Chapter 421 - 199: Elise (2)

"Let me go!"

"Mr. Gomez, don’t!"

In the night sky, Lauden struggled like a chick about to be thrown into a pot, loudly protesting Gomez’s vile act of picking on someone weaker.

"Mr. Gomez, you’re a Grand Mage!"

"Don’t you think it’s beneath you to lay hands on a Little Wizard like me, whose constitution isn’t even as good as a farm pig’s!"

When people get desperate, they’ll even use their own embarrassing history as a bargaining chip.

Gomez snorted. "So you *do* know how bad your constitution is?"

That Witch Blood Potion was so precious that even with Blake City’s resources, they could only concoct a few vials each year. A pig could gain sentience from drinking it, yet this guy drank it and still failed to break through. At the time, Gomez had truly wanted to grab Lauden, hold him upside down, and shake him to see if he could make the fool spit the potion back out.

If it had been him, he probably wouldn’t have been able to show his face for a year. But Lauden? He actually had the nerve to bring it up himself.

"That’s a separate issue," Lauden said, his face flushing red as he argued his case. "This is a mission from Mr. Blake. It has nothing to do with whether I broke through or not. You can’t steal it from me!"

Gomez: "Heh. And why shouldn’t I?"

Lauden: "What do you mean, ’why’?"

Gomez: "I mean, why would Mr. Blake give the mission to you?"

’A rookie who couldn’t even become a Grand Mage after drinking the Witch Blood Potion—on what grounds would he be entrusted with an important task by Mr. Blake?’

Lauden stiffened his neck and said, "Because of my loyalty!"

"Because I’m the son of the Horseman!"

"My family, the Colletas, are all martyrs for the cause, and we’ve served Mr. Blake loyally for generations! Why can’t we be entrusted with great responsibility?"

If Sean had heard that, he might have even been slightly moved. But Gomez wasn’t buying it at all.

"What kind of crap are you talking?"

Gomez pointed to the Wizards below who had yet to disperse. "Who in this city *isn’t* from a family of loyal martyrs?"

"Who here isn’t a descendant of the Holy Sanctuary’s forebears?"

"Is it so impressive that your dad is the Horseman?"

"My dad is the ’Black Queen’!"

Lauden: "..."

The title "Black Queen" came from the Bright King’s Court.

It didn’t refer to the Pope’s wife, but to a position.

The Bright King’s Court named its positions after chess pieces, dividing the authority of its Stewards into five levels according to Tier.

The lowest-ranking Steward was called the "Captain of the Forbidden Guard," who commanded the soldiers under them.

Above the "Captain of the Forbidden Guard" was the "War Chariot," in charge of all the Church Court’s armed resources.

Higher still was the "Knight." Distinct from a noble title, they were often called "Royal Court Instructor Knights" and held immense law enforcement authority.

Then came the "Bishop."

The Bright King’s Court had over twenty Bishops in total. Each one was Tier Nine or higher and was responsible for spreading the faith and performing miracles.

And at the very top were the "Queen" and the "King."

The full title for "Queen" was "Empress." There were only three in the entire Bright King’s Court. Gomez’s father was once one of them, but after a dispute with the "King" over some matter, he furiously resigned his post, left the Church Court, and went to the Hall of Truth.

Many soldiers attempted to stop him along the way, but they were all severely injured.

Later, friends would often joke with him, asking if he had "gone dark," seeing as he’d even attacked people from the Church Court. Because of this, his title of "Empress" stuck, but compared to the "Empress" of the Bright King’s Court, his gained the prefix "Black"—

The Black Queen.

Even during the peak of the Era of Polymath, a time when Grand Mages were everywhere, the Black Queen was still one of the ten most powerful Wizards on the continent.

And so, at the mention of that name, Lauden immediately fell silent.

’Because I definitely can’t compete with *that* dad...’

’And I’m even less of a match for the son.’

Gomez wasn’t just Tier Eight; he had already mastered Space Magic. A hundred Laudens wouldn’t be enough to take on one Gomez.

But!

Even so, Lauden had to keep trying!

"Mr. Gomez, don’t say I didn’t warn you. Since Mr. Blake told only me about this, it means it’s more or less a secret. If you insist on prying, and Mr. Blake finds out, he probably won’t let you off easy."

"I urge you not to bring trouble upon yourself, Mr. Gomez!" Lauden declared forcefully.

Gomez sneered. "Secret, my ass."

"Do you really think I’m blind and deaf? That I couldn’t see or hear?"

"If it were really a secret, would Mr. Blake have summoned you with such a huge commotion?"

"Are you taking Mr. Blake for a fool, or are you taking me for a fool?"

Lauden was speechless for a moment. "But..."

Gomez cut him off. "No ’buts’!"

"As the person in charge of Blake City, and as your direct superior who cares for his subordinates, Mr. Blake’s business is my business, and your business is *especially* my business."

He declared with an air of righteous self-sacrifice, "Say no more. I am absolutely going to help you with this!"

Lauden: "???"

’Wait, who asked for your help?!’

’I can do it by myself!’

As they spoke, Gomez had already carried the dangling Lauden to the airspace above his own apartment.

"Come on, inside."

"No!"

"You know what I’m capable of. Don’t make me get rough with you."

Lauden: "..."

’Mr. Blake, save me!’

...

「Elsewhere.」

Inside a suite at a hotel.

Elise leaned on the windowsill, gazing at the sky. As she replayed the recent scene in her mind, she couldn’t help but click her tongue. "A truly great man. His face alone was bigger than the entire sky..."

She knew this was most likely some kind of Magic used by Mr. Blake, but even so, it was an effect not just anyone could achieve. It was a shame that, even with his face blown up to that size, she still couldn’t make out Mr. Blake’s appearance, not even a single facial feature. Otherwise, she might have been able to confirm a few things...

CLICK.

Suddenly, the sound of a door opening came from behind her.

Elise turned to see Sean, clad in a bathrobe, emerge from the bedroom rubbing his eyes. His hair was a mess, and he looked like he had just woken up.