Chapter 009: Moonlight, Blood, and Wind

The moonlight was cold, and the evening wind was sharp as a knife. It seemed that bloodshed and murderous intent permeated every corner of the capital’s outskirts.
A low rumbling sound came from deep within the horizon. The soldiers guarding the southern gate of the capital heard it and all showed wary expressions; some even raised their weapons.
But it took a moment before they realized that the approaching force was nothing less than a massive cavalry unit—the Imperial City Guard!
The Imperial City Guard had always been under the control of the royal family, and currently, it was under the command of the Crown Prince.
The guards at the gate, seeing the fluttering banners, broke into cold sweats. Weren’t these Imperial City Guard soldiers supposed to be inside the city? How could they appear outside?
Amidst the torrent of armored cavalry, like a sea of steel, the Crown Prince’s golden armor shone brilliantly. Surrounding him were all the royal bodyguards, with even the commanders of the Imperial City Guard kept at a distance by them.
Within this circle, aside from the Crown Prince, there were only the plump Second Prince and Francis, the Sword Saint with the silver scabbard.
At that moment, the Second Prince sat impatiently on his horse, muttering, “Elder brother, why didn’t you kill that brat in one go today? He has only a few men with him, while we have tens of thousands of soldiers—killing him would be a piece of cake! Besides, even if Father finds out later, he can’t do anything to us!”
Upon hearing this, Francis’s eyes flickered, but he closed them on his horse as if he hadn’t heard anything.
The Crown Prince, however, wore a half-smiling expression after hearing the Second Prince’s words. He glanced at him and said, “Second brother, do you really think we could be killed by that guy in such a situation?”
The Second Prince snorted, “Why not? That brat has at most a hundred men with him. Even if we add those so-called ‘sages,’ are we afraid of them? Besides, with so many of us, even a single spit from each of us could drown him.”

The Eldest Prince smiled faintly and said, “Second brother, you really act without thinking… Don’t forget that although the Third Brother has only about a hundred men with him, they are either court magicians or people from the inner court. As members of the royal family, don’t we know how powerful these two forces are? Even if the secret guards could match the inner court, our tens of thousands of troops might not be a match for the court magicians! You see, if Abraham wishes to, it would take but an instant for him to wipe out our entire army…”

The Second Prince let out an “Ah” and said, “Elder brother… If that’s the case, we should act even more quickly. You’ve already lost a great magician tonight—why not take advantage of this moment? In the future, that brat will be even more vigilant and bring more people with him, making it even harder to strike…”

The Eldest Prince smiled slightly and said, “Why should we take action? Although the Third Brother must die, it certainly isn’t now. Even if he dies, it must be done in a way that causes the least damage to the court magicians and the inner court. That way, these two forces will fall into our hands… Otherwise, what benefit would there be in killing him at the risk of mutual destruction? I’m afraid I wouldn’t even have time to settle into my throne before my head is cut off… Hmph, among the powerful nobles in the capital, which one is easy to deal with?”

The Second Prince looked puzzled and said, “Then, Elder brother, why did you drag me away from that little troublemaker, Ru Hua?”

The Eldest Prince smiled mysteriously and said, “Second brother, can’t you even see this?”

Then he glanced at Francis beside him and asked, “So, Lord Francis, do you understand now?”

Francis frowned slightly and said, “I don’t understand.”

The Eldest Prince laughed heartily and said, “Lord Francis, it’s not that you don’t understand—it’s just that you refuse to speak… But since we’ve achieved our goal tonight, what does it matter if we reveal it?”

The Second Prince touched the fat on his face and said, “Elder brother, I really don’t get what you’re saying!”

The Eldest Prince smiled faintly and said, “Still don’t get it? Whether we can kill the Third Brother tonight isn’t really the big issue. Whether he dies early or late, he’ll die anyway. But the most important thing is… we’ve won the friendship of the Magicians’ Guild!”

