Chapter 268: The Hilt's Destiny

  Aunt El smiled and said, "I won't say it now, but you should know when you see him."

  "Then why didn't you give this sword hilt to that person from the beginning?"

  "No need to mention Ronis's self-proclaimed sense of righteous light, I'm afraid even Sandro wouldn't agree to give the hilt to that guy. Now that I've made this choice, it's only because there are no other options. Besides that guy's residence, there really is no place more suitable to keep this. And besides him, probably no one has the ability to preserve this thing." Aunt El turned around and found a map from a cabinet, "But if you follow the normal route, you probably won't be able to get there. You can follow this map's route, first go to Nighon's surface..."

  Ethan took the map and put it away, sighing heavily. "If this can finally bring an end to everything, I would truly be satisfied."

  "What's wrong? Tired?" Aunt El's smile had a teasing quality.

  "I can't help but be tired. From the very beginning, I was escaping, because the thing weighing on my head was too heavy, a burden I couldn't afford and didn't want to bear. But when I later decided not to escape anymore, to face everything head-on, I discovered that even the way I could face things was to continue escaping. You know, Grandma, escaping is not my habit."

  "I know." Aunt El nodded, "But you have to escape anyway."

  "If there are enemies, I can fight." Ethan lifted the small pouch in his hand, the hilt of The Black Star was already inside, "But for this thing, perhaps everyone in the world could be my enemy. Even if they aren't now, who knows about the future? People change... Could I kill everyone who might have designs on this? So I have to escape."

  A legendary artifact that can make one the king of the world, and now it's already outside Diya Valley, this would definitely interest some people. Although those interested in the dream of becoming king of the world shouldn't be too numerous, after all street vendors and commoners probably wouldn't have such ideals. But as long as there are those with ability and interest, the storm of blood and violence stirred up for this interest would certainly not be small. Javi is already a perfect example, and he is somewhat insignificant compared to people like the Pope and Marquis.

  And corresponding to this artifact is the Sunwell power within him, so he cannot escape from this vortex, nor can he face so many and such strong opponents, so he can only escape, escaping very depressedly.

  "As long as you're not escaping from your own heart, it's fine. Isn't the goal in sight now? I can tell you, you won't need to escape anymore soon."

  "Right. No more escaping. Knowing that this actually doesn't have much to do with me, I feel much more relaxed. As long as I deliver this thing safely to Nighon, I'll be completely free." Ethan suddenly froze, he remembered something, and took out a small pouch from his waist. The small pouch was filled with white powder. Ethan carefully found a black gemstone from it and presented it to Aunt El, "Grandma, please help me see what this is."

  "How could you have this thing?" Aunt El's face changed. Even when she saw the hilt of The Black Star just now, her expression hadn't fluctuated this much.

  In the Pope's study, only the Pope and Marquis were present, not even Bishop Adela and Lancelot, who usually stood behind the Pope.

  "The Tamika Knight I sent to seize the Leaves of the World Tree is dead." His Majesty the Pope looked directly at the newly appointed Cardinal in front of him, speaking bluntly without concealing his purpose in sending the Tamika Knight on this mission.

  Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  Conversations between intelligent people are always simple, especially when everyone is so clever that they know concealing pretense is a boring game. At such times, the conversation can instead be spoken as frankly as between two honest gentlemen.

  "Your Majesty's calculations are flawless, even I must admire them. This is merely an accident, not a problem with Your Majesty's plan." Marquis bowed slightly and said calmly, without the slightest hint of mockery.

  What has already happened is not enough to become a psychological obstacle hindering future progress. He knew he was still useful to the Pope, and the Pope was also useful to him. Everyone was clear about this. Marquis understood this from the moment he entered this study.

  "But this accident has dealt too great a blow to me." His Majesty the Pope sighed lightly, the gloom on his face heavier than ever before.

  "I understand, using the Leaves of the World Tree to threaten me is secondary, it's just that talents like the Tamika Knight are truly not easy to find." Marquis nodded.

  "It's not just that. I had originally hoped that with the Leaves of the World Tree, I could control the elves at the same time, at least to offset the gap with Oufu. But it seems that's no longer possible now. The barrier of Whispering Woods has been fully activated, combining the barriers of the elven War Ancient Tree and Sunwell, making that place impenetrable. That aura from a few days ago, you should have felt it too, right."

