Chapter 25
Various small ornaments hang on the walls of the corridor, all of which are engraved with a sun pattern, and in the hollowed-out part in the middle, there is an unfamiliar symbol.
Allen didn't recognize the symbol, but he knew it was related to the so-called Celestial Cult.
They arrived at a study, where the man stopped. Arnold walked ahead without looking to either side, followed by Allen. Just as they were about to enter, the man spoke again: "Your weapons?"
The two stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the man. Allen narrowed his eyes, while Arnold looked indifferent.
After handing the weapon to the man, the study door opened by itself.
The pattern of the magic circle flashed and lit up.
Undoubtedly, Keith came for Arnold; this exceptionally talented young man could very well become a great asset to him in the future.
The moment Allen saw the mage sitting behind the long table, his heart sank. He felt the oppressive aura emanating from the high-ranking mage. Throughout the study, the walls were covered with many scrolls of paper, and on the wall behind the long table hung a large badge, exactly the same as the one he had seen along the way.
Arnold sized up Keith, sensing the aura of a powerful being emanating from him. This was his first time facing a high-level mage. Since awakening his magical talent, Father Webster had taught him how to manipulate magical elements, and he had lived up to the priest's expectations, quickly sensing the magical elements in the air that he had never seen before.
However, before he can officially become a magic apprentice, he still needs to fully master the magical elements.
However, he can now judge the level of the opponent by the concentration of magical elements on their body.
A flicker of mottled magical elements flashed in Arnold's golden pupils. The boy frowned slightly. The mage in front of him had already started speaking, but he wasn't paying attention.
To determine a mage's level, one must first look at the concentration of magical elements emanating from them. To someone capable of sensing magical elements, a powerful mage is like a walking magic crystal ball, with a magical concentration so high it can completely alter a person's appearance.
Secondly, there is the arrangement and formation of magical elements. In theory, magical elements on a proper magician's body will be arranged spontaneously and orderly, and the elements themselves are unconsciously reconstructed by the magician. After they are formed, they will be very different from the magical elements in the air.
With Arnold's current knowledge, it's difficult to describe this difference, but it is a very real difference.
The seemingly powerful mage before me had a dense aura of magical elements, but those mottled magical elements seemed to have been forcibly taken from the air and stuck to his body.
"I guarantee you'll become a fifth-tier mage within three months, how about it?" Keith's words were enticing.
Arnold finally came to his senses. The boy raised his eyes, and in those eyes that were similar in color to his hair, the mottled appearance from before seemed to be just a fleeting moment. With his current abilities, he could only see the magical elements on Keith's body for a brief instant, but that was enough.
His face showed no evil intentions, he just smiled sincerely: "But Mr. Webster said that to become a fifth-order mage, one must have at least one year of mage experience."
Upon hearing Webster's name, Keith's face darkened for a moment, but he quickly snorted, revealing a hint of arrogance on his face: "It's just the Church's nonsense. How many magicians have wasted their entire lives at the level of magic apprentice because they believed the Church's lies? Those complicated magic spells only erode magicians' talents. Young man, I have found the true essence of magic. If you had seen those old and frail magic apprentices, you would not have refused my advice."
Then he added, "That priest is just an old magic apprentice."
What is the true meaning of magic?
Arnold's face lit up with interest: "What is the true essence of magic? What does this have to do with the Church?"
"The qualifications of a magician are nothing more than a means for the church to deceive the world. The true assessment of a magician is not based on the so-called chanting of spells or time limits," Keith said coldly.
Arnold looked at the man but did not refute him.
—Although Father Webster said that the assessment of a magician's qualifications is not based on these two things.
Keith continued his long-winded speech, while Arnold looked so serious that Allen glanced at him several times.
While I don't think Arnold will be persuaded by this heretic, isn't that expression a bit too serious?
Soon, Allen heard the part he was concerned about. He ignored Keith's earlier comments about the unreasonable church regulations, but what Keith mentioned next about church beliefs gave Allen a chill down his spine.
"During the era of the Seven Great Gods, people worshipped the Celestial God. For hundreds of years, the Celestial God Cult has been besieged by the Orlando Cult, and the Celestial God faith has dimmed. The so-called Pope is nothing more than an old, immortal monster who imprisons the minds of the masses and distorts the souls of the people. Only the great Celestial God can truly listen to the wishes of believers!"
Allen: ...
Unexpectedly, Arnold, who was standing next to him, glared at him and slammed his hand on the table, shouting, "What did you say?!"
Alan and Keith were both startled. The wizard instinctively shrank back in his chair, while Alan stared wide-eyed at the usually warm and friendly boy.
"You're talking nonsense! His Holiness the Pope is not that kind of person!"
Keith was taken aback at first, then sneered. He looked at Arnold, whose face was full of anger, with a hint of pity in his eyes, but more disdain.
Alan noticed his gaze, frowned, and a flash of displeasure crossed his eyes, but he quickly concealed it.
“Young man, you’ve been brainwashed by those church bugs,” Keith said.
Arnold sneered in return: "Is that so?"
