[Blood Moon in the sky, darkness descends]
Time flew by, and soon it was evening. Alex stepped out of the bathhouse, droplets of water cascading down her breasts. She tilted her head, toweling her hair dry. Feeling that drying her hair with a towel was a waste of time, Alex released a wave of heat from her body, instantly evaporating the remaining moisture around her.
After packing her belongings into her ring, she left the room and headed towards the pce.
Robert, dressed in formal attire, waited patiently at the pce gates with his guards.
His face lit up as he saw her approach.
"Miss Alyssa, you''ve finally arrived. Please,e in."
"Am Ite?"
"Not at all, you''re right on time."
Robert ushered her into the pce.
The grand hall bustled with nearly a hundred nobles and royals, elegantly dressed and engaged in polite conversation. Despite the crowd, the atmosphere remained surprisingly subdued.
They greeted Alex with respectful nods as she entered. In such formal settings, a mage in their robesmanded a certain level of deference, especially among the royals.
Knowing her dislike for such gatherings, Robert led her to a private chamber.
"Miss Alyssa, the banquetmences at eight. Please make yourselffortable while you wait."
With a wave of his hand, servants appeared,den with trays of exquisite refreshments and a selection of beverages that surpassed even the offerings outside.
"Miss Alyssa, these are some of the Starfallen Empire''s culinary specialties, quite different from what you might find in the Celestian Empire. Please, try some."
Alex nced at the clock on the wall. 7:50. Ten minutes to eight. Her gaze swept over the spread, the intricate craftsmanship of the refreshments certainly appetizing.
"Well then, I won''t stand on ceremony."
"Please, make yourself at home."
Robert smiled. As expected, even powerful mages couldn''t resist the allure of delectable treats.
Ten minutester, the banquet began. Robert led the procession to the main hall.
The nobles were honored by his personal escort. Typically, such duties were delegated to servants. The prince''s direct involvement signified the importance of the asion.
They basked in the implied significance, showering Robert with gratitude and praise.
A crimson carpet stretched the length of the grand hall, illuminated by ornate wall sconces that cast a warm, inviting glow. Intricate carvings adorned the walls, seemingly shimmering under the golden light.
At the center stood a massive table, easily amodating dozens of guests. Two smaller tables nked it, reserved for those of lesser standing.
The main table was upied by individuals of high status: royalty, Mage Guild members, and nobles whose lineage and contributions to the empire were beyond question.
The other nobles watched with a mixture of envy and admiration.
As thest guest found their seat, the King of the Starfallen Empire entered the hall.
Everyone rose to greet him, mages included, paying their respects to the aging king.
A long-winded speech followed, which Alex politely ignored, her mind elsewhere.
"Father, may I present Miss Alyssa?"
Robert''s voice startled her from her thoughts. She turned to face his father.
A flicker of surprise ran through her.
The King of the Starfallen Empire was an ordinary human!
Her senses couldn''t be mistaken. His frail appearance andckluster aura were genuine.
Her surprise stemmed from the fact that his children, several sons and daughters, possessed considerable strength. Most were Commanding level, with a few reaching Monarch level.
However,pared to Robert''s status as a Monarch level mage, their strength paled inparison.
"Miss Alyssa, your talent and beauty are truly remarkable."
The king spoke, his voice raspy with age. As one of the six strongest individuals present, Alex outranked even him. Even as Starfallen Empire''s king, he addressed her with respect.
"You tter me, Your Majesty."
Alex responded politely. This exchange pleased the old king, raising Robert even further in his esteem.
The other princes seethed with envy. They had tried every tactic to curry favor with the five mages present, but their efforts were met with indifference.
Robert, on the other hand, had effortlessly befriended an Honorary Mage, one who clearly held significant sway within the Mage Guild. It was a bitter pill to swallow.
The banquetmenced, and Alex found herself bombarded with attention. But she couldn''t be bothered with these ordinary humans.
Only Robert, seated beside her, seemed to understand her disposition, refraining from any overtures that might annoy her. Their easy camaraderie did not go unnoticed, fueling spection about their connection.
As the evening drew to a close, the old king made a surprise announcement. Robert would be named his heir apparent.
The news wasn''t entirely unexpected, but it extinguished any lingering hopes the other princes might have harbored.
Alex had been contemting her escape, trying toe up with a usible excuse.
"Miss Alyssa, may I borrow you for a moment?"
Robert''s request, voiced for all to hear, surprised her. She nodded and excused herself.
"Miss Alyssa, you''re leaving Glory City tonight, aren''t you?"
They stood on a balcony, overlooking the city illuminated by moonlight.
"Yes," Alex confirmed, seeing no reason to hide it.
"Then go. I''ll handle the exnations."
"Thank you, Robert. You''re a true friend. Until next time."
Under the cover of darkness, Alex slipped out of Glory City. While it was a human kingdom, it couldn''tpare to the amenities offered by the Mage Guild.
Although it possessed a teleportation array, it only connected to major cities. Tomb City, a small, remote settlement, was too far from any major hub to make teleportation viable.
The name itself, Tomb City, was unsettling. Alex suspected it might resemble yton City: sparsely popted, an ideal location for the Liberty Church to hide their headquarters.
She had scrutinized the map of the Starfallen Empire. It had twelve border cities, each strategically ced to counter potential threats.
Tomb City, however, was surrounded by nothing. Even Robert couldn''t exin its purpose.
