Mage's Profound Truths

Chapter 43: Ambition

The carriage continued moving forward, and the sound of galloping hooves could still be heard outside. Although Merlin did not open the curtain to look, he could roughly tell from the jolting inside the carriage that it was moving very fast.

“Whoosh.”

Suddenly, the carriage gradually came to a stop, the curtain was suddenly pulled open, and a gust of cold wind blew in.

“Father.”

A hint of confusion appeared on Merlin’s face; it was Old Wilson who had pulled open the curtain.

Old Wilson nodded slightly, then stepped directly into the carriage. His complexion was still a bit pale, but he looked much better than before.

“Father, is your injury all right?”

Merlin glanced at Old Wilson’s abdomen, where the black armor still bore a cut.

“It’s nothing, just a minor wound.”

Old Wilson paused, then lifted his head and stared at Merlin for a long time before sighing deeply and saying, “Merlin, you’ve truly grown up and can now bear the burden of the whole family! There are some things I must tell you.”

“Father, just tell me whatever it is.”

Merlin also shifted his body, trying to lean as much as possible against the back of the carriage.

“It’s about this matter. Do you know what the Church’s big move is about?”

Old Wilson’s expression also became serious.

Merlin naturally shook his head. Although he suspected this was no small matter—otherwise, Old Wilson wouldn’t have hurried back so urgently—he still didn’t know the specifics.

Normally, the Church of Light held supreme authority in the Kingdom of Light, and even in several other smaller kingdoms. Everyone worshipped the God of Light; it was the spiritual leader of the entire Kingdom of Light.

Merlin couldn’t figure out why the Church of Light would go to such lengths to seize Blackwater City.

Old Wilson shook his head helplessly and said, “Originally, this matter was a secret among secrets. Over the years, I only had some guesses, but now, it seems my suspicions are close to becoming reality. In the Kingdom of Light, the Church of Light isn’t all-powerful. There is still the royal family and numerous great nobles to keep it in check. Although there is a power imbalance, it’s not that great.”

“But in recent years, the Church of Light has expanded too quickly, and has also drawn in a considerable number of minor and mid-level nobles. Using the name of God, it has rapidly expanded its armed forces.”

Merlin nodded. The Church’s armed forces were probably those Guardian Swordsmen, and even those who weren’t Light Swordsmen could become church swordsmen if they were willing to submit, and would receive some support.

These swordsmen would, imperceptibly, become the power of the Church of Light.

“Ambition—unstoppable ambition! When the Church’s power grew to a certain level, they finally erupted... Though I don’t know the exact situation elsewhere, I can roughly guess that the Church has already gained absolute dominance. What they want is to overthrow the royal family and establish a new nation ruled by the Church.”

Merlin’s expression changed. He recalled certain theocratic nations from his previous life. The Church of Light clearly also aimed for a theocracy. It no longer wanted to just be a spiritual leader—it wanted to rule a vast nation directly.

The Kingdom of Light was about to undergo a great upheaval!

Seeing the shifting expressions on Merlin’s face, Old Wilson nodded in satisfaction, then said with a bitter smile, “Merlin, the Kingdom of Light is sure to descend into chaos, so we must hurry back to Blackwater City and rescue everyone in the Wilson family.”

If the Church truly had the kind of ambition that Old Wilson had predicted, then the entire Kingdom of Light would undoubtedly fall into complete chaos.

In Wilson Castle in Blackwater City, there were still Meixue, the steward, the big-bosomed madam, and others—all people Old Wilson couldn’t bear to leave behind and had to rescue.

Old Wilson had never mentioned spellcasters, nor had he asked about Merlin, as if he had forgotten the matter entirely. But Merlin knew that Old Wilson was deliberately avoiding it.

But at this point, Merlin also found it necessary to give Old Wilson an explanation.

“Father, my teacher was a spellcaster from the Blackmoon Kingdom, but he is already dead—killed by a mage from within the Church.”

Merlin’s tone was calm as he briefly explained the matter concerning old Aita.

“Merlin, I fought the Blackmoon Kingdom on the battlefield for so many years, and I’ve seen some of their spellcasters… They wield powerful and mysterious forces that surpass ordinary people. Even mighty elemental swordsmen are nothing in their eyes. Only the mages from the Church’s Inquisition can rival them.”

Old Wilson paused for a moment, then smiled and continued, “So, you’ve become a powerful spellcaster. I’m proud of you! The entire Wilson family will be proud of you!”

With that, Old Wilson turned around and jumped off the carriage.

Merlin let out a slight sigh of relief. Back then, Old Wilson had survived the “slaughterhouse.” Whether it was spellcasters from the Blackmoon Kingdom or mages from the Church, he had seen them with his own eyes and naturally understood that spellcasters were true power wielders—not the evil heretics described by the Church.

Old Wilson being so “reasonable” had saved Merlin a lot of effort in explaining.

Merlin lifted the carriage curtain and saw that night was gradually falling. Many knights had already begun lighting torches for illumination. At this speed, even traveling through the night, they wouldn’t reach Blackwater City until tomorrow.

After bumping along in the carriage all day, and having just consumed a large amount of mental energy to simulate a second spell model, even Merlin felt a bit tired. He leaned against the side of the carriage and closed his eyes for a short rest.

Merlin knew that returning to Blackwater City tomorrow would not be peaceful. Both his magical power and mental strength needed to recover as soon as possible.

※※※

In the morning, snow was still falling lightly in Blackwater City. A layer of ice crystals had formed on the ground, making it very slippery.

The streets were still empty, making the atmosphere feel particularly cold and desolate.

At the city gate, a crowd had gathered. They were small traders from Blackwater City, all preparing to leave early for business. But this morning, the gate remained tightly shut.

“What’s going on? Why isn’t the gate open?”

“Last night, I think a lot of knights entered the city. No idea what happened.”

“When exactly will the gate open?”

Many people were talking in hushed tones in front of the gate, but most had no idea why it was closed.

“Something big is probably about to happen in Blackwater City…”

Only a few well-informed and sharp-minded individuals seemed to sense something amiss. They quickly turned around and headed home.