Chapter 236 (1): Little Devil’s Smile

“Huh? Me meeting the Death Knight?”

In Auston’s study at the Lando Estate, Wayne stared at Auston with wide eyes, raising his voice. “Are you out of your mind? It’s the Death Knight, who doesn’t even bat an eye when killing people. You’re telling me to go on a suicide mission.”

The birthday celebration held in the suburban castle had come to an end. Angelo, the Mayor of the Financial Town, had caught a cold that developed into pneumonia. Unable to do his work, he had no choice but to resign and disappear from the public’s view.

Chante, the Prince’s lover, was said to have left Windsor to further her artistic pursuits. To outsiders, it seemed like Mayor Angelo had introduced his relative to the Prince to create scandals within the royal family, and for that, he had stepped down from his post. Chante also suffered the consequences and ended up being driven out of Windsor.

Only a select few knew the truth: Angelo and Chante were dead, and Juliette, the demon familiar manipulating them, was executed by the Death Knight. That was how the night ended.

Celeste reported back to the Minister of Magic about the Death Knight’s demand. Shadow Nightmare was a divine artifact, and it wouldn’t be unsheathed without a cause. If there was no cause, there had to be benefits to be gained.

In other words, pay up.

The Queen spent a night pondering and still couldn’t figure out why the Death Knight had been so cooperative, but it was a good start. She summoned Auston and told him to continue expressing the royal family’s goodwill. Auston had done well last time, forming an alliance with the Death Knight successfully, and the Death Knight had honored his commitment.

Since Auston had proven his usefulness, he should do it again!

That was what led to the conversation in the study.

Megan set up a soundproofing barrier, leaving the two scumbags to their staring contest. Auston was going to hand Wayne the royal family’s goodwill then and there, but Wayne wouldn’t accept it. Life was about the little rituals. He insisted on meeting Auston at the Western District Great Cemetery tonight.

The reason was obvious. Even Megan, who was openly eavesdropping, could figure it out, let alone Auston himself. Trash Jr. wanted to kick Trash Sr.’s ass.

“First off, you are the Death Knight. There’s no reason for me to wait until tonight to hand you the goods,” Auston said with a scowl. “Secondly, even if you weren’t the Death Knight, what’s wrong with me delegating the task to my heir as the head of the family?”

“It’s so wrong. I’m a Silver-ranked mage with a frail physique, too weak to take on the mission,” Wayne said flippantly. “Put aside what Master will think, you’ll have trouble explaining to the Queen and end up attracting unnecessary suspicion. Listen to me and head to the Great Cemetery. It’s your burden and obligation as the head of the family.”

(눈_눈)

He made so much sense that Auston couldn’t come up with a counterargument.

“Earning kickbacks from the Death Knight isn’t easy. If you want to use his name to earn a profit, you should be ready to let him kick your butt,” Wayne said gleefully. “That’s better than having a fire burn down a storage at the end of the year to conceal embezzlement.”

He rose to his feet, stretching and practicing kicks right before Auston.

The father and son were having a grand bonding time.

Wayne understood Auston too well. He never did things halfway and always committed to his role like the most dedicated actor. Even though he knew that he would be getting kicked tonight, he would still show up at the Great Cemetery on time. That was the kind of professional Auston was.

“Moreover, the Death Knight finds you an agreeable liaison, so don’t tell the Queen to find a replacement. The Death Knight doesn’t care to chat with anyone else.”

“Kekekeke—”

Wayne cackled brightly as he walked away. Behind him, Auston looked heartbroken like his wife had given birth to a son.

That night, at the Great Cemetery, Wayne got what he wanted, and Auston streaked across the sky with Megan chasing after him.

It was clearly a necessary act in case someone was watching them.

Yes, although the Death Knight was working with the royal family, he didn’t like them. He wasn’t kicking Auston’s bottom, but the Queen’s face.

***

It was February twentieth. There were no demons in Londan, and the weather was nice.

It was peaceful—at least on the surface.

Under the surface, the investigator from the Papal State had long arrived in Londan. The investigator was an old friend of Celeste, the legendary mage, and during the investigation period, they would meet up for a chat every now and then.

Celeste was a free mage. In the earlier part of his life, he had been open-minded and learned numerous foreign languages with no discrimination. Once he reached Legendary rank, he began to look for a niche for himself. Gradually, his mastery over Holy Light magic deepened, which made the higher-ups of the Ministry of Magic suspect that he was a spy. Due to a lack of evidence, or perhaps there was another reason, nothing was ever done about him.

Later, the investigator also met up with Princess Elizabeth. With her silver tongue, the Princess raised various topics, ranging from world peace to authentic Francan cuisine, successfully convincing the investigator representing the Pope.

