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Chapter 536，Par1: Prelude of the Conspiracy (1)

Roel had known that he would be busy with administrative affairs after returning to the Ascarts’ manor, but an individual had only so much time and energy. Turning his focus onto the Ascart Fiefdom meant that he would have less time to keep an eye on international affairs.

Even so, he wasn’t too worried about it, since he had many people supporting him.

Anna, the personal maid who had accompanied him from a young age, was one of his most trusted aides, and he entrusted the most important tasks to her.

Shortly after returning to the Ascarts’ manor, Roel listed out a bunch of important matters for Anna to keep a close eye on, instructing her to inform him right away if there were any updates. One of these important matters was any message from the Country of Scholars, particularly those signed by Principal Antonio.

In the banquet hall, Anna carefully maneuvered her way through the crowd while politely bowing to the nobles along the way. Those who noticed her courteously opened up a pathway for her to pass through. While she was employed as a maid, her responsibilities were equivalent to those of Roel’s secretary, which prompted the crowd to treat her with respect.

It didn’t take her long to reach Roel and discreetly inform him about the arrival of Antonio’s letter. Roel widened his eyes in surprise upon hearing the news. He excused himself from the crowd and followed her out of the hall.

The two of them quickly made their way to the study room, where a letter waited on the table. Roel picked up the letter and saw Principal Antonio’s signature on the cover. He breathed a sigh of relief.

He had been worried that Antonio might meet with a mishap during his raid against the Fallens. After all, the Austine Empire had kept an ambivalent attitude thus far, and it was still a mystery to them how the Collector was found. The fact that Antonio was able to personally write to him suggested that nothing bad had happened yet.

Roel tore open the envelope and read its content. Moments later, a frown appeared on his face.

In the letter, Antonio updated him about the situation in the northern mountain range of the Austine Empire. Brolne’s forces had been steadily tightening their encirclement, and through the use of special detection spells, they had confirmed the presence of other high transcendents.

Unlike the martial artists in fiction, the transcendents of the Sia Continent had no interest in devoting themselves to nature like ascetic monks. Instead, the stronger a transcendent was, the more likely they were to gather in larger cities. It was unusual to find high transcendents in the remote mountainous regions of the Austine Empire, which even ordinary mortals rarely visited.

A group of transcendents lurking in a remote mountainous region was more likely than not to be evil cultists trying to avoid detection, and the presence of high transcendents among them made it highly plausible that the Collector was with them.

That was why Antonio’s team was proceeding with the utmost caution, fearful that the huge fish would escape from their net.

Roel was satisfied with what he had read up to this point. He was the one who had advised Antonio to proceed carefully back then, after all.

But what he read next shocked him.

According to Principal Antonio, Holy Eminence John had also personally headed over to deal with the Fallens. The two Origin Level 1 transcendents were going to join hands to ensure the eradication of the vermin who had plagued humankind for over a thousand years now.

Both Principal Antonio and Holy Eminence John knew that the Fallens posed a fatal threat to Roel, which hardened their determination to eliminate them. Roel knew that they were doing this for him, but his heart turned cold when he learned about the news.

The knowledge that Holy Eminence John wasn’t in the Holy Capital was a nightmare to Roel. He was still banking on the possibility of Holy Eminence John secretly traveling to Ascart City and helping him overcome this crisis. Not even the Treant High Priest would have dared to make a reckless move in the presence of a Race Sovereign.

This was the strongest card Roel had up his sleeves, but unbeknownst to him, the card had already left the deck.

Roel shot to his feet. The feeling of unease grew even more intense, not just because of Holy Eminence John’s absence but also the uncanny timing of it.

Holy Eminence John had headed to the Austine Empire to deal with the Collector on Roel’s behalf, but thinking back, the one who had induced the current situation was none other than the Collector himself… Could it be possible that this was what the Collector was after?

In the first place, it was already weird that the Collector even slipped up at all. What were the chances of an elusive individual who had remained unnoticed under the Theocracy’s eyelids for more than a century being suddenly found in the remote mountains?

It was this doubt that led Roel to think that this was a conspiracy against Antonio.

But if he looked at it from another perspective, the discovery of the Collector had tied down not just Antonio but Holy Eminence John as well…

The implications of that chilled Roel’s heart. He unconsciously clenched his fists.

Supposing that the Collector’s true goal was to lure Holy Eminence John away, which he had already succeeded in doing, it could only mean that his true target was him—Roel Ascart. Without Holy Eminence John in the Theocracy, Roel was no different from a lone boat drifting into an impending storm.

Roel stared at the darkened sky outside with a palpitating heart.

All of these had been nothing but his speculation, but if he was right, the Collector was taking a huge risk here. Both Principal Antonio and Holy Eminence John were powerful Origin Level 1 transcendents, not to mention that Holy Eminence John had inherited the Angel Bloodline. They would have been formidable powerhouses even in the ancient era.

The Fallens would suffer severe casualties under their combined assault. Even the Collector himself risked being cornered.

This was at odds with the Collector’s cautious personality. It was perplexing that someone who had the patience to quietly watch the Ascart House from a dark room for many decades would suddenly make such a reckless move.

The only plausible reason was that the Collector was after something bigger.

“Hah. Do you want my life that much?” Roel murmured under his breath with narrowed eyes.

Anna noticed Roel’s agitation and was worried.

“Young master, did you receive bad news from Lord Antonio’s side?”

“…It’s nothing. You don’t have to worry about it.”

Roel shook his head, choosing not to explain the matter. He looked through the letter once more before settling down on the armchair. He closed his eyes and allowed his thoughts to roam free.

His conjectures might appear to be logically sound, but they were nothing but guesses. Most people in his position would have thought that the situation looked optimistic instead.

If the Collector had really accidentally given away his whereabouts, there was a good chance that he would be taken down by Principal Antonio and Holy Eminence John. That would greatly improve Roel’s position while dishing out a severe blow to the evil cultists.

That was the ideal scenario, but Roel thought that it was too optimistic to assume that to be the case. He believed in always preparing for the worst so that he wouldn’t be caught off-guard.

Watching the night scenery of Ascart City, Roel slowly calmed his breathing. He picked up his quill and began writing a reply letter to Antonio.

He knew that it was too late to call Holy Eminence John back, so he didn’t bother asking for reinforcement. Instead, he advised Principal Antonio to go all-out on the attack. What was done was done. Since the Collector had prepared such a huge bait to lure the two Human Sovereigns over, they might as well go with the flow.

Even if the worst-case scenario came to be, he would make sure that the Fallens paid a heavy price for it.

Roel’s complexion improved a little after writing the letter. He instructed Anna to deliver the letter using the Ascart House’s channels before rising to his feet to return to the banquet hall.