Book 13, Gebados – Chapter 16, Turned Back
Since Ojwin and Hanbritt had been repulsed, the people within Dragonblood Castle became much more relieved. Linley, Dylin, and Tarosse all went to the main hall, chatting and laughing while enjoying the sumptuous dinner feast.
Linley’s group were all in a fine mood.
But, Ojwin was in a terrible mood!
In the gray, clouded skies.
Ojwin and Hanbritt were flying shoulder to shoulder back towards the O’Brien Empire.
Hanbritt glanced at Ojwin. “Ojwin, don’t be so unhappy. Both Tarosse and Dylin were both more powerful than you had predicted. Just the two of us, go and kill Olivier under their watch? It is virtually impossible.”
Ojwin was silent.
“To kill Olivier, the only options are to do so when he leaves Dragonblood Castle, or...when Tarosse and Dylin leave Dragonblood Castle.” Hanbritt recommended. “Ojwin, for now, just give it up. When the time comes, if we can ask Lord Adkins to act, or perhaps Barnas or Gatenby to help us, we will have complete assurance of victory.”
Whether it was Lord Adkins who acted, or the alliance of Barnas, Gatenby, Hanbritt, and Ojwin, either scenario would result in an easy storming of Dragonblood Castle and the slaying of Olivier.
However...to convince Lord Adkins to act?
“What sort of a person is Lord Adkins? I’m afraid to even speak in front of him.” Ojwin laughed mockingly at himself. “As for Barnas and Gatenby, the two are very hard to make friends with. Unless I spend sufficient time and energy on them, it’s virtually impossible to get them to help.”
“It’s good that you understand this. Thus, for now, endure.” Hanbritt said.
Ojwin was silent.
Endure?
How could he endure and ignore this enmity with the person who had killed his son? Ojwin constantly thought of killing that Olivier.
Hanbritt glanced at Ojwin. He couldn’t help but sigh in his heart, “This Ojwin seems to be possessed. It is best that I destroy any hope or fantasies he might be entertaining.” Hanbritt spoke. “Ojwin, to kill that Olivier, we have to locate his position, and thus must use our divine sense to find him. But at the same time that we do so, we will be discovered. It is impossible for us to kill Olivier under the gazes of Tarosse and Dylin. Thus, you should give up.”
“What did you just say!!!” Ojwin’s eyes widened, and he stared at Hanbritt in shock and joy.
Hanbritt started. “I...I didn’t say anything?”
“What you said just now. Using divine sense to search...” Ojwin was so excited his eyes were shining.
Hanbritt was utterly confused. “Right. If we use divine sense to search for Olivier, Dylin and Tarosse will definitely discover us. Our ambush will thus be unsuccessful. What about it?” Hanbritt didn’t understand why Ojwin had become so delighted.
“Haha...”
Ojwin laughed loudly.
“Huh?” Hanbritt was somewhat confused.
Ojwin took a deep breath, his eyes revealing the excitement he was suppressing. “Hanbritt, when we use our divine sense to search for Olivier, Tarosse will be able to locate us. Then...what if we don’t use our divine sense? Haha, I actually didn’t even think of this. I’m too stupid. Haha...”
Ojwin laughed loudly in excitement.
Hanbritt began to understand somewhat. “Ojwin, if we don’t use our divine sense, there’s no way we’ll be able to find Olivier in a short period of time.”
“Don’t worry.” Ojwin’s eyes revealed a hint of coldness. “It is very simple. I just need to infiltrate Dragonblood Castle. Dylin and Tarosse can’t always be spreading their divine sense out, right? Within Dragonblood Castle, as long as I spend a little bit of time, I’ll be able to find Olivier!”
Ojwin was incomparably confident.
“Be careful. Don’t end up running into Tarosse and Dylin before finding Olivier!” Hanbritt said with a laugh.
“Don’t worry. My luck can’t be that awful.” Ojwin immediately said.
The only danger of his infiltrating Dragonblood Castle alone was that he might run into Dylin or Tarosse before finding Olivier. If that happened, there would be no way he could kill Olivier.
“This method of yours does indeed have a chance at success, and the chance is rather high.” Hanbritt nodded. “Only, this method is dangerous as well. Ojwin, all I can do is wait here and hope for your success. I won’t be able to accompany you.”
“No need.” Ojwin understood the practicalities involved. “I alone will be enough.”
After speaking, Ojwin smiled towards Hanbritt, then immediately turned and flew back towards Dragonblood Castle.
Watching Ojwin’s disappearing back, Hanbritt sighed in his heart. “Ojwin’s only weakness is that he cared too much about that son of his.” Both Hanbritt and Ojwin were incomparably vicious. For example, Hanbritt had been the one to destroy War God Mountain.
Ojwin, in turn, had destroyed the Baruch Empire’s imperial palace.
Dragonblood Castle. Linley and Delia’s residence.
Linley and Delia were enjoying their own private little world. Linley was lying in bed, with Delia in his arms, her ear pressed against Linley’s chest, listening to Linley’s heartbeat.
Linley stroked Delia’s fragrant hair. Smelling the scent of her hair, he felt his heart at peace.
“Linley.” Delia suddenly said.
“Hrm?” Linley replied.
Delia said, “Linley, recently, every day I’ve been afraid of a battle erupting. This sort of life...” Delia raised her head to look at Linley. “When will this end?”
Actually, Linley could also sense that many people in Dragonblood Castle were very nervous.
“What are you worried about?” Linley sighed. “In the past, when we were young, you were just an ordinary magus, and I wasn’t a Saint yet. Didn’t we still successfully pass through those days? A road filled with struggles and battles. And now, I have reached the Deity level, while you, Delia, in a few years, will have completely absorbed your divine spark as well and also become a Deity. We weren’t afraid back then. What have we to fear now?”
