Chapter 51: Sylvan—The Border Count

Fairy Castle, at the border.

That was the border count’s residence. He was the ruler there, and the castle was built behind the barrier wall.

The barrier wall was the Holy Dragon Kingdom’s easternmost wall. It stretched for hundreds of kilometers and was the first line of defense against the Eastern Thorn Empire. The entire wall was made from bronze tier stone. Scratches from swords and sabers adorned the wall; it was filled with the mottled aura of history.

There was a sentry tower every 500 meters and an arrow tower every 1000 meters. Teams of soldiers in golden armor that was engraved with the Dragon God design patrolled on the wall.

The border count was named Sylvan. He became a rare platinum tier powerhouse in the Holy Dragon Kingdom in his thirties and was the number one sorcerer in the palace. Sylvan’s name meant fairy in the ancient elven language, so he was also known as the Fairies Count.

At that moment, in the Fairy Castle.

There were many flowerbeds in the courtyard, surrounded by trees. There was a massive fountain in the middle. In a pavilion near the fountain, a platinum-haired middle-aged man, dressed in gorgeous gold-embroidered clothing, sat upright on a round stone chair. He was fiddling with a tea set.

Time did not leave any traces on the middle-aged man’s face. He was a man, but he had a face that was not inferior to a woman’s. His purple pupils and sharp ears indicated his identity as an elf.

Two messengers—a man and a woman—were opposite the middle-aged man; they said their goodbyes.

“Count Sylvan, we’ve troubled you for almost two months. It’s time for us to report back to the Imperial City.”

“You’re leaving already?” Sylvan’s hand continued to fiddle with the. “In previous years, His Majesty only sent people here when it was close to the winter, but you’re here so early this year. Did something happen in the kingdom that made His Majesty so impatient?”

“Nothing happened in the kingdom, Lord Sylvan; you’re overthinking it. As a strong warrior guarding the border, you haven’t made any mistake in so many years. So many people praised you for that. His Majesty sent us here early to let us learn about your governance! Don’t worry; we’ll report the situation here truthfully. His Majesty will be very happy when he hears that you are governing the border so well. The other nobles will also use you as an example.”

The female messenger had a pleased and graceful smile on her face as she complimented the border count.

“Is that so?”

Sylvan glanced at her. His amethyst-like pupils were like a mirror that could see through other people’s hearts. “I heard that His Majesty hasn’t been feeling well recently.”

The female messenger’s body trembled, and her eyes fluttered. “His Majesty has been ill recently; perhaps he has overworked himself. His Majesty is not even 70 years old; he will live for a long time. Lord Sylvan, you don’t have to worry about him.”

“Seventy years old. Well, it’s not easy for a human to live to this age! Unlike me, who has the bloodline of an elf, my appearance has not changed since ten years ago. Life is beautiful because it’s short, and I do envy His Majesty sometimes .”

Sylvan sighed, but at the same time, he also seemed to have mocked himself.

The two messengers understood what Sylvan meant. The elf was born in the Southern Elves Forest. Humans populated the Holy Dragon Kingdom; elves were not only rare, but they were also not welcome. That was also one reason why Sylvan, a dignified platinum tier mage, was sent to guard the border.

Sylvan and His Majesty had always had a bad relationship; it was not a secret. At that time, they had sent the messengers to investigate the situation in advance. Perhaps His Majesty knew that his health was not stable and was afraid that Sylvan would do something odd. The two messengers understood the reason, but they did not dare to say it out loud.

“I heard that a new force called the Blackmoon Castle has risen at the border recently.”

Then, Sylvan spoke again.

“Yes, that is true. That castle is really magnificent. But, unfortunately, I only took a glance from outside the wall. If it weren’t for the powerful magical beasts guarding the castle, I would have been able to enter it.”

The male messenger shook his head as he spoke with a regretful look on his face. “For such a castle to appear at the border, it means that the border is so well-managed that the people there can prosper.”

“Are you very interested in Blackmoon Castle, Count Sylvan? I thought that you built the castle.”

The female messenger tugged at her companion’s sleeve.

The border count would have known that such a large force had appeared at the border. She had seen Blackmoon Castle with her own eyes—it was not something that an ordinary person could build. People said that the family that built Blackmoon Castle were poor nobles. So, how could a down and out noble suddenly make such a windfall? It would only make sense if Sylvan had commanded it.

She had investigated the matter for two months after she was at the Fairy Castle, but unfortunately, she had no results. However, since she was about to leave, she had no choice but to ask about it.

“That castle has nothing to do with me. Even though I am in charge of the border, I don’t know everything! Don’t you have to go back and report it? You can go now.”

Sylvan poured a cup of tea into his cup, put it in front of his nose, and sniffed it.

“Then we’ll take our leave.”

The female messenger bowed her head respectfully and dragged her male companion, who was about to say something.

“Blackmoon Castle… how interesting.”

As he watched those two people leave, Sylvan pinched the teacup slightly, and a crack appeared on the top-quality ceramic. The tea in the cup, which was still steaming, was suddenly covered with frost and turned into ice.

“Nightingale, what do you think about this?”

He casually threw the frozen teacup away. As soon as he finished speaking, the shadow behind him squirmed. A petite woman in black clothes and a veil slowly appeared; she knelt on one knee.

“I dare not make any random guesses.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ve raised you since you were young; you can speak freely.”

Sylvan looked at his subordinate with a kind expression. The Fairy Castle controlled tens of thousands of troops; they selected the best among them to form the Shadow Guards to handle matters that ordinary people could not handle. They were at least silver tier warriors, and Nightingale was the leader of the Shadow Guards. She was only 16 years old, but she was already at the gold tier.

“Then I’ll say it. Blackmoon Castle may have been planted by the King to spy on you, Count! We know about every farm at the border. None of them could have built a castle in that short period. Perhaps the King feels uneasy about you being in charge of the border for so long.”

Sylvan nodded and motioned for Nightingale to continue.

“In addition, some people in the kingdom have said that the King is old and in poor health, so he has the intention to find a successor for his throne! The King has three young princes and a young princess. The border is the farthest from the Royal City and has never been under his jurisdiction. The King is afraid that his children will not be able to manage the border, so he sent a messenger to run an inquiry. It may seem like they did it out of concern, but it is actually to defeat us.”

“Nightingale, you have followed me for too long, indeed. Your ability to analyze things is getting stronger! Since you know about this, then you don’t need me to teach you what to do next. You can set off for Blackmoon Castle! It doesn’t matter if the people there are the King’s confidants or not; we’ll rope him in. Since the King is going to attack the border soon, I can only be forced to return the favor.”

Sylvan narrowed his eyes—his pupils were filled with deep darkness. “Even kings are inhumane wolves. When they need help, the wolf will put on human clothes. When it wears a crown, it will turn around and bite the farmers who had rendered aid! His Majesty is very old now, and he should die.”