Throne of Magical Arcana - An Offer from Demon

At this time, since the storm was almost gone, casting any spell could be very risky. Lucien and the apprentices were back in the dilemma again.
    

Lucien gently patted on his students’ shoulders one by one to comfort them. Grabbing Amboula in his hand, Lucien listened to the conversation carefully while thinking of the possible solution fast in his mind.
    

“Pastor Cody, it’s stinky down there.” Tom was still talking loud purposefully, “There is no need for you, my lord, to do this. Please… Just enjoy the nice black tea in your own cabin and I can handle this for you, my lord.”
    

“Well, I’m still in training… You know, according to Church Law, you can’t call me lord right now yet.” There was an imperceptible smile on Cody’s face when he was saying this. He surely enjoyed Tom’s flattery, “I appreciate your kindness, Tom, But you and your sailors can’t really tell where the divine power circles are really damaged. I gotta do this myself, sorry.”
    

Tom was the boatswain, a dark knight who served Viscount Wright. This was his identity known by the people on this ship. Although a dark knight could neither become a chief mate nor a captain, Cody still wanted to keep his basic respect toward the knight.
    

Hearing Cody’s words, Tom did not know what to say.
    

“All right. You two, Lohman and Boer… You two go that way. Jacques and Summy, you two that way.” Cody, a senior pastor in training, did enjoy giving commands a lot.
    

However, Tom knew that it would still take them some time before they found the room in the corner where Lucien and the apprentices were hiding.
    

Tom was sweating. He had horrible scenes flashing through his mind.
    

He could not let it happen. He could not let those horrible scenes really happen.
    

Tom was ready to take action. He was going to kill them all, and pretend that it was some murlocs hiding on the ship that killed them.
    

At this time, he felt someone gently touched his arm.
    

“…?!” Tom was beyond surprised when he saw Evans standing right beside him. Right now, Lucien was wearing a dirty sailor vest, and his face was covered with some paint marks just like the ones most sailors liked doing.
    

Lucien was looking down, with his head dropped.
    

Tom could not believe his eyes, feeling lucky that he did not burst Evans’ name out.
    

“Down there… very bad,” said Lucien in his pretended husky voice.
    

As he was saying, Lucien was secretly writing something down on Tom’s arm.
    

Cody did not feel anything wrong here. In his eyes, it was just a sailor who was reporting to Tom.
    

And there were so many sailors that Cody did not know on this ship. After all, pastor and sailor were of two totally different levels. They were not even close.
    

Tom, while trying to stay as calm as he could, sensed a short single word written on his arm.
    

“Jacques…?” Tom thought to himself, but he did not really get Lucien’s intention right away.
    

Lucien pulled Tom’s arm a bit toward the cabin, and Tom immediately realized, “Let he go…?”
    

Tom asked Lucien in a very low voice. Lucien nodded seriously. He had this confidence that Tom would trust him. And Lucien’s confidence was right.
    

“Lord Cody, the bottom floor is where the fight just happened, and also the most damaged section. How about sending some people down there first to fix the major cracks? My man just told me that it’s pretty bad down there right now.” There was a flattering smile on Tom’s thin face.
    

“Umm…” Cody was a bit unsure. He did not really want to listen to a boatswain’s suggestion.
    

“You know… Maybe some more pastors will go down there as well later. Your work can definitely impress them.” Tom continued to persuade him.
    

And that was what Cody really cared. If Cody could get more attention from the higher-ranked pastors, he would certainly have a better chance to get promoted.
    

“I think you’re right, Tom. Can you help assisting the other pastors in training and squires check the upper cabins?” Cody quickly made the decision.
    

“For sure, my lord.” Tom hurriedly nodded before Cody changed his mind, and then he walked close to Jacques and said, “Mr. Jacques, maybe we can go to check the cabins down there.”
    

Jacques was a good-looking, blond young man. His nose was straight and high, and his eyes were green.
    

