A Wizard’s Secret

The eighth prince’s fingers lightly tapped the surface of the table while a gracious smile remained on his lips.

After a long moment, the eighth prince slowly said, “That’s right. Naturally, I sent Snake Elder not without a reason. I’ve been hearing about the famed Wizard Leo of the Dark Magic Region, but never had an opportunity to meet him. Wizard Merlin, you’re his prized student, so I thought that through Wizard Merlin, I could invite Wizard Leo to be my guest here in the Imperial City!”

As expected, it was for the sake of enticing Wizard Leo!

Although Merlin had guessed as much, it felt strange to hear the eighth prince declaring it himself. Wizard Leo was powerful indeed – as a Sixth-level Spell Caster, he traversed a long distance to hunt down and kill Osseus, who was a Seventh-level Spell Caster of Ozmu.

This matter had created a stir among many spell casters’ organizations, but to the eighth prince, what he needed was precisely a powerful Wizard who could conquer everything and defeat all rivals.

Of course, Great Wizards would not possibly come forward to pledge allegiance to the eighth prince. However, there should be a slight chance of getting a Ninth-level Spell Caster or even an Eighth-level Spell Caster. Why did the eighth prince consider Wizard Leo?

Nevertheless, Merlin kept these thoughts to himself and did not inquire further. After a moment of consideration, he said in a low voice, “Your Royal Highness the eighth prince, may I be bold to pose a question – I’m afraid my lord doesn’t seem to be in too well of a situation. Will Wizard Leo choose to come here now?”

Merlin phrased it tactfully, but the eighth prince should understand what he meant. Before this, Merlin had been asking around in an indirect manner, in addition to his own conjecture, and he knew that the eighth prince was not in a favorable situation.

Otherwise, the fourth prince would not send ninth Wizard Oden to kill Snake Elder and the rest so blatantly. The struggle between the princes was completely ruthless. In the event that one failed, there would be no chance of recovery.

Now, the eighth prince wanted to summon Wizard Leo simply by extending an invitation. Merlin would not even help to pass on the message. Wizard Leo, with his apathetic disposition, would not leave the Dark Magic Region at all.

The eighth prince drew in a deep breath, his face still keeping its genial expression. He nodded slightly. “You’re right, Wizard Merlin, you’ve guessed correctly. At the moment, my situation isn’t a good one indeed. The fourth prince is tightening his grip, whereas the ninth prince and the thirteenth prince has left the Imperial City to avoid confronting the fourth prince directly. Only I am left to hold off the force of the fourth prince!

“Still, I was able to hold off the fourth prince for so long, and he still hasn’t made his move until now – how did I do it? I have my forces too, mighty forces, to the point where even the fourth prince would be apprehensive. What I lack are powerful Spell Casters, Spell Casters who can help me withstand any threat!

“Lately, the fourth prince has begun to reveal small indications that he’s going to attack. You encountered this along with Snake Elder and the rest. The fourth prince has persuaded two Eighth-level Spell Casters by promising them attractive benefits. Heh, at this rate, that Fourth Brother of mine won’t be able to wait to make his move against me… Alas, this is my fate ever since I’ve chosen to fight for the throne!”

After a pause, the eighth prince stood up abruptly, and his face glowed fervently as he continued. “I have no way of finding Ninth-level Spell Casters, and the fourth prince could not enlist any Ninth-level Spell Casters either! As for Eighth-level Spell Casters, I couldn’t find them too. You can count the number of Eighth-level Spell Casters in the Kingdom of Blackmoon on one hand, and the fourth prince has made his bid for them long ago. There are Eighth-level Wizards in spell casters’ organizations, and you may mock me if you like, but I don’t have much to offer that would be able to tempt them.”

“Thus, I’ve searched for Spell Casters everywhere and have finally found someone suitable. That’s Wizard Leo, the possessor of the true Darkness Eye, Wizard Leo! Others might not know what sets Darkness Eye apart, but I, being from the royal family, would know of even the most hidden secrets. I know very well how powerful the genuine Darkness Eye can be. It’s just a shame that Darkness Eye is cursed…”

It turned out that the eighth prince knew the true Darkness Eye, and like Wizard Bammou, even knew that Darkness Eye was cursed. Perhaps it was natural that the eighth prince would select Wizard Leo after considering his cultivation of Darkness Eye and his valiant accomplishment in hunting down Osseus.

Merlin sucked in a deep breath, and said softly, “Your Royal Highness the eighth prince, I can help you get in touch with Wizard Leo, but I have no way of influencing his decision.”

“That’s to be expected. Since I’m about to ask for Wizard Leo’s assistance, naturally I’ve already made fool-proof preparations. Others might not regard this item as something significant, but to Wizard Leo, it would be something of utmost importance!”

The eighth prince appeared very confident that whatever he offered would surely tempt Wizard Leo.

The Blackmoon royal family had a powerful heritage. The eighth prince might really have some treasure that would persuade Wizard Leo. Nonetheless, before Merlin contacted Wizard Leo, he had some requests.

“Your Royal Highness the eighth prince, I have two small requests. I wonder if my lord would be able to fulfill them?”

