Sylvester asked for the amount a few more times. He couldn't believe that ransoms could be this lucrative. The crazy thing was that if he tried to make this much money from his current salary, it would take him nearly fifteen hundred years.
"You know what? I could have been an amazing noble lord with an army." Sylvester muttered.
Felix laughed. "Of course, you would. With that big brain of yours, catching the enemies alive would have made you more money than winning over new territories. Sadly, you're destined to be the Church's chief virgin."
"..."
Lady Aurora walked closer to Felix to beat him up. "Did you just call the Pope chief virgin?"
Felix raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, I'm not wrong in saying that. Isn't the Pope supposed to be the first clergyman of the faith? Besides, I was only using that in Sylvester's reference. I would never disrespect our current Holy Father."
Sylvester sighed and stood up. "Anyway, I should report to the Lord Inquisitor. You all pack your bags. We're going home."
"Finally!" Felix exclaimed.
Not bothering them anymore, Sylvester headed to the room that once used to be the Duke's office. But now it was stripped of all its wealth and remained a simple room with just walls and some windows.
Knock Knock!
Sir Hans opened the door and let Sylvester enter.
Sylvester walked in and saluted the Inquisitor High Lord sitting on a giant chair. "May the holy light enlighten us, my lord. I am delighted to announce that the rotten root has been cut, and a new one has taken place. The Riveria is secured."
Inquisitor High Lord's eyes shined as he looked at Sylvester for a few seconds.
Sylvester, meanwhile, smelled the emotions. He could sense the pleasantness, worship, and admiration—mostly pride. And that made Sylvester feel good, for he had told the angry old man that he could be trusted with this.
"You have exceeded every expectation, young bard. I know it must have been hard. So I won't hold you here anymore. There is no more war nor any mystery to investigate. You may head to Green City first and take Princess Isabella along." Inquisitor High Lord ordered him and extended a stack of few parchments.
Sylvester seemed confused, as he didn't expect he'd be allowed to keep Isabella with himself now. "Won't the Church teach her?"
"Yes, but under your overall supervision, young bard." Inquisitor High Lord said. "The Holy Father himself has signed the letter of appointment. You and Mother Xavia are to be the legal guardian and hosts of Princess Isabella throughout her time in the Holy Land."
Sylvester felt some warmth in his heart. 'Great! This means I can still brainwash her not to become a fanatic slave of the Church and rather be my loyalist. With her being so close, I can definitely make her feel close to mum and me—This can help me a lot.'
Sylvester nodded and looked at the papers. His eyes soon fell on a particular one. "This is… Summon to the Supreme Council of the Holy Land?"
Sir Hans smiled and spoke. "Congratulations, young bard."
Sylvester confusedly glanced at Inquisitor High Lord, albeit having already guessed some of it. "I've never heard of this Council before."
Inquisitor High Lord's eyes shined red behind the visor. From him, the smell of pride increased as well. "Young bard—Over these past few months, what you have achieved has filled many hearts with pride. The feeling is apparent to all the clergymen, no matter where they reside. Hence this summon to the Supreme Council. It involves thirty-two cardinals and the Pope, who oversee promotions beyond Archpriest rank.
"They have called you for an interview. It's uncommon for Bishop rank, but you are anything but ordinary. So, I, too, congratulate you, Young Bard."
Sylvester, however, merely sighed in his heart. 'Let's not jinx it.'
"Thank you, Lord Inquisitor and Sir Hans. I shall be on my way home then." Sylvester bowed his head, saluted and turned around.
Thud!
However, Lord Inquisitor tapped his foot on the floor. "I shall visit you at your home in the Holy Land later. I have something to give you."
'What is it now? I really don't like surprises at this point.'
But he couldn't show dissatisfaction or deny him. "May the holy light enlighten us."
Sylvester left the office and returned to the ground floor outside, where his team was preparing to head out. It had grown big by now with the inclusion of Elyon Mizar. He could already imagine how many heads would turn when Elyon appears in his clergy robes.
"Sylvester! Tell Elyon to just sit inside the carriage." Felix shouted as Sylvester arrived. "Horses are too scared of him otherwise."
Sylvester glanced at Elyon, who had mounted a big stallion, but the poor horse's eyes told a different story as it appeared panicked. Of course, Elyon was a Tiger Beastkin, and this was anything but expected.
"How did you mount the horse before during the battle?" Sylvester inquired.
Elyon bowed his head. "That horse was from my home village, Lord Bard. I had trained most of the horses there not to be scared of me. This one… Will take a few hours."
Sylvester glanced at the horse and had an idea. "Let me give it a try."
Then, Sylvester glanced at Miraj on his shoulder, and the cat understood the assignment. So instantly, Miraj jumped over to the horse's head and started whispering into its ears.
A minute later, Miraj jumped back to Sylvester's shoulder. "Done, Maxy. I scared him more. He will do as we wish now."
Woosh!
"..."
"The horse just peed," Sylvester muttered and shook his head. "Elyon, do what you need to do. Everyone else, listen to me. We are to first go to Green City to pick up Isabella. She will be living in the Holy Land with us."
