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nSylvester had, for the most part, ruined the Empire. But the powerhouses of the Empire were still intact. He had only killed two Grand Wizards in the underground city before, and that only brought down the number of Grand Wizards from twenty-five to twenty-three. He knew he had to hasten his killing spree, but the problem with going after the Grand Wizards was that they were quite strong, and required him to extensively use Elder Magic.

nAt the same time, he feared that if he killed them one by one, it would alert all the others that someone was targeting them. That could result in them either hiding away or choosing to stay in groups, making it hard for him.

n‘The death of the Grand Wizards should happen all at once. But I can’t kill them all, as it would be a true waste of their talents. Sol needs as many experts as possible. Perhaps killing the peak Grand Wizards should be better, as it will terrify the lower level Grand Wizards, making them easily manipulated with fear.’

nSylvester meticulously planned each of his moves while sitting in his room. The news from across the Empire continued to pour in as the word of the massacre in the Southern City spread. Some places saw riots; some saw mutiny against the administrations.

n“Chonky, I only have one year to become the Pope now.” Sylvester talked to Miraj, who sat beside him on the bed, playing with a few insects he had found somewhere.

n“Then, we meet big Mum in one year? I can’t wait!” Miraj had his priorities clearly set.

n“We will, but how do I hasten the downfall of the Empire? Hmm…” Sylvester wondered and watched Chonky torment the poor insects with his paws. “Wait! Chonky, we haven’t filled your bank in a while now. What if we were to empty the treasury of the Empire? But their secret money holes must be well guarded.”

nMiraj’s eyes shined with excitement. Finally, he was going to see some action. “Let’s do it, Maxy. Let’s invade their holes!”

n“…”

n“Ah yes, let’s see what we can do. Finding the vaults and their safety mechanisms won’t be easy, but we can do it. Until then, you should start training too, and not play around all the time.”

nWoosh!

nMiraj rolled on the bed. “But…I get bored here. I wanna go out, and play with Kimino…She can see me, and she feeds me tasty treats.”

n“You’re too easy to lure, buddy. One day, someone might catch you like a fish.” Sylvester said and finally settled down to sleep a little. He hadn’t rested for the past six days and needed to replenish his energy.

n…

nAlfia, High Ragnum

nWithin the chambers of the elven castle, the King of Elves rested alone, his heart in miserable agony. The news of the failed mission by the elves he sent to bring Xavia, devastated him.

nThe regrets from the past and the sorrow of not standing by her when she was pregnant weighed heavily on his mind. He wanted to be with her now in times of sorrow and loneliness. He wanted to be there when Sylvester was gone.

nHowever, no matter what, as if the heavens had decided to keep her away from him, he could not reach her. In his pursuit to bring her over, the war had spilled over to Beastaria itself, and now, for the first time, the threat lay upon their lands.

nKnock!

nWith an abrupt knock, a woman entered the King’s personal chambers. Graceful, alluring, with long ears, pale skin, and blonde hair, her eyes were as blue as the ocean. But, her face held a mocking grin instead of a loving smile.

n“Why have you locked yourself here again? I don’t understand you anymore, Rathagun,” she said and approached the King.

n“You need not know, Nyana.”

n“As your wife, it is my duty to know what troubles your mind, my King.” She insisted, trying to take his hand in hers.

nKing Rathagun pulled his hand back. “There is no love between us; you said that on the first day of our marriage. So why have you come now with a face of sympathy? Has your father not done enough already?”

n“Don’t bring my father into this! You know very well, ours was a political marriage. I said those words on the first day as a warning to you, not to treat me like your slave whore of yours. I had hoped to fall in love with time, but you never even tried. Is that whore still on you min—”

nClench!

nKing Rathagun’s hand abruptly flew to rest on Nyana’s throat. “Don’t you dare call her that again!”

n“Hmph!” Nyana scoffed. “Or else what? Will you resurrect her? My King, you have brooded enough…please understand me. We must produce an offspring to further the bloodline, especially in these times of great war! If something were to happen to you… it would be the end…”

n“Leave,” Rathagun ordered. “My brother is still alive. He will safeguard my bloodline if I die. As for you, I’d rather drink poison than conceive a child with a wicked woman like you. I may look calm and uncaring, but I know of your dirty schemes that have spread throughout Alfia. Your father was the reason peace talks in Deca Impeia failed—resulting in war with Dragons.”

n“My father’s actions do not define me.” She argued, shedding a few tears.

