Knights and Magic Wand
Chapter 264 - 264 134 The Magician's Good Intentions_2

264: Chapter 134: The Magician’s Good Intentions_2 264: Chapter 134: The Magician’s Good Intentions_2 But how fleeting is this mere span of decades in a human life?

Mortal life is like a passing cloud.

When one’s time comes to an end, with aged hands unable to lift heavy weapons, glory returns to dust, and the wealth, status, love, and honors you seek now will all be carried away by the wind.”

“What do you mean?

Does the Society of Magicians possess magic to prolong life?”

“Of course, my lord, how old do I appear to you?” Mage Met inquired with an arched eyebrow.

Leon sized up the man, well aware that since he posed the question, his actual age must differ significantly from his appearance.

Nonetheless, he didn’t go contrary for the sake of it and went along with the conversation, offering a guess from an ordinary person’s point of view: “Forty?”

“As for myself, I have lived for over one hundred and eighty years,” Met replied nonchalantly.

Leon did his best to feign a look of surprise and nodded: “Oh, that’s fascinating, remarkable.”

“…?”

Met could see that the other party’s emotions hadn’t changed much, which left him somewhat puzzled.

This reaction was indeed unexpected.

Leon, of course, felt nothing.

In his past life, various games, movies, and entertainment works had desensitized him to the concept of “longevity.” Unless the other party claimed to be four thousand or forty thousand years old, he wouldn’t even bother to raise an eyebrow.

Moreover, Leon didn’t even dare to guess how old his own mysterious Miss Lora had been in her lifetime.

Accustomed to interacting with an ancient mage who seemed godlike in many ways, Leon found it hard to muster any emotion when faced with a magician feigning mystery with a mere hundred and eighty years of life.

Met touched his chin in slight embarrassment, but upon further thought, he understood the young man’s attitude.

Before him stood a young man full of energy and fighting spirit, whose face, at most seventeen years of age, wouldn’t bear the same sense of death’s imminent approach or the resentment against his own extinction as someone several decades old would.

It was fine.

Given his extraordinary talent to wield magic power, sooner or later the young spellcaster would understand the value of magic’s supremacy over the mortal world and realize the current reality where spellcasters, who surpass mortals, do not possess a status that matches their capabilities in the Western Continent.

A crisis may arise, or a seed of desire may sprout.

Once this young spellcaster wished to bring about change, the Society of Magicians would naturally be the only place where he could further advance his magical skills.

After all, within the Northern Kingdoms of the Western Continent, which are under the control of the Holy Sun Church in Seryan and Dinexion, spellcasters are only kept in Magic Ring Towers under strict surveillance.

As for Kantadar?

If those wild wizards who perform rituals don’t kill themselves through their foolishness, it’s a stroke of luck—they know nothing about magic…

Amidst the private conversation between Leon and Met, the negotiation in the hall also reached a provisional understanding of each other’s bottom line amidst fervent disputes.

The initial ransom amount was set at five thousand and two hundred gold crowns.

However, this money couldn’t be paid immediately; they needed to wait for Baron Gunar’s personal stance.

The Battle of Longka had just ended, and at this moment, Baron Grey Wolf was likely unaware that his eldest son had been captured by chance.

Of course, before paying the ransom, the Farolis Family had to ensure that Canis was moved to more comfortable accommodations, with dedicated servants to maintain the dignity of the Wolf Family Young Master whose hands were bound by heavy shackles in his daily life.

This was also part of the conditions in which Redo successfully demanded an additional two hundred gold crowns.

Mr.

Henkel Sr.

promised that he would first deliver two hundred gold crowns within a few days to ensure the improvement of Canis’s imprisonment conditions.

Thereafter, once the Wolf Family confirmed the preparation of the ransom, it would be time for the exchange of hostage for payment.

Leon deliberately set the time for the beginning of the next month, which also happened to be roughly when Baron Eriv would likely return.

Having written down the preliminary terms of the agreement on parchment, both parties signed and stamped their respective emblems, Leon watched as the old knight of the Wolf Family and Mage Met took their leave…finally, he let out a long sigh of relief.

As long as the hostage was kept safe for now, Wolf Territory would no longer dare to invade, and with everyone’s attention now focused on the border conflict between the two families, the task given to him by Eriv was effectively completed.

