"I understand now why the temple would send out such a powerful force to kill you." Du Wei puts on a wry smile.
Two holy knight leaders, a large number of senior holy knights, as well as the presiding judgement lord….. Such a lineup hasn't been seen for at least a century.
And the reason is because the secret that Hussein discovered is just that amazing!
Who in the Roland Empire doesn't respect such a great Emperor? Who doesn't respect the founding hero in history? Even now, within the imperial palace's living room, there hung a portrait of his Majesty Aragon Roland and a giant portrait of his mysterious group of Saint Knights Platoon.
Even back in the age when the Rowling family was on the rise, the Roland Empire was currently facing a crisis and the Emperor himself had publicly issued these words: "If only I could have had the support of a fighting force like our ancestors 'Saint Roland Knight Platoon', then I would never have allowed the Empire to sink into such a state!"
If it was spread to the public that the Temple of light was doing such awful deeds of cursing his Majesty and the founding heroes of the empire! Then without a doubt, this event would wipe away any prestige the temple has gained over the centuries and rouse the anger of the royal family and the public citizens.
Under such circumstances, how can Hussein not to die? He must die! This is the so called dead man tells no tales.
"But now, I told you this secret." Hussein sneered.
Du Wei was speechless.
He could only sigh at his own curiosity because at this rate, it would end up getting him killed.
Even for a holy knight that the temple has spent countless years cultivating can be easily discarded and killed…. Just so they could hide this secret? Then what about himself? Du Wei is only a small nobility, even if his family is heavily entrenched in the Empire's structure… The temple would without a doubt also try to kill him!
Knowing such a secret is like seeking one's own death.
"Now, do you want to continue listening?" Hussein's voice held a hint of mockery because he could see the facial color changing in Du Wei's face.
Du Wei laughed bitterly: "Do I even still have a chance to go back? Oh please, I've been with you in this forest for so many days already. If the temple were to find out about this, I would definitely be ranked among the top three in their hit list! Whether you tell me now or not is the same. Since you have already revealed the opening segment, you may as well continue on."
Hussein's face looked somewhat appreciative, albeit he still looked cold: "You love looking for trouble, so it's not me trying to harm you."
Subsequently, Hussein sighed and looked up at the sky: "Aragon's badge….."
Aragon is not only a powerful Knight, but a great magician as well.
His badge left behind a magic array, and this magic array left behind a residual message. That night when Hussein went inside, he not only saw the cursed badges, but also the personal message left behind by Aragon.
How did the first emperor of the Roland Empire meet his death? Hussein cannot answer this question because the message left behind by Aragon didn't mention this….. The reason is very simple: When Aragon left the message behind, he was still alive, so how could he possibly know when he would be dead?
But… The message left behind by Aragon had implied a very important message, that is, while the founding emperor was in power, the relationship between Aragon and the Temple has already reached an unstable state…. Almost like fire and ice mixing together.
This is very easy to understand.
No doubt about it, Aragon is a broad minded hero. Such an amazing person is always very intelligent and has a strong ambition for power. He was able to start from a declining noble family and fight in the divided continent, the results of his efforts was the unification of all the kingdoms on the continent. In history, there has never been such a vast empire…. You can say such a person like Aragon appearing is unprecedented.
When such a powerful person has just unified the continent and brought peace to the lands, then from his back, he realized there was still the Temple of Light that could challenge his authority!
For a character like him, how could he allow such a thing to happen?!
The Temple is what? The Temple is a religion and the organization advocating the supreme deity in this world! It represents the god's will; it represents the god's intention! It is equivalent to another Emperor with its wide influence and authority!
Moreover, such influence and authority is not a fantasy, but reality! In the war to unify the continent, Aragon joined the Temple of Light in order to win over their support. By using the Temple to unify the continent, the temple also used Aragon to scatter their influence across the continent!
Finally, according to the first agreement between both parties: the temple not only has its own armed forces (Holy Knights) but also has the right to collect taxes!
Having armed forces, having the right to collect taxes, this is no different from having a state within the Roland Empire! Children's of the Empire would inevitably be torn between the two powers. On one hand, they are subjects of the Roland Empire, on the other; they are devotees of the Temple of Light.
