Chapter 29
Veris always felt like someone was watching him in his sleep.
The elusive gaze, like a venomous snake crawling through a sticky swamp, was cold and suffocating, instantly pulling him back hundreds of years.
Only two guys dared to stare at him like that.
One of them had his eyes gouged out, his divine bones shattered, he was dismembered into eight pieces, his bones were crushed and scattered to the winds, and finally even his divine status was erased.
There was another one, whom he tried his best to save, but he couldn't.
The hands that once clasped together, now with fingers parted, leaving only cold embers that he could not grasp.
His breath hitched slightly, then his eyelashes fluttered, and he quickly opened his eyes.
The edge of the drawn curtain shone with a blinding light. Even in his sleep, the young man on the bed did not lose his disguise; his face remained pale and handsome. However, when he opened his eyes, a flash of ferocity crossed his face.
He quickly masked his gloom, turned his head to look at the person by the bed, and when he saw that face exactly the same as the one in his memory, he couldn't say any more complaints.
He asked helplessly, "When did you arrive?"
Sylvain sat on a chair by the bed, dressed in a common light-colored robe, his silver-white hair hanging down. His dark green eyes had been staring at Veris for who knows how long. He replied, "I arrived this morning, and it's noon now."
Veris turned his head, propped himself up halfway, and looked out the window. Judging from the blinding crack, he realized that Sylvain was telling the truth. Feeling a little dazed, he lay back down on the bed.
Oh well, I'm already late, I can lie down a little longer.
He looked at Sylvain again, initially wanting to ask why he wasn't being woken up, but then he remembered that this man never seemed to disturb his rest... Of course, he had done his fair share of secretly watching him in an attempt to wake him up, and it had worked.
Veris is quite sensitive to the gaze of others.
"Want to sleep a little longer?" Sylvan looked at the young man lying on the bed. The man looked lazy, with his eyes half-closed, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
"Let me catch my breath. Next time, just wake me up. You came here so quietly, aren't you afraid I'll kill you for being the one who ambushed me?"
Veris shifted his body, moving closer to Sylvain's side, and his hand reached out to grab Sylvain's hand, which was originally resting properly on his knee.
He said casually, "Let me see if you've improved."
A wisp of pale golden magic pierced Sylvain's skin, instantly completing its patrol within his body, before flying out again and approaching Veris.
Veris withdrew his hand, and pale golden magic flew to his fingertips. He tapped it, and a pale golden magic circle appeared instantly, then quickly disappeared.
"Almost at the ninth rank, huh? Hmm, not bad."
Veris was fairly satisfied.
Sylvain obediently placed his hands on his knees.
He watched as Veris struggled to get up, then got out of bed on the other side and stretched.
Then, before he could react, he threw off his bathrobe.
The Holy Son's wrist trembled slightly.
“Hey, I remember putting the clothes on the chair last night,” Veris said, shirtless, standing next to the table. He looked at the chair, found it empty, and then turned to the other person in the room—the other chair he was sitting in. “Did you put it on top of him?”
Sylvain stood up, and the chair was empty.
He pursed his lips and looked at the person pacing around the room. His hands, hidden in his robe, clasped together and opened again, and his breathing became erratic.
Wearing a drab gray robe, Veris looked thin, but his body beneath the robe was by no means skinny. Every muscle was perfectly proportioned with smooth lines, and powerful strength lay dormant within. Beautiful veins stretched out and disappeared into the distance.
Most mages are much weaker physically, but for him, being a mage is just a side job.
After all, he's someone who can draw his sword in an instant and chop someone's head off like slicing fruit.
Veris couldn't find his clothes, so he turned and went into the bathroom.
He did find it this time, but the clothes in his hands felt damp.
"Sylvan, go get me a set of clothes from my trunk." He poked his head out of the washroom.
Sylvain: "But you clearly didn't bring any extra clothes when you went out."
Veris paused, then remembered that there was such a thing, and changed his words: "Let's test how well you've learned spatial magic. Go to my room and get a set of inconspicuous clothes."
“But where do you get such inconspicuous clothes in your bedroom?” Sylvain asked calmly.
The Pope's wardrobe contained only more ornate and elaborate garments, such as the drab gray robes that Veris usually wore, which were not even worthy of the lowest-ranking priests in the church.
Although Veris argued that the fabric of the clothes was very good.
"Ah, okay," he turned around and took out the damp clothes, smiling as he said, "Then help me dry them. I've forgotten how to say that incantation. I'm going to wash up now."
Sylvain faced the body once more, which exuded understated yet powerful beauty. His expression remained calm as he accepted the clothes from Veris. The tips of his ears, hidden in his long, silver-white hair, were almost dripping with blood.
The disrespectful Pope has gone to wash up.
