At this moment, Ray had returned to the Vatican, angrily leaning on the table in the Pope's chamber, and staring at Prince Chris.

"I say, Old Brat, you didn't mention subcontracting this job when you brought me in!" Ray flicked his hand, and a long list fell to the ground, with magical marks of Ray and Chris at the bottom. Then he pointed at the terms on it and said:

"Moreover, it clearly states that I only follow the orders of the church. Now that old guy Lundestad wants me to help him with intelligence gathering, there should be extra pay!"

Chris sat at the other end of the table, pondering for a moment, then readily took out a piece of paper and said.

"In fact, we can ask Lundestad for some money together, how about 1,000 Rila for an additional mission, 28 shares?"

Initially thinking he would have to absorb a ton of doctrine, Ray couldn't keep up with the pace, but quickly reacted.

"Alright, 2 for you and 8 for me, let's make it a deal!" Ray immediately slammed the table, ready to sign, only to be held back by Chris.

"Of course, it's 2 for you and 8 for me. You only have one mouth, and my church has to support so many people!"

"I don't care, I just need two words, and I'm the one selling my life here!"

"Well, considering your hard work, you get 3 and I get 7! Bargain any further and I'll take you back, no one will make any money!"

"Humph! Considering that you still owe me a favor, the mission is worth 20,000 Rila! I am giving 10,000 as a discount to that old Lundestad! The little steward of their internal affairs can make 4,000 Rila a month, so they are rich and powerful!" Ray directly tore off a new piece of paper and handed it to the pope to rewrite.

"What?! They're so rich? Then one mission is worth 30,000 Rila, Lundestad definitely won't care!" After hearing this, Chris crumpled the half-written paper in his hand and tore a new one off.

"Based on that, I've done so much work for them before, can't just let it go, this money should be counted in!"

"You're right!"

Meanwhile, as the two of them were passionately discussing the price, an entirely different atmosphere enveloped the war room of the fortress.

"Lord Black Flag's tactics may be effective, but their reference value to us is limited, especially in the past year, where the wolf cavalry scouts have completely lost their desire to resist upon encountering Black Flag. They simply scattered and fled, simply incomparable to the battles we've encountered. Let me show you a magic image from a year ago, which was one of the few that recorded Lord Black Flag's magic image, and also the most valuable one."

O'Hare signaled, and a magical crystal was placed on a nearby table, projecting an image.

"This is a transport team of about 100 people, heading south when they encountered the Golden Wolf party, 300 meters away from them. This is the only magical image that captures the Golden Wolf party and thus it's extremely valuable."

"The wolf cavalry began charging at less than 300 meters away, but pay attention to the sky!" Everyone looked up at the sky as O'Hare instructed, and a black shadow flashed across the sky like lightning, crashing into the ground where the wolves were. A powerful shockwave toppled the human transport team 300 meters away, and the flying ash and grass blocked their vision, rendering them unable to see anything. However, the roars and wailings of the Beastmen indicated that they had suffered heavy casualties.

Chaos ensued for a few seconds, and when the dust settled, one could see that the leading Beastmen cavalry had been impaled by a black spear and nailed firmly to the ground. The surrounding Beastmen had either died or were injured, and most had fallen from their mounts. Meanwhile, another anomaly occurred in the sky. An imposing figure descended from the sky, its chilly aura cutting through two lightly wounded Beastmen and their mounts. However, the Golden Wolf party, as the most elite force, managed to organize a counterattack despite the loss of their leader and heavy casualties.

But the black-robed figure didn't give them any chances. The four leading cavalrymen were impaled on gigantic Rocky Spikes which suddenly appeared from the ground below them, hanging them in mid-air. At this sight, Selena and Anya couldn't help but exclaim in unison."Instantly cast 4th-level magic!"

The battle was not over yet. The remaining less than 10 orcs started to go berserk, their skin turning red as they roared and began to surround their enemies, waiting for a chance to attack. However, it was only a momentary situation. The cold light flashed, and the man in the black robe swiftly beheaded several orcs who abandoned their heavily injured mounts at the rear. Without any pause, he raised his hand to cast a fireball, blasting several wolf riders into the sky.

"Oh my god! A dual-element mage! This fireball's power is really!" Selina jumped up in surprise at the sight. In the battlefield, only the last wolf rider remained, desperately turning tail to flee. Unexpectedly, the man in the black robe did not make any move to stop him, allowing him to escape into the high grass and disappear. The image suddenly stopped.

"What about the remaining wolf rider? Why did he let him escape?" Evan asked with wide eyes, causing the other officers to chuckle.

"This is a small habit of Mr. Black Flag. He always lets one orc go. Those terrified orcs would spread the news of his deeds when they return, serving as the best propaganda."

"Isn't this like letting a tiger return to the mountain?" Berlian added.

This time, it was Elliot who replied.

