Black Hearted Mage

Chapter 199 Doubts

In the magnificent and resplendent Duke Barton Castle, within the extraordinarily luxurious and spacious living room, stood an elderly figure dressed in black and gold aristocratic robes—the Duke of Barton. His face was filled with rage, as he loudly scolded his son.

"Damn bastard, do you know how much trouble you have caused? How dare you provoke the people from the Thorn Flower Merchants! They are an existence that even the royal family has to be wary of!" Duke Patton was so angry that he was shaking all over and his voice was deafening.

A figure dressed in pitch-black leather armor sat on the sofa in the living room. He wore a pitch-black mask inlaid with transparent crystal pieces, making it impossible to see his true face. This man was the Roland Empire's spy chief—the Jackal Carlos.

Carlos glanced at the furious Duke of Barton and the terrified Fili (Duke of Barton's son) standing beside him, then said in a completely emotionless tone, "Your Excellency, please calm down. I'm only here to pass on a message. You need to pay compensation in the form of 10,000 high-grade magic crystals, and you must deliver these magic crystals to the Black Prison before sunset tomorrow. As for your plan to teach your son a lesson, wait until I'm gone before continuing!"

After saying this, Carlos said no more, stood up and walked out of the living room.

In reality, a minor task like delivering a message wouldn't require the head of the secret service to personally take action. However, his true purpose in coming to the Duke of Barton's mansion wasn't simply to deliver a message. In fact, he was there to check on the Duke's health and see how much longer this powerful figure could hold out.

Now, as imperial power was about to transition, the situation across the empire grew increasingly tense and complex. Nobles who had trouble understanding the old emperor, or who harbored suspicions about him, were likely to be brutally purged in this storm of power transition. The Duke of Barton, always in the spotlight, naturally became one of the emperor's primary suspects.

Everyone in Fire Maple City knew that Duke Barton held a high position of power. But surprisingly, none of the Duke's descendants or brothers lived in Fire Maple City; instead, they all lived in seclusion within the vast Dukedom.

In the domain of the Duke of Barton lies an ancient and mysterious castle. Not only is its exterior magnificent, but its interior is also intricately structured, like a maze. Even more astonishing is its impenetrable defenses. Even spies, renowned for their reconnaissance prowess, have painstakingly searched for years, but ultimately found nothing.

Over the years, unusual activity at the Barton Trading Company has caught the attention of Hawkeye. Originally focused on selling tea, the company has, at some unknown point, been secretly acquiring large quantities of various precious herbs. The Barton family neither trains nor employs alchemists. Where exactly did these acquired herbs go? This mystery, like the fog that shrouds the spy chief, remains unsolved.

Duke Barton himself is fraught with even more doubts. On weekdays, he maintains a reclusive, low-key presence within Fire Maple City, rarely appearing in public. However, upon returning to his domain, he transforms into a commanding and domineering presence. Crucially, the Duke controls a vast private army. This private army, like an incomparably sharp sword, hangs over the old emperor's head, a persistent source of worry.

Kaisas was currently in Fire Maple City's black market, deep underground beneath the Imperial Capital's Grand Arena. He had a lot of gold coins to exchange for magic crystals. He had been here several times before and was already familiar with the place.

The old emperor in the palace was filled with joy. Gad brought him the good news he had been longing for: the golden ginseng was finally available.

"Gad, how many magic crystals did Carlos pay today?" asked the old emperor.

"Your Majesty, not counting the golden ginseng, Carlos paid a total of 150,000 magic crystals!"

"So many! What did Carlos buy?"

The old emperor was a little surprised. Even if the price of dark magic crystals was low, so many magic crystals would be worth millions of gold coins.

"Your Majesty, there are over a hundred pieces of fire lizard hide, dozens of huge magic gems, and dozens of kilograms of magic copper. These alone are worth millions of gold coins!"

The old emperor nodded repeatedly, and sighed in his heart that Carlos was capable of doing things and that he purchased important war resources.

