Chapter 262 : Chapter 262
Chapter 262. “Illusion Technology”
“Prime Minister, you mean...” The Minister of Military Affairs was slightly startled.
“We must seek out the Holy Church.” The Prime Minister sighed. “When facing demons, the Holy Church’s cardinals and the Heresy Tribunal are the true experts. Before demons, humanity must stand as one. Parliament needs to begin joint discussions with the higher-ups of the Holy Church immediately. Even if we have to pay some political price, we must find out what Hell is truly plotting.”
The ministers all lowered their heads and voiced their agreement. No one dared to raise an objection at such a critical juncture.
Just as the Prime Minister was about to make the final decision, a faint magical fluctuation suddenly spread above the long table at the center of the hall.
Immediately after, a parchment decree stamped with the royal family’s highest golden seal actually materialized out of thin air before everyone’s eyes. Accompanied by a faint golden glow, it slowly drifted down onto the tabletop in front of the Prime Minister.
All the important ministers, including the Minister of Finance and Viscountess Eleanor, who had just been clashing fiercely, felt their hearts shake violently. Cold sweat quietly crept up their backs.
The only exception was the Minister of Military Affairs, who was currently glancing sideways at the “solemn-faced” Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister’s aged fingers paused slightly. Then he stood up, respectfully picked up the decree that still carried a trace of magical warmth, and handed it to the attendant beside him, settling the matter with finality.
“His Majesty has already made a decision on this matter.”
The attendant accepted it with trembling hands. He took a deep breath, and his sonorous voice echoed beneath the dome of the Golden Rose Palace.
“His Majesty decrees—”
“Demonic traces have appeared in the southeastern defensive line, and this matter concerns the survival of humanity. The cabinet’s proposal is approved. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to immediately assemble a delegation of the highest standard, carrying the royal family’s confidential letter to the Holy City, where they shall discuss countermeasures against Hell with the Holy Church. With a great enemy before us, all factions within the kingdom must work together as one. No further baseless accusations shall be made.”
These words completely defined the nature of the partisan struggle from moments ago. When the Minister of Finance heard them, his expression instantly became even uglier, but he could only lower his head deeply.
The attendant paused, his gaze sweeping over the lower half of the decree. His voice rose several degrees again.
“As for Professor Logaris...”
Everyone pricked up their ears.
“He displayed outstanding command ability in this battle. He turned the tide when collapse was imminent. He also rendered extraordinary service in the operation to capture the insider. The royal family ought to reward him handsomely!”
The hall was so silent that a falling needle could be heard. The corners of Viscountess Eleanor’s lips lifted slightly.
“Proclaim this!”
“Professor of Saint Arcadia Academy and Special Advisor of the Northern Territory, Logaris West, is to set out for the Royal Capital immediately to receive the royal family’s commendation and investiture!”
.....
Not long ago, inside Scream Fortress, Logaris activated the Spatial Anchor Point he had set up in advance with practiced ease.
With an ear-grating sound of space being torn apart, his entire body turned into a streak of flowing light and vanished on the spot.
In the next second, he arrived on the third floor of the Tower of Inverted Truth.
This place still maintained a constant room temperature of twenty-four degrees. The air was filled with that familiar scent, similar to old pages and dried flowers.
Logaris had only just landed, and before his feet were steady, a powerful intuition suddenly struck his mind.
The moment he reached the stairway, an inexplicable palpitation suddenly swept over him.
It was not a threat to his life. It was more like a subtler, more mysterious intuitive warning, as if “if he did not stop now, he would see something that would give him a stye.”
As a mage with keen senses, Logaris had always respected his intuition.
Logaris immediately restrained all the aura around his body. He even cast a high-tier 【Optical Invisibility】 and 【Aura Concealment】 on himself. His entire person blended into the shadows of the corridor like a stone.
A few seconds later, the originally tightly shut mahogany door at the end of the corridor opened with a creak.
Two figures walked out.
The one walking in front was Maggie. This legendary female mage, who had nearly become a god a thousand years ago, currently had not the slightest air of a powerhouse.
Her gray hair, which was usually combed perfectly into place, was now as messy as a chicken coop. The loose mage robe on her body hung sloppily from her frame, and two buttons at the collar had been fastened incorrectly, exposing a large expanse of collarbone marked with red traces.
Following behind her was Roland.
This founding emperor of Astrelia, the man known as the “Hero King,” was fastening his belt with a refreshed expression. On his handsome, ruddy face hung a smile called “satisfaction,” and he was even carrying a goblet in his hand.
“To be honest, no matter how many times I play through the illusions you created, I never get tired of them,” Roland praised sincerely.
“And that ‘Imprisoned Elven Queen’ script just now was not bad either.” Roland’s voice sounded a little hoarse, but it was full of vigor. “It is just that the counterkill after she broke free from the chains at the end was a little too sudden. Can you let me win a little longer next time?”
“Stop talking nonsense.” Maggie yawned lazily, with two abnormal patches of flushed color on her face. “You were the one who insisted on setting up some ‘mana seal’ background. You deserved to be counterkilled. Next time, let us use a different script. I want to play...”
Logaris, hidden in the shadows: “...”
He pushed up the glasses on the bridge of his nose, feeling that his heart, which had originally been tense because of the war, was currently suffering a critical hit on another level.
He seemed to have guessed exactly what “entertainment activities” these two legendary figures had engaged in during the long thousand years they had spent inside the tower. So the illusions that had originally been used to test them could also be used like this? Fortunately, they were Memory Constructs. Otherwise, Sylvia would have had another ancestor.
Logically speaking, with the perception of these two legendary powerhouses, ordinary invisibility spells could not possibly evade them.
But at the moment, Maggie and Roland had just finished a hearty round of “intense exercise.” Their minds were extremely relaxed, and all their attention was stuck on each other. Against all odds, this allowed him to witness a conversation with an explosive amount of information right under the eyelids of these two old seniors.
He patiently waited for one minute. Only after the two of them had calmed their breathing and started discussing what they should “do” next did he dispel his invisibility, deliberately make his footsteps heavier, and walk out from the other end of the corridor.
“Ahem.”
The air seemed to freeze in that instant.
Inside this Tower of Inverted Truth, aside from these two antiques, only two people had the authority to enter.
Roland had clearly realized who the newcomer was the instant the sound rang out, as well as how “improper” his current posture was.
The founding emperor reacted with astonishing speed. Almost at the very moment Logaris revealed himself, the two conspicuous goblets in his hand were stuffed into his Storage Space with a hand speed that would have made even a master thief ashamed.
At the same time, the large hand that had originally been roaming around Maggie’s waist suddenly withdrew. His entire person sprang three meters away as if he had been struck by lightning. Then he clasped his hands behind his back, puffed out his chest, lifted his head, and assumed a stiff standing posture as if he had been solemnly discussing important affairs of state.
“It is... it is Logaris.”
Maggie’s movements were no slower. The hand that had originally been preparing to gather a fireball forcibly changed direction in midair. With unbelievable speed, she instantly smoothed out her hair, fastened the burst-open buttons at her collar, and switched the lazy, flushed expression on her face into a “profound and unfathomable” academic look.