Chapter 1038: Act 210 – Flames of Dawn XI
The Cold Dew Manor lay silent in the darkness.
This villa, designed in the architectural style of the era known as the Return of Radiance, was built by Polte, the most renowned master architect of the Empire one hundred and fifty years ago. The villa’s luxurious curves were hidden within a sea of trees, with a railing that stretched on for two or three miles. It was said that two dukes, one earl, and the famous mistress, Lady Belisaf, had once lived here until her death.
Now, it was the royal estate, with no master to claim it.
In the woods near the manor, there was a large patch of low rose bushes, within which Brendel and his companions hid. The dense foliage perfectly concealed their forms, and their breaths were masked by magic.
Brendel observed the mansion under the cover of night from a distance.
Just a few hours earlier, the mysterious witch had revealed one thing to him: the Cold Dew Manor was a trap set by the Silver Queen, her target not Faina nor Sidney, but himself.
Within this manor, what the Queen guarded fiercely was not Countess Valarch, but the long-lost Staff of Fire of the Empire.
That was the part of Odrefice that was divided into three.
And it was also the reason behind the armed ‘Staff of Fire’ under the Temple of Fire.
Brendel couldn’t help but glance at his chest.
Due to the fire gem within him, as soon as he got close to the staff, the soul of Odrefice would inevitably resonate with it, thus revealing him to others.
If what that woman said was true, then according to the initial action plan, he would indeed face a hidden danger tonight. He hadn’t expected Her Majesty the Queen to recover this object.
He recalled the woman’s words:
“The real Countess Valarch is imprisoned in Sandburg, guarded by the ‘Staff of Fire.’ Meanwhile, lying in wait near Cold Dew Manor is the Flame Acolyte Knight Order—”
But that woman wasn’t the Witch of the Cup Moon. Brendel frowned; witches’ successors often displayed their talents from a young age, so how could a newcomer in her forties appear? It simply didn’t fit the game’s setting.
However, since she had dared to swear to the Thirteenth Moon, it at least proved she wasn’t lying.
So far, Brendel had never encountered a witch that could make such a vow lightly. Most witches excelled in deceitful language, often pretending to be the successors of other moons, then swearing to their moons.
But such a vow was ultimately meaningless, as witches were only accountable to the magic moon they inherited.
However, swearing to the Thirteenth Moon was a different concept, unless a witch of the fourteenth moon had appeared in this world.
If that were the case, Brendel could only consider himself unlucky.
At this moment, Faina shifted beside him, crouched in the grass, feeling little wrong. Although she was a princess of the Mehotofen family, she wasn’t a sheltered lady; she had been to dangerous places like the Loop of Trade Winds with Veronika, and compared to that, their current situation was merely child’s play.
The swarm of mosquitoes, however, was almost unbearable. When traveling before, she always had various insect repellent creams and skin care alchemic potions prepared; clearly, there were no such conditions now.
“If you ask me,” she finally couldn’t hold back and whispered, “why not just attack Sandburg? You said that woman didn’t lie, right?”
“Naive. Though she swore to the Thirteenth Moon, truth can also lie. Until I confirm her intentions, I will never trust a witch’s promise,” Brendel snapped back, explaining to the noblewoman: “Moreover, even if we attack Sandburg, we would still attract Her Majesty the Queen’s subordinates in a battle with the Flame Staff Hierarchy. This is the Imperial Capital; do you really think we can come and go as we please?”
“In my opinion, the defenses in the Imperial Capital today are incredibly weak.” Faina pouted. “It’s already in chaos outside, with even the patrol cavalry not deployed. There are only a scattering of people.”
Brendel frowned.
This indeed felt strange. Earlier, even he noticed the atmosphere in the Imperial Capital was very off. In this era, the nobles’ oppression of the lower classes was incredibly harsh; discontent among the populace was not surprising, and Erluin was always in revolt, but those were merely tempests that rose and fell.
This was a magical world, where those with power often rose to the top of society. How easy could it be for commoners to resist?
That was why when Grudin acted so recklessly in Cold Fir Castle, Yuta and the mercenaries could only seethe in silence. Only he, a freak from another world, dared to challenge this old order.
If someone like Erluin had such circumstances, how much more so with Cruz, especially since this place was the center of the vast Empire, the Imperial Capital?
Though there were ominous signs of cultists behind the gathered masses, honestly speaking, cultists didn’t even warrant mention in the Empire’s eyes.
Despite the Everything Returns Society infiltrating the Empire and the Temple thoroughly, facing them directly, even a hundred of them combined wouldn’t stand a chance against the Empire.
“Is it possible that Her Majesty gathered all the power of the Imperial Capital just to deal with me?”
He couldn’t help but entertain this absurd thought.
