Murder with a Borrowed Knife

Pressured by the two knights, the covert probing consciousness beat a swift retreat. To cover his teacher's escape, Wayne did not budge an inch. Striking an imposing pose, he feigned far greater interest in confronting the Dark Knight. Only after a long while, once he was certain she was safe, did he slowly speak: "Leave this to me." Both of them spoke at once. *As if I'd ever leave it to you!* Scoffing inwardly, Wayne snapped the reins and leaped into a teleportation passage. "I happen to be very interested in the High Priest's head. If you want it... may the best man win." The Dark Knight said nothing. The moment the portal closed, his figure melted into the dark, only to emerge right before the undead warhorse. Wayne was inwardly shocked. Yulia's portals could not bridge massive distances, but manipulating spatial magic was already an astounding feat; he had never expected the Dark Knight's spatial magic to achieve such similar wonders. At this rate, it would only take a few hops for him to catch up to Xifei. *Teacher, run as fast as you can. Whatever you do, don't look back.* "Khehehe, how amusing." Wayne's skeletal skull bared a wide grin, attempting once more to draw the Dark Knight's attention. *What's so great about a leggy mature beauty? Real men go for bones! The night is young—why don't we have a contest and see who wins tonight's Best Look Award?* It didn't do much good. Ignoring him completely, the Dark Knight stepped through the realm of shadows, gliding freely outside spatial limits and leaving Wayne far behind within a few flickers. What a nuisance! Wayne spurred his steed in pursuit. He didn't know the full extent of Xifei's power or how she stacked up against the Dark Knight, but his supernatural senses warned him that the Dark Knight was undoubtedly more dangerous. Perhaps the Dark Knight had arrived radiating such intense hostility that it naturally tripped the supernatural alarms. Regardless, Xifei had always treated him well and was his most revered teacher—ranking a tiny smidge higher than Butler Fra. He couldn't just stand by and do nothing. Even setting that aside, a man in black stalking a leggy beauty in the dead of night? A righteous Death Knight was obligated to respond to the call. Two minutes later, just as the Dark Knight was about to reach the origin of the consciousness, he came to an abrupt halt. Slowly turning around, he looked at the Death Knight galloping toward him. "Since you are intent on taking the head of the Church of Nature's High Priest, I shall leave her to you," the Dark Knight said coldly. "But remember: Londan is my domain. Without my permission, no one runs wild in Londan." With that, he took a step forward and vanished completely into the depths of the darkness. *Your prey was right in front of you, and you just give up the chase? What gives?* Wayne couldn't quite wrap his head around it. Wondering if his poor acting had given him away, he hesitated for a fraction of a second before snapping the reins and continuing in his teacher's direction. At this point, he had to press on. If he chickened out now, the Dark Knight would probably spread rumors all over town that the Church of Nature's High Priest was sleeping with the Death Knight. Wayne didn't care about himself—once he shed this disguise, he was anyone he pleased. His teacher, however, couldn't afford that. Rumors flying everywhere would ruin her career prospects, and he was still counting on her rapid ascent. Once she became the Pope, she could help her dear student throw his weight around the neighborhoods and bed candidate Saintesses! The undead warhorse leapt out of the teleportation corridor, all four hooves touching down and trampling over searing white points of light. The white glow rippled outward like a pebble breaking the surface of calm water, sending faint waves spreading in every direction. The scenery before Wayne shifted drastically. The fog-draped, tree-lined path was washed away by the ripples, replaced by a wide, moonlit street rapidly unfolding before and behind him. The avenue was roughly thirty meters wide, flanked on both sides by prominent Gothic architecture—a colossal clock tower, an imposing cathedral, soaring spires that pierced the clouds, and black steeples rising like spears and blades. The outer walls of the buildings featured intricate panes of translucent glass, through which flickering candlelight could be seen in the dark alongside the faint, melodious hymns of a choir. Beneath the moonlight, the magnificent architectural complex looked solemn and mysterious. The sudden chime of a bell draped the long street in a profound sense of history. *A boundary?* Wayne gazed down the street, which stretched into infinity in both directions. Pushing his vision to the limit, he was surprised to spot a figure riding an undead warhorse in the far distance. It was the back of his own figure! "Impressive, but not quite enough..." Wayne spoke in a low voice. Perhaps the Church of Nature knew the Death Knight inside out, had plenty of combat experience against him, and possessed a hundred and eight clever tricks to trap him. Unfortunately, relying on dogma was a fatal mistake. They had picked the wrong target—he was no Death Knight. In raw power, Wayne knew he fell short of the genuine Death Knight. But in variety of skills, he had far more answers than a Death Knight of a single attribute. *Super Vision!