Chapter 45: Holy Legion Cavalry
When Yang Qiu appeared with a swagger in densely populated towns, especially towns with a concentration of respectable people, it was actually safer.
As the saying goes, reputation precedes a person. No one in their right mind, except the infamous lunatics of the Radiant Sun Church, would willingly engage in a battle with a high-level black mage that had been pursued for many years, especially not in a city—unless it wasn't a local, who didn't care that the buildings being destroyed weren't his own.
After all, among spellcasters, black mages were considered the most proficient in large-scale offensive magic. The alchemical bombs used by alchemists, which were thrown around freely as if they cost nothing to make, couldn't compare to the forbidden magic of a black mage that could easily destroy entire city blocks.
Of course, this "safety" referred to situations where those insane zealots of the Radiant Sun Church didn't catch up.
Those fellows didn't care about casualties or harming innocents in the process. As long as they could enforce their self-righteous "justice," they were more than willing to generously offer up a city as a burial ground for Yang Qiu.
In short, while Yang Qiu was still in Camore, none of the respectable people in the town would utter a slightly disrespectful word to him. It was only after Yang Qiu had distanced himself sufficiently from Camore that the fury of these respectable individuals would be unleashed without mercy.
"Summoning the Holy Legion in such a short time… Viscount Lynn is even more valuable than I imagined," muttered Yang Qiu as he stood on a low hill roughly ten kilometers west of the Desolate Wasteland while watching the approaching cavalry draw nearer.
The Goddess of Prosperity's Holy Legion, composed of ascetics, holy warriors, and knights, was known as the Duchy of Shiga's top army.
Of course, Viscount Lynn didn't have the authority to mobilize the entire legion, nor did he need to. The cavalry force that caught up with Yang Qiu and forced him to hurriedly hide the weavers in the valley behind the hills consisted of only about two hundred soldiers.
Among the cavalry, there were ascetics in white robes wielding chain flails, holy warriors armed with swords, and holy knights in full plate armor.
The pursuing troops, in a somewhat disorderly fashion, came to a halt not far from the hills and reorganized themselves in silence.
The disciplined and skilled riders of the faith completed their formation, and two leaders stood forth. One of them was the "young" knight who had been verbally defeated by Yang Qiu before, and the other was a ragged black-robed ascetic who rode barefoot.
Jorges Andres felt a stinging pain in his eyes as he glanced at the black mage on the hill. The humiliation of being outmatched in verbal banter by him two days ago resurfaced in his mind.
"It's him, Inspector Lowell." Andres turned away, trying to maintain a somewhat composed tone as he addressed the black-robed ascetic.
The black-robed ascetic also looked toward the black mage on the hill.
Yang Qiu, too, took measure of this ascetic.
In the faith, the position of inspector was often held by ascetics. These ascetics were like military police in an imperial army. In addition to monitoring the behavior of clergy members, they were also responsible for maintaining discipline within the Holy Legion, and when there was combat, ascetics were indispensable forces.
"You seem… kind of familiar," Yang Qiu spoke first. "Hmm… Black-robed Inspector, Alfred Lowell?"
"Black Mage Yang," the black-robed ascetic spoke sternly, immediately making it clear that there was no room for nostalgia. "I can overlook what you have done within the territory of the Duchy of Shiga if you return the Camore refugees you took."
"No offense intended," Yang Qiu said with a sly smile. "Inspector Lowell, if I were to fulfill your wish and candidly return the Camore citizens, what would be your arrangement for them?"
"That's none of your concern, outsider," the black-robed ascetic responded decisively.
"Indeed, I am neither a follower of the Goddess of Prosperity's faith nor a citizen of the Duchy of Shiga, so I have no right to meddle in the affairs of the Duchy." Yang Qiu raised an eyebrow. "However, Inspector, this isn't Camore, nor is the Duchy of Shiga territory. The land beneath your feet belongs to Taranthan. Do you still insist, forcefully, that the people I took belong to the Duchy of Shiga when you are standing on foreign soil?"
"You…!" Holy knight Andres was infuriated by this, but the black-robed ascetic raised a hand to stop him.