"Not really. Orcs regard fleeing soldiers as a disgrace. Even if they manage to escape, their ultimate fate is to be beheaded and displayed for all to see. Moreover, the orcs who encountered Black Flag usually die in a gruesome state, so the fluttering Black Flag has become the orcs' worst nightmare, able to crush all their pride and confidence. It is said that a team of wolf riders even gave up resisting when they met Black Flag, deciding by the roll of a dice who would survive, while the others willingly let themselves be killed."

"How deep despair must the orcs feel to make them do that! What an incredible person!" Neil sighed thoughtfully, and the others nodded in agreement.

Elliot couldn't help but secretly criticize, "Just a few days ago you guys wanted to beat him up."

"So, Colonel O'Hare, what can we learn from this video? Black Flag's individual combat strength is probably more than three Star Mark squads combined." Iyoti, who had been in deep thought, suddenly asked, bringing everyone's minds back.

"To be honest, there's not much for ordinary soldiers like us. However, it might not be the case for the talented individuals here. Among you, there are powerful mages and warriors like Mr. Black Flag, puppet masters, priests, archers, and so on. Such a comprehensive and formidable team has never been seen before on the Panini Prairie. So I believe you can definitely overcome the threat of the wolf riders and achieve battle results comparable to Mr. Black Flag!"

〜 〜 〜

"That guy O'Hare sure knows how to flatter people, don't you think?"

Late at night, Selina lay in bed gazing up at the stars, while Anya next to her casually responded.

"Hmm, why?"

"What do you mean by equally powerful mages and warriors? Could Evan and the others really compare to him? Moreover, those instant fireballs, so casually cast, are terrifyingly powerful! One could replace five of mine! And I'd still need to spend five seconds chanting! O'Hare didn't just get promoted quickly through combat achievements alone, did he?"

"Hmm, maybe, I guess."

"Also, the Church's strength is really frightening! Casually bringing out someone we didn't know before who's so powerful! This afternoon I specifically went to look it up. It's said that the Church has a mysterious Seventh Bureau, the 'Judicial Bureau'. This Black Flag is just one of the executioners who ranks relatively low in the Judicial Bureau. Can you imagine how powerful the number one Black Glove and number two Black Fan must be? Might they even surpass our country's Guardian, Lord Aeolia?"

"It's not necessarily so. Lord Aeolia is very powerful."

"Hey! Anya! Are you even listening to me?" Selina was clearly dissatisfied with Anya's disinterest, snatching the book from her hand.

"Magic Principles? Why are you reading such a basic book? You're a 7th level mage at least, and you're still looking at the stuff students learn?"

"Selina, don't you think his instant magic is really strange?" Anya took the book back without any anger and slowly closed it.

"Strange? Well, a bit. Logically speaking, 5th level magic, which requires coordination with natural energy, shouldn't be able to be cast instantly. But maybe he was using magic scrolls! There are loads of 5th level magic scrolls!"

"But don't forget, the church is very poor, Selina. Even the cardinal himself is willing to perform baptisms for unknown nobles just for a mere 30,000 liras! A fifth-level magic scroll would cost at least 5,000 liras each, and even the wealthy royal family wouldn't use them casually, let alone the church! I really can't understand why it can be cast instantly!"

"Alright, alright! Stop thinking about it. But the church really is a bunch of poor devils. I heard that they sent the handsome and dashing Clomis to visit various countries and perform worships these days, and they collected quite a lot of money from middle-aged women. They are really desperate for money!"

"You bunch of poor devils in the church! Are you going crazy for money? Why don't you just rob people?" At this moment, Rondeshtad is also yelling at the bill with the number 66666 written on it. Ray, on the other hand, is sitting across from him with his legs crossed, looking completely unconcerned.

"I knew that old bastard Chris wouldn't be so kind to help me! And you, a lazy, lustful little bastard..."

"Hmm?" Ray squinted his eyes and looked at him. Rondeshtad swallowed the second half of the sentence and continued cursing.

"That old bastard Chris, how dare he raise the price so much! He deliberately wants to rip me off! What does a one-month rental fee of 66666 mean? Is he trying to humiliate me that I have no one under my control!? And an additional mission for 66666! Why is it so expensive! Shouldn't it be included in the rental fee mentioned earlier? Has the church, from top to bottom, all gone blind for money?"

Ray just picked his ears and blew away the earwax on his little finger.

"Marshal Rondeshtad, the one-week free trial is up! If you don't renew, I'll have to go back."

"You! You are pushing people too far! Renew! I'll renew! Call the secretary!" Rondeshtad angrily tore the Pope's personal letter into pieces.

"For valued customers like you, our church also offers a thoughtful buy three, get one free service." Hearing the word "renew," Ray immediately put on an amiable face, and his warm demeanor was completely different from just now.

"Hmm?" Before Rondeshtad's brain had caught up, Ray eagerly explained.

"Renew for three months at once, and we will give away one free additional mission! The more you buy, the more you save!"

Hearing this, Rondeshtad felt so furious that his mouth was about to twitch, and he exclaimed loudly.

"Fine, fine, very good! I will renew for a whole year! Renew for 12 months! Call the secretary to transfer 800,000 liras to the church, and the change will be considered as the coffin money I give to them! Humph!"