With this backing, it is enough for the temple to challenge the Empires authority for control.
(On this point, Du Wei reminiscent the history of his past life. In order to unify the empire, the Roman Emperor was forced to cooperate with the Christian church. The results were that the Emperor gained a firm grasp on power and the Church also fully developed and spread across the empire.
Aragon is a smart man and soon saw the danger in such a situation, or it's better to say that he had long foreseen such a situation. Maybe it was because he needed the support of the church in order to establish the Empire, so he kept his temper inside. But once the Empire was established, he could no longer turn a blind eye to a power capable of challenging his authority!
Thus, the contradictions between the Royal family and the Temple started to erupt!
"How can I let someone else sleep in my bed?!"
Du Wei thought for a moment and felt the first emperor must have also thought this was the case.
What's more, Du Wei knows that his Majesty Aragon is in fact a believer of the devil!
All those years of struggle must have been very bloody, very dark, and very intense... But the process could no longer be known. What we could authenticate is that Aragon clearly failed because the Temple still exists today and still challenges imperial authority.
And as for Aragon himself, he's been secretly punished by the Temple. For nearly a thousand years, the Temple has been cursing his soul, unable to rest.
How did Aragon meet his death? Du Wei does not know, but he speculates that the way he died is not so glorious….. Or even somewhat shady.
In order for the Temple to kill such a powerful figure of the continent, it would definitely be an extremely difficult task.
Poison? Assassination? Murder?
Only heavens knows.
And killing such a highly skilled expert...
Du Wei does not believe there is anyone in this world capable of completing such a task! 'The Strongest Under The Stars', who else can be more powerful than him?
Unless...
Du Wei got a chill!
Could it be that god himself? Aragon was killed by God?!
Nothing is impossible… For someone like Du Wei, who has been on the Devils Island. In fact, this kind of speculation is very likely.
"The person that left behind this magic array also left behind three important messages." Hussein said: "First, he told me that only those with blood relations to the Saint Roland Knight Platoon can trigger this magic array. As for me, my bloodline is descended from a member of the Saint Roland Knight Platoon."
This is surprising news indeed.
Hussein carries with him the Saint Roland Knight Platoon bloodline and is a direct descendant of one of the members.
"Even I never knew of this." Hussein smiled bitterly: "I heard my ancestors are part of a declining nobility lineage. It was said that our family did have a brilliant past during the war to establish the Empire and our family did prosper for a while. But it's been many generations since our family went into decline and upon my generation, our family tree has nearly dried up….. You should be aware that when the Temple selects the candidates for a Holy Knight, they would only select the poor and low statured members of society. This is to avoid the off chance of bringing in a person of high nobility and allowing imperial power to infiltrate the Temple's control. As long as I can remember, my family has been poor. Never once have I ever thought…. My ancestors actually had such a brilliant achievement in the past….. Oh, Knights of the Saint Roland Platoon... The most mysterious and powerful fighting force in the founding of the Empire. You can't even begin to imagine how shocked my heart was that night when I found the magic array!"
"I can only imagine." Du Wei smiled wryly, interrupting the knight as he recalled his memories. In a cautious voice, he asked: "Well then, this is the first message, what is the following two?"
"Now the second message also has something to do with you." Hussein smiled maliciously: "Do you remember the movement routine I taught you? As I said before, this is the basis for practicing some kind of amazing Dou Qi (Energy),, And this amazing Dou Qi is the second message left behind by Aragon….. When Aragon swept through the continent and became the strongest of the strong, he relied on this special skill known as 'Stars Dou Qi'!"
Du Wei took in a hard swallow of saliva, "He taught you?"
"Yes." Hussein blinked his eyes: "Now, you have learned the basic segment. After you have trained to a certain degree, I can consider teaching you the rest."
Du Wei was silent for a moment in order to digest the news. After sighing, he asked: "And what is the last piece of the message he left behind?"
"The last one…. Is to lead me in my search for my companions."
Speaking up to this point, Hussein suddenly showed a hateful expression: Finding the other descendants that have inherited Aragon's will."
Other descendants?
