Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 348 Timely Revenge

At dusk two weeks later, Caesars returned to the Rose Castle, exhausted. His black cloak was still stained with dust, clearly from his uninterrupted journey. As he passed through the familiar archway, before the guards could even salute, he had already disappeared onto the stone path of the garden.

The grape arbor in the backyard cast dappled shadows in the twilight. Three elderly men in loose linen robes sat around a round oak table. Depero's bony fingers caressed a wooden wine glass, while the other two huddled together in whispers. Scattered on the table, parchment scrolls and a few shimmering divination coins hinted at the secrets they had been discussing.

"Depero, who sent the assassin?"

Caesar's voice, like a sharp sword drawn from its sheath, cleaved the courtyard's warmth. He stood at the edge of the grape arbor, his figure, backlit by the sunlight, casting a long shadow on the ground. The three elders looked up simultaneously, their cloudy eyes reflecting the tense jawline of the young man.

Depero slowly placed the glass back on the table, the beer creating tiny ripples on the sides. "An ascetic," his graying beard trembled slightly with each word. "To be more precise, a gilder of the monastery. His family believes that the missing members of their clan died at your hands, so they sent assassins to the castle to vent their anger."

Caesars suddenly grinned, a smile that gave his handsome features a sinister edge. He stroked the soul gem at his waist. The gem, which should have been radiant and lustrous, now looked as dull as a common pebble. "Just right," he said, his fingertips tapping the gem's surface with a crisp sound. "I've found the soul energy I was missing. Tell me the name and location of that gilded family."

The last rays of the setting sun passed through the grapevines, casting a few blood-red spots on the stone slabs.

Depero looked at Caesars, whose eyes were slightly red with anger, as he hurried over. He said solemnly, "The Yinhui Family has its roots in the Holy City. Not only is their influence immense, they also possess powerful defenses. I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to exact effective revenge on them!"

After hearing this, Caesars sneered, his fingers gently stroking his storage ring, his eyes flashing dangerously. "Depero, do you think I can't do anything to them? You may not know that my ring contains over 800 alchemical bombs—each one of them comes from the Church of Saint Laurent."

He paced slowly, his voice low and cold. "Some of these alchemical bombs were looted from the bodies of the Saint Laurent mercenaries, who all perished in the Endless Forest. The other part came from over three hundred assassins of the Saint Laurent Church, who were ambushed in the Yellowstone Mountains, and none of them escaped alive."

Caesar paused, his eyes sweeping over Depero, Barov, and Wrathio, a sinister smile playing on his lips. "There's one more thing you probably don't know—those assassins carry black water from the Bitterwater Farm's underground caverns. Just one drop can turn an ordinary person into a ghoul within a day."

Depero's face paled instantly. He knew the horrors of Blackwater better than anyone. He had seen those twisted, deformed monsters firsthand and heard the heartbreaking cries of their victims. Barov and Wrathion also gasped. They had heard too many tales of Bitterwater Farm; no one wanted to be tainted by such evil.

Caesars said nothing more. After asking for the other party's family name, he turned and left. The "holy city" Depero mentioned was none other than Saint Laurent City, the capital of the Saint Laurent Empire. It was heavily guarded. If Caesars rashly entered, not only would his revenge be difficult, he might even mistake his target.

But this didn't stop him. Caesars clenched his fists, his eyes burning with cold fury. He decided to go to Saint Laurent City himself and make those who dared to provoke the Rose Castle understand that there were some prices they couldn't afford.

As night fell, Caesars' figure glided across the Emerald River like a ghost. Revenge, in a matter of swiftness, required terrifying ruthlessness. He intended to unleash a bloody storm in Saint Laurent City, a lesson for all to remember.

Under the cold moonlight, Caesars advanced alone. He hadn't brought the fat dog with him this time—its dark red fur was too striking, making it stand out among the demon dogs and easily revealing his whereabouts. He needed to sneak in quietly and create the most sensational slaughter possible.

The first stop was the ashram by the Emerald River. Caesars swept through like a whirlwind of death, leaving only corpses wherever his blade passed. Even before the wailing had faded, the soul gem at his waist glowed brightly, brimming with fresh soul energy. It wasn't enough, far from enough.

