Chapter 647 - 58: Parasite

Chapter 647: Chapter 58: Parasite

The Society of Truth headquarters.

Outside the reception room’s floor-to-ceiling windows, the bustling metropolis of Zlesko City was in full view, but the atmosphere inside was suffocatingly tense.

Sebastian Villa was receiving a special guest.

The chief student of Edmond, the vice president of the Society of Truth, sat bolt upright, a proper smile fixed on his face, though his eyes darted intermittently toward the young man opposite him.

Leonardo Douglas.

The young master of the main branch of the Douglas Clan, Lady Cheris’s cousin, and a Third-Level Wizard.

He wore an exquisitely tailored, deep purple Magic Robe, and his entire bearing radiated the air of someone born to a life of privilege and luxury.

He was currently leaning back against the sofa, his long fingers tapping lightly on the armrest. His emerald eyes, which bore a slight resemblance to Cheris’s, were filled with impatience.

"Sebastian, what in the world is she thinking?"

Leonardo’s voice was filled with undisguised displeasure.

"Wouldn’t it have been better to just surrender earlier? Why insist on holding out until now, wasting so many resources? Manpower, supplies, time—isn’t it all money? Can’t she just write it off as a failed investment? Even a three-year-old understands the principle of cutting your losses."

Sebastian maintained the smile on his face, but inwardly he couldn’t help but grumble.

’The Douglas Clan’s enterprises are spread throughout the Imperial territories, and the Society of Truth is just one of them.’

’If it fails, it fails. To you, it’s just a line item in a ledger.’

’But what about us?’

’For those of us in the Society of Truth, our entire life’s work is invested here. Our titles, status, resources, and connections are all tied to this organization.’

’If the Society of Truth falls, you can just walk away without a care in the world. What are we supposed to do?’

But in the end, he didn’t dare say any of this out loud.

The man before him was a young master of the Douglas Clan. And while his power was far inferior to that of the Fourth-Level Wizard, Cheris...

...what right did he, a mere Third-Level Wizard, have to be insolent in his presence?

"You are right, Young Master," he could only agree. "Her Ladyship... is indeed a bit too stubborn."

Leonardo snorted and resumed tapping the armrest.

"The way I see it, if she had surrendered seven days ago and pulled everyone out in time, we would have lost two months’ budget at most. And now? She dragged it out for seven more days, and the costs have more than tripled."

He paused, his tone growing even more irritated.

"And the most infuriating part is that bunch of trash from the Shaping Domain!"

"They said they could take her down three days ago, but what happened? They let a single Fourth-Level Wizard hold out against them until now. Trash! A bunch of useless trash!"

As Sebastian listened, a bitter feeling rose in his heart.

’Of course, he knew why the Shaping Domain hadn’t succeeded.’

’It wasn’t because they were trash; it was because they didn’t dare.’

’Cheris Douglas: President of the Society of Truth, a direct bloodline member of the Douglas Clan, a Fourth-Level Wizard, and Vice-Chair of the Senate.’

’With a status like that, who would dare to actually kill her?’

’The Shaping Domain wanted the Kronos plane and the bloodline materials within it. They didn’t want to make a mortal enemy of a massive clan.’

’So they could only trap her with the Mist Lock, wear her down with a war of attrition, and force her to admit defeat and retreat on her own.’

’Originally, the plan was a success.’

’Seven days ago, the Mist Lock was complete. Cheris was trapped inside, and the cost to maintain her defense was growing by the day.’

’By normal calculations, she wouldn’t have been able to hold on for more than three days.’

But—

Leonardo’s voice cut through Sebastian’s thoughts once again.

"Cheris is only fighting so desperately because she’s counting on that bunch of trash not daring to kill her, isn’t she?"

Sebastian snapped back to reality and nodded respectfully. "You are wise, Young Master. Her Ladyship... does indeed have that advantage."

"Hmph," Leonardo snorted. "She’s clever, all right, knowing how to exploit their weakness. But has she ever stopped to think about whose money she’s losing by holding out like this?"

Sebastian didn’t respond.

He recalled the intelligence report he had received a few days ago.

’Apparently, the Shaping Domain had a supply problem—a key resource failed to arrive on time, creating a flaw in the Mist Lock that besieged Cheris.’

’The flaw was minuscule, so small that an ordinary Fourth-Level Wizard would never have noticed it.’

’But Cheris was no ordinary Fourth-Level Wizard.’

’She was Cheris Douglas.’

’A peerless genius who had reached Level 3 at fifteen and ascended to the Fourth Level within fifty years.’

’She seized that flaw.’

’And so, a battle that was on the verge of collapse was single-handedly dragged into a stalemate by her.’

’Which also brought the young master before him here.’

Sebastian secretly glanced at Leonardo.

"Sebastian."

Leonardo’s voice rang out again.

Sebastian quickly composed himself. "What are your orders, Young Master?"

Leaning back on the sofa, Leonardo narrowed his emerald eyes and stared at him.

"Tell me, do you think Cheris can pull through this time?"

Sebastian fell silent for a moment.

’This was a question he couldn’t answer.’

’Say she could?’

’If she ended up losing, his prediction would be wrong, and he would lose the young master’s trust.’

’Say she couldn’t?’

’If she ended up winning, he would be showing disrespect to Her Ladyship and disloyalty to the Society of Truth.’

He could only choose his words with caution.

"Young Master, Her Ladyship... is, after all, the President of our Society of Truth, a Fourth-Level Wizard of outstanding power. Besides, the battle has reached a stalemate now. A turnaround isn’t impossible."

Leonardo scoffed.

"A turnaround? What kind of turnaround? Are you hoping that bunch of trash from the Shaping Domain will just withdraw on their own?"

He shook his head, his tone dripping with contempt.

"You’re too naive, Sebastian. The Shaping Domain can afford to wait; we can’t. They’ve been researching bloodlines for decades. How much money do you think they’ve invested? Now that success is within their grasp, why would they possibly retreat?"

"Cheris might be able to hold out for seven days, or fourteen days, or even a month. But what then?"