Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 306 Territory 3

Polly narrowed her eyes slightly, tapping her fingers lightly on the table, her tone filled with temptation and temptation: "Lord Caesars, did Earl Garlon die at your hands? If you can produce solid evidence, not only can you prove your achievements, but you can also receive a large reward in the Roland Empire!"

A sneer crossed Caesar's lips. He pulled a magical longsword from his interspatial ring, its hilt inlaid with a tricolored gemstone. He dropped it onto the table with a clang. The family crest on the scabbard still shone with a cold light. "Evidence? Of course I have it—Garlon's sword is right here. Isn't that enough?"

Polly took a closer look and confirmed that it was Earl Garlon's personal belongings, but she still added cautiously: "The sword alone is not safe enough. It would be better to have a body. That way, it will be easier for the Eagle Eyes to check and avoid unnecessary complications!"

Upon hearing this, Caesars suddenly chuckled, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes. "As for the corpse... there is indeed one, but it may look a little... unsightly."

Polly raised her eyebrows, disapproving: "How scary can a corpse be? Bring it out for us to see. Earl Garlon is also a ruthless character. In order to avenge his son, he actually dared to collude with the Saint Laurent Empire. He deserves to die!"

Caesars stood up slowly, with shadow covering half of his face. He said in a low voice: "Since you want to see it so much, then let me open your eyes." After that, he patted the fat puppy beside him.

"You damned dog, bring out Earl Garlon's body!"

The puppy was a little reluctant, but it obeyed Caesar's command and used its stubby claws to fiddle with the storage ring around its neck. A piece of its body rolled onto the floor. Polly's pupils suddenly contracted, and her throat rolled unconsciously.

The corpse on the ground was shattered, barely recognizable as a human. It was completely missing from the shoulder down, its jagged bones and bloody wounds clearly the result of being mauled by some ferocious beast. Dark red blood smeared the ground, emitting a sickening stench.

"Polly, look! This is the body of Count Garlon." Caesars casually poked at the remains with the toe of his silver-trimmed leather boot, making a creepy scraping sound. "Fortunately, this greedy fat dog was sensible and didn't chew on the most important part, the head."

Only half of the corpse's neck remained, with the broken spine exposed in a white, bare outline. But the pale face was miraculously preserved, frozen in the terrified expression of the last moment before death.

"Master Magician, you...you actually fed the corpse of Earl Garlon to the dogs?" Polly gasped and unconsciously took a half step back, her fingers tightly clutching the long skirt in front of her chest.

Caesars sneered, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "Polly, it seems you don't realize how much vengeance there is between me and this 'honorable' earl." He slowly removed his gloves. "Feeding his body to the dogs is the most merciful way I can think of to dispose of it."

Hearing this explanation, Polly and Sean beside her shuddered at the same time. They exchanged horrified glances—the mage lord's revenge was far more horrifying than the rumors had said.

"What? You think I'm cruel?" Caesars keenly observed their reactions, a hint of sarcasm curling his lips. "But other people's opinions mean nothing to me. As long as I have a clear conscience, that's all that matters." He snapped his fingers casually. "I'll leave the body to you. Remember to convert all the bounties into high-grade magic crystals."

As he spoke, his gaze fell on the magical longsword, gleaming with a faint blue light. He folded his fingers, and the longsword vanished into thin air, stored in the space ring inlaid with a silver gem. This sword was worth at least tens of thousands of gold coins. If he handed it over to Fire Maple City according to the procedure, he would probably never get it back.

From the moment lunch began, the atmosphere throughout the castle became unusually solemn. From the servants carrying silver trays to the guards lining the corridors, every cautious glance at Caesars revealed undisguised fear. Their gazes were like those of a ferocious beast poised to erupt at any moment, and even the clinking of knives and forks subtly softened.

Sean had already prepared the carriage just after lunch. This oak carriage, brought from Fire Maple City, was exquisitely crafted, its dark brown body intricately carved with maple leaf patterns. It was said that when Sean and his companions first arrived at the castle, it looked as if it had been ransacked—the stables were bare, not even a single horsehair left; the courtyard, once filled with magnificent carriages, was left with only a few broken reins swaying in the wind; not to mention the gold and silver vessels and precious collections that should have been displayed throughout the castle; all had vanished without a trace.

