Black Hearted Mage

The wily and calculating Baron Sethis sat slumped in a shabby oak chair, his luxurious silk robe long gone, leaving only a pair of wrinkled silk breeches to barely cover his modesty. His face, usually adorned with a false smile, was now as pale as paper, beads of sweat oozing from his forehead. On the study carpet, the old butler, similarly stripped to his underwear, trembled like two plucked roosters.

Caesars's slender fingers toyed with a delicate alchemical device, its metal casing gleaming menacingly in the candlelight. This was no ordinary trinket—it was an alchemical bomb powerful enough to send the entire study sky-high. No wonder those two old foxes had both attempted to open the storage ring during the body search.

At that moment, the carved oak door of the study was pushed open a crack. A figure who bore a striking resemblance to Baron Cesis peeked in stealthily. Upon seeing the disheveled figure on the chair, a twisted look of delight immediately blossomed on his wrinkled face.

"Master Mage!" The Stand rubbed his hands together, a vengeful fire flashing in his eyes. "Can I slap him a few times?"

Without looking up, Caesars stroked the patterns on the alchemical bomb, his voice as cold as ice in a cellar: "Just answer me a question, and I'll kill him if you want." He suddenly raised his eyelids, his icy blue pupils staring directly at the double, "Why are there three identical study rooms here, but only one double?"

The stand-in was stunned when he heard this, then revealed a gloating expression: "That stand-in was sent to the Saint Laurent Empire a few years ago. It is said that he is running some secret industry... That's all I know!"

"Hit me if you want!"

Caesars nodded slightly, and a cluster of blue magic flames suddenly shot out from his fingertips. He continued, "You'd better beat him half to death."

He needed Sethis's soul to be at its most vulnerable state so that no details would be missed when extracting his memories. The secrets hidden by this cunning baron were probably more interesting than he imagined.

The double also rolled up his sleeves, a move clearly not suited for a noble. He opened his palms left and right, lashing Baron Sesis's face with force, the sound of "crackling" echoing in his ears.

"Damn bastard, I'm going to crush your bones one by one!"

Baron Cesis yelled at his double like a wounded beast.

"Keep pumping. He's no longer able to do so. His heart has been severely damaged, and his spine is fractured. It's difficult for him to even move a finger. And I'm going to kill him in an instant!"

Caesars sat on the sofa at one side, encouraging the terrified double. The double seemed to be greatly encouraged, and he stopped slapping Sethis's swollen old face with his palms and greeted him with his fists.

At this moment, the old butler quietly retreated and crawled back, trying to escape the study, but his every move was observed by Caesars. This old man was Baron Sesis's confidant, and there was a golden Saint Laurent badge in his storage ring, so there was no need to guess his identity.

Caesars extended a finger, pointing at the old butler in his shorts. A gray sphere of magic instantly struck the target. It was the most powerful single-target spell in the current dark arts—Death and Decay. A simplified version of a higher-level spell, its attack power would increase with increasing level and strength.

The old butler, who was a little hunched, turned into a dehydrated mummy in less than three breaths, and his soul was directly annihilated.

"This spell is too perverted!"

A simplified version of Death and Decay, its spell is very short and the entire casting time is only three seconds. However, the mana consumption is very high, equivalent to the mana consumption of a group spell.

"Okay, stop it!"

Baron Sethis was already in a coma, his face, already pale from his injuries, now even more bleak. His breathing was so weak it was barely perceptible, and bruises and blood from the beating he had just received remained on his forehead. This near-death state was the perfect opportunity for Caesars to devour his entire soul.

The double slowly retracted his fist, flicking his wrist with a hint of satisfaction. He bowed deeply to Caesars, his movements as meticulous as a textbook of court etiquette. With Caesars's tacit approval, he quietly exited the study, the heavy oak door clicking softly behind him.

A sneer curled up the corner of Kaisas's mouth as he pulled the plump puppy from his backpack. With a flash of crimson light, the palm-sized creature instantly swelled to its original size, its blood-red eyes flashing with hunger in the dim study.

