"Had we sparred a few days earlier, you wouldn't have lost," Ernest said, smiling . He looked slightly better than Miorich . While Ernest did look like he had just got beaten up, Miorich looked like a soldier that had escaped from the Monster Cave .
"You're saying you had a breakthrough in the past several days?"
"Yes . "
"I should have challenged you earlier then," Miorich said with remorse .
"I didn't know you were one to take advantage of others," Ernest pleasantly commented . When he was sparring with Anfey, Anfey imposed too many rules on him . Although he had been inspired by Anfey's moves, Ernest hadn't fought like this in ages . The pure and unmasked clash between combat powers was something he had long missed .
"I lost, I have nothing else to say . " Miorich smiled . "But who doesn't want to be the winner?" His smile wasn't as sincere as before, instead mixed with a hint of sorrow, but Ernest failed to notice .
Just then, two men dressed in soldier uniforms rushed over . They were shocked to see the condition the two men were in . Within several hundred meters, all the trees around them lay flat on the ground, and the formerly uniform grassland was now filled with ridges . There were leaves scattered around, and dark soil was sprinkled everywhere, as if a dragon had just ripped the area apart . Miorich looked so beaten that the two soldiers did not recognize their own general for a second .
"What is it?" Miorich asked, turning around .
One of the soldiers jumped off of his horse and hurried to Miorich's side, whispering something . Miorich frowned, and suddenly his eyes darkened . "Alright, then . Go right ahead . "
"Yes, General . " The two soldiers nodded, got back onto their horses, and rode away .
"You're busy? I'll stop bothering you then," Ernest said, sheathing his sword . "Are you free later?" Today, Miorich had invited him to spar on a whim, and he accepted without thinking too much . Now, he realized that this was a fruitful journey, and he was looking forward to the next time he sparred with Miorich .
"There… probably won't be another time . " Miorich sighed .
"What do you mean?"
"Ernest, where are you going? To Saul's place?" Miorich didn't answer Ernest . He instead asked Ernest a question .
"Where else can I go?" Ernest looked at Mioirich, confused .
"I would say that you should not go back there . "
"And why is that?"
"Because Niya isn't there anymore . " Miorich smiled . "Let me just tell you, I had an ulterior motive in asking you to come with me today . "
Ernest wasn't stupid, but because of their friendship, he hadn't thought about it too much . Now that Miorich had admitted that he had another purpose and told him he should not return, Ernest's face dropped . "Keep going," he said .
"Sorry that I can't tell you everything, but what I can tell you is that Niya has safely escaped the city . "
Ernest, hearing Miorich say "escaped," felt his heart sinking . He couldn't imagine why something like this had happened, nor how it had happened .
Ernest, hearing Miorich say "escaped," felt his heart sinking . He couldn't imagine why something like this had happened, nor how it had happened .
"Anfey is your student?" Miorich asked .
Ernest shook his head .
"He was good . He killed a mage, two senior swordsmen and… Zeda . Oh, I forgot . You don't know Zeda is, do you?"
Ernest was silent, but his eyes were growing colder .
"You do know Old Phillip though, right? Poor man . Maybe because the many people he killed didn't want to let him be in peace, be couldn't keep his son, who died in his twenties . Going through all that work to raise the grandson who was now killed by Anfey . Cursed, I say . Cursed," Miorich said mockingly .
"Old Phillip?" Ernest said, frowning . After hearing the name Phillip, he could not keep calm any longer .
"Who else?" Miorich paused before continuing, "This is why I ask that you do not return . Zeda was an idiot, but Phillip treasured him . If I got the news, Philip should have gotten it as well . Unless you can fight four master swordsmen at the same time, don't go . You might have heard Phillip was a man of temper, but in reality, he was even worse than the rumors . "
Ernest took a deep breath . Of course he knew Phillip . The Maho Empire had two major pillars . One was the mages, controlled by Saul, and the other was the swordsmen, controlled by Phillip . Phillip had a major disagreement with Yolanthe years back, and he had retreated into his home, turning away any visitors . Even then, he still had his reputation, and no one wanted to mess with Phillip . What was more was that he had many students, including three master swordsmen, and more than twenty swordmasters . This was not something Ernest could handle by himself .
Phillip was older than Saul by a more than a decade, and so his students were older than Saul's students by a decade as well . This decade allowed Phillip's students to grow far beyond the reach of Saul's students .
Saul's four best students were only senior mages, serving in two different mercenary groups . This was standard . Many mages didn't want to waste their talents in court, instead trying to polish their skills on the battlefield, just like swordsmen and knights . If Saul and Phillip summoned their students, and the two sides began a feud… Ernest could not image how it would end, but he knew for sure it would be destructive .
"Whose idea was this?"
"Whose idea was this?"
"Who else?" Miorich smiled bitterly .
