Age of Adepts

Haisas City.

It was not yet harvest season, but the citizens of Haisas were as excited and joyous as if it was a time of celebration.

The entire city bubbled with commotion as the majestic holy knights in shining armor escorted the creaking wooden cage through the streets.

A witch. So that was a witch!

The Zambez Empire had suffered greatly since the otherworldly witches had invaded the Henvic Plane.

They raided the mines and seized the high-grade resources, treating the entire plane as their garden and doing as they liked. Sometimes, to punish places that rejected the witch forces, they even released plagues and had no concern for the deaths of ordinary civilians at all.

It was the past hundred years of such atrocities that caused the people of Zambez to hate the witches with such intense passion. There was a deep-seated resentment that emanated from their very being.

That was why all of Haisas’ population took to the streets when they heard the holy knights–the personification of justice itself–had captured the terrifying witch from the Forest of Darkness and put her in a cage. As the enclosure wheeled down the streets of the city slowly, the people of Haisas greeted her with rotten leaves, dirty water, and sharp stones.

The people chased after the cage, cheering as they threw their rocks at the shivering witch within. It was obvious that this witch had once been a woman of exceptional beauty, with an enviable figure and a perfect face.

Unfortunately, the unrelenting hatred of the holy knights ensured her torture in their hands. Now, she was shut in a cage like a beast and ridiculed, attacked, and humiliated by the common people.

The devastating damage to her person and the fear of death had chased away Rena’s former brilliance and beauty. Her hair was a tangled mess, and her robe had been torn into rags and ribbons that couldn’t hide her body.

She had all sorts of scratch marks and bruises on her exposed skin. What was once smooth and white now showed signs of wrinkles and spots, like withered tree bark.

Rena looked at the people cheering around her prison with a numb expression, simply letting the rotten vegetables and sharp pebbles hit her body. She did not seem to have any intention to shield herself or dodge the projectiles.

“Burn her.”

“Tie her to the stake.”

Rena’s body twitched uncontrollably and intensely every time such a yell came from the crowd.

Her heart was filled with hatred, and her soul contained nothing but unfathomable resentment.

Unfortunately, frightening anti-magic shackles had been placed on her wrists and ankles. They were made of special magical metal and could not be easily destroyed by acid or other corrosive spells. Countless tiny metal spikes lined the insides of the shackles, piercing into her flesh. Even the slightest of movements would cause intense pain to wash over her entire body.

A special mask covered her face, and an egg-sized metal ball had been stuffed in her mouth. These things prevented Rena from chanting incantations or making handsigns, even without the guards overseeing her.

Low-grade instant-cast spells could not be cast inside this wooden cage either. It had been drawn with all sorts of strange runes. Henvic might be a low-magic world, but its research on magic had not lagged behind at all.

They were still capable of researching an anti-magic barrier like this, with the holy light as the power source!

Rena’s cage was immediately sent to the Holy Light Chapel of Haisas City. More and more holy knights were gathering there, with as many as five Third Grade Gold Knights already present.

The number of Gold Knights wasn’t to keep watch over a mere Second Grade witch but to protect the core magical array materials they had obtained through searching Rena’s person.

The attack on the Dabyrie Highlands had been ongoing for six months now. Though the Zambez Empire was suffering terrible losses, the witches were also at their limits. Given the current momentum, the mighty Empire would only need to grit their teeth, ignore the necessary sacrifices, and they would be able to break into the witch’s tower in another three to four months.

If the witch’s tower obtained these magical array ingredients and fixed their interplanar teleportation array, all of the losses that the Empire had sustained over the past year would have been for nothing. That was why, even with the tension at the frontlines, the holy knight alliance still sent three powerful Gold Knights back to Haisas City. In combination with the two Gold Knights near the area, it was a total of five Third Grade Gold Knights guarding the witch and the magical array materials.

The Fourth Grade Holy Knight Ad Carrhae had also turned west instead of continuing his journey north. He was hurrying here to meet the holy knights in Haisas City. With a Fourth Grade Holy Knight escorting the group, they would be able to safely bring the witch and the materials back to the capital.

Safety was only assured once they were in the capital!

As such, three days after Witch Rena was brought into Haisas, and seven days before the Fourth Grade Holy Knight arrived, the disguised Greem reached the city along with the crowd.

Haisas City was practically under martial law now. The Holy Light Chapel was firmly guarded by holy knights that had hurried over from all over the Empire. The Haisas City guards still managed the security of the city and the identification of the travelers, but the city gates, the customs, and several other key positions were reinforced with small groups of holy knights.