At noon of the same day, the repaired Wacht reinforcements began their departure under Sir Marcello’s leadership, returning to the northern castle for garrison duty.

And the reinforcements from the supply camp would stay one more day before returning east of Selva the next day.

The tumult and dark clouds looming over this stronghold gradually dispersed, the soldiers busily repairing defenses under orders and building wooden walls and roofs for those severely injured in the camp outside the fortress walls to shield them from the changing weather.

Amidst the hustle and bustle, the day in Longka flitted by.

…

Sunset gave way to moonrise, the deep night blanketed in darkness.

In the stillness between the darkened hamlets, apart from the yawns of the night watch sentinels and the occasional barking of a war dog, there was no other sound…

Unnoticed, a life had quietly passed away.

A graceful silhouette moved in the darkness between the village dwellings, like a faint whispering of cold wind.

The light footfalls made a barely detectable sound, nearly identical to the noise of creeping serpents and insects.

Beneath the torchlight, the Duwana War Dog lying on the ground suddenly perked up its ears.

It lifted its massive head, sniffing left and right for the faint peculiar fragrance.

The Dog Tamer, leaning on his Long Spear, looked down at his battle beast companion, which was reacting abnormally.

The shadow under the moonlight instantly stopped in its tracks, fingertips tracing a Dharma Seal gently before turning and slipping into the alley against the wind.

After a long while, the war hound could no longer detect that strange scent and shook its head before lying back down.

The female poet did not linger; she changed her route and arrived at the rear of the large house in Longka Village Society.

She waited until a group of five guards patrolled past.

The shapely figure emerged nimbly from the shadows and strode swiftly toward the building ahead.

But that graceful figure suddenly paused.

She narrowed her eyes, crouched, and focused her gaze.

With the faint moonlight, she noticed several inconspicuous grooves on the ground by the base of the building, akin to the debris discarded by woodworkers and stone masons after processing materials.

A simple Guarding Technique.

Just like the habits of those Mage lords in the country.

Moreover, the structure of the Demon Rune clearly bore the mark of Empire Academy spells.

It was entirely unlike the handiwork of native spellcasters from the Western Continent.

The female poet stood up, slowly retreating as her gaze swept over the windows that were still alight.

Were there Empire Mages inside?

Her mind shuffled through her knowledge, and once again, the mysterious great poet’s verses came to mind.

…the young noble spoken of by the Felcon Family…

they were looking for a woman in the wedding…

they also looked for “Galliard” at the wedding.

Galliard’s metaphor-rich new poem…

and the previous praises for Knight Selva…

The Villanian slave that Lord Emon had been tracking before his disappearance…

The female poet intuitively felt she had come to an answer from her conjectures.

She believed she had found the assassin who killed Pilireno.

But…

why?

Why would a Farolis Family Knight go to great lengths to assassinate an envoy from Athias?

This land’s native Kingdom still knows nothing of the Empire.

The Eastern Expedition Faction had just started its campaigns; how and when did it become enemies with this Northern Kingdom?

Too many questions piled up.

The female poet had no choice but to put aside her doubts for now.

The materials for the guarding technique here were crude, and it was not difficult to break through.

However, as she weighed her thoughts, she slowly retreated into the darkness.

The task at hand was already completed; there was no need to take further risks.

There was a more important mission.

She had to get to Rolannar as soon as possible to find out where those disconnected bigwigs from the Eastern Expedition Faction had gone.

Even a low-quality Official like Pilireno left in the embassy was killed.

Now, apart from the fleet and dispatched military officers, the Empire had lost its officials who managed relations with the high-level officials of Kantadar.

Utterly ridiculous, who in that short month or two, had swept away the power of the Eastern Expedition Faction in the Western Continent?

Could it be the work of someone from the Western Expansion Faction within the country?

An internal fight?

Have the old masters above gone mad?

Not afraid of angering the terrifying monarch?

With unresolved doubts, the female poet scaled Longka’s outer wall like a gliding snake.

Her enchanting figure disappeared into the wilderness in just a few moves.

Returning to the peaceful night, only the body of Canis left in Longka Prison—with heart pierced and eyes wide open, as if roaring silently in indignation…