Unlike the over-a-hundred-year-old "young man" Andres, Lowell, the black-robed ascetic, who was only slightly younger than Yang Qiu, knew this black mage very well.
This black mage, who was practically crazy, might not have that notorious a reputation as before, but during the period between 60 to 200 years ago, he was one of the prominent figures in Navalon. The outrageous rumors about him and that reckless madness echoed throughout the entire continent.
In any case, Lowell would never engage in a verbal dispute with this black mage known for his perplexing logic and unconventional behavior.
"My apologies, then." The ascetic gave a slight nod and raised a hand to make a forward gesture.
The silent cavalry behind him quickly dispersed to both sides and, in no time, surrounded the hill where Yang Qiu stood.
"Why the rush?" Yang Qiu lifted his foot and gently tapped it on the ground.
A massive magic array, twice the size of the hill he stood on, abruptly appeared in the air. Rotating slowly, this massive array enveloped the hill as well as all the holy warriors.
As the huge array emerged, it cast an overwhelming shadow that blocked out the sun. The previously ordinary air seemed to transform into dense and viscous stagnant water, pressing down on the holy soldiers and their steeds. The heavily-armored horses, burdened beyond their limit, struggled and stumbled with distressed neighs.
"Not good!" The black-robed ascetic's face turned pale as he hastily dismounted and seemingly plucked a withered staff out of thin air. He tightly grasped the staff, plunging one end into the ground. "By the blessing of the Goddess, let the earth be brimming with vitality!"
Visible ripples, akin to gentle waves, rapidly emanated from the center of the staff, permeating the suffocating air with a weighty atmosphere. The heavily-armored knights, who were on the verge of falling off their horses, immediately felt a sense of relief as the oppressive air pressure eased.
"Fall back! Leave this hill!" Andres shouted.
"No… it's impossible, Captain Andres! We can't move!" someone drenched in sweat responded.
The battle-hardened soldiers knew that they should distance themselves from the hill that had been set with a large-scale magic array. However, as they attempted to turn their mounts around, they discovered that both their steeds and their own bodies were firmly rooted in place, and they could only move their upper bodies!
Andres and the black-robed ascetic froze, then simultaneously looked down at the ground.
Indeed, among the weeds and rocks were scattered traces of inconspicuous and lightweight magic powder.
The trap laid by Black Mage Yang wasn't just limited to the massive magic array enveloping everyone on the hill!
Veins bulged on the black-robed ascetic's forehead as he glared angrily at the black mage on the hill, who was shamelessly resorting to such deceptive tactics despite his advanced age. He released the staff stuck in the ground, gesturing with intricate hand movements, and shouted in a deep voice, "By the blessing of the Goddess, all predicaments shall be—"
"That's why I despise ascetics. Formidable in combat and skilled in healing are just too annoying." Yang sighed, shaking his head. Once again, he raised his foot and gently tapped the ground.
Everyone within the magic array felt a peculiar upward suction force acting on them.
The black-robed ascetic looked up in astonishment, only to see the center of the colossal magic array, composed of runic symbols, slowly opening.
"Stop! Have you lost your mind?!" the black-robed ascetic exclaimed in a mixture of shock and anger.
"I don't want to either, but you left me no choice." Yang Qiu raised his right hand, spreading his five fingers, and pressed downward. "Forbidden Magic: Infernal Breath."
"Everyone! Suppress your perception!" Andres shouted in shock and fury.
Beneath the magic array's core, a crimson mist spewed forth and descended. This dense, blood-red mist rapidly spread, filling the area enveloped by the magic array in a matter of seconds.
The black-robed ascetic immediately ceased his incantation, but it was too late. The once-dense crimson mist, now significantly diluted, pervaded his mind through his senses that he had unwittingly left open. His face instantly flushed red, with even a hint of crimson radiating from his pupils.
"This is outrageous, you madman—!" The black-robed ascetic glared at Yang Qiu angrily.
Then, his fury turned into astonishment.
"Y-you… It can't be! Why aren't you affected by the madness?!"
The black mage on the hill maintained a clear gaze and calm demeanor as he chuckled in response. "Why would I go mad?"