Caesars casually threw out a large piece of preserved grilled sea fish, and the aroma immediately filled the entire room. He said, "Dead dog, the same old rules - there is enough food, but no one can disturb me!" He narrowed his eyes dangerously, and the puppy immediately wagged its tail in a flattering manner, and its sharp fangs accurately caught the fish piece flying in the air.

Caesars took a deep breath, his white hand hovering over Baron Sethis's sweat-drenched forehead. He began to chant the incantations from the abyss, his syllables twisting and condensing into a gray mist in the air. As the incantations grew more rapid, the baron's body began to twitch uncontrollably, a translucent wisp of soul being forcibly torn from his body...

The puppy crouched at the study door, devouring the juicy grilled fish with voracious gulps. The sounds of its greedy chewing were particularly clear in the silent room. Baron Sethis's soul was slowly extracted, twisting into a blurry humanoid form in mid-air. His face was grimacing with pain, and his mouth opened and closed silently, as if uttering a final curse.

There was a trace of solemnity in Kaisas' eyes. He could feel that his soul contained too many things - years of accumulated conspiracies and intrigues, and a large number of unknown secrets, which increased the difficulty of absorbing and refining them.

Over an hour later, Caesars finally devoured Sethis's soul, but the surging soul energy still surged within him, requiring time to absorb and refine. He left the study and looked around. Thirty-two bodies lay scattered across the flagstones of the backyard, gleaming palely in the moonlight. These needed to be dealt with quickly, or else unnecessary trouble would soon follow.

Caesars crouched down and began to expertly gather the spoils. As he turned over each corpse, his brow furrowed unconsciously. The insides of these guards' armor were engraved with the cross emblem of the Church of Saint Laurent, and each of their weapons shone with the light of divine blessing—they were all genuine paladins.

According to the canons of the Church of Saint Laurent, only twelve archbishops are entitled to thirty paladins as personal guards. Yet, Baron Sesis's mansion harbors thirty-two paladins, and the old butler is a combat priest. Caesars' fingers gently stroked the newly found golden badge, its delicate cross pattern gleaming in the moonlight. This was the one hundred and twenty-seventh piece, bringing him one step closer to completing the long-standing mission for the Thorn Flower Trading Company.

"It seems like we caught a big fish this time..."

Caesars muttered to himself, wiping the blood-stained badge on his sleeve. There was definitely more to Cesis than meets the eye. He needed to quickly inspect the ruby-encrusted storage ring he'd found on the baron. He also needed to dispose of the baron's assets and return to his domain with the gold.

"Why are you still here? This place will become dangerous in two days!"

Caesars frowned, unconsciously tightening his grip on the staff. When he saw the figure emerging from the shadows of the study, a flicker of surprise crossed his eyes—it was Baron Sethis's stand-in, now rubbing his hands nervously.

"Master Mage..." The stand's voice was hoarse as if it had been rubbed with sandpaper. "That demon slaughtered my wife, children, and elders long ago..." He raised his bloodshot eyes, his empty gaze passing over Caesar's shoulder and gazing at the dark sky in the distance. "In this world now...where is there any place for me?"

Caesars looked at the other man's trembling shoulders and suddenly understood the despair that ran deep in his bones. He stroked the gemstone inlaid on his staff, and a bold plan gradually took shape in his mind.

"In that case, you continue to play Baron Cesis. His accomplices will surely come, and I can kill them all!"

Turning to gaze at the noble coat of arms hanging at the end of the corridor, Caesars' eyes flickered with calculation. The Saint Laurent Church's members would arrive in two or three days, making this mansion a perfect hunting ground. Thinking of the high-ranking priests wearing golden insignias, his fingertips grew slightly warm with excitement.

"Master Mage, I will obey your orders!"

The stand-in bowed excitedly, his voice trembling with excitement. He rubbed his hands subconsciously, his eyes gleaming with eagerness.

As Caesars placed the last corpse into his storage ring, his brow furrowed. Under the moonlight, an uncomfortable silence filled the courtyard. He suddenly realized a thorny problem—the old butler of the Baron's mansion had died, leaving the entire Baron's mansion without a leader.

"Do you know anyone in the Baron's Mansion?" Caesars turned around, his black robe swaying gently in the night breeze. "Now that I have killed the butler, there is no one in charge in the mansion." There was a rare hint of trouble in his voice.

