allendalepharm Chapter 125 Another Wizard Enters the Scene
Chapter 125 Another Wizard Enters the Scene
The situation among the central kingdoms is not peaceful, and wars frequently break out between them.
Occasionally, direct conflicts between wizards also occur between kingdoms during their wars.
—The location of Iron Sword Territory is the edge of the Kingdom of the Shield.
Stepping east from Iron Sword Territory leads to the territory of the Ironfire Kingdom.
Today, part of Iron Sword Territory originally belonged to the Ironfire Kingdom.
About twenty-five years ago, when the Iron Sword family was not yet a viscount family, a war broke out between the Kingdom of Shield and the Kingdom of Ironfire.
That war ultimately ended in victory for the Kingdom of the Shield, with the defeated Kingdom of Ironfire ceding a portion of its territory in return.
Through that war, the Iron Sword family became a border viscount family, beginning their twenty-year entanglement with the Blood Fang family.
While wizards influence the world through nobles, they also receive patronage from those powerful nobles—every kingdom is a "hunting ground" for wizards.
The larger the hunting grounds, the greater the wizards' profits from the kingdom.
This is why, although the war between the Kingdom of Shield and the Kingdom of Ironfire ended more than twenty years ago, the people of the Kingdom of Ironfire, with the support of wizards, have been active on the border between the two countries for more than twenty years, trying to take back the ceded territory—this is the idea of the Kingdom of Ironfire, and also the will of the wizards.
As a result, one of the wizards who were in charge of the situation in the Ironfire Kingdom even came directly to the border of the Ironfire Kingdom.
The wizard on the border of the Ironfire Kingdom received news of the upheaval caused by Loon and his group much earlier than the wizards from the Shield Kingdom.
However, compared to Ralph and his group who came directly to their door, the wizard on the border of the Ironfire Kingdom was much more secretive and cautious in his actions.
After entering Iron Sword Territory, he didn't even approach Forked Ridge, but instead stayed in a baron's manor, watching the changes in Forked Ridge from afar.
"Your Excellency, the fog in that bay has been getting thicker and thicker lately—it has even spread from the bay into the mountains and forests."
"But those who went to work said that there seemed to be a barrier on the road through the Chashan Mountains, and no matter how much the fog rolled in, it never swallowed the road."
"Sir, is it possible that the fog is some kind of malevolent witchcraft?"
Inside the manor, a man who looked like a merchant bent down and reported what he had seen when he delivered goods to Chashan Ridge, as well as the information he had gleaned from the craftsmen.
"In addition, a bell rings every day in the wizard tower that is not yet completed. A knight personally rings the bell, and there is a specific frequency between the rings."
"I also had a musician listen to it, and the musician thought that the frequency was very strange and that it was different from the rhythm of every existing piece of music."
The merchant described the "unusual situation" of Chashan Ridge, and then took out a small bell to simulate the frequency of the bell's sound on Chashan Ridge.
"And those farmers in Iron Sword Territory."
"Your Excellency, under the leadership of that wizard from Chashan Ridge, Iron Sword Territory now only collects 40% of the agricultural tax."
"Sir, if this situation doesn't improve, then in just two years at most, these people of Iron Sword Territory will completely forget that they were once people of the Ironfire Kingdom." The merchant said—this was what he considered the worst-case scenario.
Those lowly farmers and serfs, though they may lack loyalty, are the foundation of every kingdom—the food and drink of the knights and nobles are all grown by these farmers.
Without these farmers, everyone would starve.
The kingdom's disputes over land also included disputes over the farmers on that land—even though those farmers didn't have a good life in the Ironfire Kingdom before, they would still miss the Ironfire Kingdom as long as they were not doing well 'now'.
But with this 40% agricultural tax... it's a fatal blow!
Aside from nobles, who would yearn for their original country when they have enough to eat and wear?
What's there to miss?
If that time really comes, the part of the land in Iron Sword Territory that belongs to the Ironfire Kingdom will truly never be able to be taken back!
However, the wizard paid no attention to the merchant's worries.
They're just farmers—what does it matter whether this land of Ironsword Territory belongs to the Kingdom of the Shield or the Kingdom of Ironfire, or to these farmers?
These farmers have no influence over any decisions!
For this wizard, he only cared about the strange fog and the sound of the bells.
And then there are the two wizards from Chashanling.
"The rumbling in Iron Sword Castle, the sleeping maids, the guards, and the two captured people—that must be the effect of the Explosion spell and the Sleeping Powder."
"The maids who went to the dungeon said that when they dressed the two prisoners, although they were fast asleep, they were perfectly clean, without a trace of filth—meaning that both prisoners were wizards!"
"That must have been the wizard attacking him while the Thunder Wizard was meditating."
"As for the vines that bound the two people, capable of simultaneously ensnaring two wizards and capturing them alive, it must not be a spell-like technique, but a true spell!"
The wizard from the Ironfire Kingdom was sketching in his notebook, filling in the images of the 'Thunder Wizard' and the 'Crimson Wizard' based on the information he had gathered, gradually making the images in the notebook more complete.
"A bell ringing at a specific frequency must be some kind of knowledge related to wizards."
"The mist that shrouds the mountains and forests yet leaves paths open is either the effect of magic or the effect of a witchcraft."
"And the most important thing—how exactly did Viscount Iron Sword die?"
"He was lifted high by two wizards and then thrown to his death, but how did they manage to lift Viscount Iron Sword so high?"
"Pure mental power doesn't have that much strength."
"Perhaps it's a unique spell that utilizes mental power?"
"It seems I should take the initiative to pay a visit to the two wizards of Chashan Ridge."
From the very beginning, this wizard from the Ironfire Kingdom aimed to incite Loon and his companions to cause even greater chaos in Forked Ridge.
As for the consequences of those troubles... that's the business of the Shield Kingdom, what does it have to do with their Ironfire Kingdom?
As a wizard of the Ironfire Kingdom, he was eager for the upheaval in Forked Ridge to directly engulf the Shield Kingdom, so that the Central Wizarding School would conclude that the wizards of the Shield Kingdom had lost control of the Shield Kingdom—and then expel the wizards of the Shield Kingdom, bringing the Shield Kingdom under their control as well.
Previously, he didn't meet with Loon and the others because he couldn't be sure of the strength of the two wizards from Forked Ridge, or whether they would be directly killed by the wizards of the Shield Kingdom.
But now...
Offensive spells.
Controlling spells.
And then there's the 'Field Spell' that guides the mist.
In the eyes of the wizards of the Ironfire Kingdom, the two wizards of Forked Ridge were already a rather 'perfect' wizard duo, almost without any flaws.
Even if the wizards of their Ironfire Kingdom and Shield Kingdom joined forces, they would still find it difficult to defeat them.
So what's there to hesitate about at this point?
As for how the wizards of the Shield Kingdom will handle their defeat...
Currently, there are a total of nine wizards in the Ironfire Kingdom and the Shield Kingdom—but if the wizards of the Shield Kingdom are expelled and the Ironfire Kingdom and the Shield Kingdom are united, then even if we include the two wizards from Forked Ridge…
That means six wizards sharing the resources that originally belonged to nine wizards... and there's still a profit to be made!
And it was a huge profit!
"However, the Thunder Wizard was just attacked by wizards from the Kingdom of the Shield, so he must be extremely wary of other wizards."
"I need to be strategic in visiting him." With that thought, the wizard's gaze fell directly on the merchant.
"Go to Chashanling and tell the wizards there that I want to visit them and arrange a time and place."
"what?"
"Me?" The merchant's expression changed instantly.