"Gad, have you asked Caesars how he dealt with Barton?"

"I asked, and he made a suggestion. The Duke of Barton failed to properly care for the Duchess's mausoleum, causing weeds to grow around it. This is an insult and blasphemy to the Duchess. First, let the people of the Empire curse him. Your Majesty will then strip him of his title of Duke of Barton, and then..."

Gad began to describe the specific methods in vivid detail, and the old emperor on the side smiled widely as he listened.

"This Caesar is really a talent!" the old emperor said with emotion.

On the morning of the third day, Caesars, disguised as a Swift Wind Warrior, quietly left Fire Maple City. This time, he planned to visit Uncle Jack and, if possible, take Jack's family with him. Fire Maple City was in turmoil, and a major reshuffle of the nobility had quietly begun.

That morning, rumors began to circulate in Fire Maple City regarding the powerful Duke of Barton. Rumors claimed that the Grand Duke had disgraced his title by neglecting to care for and maintain the mausoleum of the legendary Duchess, leaving it overgrown with trees, vines, and weeds.

The legendary Duchess, Vivian Barton, was once the pillar of the Roland Empire. At the height of the Saint Laurent Empire's power, she quelled the calamity threatening its demise, leaving the Saint Laurent Empire defenseless. Her story spread widely across the Roland Continent, and soldiers revered her as a military deity. The warriors among the mercenaries adored her with unwavering devotion.

The Barton family's past was now revealed. Originally named Rudolph, they were a family of meritorious service with a nearly thousand-year-old heritage. They changed their surname after inheriting the Duchess's territory.

The people of Fire Maple City suddenly realized what was happening, and some began to criticize the Duke of Barton's Mansion. They enjoyed the glory brought by the Barton family name, but failed to fulfill their responsibilities, even failing to maintain the Duchess's tomb.

In the bustling and noisy Mercenary Guild, the bulletin board filled with various tasks was crowded with people of all kinds. At this moment, a new task was posted on the task board, an extremely strange and eye-catching anonymous task.

Everyone looked closely and saw the words written on it: Simply throw 100 kilograms of garbage into the Duke of Barton's mansion, and you will receive a glittering gold coin as a reward! The request was shockingly simple, but surprisingly, in such a bustling mercenary hall, the mercenaries had no interest in a task worth only one gold coin.

However, not long after, another new mission suddenly appeared, instantly capturing everyone's attention. On the newly posted paper on the mission board, a line of bold, flamboyant calligraphy appeared: "Beat up anyone from the Duke of Barton's residence. Each person defeated will receive a generous reward of 100 gold coins. Regardless of status, anyone who has walked out of the Duke's residence is a target!"

For a moment, the entire mercenary hall erupted in excitement, as if ignited. Everyone was whispering and discussing. One of the sharp-eyed mercenaries curiously approached the task board to investigate. When he saw who had posted the task, his expression suddenly changed, as if he had seen something terrifying. He hurriedly covered his mouth and dared not utter a single word. This tempting and simple mercenary task had actually been posted by the mercenary guild itself!

The former Duchess, Vivian Barton, was the undisputed strongest mage warrior on the Roland Continent. Her strength was unparalleled, unrivaled to this day. This legendary female warrior was not only invincible on the battlefield, but also earned the adoration of countless mercenaries through her extraordinary charm and prestige. Even the highest-ranking members of the mercenary guild grew up listening to the Duchess's legendary stories.

After the photos taken around the Duchess's cemetery were played in the mercenary guild, the mercenaries' anger was completely ignited, and the civilians of Fire Maple City were also completely furious.

As soon as Patton's business in the outer city opened for business, a large number of excited civilians rushed in. At this moment, they turned into thugs and started smashing, looting and burning the magnificent business.

In a quarter of an hour, the people in Barton's trading company were beaten to the point of bleeding from their mouths and noses, and were on the verge of death. Everything that could be taken away from the trading company was taken away, and everything that could not be taken away was smashed to pieces.

