Fire Mage (Web Novel)

Chapter 442: A Trustworthy Servant!

Charles walked out of the chamber hall and soon arrived in the hallway. Then, he moved towards the end of the hallway, stepped on the staircase, and left the secret chamber.

But just as he stepped out of the secret door, he stopped and then looked towards the exit. Even though the door appeared locked from outside, he saw what was happening at the entrance and frowned.

Currently, Melody blocked the entrance gate and pointed her sword at three Light Knights and a priest. On the other hand, the Light Church Knights also unsheathed their swords and were ready to battle at any time. The only one who remained calm was the gray-robed priest. He looked around 40-years old, had silver hair, olive skin, an obese body, and blue eyes.

At this moment, he stared at Melody coldly and warned her in stern words.

"Madame, please move aside from the entrance and let us investigate the Tower Building. It's been more than a day since His Highness went inside, but he hasn't shown up even once. We also knew that Lord Duke went missing for a while. What are you plotting?" The gray-robed priest's tone was sharp and cold.

On the other hand, cold sweats dripped down from Melody's face. Alas, she didn't say a single word and remained silent. While Charles was in the secret chamber, she followed his orders strictly and never let anyone appear near the Tower. Not only that, but she even wrote an apology letter on behalf of Prince Julius and sent it to the Grime Plains. Then, Melody also sent a few more letters and ordered Duke Michael's other commanders to return to the castle within three days! In a single day, she brought all the remaining soldiers under her control.

Although Charles wasn't aware of her work, he knew she had already turned into a trustworthy servant.

Shaking his head, he watched the incident from inside and decided not to waste any time.

'I need to gain complete control over this Light Church group.'

Muttering inwardly, he hurriedly walked towards the door, used the [Sleight of Mystery Hand] skill, sent invisible strings towards the lock, and unlocked it.

After that, he opened the door and walked outside. On the other hand, Melody, a gray-robed priest, and a few Light Knights were startled by his sudden appearance.

"G-Greetings, Your Highness!" Melody hurriedly bowed her head and greeted him politely.

Meanwhile, Charles's cold gaze first went towards the nervous Melody, then towards the gray-robed priest, and finally stopped on the three young Light Knights.

After staring at them for a moment, he retracted his gaze and soon shifted his attention towards the Light Priest.

"Who are you? Who sent you here?" He asked. At the same time, he also cast [Burning Thoughts] spell on all four of them and erased their current thoughts.

A second later, four different pieces of information appeared in his mind.

'The gray-robed priest is a Light Bishop, and he is responsible for gathering intelligence. Moreover, his real name is Rance, but he currently goes by another identity called Leone. He came here under the order of church Higher-ups to assist Duke Michael whenever he was in need. As for the three Light Knights? Hmm? One of them is a Lady Knight? Oh? Interesting! The woman is the Head Deacon of the Second Legion and has the codename of Black. The young man on the left is a scout-type Knight, and his real name is James. The young man on the right is a swordsman, and his name is Simon. And, these guys all pretty much knew about my real abilities.' What surprised him most was that this Knight Squad received an order from above to monitor Prince Julius's regular activities. As for who gave that order, there was no memory about it.

Meanwhile, Rance and others showed a dazed look on their faces and then looked at each other in confusion.

After obtaining the information, Charles immediately retracted his gaze and ignored the Light Priest. Instead, he first looked at the Lady Knight and soon noticed that she was showing a troubled look on her face. If someone saw her current thoughts, they would notice that she had already started linking the strange anomalies with the Flame Demon Sorcerer's abilities!

Thankfully, Charles was always one step ahead. So, he didn't hesitate for a single moment and cast the Rank-4 [Burning Consciousness] spell on her.

A second later, a ball of purplish flame appeared inside Black's Inner World and soon formed into an appearance of a purple-skinned Charles. Then, the purple Charles calmly moved towards her link towards her Dark Space and checked her current thoughts.

'So, you are the smartest one among this group, huh. I like smart people.' A pleased smile appeared on the purple consciousness's face. He then directly conjured a ball of purple flame and started erasing most of the memories about him. Then, he enveloped himself in purple flame and shrunk into the size of a seed before mingling with her memories.

In the meantime, Charles in the outside world raised his hand, pointed his finger at Black's forehead, and cast the [Curse of the Overlord] spell.

A minute black flame streak came out of his finger a second later, moved towards her forehead, and directly entered her head.

Although she tried to block the minute flame streak by waving her sword, all her attempts turned futile.

In truth, it would be impossible for most people to notice this minute flame streak. However, Black managed to perceive it because she had cast two Rank-4 light spells on herself to make her thoughts clear.

Indeed, she was not some random Light Knight but an advanced Light Elemental Sorcerer. Unfortunately, Charles manipulated the flame streak and successfully placed it on Black's Dark Space.

However, even though the curse had already taken effect on Black, he didn't stop. He continued to cast the curse spell on Rance, Simon, and James as well.

Although nobody sensed anything abnormal happened to their bodies, they somehow felt a strange uneasiness. A second later, all four of them took a step back in unison, gripped their weapons, and stared at Charles in vigilance.

"Don't be so vigilant. I have no ill intention against you guys. I just played some tricks." Charles paused for a moment and then added with a warm smile on his face.

"But I would like to hear more about your adventures. Hmm, why don't you guys join me during today's dinner?" Without even waiting for them to respond, Charles turned his gaze towards Melody and ordered.

"Melody, tell the head chef to make some special food items for our guests."

Meanwhile, Melody noticed the change in their emotions and co-operated with him like a real partner in crime.

"Don't worry, Your Highness. I will arrange them myself. Do you like to add any food items for yourself? I know you liked the roasted meat of young deer, but do you want any other unique dishes?" While asking, Melody skilfully sheathed her sword and gestured Black and others to move away.

On the other hand, Charles took a step forward, went towards the castle's keep, and spoke.

"I indeed want to add a few more dishes. Are there any potatoes on the Castle farm? I want to add the fried potatoes, some unique drinks with less alcohol content…"

Upon seeing the duo walking past them, Rance couldn't help but grumble.

"What the hell just happened? Did the second prince play prank on us just now? How immature!"

On the other hand, Black sheathed her sword and shook her head.

"I heard that he is a carefree type. And, he acts just like what I read in the file. Anyway, let's observe him for a day before making our first report to the Holy See." Her voice appeared calm as water.

Meanwhile, Charles and Melody entered the keep, moved past the Great Hall, and went towards the guest room.

As they walked in the hallway, Charles glanced at Melody and ordered.

"I'll be going out for a while. If the Light Church members ask about my whereabouts, tell them that I'm meditating in my room. Say the same thing to the Butler and other servants."

Melody nodded.

"I understand. But what should I say if others ask about Lord Duke's whereabouts, Your Highness? Even the elite knights and servants started asking me about his whereabouts."

"Tell everyone that Duke Michael is still training, and he might come back to talk with Prince Julius tonight. Also, invite all the high-ranked elite knights' for today's dinner. It'll reduce my job to a great extend." Saying so, he continued to walk in the hallway and soon arrived in front of a decorated wooden door.

Then, he unlocked it using a key, pushed the door open, and walked inside. Following that, he locked it from inside, went towards the center of the guest room, and cast [Flame Teleportation] spell on himself.

A second later, he enveloped his body in a crimson flame and disappeared from there.