Lord Evolution: Starting With SS-rank Skills-Chapter 258: The Cult (28)

Castle of Might

Aurorhaven kingdom.

It was exactly noon, and the grand Castle of Might bustled with vibrant activity as powerful guards and diligent maids strolled gracefully through its magnificent halls, ensuring that every corner was perfectly and meticulously prepared for their beloved leader, Venerable Mario.

Inside the castle, however, a notably heated and tense atmosphere prevailed between Venerable Mario and the Seekers, who remained silent in dread and apprehension for fear of incurring his wrath.

Venerable Mario, on the other hand, wore a visibly furious and irate expression as he steadily fixed his piercing gaze on the eyes of each individual Seeker in turn, thereby intimidating them with his truly formidable and awe-inspiring presence.

"You all know how much I despise awkward silence," he declared. "One of you had better start speaking immediately, or I shall lose the last strand of my coolness, and none of you shall ever speak again for the rest of your lives," he threatened in a cold, steely tone, causing the Seeker to visibly tremble.

They exchanged nervous glances, and through an unspoken consensus that was palpably felt, they passed the mantle to their leader, urging him firmly to stand up and speak on their behalf.

The leader gritted his teeth upon witnessing how his colleagues wasted no time in effectively throwing him under the boss.

Unfortunately, he had no time to scold any of them, for doing so might cost him his very life before he could even finish his first venomous statement directed at them.

"Oh heavens, help me!" he silently prayed, gathering every ounce of his dwindling courage to rise from his seat and confront Venerable Mario, whose eyes immediately locked onto his with relentless intensity.

"My Lord," he said solemnly as he bowed deeply.

Venerable Mario offered no reaction at all to his respectful greeting.

This left the leader of the Seekers feeling even more pressured — it was extremely rare to witness Venerable Mario in such an enraged state. The last time he had displayed such unbridled fury, the former leader of the Seekers was consigned to the dreaded Dungeon of Regret, a notorious and ominous prison feared by even the most powerful.

"The Cult of Ember Justice has attacked once more; they have brought down three villages in the western part, and this time, no one was taken away since there were no mages present in those areas.

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

According to our sources, the killings this time were carried out without any apparent cause, as the perpetrator not only slayed those people but also destroyed their farmlands and properties purely for amusement.

This can only be the handiwork of a high-ranking member of the sect, although we do not yet know the precise identity or exact rank."

Although his voice trembled and he stuttered intermittently from time to time, the leader of the Seekers nonetheless managed to deliver his report as clearly and accurately as he possibly could, despite the overwhelming pressure.

He waited silently for Venerable Mario's reaction, and when none came, he proceeded with the next report concerning a city market that had been established by the cult, from which all the valuable magical items had been stolen.

Just like with the first report, Venerable Mario remained silent, staring intently at him, which caused the leader to wonder deeply what he had done and what he could possibly do to alleviate the mounting pressure at that critical moment.

He continued with additional reports, and each one elicited the same unyielding and disconcerting reaction.

"T-that is all the reports for this week, sire," he stuttered, his head bowed in obvious deference.

"Are you sure?" Venerable Mario inquired, his voice remaining just as cold and emotionless.

"Yes, sir," he responded promptly and without hesitation.

The leader of the Seekers had been meticulously observing and reporting since his teenage years and had never missed a single piece of information, thus he was extremely confident in the accuracy of the reports he had presented.

Unfortunately, it simply wasn't.

Venerable Mario uttered a brief but firm command, "Come out," and in the very next moment, two knights clad in menacing battle armor emerged from a shadowed corner of the room and strolled steadily toward him.

"The Spy Knights? What are they doing here?" one of the Seekers asked, his voice trembling slightly.

"The Spy Knights are seldom invited to such gatherings, unless they possess truly important findings to share," replied another Seeker in a low and cautious tone.

"We are doomed if they report something we have failed to report," whispered one, his voice trembling with anxiety.