Three hourster, Alex arrived at the outskirts of Tomb City.
She didn''t rush in. Three hours of sustained flight had depleted her mana reserves. Caution dictated she enter the city at full strength.
Besides, she couldn''t use her Honorary Mage status here. Her goal was to gain control of the Liberty Church from the shadows, turning them into her eyes and ears.
Alex had already activated her Invisibility mode by the time Tomb City came into view. At this moment, even if she stripped naked and ran around the outskirts of Tomb City, she wouldn''t be noticed.
...
After storing her mage robe in her ring, Alex changed into a set of attire. While not exactly her style, it wasn''t hideous either. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and sat down, focusing on replenishing her mana and stamina.
An hourter, fully recovered, Alex stood and headed towards Tomb City. The city gates were closed, but that posed no obstacle. The defenses of a border city were weak, easily bypassed without raising any rms.
Once inside, Alex stood atop the wall, her gaze sweeping across the city.
There were no distinctivendmarks, no grand structures hinting at the Liberty Church''s headquarters. Even the familiar sight of a church, like the one in Glory City, was absent.
"Is the Liberty Church headquarters really here?" Alex wondered, a flicker of doubt creeping in. This organization was incredibly discreet. Nondmarks, no obvious signs, and the city was shrouded in darkness. Where was she supposed to find them?
Then it struck her. She could ask the city''s Casten!
A blue light shed in her left eye, and the two guards stationed at the gate froze, their eyes zing over.
"Where is your Casten?"
"In the barracks near the east gate," they replied in unison, their voices t and emotionless.
Alex vanished in an instant, leaving the guards to snap back to reality, their memories of the encounter wiped clean.
The east gate, nestled beside the barracks, was the most heavily guarded of the four entrances. However, it waste, and even the increased guard presence couldn''t fight off the drowsiness that came with thete hour.
An invisible wave of soul magic washed over them, plunging them into a deep slumber.
Alex approached the barracks, her senses on high alert. She quickly located the strongest presence within, a level 1 Monarch. This had to be the Casten of Tomb City.
With a resounding crash, the door splintered, ripped from its hinges. The Casten, startled awake, tried to react, but his body refused to obey.
"Tell me, where is the Liberty Church headquarters?" Alex''s voice, cold and sharp as a winter wind, sent a shiver down his spine.
The room was pitch ck. Alex held him bound with spatial magic. Humanscked night vision, so the Casten could only discern that his captor was female. Her appearance remained a mystery.
"Who are you? Why are you trespassing in a city of the Starfallen Empire?"
Instead of answering, the Casten tried to intimidate her with the empire''s name.
A spatial de sliced through the air, leaving a deep gash across his side.
"No more games. I''ll ask again. Where is the Liberty Church headquarters?"
Alex''s voice wasced with steel. She couldn''t believe the Casten, of all people, wouldn''t know about the Liberty Church.
Unless he was a member himself?
A new line of questioning formed in her mind.
"I don''t know what you''re talking about. You''ll face the wrath of the Starfallen Empire! We are under the protection of the Mage Guild. Their powerful mages will hunt you down!"
Despite the pain, the Casten remained defiant, resorting to threats.
"Oh, so you''re one of those Frencers, are you?"
Alex''s words hung in the air, causing the Casten''s pupils to constrict. Hisposure faltered for a moment, but he quickly schooled his features. He didn''t believe she could see him in this darkness.
He was wrong. Alex had sensed his every micro-expression, every flicker of emotion. She was now certain the Liberty Church was hidden within Tomb City.
"I don''t know what you''re talking about," he repeated, his voice a notch weaker than before.
He couldn''t deny her power, and her knowledge of the Liberty Church suggested she wasn''t here on a whim.
He made a silent vow. He wouldn''t betray the others, even if it cost him his life.
She was asking about their location, which meant she didn''t have concrete proof. He would deny everything. Death was preferable to betrayal.
He was prepared to die. His role as Casten included protecting the Liberty Church. He wouldn''t fail them.
"The Liberty Church spans seven continents, yet each branch only has a few dozen members? I find that hard to believe."
Alex abandoned her direct questioning and began talking to herself.
"There must be at least a billion Lords who became Frencers. That''s over a hundred million per continent. Even if not all of them joined the Liberty Church, there should still be hundreds of thousands."
She paced the room, her footsteps echoing in the silence. The Casten watched, his heart pounding against his ribs. He feared she was getting closer to the truth.
"Frencers have nowhere else to go. They have to integrate into human society. And with the guidance of the previous generation of Frencers, gathering them wouldn''t be difficult, would it?"
The Casten''s jaw dropped. How did this assassin know so much?
She even knew about the previous batch of Frencers. Who was she?
Could she be a survivor from the previous generation, or rather, is she a Lord?
The thought of her being a Lord was too absurd. No Lord would be foolish enough to venture into a human city, courting death.
"If I''m not mistaken, this entire city is popted by Frencers, isn''t it?"
Alex''s words, a bombshell dropped into the tense silence, hung in the air. She watched the Casten intently, searching for any telltale signs.
He mped his mouth shut, refusing to engage.
"Silence? That''s fine."
Alex stepped closer, a cold smile ying on her lips.
"I''ll just kill you. The system will confirm your identity for me."
The Casten''s face paled. He couldn''t contain his shock.
"Impossible! You''re a Lord?!"