A wizard's advancement required large amounts of time and energy, and the difficulty of advancing increased the further one walked the path. Two years had passed, and yet Leylin's ranking as a wizard had only risen by one. However, his speed far surpassed his peers and was a huge motivation for Ernest.
"Although I'll get an additional spell slot after I advance to rank 6, I won't be able to reach a deeper level of the Weave… What a pity. If not for that I could've gotten a rank 3 spell slot and had a greater chance of victory…" Leylin looked at his stats, his eyes full of regret.
Wizards were ranked based on their achievements with the Weave. Only rank 7 wizards could make contact with the third level, and gain the authority to cast rank 3 spells.
Similar to rank 5 wizards who had just made contact with the second level of the Weave, rank 6 wizards could only use rank 2 spells as well. The difference was that they had greater spiritual force which meant that they had more spell slots. If Leylin could advance once more and have his spiritual force access the third level of the Weave, it would be a great advancement for him. However, his time was scarce.
When he noticed the question marks behind the rank zero spell slots, Leylin finally beamed. With a complete analysis of the rank 0 Weave, Leylin would never be limited by rank 0 spell slots and wouldn't even need materials when casting spells. He wouldn't forget spells either.
It could be said that Leylin could use the Weave anytime he wanted to cast rank 0 spells, and there was no need to prepare things like spell slots.
He had substituted the inflexible spell slots with his own mana, making it the only limit on his casting of rank 0 spells. As long as he had enough mana, he could cast as many rank 0 spells as he wanted.
"Perhaps I should prepare a rank 1 or 2 spell and reserve enough spiritual force for casting rank 0 spells…" Leylin muttered to himself. Being able to flexibly use rank 0 spells was the best trump card up his sleeve. If enemies tried to evaluate him based on the ranking system of wizards in the World of Gods, they would be in for a nasty surprise.
"I'll memorise Web for a rank 2 spell, and Animate Rope and Mage Armour for rank 1. That would save me a lot of spiritual force…"
Leylin had an advantage in this aspect. Wizards prepared their spell slots a day in advance. After a night of restful meditation, most of his spiritual force would have been replenished until it was almost full. As a result, he could use more of his spiritual force. While he could only use rank 0 spells, it wasn't half bad…
Leylin was flipping through an ancient spellbook. It was made of the leather from some animal skin; there were even traces of scales on it. Powerful magic emanated from the tome. This was something Ernest had passed on to Leylin, a spellbook containing multiple low-ranked spells. Ernest himself used it quite often.
Wizards always forgot their spells. Once they stored one in a spell slot, all memories relating to it would become fuzzy, even vanish. It was necessary to relearn them again and again. Hence, a spellbook that recorded all the spells the knew became extremely important. In many situations, spellbooks were wizards' most valuable items.
This specific spellbook had been given to Leylin by Ernest, and had been made of the skin of a landwyrm. It was worth hundreds of gold coins.
The paper in the spellbook seemed rather new, and did not match with the old cover.
Ernest had clearly taken the advantage to remove the spells he had recorded in there. Wizards recorded the spells that they were proficient in inside the spellbook, and it was a very important task for them to accomplish. This was something that they could not commission others to complete for them.
"Web, Animate Rope, as well as Mage Armour…" Leylin flipped through the spellbook and quickly found the relevant information.
Leylin placed less emphasis on spellbooks than other wizard. The A.I. Chip itself was a comprehensive collection of spellbooks, and the efficiency at which it transmitted spells to his memories far exceeded that of studying from paper.
Most of the time Leylin spent on this book was just to deceive Ernest or use it to learn spells. He could then compare the spells to those from the Magus world, appreciating the difference in the power of laws within them.
With his finger stroking a looping spell rune, Leylin immersed himself in the analysis of the spells.
"Compared to the spells of the Magus World, the magical circuits and nodes here are very simple. Wizards have to go through the Weave first, and it's impossible to compare the complexity of these two types of spells. Simply put, Magus spell models require spiritual force to form an entire template for the spells, while the spell models here act more like keys…" With Leylin's powerful learning abilities and memory, there was practically no difficulty in recording spell models here.
Within minutes, the A.I. Chip's prompt sounded.
[Beep! Spells have been stored. Rank 2 spell slot: Web. Rank 1 spell slot: Mage Armour, Animate Rope!]
Leylin somehow felt like part of his spiritual force had disappeared. There were now three more nodes on the Weave, which represented the three spells he had remembered. Tomorrow, he could cast them using specific gestures or commands.
"Besides the convenience and speed, the plus point for wizards here is only that the requirements are less stringent when compared to Magi…" Once his spiritual force was completely extracted, Leylin found that the memories of the three spell models had disappeared without a trace.
'Damn it, that greedy god!' Leylin cursed inside in annoyance, but did not dare say it aloud. As a Magus, seeing how the wizards were made use of so thoroughly rendered him furious and frustrated.
In a bad mood, Leylin had no plans of studying the spellbook further. He instead sent a command out in his mind, 'A.I. Chip, prepare for transmission of spell models: Web, Mage Armour, and Animate Rope!'
[Beep! Mission established. Beginning transmission…]
The A.I. Chip loyally carried out Leylin's instructions, and soon enough Leylin found information related to these three spell models in his mind. The A.I. Chip raised his learning speed unfathomably.
"I'll probably have to endure this cycle of preparing ammunition and enduring exploitation for a long while," Leylin looked dejected, but he quickly sorted out his feelings, "Preparations of the spell slot are complete. I can try a counterattack now. Before that, I still have to take care of the matter with the god of knowledge…"
After Leylin checked the strength he possessed, he began to assess other issues.
'Bishop Tapris must have gotten information somewhere, but he might not be trying to eliminate our Faulen Family. After all, our family is made up of followers of the god of knowledge, and if they swapped another family in here, they might not be more suitable than us. However, it's obvious that he's trying to nudge us… We'll need to yield for now and gain support from the church…'
All sorts of possibilities and sudden events flowed before Leylin's eyes, the future revealing itself before him. The dim yellow light from the oil lamp stretched his shadow further and further…
Soon enough, it was the day of the celebration at the god of knowledge's church. Leylin was clad in a fitting attire with an armless leather breastplate inside. There were two spell scrolls in there as well. It was not that the Faulen Family lacked better metallic armour, but metal often interfered with the flow of magic for wizards, causing their spell casting to fail. Unless they found precious metals like mithril or adamantine, wizards would not use metal tools.
"Morning, Cousin Isabel!" Leylin found a surprising figure at the entrance to the manor.
"Morning, Cousin Leylin!" Isabel was still wearing that tight-fitting armour. Coupled with her perfect body, she emitted a sense of attractiveness and danger.
In reality, ever since their last meeting, Isabel had stayed hidden in her room. She had become very reclusive, and besides a few banquets this was the first time Leylin was truly seeing her.
"Are you going to the church of knowledge at the port?" Isabel rested against the doorframe, black sheath touching the ground, "It's rather dangerous out there now. I want to go with you!"
"That's my overbearing cousin!" It was only at this moment that Leylin felt his childhood playmate had returned.
"But!" He stepped forward slightly, causing Isabel to subconsciously grab the hilt of her sword. "I can handle these trivial matters myself!"
Seeing how she was prickly like a porcupine and was resisting the urge to draw her sword, Leylin wanted to laugh. While he would like to draw closer, it was not the time to give her more stress.
"Let's go!" Leylin jumped onto the carriage. The one driving it was the rank 6 warrior Jacob, and along with his skilled shouts and the sounds of whipping, the carriage marked with the Faulen Family's crest slowly went on its way.
"You idiot!" Behind him, Isabel was stamping her feet in annoyance, while a small blush appeared on her face.
"While my cousin has become very threatening towards strangers, she's still the same person who is warm on the inside like before. Good…" In the carriage, Leylin laughed lightly. "But there seems to be some huge issue with her, especially that evil power. If it isn't solved, I'm afraid…"
-x-X-x-
Lively streams of people filled the bustling pier. The air was filled with the smell of sea and rum.
As the horse carriage entered the port, Leylin watched the busy scene outside through a little window within. Sailors, farmers, soldiers, adventurers, and all sorts of people entered his sights. They were quickly classified, marking those who had decent strength and harboured malicious intent.
