Chapter 169: The Villain’s Simple Farewell
Not long ago, the Marquis Morton, who had been chatting with Yu Mo in the lounge, was found dead.
His corpse, resembling a withered branch, was placed among the roses in the garden, unrecognizable. If not for his marquis attire, no one would have known who he was.
When his body was discovered, a moonflower was placed in his open mouth, and his hands were positioned as if in prayer toward the moon.
“It’s those Moon followers again!”
The nobles were in an uproar. Even at a grand festival of light attended by two cardinals, these brazen fanatics dared to commit murder.
“They’re growing more and more insane. What are the palace guards and the magicians doing?”
The nobles, fearing they might face the same fate, began to discuss the situation fervently.
“Wasn’t it the same with the incident involving the eldest prince? Haven’t they caught anyone yet?”
“I heard that this group recently went silent and stopped appearing in public like they used to, so they haven’t been caught.”
“If they really went into hiding, how could something like this happen today?”
The nobles vented their anger at the palace guards, though no one dared to criticize the temple, even though the eradication of heretics was also its responsibility.
A crowd of nobles gathered in the banquet hall, filled with agitation. Charli searched for a while before spotting her stepmother, Lady Cecil, entering from the side door.
“Mother, with all this chaos just now, where did you go?” Charli noticed her hair was slightly disheveled, and her red lipstick was smudged.
“Oh, I found a quiet spot to chat with an old friend,” Lady Cecil winked at her playfully, licking a trace of red from her lips.
Charli understood and didn’t ask further, quickly taking her hand. “Brother said not to wander off. Let’s go straight back once the festival is over.”
“What’s going on? What are they talking about?” Lady Cecil asked curiously, clutching her feathered fan.
“Marquis Morton is dead; the palace guards just discovered his body in the garden.”
Charli explained, lowering her gaze and noticing a leaf on Lady Cecil’s green dress. It looked like a rose leaf from the garden.
…
“This is a provocation against the Temple!” Cardinal Croft, having seen the marquis’s corpse, was visibly furious.
Peruth had also examined the body, but he showed little reaction, even smiling slightly. “Indeed, traces of dark magic are present, and Marquis Morton lost a significant amount of blood before his death.”
“I won’t tolerate anyone causing trouble at this important Festival of Light,” Cardinal Croft declared firmly. “Have someone check who was absent from the banquet hall at the time of his death. Surround the area—we must find the heretic who committed this murder!”
Peruth disagreed. “No. The festival is about to begin, and we can’t delay it over the marquis’s death. Also, matters involving the nobility are better suited for the palace magicians; there’s no need for the Temple to handle everything.”
Cardinal Croft cast a suspicious glance at him. “Why are you stopping me at a time like this? Are you somehow involved in this?”
Then a thought struck him. “Didn’t you also step out a while ago?”
Peruth smiled at him without any attempt to hide it. “Yes, I was in the corridor talking with Lord Cecil.”
Cardinal Croft glared at him. No wonder he refused to verify the list of those absent—he was meeting with Lord Cecil at the time.
“Absolutely outrageous!”
Dressed in full ceremonial attire, His Majesty the Emperor arrived, supported by attendants. The news of the marquis’s death startled him, but he immediately insisted that the two cardinals proceed with the festival.
“So long as we devote ourselves faithfully to the God of Light, such things won’t happen to us.”
The Emperor had long held resentment toward Marquis Morton.
“The First Prince, Eno, only turned out the way he did under his influence. In his lands, too, disease has spread due to a lack of true faith. His death must be the God of Light’s punishment—an indication that the God of Light refused to protect him!”
At the emperor’s insistence, the Festival of Light proceeded on schedule.
Golden light radiated outward from the palace, momentarily turning the dark skies into a sea of gold.
This was the power of the two cardinals. Standing among the crowd, Yu Mo felt the golden energy flowing through his hair, and he heard a voice brush past his ear.
“Don’t worry.”
Yu Mo looked forward. Peruth was conducting the ceremony with a solemn, focused expression, not looking in his direction. But the voice had been so clear.
They had met briefly in the corridor not long ago, only managing to exchange a few words before being separated by the sudden incident. It seemed His Excellency the Cardinal hadn’t finished speaking.
The ceremony lasted a long time, and afterward, there was still no chance for them to talk, as the two cardinals were escorted away by the emperor.
The nobles who had attended the festival were expected to leave the palace after a brief inspection by the court magicians.
“This year’s festival was the most rushed. His Holiness the Pope didn’t attend, and with someone dead, there wasn’t even a banquet afterward. Truly disappointing,” Lady Cecil remarked discontentedly from the carriage.
Charli shared the sentiment. “It was disappointing not to see His Holiness.”
In previous years, she hadn’t been allowed to attend the Festival of Light. This was her first time.
“But there will be other chances. His Holiness should appear at next year’s festival.”
Unfortunately, this Pope would never appear at any festival again.
According to the storyline, the current Pope should have been at a crucial moment of absorbing the God of Light’s power, trapped on a sacred mountain unreachable by others.
Furthermore, he was destined to fail, with Peruth thwarting his efforts.
This was a clash between two villains—the Pope and Peruth—a battle between villains, from which the protagonist would ultimately benefit.
…
Late at night, Yu Mo arrived at the secret meeting place of the Star Society.
Under his management, the Star Society had transformed completely.
The group of Moon followers, active at night, had mostly gathered, and Amos was there as well.
Though young, Amos learned dark magic quickly and was already capable of handling some tasks independently for Yu Mo.