The other Seekers whispered anxiously among themselves while furtively eyeing the approaching Spy Knights, who strolled gallantly and with purpose toward the throne.

As for the leader of the Seekers, at that very moment, he silently wished that the ground would simply swallow him up before the Spy Knights had a chance to speak.

"Greetings, my Liege!" the Spy Knights announced as they performed their customary greeting, bowing deeply before Venerable Mario.

"Greetings, Seekers of Aurorhaven," they also greeted the assembled Seekers with a slight, respectful bow.

Venerable Mario scoffed disdainfully, clearly not finding their greeting to the Seekers necessary or warranted.

"Tell them," he commanded in a plain, commanding tone.

The Spy Knights nodded in unison, and one of them proceeded to deliver the report concerning the incident at Winterseed Village, beginning with the return of Rowan and his men from their recent hunting trip that had culminated in the kidnapping of Rowan, his wife, and his father.

They also mentioned two individuals in the village who were afflicted with an unusual illness of both magical and spiritual origin.

The more the Spy Knights spoke, the more astonished and deeply worried the Seekers became.

How could they have possibly missed such crucial reports?

Although they were the very ones who had previously brought the kingdom's attention to Winterseed weeks ago, they failed to maintain a proper and vigilant watch over the village and, as a result, missed several important reports.

What, then, would be their fate now?

Would Venerable Mario punish them? And if he did, what sort of punishment would he mete out? Would he consign them to the dreaded Dungeon of Despair, or would he simply execute them without hesitation?

While none of them openly prayed for such a fate, five among them secretly hoped for a swift and quick death rather than being condemned to the dreaded Dungeon of Despair.

The leader of the Seekers was the most worried among them, for he was in charge and had been the very one to highlight Winterseed Village during their previous meeting. Logically, he should have been even more focused on the places he had mentioned, yet somehow he had indeed forgotten Winterseed Village entirely.

Venerable Mario instructed the Spy Knights to leave immediately once they had finished delivering their reports, and they promptly departed from the room.

Upon their arrival, the room once again fell into an awkward silence, and the mounting pressure on the Seekers increased significantly, with some even finding it remarkably difficult to remain seated in the intensely heated atmosphere.

"What do you have to say for yourselves?" demanded Venerable Mario, his voice cold and unwavering, laced with a distinct hint of unmistakable, chilling, and lethal intent.

The Seekers immediately fell to their knees and bowed their heads deeply to the cold, unforgiving ground.

"We did not intentionally overlook any such important information," they declared in unison.

"We would never dare to do something like that. Our jobs are our lives, and we always ensure that we execute them perfectly; whatever happens this time is simply a grievous mistake on our part!"

"Please, my Lord, forgive us!"

"We would never fail you again," they insisted desperately.

They began pleading frantically, with some even crying profusely in a desperate effort to make their heartfelt appeals more effective.

"I did not ask you all to plead with me; what I demanded was for you to explain how you managed to miss all of these critical details in a place you personally recommended I focus on. Were you all simply lazing around idly, or did you deliberately decide to make mistakes in order to test my patience?"

"No, my Lord! We would never dare to do such a thing," the leader spoke up loudly before continuing, "This is the first time the Cult has ever kidnapped its victims without completely razing the village to the ground; hence, our sources might have missed the incident entirely."

The leader spoke for a full three minutes, attempting in earnest to explain the situation to Venerable Mario.

He knew full well that his explanation would determine whether they lived or died at that crucial moment.

Fortunately, while they were busy explaining themselves in a flurry of desperate words, someone suddenly appeared in the room using teleportation magic.

It was a tall man with long, flowing white hair tied neatly in a ponytail, wearing a cheeky smile that soon vanished and was replaced by a deeply puzzled expression.

"Huh, what's happening here?" D'andre said with a deep, troubled frown.

AUTHOR NOTE:

I AM BACK FOR REAL!