As he had been immersed in the study of magic, Leylin rarely came out from the manor, much less came to this area. 'It seems like the Faulen Family has managed this place extremely well; it even surpasses my expectations. It's understandable that someone might covet this place.'
Leylin glanced towards the group next to the crossroad. A wandering bard was now performing there, and he could not help but exclaim in his surprise. "Hm? There are even bards wandering around!"
Bards in the World of Gods weren't just street performers. They were usually spies that were primarily responsible for probing for intel, or they made a living out of selling information. Most importantly, they were usually very powerful.
With how much the Faulen Pier was flourishing, quite a few bards had come forth to perform or on vacation.
"Jacob, what's the name of that bard? How long has he been here for?" Leylin enquired.
"That one? I heard that he's called Xuno and comes from the faraway Northern Lands. His poems are always very pleasant to listen to and there are always interesting stories. The baron was even thinking about inviting him to perform in the manor some time ago…" Jacob answered quickly.
The commoners here quickly gave way and presented their greetings to the authority that managed the island and port. Sitting in the middle of the horse carriage, Leylin was however unperturbed by everyone's reverence and instead furrowed his brows, "There are far too many people here, and yet the frequency at which the patrol appears is too low…
"Jacob, how much strength does our family have?"
Jacob froze for a moment, surprised by Leylin's question. "Are you referring to the patrol, young master?"
However, for someone like him who had once been the commander of this place, Jacob knew the situation with the patrol very well. "We have two groups here that come up to a hundred people total. They're all great little guys with good strength."
"Great little guys? Good strength? That means there aren't any with exemplary strength, and they are only able to suppress those sailors and thieves?" Leylin grew speechless, "Out of this hundred, how many have professions? How much armour do we have? And long-range weapons such as crossbows?"
In the World of Gods, where exemplary powers were suppressed to the utmost, armour and weapons were a huge factor when it came to strength. Troops with great equipment and training would find no trouble dealing with those with professions below rank 5. If there were enough of them, even those at rank 10 and below did not dare go head to head with soldiers.
Of course, after rank 10, numbers would not be enough to make up for the lack of quality.
"Professions? Armour? Crossbow?" Jacob's surprised voice sounded in front of him.
"What? We don't have them?" Leylin sighed.
"Professions? The leaders of those two groups are retired military officials that the baron recruited. They're low ranked warriors who haven't even been certified to rank 5. As for armour, those who are vice leaders and above all have one set, and there are a total of twelve. And crossbows… Our patrol doesn't have equipment like that, though there seem to be a few stored in the manor…" Jacob looked a little flustered as he spoke.
"Too little, it's much too little! This is too weak…" Leylin seemed to be complaining.
"Young Master, why do you say so?" A look of surprise appeared on Jacob's face, "A Baron has over a hundred elite troops. Even in the kingdom, that power is equivalent to what a viscount can have… In order to bear the costs of this group, the baron throws in a large amount of his earnings…"
"Baron… this…" Leylin had a sudden realisation. The Faulen Island was a newly developed territory with no population. It was difficult to even get farmers to plow the lands here, not even considering recruiting troops.
If not for the Faulen Island being on an isolated piece of land, having to deal with numerous vicious pirates, Baron Jonas would long since have halved the number of troops here. In order to recruit enough people, there was no way but to hire them by offering large amounts of money, and he probably had to take care of their food and their families.
While the barons in the Dambrath Kingdom could have many troops, they never had so many unless it was wartime due to the great costs.
If not for the benefits from the trade, the Faulen Family would long since have gone bankrupt due to the army.
"The rise of a noble family is truly difficult…" Leylin sighed inside. The father of this body had gone through hundreds of battles, and with difficulty obtained this uninhabited island as his territory. With his hard work over half his life, Baron Jonas finally made this area a little popular, yet now his work was immediately coveted.
"If all of the hundred were to have equipment…" Leylin calculated it. Creating armour was extremely expensive in the World of Gods, and a complete set could even be a knight's treasure passed on through generations. The value was equal to even a small manor. If modified by magicians or blessed by priests, the armour's price would be even more terrifying and perhaps comparable to a city!
"It's not practical to change the armour of the patrol, but I can think of something when it comes to their weapons. At the very least, they can't use rusted metal..." Leylin sighed and clutched at his forehead.
He was no longer in his original body, where he was exceedingly wealthy. In the World of Gods, he spent only a few gold coins every month, and most of it was spent on spell materials.
'There are ways for low-ranked magicians to earn money, but that's mostly labour from copying spells or brewing low-ranked potions. There's not enough time… Sigh, in the World of Gods, the small nobles don't do that well. Only the churches are truly wealthy. The paladins of the church of the Goddess of Singing Waters all had a full set of metal armour, and some even had been blessed with divine spells…'
Leylin could not help but think back to what he had seen before as a soul seed. The wealth of the churches of the gods were renowned in the continent, especially that of the Goddess of Wealth. It was said that their headquarters had been built with gold and silver, and even the ground was paved with gold bricks. Leylin, who was going insane over his poverty, had even decided to steal everything once he made his mark on this world.
"Then… Can I use them?" Suppressing the immoral thoughts he had, Leylin asked Jacob who was outside.
"Of course! As the next-in-line of the Faulen Family, the young master's wish is our command!" Jacob answered resolutely, "Do you need me to send down the signal?"
"No, there's no need to for now. I want to go to the church of knowledge, and it shouldn't be too dangerous. Tell them…" Leylin spoke apathetically.
He added some more words on the inside, 'You're useless against priests or holy warriors. On top of that, few would be willing to fight against the church and god they believe in.'
After Leylin was done with his instructions, the carriage once more sank into silence. He did not continue speaking and only judged the terrain and buildings outside curiously.
As the carriage reached a spacious area, Jacob's voice was heard, "Young Master, we've reached the Knowledge Shrine!"
Leylin looked outside the window. The streets were clean and tidy, and the passersby were very cultured. Whether it was farmers or soldiers walking past, all would control their footsteps such that they were softer, appearing prudent and reverent. Put next to the bustle and chaos at the port, the two were practically worlds apart.
A lofty and majestic church emitted dazzling light through the carriage. The churches of the gods were always constructed splendidly, being beautiful and solemn,
"O god of knowledge…" Many voices could be heard saying their prayers.
As this was a day of celebration, many followers of the god of knowledge had congregated here. The spacious floor was crowded with people.
In order to worship the god of knowledge, Jonas had dedicated the best section of land on the port and did not accept even a copper coin. In the eyes of the priests however, this was a given.
"Seems like the 'cultured people' of the port are here!" Leylin sighed as he rubbed his face, changing his expression to a sunny one.
"Young Master Leylin!"
"Welcome, welcome!" "My, look who's here!"
Many familiar faces crowded around. They included his uncles and aunts, and he had no choice but to smile and greet them one by one.
With Anthony as his mentor, Leylin had no faults when it came to his manners. What he showed off was his most perfect image as the next-in-line of a noble family, and everyone sang his praises.
The price, however, was that after the many greetings Leylin found his facial muscles had begun to stiffen, and much time had passed.
'I know this is troublesome, but it's necessary. Nobles…' Leylin sighed as he entered the large shrine and threw a small bag of gold coins into the donation box. The pot-bellied priests beamed in reply.
Leylin looked around. The ornamentation of Oghma's church wasn't half bad. There were bookshelves and statues all around, and it was filled with a scholarly atmosphere…
-x-X-x-
After finishing his prayers in the main hall of the church, a few maids finally led the way to bishop Tapris.
Tapris was very frank the moment he started speaking, "My child, you seem to have run into some trouble!"
"Yes, respected Bishop. I urgently need teaching and guidance from the god of knowledge." Leylin secretly grew a lot more relaxed just due to Tapris' attitude. He was indeed like what Leylin had suspected, and only intended to take this opportunity to knock his family's confidence. He didn't have any plans to actually replace the Faulens.
If this was the case, foregoing a few benefits in exchange for his help was not a difficult issue for him to discuss.
Judging by his behaviour, Bishop Tapris must have also been nodding secretly to himself. As heir to the Faulen family, Leylin's promises would have to be fulfilled even by Baron Jonas, and this was one made in a church with a deity as their witness.
