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n

n“You… I… all of us did, your holiness.”

n“What blasphemy are you speaking of, Young Bard? Why would we kill a prospective Grand Wizard who would have mastered the art of exorcism? He was important to us!” The Pope questioned Sylvester while being a little angry at the accusation.

nSylvester walked to the side and took a seat. “Then I guess he wasn’t important enough. Did you know about what else Saint Seer did? It wasn’t just my mother who was targeted in the name of removing weakness.”

nThe Pope’s eyes contracted. “No, not him again? What did he do?”

n“What he couldn’t do to me. He killed Augustus’ family. His mother, father, and sister–all of them. Augustus was contemplating suicide for a long time and finally found his end in the battle recently.” Sylvester laid out the details while keeping a nose on all the emotions.

n‘Feel the anger, the disappointment, your holiness. The more you hate the current establishment, the more vulnerable you will be to my plots.’

nCrack!

nThe ground underneath the Pope cracked all of a sudden. The whole white marble floor shattered into small pieces.

nSylvester stood up, not wanting to involve himself any further. “I shall take my leave, your holiness. I will return tomorrow evening for the training as planned. May the Holy Light enlighten us.”

n“Good night, young bard.”

nSylvester closed the door behind him and headed home. He knew that the Pope would not kill Saint Seer as the man was hard to replace at such short notice. But something was surely going to happen.

nSaint Seer needed a leash around his head to ensure he did not bite the allies in his thirst for doing something for the greater good.

n“Maxy!” Miraj jumped on Sylvester’s shoulder as the cat diligently waited outside the Pope’s palace. “I got bored.”

n“I was only gone for twenty minutes, Chonky. But I have a plan so you don’t get bored when I will be training with the Pope in the coming days. I will introduce you to mum tomorrow. But, I will tell her that you’re my little guardian angel and that if she tells anyone about you, then you’d disappear. Don’t try to talk to her, either. Just be a good, invisible cat that meows. And if she needs something, you pick it up and bring it to her,” Sylvester started instructing Miraj. “Also, never use your tummy ability. Remember, Chonky, if the world learns your secret, they will go to any length to capture you and cut you open to see how you’re so special.”

nMiraj tucked his tail between his legs in fear. “Don’t worry, Maxy. I will never tell our secret. I will be the good secret boy of big mum.”

nSylvester still repeated himself multiple times so Miraj would never forget the lessons. After all, his greatest power was not the halo or the light magic but Miraj and his bottomless magical belly.

nKnock Knock!

nSince it was evening, Sylvester could smell the tasty scent of cooking from inside the house. It was mouthwatering.

n“Open up!” He called them and knocked again.

n“Who the hec… Ah! Sylvester, you’re back?” Aurora opened the door, appearing slightly drunk by the look on her face.

n“You took the Sunshine Nectar from my cupboard, didn’t you?” Sylvester recognised the scent immediately.

n“What are you talking about, my dear little brother? Come in. Xavia is telling Isabella, Zeke and me the stories about you. She said you were one heck of a farter when you were little.”

n“…”

n“She also told how you saved her from that maggot village chief that night. You’ve been a good boy since the start, it seems.” Aurora patted his head and dragged him in after closing the door.

n“Sylvester!” Xavia chirped at his sight and moved her wheelchair to him.

nHe hugged her before pressing her shoulders and arms. “You appear better than before, mum. Have you been training every day?”

n“Of course, dear. Isabella and Aurora were always here to help me. Zeke also kept me safe the whole time.”

n“Protect my lady. My duty!” Zeke spoke sternly from the side, standing like a statue with his swords.

nSylvester chuckled. “At ease, Knight. For the evening, you are relieved from duty. Come here and sit on the couch.”

nZeke first looked at Sylvester as if contemplating. “Ugh… Forgive Zeke. I am dumb. Does my lord want me to sit with him?”

nSylvester walked up to him and patted his shoulder. “You are not dumb, Zeke. You’re just pure; there is a big difference. Now, you have done your duty, so it’s time to rest. Come and sit with me.”

n“Understood, my lord.”

nSylvester then patted Isabella’s head. “I hope you’re studying well in the School of Dawn.”

n“…”

nBam!

nShe slapped his hand away. “I’m not a little girl, Sylvester.”

n“Yes! Treat Isabella like a good lady. Look how pretty she is, aww.” Aurora, being drunk, sat beside Isabella and started squishing her cheeks. “Look, she’s a chipmunk.”

n“Pfft…” Sylvester chuckled and sat beside Xavia. “So, I heard you were sharing stories about me? Did you tell them how you made me a honey addict?”

n“But you liked it,” Xavia protested.

n“That’s why I am going to the kitchen to look for it.”

nSylvester acted normal, as he had decided not to tell Xavia about Augustus or what had happened at work. But he had to tell her about elves finding him out, so she could stay prepared in case of some unfortunate event.

