The Most Arbitrary Wizard

Chapter 166: Chapter 99: Blazing Angels

In this life, Olivia’s name was Diana.

Hearing Robes bring up the past, the scene recorded in history of Carl Black bullying her once again surfaced in her mind.

A look of helplessness and pain, along with a trace of suppressed anger, flickered in her eyes.

Diana had been trained in etiquette and poise since childhood. She was adept at hiding her emotions and rarely let them show.

But the unusual look in her eyes did not escape Robes’s notice.

’As I thought...’

Seeing the signs of anger on Diana, Robes was instantly reassured.

He had guessed correctly: the Saintess detested Carl Black even more than the Pope did.

So he quickly struck while the iron was hot. "Just yesterday," he said, "Carl Black’s subordinates trespassed into a restricted area. They were discovered by one of our family’s patrolmen, Klintor. They threatened Klintor into leading them to me at our estate, intending to force me to tell them about the Witch Hunt Operation."

"The Witch Hunt Operation..."

The anger in Diana’s eyes blazed hotter. "And did you tell them?" she asked Robes.

"Of course not," Robes said quickly.

"The Florist Family is utterly loyal to the Church Court, as Her Highness the Saintess well knows. At a single command from the Church Court, the entire Florist Family would sacrifice itself for you and the Church Court."

"There was a man in my family named Zajik. Her Highness the Saintess may not recall him, but he was one of the first Witch Hunters to encounter Carl Black’s people. He has already died by a Truth Technique. Yet even in death, he wore a smile, because he never regretted his part in the Witch Hunt Operation. To die in battle for the Church Court was the greatest honor of his life."

Robes said with utmost sincerity, "This is the fervent devotion of the Florist Family to the Church Court."

Diana glanced at him and gave a slight nod. "Continue."

"You didn’t tell them. And then?"

"Knowing the Holy Sanctuary, I doubt they would have given up so easily after failing to achieve their objective."

"Her Highness the Saintess is wise."

Robes said, "Just as Your Highness surmised, when they saw my resolute stance, they attempted to forcibly search my memories using a Mind Spell. I resisted with all my might and fought back. We battled for several hundred rounds. In the end, it was only by relying on the Puppet Path bestowed by the Church Court that I was able to temporarily repel them."

As he spoke, Robes bowed deeply. "I thank Her Highness the Saintess and the Church Court for your protection," he declared, "which allowed the Florist Family to escape this disaster."

The incident had nothing to do with the Puppet Path; it was a simple matter of a Grand Mage’s power to overwhelm anyone below Tier Seven. Yet Robes insisted on connecting it to the Church Court, his every word filled with gratitude.

It was unclear whether Diana believed him. "What was the result?" she asked.

"Did you capture anyone alive?"

"No."

Robes lowered his head, his face a mask of guilt. "I have disappointed Your Highness. The intruders were too cunning. They used some unknown Secret Technique and escaped my Heaven and Earth Net without a sound. I have already ordered my kinsmen to pursue them with all their might, but we have no news as of yet."

Diana raised an eyebrow. "They all got away?"

"Two of them," Robes replied. "There were four in total. Two are dead, two escaped."

He was clearly looking for credit.

Fighting four-on-one for "hundreds of rounds" and even managing to kill two of them was, by all accounts, no easy feat.

Diana saw through Robes’s ploy and commented coolly, "Not bad."

But she offered nothing more.

Robes, thinking that merely killing two of them wasn’t impressive enough, added, "Her Highness the Saintess, I suspect that one of those four was Carl Black himself."

Diana’s calm demeanor vanished. She shot to her feet. "Are you certain?"

Robes fell silent.

How could he possibly be certain?

The Empire had already entered the post-Era of Polymaths. Hundreds of years had passed since the Hall of Truth’s most "glorious" period. There were no portraits of Carl Black in the history books, so who could possibly know what he looked like?

He could only guess based on written descriptions from historical texts.

"Carl Black was described as handsome and extremely charming. Among the four intruders, there was a young man who fit that description perfectly. Furthermore, the other three seemed to treat him as their leader."

Robes paused, then added, "Most importantly, according to Klintor, this man could use the Truth Technique. That is why Klintor was no match for him and was captured."

Hearing this, the calm surface of Diana’s heart was finally stirred.

She murmured, "Young..."

"Handsome..."

"Truth Technique..."

The three words were like a paintbrush, awakening her long-sealed memories. They sketched the image of a man in her mind. His features remained blurry, but the contours of his face gradually sharpened into focus.

Diana was almost certain that if Robes wasn’t lying, the man had to be Carl Black.

But the question was—

"If he really is Carl Black, how are you still standing here talking to me?" Diana asked.

As an Imperial Viscount, Robes was a known quantity to Diana. The old man’s Magic Power was not strong, only at the level of Tier Seven. Carl Black, however, was beyond Tier Ten. The gap between them was as wide as an abyss.

It was no exaggeration to say that in front of Carl Black, a Tier Seven Mage like Robes was no different from a newborn infant. The man wouldn’t even need to lift a finger; a single glance would be enough to kill him. And Robes had the chance to fight back and kill his men?

’What a joke.’

"Your Highness the Saintess, please allow me to explain."

Robes recalled the situation at the time. "Based on their behavior," he said, "they seemed to have no knowledge of the current Empire. With Carl Black’s legendary abilities, that shouldn’t be the case."