Chapter 7: Unbelievable (Part 2)

"Is your friend really reliable? Do you think he won't be suspected?" Talice frowned.

Asa nodded. "Don't worry. I trust him. With his cunning and sophistication, he can definitely lure that guy here."

They were now just outside the capital, in the same area where they had seen the Queen meet with Cardinal Jarvis. They were still hiding in the grass not far away. It was broad daylight now, so they couldn't use the dark magic of the Dark Elves anymore, but Asa wasn't worried about being discovered. Asa and Talice were more than capable of concealing their presence until they made a move. As for the Dark Elf, it was second nature for her to hide. And Rodhart would surely draw Jarvis's attention. No matter how good someone's observation skills were, if they weren't focused, there would be gaps everywhere.

As Rodhart had said, if he told the Cardinal he had discovered traces of a vampire and asked him to come and see, Jarvis would certainly come without any extra attendants, his mind completely focused on the issue. It was the perfect opportunity for an ambush.

"Did you not go retrieve your weapon?" the Dark Elf asked.

Asa paused for a moment before replying, "Four of us against that guy, I should be fine without it."

The Dark Elf sneered. "Didn't expect you to be so shy. Just hope your shyness doesn't get us all killed."

Asa sighed, "Besides, the Magic Academy isn't far from here. I'm worried that if I use it, the priests there might sense the magical disturbance and come here. That would be troublesome."

At that moment, two familiar figures appeared in the distance. The three of them immediately fell silent.

The figures slowly approached. At the front was Cardinal Jarvis, and beside him was Rodhart. As expected, Jarvis had no attendants with him, his face full of a strange mix of anxiety and confusion.

"Your Excellency, this is the trace of the vampire I found," Rodhart said solemnly, pointing at a mound of earth on the ground, one of which had been partially dug up to reveal half a corpse. "These bodies, drained of blood, are all from homeless boys in the capital. So I'm certain the vampire exists, and is becoming increasingly cunning. The criminal we captured is clearly innocent."

Despite the distance, Asa could clearly see Rodhart's expression and movements. He couldn't help but feel a sense of pride in his judgment. Rodhart's scheming was indeed deep. Even though Asa knew that Jarvis was the one who had coerced the Queen and orchestrated the vampire incident, there was not a single flaw in Rodhart's actions, expressions, or words.

"Hmm..." Cardinal Jarvis absentmindedly nodded, his gaze fixed on the mounds of earth. He then turned and gave Rodhart a deep look. "How many people know about this?"

Asa's heart tightened slightly. He could sense the hidden meaning behind Jarvis' question. But this was not the best moment to act.

"Quite a few people know," Rodhart replied, and Asa breathed a sigh of relief. "It was a small team leader of the Holy Knights who discovered it while on a mission, and many in the team know about it."

"Tell them to keep this secret when you return..." Cardinal Jarvis sighed, nodding helplessly. He bent down, seemingly to examine the mounds of earth more closely. At the same time, his hand seemed to brush against the hilt of his sword.

Without any warning, a sharp sword light suddenly shot out from Jarvis's waist, cutting through the air.

Almost simultaneously, Rodhart leapt back swiftly.

Rodhart's reaction was fast. Asa could be sure that even if he were in the same position, he wouldn't have reacted as perfectly. However, the sword light still grazed Rodhart's chest. The strike was incredibly fast, without any premonition of killing intent, almost as if it had been casually launched with a flick of the finger.

A scream rang out as Rodhart fell to the ground and staggered backward. A spray of blood erupted from his chest. The steel knight's armor, under Jarvis's sudden strike, had no defense at all, as if it were made of paper. If not for Rodhart's speed and quick reflexes, he might have been split in two.

"Your Excellency, what are you doing?" Rodhart looked terrified, though he quickly used white magic to stop the bleeding, the injury still clearly serious.

"It's nothing," Jarvis said calmly, shaking the blood off his sword. "It's just better if fewer people know about this... Don't worry, you'll still go back to lead the Holy Knights, but from now on, you will follow my orders completely."

At that moment, a figure emitting white light suddenly appeared from the tall grass nearby, shooting toward the Cardinal like a crossbow bolt.