Cody did not say anything about it. Honestly speaking, he did not like Jacques very much, since Jacques was quite popular but also arrogant in Cody’s eyes. Of course, Cody did not want to leave Jacques a chance to impress the other pastors.
    

Asking Jacques and the other several pastors in training and squires who he disliked to check the sailors’ cabins, Cody led his other people down to the bottom floor.
    

Although Jacques and the other people knew why they were left here, they still went downstairs and started checking carefully. After all, their own safety was connected to the security of the ship as well.
    

Purposefully, Tom led Jacques to the cabin at the very end of the corridor in the corner, together with Lucien.
    

As they were walking, Lucien secretly wrote down several words on Tom’s hand again,
    

“Activate your power, cover me, when you see my clenched left fist.”
    

Tom instantly understood Lucien this time, since they worked this way together before when they were trying to kill Brown. Lucien wanted to use Tom’s Blood Power to cover the magic waves produced by his casting.
    

However, Tom felt very concerned about Lucien’s plan. Since the magic waves would not be fully covered, and the storm was almost gone now, it would be quite possible for the cardinals on the ship to notice Lucien’s magic power.
    

At this time, they came in front of this small cabin in the corner.
    

Seeing that the young, strange sailor politely opened the door for him, Jacques nodded with satisfaction and then stepped into the cabin.
    

As expected, there was no one in the cabin. Just when Jacques was about to check the wood boards close to the window, he heard a a gentle voice saying,
    

“Mr. Jacques, if you are still a nobody three years from now, how would you deal with your relationship with Miss Chely?”
    

Jacques fiercely turned around and stared at this young, bold sailor, feeling shocked, “What?!”
    

Jacques’ right hand pressed on his sword.
    

“I said, you and Miss Chely.” Lucien looked right into Jacques’ eyes, “You don’t need to know where I heard this, but tell me, are you really that confident that you can awaken your Blessing in three years?”
    

The sailor’s eyes were as dark as a shadow, and as deep as a starry sky.
    

After several seconds, Jacques said to Lucien in a very angry but constrained voice, “Who are you?! It’s none of your business!”
    

Jacques knew that he was not confident at all in awakening his Blessing. Although he did promise Chely, his love, Jacques was afraid that he might never be able to do it. After all, so many squires had failed and never managed to overcome this barrier in their whole lives.
    

“I guess… Not really my business.” Lucien had a cunning smile on his face, “Miss Chely marrying someone else is also not my business. However, I have the power that can help you awaken your Blessing.”
    

“What do you mean? Why you’re talking to me like this?” asked Jacques out of anger and fury.
    

When he saw that Tom was standing in the front of the door, Jacques quickly realized that the boatswain was on this strange sailor’s side.
    

“Because I want to help you.” Lucien joked in a very calm way, “Because I am a good man.”
    

“There’s no free lunch,” said Jacques straightforwardly.
    

“Smart. I only ask for one thing.” Lucien’s head slightly tilted, “I want you to pretend that you saw nothing down here later.”
    

“You’re… A sorcerer?” Jacques squinted at Lucien.
    

“And also a knight, Mr. Jacques. As you can see,” Lucien reached his right hand out in front of Jacques and showed him his Blood Power, Moonlight, “I already awakened mine. If you cannot awaken your power in three years, you can come to me. If you’re willing to help, I’ll sign a magic pact with you. You can always find me with the pact, and I can never break the words that I promise in the pact.”
    

“…” Jacques did not respond immediately. Subconsciously, Jacques put his upper teeth against his lower lip when he was thinking.
    

“We’re not doing anything bad.” Lucien kept pushing, “We just want to get to Holm safe. You’re not betraying your faith as a knight, Mr. Jacques.”
    

Jacques clenched both of his hands into two tight fists. His eyebrows frowned.
    

“Or say, you want to see Miss Chely marry someone else, be in another man’s arms, and have that man’s kids?”
    

There were a few blue veins on Jacques’ forehead, and his whole body was shaking.
    

Jacques felt that, instead of a human being or a sorcerer, it was a demon that was standing in front of him right now, a demon from the pit of sin.