'It seems like Baron Jonas has an outstanding successor!' Tapris thought slowly to himself, then looked at Leylin, "Dear little Leylin, have you heard of Viscount Tim?"
"Viscount Tim?" Leylin's voice was filled with doubt. Under Anthony's guidance, he certainly understood the upper class nobles of the Dambrath Kingdom, yet he hadn't seemed to have heard of any deeds performed by this viscount.
"Oh, look at me, getting ahead of myself! Viscount Tim was just crowned a few months ago, so it's perfectly normal for you not to have heard of him before. His father, on the other hand, is a distinguished person you must have heard of before. Marquis Louis!"
Tapris watched Leylin's expression expectantly.
"Marquis Louis? The king's brother!" Leylin exhaled lightly. Although he knew that things wouldn't be simple this time, he didn't think that the nobles involved would have a direct connection to royalty.
The nobility was never a tight knit community. The power struggle between the regional and central nobles had never ceased for even a moment, and although there was a possibility of them uniting as one in the face of divine authority, an instinctive battle for benefit would begin once the moment the pressure from the outside world was reduced.
Within the kingdom, the regional nobles and the kingdom's central nobles were the two factions that put up the fiercest fights.
"That's right. Viscount Tim is already of age. Although he's the second son, Marquis Louis adores him very much, and even wishes to obtain a piece of feudal property for him…" Tapris held his tongue, and left the rest to Leylin's imagination.
"So that's how it is!" Leylin nodded seriously. Although the king and his people ruled over the entire Dambrath Kingdom, they couldn't possibly own all the territory. Moreover, after the division of property across the generations and the emergence of other noble families, the amount of territorial land that the king now governed directly was already quite small.
To date, all the territories in the kingdom had been divided until there was practically nothing left. Even if one was a prince or princess, if they were not particularly favoured by the king, they would not even receive any hereditary titles. The highest ranked titles they could receive was that of an Count Palantine [1. Non-hereditary title of high rank], or a Marquis, and they would only possess a few manors.
As a brother to the king of this generation, Marquis Louis was still able to fish up a decent amount of benefits. The Baltic archipelago was his fief, and the total area of the whole stretch of islands far exceeded that of the Faulens. He even owned several decent deepwater ports.
To put it bluntly, even the Faulens had to rely on a tremendous volume of trade in the Baltic Archipelago and play second fiddle in order to toil for money.
However, Louis still had to consider his first son. It would be very foolish of him to divide his territory, and hence he had set his sights somewhere else. Perhaps he had now turned his gaze towards the Faulen's territory
Stripping another noble family of their inherited territory for no reason would definitely send huge waves rippling through the circle of nobility. But if this family was extinguished with no successor and Marquis Louis had Tim carry on their family name, then things would be a lot easier. His influence as a marquis would also minimise the consequences of this incident.
"Many thanks for being straightforward, respected bishop. From now on, the church of knowledge will be fully accepted by the Faulen territory. Additionally, we will portion out another plot of territorial land in the eastern part of the island to offer as tribute to the church," Leylin rose and gave his thanks.
Although this was only an intelligence report, he felt like the possibility of it being true was extremely high.
Firstly, the territory under the Faulen family actually did thin out Marquis Louis' profits. Even though it was only by a little, it was enough to upset him. Secondly, the Faulens were a newly rising noble family, and they didn't have complicated relationships with other nobles that would have been difficult to deal with. There were only minimal consequences associated with making his move on them.
'Could it be that this is also a contest between the regional and central parties?' Leylin had experienced much more trickery than this, and had depth in his foresight.
'The Faulen Family started out with military service, and were the king's imperial bodyguards from the beginning. Thus, they could be regarded as part of the central party. But ever since they obtained their feudal property and arrived here, the family was actually already inclined towards the regional party. That was also how my father the baron handled it. However, what was awkward was that the people of the Faulen island had very little contact with the people from the mainland, as it was a lonely island situated far away. Hence, they haven't been accepted by the regional nobles yet… Which is the reason why this family is now in an awkward situation in which we cannot rely on either side…'
After thinking thoroughly about this, Leylin was suddenly struck by a huge realisation, 'No wonder. If I saw this situation, even I wouldn't be able to resist taking action. There are plenty of advantages, yet the risks are very minor. Perhaps Viscount Tim is also pitifully begging for this opportunity…'
In fact, Leylin's second guess was much closer to the truth than his first guess, but there were a few minor differences.
Although his opponent was just a viscount and seemed relatively less capable, he was backed by the marquis and was even the king's nephew. If one took their eyes off him for even a second, he would easily trigger chaos.
However, it was fortunate that he was just a favoured second son. Even Marquis Louis wouldn't spend much energy on him, much less alert the king. As long as he didn't kill his opponent, there probably wouldn't be much of a counterattack.
After all, when it came to issues like schemes to seize the territory of smaller families, because most of the bigger nobles did it on the sly, these rumours were restricted only to their thoughts, and could not be spoken of in polite company.
Tapris personally sent Leylin out of the shrine. Just as Leylin was about to board his carriage, Tapris muttered softly in a deep voice next to his ear, "It seems that a surge of pirates have escaped to the vicinity recently. I hope you'll take care! May the god of knowledge bless you."
"Got it!" There was a glint in Leylin's eyes, and he gave Tapris a profound look before boarding the carriage.
The body of the carriage kept rising and falling as the wheels rolled on. Leylin sat in the carriage with his eyes shut, yet his thoughts kept moving.
'That cunning Bishop Tapris. Is he preparing to lay his bet on both parties?' As a matter of fact, Leylin really did want to get assistance from the church this time. If he could personally exert pressure on the marquis with the power of the church of knowledge, the marquis would surely give up on making such moves.
But this was evidently impossible. Even Bishop Tapris did not own some labour headquarters for him to exert his authority. If they dispatched warriors and priests from the shrine, they would be deemed to be in favour of the Faulen family. Tapris had also clearly rejected doing so.
Now it seemed that although Tapris had only given a bit of the intel, he had managed to immediately gain a heap of profits. Even if Baron Jonas was here, he wouldn't dare to go back on his word. If Viscount Tim succeeded, he wouldn't forget to rope in Tapris as well. If placing his bets on both parties would guarantee him profits, why wouldn't he?
Of course, it wasn't that there was no other way to obtain assistance from the church, but that would require dedicating all his territory to them. However, both sides would suffer and be destroyed indiscriminately if he used this method. Additionally, they would be boycotted by all the nobles from the mainland, and be seen as traitors by the nobles!
After weighing the matter, Leylin reached the conclusion that things hadn't escalated to such a nasty stage, and he didn't have the courage to abandon his social class. There was no doubt that he would use 'that' method.
"Pirates?" The look in Leylin's pupils seemed distant. Since the other party was also a noble family that controlled overseas trade and had numerous harbours, they evidently had a formidable maritime force.
Even the pirates nearby might be secretly under their control. It was highly possible for them to send out a group of men to cause a commotion in the Faulen Island and use this to create pressure, or even attack the manor directly and silence the Faulens. They did it once long ago anyway.
"Relying on the hundred man patrol to get rid of this wave of pirates is rather challenging…" Leylin stroked his chin. He had never underestimated his opponent's strength. With a marquis backing him, that viscount could easily dispatch tens of professionals.
"Someone above rank 15 is absolutely impossible, but there might be one who is above rank 10, and a few elite professionals above rank 5… It won't be easy to defeat them…" Leylin quickly evaluated his opponent's strength, just at the most basic level.
Of course, the Faulens didn't only have the harbour patrol, but the real masters were definitely travelling with Baron Jonas. Only the the wizard Ernest had stayed behind to take care of things, but this source of help had also been dispatched by Leylin himself.
"The other party will obviously focus their main strength on the baron. The force they have sent over here should only be a small portion of their main force. It's not like we can't fight them with everything we have!" Leylin had a distant look in his eyes.
In fact, he had also considered cowering and hiding in some corner of the mainland, avoiding the situation at hand. He would then slowly accumulate skills and become a great wizard, maybe even a strong Legend. But putting aside the affection from the baron and his wife, even if he could heartlessly abandon everything he had, he was unable to give up on the benefits that the Faulen Family brought him.
