Bam!
To Strong Johnny's astonished expression, the arcane missile hit his chest, knocking the burly man into a somersault and slamming him hard onto the ground. The follow-up two missiles pushed him over ten meters away, crashing him into the stone wall. Fortunately, he had not cultivated magic, or the burning mana effect would have compounded his injuries.
This was the reason the Wagran continent so revered magic - it was a force that defied understanding, easily overcoming the accumulation of time and level differences, causing shocking destruction.
The current battle was a typical case - a well-trained family knight was being beaten helpless by a magic apprentice!
Of course, without his armor, the knight was like a declawed fierce beast, his combat power reduced by more than 70%. Otherwise, this arcane missile volley would not have incapacitated Strong Johnny.
The intelligence was completely wrong. How could the rumored waste have such magical abilities? Looking at his casting speed and proficiency, it was clearly beyond the level of an apprentice!
Griffin's mind was left with only one thought - he must kill him, no matter the cost, or else everything he had built at William Castle would be exposed to the sun, and Charles' earlier described prophecy would come true one by one.
Griffin almost unconsciously blurted out, "Kill him! Hurry!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it.
The situation was so cruel, but what would killing Charles accomplish? Could it make people ignore the fact that Charles died at William Castle? Could it avoid the Iron Blood Duke's investigation of him? What should he do to maintain the current situation?
Thinking about this, Griffin's mind became a bit chaotic, not knowing what to do.
Hearing this order, the other knight was also at a loss, confused. He could accept striking and injuring Charles, but "killing" was a different matter entirely. Although the target was a disinherited scion, he was the Duke's son, and the only son at that!
Charles coldly snapped, "Griffin is already at death's door, and you are still willing to be dragged down with him, to die together?"
Clang! A heavy battle-axe fell to the ground, and the knight slowly raised his hands, backing away, giving his answer.
Towards those who wanted him dead, Charles would never be soft.
Charles sneered as he approached, "Remember my prophecy? I said I would beat you to the point of losing your teeth!"
Charles gripped his staff with both hands and forcefully stabbed it down, the hard wooden staff impaling into Griffin's gum, only to hear a few crisp snaps as several teeth shattered, with the deep red blood gushing out.
Griffin clutched his bleeding mouth, rolling and wailing on the ground, not knowing whether it was from the pain or the fear.
Just then, a thunderous roar came from outside the castle gate: "Griffin, hand over Charles to me!"
Griffin's eyes widened, and he fainted in sheer terror...
In fact, after capturing Charles, Griffin had prepared to face the great mage's wrath. His master had told him that Rowan was a steady person, cautious and not impulsive. As long as he had the Duke's letter, he wouldn't have to worry about Rowan's retaliation, and everything would proceed according to the customs of the Wagran continent, through diplomatic channels.
In such a case, the person negotiating with Griffin would most likely be Yvonne, Rowan's assistant, and Griffin had even inquired about Yvonne's hobbies and done some preparatory work.
Everything seemed flawless, but the unexpected had happened in the place he was least prepared for - two disciplinary knights, one knocked down on the ground, the other intimidated out of the battle, and the entire castle now under the control of a waste young master?!
This was a scene that wouldn't even appear in nightmares!
After a brief period of unconsciousness, when Griffin first opened his eyes, he saw the inner castle gate opened by the family knights, saw Rowan the great mage floating in mid-air, saw the fierce flame orb swirling around him, and his mind suddenly went blank. After enduring Charles' wrath, he would now face Rowan's wrath.
It's all over! Everything is ruined!
Griffin finally realized that Charles' "prophecy" was not a prophecy at all, but a trap he had deliberately set, and he had walked right into it, bringing down his own doom.
Rowan the great mage had a furious expression on his face as he charged in, but when he saw the unharmed Charles and the bleeding Griffin, he was taken aback.
Yvonne hesitated, "Junior, are you... alright?"
Charles shook his head and raised his staff, saying, "Senior, I'm sorry for dirtying your staff, but it really is a good equipment, and today it helped me turn the tide."
Yvonne's face flashed a pained look, "It's alright, the important thing is that you're fine."
"It's a good thing I had a backup plan," Charles smiled and explained to Rowan, "Griffin had me captured and instructed the family knights to torture me, planning to put me to the question, but he didn't expect me to be able to use magic and turn the tables on him."
