《Triple Orb Academy》 An Introduction to the World of Zeffernon
Magic, it is a very familiar word, familiar, but also extremely vague. So far, the only clear definition of magic we have, is that magic is some kind of power that influenced courses of events through the usage of mysterious and supernatural forces. It is a curious thing how we give such a definition to something that is often accepted to be unreal. For all we know, magic is mostly noted to be unrealistic. It is mostly accepted to be a fabric of our imagination in this world, where the logic of math, science and Truth dominates over everything else. In our heads, we all believe in the findings of science and mathematical proving sincescience and math has brought humanity closer to certain truths about this world. In some ways, it has brought us closer towards the absolute ''Truth''. However, there are also other supernatural subjects that we humans often believe in. Strangely enough, these supernatural subjects are things that we cannot explain. Yet, we believe them and even accepted them to be facts or truths, the most common examples of these subjects are religions, luck and even fate. Even though these are things that lacked logical explanations, we trust them enough in such a way that they are eventually accepted as liabilities, to the point where we occasionally held them responsible for events that happened in our everyday lives. But even as we humans accept all of this, we only accept magic as what it is, a mere subject only to be explored by our own sense of imagination and well prepared tricks. Yet surprisingly, magic has grown to be a rather popular topic among the masses, both with positive and negative feedbacks. If you look back, Magic has appeared frequently in human history often with dubious reputations.Stolen novel; please report. Magic is initially associated with many folkloric stories and theatrical works, where magic is often seem to be utilized by villainous witches and wizards. In fact, magic is so dubious and untrustworthy that we cannot deny the fact that religious organizations had condemn magic as the devil''s instruments, whereby countless witches and wizards have been burned to the stake as heretics during the medieval ages. As the times passed, there even exist such things called magic cults, questionable organizations where unwelcomed people believed in the absolute existence of magic. But despite all the negative thoughts about magic, the perception of magic changed slightly, as the world progressed and advanced. Now in it''s present times, magic has become something worth as an entertainment value, where it has been used in works of friction and fantasies, as strongly seen in general novels, light novels, comics, manga, anime and games. But despite the change in perception, magic is still something improbable, as no one is able to prove the existence of magic. But amidst of all the entertainment works of friction, some people feel that it would be nice if the world revolve around magic. If magic does exist and if a world revolving around magic exists, it might prove to be very interesting. If a world of magic exists, we can cast spells, or do things that are way beyond our imaginations, or we might perhaps alter reality to our own image. Some may also find such a world to be adventurous, as it is a world full of unspoken or unimaginative opportunities. But if you ask me, a world revolving around such an ambiguous subject can be very chaotic. Since magic is something that has no definite bounds, certain things about magic can get pretty dangerous. Because like all things, magic has its own benefits and consequences. So if you imagine yourself to be in a world revolving around magic, please don''t think of it like those manga, comics and games. Because, unlike what most people speculate about a world of magic, Zeffernon is never so kind. Volume 1 - Prologue Run! Run! Cadeus was running. He''s running as if his life depended on it. If he ever stops, he''s dead. WWWOOOOO! "Huh?" Cadeus looked up. A huge fist came crashing down onto him. "SSSHHHIIITTT!" CRASH! The force of the impact carried Cadeus up into mid air. As small debris of rocks flew all over him, He totally lost his balance. Cadeus slammed onto the floor, hard, and glided to the side. Moaning, Cadeus looked back just to see that the golem slammed its clenched fists on the spot where he used to be running. If Cadeus had not hurled himself, he would have been meat pie at that very instance. While Cadeus looked up he could still see the golem in its punching state. For all it''s size the Golem is rather slow. It''s still looking at the ground with its fist buried into the earth. Just as the golem stood up again and turned its head, Cadeus scrambled back up to his feet. He barely had time to jump again just before the golem slammed his arms onto the exact stop where he used to be. In getting up for the third time, Cadeus knew that his current situation would be highly disadvantageous if he continued like this. The golem will be able to hit him, perhaps not now, but soon, very soon, if Cadeus did not do something. Scrambling up for the third time, Cadeus racked his brain for a plan. The aura enchantments on his forearm were still in perfect condition. [Consumption] had given him a damage bonus, and with [Environmental Leech] he did not have to worry about his Cast Limit. But despite these buffs, fire did not work. With that red rune protruding from the Golem''s chest, the Golem had somehow acquired an artifical resistance to the element fire. No... Cadeus had to choose a different element. As Cadeus continued to run, he began to focus. He felt the magic reserves in his blood pumping. As he ran, he closed his eyes and guided the superstitious energies from around his body onto his right palm. The Golem raised it''s arm and went for another deep punch. But before it could land it''s fist onto the hard ground, Cadeus jumped and landed at a distance on his stomach. Wham! The buried fist would prevent the Golem from moving fast for the next ten seconds. Seizing this opportunity, Cadeus raised his right hand, palm and fingertips open at the ready. Without the slightest bit of hesitation, Cadeus instantly slammed his palm onto the floor. Upon doing so, he unleashed the magic that was stored within his fingertips. "[Electric Pulse]!" A wave of numerous bluish electric arcs screamed as they raced across the floor from his fingertips to the golem. The golem, who just managed to recover its arm from the ground, was oblivious to the attack. After registering Cadeus''s location, it just resumed coming over. As Cadeus watched, the electricity raced through its metallic legs and up it goes, spreading the high voltage current all around the golem''s body. The golem fibrillated to the electricity as expected, but the spell lasted only for several seconds. As the electricity died out, the golem shifted its head here and there, and moved its arms around in an attempt to register any predicted damage. Finding none, it finally turned to look at Cadeus. "What... It did not work?!" For all the metal, lightning elemental spells did not work? Cadeus took in several fast breaths, the golem is still moving slowly towards him. Now he''s at a loss. Cadeus had thrown all the options he had against this adversary. Lightning did not work, fire did not work and darkness will not hide his silhouette long enough to sneak pass it. In considering all other available options, there''s only one remaining. Cadeus bit his lower lip. He had no choice, he had to use ''that''.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. The golem should be made up of rock and steel, in other words, inorganic matter. Other than the crystal shard that provides energy and the Essense of Magic within, there''s nothing of any note that could make the golem indestructable. The golem picked up its pace before it charged towards him. Cadeus crouched into a fighting stance, at the ready. The golem moved a leg forward, punch at the ready. At the moment the golem swing his fist, Cadeus moved. He dived towards the golem''s feet, raising his left hand at the same time. At the instance the golem was above him, he unleashed ''that''. A wave of hideous brown mist exited from his palm and surged upwards to the ceiling. The mist spread and envelops the golem, searing its surfaces. Sounds of something corrosive at work sizzled in the air. Success! Cadeus landed on his stomach, he glided on the ground for several seconds. Once he stopped, the first thing was not to get up, but to look up to see if the golem was still on his tail. The brown mist slowly seared the entire surface of the golem. Unsure of what the attack is, the golem swung its arms around the brown mist, unknowingly making matters worst. The metallic arms began to corrode and break apart into rusty scrap metal, and the hard carbonated earth on the golem''s body became brittle. Slowly, the golem began to crumble and soon it broke down into rusty parts. Looking at whatever remained of the golem, Cadeus looked down at his hand. The brownish mist had faded, but the prove of his usage of that ''gift'' remained. His fingerless glove is not there any more, or rather, most of it. Fragments of his fingerless glove remained at the wrist, but the rest of it are all gone, faded, along with the mist he unleashed. Clicking his tongue, Cadeus tore off the remains of his fingerless glove. The cloth fabric tore off easily, reminding Cadeus of this dreadful ability he possesses. Moving up to the golem''s broken husk, Cadeus saw the corrupted Essense of magic fading in green. "Cadeus? Is that Cadeus down there?!" Cadeus looked up, it''s Nadav. He''s hanging on the very edge of an extremely narrow cliff, using his hands to support his balance. Wait... how long had he been there? Did he see what Cadeus did to the Golem? Cadeus immediately hid his left hand. He did not want Nadav to find out what had happened. "Are you ok?" Nadav asked again. "Yeah¡­ the golem is down." "You took that thing all by yourself?" "Did you not see what had happened?" "Of course not! I''m up here! The only reason why I suddenly noticed you is because that golem collapsed!" Cadeus inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. "Well it has metal, so lightning spells works." "I see... well, good for you!" "What happened to you? Why are you up there?" "Trying to avoid that beast of course!" "What beast?" "Sing and I came across this beast when you took off with that golem. Probably some catacomb inhabitant." "What does it look like?" "Some carnivourous beast, grey skin, singular spiky horns potruding from its spine, four paws with six claws." "It moves sideways like some mammal right?" "Yes! ¡­ Wait you know that thing?" "It''s called Conmaterus." "Conma what?" "Conmaterus. It''s a dangerous nocturnal beast that resides in dark places, poisonous too. Did you forget? I believe I already mentioned this to you before." "The heck? How can the Academy house all these dangerous animals?" "Why are you asking me? Ask the Archmage." "Can it climb?" "Yes, so if it''s somewhere behind you, you better find another place to hide." "Screw that! I''m coming down to you." "Anything works. Hey wait a minute¡­ you left Sing to defend for herself?" "As if! That beast was chasing me!" "What about Sing?" "I don''t know! I put some distance in-between us." "Then where''s that beast of yours?" "The hell knows! It was right behind me at the start! Why do you think I''m doing this? Do you think I want to hang myself on such a narrow cliff for fun?!" Cadeus was just about to reply when he heard a growl. Turning his head to the direction he saw a beast in front of him. The beast Cadeus''s looking at right now was a mammal like creature, heavily in muscle built, grey skin, singular spiky horns potruding from its spine, four paws with six claws. It also looks extremely carnivourous. "Shit... the description fits it perfectly." "Shit RUN Cadeus! That thing can bust through walls!" GROWL! The Conmaterus rushed towards Cadeus, there was no time to evade. Cadeus raised his right hand. He did not want to use ''that'' again, but in considering the sheer strength of the beast, there''s no room for any alternative method. "Oh hell!" Refusing to cast ''that'' again, Cadeus rackled his brain and came up with one random answer. "[Lightning Caste]!" Raising his hands, he cast numerous volts of lightning up into the ceiling. The Catacomb ceiling exploded, sending huge chunks of rocks falling down onto the floor. "WWWWHHHHAAAATTTTT? ARE YOU FREAKING CRAZY? I''M STILL UP HERE!" Nadav yelled. No time to argue. Cadeus turned and ran. The huge chunks of rocks collided with the ground. Loud crashing sounds filled the area so bad that Cadeus had to cover his ears. But if you ask me, a world revolving around such an ambiguous subject can be very chaotic. Since magic is something that has no definite bounds, certain things about magic can get pretty dangerous. Once all the noise and tumbling stopped, Cadeus let go of his ears. Turning around, he can see the results of his handiwork. "¡­ Guess I really over did it." The floor gave way to the huge chunks of rocks and collapsed to the lower levels. Cadeus can only see a depressive valley of rock debris scattered all around. Crick¡­ Upon hearing that, Cadeus looked to his left. One of the huge debris of rock began to move. As it moved, it gradually swayed to the sides more violently until it was kicked outwards to the side. Cadeus can see a leg sticking out, and soon Nadav was out in his dusty Grey robes. "You asshole, never, do, that, again!" "Well¡­ you survived." "Survived? What you did almost killed me!" "Well at least it killed the Conmaterus." Boom! That sound, it came from below. Cadeus and Nadav turned to look. BOOM! Huge chuncks of rocks exploded in all directions. They hit the edges of the catacomb''s walls before collapsing to the ground again. Thankfully, Cadeus and Nadav are on an upper level. The rocks did not reach them. As the area became full of dust, the Conmaterus snarled angrily. It lashed out violently in all directions. When the dust cleared, it looked around. Then, its gaze went up to the two of them. "Umm¡­ just to confirm again, can that thing climb?" Nadav ask. "Yes." The Conmaterus opened its mouth, revealing its fangs. "Can we outrun this thing?" "We''d better." "Shall we?" "Right behind you." The Conmaterus roared. "RRRUUUUUNNNN!" Nadav cried the loudest cry he ever made in his life, and the two of them ran again with their lives on the line.
The absolute rules of magic in Zeffernon Rule 1: Magic begins from the blood Rule 2: There are only three colour types of magic Rule 3: What colour type of magic you gain is dependent on your blood Rule 4: A person can only have up to two colour types of magic Rule 5: Over usage of magic always comes with a price Rule 6: Essence infused objects never run out of magic Rule 7: Since Magic is from the Blood, it exists in every organism with blood Rule 8: Magic can never be nullified, its casting process can only be interfered Rule 9: All three colour types of magic are neither good nor evil Volume 1 - Chapter 1, Bad Start for a Board Quest ¡°Not only did the High Council banned Quilic tongues, they even want to cut the stocks of Feldra petals? This calls for a revolution I say!¡± ¡°Um¡­ I don¡¯t need those ¨C ¡° ¡°What about Antwerp seeds? If you are talking about a conjuration potion, you definitely need that as an illusion base.¡± ¡°Like I said, what I need is ¨C ¡° ¡°What about Harpfler Talons? Those birds are about to go extinct if the Philharmadeon guild does not watch what it is doing.¡± Cadeus sighed. He had entered the Alchemy shop looking hopefully for a crucial ingredient, but he end up getting caught in the Alchemist¡¯s woes. Ever since the High Council published new restrictions to Alchemical ingredients, many mages became frustrated. Well, it did not have that much of an effect on Cadeus since such matters are for adults. Though Cadeus did not pay attention to the details, all he knew is that the High Council banned another list of Alchemical ingredients. But whatever the changes the High Council implemented, it is clearly not helping the mood of the Alchemist in front of him. ¡°Look¡­ I know you are frustrated at the High Council for it¡¯s new restrictions. Many mages I know also shared the same perspective ¨C ¡° ¡°Yes definitely! This is outrageous! Someone needs to tell the High Council that if they do not watch their actions, it¡¯s going to be revolution! Revolution!¡± And here comes the outbursts¡­ Well¡­ since many Alchemists have been like this for a while, Cadeus was no stranger towards such outwardly behaviour.Normally, when facing such a situation, Cadeus would have comforted the Alchemist on the basis that the High Council made changes for the better reasons, and that the ban on ingredients will be lifted in due time.But now was not the time for such talk. ¡°Look, I am in a rush. Could you please help me with an ingredient?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh sorry, how can I help you?¡± The Alchemist, returned to his senses, realized that Cadeus was a customer. Even though the Alchemist was one of many with problems recently, a customer was still a customer. Now as the Shopkeeper, the Alchemist had a responsibility to attend to as an ingredient salesman. If he failed to serve and satisfy his customer, it speaks badly for business in various ways. ¡°I need an ingredient. Do you have something called Procona powder?¡± Cadeus asked. ¡°Procona? Sounds something that I might have¡­ Say, aren¡¯t you a student?¡± Now that the Alchemist paid more attention to his customer, his eyes fell onto Cadeus¡¯s attire. Even though Cadeus was wearing his black outdoor coat, it did not conceal the single strand of black robe slash falling from his belt buckle to his knees. The robe slash only had a golden line weaved at the edges but there is no distinctive patterns of the like at the very centre, marking Cadeus of his lowest standing within the hierarchy of magi. ¡°Yes.¡± Cadeus replied. ¡°Alchemical classes will not start until you become an Acolyte, so why are you buying ingredients?¡± ¡°It¡¯s for a board quest.¡± ¡°A board quest?¡± The Alchemist snorted. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that. How do I know that claim to be real?¡± Cadeus reached for the sling bag within his cloak. He searched through for several seconds before taking out a crumpled piece of paper. Cadeus then placed the paper in front of the Alchemist on his desk. Looking closely, on the top centre of the paper, there is an emblem of the three orbs, identifying the Academy that Cadeus belonged to. ¡°OH! Triple Orb Academy! It¡¯s been decades since I graduated from there.¡± The Alchemist exclaimed. The contents of the single piece of document are as follows. Quest title:Ingredient request, Procona Powder Request:I need a substantial amount of Procona Powder for my research. 800 g worth would do the trick. Quest deadline:As soon as possible, no more than the next five days, submit powder to Academy authorities. Quest reward: 300 Duches At the bottom of the paper, there were two signatures. The first at the left was signed properly with a mark of the Academy¡¯s insignia, indicating that this signature belonged to one of the Academy¡¯s educators who obviously approved the broad quest. The other was signed on the right on its own at the corner of the paper that belonged to the quest commissioner. ¡°Oh I see, so the ingredient is for this board quest eh?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°The commissioner must be an alchemist like myself!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not too sure about that. He sounds like some other Specialist to me.¡± ¡°An Alchemical Specialist then!¡± ¡°No. A Specialist of a different sort.¡±Cadeus took his time to pace up with the Alchemist¡¯s thoughts. Dealing with eccentric mages really takes patience. For many who had dived into the research occupations, it was no surprise to come across a maniac. Countless magi had spawned interest in advancing their knowledge of magic into the unknown realms of countless possibilities. Many who verified in the occupation often experienced many periods of¡­ ¡®Enlightenments¡¯, causing them to be unpredictably enthusiastic and egoistic in many aspects. Cadeus honestly had nothing against such a working mindset. However, it should not develop to the extent of it affecting your own social skills. But ego won¡¯t be ego if social skills were affected. That¡¯s the very sad thing about ego. This Alchemist was one of many others in this world of Zeffernon. It should be no surprise to encounter mages such as the one Cadeus is looking at now. If you want to put it in statistics, about 65% you might come across were egoistic, 34% psychopaths, and the last 1% pure genius. Of course, Cadeus only knew this partly from his own observation and also from the feed back of his own close friends. But it would be best if Cadeus kept this opinion to himself; he wouldn¡¯t want trouble anywhere right? The Alchemist returned to work, going through a book that likely contains the lists of the ingredients that he had. ¡°Just give me a moment, now where is the P - P section?¡±Cadeus took back the quest note. ¡°P ¨C B, P ¨C C, P¡­ P¡­¡± It looks like this would take a while¡­ Cadeus took his attention off the Alchemist and took a moment to observe the surrounding items within this shop. Like most shops in Zeffernon, this one was a classic two-leveled shophouse. The first floor was mainly the shop itself. All items and things displayed were entirely related to alchemy; ingredients, equipments, books and even recipie scrolls. Every item was differentiated according to label and organization. Although he did not go up the stairs, Cadeus knew that the second floor would be the shop owner¡¯s personal space. Perhaps the second level also displayed items for sale, perhaps not. Shops like these had the tendency to have less space than they needed. Displaying items for sale on the upper level was entirely part of the norm due to the lack of space. It¡¯s either that, or certain items were purposely displayed on the second floor as a market strategy to target specific kinds of customers... This shop in particular was big enough for the first level to house everything this Achemist needs to sell, but Cadeus knew that whatever was displayed here was but a mere faction of what the major shopping districts had. Normally he would even be at those shopping districts now, but in considering how low in stock the ingredient he needs right now, looking for it in those major shopping districts is a very bad idea. ¡°Say, boy.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± The Alchemist suddenly resumed talking, but his eyes were still on the book. ¡°The educators approved in allowing students to collect alchemical ingredients?¡± ¡°Yes. They do.¡± ¡°Why won¡¯t they get acolytes? In my time in Triple Orb Academy, only acolytes are allowed to do this kind of board quest.¡± Cadeus shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t know. You¡¯ll have to ask the Archmage about that. The academy¡¯s curriculum system changed a year prior before I joined.¡± ¡°Changed one year ago? Just what is the Archmage thinking? Changing the system out of the sudden like that?¡± ¡°Like I said, I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± The Alchemist continued flipping the pages. ¡°Can¡¯t think of a reason boy?¡± ¡°Even if I think I know something, it¡¯s nothing but speculation, not truth.¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± ¡°Maybe the old cirriculum is too taxing.¡± ¡°Too taxing? I¡¯m eight years your senior and I don¡¯t call my cirriculum taxing.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Think of another reason boy.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Think boy, think. Do you know what happens if I say ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯ to my Alchemist master?¡± No, and I don¡¯t really care. ¡°My master, banished me from his sight for ten days just for saying that. Ten, Days!¡± ¡°That must have been terrible.¡± ¡°You¡¯re telling me. There is no ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯ in Alchemy, he used to tell me. Alchemy is an art of infinite possibilities. There is just so much to discover and explore, so never take ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯ for an answer. An Alchemist who doesn¡¯t know is not an Alchemist.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not an Alchemist¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t interrupt! Never interrupt an Alchemist¡¯s thoughts! When I interrupted my master¡¯s thoughts, he made me clean his dirty boots for four days!¡± Sigh¡­ here we go again¡­ This was Cadeus¡¯s seventh encounter with such a mage. He had already faced such a conversation six times already today. Even if he could bear with it, the repetition of such egoistic comments really puts his patience to the absolute test. Can¡¯t he just give me the frigging ingredient already?He thought. Like all previous attempts to talk to an Alchemist, this conversation was starting to drift off at an egoistic direction. Cadeus might have been interested if he¡¯s interested in Alchemy, but not at this particular moment. In fact, at this rate it would only serve to discourage Cadeus to take Alchemy as an academic choice. Who in their right mind would want to stomach all the ego during their apprenticeship? Well¡­ unless they themselves were rather egoist as well to not see their actions as egoistic¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but can you make this quick? I¡¯m running out of time.¡± ¡°Academy curfew eh? It¡¯s still 4:30, you have plenty of time. Say boy, if you want to start on Alchemy, the best is to approach an Alchemical Educator. There is one such fellow in Triple Orb Academy. If I recall his name is¡­ ¡° And there further goes the ego. Cadeus could not really say much. Alchemists¡­ they really love to tell you what they know. It¡¯s either they are stuck in their own world all the time, or ¨C ¡°Say, I lost track! What¡¯s the ingredient again?¡± Cadeus gave the ninth sigh of the day. TOA ¡­Egoistic mages, what else is there to expect? Cadeus cursed. Needless to say, the Alchemist did not have what he sought. Though the Alchemist did sell the desired item, the stock ran out most recently. This was another classic example of missing the boat when it came to buying certain items. It will take another month¡¯s worth of patience before the next stock arrives from the domain¡¯s outskirts, but unfortunately the client did not have the luxury of time. Cadeus would have to look for the ingredient elsewhere. Sigh¡­ Talk about tough luck¡­ Walking out of the shop with a dissatisfied look, Cadeus took out a notebook from his side pocket and flipped to the page that contained all the list of Alchemist shops. Using a pencil, he marked the name of the shop he just entered with an X. Consolidating what had just transpired, Cadeus saw that he now had seven Xs in total. This is the seventh Alchemist shop that did not have Procona powder. There were only three more known Alchemist shops left on the list. Even if today was the second day since the quest was initiated, it could get quite demoralizing facing seven shops straight that failed to have the desired ingredient. Oh well... There were three more shops to go at the moment, and the deadline was three days away. Even if the next three shops did not have Procona powder, there were still countless more Alchemical shops in this city to check. ¡°There should still be Procona powder in stock somewhere. We¡¯ll just have to look harder.¡± Looking at the list now, there might still be time to go through the remaining three shops. But the time now should be¡­ Cadeus took out his pocket watch. He pressed the button at the button chain. With a ¡®Click¡¯, the cover flipped to the side. It¡¯s already 4:54 pm. Damn that alchemist¡­ it was 4:28 when I came in and he deliberately starts ranting for almost half an hour. Sigh¡­ Cadeus closed the cover and kept the pocket watch. Academy curfew was at 6 pm sharp. It would be wise to conclude the day, or else they won¡¯t make it back to the Academy in time. Cadeus kept the book and pencil. Now then¡­ how should he proceed to return to their meeting point? Searching within his sling bag, Cadeus tooked out a rolled piece of parchment. In opening the parchment, Cadeus took a good look at the map of the district he¡¯s currently in. This map was magically enhanced to track the user¡¯s location with a singular mark. It was procured at a steep price of 70 Duches, but the pay was worth it for the Thuranian district was one of the larger districts within this city. Getting around it was not easy without a map. From the map he is at the far edge of the Thuranian district. By using his finger to trace the grids, the meet up point is about 600 meters of walk away. In memorizing the fastest route, Cadeus rolled back the map and kept it back into his sling bag. In making sure he had everything, he stepped onto the stone paved road in the middle of the shopping district and started tracking back to the meeting point. If he walks fast, he would reach there by 5:15 pm. If the others were there by the time Cadeus reached the Caf¨¦, they will be back in Academy grounds by around 5:50 pm. Not only would they be able to reach curfew, they would be just in time for dinner. Good and convenient, just like how Cadeus liked to settle things. *Thunder Boom* Or not¡­ Cadeus looked up. ¡­ Dark clouds, it¡¯s definitely going to rain soon. Cadeus felt a drop of rain land on his head. Then another. Then another. Sigh¡­ ¡°Shit! It¡¯s raining?¡± ¡°What? I did not see any dark clouds.¡± ¡°Mommy it¡¯s raining.¡± ¡°Come here dear, don¡¯t stand in the rain.¡± ¡°Honey! Get the goods inside!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m getting the shades.¡± Cadeus brought his hands to the back of his head and pulled his hood over. Soon, it became from a slight drizzle to pouring cast and dogs. Cadeus ran. As he ran, the rain became heavier. His outer coat gained weight, and Cadeus knew how wet his coat is going to be. As he ran, he felt the heavy weight of the puddles of water splashing all around his feet. The nearest shelter is just a few feet away. Cadeus reached it and took a good look around. Shop owners are rushing to hide their goods back into their shops, or putting up extensive shades to protect them from the rain. The rest of the people all around him are either running, waiting under shelter or finding ways to use magic to their advantage. Some tried to use fire, but either the water droplets put out the flames or the opposing elements resulted in steam that ended up disrupting eye vision. Others tried using magic to create a layer of solid Earth above them, but from moment they tried to take a piece of concrete stone off the paved roads they got yelled at by the shop owners who spotted them in time. So far, the most successful mage he had seen to deal with the rain is for him to use magic to project a layer of water above head to replace an umbrella. It¡¯s convenient, very convenient. Cadeus could mickminick that, he could try. But he knew, it will never work. Because of the colour of magic he has in his blood, he can never manipulate the element water. Looking up again, it looks like it will be heavy downpour for at least half an hour. Sighing, Cadeus took a deep breath. This is going to be very wet. He focused on the route he memorized and started running. Cadeus had to be careful though. Glancing to check his twelve and his six, Cadeus made sure that he kept to the main road. The reason why he had to be very careful was because of the location. Cadeus was currently at the edge of a major district that¡¯s considered far from the city center. The buildings around here had the tendency to look similar due to architectural similarities. If you did not constantly check your bearings it¡¯s very easy to get lost, especially when you don¡¯t have a map. Zeffernon was not as convenient as Earth when it came to finding your way. On Earth, there were various landmarks that were easy to note due to the diversity of buildings that shared unique designs and colour differences. Also, confirmation of your present location was made easy with numerous signboards dictating directions and locations of roads, buildings and sites. All you need were the names of the buildings and the roads around you. But in Zeffernon, it is the total opposite. Although both worlds are in the 21st century, the architectural intergrity of this world was not so modern. Everything around looks exactly like Europe in the early 1800s. The only skyscraper in this city was the High Tower, and the various buildings lacked colour and design that it¡¯s relatively easy to mix up one block of buildings with another. There was beauty in the old architecture, and there were quite a number of unique landmarks. But one annoying thing about this city was that there were no signboards to indicate which road or district you were on. Districts were easily identifiable based on their various functionalities and lifestyles, but the only signboards you¡¯ll ever get would be the shop signages. It will only help with the geography if you remember places purely by memory, or by buying or making a map out for yourself. But of course, things would get easier once you get closer to the city center. Many things in Zeffernon may seem old and sophisticated, but it¡¯s merely an issue of familiarity. Zeffernon is well advanced in its own way, but not what Cadeus initially had in mind. TOA ¡°Thank you! Please come back again!¡± As Cadeus entered the caf¨¦, he was greeted with the rather familiar scene of Felkor patting the back of a leaving customer. The mage forever had a smile on his face whenever he did that. Like Cadeus, Felkore was a mage originally from Earth before he gets to know about the existence of Zeffernon. He was born in Iceland and by the age of eight, he had shown signs of magical talents. Like all children who had magical talents, he was sought by the mages residing in Iceland and was given a place in Triple Orb Academy. Being someone who was born on Earth before migrating to Zeffernon, he often sympathizes with other mages like himself who had troubles accepting the existence of magic at the very beginning. Even after graduation, he was nice to his junior students and never hesitates to give a hint should they need something. He was someone Cadeus could get along with from the moment they first met. ¡°Oh?¡± Felkor noticed the new customer. ¡°Well if it isn¡¯t Cadeus, where are your friends?¡± ¡°We splited up, we are meeting here anyway. You got a seat?¡± ¡°Over there, try the four-seater by the window. I¡¯ll come with the menu shortly, and Cadeus?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I forgot to light up the fireplace, and people are complaining that it is getting rather cold due to the rain so... Do me a favour would you?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ sure thing.¡± Cadeus went to one of the tables near the fireplace. He pulled out one of the seats and left his coat there to indicate that the spot had been taken. With the coat removed, he proceded to the fireplace a few steps away. Looking at the fireplace now, Cadeus could see the newly placed chopped wood blocks all piled up neatly at the centre, covering the ashen remains of the preceding wooden blocks. Focusing his attention at the newly chopped wood blocks, Cadeus first closed his eyes and took a moment to concentrate. He imagined nothing but a vast black empty space. There was nothing, no sound, no objects, just nothing but pure black everywhere. Then, as Cadeus felt the flow of an unexplainable energy gathering within his right palm, he slowly raised his right hand, palm facing upwards, and imagined a spark. It was a small, singular spark in the middle of nowhere. The spark gave birth to a small fire. With further focusing, Cadeus imagined the fire to be controlled, and grew it to an acceptable size. Soon, he felt the heat. This was when he opened his eyes. A small ball of fire danced at the palm of his right hand. Like what he envisioned, it¡¯s small and stable. The flames danced around a blazing core, and it¡¯s starting to get very hot. Now then¡­ time to light the fireplace. Cadeus looked up. The fireplace was right in front of him. All he need was simple thought. Then with a flick, he directed the ball of fire away from his hand and shot it towards the fireplace. It was not that difficult to contain the shape as it flew. The fireball landed on the newly chopped wooden blocks and started Felkore¡¯s desired fire. Clasping his hands together, Cadeus rubbed off the after effects. ¡°Not bad Cadeus, the last time I saw you cast that spell, you were struggling just to keep the fire in the right shape.¡± Cadeus smiled. It¡¯s a female''s voice, but in considering the owner of the voice, there can only be one female, and she is already registered in Cadeus''s head. Cadeus turned. ¡°Well, I have been practising, Sing.¡± he said. The female gave him a humorous smile. TOA That natural gentle smile, which was accompanied by graceful pair of brown eyes and her russet brown short hair, only helps to make her exceptionally charming. She was dressed in the same student robes that Cadeus wore. But instead of black, it was white. Her full name was Sirena Delnarius, but Cadeus habitually called her Sing, mostly due to childhood memories of her singing in classes back on Earth. Cadeus did not know her that well back then. Though she grew up in the same area as Cadeus did, they were separated by a few apartment blocks and classes. It was only when they found out about each other''s affiliation to magic that they became the best of friends. In comparison to Cadeus''s late entry into the world of magic, Sing was well aware of her special gifts since very young. Sing had a family with magic background, so her childhood can be considered to be well diverse in magic. She also had long knew of Zeffernon''s existence and even made several visits to the Capital before. Cadeus always had to ask her for help when he first started on magic, and he would often feel embarrassed when she guides him from time to time, especially when it comes to anything she counts as ''elementary''. Sing was quite popular amongst the students of Cadeus''s badge, and she¡¯s already the favourite of several Educators. There were three main reasons for her well-off reputation. First, she had the looks. No matter how much Cadeus usually avoids the subject, Sing was prettier than most girls he ever came across. Cadeus had even witnessed several male mages asking her out in all sorts of ways, but Sing naturally manages to decline every single one of them, for unknown reasons. Second, she¡¯s a White Mage, a mage that specializes in the very White Magic that people welcome everywhere. Not only does she ustilizes White Magic, Sing was also well reputed for using healing spells, one of the most convenient type of spells categorized under White magic. White Mages were uncommon, but White Mages who could use healing spells were even harder to come across. You have to remember, this world of Zeffernon was not like what people expect from those games, stories and fantasies. In Zeffernon, the power to heal was an extremely uncommon rarity. Although there were healing potions, such concoctions rarely work instantly and were treated more like herbal brews meant to provide long term benefits. Not to mention, Scientific medicine was something lacking in a world surrounded by superstition. Once you¡¯re wounded, you were wounded just like any wounded person on Earth. Whether the damage could be controlled was a matter of resources. In considering how science was something lacking in this world, a single wound anywhere could cause severe infection and detah, just like how Earth was before medications, drugs and anti-biotics were created. Above all, Sing''s rare gift of healing was already considered as miraculous healing. It''s a rare gift where wounds were sealed almost instantly, sickness removed as if they were never there to begin with. Like the healing saints of Christianity, it really puts her popularity off at a whole different level. As for the third reason, Sing was a top scoring student. Sing was academically talented and gifted. She picks up lessons easily, and while Cadeus was still clumsily trying to learn how to cast his first spell, she already mastered the basic concepts on how to cast a spell, both theoretical and practical.There were often times where Cadeus spent hours just to get something newly taught right, only to find out that Sing had already gotten the gist of it in a couple of minutes. She¡¯s a fine example of what a perfect student would be, attractive, smart, social and above all, humble. You could see why she¡¯s so popular now. ¡°Want to sit?¡± ¡°Sure. Thanks for the fire, it''s getting warmer.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. I¡¯m just doing Felkor a small favour.¡± ¡°Your sense of control is improving, well done. You can even hurl the fireball without letting its shape disintegrate, just compare that to three weeks ago.¡± ¡°All thanks to you. I did have a good teacher.¡± Sing smiled. ¡°Lately, I¡¯m can get a better idea of what to envision.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, can you feel the blood flow?¡± ¡°¡­ Starting to.¡± ¡°Great!¡± ¡°But it still feels so¡­ unusual.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. You¡¯ll get used it in time.¡± She laughed again. ¡°I hope so, but it really feels funny¡­ Was it like this for you when you also started?¡± Sing smiled. ¡°More or less.¡± ¡°Sure must be really nice to start learning about magic at such a young age. Ah¡­ this is so irritating¡­ Is there a way where I can really cast spells without the need to feel the blood flow?¡± ¡°Nope. You have to feel the blood flow or else you will never get to cast the spell.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ I wish there is a way to cast magic without all the blood flow hassle.¡± ¡°Cadeus, what¡¯s the first absolute rule of magic?¡± ¡°¡­ Magic begins from the blood.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. If you don¡¯t feel any bloodflow within you how do you know you are utilizing magic?¡± ¡°¡­ Can¡¯t argue against that one.¡± The first absolute rule of magic in Zeffernon ¨C Magic begins from the blood For centuries, countless magi had frequently used the art of drawing supernatural powers from the closest source ever, themselves. According to the Magical Truth, to use magic was to draw out the energy within yourself, to shape reality before your very eyes. The evidence of using such methods to draw out supernatural forces went back to the earliest mages who ever existed, both on Earth and on Zeffernon. Mages and witches gathered in circles to perform powerful rituals, shamans enter trances after entering a supernatural state of transcendence, clerics using unexplainable powers to heal the masses, and the list goes on. The main source for magic by far, was the blood. There were other sources for drawing out magic, but blood was by far the most effective medium throughout the entire history of magic. Now if you were from Earth, you would know that the blood is a living being¡¯s life stream. It¡¯s very obvious for without blood, we cannot survive. Without blood, we would not have haemoglobins to deliver oxygen from our lungs to the body for respiration and regulate body ventilation by removing carbon dioxide.Without blood, our body cannot utilize leukocytes to counter react against foreign substances, pathogens and disease, which hereby limits our immunity capacities.Without blood, our body also cannot use the platelets to clot wounds and heal lacerations to prevent further infiltration of harmful substances into the human body, and so on. There are other important functions of blood that you can get as much coming from the sciences. But for magic, its relationship to blood requires a different form of explanation. For magic, the blood is a concentrative source since it is a vital component of the human body. The supernatural energy somehow concentrates and resides within the thick liquid. It is nothing but an insensate, indispensable power, which cannot be drawn or detected through ordinary means. So how can one utilize such a mystical power? The answer is simple; you have to be born with it. You must have the talent in your blood, or you cannot use magic at all. It is all down to probability actually. People are all born with all sorts of talents. Since a human can be born with several out of the large number of talents out there, one is highly unlikely to gain the singular talent to be able to use magic. So the chances of you being born with the gift to be able to use magic, is rather slim, either you are born with the ability to use magic, or... you have other talents. This is perhaps the reason why people who can utilize magic are a minority on Earth and this is perhaps the reason why magic was also persecuted back on Earth. Since the majority did not have this talent, many people back on Earth had scoffed and condemn all mages, as their actions are deemed as unnatural and dubiously superstitious since the majority did not have such a gift. Some people took that perspective to the extreme, often calling and commanding crusades to exterminate these magi vermin from the face of the Earth. They were so against magic, they even defined it as the Devil¡¯s instrument, practices of evil. Mages were so heavily discriminated that they never dared to mention of their gifts in broad daylight. But ever since the ''Great Pilgramage'' to Zeffernon, people freely practised magic without the fear of discrimination. Gradually, the population of mages increased as more mages settled down on Zeffernon. But even if the mages are free from the anti-magic extremists, no one is free from discrimination. Even amongst mages, discrimination is something that is still ongoing and existing. ¡°Oh? Someone lighted the fire?¡± ¡°Nice, who did it?¡± ¡°Probably the kid right next to the fireplace.¡± ¡°Which kid? The girl?¡± ¡°No it¡¯s the guy. The Girl¡¯s a White, she can''t cast fire.¡± ¡°Oh that...¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he a student? Those robes are from the Academy.¡± ¡°Not bad, casting a fireball at his age. The Academy ought to be proud.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ he¡¯s wearing black.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± With that single comment, the whole caf¨¦ went silent. Cadeus could not help but look around. ¡°Uh oh, don¡¯t stare too much. Don¡¯t get involved.¡± ¡°He¡¯ll cast a curse if you stare too much.¡± ¡°Hey mama! That student just lighted the fire with his hand!¡± ¡°Yes darling he is. Stop pointing!¡± ¡°I want to talk to him. I want to ask him what is it like studying in the Academy!¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough darling. That mage is a dangerous one. Don¡¯t get involved with the likes of him.¡± Sigh¡­ the same old treatment. At first they are always grateful. But once they registered the colour of Cadeus''s robes, people always started treating him differently. Even the tone of their comments changed instantly, such as that mother rebuking her child. They may have said something hurtful to Cadeus''s ears, but Cadeus did all he could to remove the conversation from his head. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just sit down.¡± Sing said. ¡°Very good idea.¡± Anything to get rid of the current atmosphere¡­ As they sat down Felkor came with the menu. ¡°Hey guys, don¡¯t leave so soon yet. I¡¯ve got something for you.¡± ¡°Oh wow, thanks Felkor.¡± ¡°No worries Sirena. Meanwhile just browse through the simple ones. I¡¯ll get Jasper to attend to you if you need anything.¡± After that, Felkor turned and left to address the other customers. Sing turned back to Cadeus, Cadeus looked back. There was a moment when neither said anything. There is nothing to talk about at the moment. After a while the other customers went back and the mood became normal again. It was here when Sing broke the silence. ¡°Want any drinks? I¡¯m getting tea.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take hot chocolate.¡± ¡°My treat.¡± ¡°What? No it¡¯s ok. Here, I¡¯ll pay for my share.¡± ¡°Your call. But are you ok?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ve grown quite accustom to this sort of treatment.¡± Sing looked at him for several seconds, then she took his money and went to Felkor. As Cadeus relaxed, he closed his eyes and sigh. Truth to be told Cadeus couldn''t really blame them.They have a right to be discriminative and cautious around him.In wearing the black robes, Cadeus is identifying himself is one of the Dark Mages, one of the three types of mages you will find on Zeffernon. From the second absolute rule of magic in Zeffernon, there are only three colours types of magic. White, Grey and Dark. Throughout the entire course of Zeffernon¡¯s history, magic has been cultivated and carefully categorized (with tiresome debates) within these three colour types. The first and most common kind of magic found anywhere on Zeffernon is Grey magic, otherwise known as rudimentary magic. It is mostly known to be rudimentary magic because of the nature of its spells. All spells that fall under the category of Grey Magic are always basic, direct, and easy to control, mostly because of it''s strong alignments to the seven elements of Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Lightning, Light and Darkness. All Grey magic is limited and orientated around these seven elements. The second colour type of magic, is perhaps the type of magic that is most welcomed by the majority, White magic. White magic is uncommon magic. You will find that there are fewer mages around who can utilize White Magic compared to Grey Magic. It is said to be magic in one of its purest forms, because the nature of White magic is to be protective and beneficial, like healing spells, aura shields and interference spells. It is strong, unique, and its spells can be used in a large variety of tactics.However, White magic is not so simple as it sounds.The spells under its category all demands strong and acute mental stability.It is not so easy to control White magic for a White Mage must be resolved, must be technically acute, and above all, be confident. It really requires a lot of discipline to in order to master White Magic. Last but not least, we have the rarerest and the most dangerous colour type of magic, Dark Magic. Dark Magic is mainly corruption magic, its very nature is to be the end of everything. Since its nature is to be the end of everything, Dark Magic spells often had a reputation to go against the natural way of order. It mainly specializes in two things, Death and the End of all things. It is highly volatile, wild and perhaps the hardest type of magic to control amongst the three. Dark Magic has too many risks, it does not just pose as a danger to the surroundings, but even to the Dark Mages themselves. If a Dark Mage does not watch his steps, he can easily kill himself if he does not take extra precaution. This highly intensified form of magic has been the reason why the general public had often regarded Dark Mages with fear. People generally fear Dark Mages because of their magic, even more so when they do not know what the Dark Mages can do with their magic. Because of the high intensity of Dark Magic and their dangerous consequences, people had often used Dark Magic with the tragic consequence of hurting people more than actually helping. As such, people generally avoid Dark Mages, and Cadeus sometimes felt that they would be right to do so. ¡°Here you go.¡± Sing said. She dropped a mug of hot chocolate in front of Cadeus. ¡°So... any luck Sing?¡± Sing shook her head. ¡°No.¡± ¡°All five?¡± ¡°Not one, you?¡± ¡°All seven Xs on my book.¡± Sing frowned.¡±Is Procona powder something so hard to find?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Cadeus took a sip. ¡°I don''t know. I''m not too familiar with ingredients. Maybe it is.¡± ¡°I''ve always had the impression that Procona Powder is something very common. My father used to get some from time to time, and they always seem like plenty whenever he is in need of it.¡± Sing looked up and brought her right index finger to her chin in deep thought. ¡°If all goes wrong, I think we will have to start asking the Educators for some advice.¡± ¡°On where to search? We know where to search, but the markets are always on the down now.¡± ¡°I don''t mean just the shops and merchants. We might need to get from the direct source.¡± Thinking out of the box again, that''s Sing for you. ¡°You mean where the merchants get all these powder to began with?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That would mean traveling beyond the Capital borders Sing. The Academy would not allow us, at least not yet.¡± ¡°Not necessarily. There could be some places in Infinitas that produces such second hand ingredients.¡± ¡°Which means more searching.¡± ¡°Well, there are three of us, we can split the work load. The only other option i can think of is thatwe may even have to make some ourselves.¡± ¡°Make our own Procona Powder? Are you seriously considering that? We have three days. I doubt three days is enough to produce 800 g worth of powder.¡± ¡°I''m considering alternatives. It''s doable actually. All we need is the recipe, the right equipment and ingredients.¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ¡°... The ingredient part does not sound very convincing. Procona powder is already lacking so people might have also thought of that idea to make more Procona on their own. Meaning to say, the very ingredients needed to make Procona Powder would be dropping as we speak.¡± ¡°Which is why we might want to consider starting.¡± ¡°Besides, even if we are able to get the right ingredients, the Academy would not allow us to use the equipment. We''re not Acolytes, not yet.¡± ¡°Ah... true, but who says we have to do it within Academy grounds?¡± ¡°You want to approach Alchemists outside to borrow their equipment?You go ahead with that plan, I don''t want to have another conversation. All the Alchemists I have spoken so far all have their egos. I hate to start another conversation with them.¡± Sing was about to comment against that reply when another voice intruded upon their conversation. ¡°Yo! How''s everything folks?¡± Upon hearing the voice, Cadeus frowned instantly. As usual, that guy is forever carefree. Cadeus seriously thought that he is too carefree, even in the most critical situations. Dressed in the overly common Grey student robes, black hair with separate bangs, Nadav was the last to show up. Unlike Cadeus and Sing who were originally from Earth, Nadav is born on Zeffernon. However, Nadav did live on Earth with his parents during his toddler years. That was how he first met Cadeus and Sing. But his grandmother stayed behind on Zeffernon, looking after the family''s local cottage at Otium''s outskirts. Out of the three, Nadav can be considered to be the voluntary clown. He''s carefree, always cracking jokes and always lifting up the mood when it gets bad. It''s a nice character, but his jokes put Cadeus off at times, depending on the situation. While Cadeus frowned towards the carefree presence of the new guy, Sing on the other hand, welcomed the third and last party of their group. ¡°Not good Nadav, both Cadeus and I got all Xs.¡± ¡°That''s not good for starters.¡± ¡°How about you?¡± ¡°No good on my end too~.¡± ¡°You sound too carefree.¡± Cadeus commented. ¡°Relax Cadeus, this is still the second day.¡± ¡°And we have three remaining.¡± ¡°True, this may be the second day, but what if we cannot find the ingredient by the third day?¡± ¡°Guys, cut it out.¡± Sing butted in warmly. Nadav gave the two a wink. ¡°Well, good news. While I was going through my shops, the Alchemists are kind enough. I got a few more names we can look into.¡± ¡°Wow... that''s a nice start.¡± ¡°You got names, both shops and Alchemists?¡± ¡°Yup~.¡± ¡°How many?¡± Cadeus asked. ¡°Hmm...¡± Nabah took out his notebook and started flipping. ... ... ¡°Eight.¡± ¡°Eight huh?¡± Cadeus compared notes. ¡°I still have three more shops. How about you Sing?¡± ¡°Two.¡± ¡°So that makes thirteen in total. If we are still counting on the shops, we may have to split up again tomorrow.¡± Cadeus said. ¡°Still counting on shops? Did you guys start a meeting without me?¡± ¡°Sing is thinking of alternatives.¡± ¡°Like what? Oh let me guess. We have to find another way to get Procona Powder rather than the traditional searching shops and merchants, which means going on an extensive quest to find the source of Procona Powder right?¡± ¡°Something along those lines, we may even have to make the powder on our own.¡± ¡°Make the powder on our own?¡± Nadav scratched his head. ¡°I''ve never made powder before... only grandma knows how to do that.¡± ¡°Nadav, do you have the location of all eight shops?¡± Sing asked. ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°Let''s give it another day. If we can''t find the powder by then, we''ll try the alternatives. The worst is only that we have to ask for deadline extension, which also means less reward.¡± ¡°Fine. Nadav, share the names and we''ll split ourselves among the districts.¡± ¡°Sweet! Sing and I will take four each. Cadeus take five.¡± ¡°Since when do you make all the decisions?¡± Felkor came to their table. ¡°Any more orders? I know you guys have the curfew, but at least have some of these.¡± He dropped three mini Ice cream deluxes in front of them, each of different flavours. Since humans originate from Earth, it is no surprise to find some Earth food in Zeffernon. Mages who migrated to Zeffernon brought along their favourite tastes, and soon those who are locally born in Zeffernon got the wind of it. Food is what everyone loves after all, why deny the variety of taste? ¡°Woah... this is something new. What''s the commotion?¡± Sing asked. ¡°One, you guys looked like you had a rough day. Two, this something experimental because I am thinking of putting this up for the menu. I need feedback.¡± The three tried their respective deluxes, they are all good, so no one complained. ¡°Felkor, if you can give us this free treatment everytime we come tired from a quest, I gladly comeby everyday.¡± Nadav joked. ¡°Haha, if you do that, I''ll be broke within the month, then you three will have no more special treatement. What¡¯s the board quest this time?¡± ¡°We are helping a client to get some Procona powder.¡± ¡°Procona?¡± Felkor frowned. Now that Cadeus thought of it,Felkor was a former Alchemist apprentice before he became a Caf¨¦ manager. Perhaps he can share some light in what kind of ingredient Procona is. ¡°Do you know what Procona powder is?¡± ¡°It is a universal ingredient, a rather common flexible stuff that can be mixed with various other Alchemical mediums.¡± ¡°Is it dangerous?¡± Sing asked. ¡°Not quite... it is a very flexible ingredient. It can be used for a lot of things¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°It can be used to make a diffusional paste that helps separate vital ingredients from a fixed source, or it can be used in conjuration as a Divert Base for - ¡° ¡°Ok, we get it. Enough with all the terminology.¡± Nadav cut in. ¡°What''s the matter? The three of you will eventually become acolytes. No harm in knowing something about basic alchemy in advance.¡± ¡°We''ll worry about it once we hit that level. Right guys?¡± ¡°I don''t mind hearing it now, it all sounds interesting.¡± ¡°Sing, this is not the time for academic passion.¡± ¡°What academic passion? We will all learn this soon enough. What harm is there being slightly ahead than the others?¡± ¡°Oh no there she goes again. Cadeus, please help?¡± ¡°Can it be used for anything dangerous?¡± Cadeus asked. Nadav gave Cadeus the look. ¡°Well¡­¡± Felkor gave a thought. ¡°The worst I can think of whenever I think of Procona is that it is quite an effective medium for a ritual.¡± ¡°A ritual? What kind of ritual?¡± Sing asked. ¡°Oh all kinds of rituals, from fixed rituals to wide range rituals. The ritual can be anything. From healing to crafting to unleashing something horrible, your pick.¡± ¡°Crafting? Procona can be used to craft?¡± ¡°The crafting result comes from the ritual, procona is just a medium for such a ritual if you get what I am saying. This is why Procona powder is the number one common ingredient any Alchemist desire. Flexible and multi-useful, it''s one of the best you can get, so¡­¡± Nadav grabbed Cadeus by the sleeve and brought him closer. ¡°Hey aren¡¯t you supposed to be helping me?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no harm in finding out more about Procona.¡± ¡°There are other chances to find out so why now? Now Sing will never stop. Did you forget about curfew?¡± ¡°In considering the deadline we have this is perhaps the only chance we get to learn more about Procona. We still got thirteen shops to go through tomorrow so it¡¯s going to get very busy. Now is the time.¡± ¡°Ok fine. But seriously Cadeus, stop asking all the extreme questions. You always love to spoil the mood.¡± ¡°I am not spoiling the mood. I am just asking so that I know what is the worst to expect. Who knows what danger this powder might be. Did you forget about the Mystical box quest?¡± ¡°Hey please, don''t bring that up.¡± ¡°Is it really a rare ingredient? The three of us visited sixteen Alchemist shops today, none of them had Procona.¡± Sing continued. Felkor gave a hard look, as if trying to dig out untouched information long buried in his head. ¡°Mm¡­ I won''t say it is rare, and I won''t say it is quite common. Problem is, is that Procona Powder is something always in high demand. You know about macro econs, higher demand, harder for supply to keep up.¡± ¡°But to the extent of every shop we come across to lack it? Is there some Procona carnival we are unaware of?¡± Cadeus ask. ¡°I don''t know, but I can only think of one reason.¡± Felkor said. ¡°¡°¡°What?¡±¡±¡± ¡°It can only be this. Currently, there is a shit load of Alchemists researching on subjects that demand large quantities of Procona Powder at the same time. It happens rather frequently actually, there are certain periods where a large number of Alchemists are conducting researches that demanded similar ingredients. When that happens, the usual quantity would drop drastically. That is why the richer alchemists always stock up.¡± ¡°So there are such high peaks and low peaks. Sure sucks if you''re in need of an ingredient desperately.¡± Cadeus said. ¡°Which is why I am now a cafe manager instead of an irritated alchemist.If you three need Procona Powder at such a period of time, you either find the right resources, or you are just unlucky. Your client must be one of those who miscalculated the quantity of ingredients and is now desperate for more.¡± Cadeus took out the note and reread it. ¡°Seems like it. The commisioner writes as though he is desperate for more Procona Powder.¡± ¡°Oh? The quest note? Let me see.¡± Cadeus passed it over. ¡°Hm¡­ yup, the situation seems pretty much what I said.¡± ¡°Sigh...¡± Nadav fell chin flat in the table. ¡°So we got the wrong quest at the wrong time...¡± ¡°Come now Nadav. Then again, 300 Duches for such quantity is not so bad. If you think about the high prices, 800 g of Procona powder only goes up to around 140 Duches. You three gain 160 in profit, a huge profit at that.¡± ¡°...160 profit?¡± Wow, life returned to Nadav''s eyes. Well, Cadeus can understand.For students like them, 160 Duches worth of profit is indeed a very nice figure. Cadeus got up, enough ice cream and talk. ¡°Thanks for the tip Felkor, but it''s time for us to get back.¡± ¡°Ah Academy curfew... how nostalgic.¡± ¡°Plenty more memories where you left them Felkor.¡± Sing winked. ¡°Plenty you three will make.¡± he replied. ¡°We''ll drop by again.¡± Nadav said. ¡°Sure. Need anymore tips just let me know.¡± With this new information, the trio thought that they had overcome a milestone. However, when they left the shop, they hit another crisis. ¡°Well, that took longer than expected.¡± Cadeus said. ¡°Well, we did learn a few good things.¡± Sing replied. ¡°But now we have a new problem. It''s already 5:42 pm, and it¡¯s still raining.¡± ¡°What? No way¡­ How are we going to reach back on time?¡± ¡°All thanks to who Sing?¡± It looks like they over shot their timing. The original plan was to leave by 5:30 pm. If they walk right now, they might not reach curfew in time. Failure to reach the Academy before curfew will only result in them staying outside Academy premise. But the three of them do not have the money to accommodate themselves for an inn, at least not yet. However, it seems there is no more need to worry. As Cadeus slowly observed the sky, spots of bright light can be seen amongst the dark clouds. For some reason, the rain does not look as heavy as compared to just now. It can only mean one thing, the rain is lifting. But Cadeus wouldn¡¯t get his hopes up yet, it¡¯s still quite heavy. Cadeus put on his coat again, realizing how wet and heavy it felt. It looks like he will need to dry it well back in the dormitory. ¡°Any ideas on how we going to get back in time?¡± Sing asked. ¡°We could try drawing a teleportation circle like the one in the Academy.¡± ¡°Really? And where¡¯s the end point Nadav?¡± ¡°¡­ Good point. I forgot we need the end point circle.¡± ¡°Well, I only have one umbrella guys, and it¡¯s small enough for one person.¡± ¡°Damn it¡­ well Cadeus, it looks like we¡¯re going to be soaked wet.¡± ¡°We might not be, the rain is stopping.¡± ¡°Oh? How can you tell Mr Einstein?¡± ¡°Look up for once please¡­¡± The rain gradually ceased, from raining cats and dogs to a slight drizzle. ¡°It¡¯s stopping but it has not stopped. Sun¡¯s still not up, which means that it might drizzle for some time.