Yu Mo had brought him into the Star Society and involved him in the magic potion-making group.
“Teacher, you’re here.”
“President,” greeted a group of Star Society members who were busy exchanging magic techniques.
Yu Mo took a seat at the front, casting his gaze around the room. The look made everyone’s scalp tingle, wondering if the president was planning to throw them into confinement magic for torture again.
“The Marquis Morton was killed in the palace garden during the Festival of Light. It’s said to have been the work of Moon followers.” Yu Mo asked calmly, “Who did it?”
No one responded; each person appeared innocent. Yu Mo scanned everyone’s expressions, detecting no signs of guilt.
To have succeeded in killing someone in the palace, so close to the cardinals, and to have slain a seasoned swordsman like the Marquis Morton, it would have taken at least a mid-level magician.
He focused his gaze on a few “troublemakers” in particular.
Some members of the Star Society sensed the familiar aura of confinement magic, and variously responded with agitation, pain, or despair, surging forward to surround Yu Mo.
“President! What is the meaning of this? Are you suspecting me? After you tested me for three days and nights last time, I haven’t even gone out at night for the past two months! What more do you want?”
“Yeah, President, I haven’t caused trouble for the Temple recently, let alone killed any noble marquis! You can’t treat me like this!”
“President, I’ve been working on potions non-stop; I’ve even exceeded this month’s target by twice. How would I have time to cause any trouble?”
“Did the murder happen tonight? President, the three of us have been here for the past three days. I admit we’ve been performing some moon rituals in private, but we definitely didn’t do this!”
“President, please, if you really suspect me, use a truth spell on me if you must, just don’t test me anymore! I really can’t stand another round of those questions!”
“…”
Yu Mo raised his hand to stop the group from desperately trying to clear their names. “I don’t suspect you all; I suspect this was done by other heretical magicians framing the Star Society.”
“You’re all mid-level magicians. I’ll need you to take on some tasks soon.”
Everyone instantly relaxed.
They should have known! They’d do anything, as long as it wasn’t more testing.
The Star Society was the most active and largest heretical group near the capital, but not all Moon followers had joined its ranks.
Yu Mo suspected that rogue followers might be responsible for this incident.
Within a few days, Star Society members had captured and brought back dozens of rogue magicians operating underground in the capital.
They were all dark magicians. When caught and brought here, they initially thought they’d been discovered by the Temple or the palace magicians, only to find themselves being absorbed into a new organization.
The Star Society members watched as these rogue dark magicians were confined by the same restrictive magic that had once left them feeling worse than death—and they felt an odd sense of satisfaction.
They suddenly realized that with more people in the Star Society, the president would have fewer chances to use the confinement magic on them.
Eagerly motivated, they continued capturing more magicians. Yu Mo registered these new arrivals and discovered that the rogue magicians they had caught didn’t all worship the Moon; many followed different deities.
“My faith is in the great God of Death!”
“I—I am a follower of the Goddess of Desire.”
“I worship… the Goddess of Vengeance.”
Yu Mo remarked, “I haven’t heard much about these gods. Isn’t it rare to find anyone who still worships them?”
“How could that be! Death is eternal. As long as death exists, the God of Death is immortal! There are still at least a dozen of us who worship him!” the death follower cried passionately.
Yu Mo instructed the Star Society members, “There are a dozen of them? Bring them all here for registration.”
The death follower responded, “…I won’t tell you where our base is!”
Yu Mo replied, “Send him to the third testing chamber. Let him out when he’s willing to talk. Next.”
…
Water splashed as Yu Mo rose from the bath, his hair damp and a hint of weariness in his eyes.
Wrapping himself in a towel, he walked toward his room. The night breeze swept in from the open balcony, causing the candle flames inside to flicker.
As the towel dropped to the floor, he bent to pick up the robe from the bed when he sensed something was amiss. Turning, he saw a tall figure standing by the curtains.
The figure had slipped into the darkness without making a sound, so Yu Mo hadn’t noticed his presence immediately.
Tonight, the moonlight was faint, veiled by thin clouds, casting a hazy glow that pooled softly around Yu Mo’s ankle.
He looked away, draping his robe over his shoulders, its fabric concealing the pristine white of his skin that still gleamed in the dim light.
“If you’re here, why stand in silence?”
He fastened his robe, sitting at the edge of the bed, the magic ring on his finger glimmering faintly.
The cardinal remained quiet for a moment before stepping out of the shadows.
“These days, the dark underworld of the royal city has been quite lively.”
Peruth took Yu Mo’s finger, channeling magic into the drained ring.
“Have you finished what you needed to do, Eloren?”
“Almost.”
“Gathering this many magicians, Eloren—is it only for more magic potions? Quite ambitious.”
“Is it as ambitious as your own plans?” Yu Mo withdrew his hand.
Peruth laughed softly. “The Temple has noticed these unusual stirrings and is preparing to take action. Be cautious.”
“I understand.” The fact that the Temple hadn’t struck yet surprised Yu Mo; it seemed Peruth had intervened somehow.
In the past, Peruth hadn’t concerned himself with the fate of the Star Society and had even incited them to do things that drew attention. But now, he seemed to tacitly accept them as his own.
“Eloren, I might be leaving for a long time.” Peruth paused before adding, “I hope you’ll miss me.”
Yu Mo didn’t react sharply this time; he simply nodded in acknowledgment, his expression cool.
It seemed Peruth had come merely for this simple farewell.
Though he appeared relaxed, Yu Mo, having knowledge of the storyline, knew that this departure would bring Peruth into immense danger, almost costing him his life.