Upon hearing this, the Stand straightened his back, a shrewd look in his eyes. "Master Mage, although people in the front yard are not allowed to enter or leave the backyard at will according to regulations, I have dealt with most of the servants and stewards before." He paused, his tone filled with confidence. "When Sesis was not here before, I handled many of Hailansa City's affairs on his behalf. Over the years, I have accumulated a lot of experience."

In the moonlight, he bowed his head respectfully, but couldn't help but glance up to see the wizard's reaction. It was obvious that he cherished this opportunity to prove his worth.

"Very good, you will be in charge of this Baron's Mansion! I will leave this fat dog here. It will help you solve any danger." Kaisas turned around and patted the puppy's head. "You idiot, I'm going to buy some sea fish. You follow him. Find the people who use the holy light energy and bite them to death!"

Kaisas crouched down and dumped some of the food he'd found on the smuggling ship in front of the puppy. In the moonlight, the puppy's eyes lit up, and it grinned excitedly, revealing its sharp fangs. Its stubby claws dug shallow marks in the ground, and with astonishing force, it quickly shoved the food into its storage ring, occasionally purring with satisfaction.

As night fell, Caesars, cloaked in his robe, wandered through the docks. The salty sea breeze carried the scent of fish as he expertly selected the fresh fish he needed. During the day, he hid beneath the lush wisteria trellis in the backyard of the Baron's mansion, slowly refining the soul energy suspended in the sea of ​​souls.

As his soul energy was gradually refined, Baron Sesis's secrets were revealed, like peeling an onion. His original name was Hills-Bono, a surname with a surprising origin—his grandfather was the illegitimate son of the current Pope. The double secretly sent to the Roland Empire had perfectly taken over Earl Soren's identity after his sudden death.

Since the Pope's last name was Paul, this shady bloodline was given the surname "Bono" to avoid suspicion and to avoid public attention. Although they deliberately kept a low profile among the aristocratic circles of the Saint Laurent Empire, the mountains of oriental silk and large amounts of gold in the warehouses showed the family's astonishing financial strength.

Of the contraband smuggled by Cesis, 80% flowed into the underground warehouse of the Saint Laurent Church at extremely low prices, and the remaining 20% ​​was sold through black market channels controlled by the Bono family, quietly nourishing the shadow world of the Saint Laurent Empire.

"Everyone has their own selfish desires. Although the Bono family has earned astonishing wealth, they are like a colony of ants eating away at a giant tree, planting a huge hidden danger in the foundation of the Saint Laurent Empire!"

Caesars slowly gathered the soul energy lingering around him. The fragments of Hills' memories slithered through his mind like venomous snakes. This seemingly ordinary spy from the Church of Saint Laurent, in his soul, held such intricate secrets. Each memory was like a carefully woven spider web, requiring him to carefully comb through it.

Meanwhile, beneath the dome of Saint Laurent Church, turbulent waves surged. Twelve cardinals argued endlessly around a burned-out ship, the shadows cast by the crystal chandeliers dancing on their hideous faces.

"Hills must pay the price!"

The Bishop of Finance threw the gold-edged account book onto the conference table. The parchment scroll unfolded with a rustling sound, revealing a shocking deficit.

"The most urgent task is to take over the trade routes of the Roland Empire!"

The foreign bishop pointed at the nautical chart on the wall, his emerald ring gleaming a greedy green in the candlelight. The arguing echoed eerily beneath the dome inlaid with reliefs of saints, even disrupting the incense rising from the censer.

The golden throne perched high atop seven steps suddenly erupted with blinding holy light. The Pope's pale fingers nearly crushed the holy crystal atop his scepter. When the golden scepter struck the ground for the third time, the marble floor in the center of the temple suddenly cracked in a spiderweb-like pattern, one crack extending directly to the feet of the most radical bishop.

"You fools, blinded by gold! Do you want the iron of the Inquisition to clear your heads?"

The Pope's voice seemed to come from an icy abyss, and the bulging blue veins on his temples looked particularly terrifying under the shadow of the holy crown.