Chapter 164: The Wind Fills the Tower (Part 1)

  Ethan thought for a moment, got up and said to Jessica, "You stay here, I'll go alone."

  "Why?" Jessica frowned, looking at him.

  "It's too dangerous." Ethan answered lightly. He knew very well how skilled Jessica was at stealth and tracking; Drow were natural geniuses in this regard, which was why he had her go scout ahead. But even she was almost discovered, which was sufficient to show how high the vigilance and insight of several of the guards were.

  Of course, vigilance and combat ability were always two different things. Even if there were two or three Templars among these guards, Ethan was confident he could handle them. But his current goal was not to deal with these guards, but the Cardinal who was waiting for someone in the room. As long as those guards discovered him, the assassination would escalate into a direct confrontation.

  Similarly, assassination and combat ability were also two different things. Ethan's daring to assassinate Eschol did not mean he was confident he could defeat him in a direct confrontation.

  On the parchment that Lord Bolgan had given him, the Cardinal's name was the largest and most conspicuous. The description next to this name was far less detailed than the descriptions of others, with only a few small words: "Act according to your ability." Although there were only these few words, they clearly explained the most important point about this person.

  Even though this was the most important target, he was not a target that must be eliminated. Because it was too dangerous.

  In fact, the reason the Cardinal's name was on that parchment was only due to Lord Bolgan's usual meticulous style of work, listing him first in order when recording those who posed the greatest threat to Oufu. And neither Lord Bolgan nor Sedros had ever demanded or expected that Ethan could kill Eschol.

  As early as over twenty years ago, Eschol, along with Ronis and the current Pope Magnus, were known as the three great white mages of the continent. Although he was the youngest and weakest of the three, this didn't mean much. Just as even the weakest lion is still a lion and not a rabbit, his nerves, reactions, and magic skills, honed through countless battles in his early career of combat and adventure, were absolutely incomparable to someone like Adela who lacked practical experience. Moreover, as the Cardinal of Erathia, there would absolutely be guards around him, and those guards could not be anything less than masters.

  Even more critically, if he was still a member of the Diya Valley, then this hidden identity behind him would certainly be accompanied by unfathomable strength.

  Even Ethan himself, at the beginning, had not entertained the delusion of killing this biggest target. After yesterday's assassination was completed, Ethan and Jessica remained in the royal city. Tulalion was in the southwest of Erathia, while Oufu was in the northeast. Here, Ethan could wait for Hilton and the other while also keeping an eye on Erathia's movements at any time, ready to react immediately if anything happened.

  But hiding here while concealing their tracks became the biggest problem. At a time of extreme nervousness, two foreign strangers would certainly attract attention. The Kingdom's Knight Order was searching the city for suspicious persons, and St. Peter's Basilica happened to be one of the places the Kingdom's Knight Order would not search, so Ethan and Jessica secretly infiltrated the great cathedral, hiding in the most concealed place. Although the combat ability and vigilance of the priests and guards here were not necessarily inferior to those of the Kingdom's Knight Order, the cathedral was simply too large and its structure too complex. Not to mention hiding two people who were themselves adept at concealment, you could even find a place to stuff in two oxen.

  But after hiding here, a thought spontaneously arose in Ethan's mind: since he could hide here, could he simply kill that target? This might be his last time in Erathia, and also his last chance.

  If the three people assassinated before were just the fingers of the church's offensive against Oufu, then Eschol was at least a complete arm. According to Lord Bolgan's observations during his time as an envoy for Oufu, Queen Katherine's relationship with the church was not intimate, one could even say they were seemingly in harmony but actually divided. If the Cardinal of Erathia were to die at this critical moment, Queen Katherine might take the opportunity to weaken the church's power in Erathia.

  Although from this perspective, if Eschol died, the one who would benefit the most would be Queen Katherine, under the current circumstances, the interests of Oufu and Queen Katherine were indeed aligned. This is how politics works; behind things that appear bizarre on the surface, there is not necessarily a violation of common sense, it's just that ordinary people generally cannot see through it.

  But this was not the entire reason Ethan wanted to take the risk. There was another very important, and very simple reason: he wanted to test himself.

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  Ever since coming out of the Tulalion forest, he felt that something deep in his soul had been touched, awakened. He couldn't quite discern if this was due to the awe and aspiration he felt for the two after witnessing Gru and his earth-shattering battle, or the fighting spirit sparked during his exchange with Lancelot, or perhaps the words the elven elder told him. Whether it was the unparalleled pressure or motivation, it indeed made him feel that something in his heart was beating again.

  It was the motivation of having a goal, and also the fighting spirit. Just like when he had first left Kalendor, he felt his chest filled again with that vitality and strength. He saw high mountains, but instead of feeling awed, he felt more strength in his heart, and also saw himself.

  So when facing a target like Eschol, who had both immense value and immense danger, he almost immediately decided that he would go see, go try. This was certainly a very dangerous mission, but it was also a step toward reaching a higher level. A test. And this sudden, violent storm was undoubtedly a god-given opportunity. So he decided that he would go, no matter what.

  "Asking me to stay here, what does that mean? Afraid I'll get myself killed? I've told you, I don't need you to care about me." Jessica looked at Ethan coldly.

  Ethan sighed and said, "I just don't want you to get yourself killed. Let me say this first, this isn't Tulalion. If it comes to a truly dangerous life-or-death moment, I probably won't be distracted to save you." He knew that if it were just stealth and concealment, Jessica would certainly not hold him back, but if a fight broke out, it would be another matter.

  "Then that's for the best. Whether I follow you to my death or not is my own business."

