A Wizard’s Secret

The eighth prince heard the voice and lifted his head. Upon seeing Merlin, he quickly flashed a smile. “Wizard Merlin, you were still sleeping the last time I came.”

Merlin was somewhat surprised. It turned out that the eighth prince had visited before. It was indeed very dangerous when he was in a deep slumber for he did not know what would happen.

The eighth prince seemed to have noticed Merlin’s surprise as he continued. “Last time, I came here with Wizard Leo. Right, where’s Wizard Leo?”

Merlin felt relieved. Nonetheless, he also secretly made up his mind that in the future, he would never take Mokra Potions again in an unfamiliar environment as it was just too risky. This time, he was lucky to have Wizard Leo. He might not be so lucky next time.

“Your Royal Highness has come to see Wizard Leo? Please come with me!”

Merlin glanced at the three Seventh-level Spell Casters behind the eighth prince. Their expressions were solemn. It seemed that something huge had really happened. Otherwise, the eighth prince would not be bringing three Seventh-level Spell Casters to seek for Wizard Leo.

Thus, after a brief moment, Merlin led the eighth prince and his men to Wizard Leo’s residence. He called out softly, “Teacher Leo, His Royal Highness the eighth prince is here!”

“Come in!”

There was a swift response from inside the house. Then, Merlin directly pushed the door open and walked in with the eighth prince and his men.

“Wizard Leo!”

When they just entered the house, the eighth prince saw the ugly and horrible appearance of Wizard Leo but he kept a straight face. His tone was very respectful instead.

“What’s the matter, Your Royal Highness?”

The vertical bloodshot eye in Wizard Leo’s forehead opened slightly. It looked haunting.

His Royal Highness the eighth prince took a deep breath and then said, “In a few days, His Majesty will gather the royal family for a hunting trip. I’ve received word that the fourth prince will strike on that day!”

Merlin could not believe that they were actually going to battle so soon, so his heart shuddered slightly. One should not be deceived by the calmness of the eighth prince’s tone. In fact, this was a key event that would determine the future of the throne.

After all, among the royal family members who had the ability to compete for the throne, only the fourth prince had such qualifications and forces. Among all, the fourth prince and the eighth prince stood the best chance.

After a long moment, Wizard Leo suddenly spoke, “Who do I need to deal with?”

Wizard Leo had already guessed the purpose of the eighth prince’s trip this time so he asked directly.

The eighth prince hesitated for a moment, then said with a heavy tone, “The fourth prince recruited two Eighth-level Spell Casters – Tanin and Morston. I hereby request Wizard Leo to help contain these two Wizards!”

“What? Two Eighth-level Spell Casters?”

Merlin’s expression sunk slightly. He immediately turned his gaze toward Wizard Leo. He knew Wizard Leo’s Darkness Eye was extremely powerful as he once hunted down and killed one of Ozmu’s Seventh-level Wizards, Osseus. Besides, the only price he paid was his arm.

Even so, having to deal with two Eighth-level Spell Casters was an extremely daunting task.

The eighth prince fixed his gaze on Wizard Leo. It could be seen that he was extremely nervous. If Wizard Leo did not agree, he would then have zero chance at beating the fourth prince in a few days’ time.

After a long moment, the vertical bloodshot eye in Wizard Leo’s forehead shut slowly. Then, Wizard Leo calmly said, “After everything is done, I’ll need the Tear of God!”

There was a look of ecstasy on the eighth prince’s face, and he laughed. “Haha, that’s for sure. Apart from the Tear of God, just fire away if Wizard Leo has any other requests. Even if I can’t fulfill it now, but when I become king of the Kingdom of Blackmoon in the future, I’ll do my very best to fulfill it!”

The eighth prince’s expression was extremely dignified. This promise of his was also very serious. There were not many who could make him make such a promise.

However, Wizard Leo did not ask for anything else. His only purpose of visiting the Imperial City this time was to obtain only the Tear of God. Nothing else could arouse his interest.

Merlin was left with his mouth agape, but eventually, he did not say anything. Since Wizard Leo had made up his mind, no one could change his decision.

Merlin had a deep understanding of Wizard Leo’s personality. Hence, he could only remain silent. In addition, since Wizard Leo had agreed, it meant that he had a certain degree of confidence.

“Your Royal Highness, with Wizard Leo holding back the two Eighth-level Spell Casters – Tanin and Morston, our greatest threat will then be dispelled. However, there’s still the nine core Wizards under the fourth prince.”

A thin-looking Wizard behind the eighth prince stepped forward and said. When he mentioned the nine core Wizards, he paused and looked at Merlin. He then smiled and said, “Of course, because Merlin has killed the fourth prince’s seventh Wizard, now there are only eight core Wizards left. The first, second, and third Wizards are all Seventh-level Spell Casters, so they can be handed over to us three old men. Still, the remaining fifth, sixth, eighth, and ninth Wizards are all Sixth-level Spell Casters, and they are very difficult to deal with.”

Nobody knew how many times the nine core Wizards of the fourth prince and the Wizards of the eighth prince had fought each other, both in secrecy and out in the public. The two sides clearly knew each other very well.

It could be claimed that even without Wizard Tanin and Wizard Morston, the overall strength of the Spell Casters under the fourth prince was still stronger than that of the eighth prince.

The most powerful among them were the nine core Wizards!

