133: Riots broke out

"Lord Middleton, they are in position."

Inside an unremarkable house on one side of the main road, Deacon Flynn reported respectfully to Bishop Middleton.

Middleton nodded with slight satisfaction; fortunately, those useless trash hired by Mandel hadn't delayed today's important business.

Otherwise, given his personality, those failures likely wouldn't have seen the rising sun tomorrow.

After finishing his report, Flynn stood respectfully to the side while Middleton looked out through the small window of the house.

Although their temporary post was small, it provided a view of most of the main road and offered excellent concealment.

As the clamor grew louder, the parade convoy slowly advanced toward their direction.

"Flynn, in a moment, regardless of whether those trash succeed in their sneak attack, you must immediately trigger the Eternal Life Magic Circle in the eastern residential district."

"Once the majority of Aetheria's forces have gone to support the eastern district, it will be the best time for us to execute the Archbishop's orders."

"As you command, Lord Middleton." Flynn's respectful expression was tinged with intense excitement and anticipation.

If Middleton could complete the Archbishop's orders in Aetheria this time and retreat safely, his prestige within the church would soar.

At that time, not only would Middleton be rewarded, but his subordinates who followed him would also receive tempting benefits.

Meanwhile, the 'trash' Middleton spoke of—the mage squad lying in wait at another location along the main road—stared intently at the approaching convoy.

Although they looked energetic enough, they still reeked of the alcohol from last night's debauchery.

Clatter, clatter~

Accompanied by various sounds of laughter and play, the parade convoy slowly passed by.

The mage squad carefully identified every person in the parade, fearing they might miss their target.

At this moment, in the middle of the parade, Morris sat on a carriage, looking delighted as he waved his hands here and there.

He didn't seem the least bit afraid or worried about the impending assassination attempt.

The knight following closely beside him, Carnegie Bowen, couldn't help but ask, "Young Master Morris, aren't you worried at all?"

"Worried?"

Morris paused, then laughed heartily. "What is there to worry about? Uncle Fland has already had mages place protective magic on me."

"Moreover, there are so many knights and mages hidden in the shadows for protection."

"If I were still afraid with this level of protection, then what right would I, an illegitimate son, have to ask my father to reveal my identity and take me back to the territory?"

Saying this, he turned to Carnegie and said seriously, "Carnegie, you should understand that I am just a motherless bastard. If I want to prove that I am worthy of the Joseph Family name,"

"Then I must do something to prove myself. Isn't courage the very conviction the Joseph Family has always championed?"

"If I were to shrink back at this moment, then forget my father—even I would look down on myself."

"I understand, Young Master Morris," Carnegie nodded solemnly.

As the guardian knight sent by Count Joseph to Morris's side since he was a child, Carnegie's feelings for Morris were deep.

And now, he realized that the child he had been protecting had grown into a man of firm conviction without him even noticing.

This positive change filled his heart with immense gratification.

Just then, the parade convoy slowly passed through the middle section of the main road.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Suddenly, sharp whistling sounds like blades cutting through the air rang out.

Nearly ten energy attacks of various forms—fireballs, ice spikes, and water ripples condensed from mana—flew out from a second-story house on the side of the main road, shooting straight toward Morris.

Just as they were about to hit Morris, several magic circles of different colors, covered in strange runes, materialized around him.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Accompanied by terrifying explosions, all the energy attacks accurately struck the defensive magic circles. However, it was like throwing pebbles into a river, causing only faint ripples.

The shockwaves that should have radiated outward were completely neutralized by the power of the magic circles, leaving only a large amount of black smoke formed by mana to drift through the air.

"Aaaaah! Help!"

"Help! Mages are killing people!"

After the explosions, terrified screams suddenly erupted.

The sudden assassination attempt left the commoners in the middle of the parade terrified and witless, their only thought being to escape.

Panic spread from one person to ten, then to a hundred. In an instant, the entire parade became restless, and the scene turned into utter chaos.

Clop, clop, clop~

The Knight Squads already stationed around the streets quickly emerged to maintain order in the parade.

On the other side, the mage squad's hidden location was completely exposed after they launched their attack.

The knights and mages belonging to Elsid, who had been hiding in the shadows, instantly locked onto their position and charged straight toward them.

The mage assassination squad, preparing to escape using teleportation magic, had their spellcasting interrupted by mana energy attacks that arrived in an instant.

While they were forced to defend themselves, a group of Silver Knights appeared before them like bloodthirsty demonic beasts.

As sharp cold lights flashed, several of the most fiercely resisting mages fell before they could even scream, their thick blood flowing across the ground.

Inside the private box, Lister, who had seen everything, praised, "As expected of the Earl's knights and mage group. Their actions were clean and decisive, without a hint of hesitation."

"Lord Lister is right. Judging by the thick killing intent on them, they have all undoubtedly participated in major wars."

"In comparison, our Ironthorn Territory's Knight Squad still needs to be tempered by more blood," Red added with a look of awe.

Lister nodded, fully agreeing with his statement. His current Knight Squad was indeed far behind.

However, he wasn't particularly worried because he would soon be heading to the Western Frontier Territory, which would be the best training ground for the Ironthorn Territory knights.

Daisna, who was beside him, asked, "Lister, what do you plan to do next?"

After a moment of thought, Lister replied, "Although it seems there was only that one group of assassins and they failed,"

"The chaos they caused is an established fact. Other forces lurking in Aetheria certainly won't miss this opportunity. They might have already started acting."

"I want to take people to—"

Before Lister could finish, a massive explosion suddenly rang out in the distance, far more powerful than the disturbance caused by the mage squad earlier.

