In the underwater relic in the Land of Thousand Lakes…
After he returned from the forest, Douglas did not immediately go to where Allyn was buried but stayed with Arnold and Fernando for news from Rentato. Only after he learned the intensity of the Church’s counterattack and the ending of Sharp could he study the City in the Sky in peace, knowing that none of the sorcerers who were in the meeting was captured and revealed the location of Allyn. Since the city had crashed, it was barely possible to move it away without causing great noises.
“Mr. President, the Heart of Time has left the Radiance Church and returned to his villa in the city. The Church did not arrest the Blue Demon.” A sorcerer reported to Arnold about the situation in Rentato. They had no spies in the Church and among the big nobles, so they could only learn the surface.
Scratching his beard, Arnold nodded. “Kritonia learned everything from League. He must’ve told it to Francois. However, it is quite weird that the Church did not arrest and interrogate Sharp, or even execute him directly. Something must’ve happened. Perhaps it’s a ramification of the battle between the pope and the Silver Moon…”
He tried to figure out the reason, but this place was too far away from Aalto, Tria, and Lance. Unlike the Church, which had deployed divine power circles that could transmit voices among the important cities, the sorcerers had limited intelligence. So, they could only propose speculations.
“Whatever the reason is, the Church at least made a compromise to the nobles this time. It is important to help their ambitions grow,” Douglas said peacefully and delightedly.
“That’s why I said that we would be benefited whether or not the Church kills Sharp,” Arnold said with a smile. Then, he turned to Fernando. “You should stop going to Old Green’s for now. Sharp must’ve known that we took advantage of him. It’s better to leave him alone while he is angry.”
Then, he grimaced and said, “Fernando, Earl Paphos happens to be in Rentato. You can go ask him if he has figured out where the nobles’ position comes from and how strong they are. Also, you can ask him about the situation in Aalto and figure out the outcome of the battle between the pope and the Silver Moon.”
At such moments, the nobles had much more abundant sources of intelligence. Who could have provided more information than them?
“Earl Paphos?” After a brief stun, Fernando frowned. “Do I need to put on that belt again?”
Arnold laughed. “Why? You don’t like it? I think you were quite interested in it before. You were even studying how to improve the belt.”
Fernando cackled dryly. “Life is so short compared to death. So, why not try different experiences in the finite life?”
“However, even the most interesting experiences will become boring in the end. Only the mysteries of the world and magic are always attractive.” Douglas did not know anything about the gender-transitioning belt and therefore simply offered his view.
Arnold laughed aloud and did not say anything else.
……
It was the middle of a night, but Earl Paphos’ villa was as lively as during the day.
Many knights came and left, taking advantage of the darkness of the night. They exchanged their intelligence and confirmed each other’s attitude, not resting at all. It was only because what happened tonight was too appalling for them to take any break. Who could’ve thought that Duke Sharp would assassinate Alfonsol with sorcerers? Who could’ve known that Kritonia learned it in advance and attempted to kill all the sorcerers? And who could’ve foreseen that the formidable “Heart of Time” would be caught in a trap and suffered the most brutal failure since he distinguished himself?
A tornado would definitely be raised after such an incident, and the common nobles like them risked losing everything. So, how could they not be panicked and ask for the attitudes of their lieges and higher nobles?
That was the reason why Earl Paphos’ house was so lively.
Fatigue appeared on Earl Paphos’ face as he watched a few subordinate nobles leave. For a radiant knight like him, it was nothing to deal with a few sleepless nights. What exhausted him was his mind. He had to adjust his stance according to the latest intelligence, the Church’s attitude, and the other grand nobles’ response, in case things went bad in the emergency.
“My lord, since the Church sent a red robe to appease Lord Sharp, I don’t think anything bad will happen. This is the grace of the Lord. The scheme of the evils won’t work out.” The last noble in the living room bowed and was ready to leave. He was Earl Paphos’ trusted subordinate.
Earl Paphos did not hide his exhaustion before his subordinate. “The outcome would’ve been different if it weren’t for the battles in Tria and Lance. We are strong, but we are also weak.”