¡± ¡°Whatever the case, it will not stop us.¡± Putting on the hood, Cadeus started proving his point by walking away from the caf¨¦, letting his already-soaked traveing coat do its job. The other two soon followed his example. ¡°So... are we still going to walk?¡± Nadav asked. ¡°No. Walking takes too long. I want to change before dinner.¡± Sing said. ¡°Well, there is the option of carriage or boat.¡± Cadeus said. ¡°Carriage costs 4 Duches each while boat is 2 Duches each.¡± Nadav calculated. ¡°I can only spare 2 Duches.¡± Cadeus said. ¡°So... boat?¡± Nadav confirmed. Sing gave an unhappy look. ¡°Boat is so slow, and even if we take it, it¡¯s going to be wet. The Carriage is dry and faster.¡± Cadeus and Nadav looked at each other. ¡°Best listen to the lady.¡± Nadav said. Cadeus sighed, they all start to walk towards the Carriage Compund. ¡°I wish there are cars.¡± he said. ¡°Wait another half a century then, perhaps we may see cars.¡± Nadav said. Cadeus sighed again. What a bad start for a board quest. The next day better be better. TOA ¡°All right, final check, anyone left anything behind?¡± Nadav asked. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Ok~.¡± Nadav closed the carriage door and bid the driver farewell. The carriage driver smiled and nodded. With a flick of his short whip, the carriage about turned and left the Academy. Turning around, Cadeus came to view the current place he called home. Triple Orb Academy was one of various magical educational institutions established throughout Otium. It¡¯s an intellectual campus situated on two artificially crafted islands, whereby one island was larger than the other. Both islands were connected by a straight single bridge that connects the two islands to the nearby mainland. Despite the name, the campus was more of a university. Multiple buildings were allocated to suit various purposes and functionsthat were tied to either research or education. There¡¯s the main hall, an eatery hall, an arena stadium, three colour sectors, three research laboratories, several large dormitories, a local high tower, the library, along with various others. These various large and small buildings made the Academy seem like a minimature town on it¡¯s own. To be a student of the Academy was to recognize that you were a Mage in training. It means to identify you as one of the small minority of humans who were born with the special gift to manipulate the material. As a student, one had to face the duty to learn how to hone his or her gift, for every Mage had to be responsible for the powers he or she could command. The education of this was centered around two main curriculums, the elementary curriculum, and the tertiary curriculum. Cadeus and his friends were currently studying under the elementary curriculum on the main island. Once they managed to pass the trials, the three of them would soon progress to the tertiary curriculum, which was situated on the smaller island. But that was something for the future. ¡°Time check Cadeus?¡± Sing ask. Cadeus took out his pocket watch. ¡°It''s 5:58.¡± ¡°Just nice~!Look, the gate''s still opened.¡±Nadav said. ¡°Then we better get moving before it closes.¡± Cadeus said. The trio passed the gate and entered the open ground beyond it. They barely just met the dead line. Any later than 5:58, and the gate will start closing. Once that happens, the three of them will have to spend a long time to travel back to the city and pay for their own rooms in one the city inns. That is obviously not something good as students like them had very little money to begin with. ¡°Ah~. Finally the day is over~.¡± Sing stretched herself. ¡°Since dinner is about to start, do you want to ask the Educators about Procona?¡± Cadeus confirmed. Sing and Nadav looked at each other. ¡°Nah¡­¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Well, no harm in onfirming.¡± ¡°I think we have enough of Procona Powder for the day.¡± Sing added. ¡°Yeah, let''s just enjoy the night. What do you want to do? And Sing, please don''t say homework.¡± ¡°Why not? It''s just a couple of left over assignments.¡± ¡°We could always do it tomorrow during the breaks.¡± ¡°If you don''t finish today''s portion, tomorrow is just going to add up to the burden. Besides, what can you do now besides homework?¡± ¡°We Slack!¡± ¡°... Rejected. We''ll do homework.¡± ¡°NNNOOOOO! Cadeus! Help me here!¡± ¡°I''m siding with Sing this time.¡± ¡°WWWHHHYYYY? You helped her just now at Felkors, side with me for once!¡± ¡°Give up Nadav, not everyone is as easy going as you.¡± Sing said. Nadav gave a dejected face. ¡°Why homework¡­ you guys know I hate doing homework.¡± ¡°Then all the more reason to finish it. If you procrastinate, the unfinished homework is just going to haunt you later.¡± Cadeus followed. ¡°Guu¡­ damn you two, ganging up on me like this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s called putting you on the right track and making sure you don¡¯t become lazy.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not lazy! I did my part today!¡± ¡°Cadeus.¡± Sing gave Cadeus the look. ¡°I don¡¯t think you did not give Nadav enough credit.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ thank you Sing.¡± ¡°You should not have said lazy.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Heard that Cadeus?¡± ¡°You should have said ¡®you don¡¯t work hard enough, so we are here to pull you back on your feet¡¯.¡± ¡°NNNOOOO! Sing why are you helping him?!¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ Sing you are too nice. ¡®Don¡¯t work hard enough¡¯ is just the nice phrase for the lazy.¡± ¡°Are you two ignoring me? Are the two of you deliberately ignoring me?¡± It was here that Cadeus suddenly remembered something he has to do. ¡°You guys head for dinner first. I need to finish a small task.¡± ¡°No problem, where are you heading?¡± Sing asked. ¡°Back to the dormitory.¡± ¡°Oh, then we might as well eat dinner there.¡± ¡°We''re not going to Corals?¡± ¡°Nah, Sing wants to bath right?¡± Nadav interjected. ¡°Yes, I hate it when I feel sticky, and no naughty thoughts the two of you. A girl loves to be clean.¡± ¡°No problem with me, but the person who would have such naughty thoughts will be Cadeus.¡± ¡°Say that again, and you''ll be electrocuted.¡± Cadeus checked his pocket watch again. ¡°Let''s get going quick. I''m late.¡± ¡°Late for what? You meeting someone?¡± Nadav said. ¡°Yes, another Dark Mage.¡± ¡°Colour class related?¡± ¡°Yes, I promised to get her something.¡± Nadav took a step back. ¡°The mage is a she? You''re seeing her out?¡± ¡°As if. Stop acting.¡± ¡°Nadav, stop teasing Cadeus. It''s a small favour right?¡± ¡°Yes. She helped me out before, I''m just repaying the favour.¡± ¡°And she said she''ll meet you at the dormitory?¡± ¡°Female dormitory, base level. I won''t take long.¡± ¡°Ok, Nadav, take our orders.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Nadav pointed to himself. ¡°Why me?¡± ¡°Because Cadeus is on an errand, I''m going back to bath, so you''ll do the honors.¡± ¡°Urgh... Ok what do you want?¡± ¡°¡°The usual.¡±¡± ¡°... Can you be more specific?¡± ¡°¡°What I ate yesterday.¡±¡± ¡°... Okay...¡± Nadav turned, dejected, and left. Cadeus turned to Sing. ¡°So I guess I''m walking you back.¡± ¡°Please do.¡± Cadeus let Sing lead the way. ¡°So... who are you meeting?¡± she asked. ¡°A girl called Susan. We were under the same Educator.¡± ¡°Do you know her well?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ well enough to call her a simple friend. I don''t really know that much about her.¡± ¡°Did you approach her or did she approach you?¡± ¡°Both. We sort of knew each other in the same group.¡± ¡°How did you get to know her?¡± ¡°You know that I''m terrible when it comes to basics. Susan helped me out before.¡± ¡°What did she help you with?¡± ¡°Spell casting, a little bit on History. Searching for weird ingredients in the forests. Ingredients that are so not like anything I''ve seen on Earth.¡± ¡°I though I¡¯ve done plenty of that already¡­¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Cadeus turned back to Sing. Her head is tilted downwards, as if pondering about something. ¡°Sorry Sing, did you say something?¡± ¡°N-Nothing! Um¡­ Ingredients! When you say ingredients you meant that they are for the Educators right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°So¡­ what is she like?¡± ¡°Hm? What are you talking about now?¡± ¡°Susan.¡± ¡°Oh Susan.¡± I thought she¡¯s more interested in the ingredients¡­ why ask about Susan? Cadeus thought. ¡°She''s a nice person. She was wary of me at the start. I don''t know what happened, but she started opening up to me.¡± ¡°¡­ Was it because of something you did?¡± ¡°I don''t know. I just went with the flow.¡± They were a few more meters from the female dormitory when he sawher. From the way she was pacing around, she must have been waiting for him, or her mind was in deep thought. It was only until Cadeus was a few feet away when she noticed him. ¡°Hi Susan.¡± ¡°Cadeus! And¡­¡± Susan¡¯s face brightens from the moment she saw Cadeus waving to her. But from the moment she saw Sing, her face changed from excitement to wariness. ¡°Ah yes, Susan, this is Sirena. We grew up in the same town before coming to Triple Orb Academy.¡± ¡°A White Mage?¡± ¡°It''s ok Susan, Sirena''s all right. She''s a friend.¡± ¡°...¡± Susan was not taking it, she''s still looking at Sing with wary eyes. ¡°Susuan, about your request - ¡° ¡°Not here Cadeus, come.¡± She took Cadeus by the arm and led him to a corner, still within the sights of Sing, but not close enough for her to hear out their conversation in detail. Susan turned to Cadeus. ¡°Did you get what I asked?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Cadeus reached for his pack, he took out a book. ¡°Ferral Reaches, by Levian Bresar. This is the one right?¡± ¡°YES! Thank you so much! Where did you get it?¡± ¡°I found it off an item store in the city.¡± ¡°Really? It''s that simple? I don¡¯t believe you.¡± ¡°Not when it comes to the store itself. Most stores as you have pointed out, ran out of copies. However, the store where I got this book from is not very accesible.It''s isloated in one of the smaller valleys, very easy to miss. I happen to see the book there on display because I was using that alley for a short cut.¡± ¡°Wow that¡¯s... smart, really smart. I learned something new again. Next time I will check the smaller alleys if I can¡¯t find anything in the major shopping districts.¡± ¡°I have to tell you this first though, the shops in the smaller alleys are not very specific as the common shopping districts. The items they sell there can come at a very wide range. If I have to put it simply, it depends on your luck.¡± ¡°Note taken.¡± Susuan held the book up and rest it on her torso, arms crossed. ¡°This will help me in my own research greatly. If I managed to have a break through, I¡¯ll let you know what I learn first.¡± ¡°Oh... thank you.¡± ¡°If you need anything else, let me know.¡± ¡°Thanks. No wait... If that¡¯s the case, I could use some information right now.¡± ¡°Oh? What kind?¡± ¡°Ever heard of Procona Powder?¡± ¡°That alchemical ingredient? From what I know it''s a very popular medium for all kinds of recipes, very flexible stuff.¡± ¡°That''s the one. We are currently in need of it for a board quest, but we had no success anywhere around the alchemical shops, both in the major shopping districts and the isolated alleys. Any idea if there are other sources?¡± ¡°Procona usually comes from the outskirts... I think I remember reading about it before.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°From what I know, you can either buy it, make it, or even harvest it.¡± ¡°Ok I know about the making part, but harvest? You can harvest Procona powder?¡± ¡°Not the powder directly, but a concentrated fluid that gives you Procona if you dry it up.¡± ¡°A concentrated fluid? What kind of fluid?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, the rest is written in the book, but I did not bother reading the rest at that time.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the book called?¡± ¡°Mm¡­¡± Susan tightens her hold on the book. ¡°I was holding two books at that point of time. It¡¯s either called ¡®Glamarious, Spores and Fluids¡¯ or ¡®The swamp comes alive¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­ Just what have you been researching?¡± ¡°Anyways, it¡¯s either one of these books. I¡¯ve returned them back two weeks ago.¡± ¡°The library right? Which floor?¡± ¡°Third, at the left side from the stairs. There should be a section for environmental books. I think I found them at the left bookshelves.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll look it up. Thanks.¡± ¡°Sure no problem. Oh but Cadeus.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You should stop mixing with the likes of her.¡± She motioned to Sing with her eyes. ¡°I don''t see anything wrong, I''ve already said, she''s a childhood friend.¡± ¡°I know, but Cadeus, even though she does not mind you, you have to understand, no matter how nice they seem, there''s always a hidden layer of warriness, distrust and even disgust. Especially White Mages.¡± And there they are again, the usual distrust among mages. Everyone had a thing or two to be cautious against Dark Mages. Some are even outright spoken against them, sadly most of said mages are usually White Mages. ¡°I already know that Susan, what''s your other real point?¡± ¡°I''m saying, there will be a time where her obvious dislike for you will show itself, don''t let it affect you.¡± ¡°Thanks for the advice, it means a lot.¡± Cadeus stared down at his pocket watch. ¡°Look, I got to go, thanks for the help.¡± ¡°No, thanks for yours Cadeus.¡± Susan stole another look at Sing. She looks like she want to say something further, but in the end she decide to let it go. ¡°Well I''ve preoccupied you long enough. I''ll see you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Sure. See you.¡± Cadeus turned and walked back to Sing. The funny thing is, Sing does not seem to be irritated or feel left out. She¡¯s just there, waiting and smiling. Totally not the distrustful White Mages Susan and Cadeus normally see. ¡°How did it go?¡± she said. ¡°It went well, sorry about Susan''s behaviour.¡± ¡°Why are you apologising? You''re not at fault.¡± ¡°I''m apologising for her.¡± ¡°Why? Don''t apologise for people who don''t mean it.¡± ¡°¡­ I give up. You want to go back to bath right? I''ll see you later.¡± ¡°Ok, remind Nadav we are eating here.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± TOA Though the female dormitory is off limits to males, that unspoken rule only applies beyond the first level. The first level is still accerssible to the males since it''s nothing but a lounge to begin with. Mages of both genders are allowed to meet up and converse whenever they want to. The same applies to the Male dormitory, of course. There are always seats and tables available around, especially at such a time where most would be at the main hall for dinner. ¡°What¡¯s this? In a minute we see Cadeus alone with no one but us. In the next minute we see him running to meet up with someone we don¡¯t even know. So Cadeus, who''s the fine lady?¡± Nadav gave Cadeus a nudge while his mouth is half full. Cadeus sighed. ¡°I already told you Nadav, I''m not seeing anybody out.¡± ¡°Not believing that. Sing, what did he meet her for?¡± ¡°He was doing her a favour, getting something.¡± ¡°What? Come on Cadeus, we don¡¯t see this kind of special treatment before.¡± ¡°I¡¯m only helping her out because I don¡¯t want to own people favours.¡± ¡°What did you pass her just now? It¡¯s a book right?¡± ¡°Yes. I told her I would keep a look out for a book when I went to the capital. It seems she needs it rather badly at the time.¡± ¡°Keeping an eye out for two things in the Capital eh? Sing, if Cadeus did not search enough shops, we know the reason now.¡± ¡°That reasoning is no longer valid Nadav, I¡¯ve finished her job anyway.¡± ¡°So she helped you out before eh? What did she help you out with?¡± ¡°The same, all elementary information.¡± ¡°Elementary?¡± Nadav gave a look of mischieve. ¡°Elementary? I though Sing gave you all the attention you need.¡± Nadav gave Sing a wink, but he immediately ceased whatever plans he had left when Sing have him the warning glare. ¡°Sing¡¯s not there all the time Nadav. I don¡¯t have the luxury of the two of you during Colour Classes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a shame, but at least you had someone.¡± ¡°For the last time, she¡¯s just a friend.¡± ¡°Oh, your only ¡®girl¡¯ friend, in the whole colour class right?¡± ¡°¡­ The way you put it sounds so wrong.¡± ¡°How did the two of you met?¡± Sing asked. ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s kind of complicated.¡± ¡°Oh? How so?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I sort of saved her before.¡± ¡°Saved her?¡± Nadav made a childish posture. ¡°Cadeus the knight in shining armour, here to save the day!¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± Cadeus gave him a very light punch to the cheek ¡°So how did it happen?¡± Sing asked again. ¡°Well¡­ have you heard of the Armugorus.¡± ¡°Large, at most 1.9 meters. Herbivore, graze in packs. They have a large shell with muscular back legs, smaller frontal arms for digging up roots.¡± ¡°That''s the one. The Academy housed a few of those in the forested areas of Tenebris Vacuum. There was a time where we had to search for some flower called Eleifweiss.¡± ¡°Eleifweiss? That flower that produces remedies for specific poisons?¡± ¡°¡­ Not too sure if that¡¯s what the flower is for but yes. Susan came across a few of them, but the problem was¡­ that they were under the feet of one Armugorus.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Susan tried all means to get the flower without angering the beast. But for some reason the beast did not take her presence kindly.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t she just left?¡± ¡°She tried, but before she could, several others of the Armugorus breed began gathering around threatening her.¡± ¡°Then what happened?¡± ¡°What Susan could have done is to avoid their attention by staying put and back off slowly. But she did the mistake of showing hostility.¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°She threw a fireball at the one nearest to her. That¡¯s when things start to get hot.¡± ¡°And that''s when you came in.¡± Cadeus nodded. ¡°I just happened to be at the same area when I heard her scream.¡± ¡°But you fought a group of those¡­ how? They are at least 1.9 meters tall, not to mention big.¡± ¡°Well¡­ they are subservient to lightning¡­ I managed to scare one off with that. But they are more afraid of fire.¡± ¡°Fire? I thought you said Susan threw a fire ball.¡± ¡°She did.¡± ¡°Then why didn¡¯t they run away?¡± ¡°The fireball startled them and made things worst. They retaliated because of that fear.¡± ¡°So what did you do?¡± ¡°I just threw fire all around and sustained it, like a flame thrower. Just enough to scare them off.¡± ¡°And it worked?¡± ¡°Yes, thankfully. If there are some of the more resilient ones, I would have been in deep trouble.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ but if they are all herbivores? Why would they be hostile?¡± ¡°They are also fiercely territorial. Susan just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I see. So you two became friends from there right?¡± ¡°Yes. She has been asking me for favours from time to time. Such as the one today.¡± ¡°So¡­ she needed a book right? What book is it Cadeus?¡± Sing asked. ¡°It''s a book called Ferral Reaches. It talks about animals living outside the ferral regions at the outskirts of Otium.¡± ¡°Why does she need something like that?¡± ¡°She''s aspiring to be a Dark Mutator. That book contains animal features, animal traits... anything she can use for her chimera alterations.¡± A Dark Mutator is a mage who specializes in Dark Mutation. It is one of many specializations a mage can learn after graduating as a legitimate Mage. Specializations are advanced magic studies meant for different arcane fields. It¡¯s your job as well as your degree in Zeffernon. Choosing which specialization will determine your lifestyle and career when you reach adulthood. There are all kinds of specializations out there. Cadeus only knew of some, and there are still others he is unaware off. Since he is still a student, Cadeus have no idea what does he want to do after graduation, at least not yet. ¡°A Dark Mutator eh? That sounds rather dark.¡± Nadav said. ¡°¡­¡± Sing did not say anything. They both look like they had reserved thoughts but from the looks of it, Cadeus can feel that they had something against such a specialization. It¡¯s always the same. Whenever Cadeus brought up something Dark Magic related, the two of them would have reserved thoughts. Thoughts that are obviously negative, but they will always never bring it up out of Cadeus¡¯s consideration. ¡°Sigh¡­ what is it this time?¡± ¡°¡°Huh?¡±¡± The two of them look mystified for some reason. ¡°I said, what is it this time.¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°Nope, nothing.¡± Cadeus clicked his tongue inside his mouth. Liars¡­ they are so obvious. ¡°Nothing? Don¡¯t say nothing when I can clearly see you guys have something against Dark Mutators.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Nadav gave the obvious look of being found out. Sing however, gave Cadeus a concerned look. From the moment she gave him that look, Cadeus felt disturbed deep down inside. Damn it¡­ she¡¯s giving me that same look again. It¡¯s that same look. Though her face did not show it, her eyes would go sad. Sad, as if she fears that he will become something. Damn it, Cadeus always hated it when she looks at him like that. It¡¯s not like he¡¯s going to become some terrible person. ¡°Cadeus, you know what a Dark Mutator is right?¡± ¡°Yes. I know.¡± ¡°Do you really know?¡± ¡°Basically Dark Mutators are people who study mutation. They study animal traits and experiment blending desirable traits into one singular organism. Am I right?¡± ¡°Yes. Do you know what that implies?¡± ¡°Nothing. Other than the fact that it sounds like science.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same on the surface. But the difference is that Dark Mutators study magic traits. For an example, creatures that are immune to certain magic spells. For an example, there was this case where a creature called Skycorpus had resistance to illusion spells. All attempts to fool its senses with magic failed. The Dark Mutators had to study the animal, find out what allowed it to be resistant to that supernatural effect. If they are successful, they will try to see if other animals are able to receive the same trait, and they will try all sorts of methods with different animals to see if any hypothesis works.¡± ¡°And the resulting creation is a Chimera.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°And so? I don¡¯t see any implications.¡± ¡°Cadeus, what they are doing is wrong.¡± ¡°Wrong? How so? I don¡¯t see anything wrong.¡± From the instance Cadeus said that, he immediately regretted it. Sing¡¯s face changed to a sad one for real. Her eyes went withdrawn and she started looking down. Oh wait, she really looked down? She did look down! Cadeus soon felt a nudge, it came from Nadav. Nadav motioned Cadeus closer, and then they began their own little private conversation. ¡°¡­ You made her sad.¡± ¡°What am I? The bad guy now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s your fault she became sad.¡± ¡°I merely expressed my honest opinion!¡± ¡°Honest or not, you forget she¡¯s White.¡± ¡°What does colour got to do with this?¡± ¡°You know Sing, she thinks. The problem is not the colour of magic but the ethics behind it.¡± ¡°Ethics? Oh my Gosh she can¡¯t be this serious? What does ethics got to do with Dark Mutators?¡± ¡°¡­ Why don¡¯t you ask her?¡± Cadeus stole a glance towards Sing, she¡¯s still having that same look. When he looked back towards Nadav, Nadav motioned Cadeus to Sing with his eyes. When he saw Cadeus hesitate, he frowned and began using his head to motion Cadeus forward. No choice then¡­ Cadeus took a silent deep breath. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Dark Mutators Sing?¡± Sing looked back at Cadeus. It took a while before she opened her mouth. Cadeus braced himself for a lecture, but she just spoke normally, merely sharing her own perspective. ¡°What they are doing is unnatural. Not only are they altering the natural genome of these animals, they also mutate them, changing their physical appearances permanently.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that ok? What if there are animals that need certain traits to survive and these Dark Mutators are able to give them that?¡± ¡°And what are the chances of such successes? Even if they managed to succeed in granting these animals better traits, then what about the failures? Usually the failures outweight the successes, so what happens to the animals who are mutauted badly? Do the Dark Mutators change the animals back to the way they originally are?¡± ¡°Well¡­ they ¨C ¡° ¡°No Cadeus they did not, don¡¯t try to justify what they do. They just disposed their experimental failures on the side of the road and treated them like trash.¡± ¡°Sing¡­ that¡¯s not entirely true.¡± ¡°Not entirely true? Name me one Dark Mutator who treated his experimental subjects with respect and change them back when things are not right.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Cadeus could not think of any example. ¡°It also sickens me how they regard such changes likely. Think of the poor animals that have to be subjected to their experiments. When an animal goes into their experimental lab, they come out almost entirely different. It is fine if they are just studying animal traits. But what they are also doing is experiment on all kinds of different animals to see if they can have certain desired traits. Do you know what that means? They are treating all kinds of animals as lab experiments, experimenting on their bodies and have complete disregard for the after effects if the experiment goes wrong. What happens if the poor animal can¡¯t survive alone after the changes?¡± ¡°¡­¡± What Sing said about Dark Mutators treating experimental failures is true and her argument appears sound. But truth to be told, Cadeus is not that concerned about all these moral implications. To him, and surprisingly to most Dark Mages, the experimental animals served their purpose in allowing Dark Mutators to explore the possibilities of organic mutation. If an experiment fails, it¡¯s just too bad. It¡¯s not like the Dark Mutators are purposely experimenting on the animals for the sake of experimenting. Cadeus is not entirely sure Sing will understand this perspective, but he won''t say all his thoughts out, not in front of her. In not wanting to make the mood even more sour, Cadeus took another mouthful. ¡°But Sing, if you look at it this way, Chimeras have their uses. If you get the right traits, they can be very good familiars or watchdogs.¡± ¡°But the failures always outweight the successes.¡± ¡°Well¡­ true. But still, think of the success.¡± ¡°Fine¡­ but even if it was a success, if you alter the body, won¡¯t that create some sort of side effect?¡± Sing asked. ¡°Of course. If you gain something, you lose something. But if the side effects are minimum, then there shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡± ¡°¡­ I still don¡¯t like the sound of it, altering an animal¡¯s anatomy.¡± ¡°What do you expect Sing? It¡¯s Dark magic.¡± Sing gave Cadeus a considering look, and what Susan said earlier appeared in his mind. There are often times like this where Cadeus had to watch what he says. Sing and Nadav had a trust in him that has been around since childhood. They may be fine with Cadeus as a person, but when it comes to Dark Magic there are times where they draw the line. Cadeus had better make sure that he did not cross that line. ¡°So she want¡¯s to mutate a man eating beast. Better watch your actions in future Cadeus.¡± Nadav said. ¡°What are you trying to imply?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t piss off the wrong girl.¡± ¡°Why would I?¡± Cadeus looked back to Sing. She still has that considering look. But whatever seems to remain on her mind, she eventually decided to let it drop. There are more pressing issues at the moment. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to debate. Let¡¯s finish our homework for the day.¡± ¡°NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!¡± Nadav cried. ¡°Come on Nadav, it¡¯s just a couple of pages.¡± ¡°NO. WE. ARE. NOT. DOING HOMEWORK!¡± ¡°Sigh come on Nadav, we even got Sing here. If we don¡¯t know anything, she can answer the rest for us.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Come on Nadav. We¡¯ll finish it within the next hour.¡± ¡°¡­ Fine.¡± Everyone reached for their sling bags and took out a distinctive folder. They then took out pieces of paper that reflects their unfinished homework. When they finally finished their homework, almost an hour had past, just as Cadeus estimated. TOA After finishing what remains of their homework, the trio decided to rest by spending some time in silence. Nadav is already asleep. He¡¯s leaning backwards, snoring up towards the ceiling. Sing is also leaning back resting her eyes. The only one still consciously active is Cadeus. Though he feels tired, his eyes don¡¯t feel like closing. In thinkng about what to do, Cadeus thought of reading, so he went to his sling bag. Cadeus was about to reach for a book in his sling bag when he saw something extending out of Sing¡¯s bag. It¡¯s a book. From the looks of it, it is a very old book. The pages of that book were mostly made of parchments. They are crumbled at the edges, making them look as if they were flipped across continuously. The binding of the book appears to be discoloured too. It does not seem to be a library book. The Academy will not allow such a used book to be borrowed for they will usually place it under references. This is a book that Sing owns personally. Ho¡­ now that is a rare sight. Cadeus rarely see Sing own a book. He usually sees her using the class textbooks. In curious about its contents, he reached out to Sing¡¯s bag. But from the instance he was about to get the book out, he woke her up. Sing look at Cadeus, and Cadeus felt as if he was caugt red handed in a small crime scene. ¡°Sorry, just wanted to take a look.¡± ¡°No worries.¡± ¡°Can I glance through?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Cadeus took the book. It¡¯s a book called ¡®Parental Conjuration¡¯. At first glance Cadeus tought it¡¯s an instructive book lectureing on new kinds of spells. But the moment he opened the book, he saw a long paragraph stating nothing but a theoretical thesis. ¡­ ¡­ Wow, Sing must be really smart to start reading this kind of thing. ¡°Hey Cadeus, I¡¯ve always wanted to ask you this.¡± Sing broke the silence. ¡°Hm?¡± Cadeus looked up. She¡¯s still in the same resting position, but her eyes are on him again. ¡°What?¡± ¡°What do you want to be in the future?¡± ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know. I still had not decided on my choice of specialization. What do you want to be Sing? Oh wait, let me guess. You¡¯re going to be an Intellectual.¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking of doing that, but not as a major.¡± ¡°Double specialization, wow. So what¡¯s the main one?¡± ¡°An Apothecary.¡± ¡°¡­ I can guess what that means, but I never heard of that one before.¡± ¡°If you want to put it in Earth¡¯s terminology, a medical doctor.¡± Cadeus nearly dropped her book he was half reading. ¡°A doctor?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°Ah ha ha¡­¡± There is just no way Cadeus can become something like that. He can¡¯t even past his biology tests back on Earth. Well, knowing Sing, there is no doubt that she will pull something off like a double specialization. ¡°I can never be that. Good for you.¡± ¡°Thank you. But you still have not answered my question.¡± ¡°I thought I said I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Any rough ideas? There¡¯s no harm in thinking about it now.¡± ¡°If I fail my theories and academics, I¡¯ll go for something more physical and practical, like the Arcane Warrior or the Magi Guardian, now those make more sense to me.¡± ¡°You love to think realistic, for someone who is so logical.¡± ¡°I thought you are the logical one.¡± ¡°Well, you are always the one who uses logic to control our funny friend here.¡± ¡°Ah ha ha, yes. If it¡¯s you, he¡¯ll probably pull your leg until you can¡¯t do anything about it.¡± Sing laughed, Cadeus smiled. It¡¯s times like this that really made Cadeus feel that there is no discrimination against Dark Mages lurking around. ¡°Can I ask you something else?¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°You might get angry.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t get angry or anything.¡± ¡°Well, I think you might in regards to this question.¡± ¡°Well, try me.¡± ¡°What are you going to do about your family name?¡± Now that, Cadeus frowned. ¡°Nothing. I thought I said I did not give a damn about the rumours.¡± ¡°You see, you¡¯re angry.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not angry, I¡¯m just very annoyed.¡± ¡°Annoyed that many people kept enquiring about your family?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like Sing, the students who are born nobility, they kept pestering me about it, calling me imposter when I already told them that it¡¯s pure coincidence.¡± ¡°But aren¡¯t you going to find out?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s pure coincidence, nothing more, nothing less.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not even going to try?¡± Cadeus could not focus reading. Since it¡¯s going to be like this, he closed his book. ¡°No.¡± ¡°But let¡¯s say you are his direct descendant, won''t that make you a noble?¡± ¡°Ok Sing, I¡¯m really annoyed by this, so I¡¯m going to tell you my logic.¡± ¡°Ok¡­¡± ¡°I got a family tree back in my room. The oldest page is made of old paper parchment. My ancestor starts with a female call Sarah. She¡¯s from France and her lifetime dates back to 1443, in Reinassance Europe, and her biography states that she¡¯s Catholic. So how does that ever link my family to Zeffernon?¡± ¡°1443 is the time after the ¡®Great Pilgramage¡¯. She could be a mage that left Zeffernon to settle down on Earth.¡± ¡°Why would that be? I thought Mages fled Earth because of social prosecution.¡± ¡°Yes but that is way back in 1135 AD, we are talking about 1443.¡± ¡°What¡­ are you saying that Mages returned to Earth after that?¡± ¡°Well¡­ there¡¯s the Trebunus Crisis that happened in 1432.¡± ¡°¡­ We haven¡¯t learned that in class yet so stop filling me in.¡± ¡°Well, all you need to know is that a lot of people died. After the crisis, some mages left Zeffernon to get away from all the violence and havoc. They settled down on Earth again. Your ancestor might be one of them.¡± ¡°Fine, that¡¯s sounds logical. Let¡¯s say that your argument is sound. But you¡¯re forgetting something.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Europe in the 1400s is quite religiously minded. There¡¯s a high probability that my ancestor is Catholic. Do you think that a Catholic believer would dwell in magic, especially during Reinassance Europe? I doubt normal Catholic believers then would even dare to venture in a topic like magic especially during a time where the Church inquisition and the Pope still reigned in absolute power.¡± ¡°¡­ You got a point.¡± ¡°You see? There¡¯s completely no link between my family and Zeffernon. Pure Coincidence. But the annoying thing is that the nobles in Tenebris Vacuum stubbornly refuse to acknowledge that because of a few certain influencial nobles who could not stomach the coincidence.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because they already judged you the instance they know your name before knowing anything more about you.¡± ¡°True¡­¡± Cadeus stole a peek at his pocket watch. Time now was approaching 8:25 pm. ¡°It¡¯s coming to 8:30. We better go.¡± ¡°Oh yes. you better.¡± ¡°Oi, Nadav. Get up.¡± TOA ¡°¡­ Does this count as normal?¡± ¡°¡­ Definitely not normal.¡± The two had reached the male dormitory. The night lights were already on, in about two to three hours time, the Educators will cross over the make sure everyone went to bed. But before they could even retire to their rooms, Cadeus and Nadav found themselves looking at a crowd. It¡¯s not just any regular crowd, it¡¯s quite a mass of students gathering, something highly unusual at this point of time. It might easily pass off as an announcement, but the crowd is gathering at a place that Cadeus and Nadav could not ignore, the Quest Board. The Quest Board is the place whereby the Academy authorities will put up Board Quests. This is where the students will participate in requests commissioned by Mages all around Otium to gain real life experiences. The higher your mage rank, the tougher and more rewarding the Board Quests are. For a large group of students to gather, it can only be that something big just happened. In cases like this, its either there is a request that sparks rumours, or that the requests have high rewards. ¡°Woah¡­ what¡¯s with the crowd?¡± ¡°It dosen¡¯t usually get as rowdy as this.¡± ¡°Any ideas?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t assume too much. What we need right now is information, information¡­ See anyone you recognize Nadav?¡± ¡°Er¡­ wait I think I see someone.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Claudis! Over here!¡± Nadav was waving to another Grey Mage like himself, must be someone from his colour class, definitely someone Cadeus never met before. He looks rather lively, standing at around 1.7 meters tall, and from his robe slash Cadeus can tell that he¡¯s also a student like himself. Based on his rugged robes, he must have been out to the capital recently, probably on a Board Quest similar to him and Nadav. ¡°Hi Nadav.¡± ¡°Hi.¡± The grey mage greeted Nadav like friends, but once he saw Cadeus right next to him, the grey mage gave him a considering look. Cadeus sigh inwardly, yes, yes, the same usual treatment that other people always have towards Dark Mages. Always the precaution¡­ it¡¯s really starting to get irritating. Just give me a break already. ¡°It¡¯s ok Claudis, Cadeus here is friendly. Cadeus, this is Claudis from my colour class. Claudis this is Cadeus, we grew up from the same town.¡± ¡°Hi.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± The usual greetings sure mask a level of discreteness, but Cadeus did not really mind it. He has gotten used to it already. ¡°So Claudis what do you see and what do you hear?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you are looking for Procona Powder right?¡± ¡°Yeah, why? You got some?¡± ¡°No. But I got bad news.¡± ¡°What? Is it Educator Brian again? What did he do this time? Does he need Procona Powder too?¡± ¡°Relax it¡¯s got nothing to with Educator Brian, but it¡¯s something related to your board quest.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well, the number of requests for Procona Powder has shot up. Just now I saw Educator Meniel put up around five to seven more quest requests, all Procona powder related.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not all, the rewards are also very promising. The Alchemists are giving high cashes around 500 ¨C 700 Duches for a specific amount.¡± ¡°5-500 ¨C 700?!¡± Cadeus also could not believe what he just heard, 500 ¨C 700 is definitely a lot more than their amount¡­ It really feels that the demand for Procona shot skyhigh overnight. Cadeus guessed that this must be the ingredient rush period that Felkor hated, to the point where it caused him to quit Alchemy. ¡°¡­ Looks like we really got a taste of what Felkor hated right Nadav?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Nadav?¡± Cadeus turned. For some reason, Nadav looked pale. It¡¯s as if he¡¯s going to suffer from a stroke soon. ¡°D-Did¡­ you say 500 ¨C 700 Duches?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°T-Then¡­ all the students that are gathering there now are¡­¡± ¡°Yes, there are already groups of students who took up the quests. I can only see more lining up right now. Things have got so bad that students are even challenging each other for the right to take up the Board Quest.¡± Cadeus could have sworn that Nadav is going to collapse any minute. Oh no please don¡¯t, I don¡¯t want to drag him to the infirmary. ¡°Hey Nadav are you okay ¨C ¡± ¡°C-CADEUS!¡± All of a sudden, Nadav grabbed his shoulders and started to shake them hard. ¡°We have to prioritize Procona now!¡± ¡°Yes I know.¡± ¡°Forget about lady favours! We need that money!¡± ¡°I know I know! Stop shaking me!¡± ¡°160 profit! 160 profit!¡± ¡°I said! ENOUGH!¡± BBBBBZZZZZZZ Without hesitation, Cadeus knocked his arms away and electrocuted him. After several seconds of electircution, Nadav began shaking unnaturally, and it looks like there is a line of gas escaping his mouth. ¡°Aaaaaaahhhhhh¡­¡± Nadav sank to his knees. ¡°Oh great, now you are depressed.¡± Cadeus sighed. ¡°Aaaaaaahhhhhh¡­¡± ¡°Enough, this level of electricity is not enough to kill you.¡± ¡°Aaaaaaahhhhhh¡­¡± ¡°Get up please.¡± ¡°Aaaaaaahhhhhh¡­¡± ¡°¡­ I give up.¡± Cadeus turned to Claudis. ¡°Anything else we ought to know?¡± ¡°Well¡­ if you are getting Procona, get it fast. The alchemists in the capital went nuts because of the recent banned list. Not to mention stock shortage on Procona Powder is something very common, best don¡¯t expect to get the powder off the shops anymore. The other students who took up the new quests already started talking about making their own powder.¡± Upon hearing that, Nadav sent his head to the ground. ¡°Why? Why do they all have to think like Sing? This is just means more work¡­ no¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s just called thinking out of the box Nadav. Look at the obvious situation. If you can¡¯t buy it, the only option left is to make the powder yourself.¡± Cadeus said. ¡°Guuuu¡­¡± ¡°Is there anything else Claudis? Anything we ought to take note?¡± Cadeus asked. ¡°Well¡­ if there is anything else¡­ oh yes. The students who are successful in taking the Procona Powder quests so far are mostly Dark Mages.¡± Dark Mages¡­ Cadeus sighed. This is going to make things even more difficult. Upon hearing the words ¡®Dark Mages¡¯, Nadav immediately shot his head up. He tilted his neck until he looked up to Cadeus. ¡°Any chance anyone you would have recognized?¡± ¡°Probably.¡± ¡°Maybe you could ¨C ¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Even so, you could ¨C¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°But you know, you can still ¨C ¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Well¡­ Just thought I¡¯d ask.¡± ¡°I am not going to ask them for any favours.¡± ¡°But if they do get the powder before we do then ¨C ¡° ¡°Then we¡¯d better work triple hard tomorrow.¡± Nadav only gave a dejected face in response. ¡°Any idea what¡¯s the deadline for the other quests Claudis?¡± Cadeus asked. ¡°None that I know so far, but they all seem very urgent.¡± Nadav gave another look of disbelief. Cadeus looked down to Nadav. ¡°Make that quadruple hard tomorrow then.¡± ¡°Ge¡­¡± ¡°Get up already, do you want me and Claudis to step all over you?¡± ¡°No.¡± Nadav finally got up. ¡°Bloody hell. That client of ours better increase the reward.¡± ¡°Now that one I agree. Thanks for your help Claudis.¡± ¡°Sure¡­ you¡¯re awfully nice for a Dark Mage.¡± ¡°Not every Dark Mage is a bad person. Count me as one of the nicer ones.¡± ¡°Oh sure¡­¡± Claudis still gave Cadeus the considering look, then he looked back to Nadav. ¡°Well Nadav I got nothing else for you, got anything else for me?¡± ¡°Nope. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow again.¡± ¡°Sure. Don¡¯t knock yourself out.¡± ¡°Of course not. See you.¡± ¡°See you.¡± Cadeus waited until Claudis is out of hearing reach, then he turned to Nadav. ¡°Is he born on Zeffernon?¡± ¡°Yup, he¡¯s from the northern areas.¡± ¡°Funny, I thought he¡¯s from Earth, he sounds Scottish.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the family I guess, you got to look at where he comes from. Claudis is descendend from a line of Celtic mages.¡± ¡°Celtic?¡± ¡°They are one of those European folkish types.¡± ¡°I know what Celtic means Nadav, is he a Shaman?¡± ¡°Druid.¡± ¡°What can he do?¡± ¡°Hm? Rain making, becoming invisible and shape shifting¡­ that¡¯s the gist of it.¡± ¡°He can become invisible?¡± ¡°Maybe, maybe not. I don¡¯t know so much.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± It¡¯s not that uncommon to see Mages born from different ethnic groups. Zeffernon was crawling with such Mages all around. Look at thirty Mages and one can easily point out around that twelve of those Mages come from ethnic groups that had historical relationship with Magic. ¡°Aaarrrggghhh.¡± Nadav scratched his hair. ¡°What?¡± ¡°What exactly wrong with the powder, seriously this is madness.¡± ¡°Well, you can see why Felkor quit being an alchemist. I can imagine him complaining about the lack of ingredients during his younger days.¡± ¡°Really? The usually nice Felkor suddenly flaring up just because of some ingredients? I would really pay to see that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t please¡­ don¡¯t even suggest that. Nice individuals who suddenly become very angry are really a sight you don¡¯t want to see.¡± ¡°Why not? It¡¯s can be something to laugh about.¡± ¡°Do you want to see Sing when she gets very mad?¡± ¡°¡­ I retake all that I just said.¡± ¡°And make sure you don¡¯t mention something like that again. I don¡¯t want you to jinx it.¡± ¡°Jinx it? Cadeus do you really believe in something like that?¡± ¡°Just saying it.¡± The two finally walked to the fourth level where they stayed. From the looks of it the others are also starting to retire as well. Various students are either already returning to their rooms, or remaining in the corridor in their night gear to talk. ¡°Well, my room¡¯s that way then. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yeah, see you. Don¡¯t oversleep.¡± ¡°Wake me up tomorrow then, I have a feeling I¡¯ll sleep long tonight.¡± ¡°Good night.¡± ¡°Good night.¡± Nadav turned to his own door, and Cadeus waited until Nadav closed the door behind him. TOA From that moment, Cadeus wasted no time. He took a dash to his own room to the other side of the corridor. Ever since that conversation with Claudis, Cadeus could not help but imagine that Procona will be a huge source of conflict starting tomorrow. Because once they do get the powder, they¡¯d better be prepared to guard it with their lives. 500 ¨C 700 Duches? That¡¯s really no joke, anyone would really use any means to earn such easy money off. Thinking of the situation they are in right now Cadeus did want to retire for the day, but there is one last thing he has to do. He got back to his own room, got a different sling bag and headed to the Academy¡¯s library. Cadeus wanted to see if those two books are available. If the situation regarding the powder was as bad as it could be, there would definitely be students hunting for books in instructions to make Procona Powder. In fact cadeus would not be so surprised if he saw many students in the Library now. If Cadeus went to the library to find the two books gone, then Cadeus and his group would be in very serious trouble. If Susan was right, those two books might contain the very answer they need for their board quest. It could even be a direct short cut to the problem if there was really no hope of getting Procona Powder off the markets. The Library was located a few dozen meters behind the dormitories. It would take around fifteen minutes of walking in order to reach it. It¡¯s the second largest building in the entire Academy, in order to accommodate all the books every student might need in the long run. Just bypass the Educator¡¯s dormitory, and the library was in sight. The library was huge, designed with the architecture that exists during British Victoria Era. It was said to be the third largest Library in all of Otium, having at least thirty copies for each popular book, fifteen copies for each book needed for every specializations, and at most five copies of the rare books only used for references. It¡¯s a very popular place for those who love books. If you are hungry for such indepth of knowledge, the library was where you want to be. Cadeus smiled, he loved to be there again. The Academy''s library was a sanctuary for Cadeus. He loved the place. Whenever he was not in class or not with his friends, he would be here. When he entered, the first thing that somewhat met his expectancy is how empty the building felt. At first he thought many would turn up to hunt for books rgarding Procona, but the library still looks generally empty. Well of course it would be empty, not at this hour. Usually at this time there will not be many people wandering around, since by now most people would be back in their dormitories. Cadeus ascended the stairs. As directed by Susan, he went the third level. ¡°Third, at the left side from the stairs. There should be a section for environmental books. I think I found them at the left bookshelves.¡± That was what Susan said. After climbing the last step from the second level, he¡¯s now facing the third level¡¯s receptionist counter. Turning to his left, all he could see are a vast number of bookshelves neatly aligned in multiple rows. It took him a while before he found the label dangling from the ceiling. Environmental studies AL304 - AL679 304 ¨C 679¡­ that mean that there are more than three hundred books organized in this section. Cadeus sighed. Of all the things he forgot to ask Susan, he forgot to ask what was the book number. Well, there¡¯s always a way to find out. He turned to the receptionist. He was about to interrupt her thoughts when he suddenly stopped. ¡­ ¡­ Of all people, why her? Cadeus cursed inwardly. Long blonde hair, confident purple eyes, and a face possessing a cold illustrious beauty. The attire was wearing were not of standard issued. They were customized uniformed robes that only the priviledged nobles were allowed to. With the luxurious patterns of Fandango and Tyrian purple, the customized patterns were so illustrious in detail that it seemed as though every silk lining used was sowed with great care. Aside from the privileged patterns, the distinctive symbol of the Crystal shards on her robe slash clearly indicates her noble ties to one of Zeffernon''s most influential families. Claire Rrogust ve Chroma She was a Dark Mage Cadeus recognized in his colour classes. A fellow bright student like Sing, smart and accomplished. Populatiry wise, she¡¯s about Sing¡¯s level, but unfortunately this sort of populatiry was only enjoyed amongst her fellow Dark Mages, since the other students of the excluded colour alignments still generally avoid her due to the fact that she¡¯s a Dark Mage. But that¡¯s not all. Claire was also a Pure Blooded noble, one of the very few children to be born with Pure Dark magic in their blood. She was also a Greater Noble, hailing from house Rrogust ve Chroma, one of the highest ruling elite family of Magi in Zeffernon. With her gifting and noble status, various Masters had taken an interest to take her in as an apprentice, both within and without the Academy. Unfortunately for Cadeus, Claire was someone he¡¯d rather avoid. She¡¯s just one of the few people Cadeus could not get along with. Ever since he met her on day one, he never got along with her. She always criticized Cadeus for lacking what she called ¡®basic gentlemanly etiquettes¡¯, and her haughty attitude puts him off the edge whenever he was forced to work with her. Also, Claire had this unusual perception of favours. Whenever he needed her assistance, she always demanded compensation in the form of personal favours. It may seem fine on the surface, but after owing her one favour or two, it felt like she was extorting him for being ¡®indebted¡¯ to her. This had led Cadeus to avoid her on a rather regular basis. But now, it looks like he needs her help. Even though this may result in owing her another ¡®favour¡¯, he had a deadline to follow. This was definitely not the time for personal pride to get in the way. With all these in mind, Cadeus thought that he best might as well start the conversation politely. ¡°Hi, Claire.¡± Claire shot up as if she got startled. She immediately closed her book and looked at whoever interrupted her. From the way she immediately put down her book, she must have thought that Cadeus might have been an adult staff. But once she saw Cadeus, her expression changed. ¡°Oh¡­ it¡¯s you.¡± Claire resumed reading her book, paying little heed to Cadeus. ¡­ ¡­ So much for what people call public service¡­ Cadeus silently thought. Realizing that Cadeus was not going to leave her alone, Claire sighed and opened her mouth. ¡°What do you want?¡± Her view of his presence as pure annoyance could instantly be heard with the harsh tone in her voice. But having grown used to her unfriendly treatment, Cadeus was able to take her words in kindly without yelling back in the process. ¡°I¡¯m looking for two books. One of them is ¡®Glamarious, Spores and Fluids¡¯, the second is ¡®The swamp comes alive¡¯.¡± Without even looking at him, Claire made a small gesture to the side. ¡°The Envrionmental section is over there.¡± ¡°Yes I can see that, but I don¡¯t know the book numbers.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you find out before coming here?¡± ¡°¡­I forgot to ask.¡± ¡°I see, I guess Susan was not being thourough when she introduced the books to you.¡± What the¡­ how did she know? ¡°Interesting assumption. I¡¯m not going to deny that I found out about these books from an external source, but what makes you think that the person must be Susan?¡± ¡°If you were to ask me that question, it only shows how pitiful and pathetic you are.¡± Ah¡­ of course. Look around you and make a deduction Cadeus. That was the implication Claire sent him. Given her current station, it should be relatively easy to deduce that she in some point of time would know that Susan borrowed those two books. Even if Claire may not be present when Susan borrowed them, she might also be around when she returned them. Or, Claire might have seen Susan carrying the two books in or out at some point of time. Also, given the recent issue with the Procona Board Quests, Claire must have heard that he was looking for Procona Powder as well. It would be natural for her to be aware of the type of books Cadeus would need to gain knowledge in regards to making Procona Powder. ¡°Fine. I got the book references from Susan.¡± ¡°That means you have given up searching for the powder in the city. You are either trying to find native sources, or you are attempting to make a bunch yourself. But the thing is, you don¡¯t know the proper procedures, so you need the two books. Am I right?¡± Although it was no surprise that Claire knew about Susan, deducing his current situation and his current needs was something Cadeus did not expect Damn¡­ she¡¯s good. He thought. ¡°That¡¯s some sound assumption you came up with.¡± ¡°It does make a fine assumption, but you get along well with Susan. Given her recent activities, it would not be surprising that you managed to find out about these books from her.¡± ¡°Point taken. Are you going to help me or not?¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Eyes still on her book, Claire pretended to be in deep thought. ¡°If I help you, what¡¯s in stall for me?¡± ¡°You are really making me think twice about approaching you.¡± ¡°Then what? Night curfew is in two hours time, good luck finding those two books in the thousands packed in 34 bookshelves.¡± Cadeus sigh inwardly. It looks like he has no choice. ¡°Do you need any favours?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Claire closed her book and look up in deep thought. ¡°I may need some of your combat skills. Are you good in Arcane Warfare?¡± ¡°That will depend on who I am fighting.¡± ¡°Not humans idiot. Against the forest beasts.¡± ¡°In Tenebris Vacuum?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll give you the specifics tomorrow. Will you help me?¡± ¡°How big are the beasts?¡± ¡°Hmph, you can¡¯t refuse. Your average size.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not as exposed to these beasts as you. How big?¡± ¡°The biggest of them so far is about 2.3 meters tall.¡± ¡°¡­ That is big. What kind of breed?¡± ¡°I said I¡¯ll give you the specifics tomorrow. So will you help?¡± ¡°¡­ Well, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m always busy during Colour Class. Sure.¡± ¡°Of course you are free. Since when has Educator Garth given us any major work to do?¡± Cadeus sighed again. ¡°Ok, then it is settled. Come find me at the forest entrance tomorrow once you are done with whatever you need to do.¡± ¡°Ok, now the books.¡± ¡°Right, forget about ¡®Glamarious, Spores and Fluids¡¯, there¡¯s nothing about Procona there. What you want is ¡®The swamp comes alive¡¯.¡± ¡°You read them already?¡± ¡°Yeah. But if you want me to give you the answer forget it. I was not focusing much on Procona powder at that point of time. The book number is AL 421, fourth bookshelf at the left side.¡± ¡°Got it, thanks.¡± ¡°You can take the book with if you want, I¡¯ll write it off under your name.¡± ¡°Noted.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t sound very grateful.¡± Grateful for what? Cadeus thought. ¡°And if you dare forget to meet me tomorrow, I¡¯ll make you my slave.¡± ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry my ¡®lady.¡± Cadeus gave a hyprocrytical bow. ¡°I¡¯m not someone who makes empty promises, unlike some others.¡± Claire gave him a glare, but Cadeus¡¯s back was already facing her. ¡°Hmph! Imposter.