Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 324 Royal Family

As the sun sets, the gorgeous sunset dyes the sky into a gorgeous crimson, flowing freely across the sky like spilled wine.

Atop the towering tower of Stonecrush, the window lattices of the crystal cottage reflected the sunset light, casting dappled shadows on the ground. The dark red puppy crouched by the campfire, while salamander meat simmered in a cauldron, bubbling and bubbling, the rising steam mingled with the aroma of spicy spices.

Caesars rotated the fish on the grill. The golden skin had already peeled back, revealing the snow-white flesh. The fat dripped onto the charcoal, sizzling, and a rich, fresh aroma drifted on the wind. The puppy's nose twitched constantly, its scarlet eyes darting back and forth as it followed the roasting fish, its saliva dampening its chest fur.

"Listen up, you greedy dog!" Caesars shouted hoarsely, his black magic robe still stained with grease. "I'm going to Greystone Castle to pick up some magic steel weapons." As he spoke, he swiftly cut off a grilled fish, and the dark golden short knife flashed a cold light in the twilight. "Eat some first to fill your stomach, and I'll grill some more when I come back..."

Before he finished speaking, he threw a piece of fish tail. The puppy's hind legs suddenly exerted force, and its entire body leaped up like a spring, carving a perfect arc in the air. Its barbed tongue wrapped around its prey, and its sharp canine teeth bit down with a "crack." The still steaming fish tail instantly disappeared into its bloody mouth. As it landed, it let out a satisfied "wow," and its stubby, powerful tail slapped the bluestone slabs with a "slap, snap."

Caesars sat down at the oak table, carrying a silver tray. He pulled a bottle of Fire Maple Wine from his interspatial ring. A fine froth rose as the amber liquor poured into the carved crystal glass. He caught sight of the puppy gazing longingly at the bottle, so he deliberately shook it and then withdrew the crystal bottle. The puppy snorted in disappointment, then thrust its wet nose into the wind, chasing the increasingly rich aroma of meat from the stewpot.

In the distance, the last ray of sunset glow was being swallowed up by the dusk, and the outline of the Gravel Castle gradually disappeared into the deep blue night.

As night fell, Caesars had finished his dinner. Standing atop Gravel Fort, he surveyed the ever-flowing Emerald River, his cold gaze sweeping across the gradually brightening lights on the opposite bank—those were the lights of the Greystone Fort's defenders enjoying their dinner. A sneer curled his lips, and the elemental wings behind him rapidly coalesced, swirling dark elements interweaving into magical feathers. Now was the perfect time to "enliven" the Saint Laurents.

As he finished chanting a few obscure incantations, Caesars's body was illuminated by several magical auras—Eagle Vision enhanced his vision, Magic Armor and Magic Shield protected him from attack, and Levitation reduced the magicka consumption of flight. He flapped his wings, but instead of swooping down on the enemy camp, he ascended slowly with a graceful yet dangerous grace. The night wind rustled his robes.

Caesars knew full well that while Greystone Castle's fearsome magic pattern crossbows and dragon's breath magic cannons could fire into the air, their mechanical limitations limited their maximum elevation angle to thirty degrees. The vertical climb he had chosen was an absolute blind spot for these deadly weapons.

When Caesars climbed to a height of five hundred meters, the Greystone Fort's watchtower finally spotted the uninvited guest. A shrill alarm instantly ripped through the night sky, and the defenders, dining at the feast, dropped their utensils and rushed to the city walls. Countless pairs of frightened eyes gazed up at the figure, gleaming with elemental light in the moonlight, as if they were looking at a falling star.

Two dark shadows shot out from beneath the leaden clouds like javelins hurled by the god of death, plummeting rapidly with a chilling whimper. The sound of them breaking through the air was initially like the hum of a bee, then instantly transformed into a rumble like muffled thunder.

"Run! It's a siege rock!"

A scarred veteran suddenly roared at the top of his lungs, his pupils reflecting the two growing shadows. The entire rooftop of Greystone Castle suddenly erupted in chaos, but it was too late—the speed of the falling boulders far exceeded the speed of the humans escaping.

With two deafening explosions, the entire castle seemed to be struck by a giant's fist. The first boulder pierced the solid dome, sending shards flying like rolling stones, sweeping down a swarm of soldiers. The second boulder followed, smashing into the watchtower, piercing through six floors, carrying with it five or six screaming defenders, before exploding into a cloud of dust mingled with flesh and blood.

