LightReader

Chapter 33 - Chapter 30: Shadows and Magic

The Throne Room

The Dark Lord sat on his grand throne as he always did, but this time he was laughing.

"Wow, that was fast, brutal, and magnificent," he chuckled. He wished he had a skill like that. He could imagine many scenarios where it would be useful. Well, no one could have everything. What mattered was that he already had the skills he needed.

That made him think of his Princess. She had been busy lately, and he missed her.

She had told him she needed to prepare for something, which worried him. It had been a month since her last visit, and the last time they had communicated through their minds was several days ago. She had mentioned a rebellion she had to address.

That was one of the reasons he had delayed his advance in the Never Day. He had a feeling his beloved Princess might need him.

He would make sure his forces were ready for any contingencies, especially if his instincts were correct. He thought of sundering himself and entering the Deamune Realm to check what was happening, but he had promised his Princess that he would only enter her world once he was ready to summon her into the Ancient Realm.

He would be ready in time to summon her. For the meantime, he would proceed with his other plans.

His human Avatar would play a different role. Instead of subterfuge, Sun Tzu would show his strength and establish his influence openly. That was why he had willingly fought Lucas publicly.

He smiled at how he had managed to goad that man away from his inquiry. He had been surprised at the extent of Lucas's knowledge about him in such a short time. Well, he could spin his suspicions to his advantage.

He had not expected to be defeated that easily, though. He smirked to himself. That was what happened when you let your guard down.

During his time as an online player, he would never have spared anyone. He annihilated all his opponents and destroyed their cities without a second thought.

That was why he bore no grudge against Lucas—but he did wonder how that fellow treated those beneath him. He would soon find out.

Well, it was time to meet the one who had saved him. He had felt his saviour's immense energy when the protection spell was cast on him.

The spell should have blocked the pain of being slashed, bashed, and stabbed, though. Still, he had decided to accept the help his benefactor had provided.

The Dark Lord chuckled again.

This would be fun.

Meanwhile, Back on the Deck of the Ferry

Everyone gasped as the merchant moaned and slowly turned to lay on his back.

He abruptly rose in a sitting position with his legs straight and parallel to the floor. This earned another gasp from the onlookers.

He smiled to himself—that was the style of the Undertaker.

The hilt of the saber was sticking from his chest with the other end protruding from his back. The Dark Lord could feel his heart beating against it as the sword skewered it.

"What dark sorcery is this!" someone from the crowd shouted.

"Demon!" another cried.

The Dark Lord looked at Lukas as he stood up. He smiled at him. Lukas snarled, backing away as he summoned his swords again to finish the job.

"That is enough, Lucas!"

A tall masculine figure with a black staff walked out, hunching from the crowd.

Lucas glanced at the old man with long white hair and a mustache. His eyes went wide as he recognized him and immediately released control over his weapons.

"Your actions are unbecoming of the stature of your position, young man." The old man ambled slowly.

"This man should be arrested, Grand Wizard Caled. His activities were dubious the moment he came here," Lucas argued.

"Tell me, young man—since when did your rank grant you the power to become judge and executioner?" The old man looked at Lucas sharply.

The Dark Lord recognized the wizard immediately, to his surprise. He had met him several months ago at the Galan Wall.

Suddenly, the sword plunged into his chest shattered and faded. He staggered from the pain as if the weapon had been violently ripped out.

The wizard's black staff shattered into pieces as the merchant's wounds were healed.

"You owe me a staff, young Lucas. Your insolence forced me to sacrifice my weapon to shield this warrior, who just happened to spare your life," the wizard continued in a cold voice.

"But Grand Wizard, I did not—" Lucas tried to justify his actions, but the old man cut him off with a calm voice devoid of emotion.

"Be careful with your next words, young man. Are you implying that I'm wrong?"

There was no threat in his voice, but Lucas immediately knelt before the wizard and bowed his head in obeisance, as if fearing the old man's wrath.

The wizard sniffed. "You will personally bring three bags of gold to my office as payment for my staff, young man. Then you will gather your battalion. You will come with me when I return to the Galan Wall. You are now dismissed."

Lucas stood, bowed again to the wizard, and shot the merchant a look of contempt. Then he turned and left.

The crowd, silent until now, quickly dispersed upon hearing who the old man was.

The Dark Lord then realized that the ferry had reached the city. He had been so focused on avoiding the knight's swords that he had failed to notice the docking on the outskirts of the walled city.

The Dark Lord watched the wizard warily as he approached.

"How is young Maia, Master Merlin? Were you able to rescue her?" the wizard asked, smiling.

The Dark Lord's throat went dry.

"I'm sorry, Grand Wizard, but you must have mistaken me for someone else," he replied, trying his best to look confused.

The wizard studied him for a long moment.

"You are wearing the same armour. No longer an elf, but a human," the old man said.

"Oh, you must be referring to Master Merlin. He is an elf. I paid him a commission to make me this armour." The Dark Lord tried very hard to look sincere.

"And may I know your name, young man?" the wizard asked, staring straight into his eyes.

"I go by the name Sun Tzu, Grand Wizard." The Dark Lord held his composure.

Then he saw the old man's eyes twitch into a smile before he suddenly roared with laughter.

"Tell me, Master Sun—have you studied under the tutelage of this Professor Dumbledore too?" the old man asked in between laughter.

"Yes, I'm one of his students," the Dark Lord replied stubbornly. Let him chew on that, Muggle. Haha!

The wizard continued laughing.

"I'd like to meet this Professor Dumbledore one day," he snickered.

"I'm afraid that's not possible, since the Professor already passed away," the Dark Lord said, doing his best to sound solemn.

"Oh, Master Sun, I'm sorry to hear that. I had many questions for him," the wizard replied seriously.

Then he started walking toward the ship's ramp and beckoned the Dark Lord to follow.

"Never mind. I'll find out about your professor soon enough. Come join me. I assume you haven't been here before. Let me show you the tavern that serves the best ale and food in this city."

More Chapters