Caesars rubbed his chin thoughtfully. That fake Earl Soren had clearly sensed danger long ago; otherwise, he wouldn't have swept away all the valuables. It seemed like word of Hawkeye and the Roland Empire's army had finally leaked out.

When Caesars decided to set off, he specifically instructed that no guards be accompanied. Sean was now sitting in the driver's seat, adjusting the reins, the sunlight filtering through the oak branches casting dappled shadows on his shoulders. Polly was the only person in the carriage, examining her two daggers, as if they would be needed today.

"Polly, I want to ask you something. Where is Hawkeye's spy?" Caesar asked.

"In Gravel Castle, Hawkeye is currently tracking Nightingale's whereabouts, which is why they haven't captured the spy. But I heard it's not going well. The Saint Laurent Empire now has a large number of hounds, so even with stealth, there's basically no way they can infiltrate!"

Polly revealed some information she knew, but the information was basically worthless, at least that's what Caesar thought.

In less than half a quarter of an hour, the sturdy carriage, pulled by two black horses, came to a steady stop on the threshing ground in the center of Oak Farm. It was only a hundred paces from the shimmering Emerald River, and the faint sound of the water could still be heard. Sean swiftly jumped from the carriage and, following Caesar's instructions, went door to door, gathering everyone on the farm to the open space.

Polly, dressed in an emerald green dress, held a parchment roster, her slender fingers sliding gently as she counted the people. Her thick red hair stood out in the morning light, and her blue eyes scanned every face carefully. Soon, all the people in the territory had arrived—from the hunched old man leaning on a cane to the baby still sucking its finger in its mother's arms, including seven temporary laborers, there were exactly two hundred and thirty people.

As Polly gave Caesars a slight nod, the lord, clad in a gray-black magical robe, slowly walked to the front of the crowd. The dark silver magic patterns on his robes flickered as he moved, emitting unsettling magical fluctuations. Caesars's sharp gaze swept over the ragged group of subjects before him. Their rough hands and patched clothing silently spoke of the hardships of life.

"I am your new lord—Caesars!" His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority, each word lingering in the air. "A great magician." At this point, he deliberately caused the magic patterns on his robe to glow a faint blue light. "I've come here today to ascertain one thing: a spy from the Saint Laurent Empire is hiding among you."

A suppressed cry of surprise suddenly rang out from the crowd. Caesars raised his right hand, clad in a black leather glove, and the commotion immediately subsided.

"I already know who he is." Caesar's voice suddenly turned cold, like the winter wind, "But I am willing to give him a chance to live - as long as he takes the initiative to stand up now." He deliberately paused for a moment, letting the threatening words ferment in the silence, "You only have five minutes to consider. When the time is up..." He slowly took off a glove, revealing pale and slender fingers, with dangerous magical light dancing on his fingertips, "Magic interrogation will make him regret coming into this world!"

As he spoke, Caesars secretly cast a soul-detecting spell, keenly sensing every emotional fluctuation in the crowd. He winked at Sean beside him, and the capable butler immediately pulled out an exquisite hourglass from his pocket, and fine silver sand began to flow silently.

In the crowd, a middle-aged man in a coarse short coat, his face weathered, shifted restlessly. His feeble soul energy, like a flickering candle in the wind, fluctuated abnormally and violently in Kaisas's perception. This anomaly immediately caught Kaisas's attention. This seemingly ordinary middle-aged man, so insignificant in strength, didn't even bother him.

"Half a month ago," Caesars's icy voice echoed through the threshing grounds. "The Holy Roland Empire sent a corps of priests to the Redstone Kingdom, along with Earl Soren's minions, totaling 171 elite soldiers, all of whom I have slain." His gaze swept across the trembling crowd, finally settling on an hourglass in the corner. "Even more interestingly, I've made an unexpected discovery—Earl Soren is currently hiding in the Roland Empire."

