Chapter 53: The Astonishing Magic Thieves

Accompanied by a chime of melodious bells and a flurry of clattering hooves, a pristine white cavalcade burst into everyone’s line of sight.

The manes of the vigorous warhorses were snow-white, and the helmets and armor of the Knights were silver-white. The magnificent tassels fluttering in the air with the rise and fall of the horseback resembled the pure wings of homing pigeons—dazzlingly white and pleasing to the eye.

This squad of completely white-clad Knights swiftly and methodically entered the bazaar. They deftly navigated through the crowds and merchants, looking just like Angels suddenly descending into the chaotic and filthy mortal realm. Without the slightest pause, they swiftly crossed the Igor Family’s field of vision within a few breaths, leaving the market and vanishing into the bustling city streets.

However, from the corner of his eye, Xiahou Yan caught a glimpse of the triangular pennant hoisted high by the leading Knight.

Against a pure white background, there was a red rose that looked as if it were dripping with blood.

Even the Lord, who didn’t understand the political situation of the Empire well, instantly realized that this was the family crest of the Rosario Family of the "Rose Courtyard", one of the Empire’s three Supreme Clans!

This meant that the Lord these stunning white Knights pledged allegiance to was none other than the current number one titan of the Empire’s political arena, the Master of the Eastern Territory’s Rosario domain, the incredibly powerful Grimm Rosario Duke!

The Rosario Duke, who was currently not even forty years old, was not only widely beloved within the Empire but had also earned himself the highly flattering and prestigious moniker, "Blood Splendor"!

There was even a joke among the public that if the Rosario Duke were to duel His Majesty the Emperor, the Emperor would not receive any civilian supporters!

Another rumor claimed that if the Rosario Duke ever truly wanted to commit regicide and usurp the throne, even His Majesty would be helpless to stop him!

This was not only because the Grimm Rosario Duke’s handsome appearance and noble sentiments had brought him sky-high popularity among the people; it was also because the Rosario Duke—who had started as a mere King’s Companion Knight and eventually became the greatest noble of the Eastern Empire—had been the central pillar of the Empire’s eastern front for the past twenty years!

The Empire had long been at war with the barbaric Beastmen of the Eastern "Glory Federation." It was the Rosario Duke who led his personal troops, the "Pure White Brigade," to guard the Empire’s borders steadfastly for two decades. He had repeatedly kept the enemy outside the nation’s gates, turning the tide of battle and single-handedly saving the Empire from the brink of collapse!

It could be said that without the Grimm Rosario Duke, there would be no years of peace for the millions of citizens in the Empire!

It was this middle-aged noble, whose Martial Arts and talents as a Supreme Commander were equally stunning, who held up the backbone of the Empire!

Seeing the Rosario Duke’s army in Yanxi City, which was located in the remote south, Xiahou Yan and Master Laurie couldn’t help but exchange a confused look.

The Rosario Duke was famous for his humility and nobility. He even refused to attend the annual routine court meetings in the Imperial Capital, using urgent military matters as an excuse.

Everyone knew that the heavily armed Rosario Duke did this to avoid suspicion. He deliberately stayed within his own domain in the Eastern Territory and never set foot on other people’s lands, lest he needlessly provoke paranoia!

But why could his personal troops and that world-renowned red rose on a white background be seen in Yanxi City?

Both Master Laurie and the Lord were a bit dumbfounded.

"What do you make of this?" Master Laurie asked, lowering his voice. He felt there had to be something fishy going on.

"Ignore him..." Xiahou Yan pondered for a moment, then gritted his teeth. "We’ll just stick to our plan. I’ve already been exiled to the southern frontier by the Empire anyway; what do the shady dealings between these nobles have to do with me?"

Master Laurie thought about it and agreed. The Igor Family was a political sacrifice whose status had plummeted, living a precarious life in the southern Wilderness. There was indeed no reason for them to recklessly speculate about a powerful great noble of the Eastern Territory. It would be like borrowing trouble; when one’s own bathroom was flooded, who had the mind to care about someone else’s toilet?

Thus, the five members of the Igor Family group proceeded along the road according to their original plan. They soon arrived outside a Monastery in the southwest corner of Yanxi City.

It was late at night, and the pedestrians on the street were thinning out. The five cloaked prospective thieves looked like indistinct shadows to one another.

"Here?" Tom Lawrence’s eyes glazed over slightly. They were currently standing by the corner of the Monastery’s wall. Tom poked his head out slightly and immediately saw the words "Monastery of the Summit of Glory" on a stone landmark.

The fact that the scene of their crime to steal... no, "borrow" the Elf Plants was actually a Monastery bathed in religious radiance made the Guard, who had held the Holy God Faith since childhood, feel a bit uneasy.

"This is it," the Lord sneered. "That Tebili told me that their Mercenary Corps loves to toy with the nuns in the Monasteries. His squad was previously stationed at the ’Holy Mother Flower’ Monastery in the outskirts of the city, while the team transporting the Elf Plants led by the Grand Commander of the ’Desolate Wind’ is stationed right here at this ’Monastery of the Summit of Glory.’ The Houston Duke picked out all these places for them. Using the bodies of these poor little nuns to treat his guests, the Duke doesn’t feel a shred of pity!"

"Son of a bitch, let’s go in right now and slaughter these animals!" Lawrence, whose religious fervor was a bit too intense, was filled with righteous indignation.

However, he seemed completely oblivious to the fact that the only reason he was still alive right now was because of the Forbidden Magic rejected by the Holy God Faith... Moreover, he was the world’s first and only lucky bastard to have been resurrected three times... Faith. Faith was always a messy business.

"Stop, stop!" The mature and prudent Master Laurie hurriedly halted Lawrence’s hot-headed behavior. "Our goal this time is to obtain the Elf Plants and solve our territory’s future food problems! Secrecy is our top priority. Once we’re inside, we avoid fighting if at all possible. If things accidentally blow up and alert the City Defense Army, we won’t even know how we died!"

The intense fear of dying again immediately suppressed Lawrence’s religious fervor.

"It’s up to you, Lord." Master Laurie turned to Xiahou Yan and swallowed hard.

This old man and young man were both seasoned veterans who had branded the creed of "act only after careful planning" onto their very hearts! There was no telling just how many Mercenaries were stationed inside this Monastery of the Summit of Glory. Even though they had specifically chosen to commit the theft late at night when everyone was sleeping, it would be far too foolish to just march straight in while their strongest fighter, Clement, was absent! Right now, the advantage they possessed was not Martial Force, but Magic! A Junior Spirit Element Mage and a Junior Mage protected by an Otherworldly Divine Spirit were the greatest pillars of support for this team!

And on the way to Yanxi City, the Lord had already planned out a complete and feasible strategy with his Chief Mage!

Xiahou Yan glanced at the Master and nodded, feeling a bit nervous himself, before pulling a thin booklet from his robes.

Alice and the Guards were sharp-eyed and saw the words "Shadow Magic Research" boldly written on the cover of the booklet, along with a blood-red "Banned Book" stamp. They strongly suspected that the Lord had packed up and brought back every single banned book from Academy City.