  "Then do as you please." A clap of thunder exploded right by their ears, and even the windows trembled slightly. Ethan paid no more attention to Jessica, got up, and gently pushed open the small window on the roof. Wind immediately rushed in. The smell of rain mixed with the menacing aura of thunder and lightning filled this small attic interlayer.

  In the Tulalion forest, after he saved Jessica from Gru's hands, she did not show the slightest gratitude for Ethan saving her, instead looking at him with a hint of hostility and mockery, saying: "Do you think by doing this I would be grateful to you and then be your loyal slave forever? Don't you feel disgusted with this trick of putting on a noble and grand appearance to win people's hearts?"

  Ethan was stunned. Although he hadn't expected Jessica to be weeping with gratitude like a character in a knight's novel, swearing to follow him, he hadn't expected such a reaction either.

  "Now you know, in the world of the Drow, there has never been a concept of 'goodness'. Your good deed was done in vain." Gru looked at Ethan and smiled.

  Ethan sighed, not knowing whether he was speaking to Gru or to Jessica, and said, "I never do good deeds, I only do what I have to do."

  In the end, Gru did as he said and let Jessica go because of Ethan's words, only leaving with the parting shot, "Don't tell anyone about me." Jessica later found Ethan and, with a very strange expression, told him she planned to follow him as before: "But don't think I'm grateful to you. I just want to see what kind of person you are and what you're planning."

  Ethan naturally agreed without saying anything. He needed helpers, and although the Drow, until now, had maintained the same position as Hilton and the others as Ethan's helper, there were some slight differences, such as now.

  Ethan slid out of the open window as silently as a loach in water, pressing himself against the outer wall.

  Although the bluestone outer wall of the cathedral was somewhat uneven, at least even a monkey couldn't easily climb it. Ethan didn't dare to use any magic like Feather Fall. For a white mage of Eschol's level, any magical fluctuation within a hundred meters would attract his attention. He used meditation to control every muscle in his body to its limit, every part of his body clinging to the unevenness of the wall, even able to adhere to it like a gecko. He slowly moved downward. He already knew the location of Cardinal Eschol's room; it was just below.

  It was as if a huge hole had suddenly opened in the sky, pouring down all the wind and water accumulated for millennia. The bean-sized raindrops, thrown by the wind, felt like tiny little fists hitting his body. Less than three seconds after Ethan crawled out, he was completely soaked. The wind, like a madman, tore at his soaked clothes and skin, several times nearly blowing him off the wall.

  But Ethan was very satisfied. In such a strong wind and rain, even he could barely hear the sound of his own climbing, let alone the guards in the cathedral hall.

  Suddenly, a figure slowly slid down from above. Ethan was startled; it was Jessica. Although she couldn't control every part of her body as freely as Ethan, she used her hands to grip the outer edge of the wall as much as possible, her feet dangling, and was also able to slowly slide down. This was not magic, but a unique racial ability of Drow nobles.

  Ethan sighed and did not stop her from following. He also knew it was useless to try to stop her.

  In the dark night woven from wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, two black shadows moved silently on the outer wall of the great cathedral. Below, a window emitted a soft glow of lamplight, like a guiding beacon in the darkness.

  The rain was heavy, and the wind was strong. The wind and rain continuously slammed against the carriage. The carriage jolted violently as if it were climbing the mountain roads on the edge of the Barbarian Highlands. The female knight lovingly stroked the cheek of the young girl in her arms and said softly, "Don't be afraid, we'll be there soon. Cardinal Eschol is waiting for us."

  The young girl in the female knight's arms was very thin, almost just skin and bones. Even so, one could see from her general outline that she had originally been a very delicate and pretty beauty. But she now showed no trace of fear. Not only was she not afraid, but there was no light of any emotion or thought in her large eyes, which were covered by a layer of confused and hazy mist. Her expression was also vacant, and she kept muttering something softly.

  "Knight Talise, is Cardinal Eschol really... absolutely trustworthy?" the young man in the same carriage suddenly asked. His appearance was vaguely similar to the young girl's, showing he was her brother.

  Talise looked both angry and amused, saying, "I don't even know why you would ask such a question. Lord Eschol, as the Cardinal of Erathia, has governed this largest religious nation in the western continent for twenty years. Even in Celeste, aside from His Holiness the Pope, he is the most senior. How could you doubt such a faithful servant of God?"

  "No, I just feel..." the young man hesitated.

  "Yabin, I know what you're concerned about." The female knight smiled. Her originally handsome and bright face became even more dazzling with this smile, enough to make anyone who saw it pause, unable to imagine that such a woman, who was so serious as to be almost rigid, whose speech and even thoughts were filled with justice and the glory of God, could have such a beautiful smile. It was probably a smile that even her teacher Lancelot and the other Temple Knights had never seen. Probably because she smiled so rarely, it was all the more beautiful.

  "I know that after what you've been through, you're wary of everyone who uses white magic and mind magic, which is why you didn't seek help from the church. But I can guarantee with God's supreme glory that it must have been a person with ulterior motives who used some means to create a false impression. Cardinal Eschol will surely be able to cure your sister Aimee. I will also report this matter to Celeste and must find the mastermind behind your family's tragedy."

  The carriage had already reached the entrance of the great cathedral. Talise and Yabin, carrying Aimee, got out of the carriage and quickly walked through the great doors of the church.

  The wind and rain grew stronger and stronger. Even the sacred doors of the church seemed unable to stop them. Raindrops, carried by the airflow, continuously poured inside, desperately filling this magnificent and solemn, massive structure.