Black Hearted Mage

"Grandfather, Father, I'm leaving. You can cry slowly when you get back later!"

Caesar stood on the luxurious carriage, waved to Ludwig and his son, with a happy smile on his face.

In the twilight, a large carriage pulled by six horses slowly set off. Ludwig and his son seemed a little reserved, their eyes fixed on the luxurious carriage. Although they didn't see the great magician, they watched it gradually disappear into the distance. In their minds, Caesars had become much more sensible, now remembering them when he had something good.

It was a long journey from the location of the North Tower to the southernmost part of Roland Continent, passing through the Blackstone Kingdom, the Roland Empire, and the Great Stone Kingdom before finally entering the territory of the Violet Alliance.

The carriage took half a month to finally reach the southernmost point of the Violet Alliance—Violet City. During this half-month journey, Old Roman consistently and attentively taught Caesars.

However, at this moment, Caesars could no longer concentrate on his studies. He was deeply captivated by the unfamiliar yet bustling city before him. The streets of Violet City were exceptionally wide, accommodating five or six carriages abreast. Both sides of the streets were lined with a variety of shops, and countless street stalls dazzled the eyes.

Old Roman had once told Caesar that Violet City had an extremely long history, dating back over six thousand years. When the city was first built, its designers took into account factors like horse and carriage traffic and population density. Consequently, the roads were built to be incredibly wide, and even the underground drainage channels were massive.

The original Ludwig Territory was vast, almost one-third the size of the current Violet Alliance. The underground ruins they were going to explore this time began with the ruins of Ludwig Castle.

"Kaissa, get out of the car!"

Following the call, a luxurious carriage slowly stopped. This carriage was beautifully decorated, with exquisite carvings on the body and wheels shining with golden light.

The carriage stopped at the Mage Alliance's headquarters, a tall, ancient stone building constructed from boulders weighing tens of thousands of pounds. The entire structure was imposing and majestic, giving off a solemn and awe-inspiring vibe.

"This is the Mage Alliance!"

Caesar exclaimed. He looked at such a magnificent building with awe in his heart.

The Mage Alliance, a powerful mage organization, possesses a profound heritage and strength. While it's slightly inferior to the Northland Tower, it's comparable to the Roland Empire's Magic Guild. This place brings together numerous outstanding magicians, who exchange knowledge, research spells, and jointly promote the development of magic.

Caesars looked up and saw a magnificent building before him. It was very tall and imposing. The building's exterior design was unique and full of mystery and solemnity.

He followed Old Roman into the brightly lit hall. The walls were painted a flawless white, and the floor tiles were also predominantly white, giving it a fresh, tidy feel. On the main hall wall was the mission posting area, densely packed with tasks.

There were comfortable tables and chairs on both sides of the hall, where some magicians were sitting and chatting. Their voices intertwined, creating a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.

"Teacher!" an anxious voice came.

Perros turned around and saw a magician in a red robe, who looked about the same age as Old Roman, hurriedly approaching him. The magician had a worried look on his face, as if he had something important to tell Old Roman.

"Joyce, you've aged a lot!" Old Roman said with emotion.

"Teacher, let's go sit up there. I'll slowly report to you about the ruins of Ludwig Castle. Who is this little guy?"

Joyce said, his eyes falling on the young Caesar. He noticed that the little robe he was wearing looked familiar, embroidered with the noble emblem of the Roman family.

"This is my new student. Let's go upstairs and talk first." Old Roman replied.

They walked up the stairs together, ready to go to a room upstairs. Along the way, Caesar's head kept turning, looking at everything here.

A magician in the hall discovered Old Roman, and he immediately got up and left the hall of the Mage Alliance.

In a house in Violet City, this is ostensibly the base of a mercenary group, but there are a lot of magicians here.

"Is the magician from the Northland Tower here too?"

An old man in a red magic robe looked at the person who rushed back to report. Things were a little beyond his expectations.

"Yes, there are fifteen carriages in total. I was just in the Alliance Hall and saw the Great Mage of the North Tower - Roman!"

"Damn it! This old guy actually showed up too! He told everyone near the ruins to retreat and keep a low profile in Violet City!"

The red-robed old man's eyelids were twitching, and he felt his heart beating faster, making him feel a little uneasy.

"Mage Cairns, there are over three hundred of us. Why should we be afraid of Old Roman? Once the Mage Alliance opens the entrance, we can follow them in!"

"Brian, even though we're all great wizards, even with your brother Blake, the three of us combined are no match for old Roman. He's a battle mage who never cares about magical theory, only pursuing maximum spell damage. And most importantly, this old man has a personal vendetta against the Magic Guild!"

"Is Old Roman so powerful? He dares to have a personal vendetta against the Magic Guild. His family seems to be in Fire Maple City!"

Brian obviously didn't believe that there would be such a big difference in combat effectiveness between magic professionals of the same level.

"Brian, you're a fool. It was only because the royal family of the Roland Empire intervened that old Roman was prevented from taking revenge on the Magic Guild. He's a spellcaster with instantaneous dark spells that he can cast continuously while running. If you get ambushed by him, you'll end up in a coffin!"

Brian and the other mages were relatively young and unaware of Roman's past achievements. Due to the secrecy maintained by the higher-ups of the Magic Guild, they were unaware of the events of the past.

"Old Roman is a dark spellcaster? Five hundred years ago, the High Priest of Judgment of the Saint Laurent Empire was killed by Old Roman?"

Brian recalled something. This was a major event that had caused a stir. When the story broke, the name of the person involved wasn't mentioned, only that he was the Great Mage of the North Tower, also a dark-themed spellcaster.