Du Wei can only imagine the reason behind Aragon leaving his dominating martial skills inside his badge just so he could pass it onto Hussein, a descendant of the Saint Roland Knight platoon.
Even so... Don't forget Aragon also wielded an unmatched level of magic powers!
Du Wei's lip kept opening and closing: "Could it be..."
It was at this moment, a sigh could be heard from the nearby woods.
From behind a giant tree, a figure leisurely walks out onto the snow, but left no trace of any footprints in his wake.
His beard was gray with a pointed hat on top of his head, and his white magician's robe was full of stains. Upon closer inspection, you could even notice hints of burn and two gaping holes near the bottom of his robe. It was clear that this person has experienced a bitter battle.
Vivian's teacher, the old magician that has kidnapped Du Wei up till now was slowly walking out of the woods. God knows how long he's been there or how much he heard of their conversation. His face looked calm, but from his eyes, you could see a hint of bitterness as he continued walking over with a bitter laugh.
"It is I that have inherited the magic portion of Aragon's power."
"Yes, it is that undying old fool." Hussein glanced at the old magician, as if he wasn't surprised in the least at the sudden appearance of the old magician. In a cold manner, Hussein said: "He was my companion. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be in such a sorry state!"
The old magician looked somewhat haggard. Silently walking over to the two and took a look at the currently sun bathing Medusa in the distance. Then shaking his head, he said: "You are going too far with the insults… Alas, Queen Medusa! It is as everything predicted!"
Du Wei immediately caught on to what the old magician said: "Prophecy?"
The old magician ignored Du Wei's questioning; instead, he went over to Medusa's side and carefully inspected the beautiful snake women. Then in a respectful manner, he said: "Dear Queen Medusa, hello to you."
The calm expression on Medusa's face showed no hint of breaking: "You've been here a long time and ease dropped for a long time… Do people like doing such things? Or could this also be a part of human nature?"
The old magician stumbled at the sudden question, but soon returned to normal: "Humanity is much more complex than your imagination."
Du Wei frowned: "You don't seem to be surprised at seeing Medusa, could it be that you've been spying on us this whole time?"
"My dear child, I'm not as evil as you say." The old magician spoke bitterly: "If not for my own luck, I'm afraid I wouldn't be alive right now to see you. Oh, and the things regarding you guys, I met your friend Dadaneier in the woods, so he was able to tell me everything that has happened."
Hussein seemed to have little patience for such pleasantries. He glared at the old Magician and said: "Undying old fool, you're late in coming here. What has happened to you these days? Could it be that several senior Knights and magicians were too much for you to cope with?"
The old magician didn't care at all about the Knights rude behavior; his tone was serious as he spoke: "Yes, I almost didn't manage to come back... You should understand that the Temple intends to have you killed at all costs…. They have already dispatched their men's from their Platoon of Elders! Along the way, I met up with several senior knights and tried to lead them away from you guys. But very soon, we bumped into some very high class magicians from the Elder Platoon. If it wasn't because of how well hidden I was at the time, they would have found out about my location and identity."
"The Elder Platoon has also been dispatched…." Hussein was laughing coldly as he said this, but it was clear his laughter wasn't natural from the twitching in his eyes.
"Your life now is very valuable." The old magician said this with a smile: "I overheard their conversation that two days ago; the Temple has officially unveiled the traitor's identity. Your charges are attempted assignation of the Pope, and the killing of the two other holy knight leaders. The warrant has already been issued by the Pope himself. Now you are the number one most wanted criminal in the entire continent."
The Knight coldly snorted at this knowledge.
"Hussein. I know you are a prideful person and not afraid of becoming the most wanted criminal on the continent. But you must understand that the old fellows in the Elder Platoon are not to be taken lightly! "As he said this, the old magician gently shook his robe, "You see this? When I met those three elders, I was nearly killed by them when they joined hands."
"You're just unwilling to reveal your true identity to them." Hussein spoke coldly: "I don't believe it, just three guys from the Elder Platoon is enough to kill you. If you had gone at them fully from the start, even if you cannot win, escaping wouldn't be an issue for you."
"My identity is still useful to us. I cannot openly go against the temple, or else, I'll face endless pursuit by the Temple." The old magician shook his head, "You also need a companion hiding in the shadows to assist you."
