Chapter 524: Lost Magic
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The march was easy for the Maho army, and they did not run into any obstacles. The army was able to occupy the province of Moro within a week. The province was Marquis Legoya"s territory, but by the time the army arrived, Marquis had already fled. Marquis" departure was what made the occupation of the province simple.
The League created a rumor that the Shansa Empire had lost to the necromancers. Everyone, including Edward the Eighth himself, had bent the knee to the necromancers and Scarlet"s revival was proof. Both Stan, a Priest of Light, and Fernando, a Knight of Light, began criticizing Edward the Eighth"s behavior. The Church was the authority when it came to necromancers. Stan and Fernando"s ties with the Church made the rumor more believable.
Most of the Knights of Light did not join the initial battle but quickly joined forces with the League after the major victory. Both Fernando and Stan were siding with Yolanther, but the Church was still split on the matter. Even the pope himself did not show a clear stance. One side believed that Yolanther was poised to unite the entire world and siding with him would be the right move. The opposition believed that if Yolanther took over the Shansa and Ellisen Empires, the Church would not survive any longer.
After the Shansa Empire"s loss, however, it was made clear that there was no one standing between Yolanther and global unification. The druids joined the war and the Church should not lag behind.
Alice made her first appearance in front of the people of the Shansa Empire. She was well loved and well respected among the commoners. A lot of people would have chosen Alice over her father, Edward the Eighth.
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A dark figure approached a stately building in the Province of Moro"s capital city, Moonlight City. It was close to midnight, but the building was still heavily patrolled.
The dark figure watched the building for a while, then chanted a spell quietly and disappeared into the night.
A few minutes later, the door opened by itself on the third floor of the building. Inside the room, Suzanna"s eyes flickered open. She sat up in her bed, inspecting her room with a frown. She felt someone come into her room but could not see anyone. Then she yawned with a shrug and lied down on the bed again.
After more than half an hour, the door opened and closed again. A few moments later, another door down the hall opened and closed. The person was clearly searching for something and did not want any attention. By the time he finished searching the four buildings, dawn was breaking.
Another door opened by itself. A person was sleeping inside, and their face was concealed by the blanket. As if the person heard the door opening, they rolled over, revealing s.h.i.+nbella. She did not wake up and kept sleeping.
The person quietly turned to leave the room. Before he could close the door, he heard a soft thud. He turned and inspected the room, realizing there was another, smaller room hidden in the first. He hurried over and pushed open the door, peering into the smaller room. To his surprise and joy, he saw Alice sleeping inside. The person stepped into the room and hurried towards her bed.
Before he could reach the bed, however, he suddenly ran into something. Before he could react, he was blinded by a sudden burst of light and the effects of the invisibility spell disappeared. A tall and thin man appeared in the room.
The man frowned. As soon as he regained his mobility, a dagger appeared in his hand and he lunged towards Alice.
A shrill howl broke the silence. An arrow flew through the window towards the man. The man raised his dagger and blocked the arrow but was struck by the wind blade attached to the arrow.
The man"s armor bursted into a light and he was unharmed by the wind blade. A few seconds later, Anfey broke through the window and swung his fist at the man.
s.h.i.+nbella hurried into the room. Seeing that Anfey was already there, she quietly left. Alice was lying in her bed and did not say anything. She trusted Anfey to protect her and she knew that running and screaming would have only distracted him.
The man narrowed his eyes. He had heard of Anfey and what he was capable of, but he had a mission.
The man"s body began contorting in a strange way. He jumped back and fled towards the window.
Anfey swung his fist, the loose elements that had gathered around him surged forward and broke a hole in the wall. The man hesitated for a second but did not slow down.
Anfey chased after the a.s.sa.s.sin. He did not want to fight in Alice"s room because she could have become collateral damage. He needed to drive the a.s.sa.s.sin out.
The man suddenly disappeared and reappeared next to Alice"s bed. He swung his dagger at Alice, who was sitting in her bed.
Anfey spat angrily. He waved his hand, summoning a firebird. The firebird flew towards the a.s.sa.s.sin. He, however, did not stop. Anfey disappeared and reappeared next to Alice"s bed. A moment later, he kicked her bed out of the way. The a.s.sa.s.sin"s dagger narrowly missed her. He jumped out of the way of the firebird but was too late and it grazed his side.
The a.s.sa.s.sin grunted in pain. He chanted a spell and disappeared.
Anfey waved his hand and summoned a column of water. He slammed a fist into the water, sending droplets flying. The droplets allowed him to detect the location of the man. Then he summoned three firebirds quickly, sending the birds flying towards the invisible a.s.sa.s.sin. The three firebirds struck their target, turning a corner of the room into an inferno.
Suddenly, Anfey heard a cry from Alice. He turned and saw her bed and nightgown had caught fire and she was stuck.