Chapter 308: The Black Star's Hilt

  The letter was placed at the entrance of the passage. It was from Lancelot.

  It has been some time since we last met. Your progress has been a thousand miles in a single day, which truly makes me sigh in admiration. My young apprentice, Talise, was under your care along the way, and you helped her considerably. I am extremely grateful. However, some of her actions have long been intolerable for her status as a knight, so I have brought her back to Celeste for punishment. The item taken from you is also in Celeste, kept safe and sound. Please come and retrieve it at your convenience.

  The letter was not written on letter paper; it's impossible for Temple Knights to carry such things. It was a shroud found casually in Valthor's cabin, written with some unknown juice. However, the wording was concise, the handwriting vigorous and flowing, with an extraordinary bearing.

  "Awaiting my visit at any time? How boring, this knightly spirit. If he knew I held the item Moriel was preparing to send them, I wonder if he would still be so welcoming?" Ethan smiled, dropped the letter, and began to chant an incantation toward the pile of burning corpses. Blue waves of light flowed in his hands, and the corpses that had been burning began to move.

  These corpses were undoubtedly left here by Valthor to act as automatic guards. They were the bodies of high-level warriors who had died in the perennial battles between Nighon and Celeste. After Valthor's treatment, their abilities were in no way inferior to when they were alive. It was just a pity they encountered the Temple Knights who had emerged from the passage. The white magic, which had been useless in the dragon's lair, was vented to the fullest upon these undead.

  The flames on the corpses automatically extinguished themselves. The burnt parts fell off on their own, and the muscles and flesh fused and mixed with each other. Although they had been damaged by white magic, these corpses were, after all, made by Valthor and were still excellent vessels for Necromancy.

  Following the incantation, a huge monster formed from these corpses took shape. With Ethan's magical control ability, it was still far from possible to create a form that could fly. This was a horse-shaped corpse monster the size of a rhinoceros.

  High in the sky, a crow was circling overhead. It watched the movements below, its gaze following the huge corpse monster as it carried Ethan and the two Death Knights, flying swiftly across the desolate ground of Nighon, leaving a trail of dust mixed with the heavy stench of death and burning flesh.

  "What did you write to him?" The text on the cloth could not be seen from within the crystal ball. The Pope looked at Lancelot.

  "I only wrote inviting him to come to The Radiant Citadel," Lancelot answered.

  "Oh, I didn't know you had such literary flair. It would be good if he really came. I truly wish to meet this person in the flesh. To be able to save Moriel, I am indeed becoming more and more interested in him," the Pope said without expression.

  When Lancelot had just returned via the teleportation array, His Holiness the Pope was in the great hall with Cardinal Inham, observing the scene within the crystal ball.

  "As Your Majesty commanded, Purgatory of Paradise was successfully used while the Minotaur, Drow, and other races were in internal strife. The power in Nighon has been heavily damaged. However, the mission to kill Moriel failed. There were some unforeseen events; someone intervened and rescued Moriel."

  "What? Someone intervened? Who?" Lancelot's report first made the Pope's face show joy, then it quickly switched to astonishment.

  "The person Your Majesty once told me to bring here." From the moment he entered, the person Lancelot's gaze rested on the most was not His Majesty the Pope, but the Cardinal beside him. "That person might appear at a graveyard on the surface of Nighon, where a Necromancer seems to live, but he isn't there now... Your Eminence should know where that is, correct? Please, would you cast a spell to take a look?"

  Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

  When Ethan's figure appeared in the crystal ball, the Pope and Cardinal Inham both gasped in surprise at the same time.

  "Please rest assured, Your Majesty. He will definitely come here."

  "Oh? Why?" the Pope was slightly taken aback.

  "There is naturally a reason, but as for that reason..." Lancelot looked at Cardinal Inham. "It would be better if Your Eminence would step aside for a moment."

  The Cardinal smiled gracefully and was about to take a step when the Pope spoke: "There's no need. There is no need to hide anything from the Cardinal."

  "Your subordinate understands," Lancelot nodded. "But before that, I must first report to Your Majesty an unexpected incident that occurred during our battle with Moriel, and I would also like the Cardinal to hear it."

  The Paladin's expression was very calm; there was no difference from his usual demeanor in his voice, tone, or bearing, but both the Pope and the Cardinal knew that something uncalm lurked beneath this calm. Especially when Lancelot seemed to move very casually, very naturally, getting a little closer to the Cardinal.