"Yes!" Felix exclaimed shamelessly. It was not hidden from anyone that he had a crush on the girl. But again, Felix had never hidden his intentions from anyone.
"Let's move then." Sylvester climbed onto the reinsman seat of the carriage. Meanwhile, Bishop Lazark, Elyon and Felix rode horses. Sir Dolorem and Gabriel sat behind inside the carriage.
They waited a few more minutes for Lady Aurora to return from reporting to the Inquisitor High Lord. Then by afternoon, they moved out.
…
Meanwhile, back in the Duke's castle of Ironstone Duchy, a serious discussion was happening.
"Are you sure about this? Letting Sylvester hold Princess Isabella? She's going to be the next queen." Sir Hans inquired.
The Inquisitor High Lord forwarded him a letter from the Pope. "The Holy Father has recognised the young bard's talents in… educating others. His hymns, his actions, and his maturity inspire many. Since the young bard represents the future of the faith, he should hold the key as well."
"But to allow them to live under the same roof. She's a famed beauty, my lord. Young bard is young and in his age… unholy thoughts can sometimes cloud one's mind." Sir Hans added in a warning tone.
Inquisitor High Lord stopped writing and looked at his assistant. "Worry not, as it would have occurred long ago if it was meant to be. Sir Maximus, Princess Isabella's Grand Wizard grandfather, offered her hand to the young bard in return for sparing his life. The bard refused instantly and fought the Grand Wizard persistently.
"I have also spoken to Aurora. She has made clear that the bard sees the Princess as nothing but a little sister. So douse your worries, and focus on this Anti-Light disease. Send men into Riveria and start conducting surveys—secretly."
Sir Hans saluted firmly. "Understood, my lord."
…
Sylvester and the group spent the night at Baron Redman's keep. He was the Baron who also had his daughter killed and her breast mutilated. Now, the man had some answers, but he didn't care then and didn't care now.
The following day, they all moved out early in the morning and wished to reach Green City by evening. Since their path went through Holy Road and Green Road, the highways, their speed increased.
Sylvester and Lady Aurora remained in the reinsman seat while Felix joined inside the carriage, combing his hair and making himself look suitable for the evening. They were going to Isabella's appointment ceremony as the Crown Princess of Gracia.
It was a soothing summer wind, and the early morning was particularly refreshing. The wide, paved road and the smooth travel added charms to the journey.
"Why didn't you tell me before?" Lady Aurora asked as she felt no one could hear them at that speed.
Sylvester, who held the reins, looked at her. "About what?"
"About your injury from back then, when the Shadow Knight attacked you. Do you have any idea how serious a Solarium Blockage can be? It can ruin a part of your body permanently. Imagine your becoming a Supreme Wizard one day, but one arm or leg will remain at the level of Arch Wizard." She scolded.
But Sylvester only smiled as he smelled genuine worry, anxiety and fear.
"Look at you, laughing like a buffoon."
He chuckled and looked ahead. "It's alright. I take care of the blockage every now and then by manually unblocking it. I didn't want to worry you all."
"Foolish! You call us a team and don't share such things. I don't care why you won't seek treatment in the Holy Land, but at least ask us for help in your fights. You need not shoulder all the burden alone. Felix's brain is underutilised anyway, so use it."
Sylvester chuckled. "Alright, no need to do Felix dirty here. He's somewhat twisted but a good brother, just like how you're a good sister."
"But you're the worst one for not sharing your problems." She barked back.
Bam!
Woosh!
All of a sudden, the four horses pulling the carriage dragged their hooves to stop as quickly as possible. In front of them, a carriage had somehow toppled over due to a broken wheel. A dozen or so people were trying to roll it up with ropes and their horses.
Elyon roared as he was at the front. "Move aside! Do not block the path!"
Sylvester, however, picked up his spear and stood up. 'Ah… Here it begins again. I was waiting for the Assassins to attack since we're out of Riveria now.'
"Assassins." He shouted.
Bam!
But to his surprise, Lady Aurora stood up and pushed Sylvester to sit back. "You sit here like a good little boy. I'll take care of these maggots. Good god, I can't imagine the pain you're probably in, and you still want to jump into battle."
Sylvester raised his hands and didn't move.
Boom!
But just then, the carriage's door opened, and Felix ran out of it, with only his pants on but the sharp sword brandished proudly. "Assassins? Where? Yes! Finally, I get to train my sword again! Max! Stay back and let me fight here."
Behind Felix, Sir Dolorem walked out. His longsword was unsheathed too. He arrived beside Sylvester and tapped his shoulder. "I may not have eyes, but my other senses are heightened. She's right. You should have shared it with us. Look ahead, Lord Bard. Look at all the friendships you forged through the fiery trials of blood, sweat and tears."
Sylvester glanced ahead, and there he saw Lady Aurora in the middle, Felix to her left, Gabriel to her right, Bishop Lazark and Elyon behind them, all walking towards the disguised assassins—with a smile on their faces, confidence in their gazes.
Sylvester sighed and remained seated as he felt his heart beat slightly faster. Today, he realised that he unknowingly had started his life story's hidden chapter.
________________________
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