The Second Prince was stunned for a moment before he couldn’t help but say, “Elder brother, do you mean…”

The Eldest Prince sneered and said indifferently, “The third brother is the pope’s adopted son, and most of those fanatics from the Holy See will side with him. With their support, trouble will likely increase even more after our father passes away. On this continent, the only one who can oppose the Holy See and still be useful to me is the Mage Guild… I gave Edward a great deal of face tonight. I’ll ask him to say a few words when I ascend the throne—surely he won’t refuse, right?”
The Second Prince looked enlightened and said, “I see… No wonder our eldest brother brought so many people out today—it must have been planned all along!”
The Eldest Prince hummed in response and said nothing more.
Francis, who was by his side, frowned upon hearing his explanation.
The Eldest Prince glanced at him and asked calmly, “Lord Francis, do you think what I did today was wrong?”
“I dare not,” Francis shook his head. “Fights for power have always been like this—any ally gained is an ally… But to please the Mage Guild at the cost of Ampere… Though I have no close relationship with him… I can’t help but feel concerned. Your Highness, what you did today might dampen the morale of your subordinates!”
The Eldest Prince smiled eerily and said, “Lord Francis, where does this notion of dampened morale come from?”
Francis sighed and said, “Your Highness, why ask such a question when you already know the answer?”
The Eldest Prince laughed and said, “Francis, are you referring to Ampere? You really don’t think I killed him, do you?”
At that, the Eldest Prince clapped his hands and said, “Master Ampere, you’d better come out… Otherwise, Lord Francis won’t know how much longer he has to worry about you!”
As soon as he spoke, a cold voice came through faintly, “Lord Francis, thank you for your concern, but such a minor injury won’t take my life… My title as a forbidden magic master isn’t just for show.”
Immediately afterward, the bodyguards behind the Eldest Prince parted to create a path wide enough for one rider. Bloodied Ampere rode out from behind on his horse. The wound on his chest had already scabbed over, his face pale from blood loss, yet his smile still sent chills down one’s spine.
Francis turned and glanced at the wound on his chest before saying indifferently, “You can’t die from such a serious injury?”

Ampere and the Crown Prince exchanged a glance. After a moment, he laughed heartily and said, “Lord Francis, you don’t think that just because that sword pierced my chest, I’d die, right? Of course, for an ordinary person, a sword through the heart would be fatal even for a saintly warrior, but I’m different… I, Ampere, was born biased—others’ hearts are on the left, but mine is on the right. So though that sword strike was fierce, it couldn’t take my life… But that fool Edward doesn’t know, so naturally, he was deceived by me.”

“I see,” Francis sighed. He glanced at the Crown Prince and said, “Your Highness, you’ve had this plan for a while—why didn’t you tell me?”

The Crown Prince smiled faintly and said, “Respected Sword Saint Francis… Please forgive me, but you must understand that if one can’t deceive their own first, how can they deceive their opponent? If you had known about this plan earlier, even the slightest abnormal reaction would have been noticed by those old monsters. By then, it would be a shame if Ampere went from pretending to be dead to truly dying.”

Francis snorted and said gravely, “Indeed, clever tactics… But there’s still one thing I don’t understand. Ampere pretending to be dead is one thing, but why was the Holy Radiance Staff given to that Du Fan in the end?”

The Crown Prince replied calmly, “If I kept it for myself, others would surely suspect. But by generously giving it to Du Fan, they naturally won’t think I have any other tricks up my sleeve… Besides, there’s a saying in the distant Eastern Continent: ‘Great weapons belong to those of virtue.’ Lord Francis, how long do you think Du Fan can keep the Holy Radiance Staff? As long as we spread the word, in less than a month, the Duke of Green’s estate will be filled with the continent’s top magicians.”

Francis nodded and said, “I see…”

He then glanced at the Second Prince beside the Crown Prince and asked, “So he knows too?”

The Crown Prince glanced at the Second Prince, who seemed dazed due to Ampere’s appearance, and smiled faintly. “If even Lord Francis doesn’t know, how could he possibly know?”

Francis frowned for a moment before finally sighing and saying, “Your Highness, please be cautious. If the Magic Guild discovers the truth behind this, it won’t be something that can be resolved with just a few words.”

The Crown Prince sneered and said, “By then, I will already be the Lord of Gavin. What does it matter if they find out? With court magicians, secret guards, and the inner court in my control, am I still afraid of those old monsters?”
Francis frowned and fell silent, letting out a soft sigh. He had originally wanted to explain the reasons for the failure of this mission, but seeing the Crown Prince’s expression, he somehow couldn’t say another word.
The Crown Prince glanced at him with a cold smirk, then pointed at the imperial capital ahead and said calmly, “Lord Francis, just watch. One day, I will make you realize that following me was the absolutely correct choice!”
Under the cover of night, the silhouette of the imperial capital appeared, and with the Crown Prince’s gesture, it seemed to be tinged with layers of blood red!