The Most Arbitrary Wizard

Stepping out of the cell was like walking into a bar from the quiet outside; their eardrums were instantly assaulted by a cacophony of sounds.

The area before them was also brightly lit.

It made Tony, who had been creeping along cautiously, feel like a clown. ’Who sets up a dungeon like this?’

People passing by saw their sorry state as they emerged and covered their mouths to snicker, as if this were a common sight.

Eleanor squinted, taking a few seconds to adjust to the light. Then, a realization dawned on her, and she whispered to the others, "This is a good opportunity."

A good opportunity to make a run for it.

It didn’t matter what these passersby thought of them; the important thing was that no one was blocking their path.

They could leap into the sky and scatter in five different directions, just like last time.

Sean: "And then get caught all over again?"

Eleanor: "..."

She felt like Sean was mocking her for not learning her lesson. Cheeks flushing slightly, she glared at him. "How will we know if we don’t try?"

’We can’t just sit here and wait to die.’ That was something Sean himself had said.

"It’s not that easy." Sean gestured for everyone to look into the distance.

A squad of armored guards was heading their way. Leading them was a woman with a neat crop of blonde hair who looked quite valiant. But since she was an enemy, Sean didn’t feel like using a complimentary term and mentally swapped ’valiant’ for ’mannish’.

Sure enough, the woman led the guards to a halt in front of them.

She tilted her head back, her pale neck exposed, looking down on them with a condescending air. "Awake?"

Tony immediately shut his eyes. "Nope. We’re sleepwalking."

The woman: "..."

"You think you’re very funny, don’t you?"

Tony opened his eyes again and gave a little blink. "So, do you like it?"

He was deliberately trying to banter with her, hoping to build some rapport before catching her off guard and finding a chance to slip away.

But unexpectedly, the woman countered with a dose of True Damage: "Humor can indeed attract women, but only if your looks are at least passable."

As she spoke, her gaze shifted to Sean. "Like him, for instance."

Tony: "???"

Sean: "..."

’Well, aren’t you honest.’

But he wasn’t the kind of man to let his guard down over a single compliment. He asked impassively, "Are you the one who captured us?"

"I’m not that skilled." The woman swept a scornful gaze over the group. "Unlike you lot. A few mere Tier Sixes daring to steal a painting from Her Highness the Saintess. If you became Grand Mages, what would you do then? Would you try to assassinate Her Highness herself?"

The group: "..."

’Sorry, already on it.’

But they definitely couldn’t say that out loud.

Ryan tried to steer the conversation in a different direction. "To tell you the truth, Ma’am—"

The woman’s eyes narrowed as she cut him off. "Who are you calling ’Ma’am’?"

Ryan: "...My apologies, beautiful lady."

The woman snorted. "Continue."

An appropriately shameful expression appeared on Ryan’s face. "To be frank," he said, "we may be Tier Six, but we’re all just a bunch of good-for-nothing petty thieves. We happened to be passing through Old Mundo City and heard that the First Saintess’s painting would be exhibited at the ball. We figured it would be valuable, so we got greedy."

You had to admit, Ryan’s performance was quite convincing.

Now that they were in the hands of the Church Court, being treated as petty thieves was much better than being burned at the stake as Heretics.

But the woman didn’t buy it at all. "Don’t think we don’t know where you’re from... Blake City, right?"

The group: "???"

Tony feigned immense shock. "You mean Blake, that Heretics Leader, has a city our Church Court hasn’t wiped out yet?"

Sean: "..."

’You’re the Heretics Leader.’

The woman let out a cold laugh. "Still keeping up the act?"

"It’s a shame you all didn’t go into acting."

She couldn’t be bothered to waste any more words on them. "Say whatever you want. Whether you admit it or not, it won’t change my opinion of you."

"I didn’t come here to watch you perform."

"Since you’ve all recovered, follow me."

The woman said, "Remember, from this moment on, you are no longer people of Blake City. You belong to Her Highness the Saintess."

The group: "Huh?"

Did ’Her Highness the Saintess’ refer to this generation’s Saintess from the Church Court, Diana?