The Holy Son stood by the bed and unfolded his clothes. Actually, these clothes looked much better than the ones he wore in Albion before. The black fabric was outlined with silver patterns, and the buttons on the upper body were all neatly fastened by Veris.
The dark black fabric clung to her slender neck, and when all the buttons were fastened, her pale face and the black fabric created a striking contrast.
The drying spell is one of the basic spells that magic apprentices learn. For Sylvain, he no longer needed to recite that complicated and difficult spell, but when he covered his palm with the dark black cloth, he recited the characters in a serious and methodical manner.
Each syllable seems to be a warning to itself.
They were reciting the drying magic spell as if it were a sutra for cleansing the mind.
Veris washed up quickly, his hair still damp with water droplets, and ran out to praise Sylvain before putting on his clothes.
His fingers, as pale as his face, were fastening buttons. He turned to Sylvain and smiled, "I'll take you to the church in a bit. There are probably a few people there who remember you. Do you want to wear the badge of the Holy Son?"
Before Sylvain could answer, he tore open the void and pulled out a pendant, which was the cardinal's identification: "It's better not to say, otherwise those people will be scared half to death. From now on, you are this cardinal's... um..."
He hesitated for a moment, then waved his hand: "Never mind, I doubt anyone would dare to bully you."
Sylvain looked at him, his eyes sparkling, his expression as docile as ever—the people of the High Papacy had never seen the Holy Son with such a gentle expression; most of the time when he spoke to them, he had a stern face.
Although Sylvain said there was no need to retrieve the staff, Veris still decided to go to the church.
This time, he subtly understood Sylvain's meaning, so the staff he prepared to exchange was neither one that Sylvain had used nor one that he had made himself. There were plenty of high-level staffs in the Grand Papacy.
Eighth-tier staffs are rare, but it's not like you can't even find one.
Besides, if that's not enough, we can just squeeze some dwarven master blacksmith to do it.
Veris happily led Sylvain toward the church. The soldiers who had been frozen in the previous night were no longer visible on the streets. The magic circle had automatically dissipated in the early morning, and the kingdom's vanguard had led a squad into Mercury at dawn.
However, many shops on both sides of the street still had their doors closed. Before the events of last night were resolved, cautious merchants would not open their shops.
The streets were much quieter, and the square around the church was practically deserted.
The church priests and pastors are tallying the casualties during this period. Two bishops in charge of Mercury were detained at the Duke's mansion and were only rescued in the early hours of the morning, already on the verge of death.
As they walked, Veris remembered something and said to Sylvain, "Oh no, I forgot to wear my mask last night."
Sylvain paused for a moment, then asked, "Are you using your true form?"
“That’s not entirely true. I used my true form when I went to rescue the hero, but I used this face when I brought those people from the Grand Vatican here.” Veris rubbed his cheeks, looking troubled. “There are several people in the church who know this face, including the hero and the others.”
“But if you appear as a cardinal, they won’t say anything,” Sylvain said calmly.
And it's very likely that they will spontaneously fill in the gaps in Veris's identity in their minds.
Veris sighed, then thought that although he would have to stay here for a while, no one outside Mercury would know his identity, so he felt relieved.
Who says a bard can't also be a cardinal?
The church's foyer had been tidied up, and several people were cleaning it. When two young men walked in, one of them straightened up and asked them, "Who are you looking for?"
Veris walked over with a smile, held up a badge, and asked, "Where is the envoy from the Papacy now?"
Those men were novice pastors, so they naturally recognized the church emblem. After recognizing it as the unattainable emblem of a cardinal, they said with trepidation, "It's in the attic at the back. I'll show you the way."
“No need.” Veris waved his hand and led Sylvain toward the side door of the front hall.
He had only lingered in the front hall when he arrived last night, but now he walked to the back, looked around, and said to Sylvain, "This place is still the same as it was back then."
Sylvain carried Veris's trunk on his back. His plain robe had no bright patterns, only some inconspicuous embroidery. He also had a hat on his head—Veris said his hair was too conspicuous and it was better to cover it up.
He responded to every word Veris spoke.
When they arrived at the so-called attic, the surrounding rooms were actually for the church staff to live in. There were quite a few more people around, and as Veris led the group over, many eyes fell on the badge Veris was wearing.
These were all church priests, so they could naturally recognize the insignia of a cardinal. The crowd, who had been huddled together in twos and threes talking in hushed tones, immediately made way for them.
The attic door was wide open, and the person inside, hearing the silence outside, immediately came out. Upon seeing a familiar figure, he was overjoyed: "My lord, please come inside!"
It was the magician from last night.
Veris didn't follow him inside, but looked around and asked, "Is the staff I left behind last night still there?"
"Yes, three people came last night, one of whom is the magician you mentioned. By the Pope, with such a powerful magician appearing in the future, peace will surely be maintained for a hundred years."
