eyes were hidden when he smiled. He casually walked over to the wine cabinet, took out a bottle of red wine, poured himself a glass, and drank half of it before saying indistinctly, “Of course, I’ve always been in good spirits…” He glanced at Argus, then at the door leading to the hall, and frowned. “Was it you who left that nonsense letter on my bed in the bedroom?”

“You saw it?” Argus asked with a smile.

“Hmph, obviously! If I hadn’t seen it, would I have sent the guards to bring you in?” Prince Gran said. He walked over to a white leather sofa and sat down, ignoring the creaking sound of the luxurious sofa under his weight.

“Hehe, Your Highness is right…”

“Stop pretending,” Prince Gran said calmly after glancing at Argus. “I already understood your intentions from that letter. I’m surprised you were able to avoid the people watching me in this palace, as well as those royal magicians loyal to Igel. You’re quite powerful, stranger!”

“Hehe,” Argus smiled slightly, walked over to the sofa opposite Prince Gran, sat down, and said with a smile, “So what do you think?”

“What do I think?” Prince Gran shook his head mockingly, with a hint of self-mockery. “If I were ten years younger, maybe I’d be convinced by you. But now… I’m old. Yesterday, I couldn’t even satisfy a woman…”

“Uh, well…” Argus was taken aback by Prince Gran’s way of ‘proving’ his age. He scratched his forehead awkwardly, fell silent for a moment, then shook his head at Prince Gran and said, “But I can see that your ambition hasn’t aged with you. It’s like a flame that grows stronger the more it burns…”

“Is that so?” Prince Gran replied indifferently, downing the red wine in his glass in one gulp, then shook his head self-mockingly. “I don’t know what your purpose is in saying this, but I’m sure you’re not someone sent by Igel to test me. That much I can tell…”

“Then, what does Your Highness think of this matter?”

Prince Gran fell silent for a long time before shaking his head and saying, “Your name is Argus, right? Do you know why, after playing with women for decades, I still haven’t had a son?”
“Hm? Why?”
“Heh,” he said with a self-mocking laugh, a strange cold glint appearing in his eyes as he whispered, “Because I know that even if I had a son, he would only be a puppet, a ridiculous clown despised and spat at by everyone! And if I had a son, do you think I could still be like this?” As he spoke, he wiped his swollen hands and shook his head. “Stranger, Eiger is a very cautious man. For over thirty years, I’ve never deceived him. Do you know that? As an imperial prince, I can’t even muster an army of two thousand men. Can you imagine? I can’t gather any troops, nor is there any noble willing to lead an army to truly help me. So Eiger doesn’t need to worry about this at all. And since I have no son, he doesn’t need to worry even more. Therefore, I don’t think you were sent by him to test me, because he has no such need!”
“Oh…”
“In the face of absolute strength, all resistance is futile. Even if I were convinced by you, so what? If I’m going to be executed, I might as well live a few more years… I’ve lived like this for over thirty years; I’m used to it! Well, you can go now!”
“Will Your Highness really let us leave like this?” Argus said with a faint smile, shaking his head. “Saying such rude things—we never relied on Your Highness’s strength. We’ve been observing you for a long time, so we understand your dissatisfaction and hatred. After all, you also have the noble bloodline of a Saxon king; you’re also qualified to become an emperor…”
“What do you mean?”
“As long as Your Highness is willing, we can help you take that position…”
Glancing at Argus suspiciously, Prince Gran sneered, “If it’s just another puppet, why should I bear the charge of treason?”
“No, no, no, you misunderstand,” Argus said, shaking his head repeatedly. “We won’t interfere in anything. You can choose to let your confidants control the army, or take control yourself…”
“Hm? Then what do you really want? I don’t believe you came to help me for no reason!”
“It’s simple!” Argus rubbed his hands together, lowering his head slightly as he whispered, “Your Highness must know my companions—they’ve been oppressed for too long…”

