78 Winter Snow, Sudden Thunder Part 1 (2/2)
Some anger could not be calmed with reason. No matter how cold it was, the fire in his chest could not be put out.
Viscountess Lex said slowly, ”If what you want is revenge, you will have time. My men have checked. Sufonso has already trained to the level of swordsmaster. He will live long.”
Only then did Saleen raise his head and gave a cold laugh, saying, ”I was afraid he would die too early and would not wait for my return.”
Viscountess Lex looked at Saleen’s face. It was a face that had been stripped of its innocence. He did not look like a youth at all. Saleen’s blue eyes were like two frozen ponds, freezing everything in his sight.
A loud boom resouned as sounds of thunder came from outside the window
Winter snow, sudden thunder.
”Viscountess, is there anything else?” Saleen could not control his anger and could only ask questions to distract himself from the sinking feeling in his heart. He knew that with his current abilities, he would not be a match for Earl Sufonso at all. However, this hatred needed to be dealt with by himself and he would never ask for the help of anyone else.
Even his teacher could not defeat Earl Sufonso. If he wanted to exact his revenge personally, he would need to be at least a sorcerer. However, with his feelings of frustration, how could he continue training? If this hatred was not quelled, it would be impossibly difficult to become a grand mage, much less a sorcerer.
”There’s even more bad news. Do you want to hear it?”
Saleen nodded. What could be worse than this?
”This isn’t something that simple. Saleen, your teacher is from the Qin Empire. It could be a small or big matter that he went to Yaoyang City to kill Sufonso. If it was something small, then he went after him to exact revenge for you. If It was something big, then it is the same as a mage from the Qin Empire assassinating a wealthy person from Sikeqinya. Sufonso had already convinced the emperor of Sikeqinya to send troops over to the Qin Empire.
”That is impossible.” Even though Saleen was mad, he had regained some sense. Going to war with another country for an earl?
”It is impossible. That’s what makes it troublesome. Think, why would Sufonso do something that dumb?”
Under the guidance of Viscountess Lex, Saleen thought of the unimaginable.
”There is a someone inciting all of this?”
”Manipulating. This is nothing out of the ordinary.” Viscountess Lex’s expression was somber as she said, ”The one manipulating all of this definitely isn’t from Sikeqinya. Yaoyang City is a harbor city with prosperous trade. Sufonso has money and troops, and this makes him a good target to manipulate. Even though there is no concrete information, only one force would be able to do something like this.”
The sacred Holy See!
The answer was right in their faces and Saleen needed to be dumb to not have thought of it. A third of the trade between Sikeqinya and Taggulasi was by sea routes. Yaoyang City had a large volume of trade with the Taggulasi Empire and it would not have been difficult for Earl Sufonso to gang up with the Holy See.
If the Holy See was involved, it would be harder for him to exact his revenge. Saleen thought back to the white deacon that he had met at the Chaotic Swamp. He seemed impossible to surpass. Every time he had thought back to Picasso, Saleen had not been able to stop himself from feeling frustrated. This time, an immense strength filled his heart instead.
Magic. Only magic can be depended upon. Saleen thought back to what the sorcerer had said: Give me enough time, and I can even split a gold swordsmaster in half.
Viscountess Lex was appalled to see the coldness leave Saleen’s eyes. It had completely disappeared, and had not been disguised. Even though Saleen was no longer as gentle as he had been in the past, he now possessed an air of determination.
”Saleen, do you intend to stay or leave?” Viscountess Lex asked cautiously. She did not want to use this opportunity to impose anything onto him. Even though Saleen was a gifted mage, Viscountess Lex had her own pride as well.
”If I stay, what do I need to do?” Saleen was well aware that the viscountess had never trusted him before this. Only now was she truly letting him join her team of mages. If he wanted to quickly improve his skills, he could not do it without any guidance. His teacher was missing and there were no one else he could turn to for guidance, aside from Faerun and the sorcerer.
”Actually, I don’t need you to do anything. For all these years, Bitter Water Prefecture has been open to all mages.”
Saleen gave a forced laugh and said, ”I cannot stay here for free, can I?”
”That magic nucleus is enough to feed you for a few years.” Viscountess Lex’s voice was gentle and yet it disgusted Saleen. That must have been the style of the wealthy. No, Lex was not a member of the wealthy, she was a royal.
”Actually, I just have a small request, or perhaps you could call it a wish. If you do stay, if any trouble befalls Bitter Water Prefecture in the future, I hope you all stand on our side.”
”You all?”
”Yes, us. All the mages in Bitter Water Prefecture swear an oath to protect this city.”