¡± TOA Ah! He found it. Black leather cover, it¡¯s very easy to miss, ¡®The swamp comes alive¡¯ that¡¯s the one. Cadeus took the book out of the bookshelve. He took a good look at the cover, thick and smooth, just like any other book published by the intellectuals. From first glance Cadeus can already assume that the book will consist of many terminologies unfamiliar to him. The scholars love to use extreme vocabulary that is sometimes hard to follow, well unless you are one of the scholars themselves. Cadeus flipped through to the content page. He took a few seconds to glance through when he found it. Harmonious Procona ¨C page 324 Flipping to the designated page, all he saw was more academic appendix to the author¡¯s research thesis. Not wanting to read the huge chunk of words that did not really make sense, Cadeus flipped several pages more where he finally found the first paragraph that had the word Procona. ''Now Procona, as we all know, is a very important medium in Alchemy. It¡¯s a highgrade catalyst serving multiple functions. It¡¯s used to make a diffusional paste that helps separate vital ingredients from a fixed source, or it can be used in conjuration as a Divert Base for the most hideous and complex spell casting processes. Procona can be also used for rituals of any type, which makes it a very desireable substance that is pretty considerable in demand.'' Cadeus scanned through the rest of the page, nothing but further introductions on Procona Powder and their usages. It seems to last until the next couple of pages. So far the book still has not what he is looking for. Cadeus flipped a couple of pages more. ''Now it is commonly known that Procona can be made from combining a few alchemical ingredients. The most common recipie by far is the combination of three ingredients, a solvent and two solutes. The most popular choices by far, are the blue powder called Dreman¡¯s Cure, and the liquids Sacorhenous Melock and Drogavous Cream.'' Now it is about how procona can be made¡­ this might be good in the case where we might need to make Procona on our own. Oh! Better take down the page number. This will definitely come in handy. Glancing further down, Cadeus can see up to around two or three moer methods that Procona can be made, and several of those ingredients can be harvested from a swamp. This is good, good, and good. There is really a lot to follow, but still nothing about harvesting Procona directly. Cadeus continued flipping. ''It has long been accepted that Procona Powder can only be made by combining several alchemical ingredients. However, years of my research has also led me to believe that there is another method, which allows you not only to get the Powder directly, but also save effort in finding the alchemical resources. The raw Procona in fluid form can be harvested first before being placed in its powder state. The process is extremely complex at first glance though it is actually rather simple, as I will mention in detail here.'' Yes! Cadeus finally found it, finally some progress. First, the fluid form of Procona can only be harvested from a plant creature that is known to grow only in swamps. I believe it¡¯s the first of its kind to be encountered by man, so I have taken the liberty to name it Draborg, for its swelling head that looks as if it is going to explode. Draborg? That¡¯s a very weird name indeed. ''The fluid Procona can only be harvested from the head. The head of the plant has three to four layers of membrane that coats the fluid. One must be careful not to use any spell that could damage the head. Once the head is damaged, the contents of the fluid will be contaminated and thus, lose you the Procona fluid.'' That sounds rather troublesome. ''The only method you can use to get the fluid is not to sever the head off, but to use a knife to slice the edge of the head. Slice thinly, just enough to let the fluid leak out.'' Cadeus closed the book. That¡¯s more than enough. Though he was not too familiar with it, he knows that there¡¯s a swamp in the Academy. Not only did he know the location, he even had the chance to visit it tomorrow. If he were in luck, he would be able to find this Draborg plant and get the fluid. Then all that¡¯s left should be to contimue reading and find the right means to bring the fluid to its powder state. What he needs right now, was a container of some sort to hold the fluid. He could always ask Sing for one of those. Cadeus took the book and place them into his sling bag. He won¡¯t tell his friends about this, not yet. Perhaps tomorrow after he had his visit to the swamps. He dosen¡¯t want to give any false hope until he confirms this. Volume 1 - Chapter 2, A favour for a favour Cadeus awoke to find the light shining at his face, he always forget to close the curtains. Whenever night came, he would usually leave them open to admire the numerous stars in the night sky. Since stars were an extreme rarity from the region he used to live on Earth, Cadeus always find himself explicitly drawn to Zeffernon''s night sky. Often at nights he would stare out of the window for several hours, before his eyes close due to tiredness. Shifting sluggishly, he reached for the top of the bedside cabinet on his right, and grabbed his pocket watch. The time was 6:24 am. Cadeus lay back onto the bed. What follows was a battle within himself to get up. Maybe five more minutes¡­ maybe not. It usually times like this that it¡¯s hard to get moving. Cadeus kept his eyes opened and stayed in that state for several seconds. In finding the sun''s glare piercing, Cadeus reached out for an object at the top of his bedside wardrobe. The object was shaped in an ellipsoid. It;s grey in colour with numerous carving patterns on it''s surface. It was divided into four quadrants, where each quadrant has it''s own carved pattern. Pressing his entire palm onto the object, Cadeus applied the magic within his blood, and the curtains start to close. The device was an artifact, a magical enhancement device that creates supernatural phenomena to aid people during their daily needs. Cadeus can never understand how such artifacts can be manufactured, but by following the instructions he roughly knows how to activate one. All he need to do was to apply magic. He did not need to spend the trouble of imaginating any function, because the artifact was set to cast a specific phenomena upon the empowerment of magic. It''s very convenient, actually. There''s no need to think about spell forms, or spend more effort to sustain the casting process. It was difficult at first, applying magic but not casting any spells, but the more he practice such application, the more he came to understand how to differentiate using magic for application and using magic for casting spells. Once the curtain finished closing halfway, Cadeus released his hand from the artifact. Ah damn it¡­ might as well get up. Forcing his body to sit upright. Cadeus leaned back and rested his back against the wall. Currently, he¡¯s in the room the Academy had given him. It¡¯s small, but relatively cozy. There¡¯s only his bed, a bedside wardrobe, a large wardrobe and his window. As he remained sitting on his bed, he took a good look outside the half closed window. The sun is as bright as usual, but the outside courtyard seems to be empty. Soon it¡¯s time for breakfast, and Cadeus would start once again, the usual routine that the Academy calls Periods. Well¡­ 6:24 am does seem to be rather early. The academy does not start its lessons until 7:30 am. Cadeus It had been three months since he got here ever since his talents was discovered by the Magic Awareness Society (An underground magic organization on Earth that seeks to find people born with the talent to use magic). How they found out about his talents¡­ was due to an unfortunate accident. Cadeus did not want to think about it. After what happened, the Magic Awareness Society told him of two outcomes. Either Cadeus went to Zeffernon to study in Triple Orb Academy, or the Magic Awareness Society will arrest him and lock him up in case his talents proved to be a danger to those around him. Obviously the getting locked up option was an uncalled one, and there was no way Cadeus would ever allow that. Besides, he''s here now, with his two friends. Getting off his bed, he opened his only wardrobe, got his toiletries and went out. From the moment he stepped out of his room, he can see the other students getting up as well. The others were also leaving their rooms to wash up with their toiletries. So Cadeus did the usual morning routine, use the public toilet for bathing and brushing. Once he is finished, he got back to his room. After changing into a new set of robes, he grabbed his belongings and went out. Cadeus then walked down to the other section of the boy''s dormitory and knocked on another door. It did not take long for the door to open to reveal Nadav in his similar sluggish state. Like Cadeus, he¡¯s already dressed in his Grey robes, all ready to go. "Thanks for waking me¡­" "Mm. let''s go." Walking out of the dormitory, they went to one of the bigger halls situated at the near center of the Academy, Coral hall. It was the eatery hall where all mages working and studying in Triple Orb Academy go for their meals during breakfast, lunch and dinner. By the way, it¡¯s a free eatery hall, the only one in the whole city of Infinitas, and that was what makes it so popular amongst the students and Academy staff. There were other eateries in the Academy, but those weren''t free. You could spend a little money there for a change of taste, but paying to eat in Academy grounds was expensive. A single meal there can cost up to 28 Duches. It''s not really worth it if you think about the usual 3 - 6 Duches the urban districts charge in Infinitas. No¡­ eating in Coral hall is a lot more worth it. Because of its high popularity, Cadeus and his friends had to arrive early all the time, if not they would have the trouble of finding a seat especially when it gets really crowded. As Cadeus and Nadav entered the hall, breakfast was already commencing as expected. Breakfast was served in the form of a buffet. There were numerous servings and choices available, but the menu was pretty much the same everyday, so the taste could get quite straightforward and boring sometimes. Sing was already there. It looks like she arrived a couple of minutes earlier. Like all mornings, she sat the usual spot, two extra plates at the ready opposite her. She already knew what the two would choose for breakfast having seen them take the same choice of dishes for the past three months. This just shows how close the three of them are. Well, at least the two of them would not have to worry about seats anymore. "Hi guys, late, as always." "We are on time Sing, it''s not even 7:00." Nadav said. As the two sat down opposite her Sing shook her index finger. "If you are early, you are on time. If you are on time, you are late. If you are late, you are very late." "Where did you hear that from?" Cadeus said. "It was a rather popular saying of my dad''s." "How nice. To be so punctual I can see that he is really onto the task, whatever he was doing." Sing gave a smile, but that smile had a heavy weight to it, and Cadeus immediately regreted bringing up Sing''s father. Prior to her enrollment with Cadeus and Nadav, Sing''s father went missing. He left behind no note, nor did he tell anyone where he was going, or what exactly he was seeking. He was Sing''s only family, and he just left her like that. Cadeus never met the man, but from Sing''s memorial accounts, he appears to be a good father. When Sing came to Triple Orb Academy, she promised herself that she would do her best to study hard, to become a daughter her father would be proud of, and if possible, be strong enough to one day go looking for him. It¡¯s a great goal, and a very inspirational one even for someone like Cadeus. Thanks to that, she¡¯s now one of the top students of Cadeus''s year. On the outside she always appear to be a very strong willed lady, confident and spirited. But at the very mention of her father, she reverts to being someone reserved, and you could see a very lonely expression on her eyes. "Well don''t worry Sing! Like we promised, one day, the three of us will go and look for him." Nadav said. "Yes, we promised." Cadeus followed. Cadeus was not entirely sure if that promise would be fulfilled or not, but it was one of their many attempts to cheer her up whenever someone mentions her father. Whenever there¡¯s the mention of her father, Cadeus and Nadav made the promise that the three of them will study hard and help her search for her father one day. It''s a very enduring promise, a heavy one at that, but it had a very good effect. Sing will appreciate the thoughts and efforts, and she will usually start smiling brightly again. Just like how she¡¯s smiling now. "Well, putting that aside, my mind is still quite rusty. What''s our lesson schedule for today?" Cadeus asked. "Well¡­" Sing started. In Triple Orb Academy, there are numerous subjects a mage has to learn in order to fully qualify and graduate as a legitimate Mage. As a student, you start out with the basics. There are only 4 subjects to learn, History, Magical Thinking, Colours, and Arcane Warfare, while the rest of the day was given to students to do board quests to get personal experiences. Sing reached for her sling bag right next to her and took out a file. The daily schedule is fixed on the cover, and she slowly check today''s subjects. "Today it''s four periods of Colours, then the afternoon''s off again. We can resume our search for Procona Powder." "Ge¡­ Procona again. Aaaahhhhh¡­" Nadav immediately rested his head down flat on the table. "Hmm? What''s wrong Nadav?" "Leave him. He''s just depressed." "What? Over Procona?" "Hmm? You mean you don''t know?" "Know what? Did something happen yesterday?" "Oh¡­ so you don''t know." "Umm¡­ boys, what happened after you two left me last night?" "Well¡­ we saw a huge crowd at the quest board when we went back to the boy''s dorm." "And?" "It appears that there are more Alchemists who are in need of Procona Powder." "So that means there are more Board Quests for Procona Powder." "Yes, and their rewards are around two to three times more than ours, around 500 ¨C 700 Duches." "500 ¨C 700? For how many grams?" "Not entire sure¡­ we never bothered finding out." "Oh¡­ shame. We could really see if our current sum is really worth it or not." "We would have done the math already. Besides¡­" "Besides what?" Cadeus scratched the back of his head giving an irritated expression. "Well, this is more bad news for me." "Hmm?" "Well¡­ you see¡­ the ones who took up the quests so far are all Dark Mages." "¡­ That really sounds like trouble." "Yes¡­ with the value of Procona going sky high, they must have thought that this is a good opportunity to make lots of money." "Damn it¡­" Nadav raised his head a little and pointed at Cadeus. "I asked this guy if he could get some Procona for us ¨C" "No." "True to say that you have some issues with them, but you could still ¨C" "No." "You see what I mean?" "For the last time Nadav, I don''t like to own people favours. Especially when it comes to the other Dark Mages." "Oh come one, admit it, you''re just being stingy." "Stingy?" Cadeus rubbed off Nadav''s joke. "If I approach them for the powder, they are more likely to start a fight or make a shady deal rather than co-operate with me. Do you know how much they dislike me?" "Except for your Dark Mage girfriend~." "¡­" "OK, OK, I''M JUST JOKING DON''T PULL THE LIGHTNING TRIGGER ON ME!" Nadav crossed his arms out as if he''s expecting some heavy punishment, but that was the very least that''s on Cadeus''s mind. Ignoring him, Cadeus turned to Sing. "Sing, I need something that I think you have." "Hm? What do you need?" "Do you have some sort of flask to contain a fluid? I need it for Colours." "You want to contain a fluid? Let me see¡­ I think I do have one. It''s a round flask made of glass, pretty useful, but it can get very fragile." "Yes, that will do, I need something like that." "Sure, but what kind of fluid are you getting?" "I forgot the name, but it''s some greenish fluid that I will get to harvest from swamp plants." "Swamp plants?" Sing raised an eyebrow. "Yeah¡­ like I said, it''s for Colours." "I see¡­ I''ll go get it for you after breakfast then." "Thanks a lot." Sing looked at their plates. "Are you guys done? We got to go soon." "Huh? What''s the time?" Cadeus checked his pocket watch, it''s 7:22 am. "7:22 am. We better finish up." "Ah colours. That means splitting up again." Nadav said. He gave Cadeus a jab with his elbow. Yes, thank you so much for bringing up the obvious Nadav. Cadeus thought. "Well never mind Cadeus, we''ll see each other again during lunch." "Just survive the morning without us. Since you managed to make it back to us in one piece so far, there should not be any issue." "Yes, yes I know." Cadeus could not help but sigh inwardly as he finished the last remnants of his breakfast. Colour classes, as the name suggests, was the period where students will delve into the arts of the magic in their blood. During these classes, the students will explore everything related to the colour of magic in their blood. You learn from Educators and Masters who share your own colour of magic, and you answer to them as well. The Academy has prepared three distinctive sectors throughout the campus, each for a specific kind of student. There are all kinds of mages out there, but everyone is categorized into five main groups, all based on the colour of magic exist in their blood. As the second rule states, there are only three colours of magic. And from the fourth rule, a person can only have up to two colours of magic in his blood. TOA "So this is where we split up." Sing said. "Yeah..." Cadeus said. "Come now Cadeus, don''t be so gloomy." Nadav smiled. "There''s Arcane Warfare later, so just take this as a stepping stone." "Sigh... I miss you two already." Cadeus said. The scene shifts to the Converse Hall, the only hall in the Academy that had access to all three colour sectors. It''s designed in a unique manner, a central hall connected to three different hallways spreading out away with a consecutive angle of 45 degrees. It''s nothing much really, the Converse Hall was just a huge gathering lobby for students to meet up once Colour class was over, and for students to proceed to their respective sectors for their Colour classes. This is where Cadeus, Sing and Nadav will break up to learn more about the different colours of magic in their blood. "Well, I got to go. See you guys for Lunch later. If we have some time, we can discuss about our board quest before we head off to Infinitas." "Do we have to? Why not we discuss after lunch?" Nadav put a sore expression. Sing just gave him a smile, she turned to Cadeus. "Try to keep out of trouble." "Why are you telling me this?" "Just a friendly advice. I know you are more than capable in keeping out of trouble, but no harm showing concern" "Oh really? I can''t seem to see how that can help me. In most cases the trouble comes to me." Sing laughed his sarcasm off. And with that, she turned and left for her hallway. "Ah... Now back to my frustration in determining how much White Magic I will be able to use." Nadav said. "What happened?" Nadav gave Cadeus the look. "Isn''t it obvious? Getting knocked out." "Ah¡­ penalties. How many times were you knocked out?" "What? Seven." "Seven times? Physical or mental?" "Mental penalty, I got massive headaches when I recovered." "¡­ What have you been casting?" Nadav rubbed the back of his head. "I attempted to cast healing." "..." "Yes I know, not very smart, I learned this the hard way. Guess I could not match up to Sing''s level." "Well obviously. Sing''s majority White, you''re majority Grey, and healing spells demand a high percentage of White magic in a person''s blood." "Yes, yes I know damn it! ... It''s so pathetic, look I can''t even heal a simple scratch." "But look on the bright side Nadav, it sure must be nice to cast spells that belong to a second colour of Magic." "Trust me, for a guy like you who has only been using one colour of magic, to start on a colour that you are totally unfamiliar will result in nothing but frustration and dilemma." Cadeus could not argue against that. As what Nadav said, Cadeus only had been using one colour of magic. Since he had not used a second colour, he wouldn''t have any experience in regards to the dilemma Sing and Nadav had while casting spells. According to Zeffernon''s fourth absolute rule, a person can have up to two colour types of magic in his blood. In Otium, a mage can have either one or two of the three colour types of magic. So in total, there are only five types of Mages in existence, and these five types are further split into two groups, Pure Blood Mages, and Mixed Blood Mages. Regardless of what colour of magic you have in your blood, you¡¯re either a Pure Blood, or a Mixed Blood. Both types had their own unique characteristics, as well as their respective strengths and weaknesses. Being a Pure Blood should be quite obvious, you only had one of the three colours of magic in your blood. The spells you can cast were forever restricted to that singular colour of magic, and any attempts to cast a spell from another colour of magic will only result in failure. Mixed Bloods on the other hand, were slightly more flexible. They had two colours of magic in their blood which allows them to cast spells from both colours of magic. However, each Mixed Blood was different for they each have different concentrations of the two colours of magic in their blood. A person could have more Grey magic in his blood than his White, or more Dark magic than his grey. The concentration of both colours of magic could never be acute so a mage had to estimate how concentrated his blood was in regards to a colour of magic. But this flexibility of having two colours in your blood comes with a price, and that''s related to the next absolute rule of magic: over usage of magic always come with a price. A spell cost, no matter how simple or complex, was always dependent on how concentrated the color type of magic was in a person''s blood. Spells demand a certain percentage of a respective color type in a person''s blood in order to be cast. If a person lacks the right percentage, they would face a penalty if they cast someting that demanded more than what they have in their blood, and penalties came in various forms. But they had the tendency to fall in either the mental or physical category. This was the Achilles heel for the Mixed bloods, as their flexibility was always restricted to how concentrated the colours of magic are in their blood. Should they use a spell that falls beyond their respective concentration of their colour type of magic, a penalty was pretty much common. Another thing to note was that although the concentration of the two colour types of magic are not always acute, a mage can still gauge how concentratred a colour of magic is in his blood. However, no one was able to provide an accurate analysis on how concentrated the two colours of magic were in their blood. As such, Mixed Bloods were often prone to facing penalties if they cast multiple spells without thinking straight. So in order for them to cast a spell successfully and continuously, a Mixed Blood must be aware of the boundaries of the spell, whether the nature of the spell was within or beyond the concentration of that particular colour of magic in their blood, least they risk their own lives in the process. Mixed Bloods could only have two combinations of the colours of magic, Mixed White-Grey, and Mixed Dark-Grey. Sing was a Mixed Blood, she''s majority white, while Nadav was a mixed majority Grey. But for Cadeus¡­ now Cadeus was a different issue altogether. "You know Cadeus, sometimes I really envy you for the fact that you have only one colour of magic in your blood." Nadav said. "Why? You have two colours, that means that you get to cast more spells." "You know better than I do that casting spells have a risk. But as a Pure Blood you face little to no penalty. It''s sure nice to have little to no penalty." Yes, Cadeus is a Pure Blood, in the most mysterious of circumstances. "Sigh... you please take care, I''d hate it if you drop dead on us especially when we have to find that Procona Powder. We have two days left, please don''t pull a reckless one on us now." "Don''t worry! It''ll take a lot to bring down the mighty Nadav!" Nadav threw up a thumb. Sigh¡­ as usual, he is so carefree. "Just don''t be so reckless. I got to go now." "Yeah same thing, see you later. Don''t get into any trouble." "Sigh... not you too." Nadav gave him a friendly jab, and he was off. Looking around Cadeus could see the rest of the students heading down their respective hallway. With no one left to talk too, Cadeus turned and walked down to his own hallway. As Cadeus walked down the hallway, he did not find it surprising to see that it was close to being deserted. By now, most of the Dark mages would have reported to his respective sector, and are already making their way to their respective Educators. Towards the end of the hallway, he can already see several students wearing Dark Mage robes, spread among pockets of groups numbering no more than three. Though they were the fellows of his kind, none of them are that friendly. There''s always a level of mistrust and reservation amongst Dark Mages, and they were all with good reason. All Dark Mages were taught to be cautious, and rightly so, all because of the very nature of Dark Magic. The strength of Dark Magic was its ability to affect a large area around the caster. It¡¯s so volatile that the magnitude of consequences could be immense should a Dark Spell spire out of control, to both the caster and his surroundings. If there¡¯s something pretty straightforward about Dark Magic, it¡¯s either you tame the magic, or you unleash the magic. There¡¯s no such thing as controlling Dark Magic, as you can''t really control something that defies the laws of the natural order. This dangerous attribute of Dark Magic had marked every Dark Mage before, as there will always be a time where a spell goes wrong only to result in creating an unwanted outcome. The damage of the outcome could be controlled, but the consequences were sometimes overly severe, which could sometimes mark and even affect a person''s way of life. These profound episodes occur rather frequently in a Dark Mage''s life, eventually causing most Dark Mages to cautious and partly secretive, and they all kept a distance from the people around them. Like all Dark Mages, Cadeus was no exception. He had his own scars, scars that even he would not like Sing and Nadav to find out. In avoiding the other mages, Cadeus proceeded to the end of the Hallway. At the very end of the hallway''s corner there is a large magic circle being carved out of black marble, placed on the central floor. The circle linings have been embedded with glowing purple tracings with gold, stating the obvious that the magic circle was still ready for any use. The purpose of the circle is straightforward, teleportation. This circle will teleport Cadeus to Tenebris Vacuum, the sector of the Dark Mages. Cadeus stepped into the circle, he saw nothing but purple light and felt his body being lifted. Here we go again¡­ TOA After the bright purple light faded, Cadeus felt himself on solid ground again. He looked around. He¡¯s standing on a levelled platform made of brown stone, surrounded on all four sides by a forest. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Cadeus stepped out of the teleportation portal, walked down the stairs and started walking on the dirt road. Looking all around him, the scenario around him was so familiar he instantly recognised where he currently was. As there are only thee colours of Magic, there are three main isolated colour sectors in Triple Orb Academy, where each sector was dedicated in cultivating the talents of students born with said respective colour of Magic. For the White Mages, their colour sector is named Beato Caeli. For the Grey Mages, their colour sector was called Rigor-atque Cinereo. As for the Dark Mages, their colour sector was called Tenebris Vacuum, which was where Cadeus is right now. Tenebris Vacuum was composed of three main areas, the forest, the catacombs, and the Academia, which was the academic building where all Dark Mages usually gather for their studies. Here, the Academy will teach Dark Mages how to hone their gifts and guide the students how to use their own colour of magic. Since Dark Magic was the most dangerous colour out of the three, safety practice here was emphasized much stronger compared the other areas in the Academy. With proper procedures and conducts, Dark Mage students were expected to avoid overdoing their efforts to cast Dark Magic. Now, Colour lessons did not entirely mean sitting in a classroom with a chair and desk, flipping through textbooks, scribbling down notes from the board and struggling to stay awake from boring lectures. There were tons of physical activities and small quests, usually provided by the Educators. The best lessons were learned through personal experience, there is no point in forcing a person to sit down and go through lecture notes. This was the Academy''s philosophy. Cadeus rather enjoyed this form of curriculum. It''s a lot better compared to Earth''s countless textbooks. He really enjoyed all the small quests, they are doable, and you even get small rewards, tomes, shared notes of researches and even artifacts. They may be small things, but once you get a number, they can be very helpful in all sorts of situations, especially when you are outside the Academy. Looking in front Cadeus can already see the Academia building of Tenebris Vacuum. As Cadeus approached the Academia, he was greeted with quite the sight. It''s always the same, whenever he comes to the Academia, the building gives off a sense of awe. The building was constructed out of black Neptunite, making it look sophisticated and reserved, as if harboring its own dark secrets. But amidst all of all its grand architect, Cadeus could only think of one thing. Sigh¡­ back into the abyss of Dark Magic. When he first came into this place during the early days of his enrollment, Cadeus had once wondered what his life would be like if he wasn''t a Dark Mage. It¡¯s not like he really wanted to become one in the first place. If he was a Grey Mage, or even a White Mage, how different would his life be? He would be with either Sing or Nadav right now, learning the same lessons and working with the friends he want to be with. But no, he had Dark magic in his blood. Cadeus had to go walk a different path. Cadeus frowned, closed his eyes, took in a deep breath and sighed. There was no point in thinking about the ''what if''. He¡¯s a Dark Mage, he had dark Magic in his blood. It''s not like he could change any of it. From the third rule of Magic, what colour of magic you get was dependent on your blood. This basically means, you don''t get to choose your colour of magic. What colour of magic you gained in your blood was decided on default based on your own parents blood. Cadeus did not fully understand the reasoning, but it has something to do with the concept of DNA back on Earth where an offspring will receive specific traits only from the parents. If your parents were both a White Mage and Grey Mage, you will either be a White Mage or Grey Mage because you have the two different colours of magic in your blood. If your parents were both Dark Mages, it''s obvious you will be born with Dark Magic in your blood. If you were unsure of the colour of magic in your blood, there were ways to figure it out. And of course, the Academy had a rather shrewd way of analyzing a person¡¯s alignment to the three colours of magic. Whenever a badge of new students first enters the Academy, the Masters had to confirm the colour of magic residing in all the new students. They tested every new student for the colour of magic in their blood, and this was usually done by using a stone basin that contains some sort of special water. Cadeus did not know what are the origins of the water, but it''s superstitious enough for it''s purpose. All the new student has to do was to put his hand into the water, and then the water will change colour in accordance to the colour of magic in his blood. That''s when the masters decide your curriculum, and then off you go, separated into categorization and differences in regards to the three colours of magic. Sigh¡­ how nice to know that mom has Dark Magic in her veins¡­Cadeus thought. Cadeus only had a mother, he did not have a father. Well¡­ even if he had a father, he would not be someone Cadeus would want to meet. Taking a deep breath, Cadeus entered the Academia building and went for Educator Garth''s office. The most he can do now was to try and make the best out of today''s period. If Educator Garth did not have anything, which he usually did not, Cadeus would just self-study by himself, help Claire with whatever she needs him for, or he could just find Susan for some company. About fifteen to thirty other Dark Mages were already present by the time he entered the room. When it appears that the bulk of his class was fully accounted for. Cadeus could not help but smile, he was the last one to show up again. In seeing that everyone is in their small groups, Cadeus moved to the side towards the back. There are no seats. Everyone is just standing around. Well, of course there are no seats, this is an Educator''s office. Normally they would meet up in their lecture room for homeroom, so why are they here? The reason was simple, Cadeus and the others were gathered here because they were simply told to do so. Looking to the far right, Cadeus could see Susan. She got his eye contact and happily waved back. Cadeus responded similarly, when a familiar voice entered the room. "Ah¡­ everyone is here already right?" From the moment that phrase was said, everyone ceased their mutterings and turned their attention. The man who said that was the one responsible for their meet up in this irregular place. He was dressed in a standard teacher''s suit but with additional Educator black robes. He looks young, probably in his mid twenties. His black h1air was unusually tied to a high ponytail, and his looks were so enchanting it would not be an understatement to say that he looks like a pretty boy. Plus with his oval glasses, you get the general impression that he''s someone who was quite an intelligent achiever. That said person was none other than Educator Garth, who was in fact the mage in charge of overseeing the education of Cadeus''s group. There are a total of five student groups in Tenerbis Vacuum, each overseen by one Educator. Educator Garth is merely one of them. "Ok, since everyone is here, let''s start homeroom. Let''s see... five, ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty-five, thirty and thirty-two. Good, everyone''s here." So far throughout the past three months, Cadeus did get the impression that his Educator may seem to be quite a good teacher. He had a double specialization of being an Educator and a Conjurer, which was surely no easy feat. He¡¯s strict but also kind, and he really looks out for his students in times of need. Plus his lessons were very easy to follow even for a beginner like Cadeus. All in all he seems¡­ fine, as a teacher. However, if you were looking for a downside for his character, Cadeus could only provide one. This was because, amongst his students, there was an unspoken truth that Educator Garth had a certain lack of commitment towards his own duty as an Educator. There are periods of time where Educator Garth would often give his own students breaks and free time to do their own self-study while he would work on his conjuration thesis. It seems all right on the surface since he had to struggle with two different specializations, but Cadeus and the rest sometimes really felt that he could have done a better job as an Educator these past three months. "Right, as I told you all before last time, today is free time again, but it will be the last for the week. So if you have not finish any of your smaller quests, please make sure that they are done by tomorrow." Everyone just gave vague responses of approvals. "When I say finish them, make sure you all finish them. Tomorrow we will be going through [Distance Spells] for the first time, so I want all of you to be focused." Oh? Tomorrow is [Distance Spells]? That¡¯s indeed something new. So far in these past three months it had always been about basic [Point Spells]. Well, at least now Cadeus had something to look forward to tomorrow. Educator Garth then clapped his hands. "And with that, I got nothing else for you all, you are all dismissed. Now then¡­ Ah yes wait. I forgot something. Before all of you go, there is a particular issue I would like to raise." Oh really? Usually when Educator Garth had something to raise, it¡¯s usually something that¡¯s either related to class, or a matter that is actually very serious. That being said, Educator Garth crossed his fingers and rested his elbows onto the desk. He suddenly turned into serious mode. When he opened his mouth, you can tell that the issue he was going to bring up is no laughing matter at all. When he does this, everyone knows that he is in his strict mode. So best not try anything funny, or else you''ll get a nasty punishment. "I am sure you are all aware of the recent sharp increase in the board requests for Procona powder." ¡­ ¡­ All of a sudden, the room became quiet. It was as if Educator Garth brought up an extremely sensitive issue that hit the very heart of a crime scene. Oh, so this is what it''s going to be about¡­Cadeus thought. "I also heard just recently that a lot of Dark Mages signed up for these Board Quests. As you all know by now, Procona Powder is something that is extremely lacking in markets these days, to the point where the powder sources themselves would really be an instigator to many¡­ issues." The whole class just kept quiet. "I will make this clear, I will not question where or how any of you will come by the powder. However, if I hear that violence is involved, don''t expect any one to walk away unpunished. That being said, nobles are not exempted. Whether you are a noble or not, violence is not tolerated. All Educators will inflict disciplinary action if necessary, am I understood?" Everyone nodded, but Educator Garth did not leave it as it is. He gave one last quick scan around the room making sure everyone was looking at him in the eye. Once he was satisfied, he lifted the mood by bringing up a smile again. "All right then, today is the last day you all get free time, so make sure you finish everything. Now¡­ Where is my conjuration thesis?" From the instance he said that, everyone dispersed into their small cliques and started walking out of the office. Cadeus just waited for the rest to depart first. While he waited, a familiar face entered his vision. "Hi again Cadeus!" "Hi Susuan." "I was just looking at the book you got me yesterday last night." "Oh right¡­ the one called ''Ferral Reaches'' correct?" "Yes!" "So did it help?" "More than that! I managed to narrow down the options I have, now I just need to focus on the type of species I need for the experiment." "That''s good, so how many specimen do you need?" "Um¡­ I am not too sure on that yet, but I got a couple of ideas. Maybe¡­ two or three different kinds of animals at most." "¡­ Sounds like a lot of research. Won''t you need to leave the Capital then?" "Huh? What do you mean?" "Well¡­ you know the book, ''Ferral Reaches''." "Yes what about it?" "Ferral, and Reaches. I assumed you need to get to the outskirts in order to get the animals you needed." "¡­" "¡­" "Ah ha ha ha ha ha! You are quite funny you know that?" "Hm?" "Ah ha ha ha ha!" "Did I misunderstand something?" "Anyways Cadeus, here." "Hm?" Susan passed him a wooden box. "This is for the help yesterday." "You mean the book?" "Yup~." "Oh, thanks. What''s inside?" "He he~. Lunch." "Lunch?" Cadeus checked his pocket watch. "Susan, it is only 8:05." "Nah just kidding, it''s a snack. It is not something heavy I promise." "Ah ha¡­ I see." Cadeus made an attempt to pry off the lid. "Ah wait!" Susan grabbed his wrist before he can reveal whatever food is inside. "What?" "What are you doing?" "¡­ Opening it?" "Why?" "I''m curious." "Open it only when you are hungry. Won''t you spoil the food faster if you open it?" "I am not sure whether that is true or not, but I guess I''ll follow." Cadeus then stuffed the box into his sling bag. When he looked back, he can see Susan smiling happily. "What exactly are you up to?" "He he~ That''s a secret." "Secret¡­ sigh, you girls always love to keep secrets." "That''s our luxury. You guys don''t get to know it~." Cadeus suddenly caught something at the corner of his eye. Looking at the source he exchanged eye contact with Claire. It appears she was looking at their conversation. When his eyes met hers, she gave him the look that said ''you better not forget about later''. Before Cadeus could give a reply of any sort, she left the room. It seems that she had other matters at hand. ¡°Oh right¡­ come to think of it, she did mention yesterday that I should meet her once I¡¯m done with my other jobs.¡± Might as well meet her at the forest entrance later then¡­ ¡°Cadeus, why are you looking at Claire?¡± ¡°Hm? Oh nothing.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Susan gave him a suspicious look. ¡°You don¡¯t have to look at me like that. In any case, I need to go to the forest entrance. There¡¯s a small quest I need to turn in. What about you?¡± ¡°I also have some requests to clear, so I guess I¡¯ll follow you.¡± ¡°All right.¡± He led Susan out of the office. "So¡­ we got the whole morning to ourselves¡­ after you turn in your request what are you going to do?" Susan asked. ¡°Work.¡± "What kind of work? Another Board Quest?¡± ¡°Sort of.¡± ¡°Ah! Does it have something to do with that Procona Powder you are looking for?" "Yeah.¡± Exiting the Academia building, they walked down the steps and proceeded to the left towards the forest entrance of Tenebris Vacuum''s forest. The forest entrance consists of a small camping area where the Academy staff set up booths. This was where the Educators will provide students with small quests with different kinds of rewards, where specific booths will only provide a certain type of quest and rewards. For example, there¡¯s the booth labeled [Gatherer''s Requests] where students could take up small quests to help working Mages find specific alchemical ingredients that could only be harvested in this particular forest. There¡¯s also another booth called [Animistic Studies] where students were allowed to hunt on specific animals, dead or alive, to gather organic samples for the Dark Mutators, and so on. This was one of the few areas in Tenebris Vacuum that¡¯s beaming with life. There are really a lot of mages wandering about, trading resources, handling over quests, sharing new information in regards to the dangers commonly seen in the forested areas. The small quests given here mostly offer up extra pocket money as a reward, but sometimes there would be rare requests that provide special kinds of rewards. Regardless of the reward attractions, all requests had a common tendency to have specific requirements or shady details that did not require the student¡¯s understanding. In order to avoid all sorts of complications and unwanted attractions, all that needs to be done was to simply get the job done, no questions asked. Following Susan, Cadeus watched as she submitted her own requests. As Susan was aspiring to be a Dark Mutator, most of the requests she had taken up was related to Dark Mutation. She submitted beast skins, horns, claws and other biological parts. While she¡¯s clearing her items, Cadeus approached the [Animistic Studies] booth. He approached the mage he got the small quest from. The same, hooded Dark Mage, who was usually seen sitting looking through a large pile of quest notes accumulating on his working desk within the booth. "Excuse me." The mage turned around. When he saw Cadeus, he got up and brought himself closer to the booth''s main table. He kept his hood up so Cadeus could not see his face clearly. Quite the obscure fellow eh? "Hm? Oh, you are the one who took up the ''Repachore''s Hermage'' quest. Did you manage to get the item?" The mage asked. Cadeus reached for one of his smaller sling bags reserved for quest items only. He reached inside and took out a black leather bag that resembled a coin purse. But from the looks of it, coins seemed to be the last thing that¡¯s inside that bag. When Susan came back to him and looked at what he¡¯s giving out, the bag was moving. There¡¯s something inside the bag, and it looks like there¡¯s more than one singular organism inside. The bag was also dripping droplets of water, so whatever the creatures were inside, Cadeus must have got them from a wet habitat. Cadeus simply passed the bag to the mage. The mage took it, loosen the rope at the tip slightly and peered inside. Satisfied, the mage tugged the bag away in one of his desks, he then took out a smaller coin purse. "Well done. You got the right amount. The commissioner sends his regards." The mage passed Cadeus the coin pouch and went back to his own business of sorting out the quest notes accumulating on his working desk. Cadeus looked at the coin purse on his right hand. He then used his left to loosen the rope, flipped the coin purse upside down and let the coins drop to his right hand. "One¡­ two¡­ three¡­ five¡­ seven¡­ nine¡­ fifteen¡­ twenty¡­ twenty-five, that the lot." Cadeus tied back the coin purse and let it drop back into his sling bag. When they moved away from the booth, Susan opened her mouth in curiosity. "¡­ ''Repachore''s Hermage'' quest? What is in that purse?" "Repachore''s Hermage, it''s a kind of small guppy." "A fish?" "Yes. A breed of fish, apparently some Dark Mutator needed it for some research so, for this small quest I just need to get a number of the breed." "Another Dark mutator?" And there she goes again. Cadeus could see the familiar sparkling pupils in Susan eyes. Whenever he brings up a quest related to Dark Mutation she tends to have this tendency of getting rather high. "What is he researching on?" "I don''t know the details. But it has something to do with the gills.¡± ¡°Gills?¡± ¡°Yes. If I were to make a guess, the fish¡¯s gills had a special trait that allows it to preserve it¡¯s moisture by sucking the humidity out of the air. Perhaps this Dark Mutator wanted to implement this special features on one of this aquatic breeds.¡± "Is that so? How did you catch it?¡± Cadeus took out a coin. ¡°Apparently bright objects serve as a very good bait. What I did was to just leave the coins in the provided bag and leave it in the stream. When there¡¯s enough, I¡¯ll simple drag the bag out.¡± ¡°So you left that fish in the bag ¡­ how is it possible for water to not escape the bag so easily? Is it not made of leather?" "I don''t know. Those were the instructions given. Trap the fishes inside the given bag. Maybe that bag had some special enchantments¡­ or something of the like." "Oh¡­ should I come up with something like that in the future?" "Relax Susan, you''ll learn a lot more once you become an apprentice." "True, but becoming an apprentice is still a long way¡­" Opening his pocket watch, the time now is 8:27 am. Now that he had finally cleared the last of his small quests, he could focus on helping Claire. The faster he clears this assignment for her, the better. But then¡­ where could she be? Although Claire did mention that they would meet here at the forest entrance, she never really specified when. Assuming that she had other things to clear first, she should have at least informed him when he should expect her to arrive. "Cadeus?" Susan interrupted his thoughts. "Hm?" "If you are free later, could you come with me to do a little hunting? There is an animal of a specific breed I need to look for." "Hm¡­" Cadeus considered. He did have some free time after all. "Well, it''s not like I will force you or anything. It''s just that there is no one I can look for at the moment." Just when Cadeus was about to give Susan his ok, a flash of purple entered his eye line. Looking at the source, Cadeus instantly saw Claire It¡¯s rather easy to remember that customized outfit, and it¡¯s much easier to identify her dress code since it stood out greatly in their current environment. She was leaning on a tree, arms crossed, eyes gazed at him. The demand for his attention was obvious in her cold eyes. "Found you." "Hm?" "Oh no nothing. Sorry Susan, but I have something important to do now so¡­ I¡¯ll see you later." "See me later? Who are you meeting? Wait¡­ isn''t that Claire? Cadeus, what kind of business do you have with Claire?" Cadeus just waved her goodbye and left her just like that. Once he¡¯s much closer, Claire straightened herself and gave him a very disapproving look. "You''re late." She said. Cadeus did not bother to apologize. He merely shrugged his shoulders. "Got held up." Claire raised an eyebrow. ¡°Got held up? You were clearly flirting with that Lesser girl.¡± ¡°I was not.¡± "Apologize."If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "What?" "I said, apologize." "Why do I need to apologize?" "You kept a lady waiting. A gentleman should not do that." "Hey. Don''t enforce your noble etiquettes onto me. I am not a noble." "Even if you are not, you could not even turn up on time?" "I''m quite surprised you did." "Just what did you take me for?" "A noble lady whom I cannot get along with, due to unforeseen circumstances." Claire gave him the stare, but Cadeus ignored her. She had been treating him like this far too often to the point where he could afford to brush off her glares. Now, if any of you were thinking why Cadeus chose not to make a solid stand against this girl, it was for two main reasons. First, Claire had the social status to back her up. If Cadeus were to complain or make an issue about her to the Educators, chances were that he would be utterly ignored. Even if the Educators did raise the issue, their warnings of punishment might be in vain because Claire was least likely to obey them, and the Educators themselves might not want to pursue the issue upon risking the ire of one of the five Greater Noble Families. Second, Cadeus felt that sometimes he would save time and energy just doing what Claire wants. True, he disliked the fact that she¡¯s extorting him. However, just bearing with her for the moment was definitely better than having to waste energy fighting her. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Cadeus went straight to the point. "So, you need my help, what beast am I going to face?" Claire gave a good look around her first. She then shook her head. "Not here." She turned and started walking into the thick maze of green. "Let''s go into the forest first." TOA To step into the forests of Tenebris Vacuum without proper reason it could only mean two things, either you were an insane maniac, or a complete idiot. As dangerous as it is, the forest was home to some of Zeffernon''s deadly species. The creatures found here were said to be ''under the care'' of the Academy, but everyone knows that the Academy placed the creatures there to simulate what will happen when you wander into a more dangerous forest outside the capital. There were all kinds of creatures Cadeus had seen, both big and small. Some appeared carnivorous, others more harmless, but most were fiercely territorial. There were often cases where a student got lost and wandered off into a marked territory only to be forced to fight their way out. If you were wandering alone, there¡¯s a high chance you would die. The creatures placed in the forests were mostly large, and even the smallest of them were reputed to be vicious carnivores. Once a herd of them was on your tail, you¡¯d better run, and pray that you are able to out run them. That¡¯s why the Educators back in the Academia strictly instructed students to travel at least in groups of two, which was what Cadeus and Claire were doing right now. So far, the two of them had been walking along the main dirt road, which would take them to the main entrance of the forest. Once they entered the maze of forested trees, Cadeus could begin to hear the animalistic noises echoing throughout the entire forest. So far, Claire had been taking the lead. It seems like she knows where she¡¯s going. She lead him past the camping entrance, into the main forest road, and deeper into the maze of green. So far, the route she had been taking was familiar since Cadeus recognized his surrounding bearings. All the places she had been leading him were all marked in his memory. However, things were starting to get a little different. Claire began to lead him to different parts of the forest that Cadeus was unaware of. Usually Cadeus would venture to the western part of the forest, but Claire was now bringing him to the eastern part. There were often times where Cadeus had to resist strolling off to observe something unknown. If he strays and loses Claire, he might be lost and be stuck in this forest. If he¡¯s lost and stuck, there¡¯s a very high chance that he would not survive on his own. Well, even if he turns out lost and alone, there might be a chance that he would make it out alive, as long as they stayed on the main road¡­ or so he thought. Cadeus stopped in his tracks when he saw Claire starting to walk off the main road. From the looks of it, she¡¯s leading him into a deeply forested area through an extremely narrow dirt pathway. "Hey, wait." Claire stopped and looked back. "So we''re going to walk off the main road." "Yup." Cadeus took a good look at what is in front of him. All he can see is an extremely narrow dirt pathway leading into a thick wall of green. The trees are so tightly congested that Cadeus can feel that the air inside is extremely dense and humid. "Are you sure you know where you are going? You know the risks of walking off the road." "Of course I do. I have been doing this for quite some time." "Alone, by yourself?" "Yes." "Just what have you been up to of late?" "I''ll tell you when we get closer." "Aren''t we far enough from the Academia?" Claire rolled her eyes in response. She ignored him and started off on her own. Looking at her back, Cadeus can only sigh. He followed her, wanting to be done with this matter as soon as possible. TOA They stayed silent for the next couple of minutes, Claire in the lead, Cadeus behind to follow. They continued to trudge into the narrow dirt pathway, passing through small streams, stepping on damp pebbles and soil. When Cadeus felt that they had traveled deep enough, he opened his mouth again. "So¡­ can you tell me your specifics now?" Claire looked back at him. She then scanned the surroundings, probably wanting to make sure that there¡¯s no one near who can overhear them. Why the secrecy? Cadeus felt that there¡¯s no point in doing such a thing. They were alone. No one would be bothered to venture this far off the road, especially this deep in the forest. Claire continued to survey their surroundings "Ever heard of the Criftoae?" "Criftoae?" Cadeus frowned in deep thought. "If I remember my classes, it''s a herbivore. Bull like, Four-legged, grey skin, large hard scaled head with horns protruding from the back of its head." "That''s the one." "What do you want from it?" "I need its horns." Horns?Cadeus thought. "What do you need the horns for? Collection?" "You idiot, I''m not one of those disgusting Poachers. I need it for my research." I see¡­ Research seems to be one valid reason enough, or so Cadeus thought. "What good are the horns anyway?" "Well, the bone marrow within the horn is said to contain a special toxin, and if you boil the horn''s cartridge, the stew can cure you of any lung disease." "So what exactly do you need it for, other than brewing this stew?" "Private research." "On what?" "Didn''t I just say private?" Cadeus dropped the issue. Since she¡¯s so insistent on being secretive, Cadeus felt that it would be best if he did not probe further. "So¡­ let''s say we come across one of the Criftoae, but how exactly are we going to beat one? Those things are as big as 2.3 meters tall. Not to mention, they are also fiercely territorial." "Like all other animals in this forest. We''ll just target one of the more isolated ones. What can you do?" "Mostly elemental spells." "Anything else?" "No." "No? No other combat accessories?" "No." "Then what have you been doing all this time during Arcane Warfare?" "Mastering [Point Spells]." Claire stopped in her tracks and turned. She looked shocked, as if Cadeus spilled a surprising secret of himself. "You¡­ have not even mastered [Point Spells]?" "Yes." The look progressed from shock to despise. "[Point Spells] are the most basic of all basic spells, you have not even mastered them at all?" "Hey, I do not have the luxury of being exposed to Magic from a very young age. I only casted my first spell three months ago." "You only touched on Magic three months ago?" "Yes." "Just what have you been doing before you enrolled into Triple Orb Academy?" "Living an ordinary life." "Ordinary? What do you mean?" "A life without Magic." "A life without Magic?" "You heard me, a life without Magic." "¡­" "¡­" Claire gave him the look that totally told him that she saw him in a new light. "How¡­ do you live?" "Oi! Don''t demote my life just like that!" "Well¡­ I should have expected such a thing, for an imposter like yourself who don''t know much about magic, this should be something of the ordinary." ¡°What¡¯s with that sudden change in attitude? How could you dismiss other people¡¯s lifestyles just like that? Is not knowing magic something so bad to begin with?" "Maybe I should have asked someone else to accompany me. Someone like you¡­ might actually die within the first ten seconds¡­" "Hey. I am much more capable than you think.¡± In considering the time and place, this was not the right time to argue. If they continued their traditional stance to throw insult at each other, they¡¯ll be bound to attract a dangerous carnivore way before they even accomplished what they were supposed to get, whatever that was. Shaking his head, Cadeus dismissed the current conversation and opened up a new one. ¡°Enough about this. Since you are more familiar with these beasts, how do we go on about killing the damn beast?" Claire gave him a glare of disapproval but "You''ll act as decoy. I''ll support you and then you''ll do the killing blow." Cadeus feel depressed already. He can see how things are going to progress. "So in the end, you are just going to use me to get the horn while you stand behind and watch." "You idiot. Do you think a lady like me would do something like that?" "¡­ That sounds reassuring." "I only expect you to do a clean job. But if you ever damage the horn, I will make sure you compensate me for it." "¡­ Is the horn that vital to your research?" "Of course! Why do you think I am going through the trouble of asking you to help me?" "¡­" "What?" "Nothing¡­ I just seem to have the feeling that you girls are always up to something." TOA "There they are." Claire pointed down. As Cadeus moved next to her, he could see the herd now. What they were looking at was not the entire herd itself. The actual herd would be much larger than this. This current group seems to be more like a small part of it grazing in a more isolated area. There were currently about five of them in total all spread out around. In order to avoid getting attention, the two of them crouched behind a wide spread bush on an elevated cliff. The Criftoae were fiercely territorial. If they encounter any stranger that was unfortunate enough to stumble into their territory, they would respond immediately with hostility and violence. "Since they are all spread around, it would be best to act quickly and decisively. We only need to take one down, if we linger too long, the rest of the herd will notice." Claire said. "How about that one?" Cadeus pointed. Apparently there was one Criftoae who grazed off too far from the other four. It had begun drinking from the nearby stream, which was rather conveniently close to where Cadeus and Claire currently were. From the looks of it, the others were grazing by themselves at a distance. The lone Criftoae would be the ideal target for the two of them. "That''s good. We can take that one down, but we have to do it fast. Criftoae are weak against lightning especially if we hit it at the head. But the problem is doing it without getting the others to notice." "Lightning spells sure can create a lot of noise. If we really need to use lightning, why don''t we just hit and run? We can always come back for the horn when the others leave." "That''s not really ideal. The Criftoae tend to stay around their dead for quite some time, and this is the last day we get to have free time. I need the horn by lunch." "Sigh¡­" Cadeus sat down. "Any bright ideas?" "We could lure it to a even further isolated area using sound. When it is far enough, we can kill it from the back of it''s neck. What have you got?" "I got a knife." Well¡­ it is more accurate to call it a Swiss knife, but Cadeus doubted Swiss knifes are common in this world so he did not give her the full name. "Not good enough. What other accessories do you have?" "Hm? Let''s see¡­" Cadeus took out his sling bag and look at the contents within. When he opened the lid, Claire also decided to take a peek to kill some time. "All I have are several books, my writing accessories, my maps and a key¡­" "¡­" "¡­" Claire gave Cadeus a disgusted look. "You¡­ don''t even have a weapon?" "I thought I said I got a knife?" "A knife only counts as an accessory. It can''t be considered a proper weapon. Don''t you even have a short sword?" "Isn''t that a little extreme? I am not such a violent person." "Hmph! So rude, having a proper weapon does not mean that you are a violent person. It states that you have a means to protect yourself. I can''t imagine, how exactly did you managed to save Susan from the Armugorus without a single weapon?" There we go, two parallel worlds, two different views on carrying a weapon in broad daylight. "Well then, since you are all on about having a weapon, what about you?" "Of course I have a short sword. Do you ever think that a lady would go out without carrying one? We still need something to defend ourselves you know." Scary¡­ Cadeus reached out his hand. "Lend me the short sword then." "Why?" "Based on your previous statements, you obviously need me to do the killing blow right?" "Of course, are you going let a lady dirty her hands just like that?" "Um¡­ no." "Finally, a fitting answer coming from an imposter like yourself." I am going to ignore that¡­Cadeus thought. "So¡­ are you going to lend me that short sword?" "Of course not. Do you think that I am going to let the likes of you touch my short sword?" I don''t get her¡­ I don''t get her at all. Does she want me to do the killing blow or not? The confusion grows. With such contradictory exchanges, Cadeus began to feel (unsurprisingly so) that it¡¯s really starting to be a hassle just listening to her. Perhaps it was immature of him to think of this, but he felt that it would be better if he proceed on this alone. From the looks of it, Claire was definitely not going to ¡®dirty her hands¡¯. Before Claire could finish, Cadeus got up and started walking off on his own. "What are you doing? Are you seriously intending to approach them alone?" "Yes. I will be more than enough." "Are you serious? Are you really a much bigger idiot than I initially thought?" "Aren''t you the one who wants to keep her own hands clean? Just stay there and watch, I''ll have your horn in no time." "You are one big idiot." Cadeus ignored her. ¡°If you have nothing better to say, just sit back and watch. Even someone like me will feel bad if you get hurt in the process of fighting." ¡°Oh ho?¡± Claire caught the tone of mockery in his voice, but she decided to let him off. "Fine, do as you wish, but remember this." "What?" "Don''t expect me to help you or come rescuing you." "Understood. Understood." Cadeus moved out of their position and started to move closer to the stream. Slowly, he took his time to stalk the lone Criftoae, making sure he stayed out of its sight. The Criftoae was a huge bull-like creature with strong muscular legs. Even from a distance Cadeus could see it''s signature characteristic of a scaled head with a huge horn protruding from its back. However, its eyes were small so its field of vision was very poor. Plus, the beast was always looking downwards so it is rather easy for Cadeus to avoid its attention. But in order not to arouse it''s suspicions, Cadeus made sure he hid himself out of its view. He kept himself hidden behind huge rocks and bushes. As he got closer, he had to tip toe his way towards the ideal location to launch his surprise attack, which is at the creature''s southwest. As he got closer, Cadeus prepared a spell in his head. Taking in deep breaths, he walked slowly forwards and closed his eyes. Whilst moving, Cadeus prepared a spell aligned with the element of lightning. Criftoae were weak against lightning, so a high voltage spell would be perfect since Cadeus needs to get the job done quickly Since they only need the horn, Cadeus opt for the option to knock out the beast instead. He could render the beast unconscious with a stun spell and get the horn. Yes, a stun spell. That would do. It did not have to be strong enough to kill it. As he concentrated, Cadeus soon felt the familiar sensations of raw magic cracking flowing from all around his body. The energy was redirect through the various magic circuits within his body and it soon ended up at the tip of his right fingers. The basics of spell casting consist of three things, the raw energizes of magic itself, spell image and a common point to cast the spell. From the very first rule of magic, Magic begins from the blood. In other words, in order to use magic, you must focus and draw the magic energizes from the closest source, which was obviously your own blood. However, just focusing on gathering the magic in your blood was not enough. There were all sorts of spells out there that were differentiated by their various types and. One only had to narrow down the type of spell he wants to cast in order to bridge superstition with reality. So how could one bridge the superstitious energizes with reality? The answer was actually quite simple. You just have to imagine it. By imagination, you have the desired spell in your head and it gives the spell its casting form. Without imagination, you could not give the spell its shape and the casting process will fail. What comes next would be to focus the raw energizes of magic into one focus point before unleashing the spell. In Cadeus''s case, he was doing it from the hands either from the palm or the fingertips, depending on the nature of your spell. By drawing the magic and casting the spell directly from your hands, this is the first and foremost basic form of spell casting, other wise known as [Point Spells]. After several seconds, Cadeus knew he was ready. The spell was ready for casting, and all he needed to do was just to unleash it. In taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, Cadeus exploded out into the open. He rushed, palm at the ready. When he was just a few inches away from the Criftoae, the Criftoae sensed his presence since it moved its ear upwards and turned its head. Too late. Cadeus landed his feet deep in front of it and dug his fingers into its flesh. The familiar zapping sound of bluish-white electricity reverberated throughout the air. It felt like a bang. But the moment the spell was being cast, Cadeus could feel the effects of magic running through his veins. His body felt lighter and his mind felt clearer, as if he entered some kind of transcended state. The Criftoae began to dance to the vibration. It simply froze at that spot and never stopped shaking. Cadeus held the spell for several more seconds, before he finally let it drop. The Criftoae simply landed on its hooves and stayed still for several seconds. ¡­ ¡­ Did Cadeus succeed? Cadeus simply used his right index finger and pressed it against the bull''s flesh. The bull simply tilted forward before landing its head into the water stream. Deep down, Cadeus felt greatly relieved. He just knocked out a beast that was about twice his size. Slowly, the transcended feeling disappeared from his body. Aside from a slight dizziness in the head, he soon felt like normal again. It took Cadeus to shake his head twice before his conscience returned with stability. He then reached to the side of his robe for his Swiss knife. "Success! Now all that''s left is to¡­" Just when Cadeus was about to start retrieving the horn, he felt a dangerous vibe coming from the other side. When he turned, he saw the worst-case scenario expected. The nearby Crftoae all had their attention fixated onto him. As Cadeus stared back, they started reacting by forming up a defensive formation. That was not all. When he and Claire were up on that cliff, there were only five Criftoae including the one he just shocked. But now¡­ it''s as if the number of Criftoae around him multiplied. There''s four¡­ five¡­ seven? Seven Criftoae in total. "This¡­ is so not good." If anyone had seen Cadeus being successful with the first Criftoae and expect it to be something that could be easily done upon a whim, be prepared to be very disappointed. Spell casting was not so conveniently easy. There¡¯s a limit to every Mage''s capability to cast spells. Some could cast fifteen spells maximum before losing their conscious, while others could cast up to twenty. This limit to cast spells did not have a definite value, so each mage must self-estimate the value of the limit that they have. Should a mage push himself beyond this limit, he would suffer a penalty, and this penalty was the exact same penalty we see from the Fifth Absolute Rule of Magic: Over usage of magic always comes with a price. So how could one self-estimate this limit? How could we give a number to something that does not even have a proper value? This was a question that remained unanswered for countless centuries. Countless scholars had debated about this, but still no one could provide a substantiated thesis. This just proves how lacking we humans are when it comes to the unknown. But so far, the scholars of Otium managed to come up with an acceptable solution. Each mage could self-estimate his own limit if he used spells as a medium value. Since some spells require more effort to cast then others, a mage could still estimate how much he could push himself based on the effort used to cast the spells. To further illustrate, if mage knows that he could continue casting spells, he should be aware of how many more such spells he could cast, or if he should switch to a different spell type that requires less effort to cast. If a mage knows for sure that he could not cast any more spells, he should stop, unless he¡¯s willing to risk casting beyond the estimated limit. The proper magus terminology to identify this method of gauging one''s own limit, was called Cast Limit. That stun spell took a small portion of Cadeus''s Cast Limit, but it was more than enough to make Cadeus feel slightly dizzy after the spell was cast. Plus, the stun spell was only successful because Cadeus caught the beast off guard. If that Criftoae was on guard against Cadeus, it would take a lot more to bring it down. Now, Cadeus was facing a group of seven Criftoae, five of which was still at least larger than him. In considering the chances, the odds were definitely against him. This could be bad. Cadeus did not have enough of what it takes to bring down every beast. His Cast Limit was¡­ well average. But it¡¯s obviously not enough for seven huge beasts. Cadeus frowned slightly and strained his mind in deep thought. It¡¯s impossible to fight them all head on. Not only was it nonsensical, it''s also incredibly suicidal. His Cast Limit did not have enough for all of them. There was an option to run, but Cadeus immediately dismissed that thought. If he runs, it would do nothing more than instigate and encourage the Criftoae to charge spearheaded towards him. And if they do, Cadeus would be trampled under a stampede in a matter of seconds. Cadeus squeezed his eyes for a couple of seconds more, until he finally opened them. ¡­No, it does not have to be that way. He thought. There is another way to deal with these beasts other than just going out in brute force casting aggressive spells. It might not work, but there is no other favourable option. Cadeus started walking towards the Criftoaes hurdling together at the other side. As Cadeus approached the small herd, the Criftoae begun to act aggressive. The larger ones began to form a wall in the center, while the smaller scuttled to the sides. Once Cadeus was within a few feet away from the nearest Criftoae, the larger beings began stomping the ground, and soon they begun to growl towards him. It was a rather classic behaviour coming from any herbivore herd. Once they felt the threat, they will always band together in groups and show signs of intimidation. Cadeus knew that if he made the wrong move, the Criftoae would run him down in a stampede. Cadeus spread his hands out to his sides. He prepared another image in his head. Soon, numerous webs of lightning exploded out of his fingertips. The Criftoae continued acting aggressively. Their growling increased in volume and they began stomping at a faster rate. But Cadeus did not retreat. He simply raised his arms higher, until they stood parallel with his shoulders. Then Cadeus continued to sustain the lightning. The key thing right now was to sustain the image. What Cadeus was doing now is simply putting up some sort of morphological defense mechanism. The Ciftoae were cautious of lightning, so if Cadeus put up lightning as a defense mechanism, the Criftoae would think twice about attacking him. Of course, such an action was a gamble. If one Criftoae surpassed its fear of lightning and decide to charge down towards him, the rest of them would follow and he would be in deep trouble. But it seemed that it won''t be the case. After several seconds, the smaller Criftoae decided to retreat. They turned and made the run for it, and slowly, the bigger ones started to react differently. They begun by slowing down their stomping, and their growls lost volume. Soon, they also turned and made the run for it. Relieved, Cadeus stopped sustaining the spell and rested his arms. It seems that it is already over. Or so he thought. While the rest of the Criftoae retreated, one of them turned around. It looked at Cadeus and started stomping the ground again. Uh oh¡­ it¡¯s one of the more resilient ones. Cadeus looked at the others behind it, they had already disappeared behind the trees. That¡¯s good. Cadeus would just have to deal with one for now, but the bad news was the question of how long before the others would return. Oh might as well, one Criftoae was good enough. Now that the others were gone, Cadeus had a renewed level of confidence. He did not have to worry about his Cast Limit now. The Criftoae had an extremely tough hide, and their scaled head was not a laughing matter. Plus with their big size and muscular build, it really made the species a potent obstacle when threatened. Even a physically macho person would not be a match for it. However, with magic, things would be different. Criftoae were weak against lightning, and fearful of fire. Thankfully, Cadeus had access to these two elements thanks to the colour of magic in his blood. The Criftoae brought its head low, and from its stance Cadeus could tell that it¡¯s getting ready for a charge. From the looks of it, the ideal strategy was to let the Criftoae charge straight ahead, dodge it at the very last minute and cast an offensive spell while its back was turned. The Criftoae''s hide may be tough, but it¡¯s a lot more effective attacking it from the back rather than having to go through the scaled head. Without turning his head from the Criftoae, Cadeus reached for his sling bag and took out his Swiss knife. With the flick of his thumb, he flashed out the sharp knife. Even if he managed to hit the Criftoae with a spell, the hide was extremely tough. If Cadeus need a more effective means to harm the beast, he would also need some physical aid. The Criftoae ceased stomping its hoof. It instantly began charging towards Cadeus. Cadeus simply crouched himself into a combat stance and waited. At the very last minute, Cadeus dodged to the side. Using his Swiss knife, he sliced the surface layer of the Criftoae''s hide. RAM! The Criftoae rammed it''s head on the tree trunk behind Cadeus. It then simply took a step back and shook its head, but Cadeus was not going to wait to let it recover. Cadeus focused his eyes around the Criftoae''s body. He did not know where exactly he managed to cut the animal, but it took him a moment before he found it. He saw a long thin line at the side of the Criftoae''s abdomen. It¡¯s not leaking blood, but Cadeus managed to graze an opening on its tough hide. If he could just focus one lighting spell onto that sliced wound, the damage input will be more than enough to discourage the Criftoae to make any further hostile attempts. Almost instantly, Cadeus cooked up a lightning spell, one of his personal favourite [Point Spells]. He felt the massive build-up of magic within him. This spell had to be big, and it had to be powerful. Once the build-up was finished, he thrust his right fingers forward. "[Lightning Caste]!" About five forks of highly intensified white-blue lightning arced out of his fingertips and launched themselves towards the Criftoae. By focusing on the spell image, Cadeus managed to guide the forefront ends of the five forks into one streamlined arc. The rest was just aiming, and Cadeus made sure he did not miss. The lightning arc stabbed itself into the dented hide and penetrated through skin, muscle tissue and eventually the bone marrow. The Criftoe¡¯s side began tearing itself into shreds and it begun to look as if the insides of the Criftoae were roasting about. The Criftoae shrieked, it begun to twist and twitch to the high voltaged electricity. After a few more seconds, it dropped onto the ground. Thinking that the ordeal was over, the Criftoae immediately proved to be more durable by forcing itself up. It stood on all fours again, howled angrily towards Cadeus and immediately charged, this time in a more beserk manner. This time, the beast''s instant speed caught Cadeus off guard. He had no time to respond. By the time Cadeus realized how grave his current situation was, the Criftoae was raining down on him with its scaled head. Cadeus''s mind suddenly went blank. That reinfornced [Lightning Caste] took a slight toll on his mental state so he could not really think straight. With this sudden shock in the change of events, it rendered his sate of mind with ineffectiveness and Cadeus felt as if he was really going to meet his end. Refusing to let this burden him, Cadeus rocked his brains for ideas. With that last spell, he had utilized about half of his Cast Limit. If he did not want to hit beyond the Cast Limit, he had to think of a much better idea. An option was to use another [Point Spell], but one of a lower grade that [Lightning Caste]. He could use another lightning spell, but that would be ineffective against the tough scaled head. The other option was to use ''that'', but Cadeus can''t use ''that'', not here, not while he knew that Claire somewhere watching him from behind. The Cliftoae was bearing down on him. Its large hard scaled head was moving so fast that the force of the impact would be disastrous. That''s it! Fire! Cadeus finally found his answer! Just cast a fireball! Give that beast one explosive burn! The Criftoae''s head was only a few inches away from his face! ¡°Damn it!