“Suppression?” Prince Gran glanced at Puer, then seemed to understand something, speaking absentmindedly, “You… he, is he… that one?” His face turned pale instantly, showing that the reputation of necromancers was indeed not very good.
“Prince Gran, please calm down. We are here to help you. All they need is to step out of the darkness and walk freely in the sunlight…”
“This… this is not easy,” Prince Gran said, shaking his head as he stared at Puer oddly. “Not even I can do this, let alone now. Even Eiger couldn’t…”
“You are honest, Prince Gran!” Unexpectedly, Puer interjected.
Faced with Puer’s praise, fear appeared in Prince Gran’s eyes as he stammered, “If I could give you some territory after success, then it might be possible, but the Royal Magic Association won’t agree to this…”
“By then, there won’t be a Royal Magic Association anymore!” Puer said calmly, with a hint of intimidating coldness.
“…” Prince Gran stared deeply at Puer, then at Argus, hesitatingly saying, “Even so, there are a few people at the Rexox Magic Academy…”
“By then, the Rexox Academy won’t exist either!”
“…” Prince Gran’s breathing suddenly became rapid. His eyes flickered between Argus and Puer, his hands fidgeting—rubbing together or clenching into fists—yet he remained silent, clearly still hesitating.
Argus also noticed this and said with a smile, “Honorable Prince Gran, please don’t underestimate our strength just because there are only two of us. Um… is this place safe?”
“Safe?” Prince Gran was stunned for a moment, then seemed to understand, nodding repeatedly. “Safe, safe. The guards outside are all my trusted men. Eiger, who claims to be generous, wouldn’t dare plant spies among my inner circle—it would harm his reputation.”
“That’s good,” Argus smiled slightly, then clapped his hands and said firmly, “Simonli, Hampa, come out!”
“Yes!”
“Yes, master!”
With those two responses, two gray clouds suddenly emerged from Argus’s body, coalescing into two figures under Prince Gran’s astonished gaze—none other than the legendary demons: the powerful Dark Knight Simonli and Hampa, who possessed the ability to bewitch others.

“This… this…” The sudden appearance of Simmonley and Hampa clearly frightened Prince Gran. He writhed uneasily while pointing at them and asking, “Who… who are they?”
“Clark Simmonley!”
“Gley Hampa, good day, most honorable prince!”
“Hasn’t Your Highness ever heard of them?” Argus said softly, smiling at Prince Gran’s terrified eyes. “They are my companions… demons… the legendary demons.”
“Demons?” Prince Gran murmured. Suddenly as if remembering something, he pointed at Hampa in horror and said, “I know you! Your name is Gley Hampa. I read about you in the history of emperors when I was young—wasn’t it you who destroyed the legendary ancient kingdom, Seraland?”
“It was so boring back then, so I just played a game!” Hampa said with a kind expression, which only increased Prince Gran’s fear.
“Your Highness,” Argus said with a smile, looking at the dazed prince, “What do you say? If given a little more time, I can find us a few more companions like them—companions gradually forgotten by history…”
Prince Gran took a deep breath and finally calmed his frightened mind. He glanced at the four of them and determined that Argus was their leader. Then he asked, “So what do you want, Argus BartClanfield?”
Argus smiled slightly and shook his head. “I want nothing, most honorable prince. Because in helping you, I will already get what I desire…”
“Hm?” The prince looked at Argus doubtfully. Seeing no change in his expression, he asked hesitantly, “I could grant you a territory as fiefdom… You want nothing? I find it hard to truly believe you… I can only think you’re using me…”
“Oh dear,” Argus said, frowning worriedly and shrugging casually. “Then just grant me any territory you like in the future…”
The prince stared at Argus for a long time in silence. Suddenly, gritting his teeth, he said fiercely, “Very well! Anyway, Eiger will get rid of me before he dies. If I’m going to die, I’ll die! Argus, do you have any ideas?”

