NOVEL NEXT Chapter 252: Cardinal's Plan Pt.2
Brian stared at the man before him. The cardinal's high blond hair reminded him of his own past—back then, he was confident, strong, and young. These days, he felt better than ever, and yet the loss of his status within the class still angered him.
He was no longer the one who called the shots, but with the power the cardinal was offering, he would regain that and more. He thought joyfully of the day when he would take over the loner's prized kingdom.
"Fine, we will do it your way, but mark my words: if you waste our time…" Brian replied, leaving the sentence to hang as a warning.
"Relax, we all want the same thing, right?" Lumin said with a wide grin. He already had what he wanted, and spending some money for it wasn't going to hurt his church. In fact, their coffers would likely swell once they liberated the Saintess from the tamer's grasp.
He was utterly convinced that this was what the great Spirit of Light wanted.
"Well then, I guess we will have to show you to your new mounts. We had them prepared, knowing you would see our way," Lumin said as he stood and gestured for the three to follow him outside.
At the back of the church, three of the finest steeds awaited them, brought forth by one of the priests. Each Pegasus shone silver, glowing in the colors of the great spirits. Their power was evident—not only in their strong wings but in their ability to cast rays of light that would both purify and burn all they touched, cleansing them of any evil.
This extraordinary ability was instilled in these creatures through the best selective breeding techniques, practices that only the Church of Light had perfected.
Brian approached one of the majestic beasts, wondering if taming it would be as straightforward as he hoped. The cardinal, observing his hesitation, handed each boy a ring and a collar-like band.
"Imprint the ring and place the band on the beast's leg. It will follow your commands," the cardinal explained.
The boys wasted no time, quickly performing the task. As soon as Brian completed the process, he could feel the beast's intentions echoing in his mind, but he imposed his own will upon it—an unshakable force, like law itself.
He noticed the saddle already secured to the Pegasus, simplifying his task. Without delay, he mounted the creature and gave the command to take flight.
It wasn't his first time in the air; he had often relied on his flames to lift himself. However, staying airborne through his magic had always been taxing, draining his mana at an unsustainable rate. This time, with the Pegasus, flying felt like an entirely different experience—one of freedom and control.
If he told it to move left, it complied. If he directed it to move right, it followed without hesitation. The simplicity of controlling the Pegasus was something Brian deeply appreciated.
"Just make sure you have a caretaker for the beast," the cardinal advised while yelling to the heroes who were already in the air. "They should know what to feed it and how to handle its maintenance. We will provide this service for free. Just take the caretaker with you—he will have his own Pegasus so he can stay alongside you. And that is all we can do for you right now. The caretaker will be giving you…"
The cardinal paused for a moment before excusing himself, having already fulfilled his role in this arrangement. With that, the matter was left in the hands of the young heroes.
"We got what you wanted. I do like this monster, though—where should we go next?" George asked, eager to take to the sky.
"Where the old man told us. Were you not listening?" Brian snapped, his tone sharp as he reiterated their destination. Another demon invasion was unfolding in the Red Iron Republic, and they needed to get there quickly to join the fight.
Not only did the battle promise to be an essential step in their growth, but reaching level 80 ahead of their classmates would secure them the chance to get the next class change quest reward. The first to achieve the next class change would no doubt get the next reward—a goal Brian was determined to achieve before anyone else.
"I believe you would want to wait before that," a thin, pale priest in his mid-twenties interrupted just as Brian was about to instruct the group to start flying in the intended direction.
He was the caretaker assigned to look after their mounts while they fought, but Brian couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about the man.
"Oh, and why is that?" Brian questioned, testing the priest's resolve. The man remained completely emotionless, which irritated Brian and made him want to lash out at the audacity of the prolonged gaze.
"I believe, before you leave, you would want to receive your share of crystals, Hero of Flames. We have purchased your first batch, as well as those for your two companions," the priest said, handing each boy a sack containing at least one hundred crystals.
Each crystal radiated immense power, equivalent to that of a high-level monster. The weight of their significance was not lost on Brian, even as he struggled to contain his seething impatience.
The boy took one crystal out and stared at it greedily. He knew it was from Logan's kingdom, but he wouldn't squander the chance to grow even stronger than Logan. Crushing the crystal in his hand, he drained its mana, feeling his flames surge with newfound strength.
He repeated this process for each crystal, relishing as his core grew stronger with every pulse of energy absorbed. Jonathan and George followed suit, eagerly consuming their crystals.
The three boys experienced the addictive euphoria each crystal brought, an intoxicating rush of power. Yet, to Brian's frustration, it only raised their level by one.
Brian couldn't help but realize how much faster Logan must have been leveling up, surrounded by such abundant resources. Fueled by this realization, he resolved not to delay any further and pressed forward, determined to join the fight in the Red Iron Republic without hesitation.