But he quickly shook his head and dismissed it—it was sheer lunacy. The defenses of the Imperial Capital were roughly structured in four layers. First were the city guards and patrol cavalry; Rustra’s city guards and patrol cavalry were roughly on par with the second-line garrison of the Empire, with individual strengths around the middle to peak of black iron, and these two forces maintained a permanent strength of about thirty-three thousand… mobilizing them would be powerful.
Then, heading west from the Imperial Capital, stationed south of the Wolf Mountains was the White Legion, aimed at guarding against the Nazhel people. However, this legion had recently been defeated in East Meiz, replaced by the Green Legion.
But due to Veronika’s reasons, at this time of year, Her Majesty would never allow this legion to enter the Banker region.
Next, the third line of defense was the Royal Guards—the Royal Guards were actually the Empire’s Fifth Legion and were stronger than the first-line of the four major legions, as the grassroots officers in the Royal Guards were composed of Flame Acolytes, and the soldiers were drawn from elite troops of various legions.
However, this legion consistently guarded the royal palace and generally wouldn’t be deployed to maintain the peace of the Imperial Capital, so it’s normal that they couldn’t be seen now.
Finally, there were the core forces of the Empire: the Flame Acolyte Knight Order, the Staff of Fire, and the Silver Pegasus Knight Order. These were the true core forces of the Empire—or rather, the Temple of Fire.
Initially, Brendel thought that the Staff of Fire should not yet be under Her Majesty’s control since it had always been in Valarch’s hands, but he learned from that unknown witch that this powerful force had turned so quickly.
Indeed, human hearts were fragile, Brendel couldn’t help but shake his head and lament.
In this way, with the Flame Acolyte Knight Order and the already loyal Silver Pegasus Knight Order to Her Majesty, the Imperial Capital was not to be underestimated.
Throughout history, cultists had instigated riots multiple times, but what came of it?
It was merely a riot.
Yet these individuals dared to stir up trouble under the Silver Queen’s very nose; it seemed too audacious. Logically, the patrol cavalry and city guards should have been deployed long ago.
This was Brendel’s greatest confusion, for the more unclear the Queen’s movements were, the more he worried about what conspiracy she might be hiding.
At that moment, Charles checked the time; the minute hand of his pocket watch was already faintly pointing to the agreed-upon hour.
“My lord?”
Brendel nodded. Although their opponent’s intentions remained elusive, this did not relate to their operation tonight. What he needed to do was to play along with the scheme.
Suppose that woman’s intent was to lure him into attacking Sandburg; then he would reverse her cunning, using Cold Dew Manor as the battlefield—not seeking a complete victory, but at least throw them into disarray.
Then, he would arrange for others to find an opportunity to raid Sandburg.
And if that woman was telling the truth, all the better. Since Her Majesty chose Cold Dew Manor as the battlefield, it meant she was sure of herself and would invest her full strength; he would respond right here, drawing all attention toward him.
Then that woman would have a better chance of rescuing Xi from Sandburg.
In any case, this was a foolproof choice, and even in the worst situation, it would merely lead to a frontal confrontation at the Holy Contipal Palace, which they had long prepared for.
Since they had made the worst-case plans, there was nothing left to hesitate.
Brendel immediately activated his Traveler Mage authority, summoning the Fireclaw Lizardman Lord Repal.
Space rippled, and Repal appeared silently beside him. In fact, he had summoned this subordinate back at the inn, but since that guy was too conspicuous, it was not suitable for him to act outside, so he waited until they arrived at Cold Dew Manor before using his Traveler Mage authority to summon him, which had similar effects.
Repal was still as he had always been, bowing first when he saw Brendel. The rank among the Fireclaw Lizardmen was very strict, with clear hierarchies; moreover, Repal was the warrior chief within the clan, so humility and loyalty to the leader were ingrained in his very bones.
However, a glint of bright light flickered in his vertical pupils. The Fireclaw Lizardmen were a warrior race, and battle was their life; dying in battle was the highest honor for a warrior, and having been away from the battlefield for so long made it difficult for him to bear.
“Hey, old buddy,” Brendel looked at his old subordinate and couldn’t help but smile. “I know you can’t wait to taste the enemy’s blood and the sweetness of victory at once. But you should also understand your current situation. I have a task for you: protect this lady well.”
At this moment, Repal was no longer the traditional biological card but a Traveler Mage card, representing the profession that was Brendel’s old trade—warrior. Naturally, this meant his power had significantly decreased; he clearly had no chance to participate in the upcoming battle.
Brendel knew precisely what kind of enemy he would face—the Flame Acolyte Knight Order, a legend of the Temple of Fire, where there was almost no room for his side to intervene, given the elemental manifestations.
Repal’s face showed a hint of regret, but he remained serious as he bowed. He glanced at Faina, who was evidently sizing up the large guy. She hadn’t seen Repal before, just curious about where he had come from.
Could it be that Brendel really was a summoner? But he was clearly a Sword Saint!
The Lady of the Flowerleaf had wanted to say she didn’t need anyone to protect her, but she also understood this wasn’t the time to be headstrong. She could only silently nod at the Fireclaw Lizardman lord as a gesture.