* Magic surged within him. Black smoke billowed like a roaring dark fire, and two beams of white light erupted from Wayne's skeletal head, sweeping across the entire area like twin swords until he located the stitched seam of the looped street. Two Gothic buildings stood side by side, one tall and one short, and the seam where they joined bore a visible flaw. It was just like an AI program that didn't know how to draw fingers—at first glance, the overall style seemed flawless, but look a little closer, and good grief, it had six fingers. Wayne drew Shadow Nightmare. Cold, pale moonlight glinted off the blade, illuminating the knight's ivory skull. Galloping forward, he brought the greatsword slashing down at the flaw in the seam. With a booming crash, the scene shattered like a mirror, revealing a deep spatial corridor. Without hesitation, Wayne drove the undead warhorse into a spatial teleportation, leaping out of the boundary's perimeter right as the rift shrank shut. This time, what greeted Wayne was a lush, verdant forest. Ancient trees spread their gnarled roots, and countless towering giants stood like primordial titans between heaven and earth. The rolling sea of foliage formed a vast, breathtaking panorama. The second boundary was not yet fully established. A handful of mages stared in disbelief at the sudden emergence of the Death Knight, unable to comprehend how he could have broken through so fast. The woman leading them was stunningly beautiful, her delicate features resembling fine porcelain. Her cascading dark hair wafted a faint fragrance, and a pale green gown hugged her curves to perfection. Seeing the undead knight look her way, she hastily raised a hand to mask her face. Wayne stared back in astonishment. Going by the mental presence alone, she was practically indistinguishable from his teacher, Xifei—calling them the same person wouldn't even be an exaggeration. *What's going on? Could she be my teacher's twin sister?* Baffled, Wayne took in her elegant demeanor. She looked to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, so she couldn't possibly be Xifei's daughter; that left a twin sister as his only guess. *Still, why cover your face? It's not like you're ugly!* Across from him, the woman was filled with regret. Surging magic on par with a Golden mage radiated from her body, a tidal wave of mana sweeping up swirling green light and blending it with pure moonlight to swiftly complete the second boundary's deployment. The cold moon shone from high above, transforming into invisible chains that bound the undead warhorse. The arm Wayne used to hold his blade grew heavy as lead, and a bizarre, indescribably eerie chill crept over his skeletal frame. "The boundary won't hold him for long. I've already planted the seed. Mission accomplished—retreat!" the woman commanded swiftly, leading her subordinates through a concealed exit in the boundary. On Wayne's end, he felt as though something had been slipped into his body. He felt it, and the Book of Greed felt it too. *Gulp!* *Next time don't swallow it so fast. At least let me see what it was,* Wayne grumbled internally, still puzzling over the mysterious woman's mind. It was so identical to his teacher's that even a student like him had been duped. *Who on earth is she?* Wayne couldn't help marveling at Londan's hidden depths; any random mage that popped up was terrifyingly strong. Slashing apart the invisible chains around him, he began trotting the undead warhorse casually through the boundary. Though it was merely an illusion, the natural landscape was grand and expansive, bringing a refreshing sense of peace to his mind. Practicing communion with nature here would yield twice the results with half the effort. Wayne was so tempted he almost sat down right then and there to meditate. Unfortunately, he couldn't afford to linger! A moment later, the undead warhorse leapt out of a portal, shaking its head and snorting repeatedly. "Master, I have pollen allergies." "Cut it out. You're nothing but a pile of bones—how could you have pollen allergies?" Wayne patted the horse's head. A pollen allergy was out of the question; it was simply a matter of unfavorable terrain. Yulia preferred vast graveyards under the cover of night, not natural boundaries bathed in moonlight. *Just who could that woman be?* Wayne pondered her identity, and suddenly a strange discrepancy struck him. Back when he had been facing down the Dark Knight, that mind so remarkably similar to his teacher's had abruptly intruded. At the time, he thought Xifei had simply grown overly excited watching dog-eat-dog and accidentally chuckled out loud. Looking back now, she had clearly done it on purpose, intentionally revealing herself to catch the attention of both the Death Knight and the Dark Knight. What Wayne couldn't grasp was why she had drawn him into the boundary only to do practically nothing... Well, not quite nothing. The woman had planted something connected to moonlight, but the Book of Greed had gulped it down in one bite, turning it into nourishment for the little eyeball. Wayne guessed this was a conspiracy aimed at the knights. The Dark Knight had picked up on something amiss early on and decisively retreated, leaving Wayne as the only one to step into the trap. *Wait, no—someone else was set up too!* His teacher's face flashed across Wayne's mind. The woman hadn't laid an ambush to fight; through her scheme, she had successfully directed the hostility of two terrifying figures toward Xifei—one being the Death Knight, the other the Dark Knight. Too bad that, despite all her cunning, she had miscalculated one thing: the Death Knight had broken through the first boundary ahead of schedule and seen her true face. *She could wield both nature and moonlight magic with ease. Is she from the Free Mages Alliance? Or is Londan's Triple Goddess Alliance displeased with Teacher, so they tried to murder with a borrowed knife?