  The Cardinal's eyebrow twitched slightly. He glanced at Lancelot, his handsome smile still on his face.

  His Majesty the Pope's gaze also flickered with slight astonishment between the Cardinal and Lancelot. He nodded and said, "Then go on."

  "Yes." Lancelot's face remained calm. "It was just as Cardinal Inham told us before. Moriel was indeed extremely weak due to the damaged seal, and we did gain the upper hand in the battle with her... But just as we were fighting Moriel, a Minotaur priest suddenly ambushed us. He used scrolls. One Gravity Field, one Spatial Lock, two Fire Elemental Summonings, and also Blazing Might Shot and Thunderblast Bomb..."

  "Oh?" It was the Pope and Cardinal Inham who cried out in surprise at the same time, their eyes meeting.

  "The way these scrolls were used, the timing, the methods—it was all seamless. I have to say, if that person hadn't suddenly appeared to disrupt the situation, I and a few others would have absolutely not made it back. Even so, Knight Yolande died in the Gravity Field... Your Majesty, these scrolls are definitely not something the Minotaurs could possess on their own."

  The Pope nodded slightly. "I know. Even Celeste does not have Spatial Lock and Gravity Field..."

  "Furthermore, the combination and usage of these scrolls were meticulously calculated and highly targeted. I have reason to believe this was aimed at us..." Lancelot was speaking while looking at Cardinal Inham.

  The Cardinal was still smiling, but it had become a bitter smile.

  "There's no need to say more." The Pope raised a hand to signal, speaking lightly. His tone was flat, and his expression was stable.

  "Yes." Lancelot nodded, closed his mouth, and withdrew his gaze from the Cardinal.

  The Pope raised his head, looked at the ceiling and thought for a moment, then spoke only when he lowered his head again: "It's probably Sedros... He traveled the continent in his early years, so it's not strange that he has connections with the Minotaurs. Moreover, Oufu now has the largest source of magical gems on the continent and has ties with the Tower of Fangs. Two or three scrolls are just a small matter. Most importantly..." The Pope smiled slightly. "I trust Cardinal Inham."

  "Thank you, Your Majesty," Cardinal Inham nodded and bowed.

  "Your Majesty sees with piercing clarity; all is within your grasp." Lancelot turned to the Cardinal, bowed, and performed a gesture of apology. "I am sorry, Your Eminence. Please forgive my presumption."

  The Cardinal still had a bitter smile. He shook his head and said, "I was the one who proposed this matter in the first place, and I was the one who made the initial contact with the Minotaurs. For you to draw such a conclusion is completely logical and reasonable, Lord Lancelot."

  The Pope spoke: "Alright, now tell me why that young man will definitely come here."

  "Because, by a fortunate coincidence, I snatched this item from him. I believe he will definitely come to take it back." Lancelot took out the small pouch he had obtained from Ethan.

  "This is..." The Pope and Cardinal Inham were both stunned at the same time. Lancelot loosened the rope at the pouch's opening a little, and a faint aura seeped out.

  Although the aura was faint, the expressions of both the Pope and Cardinal Inham changed drastically. They were both people of deep cunning, long since having mastered the art of not revealing their emotions.

  "This aura... could it be... it must be..." The Pope reached out and took the pouch, slowly untying the rope on it. His hand was trembling. When the pouch was opened, the Pope's hand supported the bottom, and a black cylinder flew out of the opening. A faint, yet all-pervasive and irresistible aura instantly filled every inch of the space.

  "Yes, this is it." The Cardinal's expression gradually changed from horror to calm. He also stared unblinkingly at the hilt floating in mid-air, his face expressionless.

  "This... is this the legendary The Black Star, sufficient to change the world and make one a Lich King? This fluctuation, this aura... it truly cannot be resisted by human power." The hilt did not fall, but remained floating in the air, controlled by air magic. However, the Pope's gaze only rested on the hilt for a moment before sliding down to the small ring fitted on its lower end. "Heh heh, it's been some twenty years since I've seen this thing. I never thought I'd one day see it fitted on the hilt of The Black Star."

  "Legend says that whoever can grasp this can possess the power to change the world..." The Pope looked at the hilt. His gaze had always been steady and deep. Though it might have ripples, the deepest part of his heart was forever unmoving, immeasurable. But now, what surged up was the thing from the very depths.

  This was, after all, a legendary artifact, the thing countless strong beings dreamed of. And now it was right here, within reach. No one could not be excited. However, this look of excitement ultimately just streaked across the Pope's eyes like a meteor and then vanished.