Under cover of darkness, he sped south. Along the way, an ornate carriage caught his eye. Caesars, grinning, stopped it and roughly dumped the terrified noble inside onto the muddy roadside. The spacious carriage was just what he wanted—comfortable and respectable, yet less likely to arouse suspicion.

As the next day's sunset painted the sky crimson, Caesars's carriage had already stopped outside Saint Laurent. The relentless travels had left him in a trance, the world seemingly spinning. He narrowed his bloodshot eyes, gazing at the towering city walls in the distance. Perfect timing. In this chaotic twilight, even the direction was indistinguishable; it was the perfect time to create chaos.

After resting for about an hour, Caesars took advantage of this rare leisure time to take out a few pieces of cheese and dried meat from his interspatial ring and quickly fill his stomach with water. Although the dry food had long been cold and hard, it was enough to replenish his exhausted physical strength.

After a brief rest, he dug into the potion pouch at his waist and pulled out three crystal bottles of varying luster: an amber potion of vitality, an emerald potion of agility, and a silver potion of swiftness. Without hesitation, he uncorked the bottles and downed the three magical potions, each with its own distinct properties. Suddenly, a warm current spread from his stomach throughout his body. Fatigue receded like a tide, and every limb was filled with surging strength.

As the last rays of sunset sank below the horizon, Caesars activated his elemental wings. These wings, condensed from dark elements, were barely perceptible in the twilight, carrying him silently over the towering walls of Saint Laurent City. He precisely avoided the magical detection wards atop the walls, gliding like a ghost toward the inner city. Just as he was about to land at the edge of the noble district, a patrol of torch-bearing guards passed by. Caesars, hiding in the shadows, waited for the group to turn a corner before suddenly striking. A massive, transparent hand composed of magical energy materialized from thin air and, with lightning speed, yanked the young guard at the rear of the group into the darkness.

"Do you know the way to the Silver House?" Caesars asked in a low voice, the magic blade in his hand flashing dangerously, the cold blade pressing against the guard's trembling throat. He could feel the young man trembling in his arms, his body as stiff as a block of wood under his leather armor. "You'd better know the way," Caesars leaned closer, his hot breath blowing on the other's pale face, "otherwise you're worthless!"

This unfortunate guard was clearly a new recruit; Caesars could even smell the cheap ale on him. He shook his head secretly—he had been reluctant to attack such a small-time figure, but tonight's revenge had to be foolproof.

"Recognize!"

The guard stammered, his Adam's apple rolling under the blade. "The Silver House is in the noble district up ahead! Turn right at the third intersection east..." His voice was as soft as a mosquito's, afraid to alert his already distant companions. Caesars could clearly hear the rapid beating of his heart in his chest, as violent as a frightened rabbit. The young man was wise. He neither foolishly resisted nor tried to call for help—he knew full well that any rash action against a high-ranking mage who could manipulate the elements would be suicidal.

"Lead the way." Caesars loosened his grip slightly, but the magic blade remained pressed against the man's carotid artery. "Remember, no tricks." He deliberately let the blade glow with a hint of magical fluorescence, illuminating the guard's terrified face. "As long as we reach the gate of the Silver Light Family, I swear in the name of magic that you can leave alive."

The young guard nodded hurriedly as if he had been pardoned, the metal buckles of his leather armor making subtle clanging sounds as he moved. Under the threat of death, his only thought at the moment was to bring this terrifying magician to his destination as quickly as possible and then escape from this nightmare without looking back.

The night was as dark as ink, and the streets of the aristocratic district were silent, with only the sound of two footsteps echoing softly on the cobblestones. The young guard walked hurriedly, yet he dared not go too fast, fearing the displeasure of the mysterious mage behind him. He occasionally glanced behind him—the tall figure draped in a darkly patterned magic robe was always there, its hem swaying slightly with each step, shimmering a faint blue in the moonlight.

Less than a quarter of an hour later, the guard stopped at a fork in the road. Raising a slightly trembling hand, he pointed to a nearby manor surrounded by a towering wall. Moonlight shone on the wall, faintly visible inlaid with a special type of fluorite, forming a massive emblem—a silver crescent moon surrounded by stars, emitting a faint fluorescence in the darkness.

"Sir, this is the Yinhui family..." The guard said in a low voice, fearing to alert the nearby guards. "Look, there's their family emblem on the wall, made of moonstone..."