Following Charles' lead, Rowan and the others saw the torture chamber next to them.
Yvonne couldn't help but cover her mouth, making a retching motion, "Such a strong scent of blood!"
Rowan swept his gaze around the room and sneered, "It's a private torture chamber, and some of the tools are even imperial contraband. I wonder what the Duke would think of this scene."
After the brief chaos, Griffin could not allow himself to remain silent any longer, he had to make one last effort to face the great mage, otherwise the outcome would spiral out of control. The Duke's judgment would be even more severe!
From another angle, in order to cover up the traces of the conspiracy, he might even be eliminated by his master. Thinking of those people's methods, Griffin's whole body shivered involuntarily. He exhausted his mental effort trying to think of a possible survival path...
You are not benevolent, so don't blame me for being unjust! Perhaps exposing everything might not be a bad choice? Griffin's eyes gleamed with a cruel light.
Soon, a luxurious carriage with the Broom Flower insignia departed from William Castle, the entire carriage frame and skeleton made of hard wood as strong as steel. The white carriage body was trimmed with a light golden color, quite magnificent. The beautiful lines and patterns were not just for decoration - without them, even with several good horses, they could not pull this carriage. They were magical patterns, forming a series of complex magical arrays.
The magical patterns endowed the carriage with functions of 'agility', 'shock absorption', 'warmth', and 'surveillance eye'. Sitting inside was quite comfortable, without any sense of traveling through the forest.
At this time, the carriage interior was immersed in silence, Rowan and Charles sitting face to face.
Charles directly felt that he was facing a silent mountain rock, deeply introspective, yet one could glimpse the viscous molten lava flowing in the crevices of the black rock, ready to erupt into a fiery inferno at any moment.
That heavy, solid feeling gave Charles a tremendous sense of pressure, his body involuntarily trembling, the mental pressure almost becoming tangible, allowing him to experience the power of a great mage.
Finally, the great mage spoke, "Charles, you are indeed very clever, another person has fallen victim to your machinations, but I am not happy about this. The realm of magic should be purer, if your heart is filled with too many impure thoughts, you are destined to not go far on the path of magic."
Charles silently nodded, explaining, "Teacher, I want to say that I really didn't have a choice. If I didn't keep a part of my mind on guard, I might have been persecuted and ended up dead. Do you believe that I was framed?"
Rowan frowned and said, "You mean the incident with the princess?"
"Yes! Everything is too coincidental, don't you find it strange? And do you really think I'm so stupid as to do something that has no chance of success, but will lead to my own destruction?"
"Now it doesn't seem that way, but I don't know why you have such a bad reputation in Hannes City? I suppose it's not just idle gossip, there's no way everyone could have misjudged you so badly!"
Charles bitterly smiled, "I've admitted to the past events, to be honest, that slap woke me up. Maybe my bloodline has awakened, because my previously muddled mind has suddenly become remarkably clear, seeing through the current situation and knowing what I need and want to do."
Talent and bloodline are things in this world that cannot be explained, but nevertheless exist. They make diligence pale in comparison, any unexplainable phenomenon can be attributed to it, and no one will doubt it.
Rowan glanced at him casually and said, "The Thunderous Earth bloodline doesn't have the effect of developing intelligence!"
Charles could only respond with a smile.
Although still harboring doubts, Rowan did not raise any objections to his explanation.
"I don't want to get involved in your family's affairs, and you are not allowed to do anything under my banner. You must understand that you are now just my magic apprentice, one of the 31 apprentices. Since you have chosen me as your teacher, you must abide by the rules I have set. If I discover that you have violated the rules, I will cancel your apprenticeship and reclaim everything I have granted you."
"Understood."
Rowan admonished earnestly, "This world is not lacking in people with extraordinary talents, and compared to true geniuses, you are not particularly outstanding, let alone the fact that you have wasted the most precious ten years. Charles, you really have no reason to be proud or slothful."
Charles solemnly nodded and replied, "Yes, thank you for the guidance, teacher."
Rowan said, "I will tell the Duke about your performance in the botanical garden, as well as everything Griffin has done, without any cover-up, just stating the facts.
Furthermore, I will also express my willingness to accept you as an apprentice. As for whether he agrees or not, I cannot guarantee, if he opposes this matter, then I am powerless, and you can only find a way yourself."
"Good, teacher. If you can do this, I am already extremely grateful."