¡± It''s too late, Cadeus could not cast the spell on time! Cadeus shut his eyes and expected the worst. Slice! ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Eh? The Criftoae did not hit him? Opening his eyes slightly, Cadeus could see the Cliftoae directly in front of him. But for some reason, the Cliftoae was not moving at all. As if challenging the flow of time and reality, Cadeus dared himself to think again. was he dreaming? Shouldn''t he be smashed by now? The Criftoae made a small moan, causing Cadues to instinctively back off immediately. But instead of charging at him again, the beast tilted to the side and collapsed. ¡­ ¡­ As Cadeus looked, there¡¯s a deep red line forming up at the Criftoae''s side. It looks as if something had stabbed through the Criftoae. Whatever it was, it stabbed in pretty deep. Cadeus could already see a lot of blood leaking out. The near perfect straight line seen from the stab wound indicates that a straight streamlined weapon has been used. However, when Cadeus looked around, he could not find any weapon of such description. What in the world just happened? While he as thinking about all this, a bright flash caught the corner of Cadeus''s eye. Looking upwards, Cadeus saw a small bright flying around. It''s translucent, but for some reason it is giving off a bright level of shininess. Cadeus strained his eyes, trying to figure out just what is that thing. ¡­ ¡­ It''s¡­ a crystal bird? It¡¯s a bird all right, but instead of flesh, it is made up of multiple tiny crystallized gems. As it flew, some sort of light bluish aura envelops the bird''s body, giving off a mystic air of superstition. As Cadeus watched calmly, it continued to swirl around in the air. Slowly, the crystal bird decreased its speed and it landed its claws on its owner''s right shoulder. As to the identity of the crystal bird''s owner¡­ "Claire?" "Humph! In the end you are still all nothing but talk." There stood Claire Chroma ve Rrogust, arms crossed, looking down on him with contempt. From where she was standing, Cadeus could see that she moved up from their initial hiding spot. "You were up close all along?" "What about it?" "If you were watching up so close you could have¡­" Cadeus immediately stopped his mouth. "Could, have, what?" she stated. "Nothing¡­" Cadeus forgot, she said that she would not help him. Cadeus looked at the dead Criftoae before him. There is no other human being in this area other than the two of them. This means¡­ He then looked back at Claire. "Why did you help me?" "Isn''t that a silly question?" "You said that you would not help me." "Would you rather I''d not?" "¡­" Cadeus could not bring himself to say anything against her any more. She just saved his life. He could not do anything against her now. "You owe me another one, Cadeus." Cadeus sighed, he then looked up to the bird resting on her right shoulder. "What is that thing anyway?" "That''s my familiar." "Familiar?" Cadeus frowned. "¡­ I thought you can only get a familiar only when Educator Garth says so." "You forget Cadeus, I am a noble. Getting a familiar from a very young age is no issue." "Really?" Cadeus looked at the crystal bird again. No matter how he registered it, that crystal bird did not seem to be normal. All familiars were living beings, naturally born or artificially created. However, even for an artificially created familiar, that thing did not look alive. Its eyes are made out of pure crystal, emotionless and cold. Its crystallized body is so perfectly still that Cadeus did not think that the creature had a pulse. Rather, it looks like it¡¯s being made and controlled, like some sort of robot. "Just what is that thing?" "Are you blind? It''s a crystallized bird." "Yes I know that it is crystallized, but how can such a thing exist? I mean, it''s not even alive." "Yes? So what about it?" "¡­ Are you secretly a Dark Mutator?" "Where do you get that idea you idiot?" "Well, we are looking for a horn for your secret research, and you control a familiar that is artificially created through unknown means¡­ doesn''t that best describe what Dark Mutators are?" Claire rolled her eyes. Ah¡­ that''s definitely a no. Cadeus closed his eyes and think, since that bird is not alive, how can that be a familiar? Unless¡­ "Oh! I got it, you are aspiring to be an Artifact Crafter. That bird is one of your masterpieces right?" "Zero points, you failure. I already said that is my familiar." "It¡­ can be an Artifact familiar?" "You can''t even get the basic terminological definitions correct, wow. I think I can see you in a different light now." "Shut up! Then tell me the answer Miss know-it-all!" Claire ignored him. "Just how long are you going to sit down there and do nothing?" "Huh?" Now that she mentioned it, Cadeus noticed that he¡¯s still on his butt. "Oh¡­ sorry." He immediately got up and hit the dust off his robes. Cadeus looked at the Criftoae in front of him again. The beast was dead all right. Whatever that bird did, it gave the beast quite the clean kill. Cadeus doubt that he would be able to survive that. Taking a quick look at the bird, Cadeus swore to himself never to make Claire an extremely hostile enemy. "Good, now." "Hm?" Claire reached within her cloak and pulled out a short sword. She passed it to Cadeus by the hilt. "Get the horn for me." "¡­" "What is with that expression?" "¡­ I thought you said you would not let me use your short sword." "And what? Watch and wait as you pathetically use your miserable knife to scrap the horn? The short sword is a lot faster." "Why don''t you do it then?" "Are you going to let a lady stain her hands?" "¡­" Cadeus just took the short sword by the hilt. "What? Not even a thank you?" "Huh?" "I just saved your life. Be grateful, I even re-considered lending you this short sword." "¡­ Thank you?" "You are one pathetic gentleman." Cadeus closed his eyes and ignored her. He knelt in front of the Cirftoae''s head and started sawing away at the horn. It took a couple of seconds. Cadeus could feel himself sawing at muscles, bone cartridges and bone marrow. When he had finished, he passed it to Claire by the horn tip, and when he looked at her Cadeus could have sworn he''d saw a different side of her today. Claire, was smiling. She was smiling, and it is not one of those ordinary smiles. It is the appreciative kind of smile, soft and warm. She took the horn, wrapped the bloodied side with a cloth and started to admire the horn for several seconds. Throughout this long pause, Cadeus could not help but be drawn to her face. With that smile, Cadeus found her face captivating. Well¡­ it''s not like it is that impactful. Cadeus always knew that Claire is an attractive noble, but he did not have a good impression of the nobles because of their arrogance and their high-and-mighty attitudes. But with this smile, Cadeus felt as if he was being blown to one side. He had seen a flash of how beautiful Claire can be. Gosh¡­ she really does look like a real princess if she smiles like that. Once Claire is done she tug the horn away inside one of her sling bags. That was when she noticed Cadeus staring at her. "What?" "¡­ I didn''t know you could smile like that." "What is that supposed to mean?" "Nothing." "Are you done? There''s still the first Criftoae you killed. What are you waiting for?" The princess image Cadeus just had was shattered into a million pieces. "¡­ I got it." TOA Cadeus breathed his seventh sigh when he finally got out of that narrow strip of a dirt road, he really felt relieved when he stepped back onto the main road. Once you return to the main road, you were counted as half safe. When you get out of the forest in one piece, only then would you be truly safe. With this, he had cleared one favour for Claire, one favour left to go. ¡­ ¡­ Come to think of it, he still had to find that Procona plant, Drabog or something like that. What time is it now? Cadeus reached for his pocket watch again. The time now is 09:46 am. Lunch starts at 12 pm, he had less than three hours to find the Procona plant. Three hours should be enough, well¡­ more or less. "Hey Claire." "What?" "With this, I am free from you for the time being right?" "Just what is with that phrasing? You are making me sound like some sort of slave driver here." Aren''t you one yourself?Cadeus thought. "Before I dismiss you from my service, I have to give you this warning." "What?" Cadeus said, half interested. Claire never said anything until Cadeus looked at her again. She seems quite intend to get this warning message through, whatever it is. "Never mention about what happen today to anyone. Anyone, got it?" "Got it." "This research is top secret. Even for a dumb guy like yourself, you should understand what top secret is right?" "Of course? What do you take me for?" "Good to hear that you have a decent level of vocabulary. If you ever tell anyone about what happened today, I will end your pathetic existence." "Got it, I am not interested in what you are up to anyway." "What? So rude, every experiment has its purposes. It is through all these experiments that we are able to know more of the unknown. Haven''t you learn all that in basics?" "The more I hear of this, the more I am thinking of you as a Dark Mutator." "Do you want me to beat you?" Cadeus ignored that last comment. Does she know something called verbal abuse? "What I just said regarding experimentation is universal. If we cannot make one step and explore, how can we progress and know more of the unknown?" "Hmm¡­" Though he showed signs that he was listening, over half of Cadeus''s attention is solely on his map and discerning the route to the swamps. In seeing that he is paying little attention to her, Claire''s level of tolerance is clearly getting thinner by the second. "Not bothered and interested. As usual, you''ll miss out a lot." Cadeus just ignored her. "Are we done?" "Yes." "Good." Now let''s see¡­ Cadeus started to take out his hand-made map for the forests of Tenebris Vacuum. He had to pinpoint his current location. Once he knows where he was, all that''s left is figuring out which direction the swamp is. Now that he''s finally done with Claire, he can afford to make one more trip to the swamp. It is highly discouraged by the Educators to travel alone, but everyone knows that the swamp is not inhabited by any dangerous creatures. Cadeus should be fine traveling making a short trip there. From his current position, the swamp should be around¡­ Turning around to a specific direction, he walked off on his own. "Hey, where do you think you are going" "Huh?" Cadeus looked back towards Claire. She still had her arms crossed, and from the looks of it, it seems that she''s still expecting something from him. "What do you want? I got you your horn right?" "Yes, but where are you going?" "Going somewhere?" "That''s where the swamp is you know?" "I know, just checking something." "Checking what?" "None of your concern." Cadeus did not need to look back to know that she is angry, why is she always so angry with him? "You can go back first you know, I already got you your horn." "And what? Leave a girl alone in the forest to go back by herself?" Cadeus looked at her with something akin to a ''dumb look''. They had reached the main road, and the forest entrance is not far off. Going back alone should not be of any issue. "What''s wrong with going back alone? A Pure Blood like yourself should have no issues right?" Uh oh... from the moment he said that Cadeus realised that it might actually be the wrong answer. Claire gave him a look full of bitterness. "You are one terrible gentleman. You can''t even escort a lady to the end?" What the... she is still demanding him to escort? "Who says I''m escorting you? I''m only helping you to begin with because I don''t want to own you any favours." "What? To escort a lady is a gentleman''s duty. Aren''t you a guy?" "I am a guy. It''s just that I don''t want to escort you." "What did you say?" "Nothing." Nobles¡­ they always have such high expectancy. Cadeus felt that the more they spent time arguing about this, the less time will be available to look for that Draborg plant or whatever it is called. A quick solution would be to just ignore her and walk off on his own, but that might result in an unwanted outcome. Cadeus was sure that she would react violently if he did not correspond to her noble demands. It looks like the only solution currently available is to simply let her follow him. Thinking about this now, Cadeus was getting reluctant about that option. He did not want Claire finding out about the fluid. But it seems that he did not have a choice in the matter. A quick visit and back to the Academia. It might actually be worthwhile just letting Claire come along... or not. "All right then, my ''lady''." Claire frowned on his emphasize on the ''lady'', but Cadeus ignored her. "Supposed I escort you to the end, you still would have no issue is getting out of this forest on your own right?" Claire placed her hands on her hips. "It''s true that I have no problems, but even someone like me have a Cast Limit, Cadeus." "Ah¡­ now I understand." "Understand what?" "I guess the Nobles aren''t that strong after all, since they can state how limited is their Cast Limit." "I''m going to kill you." Cadeus can feel Claire building up the magic within her. Gosh, his sense of feeling other magical presences is really improving. "Well, if you do kill me, then I wish you good luck in getting back by yourself." Claire stopped gathering the magic within her. If she had continued, she would have cast a deadly spell. But she hesitated right there, it seems like she really need the company. Cadeus gave another sigh and rubbed his head in slight annoyance. In the end, he could not just leave her alone like that. Even though a noble is a lot stronger than your usual lot of mages, they still have a Cast Limit of their own. They, like any ordinary person, had a chance that they might not make it out of the forest alive. The more he thought of this now, the more he would feel bad if he just leave her as it is. No matter how much he hated her, he still could not shove her to one side and just carry on, on his own. "Look, if you are that concerned about the escort part, you can just follow me. I just need to get something from the swamps. After that, I''ll escort you back properly. I''ll promise that. Satisfied?" Claire looked to the side. She gave a look that tells Cadeus she''s considering his words. In the end, she just nodded. Cadeus just focused on his hand made map and took the lead. "When we get back, you''re going to wish you''re never born." Cadeus rolled his eyes. As usual, the empty threats. "I''d really like to see you try, ''my lady''." "NOW YOU''RE DEAD!" Cadeus turned just in time to deflect a lightning spell with another lightning spell of his own. Current Cast Limit estimation ¨C about four more [Point Spells] left to go TOA After walking for several more minutes, the swamp was finally in sight. At first glance, the swamp could be one of the purest representations of the corruptive nature of Dark Magic. The air smells of mild decay and corruption. Blocks of buzzing black flies swarm around certain parts of the swamp. Rotted fungi could be seen spread all around a thick layer of green mulch covering the forest floor. The water in the swamp was also in a sad state. The liquid is opaque black, with green marshes of decaying mosses overlaying most of the water surface. The edges of the swamps are also all baked with huge clogs of mud, making the swamp look impossible to be a natural habitat. However, underneath the entire fa?ade, the swamp was a large ecosystem home to all sorts of life. It¡¯s a commonplace known to house alchemical ingredients, some of which you will not find even in the most diverse alchemical shop in the whole capital of Infinitas. However, the stench and eeriness of the swamp discouraged many mages from coming. People don''t usually come down here unless they need to, which was why there¡¯s currently no one but Cadeus and Claire. "Well, so what is it that you are looking for?" Claire asked. Cadeus did not answer her. He opened his sling bag and took out the book he got yesterday. "Hm? ''The Swamp comes alive''? You are thinking of that Procona Powder?" "Yes." "What? You think you can find the ingredients in a swamp? The ingredients used to make Procona are all either harvested from animals, volcanic areas and valley plants. What can the swamp provide?" "Everything." "I don''t see how." "You''ll see." Flipping to the page that he marked, he looked around for the plant Draborg as described in the book. It did not take that long until he found it, a plant with a swelling head sitting at the very edge of the swamp pond along the rock lines. Cadeus can see three of them, they should have plenty of the fluid. But the problem now was that they are all at the opposite side of the swamp, and there is no clear path to the other side. In seeing Cadeus staring at the same spot across, Claire can gauge what he is thinking. She bent forward and looked up to him. "So what are you going to do now?" Claire asked. Cadeus still ignored her. He took another good look at the swamp pond in front of him. Currently, they were up on a short cliff. Looking down he could see the opaque surface of the swamp lake. Looking forward again, Cadeus thought that he could make a round around the swamp to get to the other side, but the rock edge will still be out of his reach. He still have to descend into the water in order to get to it. ¡­ ¡­ In comparing both options, making a huge round to get the other side sounds more tedious. No¡­ it will be more worth it if he wades through to the other side. No choice then. Cadeus kept his book. He took out the glass bottle and his short knife and passed his sling bag to Claire. "Hold this for me would you?" Claire gave a look of annoyance but she took it anyway. "What are you up to exactly?" Cadeus took a deep breath, and then he took a leap. As he landed on the swamp pond, Cadeus felt his legs getting wet as swamp water splashed all around him. Gosh, this stench was going to last for days. "Eww¡­ that stinks and it''s just so gross." "Tell me about it." Cadeus started wading through to the other side. As he dragged his feet, he could feel the smaller life forms underneath the water surface swimming away from his legs. When he reached the other side, he took his time to observe the Draborg. The plant''s stem was clinging on the rocky surface while the roots were visible only until it reached the water surface. It had a swelling head all right, but whatever it was, the liquid contents inside the membrane head appeared to be grey in colour. Cadeus''s eyes went to the glass container on his left hand. He placed the very tip of the glass container at the membrane edge. Slowly, he placed his Swiss knife at the very surface and thinly sliced the membrane head. After two thin slices, Cadeus can see a thick grayish fluid leaking out of the membrane head. Cadeus pressed the flask tip against the membrane, causing the thick fluid to drip into the flask itself. As more of the fluid began to leak out, Cadeus added more pressure. By the time the membrane head is drained into a soft lob of membrane skin, the flask is almost filled to the brim. When he is done, Cadeus brought the flask close up, causing the drained membrane head to drop dangling downwards. Satisfied with the outcome, Cadeus corked the flask tip and kept his Swiss knife. He then turned and slowly made his way back. When he reached the exact same spot he landed a moment ago, he placed the flask on the elevated cliff first. After making sure it won''t fall, he used his arms to lift him up. Once he finally got out of the swamp, he frowned at the stench of the dripping water droplets. He''d better make a change of clothes before he meets Sing and Nadav later. Holding his breath, he took a moment to squeeze dry whatever parts of his robes he can. The stench remained, but at least he won''t feel so wet on the journey back. Plus, the weight of drenched robes will not be around to hamper his running, if the situation calls for it. Claire simply watched in silence while she simply observed his actions, there is nothing for her to comment at the moment. The air eventually grew quiet around them, so much that it made Cadeus feel slightly uncomfortable. Once he was done squeeze drying what he can, he took the glass flask and held it up above eye level, using whatever few rays of sunlight he can find to take a closer look. All in all, it is still what he first saw when he cut that membrane skin. Thick, grey, grayish, with a sickening hew to it. Can this thick grey liquid give us Procona Powder? It''s not quite what I had in mind.Cadeus thought. "Are you done?" Claire finally opened her mouth. "Yes." "Here you go." "Huh?" Claire held out his sling bag. "¡­" "What is with that look of surprise?" "Nothing¡­" Cadeus simply took back his sling bag from her. "You really held it to the end didn''t you?" "Of course I did. What were you expecting?" "I don''t know, maybe you''ll just fling it to the other side or something?" Claire frowned again. "Just what do you take me for?" He did not answer. He placed the flask in and secured it in a way that the flask will not crack if the bag was accidentally dropped. "So what on earth is that thing?" Claire finally opened her mouth. "What do you think?" "One unusual ingredient needed to make Procona powder I assume, but what exactly is that thing?" Cadeus looked at her and pondered about the possible implications. He wondered what would happen if he told her that this fluid is the direct powder in liquid form. Initially he did not want to let her know anything, at least until he resolves his own board quest. But the more he thought of this, the more he deduced that people are going to eventually find out he had attained a direct source to making Procona powder, sooner or later. Clashes are bound to happen, this he can be absolutely sure. Given the fact that most Dark Mages had taken up the extensive board quests for Procona Powder, it is going to be very difficult securing the powder source. Violence was commonly used amongst Dark Mages as a means to an end. There were often stories where groups of Dark Mages would fight each other just to secure one alchemical ingredient. Well¡­ given how dangerous the forests of Tenebris Vacuum was, it¡¯s actually not a bad idea to just take what you need by force, instead of risking your life to step into the forest with a chance that you might never make it out. Of course the Educators placed disciplinary margins to ensure that the students do not get out of control. However that only works within the Academia Building. Once you are out in the forest edges, there won''t be any Educator to watch out for you, and the usual deaths that occurred near or within the forests are always recorded as ''unfortunate accidents''. This was not to say that all Dark Mages were the scheming treacherous lot. There were those who would bother going out of their way to get what they need and not bother clashing with the others. Cadeus and Susan were great examples of those kinds of Dark Mages, and Cadeus was sure that there are many such others out there as well. ¡­ Even Claire would not go that far to attack other students to get what she wants, Cadeus was quite sure of that. "So? What ingredient is it? How can it be used to make Procona?" She asked again. Then again, it is sometimes better to play safe and not tell her anything until he finally gets his hands on the powder. "I''ll tell you once I''m done with my board quest." Slice "Ngh?!" The pain came like a sting, and then it went on continuously. It all happened in a blink of an eye. One second Cadeus was standing normally looking at Claire, the next second he''s bending down slightly, hands on his bleeding right cheek. Looking back upwards, Cadeus could see that crystal bird flapping before landing on Claire''s shoulder again. The culprit was so obvious. "What the hell is that for?" "I''m asking you a question, a gentleman should not avoid a lady''s question." "Couldn''t you have told me that in a nice manner?" "I am being nice. If a normal person dare talk back to me with that kind of tone I would have electrocuted him." "What kind of reaction is that? You nobles should know how to exercise your authority properly." "I am exercising my authority properly. If I were some other immature noble, I would have just went on a rampage and start destroying everything that pissed me off, including you." "Slicing a cheek just because you are not answered, just how mature are you?" "What did you say?" "¡­ Nothing." Gosh, Cadeus really did not know how to deal with her. Cadeus used his thumb to swap the cut on his cheek. Looking down, he caouldstill see fresh blood on his thumb. "So? Are you going to tell me or not?" Cadeus looked at her again. That crystal bird of hers was still standing emotionless on her shoulder. If he still avoids her question, who knows what could she do with it. That previous slice was clearly a warning. Cadeus did not want to go through another experience again. "If I give you the answer, how will I make it in such a way that you won''t tell the others?" "Ah I see¡­ you are concerned about the more violent characters." "Obviously? I am in a pinch right now. This Procona issue is really getting off the charts. I don''t know which Dark Mage signed up for the other resquests for Procona Powder, but in considering the situation, won''t I be in a difficult situation if everyone found out I managed to get the powder in such a short amount of time?" Claire just gave him a disinterested look in response. Clearly, she knew about Cadeus''s current situation from the very beginning. Her tone is pure sarcastic, and it is clearly not making Cadeus happy. Cadeus really felt like slapping her. If she had known about this, why go through the trouble of cutting his cheek? "But going from your concerns, won''t I be a liability since I saw you get that fluid? Even if I did not know what that is, I can always assume it is related to Procona. Shouldn''t you be worried about the possibility that I would slip a note to the others in regards to today''s episode?" "As if. You went through the trouble of making me swear to secrecy what had happened today. If you slip your tongue, others will question how the heck you knew about this information, and then they will find out about our unusual pairing today." "Ah, that''s true¡­" "If that happens I might even becomeyourliability as I can account for what happened today. That being said, it obviously does you no good at all since you need that horn for whatever secret project you have in mind." "Is that so?" "So since you need me to keep your horn secret, you will definitely need to keep your mouth shut when it comes to this fluid." "Or, I could just kill you here and now, sell this information to the rest and then I won''t need to worry about you being a liability. I can make up the story after all." Suspense followed. The two of them stared at each other at the face. For some reason, Cadeus heard the threat, but he did not feel the intention coming from Claire. His first thought is to attack her immediately to repel this threat, but it is enough for his mind to control this instinct. No, it is not that she intends to kill him now. Cadeus knew that she is too smart for that. It feels¡­ as if she was testing him, trying to gauge his thinking processes. She just wants to hear his answer. So the question now is this, what is it that she wants to hear? It took a while before Cadeus opened his mouth. "No, I don''t think so." "You must have a lot of courage to say that, or you are just an idiot. What makes you so sure that I won''t kill you to keep your mouth shut." "Look where we are right now, if you kill me, your chances of making out of this forest alive will drop. Even if you think you have a chance, I still owe you a favour for saving my life back there. If I know you right, you will definitely make full use of the fact that I owe you. Also, as a noble you will at least practice a decent level of delicacy regardless of your intentions. So if you want to kill me, you will at least do it when you have no more use of me, am I right?" Claire gave him a sinister smile in response, but it was more than enough for Cadeus to know that she approved of his comments. Cadeus is not that concerned about her death threats. He knew her long enough to know that she did not have the right intentions for it. Claire is not the type to get menacing just because of one small issue, her upbringing is too proper and prim for that kind of thing. "It seems that today is a day for us to keep secrets. Since we are¡­ ''helping'' each other keep secrets, why don''t you just tell me what that fluid is?" "¡­" "You said so yourself, I won''t reveal what happened today since you are already helping me keep my horn secret. So, what is that liquid? How is it connected to Procona Powder?" Not point in hiding it now¡­ Cadeus took out the flask. "Before I start talking, there is no one besides us here right?" Claire gave a look around. She snapped her fingers, summoning two more crystal birds out of nowhere. With another gesture, the three birds split and began moving around a certain invisible perimeter around them. "If there is anyone, they will let me know. Now then, time to drop the sensitivity." "All right then." Cadeus waved the flask in front of her. "This, is Procona Powder in fluid form." "¡­" "¡­" "Are you joking?" Cadeus reach for his bag and too out ''The Swamp comes alive''. "See it for yourself." He tossed the book towards her. Claire caught it with minimum effort, she saw the bookmarks Cadeus made and flipped through each bookmark until she found it. She scanned through the pages, widening her eyes when she read the correct paragraph. Once she was done she closed the book and tossed it back to Cadeus. She then gestured him to pass the flask over. Cadeus hesitated at first, but eventually he sighed and relented. Claire took the flask and held it at eye level. "So this grayish fluid is Procona Powder in liquid form¡­" "Yes." "Hmm¡­" Cadeus braced himself for whatever might come to pass. If she breaks the flask¡­ "Well, now that you mention it, it makes sense, Procona Powder had that grey grayish colour." "Are you done?" Claire gave him another stare to show her displeasure. Thankfully, she passed it back and Cadeus proceeded to secure it in his bag. "So, are we done here?" Claire asked. "Yup." He then gestured to the main road towards the edge of the swamp entrance. "Ladies first." TOA Cadeus could see her tapping on her elbow the first thing he stepped out of the forest. Why was she waiting for him? With a glare filled with 100% disapproval, Susan was clearly not happy. Cadeus did not know what could cause her mood to turn badly. When he left her she was just fine. But now, he could clearly see how her mood changed in just a couple of hours. For some reason Cadeus felt something was off. The cause of her mood change does not seem to be due to an external event or some downhill engagement with other Dark Mages. However, the more he thinks of this, the more he feels that her glare of 100% disapproval is mostly directed at him. Why? Did he do something wrong? Cadeus rewind the time in his head, accumulating all the memories where he had spend time with Susan until he strode off with Claire. So far, Cadeus did not see any reason for him to have given her cause to make her mad. So if he did not did anything to have angered Susan, why is she staring at him with glares of 100% disapproval? "It looks like you got trouble." Claire said. Cadeus did not have to turn around to see that she is smiling. There is no further point in speculating what had happened, so Cadeus just strode ahead. "What happened Susan?" "What happened? Is that all you can say?" "¡­ Ok, let me guess, something went wrong." "Of course something went wrong! Why do you think I''m angry?" "Ok, calm down, what is the issue?" "You are the issue!" Cadeus backed a little, he did not expect to get such a response. "Did I do something wrong?" "Today is the last day we get to have free time! Haven''t you heard Educator Garth? We are even starting on [Distance Spells] tomorrow! Since you were free, I asked you if you could accompany me to do some hunting, and you walked away just like that?" "You asked me?" Cadeus racked his head. He did not remember Susan asking him to do some hunting. In response, Susan just gave him an improved disapproval glare, she totally saw through how dumbfounded he is. Uh Oh¡­ "Sorry I had no recollection, when did this happen?" "After you submitted your fish!" "Fish?" Claire asked. Cadeus just ignored her. "Look Susan, I''m sorry about what happened. How about this? The next time Educator Garth gives us free time, the first thing I will do is to help you with your beast hunt. Is that ok?" "... Fine, if you say so." Phew¡­ safe. Now that he was up close, Susan caught a certain scent emitting from Cadeus''s robes. She covered her nose. "Cadeus, you stink." "Yes I know. Don''t state the obvious." "You smell of the swamp." "Yes, I have been there." "What are you doing there?" "Getting something." "Getting what then?" "¡­" Cadeus can only look away. Susan placed her hands on her hips, bent down slightly and gave him the interrogating stare. "¡­ Very suspicious." "Will you give me a break?" "Cadeus." Claire called. Cadeus turned around to face her. It seems that she had grown bored of their current conversation. Well, it¡¯s not like she has any relationship with Susan anyway. "With this we are done. I''ll let you know if there is anything again in future." "Got it." Claire gave him a smirk. "Good luck Cadeus." "With what?" "With what is about to come." "Huh?" Claire just gave him a mischievous grin. She then walked away, totally not acknowledging Susan''s presence as she passed her. Susan just gave her the distrustful look. Once she caught a wind of a certain scent off Claire, she immediately turned her head back to Cadeus. "Cadeus." "Hm?" "She smells of the swamp too, but not as bad as you. What have the two of you been doing?" "I''m just escorting her." "Escort? You of all people, escort Claire?" "I owe her." "I thought you hated owing people favours." "I did." "Then why?" "I needed her help at one point of time. This is to compensate for it." "This gets even more suspicious. If you hated Claire, why do you need her help?" "It was a small favour for another. Nothing else." "Are you aware of the fact that she might be exploiting you?" "Obviously?" "Ok then, how many more favours you owe her now?" "Just one." Actually, the correct answer was two. Cadeus still owe Claire one during the events of his first day of enrolment, but that is a story for another time. Anyways, why lie to Susan? Cadeus felt that if he were to tell her the truth, it might result in an unfavourable session of Susan interrogating him for the details. In considering that Claire is a highly prestigious Pure Blooded Noble, it should be unfavourable in Susan''s eyes for people to approach Claire without proper incentives and code of conducts. Especially when that person has quite a reputation of being called an ''imposter'' or ''impersonator'' by nobles who are highly sensitive about family names. Susan just gave Cadeus the look that totally tells that she has more to say, but for some reason, she eventually decided to let the matter drop. "¡­ You better not go owing her more favours." "Hopefully not." "¡­" Susan just continued staring at him. Sigh¡­ Cadeus brushed off her stare. Time to move on. Cadeus took out his pocket watch to check the time again. 11:35 am It is coming to lunchtime. Since Educator Garth gave them free time, it is safe to call it a day. Cadeus is quite certain the other Educators would not make any issue if he chose to leave Tenebris Vacuum now. The faster he leaves this hell, the better. As he took a deep breath, he could not help but smell the stench coming from his clothing. "I need to change." "Yes please do, you stink." "You said that once already, and stop covering your nose to illustrate. I squeezed dry most of the water so it should not smell so bad." "You still smell bad." Cadeus ignored her. He started walking up the dirt road that will take him to the teleportation circle. Susan obviously started following him. "Cadeus, what are you going to do later? The whole afternoon is off." "The usual, meeting up with my friends." "Friends?" Susan stopped in her tracks. "Hm?" Cadeus turned around in response. "What''s wrong?" "By friends¡­ you are going to meet up with that White girl again?" White girl¡­ she definitely means Sing, what a label¡­ "Susan, Sirena''s fine. She''s a childhood friend." "She''s White." "There''s nothing wrong with her." "Being White is the problem with her." "Could you please stop it? She''s not as bad as you think." "I think you are the one who should stop it." Susan thrust an accusing index finger towards him. "You are the one who is mingling with the wrong people Cadeus. Dark and White don''t mix." There we go again, discrimination amongst those who had different colours of Magic in their blood. Since both sides have conflicting practices and ethics, it is only natural for the majority of each side to be wary of one another. "In general, yes I understand. Most White Mages I am exposed to are really a pain, but Sirena''s a special case." "Oh really? How is she a special case?" "She''s not discriminative, and she accepts who I am. Above all, she does not jump the gun whenever I bring up something related to Dark Magic." "But that does not mean that she is immune to negative thoughts about Dark Mages right?" "¡­" Susan folded her arms and gave Cadeus the ''I told you so'' face. ¡­ ¡­ Even Cadeus got to admit that Susan is right. There are times where Sing will show signs of concern whenever Cadeus brought something Dark Magic related. But Sing did it on a very minimum level, something you don''t see in every White Mage. Cadeus really hoped that Susan wouldn''t keep being discriminative towards White Mages. What happens if you really need to work with one in the future? "Um¡­ Cadeus?" "Hm?" Susan pointed to his side, Cadeus turned to look. Cadeus found himself staring at three guys. Going by their faces, they were total strangers. But from their robe slash, Cadeus can tell that they are students like himself. This means, they could be from another class. From their faces Cadeus can instantly tell that they were not friends. The three are totally emitting facial expressions of hostility. "What are you going to do Cadeus?" "Let''s just ignore them." Cadeus resumed walking, avoiding eye contact with the three. Things did not get threatening until they started to block his path. Looking at them now, Cadeus could not help but sigh inwardly. "¡­ It looks like it is going to be a rough one." Getting into fights has recently become an everyday occurrence for Cadeus. Ever since his ''imposter'' label had been the talk of the Academia term, Cadeus never had a lack of enemies. Many mages, particularly the nobles, all hated him. They will always look for an opportunity to make a move on Cadeus. So far, Cadeus managed to escape the worse of the situations, but that does not mean that he would be safe forever. Such issues had become an everyday occurrence to the point where a good day for Colour Class, would be a day where Cadeus would not need to fight anyone. "Hey imposter." Cadeus gave them a good look. Now that he is closer, he can see their robe slash. They are all simple students like him. The one on his right is obese while the other two are lean and decent. They should only able to cast basic [Point Spells]. But that does not mean he should let his guard down. Who knows when will they make their move? "Which class are you three from?" "Does it matter?" "What are you here for?" "We are just passing a message." A message? "From whom?" "You don''t need to know." "Passing a message but not letting the receiver know the sender. You might as well don''t pass the message at all." "Listen you arrogant twit, you are insulting a noble. Just accept the message and shut up." "Ah, so the sender is a noble, thanks for the tip." The lean student who got rebutted gave Cadeus a glare so hard he could fell him building up his magic reserves. It looks like a physical conflict is not avoidable. "My schedule is tight. What is the message?" "Here''s the message. Give up on your board quest." Ah¡­ so that''s how things were going about. Things were now getting clearer for Cadeus to understand, and it looks like his current situation was getting worse by the minute. If a noble tells him to stop his board quest, it could only be one thing. That same noble was one of the many Dark Mages who took up the latest board requests for Procona Powder. At this point, it would be safe to assume that most of the Dark Mages that took up the new powder requests are either the nobles or their lackeys. Anyways, Cadeus could see two paths in front of him. The first would be to accept the message, drop everything and avoid the ire of the nobles. The second would be to defy, possibly get into a fight with the three in front of him right now and get targeted by the nobles involved in future. But no, Cadeus was not going to comply. He had his board quest first. He was the one who first received the request for Procona Powder. He was not going to let some noble waste away yesterday''s worth of work. "Here''s my reply, tell that noble to get lost. I got my quest first. I have the rights to get the quest reward, 300 Duches or not." The three in front of him changed faces for the worst. They soon started to get into their casting stances, but Cadeus is not going to let them take any initiative. Current Cast Limit estimation ¨C about four¡­ no, five more [Point Spells] left This was the first thing that went into Cadeus''s head. Of the three in front of him, the one that seems to be the slowest is the fat blobbed one on his right. He''ll take on the other two first. At that very instance, Cadeus spread out his fingers and rushed the magic energizes to his fingertips. [Lightning Pulse] The high voltage of lightning hit the two students square at their solar plexus, sending them flying backwards off to the side and cocooning their entire body with electricity. But it does not end there. Unlike [Lightning Caste] that utilized five forks of lightning arcs per hand, [Lightning pulse] only has three. But the motive behind three lighting arcs is not to hit the opponent directly, but to ensnare them. Once they got hit, the lightning spell covered them in some sort of lightning web. The spell then lifted the two students off the ground and started rotating them in numerous directions, maximizing the voltage currents and the damage it brings. As Cadeus turned from the two who are currently immobilized, he could see how the obese student was caught off guard. The obese student must have assumed that things would have been easy since he had additional backup. But when he saw his two companions flying backwards his lost his composure. Cadeus could see him sweating, and he could feel how distorted the magic was within that fat student. Whatever offensive spell that obese student had, he lost his imagination. He won''t be able to cast any spell effectively, for the moment. Like the first two, Cadeus was not going to give that fat blob any chance. He rushed forward the magic within his blood for another [Point Spell]. This time, he focused the magic energizes onto his palm and imagined something sizzling hot. Stepping just a few feet in front of the last opponent, he cast the next spell, [Thermal Crest]. The spell basically allows Cadeus to shoot out a small blast of flame out from his palm. The purpose of this spell was mainly for the caster to use fire to scorch a surface to leave behind a message. However, it could also be used as a fast casting spell to surprise the opponent, especially at such close range. The obese student panicked upon the sight of the fire spell. He flashed out his own palms in front of it and casted another fire spell, but his casting process is too hasty. He did not have proper preparation. The spell shape disintegrated the instance it left his palm, but it was enough to place an obstacle in front of Cadeus''s own fire spell. Both spells collided causing a clash, a clash that probably saved that fat blob''s life. But it did not end there. As the clash created a kind of blast, Cadeus closed himself up by a hair''s breath. Ignoring the obese student''s sense of surprise, Cadeus stabbed his fingers into his torso and casted the same stun spell he used on the Criftoae just moments ago. The obese student jerked and danced to the lightning effects. It did not take that long before he collapsed onto the floor, unmoving. Once he was certain the obese student would not be getting up, Cadeus turned to check on the first two students he targeted. They were still currently in mid air cocooned with electricity, but the spell''s duration was finishing. After three more seconds, the lighting faded and the two collapsed without moving. Guess they would not be getting up again. Cadeus clenched his fists. The exhilarated feeling began kicking into his mind again. It was the same after effect whenever he used the Dark Magic within his blood. Whatever it is, Cadeus struggled to control it. He cannot let this feeling overcome him. In feeling some kind of gaze being directed over towards him, Cadeus turned over only to see Susan looking at him with concern. "Cadeus¡­ you did not have to go that far." "They started emitting hostile intentions in the first place. If I let them do as they pleased I would have been under their mercy. Taking the initiative was the right choice." "¡­" Using the tip of his boot, he kicked the obese student to the side, exposing his face and torso. "Now, let''s find out who sent these lackeys. Susan, search the others." "¡­ Ok." Cadeus searched the obese student''s sling bag first. He found nothing except books, a long knife and some rolled up scrolls too well written to be messages. He then flipped the obese student''s cloak to the side searched his pockets and pouches. "Um¡­ Cadeus." "What?" "I found the message. It''s not good." "Huh?" Cadeus turned to look. Susan held up what seemed to be a crumpled up paper. The message was hand written. Walking over, Cadeus took the slip from her fingers. Glancing through, it seems more like a set of instructions telling the three to inform Cadeus to drop his board quest. It¡¯s an indirect message, which definitely means that a noble is behind one of the latest board quests for the powder. But that was not the main focus. Cadeus needs to know who was behind this assault. Looking further down, he found his answer. There was an insignia at the very bottom right corner of the note. It¡¯s an insignia of the flame stamped in red wax, and there was only one noble family who had that flame insignia. Acriscius Incendium ve Ustrina He was the very first noble to brand him with the title of ''imposter'', and he was also the reason why Cadeus is on bad terms with almost everyone in Tenebris Vacuum. So far, Cadeus had managed to avoid a confrontation with that person. However, with this note, Cadeus is getting a bad feeling. He has a feeling he will clash with Acriscius soon, very soon. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Not wanting to think anymore about this matter at the moment, Cadeus ripped the note into very tiny pieces before scattering them into the wind. Now there will be no passersby who will find out about this note. "Let''s go Susan. The less people know about this the better." "What about them?" Susan gestured towards the three fallen students. It looks like she feels concerned enough for their well being. Cadeus gave a quick look around, there is no one else besides the two of them, good. "Leave them. If we bring this up to the Educators, they will question our involvement. When they find out what I did, they might even punish us." "But they are hurt." Ignoring that last comment, Cadeus just started walking with an unconcerned look. Susan can only follow with haste. While she followed, she stole a few glances back towards the three fallen bodies, obviously still concerned. ¡­ In the end, Cadeus could not understand why Susan would care so much for such small matters. Those three were clearly just used by Acriscius to pass a message. They already served their purpose, but attacking him was not part of their instructions. Plus, it is only natural for Cadeus to deal a decent amount of damage in return as self-defense. Why do they need additional pity when they clearly failed? Cadeus sighed. He turned his head towards Susan. "Relax, they will not die. The level of electricity I put into is not enough to kill anyone." "¡­ I just hope you are right. But even so¡­ won''t those three put the blame onto you when they wake up?" "Where is their proof? Look at where we are. Any other mage could have done this, and the Educators are not that stupid to place the blame quickly. The fact that they will blame it on me is even more absurd. No one will believe that I have the capability to take down three students of the same year." "But you are a Pure Blood Cadeus." "I just started learning magic three months ago. How can I produce such a result?" "You just did." "Who would believe it?" "¡­" "Just don''t mention anything about this, we will be fine." "¡­ If you say so." TOA Susan was not the only one who knew Cadeus fought three students and defeated them singlehandedly. Once he and Susan stepped onto the teleportation circle and teleported to Converse Hall, Claire turned her attention and said only one thing. "He''s good." "Hm¡­" "He managed to defeat three students with just three spells. That''s already quite a feat for a student at his level." "Three students of the weakest caliber. That still does not mean anything." "You mean you expected that outcome?" "I only expect those three to pass the message, that''s all there is to be." "What do you think then?" "Hm?" "Don''t give me that look. You sacrificed three pawns to see how he''s doing. What do you think of Cadeus." "He''s nothing. Like every imposter." "That''s not what I think." "What do you think then?" "His growth is unusually fast. Even though he is only been exposed to [Point Spells], he has been using them to their outmost benefit. He managed to knock out one Criftoae and scare six others by just using two lightning spells." "When did this happen? I did not hear of this." "Does it matter? What I am saying is that he''s learning at a very fast pace. You saw how he casted his spells. Take [Lightning Pulse] for an instance. It took me six months to get [Lightning Pulse] just right. He got it perfectly in a manner of three. If you think about how late he is introduced to magic, getting [Lightning Pulse] that perfect in such a short time is definitely something not normal." "What are you trying to say then?" "I think we''d better not underestimate the fact that he is a Pure Blood like us." Giving her the look that tells her he is not that concerned, Acriscius Incendium ve Ustrina placed his right hand on the tree right next to him. "It does not matter whether he is a Pure Blood or not. An imposter is an imposter." He pressed his fingertips against the tree trunk, at that very next second, the entire tree got incinerated into ash and thin air. "We will not allow him to brand that family name out so openly. It is an insult to us nobles and the nobles of that family. When the situation calls for it. I will gladly end his pathetic existence." Claire looked at the three students lying on the ground. She is not as convinced as her noble counterpart. "But what do you think Acriscius? What if¡­ he is really a survivor of that family?" "Impossible. There can be no one. That family died out during the Trebunus Crisis." "All save one." Acriscius gave her the warning look. "Be careful. We are not allowed to speak of that matter, didn''t your parents warned you before enrollment?" "Yes." "That is rumour, not truth. The Immortal is a myth. That is how it should be." Volume 1 - Chapter 3, Procona Fever When the bright purple light faded again, Cadeus found himself standing at the very edge of a familiar corridor. Looking in front, he could see the central lounge of Converse Hall on the other end of the corridor. It¡¯s finally lunchtime, one of the periods that many people would look forward too. Students, Acolytes and Apprentices get to have a break from their stringent courses, while the Educators and Masters get to have a break from dealing with the continuous strain of coaching Magi rules and engagements. For Cadeus, this was the one period where he could finally be at total ease. Finally, he was out of Tenebris Vacuum. He had survived yet another day from that hellhole mostly unscathed. This feeling was so breathtaking that from the moment he stepped out of that teleportation circle, Cadeus felt that he was free from a great number of burdens. Now, he could get to enjoy the company of his closest friends. ¡°Whew¡­ we¡¯re finally back. I really hated it when we have to go through teleportation.¡± Susan said, stretching herself. ¡°What are you going to do the rest of the day?¡± ¡°Meeting up with Pedrela and Jouna.¡± ¡°I see, more Board Quests?¡± ¡°Yup, but not the messed up ones for Procona.¡± ¡°Good for you.¡± Susan just gave him a sympathetic smile. Having just tasted how intensive Cadeus¡¯s Procona situation currently was, she could not help but feel concerned. Even though the previous clash between Cadeus and the three other students was resolved without many issues, there was still the matter of the nobles who had not fallen under the equation, yet. ¡°You know Cadeus.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°I wish I could help you. But since Acriscius might be involved, there is really little I can do to help.¡± Help? In truth, Cadeus seriously doubt Susan might be of any help since she proved incapable of helping him out earlier, but that was something he did not think it is right to say in front of her. ¡°It¡¯s ok. I already count myself lucky I got a friend like you.¡± Once he said that, Susan could not help but look to the other side and play with her ponytail with her right fingers. Did he also see a blush? ¡°F-Friend? What do you mean?¡± ¡°You are a noble aren¡¯t you?¡± He pointed at her tie. Susan was wearing the normal Academy uniform with the uniformed black robes. But she was also wearing a customized tie with golden edges. It¡¯s a tie that nobles were entitled to wear during their time studying in Triple Orb Academy. ¡°Y-Yes, I am a noble, but that does not mean much really. I¡¯m just a Lesser Noble, a Minor Lesser. Ah-ha-ha-ha.¡± ¡°But unlike the other nobles, you have been very kind and helpful to me for the past three months. Considering how hostile the other nobles are towards me, it must be quite pressuring for you isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°W-Well, to me it dosen¡¯t matter if you are a noble or not. Besides, I am only a Lesser Noble because my parents were recently granted titles of nobility because of something they did that pleased the High Council. It¡¯s not like I am in the know when it comes to stuff related to nobles. Besides, the other nobles don¡¯t care so much. I¡¯m a Lesser anyway ah-ha-ha-ha.¡± Based on her current mood, Cadeus is not entirely sure if she is currently happy about being a Lesser or not. ¡°Besides Cadeus¡­ are you sure you will be fine leaving things like that with Acriscius?¡± ¡°Leaving things?¡± Internally, Cadeus applauded her choice of words. ¡°I did not even meet him in person Susan. Besides, I¡¯m sure he has his own problems to deal with. Otherwise, he would not have send three lackeys after me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Well, not like there is anything to worry about. If Acriscius really comes for me, I will come up with an idea or two to deal with him. Besides, since I owe Claire one, I might have gotten myself some sort of temporary protection.¡± ¡°Claire?¡± Susan paused in the middle of her tracks. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°You know Claire. Once someone owes her something, she will make sure that person stays alive until she is done with him. Now that I owe her, I can at least say that she will make sure I remain alive before she returns to me to help her do something dubious.¡± ¡°That is a very negative way of looking at Claire Cadeus.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it true? Aren¡¯t all the other nobles like that?¡± ¡°Not entirely¡­¡± ¡°Come on, you two also don¡¯t get along right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not to say I don¡¯t get along with her. Claire had this¡­ certain air around her. It is not very easy to get close to her. She¡¯s Pure Blooded. On top of that, she¡¯s from the Greater Noble Families, just like Acriscius. I¡¯d doubt that they think much of Lesser Nobles.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°¡­ You better not push your luck Cadeus.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You should really stop provoking them.¡± ¡°Who? The other nobles? Now who is really doing the provoking I wonder.¡± ¡°But still¡­¡± ¡°They can¡¯t change the truth no matter how much they want. Plus it is not my fault they get so rowdy just because of some name coincidence.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because they take their noble prestige seriously. You do know what your family name represents right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Cadeus could not find anything to refute that one. ¡°On top of that Cadeus, you might not find nobles to be that much of a deal, but when you graduate as a legitimate mage, dealing with nobles will become an everyday occurrence. You better not get too much on their bad side.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t I already? Everyone hates this ¡®imposter¡¯ anyway.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because they fail to see who you really are. But I¡¯m sure in time they will.¡± ¡°¡­ You are surprisingly very optimistic today.¡± ¡°He he~.¡± To think that for a moment ago, she was throwing tantrum at him for not helping her do some hunting. Really¡­ her mood fluctuates without prediction. ¡°You can join us for the day you know?¡± ¡°What? Me joining the three of you?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°It will be fine. Unlike me, Pedrela and Jouna are not nobles. They do not care so much about the ¡®imposter¡¯ thing. Besides, they are pretty curious about you.¡± Curious? Cadeus frowned at the word. ¡°Why would they be so?¡± ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not what you think it is. It¡¯s just that it¡¯s not everyday you see a Dark Mage step in to save someone just because they want to.¡± ¡°I see¡­ so I am a rarity.¡± ¡°Pretty much.¡± ¡°Thanks for the offer, but I think I better pass. I need to finish that Procona Board Quest.¡± ¡°Oh right you have that¡­ sorry I forgot.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ok. I¡¯ll look up to the next opportunity.¡± ¡°In the meantime, you¡¯re meeting that White Girl again right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s your decision so I won¡¯t stop you. You better not get entranced by the likes of her.¡± Cadeus could not help but sigh. ¡°One of these days, I¡¯m seriously going to introduce you to her formally.¡± ¡°What?