  "Yes."

  "That was precisely in the direction of Whispering Woods. How could that thing appear in Whispering Woods, do you know?"

  Marquis thought for a moment, then nodded: "I think Sandro has probably already taken that thing out."

  "Can it no longer be kept in the Magic Academy? But I don't think he would dare to put that thing in Whispering Woods. Once the elves knew, they would definitely turn everything upside down, which he wouldn't want to see either. So can you guess where he might put the thing?"

  Marquis shook his head: "If he really has a way to completely seal the dark fluctuations of the hilt, I really don't know where he would hide the hilt."

  His Majesty the Pope was silent for a moment, then said: "On that day, Ronis and Sandro together, at the cost of their own magical cultivation, simultaneously used white magic and Necromancy seals plus Sunwell well water as talismans, to create a secret room that could barely suppress The Black Star's fluctuations. Finally, they had to rely on other magical barriers, and the mental power from the daily prayers of priests in the Magic Academy's cathedral, to keep it sealed all along. Now that Ronis is gone, such a barrier cannot be created by any means. If he wants to completely seal it, there's only one way... Do you know what it is?"

  "The ring of the previous Pope, His Majesty Dracon." Marquis immediately answered.

  "Hmm, you should know about these things too." His Majesty the Pope's expression fluctuated slightly, but not much, at least indicating Marquis's honesty in front of him. "This thing should be in Agrael's hands. But unfortunately, I now have absolutely no news about this old friend..." The Pope seemed to ask in a tentative tone, "Inham, do you know?"

  "How could I know the whereabouts of the continent's number one assassin." Marquis smiled bitterly.

  "Even if I had her whereabouts now, there might be no way. Twenty years ago, she could escape unscathed from the siege of the twelve Temple Knights of that time. I really can't think of any way to snatch the ring back from her hands." The Pope smiled bitterly, "Fortunately, as the acting guild leader of Diya Valley, she won't act recklessly like Sandro, following the transcendent principles of Necromancers. I just hope she won't take the hilt of The Black Star to guard it personally, but that's just hope. Since the hilt is already beyond control, now we can only control what can be controlled..."

  Marquis suddenly said: "Is Your Majesty worried about Lord Archibald's prophecy... The appearance of The Black Star's hilt perhaps indicates that the day when the true The Black Star emerges from the ground is not far away..."

  "Yes, of course I'm worried about this." The Pope nodded and admitted without concealment, then continued, "Inham, I know you're not interested in realizing Archibald's prophecy, right? Otherwise, you wouldn't have stopped Javi that day."

  Marquis nodded, smiling bitterly: "Yes, if The Black Star really emerges, as a member of Diya Valley, I would have to submit to the Lich King's command. I think except for old stubborns like Valthor and Sandro who only know Archibald's words, no one likes to be commanded by something that might just be a monster. This was actually the common opinion of most Necromancers that day, but now, almost only I am left."

  "I know you're not the kind of person who is obsessed with power, who would be blinded by power and benefits, who would pursue things beyond your reach, nor are you a fool who blindly follows the teachings of predecessors, pretending to be noble. Although you have accepted The Black Star's brand, you are the most special among all Necromancers. That's why I've always appreciated you, why I let you join Celeste, and why I'm sitting here having a good discussion with you." The Pope smiled looking at Marquis.

  "Thank you for thinking highly of me, Your Majesty." Marquis bowed in salute. The Pope knew these things so clearly, he had already guessed what was going on. Compared to Bishop Adela, with whom he had a good private relationship, the deceased Eschol was more likely to be on the Pope's side.

  "Good, then I'll be clear with you again. Inham, our interests and purposes are the same, let's cooperate." The Pope looked at Marquis with a serious expression, saying slowly and very deliberately.

  If there were outsiders, or if they knew about this scene, they would never understand how a Pope could say such things to a Cardinal under his command, and this Cardinal was the one who had recently received the Pope's favor and trust and was directly promoted to this position above ten thousand people. But now not only did His Majesty the Pope say it seriously, even this Cardinal didn't show the slightest sign of being flattered, and nodded very seriously as well.