The real...world of the old gods?

Anson was almost suffocated in disbelief, and words were not enough to describe the shock in his heart at this moment.

Professor Mace Honnard has mentioned more than once that the belief in the old gods in the Dark Ages was based on regions and families; in an area where the three old gods are generally believed, there must be one or two powerful spellcasters.

The family, like a lord, dominates, rules, and manipulates ordinary believers.

So... Rune is the family of spellcasters who ruled the Clovis City area during the Dark Ages?

And...this manor also...has another person...

apostle?

Anson, who forced himself to remain calm, swallowed hard.

He now finally understands why Mace Honard desperately wanted to run away after planning to seize the "Great Magic Book" and Lisa - what he was hiding from was not the church and the judge at all, but the apostle of the Rune family.

!

How terrifying is the power of an apostle? It is described in "Research on the Three Old Gods":

"...They are creations that have reached the peak of perfection in a certain life form. They are existences that are extremely close to the three old gods. They are related to the fairies, angels, devils, nightmares, dragons and sea monsters in all ancient myths and legends.'

The legends and records of the Apostles are always accompanied by various natural disasters that plunge the world into panic and despair..."

So it's really not surprising that Mace Honnard wanted to run, let alone cowardly - rather, he dared to run and had the confidence to escape, which is already a sign of extreme bravery and confidence.

After figuring out all this, Anson's expression was finally no longer shocked; although his heartbeat was still beating as if it was about to burst out of his chest, his consciousness had completely calmed down.

That's right, there's nothing to be afraid of... Anyway, no matter how hard you struggle, it's pointless. If the opponent wants to kill you, he will already be killed as soon as he enters the door.

Since there is no such thing, it means that everything is easy to negotiate; even if he is forced to swear and sign a deed of betrayal, he still has room for maneuver.

"Although I really want to say this, it is a pity that the so-called 'world of the old gods' no longer exists in this world."

Talia said lightly, with a flash of regret in her eyes:

"The Kingdom of Knights established by the Church of Order and the Gifted Ones took away worldly authority and faith from the believers of the Old God hundreds of years ago; the original rings that once spread all over the old world have also become invisible in the eyes of the world.

of blasphemy.”

"The ancient and glorious caster family has either been slaughtered, or can only huddle in the castles and manors in the wilderness, watching the ugly factories and dirty cities, bit by bit, swallowing up everything that was beautiful in the past...

"

"It's so unfortunate." Anson sighed, but he didn't agree in his heart.

No matter how ugly the factory is, it is a comprehensive manifestation of emerging productivity and production methods; no matter how dirty the city is, it can greatly improve the quality of life of residents, which is better than huddled in a shack in the wilderness.

It was truly terrifying to live in an era when the sparks of civilization only existed in ancient castles in deep valleys and dense forests, huddled in shacks in swamps and made a living by hunting and gathering wild fruits. Spellcasters could do evil without any scruples!

"In such a sad era, in order to continue the family and bloodline that have existed for thousands of years, even the Rune family and my father have to make compromises with reality."

Thalia sighed:

"We gave up all kinds of privileges and used our former wealth to join the circle of the new rich; we did our best to let the king and the church believe in our sincerity by putting aside our dignity, and limited our living scope to a small manor."

A small manor... The corner of Anson's mouth twitched.

She was talking about this "little" Lund Manor, which covers an area of ​​more than 20,000 acres, has a castle and gardens comparable to a palace, plus a large forest and wilderness?

However, these words revealed a very important message, that is, the top leaders of the Kingdom of Clovis probably know the power behind the Luen family... Sophia mentioned that she had come here once with her father, which shows that the Archbishop is also very concerned about this.

clear.

This is very interesting.

Did Luther Franz conceal it from the top of the church for some purpose? Or was the church acquiescing to the existence of these declining but powerful spellcaster families?

If it is the latter, then what are the interests of these two completely incompatible parties who are willing to maintain the status quo?

"But in recent times, even barely maintaining it has become increasingly difficult; the Church of Order's suppression of the Old God Sect has become increasingly intense. No matter how we show our kindness, all we get is a cold shoulder."

The sighing girl put the last piece of foie gras into her mouth, and her pink tongue gently licked the fingers that had been smeared on the plate, as if she was remembering the passing taste:

"So we had to support Mace Honnard and do something a little more extreme...before he became a traitor."

"Like this riot?"

Anson asked rhetorically.

