Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 970: Chapter 969: Unstable Incline

Under the night sky, a mixed squad consisting of light infantry, novice knights, and combat Mages swiftly passed through the nearby intersection. The strict military discipline ensured no additional chatter in the team, only the sound of army boots hitting the ground resonating in the darkness. The light from the magic crystal street lamps shone on the edges of the soldiers’ helmets, leaving an occasional flash, while the short staves and orbs of the combat Mages peeked out from their clothes, giving off a mysterious glow in the dark.

This wasn’t some covert operation; they were merely part of the newly added night patrol units in Aldernon these days.

On the second floor of a large house near the wealthy district’s edge, a curtain was slightly pulled open, revealing a pair of shining eyes watching the street.

Mary stood behind the window observing for a while before turning back to her mentor not far behind her and saying, "Mentor, another squad of patrolling soldiers passed by outside; this time there are four combat Mages, two knights, and twelve soldiers carrying enchanted gear."

"They’re members of the Imperial Knights, a standard mixed combat squad..." Daniel sat on the sofa not far away, leaning against the armrest while holding his temple with one hand, a magic book hovering silently before him, turning pages by itself. The old Mage’s voice was steady and authoritative, calming Mary’s somewhat tense mood, "Which direction are they heading?"

Mary recalled and compared the orientation in her mind before answering, "Seems like towards West Oak Street."

"It’s St. Jerome War God Cathedral..." Daniel thought for a moment and nodded, "Very normal."

"Mentor, there are more patrol units at night recently," Mary said uneasily, "Is something big going to happen in the city?"

"...Things might be unstable recently, but don’t worry, our master has arrangements," Daniel glanced at his apprentice and said lightly, "Just focus on your own tasks."

Mary immediately nodded, "Yes, I remember."

A faint music suddenly drifted from somewhere, sounding far away, but probably still within the wealthy district.

Drawn by the music, Mary couldn’t help but glance out the window again. She saw bright lights among the gorgeous buildings to the northwest, accompanied by colorful shimmering lights appearing between one or two mansions. The indistinct sound was coming from that direction—it sounded lively and flowing, not the somewhat dull and rigid classical court music, but rather like the increasingly popular "new-style court dance music" loved by young aristocrats in recent years.

There seemed to be a gathering there, and from those flickering lights and faint music, Mary could easily imagine a joyful scene happening there at the moment.

"The atmosphere is getting tenser every day, yet their parties haven’t stopped for a single day..." the young Mage couldn’t help but mutter softly.

"Hosting banquets is an aristocratic duty; as long as they have breath left, they won’t stop feasting and dancing—especially during tense times, their banquet halls must be lit up all night," Daniel smiled slightly, perhaps feeling Mary, a girl raised in countryside, was being overly surprised, "If you had visited the oak street market today, you would see nothing has changed; the citizens’ market is still open, the traders’ exchange is still bustling with people. Even though almost all War God cathedrals are under investigation and the Sage Hall has been closed for days, neither the nobles nor the citizens think something big will happen—in a way, this is also thanks to the nobles’ non-stop feasting."

The young Mage pondered, then cautiously asked, "Reassuring the public?"

Daniel glanced at her, seemingly with a smile, "Sort of—the nobles feasting, their cooks and maids would describe what they saw to the guards and junior servants in the villas and manors. The servants would tell the news to their neighbors; news-savvy merchants would find a way to squeeze into the high society beforehand. Ultimately, all nobles, merchants, and wealthy citizens perceive everything as being fine, and for Aldernon and Typhon, as long as these people feel fine, society is stable—as for the poorer classes and displaced workers entering the city, whether they’re anxious isn’t considered by those above."

Mary blinked; she realized her mentor was teaching her some things she hadn’t learned as a Mage apprentice, knowledge seemingly unrelated to magic.

But she still listened earnestly.

The mentor’s voice came again from nearby: "In the coming period, ensure your safety; besides going to the Constructers’ Guild and Royal Mage Association, avoid other places, especially stay away from the War God’s church and priests active outside."