It wasn't the best time for an attack, but Asa could wait no longer. He had to make his move. He couldn't afford to wait any longer. Necromantic magic was out of the question now, and with a burst of speed, Asa dashed out from his hiding place, reaching Jarvis's side in two blinks of an eye. His fist, glowing with white energy, and accompanied by the roar of wind, went straight for the Cardinal.

Seeing the sudden enemy, Jarvis was momentarily stunned, but quickly raised his sword to meet the attack. A stream of bright white light, faster and fiercer than the previous sword strike, shot from his hand.

It felt familiar to Asa. That was the first thing he thought when he saw the sword light. But he didn't have time to figure out where he had seen it before. The intensity of the light was so overwhelming that Asa could barely endure it. The energy he had gathered just barely managed to block the sword's edge, but the sword light was so forceful, so focused, so venomous, it seemed like a tsunami turning into a mountain, then into a snake, and finally condensed into this blinding flash of light.

The fists and sword clashed, pierced, collided, struck, grabbed, and cut countless times in an instant. The air currents generated by the clash of fighting energies made a sound like muffled thunder. Asa desperately tried to catch or knock away the sword, or land a punch on his opponent, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't succeed. Instead, he was forced back with every encounter.

At this moment, he realized that, although he had estimated the young cardinal's strength to be high, he had only now realized that he had underestimated him.

However, despite this, Asa still felt the battle was almost certain to be won. Although he was a step slower, Talice and the Dark Elf had arrived, and together the three of them should have no trouble dealing with this opponent.

The cardinal seemed to sense the unfavorable situation, letting out a cold grunt before stepping forward and swinging his sword. This time, the sword's light surged even more fiercely than before.

It was as though a significant memory was about to surface in his mind. But Asa had no time to dwell on it. He had to push forward rather than retreat, or the cardinal would use this opening to escape. His meditation technique was fully activated, allowing him to see the sword's essence before him.

But just as he gathered all his strength and fighting spirit to meet the sword's light, a cold feeling suddenly emerged from behind.

The fine sensation pierced through his skin, breaking the muscle and stabbing into his right lung between two ribs, before following the same path in reverse, exiting through his chest.

The meditation technique registered every touch in excruciating detail—Asa could even hear the sound of his muscles being severed, the tearing of flesh, and the gurgling of blood flooding his lungs.

Anyone who saw a sword tip emerging from their chest would feel terror, but Asa didn't. Instead, he felt a mix of astonishment and rage, a fury so intense it almost made him forget the pain in his chest. He knew whose sword it was—he knew only one person could strike such a blow.

Before he could process it further, the sword light from the cardinal sliced across him in an instant. He collapsed like an empty sack.

Given his physical strength and fighting spirit, even if his limbs had been severed, he wouldn't have fallen so helplessly. But the cardinal's sword, like a scalpel in the hands of Sandru, precisely sliced through his joints, draining him of all his strength.

Asa fell to the ground, and through the blood-soaked haze in his eyes, he could see Rodhart behind him. Asa's gaze met Rodhart's face—handsome as always, with no sign of anxiety. It was as though stabbing his best friend from behind was the most natural thing in the world.

Rodhart's right hand rested on his chest, and blood could still be seen seeping from his armor. That sword had been entirely real. He exchanged a meaningful glance with the cardinal.

At this moment, Asa fully understood what had happened.

This was indeed a trap, but not a trap aimed at the cardinal—it was a trap for him. He hadn't been wrong—Rodhart was indeed deep and calculating, but that skill had been used to deceive him.

A wave of furious disbelief surged in his chest, turning into a low, beastly growl in his throat. But before he could voice it, he was choked by the blood flooding from his lungs, causing him to cough. A great mouthful of blood splattered from his mouth.

Seeing their former ally suddenly stab Asa in the back, both Talice and the Dark Elf cried out in shock. However, their reactions were completely different. Talice yelled and charged toward the cardinal and Rodhart, while the Dark Elf immediately turned to flee.

Jessica's choice was undoubtedly much more sensible than Talice's. But at this point, any choice seemed irrelevant. The cardinal casually pulled out a scroll from behind him. The white magic surged, and Jessica was immediately paralyzed by a spell, collapsing to the ground like a puppet.

"You evil necromancer, how dare you..." Talice didn't get to finish her words before she was sucked into the cardinal's deadly sword light storm, unable to even speak.