As the man spoke, he paused, seemingly lost in thought. Veris gestured for him to continue.
The magician chuckled awkwardly, unsure of where to begin. His previously fluent words became hesitant: "But, but, that magician doesn't seem to like the staff you gave him."
In fact, Murphy glanced at the staff and turned away, coldly saying he didn't want it.
Upon hearing this, Veris smiled and said, "That's exactly why I came. There was a mishap last night, and the staff I gave out wasn't suitable, so I brought a new one today. By the way, where are those three people now?"
The three people are the Hero Team plus Murphy.
The magician said, "They're resting in the guest rooms at the back. My companions are treating the bishops."
As he spoke, another person came out of the hall. He was one of the priests from the delegation. Although he was called a priest, he was originally a warrior. He had completed his studies at the Royal Academy and spent seven or eight years fighting in the Central Forest. After being used to life and death, he became a priest.
When the pastor saw Veris, he first greeted him respectfully, then straightened up and briefly explained what had happened the night before.
He spoke in a very organized and concise manner. After listening, Veris waved his hand and said, "Let the people of the Royal Court have a headache. You guys compile the statistics on the casualties in the church, record everything that needs to be recorded, and then take it all back to the Papacy."
The pastor nodded, about to continue talking about when, when his gaze suddenly swept over Sylvan, who was standing silently behind Veris. His eyes widened abruptly, and the words he was about to say caught in his throat. He looked at Veris, then at Sylvan, and froze on the spot.
The magician gave the priest a strange look. Why did this man stop talking?
Veris raised an eyebrow and asked, "How many years have you been with the Papacy?"
The pastor's voice trembled slightly: "Exactly five years."
That's how he met the newly appointed Holy Son from a few years ago. A mischievous smile appeared on Veris's face, but soon he said kindly to the magician, "Bring over that staff from last night. This new one will definitely suit the child."
The magician responded and went into the attic.
They stood at the attic doorway. The priest swallowed hard and glanced cautiously at Sylvain. He was shorter than Veris and met Sylvain's cold gaze, causing his heart to skip a beat.
The pastors of those churches stayed far away.
Veris smiled and said, "What is it, sir?"
Before the priest could come up with a reason, he added, "This is my assistant. The content for the next quarter's choir of the Papacy hasn't been finalized yet, has it? I'll write a new one and give it to Bishop Granva later."
Granvar is one of the eleven archbishops of the Papacy and one of the five great magicians. He is in charge of the church choir, and the old man is quite adept at studying literature.
The priest felt as if his head had been hit several times by the ferocious monsters of the Central Forest, leaving him in a daze. He looked incredulously at Sylvain behind Veris, whose signature silver hair and green eyes were unmistakable.
Why is the Holy Son here?
Still following this cardinal?
By the Pope, what's wrong with this world?
Or is this cardinal actually one of the eleven archbishops—no, the archbishops don't have the authority to have the Holy Son assist them.
Moreover, he didn't recognize which archbishop this seemingly lazy young man matched.
As he was racking his brains, Veris, seemingly not satisfied, turned to Sylvain and asked, "Do you know him?"
Pastor: ? ! !
His body immediately straightened up, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his back. He heard the Holy Son's calm voice: "Don't recognize him. He looks like he's one of Fekris's men."
The dwarves are mostly warriors, and this priest, who was originally a warrior, most likely came from under Fekris's command.
"What the hell? He actually ran into His Holiness the Holy Son in Mercury! Shouldn't His Holiness the Holy Son be in the Papacy?" The priest was completely bewildered.
When the magician came out with the staff, he saw that the priest's face was ashen, and he was even more puzzled. Although the cardinal in front of him was powerful, he was not particularly aggressive. Why was this person so nervous?
He handed the staff to Veris, who turned and took the staff from Sylvain's grasp, smiling, and placed it back in the magician's hand.
At this moment, the magician suddenly noticed something. He glanced at the young man beside Veris, who was wearing a hat, had an expressionless lower half of his face, and was carrying Veris's trunk on his back. He seemed to be an assistant.
The exchange was complete, and all the necessary reminders had been given. Veris had no intention of lingering any longer. The priest looked so nervous he was about to sit on the ground; it was truly a shame.
He held the staff in one hand and with the other hand he wiped the air in front of him, and a light golden magic circle unfolded. In the magician's wide eyes, he threw the staff directly into it.
After the staff disappeared, the light golden magic circle also dissipated.
"Alright, if there's anything else, send a letter to the Papacy. As for that gifted child... give him the scroll of the Royal Academy's student status."
As Veris spoke, Sylvain behind him finally made a move. He raised his head, his gaze fixed on Veris's back.
