Assassin's Chronicle - Chapter 264

Chapter 264

Two carriages sped along the road . Due the differences in the strength of the horse teams, the two carriages were at least twenty feet apart . The four druids were all in the second carriage, and one had taken over driving the carriage himself .

The carriage in the back was, in fact, empty . All the important people were gathered in the first carriage . This was Slanbrea’s idea . The attack did not affect him . If necromancers tried to attack with magic, the second carriage would be their first choice . Both carriages were going at a high speed, and if the first carriage was attacked, the second carriage would arrive fast and support the first . If the second was attacked, the first carriage would be left alone . The druids in the second carriage were meant to be bait . They were willing volunteers, a testament to their fervent belief in their religion and trust in Bruzuryano . It was very easy for them to tell where it was safer and where it was more dangerous .

Luckily, the carriage was large enough to fit half a dozen people without feeling crowded . Slanbrea looked tired, perhaps due to the curse, but he was still smiling . "Bruzuryano," he said quietly, "you are in charge . "

"Don’t worry," Bruzuryano promised . "You won’t die before I do . "

"Really?" Slanbrea chuckled . "Our friendship moves me . "

"Shut it . I don’t want to see William by myself . If you want someone to explain what happened, you’ve got to do it yourself . "

Bruzuryano made this decision not only because they were friends . Two religions becoming allies was a decision made after a long time of careful thinking . An alliance between religions was much stronger than an alliance between nations . Religious figures were representatives of gods and the personification of glory and holiness . No one would lash out against another unless the situation permitted no other alternative . It would be a bad influence on the followers of the religion if religious alliances shifted the way alliances between nations do .

Two sides would actively try to maintain a friendly relationship, and anyone who tried to disrupt the peace would be punished by both religions . This was why Bruzuryano was taking this so seriously . He’d rather die than face Pope William and explain why one of his most important cardinals was killed .

Friendships were important, but interests were much more so . Outside of specially charted districts, both religions had the right to built temples and churches and the right to oppress smaller religions . Where there were interests there were conflicts, but most were resolved or buried . Bruzuryano and Slanbrea were both representatives active in their respective religions, and that made their relationship even more complicated . They had their fair share of conflicts . They were not quite friends, but they trusted each other enough that they were not enemies, either .

Anfey sat quietly and observed Bruzuryano and Slanbrea . They were all nervous about the battle, but Anfey tried not let his emotions show .

Bruzuryano glanced at the others in the carriage and must have sensed the tension . He turned to Slanbrea and asked, "Can you still use forbidden spells?"

"If someone can stall for me," Slanbrea said, "I can still use a few . "

"Great," Bruzuryano said with a grin . He sat back and let out a sigh of relief . He did not believe that Slanbrea could still use even one forbidden spell, let alone a few . But he knew that Slanbrea did not want to add to the pressure, and he did not expose his lie .

Bruzuryano knew that the people who can survive impossible situations were the people who would never give up . He wanted the young people to become ones who would never give up, and if their lies helped them, so be it .

Niya’s frown disappeared first . She glanced at Slanbrea, her eyes filled with admiration . She was not a mage, but she knew enough about it from her father . She knew very well what it meant for a mage to use a forbidden spell . Black Eleven and Apa smiled as well . The three types of mages were like the child’s game of rock-paper-scissors . Elemental mages tended to be more powerful than light mages, because elemental magic could cause much more damage than light magic . When elemental mages encountered necromancers, however, their hands were tied . Necromancers’ magic tended to be instantaneous and had explosive results . They could also summon other creatures like skeletons, zombies, and death knights to aid them in a fight . This number advantage easily placed necromancers in an advantage over elemental mages . Light mages were necromancers’ natural enemies . Unless there was too great a difference in power, a necromancer would never be able to defeat a light mage . Even a simple healing spell could be deadly to a necromancer .

If Slanbrea could still use magic, they were sure to win .

Suzanna kept calm and played with her sword . As a swordsmaster, the only person she trusted was herself . She was her own master . Swordsmasters did not only practice their skills with the sword, but also their courage .

Suddenly, a hoarse voice boomed in the carriage, "Dear cardinal, how’s the Fang of Curse?" The voice giggled ominously .

Slanbrea frowned and coughed violently . "Annunciata," he replied, "you’ve sunk lower than I expected! Don’t forget who I am . The pope will avenge me . " Slanbrea grinned and winked at Niya, Christian, Suzanna, and Anfey, who were all shocked by his words .

"Really?" Annunciata asked, laughing . "Too bad you won’t see that . "

Anfey smiled . He already heard doubt in Annunciata’s voice . If Slanbrea was trying to prove that he was alright, she might have already attacked . Instead, he showed his weakness by telling her that someone else would avenge him, and easily made her suspicious .

A loud explosion ripped through the air, and the second carriage was blown apart . The carriage’s splinters flew through the air, and the horses were bloody messes on the ground . None of the horses was dead, however . Instead, they were writhing on the ground . Their eyes slowly turned to light red .

The four druids all transformed instantly and none of them were injured in the explosion . Three druids turned into large bears, and one into a wolf . Their thick armor prevented the explosion from harming them .

"Did a body explode? Where did they get the body?" Christian asked under his breath . Body explosions were powerful but very limited . The body must be fresh in order to trigger the explosion .

"There must be a village nearby," Bruzuryano said quietly . "They must have killed everyone there . " He frowned, then jumped out of the carriage and bellowed . The horses took a sharp turn and ran off of the path and began dashing towards a meadow nearby .

Anfey tapped on his leg, then followed Bruzuryano out . Suzanna was about to follow him when he turned and said, "Stay . You need to protect Niya and Slanbrea . "

Others might have believed Slanbrea, but Anfey was skeptical . He knew Slanbrea must have enough strength to deal a final blow, and he needed Suzanna to stall as long as possible .

Suzanna frowned . She was used to being at the front of the attack, and Anfey’s instruction shocked her . She looked up at him, but he had already turned away from her .

"Be careful," she whispered after a few moments . Anfey’s strange arrangement made her uncomfortable .

Anfey did not reply . He raised his hand and summoned a dozen wind blades that slowly gathered into a spear . He kept summoning elements and compressing those elements until the spear was a deep blue .

"Impressive," Bruzuryano said . He knew that Anfey was a twin-discipliner, but he was still amazed by his ability to control the elements .

"Thanks," Anfey said . "This is Indigo dragon crescent blade, a weapon that belongs to the legendary sacred warrior, Guang Yu . "

Bruzuryano lifted an eyebrow . "Strange name," he said . "I’ve heard of Gold, Black, Red, and Green dragon, but not Indigo . "

"It is one of the legendary dragons," Anfey said .

"Did your teacher tell you that?" Bruzuryano asked, smiling . He knew that Anfey once had a very powerful teacher who might have entered the sacred state . It came as no surprise to Bruzuryano that Anfey’s teacher had told him about things normal people did not know about .