"Didn't expect it to be you, Knight Talice. When did you start mixing with this guy? I'm quite surprised. Lancelote's good student, huh?" The cardinal sneered. His sword clashed with Talice's sword several times in an instant.

Talice staggered back, yelling, "Pah! You, a scoundrel, hiding in the Glory Fortress, I'll... in the name of the Lord, grant me the blade to break magic..." She had no choice but to quickly modify her prayer and cast a blessing spell to barely block the sword thrust.

"In the name of the Lord, grant me the blade to break magic," the cardinal repeated, sneering. A white light gleamed on his sword, and both the speed of the spellcasting and the magical energy on his sword far surpassed what Talice had used.

The two figures separated again after their swords collided in a flurry of blows, with Talice stumbling back. A strand of golden hair fell from her head, and a bloodline appeared on her forehead.

"Without your glory armor, do you think you're still my match?" The cardinal and Talice once again became entangled, their bodies glowing with the same white magic.

Rodhart didn't intervene. He could clearly see the disparity in their strength. Finally, Talice was violently kicked in the stomach and bent down in pain. The cardinal followed up with a palm strike to her neck, and she collapsed to the ground.

"Lancelote kindly let you come out to hide, but you ended up walking right into my hands. This works out well for me. Now I have a way to deal with him. His disciple is actually working with a wanted criminal who assassinated Bishop Ronis and Aescher. I'm sure anyone would be very interested in this matter." The cardinal smiled in triumph as he looked at the unconscious paladin.

At this moment, a group of figures appeared in the distance, slowly closing in with a surrounding formation. These people were all in the same attire, moving in sync, their footsteps light, actions fluid and efficient. They approached swiftly and silently. There were hundreds of them, all highly skilled fighters.

Asa coughed up another mouthful of blood, the pain so intense he could hear the blood bubbling in his lungs. But he couldn't help but laugh bitterly, realizing who these people were—members of the Paladin Order. The entire order had probably arrived, and they had timed their arrival perfectly, knowing Asa's attention would be on the cardinal and wouldn't notice their approach.

Even so, the performance of Rodhart and the cardinal had been so convincing, so dedicated, showing the effort and depth they had put into this trap. Asa truly lost. Though he still couldn't believe that Rodhart had sided with this necromancer who had coerced the queen, the truth was clear in front of him. The sword that pierced his chest was more convincing than any theory or speculation.

The cardinal walked over and looked at Asa lying on the ground. Although his expression had been calm and collected before, now it couldn't hide the almost uncontrollable joy on his face. This had been a meticulously planned and almost certain trap, but he acted as though he had accomplished a historic feat.

"Finally, I've won," he said, his voice excited. "And this is just the beginning. I'll tell you, I will win everywhere else too."

Asa coughed up more blood, too weak to respond.

The cardinal leaned down, using white magic with one hand and pulling the sword out of Asa's chest with the other. His mastery of white magic was no less than that of any dedicated priest. Asa could feel the severity of his injuries stop almost immediately, and even his spirit began to recover a little.

"Do you know why I won?" The cardinal crouched beside Asa, lowering his voice, almost as if boasting or sighing in disbelief. "I'll return a phrase to you. Character determines everything."

Asa's body shook. He looked up at the cardinal.

The young cardinal met his gaze, still smiling—now brighter, more radiant, more smug.

The strange, familiar feeling that had been growing during the battle finally clicked, and it was this phrase that cleared away the last bit of fog. He remembered someone. Asa looked at him, his disbelief even greater than when Rodhart had betrayed him. He struggled to speak, "It's you?"

"Yes, it's me," the cardinal, once known as Claudius, nodded with a smile. He leaned in and whispered, "Finally, I can return this phrase to you. Character determines everything. The reason you failed is because of your character—you believed in human nature, while I understand it."

"How could it be... you..." Asa was still stunned, unable to grasp the full shock.

The cardinal reveled in the sight of Asa's face, which was a mix of astonishment, failure, and despair. He was certain that this was the most captivating expression he had ever seen. He sighed with satisfaction and said, "Don't worry, I won't kill you. I know this is one of the lines Sandru gave me, and I promised someone I wouldn't let you die... so, don't worry."