* Wayne fell into contemplation. The situation was growing messier by the minute, and with his limited intelligence, he could no longer read the board. Troublesome! Not only was Xifei accumulating more and more trouble, but he, as her student, was getting dragged in deeper as well. The Death Knight persona carried far too much baggage. Every time he showed his face, he drew enormous attention. Tonight alone had directly attracted the scrutiny of multiple churches, and everyone showing up was a high-ranking authority in Londan. The more entangled this guise became, the wider its ripple effect, and the more severe the escalation. Wayne decided it was time to shelve this identity for a while. He needed to cut down on public appearances in the near future—better yet, make none at all and put the Death Knight on ice. In the eyes of outsiders, the Death Knight in Londan was the genuine article. But Wayne knew full well that he could only draw Shadow Nightmare thanks to the Book of Greed. He was no Death Knight, and he couldn't shoulder the mountain of vendettas that came with the title. If he kept up the charade, things would only spiral out of control until a total collapse occurred. Paper couldn't wrap fire; a fake was a fake after all. He donned the persona to get things done conveniently, not to draw fire upon himself. "A sudden surge of power went straight to my head. I deserve a slap for that. Time to go back to being an ordinary, unremarkable apprentice mage..." Wayne took a deep breath. The Death Knight persona carried immense influence, which was both a blessing and a curse. Tonight had served as a wake-up call: as a mage, keeping a low profile was always the wiser path. Great power only stoked greater desire. He had let strength cloud his judgment and grown a bit too cocky lately. Galloping across the river, showing up at tonight's gathering—both had been foolish acts driven by unchecked ego. Wayne shook his head repeatedly, growing more alarmed the more he thought about it. Londan wasn't some backwater town like Enrold, and its factions went far beyond a petty, shadowy group like the Church of the Earth's Core. He hadn't even probed the depths of Londan's waters, yet he had brazenly jumped out to draw all the aggro. It was utterly brain-dead. Just look at the Dark Knight—now that was low-profile. Aside from meeting his ally face-to-face, he had stayed in the shadows from start to finish, determined never to expose himself before the crowd. *Lesson learned. If I ever try to flex like that again, I'm an idiot!* Wayne gritted his teeth, taking the lesson to heart. He swore to learn from the Dark Knight: if he could avoid showing his face, he would never step onto the front stage. Especially when it came to alibis and personas. A persona was meant to take the blame, not to show off. A persona's strength wasn't his own; a person had to rely on himself. Constant self-improvement was the true way forward. Of course, self-improvement and self-absorbing were two different things—he still had to do his harvesting. If he didn't absorb them, his fellow elementals would be left wandering the streets. *** The following morning, before the dawn mist had cleared. Wayne dragged his exhausted body back to the detective agency. Last night, he had returned to the sewers, channeling his grief and indignation into strength. Led by the fire elemental, he had swept through several gathering spots of his elemental brethren. "These unruly freeloaders are hiding deeper and deeper." Wayne muttered as he pushed open the back door. Fortunately, A'huo was eager to report on others and actively led the way; otherwise, the earth, water, and wind elements really would have slipped past him. After several nights of thorough harvesting—especially after last night's ruthless haul—Wayne's long-stagnant life essence had climbed to 96%. Though the increase wasn't massive, pushing the progress bar forward was still a gratifying result. Upon stepping into the agency, Wayne sensed that something was off. The furniture was arranged exactly as before, and the books, papers, and pens on the desk hadn't been moved an inch. Yet his nose picked up the scent of strangers. Three different scents, tainted with tobacco and alcohol. Wayne narrowed his eyes slightly and conducted a thorough sweep. Someone had visited last night, but the five hundred shillings in his desk drawer remained untouched, proving they hadn't come for money. If they weren't after money, they could only be after his virtue. "All I want is to meditate quietly, so why does someone always have their eye on me? Who is it this time? Whose toes did I step on now?" Full of suspicion, Wayne considered setting an ambush tonight to trace them back to their source. After a moment's thought, he abandoned the idea, turned around, walked to the street corner payphone, and dialed his gorgeous teacher. "The detective agency isn't safe. Someone's watching me—it might be that big shot from before." "Impossible. He might talk a big game about virtue and spout nothing but lies to trick women, but he still possesses basic integrity." "..." *Teacher, do you hear what you're saying? That's completely contradictory.* *And what's your relationship with that big shot anyway? Something smells fishy here!* "Teacher, do you have any other safe houses in Londan? I'd like to find a quiet corner to focus on my meditation." "I have a few. I'll give you an address and have them arrange it; you can move in this afternoon." "Thank you, Teacher." Wayne was delighted. Having a wealthy, generous teacher made moving so convenient. "No need to be polite between us. Meditate well—once you become a capable mage who can stand on his own, I'll still need you to back me up." On the other end of the line, Xifei once again instructed Wayne to keep a low profile, then added, "A few guests have arrived. Let's talk again tonight."