"Aurora is your mentor? Now I understand why you behave in such a manner," Sylvester exclaimed. "Everything now makes sense."
Lady Bethany narrowed her gaze at him. "What do you mean by that? And do you know Lady Aurora?"
"Know? She's a headache. But she's like a sister to me, and I cherish our japing jabs at each other." Sylvester truthfully answered.
Lady Bethany silently smiled, reminiscing about the good old days. She was likely going to live for at least two hundred more years, so it was better that she maintained a calm and lighthearted demeanor, as it made life more enjoyable.
As for Sylvester, who hoped to break records for the longest-reigning Pope and longest-living human, he knew his life was going to be filled with tedious monotony. After all, nothing could top the legendary Sylvester's rotten luck.
"Enough chatting, stand up and resume training. We will train for at least twelve hours every day since we don't need to sleep for weeks. Try to acclimate yourself to my fighting style and overcome challenges. Your power will be useless if you are only going to perish at the hands of a simple Archwizard."
Groaning, Lady Bethany stood up. "But you're so unpredictable. One moment I anticipate you'll shoot your light beam, and the next moment I end up sinking into the ground. You don't even use incantation, and you are capable of concealing the color of your magic rune circles."
Sylvester scoffed and stepped back a few paces. "That's the entire purpose of this training. You need to be pushed beyond what your body can fathom. And if you find it difficult, fine—I will also use my Spear of Infinity."
"Argh!" Lady Bethany cursed herself. "Damn my loose tongue."
"Incoming!"
Woosh!
Out of nowhere, Sylvester's spear appeared in his hand and rapidly expanded, growing twenty meters in length and striking Lady Bethany's hair, cutting some of it.
"Be cautious, my lady—or you might perish as a three-hundred-year-old virgin today!" He joked, well aware that she was, in fact, a virgin.
"I'm just one hundred and ten!" She turned red in shame and jumped forward.
Bonk!
Sylvester's spear's flat side hit her on the head, causing a small bump. "Do not lose your temper. Plan your move before executing it, and anticipate my counter. Keep your counter ready for my response," he instructed.
Lady Bethany blew air from her mouth, pushing away the hair falling on her face. Then she took a fighting stance and looked at Sylvester firmly. "Alright… Now I'm serious! Come at me, kid."
Smile vanished from Sylvester's face. 'She's just like Aurora, but weaker.'
"Fine, I won't go easy!"
Boom!
…
Swollen-faced and humiliated, Lady Bethany, in the end, had to be carried like a sack of potatoes on Sylvester's shoulder. She hid her face with a cloth and silently heard the people gasping and wondering what was going on.
"Halt!" the guards at the castle gates shouted, pointing their swords at Sylvester as he approached with Lady Bethany.
"Stand back, lunatic!"
Woosh!
Lady Bethany could not help herself and jumped to stand. But her legs gave up as if they were rice noodles, and she fell down. Thankfully, Sylvester caught her and held her up.
"Open the gates. Do you not recognize your Lady? I was training my magic with Lord Bard," she ordered, albeit looking nothing like a noble.
Sylvester chuckled. "Do you want to call me 'kid' again?"
Bethany looked horrified. "Not even in death."
Over the period of their long training day, they had developed quite a good friendship as they found a common person to trash talk about — Aurora. After all, no matter how great a friendship or sisterhood may be, one always has something bad to say about the other.
"Ehm… Your Grace, and Lady Bethany, the Duke wishes to speak with you in his noble chambers. He is retiring for the evening," the Prima informed them.
Sylvester had spent the entire day training Lady Bethany, so he had once again postponed meeting with the Duke. But, since the summon came, he followed the Prima without changing clothes.
As they climbed the stairs to the main building of the castle, they were met by multiple knights standing guard in their flashy armor.
"Inside here." The Prima opened the door for them.
Sylvester entered after Lady Bethany. But he was not prepared to see the view inside, as he didn't expect the Duke to be that kind of person.
The heavily decorated room was adorned with wall engravings, tapestries, paintings, and gold showpieces, and even the bed appeared to be gold-plated.
The bed was large, and the Duke lay in the middle, flanked by two beautiful women with blonde hair, pale white flawless skin, and striking blue and green eyes. Both women appeared to be naked under the quilt, as evidenced by their visible shoulders, and the Duke was likely the same, evident by his thin, bare chest.
As Sylvester's eyes fell on the women, they straightened up in the bed and moved their gaze away from him, seemingly ashamed.
"Your Grace, I am grateful that you came here to bless my Duchy. I thank you for guiding my daughter as well, for she seemed to be getting ahead of herself," the Duke spoke in a weak voice.
Lady Bethany protested, "Father, I merely sought to do what was best for the Duchy."