¡± Susan gave Cadeus a pure expression of shock; maybe she did not see that one coming. ¡°I¡¯m serious. It is about time you really see who Sirena is for yourself. I really don¡¯t like it when you get all stereotype whenever I bring up her name.¡± Susan just stood there nailed to the ground in shock. Then she merely shook her head and waved her hand left and right. ¡°Don¡¯t bother. Even if I meet her, I won¡¯t get a good opinion of her anyway.¡± ¡°Hey¡­ don¡¯t dismiss an option like that instantly without trying.¡± ¡°Trust me, I already tried dealing with several decent White Mages that are around the level of that White Girl. But they are all the same, Colour Discrimination. That White Girl might be comfortable with you since you are her childhood friend. But I doubt the same would work when it comes to a complete stranger.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Cadeus could not find anything to counter that. ¡°Well, just don¡¯t let that White Girl get into your head. I¡¯ll see you again tomorrow.¡± ¡°Yeah Sure.¡± ¡°See you.¡± ¡°Bye.¡± Cadeus simply watched Susan as she went off ahead. As he watched her, he could not help but root himself on the spot. ¡­ ¡­ Oh well, maybe an opportunity might show itself in future. Cadeus currently feels that he does not need to be insistent for Susan to meet Sing. When he finally got into the main lounge, the first person he managed to find was Nadav. It looks like Sing was not here yet, which was really great. Cadeus really did not want her to smell the stench and see the cut on his cheek at the moment. Once he and Nadav made eye contact, Nadav gave him one of his usual bright smiles. ¡°A miracle! You¡¯re back in one piece!¡± ¡°¡­ Aren¡¯t I always the same everyday Nadav?¡± ¡°Wait! For a moment I thought something happened to you. Let me check again. Are you losing a hand? A leg? An organ? A face?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. Stop asking the same set of questions whenever I am back from Tenebris Vacuum. Also, can you please stop with the face? How can I lose my face?¡± ¡°Well. I have been hearing a lot of stories about how Dark Mages have this scary ability to steal people¡¯s faces.¡± ¡°That is over exaggeration. I cannot do such a thing and I doubt any other Dark Mage would have that kind of ability. Anyways, good to see that you weren¡¯t knocked out.¡± ¡°Hey, that¡¯s harsh. Even I put in effort for this Procona search. There is no way I am going to let 160 profit slip from my fingertips.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still that concerned about the money?¡± That was when Nadav noticed something. He took a few steps away from Cadeus, trying his best to bear the stench emitting from his robes. Cadeus could not help but raise his left eyebrow in question. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You stink.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. You don¡¯t have to mention it.¡± ¡°Why the stench?¡± ¡°I went to the swamps today Nadav. Haven¡¯t you heard me this morning?¡± ¡°Oh right¡­ you needed Sing¡¯s flask.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Cadeus pulled his robes to his nose. ¡°Gosh I need to change.¡± ¡°Anyways, did something else happen to you Cadeus?¡± Nadav asked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Your cheek.¡± Nadav pointed at his own cheek. ¡°Oh¡­¡± Darn it, Cadeus forgot how obvious the cut wound looked. As he thought about it, he brought his right finger to the laceration site. Swapping it once, he brought his finger back to eye view. The wound had already dried. There is no trace of fresh wet blood on his fingers. ¡°It was an accident. Nothing more.¡± ¡°No, no, no, no.¡± Nadav waved his hand to the left and right. ¡°That¡¯s cut is too straight for a simple scratch by a branch. Who did it?¡± ¡°It was, an accident.¡± ¡°Ok fine. Let¡¯s say it was an accident, but who is involved?¡± ¡°Another Dark Mage.¡± ¡°Another girl?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Yup, I knew it. Who is it? That girlfriend of yours?¡± ¡°First off, the name is Susan. Second, we are not dating. Third, no, she is not the one responsible for it.¡± ¡°Ok, but is she the one responsible for your stench?¡± ¡°For some reason, I feel that you are forcing some sort of blame onto Susan.¡± ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t? Isn¡¯t she the only other Dark Mage who is friendly towards you?¡± ¡°Ok, that¡¯s an accurate fact. But if we follow on that, why would she do such a thing?¡± ¡°Well, maybe you pissed her off?¡± ¡°Why would you think of such a thing?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know? Did you piss her off?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°So you did piss her off.¡± ¡°It was a minor issue.¡± ¡°Ah I see, a minor issue.¡± ¡°Yes, a small, minor, issue. I would say it was more like she¡¯s throwing tantrum rather than getting pissed off. But before you say anything else that level of tantrum will not be enough to make Susan to cut me.¡± ¡°Then who cut you then? From the looks of it I managed to hit the jackpot that the culprit is a girl.¡± ¡°¡­ I think you would be better off not knowing.¡± ¡°Oh? Oh? What is this? Why is my investigation switch switching into action?¡± Cadeus simply pressed his hand on Nadav¡¯s face and gently pushed it to the side. ¡°Who is she then? Another secret girlfriend we are not aware of?¡± ¡°She¡¯s not a girlfriend, she¡¯s not even a friend, and if you bring up the word girlfriend one more time, I swear it will be the last girlfriend you will say until you regain conscious in the infirmary.¡± ¡°Ok¡­ you really are serious about it this time... Does she hate you?¡± ¡°¡­ Something like that.¡± ¡°So a girl who hates you is responsible for that cut.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s with that look?¡± ¡°Your female relationships never cease to amaze me.¡± ¡°Do you want me to knock you down now?¡± ¡°Better not. Even if you did knock me down, your efforts will be wasted.¡± ¡°Oh really? How so?¡± ¡°One, Sing would heal me if I got hurt. Two, she won¡¯t allow you to hit me.¡± ¡°Ah true.¡± ¡°Speaking of which¡­¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Sing¡¯s here.¡± ¡°What?¡± Nadav pointed behind Cadeus. As Cadeus turned, he can see Sing with several of her other White Mage classmates. It looks like she is still on conversation. ¡°Oh great. I¡¯ll meet you at Corals later.¡± ¡°Ok¡­ What? Where are you going?¡± ¡°To change? With Sing that particular about fashion do you think she would like to smell this stench on me?¡± ¡°Oh, true¡­¡± Looking back, Cadeus saw Sing wave her friends goodbye and started walking towards the two of them. When Cadeus¡¯s eyes met hers, he immediately made his move. ¡°Oh crap she¡¯s coming. I¡¯ll see you later. Don¡¯t tell Sing anything.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Cadeus instantly turned and started running back to the male dormitory. As Nadav looked at his running silhouette, he looked back to Sing only to see her staring at Cadeus¡¯s disappearing figure with concern. ¡°Oh dear, now she¡¯ll start asking me.¡± ¡°Of course I will start asking you.¡± Sing said, finally right in front of Nadav. ¡°Before I start, I just want to confirm. Did Cadeus just left after seeing me?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°¡­ Why?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ good question.¡± ¡°Nadav? Don¡¯t try to avoid it, I saw the two of you talking.¡± ¡°Yes we were talking.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°Well¡­ we were just talking.¡± ¡°Talking about what?¡± ¡°Talking about things.¡± ¡°What things?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t beat around the bush with me Nadav.¡± ¡°Uh oh¡­ You saw though it.¡± ¡°Of course I saw through it. You guys always mess up whenever you two try to hide something from me.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ true.¡± ¡°So, enough chasing around, what did Cadeus tell you.¡± ¡°Um¡­ I promised him not to tell you anything so¡­¡± Sing closed her eyes and gave Nadav a merciless smile. ¡°Why exactly are you two keeping me in the dark?¡± ¡°Wait! Before you do something to me this is all Cadeus¡¯s idea!¡± ¡°Ah I see, putting all the blame to poor Cadeus now eh?¡± ¡°What poor Cadeus?! He was the one who started it.¡± ¡°Nadav?¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth! Cadeus told me specifically not to tell you anything!¡± No matter how much Nadav begged, it looks like Sing is not going to forgive the carefree clown. As she slowly walked closer Nadav can feel an enormous amount of White Magic building up within her. As she approached him, Nadav could not help but look at his surroundings. Nearby students already had their attention fixated upon them, particularly the other White Mages. ¡°Um¡­ Sing?¡± Sing just continued walking forward with the merciless smile that look like it came from an angel of death. ¡°Ah ha ha¡­ I get it, it is one of your new jokes. You scared me already, can you please stop with the magic build up?¡± With a wave of her hand, Nadav was hit square in the chest by a highly concentrated pulse of wind. The strong wind sent him flying out of the entrance of Converse Hall. ¡°AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!¡± Luckily for Nadav, he landed on soft grass. If he were to land on one of the hard paved roads, only God would know what might happen to his back. TOA ¡°Where do I start? When I first saw him again, he stinks of the swamp, and then there is a cut on his right cheek.¡± ¡°¡­ Ok, at least nothing major happened to him. I can heal a simple cut easily. Anything else?¡± ¡°Other than the fact that he had a usual rough day? Nothing else.¡± After helping him back up on his feet, Sing started her interrogation. Actually, scratch the word ¡®interrogation¡¯. It no longer counts as a ¡®interrogation¡¯ since Nadav began to spill the beans willingly. ¡°All right. So it¡¯s just the stench and the cut.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t that much of a deal. Why does he want to keep it a secret from me? Wait wrong question. What does he want to keep a secret from me?¡± ¡°I was kind of hoping you¡¯d avoid that question. Damn it, why does your mind have to be so sharp?¡± ¡°Nadav, clock¡¯s ticking, don¡¯t keep me waiting.¡± ¡°Ok, ok, ok. What is the big deal here is the cut on his cheek.¡± ¡°The cut on his cheek? Why?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because he did not get that cut from a tree branch. A girl cut his cheek.¡± ¡°A girl?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°A Dark Mage student?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°Is it Susan?¡± ¡°Wow, you remembered her name.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t start Nadav.¡± For Sing to reprimand Nadav like this, she must be considerably serious about this unusual matter. This was obviously not the time for jokes, Nadav made sure he better not push his luck especially when it came to Sing. ¡°Ok, ok. No, that girl is not Susan.¡± ¡°Did he said who did it then?¡± ¡°Nope, but it is another girl that¡¯s for sure. For some reason he seems quite reluctant to share the details.¡± ¡°A girl who cuts him, it is not Susan, and it does not seem to be a girl that is friendly to him.¡± ¡°Oh come on now Sing, a cut by itself is already a miracle. You should know how much of a danger Cadeus is whenever he has Colour Class.¡± ¡°If wouldn¡¯t be that suspicious if it is just some random girl. What is suspicious is why he wanted to keep it a secret. Why does he want to keep it secret?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Cadeus has always been keeping a lot of things quiet whenever it comes to Colour Class. This is probably just something trivial.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Nadav did not know how this conversation developed, but Sing began thinking deeply. She became engrossed, her arms tucked close, right thumb and index finger just below her chin. What ever for? Nadav could not say. ¡°No it sounds too fishy to be something trivial.¡± ¡°Come on Sing, you are over thinking it.¡± ¡°Knowing Cadeus, he won¡¯t keep it secret unless it is something big.¡± ¡°Like I said, it¡¯s definitely nothing.¡± ¡°There must be something.¡± ¡°You are definitely over thinking it.¡± ¡°Ah! I got it. I finally got it. If a girl did it, and he does not want to let us know who it is¡­ it must be the identity of that girl.¡± ¡°You are super over thinking it!¡± ¡°Come on Nadav, think about it. Why would Cadeus want to keep that girl a secret?¡± ¡°Not every Dark Mage is friendly to Cadeus. It can be just one random person. I reckoned a second secret girlfriend at the beginning, but then he threatened the jabs.¡± ¡°Of course he would.¡± Nadav brought his arms upwards to the back of his head. ¡°Won¡¯t you find it suspicious if he has a girlfriend?¡± ¡°If he really has a girlfriend, what would you think Cadeus would do?¡± ¡°¡­ Announce it formally, bring her and introduce us to her.¡± ¡°There we go. So why would he keep a girlfriend secret. Enough with your girlfriend jokes you, I can already foresee a day where Cadeus will seriously skin you.¡± ¡°Oh please. The last thing I want in this world is to be used as an ingredient for some kind of dark ritual.¡± ¡°So coming back to the main topic.¡± ¡°Oh God, spare me!¡± TOA Cadeus locked the door to his room. After depositing his smelly robes to the dry cleaners, he started off ahead to Coral Hall. By the time he was at the scene, he can already see Nadav and Sing sitting at the usual spot. Trying to act as natural as possible, Cadeus approached the two of them. ¡°Hi.¡± ¡°Hi Cadeus. How¡¯s Colours?¡± Sing asked. ¡°The usual. So far I managed to keep my head on my neck.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that great. Well at least you won¡¯t have to think about Colours for a while.¡± Cadeus placed his sling bag at the side and sat opposite her right next to Nadav ¡°How was Colours for you?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ it went well. I dissected a Cavonite beetle. So it was great.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Not wanting to know what the heck a Cavonite beetle was, Cadeus took a look at the contents of the table right in front of him. They had already helped him get his lunch. Looking down Cadeus could already see the standard lunch menu he took usually, one loaf of hard bread served with black pepper chicken kebab along with roasted potatoes, corns and carrots, not forgetting that hot tea with no cream. As he started to eat, Cadeus stole a glance at Nadav. Nadav seems to be very uninterested with the current setting. He is simply resting his head on his right palm looking beyond¡­ as if he was in dreamland or something. ¡°You ok Nadav?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Nadav looked back. ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m fine.¡± He then turned back, giving Cadeus a ¡®good luck with that¡¯ expression. Cadeus lifted his right eyebrow. Normally when asked ¡®you ok Nadav?¡¯, Nadav will always crack a small joke. The fact that he is avoiding Cadeus seems to imply something different. ¡­ Just what on Earth ¨C ¡°Cadeus, care to share what happened?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Sing pointed to her own cheek. Right¡­ Cadeus steadied himself, time to act normal. ¡°Oh, this is nothing. An accident.¡± ¡°An accident?¡± ¡°Yes, an accident. You don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡± ¡°Which girl did it?¡± ¡°Girl?¡± Sing folded her arms and gave him an emotionless smile. Uh oh¡­ ¡°Cadeus, Nadav told me. Don¡¯t try to hide things from me.¡± Ah¡­ so that¡¯s what it is. Cadeus turned and gave Nadav the glare that said ¡®you traitor¡¯. But Nadav simply avoided Cadeus¡¯s look with the usual old fashion style of whistling whilst looking at the other side with his hands on the back his head. ¡°¡­¡± For Nadav to give that kind of reaction in response, Sing must have interrogated him instantly after he left the scene. Darn it¡­ why was it so easy for Sing to fish things out whenever they try to hide something from her? Sigh¡­ Cadeus rested his head on his left palm. This was a situation where he would say ¡®it can¡¯t be helped¡¯. But that would still not save him when it came to Sing¡¯s interrogation. Wait¡­ why the word ¡®interrogation¡¯? Cadeus thought. ¡°So, which girl did it? Was it Susan?¡± Sing¡¯s tone became more assertive. It seems that she was really intent to find out what had happened. At this rate, keeping the truth from her would result in an extremely unfavourable out come. Oh well, better spill the beans before things get even worse. ¡°No, it¡¯s not Susan. It was someone else.¡± ¡°Who then?¡± ¡°You are better off not knowing.¡± Sing just closed her eyes and tightened smiled. She¡¯s smiling, but her face was not. Cadeus knew at that point of time that he was really putting her patience to the test. Oh dear, what to do? Things were not progressing well at this rate. It¡¯s either Cadeus spill the beans now or¡­ he would have to face Sing in her ¡®Angel of no Mercy¡¯ mode. Cadeus took a deep breath, this was going to be a hassle but he want to get this done and over with. ¡°The one responsible for the cut is a noble. Her name is Claire Rrogust ve Chroma.¡± Upon that single reply, the atmosphere around the three of them hardened slightly. However, the two soon gave Cadeus wry faces. They soon understood the gist of his circumstances. Given Cadeus¡¯s unusual background, the three of them had already knew of several incidents that involved Cadeus and the nobles of his colour sectors. In fact, they kind of expected it since the first day of their enrollment, and what did you know? Trouble soon arose within their first week and the weeks that soon came within their first three months. Of course, the two of them were not targeted. Even for the nobles that¡¯ll be going a little too far, and fundamentally Dark Mages tend to not care about those who were not of their kind. If they were to bump into Nadav and Sing, they¡¯ll simply dismiss them as ¡®oh, they are the friends of that guy¡­¡¯ and simple not care any more than that. That was why when something happened to Cadeus, it only happened in Tenebris Vacuum and their friends were mostly left out of it. Since nothing terribly serious happened, the two of them would not ask for the specifics since Cadeus requested it. But this time¡­ Cadeus did not know why they would be so thorough in knowing what had happened. ¡°Sigh¡­ this is not good isn¡¯t it?¡± Nadav said. ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s actually not so bad.¡± ¡°So starting from day one, how many nobles have you already pissed off?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ there are a couple dozen who won¡¯t hesitate to pick a fight, but they are still nobles who keep to the etiquettes they were brought up with. As long as we keep our distance, they won¡¯t spark a scene that will bring dishonour to their house.¡± ¡°Keep to their etiquettes is it? If that¡¯s the case, then what about this Claire? Who is she and why did she cut your cheek?¡± Sing asked. ¡°She¡¯s a Greater Noble, the only daughter of house Rrogust ve Chroma, one of the five Greater Noble houses of Dark Mages.¡± ¡°Oi, oi¡­ does that mean she¡¯s a serious big shot? Why did she cut your cheek then? Did you do something funny to her?¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ why are you so quick to assume that it was I who did something?¡± ¡°Nadav, let Cadeus finish. So coming back, how are you and Claire acquainted?¡± ¡°We just happened to be in the same class. Given our difference circumstances, we tend to have a policy to avoid each other. But recently the two of us have been helping each other out for mutual benefits.¡± ¡°Helping her out?¡± ¡°¡­Sort of¡± ¡°So are you good terms with her or not?¡± ¡°Are you kidding me? Why would a noble like her get along with me?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that Susan girlfriend a noble? Aren¡¯t the two of you getting along?¡± Nadav butt in. Cadeus gave him the look that said ¡®you are not helping¡¯. But he replied his question anyway. ¡°Yes she¡¯s a Lesser, but she different. She does not flaunt her family name or let her noble prejudice get in the way. Quite unlike the noble junk heads I had to deal with in Tenebris Vacuum.¡± ¡°Junk heads? Ah¡­¡± Nadav applauded Cadeus¡¯s choice of words. ¡°But are the two of you extremely hostile towards each other?¡± Sing refocused the conversation. ¡°¡­ In a sense yes.¡± ¡°Oh no¡­ he¡¯s doomed, dddooooommmmmeeeeddddd.¡± Cadeus turned and gave Nadav another light punch to the cheek. Sing however, had a more sensible deduction of the scenario. ¡°But if she¡¯s a Greater Noble, won¡¯t she carry herself on a stricter presentation? Why would such a person cut you?¡± Sing asked. ¡°It¡¯s a very long story.¡± ¡°We got all lunch.¡± ¡°Look, I know this might be a big deal, but there is nothing to worry about. It is not like I am in a really bad relationship with her.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t count your hopes high Cadeus.¡± Nadav said. Cadeus ignored that last comment. ¡°Hm¡­¡± Nadav stated, he had his left thumb on this chin. ¡°Rrogust ve Chroma eh? If that¡¯s really one of the Greater Noble Families, wow. It looks like you got yourself a huge black mark Cadeus.¡± Nadav patted Cadeus¡¯s back. ¡°You don¡¯t have to state the obvious. Besides, the situation has been the same since three months ago. There are a lot of nobles I am not in good terms to begin with. Did you forget what my family name is?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Don¡¯t remind me.¡± Cadeus just stared at Nadav with an unconcerned look. It¡¯s not like this was something new. Cadeus¡¯s relationship with the nobles was already as bad as it could be. Although they were taking things pretty easily, the situation was not as simple as it seems. Whenever matters become related to the nobles, the situation could get very complicated with a lot of restrictive boundaries. The nobles of Zeffernon were the ruling class of Mages. They were the wealthiest, the most privileged and one of the most influential groups of the magi society. They largely dominate the politics of Otium, to the point where it¡¯s not uncommon for nobles to be involved with the High Council. In fact, it would be accurate to say that a good number of nobles served as direct members of the High Council itself. It might seem so outdated since the concept of nobles ceased to play any major role on Earth. (Well, except if you want to count anything ceremonial¡­) However, on Zeffernon, the influences of the nobles were abnormally strong. The reason is because; the majority of Otium¡¯s strongest noble families are all Pure Bloods. Due to the fact that magic was from the blood, society on Otium revolves strictly on how one could utilize magic to the fullest, in other words, how could a mage maximize the usage of magic. In the usual cases, it¡¯s always the Pure Bloods who were able to fulfill that role. Given how they had no second colour to interfere with their control over the first, the Pure Bloods were able to dwell into the deepest secrets of the supernatural elements within their own colour of magic. Due to this reason, the Pure Bloods were often born with unique powers called Blood Gifts, and the families who cultivated their own unique Blood Gifts are able to obtain unique positions within Otium. As such, the society of Otium is strongly associated with Magi Hierarchy where the Pure Bloods usually reigned from the top. However, being part of this special group of mages also had it¡¯s own restrictions. There¡¯s a hierarchical system even amongst the nobles that binds their level of influences under a single pyramid scheme. There were three major groups in this pyramid scheme, where each group clearly differentiates the level of influence each noble family could attain. At the bottom of the hierarchy were the Lesser Noble Families. They might make up the most of the nobles in Otium, but their political influences were bare minimum. The most their influence could stretch was only towards the business guilds or the various economic sectors of Otium. In other words, they were more restricted to the roles of guild sponsors or business CEOs. If they were lucky, some Lesser Nobles could succeed and serve as minor governors in some of the more outskirt areas far from Infinitas. A noble¡¯s influence was dependant on the age of his family¡¯s lineage. That means that the Lesser Noble Families were either several centuries old, or they were recently formed as a reward for certain deeds. As such, their influence pales in comparison to the other two groups. Susan was one fine example. She¡¯s a Lesser Noble, but her family was recently awarded with the status as a reward for something her parents did in the past. Since they were practically new nobles, the amount of influence Susan¡¯s family could bring was more or less restricted to business contacts and private investors. Other much older Lesser Noble houses had gained a more advantageous position, and for those who were old enough, they were given special grant from the High Council to create their own symbolic insignia. In the Academy, Lesser Nobles were required to wear a special tie to showcase their status. Susan was wearing one such tie, but since her family was recently formed there was nothing on her tie, whereas for those those who belonged to the older and more influencial Lesser Nobles, they were able to place their family insignia on their tie. Regardless, nobles were still nobles, and members of the Lesser Noble Families were still granted certain privileges that sort of made their lives easier compared to the common people. The next group in the hierarchy was made up by the Greater Noble Families. Their lineages went way back to around two to three thousand years, which was roughly the period of the Age of the Exquisite where the High Council was founded. They were the pillars of the nobility, wielding the bulk of the influences a noble can attain. Their power transcends even beyond that of regional authorities, giving Greater Nobles the freedom to by-pass the magistracy whenever they feel the need to. However, they were all still answerable to the High Council. Mages within these families were said to be born with powerful Blood Gifts, to the point where rumors even exaggerate that a single Greater Noble was more than enough to kill a large group of adult Specialists, and that¡¯s no funny story. People generally avoid getting on their bad side; as to do so was usually a one-way ticket to death. There were only fifteen Greater Noble families, five for each colour of magic. Each were represented by an emblem that somewhat displays the possible Blood Gifts each family was known for. As mentioned earlier, Claire belonged to this category. Her family, Rrogust ve Chroma, was one of the Greater Noble Families aligned with Dark Magic. From what Cadeus had gathered, Claire¡¯s family emblem is a pattern made up of crystal shards. He did not know the specifics of her Blood Gift, but it might have something to do with crystals. Come to think of it, her familiar is a crystal bird. It might be something related to her Blood Gift then¡­ Last but not least, there¡¯s the most powerful group within the hierarchy of nobles, the three Progenitor Families. The word ¡®Progenitor¡¯ simply represents the three families for what they were. They were the oldest Magi families on Zeffernon, and their involvement with Otium¡¯s history spans deep into its social roots, going far back into the Age of the Exquisite, the Age of Founding and possibly even the mythological Age of Unrecorded Time. Such age came with a vast weight of power, for their impenetrable influence stretches even beyond the authority of the High Council. Since the Progenitor families were the ones who created the High Council in the first place, they were the pillars of the current governmental system. Many members of these three families had served as Council Heads throughout Otium¡¯s long history, making the various big decisions that made Otium what it is today. Currently out of the three, two stands remaining, whereas the last had been lost in the 1400s. TOA Thinking about his own situation again, Cadeus could understand why many would condemn his current relationship with the nobles. In seeing Cadeus sigh just like that, Nadav tried to cheer him up. ¡°Well, at least you are not dead, yet.¡± Nadav said. ¡°You really have to add the ¡®yet¡¯ behind do you?¡± ¡°Come on look at this, if you are really the number one enemy of all nobles, your fate is pretty much, sealed.¡± ¡°I doubt it. Three months into the world of magic and none of the nobles has ever made a move. Besides, I got temporary protection.¡± ¡°Oh? From who?¡± ¡°Claire obviously.¡± ¡°Wait, I thought the two of you hate each other?¡± Sing interjected. ¡°Nicely brought up Sing. Yes, it really does not make sense if you said that.¡± Nadav followed. ¡°That¡¯s because I owe her, and if I know her well, she would not allow me to die until I returned her the favour.¡± ¡°Ok wait, wait. Next question, why did you even owe her favours? I thought you hated owing people favours.¡± ¡°I do.¡± ¡°So?¡± ¡° *Irritated Sigh* Fine. I¡¯ll explain everything. Look, the two of you know how Dark Mages have to be in groups of at least two whenever we attempt to venture in the forests of Tenebris Vacuum right?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± ¡°As it turns out, I had to pair myself with Claire in order to reach the forest swamps.¡± ¡°Wait, you had to pair up with Claire?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Why would she agree to partner with you?¡± ¡°Well, because she also needs something from the swamps?¡± ¡°What about that Susan girl?¡± ¡°She had something on.¡± ¡°And this Claire just accepted you as a partner like that despite the fact she hated you?¡± ¡°She did not accept me as a partner, she exploited me for the fact that I owe her.¡± ¡°So based on just this one favour, she accepted you as some sort of bodyguard?¡± ¡°It¡¯s escort, not bodyguard. I will never bring myself that low.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t they the same?¡± Cadeus gave Nadav a disapproving look. ¡°Ok fine call it escort. So you owe her a favour before this morning. What did you do?¡± ¡°She was¡­ the library reception when I need to look for a book. I had to owe her one in return for her to help me find that book.¡± ¡°I see¡­ so, after the events today, you are done with her right?¡± ¡°No. I still owe her two.¡± ¡°Two? Did you mess up your math?¡± ¡°No, still two.¡± ¡°Just what happened to you?¡± ¡°One was by default. It was on the first day and I had to ask her for help. That was before I knew that she was a noble.¡± ¡°Ok, then the other one?¡± ¡°Well when I entered the forests today I messed up, she had to step in to help me.¡± ¡°I see¡­ so what happened?¡± ¡°She saved me.¡± ¡°Saved you? Ha! But even so, I don¡¯t think that¡¯s specific enough for the two of us Cadeus.¡± Cadeus rolled his eyes. Gosh, will this interrogation never end? ¡°I almost got killed by a two meter tall Criftoae. Claire saved me by casting a complex spell.¡± The atmosphere between the three of them hardened again. Well¡­ it is only natural. If you found out that your close friend almost died, how would you respond? Cadeus brought his arms up in a surrendering motion. ¡°I already said it, the two of you are better off not knowing.¡± ¡°Do you always have to risk your life like that whenever you step into that forest?¡± Nadav said. ¡°Yes. Six students have already died from my group so far.¡± The atmosphere between the three of them hardened again. Just what is going on? Cadeus really felt that he is destroying everyone¡¯s appetite. The silence lasted for several more seconds, until Nadav opened his mouth again. ¡°Well, good luck~.¡± Nadav patted Cadeus¡¯s back again. Clearly, another great attempt to brighten the mood. ¡°If she does come after you with the intention to kill, Sing and I would not be enough to help you. Pure Bloods are stronger than Mixed Bloods ten fold. There¡¯s no chance we can best her.¡± ¡°You are quite fast to abandon your close friend here Nadav.¡± ¡°It depends, it depends. I tend to read well based on the situation. I might opt to stand up against her and die a noble death, or I might opt to step away and secure my life.¡± ¡°Go and die a death full of regret idiot.¡± ¡°Oi oi... that¡¯s not a very good blessing coming from you Cadeus.¡± Ignoring Nadav, Cadeus turned back to the only person left who is sustaining the previous mood. ¡°You ok Sing?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± For some reason, Sing seems to be a lot more composed compared to the first time Cadeus said that he almost got killed in Tenebris Vacuum. Cadeus remembered her face back then. It was one face he regretted seeing. Thank goodness she never gave him that face ever since. ¡°Relax Sing, it will take a lot more to kill someone like me. Besides, these episodes that almost killed me rarely happens. I know how to be careful, every Dark Mage has to.¡± Sing just gave him her usual concerned look. Though she appeared to be calm and composed, her mood is much worse. This is not the first time she heard that her friend died. But now that she had to revisit the fact that Cadeus had to face the same chance of dying every time during Colours, it only does nothing but made her heart pound with worries. In seeing her face, Cadeus motioned towards Nadav using the corner of his eye. Once the two of them established eye contact, they both knew what is wrong and what to do. ¡°Come, come, enough thinking about this we better eat. Food is getting cold, and we still got that stupid powder to find.¡± Nadav clapped while saying. Upon hearing that, Sing¡¯s face returned to normal. Thinking about the Board Quest had misplaced her thoughts for Cadeus. She had begun eating again. As the duo looked at Sing¡¯s renewed energized self, they both stole peeks at each other and shook hands under the table. TOA After they finished their meals, the trio headed for the Academia gates. By this hour, the gate area would be filled with carriages lined up for the students who need to head to Infinitas for their respective board quests. The trio had to wait in a long line of waiting students for their carriage for a couple of minutes before it is their turn to take the free carriage ride to the Capital. ¡°Ah~.¡± Nadav made himself comfortable on his seat. ¡°Soon, it will be back to Thuranian District. Man, I can imagine the crowd.¡± Cadeus can only sigh in reply to that. He stared out of the window resting his head on his right knuckles. ¡°What difference does it make? It¡¯s going to be the same as yesterday. Crowded, congested and overly lively.¡± Nadav gave Cadeus a huge thumb up and replied in a tone that¡¯s more suited to being sarcastic. ¡°That¡¯s the stuff of life! You need a lot of people in order for things to be very happening!¡± It is very easy to see that Nadav is simply talking for the sake of making a lively conversation. Cadeus can only half close his eyelids in response. ¡°¡­ That¡¯s not quite my cup of tea. I¡¯d prefer it if there are lesser people. The quieter, the better.¡± ¡°Ah no no no¡­ you¡¯ll end up being the one who¡¯s left out Cadeus. At this age, you cannot survive in a small community. You need to get to know people, get more connections. Things will be a lot easier once you get the connections. In the adult world it¡¯s all about business and making acquaintances. If you don¡¯t know the right number of people, you¡¯ll lose out.¡± Cadeus raised an eyebrow to that. Clearly, communication and connections are not plausible during his time in Colour Class. ¡°Making connections has never played that well for me in Tenebris Vacuum. I¡¯d rather stick to my books.¡± ¡°You see Cadeus! That attitude is simply the reason why you will die a bachelor!¡± Cadeus did not bother replying to such a meaningless statement. It was here that sing decided to butt in and change the topic. ¡°So debrief us Nadav, the eight new shops you got.¡± ¡°Ah? Oh right. Well, you can forget about me spelling them out for you. They had very complicated names.¡± ¡°What about the locations?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­¡± Nadav took out his notebook from his sling bag. ¡°Five of them are in the Demerith¡¯s Street. Three are on Carmith¡¯s and the last one is at Derithmodule¡¯s Monument.¡± Demerith¡¯s Street? Cadeus¡¯s ear twitched slightly. Now that¡¯s a location he is familiar with. Taking out his notebook, he flipped it to the correct page and started comparing the shops he has left. The three shops he has left are all from Carmith¡¯s Street. Thinking back, Cadeus is aware that the other shops Sing and Nadav had are all also around Carmith¡¯s Street and Cadan¡¯s Waterway. It will be a lot more efficient if Cadeus took the ones at Demerith¡¯s Street. ¡°Nadav, give me the five on Demerith¡¯s Street. You guys split the remainders amongst yourselves.¡± Nadav nodded at his reply. Splitting three different locations to each of them is indeed the most effective scheme. ¡°Ok~, as efficient as ever Cadeus. Then I¡¯ll take the one at Derithmodule¡¯s Monument and the four at Cadan¡¯s Waterway. Sing, you take the ones at Carmith¡¯s Street. Everybody ok?¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine, but none of us has ever been to Demerith¡¯s Street before.¡± Sing pointed out. ¡°I have.¡± Cadeus replied. His two friends looked at him with utter surprise. ¡°Really? Since when?¡± Nadav asked. ¡°I stumbled on the street by chance using it as a short cut from Carmith¡¯s Street to Derithmodule¡¯s Monument. I marked it up on my map since I thought it can be used continuously in future.¡± ¡°So that street got shops, what do they sell there?¡± ¡°Same stuff we see in Carmith¡¯s Street. Books, Artifacts, Clothes, but don¡¯t bother, the prices there are much higher.¡± ¡°Geh! Does that mean that we have to pay extra if they have Procona?¡± Nadav asked. ¡°Maybe. But the loss will be nothing once we get our 160 profit.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ true. Ok then! We¡¯ll meet at Carmith¡¯s Street!¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. TOA Once the carriage stopped at their due destination, there is no further need for confirmation about their course of action. The three of them split up and went to their respective areas. Well¡­ not necessarily all three of them. After walking for five more minutes, Cadeus still could not help but notice that Sing is still right beside him. ¡°¡­ Aren¡¯t you going to search your assigned shops?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you?¡± Cadeus started pointing. ¡°Demerith¡¯s Street is this way. Yours are in Carmith¡¯s Street, it¡¯s over there.¡± ¡°It is as you said, Carmith¡¯s Street and Demerith¡¯s Street are linked by a walkway.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ but you don¡¯t have to walk the long way through Demerith¡¯s Street.¡± ¡°I find nothing wrong with that.¡± ¡°¡­ Are you suggesting that you want to accompany me into Demerith¡¯s Street?¡± ¡°Why not? Since we are meeting up at Carmith¡¯s Street any way, why don¡¯t I accompany you? It¡¯s a lot better than waiting around for the two of you once I¡¯m done.¡± ¡°I see¡­ well¡­¡± ¡°Is there a reason I can¡¯t be with you?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Cadeus looked ahead of him. He is standing right at the entrance to Demerith¡¯s Street. The shops that were assigned to him are all in there. Sing¡¯s shops are directly on the other side. She could cut in with him, but he preferred not to. There is a reason why Cadeus specifically chose the shops in Demerith¡¯s Street. Demerith¡¯s Street is mainly occupied by Dark Mages, and they do not take too kindly if a mage not one of their own is found wandering on their streets. Since social discrimination against Dark Mages is an open norm, the Dark Mages found themselves increasingly secluded from trade dealings as the items they possessed sparked various qualms and uncertainties. Books, artifacts and other potent items they possessed are shunned by the other mages due to the dangers of their usage and the ethical concerns behind it. As a result, the Dark Mages who had nowhere else to go eventually settled down on Demerith¡¯s Street keeping their items to themselves. This is a pure example of the social instability nowadays, and it has been a problem that is pestering the High Council for years. Cadeus is not entire sure how the adults handle politics in the High Council, but it seems that this social issue is not something easy to resolve given the long staggering standstill. As such, the Magi merchants you will see there are Dark Mages who had failed to work with other mages, or are simply uncomfortable in dealing commerce with mages other than their own kind. Cadeus strongly doubt that the other Dark Mages will take to Sing¡¯s presence kindly, as long as she wears white. ¡°I think it would be better if you go straight to Carmith¡¯s Street.¡± ¡°Hm? Why?¡± ¡°This area of Demerith¡¯s Street¡­ will not be welcoming to White Mages.¡± ¡°Are you saying that street is occupied by Dark Mages?¡± She catches on pretty fast, as expected of Sing. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± From the way she curled up her lips slightly, Cadeus can tell that Sing got the full implications of what he meant. However, for some reason, Cadeus feel that what he said will not be able to stop her. Is it her curiosity to see what Demerith¡¯s Street will be like or is it simply her wish to be there when he managed to obtain some of the powder¡­ Cadeus could not really say. All the more reason to discourage her now before she comes to a firm consensus¡­ ¡°Yup, pretty much the bad idea. If you were to go in there, there will be trouble. I¡¯m not implying a high possiblility, but there might be one or two random groups of Dark Mages who thinks it might be easy to pick on a lone White Mage girl.¡± ¡°I am not alone Cadeus, I got you.¡± ¡°I know, but to the Dark Mages in there, it won¡¯t seem obvious that you have a Dark Mage companion. Besides, even if it is obvious, it will not change anything. Some of them might still try to pick a fight.¡± ¡°So you are saying that my presence there will spark a needless conflict.¡± ¡°It sounds sad yes, but it is pretty much the truth.¡± ¡°Have you ever seen a White Mage get picked on before in that street?¡± ¡°¡­ You could be the first, since no White Mage bothered coming down here. Or at least when I am around.¡± ¡°Have you heard of any stories of White Mages being bullied every time you visit that street?¡± ¡°¡­ No.¡± ¡°Then that does not make your statement convincing. Even though there might be some truth in what you say, you are still sharing nothing but possible speculation Cadeus.¡± Cadeus sigh inwardly, there goes her academic talent in debates. Time again, Cadeus was reminded that it will take more than usual words to reason with Sing. ¡°But the danger is still there.¡± ¡°I think we are already in danger. We are looking for a highly valued powder after all. Plus this is not the first time where the situation calls for danger. Do you remember what happened during the Mystical Box quest?¡± ¡°¡­ Sigh.¡± Cadeus rubbed his head. When Sing becomes determined to do something, it would take all of the world¡¯s logic to convince her to turn the other way. Though he was dead set against her entering Demerith¡¯s Street, Cadeus felt that time was better spent searching for the powder instead of arguing this with her. Since it had already come to this point, he might be inviting unnecessary conflicts, but oh well. Cadeus could not refute Sing¡¯s wish to accompany him any longer. She had already cut off all of his escape. Cadeus put his hands up in a surrendering gesture and gave Sing his decision. ¡°Ok, you win. You can come with me.¡± Sing just gave him a satisfying smile. However for some reason, Cadeus had a feeling that she was smirking to herself more than him. Just as he was about to turn around and lead the way, Sing stopped him. ¡°Cadeus wait.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Hold on, don¡¯t move.¡± Before Cadeus can enquire what is the problem, Sing silenced him by putting her left hand on his right cheek. There was a flash of bright golden light and Cadeus felt something funny around the area where Claire cut him with her crystal bird. Once the flash was over Sing let her hand down and gave him a smile full of satisfaction. Cadeus, stunned, stayed rooted there for just a moment. But once he gathered himself, he placed his right fingers on his face at that same area. The bulge of hardened blood clot was gone, replaced with nothing but smooth flat skin. It didn¡¯t take him long to realize what really happened. ¡°Thanks¡­ that felt good.¡± ¡°Always a pleasure.¡± As he lead the way forward, Cadeus was yet again reminded how miraculous her healing powers are. Being a White Mage sure gives you a lot of useful abilities. TOA As he descended into the narrow alley leading to Demerith¡¯s Street, Cadeus habitually used his free hand to put up his hood. Given his infamous reputation with his fellow Dark Mages in Tenebris Vacuum, he¡¯d rather avoid any sort of questioning from the adults. The lesser people knew or notice him, the better. This was not to say that all Dark Mages knew of his questional circumstances. Matters of the Academy were all kept within the Academy. The adults tend to focus more on their own careers than bother themselves with children gossips from the Academia. However, when it comes to traveling outside the Academy, Cadeus still had to take extra precautions. In seeing Cadeus putting up his hood for the first time, Sing just posed him a question. ¡°Cadeus.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Sing tilted her head. ¡°Three months into the city and this is the first time I have seen hide your face in front of me. Why did you put your hood up?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Whenever Cadeus put his hood up, Sing was usually not there to witness him doing so. Oh well, there¡¯s always a first time. ¡°Well, the reason why I put my hood up is because I¡¯d rather not have people questioning my lineage.¡± ¡°Lineage? Oh, You mean your family name.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I thought matters within the Academy are kept within the Academy. Do the adults know about you?¡± ¡°No they don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Then why conceal your face? How can the adults know of your issues with the nobles? They can¡¯t even tell if you are a Pure Blood. Unless you are telling me that putting your hood up is some Dark Mage thing special to this street.¡± Cadeus paused. Did she really not know? He turned to look at Sing straight in the eye, as he is not entirely sure if she is clueless or not. In seeing stare at her with such intense analytical glare, Sing could not help but shift her gaze slightly to the sight, just enough to not make direct eye contact. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°¡­ Do you really not know?¡± ¡°Know about what?¡± ¡°Sing, did you know I was a Pure Blood before I told you the results from the Selection Basin?¡± ¡°Before that? No.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± So she really did not know. ¡°What has the Selection Basin got to do with this?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Cadeus?¡± Sing placed her hands on her hip and gave Cadeus a change of look. She is still smiling. However, it seems that she is starting to get irritated for the lack of answers. Cadeus sighed. He continued walking, explaining as he observes Sing following right beside him. ¡°This is an unspoken fact among Dark Mages. There is a way to differentiate Pure Blooded Dark Mages from the Mixed Blooded ones through a genetic set of physical traits.¡± ¡°Genetic physical traits?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Cadeus pointed towards the parts of his head to further illustrate. ¡°White hair, pale Caucasian skin and cold dark eyes. These are the physical traits that specifically identify a mage born with Pure Dark Magic in his blood.¡± Sing showed a change of light in her eyes, it seems she¡¯s starting to understand where Cadeus is coming from. ¡°I see, so coming from that, it will be very easy for people to recognize you as a Pure Blood.¡± ¡°Yes. It is pretty much an extremely rare set of genetic traits, even amongst the nobles.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°How often do you come across a Pure Blood born with Dark Magic as you would for the other two colors?¡± ¡°I see¡­ and since you possessed these traits, people will automatically assume that you are a noble from a very influential family, maybe even one of the Greater Noble Families. ¡°So since you possessed these traits¡­ people will automatically enquire as to why you are not a noble, and then the confusion and ¡®imposter¡¯ label.¡± ¡°Yup, that¡¯s the gist of it.¡± ¡°These traits must have been causing you tons of problems.¡± ¡°Sadly yes.¡± In wanting to end this current conversation, Cadeus took out his notebook and started comparing the names Nadav gave him and the names the shop all around him Cadeus¡¯s family circumstances are what normal people would put as¡­ extremely abnormal. In fact, when the masters first checked his Blood Purity during his enrollment, they were extremely shocked themselves. Given how a Pure Blood is a de facto noble, Pure Bloods who are not nobles are an extreme abnormally. Hence, Cadeus had to answer quite the repetitive set of questions whenever the masters inquired about his family lineage. What was more alarming to the masters was Cadeus¡¯s family name. Thought Cadeus always insisted the name was pure coincidence, many Dark Mages around him thought otherwise, and a great number hated him for it. The two of them continued walking. The thin narrow passage finally leads to a small street. A few more steps, and Demerith¡¯s Street was finally in view. Demerith¡¯s Street, as Cadeus had pointed out earlier, was a street occupied solely by Dark Mages. That statement itself was already enough to give the street a sinister feel, but seeing the street itself spoke volumes more. Looking at the various shops spread out on both sides of the street, their painted walls were worn out as a result of dust, rain and the lack of initiative to repaint brighter colours. The shop signages were all either rusted or partially damaged, and there were no signs of any attempts to repair or make any form of maintenance. The glass windows that were meant to display and advertise inner goods are all clouded with heavy stains. It¡¯s difficult to see what the various stores had in mind to sell from the outside. In terms of commercial presentation, there was the severe lack of attraction. What made matters worse was the general state of the central road. The stone paves were disoriented due to street fights that happened frequently from time to time. Dead brown leaves and twigs chocked up the road corners and storm drains, which might be the cause of the general stench emitting from the roadside. There were also very few people out in the open. Given how Dark Mages kept to themselves nowadays, the only people who would bother coming here were only Dark Mages, and periodically very few would have the need to come down to this secluded street. What also adds up to the lack of liveliness was also the fact that there were indications to point out any places of interests. In Carmith¡¯s Street, you get to see tons of signs and icons everywhere to indicate vague directions. But here, the lack of such icons only adds on to the lack of vivacity. It all just made the scene look so deserted. After giving the same general overview of the street, Sing could only make one single comment. ¡°¡­ It seems that there isn¡¯t a lot of activity in Demerith¡¯s Street.¡± Cadeus could not agree more. TOA Cadeus entered the first shop on his list. From the instance he opened the door, he could see the shopkeeper dressed in the usual black robes for work. For some reason, the shopkeeper was in a good mood. He immediately greeted Cadeus from the moment he saw the door half open. ¡°Hello, nice seeing another Dark Mage, what do you need?¡± ¡°Excuse me, but do you have something called Procona Powder?¡± ¡°Ack! That powder again? Hm¡­ let me see if I got any left.¡± Again? Cadeus raised an eyebrow. It would seem that this ingredient was scouted in this shop already. Oh darn it. This only increases the likelihood that the rest of the shops in the street might no longer have the needed ingredient. Sing just took a few steps in, and already there was something that caught her attention. It¡¯s a transparent hourglass jar placed on one of the glass display shelves, and there¡¯s some mummified creature with multiple insect like legs. ¡°What is that?¡± Cadeus had already suspected that she would show facial expressions of disgust. But for some reason, she seems¡­ curious. ¡°Hey, boy.¡± Cadeus turned to see the storeowner gesturing him to come closer. From the moment he saw Sing, his expression changed. As the shopkeeper beckoned him to come closer, Cadeus could already guess two possible reactions. The first reaction expected was that the shopkeeper would inquire as to whether Cadeus had lost his mind bringing a White Mage into a place where they were least welcomed. This was assuming if the shopkeeper was someone who did not mind having White Mages in his shop. The second reaction was more based on the possibility that this shopkeeper was hostile to White Mages. In which this case, he would demand that Sing step out of his shop instantly and treat Cadeus with an unfriendly attitude. Well there¡¯s only one way to find out. Cadeus could only walk towards the shopkeeper. ¡°Yes? Is there something wrong?¡± ¡°Oh no no no. it¡¯s just¡­¡± ¡°Just?¡± The storeowner leaned forward, gestured to Sing with his eyes and spoke softly. ¡°Why did you bring a White in here? Not to mention a girl?¡± There¡¯s no ill intent in the shopkeeper¡¯s voice. He¡¯s simply expressing concern for Sing, something that¡¯s very rare these days. He was more of the welcoming sort. That¡¯s very good indeed. ¡°Oh she¡¯s ok. She¡¯s with me.¡± The shopkeeper shook his head. ¡°Still not good boy, you know how unwelcomed Whites are in this area yes?¡± Cadeus can only use his eyes and shoulders to express the ¡®it can¡¯t be helped¡¯ answer. ¡°I tried talking her out of it. I told her the possible risks, but she is insistent on coming with me.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The shopkeeper scratched his head, but then he decided to drop the matter. ¡°Never mind. Business is priority here. So you need Procona Powder, is it for a board quest?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Do you have a copy of the official document?¡± Once Cadeus gave him the document, the shopkeeper retreated to a secluded door to the end of the shop. No doubt that is the secular storeroom where most of the shop¡¯s stocks of items are kept. As he waited, Cadeus stole another glance towards Sing to see that she still had her attention at the glass display. At this distance, Sing was behaving just like any other girl would when it comes to shopping. That being, taking her time to look at the product, compare prices and see if said object would suit her or if she really need it. Although she was exhibiting such signs, Cadeus was entirely certain that the most she¡¯s doing is just plain observation. All objects in this room were meant for Dark Mages. Even if she got something, it would not be of much use to her being a White and all. Well, as long as she did not touch anything funny¡­ He was just about to turn his attention away from her when he caught something suspicious just at the very corner of his eye. Sing¡¯s eyes became glued to a book, and when Cadeus meant glued, he seriously meant glued to the point where Sing had an extreme interest to purchase it. It¡¯s fine if it¡¯s any ordinary book, but books sold in a shop that primarily sells Dark Magic items tend to have dangerous effects to those who do not know what they were doing. Looking at the book now, Cadeus¡¯s eyes widened in recognition. He¡¯s familiar with that book, and he knows that Sing is well aware of it too. The book was bound in black leather with its cover words ornamented in rare expensive roman silver. It is a copy of a book that was part of an extremely rare and priceless set known to be desired by all Dark Mages. The reason why the set of books is so priceless is not just because of the possible contents within, but it is also because of three important words imprinted on the book cover and the leather joint. Pride ve Lu Once he saw that name, an all too familiar vibe went up his spine. That¡¯s the name of one of the three Progenitor Families, the Progenitor Family of Dark Mages. Cadeus was surprised. He did not know that there existed copies like these outside the Academy. So far, he had only seen such books in the Academy Library¡¯s reference sections and they are very small in number. Oddly enough, the Academy could only provide one copy of each book. You could not borrow them out, plus the section that housed those books were only restricted to Mages who had Pure Dark Magic in their blood. This copy that the two of them were looking at right now is old, just like the ones in the Academy¡¯s Library. As Cadeus returned his attention to Sing, her eyes were filled with absolute curiosity. Slowly, he could see her reach out her fingers possibly to turn the cover to have a quick peek at the introduction section. But before she could touch that book with her fingers, Cadeus went up close and grabbed her wrist gently. ¡°Careful, that book might have a curse.¡± Sing looked at him with a slight hint of mischievous defiance in her eyes. ¡°Define the word ¡®curse¡¯ to me Cadeus.¡± From the moment he hear the change in her tone, Cadeus knew that Sing¡¯s not her usual charming self. Sing knew that Cadeus was not academically strong when it comes to Magic terminology. She would go out of her way to test him here and then, but that is only when they are doing homework. Otherwise, she would avoid bringing up academic related work whenever they are both out of the Academy. Plus, usually Sing would be cautious when it comes to items related to Dark Magic. However, this book alone was more than enough to set her off. Looking at her now, Cadeus could see that no matter how cautious she was in regards to things she was not familiar with, there is a hint of unrelenting desire to understand everything until she is satisfied. That¡¯s Sing when she has her sights on something she wants, which is something that gives Cadeus cause for him to be concern for her. Books created by any of the Progenitor Families, particularly the Pride ve Lu, had a particular allure. Such an allure can be quite dangerous if one does not take any proper step to guard themselves when it comes to tempering with the contents within. Even now, Sing seems to be rather tempted just to open the cover page, and that was already something dangerous just by itself. It was bad to the point where Cadeus doubts she would listen to him if he tries to stop her, even from touching the cover page itself. Oh my, how unrelenting of her¡­ Cadeus gave a light sigh and dug the academic answer out of his brain. ¡°A curse is a negative phenomenon that¡¯s empowered by Dark Magic. It could be applied into many functions, but the basis of it was to have a condition and a trigger. Up to date, there are two major kinds of curses; the phenomenal curse and the enchanted curse. A phenomenal curse is a curse of broad definitions that can be invoked either by hexing, imprecation, substitution magic or by ritual implications. As there are various types of phenomenal curses, specific methods must be used against specific curses in order to negate, lift or even exorcise the curse completely. An enchanted curse on the other hand, would refer to the more specific Dark Magic [Guarding Enchantment] that is meant to protect personal belongings, it is made by an enchantment seal outlined by multiple layers of runic inscriptions. The curse is defined by a set of conditions given by the caster. If the conditions are not fulfilled, the curse will activate and deal considerable damage to the intruder. There are different kinds of Curses as it¡¯s enchanting effect varies on the caster¡¯s conditions, and a curse can only be dispelled by a White [Disarmament Spell] or by using Dark Magic to curb the layers of runic inscription.¡± Sing relaxed herself and motioned for Cadeus to remove his grip on her wrist. Clearly, he passed. ¡°You did your homework well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just the fruits of my time spent in the library.¡± ¡°Shall I give you another test?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t. I¡¯m not in the right mood for it.¡± Satisfied with his answer, Sing soon relaxed her fingers and allowed him to release his grip. Once her hand was free, she took another glance at the book. ¡°That book belongs to that family right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Is it a legitimate copy?¡± ¡°Pretty much. It looks very worn out like the ones in the Academy¡¯s Library. This copy must have been used by a great number of mages before.¡± ¡°What happens if it¡¯s a fake?¡± Cadeus shook his head. ¡°Unlikely, copies of books from that set are only printed during the Age of Enlightenment. No one knows how to make a legitimate copy anymore. Even if someone tries to duplicate, it will be far from the actual copy.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Sing¡¯s eyes returned to the book. ¡°If a mere copy would be so priceless, imagine one of the originals with the author¡¯s very own research notes.¡± ¡°That would be easily worth a Greater Noble¡¯s ransom. No¡­ make that a Progenitor¡¯s ransom.¡± ¡°Worth even for one Progenitor? Surely you jest.¡± ¡°We are talking about books written by a Progenitor based on knowledge passed down within that same Progenitor family. Surely the works of a Progenitor would be worth for one of their own kin.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ that makes sense. Actually I think we better stop talking about this. It could spark some trouble.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± ¡°¡­ Are you going to purchase it?¡± ¡°Maybe¡­ I don¡¯t really know. Even if I wanted to, it will definitely cost me big. Like about ¨C ¡± ¡°OK! Where¡¯s the kid who wants the powder?¡± Before Cadeus could continue down into the specifics, the shopkeeper called for him. Looking back at the counter, he can see the shopkeeper putting a small sapphire blue container on the table. This looks very promising. Cadeus looked back to Sing with a smile of possible guarantee. In response, Sing could only shrug her shoulders and smiled him to motioning forward towards the shopkeeper. ¡°Ok, count yourself lucky, I got one last pack of Procona Powder. But I doubt it would be enough for your board quest. Still, better than nothing.¡± Cadeus¡¯s eyes gave a hint of hope. He was not that entirely concerned with the quantity. As long as there was progress, Cadeus would be able to regain confidence to see that they will pull through in getting the necessary amount of the powder. The shopkeeper laid a small sapphire blue container on the counter table. He opened the lid and double checked the contents inside. ¡°Yup, Procona. Do you want to see for yourself?¡± Cadeus leaned forward and took a look. As his eyes came into contact with the now dubious material, all he could see was a sort of grayish sand. The smell seems to be slightly intoxicating, and for some reason it smells like concentrated ethanol. Comparing the sight of the powder to the fluid he got earlier from Tenebris Vacuum, Cadeus can clearly see some similarities. There is no doubt that the thing in front of him is indeed Procona Powder. ¡°What¡¯s the weight?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ about 130 grams.¡± 130¡­ it is still not enough compared to the 800 grams they needed. But it is still better than nothing. ¡°Sing, you recognize this?¡± ¡°Yup, that¡¯s Procona all right.¡± ¡°How much are you charging?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ the standard price for 130 grams is about 35 Duches. But since the demand and rarity shot up I¡¯ll charge ten Duches extra.¡± ¡°What the¡­ 45 Duches? We¡¯re students, can¡¯t you cut us some discount?¡± ¡°Hey, hey, that¡¯s not the right thing to say boy.¡± The shopkeeper waved his index finger. ¡°In times like this you have to think like a trader in active business. What you ought to do right now is try to bargain for a lower price.¡± In seeing Cadeus giving the disbelieving look, Sing took the initiative. ¡°How about 38 Duches? Three Duches profit.¡± ¡°44 Duches! One short for the lady.¡± ¡°How about 40? Somewhere in between, you gain more while it¡¯s enough for our pocket money.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ then again you are students. Fine! 40 Duches, sold!¡± The shopkeeper reached out with a flat open palm and allowed Sing to slap hers in return. As she paid and collected the sapphire container and gave Cadeus the V for victory, Cadeus could only watched feeling useless as Sing made the exchanges as if it was nothing. The only thing that is enough to snap him back to attention is when he realized that he had not even put out a single coin to pay for the powder. It was here that he begun searching for his money pouch. ¡°Ah wait. I need to pay you back.¡± Sing only shook her head in response. ¡°No need. I earned a little extra today during Colours.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°If you feel bad about me paying for you, then how about you do something for me in return?¡± ¡°Um¡­ sure, what is it?¡± ¡°Buy me some food once we are done.¡± ¡°Ok, is that all?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ I wonder.