Chapter 193: Act 126 – Power and Responsibility (1)
After Brendel finished speaking, he leisurely observed the group.
A brief silence fell over the forest.
“Mister Brendel, are you alright?” Despite being an experienced old fox, Makarolo smiled slightly, calming his surprise as he asked, “I didn’t expect to run into you here after getting separated from the attack.”
Brendel thought to himself, you old rascal, still trying to shift the blame onto Conrad at a time like this, do you really think I’m that naïve? However, he didn’t show any of this frustration on his face. Instead, he smiled and patted the lifeless head of the Earth’s Envoy, answering, “Of course, such trivial matters are not enough to trouble me. It’s a pity you all fled too quickly that night; I wanted to assist my allies but could not. Truly, I am very sorry.”
Both sides ground their teeth. It seemed they were equally skilled at telling lies, but Brendel’s demeanor made Makarolo wary. He was uncertain whether Brendel truly knew all the truths or was merely angry about their earlier feigned politeness. However, at his age, it was rare to find such a shrewd young man, which made him feel a bit tricky to handle.
So much so that he overlooked the barbs in Brendel’s words.
Besides, he hadn’t come here to bicker with this young man. Frowning, he glanced at the forest behind Brendel, hesitating for a moment before asking, “Mister Brendel, have you seen anyone else passing through here?”
“A young man, you mean?” Brendel smiled inwardly.
“Indeed.”
As Makarolo spoke, Brendel could sense the urgency from the people behind him.
“If I’m not mistaken, that would be Mister Aike, right?” Brendel inquired.
Makarolo, Bud, and the elder among them immediately changed expressions. “You’ve seen him?” Makarolo blurted out, stepping forward before realizing he seemed overly eager. He coughed lightly and stepped back. He noticed the two beside him: Bud had a hand always near the sword hilt, with a grim face on high alert, while the elder looked pensively in Brendel’s direction.
But he quickly realized that Brendel might have guessed something. However, he believed Brendel couldn’t possibly know their identities, as they had managed to deceive even the Gray Wolf Mercenary Group and even Aike about this matter.
“Have you seen him, Mister Brendel?” Makarolo coughed again and asked, “Aike is a descendant of an important friend of mine, and I promised to take good care of him, but unexpectedly, we got separated.”
Brendel smiled faintly, thinking to himself that it wasn’t just Aike who got separated from you, but the entire Gray Wolf Mercenary Group, and yet, you don’t seem to be this anxious. However, he didn’t touch on this point and instead retorted, “Old friend? It seems that the cunning fox Makarolo, or should I say Baron Roshelle, has always referred to Duke Luun in this way? But I doubt the Duke would agree with that—”
Just as he finished speaking, the sound of clashing swords filled the air. Brendel looked up leisurely to see a row of attendants behind Makarolo drawing their swords.
“Who are you, young man?” Makarolo’s expression changed as he demanded in a lowered voice. He immediately thought whether Brendel was on the other side, but seeing the blood-soaked Earth’s Envoy on the ground—he didn’t seem to fit that description. Could there be a third-party force? The cunning fox hesitated for a moment; while it wasn’t without such a possibility, who else would be interested in this contest? He couldn’t help but wonder if it was a foreign power? Madara or Cruz?
Brendel certainly didn’t know that this guy had flipped through so many thoughts in an instant, but he didn’t intend to answer either. He was waiting for someone to speak, and that was the elder standing between Makarolo and Bud. Since he could stand in front of these two, it naturally indicated his status. But who was this sudden old man, Duke Luun? No, he wouldn’t mistake such a prominent figure; it didn’t seem like he was in disguise. Disguising was a profession even players could learn in Vaunte, but any skill would leave traces, which Brendel, as an experienced player, certainly understood.
Sure enough, after a pause, the elder finally shifted his gaze to Brendel. However, the first question he asked took everyone by surprise.
“Young man, that by your feet is the Fairy Apple, correct?” the elder asked after confirming a long time.
Oh no! Brendel silently cursed, realizing he had forgotten to put it away in his backpack. Normally, he wouldn’t make such a rookie mistake; partly due to Aike’s previous words diminishing his expectations for the item, and partly because he had a powerful backing behind him. He hadn’t thought much of it, and frankly, he hadn’t anticipated that this group would appear first.
At the same time, he finally recognized who the elder was.
Erluin’s chief court wizard, the veteran who had served Anzen VII multiple times—Livwz Hadervera Gemel. This fellow was the mentor to the current princess and Prince Younger; he hadn’t expected him to be here. It turned out Makarolo had such a hidden piece on the board. No wonder he could confidently leave Aike in Shubli, as if letting the other fend for himself—it was almost enough to fool him. However, this made it more evident that this fellow was treacherous. Now that it seemed, everything the Gray Wolf Mercenary Group was facing could very well have been orchestrated by this old fox.
