Chapter 20

Veris has been organizing his things in the attic these past few days.

Having lived here for over a decade, my belongings have naturally piled up like a mountain. Most of them are unorganized manuscripts of poems and magic books I've been writing. These two items alone occupy the entire first floor and have even spilled onto the shelves, mixed in with some other books.

The Hero Squad—though currently consisting of only two people, set off for the Royal Capital Academy the day after their magical talents were tested.

Arnold even mustered the courage to run and say goodbye to Veris. Two nights ago, he went to the tavern again and overheard the love triangle between the hero and the demon king, making his impression of Veris increasingly strange…

Is this really a bard? How did he manage to write such a terrifying scene?!

Not to mention witnessing Veris sometimes improvising a piece on the piano when she was in high spirits while singing—in short, she played it when she was in high spirits, and the audience members all looked uncomfortable.

A poet with a remarkably beautiful mental state.

So when he saw Veris open the door, he said very quickly that he was leaving Albion and thanked the poet for his care, then grabbed Allen and ran away without looking back.

Veris: ?

Seeing the two people fleeing in disarray, the poet couldn't help but laugh.

The news that Albion had produced a future high-ranking mage spread quickly, making the other magic apprentice seem insignificant.

With Arnold drawing attention ahead, Martin's children didn't receive much attention.

However, to the residents of Albion, Arnold was ultimately an outsider, while Martin was one of the Albion people, so everyone was more concerned about the magic apprentice.

They didn't expect that if Arnold did one day become a high-ranking mage, he would return to Albion.

However, the appearance of a high-ranking mage was enough to cause a sensation throughout Mercury. Almost immediately, the Duke of Mercury's mansion received the news.

At that moment, the ambitious old duke had a gloomy face. His narrow eyes stared at the scout who had returned to report the news, and he remained silent for a long time.

His subordinates didn't dare to utter a sound.

The study was decorated in a magnificent manner, and the Duke wished he could display all the treasures he had collected in it. Most of the books on the bookshelves were bound official documents and some unimportant reference books.

He was older, but not fat. Instead, he had a thin body, half-gray hair pressed under a black hat, slightly sunken cheeks, and high cheekbones, giving him a mean-looking appearance.

At this moment, Duke Mercury was sitting on the sofa, the spy was kneeling in front of him, and his confidants were standing behind him.

The scouts returned only after gathering all the information, riding at breakneck speed, and arrived at the Duke's mansion before sunset.

Night had fallen outside, and only a corner lamp was lit in the study, making the room dim and further highlighting the Duke's sinister expression.

"Where did Keith go?" His first question wasn't about Arnold, but rather he tilted his head to look at a trusted aide standing behind him.

The man replied respectfully, "Mr. Keith left the Duke's mansion the day before yesterday and returned to his own residence, saying he was making final preparations."

The Duke grunted in response and fell silent again, his eyes offering no light in the already dim environment.

I originally thought that there was no magician more powerful than Keith in all of Mercury.

However, the child with the talent of a high-level mage has been nurtured for too long, and he finds every second unbearable.

The church has been placed under guard, and patrols at the city gates have been secretly increased. Undercurrents are swirling throughout the main city of Mercury, but on the surface, it still appears peaceful and prosperous.

The church holds prayers every week, but I heard that because of an incident in the area bordering Amberley, the church sent some pastors out, so there are fewer pastors arranging prayers, and fewer people are walking around in the church. The whole church has become somewhat deserted.

Mercury is famous for its textiles and handicrafts. The city of Mercury is square in shape, with Milford City to the north, Wild Harbor to the south, Amberley to the west, and a small section between Amberley and Milford City bordering Notting Hill. To the east lies a long coastline.

Therefore, maritime trade in this area is quite developed.

Mercury Kirothrand is the name of this duke. He was not originally called Mercury, but after this place became his fief, he changed his name accordingly.

He initially looked down on Keith, but Keith's abilities truly surprised him, and the man offered a complete plan and a future he couldn't refuse.

Anyway, the emperor's nephew wouldn't dare to do anything to him, would he? Mercury is separated from the capital of Lortheran by half a kingdom and the entire city of Milford. When the emperor sends his troops, the royal council will definitely remember his father's merits and beg the emperor to spare him.

If Mercury were successfully freed from Lortheran's control, wouldn't the other counties already be harboring their own ambitions? At that point, he would have a large following, with the archmage Keith as his backer.

However, we can't rush things now. Let Keith take the lead and see how the church reacts.

As far as he knew, the relationship between the church and the royal family had become increasingly strained in recent years, with frequent conflicts. Court officials often submitted memorials claiming that the church's power was too great and hindered the administration of the kingdom.

The worst-case scenario would be that he would abandon Mercury, simply sail away, and establish an island overseas where he could live out his natural lifespan without any problem.

As night falls over the capital city of Mercury, black ravens circle overhead, their dark green eyes gleaming with an eerie light, reflecting off the brightly lit city.

It quickly locked onto its target, swooped down, and headed straight for a mansion.