¡± Sing turned around and exited the shop, leaving Cadeus behind to ponder at the meaning of her last words¡­ ¡°Hey boy.¡± Cadeus turned to see the shopkeeper shaking his head. ¡°What?¡± ¡°First you bring that girl in a place where she might get hurt, and you even make her pay your ingredient for you. Have you no shame?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± It seems that the shopkeeper came into some sort of mild misunderstanding. ¡°No, no it¡¯s not what you think. I already told you, she insisted on coming with me and she paid the money before I could do something.¡± From the way the shopkeeper continued to shake his head, it became obvious to Cadeus that his counter argument sounded like a lame excuse. ¡°Sigh¡­ you better watch yourself kid, if you keep this up, sooner or later your girlfriend is going to dump you.¡± Ok, scratch that. This guy came into some sort of serious misunderstanding. ¡°What are you talking about? She¡¯s not my girlfriend.¡± The shopkeeper reached forward and patted Cadeus on his shoulder. ¡°Ah I got it, trying to avoid getting on the bad side of your fellow Dark Mages. Perhaps that¡¯s the reason why are you keeping your hood up. I can respect that, but if you are that keen on a cute girl like her you best be more honest in future. Don¡¯t be afraid to express your feelings! There are a good number of Darks out there who fell in love with Whites. If this is that big of an issue, it would have been a frequent scandalous subject for the news reporters.¡± ¡°Uh huh¡­¡± Cadeus was not sure if this shopkeeper was speaking from knowledge or from personal experience, but it was certain that he¡¯s lost in his own realm of delusions. Cadeus felt that any further attempts to correct this misunderstanding would indirectly make matters worst. Wanting to be rid of this current topic, Cadeus took a glance to the black book on display. ¡°What¡¯s that book doing here?¡± Cadeus pointed. ¡°Huh? Ah¡­ that book.¡± The storeowner raised his head in recognition. ¡°Over the past three years, I sold that copy three times, and three times their purchasers returned it to me without a demand for a refund. Strange eh?¡± ¡°They returned it?¡± Cadeus widened his eyes in amazement. ¡°I thought books belonging to that set are priceless, why would they return it?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ that¡¯s a funny one.¡± The shopkeeper crossed his arms. ¡°Books belonging to that Progenitor family are indeed priceless. But what good is the book if you can¡¯t fully understand the contents within?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You see, books written by any of the progenitors, particularly the Prides, tend to be heavily coded. It is said that such well detailed contents are only meant for those within their family.¡± That seems strange. Cadeus had read some of the famed copies in the Academy Library¡¯s reference section. It all made sense to him¡­ is there even a need to decode it? ¡°The book is coded?¡± ¡°Yup coded, every page filled with symbols, riddles and mysteries. If you take the page word by word, none of it makes sense.¡± ¡°If it is coded, it can be deciphered. If someone deciphered it, won¡¯t it be easier for others to read?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ I wouldn¡¯t want to put so much thought into that. You see, your suggestion is not new. In fact, many had tried to decipher the pages. But the thing is, not many have been successful so far. It probably had something to do with how the book was written, or perhaps there are various magical barriers within that the author had inventively included to avoid people from stealing his ideas. The heck, even the nobles are not entirely successful. It will take generations for even a Greater Noble to decipher one single book. Imagine dozens of those books lying around.¡± ¡°But what if someone decodes the whole book?¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible, but the decoding makes sense if you know how to decode it. Even if it¡¯s decoded, not everyone will see the same picture.¡± What the¡­ Cadeus was sure that the copies he had read from the Academy¡¯s Library all seemed fine. He did not feel any codes or mysteries underlying within the words. All of it made sense. In fact, it only made his spell casting a lot better over the months. Cadeus took another good look at the book. Will this copy be the same? Or will it be full of codes that he would be unable to make sense? ¡­ ¡­ Cadeus was getting an unfriendly vibe. It¡¯s just like what the shopkeeper said. Books made by the Pride ve Lu were only meant for those of their own kin. Only a Progenitor from that family would be able to understand the contents within. Not even the progenitors from the other two Progenitor Families would be able to make sense of the books. But if he could make sense of all that he had read so far¡­ Cadeus immediately cut himself from that thought. Nothing was proven. Nothing could be assumed. Besides, his ancestral lineage had nothing linked to anything magical. Just like any other Dark Mage who bear their eyes onto that book, Cadeus was just curious. ¡°Can I purchase that?¡± ¡°What the¡­ are you sure you want that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m keen, how much are you charging?¡± ¡°The standard market price for a copy of a book written by one of the Prides nowadays is 1,876,500 Duches.¡± Cadeus nearly fell over. ¡°1.8 million Duches?!¡± ¡°Hey, that¡¯s only a legitimate copy. Wait till you count the zeros for the originals.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Cadeus stole a painstaking look towards that book. In seeing that same expression countless times by the various keen purchasers before, the shopkeeper sighed. ¡°All right, I¡¯ll sell that copy for 20 Duches.¡± The painstaking look Cadeus had progressed to absolute shock. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t get me wrong. I¡¯d gladly sell that book for it¡¯s standard price. But the thing is, I already sold that book three times, and when the buyers returned the book they did not even demand a refund. Believe me when I say its good money, but even I am starting to feel bad seeing this book doing nothing but collect dust in my shop right now. Technically speaking that¡¯s no way to treat a priceless item like that. Plus, the Intellectuals tend to get very expressive when they see books getting mistreated as merchandise. If that thing is going to collect dust, at least let it collect dust outside my shop.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just cast protective charms?¡± ¡°Ha ha ha. Now that¡¯s something hard. Whatever leather or ornaments that family used, it rejects any external enchantments or curses.¡± ¡°Even though this is just a copy?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be very surprised. It is said that the Prides are very protective of books created by their own kin, be it copy or original.¡± ¡°But they are all dead. So what¡¯s the point?¡± ¡°Dead? Physically maybe, but what¡¯s to stop a few powerful necromancers from raising their dead to help them decipher the book?¡± ¡°Did such a thing really occur?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ there was one weirdo who did tried such a thing, but that was I think¡­ six hundred years ago?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s quite far back don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°It was a time where the Prides were still around. We don¡¯t know much about what had happened. But even if the Prides are not around anymore, the High Council has their own way of making sure that the dead Progenitors are not disturbed from their graves. Besides, even if anyone could raise the dead, they need the grave first, and the thing is, no one knows where are the graves.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­¡± Cadeus¡¯s gaze went back to the book. ¡°What about external damages?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you try burning it?¡± Cadeus could only open his mouth in response to that daring comment. If an Intellectual were in this room, he would respond towards that kind of remark with an extremely violent intent. The shopkeeper smiled. ¡°It¡¯s just a joke. Besides, you won¡¯t even be the slightest bit successful. Unless you possessed a fake copy.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°So 20 Duches or not? I am starting to rethink about this.¡± ¡°No! I¡¯ll pay up now.¡± At the very least, Cadeus scrambled for his money pouch and took out the right number of coins; this was one of the very few moments he wished there would be some of Earth¡¯s plastic bank notes. Once he was done giving the shopkeeper the twenty Duches he offered, it¡¯s time to claim the book. Cadeus walked back to the display and slowly reached out his hand, he was just about to touch the cover when he paused. ¡­ ¡­ Now that he thought of it, he couldn¡¯t be 100% sure if the book had any direct curses that can come into effect upon touch. In seeing Cadeus acting so cautious, the shopkeeper couldn¡¯t help but bring himself to laugh. ¡°Think boy! People bought that book three times. Look, the book¡¯s clean. No hidden curses or whatsoever. Do you seriously think I would sell a book that can be so lethal to my fellow Dark Mages? Well, if Whites and Greys are keen on probing that¡¯s a different question.¡± Even though Cadeus took the shopkeeper¡¯s word to account, it¡¯s still difficult to accept that it¡¯s 100% safe. There was a reason why books published by the Progenitor Family were all treated with extreme caution. Well, there¡¯s only one way to find out. Cadeus took a deep breath and placed the tip of his fingers onto the rough black leather. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Nothing. Cadeus felt nothing. No anonymous spell activated, no curses reacting. The book seems safe at the moment. Holding the book in his hand, Cadeus posed one final confirmation. ¡°What about the possible curses that could be hidden within the pages?¡± ¡°Nah¡­ like I said, the book¡¯s clean. I read it myself, but I couldn¡¯t make anything of it within the first few pages.¡± Smiling, Cadeus kept the book into his sling bag. ¡°By the way, you are intending to visit other alchemical shops to get that powder right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Do you know where to look in Demerith¡¯s Street?¡± Cadeus took out his notebook and show the shopkeeper the list Nadav gave him earlier. ¡°Hm¡­ I see, you did your homework¡­ well here¡¯s one advice. Forget about these other shops, they do not have the powder anymore.¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ What the shit? ¡°Why?¡± Cadeus pressed for an answer. ¡°Well, a few days back there were a group of crazed Alchemists who marched down this street demanding the powder from all five shops. All they want is quantity. They did not care about the price.¡± Sure sounds like the type of Alchemists that Felkor hated¡­ Hold on. If these Alchemists were demanding the powder from all sorts of shops, could that imply that they did the same to the other shops belonging to other streets? ¡°What about the alchemical shops from the other streets?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ I¡¯m not entire sure. They don¡¯t seem like the sort to make a major scene like that in a bigger street. Chances are that they had to split up and do it more¡­ quietly.¡± Cadeus was not sure if he should take comfort in that or not. Withi his business over, Cadeus gave the shopkeeper his thanks and left the shop. ¡°Goodbye, you might want to reconsider bringing your girlfriend here next time.¡± Cadeus did all he could to shut out that last remark from his ears. TOA Disappointment. Even though the first shopkeeper told him that the rest had run out of Procona Powder, Cadeus had to personally check the rest just in case only to be met with total zero stock. As he exited the door, Sing was already outside waiting. He shook his hooded head to the sides to inform her of the obvious result. ¡°No luck?¡± ¡°No.¡± Sing had to wait outside for him three times. Only one other shopkeeper than the first is more open to White Mages. The rest are just plain Anti-White. ¡°Sorry that you have to wait.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I get to see what Demerith¡¯s Street is like.¡± ¡°¡­ Too bad it does not have the same liveliness compared to what you see in Carmith¡¯s Street.¡± ¡°True, shame.¡± Come to think of it¡­ Now that Cadeus paid extra attention, Sing really looks out of place being in Demerith¡¯s Street. Oh¡­ and he did not meant it the harsh way. A White Magi model student sitting on a partially broken bench patiently waiting. In comparing her to her obsolete background, she¡¯s like a living scene coming out of a portrait. Oh no¡­ not good. Cadeus shook his head. This was not the time to get distracted. Sing got up, ready to leave for Carmith¡¯s Street. ¡°Shall we?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ hold on.¡± At the corner of his eye, Cadeus saw five Dark Mage students coming towards them. ¡°Tch¡­ this is so irritating.¡± ¡°What do they want?¡± ¡°Trouble.¡± In counting the possibility that those students did not see his face, Cadeus kept his hood down. From their body language, it¡¯s rather clear that they were not trying to make friends. These students were after something else. Given the relative state of the whole Procona issue, they must be another group who had taken up the recent additional demands for Procona. Ah¡­ Cadeus soon deduced their background. These five students must have been doing some of their Procona hunting only to encounter the ¡®out of stock¡¯ dilemna. Out of luck, these five must have noticed Cadeus and Sing¡¯s comings and goings from the alchemical shops down this small street. Since they noticed that the two of them had been entering alchemical shops specifically, they must had assumed that the two of them had managed to procure some Procona. Instead of going into the same shops they had entered, these five students must have decided amongst themselves to resort to thievery. ¡®Give us your powder or suffer the consequences etc, etc.¡¯ Cadeus could instantly expect them to say that line in the next few seconds. ¡°Sing, do you still have the powder with you?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Ok, keep it with you. If this develops badly, shout.¡± Once the lead student took a step forward, Cadeus decided to cut to the chase. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°I believe the reason is obvious.¡± The lead mage said. ¡°What is it specifically?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb idiot. We¡¯re here because you got some of that Procona Powder right? Now hand it over.¡± There we go, just as expected. ¡°You guys are wasting your time. I don¡¯t have the powder.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie imposter. Everyone knows you got a clue to get the powder.¡± Oh? So they knew his identity from the get go? Cadeus pulled back his hood. ¡°Who sent you?¡± ¡°Shut up, do you seriously think we are obliged to tell you?¡± Cadeus began to consider. From what he said that ¡®Everyone knows I got a clue to get the powder¡¯, it just seemed to be a statement that was rather biased based on a general rumour or assumption without a firm credible source. It had only been half a day since the requests for Procona soared up last evening. Whoever came up with the idea that Cadeus immediately had some source to obtain the powder was just plain dumb. However, he also could not disclose the possibility that Claire might have went back on her words and ¡®tip-off¡¯ the others on how he found a way to obtain the currently valuable powder. Although it¡¯s less likely she would have done so, the possibility remains. Oh well¡­ Cadeus shook his head slowly. There was no point in further thinking about this. As someone who had long anticipated this kind of situation, Cadeus knew that this was something inevitable. In losing patience due to the lack of any response coming from Cadeus, the group of grumpy Dark Mages began to move in closer. Cadeus sighed. He took a step back. The lead student walked up towards him and gave one final warning. ¡°Last chance. Hand over the powder now, and we¡¯ll consider letting you walk away without hitting you.¡± The students behind Cadeus giggled with ill intentions. Clearly, that last remark was not very convincing. ¡°I already told you, I don¡¯t have the powder.¡± ¡°Oh well, since you are so uncooperative, we¡¯ll just beat the crap out of you and ask your White friend back there.¡± Sing merely glared back at them but they were not in the least intimidated. All right, now they pushed the button. Cadeus took a deep breath in and out. Just when he was about to Cast [Lightning Arc], a new voice interrupted the session. ¡°Oi! What are you guys doing?¡± ¡°Geh!? It¡¯s that student council fellow.¡± ¡°Eh? Why is he here? I thought he is always holed up in the Academy!¡± ¡°Shit! It does not matter! Run!¡± And with that, the five hostile students suddenly broke off and abandoned the scene. Cadeus could not help but root himself on the spot. As Sing was looking at him with uncertainty, Cadeus merely shook his head and raised a hand to tell her to not do anything. If an Educator exposed the fight, he would normally run and drag Sing with her. But in this case, if he attempts to run, it would be more difficult to believe that he was not the instigator. Well the reason being, since he was talking about that guy. ¡°Tch! Those idiots ran off again. As for the two of you, hold it there where I can see you ¨C Cadeus! You again?¡± In seeing Cadeus, that guy threw his hands to his fringe in exasperation. Cadeus simply did not reply. This person in front of him was so stressed up right now to the point where he could become a volcano if Cadeus said something that might seem provocative, oh and Cadeus really meant it literally. Usually, he would be unconcerned about trivial reactions, but not when it comes to this guy. This person in front of him is a noble since he was wearing his own customized uniformed robes that the nobles wear. But that was not all. He was also wearing the Academy¡¯s Student Council armband on his left arm. At first glance, this particular gentleman Cadeus was looking did not have that particular aura that fit his status. His hair was messy due to work overload, and his character did not possess the same dominating aura Cadeus often gets from Claire. Davian Mutare ve Coronus. He¡¯s a Dark Mage noble from the Academy¡¯s Student Council. However, as a noble, his sense of duty was no lesser than hers. He¡¯s the Dark Mage representative on the Student Council that¡¯s in charge of presenting the wishes of his Dark Mage brethren. That¡¯s quite the responsibility, considering how Dark Mages were so ridiculously messed up as street ruffians. In seeing that Cadeus was going to remain his quiet poker face, Davian sighed and started the questioning. ¡°What the hell did you do this time?¡± ¡°I did nothing.¡± ¡°Of course you did nothing. Why else wouldn¡¯t you run?¡± ¡°If you know the answer you should have asked a different question.¡± ¡°Shut up. I¡¯m in no mood to hear your smart mouth. What caused this ruckus?¡± ¡°Some idiots want me to hand over an ingredient that¡¯s not within my possession. When I am being honest with them, they started getting violent.¡± ¡°Tch! Usual bunch of useless shitheads¡­ Do you recognize any of them?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Aaaarrrggghhhh!!!¡± Daivan tore at his head out of frustration. Looking at Cadeus again, he asked one more question. ¡°What is the name of the ingredient?¡± ¡°Procona Powder.¡± ¡°That thing again?¡± In hearing that reactive comment, Cadeus suspected that the issue of Procona must have already been brought up within the Student Council. Given how pricy the powder was right now, it¡¯s going to be normal for the powder to be a common source of conflict. No doubt the Student Council must have approached the Educators to issue warnings, such as what Educator Garth did earlier. ¡°Are you looking for that thing?¡± ¡°Well¡­ yes.¡± Upon hearing that, Davian immediately gave Cadeus the very reaction he expected. He took a deep breath and gave him a warning. ¡°Look Cadeus, you may not be the instigating type, but if I hear one fight where you got involved.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. It¡¯s the detention room for me. Not like it¡¯s going to matter.¡± ¡°Oh hell it will matter. It will go on your record and you will have the Master to answer for.¡± As Cadeus could sure be an instigating factor of numerous fights, he was already on Davian¡¯s ¡®Attention List¡¯. There were often times where Davian¡¯s interference actually saved Cadeus from dealing with retarded mages trying to pick a fight for unfounded reasons. However, that doesn¡¯t mean that he was in a good relationship with him. Come to think of it, why was Davian here? Cadeus decided to open his mouth and ask. ¡°What are you doing here anyway? Aren¡¯t you usually holed up on your table back at the Student Council office?¡± In hearing that, Davian twitched his left eyebrow. ¡°¡­ I will ignore that question, and you will do so to not mention such a thing again.¡± It really appears that Cadeus hit a soft spot there. He is not deliberately provoking him, but even he got to admit he is curious as to how Davian escaped his overwhelming duties back at the Student Council. Amongst all the Dark Mages, Davian was the only person thoughtful enough to be part of the Student Council. Since he was the only Dark Mage present, he was automatically appointed as the Dark Mage representative in the Student Council. His role assignment was plain simple. All he had to do was address the problems Dark Mages had and see if he could solve it. If not, he had to see if such a problem should be brought up to the Student Council. However, this responsibility merely results in him being buried in overwhelming piles of papers that was usually about lodging complains and damage reports. Generally these were just feedbacks from the general public concerning the damages done by Dark Mage students who picked out random fights in the open street. But given the destructive powers of Dark Magic spells, fights caused by Dark Mages always results in damages. It¡¯s quite common for Dark Mage students to instigate fights over even the most minor of things. Wagers, ingredients, deals gone wrong, and even books were the most noted reasons for such meaningless outbreaks. When there was a fight, there will always be damages, and the locals who were caught into it would always demand some sort of compensation. Since they can¡¯t point a direct finger towards the student Mages who they can¡¯t totally identity, they turned to the Student Council. As the representative of the Dark Mage students, Davian had to deal with the frustrations and complaints of whoever got hurt. Sure sucks to be part of the Student Council, answering for the mistakes and the irresponsibility of his Dark Mage peers. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll thank you for getting me out of this one. But we got to go.¡± Grab. Davian grabbed Cadeus¡¯s left shoulder before he could make a turn for it. ¡°Tell me one honest thing. Do you have any Procona on you right now?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m all the more baffled those idiots attacked me based on an unsupported assumption that I somehow got the powder.¡± Davian gave Cadeus another analytical look. Guilty until proven, he decided to let Cadeus go. Not forgetting Sing, Davian turned to her. ¡°Take care. If this bugger gets into any trouble, don¡¯t hesitate to inform me.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ ok.¡± Not caring any further about her relationship with Cadeus, Davian departed the scene with frustration in his temples. Once Davian was at a considerable distance, Sing turned her face to Cadeus. ¡°A Dark Mage in the Student Council? That¡¯s the first I had seen such a thing.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. He¡¯s the only one.¡± ¡°What''s his name?¡± ¡°Davian, Davian Mutare ve Coronus. You can imagine the hell he¡¯s going through right now.¡± ¡°The poor thing. Everyone in your colour sector gives him tons of trouble am I right?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even start imagine. Sigh¡­ let¡¯s get out of here before more punks show up.¡± TOA While waiting for Sing, Cadeus sat down on a nearby bench feeling hungry. Looking around, there were no eateries. Of course there are no eateries, he was in Carmith¡¯s Street. If he needs food, he will have to walk to Flomernia¡¯s Street, which is all the way at the other end of Thuranian Dinstrict. It would take literally half a day if he wants to get over to that side. The other option of course, was to head off to Felkor¡¯s. But that would require some distance to cover. Oh well¡­ might as well wait for dinner. Looking around, Cadeus observed the life of Carmith¡¯s Street. In sharp contrast to the lifelessness of Demerith¡¯s street, Carmith¡¯s Street boasts having the commercial lifeblood in all of the Thuranian District. The shops were painted with bright colors of white, green, yellow and blue. Artificial lights supplied by magic artifacts illuminated the street regardless of the sun. Advertisements and posters of the like were seen on almost every wall. Shopkeepers were often out in the open, trading with other shopkeepers or confirming stock intake with whoever that¡¯s bringing in more items to keep the shop alive. Today, it was not as crowded as usual. However, the activities were still quite vibrant. Well it should be. Carmith¡¯s Street dwarfs Demerith¡¯s Street four times the size and it¡¯s heavily reputed to be the richest market district in the capital. Admist all of the variety of goods, Cadeus felt that there was one flaw in regards to this district. The eateries in Carmith¡¯s Street were all spread out, and it requires quite the bit of legwork just to get from one eatery to another. There was no single convenient location where various eateries are located¡­ well, maybe that¡¯s something for the street to improve in the future. ¡°I¡¯m hungry¡­¡± Nadav said. ¡°Agreed. If only they had some eateries somewhere¡­?¡± All of a sudden Nadav was sitting sloppily right next to him. ¡°Nadav? Since when you were here?¡± ¡°Just now?¡± ¡°I see¡­ Any luck?¡± ¡°Nope. The shops are all sucked dry of Procona.¡± ¡°Damn¡­¡± ¡°Yup. All, sucked, dry.¡± That was said in a rather lethargic tone. In wondering about his friend¡¯s fortunes, Nadav turned to him. ¡°Any luck in Demerith¡¯s Street?¡± ¡°Only got a small box worth of 130 grams.¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± Nadav almost jumped out of his spot. ¡°Yup. Had to pay 40 Duches for it.¡± ¡°Aww that sucks. But still! 160 Profit~.¡± ¡°True. But I think we might need to make some of the powder on our own.¡± ¡°Oh no¡­ don¡¯t mention it please¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get depressed. We¡¯ll get the right amount.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m, so, hungry~¡­ is there a chance of a lunchbox hiding somewhere inside that bag of yours Cadeus?¡± ¡°Not one fat chance.¡± ¡°Damn it. Well at least I asked.¡± ¡°Not in one out of a million ¨C ¡± Hang on¡­ Cadeus suddenly recalled. He did have some food with him. Taking out his sling bag, Cadeus started searching within. Books, maps, scrambled loose copies of documents¡­ it had to be there somewhere. Once Nadav started noticing Cadeus¡¯s behaviour, he could not help but continue to observe, speculating whatever was going on inside Cadeus¡¯s head. ¡°What is it? You really got food?¡± Nadav asked. Cadeus answered his question by taking out the food box Susan gave him earlier previously in Tenebris Vacuum. In seeing Cadeus holding such an atypical object in his hands, he suddenly jumped out of the bench. ¡°What this?! All of a sudden our Cadeus is holding an object 100% full of suspicion!¡± ¡°Stop treating me as if I ate something weird you idiot!¡± ¡° *Exaggerated grasp* That box! That¡¯s no ordinary box!¡± ¡°¡­ You just love making a big deal out of everything don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°No I¡¯m serious! That is the magically enhanced box that¡¯s said to preserve all the freshness of any food contents within as long as you don¡¯t pry open the lid!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Cadeus gave Nadav a look that totally said he did not believe a single word of it. ¡°What? It¡¯s true! I¡¯d take you to a shop at Derithmodule¡¯s Monument! They displayed food boxes like that out in the open. Those are expensive! Their price is set in-between 190 to 230 Duches!¡± ¡°I see, I see.¡± ¡°You really did not believe me do you?¡± Cadeus did not bother answering that. ¡°So what¡¯s inside?¡± ¡°I¡¯m about to find out.¡± Cadeus laid the box on his lap and slowly pried off the lid. Once the lid is removed, the two of them zoomed in to inspect the contents within. Susan had prepared Cadeus three different triangular sandwiches. The first was prepared with cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomatoes with a hint of garlic mayo sauce. The second was filled with a smoked salmon mixture with prickles and edible olive leaves. The last had smashed peas, pesto sauce, onions stacked along four layers of roast beef and turkey ham. The bread crusts on both sides of the three sandwiches also add points to the presentation. Cadeus could tell that Susan spent quite the effort preparing this. ¡°Wow¡­ such elegancy¡­ it really makes my mouth drool¡­¡± Nadav was starting to have a dangerous look in his eyes. ¡°¡­¡± Cadeus immediately covered the opening. ¡°Hey!¡± ¡°You¡¯ll drool onto it.¡± ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t? It looks so good!¡± ¡°Do you still think I will let you do that? Be considerate of the person who¡¯s going to eat it.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Nadav gave a capitulating look that spoke volumes. ¡°Sigh¡­ All right¡­ you may have one sandwich.¡± ¡°YES!¡± Cadeus took out one of the sandwiches and passed it over. ¡°Here you go.¡± ¡°Eh? Why did you hand me the bacon? I wanted the smoked salmon!¡± ¡°Beggars can¡¯t be choosers.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Nadav grudgingly took the sandwich and munched quietly. Cadeus took out the smoked salmon sandwich and started eating as well. ¡°MMM! This is good!¡± ¡°Mm¡­¡± ¡°Man! I¡¯d gladly give my set of polished boots for a box like this. Where did you get this?¡± Cadeus continued munching. ¡°Hold on a sec¡­ you are never the type to have such an expensive gadget on you.¡± Cadeus ignored that comment. He knew where this conversation was going. ¡°Oh ho~? What¡¯s with that silence? Did someone give it to you?¡± Cadeus continued munching away. ¡°Who gave you that box? Oh wait let me guess! That Dark Mage girlfriend of yours ¨C ¡± PUNCH! Cadeus confirmed that self deduced answer with a solid punch to his face. As he collapsed onto the hard floor, Nadav immediately sat up covering his bleeding nose while checking to see if he had spilled any edible contents. ¡°Oi! That¡¯s mean!¡± ¡°It¡¯s justified.¡± ¡°Justified? How the heck was that justifiable?¡± ¡°I already told you. Susan is not my girlfriend, and I already warned you that if you mention the word girlfriend one more time, I¡¯ll make sure that it will be the last thing you say until you woke up in the infirmary.¡± ¡°Huh? Am I in the infirmary?¡± Saying that last sentence with a tone of 100% pure sarcasm, Nadav feign ignorance and started looking around him in search for the so-called infirmary. This guy¡­ He¡¯s really asking for it. ¡°¡­ It seems that I was rather lenient towards you. Do you want another go?¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± All of a sudden Sing came back. Now her eyes were glued to the box on Cadeus¡¯s lap. ¡°Cadeus, did you buy that?¡± ¡°No?¡± ¡°Where did you get that? That¡¯s the expensive food box that is said to preserve the freshness of anything you cook. Nadav stared at Cadeus with a bewilderment look, as if to say ¡®see? I was right!¡¯. Sing¡¯s eyes went from the food box to the sandwiches to their hands. ¡°Boys, what were the two of you doing while I was gone?¡± ¡°Um¡­ well this is ¨C ¡± ¡°Oh this? Oh, nothing~. We¡¯re just enjoying the food that this guy¡¯s girlfriend prepared for him.¡± Cadeus immediately shot out a small fireball from his index finger. ¡°OUCH! That¡¯s Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot! Hot!¡± Nadav instantly jumped up to stop the small fire with his free hand, causing the nearby passersby to look on their ruckus. Looking at how things were going, Sing can guess the overall picture. Ignoring the idiot who brought this upon himself, Sing came closer to inspect the last sandwich. When she saw how detailed the sandwich was made, even her eyes went wide. Then her eyes locked onto the half eaten sandwich on Cadeus¡¯s hand, then to the one on Nadav¡¯s. ¡°When did she prepare this?¡± ¡°Hm? Seems like she did it yesterday.¡± ¡°What for?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ maybe it¡¯s for the book I found for her.¡± ¡°Does she prepare sandwiches for you often?¡± ¡°No, this is the first time.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Sing took another look at the last sandwich. ¡°Can I¡­ try the last one?¡± ¡°Huh? Ok sure.¡± Cadeus brought up the food box, allowing Sing to grab a hold on the last sandwich. When she just brought the sandwich into her mouth, her eyes showed some doubt. She¡¯s probably wondering if the food will taste good. But once she took the first bite, she just froze there. ¡°Umm¡­ Sing? Are you ok?¡± ¡°T-This sandwich!¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°This delegate taste of vegetations with discrete richness of the meat. The seasonings are also well mixed. Along with the crustiness of the bread¡­ just how did she¡­¡± What the heck? All it took is just one bite. Are girls that self-conscious when it comes to food preparation? Cadeus could not really say. ¡°Um¡­ so any luck Sing?¡± ¡°The smashed peas are also so soft. Maybe she grinded it for around half an hour or so¡­ And she did this along with pesto sauce? Her choice of flavour is good.¡± ¡°Um¡­ Sing?¡± ¡°You see? You see? She made such delicate sandwiches for him just out of the blue, plus she preserved it in such an expensive preservative food box. Cadeus you asshole, isn¡¯t this as good as having a girlfriend?¡± ¡°For the last time¡­¡± ¡°OK! OK! SPARE ME THE LIGHTNING!¡± BBBZZZZZ!!!!! ¡°AAAHHHH!!!!!!¡± TOA Once they stopped behaving like idiots out in the open, the scene shifts back to Felkor¡¯s Caf¨¦. Since they caused such a ruckus, the three of them soon felt thirsty. The sandwiches were refreshing, but even for Susan¡¯s unique recipes they were a little bit dry. So the three of them decided to head off to Felkor¡¯s again, hoping to see if he had any special new drink up for sale. When they arrived, they saw the usual busy scene inside the caf¨¦. When Felkor saw them, he gave them the usual welcome and told them to have a seat first. As Nadav sat down, he took out his electrically fried cloak and took a good look at it. ¡°Ah¡­ I need to get a new cloak.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have any extra?¡± ¡°Nah¡­¡± ¡°Hm? I thought the Academy issued two cloaks per student?¡± ¡°My first one got fried because I mis-spelled a fire spell remember?¡± ¡°Ah right¡­ that was during our first few sessions on Arcane Warfare. But frantically speaking, you deserve that one.¡± ¡°Aaahhh¡­¡± Out of frustration, Nadav thrust an accusing finger towards Cadeus. ¡°This time it is your fault Cadeus! Do you know how one cloak cost nowadays?¡± ¡°At least you still got your uniform. That lighting I casted would normally go through such thin fabric.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Besides, if buying a cloak on Zeffernon is so expensive, why not buy a cloak on Earth?¡± ¡°Um¡­ hello? Did you forget how long will it be until summer vacation? Also, what makes you think I would bother visiting Earth now that my parents have shifted back to my grandmother¡¯s house?¡± ¡°¡­ True.¡± ¡°Ok I¡¯ll tell you what. Since you are definitely going back to Earth during summer vacation, you¡¯ll buy me a cloak from there as compensation.¡± Cadeus gave a though, he sighed. ¡°¡­ Fair enough.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get me any plain ones ok? Get me a¡­ let¡¯s see¡­ that it! I want a fur coated cloak, white on the collars and grey on the rest.¡± ¡°¡­ Where the heck can I find something so ¨C ¡± ¡°No complaints! You destroyed one of my cloaks. That¡¯s the least you can do until you find something better or I find something more practical.¡± Practical? Cadeus raised an eyebrow to that single word. ¡°¡­ So you just stated such a demand for the sake of demanding?¡± ¡°Well¡­ an overly furry coat might make me look out of place¡­¡± Cadeus just frowned in irritancy. ¡°Sing¡¯s our witness here. Right Sing?¡± ¡°Mm¡­¡± Unlike the other two who are unusually particular about fashion, Sing is still observing the preservative box inside out. In seeing her so unusually engrossed, the two could only look at each other. ¡°Um¡­ Sing?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Witness.¡± ¡°Right, got it.¡± Nadav gave Cadeus a sneer that spoke volumes of his intent. ¡°Not counted. She was not listening.¡± ¡°Nope! She clearly said it.¡± ¡°She¡¯s more interested in the preservative box.¡± ¡°So what? She said she would be the witness to this issue!¡± Felkor, having done with his customers, came up to their table with the usual menu. ¡°Hey guys¡­ Eh? What happened to you Nadav? Did you get burned?¡± ¡°Nothing. I just gave him the good old lightning treatment.¡± ¡°What for?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Sing?¡± Felkor turned his attention to Sing, and then he saw the food box right next to her. ¡°Ho? What¡¯s that? Oh! It¡¯s that preservative food box.¡± ¡°You know it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a top seller these days. Whoever came up with that idea is sure earning loads of Duches.¡± ¡°So you did not know who made it?¡± ¡°Nah¡­ probably some Artifact Crafter who had a smart brain. When did you guys buy this thing?¡± ¡°Um¡­ that is ¨C ¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t buy it. This lucky guy here got it from his girlfriend.¡± ¡°What? Cadeus got a girlfriend?¡± ¡°For the last time. There is nothing going on between me and Susan.¡± ¡°Bull shit. This guy is hiding something.¡± Nadav gave him the down thumb. ¡°Hm¡­ I don¡¯t know what to make of this¡­ Sirena? Care to explain?¡± ¡°Cadeus got three sandwiches from a Lesser Noble Dark Mage called Susan as a reward for getting her a book.¡± ¡°I see¡­ How¡¯s that getting a girlfriend?¡± ¡°Cadeus saved her before, literally.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I see. So she¡¯s spotted her own knight in shining armour.¡± ¡°Totally a knight in shining armour.¡± ¡°You guys¡­¡± Cadeus gave up. Felkor smiled. It¡¯s good to see them in such bright spirits in comparison to what they had yesterday. Feeling bad for teasing Cadeus, Felkor decided to change the subject. ¡°Oh by the way, I have some news that might be of some interests to you three.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Your Board Quest.¡± The three of them sat up straight. ¡°Procona Powder has become a nightmare for every Alchemist in the city. People are already starting to call this event Procona Fever.¡± ¡°Procona Fever?¡± Cadeus asked again. ¡°Yup. Just a night after the demand soared, and that¡¯s what everyone¡¯s saying already.¡± ¡°Is this the talk of your customers?¡± ¡°Well it¡¯s not just them. It¡¯s coming from the other Alchemists as well.¡± ¡°The other alchemists? Did a couple of them show up in your caf¨¦ today?¡± ¡°Yes, but it is also not just the usual ones. I still keep tabs with my old colleagues. They are having the same problem right now.¡± ¡°So even the legit Alchemists are having trouble.¡± Sing said. The three of them look at each other and sighed. Felkor could not help but give them the wry face. ¡°Well don¡¯t look so down. It just means that you guys will have to make the powder on your own.¡± ¡°You make that sound very simple Felkor¡­¡± Cadeus said. ¡°It is simple. You just need the right materials. Sirena should know right?¡± ¡°Yes. But Felkor, wouldn¡¯t the materials in question be running out of stock?¡± ¡°Oh dear¡­ more hunting to do?¡± Nadav clawed his own face. ¡°It should be fine. There should be quite the number of sources from your respective zones¡­ remember the places where you all had colour class? There should be something.¡± ¡°Do you have a list of ingredients where we can collect?¡± ¡°I should have¡­¡± Felkor squeezed his eyes in deep thought. ¡°If I remember correctly, there should be fifteen different methods surrounding thirty-four ingredients.¡± Nadav nearly fell from his seat. ¡°The easiest method should be using ¨C ¡± ¡°Felkor! We got more guests!¡± ¡°Argh! That¡¯s Jasper calling me for help. I¡¯ll catch up with you guys later.¡± And with that, Felkor left the trio to themselves. ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m not going to sit here and let my throat go dry. I¡¯m getting black tea. Do you guys want anything?¡± Sing asked. ¡°I¡¯ll get the chocolate milkshake.¡± ¡°Milkshake?¡± Cadeus raised an eyebrow. ¡°Do you want to dehydrate your body with more sugar?¡± ¡°Shut up! What¡¯s wrong with milkshake?¡± ¡°Cadeus? Anything?¡± ¡°Apple Brisky Emeloi. No sugar.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± ¡°Wait, let this be my treat. I still owe you for the item in Demerith¡¯s Street.¡± Sing just gave Cadeus a smile. ¡°Ok then. I¡¯ll need at least seven Duches.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± As she left to order their drinks, Cadeus took a good look around him. The people surrounding them were mainly adult mages who were pretty much engrossed in their own conversations. It seems like this was a good chance to mention the fluid. If they keep their voices low, they should avoid eavesdroppers. Cadeus waited until Sing returned with the drinks, then he opened his mouth. ¡°Before we start talking about anything else, I got something to show you¡­ don¡¯t look at me like that Nadav, it¡¯s got something to do with our Board Quest.¡± ¡°Oh phew¡­ for some reason I thought you would be sharing something out of the blue.¡± Ignoring the clown, Sing returned her attention to Cadeus. ¡°So what is it?¡± ¡°Like I said, this has something to do with our Board Quest. So whatever comes next, please keep your volume down.¡± As he said that, he gave an extremely serious look. When Sing and Nadav first heard that, they looked at each other then back to Cadeus. Once Sing and Nadav saw how serious he is, they got the message. ¡°Ok, we¡¯ll keep quiet.¡± ¡°Fire away Cadeus.¡± ¡°Ok. First, take a look at this.¡± Cadeus took out the flask with the grayish fluid from his own sling bag. ¡°Hm? That¡¯s my flask isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the stuff you said you were getting from the swamps right? It¡¯s so weird. Why are you showing such a disgusting stuff to us?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll keep it short.¡± Cadeus reduced his volume. ¡°If my information serves me well, this is Procona in fluid form.¡± The two of them looked at the fluid and back to Cadeus with a hint of doubt. ¡°Yes I know, very unlikely isn¡¯t it? Well, read this then.¡± Cadeus took out the book ¡®The Swamp comes Alive¡¯ and laid it out on the table. All eyes drew to the paragraph that Cadeus¡¯s index finger is pointing. ¡°¡°¡­!¡±¡± ¡°T-This is?!¡± ¡°Are you frigging serious?¡± The two instantly threw their eyes from the book to the fluid in the flask. Then, they shifted their sight to Cadeus as if to see if he¡¯s seriously playing some joke on them, which is so unlike his character. ¡°¡­ Why are you two staring at me like that? That hurts you know?¡± ¡°When did you get this book?¡± ¡°¡­ Not too long ago.¡± ¡°How exactly long is this ¡®long ago¡¯?¡± ¡°Why do you have to make it sound so suspicious?¡± ¡°Why do you have to keep such a thing from us up till now?¡± ¡°Please¡­ I went through the trouble to do some digging and owe Claire one favour just to get my hands on this information.¡± ¡°Favour? Oh! So that¡¯s the book that you had to ask her during that time she was the library receptionist.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ it was as if my fate was sealed damn it¡­¡± ¡°Well¡­ (with a softer voice) if the book is true, we can get to make as many powder as we can get right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what we have to find out. At least I have the fluid now.¡± Sing simply took the flask and kept it in her bag. ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can dig up tonight. I learned some powder making processes from my dad. With some extra reading, I should be able to get the proper procedures. As long as it is fluid form, it should be doable.¡± There she goes, Sing¡¯s as reliable as always. ¡°Ok. I¡¯ll also see if I can return to the swamps to get more of the fluid. Back then I saw multiple Draborg plants. They are all ripe. I can see them all swelling fat with the grey fluid.¡± ¡°You still want to go back there, even though you almost died there today?¡± Sing said. ¡°It will be fine if I am not alone. Nadav will be coming with me.¡± ¡°Say what?¡± ¡°I said, you would be coming with me.¡± ¡°Hold on a minute! You need an Educator¡¯s permission from your side to allow a non-Dark Mage into Tenebris Vacuum.¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine. Educator Garth is a surprisingly tolerant Educator.¡± Well¡­ he¡¯s more interested in his thesis to not give a damn anyway¡­ ¡°Hold on, hold on. You want me, to go into that dangerous forest with you?¡± ¡°Yes? Or are you going to abandon your friend here while he tries to secure your 160 profit?¡± ¡°Geh! That¡¯s unfair!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not. Besides, the swamps are mostly uninhabited. The creatures that usually attack students are in the deeper parts of the forest. It¡¯s not like we will see much.¡± ¡°Sing! There is still time to stop this bugger! Say something!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Sing!¡± ¡°Give it up Nadav. We need that powder by tomorrow.¡± ¡°NNNOOOO!!!!¡± Nadav gave up in exasperation. The whole issue lasted until 4:30 pm. Now that they got a new lead, it¡¯s time to head back to the Academy to start some powder making. TOA By the time the trio left the shop, it is already 4:34 pm. There is still plenty of time to do some extra shopping or settle any minor quest. But Sing wanted to head back early to read up more about making the powder. Cadeus also wouldn¡¯t mind heading back to Tenebris Vacuum to see if he can make another trip to the swamps with Nadav. But before they can head back to the Academy, there¡¯s still one last thing Cadeus needed to do. As he looked at Sing and Nadav, they were already walking on the road heading to the Carriage Centre. ¡°Hey guys.¡± Cadeus stopped his two friends.¡± ¡°Can we spare a moment? Before we head back to the Academy, I need to get one last thing done.¡± ¡°Hm? You need to do something Cadeus? Oh wait let me guess! Another lady¡¯s favour?¡± ¡°Nothing like that you idiot. I need to call my mom.¡± At that very answer, the two of them suddenly got a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. Out of the three, Cadeus was the only one currently who had a parent back on Earth. He had to give frequent calls back to Earth to do some family catching up. ¡°Oh¡­ right. I forgot about that. It has been a while since your last call right?¡± ¡°Two solid weeks. Knowing her¡­ if I don¡¯t call her soon enough, she¡¯ll probably make a fuss out of it.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll need to get to the Thermos Building right? That¡¯s at the High Council District¡­¡± Sing said. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How long will you take?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ it will take me around twenty minutes to get to the High Council District by foot. I should be done with my call by around 5:30 pm. Then if we take the carriage again, we should be able to head back to the Academy just in time for curfew.¡± ¡°That¡¯s above fifty minutes.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Truth to be told, time is getting rather limited. I¡¯d rather head back first and read up about the powder making process.¡± Sing said. ¡°I see. Sounds good. What about you Nadav?¡± ¡°Erm¡­ you go on ahead. I¡¯ll head back in case Sing needs something where I can help.¡± ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll see you two later then.¡± ¡°Later.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get into trouble.¡± TOA The High Council District was at the very centre of the capital city. It¡¯s the most isolated and highly secured district in all of Infinitas. The reason should be quite obvious just by looking at the name of the district. It¡¯s the place where the High Tower was located, the very epicenter where members of the High Council would gather to discuss major issues regarding magi politics. Other than the High Tower, there were only a couple of administrative buildings. Nevertheless, the security of this district was said to be the most impenetrable in all of Otium. It¡¯s said that every building was thoroughly inspected and guarded by a perfect magi field spanning the entire building from basement to the highest level. Over a hundred barriers, field layers, magi traps of various levels, hundreds of Magi Enforcers serving guard duty along with mutated chimeras and powerful creatures, and the various stories further exaggerates. Anyways, the High Tower was not Cadeus¡¯s destination. The building he needs to go to was called the Thermos Building. It¡¯s just one out of many administrative buildings handling various sorts of paperwork, but it mainly deals with issues relating to Earth; Migration to Earth, visiting Earth, dealing with students who have family on Earth, and other stuff like that. When Cadeus entered the building. The first thing he saw was the same receptionist. She¡¯s a lady going by the name of Miss. Seinlier. Overall she¡¯s a free and easy lady. When Cadeus first sign in his full name, she gave him the dubious face. But after she heard the story from a certain acquaintance, she passed the issue enthusiastically and treated it as if it were a piece of an unsolved puzzle. Over time, she would tease him in regards to his identity. ¡°Excuse me.¡± ¡°Yes? How can I help you? Oh I remember you, Mr. My Family Name is Pure Coincidence.¡± Sigh¡­ She instantly recognized his face on a whim¡­ she must have really liked his circumstances. ¡°¡­ I would like to use the Dimensional terminal please Miss. Seinlier.¡± ¡°Haha~ you are such a cute boy~. Ok let me see¡­ ah yes. Room six is open. Do you remember the casting sequence or do you need me to go through it with you again?¡± ¡°No I¡¯m good. I¡¯ll take room six.¡± ¡°Ok. As usual, sign here with your name.¡± Cadeus simply wrote his name and handed it back. There, done. Cadeus thought that he is done with her for the moment. However, it seems that she¡¯s still had something for him. Once she received it, she gave him a playful sneer. ¡°Heard anything new from Mr. Morrison?¡± Ah¡­ this again. ¡°No. But hopefully he would find something that will clear up the misunderstanding.¡± ¡°Eh? Nothing? Not a single thing?¡± ¡°The last time I heard from him was two months ago.¡± ¡°How disappointing. Aren¡¯t you at the least concern if there is a lead?¡± Truth to be told, Cadeus was curious. However, information regarding the investigation of his lineage would probably not be revealed for quite some time. Mr. Morrison already assured him as such, the leads he had were very vague, too vague, for anything worth noting. His investigation would probably take several years, which is why Cadeus did not feel like rushing him at the moment. ¡°If I heard nothing, it will do me no good to speculate. Besides I got more important things to do at the moment.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ the Academy. Are you still under Garth?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Does he still give you free time?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Ah ha ha~ that¡¯s so like him.¡± ¡°Is he still the same?¡± Cadeus instantly recalled that Miss. Seinlier and Educator Garth were former schoolmates of the same badge intake. She must have been one of the many females who got captivated by his pretty boy looks. Come to think of it¡­ Miss. Seinlier is still single. She had already asked Cadeus once if he could help her ask Educator Garth out on a date. Obviously Garth denied any sort of interest, but now it seems that she¡¯s still interested in a possibility. All right, since this knowledge just surfaced again, time to tease her a little in return. ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry, even though he¡¯s getting lots of love letters from both teachers and students alike, he¡¯s still married to his Conjuration thesis.¡± ¡°A-Ah¡­ I see.¡± In seeing her faltering, Cadeus took the opening and immediately ended this conversation. ¡°Can I go now?¡± ¡°Sure, go ahead. Tell Garth I said hi~.¡± ¡°No problem. I¡¯ll also let him know you¡¯re still single and still looking.¡± ¡°That¡¯s unnecessary!¡± There we go, easy peasy. And with that, Cadeus left her and approached the secular corridors. TOA Entering room six, the room was designed for single users. It ¡®s a small tight room with only one seat and a terminal looking device resting on top of a table. All the four walls are sound proof. Perfect for keeping privacy for the exchanges made. Cadeus pulled out the chair, sat down and looked at the terminal. The device is magically enhanced. Cadeus did not know the specifics, but through some phenomena, it could establish a link with anything across the other world. It¡¯s roughly like Skype, just that it¡¯s done with magic rather than with electronics. The steps to activate the device sounds complicated at first, but with one or two tries, it¡¯s pretty straight forward. All the caster need was to supply the terminal with magic along with mental images of his home. It could be images of his house, his parents or even the very computer they use. The trick was to allow the terminal to differentiate location, houses and people in order to avoid confusion amongst students who might be living in the same area. Then all that¡¯s left was to think about the computer that the parent will use and think of the device like an ordinary computer. Cadeus checked the time again on his pocket watch. It¡¯s already 4:55 pm. If the timing was exactly corresponded, his mother should be using her computer right now. Well¡­ only one way to find out. Cadeus took a deep breath. He powered up the screen and contacted the other side. [¡°Hi Darling~! How are you?¡±] ¡°Mom¡­ I don¡¯t mind you calling me darling. But can you please do not say it in such a way that it sounds like I¡¯m your husband?¡± The image of his very own mother appeared on the screen. Surprisingly, it took only a couple of seconds before the other side fired up her screen. She must have been anticipating this¡­ She must have just been released from work. Cadeus could discern that by looking at her background. She¡¯s at home, but she did not change out from her business suit. It¡¯s either that or she¡¯s about to leave the house for her night shift. [¡°Have you been busy recently? You did not call me these past few days. Mommy¡¯s been so lonely.¡±] There she goes, putting up a face and pouting on purpose like that. ¡°Ah yes¡­ I have been busy. I got a lot of projects coming up.¡± [¡°Ah ha~! I see, I see. Getting along with your classmates?¡±] ¡°Yes¡­ things have been good.¡± Cadeus slightly hesitated when he told the lie. But it appears that his mother did not catch the slight awkwardness in between. ¡°Mom, are you going to work night shift soon?¡± [¡°Ah yes, but it¡¯s fine, I can spare a couple of minutes. No need to rush.¡±] ¡°Ha¡­¡± [¡°Hey guess what? I am due for a promotion!¡±] She gave him a big V for victory. ¡°Promotion? Oh¡­ for your business corporation right?¡± [¡°That¡¯s right. Though my salary will increase, I will be traveling more often for conferences. I am due for a flight to Hong Kong soon.¡±] ¡°I see¡­ that¡¯s good.¡± [¡°He he~ I hear Hong Kong got many interesting things. Do you want something I can send over? A souvenir? Food? Would you want some particular snack you can only find in Hong Kong?¡±] ¡°Um¡­ I¡¯ll take the food then.¡± [¡°I will be leaving tomorrow, should be back home in about a week or so, so don¡¯t call me until then. This Hong Kong conference will have a lot of big shots coming in so I need to prepare myself thoroughly.¡±] ¡°So when will I expect you to be back?¡± [¡°I think things will be back to normal at around¡­ the 24th? 25th? I think 25th, yes, standby that date for now.¡±] ¡°Ok¡­ but if you are going to travel more often, then what about your part time modeling?¡± [¡°It¡¯s ok, I¡¯ll find some time. My modeling manager is doing all the scheduling after all.¡±] Oi, oi¡­ She just waved the matter away as if it was a minor thing¡­ As usual, she sure has that level of confidence in what she does¡­ Cadeus thought. ¡°Are you sure your scheduling is all right?¡± [¡°No worries. If there is anything that clashes I¡¯m not the one doing the answering. If things mess up, the fashion company will simply sack my manager and replace him with another one.¡±] Ouch¡­ Cadeus felt slightly sorry for whoever was currently serving as his mother¡¯s manager. [¡°By the way¡­ have you been keeping in touch with Mr. Morrison?¡±] ¡°¡­ What?¡± An unexpected topic Cadeus was not expecting to hear surfaced at that very instance. [¡°You see, he has been making appointments to meet up with me recently.¡±] ¡°Whatever for?¡± [¡°Just reporting to me how your progress has been, ensuring me you are not playing lazy.¡±] ¡°Mom¡­ that actually hurts you know.¡± [¡°He mentioned you were very talented, and he was asking me if there was anyone in our family history who had similar talents.¡±] Ah¡­ that¡¯s just probably Mr. Morrison digging leads on the investigation regarding his family name. The ¡®Talented¡¯ portion must have been an indirect implication to magic. ¡°What did you tell him?¡± [¡°I said no, our family history is pretty much normal. No particular ancestor stood out.¡±] ¡°I see¡­ was there any mention of the family tree?¡± [¡°Nope. I did not mention it. You had it anyway so it would be pointless for me to talk about it. Besides, it didn¡¯t seem that important to bring it up anyway.¡±] ¡°Right¡­¡± Showing Mr. Morrison the family tree might be a big boon for his investigation. But from his mother¡¯s point of view, Mr. Morrison¡¯s question might have been meant for casual talk having nothing of any relevance. She was not aware of his investigations, nor would she be interested if she were informed. Cadeus knew that his mother is the type who valued individual actions and merits more so than a person¡¯s background. Investigating into a person¡¯s family background is clearly not within her interests. Due to Mr. Morrison¡¯s investigations, Cadeus had considered countless times in the past three months to just spill the beans and tell her about Magic and Zeffernon. But in the end, he concluded that it¡¯s best not let her know anything related to magic. It¡¯s better to let things lie low for normal people. Like what Emanuel Kent said, Ignorance is bliss. Cadeus¡¯s mother is ignorant of the existence of Zeffernon. She did not have the gift to use Magic. When the mages on Earth discovered Cadeus¡¯s supernatural talent, they approached his mother with offers of scholarship to Triple Orb Academy under the disguise of an academic High School. Cadeus did not know how his mother came to accept his enrollment, but he suspected that the mages probably used some mind-convincing spell to persuade her into allowing him to come over. [¡°Anyways, look at this!¡±] ¡°Hm?¡± [¡°Jian~, jian~!¡±] Cadeus¡¯s mother flashed out a magazine. [¡°Your mom hit the front page for this month¡¯s issue!¡±] What Cadeus ended up looking at, is an adult fashion magazine where his mother is seen wearing a scantily looking set of undergarments. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Cadeus was this close to slamming his head on the table in exasperation. ¡°Mom¡­ such contents are unsuitable for the young.¡± [¡°Haha~ don¡¯t be too shy Cadeus. Admit it! I still look sexy for my age right?¡±] ¡°Mom¡­ I¡¯m only sixteen years old. This is not something a mother should be showing her underdeveloped kid.¡± Cadeus¡¯s mother put up an evil smile. [¡°Not bad, you aren¡¯t in the least responsive.¡±] ¡°If I am responsive in a particular way, I might get arrested for it.¡± [¡° *Pitiful sigh* My dear boy is not in the least interested.¡±] ¡°Of course. I¡¯m looking at my mother modeling with such exposing pieces of garments. It¡¯s embarrassing. Please don¡¯t tell me you were hoping I would have some sort of reaction.¡± [¡°Ah~, ha~, ha~? Is my dear boy blushing?¡±] Cadeus waved her scheming face away. ¡°As if. Watch how you present yourself to your own son for once.¡± As a boy, Cadeus would be lying if he said he wouldn¡¯t have a reaction seeing such a revealing magazine page. But the person in the magazine is his own mother. If he were to have some sort of reaction, there will be something very wrong with him fundamentally as a human being. [¡°Ha¡­¡±] Cadeus¡¯s mother rested her head on her knuckles. ¡°What? And what¡¯s with that self-pitying look on your face?¡± [¡°Do you really have nothing else to tell me?¡±] ¡°Like what?¡± [¡°You have been three months away from your own mommy. Don¡¯t you have anything interesting to share?¡±] ¡°Share as in¡­ what?¡± From the minute he said that, Cadeus instantly knew that he fell into his own mother¡¯s trap. Oh crap¡­ maybe I should have kept silent. He thought. Every time he called to talk to his mother, this was one topic he had to avoid at all costs. Fortunately for Cadeus, she forgot to ask this of him the last time. But it seems she remembered not asking him about it, and she¡¯s not going to let him off the hook this time. Cadeus¡¯s mother flashed him a cunning smile. [¡°My dear boy~ have you finally found someone?¡±] There we go¡­ Cadeus was really starting to get a headache. It¡¯s always this question. Why this question? Of all questions, why this question? ¡°Mom¡­ this is the seventh time you have asked me this question. Why are you always interested in that sort of thing?¡± [¡°Because I have to spot check. Who knows? You might even be hiding a girl behind my back without telling me.¡±] ¡°¡­ Why would I bother doing that kind of thing?¡± [¡°Quit beating around the bush. So? Have you finally found someone? Are you finally going out with a girl?¡±] ¡°No and no.¡± [¡°You are lying.¡±] The tone of her voice became one of accusation. Now that caught Cadeus off guard. ¡°¡­ What makes you think I am lying?¡± [¡°Mother¡¯s intuition.¡±] ¡°Just based on that?¡± [¡°You can call that being biased, but I can tell you are hiding facts from me.¡±] ¡°Hiding what?¡± [¡°You are going out with girls, aren¡¯t you?¡±] How on earth, could her intuition pop up when it came to this sort of thing? ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± [¡°Ah ha! So? Has anyone caught your eye?¡±] Cadeus thought back about the girls he met already. So far there¡¯s only Sing, Susan, and Claire¡­ ¡°¡­ None so far.¡± When his mother heard that, she gave an expression that clearly said ¡®what a troublesome son I have¡¯. [¡°Sigh¡­ what trouble. You never went out with anyone during your elementary education, or your middle school education. And now you are still saying no girl has caught your eyes? I¡¯m the one who¡¯s starting to worry here.¡±] ¡°¡­ You sure love to keep a detailed record of my love history.¡± [¡°Of course? A mother will always be curious who would her dear boy will go out with.¡±] ¡°I see¡­¡± Something akin to an alarm can be heard from the other side. It¡¯s that same old jazzy tune from some Waltz Disney fairy tale movie. ¡°Mom, I think that¡¯s your phone ringing.¡± [¡°Is it? Oh right it is.¡±] ¡°¡­ Please change that stupid ring tone.¡± [¡°Oh shucks¡­ I need to go already or I might get caught in the highway jam¡­ Any ways, 25th ok?¡±] ¡°Noted.¡± [¡°Make sure you get a girlfriend the next time we talk!¡±] And she shut off her screen, ending the session with the same last words. As Cadeus shut the terminal down, he leaned back on his chair and looked up towards the ceiling. ¡°Girlfriend huh? You make it sound so simple mom¡­¡± Given how almost every mage hate or dislike him due to his family name circumstances, finding a girlfriend could already be considered an extreme challenge. Besides, getting a girlfriend was currently far from his mind with the number of activities he had to do daily. Cadeus rubbed his head. ¡°Sigh¡­ perhaps I¡¯ll just not call her until I get myself a girlfriend.