n“Any news about Felix and Gabriel?” Isabella asked from her seat.

n‘I hope they’re fine.’ Sylvester prayed silently.

n“Not yet. But they should be hard at work right now. I told them to send me weekly updates, so the letter should be arriving soon. Why? Are you worried about them?”

n“I am,” Isabella frowned. “They are my good friends, and I know that every time you’ve been on an assignment, it always went bad. So I just hope that they don’t get caught up in something, as we won’t even know about it.”

nThat thought did cross Sylvester’s mind many times over the days. “Don’t worry. They also have Elyon and Bishop Lazark with them. Elyon can easily sniff out any danger around them. So don’t get depressed now. Anyway, I’m going to sleep. See you in the morning.”

nAurora also stood up and looked outside from the balcony. “It’s late at night. I should head home now, or father will be angry again.”

n“Why not just stay? I have enough space on my bed.” Xavia offered.

n“I have a lot of space in my room, too,” Isabella added.

nAurora looked at the two of them for a few seconds and then grinned ear to ear. “You know what! Let’s all sleep together. I will tell you stories from my life.”

n“Fine by me.” Xavia was always longing for company.

nIsabella also agreed. “Please don’t pull my cheeks again.”

n“Such blasphemy! Of course, I will!”

nAurora, the friendly, lovable bully, genuinely enjoyed her life with new friends. Sylvester heard and saw everything, but he never interfered and let Aurora assimilate with his family. He had a few reasons, some selfish and some not.

nOn the one hand, he believed that the closer Aurora was to him and Xavia, the more inclined she’d be to take his side if something happened in the future. But, on the other hand, Inquisitor High Lord had spoken about Aurora’s lonely childhood that repressed her feelings. So, this was an outlet for her to live the time she lost.

nAs for Sylvester, he heard the laughs and giggles of the women from the other room. He just lay on his bed, looking at the ceiling with the back of his hand on his forehead.

nHis mouth was curved into a smile, but his eyes told a different story–a story of fear, frustration and tiredness.

n‘With the elves coming after me, I must hasten my rise. I can’t give them any time to destroy whatever ounce of a peaceful life I have right now. I must become a Bishop as quickly as possible.’

n“Meow Meow Meow Meow~”

n‘I should utilise the training with the Pope. His lessons are clearly effective, as I killed that elf without much injury.’

n“Meow Meow Meow Meow~”

n“…”

nBam!

n“Come on, Chonky! Don’t snore like that.” Sylvester pushed the cat from his chest and tucked him under the thick blanket.

n“M-Maxy best…” Miraj muttered in sleep.

nInstantly, Sylvester melted and closed his eyes. “I guess you’re the anchor that is keeping me sane with your sheer chonky cuteness. Goodnight, my friend.”

n…

nDuchy of Zon.

nIn the Duke’s Keep, Duke Zephyr Vas Zon sat in the solar and looked at a report given to him by the Prima. ．

n“So the Baroness is dead, and the new regent is a clergyman?”

n“Not just any clergyman, but a close friend of Lord Bard.” The Prima added.

nDuke Zon smirked. “So he rejected my offer and instead chose a third path. Does he wish to play the big game now?”

n“What should we do, your grace? There was a lot of Gold in the forest of the Barony.”

nDuke Zon put the report aside and started writing on a different parchment. “It’s alright, Lord Prima. The little boy wants to play the big man’s game; let him play. But that does not mean we have to treat him in kind. I’m writing a letter to the master of Broken Bay.

n“Since Rosewood Barony uses Broken Bay for all their trade, I am increasing the cost of renting our docks for them by a hundred per cent. Not only that. Send back all the homeless and poor workers who originate from Rosewood Barony. Let’s see how long they can survive before going bankrupt.”

nPrima had some words of caution, however. “Your grace, please be careful. All those who ever went against Lord Bard have only suffered ill fate. Therefore, we should avoid trouble with him.”

n“I know, Lord Prima. But I am not going against him. This is strictly business. No harm is coming to any person.”

n“What if he decides to come after us?”

n“Hahaha! Let him,” Duke of Zon laughed madly. “Then we shall hurt him where it pains. We have influence in the Supreme Council. Perhaps an investigation might be launched against him. After all, what he’s doing to Rosewood Barony is not very–bardlike.”

n“Understood.” The Prima saluted and took the letter. “I shall pass the orders. Anything else?”

n“Ah, yes. What happened to the Mountain Barbarian invasion that was being talked about recently? Are the tribes really planning to come south? What did the intelligence report say?”

nThe man replied from the door. “I believe even if they attack, the Duchy of Iceling will be the first to fall. It will give us enough time to react.”

n“Duchy of Iceling?” Duke’s face turned diabolical, and he looked towards the north from the window. “Aren’t Lord Bard’s friends there?”

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