The eighth prince frowned too as he said, “There are still five Sixth-level Spell Casters. Plus, they’re not ordinary Sixth-level Spell Casters! We still have four Sixth-level Spell Casters, so we’ll barely be able to cope. Yet, there are two Sixth-level Spell Casters left, of whom would be handled by me personally!”

Perhaps many people had forgotten that the eighth prince himself was a Sixth-level Spell Caster. In addition, as a member of the royal family, the eighth prince was not an ordinary Sixth-level Spell Caster. His strength was unfathomable, and he even had powerful Pandora Demon Abilities!

Even after Merlin had constructed Perfect Armor and possessed Fiery Collapse, he did not dare to say that he could defeat the eighth prince either. Merlin was confident that he could cope with any power under the seventh level, but that was only with regard to spells.

If any Pandora Demon Ability, especially those powerful ones, had attained the second stage, the power that could be released was likely to reach or even surpass Seventh-level spells.

With the foundation of the Blackmoon royal family, it was impossible for them to not have such powerful Pandora Demon Abilities. If the eighth prince had also cultivated such Pandora Demon Abilities, Merlin’s Perfect Armor would not be able to withstand it.

Therefore, if the eighth prince himself came out for battle, much less two Sixth-level Wizards, even three or four Wizards would not cause him any trouble.

“Your Royal Highness, your opponent is the fourth prince! If you engage in this battle, who else will deal with the fourth prince?”

The Seventh-level Wizards behind the eighth prince shook their heads helplessly. The strength of the eighth prince was indeed strong, but the fourth prince was not far behind.

“Let me take on the fourth and fifth Wizards under the fourth prince!”

When everyone was at their wits’ end, Merlin spoke calmly out of the blue.

“Wizard Merlin, you’re going to deal with the fourth and fifth Wizards? They’re all peak Sixth-level Spell Casters, and they have all kinds of moves. Although they did not cultivate Pandora Demon Abilities, they’re still very difficult to deal with. They’re stronger than the seventh Wizard…”

The eighth prince looked at Merlin doubtfully. The hidden message of his words was that he had little faith that Merlin could cope with the fourth and fifth Wizards.

However, Merlin displayed a confident smile and replied, “Your Royal Highness, please be rest assured that I have a sense of propriety! However, once everything’s settled, I humbly request Your Royal Highness to quickly arrange for me to enter the royal family’s Spell Library, so I can look at the spells there.”

Merlin would naturally not take the initiative to shoulder the heavy responsibility of the fourth and fifth Wizards, these two powerful Sixth-level Spell Casters without any specific reason. His aim was to get into the Spell Library sooner.

The eighth prince pulled a straight face. He then forcefully gritted his teeth, seemingly setting his mind on a decision. He said with a heavy tone, “Don’t you worry, Wizard Merlin. When we’re done, I’ll find a way for you to enter the Spell Library!”

In order to win the decisive battle against the fourth prince in a few days’ time, the eighth prince could not care less. As long as he could increase the chances of winning, he would not be bothered even if he had to pay a huge price.

Subsequently, the eighth prince left the courtyard with the three Wizards.

“Your Royal Highness, you really believe Wizard Leo can handle Tanin and Morston?”

Though they had just left the courtyard, the Seventh-level Wizard behind the eighth prince had already asked impatiently.

The eighth prince’s footsteps gradually slowed down. He gently shook his head and said, “Whether or not he can handle them, this is our only choice… Come on, there are only a few days left. We still need to prepare properly so there’s no room for any mistake!”

The three Seventh-level Wizards glanced at each other. They could only helplessly follow behind the eighth prince and leave the place.

…

The spring drizzle did not stop. In these few days, gloomy and rainy weather loomed above the Imperial City’s horizon. There was a moist and sticky feeling in the air, which felt very unpleasant.

The streets were still rather slippery. Nevertheless, at the break of dawn, the Imperial City started bustling, especially the Palace. There was a madding crowd. Many maids and guards appeared to have their hands full.

Today was the day of the royal family’s annual hunting trip. During this time, all the aristocrats, princes and princesses of the entire Imperial City would go hunting in the forest, also known as Kingswood, not far from the Palace.

The reason it was so important was that His Majesty the King would come and watch it personally. By the time, If any prince, princess or aristocrat had emerged victorious in the hunting, he or she would be granted a generous reward.

Therefore, many aristocrats or princes and princesses had already begun their preparations.

Fortunately, today’s weather seemed to have turned for the better. The entire Imperial City basked in the warm sun. The moisture in the air had disappeared too. Instead, there was a faint sear of heat.

“Wizard Merlin, His Royal Highness the eighth prince has called for you!”

Suddenly, the voice of the guards sounded outside the house.

Merlin slowly opened his eyes. In the past few days, he had been using elemental crystal stones to accumulate Mind Power for the several Third-level spells in his Awareness. He did it so that he was adequately prepared.

“Time’s up!”

Merlin could feel his heart twitch. Then, he rose to his feet slowly. When he pushed the door open, there was a guard in silver armor standing outside. Upon seeing Merlin, he greeted him respectfully.

“Lead the way!”

Merlin ordered in a composed manner. He knew that the time for the eighth prince and the fourth prince’s showdown had arrived. The two princes had competed with each other for so many years. Today, the victor would finally be decided. Who would be more worthy of ascending onto the pinnacle of power over the entire Kingdom?

As a member of the royal family, this was destiny!