The noble, who felt exactly the same, sighed. “Yes, my lord. The Church’s compromise makes us feel strong, but the real reason for their compromise only makes us feel weak. If… If His Majesty and the rest of them indeed crush the army of sorcerers, vampires, dragons, and elves, we…”
He stopped, fearing that night watchers might be hiding around, and bid his farewell.
Looking at the slowly closed gate, Earl Paphos had a lot of mixed feelings. Without the enemies such as sorcerers and vampires, was it necessary for the Church to respect or keep the nobles? The changed attitude of the clerics in the past hundred years had proved everything! It was just like what the hot beautiful sorceress said. Sorcerers were the nobles’ enemy, but the nobles’ status also boiled down to sorcerers!
Suddenly, he turned around and looked at the darkness out of the window. “Come in now that you are here.”
“I can’t without the host’s permission.” A magnetic female voice echoed, and the glass on the window protruded inward, as if someone invisible were crawling out of the bubble.
But very soon, a petite girl in a red magic robe walked out, and the glass was back to normal.
Earl Paphos was not in a great mood, but the girl was as bright as fire. He said solemnly, “Why are you here?”
“Hey, do you not know why I am here? I don’t remember that you are such an idiot, are you?” Fernando felt that his sarcasm had turned milder after he transformed into a female. “We talked before. Now, I would like to know if you have figured out the source of the nobles’ status and how strong you are.”
Earl Paphos’ eyes had the unique gold vertical pupils resembling those of dragons. He looked at Fernando and said slowly, “My answer is not important. What matters is that you are too weak. Even though the Liege of Death recovers, you will still be weak. I will not go after anything that will inevitably fail.”
What happened today completely showed him the position and power of the nobles. However, although he had realized it, he was unwilling to share his answer with the sorcerers, and he pointed out the central issue straightforwardly.
Fernando was quite satisfied with his attitude. It at least showed the Earl Paphos was willing to communicate with him, which was a good sign for cooperation. He smiled. “We are weak, but the coalition army of sorcerers, vampires, dragons, and elves is not. If the nobles drift away, the Church will only be able to preserve itself. Of course, we do not need you to risk working with us for now. We only hope to get a bit of help so that we will have time to grow until you realize that we are not too weak to cooperate with you.”
“It takes much more time for sorcerers to grow than it does for clerics,” Earl Paphos said without giving an answer.
Sensing Earl Paphos’ concerns, Fernando did not pursue the topic further but asked, “I’m told that battles took place in Tria and Lance?”
“Yes, the Silver Moon, Abel, and Dracula attacked the pope together…” After considering briefly, Earl Paphos told him everything he knew.
Fernando was surprised and excited while he mocked in silence. Providing intelligence was exactly what he meant by “a bit of help”. Although the earl did not agree to the cooperation openly, his action showed that he already did.
……
“The pope did not take action, but the coalition army was still unable to break into Lance. Only one grand cardinal and one legendary knight were killed before they were completely suppressed. The Church is truly appallingly powerful…” Arnold received some intelligence through other sources and confirmed what Fernando had learned. Even so, he was still very shocked, finding it hard to believe that the Church was already so strong!
Except for clerics and nobles, most of the legends in the world had been gathered, but they still could not defeat the Church that had lost the pope, even though the Church had left plenty of grand cardinals and legendary knights in Holm, the Boundless Ocean, and other places in case the remaining sorcerers and ocean legends stir trouble.
It was truly a devastating fact!
“If the pope recovers, or if the new pope is crowned, the coalition army will probably collapse when God’s Arrival is available again,” Douglas said in concern. The Church was insurmountable right now, and the situation would only be worse when the pope was involved.
Arnold nodded. “We can only hope that the Silver Moon recovers before the pope does or the new pope becomes a demigod. Then, a balance will be forged again.”
“It’s not something we can control,” Douglas said with a self-mocking smile. “It seems that the counterattack this time won’t be too strong. Only the remaining legendary knights and grand cardinals will be gathered at most. Mr. President, I’ll go to Allyn now.”
“Alright. Don’t be lazy. Try to figure out something!” Arnold told him as if they had known each other for a long time. Then, he looked at Fernando. “I hope that you can go to Aalto and Tria to figure out the situation and who between Griffith and Ivan is more likely to be the new pope. Also, I would like you to find some talented young sorcerers and convince them to join us. After all, they are not qualified to participate in a war of legends.”
