Wizard Earl

Chapter 471 Assault

Clearly, Mariano was not simply a pawn planted by Eder to monitor her, as Margaret herself claimed. There must be a reason why Margaret wanted him to kill Mariano, a reason that Margaret obviously did not want to tell him, or at least not now.

Although he didn't know why Margaret wouldn't tell him the reason, Connor didn't mind making a guess. Edel, the current bishop of the Church of Rune Storm, was suspected to be a mole planted by the Secret Society within the church. Since Margaret had told him that Mariano was Edel's pawn, she wouldn't lie about that. So what was the only thing Edel and he had in common? Without a doubt! Only one thing—the Secret Society!

If nothing unexpected happens, the reason Margaret wants him to help her kill Mariano is very likely related to the Secret Society. Perhaps Margaret wants to use this method to test the relationship between Connor and the Secret Society? Connor silently guessed and pondered Margaret's psychology.

The reason Connor agreed to help Margaret kill Mariano was largely because, judging from the many underhanded tricks Old Victor had played on him, there was no turning back for him and the Secret Society, or rather, Reyes's faction; it was a fight to the death. Margaret was one of Connor's few reliable allies who could help him deal with Old Victor! Therefore, Connor didn't mind using Mariano's death as a token of his loyalty to Margaret.

Besides using Mariano's death as a pledge of loyalty, Connor's agreement to help Margaret kill Mariano was also partly a way of repaying Margaret's favor by killing Mariano.

The item Varga lent Connor at their last meeting at Sensi Villa was no ordinary thing; it was the Eye of the Storm, used by the Church of Storms to monitor energy fluctuations in various regions. Besides monitoring energy fluctuations, the Eye of the Storm could also temporarily boost the power of the wizard using it. For example, Connor, as a high-level wizard apprentice, could briefly boost his power to that of a full-fledged wizard for three minutes after using the Eye of the Storm. This was why Connor was so arrogant in front of Victor on Victor's territory, and why he was so confident in testing Victor's strength. If Victor really chose to attack, Connor was absolutely certain that, even if it was only for three minutes, he could kill Victor and everyone else at the villa that day! Not a single one would be spared!

Of course, such a heaven-defying effect as forcibly raising a wizard's level by one not only places very high demands on the wizard using this effect—perhaps only one in a hundred wizards would meet the requirements—but also causes the user to pay an incredibly painful and absolutely unwilling price after using this effect.

To be honest, when Connor wrote that letter to Leonie asking Varga to lend him the Eye of the Storm, he was only hoping against hope, not really believing that Margaret would lend him such a valuable item. But Margaret did lend it, and even went to the vicinity herself, ready to help Connor escape at any time. Although Connor ultimately returned the Eye of the Storm to Margaret unharmed, without ever needing to use it, the favor was undeniable. Connor now owed Margaret a debt. What debt is hardest to repay in this world? Not a monetary debt, but a debt of gratitude!

Although revealing Paredes' existence to Margaret last time was a partial repayment of a favor, it was clearly not enough compared to what Connor owed Margaret for the Eye of the Storm incident. However, by helping Margaret with Mariano this time, Connor could say that he had barely repaid most of the debt of gratitude!

At 11:45 p.m., Connor, who was hiding in the pine forests on both sides of Kant Street and resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened his eyes and looked around at the dark Kant Street.

"Da da da da... da da da da..."

A minute later, the deserted Kant Street was filled with the crisp sound of horses' hooves from afar, as if someone was galloping towards them. Connor's lips curled into a cold smile. His spiritual power had already detected that in the dark night, a knight in a blue robe was riding a noble Persis horse, galloping rapidly along Kant Street. This blue-robed man was none other than Mariano, the squad leader of the Arbitrators' Squad of the Church of Rune Storms, whom Connor had met just a few hours earlier!

However, at this moment, Mr. Mariano, the captain of the Arbitrators' Squad, was not as arrogant as when Connor met him during the day. His face was covered with fatigue and drowsiness, as if he had been through a very heavy workload. For a mid-level wizard apprentice to look like this, it seems that Margaret's inspection work after Connor left had taken a lot of toll on them.

Mariano was riding very fast; at his current speed, he would pass Connor's location in just over a minute. Confirming this, Connor's smile in the pine forest gradually took on a mocking tone.

Time ticked by, and the sound of horses' hooves grew closer and closer to Connor's ears. The mockery on his face intensified, and finally, Mariano's figure on horseback came into Connor's view.

"clatter!"

Without any hesitation, Connor, with a mocking smile, snapped his fingers crisply. The snap was so loud in the empty, desolate street that Mariano, riding on horseback, was immediately stunned upon hearing it, seemingly curious as to why the snap had occurred and who had snapped it. But unfortunately, before he could finish pondering the question, countless steel balls gleaming with a deep blue light suddenly shot out from the ground on both sides of the street. These steel balls were incredibly fast, and in the blink of an eye, half of Mariano's body was riddled with holes.

To Connor's surprise, Mariano, who had only intended to clean up the scene in the pine forest, was incredibly resilient. Despite having half his body smashed, his uterus spilling out, and a broken arm and leg lying on the ground, he still managed to survive. He even quickly activated his belt, creating an ice-blue defensive barrier that blocked the remaining azure steel balls that were hurtling towards him.

(End of this chapter)