479 High-level Mage
Two months later...
Vicente had spent the entire last month at the Mazzanti estate when he finally opened his eyes this afternoon in the meditation room of his headquarters.
He had just raised his magical cultivation to the final part of the 3rd stage, having finally made his final breakthrough in the 3rd stage without the help of any external resources.
Feeling the mana in his body much stronger than before, he felt like letting some leave his body, feeling stronger than he had ever felt.
'Newton was right and wrong... I really needed to cultivate more calmly, but one year to reach the High-level was too much. It took me less than six months.' He smiled as he remembered the words of that genius. 'I will probably become a Sovereign before Nina awakens her powers.
Perfect!'
He got up from where he was and made his way to the upper levels of his estate, feeling that things were still going well for his family.
The men there were, on average, one level stronger than when Vicente had begun his seclusion. That was the case with the family's Acolytes and Apprentices. As for the Mages, they were still at the same level, but some of them were approaching their peak.
Sarah wasn't around, so Vicente immediately thought the family's expansion must be going well. Hardly any trouble would cause her to leave, but the entry of the Mazzanti family's "arms" into other cities would.
"Vicente! Have you moved in yet?" Rory saw him as soon as he reached the second floor of the building, smiling happily for his friend.
"Yes, how are things?" Vicente asked when he saw a calm expression on his friend's face.
Rory was already used to his friend's easy progress and didn't insist on the subject of Vice's progress. "Same as before, I'd say. In the last month that you've been in seclusion, we've lost fewer men than before because of your strategy. But we still had some losses.
I believe the robotic armor and more powerful weapons are useful in defeating our invisible enemy. But our soldiers must become stronger to use what they offer."
"If that's the case, we will defeat the Woodslayer sooner or later." Vicente liked what he heard.
"Yes, as for Casey, we still don't have any information about him. Jasmine left town two days ago to go to Saltstar City, but she promised to continue investigating his situation there." Rory added.
"And Sarah? Is she leading any more of the family's expansions?"
Rory nodded positively. "Yes. She's gone to Ironcrest. But considering how dangerous it is for her to be there, she will be soon with us again."
"No problem. As long as she succeeds, it will be of great benefit to us."
"Unfortunately, you'll still have to be careful on the surface. Even though we managed to get Sarah out of the city safely, many powerful soldiers are still looking for you."
"I see." He sighed as he walked to the kitchen of the building.
"Get Shelby for me. I'll follow the plan she suggested and join her personal guard. I want to see Nina. I haven't seen her in a few days." He said after a long sigh.
"Okay, I'll call her as soon as I can."
...
Minutes later, Vicente was in a carriage ahead of Shelby, heading for the Fuller estate.
"Congratulations on your promotion. It won't be long before you reach your goals, Vicente." Shelby told him with a gracious smile on her face. "You should leave the province soon, right?"
"I will stay here until I become a Sovereign. There's nothing to do here after that. If I stay here too long, I'll have problems with my growth but also with my plans."
"At that point, it will be time to part ways..." She muttered, knowing it would happen sooner or later but not liking that her direct relationship with Vicente would be so short.
He looked at her in silence, seeing that she really enjoyed working with him to regret such a thing.
Then he smiled and said. "You have achieved your goals. There's no need to risk anymore to come with me. Now you just have to enjoy what you've accomplished."
She smiled too. "Yes, I will. But one day you'll hear from me, hehe. I won't just hold a mere Viscount title in my hands."
"I don't doubt it."
When their carriage stopped in front of the Fuller estate, they were getting out of the vehicle when one of Vicente's men alerted him.
"We've got trouble, Don Mazzanti."
"What is it?"
The soldier wearing the Staples family symbols replied. "There's an army wagon stopped across the street. The soldiers are looking at us. I think they're going to try something."
Shelby thought this was strange, but when she looked through the glass to her right, she saw what the man had reported. "How strange... Why are they here? Is it because of you?"
Seeing Shelby looking at him, Vicente put his mask back on and said. "I don't know. Let's keep going. We can't hide, or it would be more suspicious. Maybe it's nothing."
With that in mind, the two leave the carriage, Vicente acting as if he were one of Shelby's four bodyguards, and headed for the entrance to the Fuller residence.
But in the middle of their way, a soldier from the army carriage called out. "Miss Staples, Colonel Adams wants to talk to you about something."
"Adams? Vicente felt his temperature suddenly drop as he looked cautiously toward the carriage. 'Don't tell me that...'
As Shelby and the other soldiers looked at the carriage, its right door opened, and a man Vicente already knew stepped out.
"Colonel Adams." Shelby greeted him as he stopped beside the carriage while Vicente and his men pretended to watch their surroundings, and he looked in the direction of the street, trying not to be noticed.
Adams glanced at Shelby but immediately focused, somewhat suspiciously, on the heartbeats of each of those guards and her.
He had been looking for months for the people who had impersonated Sophia and Oscar at Long Bay Correctional Facility. But since he had found nothing in that city, he was inclined to believe they had either already left Millfall or were very well hidden.
Before leaving Millfall, he wanted to rule out the latter possibility. Therefore, he followed the last thing on his mind.
The soldiers from the capital who had been there earlier had passed on their doubts about Cesar Mazzanti to Cora, the new local Commandant.
She had then passed the same doubts on to Adams, who had been monitoring the Mazzanti family's movements for days.
Unfortunately, nothing concrete had turned up, and few knew if Cesar was in town or not.
However, Shelby had a strange relationship with the Mazzanti family, and some local rumors said that she had a very good relationship with Cesar.
Given how quickly she had risen through the ranks of local power after the Mazzanti family arrived in Millfall, much suspicion fell on her.
Adams was there for that very reason!
"Miss Staples, if your father were alive, he would be very pleased with your progress to the 3rd stage." He congratulated her on her recent progress.
With all her current resources, it would be a shame for her not to easily advance to the 3rd stage!
"Thank you." She smiled.
"Do you intend to leave the city to hunt your pentagram? I'd like you to answer a few questions for me before you leave." He said, feeling the hearts of Vicente's men beat strangely fast.
'There seems to be something wrong with these men...' He noticed, but still with his eyes only on Shelby.
"What do you want to know?" Shelby asked.