Duke Barton reported the case to the city guards immediately, but the city guards only sent the beaten people to the Duke's Mansion, and did not arrest any of those who participated in the looting.

"Commander Laudenor, as the commander of the city guards, how could you allow the thugs to go unchecked?"

In the spacious living room of the Duke's Castle, Duke Barton, dressed in aristocratic robes, questioned loudly.

Laudenor was the newly promoted commander of the City Guard, formerly a centurion of the Imperial First Legion. He simply looked at Duke Barton's overbearing attitude with disdain.

"My Lord Duke, let me be honest with you. At least half of the city guards want to burn down your business, myself included. Meter-thick trees have sprouted beside the Duchess's mausoleum. Is this how you maintain her tomb? More than half of the Roland Empire's major legions are furious and want to raze your duchy to the ground!"

Laudeno stood up, said a few words angrily, and then walked out of the castle.

Duke Barton's heart skipped a beat, his aged face filled with sorrow. Over a decade ago, when the strange phenomenon occurred at the Duchess's grave, many nobles had visited. Back then, no noble had condemned him. But today, things were completely different. Even the commander of the city guards dared to confront him.

In the House of Nobles, formal letters demanding the punishment of Duke Barton had piled up several feet high. A small portion of these letters came from the aristocracy, while the majority came from the common people of Fire Maple City.

In a restaurant in Fire Maple City, a minor noble was speaking up for Duke Barton. He had just said a few inoffensive words when the restaurant owner immediately kicked him out. This minor noble had a temper, and he stood at the restaurant entrance, shouting loudly. A few passing mercenaries overheard his outrageous remarks, and they pinned the minor noble to the ground and beat him so hard that his front teeth were knocked out. He lay on the street, wailing and spewing blood.

Shortly after the mercenaries had vanished, a regal patrol of city guards arrived, marching in unison. They quickly gathered around and questioned passersby about what had just happened. After a thorough investigation, they finally understood the entire incident.

Unexpectedly, however, the city guards didn't pursue the mercenaries. Instead, they turned and turned their attention to the poor young noble. With their clubs, the guards mercilessly struck the young noble's legs, causing him to scream and writhe on the ground. Afterward, the guards casually walked away, as if their mission had been accomplished.

First, the young noble had been brutally beaten by the mercenaries, and now by the city guards. This was simply unbelievable. But those who knew the whole story felt that the young noble deserved a beating.

When the news reached Duke Barton, he was stunned. A young nobleman who sympathized with him had been beaten in the street. Instead of apprehending the killer, the city guards had broken the young nobleman's leg.

Duke Barton hadn't anticipated the complexities and thorny nature of the situation. He felt as if he had been swept into a turbulent sea, unable to control himself or herself. The situation had clearly escalated beyond Duke Barton's control, and was rapidly developing in an unstoppable direction, heading for a worse outcome.

The House of Nobles in Fire Maple City is the authority responsible for managing and appointing all nobles in the empire. Its two chairmen are both from the Roland royal family, highly respected and respected figures. Although the old emperor has long stated his stance on how to deal with Duke Barton, it seems he's still a little hesitant. According to convention, for this matter to be resolved, a prominent noble in the empire must step forward and publicly accuse Duke Barton of his faults.

Caesar arrived at the edge of the Cold Wind Mountains. Although he was very close to Viscount Salas's manor, he did not choose to step into it. Instead, he avoided the Viscount's farmhouse and walked towards the vast fire maple forest on the edge of the Cold Wind Mountains.

Hidden within the Flame Maple Forest lies a modest village, home to the Viscount's many servants and guards. The houses within the village are all built in the same architectural style, scattered among the towering Flame Maple trees.

Caesars hadn't been here for over a decade, and as he stood once again on this familiar yet unfamiliar land, a wave of emotion welled up in his heart. Looking at the similar-looking stone houses before him, he suddenly felt a bit lost - which one was his Uncle Jack's house?