A sea of resources was needed for a wizard to advance. Be it expensive materials for him to perform sorcery, or all kinds of magic books and such, a great amount of gold coins was required to purchase them. Without an influential power to gather wealth for him, Leylin would simply be incapable of meeting his needs alone.
-x-X-x-
A great wizard could not rise without the support of an extremely influential power. It was a pipe dream to achieve such success alone. Were he to try to build up his power and wealth through underhanded means, he would obviously provoke many people.
In comparison, the Faulens had only met with a small inconvenience. Even if Leylin broke away from the family, he would still run into the same problem when trying to make a name for himself.
It was needless to say that his identity as a nobleman was rather decent. At least it allowed Leylin to travel unimpeded in any place where human civilization gathered. He couldn't bear to give that up.
With the speed at which his strength was improving, the Faulens would one day be unable to meet his demands, thus he had to expand the interests of the family.
If he ate more, others would have less to eat. Leylin had long predicted that the Baltic archipelago and the numerous natural ports owned by Louis' family would become stumbling blocks in his family's rise in society.
Even without this incident, the Faulens would one day become enemies with Marquis Louis. After growing aware of this, Leylin's gaze turned as cold as ice. 'If that's the case, I'll move those blocks away!'
"Compared to the rich and imposing maquis, the Faulen Family is simply not prepared as of now. Even if we emerge victorious in this incident, we are destined to keep a low profile. It would be best… Huh?"
Leylin's eyes suddenly widened, 'This energy undulation… A.I. Chip!'
[Beep! Task established, initializing scan… Suspicious person discovered in the vicinity! Gathering of high energy detected! Person is determined to be in possession of powerful explosives.]
The carriage seemed to have turned translucent in the A.I. Chip's display, revealing the streets and people in the form of numerous lines. A few passersby were sneakily drawing closer to it, and they were marked out by the A.I. Chip.
"Are they assassins? Jacob…" Jacob was currently rushing the carriage along, but hearing Leylin's voice stunned him for a moment.
"Don't stop! Don't show any signs of suspicion or panic. Let's change direction!" Leylin's command was transmitted to Jacob, yet it seemed like no else heard it.
Jacob stopped for a moment. He had already viewed voice transmission as an ability unique to a wizard. Being experienced, he immediately knew what the young master had discovered.
*Crack!* The crisp sound of the horsewhip sounded. The carriage, which had been going forth, suddenly made a sharp turn, and entered another junction.
"They're still following us? Hah… Did they vow not to give up until they achieved their goal?" Leylin could see the route that the assassins were taking through the A.I. Chip, and he couldn't help but force a smile.
"Jacob, follow the route I'm about to give you." As the young leader of the Faulen Pier, Leylin couldn't allow its prosperous image to be damaged, come what may. If word got out about a heir to a noble family getting attacked in a ruckus at the port, it could be a huge blow to the port's prestige. Many of the less influential merchants would be afraid of getting into trouble, and would rather take a detour than come back again to replenish their supplies. Hence, although Leylin had already discovered the assassins, he couldn't take action in the middle of the city centre.
Jacob clearly knew this as well, and firmly followed the route that Leylin gave.
Under Leylin's directions, the carriage swiftly drove out of the market as smoothly as a loach. They arrived at a small road in the countryside, and the assassins hurriedly surrounded them one by one.
"Are you ready? Jacob, break through their line of defense right away, and send a signal to gather the patrolling team!" Leylin appeared very confident.
"But young master, your safety!" Jacob was rather hesitant.
"That's not an issue. Don't forget that I'm a wizard, and someone stronger than you at that." Leylin said without a trace of politeness.
Jacob's face flushed red, as though he had recalled the few experiences when he had suffered defeat under Leylin's hands, "Your wish is my command, young master!"
At this moment, a few shadows that appeared to be highly bewildered pounced on them. They had evidently realised that they had been fooled by Leylin earlier on at the port. Their fury even led to them drawing out their murder weapons immediately.
"Are these the bombs of a goblin alchemist?" Leylin shook his head in disapproval as he saw a few jet black objects launched towards the carriage.
If they were attacked by these prohibited items with such immense power in the port, even if Leylin himself wouldn't suffer the slightest damage, Jacob would definitely sustain injuries or even die, much less the civilians involved.
But now they were in the wilderness. With a widened field of view and Leylin's prior warning, even Jacob would be able to avoid it.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*
The violent explosion even caused the entire carriage to disintegrate into pieces, and numerous splinters shot all over the place.
But before this happened, two figures had jumped out of the carriage.
"One, two, three, four. There's still one more!" Leylin said to himself as he noticed the four figures surrounding him.
He had detected five people through the A.I. Chip, but now it seemed that there was another fellow hiding in the darkness, who was evidently their leader.
"Quick, leave!" Leylin turned around at yelled at Jacob, who had a few traces of blood on his body. He was clearly affected by the explosion just now."The power of the alchemical bombs are not bad, but unfortunately they are prohibited items. Even if there was a channel to smuggle them, the quantity from before should be their limit."
"Young master, take care!" Jacob shouted loudly. His muscles were bulging, a sign that his fighting spirit had been aroused. With his hands clenched tight around a decapitator, he rushed swiftly in the direction of the port.
"One of you, follow him! Don't let him get away!" The four figures seemed to still be immersed in how it was a pity that the alchemical bombs earlier weren't effective. Seeing how Jacob actually abandoned his master and escaped, their eyes were filled with disbelief. However, as compared to the leader of the imperial bodyguards, Leylin was clearly more important. They made a decision after a few moments of a daze.
A black snake-like figure chased after Jacob, while the other three assassins surrounded Leylin in a triangular formation.
"Heh heh… A noble young master with such thin skin and tender meat!" One of the assassins licked the dagger in his hand, as green light shot out from his eyes like a wolf.
"Act quickly, this is still his territory after all. Someone will come soon!" The explosion earlier on obviously couldn't be hidden. The three assassins kept drawing closer, their eyes fixated on Leylin's heart, throat and other vital points. They evidently weren't planning to let him live for long.
"He's a wizard, be careful of his tricks!" The moment the voice stopped, a few figures started to encircle Leylin as fast as the wind, and they didn't even give him the chance to speak.
Three daggers that resembled viper fangs surrounded Leylin. The sharp breeze even sliced at Leylin's skin.
"They're well trained." Leylin quickly made a gesture at the speed of lightning, and he suddenly spat out a single syllable.
*BOOM!* A deafening explosion sounded out, louder than the earlier boms. It deafened the three assassins, and was followed by a ball of fiery white light bursting out from Leylin's finger. It caused them to involuntarily close their eyes.
These were the rank 0 spells Rank 0 spells Flare and Sonic Snap! Given the situations, instantaneous spells like them were the most appropriate to use. Moreover, Leylin could also adjust and select the spell to his liking, basing it on the circumstances he would encounter. This was much better than those inflexible wizards.
Although they suffered a double blow which caused them to go blind and become giddy, the daggers of the three assassins still sluggishly headed for Leylin. Yet at this instant, Leylin suddenly made his move.
His hand stretched out as quick as lightning, and the dagger of the assassin in the middle came to a stop. An acupoint on his arm seemed to have been hit, and it fell limp and feeble like a dead snake.
'No…Oh no!' Before the assassin could even finish this thought, the dagger in his hand had changed ownership and was now in Leylin's possession.
*Thump! Thump!* Two figures flew backwards. The assassin in the centre, however, was not as fortunate. He knelt on the floor with his hands held behind his back, while the dagger that was previously in his hand was pressed against his neck.
The sensation of the sharp blade made every single strand of hair on his neck stand on end.
"Did you think that I was just a wizard?" Leylin laughed coldly.
Wizards were all relatively solitary. Leylin had moved out long ago by himself, thus practically no one knew about about his wizard rank apart from Ernest. Even his expertise in martial arts was concealed by Jacob under the Baron's orders.
"I wanted to ask who sent you guys, but it seems like you won't say…" Leylin's deep voice sounded like the muttering of a demon to the assassin who was kneeling on the floor.