“Wizard Merlin, you’ve taken so much trouble coming all the way from Prakash City to the Imperial City, and you’ve saved Snake Elder and the rest. What are two small requests in comparison?”

The eighth prince spoke impassively.

Merlin nodded and spoke bluntly. This had always been a transaction. The eighth prince had his use for Merlin, so naturally, Merlin had his own requests. Thus, Merlin said in a low voice, “First, this is a list of potion materials. If Your Royal Highness the eighth prince could get these materials for me, please do so as much as possible.”

With that, Merlin took out from his ring the list of Mokra Potion materials he had prepared beforehand and handed it to the eighth prince.

The eighth prince looked over the list carelessly before handing it to Snake Elder and commanded, “Snake Elder, get ready all the materials on this list. Bring all the materials, as long as they are on the list, from all the shops in the Imperial City. Also, the royal treasury as well – if it’s on the list, then bring all of it here!”

The eighth prince gave an organized and thorough command, causing a jolt in Merlin’s heart. The eighth prince had not specified the quantity but gathered the resources of the entire city instead.

With a place as prosperous as the Imperial City, if he really gathered everything, the potion materials that Merlin would receive in the end would be an inconceivably large amount.

Merlin did not understand the eighth prince very well. He only knew that Snake Elder, Wizard Sacra, and Wizard Hasbro had deep, genuine respect for the prince, following him willingly.

Leaving aside other factors, this manner of the eighth prince by itself was already something to which most people could never compare.

“There was a second request – please speak, Wizard Merlin.”

The eighth prince smiled as he asked.

“My second request is this – I’ve heard that the royal family has a Spell Library. I would like to visit it and pick a few spells. I wonder if the eighth prince could fulfill this request?”

After he spoke, Merlin fixed his gaze upon the eighth prince. This was the real reason Merlin had come to the Imperial City – to enter the royal family’s Spell Library.

The heritage of the Blackmoon royal family could be compared to any large spell casters’ organization. In particular, the royal family’s Spell Library had plenty of spells. If Merlin could go in and scan it with the Matrix, he would certainly be able to populate the database of the Matrix.

At that point, Merlin would be able to try using the data integration process to derive new spells. This was extremely crucial to Merlin, so the eighth prince’s current attitude would be key.

“Enter the Spell Library?”

The eighth prince eyed Merlin suspiciously. However, he did not inquire about Merlin’s reason for wanting to enter the Spell Library, but instead said reservedly, “The Spell Library is an important place for the royal family. Besides the few members of the royal family, no outsiders are allowed inside at all. Although I can enter, it won’t be that easy for me to bring in outsiders!”

Merlin’s heart leaped. The eighth prince had only said that it would not be that easy to bring in outsiders, which implied that it was possible to do so, only it would be very troublesome.

Still, this depended on the eighth prince’s decision. Merlin was in no rush and waited silently for a reply.

The eighth prince seemed torn between his choices. He stood up and paced around incessantly as his face shifted uncertainly. If he did not grant Merlin this request, then there was no doubt that it would be impossible for him to meet Wizard Leo.

No matter how confident the eighth prince was in enticing Wizard Leo, if he was not even able to meet with Wizard Leo and had no way of communication, then how would he even entice Wizard Leo?

Whether he could enlist Wizard Leo was linked to whether he would succeed in taking the throne. It was a crucial part of his plans, and every other matter depended on this one crucial point.

As he thought about this, the eighth prince arrived at a decision.

“Wizard Merlin, it would be rather troublesome to enter the Spell Library, especially since the fourth prince is in the Imperial City. However, if Wizard Leo could help me resolve the problem of the fourth prince, then the fourth prince would no longer be in the Imperial City. Without all these apprehensions, I can bring Wizard Merlin into the Spell Library.”

This was the eighth prince’s reply, which was conditional at the same time. It would not be simple to resolve the matter of the fourth prince. Firstly, they would need Wizard Leo’s agreement.

Nevertheless, as long as there was a chance it could work, Merlin was willing to give it a go. Thus, he said to the eighth prince, “I can contact Wizard Leo, but whether or not he would be influenced is dependent on the eighth prince’s sincerity.”

“That goes without saying!”

The eighth prince’s tone of voice revealed faintly a trace of excitement.

Merlin thought about Wizard Leo’s personality. Other than the one time when he left the Dark Magic Region to hunt down Osseus of Ozmu, it seemed that Wizard Leo had not left the Dark Magic Region in a very long time.

Therefore, Merlin did not know what the eighth prince could offer to sway Wizard Leo. However, he saw that the prince appeared full of confidence, so Merlin raised his right hand and stimulated the Dark Magic ring on his finger with his Mind Power.

“Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!”

Mysterious runes instantly floated up into the air. As Wizard Leo’s most prized student, Merlin naturally had a way to personally contact Wizard Leo, which was through the mysterious runes of the Dark Magic ring.

The runes in mid-air formed into a simple Magic Circle, following which the air itself trembled and gradually expanded. Slowly, a terrifying face, full of wrinkles, appeared with a blood-red third eye on the forehead.

“Merlin, it’s the first time you’ve contacted me. What happened?”