¡± Of course, that was not possible. With nothing else to do, he simply got up and left the room. Volume 1 - Chapter 4, Grey damsel in distress When Cadeus returned to the Academy grounds, he did not look for Nadav and Sing. Since he¡¯s going to drag Nadav back into Tenebris Vacuum, he might as well get the clearance form from Educator Garth first. That was why Cadeus first went to the Converse Hall instead of the dorms. Even though it may be 6:12 pm, Cadeus was highly confident that Educator Garth would still be in Tenebris Vacuum. Stepping into the teleportation circle in Converse Hall, Cadeus went back to Tenebris Vacuum. He headed straight to the Academia building and went straight up to Educator Garth¡¯s office. There was a reason for his confidence that Educator Garth would still be in his office. Educator Garth had a double specialism. One of them was being a Conjurer. A Conjurer was a spell-casting Specialist who specializes in complex spells. They were the masters of spell casting, and experts in coming up with unique spell combinations. The life of a Conjurer revolves continuously around two phases, Spell thesis and practical experimentation. Hours were spent researching on countless possibilities in creating a stable formula suitable for practical usage. Conjuration was all about stacking numerous smaller spells together to create a large versatile spell. This process was tedious, and it had to be studied and handled very carefully. This was because complex spell casting was extremely dangerous, as it adds in multiple casting factors and spell elements into one single process. Also, one had to be very careful to not exceed the Cast Limit. It takes weeks, if not years, just to come up with a single formula, and it would take even more than that to finalize that formula in practical experimentation. Also, once they had finalized everything, they also had to put everything into paper, another long and troublesome process. If you were confused, think of them simply as one of Earth¡¯s college professors who were extremely passionate in writing and researching on countless academic thesis. In the many attempts to create a new complex spell, Educator Garth tends to be overly zealous in his research. When he hits a stimulating break through, he had the tendency to ignore his education duties like what had happened this morning. When that usually happens, he would stay in his office till late at night before going back to the Educator dorms. Sometimes, he would even put up an all nighters and then just sleep in his office until someone had to wake him up if he had a class to teach. Hence, since he was entirely focused on his thesis that was enough to dismiss a class, there¡¯s a good chance that he would still be stuck in his office. Although his efforts for his Conjuration thesis spoke volumes for his diligence, the students who were under him would not feel so appreciative since he had been neglecting his proper job of being an Educator. As Cadeus walked towards the corridor, he could see that the door to Educator Garth¡¯s office was opened along with the hints of artificial lights shining brightly from Educator Garth¡¯s office. That¡¯s already a good indicator that Educator Garth was still inside. Once he entered the room, he could already see Educator Garth at his working desk in front of piles of papers filled with various markings and formulas. As usual, Educator Garth¡¯s room gave quite the scholar impression, and it purely defines Educator Garth¡¯s ¡®marriage¡¯ to his Countless stacks of research notes are all piled up behind his chair. Books of various subjects had completely filled up his bookshelves. There¡¯s even a chalkboard to the side of the room filled with all sorts of symbols and equation notes. They all may seem to be impressive and purely intellectual, but Cadeus could only see nothing but gibberish that did not even make sense. Interestingly though, there¡¯s a classic metronome clicking away from side to side giving the room a sense of quiet feel. Additionally, at the side of the room, there¡¯s an exclusive desk where a considerable number of love letters were pilled up together, untouched and unopened. When one occasionally got a chance to catch a glimpse at the numbers, two questions usually popped up in their heads. How many times have students and adults alike had tried to hit on him per month? Also, what about the other letters that came before? It was not easy to say. In seeing Educator Garth too engrossed to the point where he did not notice Cadeus¡¯s entry, Cadeus decided to move closer and start the conversation. ¡°Um¡­ Educator Garth?¡± Educator Garth raised his eyebrow slightly and tilted his head upwards. It seems that he really hates to be interrupted. ¡°Oh? Cadeus?¡± He returned to looking at his research notes. ¡°What are you doing here at this hour?¡± ¡°I need to bring a friend to Tenebris Vacuum. He¡¯s a Grey Mage.¡± ¡°Hm? What for?¡± ¡°I need to get his help to collect something from the swamps.¡± ¡°Are you sure you can¡¯t ask anyone else from your class?¡± he double-checked. ¡°No.¡± ¡°I see¡­ How long will he be there?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be done by 8:30 pm.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± As usual, he¡¯s not interested of the current matter at hand. He¡¯s much keener on solving whatever hypothesis he¡¯s currently formulating in his head. ¡°Ok, just fill up the form over there and bring it to me for my signature.¡± He pointed to the stack of escort forms. Cadeus simply took one and filled out the details both for himself and Educator Garth. Once he signed the form, Educator Garth gave him one last reminder. ¡°Remember, be back in your dorm by 10:00 pm. If you get caught past lights out it¡¯ll be none of my business you hear?¡± ¡°Ok. Thanks.¡± ¡°Make sure you and your friend don¡¯t get into any trouble.¡± Cadeus smiled slightly. That¡¯s a rather crude way of saying ¡®don¡¯t drag me into any trouble if you mess up¡¯. Now that the he got the clearance form, it¡¯s now time for a good dinner. TOA When Cadeus returned to the Coral Hall, the crowd seemed to be lesser than usual. Flicking his pocket watch, it¡¯s already coming to 7:00pm. He¡¯d better clear his dinner fast if he wants to be out of Tenebris Vacuum by 8:30 pm. Searching around with his eyes, he found Sing and Nadav at the usual spot. ¡°Hi guys. Sorry I¡¯m late.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ok, Nadav and I are only halfway through.¡± Sing said. ¡°Anything on your research on powder making?¡± Cadeus asked. ¡°I found an old book that my dad was using in my closet. It had some information, but I need more time to read.¡± ¡°I see. Well at least we have something to work on.¡± ¡°Oh right¡­ I think you may need this.¡± Sing reach for her bag and took out two new glass flasks and placed them on the table. ¡°Fill them both to the brim. We might need all the fluid we get.¡± ¡°Great. I¡¯ll take one. Nadav, you take the other.¡± ¡°Geh! Why don¡¯t you take the two of them?¡± ¡°My bag has enough space left for one. If I take both, there will be a chance that the two flasks will break.¡± ¡°You can just put one flask in your bag and hold the other.¡± ¡°Just take it already.¡± Though Cadeus was late due to his call with his mother, it seems that Nadav and Sing were only halfway done eating. Dinner¡¯s menu was slightly different. Oh right¡­ today was pasta day. Cadeus remembered just by looking at their dishes. Nadav was having some sort of vegetarian pasta with linguini, while Sing was having a healthy pasta pesto. As for himself¡­ Sing and Nadav had helped Cadeus chose some creamy dish made up of penny and mushrooms, probably some creamy chicken menu, a commonly popular choice amongst students. ¡°So, how¡¯s your mother?¡± Nadav asked. ¡°She¡¯s fine, doing well in fact. She got a promotion in her business corporation.¡± ¡°Wow. She¡¯s really good isn¡¯t she? I couldn¡¯t imagine doing business myself.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯ll never become a businessman Nadav.¡± ¡°Geh! That¡¯s mean!¡± Nadav jabbed his pasta with his fork. ¡°Damn it¡­ now that we are eating pasta and talking about your mother, I am reminded of that explicit meal she made for us when we came over to your house for study session. Ah¡­ I miss your mother¡¯s cooking.¡± Nadav can be seen drooling in deep thought. ¡°Nadav, stop. I¡¯m just about to start eating. That¡¯s very inconsiderate and disgusting.¡± Cadeus said. ¡°Ah¡­ her glorious shepherd¡¯s pie and homemade roast salmon.¡± What Nadav was pleasantly reminiscing was the time where Cadeus¡¯s mother made dinner for the three of them. It was during the time when the three of them are still back on old Earth. Cadeus brought Sing and Nadav over to his house for a study session when his mother returned to make dinner. Her homemade meals really left quite the impression back then. ¡°Hey Cadeus. Is it possible for us to be invited over the next time your mother cooks something?¡± ¡°Well that will have to depend if you are available.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make myself available!¡± ¡°Nadav, you no longer have a house on Earth since your parents moved back to Zeffernon, so coming back to Earth is no longer a consistent luxury. How exactly are you going to teleport yourself instantly from Zeffernon to Earth?¡± ¡°It does not have to be teleportation. I just need to get permission from my parents. They know your mother, they will definitely allow it!¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± ¡°Come to think of it, when was the last time we went to your house?¡± Nadav asked. ¡°That was about five months ago right?¡± Sing followed. ¡°Yes. Oh wait! I really remembered our third visit! That was the most satisfying visit ever!¡± Cadeus gave himself a face palm. ¡°Please¡­ don¡¯t remind me what happened.¡± The events that happened back then were¡­ well¡­ not something Cadeus would like to remember. The memory takes place during the third time Cadeus brought Nadav and Sing to his house, which was roughly around eight months ago. The original purpose was to study for their middle school final examinations. However, things got a little hectic when Cadeus¡¯s mother came back. For Cadeus¡¯s mother, it was the first time she saw his friends. Due to her occupation as a businesswoman and a part time modeler, her schedule is pretty quite stretched. When Cadeus brought his two friends home for the first two times, she was never there. However on the third visit, she came back just when they were about to finish up mathematics. That¡¯s when things start to get a little messy. When Cadeus¡¯s mother saw Sing for the first time, she immediately went into a mini frenzy, clapped her cheeks and started exclaiming embarrassing statements like ¡®My son¡¯s first girlfriend!¡¯ or ¡®my dear boy has finally grown up!¡¯. Anyways, Cadeus really had to spend quite the effort to stop his own mother¡¯s delusions, which surprisingly had quite an effect on Sing. After his mother had settled down and started treating his two friends like family, Sing ended up blushing throughout the rest of the study session, and to add on top of that, the next few days to come. The remarkable thing though, was how well Nadav got along with his mother. They love to crack jokes and would often bombard Cadeus with nonsensical rants. The study session became from streamline serious to absolute chaotic, such that in the end, they did not finish everything. Cadeus need to bring his friends back again for another round of study session, this time making sure that his mother would be 100% out of the house. Oh¡­ and did Cadeus forgot to mention about his mother¡¯s model magazines? When she was introducing herself to Nadav and Sing, Nadav just had to ask if she had any other job before other than being a businesswoman. That was the catalyst that inspired her to bring out her magazines. Rather than simple sharing, it became a boastful show off session. Cadeus could remember Sing and Nadav¡¯s expression when they first saw the magazines. Their eyes almost popped out when they saw the contents. The next thing Cadeus knew, they both gave him the ¡®I don¡¯t know you¡¯ attitude the next few days whenever the magazines were brought up. Thinking about this only made Cadeus feel slightly worse. If he¡¯s going to get a girlfriend, how on earth was he going to introduce her to his mother? Would he get dumped instantly the moment his girl gets to see what kind of mother he has? ¡°Why are you looking so down? Did something happen with your mother?¡± ¡°Nothing happened, she¡¯s still the same.¡± ¡°Any other new development other than her promotion and conference?¡± ¡°She¡¯s still pestering me to get a girlfriend.¡± With that answer, Nadav gave a face that went ¡®Ho! Did I just hear that?¡¯ while Sing started to blush frantically again. The two of them are probably further reminded of the episode they were just talking about, especially the part when Cadeus¡¯s mother went ¡®my son¡¯s first girlfriend¡¯. ¡°So¡­ any developments for you?¡± ¡°You think?¡± ¡°Well, you have that Susan girl.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Cadeus swung a non-lethal punch but Nadav managed to evade it. ¡°She¡¯s a Lesser Noble. Do you think she would want to go out with me?¡± ¡°Well, you saved her and she gave you that sandwich box. Doesn¡¯t that signal any interests she has towards you?¡± ¡°No, no and no. Besides, if she gets too familiar with me, it will not be good for her. The other nobles might pick on her.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ because of your family name. I got it. Then why don¡¯t you start asking around?¡± ¡°Are you kidding me? Who would want to go out with me?¡± ¡°She does not have to be a Dark Mage. Look, I know some hot looking Grey mage babes. You know what?¡± Nadav wrapped his right arm around Cadeus¡¯s shoulder. ¡°This weekend, once we are done with that Procona Board Quest, we should go hit on girls!¡± Nadav threw his left fist up into the air as if he won a lottery. ¡°You guys¡­¡± Sing muttered. ¡°¡°Hm?¡±¡± Sing could be seen clenching her fists on the chair. She also seems to be biting hard on her teeth. ¡°Um¡­ Sing?¡± Nadav said. Uh oh¡­ Sing instantly buried her fists on both their heads. ¡°Geh!¡± ¡°Ouch!¡± Cadeus and Nadav did not cry that loud. However, judging from how they struggled not to make it a big scene, it must have really hurt, a lot. ¡°W-What the heck is that for?!¡± Nadav exclaimed. The answer should be obvious you idiot! Cadeus screamed in his head. In seeing Sing the way she is, Nadav suddenly got a light bulb appearing on his head. ¡°Oh! I got it! Cadeus! Why don¡¯t you ask Sing out?¡± Sing dropped another karate chop on Nadav¡¯s head. ¡°¡­¡± Cadeus decided not to say anything in case he might add fuel to the fire. Things were currently fine since Sing was just slightly flustered. However, when Sing gets really angry, you really do not want to be the scapegoat for her wrath. Taking a peep at his pocket watch, the time is coming to 7:12 pm. Since he was aiming to get the fluid before 8:30 pm, Cadeus finished the last spoon of pasta and drained the gravy off the plate. Once he wiped his mouth clean, it¡¯s time for the last work of the day. He turned his attention to Nadav. ¡°Ok Nadav, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Hm? Go where?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t play dumb. I got the approval form from Educator Garth.¡± ¡°GEH? Since when?!¡± ¡°Since I got back. So, are you going to get out of your seat or do I have to drag you to Tenebris Vacuum myself?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Nadav started looking away frantically. It did not take long for Cadeus to see that he¡¯s looking for a way to run. ¡°I just remembered! I got something to do so ¨C ¡± Before Nadav could make a dash for it, Cadeus grabbed his shoulder. ¡°Where do you think you are going?¡± ¡°Um¡­ the loo?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Cadeus simply grabbed Nadav by the side of his collar and dragging Nadav towards the direction of Converse Hall. ¡°NNNNOOOOOO!!!!! SING!!! SAVE ME!!!!¡± Sing merely waved Nadav a happy goodbye without any sign of pity or mercy. It is very clear that she is in no mood to help him out. ¡°YOU DEMONS!!!!¡± Cadeus simply hope that the surrounding eyes looking at them won¡¯t be too judging. TOA ¡°Cadeus, is there ever a chance of me convincing you to not let me go to Tenebris Vacuum?¡± ¡°Not a fat chance.¡± ¡°Damn it¡­¡± Nadav¡¯s resistance developed into a sulk. ¡°You sure are quite gloomy for a guy who¡¯s being dragged.¡± ¡°If your best friend suddenly dragged you into one of the worst hells in the Academy you¡¯ll be quite gloomy won¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Tenebris Vacuum is not entirely that bad.¡± Well¡­ maybe not as bad as it ought to be¡­ ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s not that bad?¡± ¡°True, Tenebris Vacuum had its dangers. But it can be avoided and put to its absolute minimum if we move fast and avoid provoking the animals. Isn¡¯t it the same for your colour sector?¡± ¡°My colour sector, Rigor-atque Cinereon, is a natural little beauty!¡± ¡°All right, but doesn¡¯t your colour sector has it¡¯s own dangers?¡± ¡°Well¡­ yes.¡± ¡°See?¡± ¡°But the dangers are absolutely minimum!¡± ¡°Is it?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Nadav raised his hands up for a white surrender. ¡°Ok¡­ you win this time. I¡¯ll come with you to Tenebris Vacuum.¡± ¡°¡­ Do you promise you won¡¯t run away?¡± ¡°Promise.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Cadeus let go of his grip on Nadav¡¯s collar, giving him some personal space to get up on his feet. ¡°So¡­ the rumoured forests of Tenebris Vacuum eh?¡± Nadav said while dusting his robes. ¡°Rumoured?¡± Cadeus frowned at the word. ¡°Yeah you know, there are tons of speculated rumours in Rigor-atque Cinereon about the forests of Tenebris Vacuum.¡± ¡°What kind of rumours?¡± ¡°Oh the usual. Some poor Dark Mages fellow went in and never got out, how the plants in Tenebris Vacuum can eat a person whole and digest the body in minutes, and how the forests is full of dangerous beasts capable of tearing up a person in seconds.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Cadeus kept quiet. The rumours were¡­ pretty much close to the truth. ¡°But above all, the most famous rumour is the story where Dark Mages who either got lost or eaten became ghostly wraiths, destined to haunt the forests for all eternity! WHA HA HA!¡± Ok, now that last one was just plain hilarious. ¡°That¡¯s so idiotic.¡± ¡°I know right?¡± ¡°I never knew the forests of Tenebris Vacuum would be a popular topic in your colour sector.¡± ¡°Oh trust me it is. Well¡­ at least when it comes to speculating what Dark Mages do in there getting themselves killed.¡± ¡°¡­¡± That last remark had the potential to become a sensitive discriminative statement, but Cadeus decided to let it slide. What Cadeus could do now was simply continue leading the way till they reached the end of the corridor leading to the teleportation circle. When Nadav saw the teleportation circle, he can only whistle in admiration. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Black marble with embedded purple tracings that glows along with gold. That¡¯s really impressive.¡± ¡°It looks pretty normal to me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you get to see it everyday. Do you know what the teleportation circle for Rigor-atque Cinereon looks like?¡± ¡°No. What is it like?¡± ¡°Oh it¡¯s pretty plain, dull.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°The circle is carved out of polished grey stone, and the circle tracing is embedded with some kind of bright blue glowing thingy¡­ Not sure what that¡¯s for though.¡± ¡°That sounds¡­ pretty nice isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Hey, at least your circle is carved out of polished black marble with glowing purple and gold. That¡¯s already something worth noting.¡± ¡°Really? I always thought the teleportation circle for Beato Caeli is a lot more appealing though.¡± ¡°Sing¡¯s colour sector? Oh yes I heard. Carved out of solid Gold, with white marble serving as the circle tracing. I¡¯ve always wondered how they made it, whoever did made it.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Cadeus stepped onto the circle and beckoned Nadav to follow, for some reason, Nadav remained rooted outside the teleportation circle. ¡°Come on. What are you waiting for?¡± ¡°Well, you see¡­ This is my last chance to say no, and I think I will say ¨C ¡± Cadeus sighed. He grabbed Nadav by the shoulder before he can turn around and dragged him into the teleportation circle. ¡°Hell, is awaiting me.¡± He said it sarcastically. Cadeus reached down and applied Dark Magic, and the teleportation circle beamed with bright purple light. TOA When the two of them felt their feet touch solid ground again, they knew that the teleportation was over. Stretching to make sure nothing feels out of place, Cadeus stepped out of the teleportation circle. ¡°Are you ok Nadav?¡± Nadav groaned, behaving as if he had a massive fit of stomachache. ¡°Oh no¡­ I feel faint. I need the infirmary. I¡¯m sorry Cadeus but you have to do this on your own ¨C ¡± Nadav immediately stopped his dramatic performance once he saw Cadeus flickering lightning around his fingertips. ¡°Ah ha ha¡­ it¡¯s a joke, a joke. I¡¯m just pulling your leg.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Cadeus dispelled the lightning and started walking towards the forest entrance. Nadav got up and gave a look around the scenery in front of him. ¡°Wow¡­ things look so deserted and gloomy as compared to Rigor-atque Cinereon.¡± ¡°Oh really?¡± Cadeus turned to Nadav. ¡°I think I did not ask this before, what exactly is Rigor-atque Cinereon like?¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s all nature and everything. It¡¯s in the middle of a tropical forest. We had academic classes in old ruins.¡± ¡°¡­That sounds very run-downed.¡± ¡°Oh no. It¡¯s not that as run-downed as you think. It¡¯s just an ancient town, dating back from the Age of the Exquisite. Also, apparently Rigor-atque Cinereon is a home to a tribe of shamans who are working with the Academy. If you piss them off, you are pretty much in serious trouble.¡± ¡°The Age of the Exquisite is at least three thousand years back Nadav.¡± ¡°Hey, the place may be old, but it is surprisingly very stimulating.¡± Cadeus raised an eyebrow in confusion. ¡°Ah wait¡­ I mean, coming from a Grey Mage¡¯s point of view, our magic is mostly elemental right?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°So, being in a place full of nature and surrounded with an abundance of natural resources we can use to our advantage, it is a very stimulating environment to study our own colour of magic.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°But hey, comparing the richness of nature, this place is really¡­ dead.¡± ¡°Dark Magic is corruption magic. I guess it¡¯s quite obvious that the very place used to study the very nature of something corruptive would be so gloomy and dead.¡± ¡°True¡­ you got a point. So the forests¡­ which way is it?¡± ¡°We need to cut through the Academia building.¡± ¡°Eh? We need to go through that gloomy place?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be quick.¡± ¡°Cadeus, a lot of people hate you in here right?¡± ¡°Do you have to bring up the painful and the obvious now?¡± ¡°Will we get picked on by other Dark Mages?¡± ¡°There is a chance.¡± ¡°Oh no! I¡¯m going to lose my face!¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ I¡¯ve already said this Nadav, I have never heard of any Dark Magic spell that steal people¡¯s faces. Yes, there are mimic spells that allow one to copy or alter the face temporary. But there is no magic that allows you to steal people¡¯s faces whole for all eternity.¡± ¡°¡­ Are there Dark Magic spells that corrupts the face that makes it disgustingly ugly for the rest of your life?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Cadeus could not deny that possibility, and it seems his silence was not helping the current situation either. Before Nadav could make another break for it, Cadeus gave him one strict warning. ¡°Just remember Nadav, even if you run from me now, you need a Dark Mage to get you out of Tenebris Vacuum. The teleportation circle will not work unless I¡¯m there to get you out.¡± ¡°Yeah right! Unlike you Cadeus, I¡¯m a Mixed Blood! I¡¯m not entitled to one colour of magic!¡± ¡°Hello? Are you forgetting something?¡± ¡°¡­!¡± All of a sudden, Nadav¡¯s face became slightly pale. ¡°¡­ I¡¯m a Grey-White. There¡¯s no Dark Magic in my blood.¡± ¡°Precisely.¡± ¡°Damn it! I can¡¯t activate the teleportation circle on my own!¡± Cadues merely shook his head in annoyance. Even if Nadav had Dark Magic as his second colour, the colour concentration would not even be enough to activate the teleportation circle. Cadeus simply turned his head and start walking ahead. If they continue to stay here, they are doing nothing but wasting time. In order to make Nadav move his legs, he would have to take the lead, for now. Once Nadav noticed that Cadeus was about to start without him, he could only hung his head down in defeat and rush to keep up. TOA ¡°Relax.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Just relax. If you are going to stare at everyone suspiciously like that, you are definitely going to invite needless trouble. ¡°Ha! Me? Invite trouble? Aren¡¯t you the one who¡¯s often inviting trouble since everyone hates you for your family name?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the one who is standing out looking at every other Dark Mage that comes at my way.¡± While the two walked into the Academia building, Nadav became extremely weary of every Dark Mage he came across. Although Nadav¡¯s apparent paranoia to the possible dangers around him was something understandable, it was something that¡¯s also trouble inviting. As usual, the other Dark Mages seem contented to just keeping to their own business. True, several Dark Mages saw Nadav and gave him the eyes of suspicion but they eventually left him alone. It¡¯s indeed uncommon to see a Grey Mage in Tenebris Vacuum but it is not something too abnormal to make a fuss. If left alone, they won¡¯t cause any issue. But if they get the signal that they were being under observation for the wrong reasons, some of the more sensitive ones could get pretty violent. ¡°Listen, you are not the first Grey to come into Tenebris Vacuum. Your Acolyte seniors popped by from time to time.¡± ¡°And exactly what kind of business they would have for them to come to this hell hole?¡± ¡°How would I know? Why don¡¯t you ask them? They are your seniors.¡± ¡°Nah¡­ that¡¯s not a very good idea. Most Grey Mages who hang out with Dark Mages tend to not be very friendly.¡± ¡°What kind of stereotypical remark is that?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it true?¡± Before Cadeus could refute that last comment, a familiar voice called out to him. ¡°Cadeus? What are you doing here at this hour?¡± Cadeus stopped immediately on his tracks. That voice¡­ Cadeus knows that voice. Why would she still be in Tenebris Vacuum at this hour? ¡°Susan?¡± ¡°Ho! It¡¯s that girlfrie ¨C ¡± Cadeus slammed his elbow into Nadav¡¯s abdomen, hard. ¡°Wha! Y-you¡­¡± Nadav went to his knees in a dramatic fashion. His hands went to press the lingering agony in his stomach. Ignoring the idiot who obviously brought this upon himself, Cadeus turned to where the voice came from. He can already see Susan coming towards him, but it seems she is not alone. Cadeus can see two other girls with her, judging by their appearances, the two of them are also students of the same year. Cadeus did not see them before, but appearances wise, they should be Susan¡¯s close friends, Padrela and Jouna. ¡°Hi Susan.¡± ¡°Hi Cadeus. Oh right!¡± She gestured to her two friends. ¡°This here is Padrela, and she¡¯s Jouna. I believe this is the first time you¡¯ve met.¡± The one that she introduced as Padrela bowed her head slightly. ¡°Nice to meet you Cadeus. I¡¯m Padrela, Padrela Izeicanus, please to make you acquaintance.¡± Ho¡­ Cadeus was impressed. Rarely were there such well-mannered people around in Tenebris Vacuum. Padrela Izeicanus¡­ judging from the name itself, she¡¯s a definitely Zeffernon local born. ¡°Padrela. Don¡¯t steal the show with your manners. Who¡¯s going to pay attention to me now?¡± The other girl seems to be a lot more blunt and outspoken. What¡¯s more, that accent¡­ she¡¯s an American? The one that Susan called Jouna began to look at Cadeus from top to bottom. ¡°Heh¡­ so you are the one who saved Susan from the Armugorus. I see, I see. So, finally I get to gaze upon the man who particularly got Susan¡¯s interests. Not bad, not bad. You are quite cute yourself.¡± Cute? For some reason, Jouna seems to be sizing him up. ¡°J-Jouna!¡± Susan frantically rebuked her friend for her lack of manners. ¡°Oh sorry where are my manners. I¡¯m Jouna, Jouna Smith. Nice to meet you.¡± Smith, now that¡¯s an American surname¡­ She brought up her hand for a handshake. That¡¯s definitely something someone brought up on Earth would do. Cadeus shook her hand. ¡°Nice to meet you Jouna. I¡¯m Cadeus.¡± ¡°Oh wow! You actually shook my hand! Most people I met looked at my hand with awkwardness you know?¡± ¡°Jouna. You are from America?¡± ¡°Ho? You are also from Earth? Come on Susan! Why didn¡¯t you tell us?¡± ¡°Eh? Cadeus is from Earth?¡± ¡°What? You mean you were in the same class as him for three months already and you still did not know he is from Earth?¡± ¡°No¡­ I never asked.¡± Cadeus rarely talked about his family background, and the reason why Susan never asked was because she did her best not to ask too much about it. Since she was well aware about how most in Tenebris Vacuum black marked Cadeus for his family name, it did not seem to be appropriate asking too much in an area where things might get sensitive. Since talking about this might get ugly, Cadeus changed topics for discussion. ¡°What are you guys doing here? This does not seem to be a place to be doing Board Quests.¡± ¡°Hm? Ah yes. We were just done submitting our items to the commissioner. Padrela here needs to collect a book she left behind in Tenebris Vacuum so that¡¯s why we¡¯re back.¡± Jouna said. ¡°I see.¡± ¡°You know Cadeus? Technically speaking, this is not the first time we met.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Cadeus had no recollection of meeting Jouna before. When was the first?¡± ¡°Mr. Morrison¡¯s Magic orientation at Flight IF001.¡± ¡°Oh right. Of course you would be there.¡± ¡°We all are. That is, those who are originally from Earth.¡± ¡°How many people were there again? It felt like over a hundred.¡± ¡°About three hundred and thirty-seven passengers, including adult personal.¡± ¡°Did you know about magic before Flight IF001?¡± ¡°Nope. I accidentally triggered a spiral of magical events back in my hometown in America. That¡¯s where the magi authorities got the wind of me. Once they find out who I am, they offered a spot for me here.¡± ¡°Was the damage very bad?¡± ¡°It could get worse. But the mages from the Magical Awareness Society managed to handle the situation before I got extremely traumatized.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± The fact that she could openly talk about her near disastrous first hand magic experience just shows that she recuperated quite smoothly. That¡¯s quite a common kind of background story one would hear from mages that suddenly found out about their magic abilities. Cadeus had one such background as well. Susan appears to be at a lost. It seems that she has no idea about what they are talking about. Perhaps this conversation is getting a little too awkward for her. ¡°Come to think of it, Jouna is from Earth. So how did you three¡­¡± ¡°How did we get along? Oh it¡¯s very simple. It was one of the early Board Quests we got at the start of school term the three of us wanted the same prize, but the quest criteria does not allow a lone student to take the job.¡± ¡°It was Susan¡¯s idea to form a group. We were just there at the right time so we signed up for the quest together. A lot of things happened, we became the best of friends when everything is over.¡± Padrela said. ¡°I see. Sounds like you got two great friends Susan.¡± Susan could only give Cadeus a ¡®thank you¡¯ smile. ¡°What¡¯s the quest all about?¡± he asked Jouna. ¡°An Artifact Crafter wanted some gears. The reward is a set of pendants for girls. It had quite an elegant design.¡± Jouna said. She then reached within her attire and brought out a silver pendant embed with amethyst gemstones. The carving was rich in detail following a symmetrical pattern of something medieval. Whoever made it must have used some inspiration from patterns and images used in Earth¡¯s middle ages. ¡°Isn¡¯t that magically amplified?¡± Jouna moved up and leaned forward slightly. ¡°Do you want to know?¡± she whispered. ¡°Huh?¡± Was it just him? Or was Jouna acting overly familiar at their very first meeting? ¡°Jouna. You are doing this at the wrong place and at the wrong time.¡± Padrela pointed out while looking at a very weary looking Susan. ¡°Opps, ha ha~. We better not get too familiar, or else someone might get jealous.¡± Jealous? Did Cadeus catched that word right? Jouna just flashed him a friendly smile. ¡°Um¡­ guys? Any special attention for the man in agony?¡± Nadav cut in. The girls looked down on Nadav¡¯s pitiful state. ¡°Who is that?¡± ¡°A Grey Mage? No way. In Tenebris Vacuum?¡± ¡°What is he thinking? Does he want to die?¡± In response to hearing the condemning intent behind their voices, Nadav sank his head in further depression. Cadeus sighed. ¡°Get up Nadav.¡± ¡°Leave me. No one cares for me. I want to die¡­¡± ¡°¡­ I give up.¡± Since Nadav is so unwilling, Cadeus began the introductions on his behalf. ¡°This Grey Mage here is Nadav. He and I grew up in the same town. The two of us are sort of like childhood friends.¡± ¡°Heh¡­ so he¡¯s with you. Are you sure he¡¯s going to be fine in Tenebris Vacuum?¡± Jouna said. ¡°Well, he looks like someone quite capable for physical combat. If the worst comes for it, just use him as a meat shield.¡± Padrela said. ¡°Stop it you guys. You are not being very perceptive here.¡± Susan said. Cadeus looked at Nadav¡¯s sad state. Well¡­ at least Susan was kind enough to show some pity on Nadav. Cadeus took another peek at his pocket watch. Jokes aside, the time has progressed to 7:25 pm. The two of them best move on. ¡°We¡¯re headed to the swamps to look for an ingredient ourselves. Do you guys want to join us?¡± Cadeus asked, the more friendly mages, the merrier and the safer. ¡°Hm¡­ I think we are all pretty much done for the day.¡± Jouna said. ¡°We haven¡¯t had dinner yet.¡± Padrela followed. ¡°Well, Susan might not mind joining you, she seems to be free for the rest of the evening.¡± Jouna slyly added. ¡°J-Jouna!¡± Jouna managed step back and managed to avoid a few hits coming from a blushing Susan. ¡°Just kidding, just kidding. Come Padrela, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Eh? But I thought we need to go and check up with that theoretical assignment with Educator Norex?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll just let him know in the next morning.¡± Jouna just wrapped her right arm around Padrela¡¯s shoulders and led her towards the teleportation circle. She then flashed a wink at Susan, who was frantically struggling to control her emotions. Once her two friends are a few feet away, Susan immediately returned her attention to Cadeus. ¡°I-I¡¯m really sorry about Jouna. She can get rather impolite from time to time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s nice to see that you¡¯ve got some fun loving friends.¡± Susan stole at a glance towards her friends only to see them seriously walking ahead without waiting for her. ¡°I¡¯ll find you tomorrow morning during breakfast at Corals. Bye!¡± Susan immediately ran to catch up with her friends. Cadeus waved her goodbye. He then looked back down at Nadav. ¡°Can you get up now?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Nadav got up, and they both started walking together. ¡°Why did you act so depressively? That is so unlike the Nadav I usually know.¡± ¡°Let me tell you what. I¡¯m in an extremely hostile environment where I do not know what kind of fate awaits me. I met three hot looking Dark Mage babes who not only glanced past my existence, but they also treated me as if I¡¯m really going to die.¡± ¡°You know that it is their version of saying ¡®hi¡¯.¡± Nadav snorted at Cadeus¡¯s last comment. ¡°Hi? Oh you mean ¡®Hi! I¡¯m a Dark mage and I wish you the best of luck surviving in Tenebris Vacuum where we Dark Mages also have a high chance of drying¡¯. Right¡­ as if I¡¯ll buy that sort of welcome.¡± ¡°Well. You are here now. Welcome to the Dark side.¡± ¡°Oh! And I am Darth Vader! Wha ha ha!¡± Nadav struck the famous Darth Vader Force choking pose. ¡°Force choke is not going to save you here.¡± ¡°Ha¡­ Force choke. We can¡¯t even do that sort of thing.¡± Nadav kicked a stone pebble out of boredom. ¡°Amongst the three girls, I¡¯ll give Susan high points. Ten points upon ten points.¡± Cadeus knew where this conversation is going to be headed. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare start.¡± ¡°Oh come on!¡± Nadav used his elbow to give Cadeus an encouraging jab. ¡°You got to admit it. She¡¯s nice.¡± ¡°Yes. She is.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t you go out with her?¡± Cadeus gave Nadav the ¡®can¡¯t you see the obvious¡¯ look. ¡°I mean of course. Family name, she¡¯s a noble. But still, you can have a shot.¡± ¡°And what if her parents find out and they decide to have me killed?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ then do it discretely. Like Romeo and Juliet.¡± ¡°Do you want me to die so badly?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ poor choice of illustration. Let me think of something else.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t. I won¡¯t go out with Susan. End of conversation.¡± ¡°All right¡­ got it. You really never thought of asking Sing out now did you?¡± ¡° *Irritated sigh*¡­ What does Sing got to do with any of this?¡± ¡°Well, you have known her for as long as we both remember.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ did the thought ever crossed your mind?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Why yes?¡± ¡°If you date Sing, you two might turn out to be a very good couple.¡± Cadeus swung a fist, but Nadav managed to block it with an open palm. ¡°All right then Mr. Smart Guy. Since we are both talking about going out with Sing, why don¡¯t you ask her out then.¡± ¡°Woah! Woah! Woah! I can¡¯t ask her out.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Er¡­ Well¡­¡± ¡°Yes? Out with it?¡± ¡°¡­ I can¡¯t imagine it.¡± ¡°Imagine what?¡± ¡°You know what I¡¯m talking about!¡± ¡°Then you better spit it out before I misunderstand.¡± ¡°You see¡­ *Uncertain sigh* imagine me holding hands with Sing and going out on a date with her.¡± Cadeus paused and gave a thought. ¡°It¡¯s possible.¡± Now it is Nadav¡¯s turn to throw a punch at Cadeus. ¡°Sing¡¯s one of the most brightest students of the Academy. Imagine a clown like me going out with her. I will look like an absolute idiot.¡± ¡°So you do admit you are a clown.¡± ¡°Yes, someone has to lighten up the mood ¨C Wait that¡¯s not the point!¡± ¡°I think it might be a good thing if you went out with Sing. Your brain still might have a chance of redemption.¡± ¡°Ah ha¡­ funny¡­ the clown Nadav and his near useless brain suddenly got fixed by dating his brightest and smartest childhood friend. Haven¡¯t you consider the slightest possibility that I got someone else in mind?¡± ¡°The day Nadav officially gets a girlfriend will be the day I¡¯ll promise him to be his wedding¡¯s best man.¡± ¡°Aww¡­ how sweet.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯ll be expecting that girl to be your first and only choice.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lot of faith you are putting into me.¡± ¡°Nadav, you and I both know you are not the playboy kind.¡± ¡°Ah true¡­ what the heck¡­ We are both talking about being in a relationship when none of us actually are. Funny isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I have a feeling that will change soon.¡± ¡°Why? You imagine yourself getting a girl by summer break?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. What are the odds of my mother not letting me into the house, if she finds out that I have not approached a single girl all this while?¡± ¡°Well that will have to depend on your mom. I mean¡­ Sing and I already saw what kind of a mother she is.¡± ¡°All right¡­ since we are already talking about getting girlfriends hypothetically, do you think the relationship will last if Sing becomes my girlfriend?¡± ¡°What? Because of your mother? I don¡¯t know¡­ that will have to depend on Sing¡¯s opinion of your mother.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ oh well. Guess asking Sing out is already a no.¡± ¡°What? You are giving up already? You have not even tried.¡± ¡°I thought we are discussing a hypothetical scenario? Anyways, we¡¯re here.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Nadav stopped in his tracks. By the time he realizes it, the two of them had approached the forest entrance. Nadav took a good look at the various booth tents and the ghostly looking trees and vines, he also noted the sinister air around the mages all round him. Nothing seems to encourage the thought of a pleasant evening in Tenebris Vacuum. Nadav took a deep breath. ¡°So it really comes down to this.¡± ¡°Like I said before, the forest is not something to be absolutely fearful of. Most of the beast inside the forests are just territorial, they will not attack unless provoked.¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Any singular beasts that we need to take note off?¡± ¡°There is a beast called the Warelock. It is some sort of canine chimera the Educators let loose in the wild. Recently it has been killing quite the number of students.¡± ¡°Eh? Your Educators let loose a killing beast despite knowing that there will be students going into the forests?¡± ¡°According to rumours, it¡¯s a personal request coming from some Dark Mutator. It seems that the creator wanted to see if the chimera was lethal enough to count as an experimental success.¡± ¡°Is there a screw in that guy¡¯s head?¡± ¡°There are also others like the Minby Garosceus or the Areagus. But we don¡¯t have to worry about those, the Educators already placed warning boards around their lairs. There is also the extremely dangerous Conmaterus. But that beast is a catacomb inhabitant. It won¡¯t venture out into the forest, maybe.¡± Nadav gave Cadeus the look that totally says he extremely regrets setting foot in Tenebris Vacuum. ¡°¡­ You sure that things will be fine?¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Cadeus went behind Nadav, grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him forward. ¡°Trust me. It¡¯ll be fine. There will be nothing going about on the forest pathways.¡± TOA ¡°Just ten minutes ago you said ¡®Trust me. It¡¯ll be fine. There will be nothing going about on the forest main pathways¡¯. Well? Explain this!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t move too much. It already has its eyes on us.¡± ¡°Oh yes it jolly well can see us. We are right in front of it! Duh!¡± The time now is 7:41 pm. Cadeus and Nadav found themselves staring at a canine beast. Here¡¯s¡­ roughly what happened. Things started out quite fine when they entered the forest. The main path was cleared of any beasts, and there were no vicious packs of monsters lurking around. It was good to the point where Cadeus estimated that they would be done with the matter by 8:00 pm. But things got a little hectic when they started approaching the swamps. When Cadeus and Nadav turned up the slope leading towards the swamp entrance they stumbled on a gruesome scene. They both saw a canine eating away at a carcass of a dead Criftoae, and that by itself already spoke bad news in two ways. First off, the canine they are looking at is no ordinary beast. It had a few mutated features that do not seem natural. Its fur was unnaturally ebony black, its eyes are glowing green, and its claws and teeth are covered in some sort of green chemical liquid that was clearly something highly acidic. The beast was no doubt a chimera, and chimeras were always dangerous no matter the size or build. Based on it¡¯s physical features, the canine chimera they were both looking at could be the Warelock, a chimera that has been well reputed recently for the deaths of several students in Tenebris Vacuum. Second, the canine was eating away at a dead Criftoae. The area seems to be cleared for now, however, if a nearby pack of Criftoae saw the dead carcass, it will be a danger on a whole other level. Criftoae were fiercely territorial and they were highly protective of their own. Once they see the canine and the two of them near one of their half-eaten dead, they would attack every moving creature on site regardless of which man or creature was responsible. Such aggressive behaviour towards creatures of other species was the reason why the Criftoae were extremely dangerous to deal with, even for legitimate Mages. What would actually be good for this situation would be for the canine chimera to scram away once it sees Cadeus and Nadav. The two of them could just proceed to the swamp quickly, get the fluid and return back to the teleportation circle before they could encounter any other sort of animal. All in all, Cadeus really wanted to avoid the second danger. But sometimes, things just don¡¯t go the way we want. The canine chimera was not intimidated by the presence of Cades and Nadav. In fact, it began to stare at the two of them as if they might be additional prey. The swamp was just beyond the beast, and the beast just chose to stay there and stare at them. ¡°Shoo! Go away!¡± Nadav suddenly waved the beast away. Cadeus stared at Nadav with bewilderment. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Shooing it away?¡± ¡°Have you considered the possibility that you are inviting that canine to eat you?¡± ¡°What can it do? Charge at me?¡± ¡°Careful, it could be the Warelock.¡± ¡°Could be? Cadeus, have you seen a Warelock before?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then how on earth would you know whether it¡¯s a Warelock or not?¡± ¡°Based on eye-witness accounts of survivors who managed to escape its jaws?¡± ¡°And this is what a Warelock turns out to be? I was expecting something bigger, like a lion.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t push your luck. It could well be one. We don¡¯t how if it possesses the same level of ferocity.¡± ¡°Really, if the Warelock is such a vicious beast, why haven¡¯t your Educators put it down?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Cadeus really could not find a distinctive answer to that. ¡°Silence from Cadeus means that either he does not know the answer, or the answer is not one he can confidently give. Seriously¡­ if this is Rigor-atque Cinereon, my Educators will deal with the beast immediately without second thought. Do your Educators not hear of the term ¡®student welfare¡¯?¡± Nadav snorted, he dragged his left feet backwards to steady his posture. Soon, Cadeus could feel Nadav circulating a considerable amount of Grey Magic within his body enough to cast continuous spells. Unlike what Nadav thinks, the Educators of Tenebris Vacuum had already considered the option of hunting down the animal in case the number of deaths escalated beyond reasonable. However, they eventually decide to let the matter slide for unknown reasons. This was not to say that the Educators erre heartless teachers who¡¯d care little for the safety of their students. Tenebris Vacuum long had the reputation of having student deaths. Given the dangerous nature of Dark Magic, a small number of deaths seem plausible, as it¡¯s quite common for students to end up with unfortunate accidents that sometimes result in deaths. Whether it¡¯s the case of backfiring spell casts, indirect deaths caused by student rivalries or disappearances in the forests, all are written off as common mishaps that made up the daily routine of life in Tenebris Vacuum. In order to control the number of deaths in Tenebris Vacuum, the Archmage set up a yearly death count limit. If the number of student deaths is controlled within the limit, the Educators will not be entirely held responsible. However, if the number of deaths exceeds the yearly death count limit, the Educators will bear the blame and all will be sacked from the staff. This was why the Educators spent an effort making sure everyone plays safe. They established disciplinary grounds in the Academia building, continuously encourage group work when it comes to making detours into the forests, and they even banned student entry into the catacombs. Anything beyond that was aautomatically considered out of their league. It might be the Educator¡¯s responsibility to ensure safety, but if the students caused major trouble off on their own despite the warnings, that¡¯s a different story. If the Educators erre still contemplating to put the beast down, it was either they were confident in their student¡¯s capabilities, or they were simply waiting for more results before they felt that the beast had gone too far. Either case, the Dark Mutator responsible for the Warelock¡¯s creation must have gotten approval letters directly from the Archmage to allow the chimera to be set loose in Tenebris Vacuum. An agreement on a set of conditions must have been reached. Should the chimera get out of hand, the Educators would step in to deal with the situation personally. From what Cadeus had heard, the Warelock already killed three students. Two of which were part of the six that already died from his class. Cadeus did not know what kind of magical traits this Warelock chimera processed, but it was indeed a major threat to students who were on the weaker caliber. In seeing how his friend lacked the sense of wariness they¡¯d normally need to survive in Tenebris Vacuum, Cadeus could not help but pay attention to Nadav¡¯s body language. Surely he was not really going to provoke the beast? If the canine they were looking at was indeed the Warelock, it would do them both good not to rush into things especially when the canine they were looking at was showing no intentions of attacking. ¡°Are you sure you want to fight that thing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a freaking canine right? I seen wolves and other forms of canine in Rigor-atque Cinereon, even fought them too.¡± ¡°Perhaps if you can just pay extra attention to the physical features, you will find that beast to be no ordinary canine. Besides, if this canine is the Warelock we need to figure out what kind of magical traits it possesses.¡± ¡°Relax Cadeus. Its not even big. Plus it¡¯s just one of it. How harmful can it be?¡± It seems that Nadav was quite confident that he can handle the chimera all by himself. ¡°Sigh¡­ if you are so sure that it won¡¯t cause that much of an issue, you better do things fast. The thing that the canine is feasting on is a Criftoae. If a nearby pack of other Cirftoae sees it, we are going to have a stampede coming our way.¡± ¡°Heh! I¡¯ll just have to scare it away. Easy.¡± ¡°Suit yourself. Oh and, see if you can bury the carcass into the Earth once you are done.¡± ¡°Bury the carcass? Ha! Piece of cake.¡± While keeping an eye on the canine, Nadav knelt on one knee and took some ground dirt with his fingertips. He slowly rubbed the dirt on his hands before pressing his palm onto the earth. ¡°[Rock Fists].¡± As he got up to his feet, Nadav ¡®grabbed¡¯ large portions of the earth out of the soil. The floating soil and rock began to compound together and form a distinctive gauntlet on both his hands. In seeing the two gauntlets finalize their shapes, Cadeus recognized the spell. [Rock Fists] was a personal favourite of Nadav. It¡¯s a [Point Spell] that allows a caster to absorb and compound elements of the earth into a distinct gauntlet. The toughness of the compounded minerals is comparable to that of a carbon fiber shaft. Cadeus had seen Nadav hit a person square in the chest with that fist before. The results were a couple of smashed ribs, and a severely punctured lung. You do not want to get hit by something like that. Nadav got himself into a punching position, and made a punch in mid-air. ¡°Eat this!¡± The [Rock Fist] on his right hand flew from his arm and smacked itself into the jaw of the canine beast. The beast instantly got knocked off the ground and landed a few feet backwards. From the yapping sounds coming out of its mouth, it clearly was a clean hit. Cadeus took a quick peek at Nadav. His mental state seems to be quite stable. Though it may seem to make quite the effort to compound a sizable portion of the earth into two hard gauntlets, Nadav was still well prepared to cast other spells. Grey spells erre mostly rudimentary spells. Though its spells did not have solid raw power, they were not mentally taxing to cast as compared to Dark Magic. If Nadav managed to stack the right number of spells and cast them on a continuous basis, he could create a major environmental phenomenon he could use to his advantage. As the canine got up to its paws, Nadav cried out a shout of triumph. ¡°Ha! Eat that! That¡¯ll teach you to step in our way.¡± But Nadav¡¯s happiness was short lived. The canine beast instantly got back up and started giving savage snarls. Cadeus merely shook his head due to the expected failure. If there were a universal trait amongst all chimeras, it would be that they all have tough hide and bones. Even with a tough spell like [Rock Fist], it would take a lot more to deal damage to a chimera. ¡°¡­ Ok. That did not work well.¡± ¡°You think? You made things worst.¡± ¡°Shut up! It usually works when I was in Rigor-atque Cinereon!¡± The beast resumed snarling but after several more seconds, it suddenly closed its mouth and prowled low. It seems that the beast started analyzing Nadav carefully after Nadav sent a huge fist flying over. ¡°Ok, so that¡¯s how you want to play it? Huh? Ok I got one fist left. Let¡¯s just see how much pounding can you take.¡± Cadeus did not seem to take the situation as simply as what Nadav think it was to be. For some reason, the chimera was not looking directly at Nadav. It may not seem that obvious to Nadav, but Cadeus could see things differently from his position. The angle of the chimera¡¯s gaze seems to deviate slightly off to the side. Instead, it seems to be looking at something behind Nadav. Following it¡¯s gaze, Cadeus tilted his head trying to see what could have gotten the beast¡¯s attention. He thought that there might be a secondary predator, but he soon became mistaken. What the canine chimera ended up looking at is a group of five Criftoae that had suddenly stopped at their tracks to observe what was going on in front of them. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Cadeus could only give himself a face palm. They really have to land themselves in the worst-case scenario. In facing this new founded situation, the canine beast did what could be the smartest thing to do in this situation. It immediately turned around and ran. ¡°Yeah that¡¯s right, run! Run like the scary cat you deserve to be!¡± Thanks to his own ignorance, Nadav seemed to be the only one to be rather happy with this turn of events. If only he could just see the mess they had gotten themselves in. ¡°Ha! You saw that Cadeus? Guess your Warelock is not so tough after all!¡± Cadeus simply pointed at the very reason why the canine chimera ran off. Nadav gave Cadeus a look of confusion before turning his head to the direction indicated. It did not take long before he realized the severity of their situation. Now that they were the sole moving creatures that chose to remain close to the half-eaten carcass, the group of Criftaoe perceived them to be the major threat responsible for the death of one of their own. They started stomping their hooves aggressively. Like what Cadeus expected, it seems that they were all getting ready for a stampede. ¡°Nadav, if you are thinking of facing that group, you will be the dumbest person I have ever met.¡± ¡°Even the dumbest person you have ever met will not be stupid enough to go up against that kind of force.¡± The leading Criftoae moved forward slightly and stomped its hooves harder. Cadeus did not know if that¡¯s a warning or not, but he was getting a very bad feeling that things would get worse if they don¡¯t do something. It appears that Nadav was having the same idea as he turned to look back at Cadeus. ¡°Cadeus, you are the expert here. What do we do now?¡± ¡°When I count to three, we run.¡± ¡°Oh. Classic. Any other plans?¡± ¡°I am thinking of one.¡± ¡°That is not so comforting.¡± ¡°If I can¡¯t formulate a good plan, we run all the way back to the forest entrance.¡± ¡°All the way?¡± ¡°All the way.¡± ¡°Do we have to? Is there like some hidden place near here where we can hide?¡± ¡°Do you want to run into something far more dangerous?¡± The leading Criftoae began to charge, leading the rest of the angry beasts. That serves as the cue for the two of them to start running. As he ran, Nadav opened his mouth wide and screamed. ¡°DAMN YOU CADEUS! YOU SAID THAT THERE WOULD BE NOTHING!!!¡± ¡°I WAS NOT EXPECTING THIS TOO YOU IDIOT! JUST SHUP UP AND RUN!¡± ¡°YOU SAID THERE WOULD BE NOTHING ON THE FOREST PATHWAYS! YOU SAID THERE WOULD BE NOTHING ON THE FOREST PATHWAYS!¡± The two continued to run as fast as they can. While they ran, Cadeus jagged his brain to come up with a plan. If the situation calls for them to run back to the forest entrance, they would just need to get back on the main path. That would be the fall back plan. So, the question now would be if there a possibility for them to defeat the five trampling beasts behind them without the need to fall back to the main path? Cadeus did a back track through the paths where they came from. Sooner or later, they should reach a section where the path splits into two different directions. As he formulated a plan, Cadeus ran faster and took the lead to ensure that Nadav do not start running into some unfamiliar part of the forest. If that happens, their survival chances would become extremely slim. Hearing nothing from his friend, Nadav stole a glance towards Cadeus. In seeing how deep in thought he was, Nadav could not help but feel extra agitated. ¡°CADEUS! WE COULD REALLY USE A PLAN NOW!!!¡± Nadav cried. Finalizing the would-be plan, Cadeus rapped up everything and turned his attention to Nadav. ¡°Listen, I got a plan. But I am not too sure if it might work.¡± ¡°ANYTHING! JUST TELL ME WHAT TO DO!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s split up.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± ¡°I said, split up.¡± ¡°WHAT? ARE YOU CRAZY? ARE YOU LEAVING ME HERE TO DIE?¡± ¡°Do you want to deal with all five of them at once? Anyways, look.¡± As they ran, Cadeus pointed at the path in front of him, the path ahead splits into two different directions. If they both split up, the Crftoae would split up as well. It¡¯s either that or¡­ one of them was really going to die. ¡°Eh? Isn¡¯t the path on the right the one we just came from?¡± ¡°You think?¡± ¡°ARE YOU NUTS? WHAT HAPPENS IF ALL FIVE OF THEM DECIDE TO GO FOR ME? AT LEAST LET ME GO TO THE PATH ON THE RIGHT!¡± ¡°No time to argue. We are splitting up now.¡± ¡°DAMN YOU CADEUS! I HATE YOU!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t come haunting me if you die.¡± ¡°GEH! ARE YOU SAYING THAT THE RUMOUR WHERE LOST STUDENTS BECOME WRAITHS IS TRUE?¡± Without replying him, Cadeus took the turn to the left while Nadav ended up taking the route to the right. The Criftoae split up as well, two followed Cadeus while the remaining three went after Nadav. Even though they were separated, Cadeus could still hear Nadav just around the corner. ¡°Eh? AAAHHHH!!!!! I GOT THE WORST OF THE BUNCH!!!¡± Nadav cried. Nah, he¡¯ll be fine. Cadeus was long aware that if they both kept running, the two of them would eventually meet up again. He knew that the two paths will later re-converge into back one. If he could finish the two Criftoae that were chasing him, he would be meet Nadav at the convergent point and help him finish the other three. Timing wise, it should be just nice. The left path that Nadav took was a longer detour. It would take a moment before he reaches the re-convergent point. Current Cast Limit estimation ¨C about seven [Point Spells] Taking a peek behind, Cadeus could still see the two Criftoae chasing him. It seems that they were still intent on crushing him for the misplaced blame of killing one of their own. Cadeus took another good look around them. The path is narrow, and they were all surrounded by thick canopies of tree trunks. In considering the fact that they need to preserve their Cast Limit for the possible dangers they might encounter later, Cadeus resolved himself to use ¡®that¡¯. He might be highly reluctant to use ¡®that¡¯, but he really could use an instant kill spell that would get rid of the two beasts behind him. Besides, there should be no one here to see him use ¡®that¡¯. It should be safe to cast ¡®that¡¯, as long as he keep ¡®that¡¯ to a minimum capacity. Perhaps this was what people would call an exceptional situation¡­ but oh well. Stopping in his tracks, Cadeus turned around and gathered the magical energies to his right hand. The two Criftoae continued to charge straight at him. Due to the narrow path, they were sort of in single line formation with one slightly behind the other. With ¡®that¡¯, this should be easy. Despite the dangerous situation bearing down towards him, Cadeus closed his eyes and cleared his conscious. He thought back, back to the time he was on Earth, back when he became aware of ¡®that¡¯, back when he first used ¡®that¡¯ to kill another human being. Slowly and steadily, the familiar sense of ¡®that¡¯ began to kick in. Snapping back to reality, Cadeus opened his eyes just in time to see the Criftoae just a couple more meters away from him. Bending down, Cadeus placed his right hand behind him. He positioned himself in such a way that looks like that he was preparing for a punch. Then, he waited. The two Criftoae were still charging towards him. twenty more meters, fifteen more meters, thirteen more meters¡­ When they were no more than ten meters away, Cadeus focused all of his attention on the two targets in front of him. In the heat of the moment, as he cast ¡®that¡¯, Cadeus surrendered himself to the magic in his blood. Out of all the three Colours of Magic, Dark Magic was the most dangerous and the most difficult to control. It¡¯s wild, highly volatile and hazardous. There¡¯s a saying that you could never tame or control Dark Magic, you can only unleash it. Any attempts to make a slight adjustment during the casting process would only increase the chances of a miscast, which will definitely result in things spiraling out of control. That was why, Cadeus did not spare a thought about holding back. He squandered a portion of his Cast Limit into this single spell. As he moved, a thick phenomenal hazy black mist started forming around his right hand. As Cadeus thrusted out an open right palm, he threw the black mist forward. He did not pause to think about reducing the amount of magical reserves he set aside for that one spell. He simply threw everything forward. The black mist spread out and shot itself towards the rampaging two Criftoae that were both unfortunate to be in its direct line of fire. The black mist enveloped the beasts and covered the scene in front of Cadeus in total darkness. There were no beastly shrieks of surprise, no mad stomping to shack off the black mist. Cadeus even doubted that pain could be felt. But eventually what came out of the black mist were not charging lumps of living flesh, but bones that soon started disconnecting and breaking apart in mid air before crash landing into the dirt. In seeing the fruits of ¡®that¡¯, Cadeus immediately clasped his forehead with his left hand. He had always hated the aftereffects whenever he used ¡®that¡¯. His brain and upper body ran hot with adrenaline. There was an increase sense of an exhilarated feeling, which urges Cadeus to continue surrendering himself to the nature of magic within his blood. Clenching his teeth, Cadeus struggled to keep his state of mind in control. If he allows himself to be swallowed by this sensation, there¡¯s no telling what kind of damage he can do to his surroundings. Once he calmed down, Cadeus paused for a moment to observe the effects of his handiwork. The bones that he saw before him had a pale brown-yellowish colour to it. Whatever remaining fragments of flesh that was clinging onto bone were now brown black and emitting a shrewd smell of strong decay. There was nothing else. There¡¯s no more flesh, tissue, or separated organs splattered around with their various biological fluids. What came from living huge beast, were now reduced to mere heaps of decayed bone structures, rotten and separated. Shifting his gaze beyond, Cadeus could see that the black mist he unleashed slowly dispersing. Once the spell was cast, the spell will gradually loose its magical energies and fade away. Putting his left hand down and standing up straight, Cadeus decided that it would be best for him to leave this scene as soon as possible. The sooner he can put this episode behind him, the better. Current Cast Limit estimation ¨C about six [Point Spells] TOA Meanwhile¡­ ¡°AAAAHHHHH!!!!!!¡± Nadav was still running from the three Criftoae. He had been running for the past few minutes ever since Cadeus ditched him for the other path. ¡°Damn that Cadeus! Leaving me behind like this! Eh?¡± The lead Criftoae was able to close their distance and made an attempt to ram him off his feet. ¡°OH NO YOU DON¡¯T!!!!¡± Back facing his palms, Nadav casted [Lightning Caste]. Ten forks of lightning exited from all ten of his fingers, and Nadav was hoping that it would deal some damage. It was not a good hit. Nadav was not paying attention to the position of his fingers. Things happened so fast that he did not have enough time to aim. Most of the lightning arcs casted from his fingertips landed just an inch right in front of the beast. Even though one or two lightning arcs managed to land a hit, it is not strong enough to bring down such a mighty beast. But nonetheless, those lightning arcs that missed managed to cause an explosion off the ground, allowing Nadav to create more distance in between them. ¡°Geh! That did not work¡­ then how about this!