n“Your words are as hollow as your tears, Nyana. Just leave, and don’t show me your face unless I summon you.” King Rathagun commanded her.

nGrumpily, Nyana stood up to leave. However, just as she reached the door, the King spoke again.

n“One more thing. You seem to keep forgetting that I am still the most powerful man in Alfia, both politically and physically.”

n“Are you threatening me?” She asked.

n“No, merely reminding you where you stand in this realm. Be a good Queen, smile, and take care of orphan children. That is your duty. That’s all I expect from you.”

nShe didn’t wait to listen anymore and swiftly left, closing the door behind with a loud thud.

nOnce again, alone, the King decided to use his Worldsight and see Xavia to soothe his mind.

n…

nBack in Masan, Sylvester spent a week trying to map out the castle of the Emperor. He wrote some special rune markings on some gold coins and let them flow through the market, eventually making their way into the castle and heading toward the treasury.

nHe followed the marked coins to see where all the money was kept. To his shock, the money was kept in a different castle, and completely occupied by soldiers, from top to bottom. While the vaults were underground, they were not as deep as the Dwarven city.

nThere were nearly a dozen vaults, each likely as big as the giant hall where the Emperor held his court. Sylvester could only sense one of the vaults, and he could tell it was filled to the brim with gold and various other treasures. From statues to art pieces, there was everything.

n‘Alright, so there are almost five thousand soldiers in that castle. Five Grand Wizards stand on guard duty the whole time, without sleeping. Every ten days, the five Grand Wizards are replaced with other Grand Wizards. That means their last day is when they’re most exhausted.’

nSylvester observed everything from a distance and tried to discern the patterns of movements of the soldiers. To his delight, there was a brief, three-minute window between each shift change. That would be his opportunity, but of course, those minutes could only help him enter, not exit.

n“Chonky, are you ready?” He asked on the tenth night when the shift was to be changed. He donned tight black robes and covered his face as well.

n“Aye, Aye, Maxy…I’m very hungry for gold.”

n“Hah, good, my little crow. The plan is simple, we go in, steal, and come out. It’s going to be a short twenty-minute adventure.” Sylvester briefed Miraj about their time limit.

nWith everything in order, and the darkness of the night sweeping the street, they both headed out. It was easy enough for Sylvester, since he didn’t have to leave the city that night, so he easily went to the castle that housed the treasury.

nAs expected, it was teeming with soldiers, and the five Grand Wizards sat at a corner each, with one in the middle. But as the time for the shift change came closer, the five would leave their positions to greet the Grand Wizards taking their place.

nNow, it was a tricky move. If he wasn’t careful, he could face the wrath of ten Grand Wizards instead. So, he carefully used Elder Runes to conceal his presence completely. Even if there was a Grand Wizard with some sort of sensory abilities, they’d only perceive it as if there were some plant or tree, not human.

nAs for Miraj, the boy was, by default, the greatest sneaky cat in the world. He was responsible for scouting the path ahead and checking all turns and corners. The step was crucial as Sylvester couldn’t afford to beat anyone there, not even the commoner soldiers.

n‘There!’ Sylvester finally saw the central room of the castle, where an open staircase descended into the hidden door leading to the underground chambers. One Grand Wizard usually sat there, but with the shift change, he had a window to enter. 𝒃𝒆𝙣𝒐𝒗𝙚𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝒎

n“Maxy! Guards coming!” Miaj suddenly returned from a corner and warned.

nWoosh!

nSylvester, like a spider, jumped up and stuck himself to the ceiling. In a moment, two soldiers walked past beneath him, armed to their teeth with long spears as they talked to each other.

n“Thanks, Chonky. That was a quick save.” Sylvester took a calming breath and pressed on. He made his way down the stairs, evaded the guards, and eventually arrived at what he could only describe as a colossal bank.

n‘What the hell is this place?’

nIt was immense, so much so that he couldn’t see the end of it. There were light crystals hanging from the ceiling, illuminating the place. Scores of men and women were there, each standing before a table. They tallied coins on the tables and wrote down the amount and its source in a ledger. The sound of clinking coins was like music to the ears but also posed a significant issue.

n‘This seems like an…audit or something?’

n“Maxy, how do we steal now?” Miraj asked.

nSylvester wondered the same. He had no idea if the vaults were empty now, with everything being counted, or if the money being counted was intended to be deposited into the vault.

n“Let’s observe first.”

n‘How much is there? More than a few billion? The Pope’s bounty was three hundred million…this would make sense!’

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