The Haggard Magician

Chapter 38 The Haggard Magician

The crimson moon was obscured by the clouds in the night sky, and the outskirts of Backlund were immediately plunged into complete darkness.

A dark figure stopped in front of a typical rural courtyard. He looked around to make sure no one was watching, then nimbly climbed over the courtyard wall.

The shadowy figure's feet had barely touched the ground when a hoarse voice from inside the house asked, "Who's there?"

"Lord Hillman, it's me."

"Oh, Hyman!"

The clouds in the sky drifted by, and the red moon reappeared.

Under the moonlight, you could see a middle-aged man standing in the courtyard with a sincere smile on his face. He was none other than Hyman, the "con artist" who had escaped from under Hobart and Hugh's noses.

"Sir, I've come to inquire about two people. One is a tall, young man who seems to have some resistance to mental influences. The other is a short woman who is very agile and looks like she could fight." Hyman said, "They were secretly watching me this afternoon, but luckily I spotted them and managed to shake them off."

The person in the room was silent for a few seconds before saying, "You suspect I sent them?"

Hyman smiled sincerely and said, "I haven't doubted anyone, it's just that only you, sir, know some of my secrets."

Hillman sneered, "If it were me, you'd be dead by now! You should think about whether you offended any big shots while you were scamming people."

"Since it's not the adults, it's very likely that they are official extraordinary individuals." Hyman shrugged. "They ruined the adults' plans, and I reckon Zachary is already under their control."

"I thought about it all night, and there's only one possibility: the ritual you had Zachary perform attracted the attention of the official superhumans, and they contacted me through Zachary."

Hyman never imagined that it was Mr. Robin, whom he had swindled, who provided others with clues about him. In his view, Mr. Robin and his cousin were insignificant figures in Backlund. At most, they could find Zachary, but they would never hold him accountable.

"Ha!" Hillman chuckled sinisterly. "I see. Your aggressive tactics just now were merely a cover for the plan's failure!"

He said coldly, "Although Mr. A said that our relationship is one of cooperation and that I should have enough respect for you!"

"But if you mess things up, you always have to be punished."

Before Hyman could argue, a solemn murmur rang in his ears, and Hyman's brain felt as if someone was churning it with a knife, causing him excruciating pain. He shook his head and banged it against the wall repeatedly.

He now deeply regrets that three years ago he approached these lunatics in order to obtain the "acting method".

But it was too late now. He endured the intense discomfort in his head and shouted, "I will cultivate another 'Mystic,' and make him willingly participate in Lord Hillman's experiments!"

The solemn murmurs began to fade, and Hyman slumped into the corner, breathing heavily, with the illusion of having escaped death.

Inside the house, Hillman said, "Find a place to hide. If anyone is still investigating, you should know what to do. Don't worry, we will avenge you when the time is right."

"If no one continues to investigate, then we will cultivate new 'Secret Prayer People'."

"Go ahead, I won't report your mistake to Mr. A."

Hyman, leaning against the wall, stood up: "Thank you, thank you for helping to cover it up. I won't make a similar mistake again."

His delirium just now made him feel like he had been seriously ill, and he no longer had the strength to climb over the wall. He could only hold onto the wall and go out of the courtyard gate.

As Hyman stepped out of the courtyard gate, a hand reached out from the shadows of the wall and closed the gate.

……

There are no towns in the Southern Continent.

The morning dew was crystal clear, sliding slowly on the blades of grass before finally falling to the ground.

Whoosh~

A young woman with disheveled hair and sloppy clothes was running around in the grass, humming a children's song out of tune. Dewdrops were sticking to her trouser legs, but she didn't care and seemed to be having a lot of fun.

Elliott caught up with her with a smile and helped her remove the grass from her head: "I need to go out for a while. You have to listen to your teacher."

She is Elliott's older sister, Moira. Because of the limited number of extraordinary traits in the family, only one child in a family can take the "Lawyer" potion at the age of 12.

When Moira was 12 years old, she gave up her chance to take the potion to her younger brother.

Tormented by her frantic screams, she, like the other family members who hadn't taken the potion, went mad!

When he became a madman, the frantic screams seemed to disappear, but as soon as the symptoms of madness improved even slightly, the frantic screams would return.

Therefore, the madmen of the Balk family will remain mad forever.

After the Balk family settled in a town that no longer existed, they bought many slaves to take care of the family's madmen.

Those who remain clear-headed, like Elliott, must leave the town to engage in extraordinary battles to provide income for the family so that it can continue to operate in the long run.

Sometimes warlords hired them to fight, and sometimes various churches in the Southern Continent hired them to do dirty work.

As "lawyer" pathway extraordinary individuals who possess considerable combat capabilities after Sequence 8, they never have to worry about not having clients.

They only refuse to take on jobs from the Rose School, and of course, the Rose School will not commission them either, because although the Balk family and the Rose School are not from adjacent schools, they are mortal enemies who will fight to the death if they meet.

Elliott looked at his sister and said, "I think I may have found a way to save the family. Even if it means sacrificing myself, I will try my best to break free from the family's curse. You will get better, and everyone will get better."

Just then, someone shouted from afar, "Elliott! It's time to go!"

Elliott shook his sister's hand, which was covered in weeds and mud, and then left without looking back.

Moira watched her brother's figure recede into the distance with a silly smile, and two lines of tears involuntarily streamed down her face.

……

At 8:10 a.m., Gaspin Street in the eastern part of Backlund.

Wearing a light trench coat and carrying a cane, Hobert glanced at his pocket watch again; Miss "Arbitrator" was already ten minutes late.

Another horse-drawn carriage arrived, the door opened, and Hobart finally saw Hugh.

Hugh jumped off the train: "Sorry, I'm late."

Hobart smiled and said, "No, I just arrived early."

Seeing Xiu's dark circles under his eyes, he asked, "Didn't you get enough rest yesterday?"

Hugh glanced around warily: "Yes, I can't sleep well every time I change my pillow."

Unlike what Foresight imagined, there were no seven or eight extraordinary beings who would control him as soon as he stepped off the carriage.

Hobart had no idea that Hugh and Fors had changed places overnight and didn't get to rest until late at night.

Hugh and Hobart walked side by side for a while, then Hobart suddenly turned around. Behind them, the only people on the street were workers hurrying to work and homeless people slumped in a corner.

Hobart remained calm, but whispered to Hugh with absolute certainty, "We're being watched."

Hugh was slightly taken aback. Yes, someone was watching them. However, the person following far behind was Fors, whose dark circles were even worse than hers and whose skin was in worse condition. She looked like she hadn't slept for three days and three nights.

Thank you to [姬琬兮] for the 100-point reward.

(End of this chapter)