Military control had been applied to these locations to prevent the witch’s companions making it into Haisas. The examination at the city gates was unusually strict. Many ordinary merchant groups and caravans had already been denied entry. These people had no choice but to take temporary residence in the nearby towns.

Greem, who had hurried over after hearing the news from the Forest of Darkness, had no choice but to intercept a First Grade Iron Knight. He killed the knight and changed into the standard armor of the holy knights. He then rode a tall horse to the gates of Haisas.

The city guards that surrounded the gates saluted upon seeing Greem’s holy knight armor. They then sent someone to report Greem’s arrival to the holy knights stationed there.

Soon, three holy knights emerged from the city with a dozen trainee knights and quickly arrived in front of Greem and his horse.

“The Light be with us! Brother from afar, which Chapel have you come from?” The three holy knights were all First Grade Iron Knights. The one at the very front was a middle-aged man with a full beard. He pressed his hand against his chest and greeted Greem warmly.

Greem leaped off his horse and returned the greeting with the same gesture, “The Light be with us! It is good to see you. I am Eadric from Bael’dun City on the edge of the Avelli Mountains. I was traveling near the Forest of Darkness when I heard that Haisas was gathering the forces of the Holy Light. I rushed here, hoping to contribute my own insignificant power!”

“So you’re from the Avelli Mountains! No wonder you look so unfamiliar! Welcome, brother! Haisas welcomes you!” The holy knight in the lead said with a smile on his face, “I am Heilit, and today I am on duty at the city gates. Speaking of which, I remember Old Christopher was the one in charge of Bael’dun. I used to drink with him. How is he now? He’s still doing good, isn’t he?”

Greem ambled toward the city with his companion, shaking his head and smiling as he replied, “Sir Christopher had already retired from old age and returned to his hometown of Frostspring valley five years ago. The one managing Bael’dun now is Sir Alamande Graythorn. He also left seven months ago, leading many of our brothers to Dabyrie.”

Greem had already obtained all the crucial information from the memory fragments of the holy knight he intercepted and killed; such simple word games would never trick him. He diffused the knight’s suspicions in a few words and made him let down his guard.

The knight gave Greem a regretful smile after leading him into the inner city, “My sincere apologies brother, but I can only escort you up to here. I still need to welcome our brothers of the Holy Light from all over the land. Totti will bring you to the Chapel! You need to report to Vindicator Athera once you’re there. He will give you your assignment!”

The two saluted each other once again, and the trainee knight Totti led Greem to the majestic Holy Light Chapel at the center of the city. It was the tallest and most magnificent building in the city.

Haisas was under martial law now, but there were still over sixty thousand civilians in the city. With them walking the streets, the city was just as lively as ever. All the civilians hurriedly stepped aside and bowed when they saw two holy knights in brilliant armor walking down the streets.

Greem could tell that they genuinely admired and respected the knights– these believers who carried out the will of the Holy Light. Their respect was not forced in any manner. It was authentic and came from the depths of their souls.

It was proof that the strange power of the Holy Light had been ingrained in the hearts of all who lived in Henvic Plane. The Holy Light was the personification of light and justice!

The genuine admiration of the people aroused the trainee knight’s sense of honor. His young face was filled with unconcealable excitement as he walked by Greem’s side. The subtle looks that he snuck at Greem’s magnificent armor became filled with even more passion and envy.

As a trainee knight, Totti was only wearing ordinary steel armor. The armor had not yet been carved with intricate and beautiful light runes. On the other hand, all holy knights of First Grade and above wore sacred armor enhanced with the power of the Holy Light. The holy light’s power that they called upon would merge with the power of the armor, creating a sort of divine protection for them.

Greem had examined this protective force before. The holy light protection of a First Grade Iron Knight could deflect one hundred and forty points of elementium magical damage. When Greem was still a First Grade adept, his strongest single-target Explosive Fireball only dealt one hundred and fifteen points of damage.

A First Grade Iron Knight could have endured Greem’s fireball attack and charged up to him. Of course, Greem would have taken no more than three seconds to release a First Grade Explosive Fireball. Thus, in a battle between a First Grade adept and a First Grade Iron Knight, the knight would be at an advantage in a small, narrow room.

However, if there were sufficient space, and the First Grade adept had powerful mobility spells, the Iron Knight would be kited to death. After all, no one would be able to be as fast as a rogue while they were wearing dozens of kilograms of armor!