It was absurd, but the fact was that the investigator had given up on their findings and left Londan like nothing had happened.

Before departing, the investigator signed an amendment with the Windsor royal family on behalf of the Papal State, demanding that the royal family never make deals with demons, stop their studies in hell, and allow the Church of Heavenly Father to promote the faith in Windsor.

It was business as usual, and an agreement on paper was rarely effective since paper could be torn up.

The royal family had been distancing itself from the Church of Heavenly Father while maintaining a line of communication, with Princess Elizabeth serving as that line. Just like how there would be the doves and the hawks or the leftists and the rightists in a nation, each member of the royal family had their own role to play.

Such important affairs weren’t Wayne’s concerns, and even Auston had no right to be involved, only able to deduce what had happened from the details he had observed.

The Papal State had met up with the royal family directly, bypassing the Windsor Ministry of Magic and the church’s bases in Windsor. The complicated matter was far beyond the pay grade of anyone but the topmost leadership.

***

By the River Thames, Wayne met up with Director Schrödinger, answering a ransom demand from the robber.

“Director, it’s been a while. When was the last time we saw each other? I don’t even remember.” Wayne groused. It had been so long that he had wondered if Planck was dead.

“Did you bring the stuff?”

Planck wore a bowler hat and a black jacket over his signature white coat, like an agent doing clandestine work.

“Here.” Wayne handed him an envelope.

“It’s the real thing...” Planck took the antique silver coin out of the envelope to confirm its authenticity, clicking his tongue in surprise. “I thought you would fool me with a counterfeit, but you’re being surprisingly honest.”

“I would like to, but you’re too smart to fall for that. I’d rather not waste my effort.” Wayne looked at the silver coin reluctantly as Planck pocketed it. With that taken, he only had Obed’s silver coin in his possession. His assets had shrunk by half, which broke his heart.

Planck took in Wayne’s sour expression and said with a chuckle, “I heard that you’ve become a candidate for the Anointed One of the Church of Nature and are about to head to the church’s headquarters. Hoho, I can’t leave the coin with you and let it get out of Windsor.”

“Is there a reason for that?”

Wayne raised an eyebrow. He had the other silver coin in his chest pocket. There had never been a day when he didn’t train with it.

“Nothing in particular. One day, you’ll take over Auston and become part of the ministry’s leadership, getting your own silver coin.” Planck spoke in a profound tone. “It’s just that you’ll be leaving for too long. I need my coin, especially for identification. I can’t possibly head to the headquarters of the Church of Nature to seek you out when I need it. That would be too troublesome.”

He had been through a situation like that, leading to him almost getting beaten to death by his colleagues. Just the thought of it brought tears to his eyes.

Looking back, it was all worth it, though.

The Holy Maiden selection for the Church of Nature would last almost half a year, with numerous stages to go through. Planck figured it was about time for Wayne to leave Londan.

Four months. Wayne had gotten used to a life of abundance with the silver coin. It was always difficult to go from having everything to having little to nothing. Wayne would certainly have a hard time for the next four months. He could even imagine Wayne calling him and asking for the coin first thing after returning to Londan.

Yes, that would certainly happen.

Wayne’s patience had impressed him, though. He hadn’t once called Planck and asked about the faith of Darkness all this time, as if he didn’t care at all. However, no one would have infinite patience. Planck was certain that Wayne would seek his help one day. Planck had the upper hand, and he could drag this battle of patience on forever.

“Once I return from the Church of Nature’s headquarters, I’ll borrow the coin from you.” Wayne shrugged, telling Planck to be ready. “If there’s nothing else, I’m taking my leave.”

“There is something else. To my knowledge, the Church of Nature has never chosen an Anointed One. Your chance of winning the selection is low. Would you like my help? I have a friend at the Church of Nature.”

Planck waggled his eyebrows. “If you perform well enough, and the candidate my friend favors fails, my friend will support you in the selection.”

“No thanks. I’m more talented than anyone else and can win the selection fair and square, without using underhanded tricks,” Wayne said confidently.

“You’re only half right. If talent alone will secure you the title, what role do the higher-ups of the church headquarters play, and what’s the point of having power?” Planck snorted. “While they aren’t free mages, they have even less moral qualms than free mages. Believe me. Without connections and backing, you will not become the Anointed One.”

Wayne looked hesitant for a moment before shaking his head. “Still, I believe talent is most important.”

Planck didn’t bother convincing him, planning to contact his old friend to support Wayne anyway. He believed in Wayne’s talent. As long as Wayne was put on the same starting line as the other candidates, he would have no match in this competition. Moreover, Planck trusted his own eye for people.

He saw Wayne’s greed—for magic and for power. There were many advantages to becoming the Anointed One, so surely Wayne wouldn’t give up halfway.

It was a perfect plan!