Chapter 533 |
Nicholas V still showed some restraint and issued strict orders forbidding his followers to proselytize freely in the rear. But human desire is never satisfied. Once people suddenly acquire transcendent power — power strong enough to control the lives of those previously their equals — the greed inside them multiplies and reveals itself.
Very few can resist that temptation.
So even as the rear calmed, all kinds of filthy, disgusting deeds happened every hour. The worst part was that the oppressed did not feel they were being outrageously abused; they treated it as if it were natural and right.
When only oppression and bullying exist and no one resists, Nicholas V — who had been fighting on the front lines — convinced himself that his Scepter Empire was the true “mandate of heaven.” He believed that he and his Scepter Empire were the most suitable force to replace the mages as rulers of the Academy Continent.
Whether the mages would allow it or not, he didn’t think was important. From the mages’ previous indulgent attitude he read that they didn’t care who ruled the Academy Continent, as long as the ruler obeyed.
Nicholas V thought he was obedient. Transferring the core of the Divine Path from his own body onto the Scepter was the greatest show of sincerity. Once the continent was pacified, he could hand the Scepter over to the mages and be confident they would be glad that mortals were under strong control.
He only hoped his family could rule the Academy Continent forever, extracting vast resources to support more family members to become mages. He even fantasized: if one day a True Spirit Mage surnamed Nicholas appeared, what an honor — and what profit. Perhaps the future Mage World would run by Nicholas’s will.
What he did not know was that the situations he failed to detect in the rear were entirely visible to the Academy Department — and all those people had already been sentenced to death.
— — —
“Ophelia — long time no see.”
When the Scepter Empire was about to occupy the Academy Continent, Ophelia — someone Adam had not contacted for a long time — suddenly reached his original communicator number and found him.
They had long since lost any personal tie. After the Madra Island demon-god incident, under Adam’s guidance the Johnson Family and Alfred Family controlled Madra Island for a century. When the Academy Continent arose, it was also under Adam’s protection that the Johnsons passed the cleansings smoothly. The Johnsons’ sixteen years of care and debt to him had been repaid many times over.
That meant the last bond between Adam and Ophelia was gone, and he didn’t expect her to contact him again.
Ophelia stood before Adam with no extra feelings. Their ranks were very different: she had just advanced to Fourth-Rank Mage, while Adam already held a seat within the Mage World core.
Over the centuries Adam’s name had become thunderous; Ophelia had also joined the Cataclysm Zone war, but only as a regular troop under the Fourth Holy Tower — she had no right to meet Adam in person.
Ophelia bowed respectfully. “Adam—Lord Adam, sorry to disturb you. I represent the Johnson Family of the Academy Continent.”
Adam motioned for her to sit and asked, “The Johnsons? How is old Count Johnson?”
“He died two hundred and seventy years ago.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Count Johnson was a model knight and noble.”
Ophelia shook her head and diverted the topic. “The Johnsons have always followed the Academy Department’s will and never overstepped. My family sent me because the Scepter Empire has come into our domain to preach.”
“What is your family’s stance?”
“They refuse to join the Scepter Empire and will not allow our subjects to become believers, but their preachers are unrestrained and very powerful — the family’s knightly order cannot resist them. The family asked me for help, but I know you issued the Forbidden Edict banning any formal mage from interfering in the war, so…”
Adam nodded. “You can’t intervene directly, but this problem is easy to solve.”
In front of Ophelia, Adam dispatched a batch of High-Grade Law-Enforcement Robots to the Johnson territory; the robots executed the local preachers.
Ophelia breathed freely. Over so many years as a mage her ties to the family had weakened; she had come only because the dying Count Johnson had begged her to ensure the family line would not be broken.
“Thank you for the help. With this—”
Adam cut her off with an unexpected question: “Would the Johnson Family be interested in becoming one of the contending rulers of the Academy Continent?”
Ophelia was taken aback and instinctively said, “No, we have no such ability.”
Adam smiled. “Don’t refuse too quickly — it’s only beneficial. And ‘ruling’ isn’t what you think.”
“But—”
“Stay for now. Nicholas V has arrived outside the Academy City. Think carefully.”
— — —
For the Scepter Empire, once absolute advantage was secured the war snowballed. In a single year Nicholas V nearly occupied the whole Academy Continent. He felt entitled to enter the Academy City and formalize his rule.
A thousand-man royal cavalry corps and three hundred elite royal mage regiments escorted Nicholas to the Academy City gates. Before he could introduce himself, a group of law-enforcement robots thundered down, split him from his retinue, and gave him no chance to speak — they immediately brought him before Adam.
Nicholas was flustered. He had imagined many meeting scenarios but none like this; the mages’ attitude was not friendly.
In an instant he found himself in a great chamber. The surrounding displays showed the Academy Continent’s overall situation; pinned screens replayed the preachers’ filthy deeds. A chill ran through Nicholas.
Before him, several indistinct silhouettes sat as though on high in the air.