Mage's Profound Truths

Chapter 16: The Spellcaster (Part Two)

"It's Mr. Aita—how could it be Mr. Aita?"

Calis seemed somewhat in disbelief. The figure that appeared outside the cabin was none other than the old man Aita who had vanished for more than ten days, and the so-called evil heretic mentioned by the guardian swordsmen was actually old man Aita.

Merlin also stared intently at old man Aita. Though he knew Aita was mysterious and seemed to have some unknown secrets, he had never realized that Aita was such a powerful master.

Those few elemental swordsmen were killed by Aita, and even the rather disheveled second-level light swordsman was also defeated by him.

However, what concerned Merlin more was—how did the seemingly ordinary old man Aita manage to defeat so many powerful foes?

“Silence, heretic! Your soul has completely fallen. If you do not believe in the god, then you must suffer divine punishment!”

The voice of the man in white robes was sharp. He suddenly waved his hand, signaling the swordsman Borge to step forward.

Borge the swordsman took a deep breath, raised his greatsword with both hands, and in an instant, dazzling light radiated from it.

“Blade of Light!”

As Borge swung his sword down, a surge of powerful energy swept outward. Even Merlin could feel the overwhelming force, as if it were about to shove him aside.

“A second-level swordsman—so powerful!”

Merlin couldn’t help but feel a jolt in his heart. Thanks to the mysterious pose on the relief sculpture, his physique had barely reached the level of a first-level elemental swordsman.

But if he had to face a second-level swordsman, Merlin knew he wouldn’t stand a chance.

Yet despite Borge’s fierce assault, old man Aita acted as if he hadn’t seen it. He even shook his head slightly and said, “Still sending ordinary people to their deaths? The Light Church is truly full of hypocrisy!”

Then, old man Aita raised a finger, and in the direction he pointed, a fist-sized fireball appeared out of thin air, spinning violently in midair.

“Go.”

As soon as Aita finished speaking, the fireball shot straight toward Borge, slamming fiercely into the brilliant light surrounding him.

Borge was a Light Swordsman who could channel powerful light-elemental forces.

But when his greatsword met the fireball, the solid blade was directly melted, and the fierce flames surged toward him.

Reacting instantly, Borge threw away his greatsword. The light on his body flared again as he swiftly retreated.

The greatsword that Borge threw to the ground turned into molten iron in an instant, showing just how terrifyingly hot that small fireball had been. The three dead guardian swordsmen were likely burned to death by it.

Old man Aita squinted and looked toward the man in white, his hoarse voice letting out a cold laugh. “Heh heh, a first-level spellcaster—are you still going to send these ordinary people to their deaths?”

Stared down by Aita, the white-robed man’s face turned ashen. “Evil heretic, you’re courting death!”

His voice was unbearably sharp, almost painful to the ears—clearly, he was enraged. Still mounted on his horse, he placed his hands on his chest and began to chant in a deep tone: “O merciful Lord, almighty Lord, your devout servant beseeches your power to destroy this evil heretic! Holy Light Judgment!”

Suddenly, the sun in the sky seemed to dim. Above the small cabin, massive rays of white light began to gather, roaring as they slashed down toward old man Aita.

Old man Aita had been wearing a curved black formal hat, but the massive wave of energy from the white-robed man’s spell blew it off, revealing his sparse hair.

Aita’s expression gradually turned grim. He raised his withered hand and pointed to the air in front of him. Immediately, fireballs began to appear and spin rapidly.

This time, there were four or five fireballs floating in the air, and Aita’s face turned pale—it seemed this was his limit.

“A first-level spell—Holy Light Judgment?”

Amid Aita’s solemn expression, a trace of madness could be seen. With both hands, he directed the four or five fireballs to fly straight toward the oncoming holy light.

“Fsshhh fsshhh.”

The fireballs were swallowed by the massive holy light as if dropped into water, producing only a few strange sounds before vanishing.

Seeing that the fireball spell was ineffective, Aita hurriedly took a few steps back. However, he stumbled slightly and nearly fell—it turned out he had backed up to the steps of the cabin, and could retreat no further.

“Whirlwind!”

