Fire Mage (Web Novel)
chapter-214

Chapter 214: Suspicious

Vale Street, Slum District,

A humanoid flame suddenly appeared in a small hut and soon formed into an appearance of a human.

It was none other than Charles.

Once he arrived at the old hut, he glanced around and started to think about his next move.

'Slave Master Neil… Turtle Slave House… Louse Street, Slum District… Shall I go and check it now?'

He began to hesitate.

Just as he was about to move towards the wooden gate, he received a message from the real Charles.

Charles went near the stone slab while furrowing his brows, sat on it, and soon entered the Inner World.

The next instant, he found himself standing in front of the lava lake and glanced towards his left side.

Meanwhile, the real Charles stared at him for a moment and shook his head. Currently, he appeared in Oswald's appearance and wore a long black robe.

In truth, Charles was utterly disappointed by the clone's earlier performance.

'This clone made many mistakes like not having full control over my body, using a crimson mask in the yard, directly entering the house without checking the surroundings, hesitate to even kill the enemy… Last but not least, he even kept Baron alive while erasing some of his memories about Divine Order Organization… If someone from that organization contacted Baron Spencer in the future, they will learn that some of their memories were erased. Not only that, but they will also learn that this crimson masked figure have some link with the Ancient Mage…'

'Then, there is one person who will become suspicious of my identity. It's the Destiny Lady. In her mind, Charles is a scheming, vicious young man who would do anything to achieve his goal… But this clone did the complete opposite.' A frown appeared on his face.

Although he added the essence of the 'Soul Heal' spell model to induce 'Love' and 'Care' emotions, he didn't expect that it would backfire to this extent.

'Hmm, if it goes at this rate, this clone will leave too many loopholes and might end up failing this mission.' A grim look appeared on his face.

'But if I made the clone a little bit colder, the possibility of 'him' falling in love with Destiny Lady will also become slim.' He pondered for a moment and chose to add some of his cold personality.

Sighing inwardly, he looked at the 'clone Charles' and asked.

"Charles, do you know what the mistakes you make during the last mission are?"

Confusion appeared on the clone's face.

"Haa, let me give you some lesson." Charles heaved a heavy sigh and started to explain.

Meanwhile, the clone Charles stood with a serious expression on his face and patiently listened to his every word.

On the other hand, Charles also added some of his previous life's dark memories and began to modify the clone again.

In his perception, this clone was too soft-hearted.

For another three hours, he upgraded the clone and then gave him some pointers.

"There are few things you need to remember when doing this mission. First, you must see the big picture. For example, if you complete the mission, millions of subordinate caste members will break away from the discrimination and live a good life in the future. They don't have to stand up whenever when some Ruler Caste member walks past them. They will also don't have to stand outside the temple even to see their favorite deity…"

"Second, I'm not asking you to kill innocents. But you must never hesitate when it comes to killing your enemy who holds the intent to kill you. Whether the enemy is a slave or a woman, do not hesitate. A single mistake could lead to life-threatening situations."

"The last one, our aim is not to capture the series artifact, but to eliminate the chaos and kill the three culprits." Charles let out a deep sigh as he ended the lengthy speech and waved his hand.

Meanwhile, the clone Charles patiently listened to his words and then left the Inner World.

Upon seeing the disappearing illusionary consciousness, a smile appeared on Charles's face.

He then took out the greenish-blue gem from his pocket and fell into deep thoughts.

'There are a few things I still haven't understood. What is that 4-year old child planning? Why did she put this gem in my Inner World? Hmm, wait a sec. During the last attack, there are a few coincidences appeared… Not only that but there are also the Divine Order members who tried to kidnap my disciples… Finally, killings… I killed many members… In a sense, that whole incident might have some connection with Rodia's Gem! Hmm? What if this 4-year-old girl child might have some connection with this series artifact?' A thought appeared in his mind.

He suddenly froze for a moment and soon recalled the moment when he first met this child.

It was during Rhea's identity confirmation ceremony!

'At that time, she tried to harm Rhea… No, this child is a very powerful Mystic… If she really wanted to kill Rhea, she could have done it before I could even notice… No, she could have used her dream power on me and might have harmed me… But she didn't! Did she use her upgraded [Imaginary Grasp] skill on Rhea for fun? To prank us? Impossible… She is not an idiot. There must be some reason behind her actions… At that time, she even fooled my wisdom power-' He suddenly halted his thinking and soon widened his eyes.

'Yes, she even fooled my perception and appeared inside the carriage before I could even notice… When I used my wisdom power to scan the surroundings before, I didn't notice any presence inside the carriage… Dream Travel? No, when someone tries to travel from Dreamworld to the physical world with their physical body, some spatial fluctuation would appear. Even if I didn't notice an anomaly, the Holem's Crown would have noticed it… Then, how did she appear inside the carriage? Moreover, she said something when I shouted at her, right? What was that? Hmm? Yes, she wants me to find her…' Charles narrowed his eyes for a moment and soon recalled Goddess Rodia's words.

'Find it sooner… Could it be?' At that time, the image of Goddess Rodia's statue appeared in his mind.

In that statue, she held a child in her hand!

'Was that a coincidence?'

He also recalled the system's reward.

'A 'Gift' from Goddess XXXX… Ivy also said earlier that this greenish-blue gem is her' Gift.' Child… Gift… There seemed to be a big message hidden in her words… If Rodia's Gem is Ivy, why did she create a sudden plan to put this gem in my Inner World? To harm my Inner World? Wait… Why the Game System didn't erase this gem when it erased Eric's consciousness? Is Ivy trying to help me?' He was stunned for a moment.

'There are still many things I couldn't understand… But one thing is sure. The Goddess seemed to have already aware of this stalking Divine's scheme. She also wanted me to complete this mission sooner… But I'm the one who delayed it-' He blinked his eyes in surprise and soon furrowed his brows.

'At that time, I actually felt that delaying this mission was necessary. Even when the Holem's Crown asked me why I delay it, I didn't give him a proper answer. No, I still have the same feeling… I will succeed, but I will also fail… Is this stalking Goddess manipulating my feelings? No, I'm in my Inner World now. It means this feeling is coming from my [Foresight] skill.' Charles stood there with a dazed expression on his face and soon sighed.

"I'm still too weak." He couldn't help but show a bitter smile.