Moments later, the dagger in Leylin's hand suddenly cut straight through the assassin's throat. Great quantities of fresh blood started gushing out of his throat as he gasped greedily for air. The radiance in his eyes slowly dimmed, and he collapsed onto the ground.
Seeing how Leylin killed as if it meant nothing and how he did not even seem to have an uncomfortable reaction to it, the other two surviving assassins stole a glance at each other, both intending to flee.
They never knew that the target they were up against would be this difficult to handle. Not only did he possess rather good magic abilities, he was also proficient in combat. His exquisite control over the battlefield and his merciless killing style were not things that a young nobleman who was inexperienced in life would be capable of.
Now, they practically suspected that some sort of devil resided in this young nobleman's body, or perhaps this was someone else impersonating him.
'But we still have hope!' Determination flashed in both of the assassins' eyes, and they suddenly started to make their escape.
-x-X-x-
"Trying to leave?" Leylin sneered as the dagger flew out of his hand. With a violent scream, it dove straight into the assassin's back. This was the rank 0 spell, Launch Bolt. With Leylin's own powers, the dagger he threw was out comparable to a crossbow bolt.
Miserable gasps sounded out briefly before the assassin fell to the floor. Provoked by the death of his companion, the other one ran even faster.
Leylin chased after him as well, not seeming to have noticed the dark figure that was constantly closer. These two assassins were bait, and the real surekill strike would come from the leader who was hiding in secret.
*Smack! Smack!* Leylin chased up to the fleeing assassin in a flash. The fellow had long been scared out of his wits, and was already down on the floor after being beaten up a few times. Leylin unhinged his jaw and broke all of his limbs.
At this moment, he showed joy on his face. This was the reaction that a powerful juvenile ought to have after obtaining the first victory in his life.
The young man stood in front of the assassin who had collapsed. Although he had tried his best to conceal it, he still radiated the aura of someone high and mighty, "Speak! Who sent you?"
"I… I'll speak…." The assassin's voice was gentle. He played the role of attracting Leylin's attention very well, and coordinated with his leader's attack.
His lips kept opening and closing, yet the sounds he made were exceptionally indistinct, which made Leylin irritable, "Speak clearly! I can't hear you!"
Leylin was half-squatting beside the assassin, and almost all the crucial points of his back were completely exposed.
'Now!' The assassin who was lurking in the dark widened his eyes. An arrow with a blue tip pierced through the air, and came close to Leylin's back in an instant.
"Huh?!" Leylin opened his eyes wide, and a trace of panic finally appeared on his face.
"Mage Armour!" A transparent protective force field appeared, and the number of rank 1 spells that Leylin had prepared fell by one.
*Poof!* The arrow collided with the invisible force field, producing a sharp whistle. Yet it eventually deviated from its original course, and brushed past Leylin's face.
The tremendous force from the contact made Leylin take a few steps back in succession, and he fell to the floor.
"Awoo!" "Awoo!" Numerous green eyes emerged from the darkness. A few strong and healthy figures pounced forth, their canine teeth covered with saliva as they tried to bite Leylin's neck.
"A rank 1 Monster Summoning spell?!" Leylin cried out in alarm, but the expression on his face was quickly replaced with unwavering determination. He swiftly recited a few phrases, and pointed towards the wild wolves. A gigantic white web materialized out of thin air, trapping the three wild wolves in it. The white web seemed extremely sticky, rendering the wolves immobile.
"Who exactly is it?" The young man got up, evidently flustered and exasperated, but his expression was even more so filled with a faint hint of dread. At this very moment, the air behind him distorted and a silhouette emerged. The emerald dagger was heading straight towards Leylin's heart, about to stab in.
"Shadow Step?! A rank 7 assassin?!" The young man made a startled cry and a rope flew out from his embrace.
"Animate Rope!" Under the influence of the spell, the rope seemed to have a life of its own, and threw itself towards the silhouette, curling around it tightly like a python.
*Thump!* The silhouette had his hands and legs tied, and collapsed onto the ground. Yet he had turned into a puppet.
"A substitute!" The expression on Leylin's face was now that of horror. Soon after, he saw a blade of icy light appearing out of thin air, thrusting right into his throat.
Clear-cut! Quick! An a lethal attack in one strike! This was the style of a high-level assassin. Moreover, he had clearly found out about Leylin's wizard rank through certain means, and had been patiently waiting until he'd thought that Leylin had exhausted all his spells before taking action. This one move didn't leave Leylin any chance at all.
Within such a short distance, there wouldn't be enough time even if he used any magical items. After all, those magic scrolls couldn't take effect instantly.
From his opponent's graceful glance, Leylin saw a deathly stillness. It was as though he wasn't about to assassinate a human, but a pig or dog, or some other animal. His profound gaze, however, held a trace of agitation. It was obvious that getting rid of this magic genius would bring him a particular sense of accomplishment.
However, when the assassin saw the look in Leylin's eyes, his expression changed. At this moment, Leylin's face was not filled with any panic or fear of death whatsoever, but just a smile of a person who had gotten his way.
'I finally caught you!' were the words he could infer from Leylin's smile.
'What does that mean? Caught me?' The assassin felt dizzy, but then saw the glaring radiance of a spell shine in front of him.
A blue ray shot straight into the palm with which he was holding the dagger. A layer of ice immediately spread until his entire palm was completely covered, and it even extended along his arm towards his body.
Shortly after, there was an excruciating pain from his thigh, along with the ear-piercing sound of bones breaking.
'He broke my legs!' The assassin's heart sunk. He immediately lost his center of gravity and collapsed onto the floor.
Leylin didn't let him go. A fist as hard as steel landed heavily on his face, making him spit out a few teeth covered in blood, and a small ball which contained highly poisonous toxins.
'That wasn't easy! If a rank 7 assassin wishes to escape, I might not be able to catch him!' Leylin said, sighing after he finished with the formalities.
Everything had gone almost flawlessly in the battle earlier. These few assassins could only act according to the script that Leylin had written, and on the stage he had put in place. They had ultimately ended up being completely wiped out.
"You… Why do you still have a spell left? You… Aren't you a rank 5 wizard?"
The chief assassin sputtered a few undecipherable words, along with a large amount of bloody foam.
"It seems that a spy has appeared in my family? Also… Who told you that I'm just a rank 5 wizard?" Leylin shot a glance at the assassin, and appeared extremely disdainful.
"Heh heh… So… So you already advanced to rank 6 a long time ago!" The chief assassin seemed to be convinced, "As expected, you're worthy of being the legendary magic genius. But what a pity… In the face of our power, you will be unable to avoid your ultimate downfall…"
"Stop spouting so much rubbish!" With a stroke of Leylin's blade, the assassin fainted.
This assassin leader had a very high status and a decent amount of strength. He definitely knew a lot, and this was why Leylin was bent on plotting to capture him alive.
"He even knew that I've already advanced to a rank 5 wizard. Although this information is from several years ago, I'm afraid that it's necessary to purge the family once through…" Leylin looked over at the chief assassin, who had already fainted. The list of traitors would certainly have to be fished out from the assassin's own mouth, but no matter; he could be said to be an expert when it came to interrogation and psychological probing.
Perhaps the assassin in his hands would feel better off dying right away.
"Young master! Young master!" At this moment, there was a commotion at the port in the distance. Jacob had finally brought the patrol team over.
"This is-- Ah…." An anxious Jacob immediately exhaled deeply after scanning the place.
The assassins at the scene had all collapsed on the ground, and there was even an additional person. Jacob understood the strength of these assassins very well. Each one of them had strength close to at least a rank 5 elite in their profession, and the one lurking in the dark was stronger.
If he was in Leylin's shoes, Jacob would not have be able to avoid such attacks no matter how he tried, and it was very likely that he would have died there and then. However, his young master had rounded all of them up in one clean sweep, and didn't even sustain any injuries.
This knowledge immediately gained Leylin Jacob's respect, and this was even more true for the rest of the patrol team members.
"What happened to the person who was chasing after you?" Leylin looked at Jacob. Seeing the new wounds on his body, Leylin had already made a guess.
"We killed him, but his last counterattack in the face of death also took away the lives of two of our team members…" Jacob appeared rather embarrassed, especially after seeing the two people that Leylin had taken captive.