Before the survivors could recover from the shock, a dozen ochre-colored "flowers" suddenly bloomed in the sky—a cluster of hurled pottery jars. These half-man-high vessels exploded upon impact, sending a thick, reddish-brown liquid scattering like the tongues of a venomous snake. A pungent odor of sulfur filled the air, and several soldiers unfortunate enough to be splashed screamed in fear.

"It's flaming oil! Quickly withdraw from the city wall!"

The commander's voice had changed tone. But it was too late. A dozen melon-sized objects fell from the sky again. Explosions echoed, and the incendiary oil quickly ignited, transforming a large area into a roiling sea of ​​fire.

Kaisas hovered above the Greystone Castle, his dark eyes coldly observing the flames below. In the firelight, most of the guards, clad only in simple leather armor or linen clothing, fled in panic amid the chaos. But one middle-aged man with a carefully trimmed beard and dressed in a silver silk robe stood out. He waved his arms, issuing orders to the guards around him. His ornate attire and the gold-studded sword at his waist betrayed his noble status.

"It's him!"

An excited smile played on Kaisas's lips. This man was clearly a commander, his equipment far superior to others'. He was the perfect captive to bring back to Stonecrush Castle. He slowly lowered his altitude, his elemental wings casting a sinister shadow in the firelight.

As the spell was chanted, several shadowy arrows gathered in Caesar's palm. These magical arrows, shimmering green and trailing gray-green trails, poured down like a torrential rain. The sound of arrows piercing leather armor and the sizzling sound of flesh being pierced echoed one after another. Amidst the repeated screams, the guards fell one after another.

In the midst of this chaos, Caesar suddenly noticed a red magical barrier flickering through the smoke. The middle-aged noble in the silk robes activated a protective spell and stumbled back to the top platform of Greystone Castle. To Caesar's surprise, this seemingly powerful commander neither organized a counterattack nor bravely sacrificed his life. Instead, he turned and fled in terror, his regal silver robes fluttering as he ran, like a frightened rabbit.

Flames devoured every inch of the war fortress like a wild beast, and thick smoke billowed upward, tinting the night sky a dark crimson. Caesars stood amid the burning ruins, his black robes rustling in the heat. He casually kicked the middle-aged man at his feet, afflicted by a double curse—a weakness that left him limp as mud, and a fatigue curse that drained his last ounce of strength.

"Want to run?"

Caesar sneered, and with a flick of his slender fingers, an invisible mage's hand forcibly yanked the stumbling figure back. The middle-aged man fell to the charred ground like a rag doll. Before he could struggle, Caesar had already casually cast a binding spell. Mysterious magical patterns flickered in the air, transforming into invisible shackles that bound his prey.

Illuminated by the blazing fire, Caesar's magical wings spread out, dark purple runes swirling across the jet-black feathers. As he leaned over to pick up the scattered magic steel weapons, the hem of his robe rustled across the scorched earth. In the distance, the frantic cries of Saint Laurent's soldiers could be heard, but they were too busy extinguishing the flames to pay any attention to the hunt unfolding on the rooftop.

"Quiet!"

Caesars frowned and hurled a curse, the middle-aged man's terrified scream choking in his throat. He lifted the trophy and soared into the air, his wings piercing the smoky night sky. Behind them, the flames of Greystone Castle lit up the river like molten lava.

Across the river, on the rubble fortress wall, a plump puppy anxiously pawed at the stone bricks. Its wet nose twitched, its short tail swaying like a metronome. The old wizard Quinn's bony fingers clenched tightly around his staff, his cloudy eyes blazing with excitement. His wrinkled face flushed with excitement as the familiar dark figure streaked across the Emerald River.

"boom!"

Caesars landed in front of the crystal hut and casually tossed his captive to the ground. The puppy, fangs bared, pounced, its fleshy paws tugging at the middle-aged man's robes, growling menacingly. The moment he folded his elemental wings, dark elements scattered like smoke. He roughly yanked the storage ring from the captive's finger, its face gleaming dark red in the moonlight.

"Old Quinn, this fish should be fat enough!"

Caesars walked over to the oak lounge chair and dropped the magic steel weapon he had picked up at his feet. He snapped his fingers lazily, and the puppy darted to his feet, wagging its tail.

The old wizard crouched, trembling, his dry, branch-like fingers tracing the gold embroidery on the captive's ornate robes. When he saw the interwoven emblems, he suddenly let out a raspy laugh like an owl. "The coat of arms of the House of Saint Laurent. Caesars, you've caught a big fish!"