Feeling the gaze of the person behind him, Virist paused, but since he had already spoken, he couldn't take it back. He coughed twice and continued, "When enrolling in the magic academy, the mentor certificate on the student scroll... leave it blank for now."
The two members of the Brave Squad only had admission recommendation letters. After arriving at the Royal Capital Academy, they would have to participate in a competition and achieve a certain ranking before they could be selected for the academy.
This time, Veris presented a proper student scroll, meaning that Murphy was already a formal student at the Royal Capital Academy without needing to take an entrance exam.
The student scroll will contain the power stored by the corresponding mentor, proving that the holder is a student of so-and-so.
The instructors at the Royal Capital Academy are all exceptional individuals, and the Magic Academy is even more full of hidden talents.
Aside from the Papacy, the most powerful magicians on the continent are found in magic academies.
As is customary, Murphy's innate talent as a ninth-tier mage meant he was available to any of the magic academy's instructors, and they would fight over him, even resorting to violence.
The last person to receive this treatment was Sylvain.
Next spring will also be the time when Sylvain finishes his studies at the Royal Academy.
After giving his instructions, Veris led his men back the way they came. Sylvain's gaze had made him feel a little guilty, but he didn't know why he felt guilty.
With his mind racing, Veris and Sylvain explained in the long corridor, "That child is so vulnerable right now. The power of the student scroll can protect him many times over, and it's not as limited as an admission recommendation letter."
The student scrolls at the magic academy are locked to students.
Sylvain pursed his lips and asked bluntly, "Are you going to take him on as a student?"
Veris hesitated, then started coughing again: "Well, I'll have to see. I have other things to do right now. Let's talk about it when we get back to Lortheran."
Sylvain looked at his profile and asked, "Will you go back to the Royal Academy next year?"
Next spring, Sylvain will finish his studies at the Royal Academy, and a new batch of students will enter the academy.
Sylvain's tutor at the magic academy was Veris.
As the Pope, Veris naturally holds a place among the instructors at the Magic Academy. In fact, he occupies a position in almost every branch of the Royal Capital Academy.
After all, there's nothing he can't do, and having lived to this age, even if he lacks a little talent, his experience is more than a hundred times better than that of other mentors.
Not to mention, Veris was a genius from birth.
Over the past few decades, he has rarely appeared in the capital. The last time he made a brief appearance was at the Papacy and the Royal Academy because of Sylvain, and he immediately ran back to Albion to study new poetry.
With his mind racing, Veris stammered, "I guess I should go back. After all, the Royal Academy doesn't have anyone who can teach ninth-tier mages..." His voice trailed off.
We can't exactly have Sylvain teach Murphy, can we?
Just as he thought of it, he noticed a person coming out from around the corner ahead, and he immediately slowed down.
Sylvain noticed his hesitation, looked up and stared ahead, a slight twitch at the corner of his lips.
In the corridor ahead stood a boy, dressed in clean and tidy clothes, who was clearly thin, with long black hair that almost covered his eyes.
A breeze blew, and the boy raised his head, his bangs flying up, revealing a pair of completely white eyes to the air.
Some of the magical elements in the space clung to Sylvain, while others gathered around him.
Only Veris, sandwiched between the two, became a hollow space within the magical elements.
Murphy looked at the two people in front of her and pursed her lips.
The cardinal had changed his appearance—no, it was still the same face, only the color of his eyes had changed, and he no longer looked as stunning as before, just handsome.
The young man next to him, wearing a hat and casting a cold gaze, exuded such a strong magical aura that it made his breathing become erratic.
It was a hundred times more potent than that of Arnold or Keith. A guess formed in his mind, and he was ninety percent certain of it.
That person must be at least an eighth-tier mage, right? Or even a ninth-tier mage.
No wonder the cardinal was only slightly surprised by his talent; it turns out he already had a ninth-level expert by his side.
It is not unique, so it is naturally not regarded as a treasure.
Veris looked at Murphy, whose face was gloomy, and was about to ask him what he was doing here when Sylvain spoke first.
"Father, is this the student you have chosen?"
He spoke slowly, each syllable perfectly pronounced.
Veris felt a chill run down his spine. What the hell? Why was Sylvain calling him by that title again? And what was this about students? It was still nothing.
Just as he was about to speak, Murphy, who was standing in front of them, also spoke up. The boy's gaze was fixed on Veris, and his voice was still hoarse: "Will you take me as your student?"
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Author's note: Veris: Can you please not involve the old folks when you fight? (smile)
Murphy and Vivi have a relationship, but it's not extensive.
-
The setting is still being released; the next major dungeon is the Royal Capital Academy, but Xiaowei and the Hero's team are progressing at different times.
After finishing the task of revising the magic book, Xiao Wei returned directly to Lor'theran.
The brave team still needs to go to the neighboring city to fight monsters and level up.
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