"You can bring that guy with you, and interrogate him in detail! Leave the other one to me!" Leylin threw the more average assassin to the patrol team, and left with the chief assassin.
The other fellow was evidently cannon fodder, and wouldn't know much. Compared to him, Leylin was more interested in the chief assassin. A rank 7 Professional wouldn't be attracted to someone so easily.
Moreover, he was 80% sure that the chief assassin still controlled the hidden spy in Leylin's manor, and he was even the source of intel for the pirates that had come ashore. Leylin absolutely would not hand him over to the useless patrol team before digging out everything in his brain. If not, he suspected that he would hear news about this chap committing suicide the next day.
"Jacob, take him with you. Don't let him leave my line of sight!" Under Leylin's commands, Jacob lifted the unconscious chief assassin onto his shoulders and followed behind Leylin.
The patrol team members looked at each other in dismay, and could only bring the remaining survivor back with them. They clearly wanted to vent all of their fury on him. Of course, they were also in charge of things like cleaning the battlefield. They had to bury the corpses to prevent an epidemic.
After they were all done, the area had barely regained its tranquil state. Only the ditches in ground and numerous blood stains spoke of the danger during the earlier battle.
"Who would've thought that my younger cousin has gotten so strong. Seems like I was worried for nothing…" A black figure flashed, revealing Isabel's sturdy black attire. As she gazed in the direction Leylin had left in, her eyes turned gentle for a moment.
The softness was quickly replaced by a frigid gaze.
-x-X-x-
The cold floor and the endless pain all over his body forced Mahnke awake.
He seemed to be in a cold and damp cellar. Ice-cold droplets of water dripped down his skin, and Mahnke could not help but sneeze, his eyes quickly beginning to grow clear.
"Right, the ambush failed. I'm a captive now… A captive. What a joke…" He could feel a sharp pain in his thighs and arms. The lack of his teeth left a sense of emptiness in the cavity that was his mouth.
By the dim light, Mahnke could see the noble who had achieved victory over him. The man looked exceptionally calm with not the slightest hint of joy in his expression, which only made him feel more fearful.
"You're awake?"
"You– you're dead meat! Dead meat!" Mahnke shivered as he exclaimed in a strange voice. The sounds he produced were distorted by the air leaking out of his mouth.
"Oh, is that so? And you're going to do that?" Leylin's expression was full of ridicule, "Or perhaps it's him?"
The clothing on Mahnke's arms slowly ripped apart, revealing a church emblem branded into his skin. This was a strange rune made up of a head and fresh blood.
Leylin's impression of the God of Murder, Cyric, was that of someone powerful who liked provoking deaths and conspiracies. He found joy in causing civil wars in regions, and was one of those gods who liked to stir up shit. Even so, a real god's church would pose tremendous trouble for Leylin as he was right now.
"Stop bullshitting. You're just a follower of the God of Murder, and the mighty god would not shift his attention to a mere mortal, not to mention a piece of trash who is also a failure." There were always followers of gods dying on the continent, and unless they were saints or high-ranked priests, the gods would not place much focus on them. Regular followers and the like were obviously neglected.
Unless Leylin used techniques to profane the soul of a believer, that god would not be angered into giving him divine punishment.
This deep understanding caused Mahnke to freeze, with a lifeless expression on his face.
"Tell me! How many mad dogs are there like you under Tim, that useless son of Marquis Louis?"Seeing that he had successfully shattered his defences, Leylin tossed out a huge bomb.
"You knew?" Mahnke exclaimed in surprised, which confirmed Leylin's suspicions.
'So the information that Tapris had was real. Marquis Louis has been the one behind all of this!'
"Since you know, you should understand that you can't win…" Mahnke cackled, "Even if your talent as a wizard is startling, you're nothing in the eyes of the real royalty even if you're a rank 6 wizard…" It was obvious that his loss at Leylin's hands was still fresh in his mind.
All that talk about him being rank 6? Leylin happily watched Mahnke guess wrong, and did not have any plans to correct him. After all, the fact that he was hiding his wizard rank and wasn't restricted as much by the Weave was more believable than him being able to use rank 0 spells without limit, and he was less likely to be exposed because of it.
"Alright, I don't have much time to chat with you. Now I need to know how many men there are under Tim. Where they are, when the pirates plan to come ashore, as well as the plans of the continent... Whatever it is, you must tell me all you know."Leylin's expression turned cold, his eyes flickering.
"Keke… I'll say nothing. Aren't you just going to torture me? Bring it on!" Mahnke, however, began to sound like a scoundrel.
Pirates and assassins naturally went through some training, and possessed great endurance against torture.
"Seems like you're very confident in your endurance?" Leylin glanced at Mahnke, his eyes holding within them a sense of… pity?
"You'll soon know how much happiness there is in death. All that you've experienced before is nothing…" Leylin cracked his knuckles loudly. There were few in the World of Gods with as much experience as him in torturing the body and soul.
His astonishing surgical skills and knowledge of potions allowed him to claim someone's life with ease, and on top of that, he also had the spells that could affect their minds. Leylin's eyes flickered with an evil glint. Soon enough, the other party would find how blissful it was to be able to choose death.
Mahnke gave in very quickly. Three hours later, he was weeping and sniffling as he revealed everything to Leylin, only begging for death. Leylin hadn't used even a hundredth of his abilities.
Once he had gained all the information that Mahnke knew and confirmed the truth of his words, Leylin did not kill him or torture the poor child any longer. Instead, he threw him in jail. Such a high-ranked guinea pig with a profession was very difficult to obtain.
After gaining the intel, Leylin first personally purged the manor. With his experience and the detection abilities of the A.I. Chip, the hidden spies grew completely obvious. Soon enough, numerous little rats were seized, including a kitchen lady, two stable lads, and a few servants.
At crucial moments, Leylin never cared about not involving others when it came to crimes. He took control over their families, and such ruthless methods caused all those serving in the manor to tremble in fear. Even Claire and Clara grew afraid of him. Of course, with what had happened as a pretext, his absolute domination of them extended further.
'How many people can I gather?" Leylin asked Jacob from behind the baron's desk. His arms were crossed.
"Reporting to young master," Jacob was wearing leather armour, and was cloaked in a powerful aura. His respectful attitude pleased Leylin greatly. "We'll do our best at the port. We can transfer fifty men from the guard, and with the guards of the manor, there will be eighty men!"
"Eighty men?" Leylin muttered to himself. It was true that there were very few people that he could use, and at the very most those that he could were farmers with a few days of training, comparable just to militia.
The real elites were obviously by Baron Jonas' side.
'Things should be easier on their side with my warning.' Leylin had obviously sent Baron Jacob the information he'd obtained, and it was sure to be useful for him. At the very least, they weren't going in completely blind and knew who the enemy was.
"Gather them and prepare to annihilate the pirates with me!"The group or pirates who could come ashore at any moment was the most urgent threat to Leylin, and he wasn't going to watch them wreak havoc on his territory. Taking the initiative to make the first move thus became the most necessary choice.
"Understood! We shall become the sharpest blades in young master's hands!" Jacob guaranteed.
"I look forward to it!"They were Leylin's only hope. Though these militia could do little against those with professions, they would still be of some use to regular pirates.
With his current strength, it was impossible for him to eliminate so many pirates. It was important to have help from subordinates.
"'Mm… This should be enough power to deal with the regular pirates, but based on the information from Mahnke there's a rank 10 leader amongst them, and we don't have enough high-ranked powers…" Leylin stroked his chin, muttering to himself irresolutely.
'If we talk about high-ranked power, Cousin Isabel should be alright, but it's better that she protect Madam Sarah.' At the thought of her, Leylin immediately asked, "What's that cousin of mine, Isabel, been up to?"
After hearing this question, Jacob looked hesitant.
"Tell me!" Leylin's expression went cold.
"Does young master still remember the spies that were captured?" Jacob gritted his teeth.
"Didn't I tell you to take care of them?" Leylin's brows furrowed.
