Chapter 29: Take It Easy (Part 1)

In Dehya Valley, the glow of the teleportation array flared briefly before dissipating, leaving a lone figure standing in the center of the magical formation.

This particular teleportation array was likely the least used on the entire continent. It was also the most mysterious and imposing. Anyone confronted with the sight of the purple-skull-engraved teleportation scroll leading here would feel nothing but dread and awe. Yet, the figure who had just appeared immediately spat disdainfully onto the teleportation array.

"I thought that bastard might actually have the guts to trap even this array," the figure sneered coldly. Then, with a scornful smirk, he wiped his spit off the formation with his boot and stepped out.

"I've been waiting for you for quite some time. Is this how you greet Dehya Valley after twenty years, dear former acting guild leader Sandru?" An elderly man sitting on a stone chair not far away sighed and closed the book he had been reading. He wore a blue-black robe, his gaunt, chiseled face and deep-set eyes giving him the appearance of a wise scholar.

Sandru rolled his eyes as he spotted the man, pausing slightly. "Stephen? What a surprise. Didn't I hear you set out on an ocean voyage over a decade ago and never returned? I thought you either got eaten by a sea monster or died in the belly of some exotic eastern beauty."

"Twenty years and you're still the same foul-mouthed, foul-tempered person." Stephen chuckled lightly and gestured toward a seat. He held a steaming cup of tea in his hand, his thin face creased into a kindly smile. The wisps of his goatee quivered slightly, giving him the air of a hospitable tea house host. "Have a seat. Don't you miss tea brewed from Clear Shadow Spring? This batch of tea leaves I brought back from the Far East is top-quality. I assure you, you'll be the second person on the continent to taste it."

"You've just returned? Then, have you heard about the trouble stirred up by those youngsters recently?" Sandru snorted coldly, standing stiffly rather than sitting. "Today, I'm here to teach those brats a lesson."

"A lesson? You mean to discipline them?" Stephen laughed softly. "Do you dare act against fellow necromancers here in Dehya Valley, under the sacred Black Star? Even for you, that would be excessive."

"Didn't they lay hands on that girl Vadenina?" Sandru snorted again, faint killing intent beginning to radiate from him. His eyes were eerily bright, with whites that resembled the pallor of a corpse's skin, tinged with an almost imperceptible stench of decay. The blacks of his eyes seemed like bottomless pits leading to the depths of the underworld, ready to swallow anyone before him. "I've said it before: anyone who stirs trouble in Dehya Valley or dares challenge me will not be spared."

Stephen took a sip of tea and smiled faintly. "Such strong killing intent. I haven't seen this side of you in thirty years."

"Because it's been thirty years since anyone dared provoke me this much. Now tell me—where is he?" Sandru's tone turned frigid.

"If he knows he's failed and that you'd come looking for him, do you think he'd still be in Dehya Valley?"

"That's why I'm asking where he is. Are you refusing to tell me, or do you not know?" Sandru shot Stephen a glance before turning toward the valley. "I'll ask the others first. If none of you speak up, I'll take action until you do."

"Don't be reckless. This is Dehya Valley," Stephen said mildly, watching Sandru's retreating figure.

"I know. I don't need your reminders. And don't try to stop me," Sandru replied without turning back.

His steps remained steady and deliberate, but with every footfall, the grass beneath him withered and decayed instantly.

Stephen stayed seated on the stone chair, his brows furrowing slightly. With a flick of his finger against his tea cup, the cup silently and swiftly flew toward Sandru's back.

Sandru reacted almost instantly. The moment the tea cup left Stephen's hand, Sandru spun around, his eyes erupting with killing intent like a volcano about to erupt.

But just as quickly, his killing intent dissipated. Stephen remained seated, his expression calm. The tea cup stopped mid-air in front of Sandru, as though an invisible hand held it in place. The liquid inside was undisturbed, its steam rising gently and evenly into the air.

