The next morning, at Kris’s camp.
“Your Highness the Prince, the blockade of Matthews Territory is complete. We’ve also stationed many men around the Earl’s mansion.”
“Not even a fly can get out.”
Beside Kris, a captain in heavy armor was reporting the situation.
With this, the Earl’s territory had become his bargaining chip.
“I believe Mann Matthews won’t dare act rashly either.”
He turned, looking at the kneeling captain, and issued an order.
“But blockade alone isn’t enough. I want you to completely cut off the territory’s supply lines. It may be cruel to the residents, but it’s also the most effective method.”
“I trust it won’t be long before Mann and his Evil God Sect accomplices expose themselves.”
“Yes, Your Highness the Prince.”
Watching the captain leave, the corners of Kris’s mouth curled up slightly.
On Sophien’s end, the Evil God Sect had already received the message he sent. Even if they couldn’t defeat her, they could at least stall her for a while.
And during that time, he planned to eliminate the unstable factor of Matthews Territory and completely crush Mann Matthews.
Although he had no excuse to act now, who said he had to do it himself?
With supplies blocked, it was only a matter of time before the territory descended into chaos.
After that, letting the Evil God Sect infiltrate would be the perfect opportunity to strike.
Then his purge would be justified.
“Even if you guessed that the Evil God Sect is connected to me, so what? Mann Matthews?”
“This power struggle has only just begun.”
And the winner… will be me.
“Report!”
Just then, a paladin walked in.
“We’ve found people in white robes appearing all over the territory. They call themselves the Holy Son Sect, preaching the Evil God Sect’s atrocities to the residents while also praising the King’s wisdom.”
This piqued Kris’s interest.
“The Holy Son Sect? Go on.”
“They’re recruiting followers widely, and their numbers are growing… Should we intervene?”
“Intervene? Are you trying to openly tell others that we’re on the Evil God Sect’s side and dissatisfied with the King’s actions?”
“But… if we let them be…”
“It’s just a diversion. They won’t cause any real trouble. Strengthen surveillance.”
He looked outside the tent, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
He couldn’t understand—Matthews Territory was blockaded, and he almost had full control of the situation. What was the point of such an act under these circumstances?
Mann Matthews, what trick are you trying to play?
…
Inside Matthews Manor, in the abandoned cave.
Mann was alone there, as if waiting for something.
He looked around. Though some areas were covered in fallen rocks, the environment was still as dark and damp as before, making his whole body uncomfortable.
He had thought that after the Evil God’s Head incident, this place would have been filled in.
But unexpectedly, it had been preserved. Maybe his father had simply forgotten.
“Still, it’s a decent hiding spot. I just never thought I’d come back here like this.”
Mann’s gaze fixed straight ahead, where the smooth stone mirror—the place where his mother had been—once stood.
Now it was nothing but scattered rubble.
“Mother…”
Uncontrollable memories surged from the depths of his mind, but somehow, there was always a strange sense of incongruity.
That feeling of fragmentation from missing memories grew stronger.
“Blue Star… what is that?”
“Besides Ge Rui En, I must have forgotten something else…”
Just as he was immersed in his memories, a call from behind pulled him back.
“Young Master Mann, we’ve established the Holy Son Sect as you instructed and have already won over many followers.”
“Uh…? Yes, well done.”
Mann was clearly taken aback for a moment.
“Any movement from Kris?”
“No, everything is as usual.”
Ge Rui En answered matter-of-factly.
“Good. Continue as planned, but you two can also disengage now.”
“Come with me to check something.”
“To the location those demihumans gave us before?”
“Correct.”
Mann nodded.
But he held little hope that those demihumans held hostage were still alive.
Finding evidence linking Kris to the Evil God Sect remained the main objective.
And given Kris’s personality, plus the sensitive status of the demihumans, they were likely to be killed after being used.
Considering Mei’s demihuman status, Mann didn’t plan to bring her along this time.
“Mei, you stay.”
“I’ll go with Ge Rui En this time.”
“No…”
She shook her head firmly.
“I have to go.”
Seeing her determined expression, Mann ultimately said nothing more.
“In that case, I won’t stop you. I don’t have the right to.”
“But you need to be mentally prepared.”
He handed over two pure black robes, signaling for them to put them on.
Of course, he had treated these robes beforehand.
He had inscribed Runes of Concealment on them.
“These are… the Evil God Sect’s robes?”
“That’s right. Though they’re a bit crude, they’re more than enough as a disguise.”
With that, he traced the Rune Script representing energy in the air with his finger.
“Young Master Mann? That is…?”
“Rune magic. If you want to learn, I’ll teach you when there’s a chance.”
Under his focused drawing, the script formed in no time.
And it was several times faster than before.
But due to the earlier accident, he no longer dared to draw the script into his body.
After all, that thing had nearly killed him.
Thinking this, he took out the deep purple magic stone Sophien had given him and guided the script to imprint into the stone.
As the script fully merged, the magic stone gradually turned a golden yellow. The original magical fluctuation disappeared completely.
Runes were different from mana. In theory, as long as he carried them, they could take effect.
And using them to replace mana naturally meant no need to worry about mana storage.
But these were just guesses.
With a thought, a semi-transparent panel appeared before him.
Pseudo Time Manipulation, currently available: 5 times.
Rune Magic level increased to LV2.
With that, there was nothing to worry about.
He put on the black robe, took both their hands, and said:
“Jump!”
In an instant, the three of them abruptly appeared in the mountains not far from Matthews Territory.
Mann checked the map the demihuman had left and locked onto a cave not far ahead as their destination.
He sensed several dozen magical fluctuations, meaning quite a few people were guarding the area.
“Watch for enemies. Prioritize stealth, avoid conflict.”
The three exchanged glances and nodded lightly.
“Let’s go. It’s just ahead.”
Soon, they arrived near the target.
It was then that they noticed the people guarding the cave entrance were also wearing black robes, just like them.
“The Evil God Sect? So they really are in league.”
“What now?”
Mann said nothing. He simply stared at the Evil God Sect members guarding the cave, his gaze sharpening.
“Take them out in the shortest time possible!”
“Be careful not to alert other enemies. You can do that, right?”