Shadow of the Evil God

Rumor has it that Askrid was originally from the royal faction. He was originally sent here, ostensibly to provide Noien with new military technology and training methods, but in reality, he was simply planting spies, and anyone with a discerning eye could see it.

This incident presented two problems. First, Count Thane had already been rumored to have amassed wealth, but it had only been so long since the events of the previous year, and people still held onto their impression of his exceptional abilities, so they hesitated to offend. Later, the royal faction sent Askrid to Neuen with city defense cannons and other military supplies to test Thane's resolve. Only then did people realize the Count had changed. Far from being suspicious, he readily agreed, accepting Askrid's offer to join the military command during negotiations.

From that time on, people began to think that the Earl was not only obsessed with money but also had become dull in his thinking. He was extremely foolish to allow such a thorn in the heart of Noyen's power.

The second problem was Askrid himself. Although he rose through the ranks in Noien thanks to his extraordinary abilities, and even led his army out of the city, resisting many raiding raids by grassland people, he seemed to be just

Being a commander.

Askerid seemed to have become good brothers with Count Thane, closer than brothers. Not only did he not get stuck in the power core of Noyen like a thorn, but he also

He personally helped the old earl resolve many political crises.

Cesar thought about it and the only reasonable explanation was that Sean took out the results of the ritual and led Askrid astray. If his idea was true, then the two of them had indeed become good brothers, the so-called brothers who followed the true God together.

As long as you embark on this path, blood ties and kinship in the secular world are not worth mentioning.

According to this line of thought, Noien's internal structure is indeed solid. The royal faction has likely tried numerous attempts like Askrid's, concluding that as long as the old earl remains entrenched in Noien, his position will remain unshakable. As for bringing Thane from Noien to the capital and finding a pretext to imprison him, everyone knows that the old earl hasn't left the city in years.

After all his attempts failed, it's no surprise that the old Earl's brother resorted to the most extreme method. While it's unknown how he established contact with the grassland people, conquering Noyen and pulling Earl Thane from his shell might be the only viable solution.

After the city was captured, and Sean was captured, whether he was beheaded on the spot or humiliated and sent to the capital, his position as city lord would be in jeopardy. If he was caught, charges of embezzlement of military funds, excessive wealth accumulation, and the loss of the city would be enough to land him in prison. By then, Sean's younger brother would naturally ascend to power with the royal faction's support.

So what about Cesar?

It needs to be made clear that Cesar is certainly not Sean's bastard son; they both know this. The old Count has never tried to produce a real child in all these years, so saying he needs a fake one is sheer nonsense.

Now, the old earl was pretending to ask Cesar to shoulder the political pressure for him, but this was actually the result of him suppressing his murderous intent. The high priest of the Hier Temple remained silent, and his own nephew also took the rumor as the truth. The former was asking him to hold his nose and endure it, while the latter was allowing him to back off and pretend that he had the situation under control.

Phils has said more than once how furious the old earl was in private. Although Sean seemed indifferent now, in fact, only he knew how much he wanted to hang Cesar up and cut off his flesh, bones and blood one by one.

Cesar would never stay in Noyen after the power he borrowed was gone, not even if he joined the army with his fake cousin Garcia. This old man could kill the tax collector and his nephew at the edge of the Stone Abyss, and even mock the victim's brother with a nonchalant attitude despite being the most suspected person. So, what was the big deal about him arranging Cesar's murder and framing his brother as the crime?

He couldn't stay in his shell in Noyen; he had to go out and face the pressures that the old earl wouldn't face if he stayed in his shell. If he didn't want to be imprisoned as a hostage in Dominy's court, euphemistically called a court noble, simply traveling with Fils wouldn't do.

He had to borrow a lot of power and accumulate a lot of reputation, just as he borrowed the appreciation of the top leaders of the Temple of Hier in Noien.

If he wanted to survive, he had to stay vigilant and ensure his safety in Noien, ensuring he was always under the protection of the temple. Secondly, he had to find a suitable excuse to leave the city. The safest option was to leave with the temple team. As for what happened next, he could only take it one step at a time.

Thinking of this, Cesar twisted his shoulder and found that the old earl was holding his hand lightly, but the back of his hand was covered with blue veins. Looking at the calm face of Count Thane, he immediately understood.

This old man is really patient.