Fortunately, Repal was indifferent to the emotions of his protector; he was a warrior, not a knight for a princess.
In fact, Brendel didn’t intend to summon Repal so soon; after all, Traveler Mage authority was incredibly precious. He had hoped to wait a bit longer to see what type of class he truly needed before making the summoning.
However, it was clear that there were no opportunities to be picky now. When facing the massive Empire, every bit of strength equated to a glimmer of hope.
In fact, aside from Repal, he summoned a few more cards to supplement the subclass within various ‘class’ card decks.
One was that fire giant, who had not been very lucky, assigned to the same attribute as Repal. Yet probably due to his chronic bad luck, after being modified by Traveler Mage rules, he turned from a biological card into a barrier card.
Anger Burst
Courage II
Fire 10
[Barrier—Spirit]
Tap the attached target creature, remove all anger counters, and deal damage equal to the number of anger counters removed multiplied by the target’s damage.
Maintain; anger burst is a permanent barrier.
‘Enduring silence is for the sake of a vengeful strike—’
Anger counters are a special ability of Repal’s card; every time Repal takes damage, one anger counter accumulates, with a maximum of ten counters. This means that when settling, this card can deal up to ten times the damage.
The critical thing is that this card doesn’t necessarily have to be attached to Repal; it can even be attached to the Traveler Mage himself. With the tenfold strike he can unleash at his current power, along with frenzied talents, even his teacher, the Gray Saint Mephistopheles, might find it impossible to withstand his sharp edge head-on.
Unfortunately, he wasn’t clear what the ‘tapped’ effect would mean for him. Presumably, it would mean losing combat capability for a short time. If it had to last for two hours like other cards, then the side effects would indeed be significant.
Next was the Platinum Angel. This card held considerable sentimental value for Brendel; before he officially took on the role of Traveler Mage, it had once been one of his most potent cards, but it had always been just out of reach. By the time he truly unlocked it, he had already comprehended his own rules as a Traveler Mage and therefore had no opportunity to use it.
Only today, with the massive expansion of the Fire Element Pool elevating his card pool, did he finally have a chance to transform this card into his deck.
Originally, Brendel thought this card would end up as a support card in either Medisa or Himelam’s decks, but unexpectedly, it took a surprising turn during the transformation and was directly assigned to Andrigraphis and Medephis’s decks:
Loyalty
Eternal III
Dark 30
[Artifact—Armor]
Attach to a target non-black/Angel creature, returning it immediately to the battlefield and granting it five combat counters, undying, and countering all protective abilities. Even if the creature leaves combat or goes to the graveyard, these abilities still take effect.
Maintain for one phase.
‘Loyalty is unbound by place and time, in life or death—’
This card posed a significant headache for Brendel. Not that it wasn’t strong; in fact, it counted as one of the few powerful cards in Brendel’s hand. But unfortunately, the original Platinum Angel’s attributes posed massive limitations for this card—it could only attach to non-black, Angel category creatures. In the past, this wouldn’t have been a problem since Brendel still possessed cards like the Holy Seraph, but now that card had transformed into a vengeful angel in the Faith deck.
This was a spell card and, naturally, could not be used to attach loyalty.
Though he still had resources to create rules, he couldn’t guarantee that he could truly create an angel creature. Moreover, he needed a powerful card to turn the tide, like the Life Codex or Despair Wooden Horse level of cards; it was impossible to invest limited resources in intangible hopes.
What’s more, given his level as a Traveler Mage, the quality of creatures he could conjure remained a question. If he summoned one, it would at most be a peak Silver or, if lucky, a low-tier Gold, which, even with five combat counters and a series of abilities, would simply be an indestructible little cockroach with no attack power.
Thus, for Brendel, the loyalty card was currently a dead weight—a visible but unattainable type, echoing its original standing in Brendel’s card pool.
At this moment, Brendel couldn’t help but feel resentment toward the Platinum Angel card. Once it remained locked, it bore this attribute, yet after unlocking and transforming, it was still this attribute.
Were you specifically here to play me?
Due to this card, Brendel ultimately postponed the immediate transformation of the last card, fearing the situation might repeat itself. The fact proved that biological cards might not still be biological cards after transformation, so he was uncertain what newfound forms the Life Codex and Despair Wooden Horse would yield.
It was better to be cautious, to observe and then summon, at least leaving a glimmer of hope.
As Brendel and Repal were assigning tasks, Charles clicked shut the cover of his watch, reminding Brendel:
“My Lord, the time has come.”
“Then let’s set off—” Brendel instantly concluded his speech, drawing the Earth Sword and commanding the others: “Our target is the Staff of Fire and drawing out the Flame Acolyte Knight Order, but try not to make too much noise before meeting Medisa and the others.”
“Understood.” Charles, Andrigraphis, and Medephis nodded in unison.