Gritting his teeth slightly, Aita raised his hand. A whirlwind howled into existence in the garden in front of the cabin, uprooting the already half-collapsed plants and trees. Soil mixed into the wind, unleashing massive destructive force.

The immense whirlwind charged toward the rapidly approaching holy light. The two forces collided, sending sand and rocks flying. The earth shook, and even the cabin seemed about to collapse from the intense tremors.

In the end, the holy light overwhelmed the whirlwind cast by Aita. The immense radiance descended like a massive net, enveloping Aita.

At that moment, Aita appeared unusually calm, a faint smile gradually forming at the corner of his mouth.

“Boom.”

A mass of flame burst forth from Old Man Aeta’s body and quickly engulfed him entirely; in the blink of an eye, he was reduced to ashes by the fire. The holy light slammed into the ground, shattering the steps in front of the cabin, and tiny fragments of stone flew out in all directions.

Old Man Aeta was dead, his body completely reduced to ashes by the flames.

The white-robed man twitched at the corners of his mouth, his expression dark as he stared hard at the spot where Aeta had stood. After a long pause, he ordered Swordsman Boge, “The evil heretic is dead. Swordsman Boge, take some men inside and search the house where the heretic lived. Do not overlook a single item—take everything.”

Swordsman Boge nodded and immediately led the remaining guardian swordsmen into the wooden house.

After a long while, those who had witnessed this dreamlike battle began to show excitement on their faces. Perhaps everything that happened today would become an unforgettable memory for the rest of their lives.

“Honored priest, please bless us and purify the filth of the evil heretic!”

The ordinary people nearby slightly bowed to the white-robed man, expressing their respect toward him. They didn’t know the true identity of the white-robed man; among the church figures they recognized, only the priest who guided people in prayer seemed to match him.

Their thoughts were simple—since the evil heretic had mixed into their midst unnoticed, perhaps they too had been tainted. Thus, they pleaded with the priest who had destroyed the heretic to cleanse them.

A faint smile appeared on the white-robed man's face. Priest was the most basic and lowest rank in the church, while he was a mage from the Inquisition—his rank was naturally higher.

Still, he was happy to act as a priest at the moment, so he raised his voice and said, “Do not worry. The evil heretic used vile spells to confuse you, but as long as you sincerely believe in God, He will not abandon you.”

With that, he spread his arms and chanted loudly. A faint white light enveloped the people, bringing them a deep sense of peace.

Many began to pray softly where they stood, offering their devotion to the God of Light. Only Merlin and Kalis appeared lost. Kalis’s face had gone pale, and her lips turned purplish, clearly terrified.

Anyone who lived in the Kingdom of Light and had long been under the church’s influence feared the evil heretics. Kalis was no exception. She could never have imagined that the scholarly, seemingly ordinary old man Aeta was in fact a terrifying and evil heretic.

Merlin’s face was also grim, though he was far calmer than Kalis. He wasn’t afraid of Aeta’s identity as a heretic—he was worried that it might bring trouble to him.

“Miss Kalis, let’s go,” Merlin said, reaching out to take her hand. Her palm was soaked with sweat, betraying her nervousness and fear.

Luckily, most people were praying and not paying attention to them. Merlin and Kalis quietly boarded the carriage and left without a sound.

※※※

Back at Wilson Castle, Merlin hurried upstairs and returned to his room.

“Whew...”

Only after returning to his room did Merlin finally let out a long breath, feeling much more relaxed. Recalling what he had just seen, it all still felt unreal.

The battle between Old Man Aeta and the white-robed man had opened a whole new door for him. Previously, he had thought elemental swordsmen were already very powerful—a level one elemental swordsman’s full-force attack was terrifying.

But the power displayed by Aeta and the white-robed man had completely surpassed his imagination. The high-and-mighty elemental swordsmen were utterly powerless in front of Aeta, pitifully weak.

The power Aeta and the white-robed man possessed—that was true strength!

“That’s right—Old Man Aeta once gave me a ring,” Merlin suddenly remembered.

He had thought it was just a common trinket, but after witnessing Aeta’s power, Merlin could no longer consider the ring ordinary.

Without delay, he began searching the room in earnest.