When A Mage Revolts

On the mountains in the northern part of the town of Crewe.

"I can only say, you have too much faith in the defense of the gateway."

Having witnessed the fire above the Crusader Gateway, the entire mountainside was blanketed in silence. It didn’t matter if it was the Bishop, the Priest, that traitor Andrew, or the thousands of patrol guards around him, they were all looking in that direction, not a word to be said, it was as though time stood still.

Only Benjamin looked over in that direction, and nodded his head, with a happy smile on his face.

After he discovered Andrew’s double crossing, he secretly called the mages together, and carried out a secret meeting. Without a doubt, Andrew wanted him out of the town of Crewe, and proceeded to do what he saw before his eyes right now, the massive circle of silence surrounding him. But Benjamin was quick to realize, why doesn’t he try to lure the people from the gateway out?

Truthfully, after observing the gateway for such a long time; his most lasting impression, wasn’t that the gateway was strong, but that the patrol guards were responsible.

Because of that, just by luring them out of the gateway, a distraction plan formed in his mind.

It was quite a risky plan. What if the people surrounding him were too few, what if a few stronger Priests decided to remain at the gateway, what if the Bishop decided not to ambush him... if he made any mistakes in his estimations, it was very likely to be a very devastating blow to the entire team.

But then he thought, Andrew had already betrayed them, will the mages in the town still survive for long?

No matter which way he turned ends in death, why shouldn’t he just give it one last push, and even if he dies, he will drag the church through blood, and make them feel like dying.

Thinking about it now, trying to take over the most powerful border fortress of the Kingdom of Helius, it was a crazy idea. At the time, his brain only had this one idea, Benjamin felt he himself must have been crazy too.

Luckily, this world can accommodate the crazy people also.

And now, the light of the fire says it all.

"Are you surprised?" he turned his head, looking silently at the Bishop, "You used me as a rat to destroy the mages, who can just as easily turn around and bite you. This is what happens when you underestimate other people."

The Bishop glared at him, speechless, face turning red, his previous blasé attitude had completely disappeared.

Benjamin just retaliated with a "friendly" smile.

Thinking carefully, he only wanted to scheme internally, but Benjamin managed to counterattack and win, and he lost even his home, and was condemned publically by the people. The Bishop’s mood took a turn for the worse.

Who is to be blamed?

He should blame himself, he only wanted to fight with the Kingdom’s Bishop, thinking the mages as insignificant, and now he has lost.

"Lord, Lord Bishop, gateway... the gateway over there..." Andrew glanced at the Bishop, he looked at a loss.

Hearing this, the Bishop took a deep breath, muttered something quietly, as though he was calming himself down. Then, he shook his head and looked at Benjamin again, his expression was calm once again.

"I was too anxious, and you found a loophole." He tried hard to sound like it didn’t matter, as though the siege on the gateway was nothing big, "I know why you have nothing to fear. You want an exchange, using you in exchange for the control of the gateway. This way, you can all proceed undisturbed to Icor."

Then, hearing this, Benjamin couldn’t help but laugh.

The Bishop frowned.

‘You think too much." Benjamin only shook his head, and quietly said, "we put in the effort to take over the gateway, just because you say return it to you, do you think we will do so? Who do you think you are?"

"Is that right?" Along with the calm in his voice there was also anger, the fist hidden beneath his robes got tighter, "so today, don’t you even think about leaving this place."

Just like that, the atmosphere became more tense.

...are they making their move?

Benjamin felt offended. Why is it that every time they reach this point, these people who serve God, don’t see this as the will of God and just accept it?

This double standard is too much.

But...

The more he thought about it, Benjamin felt that it was time. So, he turned suddenly, changing his tone, turning to the Bishop and said:

"Have you heard of this thing called horse oil?"

The Bishop glared at Benjamin, not saying a word, probably not knowing what medicine Benjamin was keeping in the gourd. And Benjamin, he didn’t wait for a response, he just continued on.

"Even if you don’t know it alright, I heard people use it as a beauty product, some even eat it, but I can’t stand the smell. Especially if it’s a big pail of it, after a few days, that smell, is really something!" As he spoke, he waved his hand in front of his nose, and continued on, "but if water is used to dilute it, then the taste is much better, if your pour it on the ground evenly, pour it on the road, then you can say, unless it is a demon with a sensitive nose, no one else will notice it."

Maybe Benjamin face looked like he deserved to be punched, even the System couldn’t help but appear, saying: "Are you sure this is alright? What if they don’t run, the Bishop will surely kill you."

Benjamin laughed and spoke to the System in his mind: "Are you sure this is alright? Even though I’m in front of an enemy, I can just as easily return to the Space of Consciousness and kill you."

"..."

The System held back for who knows how long, only then did he gather up his courage to appear, and Benjamin just indifferently cut him off.

Now in reality, the people around him listen to Benjamin, and had puzzled looks on their faces. It must be that aside from beating Benjamin in one movement, they didn’t feel anything.

Benjamin saw this, he thoughtfully nodded his head.

Looking at this, the Bishop wasn’t very knowledgeable about demons.

Now they’re getting somewhere...

"Enough!"

Just as Benjamin hesitated on whether he should use that tone to talk about the griffin’s love for horse oil, Andrew who had been standing to the side, as though he couldn’t hold back anymore, suddenly stood up.

Only to hear him muttering a spell, a huge fireball appeared in midair, and flew directly at Benjamin.

"Andrew?" the Bishop frowned, he didn’t stop Andrew, but he didn’t attack with him either, he just stood to the side to watch the fight.

To Benjamin, he was pretty calm.

Just as the fireball was about to reach his face, he suddenly opened his mouth, and recited the Pillar of Steam spell. Following a humid wind, the fireball stopped right in front of him, still rotating, but not moving an inch.

Not too long after that, the fireball was blown out by the steam like a candle on a birthday cake.

Andrew was stunned.

"Why do you even bother?’ Benjamin looked at him, and shook his head, saying, "you are also a mage, the one that got taken over is the church’s not yours. They haven’t made their move, and you are the one who can’t sit still?

To be this much of a kiss ass, there really is no one else.

"What do you know? The mages are a bunch of cynical freaks that will amount to nothing." Andrew came to his senses, fist tight, glaring at Benjamin, grinding his teeth as he said, "the church is the future."

Hearing this, Benjamin shrugged his shoulders.

‘Maybe, what will happen in the future, no one knows." He quietly observed Andrew, a tinge of regret in his eyes, maybe it was mercy, "the church may be the future, but unfortunately, you are a mage too, and that future has got nothing to do with you."

Saying this, he recited the icebreaking spell.

Following a burst of cold magical ripples, suddenly, above Andrew’s head, an ice pick about one-meter-high, with a sharp tip was formed in a blink of an eye.