"Out of all of the captives, she picked two servants and took them away and there hasn't been word on her location. Ever since she entered her room, it's like she has completely disappeared from the world. Based on what the patrolling guards said, miserable cries have been heard from her room…"
Jacob's expression was filled with unspeakable horror. After all, people of this world easily related these happenings to 'devils', 'demonic rituals' and the like. Isabel's actions were of a similar vein.
"Alright…" Leylin rubbed his forehead, feeling a headache coming on, "Anything else?"
"The miss seems to have some interest in the family members of the spies, but I persuaded her…" Jacob said.
'I almost forgot that's a problem. Things would get troublesome if the people from the church were to find out…' Leylin sighed, "I'll take care of Isabel's matter personally. Don't tell anyone about this. Demote the families of these criminals to slaves and don't lock them up in the manor for some more time. Get them to the pier and put them in hard labour, or just sell them…"
It was important to set the norms at this point, whether they be positive or negative. Whatever it was, the people had to see the serious consequences of betrayal if he wanted to intimidate them effectively.
"Alright!" Jacob did not have any objections and carried out his orders, leaving Leylin alone.
Leylin watched the tranquil night sky outside, and suddenly sighed.
-x-X-x-
Leylin wandered through the door and over to Isabel's room. Isabel had grown very reclusive since their meeting, and had even chased out the original maids.
*Knock! Knock!* Leylin knocked the door politely.
"Who is it? Didn't I say I was not to be disturbed?" Isabel's voice seemed rather angry.
"It's me," Leylin said calmly. The door pulled open to reveal Isabel's face. However, there was an unnatural flush on her cheeks, as if she had been going through some rigorous exercise, or perhaps a ceremony.
"What's the matter? I'm preparing to get some rest!" After seeing Leylin, Isabel appeared flustered for an instant.
"Are you not going to invite me in?" Leylin smiled.
"It's not gentlemanly to enter a lady's chamber at this time of night, you know! Or perhaps you've become a degenerate, my dear cousin?" Isabel's eyes glinted and she rested languidly against the door, speaking coquettishly.
Leylin secretly had the urge to laugh in reaction to her pretentious pose. When it came to experience, the amount he had under his belt far exceeded hers.
"Have I turned into a degenerate? Would you like to find out?" Leylin closed in with a naughty smile on his face and ruthlessly sniffed her fair neck, inhaling the scent of a girl's body mixed with a particular smell.
"What are you doing?" The girl dodged him as she turned red, and Leylin took the chance to enter the room.
There wasn't much of a change in the arrangements here, but there seemed to be a vague bloody scent permeating the air. Though she had cleaned up and made an attempt to conceal it, Leylin's brows still furrowed.
"Is there anything you would like to tell me about?"Leylin sat on the sofa and tried to sound as genuine as he could, "You're my cousin after all, and I don't want you to bear this burden all alone."
"It's nothing… That's all over…" Isabel froze, and then spoke as if she did not care.
Leylin sighed in answer to her attempt to appear strong. Of course, he knew that there was no benefit to revealing the truth. Though there were traces of negative energy polluting the room, her own actions were as pure as those of a little white rabbit when compared to the experiments he conducted.
Leylin changed his mind. He had originally believed that letting her stay behind would be a good decision, but by the looks of it, leaving her in the manor would only attract more attention and trouble. "Fine! I'm here to ask for help!"
"What is it about?" Isabel's eyes flashed with a chilly glint.
"Well…" Leylin scratched his head and then revealed the news about Marquis Louis and Viscount Tim, and also the imminent attack of the pirates.
"In that case… They were responsible for the annihilation of my family?" Isabel's hand twitched, and a portion of a black ironwood chair was broken off. Wood shavings scattered from between her fingers.
'Such physical strength?' Leylin's pupils shrank, 'She exceeds a rank 5 professional, and is close to rank 10… Those devils and demons are really quite generous, though the price is the soul of the sacrificer…'
Leylin had heard about the continous offers of blood required to gain demonic energy. Followers of demons were rounded up and annihilated on the continent. If news of the Faulen Family protecting her went out, there would be troubles even more pressing than Marquis Louis.
"But I don't know for sure yet. That's only a possibility…" Leylin stroked his chin and did not lie about this.
"Fine, I'll verify it for myself. Those pirates even dare trespass and offend our Faulen Family's territory! We must have them pay the price in blood and have their souls repent in hell!" Isabel's pretty eyes narrowed, filling with a murderous thirst.
"Thank you so much, cousin!" Leylin silently cursed to himself inside, but in the meanwhile the smile on his face was dazzling.
"Don't worry, we're cousins after all. I'll take care of you!" Isabel promised, looking steadfast and resolute.
After thanking her again, Leylin withdrew, though the smile on his face had dissipated. His eyes flickered, obviously deep in thought. 'The open sea is vast and filled with all sorts of trash and scum from the continent. Sailors from this era can't be considered good, and faithless people and followers are mixed in with them. There shouldn't have any trouble if she hides amongst them…'
As the follower of a demon, Isabel obviously could not stay in the family; It would cause him an endless amount of trouble. After all, the power of the churches were at its peak in the prime material plane, and once it was discovered that the Faulen Family housed a demon follower the consequences would be extremely dire.
Thus, the vast open seas would be the best place for her to hide.
'On top of that, the demon might have given her a lot of strength, but there's definitely a price to pay. That might even be her soul…' Leylin looked grim, 'A few useless sailors disappearing from the open sea shouldn't count for much. That can temporarily satisfy the demon and gain her more time…'
In this time, Leylin would obviously become stronger. As long as he was powerful enough, whether it was Marquis Louis closing in on them or the demon contract that his cousin had, he was confident he could eliminate all of those problems, problems that a rank 6 wizard could not solve.
'Plans constantly change… And right now, I urgently need strength. It might be alright to take a risk…' Leylin secretly made up his mind.
This attack would evidently expose part of his power. From the very beginning, Viscount Tim had already sent out an assassination squad with a rank 7 leader, which meant that the pirates had to be even stronger. Help from his cousin and the subordinates wouldn't be enough, he needed to increase his chances.
After returning to his room, Leylin headed straight for his laboratory.By his command, even Claire and Clara could not enter, and there were also a few warning spell patterns set up that were hard at work.
On the glossy laboratory table were many test tubes and glass tools neatly stacked together. There was also various alchemical equipment that was enough for poorer wizard students to go green with envy.
It was a pity that, in Leylin's eyes, it was all a mere cover.
*Crack!* *Crack!* After Leylin pulled at a handle under the laboratory table, the sounds of gears grinding against each other rang out. Along with the gentle sound, the entire table moved to the left, revealing a pathway that led downwards.
'While wizards have great trust in magic, there are too many items and techniques in the world which can detect spell undulations. On the contrary, simple mechanisms like these can conceal even more secrets…' Leylin carried an oil lamp as he went down the staircase. After going about ten metres in, he arrived in front of a large rock.
The large granite gave the feeling that it was indestructible as it stood tall inside, blocking the road completely as if this was a dead end.
"Arcane Mark, activate!" A spell rune flashed in Leylin's hands, and amongst the light the surface of the granite began to soften as it revealed a shining channel. Leylin did not hesitate at all as he walked in, hanging his oil lamp on the wall.
What appeared behind the large rock was a small-scale laboratory. He had used mechanisms to prevent magic probes here, and created a trap at the bottom. That was enough to show how highly Leylin valued this laboratory.
As this was deep underground, the laboratory had an area of only several square meters. A large, ancient wooden table had already taken up most of the area, and there was little space left for one to stand. The ceiling was also very low and the entire room felt very stifling.
The smell of tar grew obvious on the floor and corners, indicating an even more terrifying self-combustion mechanism. If Leylin suspected anything, just a small spark would be enough to char this whole place and hide everything here.
The reason for this was because Leylin's experiments were far too shocking. If ever discovered, they would be deemed heresy!
"It seems like it's almost complete…" Leylin observed the giant solution in the petri dish. Large amounts of boiling, fresh red liquid gave people an ominous feeling that this was blood.
"And then… this!" At the corner of the table was a wooden statue. It had a pair of demonic wings, multiple compound eyes and six fingers that formed a demon, emitting an evil aura.
This was a statue that Leylin had constructed of Beelzebub based on his memories. The possession of such a statue would have one burnt to death if they were caught by the churches, and even a king wouldn't be spared this treatment.