The recliner creaked, and Caesars scratched the puppy's chin nonchalantly: "Put down the magic crystal, and you can take the person away."

He cast his gaze toward the increasingly bright fire on the other side of the river, a cruel arc curling up at the corner of his mouth. The puppy rolled over at his feet, revealing its furry belly.

The fire in the massive war fortress burning in the distance had dwindled considerably. Like the rubblestone fort, the graystone fort was designed with fire prevention in mind, using a very low percentage of wood. Furthermore, a generous amount of sand and soil was prepared on each floor, all for firefighting.

"This is one thousand high-level magic crystals!"

Old Quinn produced an oak box. When the lid opened, the unique blue light of the magic crystal shone. He placed the box respectfully on the coffee table beside the recliner and then picked up the cast iron teapot. The amber-colored tea drew a graceful arc in the air and poured steadily into the crystal teacup in front of Caesars.

"Old Quinn, you are a member of the Roland royal family and the cousin of the old emperor. You are a true prince. How can you do such a thing as serving tea and water?"

Caesars swirled his teacup, and the reflection of the black tea revealed the old wizard's wrinkled face. He remembered what the eagle-eyed man had told him: this seemingly ordinary old man had three lines of titles after his name.

The cuffs of Old Quinn's wizard robes brushed against the coffee table, making a rustling sound. "It's just a cup of tea, don't bring up those useless identities." He waved his hand, causing the Grand Mage badge on his chest to jingle. "The Imperial Family is a terrifyingly large family. The princes within three generations of direct lineage who have no real power could fill the entire Rose Hall at the Harvest Festival banquet. You've rendered such great service to the Roland Empire that even His Majesty the Emperor himself would be the one pouring the tea!"

He suddenly straightened his hunched back, his bony fingers making simple strokes across his chest as he gave Caesars a standard mage's salute. As he turned, the gust of air from his robe sent petals flying from the coffee table. Several investigative officers wearing eagle-eye insignias immediately emerged from the shadows of the corridor. They used specially crafted ropes to bind the frail middle-aged man into a cocoon-like shape and, together, carried him away.

"Caesars, find everything on him that shows his identity. We need to contact the Saint Laurent royal family."

Old Quinn bent down to pick up the fallen magic steel sword. The silver wire wrapped around the hilt shone brightly in the sunlight. The old man had disappeared through the top floor entrance, leaving only the scent of incense from his robe.

Caesars kicked the dozing puppy at his feet. "Did you see that, you idiot? I risked my life to catch a big fish." The puppy's ears twitched, and it looked up, blinking its innocent eyes. "When they used this Saint Laurent royal family to extort a fortune, these thousand magic crystals wouldn't even be a fraction of what they were worth."

Caesars stood atop the towering walls of Greystone Castle, the biting north wind bringing gusts of chill and ripping at his cloak. He narrowed his eyes, his mind replaying Polly's bold proposal—the plan to capture the Saint of the Church of Saint Laurent. His thoughts drifted to the distant future: Depero of Violet City, who feared he would not live long, and his elderly student, Barov.

There was a whining sound at his feet. The dark red puppy was rubbing its head against his boots. Caesars looked down at the greedy fellow with a smile on his face. He squatted down and scratched the puppy's chin with his rough fingers.

"You damn dog, we must work hard to become stronger and capture the Saint of the Saint Laurent Church as soon as possible!"

Upon hearing this, the puppy's ears perked up, its jaws wide open, revealing sharp white fangs. For this demonic beast from the abyss, growing stronger was simple and crude—all it had to do was devour food imbued with elemental energy.

Kaisas stood up and looked around the noisy Rubble Castle.

"I can't stay here anymore. The constant comings and goings of people in Stonebreak Castle will easily distract me from my cultivation!"

He felt the storage rings in his pocket; all eight were brimming with treasure. Earl Soren's accumulated wealth needed to be cashed out quickly, and more importantly, he needed to recover the "legacy" buried by old Garlon. Thinking of the oak forest, over ten miles from his territory, Caesar's eyes darkened. After all, it wasn't part of his fiefdom, and the thought of the buried treasure had always haunted him.

"It's time to return to the territory. First, we need to dig out Old Garlon's treasure, and then the gold bricks buried by Earl Soren. When spring comes, we'll go to Fire Maple City and sell everything to get enough magic crystals. We need to buy a few hundred barrels of Fire Maple wine. I promised Black Pearl!"

Caesars tightened his cloak, as the south was about to enter the rainy season.