Not long after Saul left Bluewater City, Lord Maken was finally freed from the aftermath and cleanup work.
He collapsed into his ornate armchair in exhaustion, but suddenly sat up straight as if sothing had struck him.
“Right, where is Lord Saul’s friend staying again?”
His personal steward imdiately stepped forward and bowed. “At No. 16, Shrimp Street, Lord.”
“Send two teams—one to clear out my little garden villa on East Street, the other to invite Lord Saul’s friend from Shrimp Street to move in. Be courteous. Lord Saul might return to visit his friend.”
However, when the steward personally led a team to help Sander move, they were flatly rejected. Sander only said that he was also leaving Bluewater City, which left the steward with a sense of regret.
Sander had acquired a sturdy glass tank, intending to bring his sister, Mido, with him to the city of Caugust.
Only there would he have a chance to earn more money to support her, and perhaps encounter Lord Saul again.
But just as he finished packing and stepped out the door, he suddenly noticed that Mido didn’t seem quite right. She kept rolling around inside the newly purchased fish tank.
“Mido, what’s wrong?” Sander imdiately picked up the tank, inspecting it from every angle.
Yet before the human-faced fish could say anything, a knock suddenly ca at the door.
Knock knock knock knock, knock.
The rhythm of the knocking was a little strange.
Holding the tank, Sander stared blankly toward the door.
He rembered clearly that the gate to his courtyard was locked—how could soone knock directly on his front door?
And that rhythm…
Knock knock knock knock, knock!
There it was again. No mistake!
A deeply buried mory surged from the depths of his mind. Fear crept across Sander’s face.
Then the knock ca a third ti.
As if accepting his fate, Sander set the tank down and walked to the door, opening it.
Standing outside were three people, one of whom—though visibly aged—he recognized instantly.
Instinctively, Sander stepped forward to block the view of the little fish inside. “You… you… I’ve been hiding all these years—why are you still trying to hunt down?”
Sander knew full well that he and Mido had only escaped back then because those people hadn’t truly ant to kill them.
Otherwise, how could ordinary people possibly escape a wizard’s pursuit?
He’d thought that by hiding his identity on another continent and living a low-profile, impoverished life, he could spend the rest of his days in peace.
But they had co anyway.
Had reaching out to a wizard for his sister’s sake alerted his stepmother?
“You’re mistaken,” the elderly man, the only one Sander recognized, spoke gently. “His Majesty Arxys passed away from illness three months ago, and none of his children inherited the Evernight bloodline. We’ve co to escort you back to hold your coronation, Prince Alisandra.”
Sander—no, Alisandra—stood frozen as his mouth slowly fell open.
Middle-aged, suddenly inheriting a vast fortune… is there a way to wake up even later into this kind of dream?
Ten minutes later, still sowhat dazed, Alisandra stepped out of the narrow little house, tightly clutching the fish tank that held his sister, and boarded a black, solemn, and majestic carriage.
The carriage wasn’t pulled by horses, but by two tall male centaurs.
Their upper bodies were clad in armor, while their sleek, glossy horse halves glistened beneath.
Centaurs surpassed ordinary n in strength, constitution, speed, and agility.
But their flaw was their wild nature—they were hard to ta. Only true wizards could truly command them.
Of the three who had co to fetch Alisandra, the other two besides the old man were both First-Rank official wizards.
Just before boarding the carriage, Alisandra noticed that the Lord of Bluewater City was standing nearby, seemingly trying to approach him for a word.
But Alisandra rely shook his head, refusing the approach.
Watching the black, majestic carriage pulled by centaurs depart, Lord Maken felt as though his entire worldview had been shattered.
The wizard friend he had known for years turned out not to be a re apprentice, but a true wizard who hadn’t hesitated for a second to kill.
Bluewater City, which hadn’t seen a wizard for ages, had suddenly beco the battleground of three of them.
Two had died—one of them even a Second-Rank wizard.
Having finally seen off the victorious one with utmost respect, he had thought to gain favor with Saul’s friend, Sander. But who would’ve thought that the man he believed had been rescued turned out to be a noble taken away in full display by two wizards.
“What good fortune has Bluewater City ever done to deserve this?”
His steward beside him let out a sigh.
“When you sent people to invite Mr. Sander to a better residence, he was so grateful… Yet now, with his new status, he won’t even speak a word to us.” The steward, who had served Lord Maken for many years, dared to speak so plainly.
Lord Maken thought quietly for a mont, then suddenly shook his head. “Let this matter end here. Instruct everyone not to gossip. Do not ntion the reason we invited Mr. Sander to move, and certainly do not speak of his connection to the wizard.”
The steward froze, not fully understanding, but nodded nonetheless.
“I’ve always sent others to contact Mr. Sander. This was the first ti I t him myself. He didn’t seem arrogant—not the type to reject out of pride.” Lord Maken turned his gaze toward the old, dilapidated house where Sander had lived. The only thing between us was Saul. Could it be that he didn’t let speak because he didn’t want Saul ntioned? Perhaps being taken away isn’t as good a thing as it seems…
In the end, Lord Maken decided to pretend he knew nothing—better safe than sorry.
At that mont, the black carriage pulled by centaurs had already left Bluewater City and was headed for the coast.
It seed they planned to set sail.
The human-faced fish, which Sander had been tightly clutching, was now in the hands of one of the wizards.
Upon inspection, they quickly realized it was a fish containing a human soul. But they didn’t object to Sander keeping such a strange creature—in fact, they promised to examine it for anything that might harm him, and if it proved safe, they would even help him take proper care of it to ensure it didn’t die easily.
Halfway through the journey, the elderly man suddenly turned his head with a kind and gentle smile. “Prince Alisandra…”
Sander still wasn’t used to the na he had discarded for over a decade. “Please, just call Sander.”
“If that is your wish. Then, Lord Sander, do you still rember the silver pocket watch that Evernight VII once gave you?”
Sander’s eyelid twitched. He pursed his lips, and a trace of embarrassnt showed on his face.
“I’m sorry… Not long after I arrived in Stat, I had to sell most of my valuables just to survive…”
The old man twitched at the corners of his mouth, but quickly composed himself. “It’s not your fault, Lord Sander. Never mind. For centuries, Evernight failed to unlock the Wildland Compass. Perhaps it was never ant for the Evernight Empire after all.”
Sander bowed his head again in quiet awkwardness, still looking apologetic and humble.
…
On the opposite end of the sa highway traveled by that black carriage, Saul’s own slightly smaller two-passenger carriage was rolling along cheerfully.
While checking his personal belongings, Saul suddenly noticed that the diary in his mind had flipped open on its own.
Lunar Calendar, Year 317, June 8th, Clear Skies
Your good deed has been t with a kind reward.
The world is strange like that sotis.
Can good people actually receive good fortune?
But are you truly a good person?
Perhaps only the Chaos Domain can reveal the true colors of your soul…
After all, the key just so happens to be in your hands~
(End of Chapter)
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