The Vastness of Magical Destiny
Chapter 354: Volume 6: Cautious Planning - 10: Conspiracy

Chapter 354: Volume 6: Cautious Planning Chapter 10: Conspiracy

He straightened his body, and the old man known as Rohl’s gaze suddenly turned intensely grim, the cheerful and warm smile on his face seemingly dispersed by a cold wind. He remained silent for a long time, offering no reply, while the other elder also seemed to sense the change in his companion’s mood and stayed silent, saying no more.

"Gofi, you are right. I may have indeed underestimated that kid. Tracy had warned me before, but I did not pay attention at the time. Now that I think about it, I do feel some regret. In fact, ever since that kid came to accept his title and left, I had a slight unease deep in my heart, although at that time, I had not realized the trouble this fellow would bring," Rohl said. In front of his old friend, the elder did not want to hide his thoughts. Although his expression remained somewhat cold, it had softened considerably compared to the moment before.

As the ruler of the Homer region, Rohl Philippe seldom openly admitted his mistakes so freely, but exceptions were made in front of his old friend. Decades of friendship and shared interests had bound them together on the same chariot of war, and Rohl Philippe did not wish to conceal anything.

With a wry smile, witnessing his old friend and ally show signs of regret and frustration, Duke Zellin Storten, known as Gofi, felt it was a pity to see Philippe’s behavior. That fellow causing a stir in the Caucasus had initially not been worth mentioning, easily squashed with little effort. However, with the kingdom in a delicate state, any rash action could potentially set off many unnecessary chain reactions. Both he and Philippe ought to avoid bringing about any incident that would draw the attention of the Jazair lot, especially at times like these, a fact Rohl surely understood, hence his demeanor.

"Rohl, between you and me, is there still a need to perform these acts? There’s no need to hide your mistakes, but nor should you exaggerate the potential dangers. The kid is indeed peculiar and has a background, having managed to learn magic and become a mage. It seems even the Church of Light is interested in him. But as you’ve said before, even if this guy is a magic genius, being one doesn’t account for everything. Solely relying on magic to decide everything doesn’t work in this world, even if he becomes one of the most powerful on the Continent. He’ll still face many other restrictions. We neither practice magic nor excel in head-on battles, but Galle is in my hands, and Homer is in yours. The Kingdom of Nicosia is under our sway. Perhaps one day, the Galle Duchy and Homer Duchy will indeed appear in our hands," said Zellin, his thin cheeks never losing their composed expression and his eyes maintaining their steadfast shine, unaltered by the passage of time, always deep and steady.

His face went through several expressions, but in his gaze towards Zellin there was always a thread of intense admiration and approval. His old friend couldn’t hide anything from him. It seemed that his old friend’s understanding of him ran so deep that no matter how Rohl presented himself, it was all superfluous before him.

"Heh, Gofi, it seems I can’t hide anything from you. Indeed, my current worry isn’t exactly that. I did somewhat underestimate that Komer kid," Philippe admitted, with his face now returned to its usual calm demeanor. "Initially, I was moved by his father and his family’s dedication to my service, and I couldn’t bring myself to deal with him harshly. That’s why I looked for a way to solve the issue satisfactorily for all, but I truly didn’t expect the kid to have some tricks up his sleeve, not only standing firm in that remote area but also getting involved with the kingdom, and even Princess Katya seems to have a shadow behind him. This guy really has the makings for this line of work."

Zellin nodded slowly, his gaze as if cast in iron, "True, we can’t see the depth of this guy yet, but our old opponents haven’t forgotten about him at all, hoping he will light a fire behind us. But based on my dealings with him, he doesn’t seem like someone good-natured. I can’t be sure of what fortune he might have in the future. Sigh, if you didn’t have this grudge against him, Rohl, honestly, making Tracy marry him might even have been a good choice."

"Hmph, fortune? Let’s see if he survives this year first. But the kid does have some discernment; he managed to stockpile a batch of food before you and I joined hands to issue the decree. Your distant relative is now focused solely on the Gold Shield, wracking his brains to earn a few more from that kid, which has indeed helped the kid quite a bit. Tracy is now entangled with Hoffman, and I’m not optimistic about Hoffman. That fellow is too indecisive to accomplish great things. On the other hand, Katya has a profound nature and remarkable capabilities. It seems she’s a formidable challenger to the current Crown Prince. If we could use this relationship to stir up a struggle, our pressure might be greatly lessened," Philippe said, his words somewhat disorderly, probably because he was in front of his old friend and had fewer concerns. Homer and Galle both situated in the Kingdom’s south, the regions they controlled occupied the most fertile parts, and both were thorns in the Central Kingdom’s side. The old saying "when the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold" was well understood by both men, who, through shared interests and decades of personal ties, rarely disagreed in their positions.