Was the goal simply to keep things straightforward?
Brendel couldn’t help but grip the hilt of his short sword. While from one perspective he agreed with the noble class’s highly utilitarian values, playing with the feelings of the people around him, or perhaps never taking those people seriously, just seemed wrong. Both Sanford and Xi had encountered everything that represented their life’s meaning; they struggled and sacrificed for it. But to these people standing before him, it was but an abstract, non-existent illusion.
Yet when they no longer needed that illusion, the dreams of those little people in their eyes would shatter like bubbles, unable to resist even a light poke. It was pitiful that Xi and the others might not even understand this point.
Brendel took a deep breath, bit his teeth, and resolved to give these guys a lesson. Not because he had grand ideals, but rather because he was feeling quite unpleasant—he was discontent, and he had the ability to act. So he intended to make Makarolo, Bud, and even this old man pay for what Xi, Sanford, and others had faced.
“Master Livwz, is it?”
Brendel picked up the Golden Apple at his feet, waving it in front of everyone.
The action instantly changed the expressions of Makarolo and Bud, as they realized what Livwz had referred to as the Fairy Apple. That was the fruit of the Golden Tree. With this, they had the means to change everything. The ailing body of the former king, or rather, the weak character and fate of Prince Younger—all could change with the Golden Apple.
Could this be the opportunity bestowed upon Erluin by heaven?
At this moment, everyone couldn’t help but think so.
Even Makarolo, so cunning and calculating, couldn’t help but change color, his breath quickening. Even Livwz, who had experienced countless storms in his life, couldn’t help but speak up: “Young man, what you have in your hand is very important to us. May I ask if you would consider selling it to us? We can pay any price you desire, whether in gold, power, or wealth.”
Brendel felt two delicate hands on his shoulders, a small voice smilingly asking, “Are you going to sell it to them, Mister Brendel? I permit it.”
But Brendel merely smiled slightly, coldly regarding these people, lifting the Golden Apple and asking, “Do you want this?”
“Exactly,” Makarolo interjected, “Mister Brendel, what you have in your hands is extremely important to us. Important enough that it might change the destinies of many people. Believe me, we are not trying to buy this apple out of selfish motives. We are willing to adhere to the principle of fair trade; just name a price, and we will do our utmost to meet it. Whether it’s money, women, or power, anything you desire.” He spoke in an extremely persuasive tone.
Brendel sneered disdainfully, “What a bold claim! What guarantees do you have for all this? Why should I trust you, Mister Makarolo? Is it merely because of the power of the Erluin royal family behind you? You ask me what I want? Fine, I want to ask you two questions—”
Two questions?
Makarolo, Bud, and Livwz exchanged glances, pondering what kind of request this was. However, this was a rare opportunity, so he nodded and replied, “Go ahead.”
“The first question, I’m genuinely curious. I find some of your plans hard to understand. With Master Livwz present, why do Mister Makarolo and Mister Bud still engage in such risk, even when the Gray Wolf Mercenary Group, painstakingly built over ten years, was thus destroyed? I find this rather difficult to comprehend.”
Makarolo and Bud did not expect his question to be about this, leaving them momentarily stunned. However, Livwz coughed and replied quietly, “Young man, the struggle involved here is far more complex than it appears. I don’t know how much insider information you are aware of, but we don’t wish for the outside world to know that the royal family indeed has a hand in this matter—”
He actually didn’t want to share so much with a stranger, but it seemed Brendel had recognized him, and what he held in his hand was too important, forcing the elder to lower his stance and explain.
“I see.” Brendel nodded.
“Then for the second question, are you here to regroup the scattered Gray Wolf Mercenary Group?” Brendel chuckled, “In fact, I have taken in some of your people…”
Makarolo and Livwz exchanged glances before shaking their heads. “No, Mister Brendel, you are overthinking it. We are only following Mister Aike, as he insists on finding his companions and fiancée.” He found it somewhat awkward when mentioning the fiancée part, as it was indeed somewhat embarrassing to keep the Duke’s son’s fiancée stuck in limbo.
But that was all. He shook his head and continued, “As for the Gray Wolf Mercenary Group, that’s a thing of the past. It no longer exists, and thank you for taking care of those people I represent.”
As expected.
Brendel ground his teeth—
Then he heard a clattering sound, and everyone turned to see a red-haired girl standing there, one hand clutching her chest wound, bloodied and dazed. The spear in her hand was nowhere to be seen, having fallen to the ground.
(PS: Due to a slip of the hand in the previous scene, I forgot to change the chapter name. Apologies.
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