"Have a cup of tea. You're too tense," Stephen said placidly.

The tea cup hovered before Sandru, but he didn't reach for it. He merely stared coldly at Stephen. His gaze wasn't sharp or piercing, yet it carried a chilling weight, like the lifeless, oppressive presence of a corpse.

"I didn't come here to drink tea," Sandru said icily. "I told you not to stand in my way."

"I'm not stopping you. I'm just inviting you to calm down with a cup of tea."

"I don't need to calm down, and I don't need you meddling," Sandru snapped.

"No, you do." A new voice, accompanied by coughing, interrupted them.

The voice belonged to a hunched, diminutive old man who slowly emerged from the shade of a nearby tree. It seemed he had been standing there all along, but even Sandru had failed to notice his presence before he spoke.

The old man walked slowly, his every step and word accompanied by fits of coughing. He appeared so frail that even a mild breeze seemed capable of knocking him down. Yet, upon seeing him, Sandru's pupils contracted sharply. "Shante? Is that you?" he exclaimed.

"Why can't it be me?" the old man replied, coughing as he shuffled toward a nearby chair and sat down.

"Your health is so poor, yet you went out of your way to wait for me here. I'm truly flattered. I thought you'd stay in your graveyard to recuperate, no longer concerning yourself with Dehya Valley's affairs," Sandru said coldly, his eyes fixed on the frail figure.

"I had no choice. You know how reckless these youngsters can be nowadays. Even some of the old-timers are getting restless," Shante said, curling up in his chair, coughing incessantly.

Sandru's face grew darker as he stood silently, his gaze darting between the two elder necromancers. He knew the strength of these two men. If they truly joined forces, he had no illusions about his ability to contend with them.

As Sandru's robes began to flutter in an unseen wind, faint but rapid cracking noises, like snapping bones, emanated from his body. A fog-like energy swirled around him, while the tea cup before him started trembling violently.

"By the way, Sandru," Stephen suddenly spoke, "you came here alone, and with Ronis gone, aren't you worried someone might take advantage of the situation to steal that thing? I know you have other allies, but none of them share Ronis's unwavering loyalty. If they discovered its true nature, how do you think they'd react? With doubt? Fear? Or… interest?"

Sandru didn't move, but the tea cup before him suddenly quivered violently.

In the capital's prime minister's study…

"What exactly is the thing Sandru holds, or rather, the thing hidden in the cathedral's dungeon?"

The question was asked by Elaine, but everyone in the room had the same question in their minds as they turned to Asa.

Asa hesitated, then shook his head. "I don't know. Don't ask me."

But even as he spoke, Asa inwardly sighed. It was clear from his unnatural demeanor that he wasn't fooling anyone in the room.

Without pointing it out directly, Elaine calmly said, "If you ask me, much of the recent turmoil likely stems from whatever is hidden in that dungeon. Many people heard how Cardinal Jarvis reacted when he learned the item had been taken—he abandoned the situation he had under control and left in a panic. That alone shows the item might be even more important to him than seizing the empire… What exactly is it? I think it's only fair to give everyone an explanation."

"Then make something up and tell them," Asa said.

"But we also want an explanation. A real one. Things have reached this point—does Sandru still not trust us?" Elaine said, looking at him.

"Then go ask him yourselves. Don't ask me," Asa replied curtly, turning away.

Elaine watched him for a moment before withdrawing her gaze in silence.

At that moment, a voice came from outside. "Prime Minister, someone from the Magic Academy reports that Elder Priest Tom has gone missing."

"Understood. You may leave," Elaine said coldly. Then she turned to Theodorus and remarked, "It seems Sandru has indeed gone to Dehya Valley."

Theodorus remained silent, glancing at Commander Roland. Roland, in turn, looked at Asa and said, "We really want to know what exactly is hidden in that dungeon. I could go there now and see for myself, but I'd rather hear it directly from you."