Duke's gaze softened. "My daughter, I'm not tough on you because I hate you. I'm tough because I expect a lot from you. When was the last time our family produced a Grand Wizard? I cannot even recall. Yes, I was short-sighted at the beginning, but you proved me wrong within a year."
"Then why didn't you choose me as your successor?" Lady Bethany confronted him directly.
"Because of your progressive mindset. You desire to challenge tradition and implement new changes that may not be embraced by all the lords. Your brother, despite his many flaws, grasped this concept. However, since war is imminent, I cannot allow mediocrity to govern the Duchy."
"As my end approaches, I have decided to entrust you with the Duchy's leadership. With Lord Bard's endorsement, you will soon become a Grand Wizard and wield more influence with the Holy Land than a mere old and weak Duke." The Baron made the unexpected announcement.
'I didn't even need to persuade him. The fear of war was sufficient.' Sylvester was pleasantly surprised.
"Your Grace, please advise my daughter on the intricacies of politics and faith. Although she is advanced in age, she is as innocent as a child. I regret keeping her sheltered for so long, but I have no regrets, as I loved my family too dearly... Once again, thank you."
Sylvester noticed the Duke succumbing to sleep. So he retreated towards the exit with Lady Bethany following him. The Prima was outside, awaiting them with some documents to sign for Lady Bethany's appointment as the heiress and Sylvester as a witness.
With that, Lady Bethany invited Sylvester and Felix for a small celebration in her room. Some unholy drinks were involved, but Sylvester and Felix only drank juice.
"How did he change his behavior all of a sudden?" She inquired. "He never spoke to me with such courtesy before."
Sylvester clarified. "As I mentioned earlier, a few strategically placed rumors can topple an empire, let alone a Duchy. Your father's spymaster must have informed him about the gossip circulating in town regarding their 'affection' for you."
Lady Bethany appeared saddened upon learning this. "And I thought he had a change of heart. But how did you spread the rumors so rapidly? Even the spymaster could not have accomplished it."
"If I tell you, I'll have to kill you. So let's focus on the matter at hand. Who were the two women besides your father?" Sylvester questioned her. "Slaves?"
"Yes, they are slaves bought from Riveria."
"Did they have families? They seemed old enough to have a family," he inquired further. "Were they war slaves or kidnapped?"
"They certainly had families. They either fell into debt or were kidnapped," Bethany replied.
Sylvester shook his head, holding no grudges. "Have you ever considered the sons and daughters of those women? Their husbands? Let's say one of them had a husband with the potential to become a Grand Wizard, or maybe her son had the potential to become a Supreme Wizard. By enslaving them, you've given them the perfect reason to destroy your bloodline in the future. If I were in their shoes, I would have done it."
"Me too," Felix agreed. "If my mother was still alive, I'd end bloodlines if someone dared to even raise their voice at her."
"That's how hatred is born. That's how villains are created," Sylvester added. "Hatred begets hatred, and slavery only serves to intensify that hatred. In my opinion, only murderers and rapists are deserving of being made harsh labor slaves."
Lady Bethany nodded the whole time as she understood the underlying problem. "Then… I will ban slavery later."
"Perhaps wait until the war's status is determined," Sylvester suggested as he stood up with his glass of juice in hand. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go write some letters."
Lady Bethany was drunk, so she didn't take long to drop on the bed either. Only Felix was left there, though he, too, fell asleep right in his chair.
…
Sylvester didn't have any letters to write that night. Nor did he go to his room, but rather to the monastery.
"Respected Bright Mother, the Lake Fertile is an ocean," Sylvester greeted with a smile.
"And sharks are lions," she replied as she hugged Sylvester. "It's good to see you, Sylvester, my dear. How is the Holy Land?"
Sylvester sat down with the woman inside the prayer hall. "The Holy Land is in disarray due to the war, but we'll manage. We have no other choice. But forget about that. How are you?"
"Oh, I'm just fine. There isn't much work to do anyway. But I received a letter for you from the monastery in Sandwall County. Here it is," the Bright Mother said as she handed him the letter.
"I'm headed there, so what's the rush?" Sylvester wondered as he quickly opened the letter.
Sure enough, his body froze at the contents.
[Your Grace, I am writing this letter to inform you about the girl who matches the description you provided. Unfortunately, I was unable to find the Bishop who took her, but I discovered the details of a tavern where she used to work and where a Bishop picked her up. The last sighting of her was in the Duchy of Normani with the Bishop. I believe she's a victim of human trafficking. I hope you are able to find her — May the holy light enlighten us.]
Sylvester burned the letter in his palm and rose to his feet. "Forgive my short stay, Bright Mother. But I must rush to Sandwall County."
'So she is already sold? Or are those events yet to transpire?'
________________________
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