Chapter 197: The Rainstorm

Chapter 197: The Rainstorm

A rainstorm suddenly hit the royal capital of Anya—Lava City—in the evening. Bean-sized raindrops mixed with hail pelted down fiercely. With a pattering sound, the hail bounced and rolled on the ground, making people feel restless. A faint chill rose from it, and the entire capital gradually sank into a bone-piercing cold.

The King of Anya—Andong—stared blankly at the hail outside the window. New messages had arrived from the defense line; the Demon Clan had been wiped out once again. This news, which should have stirred the whole nation into a frenzy, was jointly suppressed by the Royal Family and the Nobles.

The Anya People hated the Demon Clan; after a thousand years of war, this hatred had long been integrated into their Bloodline. The annihilation of the Demon Clan should have been a cause for great joy, but reality made it hard to be happy.

The defense line had completely collapsed, and deserters were increasing by the day. No one stopped them because the ones leading these soldiers to flee were the Knights who were supposed to oversee the battle. These once-brave Warriors ran away in panic like stray dogs. The suppressed news would also spread everywhere with these fleeing soldiers.

Bran! Andong ground out this name through his teeth. The Kingdom was not without a plan targeting this Wizard; in fact, preparations had been made for a long time.

The Scholars had actively approached Anya. Under a tacit understanding, an old scholar named Sean moved into the Royal Palace.

Bran was exposed in Northland City. No matter how tightly he controlled that city, as long as he wanted to keep it open, there would inevitably be loopholes.

According to the information provided by Sean, the Little Wizards in the Northlands had not yet shown extraordinary power . Also, referring to the situation with Wizards in Northland City, Bran was likely an extreme exception. Therefore, as long as this person was eliminated, all future troubles would disappear. Even if it meant starting a war.

It was no secret that the Northlands had a sparse population, which explained why the Northlanders had always kept to themselves; they could not afford heavy casualties. So, as long as the high-level forces of the Northlands were eliminated, they would ultimately have to compromise.

After the Scholars were forced to leave the Northlands, there had been no news from there. To obtain timely and reliable information, infiltration into the Northlands had continued without pause, but with little success.

Although the latest situation in the Northlands could not be understood, the plan had been secretly progressing and actively prepared, targeting that person, that cat, and everything around him, waiting only for the right moment.

The plan was forced to stop because news came from the front line. A young girl had easily killed a squad of cavalry during a battle. Then, taking advantage of the Night, she set fire to the Demon Clan’s camp.

If the Northlands possessed more than one Great Wizard, then an assassination targeting a single individual would be too foolish. The more Great Wizards the Northlands had, the safer they would be. Because harming any one of them would invite retaliation from the others, which would be a disaster.

That’s how a country worked; it prepared various contingency plans in advance for all possible events and people. Every day, various plans died before being born, and new ones constantly emerged. But even if some plans were canceled, someone had to clean up the mess and take responsibility.

It was still possible to clean up the traces now. If that person discovered even the slightest clue, given his style, he would only retaliate in kind. Andong felt some regret; he felt he had been tricked by the Scholars. Now, even if he wanted to erase all traces, it wasn’t so easy. This would be a big trouble. There were very few reliable ways to keep secrets, and the Scholars would not just let themselves be slaughtered.

As new messages kept pouring in, people’s hearts began to waver. The sudden drastic change showed signs of instability within Anya.

…

Sean looked out the window. The hail gradually disappeared, but the raindrops became more intense. He still remembered what Bran looked like back then, that child standing silently before him.

Because he liked him, he had even wanted to pass on his legacy to Bran, so he observed and understood him carefully. He never expected that all this would land him in a difficult situation.

It was all fate! Sean sighed.

What Bran did affected too many people’s interests. Thinking of the jarring title in the messages that came back—Mortal! There must be many more who wanted him dead now. The Royal Families and Nobles of various countries would regard him as an enemy. Bran had really created a big trouble this time.

Things were becoming more and more complicated. After these Wizards completed their studies, how to arrange for them would be a big problem. Those Royal Families and Nobles lifted a rock only to drop it on their own feet. They thought about taking advantage, about obtaining the secrets of the Wizards for their own use, and about crushing Bran after getting everything they needed.

In the end, they found themselves in a dilemma. If they sent them, these Wizards would be affected in unpredictable ways; if they didn’t send them, they would be passively beaten in a few years. Just like the Scholars now, gritting their teeth and cursing in private, but putting on a smiling face in public to send the Wizards for training.

After receiving the latest news from the Anya Defense Line, he felt somewhat frightened. He regretted leaving the Northlands. He had lived in the Northlands for too long, so long that he forgot about the scheming and plotting outside.

Many years had passed since he left the City of Wisdom, and his former foundations were gone. He thought that by making contributions, he would be rewarded and could enjoy his twilight years in peace. He returned to the City of Wisdom to settle his obsession, only to realize that everything had changed.

For now, his life might be safe in the short term. But as Bran was exposed to the public for longer and more people came to understand him, his own usefulness would diminish. When he became completely useless, having participated in these shady matters, how could he possibly have a good ending?

…

Kurt trudged forward with his Attendant against the wind and rain. A group of Knights and soldiers spontaneously followed behind him. His figure looked lonely and could not shelter people from the wind and rain, but after all, he was someone who had escaped alive from the hands of a Great Wizard.

Kurt did not want to pay attention to those behind him. They wouldn’t understand that he had not escaped, but was trapped in a Nightmare. They would only follow him into the Nightmare and sink deeper and deeper.

As he moved forward, gradually leaving the terrifying place behind, he slowly regained his senses and began to think about his current situation.

They had abandoned the Fortress. How could these deserters have a good ending? Flee back to the Royal Capital? That would be seeking death. He stopped and said softly, “We can’t go any further.”

The few people around him gathered closer. “What’s wrong?”

“Are we going back like this?” Kurt asked quietly in return.

The cold rain beat against their faces. Yes, how could they go back like this? Prompted, they finally remembered the strict military laws. Although the law might not punish the multitude, the leaders would certainly not escape punishment.

“Should… should we return to the Fortress?” someone suggested with a trembling heart.

“The Fortress is empty now. Even if we rush back now, those deserters would still be blamed on us.” As they talked, they all gradually sobered up, but it was too late…