He counted on his fingers, "If I remember correctly, Ob died last November, which makes it exactly one year. However, you couldn’t have possibly started researching the mist and the Divine Blood only after getting the Ancient Silver Coin. I get it. You must’ve been planning the rebellion long before that."
Faced with Wayne’s accusation, Austin felt too weary to explain and simply said, "Don’t do anything unnecessary at the banquet. You don’t crave power, and causing trouble won’t do you any good."
"What are you talking about? I’m not even attending the banquet. The Queen didn’t send me an invitation!"
"So you’re going to the West District Grand Cemetery tonight to find the Death Knight. What’s that got to do with me?"
September 28th, at seven in the evening.
Magical Department Headquarters.
The lavish banquet hall was decorated like a palace.
Golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling, shining gloriously as their soft light brought the exquisite murals on the walls to life, pulling bystanders into a world of mythical grandeur.
In the center of the hall, long tables were covered with pristine white cloths, adorned with fresh flowers, showcasing an assortment of delicate tableware and gourmet food.
Red wine swirled in glasses, melodies echoed through the air, accompanying the lively banter of the high society, creating an atmosphere of sophistication.
The guests were all from the Tulip Family. While not all of them could be considered great scholars of humor, they were definitely well-educated. They knew the purpose of today’s banquet and punctuated their conversations with mentions of the Queen and loyalty.
In the crowd, Austin and Hefei seemed out of place.
Hefei, clinging to her husband’s arm and gently swaying her glass of juice, couldn’t help but glance at her clueless husband upon seeing other Tulip Family members deliberately avoiding them.
"What’s going on? You didn’t mention being ostracized before we came."
"Sigh, I didn’t know how to tell you. Just watch and see."
Austin looked towards the very front of the hall, where several seats were situated. The main seat was undoubtedly the Queen’s, but the next few left him puzzled.
There were three chairs on par with the Queen’s in terms of treatment, distinguished only by their color and size.
The Princess and Prince clearly didn’t receive such treatment. If the gray chair was meant for the Death Knight, then what about the black one?
The Dark Knight was coming, and he, Austin, had no idea?
Austin couldn’t make sense of it and only knew that trouble was brewing tonight. He looked at Hefei with a gloomy expression, "Your star pupil... he really causes a lot of trouble."
Hefei’s forehead creased with question marks, not understanding what her idiot husband was talking about. She was about to ask what wrong her son had done when she saw three figures walk in and suddenly understood everything.
Indeed, he causes quite a lot of trouble.
The entrance featured Philomena, the High Priest of the Moonlight Church. She wore a white evening gown with a veil covering her face and her long hair pinned up, her grace and nobility outshining everyone else, making her twin guards seem plain in comparison.
Upon her arrival, the room fell silent for three seconds. The men shifted their gazes from envy to hostility, focusing their animosity on Austin.
With Wayne absent, it was up to Austin to bear the brunt of the ire.
Austin was numb to it all. He would have liked to explain, but he doubted anyone would believe him.
Hefei inwardly laughed, scrutinizing Philomena from a mother-in-law’s perspective, and thought to herself how beautiful she was. She had everything: looks, figure, demeanor, even the strength of a Legendary Mage...
How did her son ever manage to win over such a perfect woman?
From a mother’s point of view, Hefei was quite satisfied with Philomena. Past unpleasantness, like when Philomena passive-aggressively mocked her for being an old woman, could now be forgiven.
It was all a misunderstanding. In the future, she’d better carry water for her mother-in-law, or else she’ll be kicked out of the house.
Hefei felt alright with the idea and suddenly remembered she had a daughter too. She couldn’t help but roll her eyes and gave Austin a stern look, "What a great example you’re setting. Wayne is learning all the wrong things from you. He wasn’t before."
Is there a possibility that he’s always been and recently got carried away, too lazy to keep up the act?
Austin had no words. When Wayne became the spokesperson for the Magic Department, he had contributed to that decision. In his mind, Wayne was supposed to skimp through and brush it off, mainly to buy the Magic Department time to find the traitor. Little did he know, Wayne had done just that.
Philomena swept her gaze over the crowd, not finding her young boyfriend but spotting his family members. She stepped forward with her two little followers and politely greeted Mr. and Mrs. Randolph.
Wayne had previously told her that Hefei was only a teacher, only to reveal the truth later that Hefei was his mother.
If she had been just a teacher, Philomena, a Legendary Mage, wouldn’t need to show much respect to Hefei. As a mother, it was different. She hesitated briefly before whispering, "Mother, have you seen Wayne?"
Such a well-behaved girl!x2
Austin: Do you even hear what you’re saying?
Hefei: I could hear it again, I like it.
"Wayne isn’t here tonight... He did mention he would come, but I haven’t seen him yet."
Hefei pushed Austin away and told him to stand in the corner while she took a closer look at Philomena, becoming more and more satisfied and worried for Veronica’s chances.
Philomena wanted to ask more, but then the banquet’s host, Queen Sophia, made her entrance.
Accompanying her was Baron Kimo and two figures draped in long magical robes.
The one in a black robe appeared to be a woman, while the one in the tattered gray robe...
You must be the Death Knight, right?
Could you tone down the Death Essence, your Armor is showing.
Thirteen thousand words, request for monthly tickets!