The mansion was located in the southeast corner of Mercury City. It occupied a considerable area, and inside, in addition to many houses, there were two tall pavilions. Standing on them, one could probably see the entire southeast corner of Mercury City.

The clever magician also knew to set up a barrier to prevent outsiders from peeping, but the raven swooped down and, the instant it touched the barrier, turned into a drop of black water, silently falling over the mansion and landing on the roof of one of the rooms.

On the smooth back of the bricks and tiles, a jet-black pattern resembling an eye flashed by and then disappeared among the bricks and tiles.

Veris didn't mind clearing some minor obstacles for the hero's party on their way to the Royal Academy.

However, he was always too lazy to do it, and often had to see if the hero of this generation was likable. For example, he never paid attention to that hothead from the previous generation.

As for Arnold, Veris had mixed feelings about him. The reason was simple: Arnold possessed something that could explode at any moment—the remnant soul of the god Yannis.

Yannis knew perfectly well what he was up to: disrupt the continent's order and then take advantage of the chaos to revive the seven gods.

These dead gods still possess some residual power; for example, the monster rampage in Amber was caused by Yannis.

Mercury's undercurrents are probably not a coincidence. Veris suspects that the rookie mage is related to Yannis. Although it is just a guess, someone who can leap from a low-level mage to a high-level mage must have obtained some extraordinary treasures.

The small attic, now cleaned up and brightened up, was much more spacious.

Veris sat behind the table, a cup of hot tea in front of him, lost in thought. Occasionally, noises came from the second floor above, but he didn't let them distract him.

It took him a while to come to his senses. He picked up the hot tea in front of him and drank it all in one gulp, muttering to himself, "Finally, I've cultivated a decent tea."

Then he stood up and walked up the stairs to the second floor. Looking at Sylvain, who was busy running around, his temples throbbed a little. He said, "Just use the teleportation array to take it with you. There's no need to pack it separately."

Sylvain squatted down, packed the last stack of clothes into the box, closed it, and then stood up to look at Veris, saying, "But we'll have to pack when we get back to the Papacy."

Veris wanted to say that he didn't know when he would return to the Papacy, but when his gaze met Sylvain's somewhat stubborn eyes, he didn't say it. Instead, he brought up another matter: "How's the thing I asked Fekris to do?"

"We've already developed four versions, and we're still refining the technology. We've selected the best version for trial use in the capital, but the response hasn't been very noticeable yet."

“How can you tell from that place? Let’s implement it within the kingdom first.” Veris raised an eyebrow. “Whom has the Grand Papacy chosen to come to Mercury?”

Sylvain lowered his eyes and said two names.

Veris racked his brains but couldn't remember who it was. He guessed it was a magician who had recently joined the High Priest's Palace. He didn't pay much attention to it, and turned to look at his almost empty second floor. He said with interest, "I thought you wouldn't want to do these things anymore after you went to the High Priest's Palace."

Life at the Grand Papacy was not one of asceticism; it was one of unparalleled luxury. Compared to the Royal Court of Lortheran, which mobilized the entire nation's resources, the Grand Papacy used the rare treasures presented by all the counties of the continent of Icarus. Even the Dark Crystal from the depths of the Demon King's Forest, which was exchanged annually by the Lortheran royal family, was just an inconspicuous gem among the many jewels inlaid on the Holy Son's staff.

He turned his head back and looked at Sylvan with a smile. Compared to his disheveled appearance when he first picked him up, Sylvan was now a true prodigy, the next pope whom the Papacy was grooming with all its might, and the holy son who was the focus of everyone's attention.

Sylvain didn't know the meaning in Veris's eyes. He could never quite decipher the interest in those heterochromatic pupils, but he had a subtle feeling that Veris was looking at someone through him...

He was unsure, and he dared not presume to guess Veris's thoughts.

"Father seems very happy." He lowered his eyes, feeling somewhat depressed, but his expression remained the same.

Veris smiled, narrowed his eyes, turned around and walked towards the third floor, leaving behind only one sentence: "I'll be seeing old friends soon, of course I'm happy."

He looked down at the stairs beneath his feet; the staircase leading to the third floor narrowed, requiring extra caution.

Naturally, he didn't see Sylvain's suddenly pale face behind him.

His hands, hidden beneath the white sleeves, clenched tightly, his nails leaving crescent-shaped marks on his palms. Sylvain felt no pain in his hands, the most precious possessions of a magician. He heard the sound of a door upstairs being opened.

The third floor used to be his room, but he only stayed there for a few years before Veris took him to the Mercury Church.

He was tested for his magical talent, which shocked everyone. Then Veris sent him to the capital of Lortheran to enter the High Papacy, where he would then study at the Royal Academy.

He frantically searched through the Pope's old records. The choir's manuscripts contained many stories about the Pope. He read them one by one and despairingly realized that Veris had lived too long. He himself was probably just an insignificant stroke in the Pope's long life.

A dull ache spread deep within his heart. Sylvain stood there for a moment before squatting down and locking the box.

With a "thud".

A note from the author:

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I booked a black-and-white parlor for a young couple, but it went wrong. [Sigh]