The painting had been a setup by Saintess Diana? They weren’t captured to be executed, but to be turned?

For a moment, Sean and the others all wore varied expressions.

The woman ignored their reactions, turning to give the guards a look, signaling them to escort the prisoners.

「Ten minutes later.」

The woman brought them to a church, where they were registered by an elderly Priest and each issued a "Knight Certificate." This ’Knight’ was not a noble title; it simply meant they now worked for the Saintess.

Of course, if they performed well and the Saintess took a liking to them, it wasn’t impossible to become a true Knight.

"This is great news!"

The group exchanged glances covertly. Kave’s eyes were practically gleaming with excitement.

"Great news, my foot," Eleanor said angrily. "If you dare betray Blake City, I’ll be the first to come after you!"

"What are you talking about? How could I be a traitor?" Kave retorted, annoyed. "Use that little brain of yours and think. What does working for the Saintess mean?"

Tony said thoughtfully, "It means we can get closer to the Saintess?"

"Exactly!" Kave glanced over at the woman, saw she was still talking to the Priest and not paying attention to them, then continued in a low voice. "You all heard her. That dame kept saying ’Her Highness the Saintess.’ She obviously holds the Saintess in high regard. And for her to be in charge here, it means this place is the Saintess’s territory. And if this is the Saintess’s territory... what do you think the chances are that the Saintess herself is in the city?"

That was the great news he was talking about.

He had thought they’d been transported to some godforsaken corner of the continent, like Black Witch Island, a place used specifically to imprison criminals. He thought they were getting further and further away from Pilgrimage City, Elderidge, and their target, Saintess Diana. But it turned out the one who captured them was the Saintess herself...

To put it bluntly, this was a classic case of inviting the wolf into her home.

Sean didn’t want to be a wet blanket, but he was genuinely curious. "Honestly, I’ve never understood why you’re all so confident about assassinating the Saintess."

They had already witnessed the Saintess’s methods. A single painting had rendered them completely powerless. She was a Tier Eight—or maybe even higher—Grand Mage. Sean seriously doubted that, at their level, they could even get close to her.

"Didn’t we explain this before?" Tony said. "We have faith in Blake City."

Truly.

The leaders would never send them to their deaths.

"Besides, you came along too, didn’t you?" Tony added.

Sean: "..."

That was different.

He just wanted to see what the Saintess looked like, and what her connection was to his wife, Olivia.

"If we can’t use force, we’ll use our wits," Kave said. "As long as she’s human, she must have a weakness."

Even someone as powerful as Mr. Blake was brought down by a scheme, wasn’t he?

This time, they were here to avenge Mr. Blake!

Ryan, however, was sizing up Sean. "You’re a good-looking guy. How about you try a honey trap?"

Sean: "?"

Before he could answer, Eleanor flatly refused. "No way!"

Tony and the others: "Hm?"

Eleanor’s face reddened as she explained, "I mean, with the First Saintess as a cautionary tale, this generation’s Saintess is bound to be extra careful around men. A honey trap won’t work. It would just be a suicide mission."

"What are you all whispering about so furtively?"

Just then, the woman who had escorted them to the church walked over.

The group immediately fell silent.

The woman scoffed. "I’d advise you to stop getting any funny ideas. Her Highness the Saintess sparing your lives is a sign of her tolerance and trust. If I were you, I’d be obedient and work hard for Her Highness from now on."

Tony put on a serious face. "You can rest assured, ma’am, we certainly will!"

The woman gave them a meaningful smile. "Oh, you certainly will."

She wasn’t worried about Sean and the others having ulterior motives.

Because this wasn’t the first time she had met people from Blake City.

"You’re Eleanor, right?" The woman looked at Eleanor, then gestured with her eyes toward the far end of the room. "Turn around and look. Who is that?"

Confused, Eleanor turned her head.

There, at the entrance to the church, stood a beautiful young woman backlit by the sun. She bore a strong resemblance to Eleanor, and her eyes were red-rimmed and filled with tears as she stared at her.

Eleanor’s eyes widened, then instantly blurred with tears. Her voice trembled.

"Sister...?!"

...

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