Caesars narrowed his eyes, his gaze piercing the designs on the wall. He slowly raised his left hand and withdrew a metal badge from his interspatial ring—a relic found on the assassin's body. The badge's surface was engraved with the same crescent moon and stars, gleaming a cold silver in the moonlight. He carefully compared them, confirming they were correct, and a sneer curled his lips.

"Very good." He put away the badge and waved to the guard without turning his head. His voice was low and cold. "You, leave quickly, leave quietly - don't let me see you again."

As if granted amnesty, the young guard hastily retreated a few steps, then turned and slipped into the alley, his figure quickly disappearing into the darkness. Caesars didn't spare him a second glance, but instead slowly raised his head and gazed at the towering wall before him. In the moonlight, a cold glint flashed in the depths of his eyes, as if he had locked onto his prey.

Caesars stood in the shadows, his gaze sweeping across the scene before him like a hawk. The gate, forged of thick ironwood and intricately etched with emblems, was now tightly shut. Four heavily armed guards stood before it, statuesque. They wore plate armor forged from fine steel. Their eyes, gleaming warily from beneath their helmets, the longswords dangling from their waists gleamed coldly in the moonlight.

His lips curled slightly, a trace of magic gathering at his fingertips. As space distorted slightly, his figure vanished instantly, and the next moment, he was standing firmly atop the high wall. The warning runes inscribed on the bricks didn't even have time to flicker before they were blocked by the interference spell he had pre-arranged. Caesars muttered an incantation, his figure gradually becoming transparent, eventually blending completely into the night.

Invisible, he surveyed the heavily guarded estate from above. Behind the gates stood several low stone houses. Judging by the number of lights streaming through their windows, there were at least fifty guards stationed there. Inside the walls lay a meticulously manicured lawn and garden, dotted with a few ornamental dwarf trees, no taller than a human adult, apparently to avoid obstructing the view.

At the center of the manor stood a magnificent five-story castle, its Gothic spires casting sinister shadows in the moonlight. The castle's windows were designed to be unusually spacious, yet each was covered with a protective net made of magic steel—those steel bars, each as thick as a finger, gleamed with a faint magical glow, evidently offering strong resistance not only to physical impact but also to magical attacks.

Even more troubling was the presence of three guards with hounds patrolling the castle's perimeter. These hounds were no ordinary breed; their eyes glowed an eerie green in the darkness, their nostrils twitching constantly. They were clearly specially trained demonic dogs, capable of detecting even standard invisibility spells. Caesars narrowed his eyes, his fingers unconsciously stroking the magic dagger at his waist as he rapidly formulated a plan of attack.

Caesars held his breath, silently calculating the pace of the guards' patrols from the shadows atop the wall. The magically enhanced demon dogs walked with a steady pace, their eyes like dancing green flames in the night, their sharp ears twitching constantly, picking up the slightest sound. They led the guards along, patrolling the castle perimeter with precise steps, completing a single circuit in exactly a quarter of an hour.

He knew full well that invisibility spells were useless against these demonic dogs. Even if he used cleansing spells to eliminate body odor, the demonic dogs could still track intruders through the lingering scent. To make matters worse, these guards wore alarm crystals on their waists, and the slightest movement would alert the entire manor's defense system.

As the patrol rounded the southeast corner of the castle, their figures obscured by the towering spire, a gleam flashed in Caesar's eyes. The elemental wings behind him suddenly unfolded. Magical feathers composed of pure dark elements shone with a barely perceptible brilliance in the moonlight. He tapped the wall with his toes and soared into the sky like an arrow, leaving a nearly invisible trail across the night sky.

Caesars carefully controlled his flight altitude, keeping himself within the castle's shadow. He wasn't a bloodthirsty man; his sole purpose was to uncover the mastermind and make the Silver House pay for sending assassins. Killing innocent guards would not only violate his principles, but would also likely alert the true target, potentially giving them time to prepare or escape.

As he neared the castle's summit, he keenly noticed a distinctive window on the fifth floor. While it also featured a magical steel screen, the frame was intricately carved with silver moon patterns, and warm magical light shone through the gaps in the curtains. This was likely the residence of the family's core members. Caesars adjusted his stance and landed lightly on the castle's rooftop terrace, his elemental wings quietly dissipating in the night breeze.