Delia thought back to those days of the past, when she was all by herself. At that time, Linley and Alice had been together, and then he had disappeared for nearly ten years.
And then Delia thought about how she and Linley were together now.
Delia laughed. Right. What did she have to worry about?
She already enjoyed this sort of quiet life very much. Linley and Delia, although both had to train, would often make the time to be together by themselves, and enjoy this sort of warmth.
“Linley, have you gone to see Alice?” Delia suddenly asked.
“Did you just say Alice?” Linley didn’t feel too agitated when the subject of Alice was raised. He only had a feeling in his heart, a feeling that so much had changed, that ‘the blue seas had transformed into mulberry fields’. “I haven’t seen Alice. What, have you?” Decades had passed since Linley had last seen Alice, prior to her wedding.
“I saw her.” Delia said. “And it was right in the imperial capital, Baruch City.”
“The imperial capital? Alice is at the imperial capital?” Linley was somewhat surprised.
Delia nodded. “Right. We now have a Proulx Gallery in the imperial capital, and Alice is the manager of that Proulx Gallery. But of course, she’s just a branch manager. Alice hasn’t changed very much compared to the past, you know. She’s still quite beautiful.” Delia looked at Linley teasingly.
Linley only laughed.
He still remembered how, during the Apocalypse Day event, he had given Alice and Rowling into the care of managing director Maia.
“In addition, Alice still hasn’t gotten married.” Delia stared at Linley, carefully looking for any changes in his expression.
“What?” Linley was rather surprised.
It had been decades, after all. The puppy love they had shared in the past was insubstantial, like a dream. And on Apocalypse Day, that Kalan had died as well. Linley had thought that Alice would have married long ago.
“What, do you have any special thoughts?” Delia’s laugh was very evil.
“Not really. Only, I feel a bit moved.” Linley said with a laugh.
Delia no longer teased Linley. Nodding, she said, “Honestly, it was Jenne who told me that Alice had arrived in the imperial capital. Jenne used to spend a lot of time in the imperial capital, right? She’s quite a famous figure in the circle of nobles within the imperial capital these days. Naturally, she would encounter Alice during some of the banquets there.”
Just as Linley and Delia were engaged in private conversation between the two of them, husband and wife, a figure suddenly emerged from the earth beneath the rear gardens of Dragonblood Castle. It was Ojwin, who had snuck in.
“It is about time.” Ojwin said to himself.
Actually, Ojwin had been waiting a few hundred kilometers away from Dragonblood Castle. After three or four hours, he had come over. According to Ojwin’s calculations...it should have been dinnertime after the battle just now. He expected it should now be about midnight.
“By now, everyone should be back in their own rooms. Only a few roving patrols are around.” Ojwin suppressed the excitement in his heart.
He began to stealthily move about within Dragonblood Castle.
Dragonblood Castle was extremely large, comparable to a small city. There were thousands of commoners living here, and each night, there were quite a few roving patrols. But of course, for a God of Ojwin’s power, he was naturally able to easily avoid those roving patrols.
“Hey, bros, you guys go on up ahead. We’re going to take a rest.”
The nighttime guards were about to change shifts. One of the units headed towards their own residences, chatting amongst each other. When they reached the northern gardens where the guards and the serving maids resided, they naturally went their separate ways and headed towards their own rooms.
Suddenly, one of the guards who was heading towards his own residence felt his head grow dizzy and his consciousness grow dim. A human figure appeared behind him. It was Ojwin.
“Tell me, where is Olivier.” Ojwin spoke out.
Although Ojwin wasn’t very proficient at techniques for controlling others, just by relying on his spiritual energy as a God, he was able to easily control an ordinary commoner.
“Don’t know.” The guard said woodenly.
Ojwin couldn’t help but frown. “Then what about Tarosse and Dylin?”
“Don’t know.” The guard still said.
Ojwin couldn’t help but feel some anger, but then he quickly understood. “It seems the ordinary people in Dragonblood Castle aren’t familiar with these Deities at all. Only those personal servants will know them.” Ojwin pondered his next steps.
“Let me ask you this. Have you ever seen a seemingly young man with white and black hair? He is often together with Linley.” Ojwin said.
“Yes I have.” The guard said mechanically.
“Do you know where he lives?” Ojwin felt joy in his heart, and he hurriedly followed up on this line of questioning.
“East gardens. When on our patrols, I have seen that lord. He lives with several other lords in the east gardens. Lord Linley is often together with him.” The guard said. Ojwin’s heart was filled with wild joy. “It seems Olivier, Tarosse, and Dylin are all in the eastern gardens.”
“Lead me there.” Ojwin said.
“Yes.” The guard didn’t resist in the slightest.
The guard immediately led Ojwin out of the northern gardens towards the east gardens.
“Hey, Will [Wei’er], aren’t you going back to get some rest? What are you doing here in the east gardens?” Several roving patrolmen walked over from the east garden. Clearly, they recognized this guard, and they immediately asked him.
Ojwin was currently hidden nearby.
“Tell them that when you were on patrol, you lost something in the east garden, so you came to search for it.” Ojwin immediately said.
The guard said, “When I was on patrol, I lost something in the east gardens. I’m coming to look for it.”
The other guards all began to laugh. “Will, you sure are negligent. It is very dark now. Search carefully. If you can’t find it, come back and search again when it is day.” After speaking, these guards left and went back on patrol.
Although they had the feeling that Will’s manner of speech was somewhat different from the past, they didn’t harbor any suspicions.
After all, they could tell at a glance that this was indeed their old friend, Will.
“Continue.” Ojwin gave the order, and the guard immediately headed deeper towards the east garden of Dragonblood Castle...