"What happened!"

Everyone in the room was startled, and Lister immediately realized that other forces must have made their move.

"Daisna, return to the castle manor immediately. Red and I will go take a look."

"Alright."

Daisna didn't try to be brave; following Lister here was already a risky endeavor.

The situation in Aetheria was now completely unpredictable, and the danger was even greater than before.

So, both for her own sake and to avoid being a burden to Lister, she had to return to the manor.

Soon, under the escort of two high-level Silver Knights, Daisna's back disappeared from Lister's sight.

"Red, Spartacus, Seguin, let's go."

"Damn it, that old dog Elsid actually invited a High Mage to preside over this."

In the Dark Church's hiding spot, Middleton's voice rang out, filled with gnashing teeth and unwilling resentment.

Flynn, beside him, also wore a look of hatred, his eyes sharp as if they wanted to pierce through Elsid ten thousand times.

Just now, when they triggered the carefully prepared Eternal Life Magic Circle, a powerful protective magic circle had suddenly enveloped it.

Although the Eternal Life Magic Circle was triggered successfully, it didn't cause any damage to the eastern residential district; it was merely a muffled bang.

They had learned about the presence of a High Mage from the energy feedback of the Eternal Life Magic Circle.

Suddenly, a strong sense of crisis flashed through Middleton's consciousness.

"Not good, we've been discovered. Retreat immediately!"

As his voice fell, Middleton chanted an obscure and difficult incantation, and a black mana teleportation circle instantly appeared throughout the room.

Flash!

The moment Middleton and the others disappeared, a burly figure holding a sword in both hands crashed through the roof and landed on the floor.

"They react quite fast!"

Pulling his longsword from the floor, Ellis spoke into the air in a deep voice, "Francis, can you track their teleportation destination?"

"I need a little time," a clear male voice came from the air.

Ellis waited quietly. After a few breaths, the clear male voice spoke again.

"Found them. They haven't left Aetheria yet; they are rushing toward the East Gate. I'll cast short-range teleportation magic on you now."

As he spoke, an incredibly solid sky-blue runic magic circle appeared out of thin air beneath Ellis's feet.

Flash!

In the next second, Ellis's figure vanished from the room, leaving behind only faint mana energy.

At the same time, Lister and the other three, having come out of the box, were rushing toward the eastern part of the city.

They had all heard the loud explosion just now and realized it came from the east.

Lister was instantly anxious because the Carter Merchant Guild Academy, where Sabrina was located, was in the east.

Regardless of Sabrina's own abilities, just her status as Brutus's 'old flame' meant Lister could not let anything happen to her.

Despite his anxiety, he still reminded Red and the others, "The forces that infiltrated Aetheria are all quite mysterious, and their strength is unpredictable. But judging by the Church of the Goddess of Revenge we encountered earlier, they certainly won't be weak."

"If we run into them later, we should focus on harassment and avoid direct confrontation as much as possible. Leave the rest to the Earl's knight order, understood?"

"Understood," Red and the other two respectfully complied.

Rushing at full speed, the four of them soon arrived at the Carter Merchant Guild Academy in the eastern district.

At this moment, on the streets around the academy, there was no other damage or casualties besides the residents frightened by the explosion.

Seeing Sabrina safe and sound, Lister couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

"Miss Sabrina, there is some chaos in Aetheria right now. I'll have Seguin escort you to the castle manor."

Sabrina shook her head and said firmly, "Thank you for your kindness, Lord Howard, but I am not that delicate. It's better to keep him by your side for protection."

"The Kingdom Church branch is not far from the academy. With my status as a graduate of the Church Academy, I can take temporary refuge there."

"This—"

After hesitating for a moment, Lister still nodded. "Alright, then let us escort you there."

Sabrina didn't refuse this time. Under the escort of the four, she soon entered the branch of the Kingdom Church.

As they watched her figure disappear, another loud explosion near the East Gate area caught their attention.

"Let's go!"

With those words, the four of them rushed toward the source of the explosion once again.

On the way, successive loud bangs and black smoke continued to ring out and appear at the East Gate.

Ten minutes later, Lister's group of four finally saw the two sides engaged in a fierce battle.

One side was the members of the Dark Church, whom he had never met, and the other was the Knight Squad led by Ellis.

At this moment, in the large square near the East Gate, various combat qi skills and magic skills were exploding and flashing in the sky.

The terrifying energy contained in the skills of both sides left Lister and his companions shocked and clicking their tongues, except for Red who was slightly better off.

This was the first time they had seen a Golden Knight fight; the mere aftershocks of the skills filled them with dread.

The cobblestone ground within a hundred-meter radius was flipped and torn up from time to time, and the thick smoke from the explosions quickly spread in all directions.

In Lister's perception, he noticed that Ellis wasn't using his full strength; his expression was exceptionally calm and relaxed.

Although the pace of the battle was very fast, under Ellis's intentional control, the fight continued without stopping.

Lister knew he probably wanted to capture them alive, which was why he hadn't directly dealt a killing blow.

Meanwhile, those fighting him all had tense expressions and solemn eyes, struggling to hold on.

Even so, it was clear that these people were not weak, especially the one primarily confronting Ellis.

At the same time, Lister felt energy fluctuations in the air similar to his own Wizardry.

Although he had confirmed their status as Transcendents, Lister wanted to find out even more which faction they were sent by.

Just as Middleton and the others from the Dark Church were about to give in, a strange Red magic circle suddenly appeared out of thin air on the ground where everyone was fighting.

"Annihilate!"