Du Wei was unhappy.
He suddenly coughed a few times, arousing everyone's attention. Du Wei looked unhappy, and eyed the two in front of him: "All right! The two of you are both supreme experts of the continent! One of you is the number one knight on the continent! Another is a top leveled almighty magician! Both of you are descendants of Aragon's Saint Knight Platoon….. Both of you intend to make an enemy of the Temple! You guys intend to carry on Aragon's legacy…. Both of you intend to do great thing! But…." With wide eyes, Du Wei shouted: "But what the fuck do I have to do with this!! Whatever it is that you wanted to do; you can go ahead and do it! I am neither a strong and powerful knight, nor an almighty powerful magician! I'm just a loafing noble that likes to pull pranks! Why did you drag me into this? Especially you, old….."
Speaking up to this point, Du Wei suddenly remembered the spells used by the old magician to control what he says. From the original words of 'old fool', he changed it to only: "old Gramps… Why are you kidnapping me to this forsaken place? Now you want me to continue heading even further north….. What other use am I to you?!"
Silence...
A moment later, Hussein coughed to break the silence. Calmly looking at the old magician, he asked: "This is something I wanted to ask you too. Why is it that you wanted me to take this little guy with me and bring him so far?!"
The old magician's eye flashed with a thought, and then he gently took off his pointed hat, revealing a somewhat messy looking straightened white hair. After fixing up his hair, he sighed: "All right, I think it is time for some answers."
As he said this, the old magician looked at Hussein, then at Du Wei: "Kid, even Hussein doesn't know of this matter. It is regarding the origin of Aragon's power. Others may not know this but you do, right? Because you've been on the Devils Island and met old Chris, right?"
With that said the old magician raised a hand and shot forth a wind blade. The speed of the wind blade was very fast. Before Du Wei could even react, the blade has already cut off the hat from Du Wei's head and not only that; it has also cut apart the rope tying his hair!
With his hair disheveled, the devil's horn that he was hiding was revealed to everyone's eyes!
Hussein had a look and couldn't help but ask: "What is that thing... Your head actually has such an incredibly long horn?! Could it be that you aren't human?"
Du Wei glowered at the old magician, and then snapped: "Of course I am human! As for this thing….. Hmm, it is nothing. It is only a thing to strengthen my sensory of magic. Only with this, can I use magic."
The old magician put on a smile, not caring about the angry eyes showing on Du Wei's face: "Well, my child, why don't let Hussein in on the things you heard about Aragon and the Devils Island. Regarding this matter, I have not said anything to him."
The events that happened on the Devils Island are nothing too complicated. Simply speaking, it is where a powerful servant of the Devil, old Chris is currently imprisoned and he loved making deals with those that find their way onto the island.
And Aragon is one of the traders. The powerful skills and powers belonging to Aragon can almost all be traced back to the deal he made with the devil's servant.
Du Wei was always a good speaker and since he experienced it first hand, so of course he would naturally make it a thrilling and moving story.
Hussein was almost gawking with awe as he listened! For the knight, this information would of course be absolutely shocking!
The old magician has long guessed the reaction Hussein would make. After Du Wei finished his story, he immediately said: "In fact, I have also gone to search out old Chris in the past…."
"Wait a minute!" Du Wei frowned, his eyes flashing with suspicion: "Old Gramps….. You're lying! When I met Chris, he told me that before I arrived, the last human to visit him was Aragorn!! Other than Aragon, no other person has made a deal with him!!"
"Yes, what he said is all correct." The old magician said this with a smile: "I did in fact go to the island and met up with that asshole old Chris…. He is indeed an asshole, but he is also an adorable asshole. I submitted a trade with him…. But he refused me."
"Why?" In a deep voice, Du Wei asked, "He was even willing to trade with the lowly me, why would he refuse a trade with an all-powerful magician?"
"Because..." The old magician smiled: "He refused to give me the thing that I asked for."
"What is it that you wanted?" Du Wei suddenly felt his heart racing! He already guessed what it was!
"I asked him..." The old magician's smile was very strange, almost unable to be described…..
"... I asked him to return his Majesty Aragon's heart! Return the 'Kings heart'!"