"Yes, I remember."

Mary answered while turning to look out the window again.

On the street illuminated by street lamps, the patrolling imperial army had long vanished, leaving only the bright yet cold magic crystal glow lighting this chilly winter night. Occasionally, a few pedestrians could be seen; they hurried and looked exhausted yet urgent—considering this was already the wealthy district’s edge, a street away from where the commoners lived, these figures might be workers finishing their night shifts, or perhaps homeless wanderers.

Mary couldn’t help but think of the countryside where she grew up—although she spent most of her childhood in the dark, oppressive Mage towers, she still remembered the village at the foot of the mountain and the nearby town. It wasn’t a prosperous and affluent place, but in this cold winter night, she couldn’t help but think of it.

She had lived in this bustling imperial capital for so long; she almost forgot what the countryside looked like.

A light suddenly appeared on the not-so-distant street, interrupting the thoughts that had just sprouted in Mary’s mind. She couldn’t help but gaze towards the light, seeing a dark silhouette emerging behind it—a wide-bodied black magic-guided vehicle rolled forward, resembling an odd beetle covered in an iron shell in the night.

A magic-guided vehicle? It’s something high-grade and expensive; which bigshot is traveling late at night? Mary’s curiosity arose, and she couldn’t help but scrutinize there more closely.

She vaguely saw an emblem on the carriage side, confirming it likely belonged to an aristocrat. However, just as she intended to take a closer look, a subtle, benign warning pressure suddenly pressed on her.

Mary’s heart skipped a beat, hurriedly shifting her gaze away.

"What happened?" the mentor’s voice came from nearby.

"A magic-guided vehicle just passed," Mary spoke softly, "I stared for too long, and the person in the car didn’t seem to like it."

"Don’t mind it; possibly a major aristocrat preferring to travel incognito. Such warnings harbor no ill will," Daniel said casually, pointing to the tea table before them. "If you’ve relaxed enough, return and finish this set of papers."

"Yes, mentor."

...

The Magic-guided Vehicle smoothly traveled across the wide and flat Imperial Avenue, the lights from the street lamps and buildings outside the windows flashed by, creating swift and blurred shadows on the inner walls, ceiling, and seats of the cabin. Duke Ferdinand sat on the right side at the back, his expression as usual as he withdrew his gaze from outside the window.

The trusted retainer responsible for driving asked from the front, "My Lord, it will still be a while before we reach the Obsidian Palace, would you like to rest for a bit?"

"No need, I am still quite alert," Ferdinand responded casually.

The vehicle continued to move forward, and the Duke’s thoughts also settled into calmness. He looked at the empty seat on his left, his gaze crossing over it to the window, where the spire of St. Jerome War God Cathedral was emerging from above several distant houses. It was quiet there now, with only the light from the street lamps shining through the gaps in the rooftops. He turned his head to look the other way and saw the neon lights flashing in the direction of the Vanarlion Salon, with indistinct bustling sounds audible even from here.

A familiar, deep, and powerful voice suddenly came from the seat on the left: "Prosperous yet noisy, splendid but hollow, isn’t it?"

Duke Ferdinand’s muscles tensed instantly, ready for battle within a fraction of a second, then he swiftly turned his head—seeing a burly figure clad in holy robes sitting in the seat to his left, smiling at him.

Yet, the trusted retainer driving in the front showed no reaction, seemingly unaware that an extra person had appeared in the car, nor did he hear the voice just now.

"Your Grace Malm..." Ferdinand recognized the figure—it was the current archbishop of the Sect of the God of War. However... he should currently be in the Sage Hall, under the "protective surveillance" of many elite agents of the Wanderer Troops and Lady Diana herself, shouldn’t he?

Why is he here!? How did he get here!?

For a moment, Ferdinand doubted his own awareness and vigilance as a legendary powerhouse, but he maintained a calm demeanor. Apart from secretly heightening his alertness, he merely spoke in a mild tone, "Visiting in this manner at such a late hour seems rather unconventional?"