"The story is quite simple. Old Roman had a favorite student. After being promoted to a wizard, he went out to travel and, by chance, encountered the Holy Knights of the Saint Roland Empire. The Paladins pursued Old Roman's student, but were killed by the enemy instead. This incident infuriated the High Priest of Judgment, who personally led a group of Paladins, along with a dozen priests and pastors, to hunt down Old Roman's student. At the border between the Saint Roland Kingdom and the Roland Empire, the junior magician was beheaded by the High Priest himself, and his body was nailed to a cross!"

Keynes stopped here and slowly picked up the teacup. He was an eyewitness to the subsequent events.

"Great Magician Cairns, please continue speaking!"

"Yeah, why did you stop?"

"The following is Old Roman's battle. I witnessed it all with my own eyes. Upon learning his student had been killed, Old Roman flew into a rage. He rode alone on a fast horse, pursuing the Holy Knights all the way from the Roland Empire to the Kingdom of Saint Laurent. Less than three hundred miles from Saint Laurent City, Old Roman caught up with the Paladins. He didn't rush into action, but instead rested for a while, eating and drinking to replenish his strength."

"At dusk, the Paladins also stopped, and Old Roman launched his attack. He first unleashed a large-scale group spell. I don't know the name of this spell, and it's not even recorded in the spellbook. Under this spell, the Paladins went crazy and began attacking each other, killing each other."

"The priests and clerics weren't greatly affected by this mass spell, but they were powerless to stop the chaotic paladins. Furthermore, Old Roman had already appeared, and his spells began to flow continuously, without the need for chanting."

"After all the priests and pastors were killed, the High Priest of Judgment was terrified. He possessed strength comparable to that of a great magician, and he struggled mightily before his death. The collision of dark magic and divine magic produced no sparks, and Old Roman, seizing the initiative, slaughtered the High Priest. A nearly two-meter-tall man, baptized by the dark magic, was reduced to a mummy about a meter tall!"

When Keynes said this, he couldn't help but shudder.

"The High Priest was killed so easily? Their sacred shields are very strong!"

Brian couldn't help but feel a little doubtful: the defensive power of the holy shield is higher than that of the magic shield, and there is a clear record of this in the magic books. How could the high priest be killed so easily?

Cairns looked at Brian's bewildered expression and shook his head helplessly. "It might be hard for you to understand, but for a strong man like Old Roman, it's not difficult. This is the difference in strength. Let us all remember, if you encounter Old Roman in the North Tower, you must stay away from him, so as not to add to the old debt."

As Keynes spoke, he cautiously warned the other magicians. Although the Roman royal family had provided guarantees for the Magic Guild, and Old Roman had not taken any retaliatory action against the Magic Guild, all of this was based on the premise that no one had taken the initiative to provoke the great magician.

Brian nodded in agreement, then picked up Old Roman's magical portrait and said, "I think it's necessary for our guards to recognize Old Roman. After all, the magicians know who he is, but our guards may not. Can some of you come over and help? Do you think I should go alone to notify the three hundred guards? They're spread out in several different locations."

Brian put on the airs of a great magician and directed the other magicians to go with him. After all, with so many guards to notify, he didn't want to run around alone.

The night was as dark as ink, deep and silent, enveloping the entire Violet Alliance. Within this darkness, the ruins of Ludwig Castle were illuminated by bright lights. Hundreds of craftsmen and dozens of oxcarts busily moved through the ruins, clearing away the mountains of debris.

Around the ruins, a dozen massive tents constructed from animal hides were neatly arranged, housing the guards from the Northern Tower. In the center, a single, magnificent tent stood out. Although the Northern Tower was still shrouded in bitter cold, spring had already quietly arrived in the Violet Alliance, bringing warmth and vitality.

In this gorgeous tent, a small figure in thin pajamas was squatting on an animal skin carpet, happily teasing a small black snake that had just eaten.

"Teacher, have they really been cleaning for half a month? Why is there still so much rubble here?"

The old man beside him nodded gently, a thoughtful look on his weathered face. He slowly said, "Yes, Ludwig Castle originally consisted of five floors and a seventeen-story magic tower. However, in an instant, this magnificent castle collapsed. My theory is that after the Ludwig family left, someone may have tried to find the treasure left behind by Ivans Ludwig and accidentally triggered the castle's self-destruct array."

"No wonder it's all rubble and not a single huge stone!"

The little snake coiled up and closed its golden eyes, as if it was tired. Caesar put it into a linen bag to prevent it from crawling out accidentally.

"Caesars, Lord Evans must have left some treasures here. There's one thing you might not know: my magic is from Ludwig Castle. One of my elders once studied here, and he left his own magic notes!"

Old Roman's words made young Caesar feel a little strange.

"Teacher, what do you call Master Evans? Is he more powerful than you?"

"Little guy, my strength compared to Lord Evans is like the gap between you and me!"

"what!"

Caesar was stunned by old Roman's answer. The gap seemed too big.

"Teacher, do you have a map of Ludwig Castle? I mean the area below the castle!"

"You're wrong this time. My elder doesn't have a map of the area below, and he's never been down there. Beneath the castle is the magic pool, the castle's magical core. Only members of the Ludwig family should be able to enter."

Kaisas knew about the magic pool, which was the source of magical energy that maintained the magic castle. He could use the magic source that existed underground, or use the magic gathering circle to extract free magic elements and transfer them to the magic pool.

"Isn't it dangerous for us to go down?"

"Kaisas, just stay here and practice. You can go down only when there's no danger below. Don't run around. There are a lot of unidentified people around here!"