"Everything the Pope does is just for show, to deceive you ignorant people, to gain popular support, and to satisfy his own selfish desires!" Keith said sternly.
Arnold retorted without backing down: "Self-interest? What is self-interest? What have you gods done? You old geezers who have been dead for who knows how many years, I spit on you!"
Can you expect a child from a farm to speak in sophisticated sentences?
"You! You!" Keith was both shocked and furious. Since becoming a high-ranking mage, Duke Mercury had always treated him with deference. He had never seen Arnold act like this before. "You dare to slander the Celestial God! The Celestial God's punishment will surely befall you!"
Arnold knew nothing of the Celestials' deeds, but the first time he heard Veris chant was the legend of the Eye of God.
The young hero had an excellent memory and immediately pressed his advantage: "What are you gods? You're nothing but defeated enemies of His Holiness the Pope. If He were still alive, why would He be as cowardly as a rat, afraid to show His face? Who on the continent cares about His name?"
"The Pope's monopoly on books and knowledge is nothing but imprisoning the people's minds and turning them into ignorant monsters..." Keith's rebuttal became weak and powerless.
"The church's literacy classes are practically opening up to the doorstep of my village. How can you say something like that?"
"That's nothing more than the church's method of training lackeys!"
"Try saying that again!"
Arnold flew into a rage and slammed his fist down hard. To Alan's horror, the long table shattered into pieces with a deafening roar, and Keith, who was behind the table, stood frozen on it.
Coming to his senses, Keith screamed frantically, "Guards! Guards! Lock them in the dungeon!"
Hearing the loud commotion in the study, the guards who burst in surrounded Arnold and Allen. Arnold didn't resist, but bared his teeth at Keith. His sharp canine teeth made his words sound even more piercing to Keith's ears.
"His Holiness the Pope is watching you, traitor!"
This statement angered Keith, mixed with a hint of fear that he himself didn't realize.
However, he believed more in the words of the gods, and since many Catholic believers in various places had already responded to him in secret, Keith calmed himself down and began to prepare to deal with the upcoming arrival of the papal envoys.
During this period of turmoil, martial law was imposed throughout the city.
As the last rays of the setting sun bathed the road, a group of twenty men rode off on the main road to Mercury, raising clouds of dust that obscured the swaying wild grass.
In the sky, several white doves spread their wings and flew, with red ribbons tied around their necks. Their eyes, as small as mung beans, reflected the golden light of the setting sun, and their shadows fell on the ground. In front of them, the towering city walls could already be seen.
The dramatic events in Seromir had already been reported back by spies at breakneck speed. Duke Mercury was both shocked and frightened. Keith had previously ordered the execution of the first batch of papal envoys, but he had not expected the second batch to arrive so quickly.
"Among those people, are there any members of the royal family?" He strode up to the scout, his narrow eyes fixed intently on him.
The scout, his face ashen, answered tremblingly, "Most of them are from the Vatican, priests, magicians, and there's a young man in a black robe. He's the only one not wearing church clothes, but they treat him with great respect."
A young man in a black robe?
The Duke's eyes darted around, and he wondered if it was a prince who had come in person. Since he wasn't wearing church robes and was still being treated with respect by those people, he must be of high or low status in the royal family.
As long as he kidnaps that young man and threatens the royal family, how could his plan possibly fail?
Keith killed all the previous mages at the city gate with a single spell, showing that he was more powerful than expected. Dealing with the second wave of mages should not be a problem for him.
With a thousand thoughts swirling in his mind, the Duke's face remained grim. He kicked the scout to the ground, looked up, and his eyes were filled with malice: "Send Keith to the city walls to deal with those mages. Pass on my order to mobilize the guards!"
Several people quickly left the room.
Someone stepped forward and asked, "Sir, would you like to go and take a look at the city gate?"
The Duke stood there, pondered for a long time, and then made up his mind: "Let's go take a look."
Keith was able to easily deal with the first batch of mages, but the second batch sent by the High Papacy would not be so easy. If anything went wrong, he would immediately mobilize the army.
Outside Mercury, the city gates were wide open, and the guards stood in neat rows, their spears gleaming coldly, their armor reflecting the golden light of the setting sun. There was no sign of the city's inhabitants. On the city walls, the guards also stood in rows, but in the middle, a group of people were surrounding someone.
The young man in black robes walked at the front of the group. Seeing this scene, he didn't even raise an eyebrow. He pulled on the reins and looked up at the magician on the city wall.
Their eyes met, and Veris's lips slowly curved into a smile.
Keith, standing on the city wall, paled drastically. In an instant, he could barely support himself and could only brace his hands on the stone platform of the city wall, his fingertips almost digging into the stone, staring intently at the black-robed youth in front of the city gate.
Whether they are ordinary people or people of other races, they will all be tainted by magical elements to some extent.
They possess magical elements, albeit very faintly.
People with magical talent will have a much stronger magical aura around them.
The higher the level of the mage, the easier it is to determine the level of the other mage.
But the young man in front of the city gate had no magical elements on him whatsoever—
A terrifying thought arose:
Could he be the legendary tenth-tier mage?
A note from the author:
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Keith: Me, fight the Pope? Really?
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