Of course, these taboos meant nothing to Leylin. His courage was enough to stupefy many gods.
"Looks like Beelzebub has really sunk into a deep sleep. He doesn't react at all to prayers or sacrifices…" Leylin's hands caressed the devil's statue with an unspeakable expression in his eyes.
Come to think of it, he was the main culprit behind this. If he had not stolen so much of Beelzebub's laws and even destroyed most of his truesoul, the Sovereign King of Gluttony would not be so seriously injured that he had to sleep it off.
-x-X-x-
"Of course, according to this world, my main body deprived Beelzebub of most of his divinity and divine force. This greatly damaged his divine soul and he hence fell into a deep sleep, now he can't even answer the prayers of his worshippers…"
Devils were always extremely sensitive towards sacrifices and prayers from the prime material plane. Through his many probes, Leylin was absolutely sure that this great master devil had already fallen deep asleep, completely unresponsive to the outside world's stimulation.
This sent Beelzebub's followers in the prime material plane into chaos. Had Beelzebub not hidden his main body well, Leylin might even have received news of his death.
"Regardless of whether one is a god or a devil, once you lose the ability to respond to prayers and the power to grant wishes, you will not be far from death..." Leylin sighed. There were cases where gods had died not to external factors, but to decreasing power of worship. This was truly pathetic.
'Gods rely on believers for their existence. Despite having great powers and abilities, they are restrained by the very same power of faith. Except for someone who's merged with the world origin force and become an existence that has comprehended an extraordinary divine force…' He let out a deep breath, 'Such an existence would be equal to a rank 8 Magus who's found their own path. There are few such beings even in the World of Gods.'
He gathered his thoughts and turned his attention back to the statue, "Since Beelzebub is in a deep sleep, then I don't have to be so cautious of using his name anymore…"
Truth be told, with his possession of a majority of Beelzebub's memories, Leylin was like a real devil king. He could even steal Beelzebub's believers and usurp his position. However, doing so required great power, and Leylin was only a rank 6 Magus.
Needless to say, he also had to acquire the power to grant his believers' wishes. To usurp a god's position he first had to acquire divinity.
"The laws of gluttony and devouring are great, but they're already considered fiendish in the World of Gods. If I use such power here…" Leylin shook his head regretfully. If he wished to survive in the prime material plane, he could not rely entirely on divinity as his foundation. He hadn't carried these abilities over his reincarnation, but even if he had they would've been useless, wiped out by the world origin.
"It's best to take it step by step. Thankfully it takes a while for faith to erode. The worshipers of the Sovereign King of Gluttony will not vanish so quickly...
"Moreover, even if they do disappear, it's just one less convenient path and reduced income for me. It's not really not worth the risk, so it's better for me to stick to the original plan and be steady..." Leylin's eyes brightened, and he suddenly tightened his grip.
*Crack! Crack!* Turing the statue of the Sovereign King of Gluttony into ashes, dropping it to the floor bit by bit.
"I must admit though, the devil got many useful things." Leylin stuck his hand into the petri dish, and soon fished out a knife covered in blood. The pocket-sized knife had a beautiful curve to it, and it looked like a very fine work of art.
A fierce demon skull tipped its handle, numerous eyes on it giving off a savage glare. Two devilish wings made up the hand guard, and complicated patterns that looked like veins covered the entire handle. Its demonic looks were only enhanced by the faint crimson glow and the blood dripping from its tip.
"So the Devilblood Dagger's done!" Leylin's eyes flashed with joy, and the A.I. Chip followed up with data on the Devilblood Dagger.
[Devilblood Dagger. Weight: 9182g, Length: 9in, Ingredients: Cockatrice bones, fresh blood, weeping spirits. Effects: Possesses the power of a devil, able to absorb a target's flesh and blood to increase one's own power. Description: An extremely vicious weapon that even gods fear, the Devilblood Dagger represents ominous death. Creator: Leylin Faulen.]
"It's rather good!" Leylin fiddled with the dagger, causing it to glow with a dark light. There were many, many items like this in Beelzebub's memory; he'd used their easy power to lure people from the prime material plane to his side.
This Devilblood Dagger was a very good weapon from Beelzebub's memories. If a believer wanted to be bestowed this dagger, they would have to sacrifice a rank 15 or greater priest from a hostile god, or even slaughter a small city to even think of getting it.
'The devils are the best way to increase my power in a short amount of time currently. They treat both the young and the old honestly, but the price one has to pay in the end is usually even more frightening…' Leylin heaved a sigh.
His cousin Isabel had clearly been seduced by a demon after giving into despair. She had succumbed to it in the end, and had now gotten herself in tons of trouble.
Unlike her, Leylin didn't become a collector for demonic sacrifices. He'd done something much more vicious, nearing becoming a devil king. All the flesh and blood devoured by the Devilblood Dagger would go to feeding his own power!
'Even if I've crafted it, I still need to perform some experiments on this dagger, especially the problem with contamination.' Leyin furrowed his brows, the main reason why he had taken so long to make the dagger was because he was working on changing its properties. He wanted to avoid some of the side effects of its use.
After all, Beelzebub was no kind soul. His treasures were used to lure followers into depravity, and the Devilblood Dagger was no exception. It slowly corrupted one's mind and soul with use, turning them into a devil.
Being one himself, Beelzebub had no problems with using the dagger, but Leylin was different. He needed to remain human, as he would come into contact with churches and high-ranked priests in the future; turning half-devil would impose great restrictions on what he could do.
'Although The A.I. Chip already solved the corruption problem, there's still the issue of its radiance. It screams depravity and evil, I'm not sure I could get away with it…' Leylin walked straight into the manor while he was still thinking.
"Young master!" A trained guard saluted. The man wore leather armour, and the longsword in his hand sparkled— Obviously the manor's security system had greatly been upgraded after the attack on Leylin.
It was obvious at a glance that this fellow was merely a trained farmer, just a little stronger than a regular human. "Howard, right? Follow me!" Leylin said.
"Roger that!" Howard could not disobey the young master. He followed right after Leylin to the dungeon. Once the rest were cleared out, only Leylin and Howard were left there. Of course, there were also the two unfortunate assassins who were lying on the ground.
"Can I trust you, Howard?" Leylin's voice was soft, but it had a special tone in it.
Such a special tone gave Howard an ominous premonition, but loyalty occupied his mind and soon he replied with a straight back, "I would risk my life for you, young master!"
"Great! Now, look into my eyes!" Leylin ordered Howard to raise his head, it felt as if there was a mysterious spiral in those pupils of his.
"Rank 1 spell— Charm Person!" Under Leylin's spell, Howard's pupils soon lost their focus, turning him into a zombie.
"This rank 1 spell..." Leylin mumbled, "It can only charm the mind… It'll work perfectly on regular people, but it'll be weak against professionals. It would probably on render Jacob a little dizzy for a few seconds…"
"Take this, chop off one of his fingers!" Leylin ordered, passing the dagger to Howard.
"Ugh…. Ughh!" The strange situation gave Mahnke the feeling that something catastrophic was about to happen. However, his limbs had all been broken earlier, and his body was thoroughly tied up. He could only struggle in vain and had no other method to resist.
Howard carried out Leylin's order with the Devilblood Dagger in hand, a soulless expression on his face. His other hand pinned Mahnke's down to the floor, and he chopped off a finger without hesitation.
*Schlick!* The dull sound of blade slamming against flesh could be heard, together with Mahnke's sorrowful sounds. A bloody pinky was chopped off, and it twitched on the floor like a worm.
*Keke...Ughhhh...* At the same time, the dagger emitted a radiant light, and the demonic skull at the hilt let out a sinister laugh. The numerous eyes shot out a demonic lustre.
Layer upon layer of veins began to squirm on the handle, swallowing the blood on its surface. Many tiny blood-coloured strings penetrated into Howard's body, and the pinky on the floor gradually shrunk before their eyes. It soon turned into a dried out piece of charcoal. Looking like firewood.
"How do you feel now?" Leylin asked.
"The dagger is very hot, and the heat is spreading to me!"
"A. I. Chip, examine his stats!" Leylin's eyes began to glow.