Garcia narrowed his eyes, noticing the old count remained silent, and smiled. "So, Uncle, you should be able to see that His Majesty has repeatedly denied the rumors and slanders swirling about you, citing our family's loyalty and dedication. You clearly understand how much of this loyalty and dedication comes from me and my father. I hope you will set aside your prejudices and examine rationally the extent to which your own family has truly contributed to your cause."

Garcia then bowed slightly to him, gave a symbolic robe salute, and then left with a wary look on his face. The guards behind him also walked away from the banquet, their figures gradually disappearing in the wind and snow.

The old count watched them disappear completely, then turned his head and pretended to look absentmindedly at Cesar. "Come, son, we still have a banquet to hold. I want to talk to you in the castle tonight."

"No, I want to follow the others in the temple." Cesar shook off his hand and returned to the temple's ranks. "Knight Granly, who was traveling with me at the time, is still recovering in the inn. I have a lot to talk to him about all night."

Sean's brows knitted inadvertently.

"Is it impossible at all?" asked the old count.

"Young people want to find themselves in God's teachings, and as elders, we should provide them with a place to settle down."

These words were spoken by the silent high priest. Though he was called a priest, he looked more like a dignified old knight. His hair and beard were gray, and he was a bit thin. He wore a tunic beneath a white cassock emblazoned with a crown of thorns. In his left hand, he clutched a scroll of unknown documents, and in his right, he held a one-handed sword, looking ready to splatter blood at any moment.

"Is it not allowed for father and son to reminisce about the past?" Earl Thane asked in return.

"We have talked about so much before." Cesar said gently, "You are only thinking of reminiscing about the past now, so why don't you think about why I have achieved nothing so far? I don't understand the skills that my cousin is talking about. I have never touched a sword,

"I have never wielded a bow, nor have I ever ridden a horse in battle. I have spent the first half of my life in the dark rooms of a castle, among books. If you were aware of this, you would understand why I left."

Perhaps because his story was so smooth that it actually connected with Garcia's words, Count Thain's eyebrows twitched.

"Your doting, Lord Thane, will ruin a promising young man," the silver-haired high priest continued, a smile breaking across his wrinkled face. "My knight witnessed him bravely take a step forward and personally slay the demon in the mines. I believe that if you hadn't been so overprotective and confined him to the castle for over twenty years, he would have achieved far more."

The old count's expression seemed numb. He nodded slowly and fell into a deathly silence. Others would have thought he was shocked by his son's military exploits and had lost the ability to speak. Only Cesar knew that he was extremely manic and probably wanted to peel his skin and gouge out his heart.

Cesar first swindled away the Faceless One he had carefully prepared, then kidnapped his promising priest assistant, and now he has personally killed a White Nightmare that survived from the ancient empire to the present, and returned all the property that should have gone into his pocket to the Temple of Xiel.

These things happened over and over again, and the accumulation of new and old hatreds had reached the point of qualitative change. If Count Thane wanted to make a list of hatreds, Cesar and his brother would definitely be able to compete for the top spot.

"This is a matter of family honor," Sean said in a deep voice, his dark eyes shifting. "I want to discuss with him the various skills Garcia mentioned."

"I can also learn them from the Temple," Cesar pointed out. "If I am fortunate enough to be victorious, I will not forget that I am a Borgia family member, but I will also tell everyone that the skills I learned from the Temple are superior to those of officers from the Kingdom's Military Academy."

"Well said," the high priest replied. His gray eyes suddenly brightened. "Only with such courage can one emerge from the shadows of the past. Since he's determined to bring honor to his family, you can't confine him here and force him to dwell on the pain of the past."

"I need protection..."

"Do you doubt that we can't protect him?" the high priest asked.

Count Thane ultimately said nothing and walked away in a huff. His expression was filled with rage, and beneath that rage, perhaps a suppressed murderous intent. It was clear that the old Count wanted to capture him and put him on the altar, even if he couldn't bear the political pressure. But the old Count couldn't find an excuse or the opportunity.

At least we've dealt with it, Cesar thought. "Do you want to go in and join the party, or stay by the fire in the courtyard with the others?" He turned to Phils. "Although I imagine you want to go straight back to the hotel, I think we should stay until the party is over."

.......

Sean paced back and forth behind the reception room, his vein-riddled hands clasped behind his back. After the false god's priests stepped forward to offer their sacrifices, he could barely contain his emotions, even his body, and could only retreat to the dark room behind the reception room to soothe his emotions. Corini yawned absentmindedly in her chair, while Askrid leaned against the wall, silently watching him pace back and forth until he stopped in front of the round table.

