Chapter 263: Tricks
"She is the person who knew what he was planning before he even declared war."
Both of them immediately understood whom he was talking about.
Cassie.
Eldric continued calmly.
"So, for now, we simply have to keep her safe. Not only her, but everyone around her as well. There is a chance that he will come after her first before doing anything else."
The Pope’s expression became serious.
The Lightning Saint also stopped speaking.
They all understood what Eldric meant.
If Cassie was the one capable of determining the number and location of Asher’s Vessels as he grew stronger, then she would naturally become one of his biggest obstacles.
And that also meant she could become his first target.
Eldric remained calm, but his words carried a clear meaning.
And that was their decision: to protect Cassie at every cost.
She would be the most important person when it came to dealing with Asher. As long as she remained safe, they would have a way to understand what Asher was doing and, more importantly, how many Vessels he had left.
Eldric then looked toward the other two Saints and said,
"So, this is all we have to discuss for now. For the time being, just try to preserve our strongest forces and don’t get involved in any unnecessary conflicts. We will be needing them soon, so there is no reason to waste our strength on meaningless battles."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"And don’t tell the others about this. It will only bring panic, and that is the last thing we need right now."
The other two Saints simply nodded.
They didn’t say anything else.
A few moments later, their figures began to disappear from the isolated space. One after another, they vanished, leaving Eldric alone.
Eldric also disappeared from his position and reappeared in the real world.
For a moment, he remained silent before turning his gaze toward the direction of the Grimwood Continent, where his Clone was still talking with the Dragon.
The longer the conversation continued, the more uneasy Eldric felt.
Because right now, this was no longer a battle of who would win.It was about who would survive.
The only person who was actually trying to win was Asher. Everyone else was simply trying to survive and protect the people they loved.
And it wasn’t only the humans who were trying to survive.
It was the whole world.
At the Grimwood Continent, the Dragon looked toward Eldric’s Clone and spoke in a calm but solemn voice.
"This world has become a board and nothing more than that now. And we are the pieces."
He paused for a moment.
"One person is controlling the pieces from the darkness. Those pieces are the humans. The other person is controlling the pieces from the light while openly telling them that he is controlling them."
The Dragon looked toward the distance.
"And here we are. We are the neutral pieces, but that doesn’t mean we won’t be affected by everything happening around us."
Eldric’s Clone remained silent, listening carefully.
The Dragon continued.
"So, just wait for the right time. Only then will we act and kill one of the players in this entire game. Until that moment comes, don’t act, no matter what happens."
His expression became slightly more serious.
"I can’t act right now because if I do, it would be futile. Asher can’t kill us while we are at Saint Rank, and neither can we kill him. So, we have to wait for the opportunity when we are certain that we can kill him."
Eldric’s Clone remained silent for a moment before asking,
"What about him? Doesn’t he know that we will try to kill him when that opportunity comes? There is no way he doesn’t know that."
The Dragon’s expression became solemn.
"Of course he knows. He probably even knows that we are talking right now, and he probably knows what we are talking about as well."
He paused for a moment before continuing.
"But he still won’t do anything because he is taking a risk just like we are. He knows that we are waiting for an opportunity, and we know that he is waiting for his own opportunity."
The Dragon slowly looked toward Eldric’s Clone.
"And the one who wins the final fight will be the one who survives. For now, at least, we have a high chance of surviving, and..."
Eldric’s Clone completed his sentence.
"And Asher knows that as well, but he is still willing to take the risk."
The Dragon suddenly laughed.
It wasn’t a laugh of amusement.
It was a helpless laugh, almost as if he found the entire situation absurd.
"A battle of tricks, where everyone knows the other person will play tricks. They just don’t know what those tricks will be, when they will be used, or how they will be played."
He paused and looked toward Eldric’s Clone.
"And in the end, only those who make their move at the right time and manage to fool the others will win."
The Dragon’s voice became quieter.
"Until then, everyone is simply waiting."
Meanwhile, Asher was waiting at the Academy Gate for someone to arrive.
After waiting for a moment, Aria finally arrived and found Asher waiting there. She looked at him with a surprised expression and said,
"You reached on time? That’s surprising."
Asher replied calmly,
"I came ten minutes later than we were supposed to meet. It is you who came ten minutes later than me."
Aria replied in a frank tone,
"I thought you would reach late, so I just came late too. I didn’t want to wait around. It’s your fault for coming early."
Asher looked at her for a moment before saying,
"You guys planned this, right? You’re trying to do the same things that I do to make me understand how you feel?"
Aria replied casually,
"Nah, it’s just your imagination."
Asher muttered,
"Imagination, my foot."
Aria just chuckled slightly and then asked,
"Is anyone else coming?"