Just as the middle-aged man, whose soul was trembling with abnormality, was about to take a step, Caesars suddenly raised his hand. A giant, translucent magical hand suddenly reached into the crowd and precisely snatched out a hunched, white-haired old man. In his withered hand, he tightly grasped a dagger that shone with a cold, faint blue light. The strange hue of the blade hinted at a deadly poison.

"Little tricks!"

Caesars snorted contemptuously. Two flashes of gray light flashed from his fingertips, and the Curse of Weakness and the Curse of Fatigue simultaneously struck their targets. The mage's hand loosened, dropping the ragged old man to the stone floor with a dull thud.

Caesars slowly walked over to the old man's side, reaching out his hand towards the ground and grasping it. The poisoned dagger, gleaming with a cold blue light, fell into his grasp. The plump puppy wagged its tail happily, twisting its plump, fleshy buttocks as it pressed heavily against the old man's heaving chest. However, the old man, possessing the strength of a high-level warrior, was clearly unharmed by such a weight, and only emitted a dull snort from his nose.

"Tsk, tsk, what an exquisite work of art." Caesars held the dagger up to the sunlight, examining it closely. The magic patterns flowing along the edge of the blade glowed a brilliant purple in the light. "Look at the forging marks. It must have been forged with at least nine folding hammers. The armor-piercing magic patterns on the blade's spine resonate perfectly with the sharp magic patterns on the blade's edge, not to mention the sword's exquisite array of piercing magic patterns..." His fingertips traced the diamond-shaped magic crystal inlaid in the handle. "This third-level magic crystal alone is worth two hundred gold coins. In Fire Maple City, a discerning buyer would offer at least six hundred gold coins for this dagger, and the price would likely be much higher!"

Caesars twisted his wrist slightly, and the dagger drew a graceful arc in the air, landing precisely in Polly's waiting hand. A meaningful smile played on his lips: "It seems my subjects are very wealthy!"

"Lord Lord!"

An agitated middle-aged man suddenly burst out of the crowd, the sound of him slamming one knee against the ground startling several sparrows. "I swear on my life, this old fellow is definitely a spy for Saint Laurent. I know where he's hiding his things: in the small attic at the top of the mill. There are not only several bird cages there, but also... a precious storage ring. He also eats meat and drinks in the attic late at night every day!"

"Polly, look, we've uncovered the spy planted by the Saint Laurent Empire."

Caesars kicked the collapsed spy with the toe of his boot. His muscular body was visible beneath his ragged coarse clothes. The fat puppy sat on him, its small eyes fixed on his neck.

"Go and get the things out of the attic, and be careful not to kill the nightingale in the cage—I have a great gift for Yves Saint Laurent's 'friends'!"

Before he could finish his words, the ragged middle-aged man shouted, "My Lord, this bastard has torn down all the stairs leading to the mill. Now he's the only one who can go up there!"

Polly paused at this, and Caesars gazed toward the towering windmill. Beneath the leaden clouds, its blades creaked ominously. The broken wooden staircase, sabotaged by the spies, dangled like spikes from the stone wall. Caesars suddenly understood why this high-ranking warrior had chosen to hide there—the mill was exceptionally sturdy, and the attic above was exceptionally well-hidden, making it an ideal stronghold that was easily defended but difficult to attack.

"You damn dog, keep an eye on this old guy! If he dares to resist, bite off his limbs!"

The curse spell had a time limit, and Caesars estimated the time and gave the fat puppy a command. The dark red puppy whimpered, its mouth slightly opened, revealing sharp fangs with jagged edges.

The windmill not far away was about forty meters high. This Saint Laurent Empire spy was a high-ranking warrior. His purpose in destroying the staircase was obvious: he didn't want others to know his secret.

A pair of pitch-black elemental wings emanated from Caesar's back, gleaming with magical brilliance. With the surge of dark magic, in the blink of an eye, he soared through the small window in the mill's upper attic. In a moment, Caesar used levitation and feather-fall techniques to slowly land on the farm's threshing floor.