"If you hadn't asked me to come, none of this would have happened," Ernest said . "Should I congratulate you on having an idiot of a master, or should I pity you? If Saul and Phillip break off good relations, the Maho Empire will soon follow . "
"I am obeying an order," Miorich said mildly . "I didn't know His Highness would send Zeda . Of course, none of this matters now . "
"Miorich, you've mistreated my respect for you . I'll be back," Ernest said coldly .
"One day, maybe . You will want to find Niya before Phillip does, though, so you won't be interested in me for a while . " Miorich had a faint smile on his face . "Here, one last piece of news I will share with you—Niya left through the west gate . "
Ernest glanced at Miorich one last time, but didn't say anything . He used his combat power and flew toward the west .
Meanwhile, Anfey's face fell . Anfey was mentally superior to most and good at masking his emotions, so anything that could make his face fall was something major .
Everyone was looking at him . Christian had just told him who Zeda was, including everything from his relation to the famous Phillip to his family structure . He didn't want to scare Anfey; he just wanted him to know what they had to face .
"You know why Niya was so obedient?" Riska asked . "Because she was scared . "
"Of Phillip?"
Riska nodded firmly .
"Of Phillip?"
Riska nodded firmly .
"All of you left without complaint because you were also scared?"
Christian and the others glanced at each other and lowered their gazes .
"I knew my leadership skills weren't that sharp," Anfey said, shaking his head, looking wryly amused .
"What should we do, then?" Riska asked .
"We run," Anfey said . "As far as we can . " Anfey was worried . He didn't know where Ernest was, but he had thought that Ernest was powerful enough to save himself . Now that he looked at it, perhaps he had been too optimistic . Ernest, please do not go back!
"Troick was an idiot," Zubin said coldly . "He thought he could redeem himself by not siding with you . He is probably in pieces by now . "
Anfey remembered . When he killed the guards, everyone was shocked, but they were truly terrified when he killed Zeda . Now he desperately wished that he could summon a doctor from Earth and preserve some of Zeda's DNA . Maybe Phillip wouldn't be as angry in the face of some great-grandchildren, but now they could only face the consequences head on .
"All of you must hate me now," Anfey said .
"You were too fast . We couldn't stop you . " Christian shook his head . "Plus, Zeda was already… even if he had lived, Phillip would hunt us down anyway . "
"I hated you once, but I remembered what Master Saul said, that we were family . We need to bond together in time of crisis," Riska said . "Plus, Maris targeted you . You acted in self-defense . Anfey, you were in the right . "
No wonder Saul always said you're the most likely to become a master swordsman in the Pan Continent . Miorich was out of breath . I lost! His helmet was nowhere to be seen, and his pale yellow leather armor was tattered . His left boot was torn and showed his toes, and the right boot was covered with dark red patches . What looked funny was his side that had been hit by Ernest's combat power; the armor had been broken and his red undergarments were showing . But his lance was gleaming, and it was clear that he had enough energy to keep going, if necessary . Had we sparred a few days earlier, you wouldn't have lost, Ernest said, smiling . He looked slightly better than Miorich . While Ernest did look like he had just got beaten up, Miorich looked like a soldier that had escaped from the Monster Cave . You're saying you had a breakthrough in the past several days? Yes . I should have challenged you earlier then, Miorich said with remorse . I didn't know you were one to take advantage of others, Ernest pleasantly commented . When he was sparring with Anfey, Anfey imposed too many rules on him . Although he had been inspired by Anfey's moves, Ernest hadn't fought like this in ages . The pure and unmasked clash between combat powers was something he had long missed . I lost, I have nothing else to say . Miorich smiled . But who doesn't want to be the winner? His smile wasn't as sincere as before, instead mixed with a hint of sorrow, but Ernest failed to notice . Just then, two men dressed in soldier uniforms rushed over . They were shocked to see the condition the two men were in . Within several hundred meters, all the trees around them lay flat on the ground, and the formerly uniform grassland was now filled with ridges . There were leaves scattered around, and dark soil was sprinkled everywhere, as if a dragon had just ripped the area apart . Miorich looked so beaten that the two soldiers did not recognize their own general for a second . What is it? Miorich asked, turning around . One of the soldiers jumped off of his horse and hurried to Miorich's side, whispering something . Miorich frowned, and suddenly his eyes darkened . Alright, then . Go right ahead . Yes, General . The two soldiers nodded, got back onto their horses, and rode away . You're busy? I'll stop bothering you then, Ernest said, sheathing his sword . Are you free later? Today, Miorich had invited him to spar on a whim, and he accepted without thinking too much . Now, he realized that this was a fruitful journey, and he was looking forward to the next time he sparred with Miorich . There… probably won't be another time . Miorich sighed . What do you mean? Ernest, where are you going? To Saul's place? Miorich didn't answer Ernest . He instead asked Ernest a question . Where else can I go? Ernest looked at Mioirich, confused . I would say that you should not go back there . And why is that? Because Niya isn't there anymore . Miorich smiled . Let me just tell you, I had an ulterior motive in asking you to come with me today . Ernest wasn't stupid, but because of their friendship, he hadn't thought about it too much . Now that Miorich had admitted that he had another purpose and told him he should not return, Ernest's face dropped . Keep going, he said . Sorry that I can't tell you everything, but what I can tell you is that Niya has safely escaped the city . Ernest, hearing Miorich say escaped, felt his heart sinking . He couldn't imagine why something like this had happened, nor how it had happened . Anfey is your student? Miorich asked . Ernest shook his head . He was good . He killed a mage, two senior swordsmen and… Zeda . Oh, I forgot . You don't know Zeda is, do you? Ernest was silent, but his eyes were growing colder . You do know Old Phillip though, right? Poor man . Maybe because the many people he killed didn't want to let him be in peace, be couldn't keep his son, who died in his twenties . Going through all that work to raise the grandson who was now killed by Anfey . Cursed, I say . Cursed, Miorich said mockingly . Old Phillip? Ernest said, frowning . After hearing the name Phillip, he could not keep calm any longer . Who else? Miorich paused before continuing, This is why I ask that you do not return . Zeda was an idiot, but Phillip treasured him . If I got the news, Philip should have gotten it as well . Unless you can fight four master swordsmen at the same time, don't go . You might have heard Phillip was a man of temper, but in reality, he was even worse than the rumors . Ernest took a deep breath . Of course he knew Phillip . The Maho Empire had two major pillars . One was the mages, controlled by Saul, and the other was the swordsmen, controlled by Phillip . Phillip had a major disagreement with Yolanthe years back, and he had retreated into his home, turning away any visitors . Even then, he still had his reputation, and no one wanted to mess with Phillip . What was more was that he had many students, including three master swordsmen, and more than twenty swordmasters . This was not something Ernest could handle by himself . Phillip was older than Saul by a more than a decade, and so his students were older than Saul's students by a decade as well . This decade allowed Phillip's students to grow far beyond the reach of Saul's students . Saul's four best students were only senior mages, serving in two different mercenary groups . This was standard . Many mages didn't want to waste their talents in court, instead trying to polish their skills on the battlefield, just like swordsmen and knights . If Saul and Phillip summoned their students, and the two sides began a feud… Ernest could not image how it would end, but he knew for sure it would be destructive . Whose idea was this? Who else? Miorich smiled bitterly . If you hadn't asked me to come, none of this would have happened, Ernest said . Should I congratulate you on having an idiot of a master, or should I pity you? If Saul and Phillip break off good relations, the Maho Empire will soon follow . I am obeying an order, Miorich said mildly . I didn't know His Highness would send Zeda . Of course, none of this matters now . Miorich, you've mistreated my respect for you . I'll be back, Ernest said coldly . One day, maybe . You will want to find Niya before Phillip does, though, so you won't be interested in me for a while . Miorich had a faint smile on his face . Here, one last piece of news I will share with you—Niya left through the west gate . Ernest glanced at Miorich one last time, but didn't say anything . He used his combat power and flew toward the west . Meanwhile, Anfey's face fell . Anfey was mentally superior to most and good at masking his emotions, so anything that could make his face fall was something major . Everyone was looking at him . Christian had just told him who Zeda was, including everything from his relation to the famous Phillip to his family structure . He didn't want to scare Anfey; he just wanted him to know what they had to face . You know why Niya was so obedient? Riska asked . Because she was scared . Of Phillip? Riska nodded firmly . All of you left without complaint because you were also scared? Christian and the others glanced at each other and lowered their gazes . I knew my leadership skills weren't that sharp, Anfey said, shaking his head, looking wryly amused . What should we do, then? Riska asked . We run, Anfey said . As far as we can . Anfey was worried . He didn't know where Ernest was, but he had thought that Ernest was powerful enough to save himself . Now that he looked at it, perhaps he had been too optimistic . Ernest, please do not go back! Troick was an idiot, Zubin said coldly . He thought he could redeem himself by not siding with you . He is probably in pieces by now . Anfey remembered . When he killed the guards, everyone was shocked, but they were truly terrified when he killed Zeda . Now he desperately wished that he could summon a doctor from Earth and preserve some of Zeda's DNA . Maybe Phillip wouldn't be as angry in the face of some great-grandchildren, but now they could only face the consequences head on . All of you must hate me now, Anfey said . You were too fast . We couldn't stop you . Christian shook his head . Plus, Zeda was already… even if he had lived, Phillip would hunt us down anyway . I hated you once, but I remembered what Master Saul said, that we were family . We need to bond together in time of crisis, Riska said . Plus, Maris targeted you . You acted in self-defense . Anfey, you were in the right . .
Chapter end
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