The old earl picked up the porcelain bowl filled with strong liquor and drank it all. He took a deep breath and asked in a hoarse voice, "Is there no chance?"

"No," said Askrid. "He's stuck with the temple troops. The only way to take action against him is to send troops to kill the high priest and his guards."

"Then my position as the city lord of Noien is over."

"That's why I don't recommend you do this, Thane," Askrid said. "Recognize his identity and let him share your political pressure. This is the only way."

"How on earth did the sacrifice I tied to the stone platform kidnap my assistant, steal my property, live in a place frequented by local dignitaries for over a month, and finally climb to the top of the temple?"

"You might have stumbled upon a formidable individual," Corini said with interest. "This stranger... I'd say he looks like a trained spy. You should have taken action against him sooner rather than later."

Sean stared at her. "A trained spy?"

Corini smiled at him maliciously. "It took him less than two months to master our language, the situation in Noien, and the conflict between you and the royal family. Moreover, he only lived in that pleasure house for a little over a month before burning it to ashes, dedicating himself from head to toe to the great Hiel. But that's not the point."

Chapter 29: Learning to Cheat Without a Teacher

"You'd better cut the riddles, Corini." Sean stared at her.

"Okay, okay, you're still so impatient." Corini placed her slender finger on her lips and tapped it lightly. "Do you remember that the medium you placed there was the lust of flesh and blood? This is the path that most easily leads people to madness, but I noticed that your fake son's mental state is surprisingly normal. Isn't that the key?"

"Will your daughter not offer him any relief from his mental illness?"

"No. The methods that Firiels mastered require precious materials. All prerequisites require going to Itris to find those greedy mages who learned the Origin. Do you think she has the means to go there?"

"You mean," Sean frowned, "his mental structure is more stable than that of an ordinary person.

...or even more stable?"

"Stable isn't quite accurate," Corini said. "So-called mental stability is just an egg with an extra layer of shell; it just takes a little longer to peel. I think he might possess some skills at the level of the soul and mind. If someone can leash the animal instincts, passions, circumstances, and feelings that obscure the self, and examine their connections from a distance, then I think they might be able to eliminate mental toxins before the disease becomes too serious."

"This is not serious, how serious is it?"

Corinne rested her elbows on the table, her cheeks puffed up from the pressure of her palms. "That's hard for me to say. Maybe I could try it out privately, but I can't guarantee the outcome. Like I said, he's like a trained spy. It's hard to hurt him with words."

"So we need something substantial." Thane poured another bowl of liquor. "The Lost Demon's followers will be here for a while, cleaning up the mess they made during their revelry. If they don't leave the city, I doubt he or Firiels would dare leave either." He downed the full bottle of liquor in one gulp and brought the bowl down, nearly crushing it on the tablecloth. "Have the finance department prepare more paperwork, Askrid, and delay those demon-worshipping fools until the steppe people arrive with their army," he hissed.

Ascled nodded in agreement, as always, and Corinne was quite interested. "What do you think of him? Tell me about it."

"Since my sacrifice is very brave, let him go to the top of the city to guard the military flag with courage. In the midst of the chaos, I want to see how he can maintain his self on the verge of losing control and suppress the abnormalities of his body and mental illness." Sean said.

"I think," Askrid said in a deep voice, "that you should be more concerned about the safety of Noien himself than about testing the quality of the sacrifice. This time, the grassland people's way of bypassing the Stone Abyss is different from before."

Thane turned to face the commander.

"I'm not worried about the fortress's external defenses, I'm worried about what's inside," he said. Thinking of the man's calm expression as he pretended to be his illegitimate son, he couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart. That guy was indeed a skilled spy. If he didn't know the inside story, he would have thought he had a illegitimate child hidden for over twenty years.

And the grassland spy lurking beside Enil...

How many spies and insiders are there in this city? How many people are trying to join forces with him to capture his city?

"Recall the personnel searching for fugitives, and leave a few to keep an eye on the sacrifices in the inn." Sean raised his voice. "You must use the strictest measures to investigate any suspicious outsiders in the city, and record anyone who lingers too long near the city defense facilities. This is the most critical part of the upcoming battle." He then let out a long sigh. "Go down, you can go to the banquet."