Malm Dunite merely offered a gentle smile, not the least bit concerned, and said, "We’ve known each other for a long time—and I recall you weren’t such a cold person."

Ferdinand grew increasingly alert because he did not understand the archbishop’s sudden visit and was wary of the mysterious means by which he appeared beside him. The trusted retainer driving at the front still had not reacted, making the whole situation all the more eerie.

"Then why have you come to my car so late at night, is there something urgent?" he asked, while remaining on guard and staring into the archbishop’s eyes.

"Just suddenly thought it had been a long time since I’d seen an old friend, wanted to pay a visit and have a chat," Malm said in a seemingly casual tone. "Ferdinand, my friend, you haven’t been to the Sage Hall for devout worship in quite some time, have you?"

Something is definitely wrong!

"I make the necessary donations to the Sage Hall weekly and haven’t neglected the essential prayers and sacraments," Ferdinand stated solemnly. "Old friend, is that what you suddenly came to discuss with me?"

Yet Malm simply shook his head as if not hearing the latter part, and said, "That’s not enough, that won’t do at all, my friend. Donations and basic prayers, sacraments are things that ordinary followers would do, but I know you are a devout believer, as is Bard, and the Wendell clan has always been the most devoted followers of our Lord, no?"

Then his eyebrows drooped, seeming somewhat regretful, his tone like that of an ordinary old man rambling on: "But what has happened over the years, my old friend? I can sense you drifting away from our Lord’s path... you seem to deliberately or unintentionally distance yourself from your once noble and righteous faith. Has something happened?"

Ferdinand furrowed his brow but did not speak.

Malm Dunite continued, "And that child Andresha hasn’t accepted baptism yet, has she... Old friend, Andresha is to be the heir of the Wendell clan, you told me this long ago. How can there be a member of the Wendell clan who hasn’t accepted the Lord’s baptism?"

Ferdinand finally couldn’t help breaking the silence: "Your Grace Malm, my friend—the Wendell clan has indeed always devoutly served the War God, but we are not a clerical family, no obligation or law dictates that every Wendell descendant must accept the baptism of the Sect of the God of War. Andresha has chosen a path different from her parents and forebears, and it is a path I acknowledge, so I see nothing wrong with it.

"Moreover, Andresha is already twenty-five this year, she is capable of being an independent frontline commander, I don’t think we elders can decide the path of her life any further."

Malm Dunite did not speak for a moment, merely gazing intently into Ferdinand’s eyes, but then quickly laughed, as if the intense stare never happened: "You’re right, my friend, you’re right... Andresha is no longer a child.

"However, I still want to say, Ferdinand, you really have distanced yourself from our Lord in these years... Though I don’t know what has happened to you, this is not good.

"You have received baptism, you are a devout believer in our Lord, and the Lord has responded to you before. This will not change because of your distancing.

"Ferdinand, return to the righteous path, the Lord will be pleased."

Ferdinand’s expression turned somewhat unsettling, his tone also unfriendly: "Your Grace Malm, I have important business tonight, if you wish to preach to me, we can find another time."

"Ah, important business..." Malm Dunite looked up and glanced out of the window, shaking his head, "The direction of the Obsidian Palace, I think I know what your important business is... Going to see Emperor Rosetta Augustus again? Another sudden summon?"

Ferdinand immediately reminded sternly: "Your Grace Malm, it is customary to use honorifics when referring to His Majesty, even you should not call the emperor by name."

"It’s alright, I’m an old friend of his, I’ve called him that long ago," Malm smiled but soon shook his head again, "It’s just a shame, he probably no longer considers me an old friend... He even ordered the blockade of the Lord’s cathedral, detained me and my priests..."

Ferdinand immediately corrected, "That’s not a blockade, just an investigation, you were not detained, it was merely a protective measure to prevent any further incidents..."

He stopped speaking mid-sentence.

The seat to his left was empty, with no one there at all.