“Hehe,” Argus smiled slightly and pointed at Hampa. “Your Highness, our strength is not yet sufficient. I need to find more companions. During my absence, Hampa will help you… He’s the one who delivered that letter to your bedroom. Oh, one more thing—among the guards outside your bedroom, two of them were sent by your brother. I can only say you don’t know your brother well enough…”

“What… what?!” Prince Gran’s face turned red with anger. “I promoted them all myself… Which two bastards are they?”

“Don’t worry,” Argus said, standing up and performing a farewell gesture typical among magicians. With a smile, he added, “They will fully obey Your Highness from now on… You’ll understand later. It’s Hampa’s special ability!”

“Him…” Prince Gran glanced at the old-looking Hampa and nodded as if suddenly realizing something.

“Well then, we’ll leave for now. Hampa, stay behind. You know what to do!”

“Yes, master. Please rest assured, I will definitely help Your Highness gain strength. Hehehehe… This is going to be quite interesting…” Hampa said with a sinister smile.

“Very good!” Argus nodded in satisfaction and bowed slightly to Prince Gran. Unexpectedly, this time Prince Gran stood up.

After leaving Prince Gran’s palace, Pule asked in a low voice, “Argus, what exactly do you want? You can’t really plan to use that fat pig as a puppet, can you? Hampa’s ability isn’t to fully control a person… Just like that time, when he told those two children, ‘If you kill him, you can have all the precious food for yourself.’ That’s merely amplifying their desires and greed…”

“Aren’t they the same?” Argus said calmly with a slight smile. “The more ambitious they are, the easier it is for us to control them… As for what I want, I’ll tell you along the way, my dear companion… Of course, if he wants to grant me a fief, that’s only if the empire still exists by then…”

“You’re really a despicable guy…”

“Hehe, because that guy isn’t my companion, but you are different, Pule! I hate betrayal, and I hate being betrayed. To be honest, I don’t know how long we can go down this path, but I can promise that before my companions abandon me, I, Argus BartClanfield, will never abandon them!”

“Hmph! Not bad…”

“Hehe, you’ll understand in time. Come on, we need to go somewhere—it’s a bit far away…”
“Mm! Well… I’ll trust you this once, Argus. I want to see just how far you can go and how high you can climb!”
“Hehe, very good, my dear companion. I definitely won’t disappoint you!”
“Oh, by the way, Argus, the elders contacted me through the communication stone just now. Those agents of the Church have already arrived in Heliorox…”
“Don’t worry about them. That old fellow has already suffered a loss once. He won’t take any action until he understands my purpose!”
“Hm? What if they somehow figure out your plan?”
“Figure it out? By then, they’ll be powerless! Hahahahaha!”
Yes, by then, no one will be able to do anything!
The old world will be destroyed, and a new world will be born!
The old order will be broken, and a new order will be established!
No one can change that!
Meanwhile, in the office of the headmaster at Heliorox Magic Academy…
Father Andrew, dressed in bright red Church cardinal robes, shook his head at the old headmaster and said, “We don’t know what that man named Argus really intends to do. That’s the key. Before we understand his scheme, I suggest not disturbing him. His source of power is extremely strange. I tried attacking him with psychic magic, but it was I who got hurt in the end. There seems to be something terrifying inside that man…” As he spoke, he turned to look at Professor Hodde and said in a low voice, “We need to know everything about that man, so…”
“So what?” Professor Hodde replied calmly.
“Tell us everything that happened during your encounter with that evil heretic!” Brother Chesho, the leader of the Inquisitors, said in a stern voice.
“Hmph! Heretic? What if I refuse?” Fearing the Inquisitors and even the Church’s white magicians, Professor Hodde retorted in a provocative tone, suppressing his disgust and hatred.
The atmosphere instantly changed…
Indeed, centuries of hostility between the two nations, including a year-long war that caused massive casualties on both sides, made it quite difficult for black magicians and white magicians to set aside their differences and unite against a common enemy…
As typical representatives of black and white magicians, as Professor Hodde and Brother Chesho stood at odds, darkness gradually enveloped the entire world…