Askrid turned and left. Sean sank back into his chair, facing the window, feeling a little uneasy. Outside, the wind and snow continued to blow, and on the gray horizon, the Joshua River surged and swayed.

"What's the attitude of the Kingdom of Olidan?" he said to Corini behind him.

"The rumors about you have always been bad, haven't they, Lord Count?" Corini asked. "If not, it wouldn't have been difficult for you to bring Noyen from Dominimi to Oulidan. Fortunately, as long as you behave properly in the upcoming war, at least you won't collapse as the rumors say. Oulidan will naturally be happy to accept a powerful nobleman with a grudge against Dominimi and the city he controls."

"If my family members hadn't been trying to force me out and constantly oppose me, I wouldn't be in this situation in Dominion... Never mind, the actual results of the war will prove everything. No matter what the outcome of my negotiations with Olidan is, it won't be more excessive than sharing the financial burden with Dominion's mercenaries."

"I hope so, Lord Earl." Corini said lazily, "Just be patient and don't let me worry about these mundane matters."

"Because if I can't, you will disappear in the middle of the night with the dead man's legacy and go to seduce the next poor guy?" Sean said in a gloomy tone.

Corini smiled, tossing an apple into the air and catching it. "Alas, my dear Lord Earl," she took a bite of the apple, "your words truly hurt my heart. Don't you know that we are all fellow followers of the True God, brothers and sisters without any blood relationship? Besides, this deceased man's legacy is, after all, a great wizard of the Origin Society. In order to dig the truth from his mind, I went from being an ignorant girl to someone else's lover. Not only that, I also had an unexpected little helper. Can you understand the hardship of murdering my partner while pregnant?"

.......

"I thought you would at least come to the castle for the feast," Cesar said, cutting an apple with a knife at the table in the hotel room. "Instead, you spent the whole morning roasting a bonfire with me in the snow."

"I don't like the atmosphere of banquets," Phils said, shaving her snow-covered hair. "If I have to go in, I want to walk around the venue with a bloody head. When I go in, everyone is enjoying the dinner, and when I leave, everyone is vomiting with a blue face. That way I can

Your mood will improve.”

Cesar stuffed a piece of apple into her mouth. "It's been almost ten years since you moved into the Count's castle. Aren't you used to this kind of thing?"

"Don't stuff my mouth!" she muttered, chewing off half her food. Her words were slurred as she bit. "I was forced to attend the banquet. If I had a choice, I certainly wouldn't have gone. I was forced to dress up in cumbersome clothes and deal with those who came to seek connections with the Count with a stern face."

Cesar popped the other half into his mouth, making a crunching sound. He chewed for a moment before speaking. "I suggest you think of them as chores. A chor means you have to do it with a straight face just to make a living. Harbor workers have to go out fishing on boats, bobbing on the river all day. Miners on the night shift have to get up in the middle of the night to dig coal in the mines, crawling bent over in tunnels only a little over a meter wide. And there are also groups of people who walk all over the city, just to load the feces produced by every household onto ox carts and transport them to designated dumping sites."

"so?"

"You're the Earl's assistant. It's a job. You're forced to dress up and attend the Earl's banquets, which isn't necessarily wrong. Since you resent it, your finery is essentially the dirty laundry of a dung carrier. You put on a stern face to deal with the social interactions of the nobility you don't want to attend, just like moving the shit produced by every household from one place to another. (Group 6#9:6&999!999) But what can I say? To make a living, you still have to work, and sometimes you have to work very hard with a stern face."

Phils immediately shook her head: "What kind of metaphor is this?"

"I don't necessarily like acting," Cesare told her, "and I don't like swordplay, riding, or studying ballistics and engineering. But for the so-called honor of the Borgia family, I still have to learn these things and participate in competitions, or should I say, duels?"

"So what do you like?"

"Your so-called mantras of true knowledge, local cultural traditions, and legends and scriptures of various religions," Cesar pondered. "But these are a bit distant. As for what's closer, I'd rather duel in your name. Doesn't that sound more practical than family honor?"

Her eyes widened. "I've never heard of nobles being allowed to smash someone's head in with a mace during a duel."

"Have you seen it with your own eyes?"

"Is there anything you haven't seen before?" she said nonchalantly.

"Has anyone fought a duel for you, Fils?"