"Yes... If we can rely on riots to allow the ancient families who have good relations with the Luen family to take control of the Privy Council and oust the royal family, everything will be back on track."

Thalia said calmly, without any attempt to hide anything:

"But we failed, and failed miserably."

"As soon as the battle began, the most important chess piece betrayed his master; not only did the battle lead to inevitable failure, but it also almost caused the Rune family to lose an important blood relative; the Franz family and the Truth Society won

The final victory, and the Osteria family saved their last face by abandoning the Guards who were loyal to them and humiliating their ministers."

"So there are only two choices left for the Luen family: clean up the family and accept failure calmly; or overthrow everything and let things develop in the most irreversible direction."

"We chose the former."

So is this the reason why I can sit here alive instead of being killed by the other party while taking care of Mace Hornard?

Anson probably understood what the other party meant, but he continued to ask: "But what does this have to do with me?"

"Since you are Lisa's blood relatives, then even though you can take her away in front of me, why do you have to let me be a guest in this manor?"

"As you said before, I am not qualified to be hung on those walls yet."

"But you have recovered a long-lost blood relative for the Rune family, which is more important than ten thousand Mace Honards." Thalia raised the corners of her lips:

"The Luen family will never neglect noble people who are kind to the family, not to mention...this is what Lisa asked for."

"Lisa?"

"Yes, her original words were, 'Unless you can promise not to hurt Lisa and not let Lisa and Anson separate'...otherwise, she will beat me to death."

Thalia's emerald eyes flickered, and her smile became sweeter: "What a lovely child, how can I refuse my lovely sister's only request?"

Ansen nodded slightly and said nothing, waiting for the other person's next words.

"More importantly, considering Lisa's current mental state, it is almost impossible for her to start a new life in Lund Manor immediately; even if she is separated from you for just a moment, she will fall into an extremely restless state.

Status." Thalia took a deep breath:

"I don't deny that when I first brought Lisa back, I only planned to treat you to a fine lunch and a most appropriate reward to express the Luen family's gratitude to you; but now it seems

, at least for now, Lisa should stay with you."

"Gold, silver, jewelry... these all seem too shameful in front of your precious brother-sister relationship."

Anson kept smiling and tried not to show any regretful expression.

"I guess you won't let me take Lisa away so easily...right?"

The girl smiled noncommittally:

"She is a blood relative of the Rune family that has been lost for many years. It is a helpless act to hand her over to you. Of course, some safeguards need to be put in place to ensure that a situation like Mace Honnard will not happen again."

"Your Excellency Anson Bach, we give you two choices."

As he finished speaking, the white dining table had been cleaned by the living dead valets. Otto, the butler, who was exuding an icy chill, walked to Anson's side and placed a suitcase, a ring, and a promise in front of him.

Books and a pen.

Anson's eyes first fell on the contract:

"I swear by the Original Ring that I will never betray the ancient and noble Rune family; if I violate my oath, I am willing to bear the punishment of being torn apart."

Torn apart... Anson took a breath of air in his heart and immediately remembered the way Lawrence was turned into pieces by the black mage's look in the underground chamber of the cathedral.

"Inside the box are banknotes equivalent to ten thousand gold coins, as a token of gratitude from the Rune family for finding our blood relatives."

Thalia pointed to the suitcase and said: "Take it away, and you will no longer have anything to do with the Luen family's affairs, and you will no longer have to worry about Lisa's affairs. This will be the end for you."

Anson raised his eyebrows: "Then Lisa..."

"Don't worry about Lisa. We have a way to make her forget you. It will take some time, but it is not that difficult. My father is one of the only apostles left in the world, and it has not been completely solved for him yet.

Things that can’t be accomplished.”

The girl's tone paused subtly, and her eyes glanced at the ring:

"Or...if you still miss my lovely sister, we also allow you to take her away; as a price, we need you to wear this ring that symbolizes the blood and friendship of the Luen family."

"In short, I will give up the position that originally belonged to Mace Hornard to you - of course, no matter which one you choose, you must sign this commitment letter."

Oh, that sounds good... Anson said silently in his heart.

The reason why Mace Honnard was able to become a black mage from an ordinary church college tutor mostly relied on the power of the Rune family; although once he accepted the ring, it was equivalent to reaching a certain level of interest with the Rune family.

Binding, but with my current strength, this is not unacceptable at all...

etc.

What did she just say...give Mace Honnard's position...to me?

If I remember correctly, she seemed to have said another thing before...

"That's right, Your Excellency Anson Bach."
To be continued...