Chapter 263 Truth?
Is Sivell a woman who lies through her teeth?
This statement made Moria furrow his brow even tighter. He had come here precisely upon the commission of that fortune teller, and now, this ancient archmage who had reappeared after a century of seals was pointing all the accusations at her.
Before anyone could voice their doubts, ripples suddenly appeared in the space at the edge of the plaza. The air twisted and folded unnaturally, and then, a magic circle shimmering with silver and blue light materialized out of thin air. Several figures staggered into existence as the light dissipated.
Leading the group was a man wearing a dark gray trench coat and a wide-brimmed hat. It was Edgar, the captain of the Disciplinary Bureau. Anles, Lina, and others beside him all had wary expressions. The young mage named Philip in the team was deathly pale, leaning on his staff as if completely drained. Bringing so many people here with a sub-teleportation spell had clearly been a tremendous burden for him.
The last figure to emerge from the teleportation array was a person cloaked in a deep blue cloak. She moved with composure and grace, as if merely passing through an ordinary doorway. When she raised her head and her hood fell back, revealing a face of exquisite beauty and eyes as clear as gold, everyone present felt an invisible pressure.
It was Princess Victoria.
“Master Pole Derrien?” Victoria’s voice held a subtle upward lilt. She stepped forward slowly, her posture still elegant, but her gaze was like that of someone appraising a significant historical artifact. “The former defending mage of Lorentine, the hero who fought to a standstill with Soul Lord Kurt during the subjugation war a hundred years ago, sacrificing himself to cover Lord Iceveil’s casting of forbidden magic. Am I correct?”
The old mage, or rather Pole Derrien, his cloudy eyes slowly turned when he heard that name, finally settling on Victoria. He grinned, and despite his miserable appearance, he performed a remarkably standard and elegant noble bow.
“To what do I owe the honor of your Highness’s presence? This old man feels deeply honored.”
Victoria smiled. “When I was born, Master’s story was still being sung in the royal palace. I just don’t know why an existence that was clearly sacrificed in history can now appear before me.”
“History sung by the masses can be far from the truth. Especially history written by those old fogeys in the Forbidden Institute. They always like to embellish dogfights into epic sagas,” his words were filled with undisguised sarcasm and malice.
Everyone present looked bewildered, even Moria furrowed his brow.
Pole Derrien seemed pleased by the confusion on everyone’s faces. He straightened his hunched body slightly, as if gathering the strength needed to recount a long-buried truth.
“The Soul Lord subjugation war? That was nothing but a joke,” his hoarse voice echoed in the silent space. “Kurt… that fool, he didn’t come to Lorentine for destruction and death. He came here simply to explore an ancient secret long forgotten by the world. And we – myself, Iceveil, and Sivell’s teacher, Serun – the three of us archmages gathered here, were not for the sake of protecting the kingdom or vanquishing evil.
“We, too, were after the secret of the ‘Never-Wilting Flower’! The three of us battled him here. On the surface, it was for the kingdom and justice, but in reality, it was only to pry that secret from his mouth, and then, bury him along with the secret.”
The Never-Wilting Flower?
Li Wen’s brow beneath her hood twitched almost imperceptibly. She seemed to have heard that title somewhere, or from someone.
“It’s just a pity that I never expected Iceveil to be so greedy, nor did I expect to trust that hypocritical alliance,” the old mage’s voice carried a bone-chilling hatred. “Just as we were about to subdue Kurt, Iceveil betrayed me. He joined forces with Serun and, at the critical moment, unleashed that terrifying forbidden magic – ‘Skyfall’.”
The old mage tilted his head back, his cloudy eyes seeming to pierce through time, once again seeing the scene of the sky collapsing and the earth cracking a hundred years ago.
“His true target was never Kurt, but me! He wanted to silence me, to silence everyone in this city who might know about it, and then monopolize that secret!” Pole Derrien’s voice became hoarse with emotion, and he coughed violently. He hunched over, as if about to cough up his lungs. “That fool Kurt directly faced the descending sky and, along with his laughable ambitions, turned into ashes.”
These words exploded like a bombshell in the hearts of everyone in the plaza.
“No! This is impossible! You’re lying!” Joseph let out a heart-wrenching roar. His scarlet eyes stared fixedly at Pole Derrien, the flesh on his face writhing wildly, almost revealing the inhuman nature beneath. “Master is immortal! He couldn’t have died like this!”
Spade K looked stunned and dazed. He muttered, “No Divine Artifact? Then how can I turn things around? What the hell was I working so hard for?”
Moria remained silent, waiting for his next words.
“And I…” Pole Derrien pointed a withered finger at himself. “Could only rely on a faint connection left with this Mage Tower, embedding my broken soul within it, like a lingering parasite, surviving on the meager mana occasionally seeping from the ley lines, barely maintaining a flicker of life.”
“But now,” Pole Derrien’s gaze turned to Yang Yi, who had collapsed to the ground from fright, a flicker of mockery and sorrow flashing in his eyes. “Even my last refuge has been destroyed by you ignorant youngsters with your own hands. My time is running out.”
He slowly raised his head, his gaze passing over everyone, as if he saw a familiar figure on the distant sea surface.
“All of this is Sivell’s conspiracy. Just like her despicable teacher, she is cunning and selfish. She absolutely does not want me to break free from this place one day, to expose their lies and take revenge. So she lured you here, using your hands to deliver the final blow, ensuring I can never be reborn.”
The old mage’s story was impactful. Most of the people present were shocked by this “truth” that overturned history, their faces showing disbelief.
Only Li Wen listened silently, her expression beneath her hood unchanged. She knew that this old mage was definitely lying. Soul Lord Kurt had not died; at least, a portion of his will and power still survived in some way, otherwise, he would not have possessed players and achieved stage nine in her previous life.
Li Wen did not voice her thoughts.
Before the situation became clear, offending an archmage of unfathomable power and unstable temperament would not be wise.
So, how much truth and how much falsehood were in Pole Derrien’s words?
What was his motive for telling this story that deviated from the “truth”?