"Aren't your senses still active?!" the black-robed ascetic exclaimed in disbelief.
"That's right, I still have to keep this thing in operation. Otherwise, you all would have escaped." Yang Qiu chuckled and pointed to the above.
The black-robed ascetic was in shock and, for the first time, began to doubt his understanding of the world. He then turned a questioning gaze toward Andres.
"I-I don't know." Andres's confusion, bewilderment, and horror were no less than those of the black-robed ascetic.
"Stay calm, my friends." Yang Qiu strolled down the moderate hill as if he were taking a walk in his own garden. "Ascetic Lowell, at the very least, I still hold respect for you. Since it is dangerous to open our senses in the space of this array filled with Infernal Breath, perhaps we can set aside our savage conflict for now and have a calm conversation first? We can observe a rather novel battle. How about that?"
The soldiers of the Holy Legion, who were already immobilized by the magic power and unable to activate their perceptive senses, couldn't object. All they could do was glare at Yang Qiu.
Black-robed Inspector Lowell took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "What exactly do you want to do, Yang?"
Yang Qiu, who had come down the hill, took out two wooden chairs from his interspatial ring. He pushed one to Lowell and sat down on the other, even taking out a cup of milk tea with a straw.
"Exactly as I said, Inspector Lowell." Yang Qiu took a sip of milk tea and calmly crossed his legs. "The Holy Legion are busy people. I don't believe you guys have the time to send a group of old, weak, sick, and disabled people back to Camore.
"If you think about it, the person who paid the military expenses and requested your mobilization for the honor of Camore, Duchy of Shiga, and the Goddess of Prosperity would probably have requested you to kill or chase me away. And they would have arranged for their own people to take care of the aftermath… right?"
Black-robed Inspector Lowell: "…"
He turned to Andres again.
As a Camore citizen, Andres didn't seem shocked or surprised. Instead, he was equally as confused as Lowell.
"Sit down, Lowell. We aren't young anymore. There's no need to be stubborn like those youngsters," said Yang Qiu calmly as he took another sip of milk tea. "While we haven't had the chance to chat properly before, I think if you've heard about me, then you should probably understand. I don't think much of all faiths, but it doesn't mean that I despise all religious personnel. At least, I have respect for the ascetics of each faith."
Lowell fell silent for a bit, then pulled the empty chair over and sat down.
What followed was a long wait…
One hour later, a group of ragged and panicked civilians appeared behind the hill.
They were the weavers from Camore that Yang Qiu had hidden in the valley behind the hill. They had waited for a long time and, seeing that the black mage hadn't returned, decided to come out and assess the situation.
The space enclosed by the magic array couldn't be seen by ones that didn't cast it, so these anxious civilians couldn't see Yang Qiu and the trapped Holy Legion army who were just within reach. They searched around but found nothing, exchanging nervous glances and whispering among themselves.
For ordinary folk, the wilderness was synonymous with danger. Even the lowest creatures in the wilderness food chain could cause harm to these vulnerable individuals. Therefore, they did not dare wander about and hurriedly retreated back into the valley.
Another hour passed, and a cloud of rolling dust appeared in the west.
The sound of hooves grew closer, and a group of mercenaries bearing noble family crests came into view of Yang Qiu and the soldiers of the Holy Legion in a disorderly fashion.
Unlike the disciplined cavalry of the Holy Legion, who maintained their formation even during long-distance marches and swiftly reassembled upon reaching their target, these noble mercenaries had no concept of "discipline" in their vocabulary. The ones at the front noticed that the hoofprints left by the Holy Legion cavalry disappeared, and they dismounted and searched around, making a fuss. Meanwhile, the ones at the rear hadn't caught up yet.
Right in front of Yang Qiu and soldiers of the Holy Legion, these mercenaries, serving different noble families, began arguing over the whereabouts of the Holy Legion cavalry and Black Mage Yang.
A short while later, one of their scouts discovered footprints left by the civilians and, after a brief search, found the valley behind the hill.
The scout ran back excitedly and called out to the others, "This way! Those guys are hiding in the valley behind here!"
"Really? Great, we finally found them!"
The mercenaries rejoiced and drew their weapons.
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