The Most Arbitrary Wizard

Chapter 167: Chapter 99: Blazing Angels (Part 2)

A legendary figure above Tier Ten, a man who could be called a god, would have plenty of ways to "reacquaint" himself with the world upon waking—even after slumbering for centuries, completely unaware of its developments.

Times change, but Power does not.

If Carl Black still possessed Magic Power above Tier Ten, no secret would be safe from him. He could just casually search the mind of any high-ranking Church Court official and know everything. Why would he go to the trouble of visiting the Florist Family to ask him?

To put it bluntly, never mind just uncovering the cause and purpose of the Witch Hunt Operation—if he wanted to torment this generation’s Saintess the way he did the First Saintess, no one could stop him.

The only person who could possibly stop Carl Black is the Pope.

But the Saintess said the Pope is in seclusion.

Of course, Robes didn’t dare say this aloud. Exposing the Church Court’s old wounds was risky enough. To then use the Saintess as an example to her face? He wouldn’t even need Carl Black to show up; the Saintess herself could wipe the Florist Family off the map.

Robes chose his words with extreme care, finally offering his conclusion. "I believe that after dying and returning to life, Carl Black’s power is a shadow of its former self. It’s highly likely that, like other Reshapers, he has been reincarnated to start anew."

Diana was silent.

’From most people’s perspective, being a Reshaper was the most logical explanation.’

’But she was one of the very few who knew that the possibility of Carl Black having been Reshaped was minuscule.’

’Because in that lifetime, when she and Daeli of the Blazing Angel Family had developed the method of Reshaping, Carl Black had already been dead for decades. They themselves were on the verge of death by then, withered with age, their former beauty a distant memory.’

’Time spares no one, not even those at Tier Ten.’

’Only Carl Black was the exception.’

’So, not only did the timeline not add up, but Carl Black himself had no need for Reshaping.’

’He was already an Immortal, so why would he need to be reincarnated to start over?’

’Could it be the Path of Divinity?’

Diana mused. It was the only logical explanation she could think of.

’Assuming Carl Black truly has lost his Tier Ten Magic Power, then a new question arises.’

Diana’s eyes narrowed. "You said you killed two people. Was the man suspected of being Carl Black among them?"

"No." Robes did his utmost to spin a good story, his voice full of regret. "I had pretended to untie him to probe his Magic Power. He was only Tier Three, so I planned to capture him alive and hand him over to the Church Court and Her Highness the Saintess for personal handling. But I never expected his two subordinates to protect him with their lives, allowing him to escape..."

"Nonsense!"

Diana reprimanded him coldly, "You knew he might be Carl Black, yet you dared to be so careless? Have you wasted all the years you’ve lived?"

"If he truly is Carl Black, then you have just let a tiger back into the mountains! When disaster strikes because of this, your Florist Family will not escape the blame!"

Those two short sentences were enough to make cold sweat pour from Robes, soaking his back.

He felt immense pressure.

This pressure came not only from the Saintess’s noble status but from the woman herself.

Robes hadn’t expected the Saintess’s sudden outburst. He rushed to remedy the situation, saying, "Your Highness the Saintess, please calm your anger. They didn’t get away unscathed."

Diana didn’t respond, merely motioning with her eyes for him to continue.

Robes said, "As he fled, Carl Black was struck by my Puppet Strings. He was injured quite badly."

In reality, the "Sunshine" Kate had produced was so blinding that he hadn’t seen what happened to Sean and Elvire at all. By the time the light faded, they had vanished without a trace. He had to say this, though, to cover up for his own incompetence.

But lies always have holes.

"A mighty Grand Mage can’t even kill a Tier Three Wizard, only injure him... Hah." Diana sneered. "It seems to me you’ve not only wasted your years, but your Magic Power as well."

"Perhaps you’ve truly gotten old. Is it time to step down?"

Sweat streamed down Robes’s back. He bowed his head in terror. "Your Highness the Saintess is right to lecture me."

He didn’t dare make any more excuses.

Fortunately, Diana didn’t press the matter. Her anger flared and vanished in an instant, giving Robes a profound taste of her capriciousness. This was his first time reporting a matter to the Saintess. Previously, the Pope had always handled such things. Only now did Robes realize that the Saintess was no easier to serve than the Pope.

Diana watched him, her gaze profound. "Speak. What do you want?"

She was a person who was always clear about rewards and punishments; those who deserved punishment were punished, and those who deserved reward were rewarded.

The Church Court had many members, each with clearly defined duties. The Witch Hunt Operation was not her responsibility. If Robes hadn’t come today, she might not have learned so quickly that Carl Black was alive and had visited the Florist Family.

At the same time, Diana was very glad the Pope was in seclusion.

Otherwise, there were many things she would be unable to do.

But Robes, having just been subjected to the Saintess’s intimidating presence, no longer dared to guess at Diana’s intentions. He could only brace himself and answer truthfully. "Replying to the Saintess, the Florist Family has failed in its duty by letting Carl Black escape. We dare not ask for a reward. We only beg that Her Highness the Saintess, in light of the Florist Family’s many years of loyalty to the Church Court, grant us some small measure of protection."

This was the true purpose of Robes’s visit to the Church Court.

He wanted to seek the Church Court’s protection.

He had killed two of Carl Black’s subordinates. Regardless of whether that young man was Carl Black himself, he had already mortally offended the man. Only the Church Court could protect the Florist Family now.