BXBX NOVEL Chapter 441 Battle In The Village (1)
The dusk soon arrived with the red-orange tint fighting fiercely with the darkening skies.
Standing in the remote part of the palace were Eli and Leon along with their selected companions, Nathan and Randel.
Eli was clad in her robe and mask that was given by the late High Priest, the same artifact she wore when she first announced her existence during the internal war.
As for Leon, Nathan, and Randel, they all wore perfect disguises in order to not associate their identities with the Seirende Empire.
The team did not allow Mishael or any member of the Temple to join because of the possibility that the Pope might recognize them.
Upon careful deliberation, Nathan and Randel, whose abilities were not yet made public accompanied the two.
"All set?" Leon asked Eli and the two.
"We\'re good." Nathan and Randel replied with seriousness on their faces.
The mission for tonight will not be a simple one, because they will face someone who was deeply revered by the people and whose extent of abilities were not yet known.
Apart from that, Leon is only allowed to use one of his abilities because once he used the others, the Pope might catch the clue that he was an open path.
As for Eli, she can go all out except taking out her contracted beast Baobao and the Earth Fairies, which she had already revealed to the enemy a few days ago.
Leon looked at Eli as she nodded.
Then Eli lifted her eyes to the heavens where the stars were already slowly showing their twinkle.
"Oh, Great One, who showed us favor upon favor,
Lead us by the hand, do not let us stumble!
We will face the enemy with you by our side,
We will wield our sword while we entrust to you our lives!
Out of our hands will be deliverance,
From the enemies who were waiting for their chance!
Oh let their plans crumble to dust!"
As Eli pronounced her prayers, the wind blew and danced around the four people.
Leon, Nathan, and Randel felt like something was enveloping their bodies, like impenetrable armor. They felt their bodies lighten up and their senses sharpen by a notch.
They also felt that the flow of mana in their bodies became more fluid and efficient. This means that they will last long in a magic battle without exhausting their receptors!
\'This is the Paladin\'s blessing! The Holy Mage!\' Nathan who experienced receiving Eli\'s blessing for the first time could not help but exclaim in his heart.
His sister is so amazing!
"Now we\'re good to go!" Eli smiled at them before carefully putting on her artifact mask to conceal her identity.
After that Leon immediately conjured a portal into the spatial void.
The moment they stepped into the portal, what Eli, Nathan, and Randel saw was a starry path that leads to nowhere. From everywhere they look, it seems that the vast expanse of starfield does not seem to end at all.
Leon led them in a certain direction, although curious, the three did not ask him how he knew the direction of where to go.
Unbeknownst to them, the spatial king was actually giving instructions to Leon through his mind as he was not keen on showing himself to other beings.
A few walks from the spatial void, they finally stumbled upon a \'star\'.
"This leads to the hut where the decoy Paladin is staying. Get ready…" Leon looked at his companions and announced.
"I\'ll go first to set up the barrier to hide the fluctuation of mana outside. Since the spatial void is my familiar\'s domain, it will not cause any mana disturbance until you three go out. Wait for my signal…" He continued.
Seeing them nod, Leon touched the \'star\', and immediately, it turned into a portal.
Stepping into it without further delay, he arrived at a little resting hut where the decoy Paladin was staying rather worried.
The decoy paladin\'s eyes became alert upon noticing a portal opening inside the room. This kind of portal can only be made by his Master, the Third Prince!
The decoy stood up and waited for Leon to come out. He excitedly saluted and was about to greet them, however, Leon immediately signaled to him that he must keep quiet.
Understanding everything, the decoy, which was actually part of the Roaming Blades, used their very own sign language to communicate with each other.
After explaining everything, he helped Leon immediately set up the barrier before waiting excitedly to see the real paladin!
Too bad, they will be in a battle later on and so he could only bottle his excitement in his mind.
"Let\'s go." Leon peeked through the portal and signaled Eli, Randel, and Nathan to step out.
Since the barrier is up, they can now converse inside.
"Dio… thank you for holding up until this time. I am very grateful for your work." Eli greeted the decoy Paladin as soon as she saw him.
She spoke her heartfelt prayers and immediately cast a blessing that is as strong as the rest of her companions.
She had a deep impression of the brave Roaming Blade who willingly took on the mission when it would entail him disguise as a woman while facing the constant threat of being attacked by the people from the main temple.
"Madame, it is the honor of my lifetime to help you in this mission!" Dio\'s eyes teared up to realize that Eli did not hold back in giving him blessings. "You do not have to give me such a precious blessing, Madame!"
In his mind, being on a life-threatening mission is nothing. For he had already pledged loyalty to Leon and vowed to help him along the way. To be cared for by his Madam is a surreal dream.
"You need it for the battle later on. Eli cannot take it if you would be hurt along the process." Leon told Dio as he encouraged the young man.
Dio has a petite height and his body frame is almost similar to Eli especially when he is covered with the replica of Eli\'s artifact coat and mask. He looked so happy when he received his Master and Madame\'s affirmation.
After a while, they started Dio contacting his surveillance puppet hidden strategically along the area until the city.
With that, they waited for updates about the movements of the Pope\'s party even without physically going out to check the surroundings.
Soon the darkness enveloped the skies, the night started to deepen and the surroundings became quieter.
"They are starting to move," Dio reported.
Leon, Eli, Nathan, and Randel prepared for the battle.
"I think their plan was to have one of them pose as an inflicted patient to get close to the Madam. Then that\'s where they will attack." Dio frowned in worry.
"Can you get the people who would approach?" They asked.
"It\'s impossible, it\'s too far for me to activate the vision transfer, so I can only hear sounds." Dio apologetically replied.
"Let\'s just think of the worst. It might be the Pope or the fake paladin who would approach." Eli told everyone.
Leon\'s face turned sour, however, he knew that there was nothing he could do but be alert to help Eli should she be in a dangerous situation.
They will be engaging in a battle and there was no assurance that they could resolve the situation without getting hurt. They have to even prepare mentally for the worst.
"How many are there?" Nathan quickly asked.
"They were about fifteen, not including those who stayed in the forest that stayed here to watch my movements," Dio answered.
"Alright, do you think we three can manage them?" Nathan asked once again.
Dio looked at Nathan and Randel and nodded, "Yes, we can take care of them." He responded with certainty.
"Eli and I will be facing the Pope and the fake Paladin. Although we are all wearing face-changing skins, we have to be careful not to reveal our identity no matter what. After the goal is done, quickly retreat back to our position and we will transport to the spatial void at once." Leon announced his final instructions.
"One more thing, once you see the Pope, you have to inform me immediately. You must not be touched by him or else, our disguise will be all in vain."
"Understood, Third Prince!" Dio, Nathan, and Randel answered. They were reminded from the information given by the High Priest that the Pope had the power to read minds.
And so to be safe, they are to let the Pope face Leon, who had the highest chance to deal with him without physical contact.
After a few moments of preparation, there was a soft knock on the door.
Eli looked at her companions and stepped out of the boundary of the barrier.
With the soft creaking of the wooden door, Eli saw two worn-out people.
One was an aged man with his beard reaching his chest. He was bending with great difficulty as on his shoulders he was supporting a pale-looking young lady.
"Oh, healer, please help my daughter! She was infected by the curse!" The old man pleaded with crying in his voice.