Nancy and Lily (2)

Green's hard-line tactics dealt with the townspeople causing trouble outside the castle gates. He did not linger, heading straight for the stables.

The stables stood on the eastern side of the castle courtyard, built against the castle itself. They were spacious enough to house more than twenty horses. Since the Industrial Revolution began, horses had gradually become less important. Keeping them had gone from a necessity of war and production to an aristocratic hobby. Of the horses in Wilson Castle's stables, sixteen were working horses used to pull carriages. The rest were pampered purebred racehorses, now a means of socializing among nobles.

But when Green reached the stables, he found them in shambles. More than twenty horses lay in pools of blood. Some were still kicking, clearly having died only moments ago.

A sharp stench of blood hit Green's nose. He frowned, summoned Holly, and asked, "Can you sense who came through here?"

Holly nodded. "Nancy and Lily. Only they would leave such a bloody mess."

"Both of them?" Green pondered for a moment. "How strong are they compared to you? Do they have any weaknesses?"

"Hmm..." Holly thought it over. "Neither is as strong as I am alone, but they used to be twins. Together, they're definitely stronger than me. As for weaknesses..." She glanced at the Ghost Eye pendant wrapped around Green's wrist. "That thing will definitely restrain them too. Other than that, they don't really have any."

Green had not expected to learn much. His main reason for summoning Holly was to see whether she could sense any other Xignos Banshees nearby. They had once been a single entity, and even separated, they could still sense one another.

Unfortunately, Holly shook her head. There were no banshees nearby. Disappointed, Green nevertheless stuck to his plan and sent Skeleton Soldiers to search the stables inside and out.

More than ten minutes passed without incident, and Green was about to return to the castle.

Just then, a bank of dark clouds drifted across the sky. By chance, it stopped directly above central Landon City, casting a vast shadow over the entire urban district.

Green looked up with a startled sound, his expression turning grave.

In barely a dozen seconds, the light dimmed until it looked like a rainy-season evening.

Green stopped to watch. The air around him grew increasingly oppressive, stirring negative emotions until he wanted to scream like a madman or burst into tears.

"Master, I can sense Nancy and Lily. They're nearby!" Holly suddenly warned him.

Green raised his guard and summoned all his Ghost troops. Unease churned in his stomach. What's with this sudden darkness? Could one of the Xignos Banshees control the weather? Judging by Holly's strength, he had never thought much of the remaining five. The six banshees had enormous potential, but their current strength was barely passable. If one of them could control the weather, though, that changed everything.

Fortunately, that fear soon faded. The sudden cloud cover was not aimed at Wilson Castle. A heavy darkness had swallowed all of Landon City's urban district, and lightning and torrential rain followed. The area around City Hall was hit hardest.

Green suddenly recalled the powerful Eerie he and Lola had encountered earlier—the one that could bring heavy rain and cloud people's judgment simply by passing through.

Could that Eerie be attacking City Hall? Green sucked in a cold breath. How many years had it been since an Eerie had attacked a Kingdom government office?

The Kingdom Knights Order and enchanted firearms gave the governments of most nations on the continent the means to stand against powerful Eeries. An unspoken understanding of mutual nonaggression had formed between them. For an Eerie to openly attack Landon City's City Hall shattered that fragile balance. It was bound to have unpredictable consequences for Northwest Province, perhaps even the entire Lorenzo Kingdom.

Green looked away. City Hall was some distance from Wilson Castle, and an open attack on it was the Kingdom government's problem. With his current strength and standing, he could not get involved in an affair of that scale. Capturing the remaining Xignos Banshees mattered more.

Once he had all six, Green would find a way to obtain a Xignos corpse, even if it was only a juvenile Xignos Giant Python. With the Graveyard's help, he could fuse them into a Giant Corpse Witch—an advanced Undead creature second only to a Great Dragon, with the strength of an Archmage.

Soon, it was utterly dark, so black he could not see his hand in front of his face. Cold raindrops struck his cheeks amid the howl of the wind.

Green stood motionless, but he had already activated Death Spirit Sight. He spotted two indistinct figures hiding behind the stables' rear wall, peering through the thick stone with furtive, malicious intent.

Green sneered inwardly and remained still. He had laid a net across heaven and earth; now he waited for them to come to him.

Between the darkness and the elusive nature of spirits, Nancy and Lily thought Green could not see them. They had no idea Holly had warned him the moment they drew near. After waiting a while, they glided through the dark toward him. The aura of a Necromancer around Green was powerfully alluring to them. Besides, Xignos Banshees were never particularly clever. They were Undead, after all, and their heads did not work too well.

Two figures drifted through the darkness. They looked like young girls. Their features were indistinct, but their expressions seemed twisted and savage. They meant to pounce on Green like prey and drain his blood.

This time, however, Nancy and Lily were destined for disappointment. When they came within four meters of Green, a smile appeared on his face. His lips moved in a soft murmur. "Good. You didn't make me wait all this time for nothing. Now that you're here, you're both staying."

Green waved his hand and activated the Ghost Eye he had been holding. As Magic Power surged through it, light spilled out and caught Nancy and Lily in an instant.

The two Xignos Banshees shrieked in alarm and struggled wildly, trying to break free of its pull.

Green poured Magic Power into the Ghost Eye without regard for the cost, but he could not capture both Xignos Banshees at once. His brow tightened. He did not want to choose, yet he had no choice but to focus on one. Gritting his teeth, he released one banshee and directed the Ghost Eye's full pull at the other. The released figure broke free at once and fled the way she had come. The other remained firmly trapped. No matter how she struggled, it was useless. Seeing no hope of escape, she fought like a cornered beast, suddenly lunging forward instead of retreating, claws outstretched as she hurtled toward Green.