"There was one incident over a year ago. Maybe it was because the maids gave me such a rough treatment at the banquet, I felt so unfamiliar even when I looked in the mirror. Then, when the banquet reached the dancing part, two people were instigated and pushed out. At first, they argued, and then they dueled. At the time, I, uh, used some small spells while no one was paying attention. Whoever looked like they were about to win, I'd curse them, causing them to slip and cramp. Whoever looked like they were about to lose, I'd cast an overdraft spell on them, causing them to suddenly leap back, avoiding a crucial move, or burst forth with strength to deflect their opponent's sword, and so on."

"Manipulating the duel?" Cesar squinted at her. "You've learned to cheat naturally. Do you know what happens to you if you're caught cheating in a duel, according to Dominican custom?"

"I'm not Domini's man!" Fils glared at him. "Anyway, in the end, one of them was wounded and retreated. I wanted to delay for a while until both of them fainted from exhaustion, but he was too useless. The other one was holding his sword and shouting loudly, as if he had won a battle. At that time, everyone else was applauding and celebrating him, and I walked forward with my skirt lifted up, picked up the scabbard on the ground, swept it between his legs, and knocked him down. Then I immediately declared myself the winner. Do you know how thrilling it was at that time? If I hadn't secretly given him cramps several times..."

Chapter 30 I feel ashamed

Although Firth's words sounded strange, Cesar heard something else. "Not every mage can do this, right?"

She held up the wrist of broth. "I don't know much about other schools..."

Cesar walked up behind her, leaning forward, holding onto the back of his chair. "It's not a matter of school," he whispered. "If mages were generally adept at this kind of cheating, the nobles of Noyen wouldn't have been unable to recognize it. You know, you're a beginner. If a beginner could cast a spell in public and no one would notice, with the person being manipulated like a puppet, what would the impact be? Do you truly understand?"

Fils put the bowl down again. "You mean," she murmured, "they're not such ordinary spells?"

"I guess not." Cesar lowered his voice. "It would disrupt and affect many things. If you can manipulate the results of the competition at the Count's banquet, what about those more advanced spellcasters? Using this method, people can turn mistakes into injuries, and injuries into accidental deaths. It's even easier to promote people who suit their needs to the position. Have you ever thought about where what you are learning comes from? Is it really the secret knowledge of the Soholi School?"

Firth looked puzzled. "If I must explain, it was Corini who taught me. She said they were just little tricks... and I haven't found any such descriptions in the knowledge passed down by our ancestors."

"It can't be a trick." Cesar corrected. After thinking for a moment, he asked again:

"Do you have any impression of your father?"

"No, and I've never thought about the concept of father. Besides providing the necessary conditions for reproduction, does this word have any special meaning?"

Cesar shook his head. "I think your mother probably has some special experiences she's never told you... but it's probably impossible for her to tell you. As for your father, you're old enough now, so there's no need to worry about whether he's your father or not." He tore off a piece of steaming, freshly baked bread, dipped it in the broth, and swallowed it. "As I said before, you should have a complete understanding of the spells you use. I'm not talking about the theory and effectiveness, but the source and social impact."

"source?"

"You said that there's little knowledge exchange between schools of magic, that they often persecute each other, and that they send spies and agents to steal other schools' secret knowledge, right? If the spells you use are discovered to be the secrets of a major school, and you don't have any connections, you'll be arrested and thrown into their prison, interrogated, and asked where you stole it. I don't know how the various schools treat prisoners, but judging by the experiences of those in your Soholi school, dying in prison is the most likely outcome."

Phils fell silent, gazing out the window towards the Joshua River, seemingly immersed in the history of persecution and struggle between various schools of magic.

In the past, she had experienced these stories as if they were stories told by her ancestors. But now, she realized that they were not only history but also threats she would face personally in the future. Her feelings were indeed different. Seeing her staring blankly and momentarily absent-minded, Cesar broke off another piece of bread, dipped it in a little icing sugar, and put it into her mouth.

"In short," he said, "before using magic, if you don't know its historical origins and inheritance, as well as its impact on secular society, you'd better act with caution."

Phils chewed absentmindedly for a moment, finally biting his finger before muttering, "Not sweet enough."

"You should eat less sugar," Cesar said, sitting back in his chair and pouring a full glass of crimson wine. "Let's get back to less dangerous topics... Next I need to find someone to practice swordplay and longbow techniques with."

"If you don't have confidence," Fils leaned over the table and whispered mysteriously, "I can help you rig the competition."