¡± With a single stomp of his right foot, Nadav initiated [Board Quake]. This spell basically cause physical disruption to the earth in a specific radius, creating a phenomenon similar to a small temporary earthquake. As he ran, Nadav looked back to see that the Criftoae were set off balanced. Two of them fell while the other struggled to maintain its centre of gravity. But once the spell had fully resolved, the three Criftoae merely got themselves ready and started charging towards Nadav again. ¡°What? They are not going to stop? This cannot go on!¡± Nadav finally decided to fight back. He immediately formulated three [Point Spells] in his head, all memorized after hours spent drilling in casting sequences. ¡°Fire, fire earth. Fire, fire earth.¡± While muttering the elemental sequence, Nadav stopped and turned around. Both of his hands became covered in flames. ¡°[Flame¡¯s Pulse]!¡± Nadav punched out with an open palm and shot out a huge bolt of fire. He did the same with his other hand and instantly stomped his feet to cast one [Bed Rock]. Both fire bolts scored a hit and the [Bed Rock] unearthed one huge chunk of hard soil. From the force of the spell, the unearthed portion of hard soil flew up to the air before landing onto the running group of Criftoae. The scene in front of him exploded with grey dust as all three spells collided with their targets. ¡°Yes! Eat that!¡± Nadav punched a fist into air to exaggerate his joy. But what Nadav did not know was that the hide of a Criftoae was five times stronger than that of a bull¡¯s. Before he knew it, the three Criftoae came bursting out of the ashy fog. Plus it seems that they were getting more aggressive than before. For a second Nadav thought that they would fall into the huge gap of earth that now exists in between them, but the Criftoae did not stop. They just jumped past the gap and kept going on and on. ¡°Seriously?! They are not giving up? JUST HOW PERSISTENT ARE THESE ASSHOLES?!¡± TOA Just as he had expected, Cadeus was the first to reach the re-convergent point. Cadeus found himself looking at the main path leading back to the forest entrance. Looking beyond to the right, Cadeus could see a smaller road, where Nadav would soon be running out from. Cadeus folded his arms and brought his bent index finger to his lips. Now then, what would be good for Cadeus and Nadav would be to find a way to deal with the remaining three Criftoae all at once. This was assuming that Nadav failed to take down any of the beast before meeting to the convergent point. In order to minimize the number of spells cast before they hit their respective Cast Limit, a more effective medium of spell casting must be used. Relying on [Point Spells] or even [Distance Spells] at this point of time would not be entirely effective. If they want to have enough magic reserves left to get out of this forest, they need to handle the three remaining Criftoae as swiftly as possible. Well, there¡¯s no need to stress oneself to come up with a perfect answer, for there were other convenient methods to cast magic. Looking at the area all around him, Cadeus could see that the re-convergent point is wide and spacious. The paths might be narrow, but once Nadav and the beasts step onto the main road, the Criftoae would definitely spread out to get some extra space. When that happens, statistically, it would be harder to deal with all of them at once. What would be highly effective would be a single spell that could take down the Criftoae the moment they leave the narrow path. It will have to be a wide ranged spell, plus it needs the power punch to take out three huge running Criftoae. ¡°Hm¡­¡± Thinking of the various spells he had noted down throughout his three months, he soon found the answer that¡¯s best applicable to the current situation. Reaching for his sling bag, Cadeus immediately took out one particular notebook that was exclusively used for taking down notes regarding with spell guides and formulae of note. Whenever he¡¯s attending a lecture or reading the library books, Cadeus penned down a few spell guides and other spells of interests that managed to catch his attention. Flipping to the right page, Cadeus¡¯s eyes gazed upon a circular runic inscription. Runes are magical alphabets used to store magical energies. They were markings used to cast spells without the need of human interference. Runes were important in a magi¡¯s life, as they were writings of magic embedded with the caster¡¯s own magic energies. With the right knowledge, various types of runic inscriptions could help create extended mediums of magic; the most commonly noted examples were enchantments, curses, seals, and even the modifications of artifacts. They were spells stored and prepared in advance, and like any extensive mediums of magic, runes have their own set of conditions. But what specifically distinguishes runes from other mediums of magic was that runes could be casted remotely in an instance that¡¯s based on their caster¡¯s will or when triggered by another party. Plus, the life shelf of a rune was a lot longer compared to spells that demand more human touch. Once written, runes could be left alone for centuries, and still be in peak condition for as long as the runes were not tampered with. There were all kinds of runes that could be used in various situations. What Cadeus had decided to use was a runic series called interconnected runes, where two or more runes can be activated simply by triggering the effects of one. In this case, Cadeus was attempting to cast a dual series, where one rune would be the remote trigger, while the other would be the spell activator. Following the instructions on the piece of paper, Cadeus proceeded to carve a circular rune out of the earth. Looking at the intersection, Cadeus knelt on one knee. He moved his right hand forward and initiated a small [Thermal Crest]. As he watched, a small blast of flame shot out from his palm and started scorching the earth. Keeping the spell intact, Cadeus sustained the fire¡¯s form and started marking a large runic circle around the re-convergent point. There were a total of three processes to make a simple runic circle. First, there¡¯s the circle. Runic circles need a circular structure in order to hold the magical energies for the rune to take effect. What followed next would be the inscription process that involves drawing a regular convex polygon within the circle and the writing of the runic letters. Last but not lest, there¡¯s the invocation, where the caster had to invoke magical energies into the rune in order for the rune to function independently. Cadeus had to be very careful with what he was doing. Technically speaking, he¡¯s not supposed to be doing this alone. Educator Garth has yet to teach his class about runic inscriptions. Any attempts to cast a runic circle alone without professional assistance was unwise. But despite all the precautions, Cadeus was confident that he could pull this off. The source of this confidence was not because of the mere interest to do something beyond what was currently required of him. Thanks to his readings in the Academy¡¯s Library, Cadeus had gotten a rough idea of how runic inscriptions work. This all includes the writings, the inscription process and the activation conditions. Once he is finished with the circle, Cadeus proceeded to draw the regular convex. According to his readings in the Academy¡¯s Library, the convex polygon not only stores the magical energies needed to activate the runic spell, but it also serves as a measurement to determine how powerful one wants the runic effects to be. The higher the number of sides within the polygon body, the more powerful the activated spell will be. Since Cadeus needed enough firepower to take care of three Criftoae, he decided on a pentagon. A pentagon should supply the rune up to three [Point Spells] worth of magic. Three [Point Spells] worth of magical energy, focused into one single circle. With the addition that Cadeus is supplying the rune with Dark Magic, the effects of the activated spell should be considerably painful. After connecting all the sides of the pentagon, what remains for the inscription process were the runes. Cadeus returned his attention to the piece of paper on his left hand and started engraving the copied pattern at the very centre of the runic circle. He then engraved the smaller runic words in a circular fashion, making sure that they do not step beyond the borders of the circle and the pentagon. Now, all that is left was the invocation. This was the part where the caster must invoke magical energizes into the rune in order to prepare the paranormal conditions. It¡¯s a simple procedure, yet it¡¯s also the most important part of making a runic circle. If Cadeus failed to do this properly, the rune would not be fully functional to achieve the desired result. In order for this to work, Cadeus kept the notebook in a side pocket and stepped out of the circle. He knelt at the very edge, pressed all ten of his fingers on the scorched linings and simply ¡®applied¡¯ magic. As he watched, his fingertips began to glow in dark purple, and then the glow started spreading. It slowly illuminated the runic circumference, and then the pentagon within. In keeping the spell form in mind, Cadeus shaped the magic from his body and let it flow out of his fingertips. Once the purple light engulfed the entire runic outline, Cadeus knew he was finished. Now that the activation circle was complete, Cadeus backtracked a couple of steps away from the intersection point and drew a second circle that would act as the remote trigger. When he was finished with that as well, it did not take long before he heard the explosive sounds of spells and the sounds of Nadav¡¯s cries. Nadav soon came into view. He appeared at the far edge of the left path. Waving towards him, Nadav caught his signal and instantly ran towards him in full speed. As Cadeus looked behind, he saw the three Criftoae behind him. It¡¯s a real pity that Nadav did not take down one of them, but at least there¡¯s a considerable distance between them. Once Nadav passed the markings, Cadeus could activate the runic circles without any fear of Nadav getting caught inside the upcoming runic effects. Cadeus got his Swiss Knife ready. From the instance Nadav ran past him, Cadeus direct all his attention towards the group of Criftoae. In realizing that his friend was not following, Nadav stopped running and turned his head back. ¡°Cadeus? *Pant* What *Pant* are you going? *Pant* ¡± Cadeus waited. He simply watched waiting for the right moment for the Criftoae to enter the circle. He must time this perfectly if he wants all three beasts to be in the circle. Just a few more meters¡­ When he became confident with his estimates, Cadeus placed the Swiss Knife¡¯s blade on his left palm. ¡°Sigh¡­ This is going to hurt¡­¡± He wrapped his left fingers tightly on the blade, and pulled. A sharp pain can be felt with a lingering sting, but Cadeus simply opened up his palm and let drops of his own blood fall on the triggering circle. From the instance blood landed on the trigger rune, both runes began to glow in bright red. The spell was cast and the instance the glowing light resolves, the three Criftoae became trapped in some sort of red barrier. As the barrier halted their charge, the runic circle¡¯s magic started corrupting the minds of the Criftoae. The eyes of the beasts started shining in crimson red, and they all started stampeding at the same spot wildly. Once the red barrier fades, the three beasts instantly turned and ran in a different direction. They crashed themselves into several trees, but they just continued running away as if they were fleeing from their natural predator. With his work done, Cadeus spend a few seconds looking at the dripping red line across his palm. Nadav on the other hand, began staring at him with awe and amazement. ¡°What the heck¡­ was that a runic circle just now?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°Has your Colour already started on runes?¡± ¡°Nope. I read it up on my own.¡± ¡°And you managed to successively cast something this big?¡± ¡°Well¡­ it is three [Point Spells] worth of magic.¡± Nadav took a look at his own hands. ¡°I doubt that I am capable of doing something like that at the moment¡­ damn it! Is this the gap in capacity between Pure Bloods and Mixed Bloods?¡± Nadav returned his attention to Cadeus. ¡°What rune was that anyway?¡± Cadeus took out his notebook from. ¡°I don¡¯t know the specifics, but it seems that if someone steps into this rune whilst chasing someone, he will gain intensive fear. The duration of which depends on how strong the magic is used to prepare this spell.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ so that¡¯s why they ran away. Smart thinking.¡± ¡°No. I got lucky. I was not entirely confident that the rune will work.¡± ¡°How¡¯s your hand?¡± Cadeus revealed it for him to see. The cut was long, but it¡¯s not deep. However, they were in the middle of the forests in Tenebris Vacuum. If left untreated, there¡¯s a high chance that the would get infected. ¡°Ok hold on. I think I might have a concoction somewhere.¡± ¡°Not another one of your funny solvents Nadav.¡± ¡°Nope! I did not make it this time. I got it from Sing.¡± ¡°Sing made it? Since when did you have it?¡± ¡°A couple of days. I asked her for it.¡± Nadav took out a bottle containing some sort of deep brownish liquid. When Cadeus saw that he was reminded of the various Chinese herbal oil he saw back when he was on Earth. His mother once applied some of that oil when Cadeus bruised himself several years back. It was very effective in healing open wounds. But once applied, the herbal oil really burns and it could leave behind a yellow-brownish stain on your skin that would last for several days. Cadeus did not have good memories of the applicant process. ¡°Wait¡­ before you use that, did you find out what Sing used to make that?¡± ¡°Sing did not make this. She got this from Earth.¡± ¡°Oh gosh¡­ I think I know where this is going.¡± ¡°Relax. I used it before.¡± ¡°When you apply that, did your skin burn and leave behind a yellow-brownish stain?¡± ¡°¡­ How did you know that? Are you an esper?¡± ¡°I used it before ¨C oh never mind. Just pass me that bottle.¡± As he felt the pain of the herbal oil running down the cut on his hand, Cadeus was starting to feel a slight mental strain within his temples. It¡¯s all the reminder he needs to be watchful of his Cast Limit. If he casted anymore spells, it would not be long before the penalties started kicking in. If they are not out of the forests by then, they will be in serious trouble. ¡°We better get going. I¡¯ll be counting on you for the rest of this trip Nadav.¡± ¡°¡­ Huh?¡± ¡°I am approaching my Cast Limit. That rune took a lot more than what I could handle. If I cast two more [Point Spells], I will definitely face a penalty.¡± Nadav made a grab for his own hair. ¡°Cadeus is running out of spells? OH NO!¡± ¡°Then I suggest we better hurry.¡± ¡°Yes. Hurry it is.¡± Nadav made a move for the shorter path. But before he could move an arms length, Cadeus grabbed his should to stop him. ¡°Hold on. We are going by the longer path.¡± ¡°Huh? Didn¡¯t we walked from that path just now?¡± ¡°Yes, but I did some damage to the path when I took out the two Criftoae that were chasing me.¡± Cadeus lied. He knew that lying to a friend was bad but he did not want Nadav to know about ¡®that¡¯. ¡°But it should be fine. I can use the element Earth remember? I can clear the area easily.¡± ¡°Mm¡­ nope. That won¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Come on. Clearing boulders is basic training in Rigor-atque Cinereon.¡± ¡°Do you really want to see what I did to the beasts?¡± ¡°¡­ Did you use some Dark Magic instant kill spell?¡± ¡°I left behind a curse.¡± ¡°Geh! I am so not good with enchantments.¡± Nadav immediately about turned and started proceeding to take the left path. TOA When the swamp, finally came into view, the first thing Nadav did was to moan. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Give me a second. I think I might puke.¡± When Cadeus first heard that, the first thing that came to mind was that Nadav was being dramatic again. But as he turned around to look, Cadeus instead found Nadav leaning a hand on a nearby tree with a pale and sick face. He soon gave himself quick breaths, and began struggling to control his insides in order to prevent a major oral ejection. ¡°Ah¡­ of course.¡± Having seen the swamp so many times, Cadeus had grown quite accustomed to the swamp¡¯s corrupted appearance. In fact, Cadeus so accustomed to the point where he can simply accepted the swamp for what it was and even come to appreciate its corruptive appearance. But, a first time visitor like Nadav did not have the time to adjust. As such, he could only struggle to keep himself together. Looking at Nadav¡¯s sad state, Cadeus could sympathize with such a first hand experience. After all, he also had that kind of expression when he saw the swamp for the first time three months ago. ¡°Take your time. Time now is¡­¡± Cadeus flipped his pocket watch open. ¡°8:10 pm. We got until 8:30 to start getting out of the swamps. ¡°Screw you.¡± As Nadav stepped onto the mossy ground surfaces, he had to spend a bit of extra effort to lift his feet. Slowly, it felt that the green mulch of the forest surface was swallowing his boot. Trying his best to swallow the disgust he¡¯s currently feeling, Nadav want to be done with the matter as soon as possible. ¡°So where¡¯s this Draborg plant thingy?¡± Cadeus pointed to the rocky edge where the Draborg plants are dangling. ¡°¡­They look like bloat bombs.¡± ¡°They are bloated bombs. Bloated bombs filled with Procona fluid.¡± ¡°How the heck can plants like that survive in such a hostile environment?¡± ¡°Who knows. It is either the swamp environmental conditions are ripe for the plant¡¯s growth, or the plants just sort of adapted to their surroundings.¡± ¡°Yucks¡­ no wonder the grey fluid you collected looks so disgusting. So we have to jump down and waddle across just to get to those plants.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Cadeus knelt on one knee and started taking off his sling bag, his outer robed blazer, and his smaller pouches. He placed them all to the side where he was sure that they would be easy to spot once he enters the swamp. While he was doing all of this, Nadav walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down at the swamp. From the instance he laid his eyes on the water, he immediately pinched his nose. ¡°Shit! What is with that smell? It¡¯s a lot worse compared to the air.¡± ¡°You better get used to it now. Once you go down there, that stench will accompany you all the way back until you bring your clothes to the dry cleaners.¡± ¡°Geh! You can¡¯t even see through the surface. Am I looking at a bog?¡± ¡°¡­ I take it that Rigor-atque Cinereon does not have any swamps?¡± ¡°Are you kidding? We got swamps back in Rigor-atque Cinereon. It¡¯s just that it is not at this level of bad. This is¡­ it¡¯s as if¡­¡± ¡°As if what?¡± ¡°What am I thinking? I am in the middle of Tenebris Vacuum. The swamp is corrupted by Dark Magic.¡± Cadeus could not help but smile to himself. ¡°Just so to let you know, there are stories that this swamp used to be an old dump site for failed experiments relating to Dark Magic. Failed Chimera products, dark concoction wastes, along with various other things that will bring no good effects to their surroundings especially when you do not know what they are made of.¡± ¡°And you are going to step into that thing? Have you ever considered a possibility that your feet might get¡­ decayed?¡± Upon hearing the word ¡®decayed¡¯, Cadeus instantly shot a questioning glance up at Nadav. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Hm? You did not know the rumour?¡± ¡°What rumour?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a rather popular rumour concerning Dark Mages amongsts White Mages and Grey Mages. They say that the Progenitor family of Dark mages have the ability to decay flesh and tissue.¡± ¡°The Prides are long gone.¡± ¡°True, but there are speculations that the books, artifacts and all the other stuff that they left behind had that dubious ability. One wrong move, and your hand will turn to bones.¡± ¡°Why is your head always filled up with all sort of gossips?¡± ¡°Call it social gathering information, it will come to serve us in some of our most crucial situations.¡± ¡°I feel that if you don¡¯t collate proper studies into your brain, your block of social gathering information won¡¯t save you in your exams.¡± ¡°Ha! Exams are a piece of cake. All I need to do is just memorize the answers!¡± ¡°Is there something wrong with your head? Let me remind you that we are no longer on Earth. There is more to it than just memorizing text contents when we are talking about magic.¡± ¡°Any way Cadeus, can you do it?¡± ¡°Do what?¡± ¡°Decay flesh and tissue?¡± The lie was easily formed. ¡°No. That kind of ability is no doubt a Blood Gift. You have to be born a Progenitor if you want to have that kind of ability.¡± ¡°Then what about the nobles?¡± ¡°The nobles have their own Blood Gifts. It is highly unlikely that they can do that sort of thing. Not when all the Prides are dead.¡± Once Cadeus was done setting his belongings aside, he took out his own glass flask and his Swiss knife before moving to the edge of the short cliff. Cadeus leaped as he had always did and landed into the edge of the swamp. As his feet sank into the water Cadeus felt the familiar sense of thick swamp solutes sinking into his boots, socks and trousers. Trying his best to endure the sickening scent filling his nostrils, Cadeus waded across to the Draborg plants, keeping in mind not to step onto anything funny. It did not take him that long to realize that Nadav was not following suit. When he failed to hear another splash, Cadeus could only turn around to see what Nadav was up to. Nadav was just standing there back up at the edge of the cliff, staring at him with awe along with the base reluctance to follow suit. ¡°Aren¡¯t you coming?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯re crazy. Do you know that?¡± ¡°I am just used to this. I¡¯d prefer the word ¡®daring¡¯ though.¡± ¡°Damn it¡­ even Cassandra should not be this ¡®daring¡¯.¡± ¡°Cassandra?¡± In hearing an unfamiliar name, Cadeus asked Nadav the question. ¡°Who¡¯s Cassandra?¡± ¡°Someone from my grandmother¡¯s.¡± ¡°A relative?¡± ¡°¡­ Something like that, she¡¯s an Untouched.¡± ¡°An Untouched?¡± Cadeus frowned at the very word. An Untouched, was a term used to refer to people on Zeffernon who never had the ability or gift, to cast magic despite having magic in their blood. From the first rule of Zeffernon, Magic begins from the Blood. This means that all humans have magic in their blood. So the problem now comes down to whether one was born with the capability to use magic or not. In this case, an Untouched would not have the ability to use magic, no matter how much they learn or no matter how much they try. In short, they were the same as the majority of the people on Earth, normal humans who never had the ability to use magic. It may seem ordinary and nothing much of a big deal being an Untouched. However, on Zeffernon, things tend to trend on a slightly different path for the Untouched. In a world where Magic was dominant, to not have the ability to use magic was somewhat considered a taboo. Since the Untouched cannot use magic, they cannot cast magic or interact with the various magical artifacts mages use in their everyday lives. Naturally, this resulted in a gap of capabilities between mages and the Untouched. As such, it¡¯s quite common for mages to look down on the Untouched, as they were deemed ¡®unproductive¡¯ within a society that orientates around magic. Total disregard by Pure Bloods and Mixed Bloods alike forced the Untouched to be confined to a limited degree of professions and jobs such as administration clerks, maidservants and cooking chefs. As a result, those of the Untouched who failed to be employed under a mage usually moved to settle in regional outskirts or places that were not under the jurisdiction of the Magic High Council. Also, if you had an Untouched in your family, it spoke volumes in a particularly negative way. This was because to mages, having an Untouched in your family means that your bloodline had a higher probability to lose the trait to use magic. Many magi tend to look down on families like that, a lot. ¡°How on Earth did you get an Untouched in your family?¡± ¡°You see¡­ the thing is, Cassandra is not related to me.¡± Cadeus gave him the look that totally says ¡®I¡¯m confused¡¯. ¡°She¡¯s not related to me at all. She¡¯s adopted.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ now that makes sense. Did your parents take her in?¡± ¡°Nah¡­ it¡¯s my grandmother.¡± ¡°I see. Aren¡¯t you coming?¡± ¡°Are you kidding? The swamp stinks.¡± ¡°Nadav, we are already here. Please don¡¯t make things even more difficult.¡± ¡°But what if someone steals our stuff while we are down there?¡± ¡°Night time is approaching, no one comes to the forests by this hour. If they are still in the forests by the time the sun goes down, they run a risk of being hunted by nocturnal beasts and chimeras. Trust me, you do not want to be in this forest during the night.¡± ¡°Geh! Then why are we even here?¡± ¡°We need to secure the Procona fluid remember? If we wait till tomorrow, there is a chance that someone might harvest the fluid before I can get some free time.¡± ¡°But how would they know that Procona is in there? They did not read your book¡­ did they?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the first to read this book.¡± ¡°Aaarrrggghhh!!!!!¡± Nadav grabbed his hair out of frustration. He then started taking out his own sling bag, his outer robed blazer and his smaller pouches before laying them right next to Cadeus¡¯s belongings. Once he took out his own flask and Swiss Knife, he proceeded to the edge of the cliff. As Nadav took one last solid look at the state of the swamp, he several breaths to prepare himself. Then, he leaped off the cliff. From the instance he landed into the bog, he instantly cried out. ¡°OH SHIT! Why is the water so thick? This is like thick mud!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think too much about it. Just keep moving.¡± ¡°I can feel it getting into my trousers! I can feel it getting into my trousers! AAHHH!!!! I CAN FEEL SOMETHING WIGGLING AROUND MY LEGS!!!¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Cadeus decided to ignore the idiot and focus on the current matter at hand. He resumed wadding towards until he reached the Draborg plants. He repeated the same fluid extraction procedure he used yesterday as instructed by the book. He placed the very tip of the glass container at the membrane edge, and thinly sliced the membrane head. It took a while for Nadav to keep up, as he was continuously grumbling about the current state of his clothes. When he saw the Draborg plant in front of him, he could only snort at the trouble he has to go just to get the disgusting fluid. ¡°So, how do I go about doing this?¡± ¡°Place the very tip of the glass container at the membrane edge, and thinly sliced the membrane head. Do it slowly. You do not want the swelling head to burst. If it does, the liquid contents will be contaminated.¡± ¡°How much fluid can Sing¡¯s flask take?¡± ¡°Just enough for one plant. Look, mine is already almost filled to the brim.¡± ¡°Shit, shit, shit.¡± Nadav started cursing as he thinly sliced his own Draborg plant. While holding the flask steadily, Nadav closed his eyes tight and did his best to ignore the state of his lower body. He really must have felt disturbed. ¡°Ignore, ignore, do your best to ignore. Hey Cadeus, do you know what the heck lives inside the swamp?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to know.¡± ¡°Are they lethal?¡± ¡°I have yet to come across anything lethal.¡± ¡°Ok that¡¯s good.¡± ¡°Just stop thinking about what is in the swamp and focus before you spill any precious fluid.¡± ¡°Right. Got it.¡± Once Cadeus¡¯s Draborg plant is fully drained into a soft lob of membrane skin, his flask is already filled to the brim. Releasing his hold on the plant, Cadeus cocked his flask while watching the soft lob of membrane skin dangle down. He waited for Nadav to do the same before they both waded and climbed back up to where their belongings are. Now that they had secured the fluid, all they need was to return back to the dorms to hand the flasks to Sing. Hopefully she would have already done something to the first flask Cadeus gave her earlier. TOA ¡°Cadeus, for some reason, we have become the center of attention. Every girl is looking our way! Achievement unlocked!¡± ¡°You idiot. The reason why they are staring at us is because guys don¡¯t come to the girl¡¯s dorm by this hour.¡± The time now is way past 9:30 pm. Cadeus and Nadav were currently in the girl¡¯s dormitory. Looking around, Cadeus could see the girls stealing glances at the two of them. Some are already even starting to stare at them with accusing gazes. Well obviously they would, most of the girls around them had already changed into their night attires. It felt extremely awkward for a guy to be in this situation. Technically speaking, lights-out timing is at 10:00 pm, so it¡¯s not entirely wrong for Nadav and Cadeus to still be in the girl¡¯s dormitory. However, still being at the girl¡¯s dormitory past 9:30 pm is not something commonly practiced, as the girls tend to want to have their own private time before going to bed. Also, by 9:30 pm, most of the girls would have already changed into their night attires. Even if it is just the first level, where boys are normally restricted to, there would be still girls walking around in their night attire or gowns. So if you were a guy and you were walking around the girl¡¯s dormitory by this timing, some girls might perceive this to be a crime. And if you were unlucky enough, the girls will complain to a female Educator, and you might get some sort of punishment. Thus, it became a rather unspoken rule for males to not be in the girls past 9:30 pm. Why not make it a rule that boys can¡¯t come into the girl¡¯s dormitory at 9:30 pm? It¡¯s not totally wrong for a guy to come to the girl¡¯s dormitory just before lights out. Boys often come to the girl¡¯s dormitory to check up with their female partners regarding Board Quests or Academic assignments. Plus, they were already restricted to the first level. As long as they do not go beyond the first level, they should not run into any sort of funny situations. However, there have been several cases in the past where there were boys still being around when several girls come down to the first level in scantly nightgowns. Now technically speaking the boys were not totally in the wrong here, but it¡¯s still widely considered to be very inappropriate to the girls, as it¡¯s their dormitory in the first place. Thus, out of courtesy and respect for the girls¡¯ privacy, the boys will always avoid coming to the girl¡¯s dormitory after 9:30 pm. In seeing almost every girl in their nightgowns, Cadeus felt extremely awkward. All he wanted to do now is to pass the flasks to Sing fast and get out before they cause some kind of misunderstanding. It is just fifteen minutes till lights out. He did not want a roaming female Educator to catch them and question their presences. Well, at least they had already bathed. Once they got out of the teleportation circle in Converse Hall, the two of them immediately head for the baths, changed and quickly head to the girl¡¯s dormitory to pass Sing the flasks. If they came straight to the girl¡¯s dormitory from Tenebris Vacuum with their stinking clothes, it would not be a very good sight for the girls. This was why they came at a very late timing in the first place. Hopefully, their late coming would not spark any issues. ¡°Sing¡¯s not here at all.¡± ¡°She¡¯s probably in her room right now.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ Sing should be staying on the fourth level. Should we ask someone for help?¡± ¡°You can try.¡± ¡°Ho? Did I just hear hesitation on your part? Why don¡¯t you go and ask for help?¡± ¡°Which sane girl would want to help a Dark Mage?¡± ¡°What¡¯s this Cadeus? Look at where we are, the girl¡¯s dorm! Almost every girl here is going to be in her night gowns! This is a rare chance to hit on some girls~, and you are going to let this chance slide like that?¡± Cadeus simply clench his hand into a fist and gave Nadav a soft punch. ¡°Well, she could be Dark.¡± ¡°Then all the more reason for her to avoid me. Did you forget my family name?¡± ¡°Oh shucks¡­ I keep forgetting.¡± ¡°Right, let¡¯s stop discussing about hypothetical scenarios and focus on passing our flasks to Sing.¡± ¡°Ok let¡¯s pause here for a second.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Nadav took a sniff at his elbow. ¡°Do I still smell?¡± ¡°No? Why?¡± ¡°You should know better. Girls hate it when boys stink.¡± ¡°Ok?¡± ¡°You are missing the point. I still smell of your disgusting swamp don¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ you are being paranoid.¡± ¡°Paranoid? Have a sniff at th ¨C ¡± ¡°Ok, you better stop now before any girls around us get into some sort of misunderstanding.¡± ¡°But still!¡± ¡°Nadav, you don¡¯t stink. It¡¯s all psychological. I used to have that kind of thoughts when I first got out of the swamp. But after a bath, you and Sing failed to smell anything funny. Plus this did not happen once. Have you or Sing smelled anything funny on me?¡± ¡°¡­ No.¡± ¡°See? So stop thinking about the swamp and just start asking for Sing¡¯s whereabouts.¡± ¡°Ok¡­ I¡¯ll guess I have to do the asking. Let¡¯s see¡­ Um¡­ excuse me?¡± And with that, Nadav left Cadeus¡¯s side and started asking the nearby girls for help. It seems that the girls were capable of welcoming Nadav, but when they stole glances at Cadeus they gave him the expected stares full of wariness. Once it¡¯s obvious that he won¡¯t be well received, Cadeus retreated to a corner and simply waited. Feeling both physical fatigue and mental tiredness due to the extreme usages of magic, he could only lean back against a pillar and rest his body. Ultimately, Cadeus started scanning the area around himself, quietly absorbing information that he knew would be of little relevance. He did it purely just for the sake of passing the time. But it did not take that long before someone interrupted his thoughts. ¡°Eh? Is that Cadeus?¡± ¡°Yes it is. What are you doing here at this hour?¡± It¡¯s Jouna and Padrela. They were already dressed in their nightgowns. Once they started to walk towards Cadeus, Cadeus mentally gave himself a challenge not to look at anywhere that counts as sensitive. These two girls may not be wearing anything suggestive, but their nightgowns alone are enough to expose a decent amount of skin. If he¡¯s careless in where he¡¯s looking, he will definitely cause an unfavourable scene. ¡°Fancy seeing you here.¡± Jouna flashed Cadeus with a mischievous grin. ¡°Guys aren¡¯t supposed to be here past 9:30 pm you know.¡± She added. ¡°Yes I know.¡± ¡°Then what are you doing here? I did not take you to be the peeping tom type.¡± ¡°Who says I¡¯m peeping? I¡¯m looking for a friend.¡± ¡°A friend? Who is it?¡± Padrela asked. ¡°We are looking for Sirena Delnarius. Do you know which room she is in?¡± ¡°Sirena?¡± Padrela tiled her head in response to the unfamiliar word. ¡°Sirena? Where did I hear that word before?¡± Jouna pondered. ¡°Oh! I think I remember who Sirena is. She¡¯s your friend right Cadeus? The one Susan has been talking about.¡± Padrela said. ¡°Oh! That one.¡± Jouna finally recalled the name. For a second, Cadeus thought that it would be obvious that these two failed to recognize Sing¡¯s name. Well that¡¯s to be expected, Sing¡¯s a White Mage after all. It¡¯s not that surprising to find that Dark mages would fail to recognize the same. But if they heard her name from Susan, it becomes a different story altogether. However, at the very instance the two of them registered Sing, things suddenly changes due to some unknown reason. Jouna and Padrela both instantly gave Cadeus stares of uncertainty and took two steps back. It is as if they just saw a different of Cadeus and are reacting to it negatively. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Why are you hanging out with a White?¡± Ah¡­ the usual anti-sentiments¡­ ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with her. She¡¯s just a childhood friend. I¡¯m rather comfortable around her.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ childhood friend. Well I guess that makes sense. Childhood friends tend to stick together regardless of colour.¡± Padrela said. ¡°Hm¡­ Hold on a sec. Cadeus¡± Jouna interrupted. Jouna suddenly placed her right hand on Cadeus¡¯s left shoulder. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to ask you a serious question. Can you reply this question honestly?¡± ¡°What¡¯s with the sudden seriousness?¡± ¡°Can you answer honestly?¡± It seems she is rather insistent on the ¡®honest¡¯ part, though Cadeus do not the reason why. ¡°Um¡­ sure?¡± Jouna shook her left index finger. ¡°If a girl asks for you to answer honestly, you should say ¡®Yes, I promise that my answer will be the truth¡¯.¡± ¡°Ok. Yes, I promise that my answer will be the truth.¡± ¡°It must be the truth.¡± ¡°Yes the truth.¡± Her sudden seriousness really made Cadeus feel uncomfortable. What exactly does she want from him? ¡°So here¡¯s my question. Are you currently seeing anyone out?¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± Cadeus suddenly found himself at a loss for words. ¡°Why are you asking me this?¡± ¡°Just answer the question.¡± ¡°No.¡± Jouna stared at him for a couple more seconds, trying to analyze him before she can take his answer. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°No. I do not have a girlfriend. I never had a girlfriend and I don¡¯t think I will be getting one for now.¡± For some reason, Jouna and surprisingly Padrela both gave satisfactory smiles. ¡°Ok. Safe.¡± Jouna said. ¡°Yup, totally safe. But if she still does not push herself, she might miss this opportunity.¡± Padrela followed. ¡°Huh?¡± Cadeus can only stare in confusion. ¡°What exactly are you guys on to?¡± he asked the two of them. ¡°Oh nothing. It¡¯s not really a problem for you.¡± Jouna said. ¡°Why do I get the feeling it is? Also, what¡¯s with the question whether I am seeing anyone currently?¡± ¡°Nothing. That part is just for my own curiosity. Oh Padrela, come, we need to re-discuss that part of our theoretical assignment.¡± ¡°Ok. Got it. Let¡¯s head back to my room. My materials are there after all.¡± And with that, the two deviously retreated away. They did it quite skillfully before Cadeus could say another word. Before Cadeus had the time to think about what just happened, Nadav came back in the nick of time. ¡°Ho! Aren¡¯t those the two Dark Mage girls we saw back then?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What did they want?¡± ¡°Nothing, just saying hi.¡± ¡°Bullshit. That Jouna girl placed her hand on your shoulder. There is more to it than meets the eye.¡± ¡°You would not want to know what she asked anyway.¡± ¡°Um¡­ no I don¡¯t think so. My investigator switch is switching. There¡¯s definitely something!¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ Why are your senses so acute in this sort of scenarios?¡± ¡°So spill it out! What did she say.¡± ¡°Jouna asked me if I am seeing anyone out right now.¡± Nadav immediately jump. ¡°What?! Are you serious?!¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Nadav instantly laid his left hand on Cadeus¡¯s shoulder and acted as if he was crying tears of joy. ¡°Cadeus, you did a very good job. Your mother will be so pleased.¡± ¡°Now hold on a second. Jouna is not asking me out.¡± ¡°No, no, no, no. The only motive a girl has to ask a boy if he is seeing anyone currently, is because she wants to ask him out.¡± ¡°Since when you became the love expert? Besides, I did not get any implications from her that states that she is interested in me.¡± ¡°Well, she did call you cute earlier right?¡± ¡°That alone is not enough.¡± Nadav flashed a look of disbelieve. He really could not see how Cadeus would be so pessimistic. ¡°Oh come on! Just go out with her already!¡± ¡°No. There is something not right about this.¡± ¡°Now¡¯s not the time to be concerned about whether things are right or wrong. She has set the opening for you, all you have to do is to cross that margin.¡± ¡°I think that if I cross that margin now, I might regret it for the rest of my life.¡± At the midst of all this, the two of them are unaware that the person they are looking for finally came down only to see this funny scenario. ¡°¡­ What exactly are the two of you doing?¡± Sing asked. The two of them instantly stopped what they are doing and immediately returned their attention to Sing. Like most of the girls around her, Sing is also dressed in her nightgowns. However, she added an overlaying jacket to ¡°Oh hey Sing! Where have you been?¡± Nadav said, clearly an attempt to turn Sing¡¯s attention away from their topic of conversation. ¡°Sigh¡­ I guess you two are going to keep your little secrets after all. Anyways, I found my dad¡¯s notebook.¡± ¡°How did it go?¡± Cadeus asked. ¡°You mean reading up? I think I am getting the idea how to handle the making process.¡± ¡°Sweet! Will you be making any samples anytime soon?¡± Nadav asked. ¡°I might get a bit out by tomorrow breakfast. We¡¯ll see how it goes.¡± Now that¡¯s good news indeed, perhaps the best news they ever had in such a crucial period of time. ¡°So Nadav, you really went to the swamps of Tenebris Vacuum?¡± ¡°Please¡­ don¡¯t ask me about it. I don¡¯t want to remember¡­¡± ¡°Did something funny happen?¡± Sing asked Cadeus. ¡°You want the long story or the short story?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take the short.¡± ¡°We came across a canine chimera, we both got chased by five Criftoae and Nadav had problems entering the swamp.¡± Sing simply stared back at Cadeus in dazzlement. It took a while before she managed to process the information accurately to get the overall picture. ¡°You guys managed to get out of that?¡± Cadeus shrugged his shoulders. ¡°We have our ways. Come one, I still think the worst we¡¯d ever face was that last part of the Mystical Box Quest.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ true. How did you guys get by the first two obstacles?¡± ¡°Well¡­ the second obstacle scared away the first. Then we both got chased badly until we decided to split up.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ The two of you split up?¡± ¡°Yes! It was this guy¡¯s idea!¡± Nadav pointed an accusing index finger towards Cadeus ¡°We were running, and then this asshole here deserted me!¡± ¡°The two paths will re-converge again into one when it hits the main road. That gave me plenty of time to deal with my share of Criftoae before coming to save you.¡± ¡°But still! You could have allowed me to take the path to the right!¡± ¡°The path on the left is longer than the one on the right. If you took the path on the right, you would have continuously ran way past the re-convergence point up till to God knows where. If I was the one who came out of the left path and you weren¡¯t there, not only am I rendered incapable of helping you, we both would have serious trouble trying to get out of the forests once we are separated. No one travels alone in the forests of Tenerbis Vacuum.¡± ¡°Tch! That is such a cheap come about! You are just taking advantage of the fact that I can¡¯t debate logic aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Stop complaining Nadav. Cadeus saved you, you owe him one now.¡± ¡°Geh! Now Sing is against me! You two are such heartless friends!¡± The two of them merely shrugged Nadav¡¯s sarcasm away. In seeing such a response, Nadav gave a dejected face. Smiling to herself, Sing turned to Nadav and gave him a light pad on the back. ¡°Well Nadav, look on the bright side. At least you¡¯ve seen the infamous forest and made it back alive. Isn¡¯t that already a big achievement?¡± ¡°It jolly well better is.¡± ¡°Besides, I am sure that now you got some stories to tell your other Grey Mages.¡± Cadeus instantly gave Sing the look telling her not to give Nadav any weird ideas, but he is already too late. ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ Ha! Now I got something to boast to the girls! Wha ha ha! The next time Cadeus is my wing man, I can get to enchant girls with my story of bravado!¡± Nadav instantly used his left hand to highlight an invisible title in the air. ¡°The brave story of Nadav being forced to enter the forests of Tenebris Vacuum!¡± ¡°Ok¡­ I am starting to regret what I just said. Nadav, you are extremely lucky to get out of there alive, so let¡¯s not ¨C ¡± ¡°Ah! Excellent line there Sing! I¡¯m extremely lucky! A nice line to get the attention of the girls. I¡¯d better write a note before I forget.¡± ¡°Cadeus, now he¡¯s getting too carried away.¡± ¡°Who asked you to plant that idea into his head?¡± ¡°All right, my fault. The next time you bring him into Tenebris Vacuum, dump him alone for a couple of minutes to scare him.¡± ¡°No, I got a better idea. I¡¯ll feed him to the Warelock.¡± The dormitory clock began ringing the alarm. It is already 9:45 pm. Students are expected to return to their rooms before the Educators come to do their spot check to ensure that everyone obeys the lights out timing. ¡°Anyways, did the two of you get what I needed?¡± Cadeus and Nadav took out their own flasks of grey liquid and handed it over. When they revealed the flasks, Sing¡¯s eyes widened slightly by the sight due to partial amazement. ¡°¡­ You really filled the two of them to the brim.¡± ¡°We had to. We might need all that we can get.¡± Cadeus said. ¡°All right. I¡¯ll just take these, you two better get out before Educator Giselle comes.¡± ¡°Hold on Sing.¡± Nadav interrupted. ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Before we go, can you heal Cadeus¡¯s hand?¡± ¡°His hand?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for it Nadav.¡± ¡°Just show it to her already.¡± Cadeus showed Sing the cut on his hand. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a small cut. Nothing more.¡± ¡°This looks very recent. What would cause such a cut?¡± ¡°Nothing. Just a scratch.¡± Sing wanted to ask more, but due to time constrains, she simply healed the laceration without saying another word. Nadav wanted to open his mouth to tell Sing about Cadeus¡¯s successive rune. But one quick look from Cadeus silenced his attempt. It is too late into the night for another lengthy conversation. Besides, Sing said tonight¡¯s spot checker was Educator Giselle. They had best get out of the girl¡¯s dormitory if they want a peaceful night. TOA Around the same time Cadeus and Nadav were passing their flasks to Sing, another interesting episode is happening in another part of the Academy. ¡°AAAAAHHHHHH!¡± Davian started tearing his hair. Slamming his head on the table, he could not help but tilt his head up to look at the numerous piles of papers on his desk. Ever since he got back, he was welcomed once again with the demoralizing scene of a table that is filled with countless pile of damage fees and letters of complaints both from inside and outside the Academia. No matter how much work he poured into, once he cleared a document, ten more pieces were stacked to take its place. This never-ending cycle of handling complaints and damage reports is slowly starting to eat him away. In the hopes to resolve these issues, Davian thought that doing a little patrol around the streets might be helpful to keep his problematic peers in check. However, he noticed a new stack of documents arranged neatly and placed carefully at the edge of his desk, contributing to the endless stream of papers stacking around his office space. It seems that patrolling around is not that as effective as he thought. ¡°The moment I thought that patrolling around the problematic areas would help reduce problems. Sigh¡­¡± ¡°It looks like you are having the usual rough time.¡± Davian looked towards the voice that came down towards him. Thought she is an extremely important character within the Student Council, Davian knew her long enough to bypass the formalities. Wearing a normal student uniform with some slight customizations, bearing that legendary crest of the Grey Orb. Hailed as the ¡®Absolute Queen¡¯ amongst her Grey Mage peers, as well as the current Student Council President. Cordelia Quake ve Douvalmni She¡¯s the current heir to the Progenitor family Quake ve Douvalmni, the Progenitor family of Grey Magic. That means that if she¡¯d wanted it, she will the next in line to inherit the leading position of all Grey Mages. Unlike Davian who just started in his first year into the elementary curriculum, Cordelia is already into her second year. That means that she is already one year his senior. ¡°Hi Boss.¡± ¡°How¡¯s the patrolling?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I will be making more in the future.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Davian made an indirect gesture to the new stack of documents recently added to the extreme side of his desk. ¡°Well, at least that new pile is shorter than the rest.¡± ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s still the same as it is.¡± In the midst of all the negative mood towards the endless stream of complain forms, Davian suddenly thought of something. Cordelia is a model student. What exactly is she doing here when lights out is only about thirty minutes away? ¡°Why are you here at this hour boss? You need something? Lights out is just half an hour away.¡± ¡°Just checking up on my junior. Making sure he goes to bed on time.¡± ¡°How did you know I was still here?¡± To answer his question, a white cat jumped onto his table desk, accidentally knocking off a few stacks of paper. ¡°Shantae!¡± Davian moaned. The cat was Shantae, Cordelia¡¯s familiar. Though Davian showed disapproval to the cat¡¯s actions that resulted in creating another mess, the cat simply ignored him and rested its body at one corner. ¡°Shantae told me that there is still someone in the Student Council this late in the evening.¡± ¡°Quite the wanderer, your familiar.¡± ¡°Be happy that it saw you. Things will be bad if the only Dark Mage in the Student Council got punished just because he is still wandering around the Academy well past lights out.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Davian took a glance at Cordelia¡¯s familiar. ¡°Sigh¡­ it looks like I got myself a babysitter, yippee.¡± Cordelia took a small moment to look at the general state of his desk. Her current thoughts are easy for Davian to see. Whatever thoughts she is currently formulating in her head, Davian can expect the next three words she is going to say. ¡°You need help.¡± There we go. ¡°Hm¡­ This is the part where any normal guy in my situation will say ¡®I can use some help¡¯, but I¡¯m going to stick with ¡®everything is all right¡¯.¡± ¡°You clearly don¡¯t look all right.¡± Davian could only sigh. Curious, Cordelia took a random piece of document from a lesser pile and read it. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Davian answered her without the need to look at what she¡¯s holding. ¡°That¡¯s a damage report filed with an additional complain. Two groups of Dark Mages fought each other in a tavern near Derithmodule¡¯s Monument. The tavern boss wrote me that.¡± ¡°Damage repair costs¡­ wow, 2300 Duches.¡± ¡°Tell me about it.¡± ¡°And you compensated the tavern?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°How much?¡± ¡°The full price.¡± ¡°Using?¡± ¡°My own allowance?¡± Cordelia eyes widened slightly in surprise. As the Student Council President, she is well aware that Davian had to deal with a large number of problems since he is the representative of the Dark Mage students. But compensating for the fault of others using his own money? ¡°You are paying for the mistakes of others with your own money?¡± ¡°Do you have a better idea? I don¡¯t want to use the Student Council budget.¡± ¡°I take it that the warnings issued by the Educators aren¡¯t so effective.¡± ¡°Oh it is effective, but only when they are within Academy grounds. When they are out, for some reason the warnings seem to slip out of their brains. Oh and, don¡¯t bother suggesting banning Dark Mage students from leaving the Academy. My peers will only cause more trouble than what we think we can prevent.¡± Cordelia can only give him a smile. She really feels for Davian¡¯s problematic situation. ¡°If the Educators are not helping, why don¡¯t you bring up this matter to Viegra?¡± ¡°And what? Let the Discipline Committee President lead an army of disciplinary committee members into Tenebris Vacuum? Do you want to start a war between the Dark Mages and the Discipline Committee?¡± Cordelia merely shook her head to ward off Davian¡¯s sarcasm. ¡°You know that we don¡¯t do things that way. I¡¯m actually thinking about getting Viegra to help you do some patrolling.¡± ¡°¡­ Things have not deteriorated to that level of bad.¡± Cordelia made a gesture to all the stacks of papers in front of Davian. ¡°Then how can you explain the never ending cycle of¡­ this?¡± Davian can only shut up and rest his head on the desk in response. In seeing how she is not really helping the situation, Cordelia could only give him a sympathetic smile. ¡°You have been handling all of these for the past three months. Why don¡¯t you get someone to help you?¡± ¡°By ¡®someone¡¯, you mean another Dark Mage right?¡± ¡°Who else?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ no. Not one idiot in Tenebris Vacuum is interested in the Student Council.¡± ¡°What about the other nobles?¡± ¡°Who can I ask? Our Necro friend¡¯s attendance is zero, Claire and Acriscius are better off competing with each other than messing up my work, and who would want to ask Seymour?¡± ¡°I am not just referring to the Greater Noble Families. Have you tried approaching the Lesser Nobles?¡± ¡°I did. But as usual no one showed any interests. Sigh¡­ I wish senior Valadar is still around.¡± ¡°Yup, if only he were just one year younger. But too bad, he is already at the other island doing his tertiary curiculum. It is a real pity that only the Acolytes are the ones who remember the proper code of conducts Valadar established.¡± ¡°True¡­ I wish I had his charisma.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ok Davian. You are doing all that you can. I have not seen a guy singlehandedly clear his work effectively. I really wish that there are more Dark Mages like you.¡± ¡°I wish that too, really.¡± In seeing Davian once again in a dejected mood, Cordelia took a deep breath and finally came to a single conclusion. ¡°Ok, this cannot continue.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I am going to initiate a Dark Mage recruitment program to join the Student Council.¡± ¡°This again? Haven¡¯t we tried that just after my enrollment?¡± ¡°We¡¯ll try again.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ please don¡¯t tell me you are going to use special privileges as a form of promotion? That does not really help you know.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll think of something.¡± Davian gave a thought for the other members of the Student Council. ¡°Nah¡­ I really doubt the others will be of much help.¡± ¡°They might not be, but we are going to start talking seriously about getting another Dark Mage on the Student Council.¡± Davian moaned slightly. He had already tried talking to his peers to join the Student Council. But none of the others are interested. In fact, most of his peers see the Student Council as nothing but extra work burden. If he is unsuccessful, he doubt that Cordelia herself can make a difference. She may be a Progenitor, but at most, she can only get the Greys and the Whites to listen. The Dark Mages on the other hand tend to respect their own Progenitor, and everyone knows that there are no more Pride ve Lus. In seeing how debating about this now won¡¯t be much of any help, Cordelia sighed. ¡°Come Davian, enough of this. You have worked enough for the day. We¡¯ll talk more about this tomorrow.¡± ¡°Ok boss. Give me a moment to grab my things.¡± Cordelia decided to wait for Davian outside the Student Council Office, she just about to turn away when she caught a glimpse of something at the corner of her eye. Amidst all of the stacks of papers at Davian¡¯s desk, there is a specific section where Davian isolated a few documents. These do not look like the usual complaints and compensation forms. Instead, they seem to be documented files on an individual¡¯s personal data. But what caught Cordelia¡¯s attention is not the documental specifics, but a certain portrait that seemed entirely unusual to her. Reaching out her hand, Cordelia took up the document and focused on both the portrait and the name of the boy labeled underneath the portrait. ¡°Davian, what is this? Who is Cadeus?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh that¡­ GEH! YOU SAW THAT?¡± Davian instantly tried to snatch the document away from her hands, but he was not fast enough. In response to this sudden would-be attack, Cordelia, still looking at the document in interest, merely casted a strong wind spell with just a flick of her right shoe heel. The strong current of wind hit Davian by the ankles. Before he knew it, Davian¡¯s face fell flat onto the floor. Once she is satisfied, Cordelia looked down at Davian and flicked the document in front of him. ¡°Why the sudden secrecy? Is this what I think it is?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. The masters do not know, even the Archmage did not know.¡± ¡°Are they at least aware of this case?¡± ¡°Yes." ¡°Have they done something about it?¡± ¡°No. From what I hear, the High Council told them to put this issue on hold.¡± ¡°The High Council? What does the High Council got to do with this? Are they investigating this case?¡± ¡°They are, or at least the Thermos Ministry is. Word is, they got someone to investigate the issue.¡± ¡°I see, typical. So why am I only hearing about this right now?¡± ¡°It was the Archmage¡¯s idea! He wanted to minimize confusion!¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ Royce¡¯s old geezer. I can¡¯t believe he would hide something like this from me.¡± Davian got up. ¡°Actually, it is not that much of a big deal ¨C scratch that he is a big deal. You wouldn¡¯t how many fights this guy instigated.¡± ¡°He started fights?¡± Davian took the document from her and placed it neatly on his table desk. ¡°No, not directly, at least. Well thank goodness Acriscius had not make a move on him yet. Everyone hostile to Cadeus in Tenebris Vacuum is calling him an ¡®imposter¡¯.¡± Cordelia gave a look that is partly full of confusion and partly full of concern. Believing that he knows what she is thinking, Davian reassured her that this small issue is not something worth fretting about. ¡°Relax. Nothing major is going to happen. Besides, I would not call Cadeus a bad person. He is not some flaunting impersonator who abuses the family name. He has always insisted that the family name is pure coincidence. In fact, it seems that he does not want to have anything with the name. Funny isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be a coincidence. Not with that name.¡± ¡°That is why everyone is confused. From as far as I know, Cadeus does not believe that he has an ancestor that has any ties to magic.¡± ¡°Does he have a family tree?¡± ¡°¡­ I never heard of it. But I don¡¯t think so.¡± Cordelia raised her spectacles, a sign that she¡¯s thinking about this deeply. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Think about it. A family tree coming from a guy who is not aware of how powerful lineage can be? He¡¯s not even a noble.¡± Davian collected his sling bag and started heading out of the Student Council office. Cordelia spend several seconds pondering possible implications. Shantae merely leaped off the desk and started muzzling her leg. ¡°Are you coming? Lights out is in five minutes.¡± Cordelia took one last glance at the document before leaving, Shantae following her behind. As she walked with Davian back to the noble¡¯s dormitory, she made a mental note to see Cadeus personally the next time she is free, just to see what kind of person he is. TOA Once Cadeus went back to his room, he changed into his night gear and dropped into his bed. Now, he¡¯s dead tired. As he lay down on his bed, he could not help but think back about the events that happened today. Despite all that he did, the morning with Claire, the afternoon in Infinitas, the evening with Nadav, life just went by in a glance. Wanting to think of nothing else, Cadeus¡¯s hand reached for the room artifact at the side of his bed and added a bit of light. Once he is satisfied with the low level of brightness his hand indirectly reached down to his bag. As he used his sense of touch to search around, his fingers finally wrapped themselves around the book that he was looking for. Taking it out and holding up the book high, what Cadeus ended up looking at is the black-leathered book he got from Demerith¡¯s Street. Oddly enough, from the moment he bought the book, Cadeus already memorized the exact length, width and thickness of the book. It feels strange that he felt such a close bond to the book despite never reading it once. From the black leather cover, the author of the book is called Zelnarius Pride ve Lu. Flipping to the preface page, the book was written and published in 1423. 1423¡­ the book was published in the 1400s? That was the century where the Progenitor family of Dark Mages got wiped out. The 1400s, the end of everything and the start of everything. That was how Dark Mages referred that period of time. Cadeus had heard that saying in the tavern in Demerith¡¯s Street, in Tenerbis Vacuum, as well as any other places where Dark Mages would gather in conversation. Gently laying the book right next to him, Cadeus stretched his arms to his sides. He was too tired to read the book, maybe he shall do so if he¡¯s free tomorrow. Tomorrow¡¯s schedule was Colours again for the whole morning, and then the afternoon was off. It¡¯s the same as today; just that finally Educator Garth had something for them. Volume 1 - Chapter 5 - Intertwining Connections Cadeus¡¯s body felt much better when he woke up in the next morning. The deep tiredness he felt in both his body and mind yesterday was gone, replaced by a rejuvenated state buzzing with energy. Normally he would be struggling to get out of the bed trying to deal with the normal body urge to continue sleeping, but that did not happen today. Today, he was able to wake up without any temptations to resume sleeping. That was good, this means that he was able to get a fulfilling rest last night. With his eyes still opened, he suddenly noticed the lack of sunlight within the room. Usually, what woke him up would be the sunlight that shone in through the windows that he always forgets to close. But today, there was not much sunlight. The colour sky was dark sapphire, making it seem as if the sun just set in to pass the turn over to the moon. He then looked at the clock at the side of his bed to confirm the time. 5:13 am That¡¯s way too early if you think about it. If this was any normal day, in an hour¡¯s time, he would have just awaked, start heading towards the baths, change, and wake up Nadav in time for Breakfast. But today, waking up an hour earlier disrupted the usual routine. As he slowly sat up straight on his bed, Cadeus thought about what he should do now. Should he go back to sleep? Or should he stay awake? If he chooses to stay awake, what should he do with this spare one hour? Cadeus looked outside the window. The sun was just about to rise as the sky had hints of turning dawn blue. At this time, few students and members of the staff would be awake. The Academy would be mostly quiet and empty, the ideal kind of social environment Cadeus always favoured. ¡°Hm¡­¡± Cadeus scratched his head. He could go back to sleep. However, he did not want to risk waking up late later. Cadeus soon came to the conclusion that sleeping again was definitely not a very good idea. Getting up, he decided to bath, change and head out for a morning walk. TOA The peaceful morning walk was interrupted in a matter of minutes. As few people bother getting up at this hour, Cadeus thought that he could take his time to walk a few rounds around the campus to enjoy the cold morning breeze, some peace and quiet, and watch the sun slowly rise over the horizon. But this rare peaceful moment of loneliness was soon terminated when Cadeus reached the middle of the pavement road linking the dormitories to Coral Hall. While Cadeus slowly admired the scene, his thoughts were soon cut off when he felt someone¡¯s presence at some distance behind him. Well¡­ to be more accurate, Cadeus heard footsteps, footsteps moving at a fast pace. Someone was jogging... no running. Turning around, he could see the silhouette of a person behind him, and that person was running towards him at a very fast pace. Based on the figure of the silhouette, she¡¯s a girl? The girl continues to maintain her fast pace. At the speed she¡¯s going¡­ was she going to be all right? The reason why Cadeus was feeling slightly concerned, was because that girl did not seem to be aware of what could be in front of her. Her head was bent low, and her fringe kept swaying from side to side. She¡¯s obviously not looking ahead. It takes a lot of routine running to reach the stage whereby it¡¯s easy to remember the road ahead. The paths, directions and the possible obstacles were all naturally determined through muscle memory. If she could run at that speed with everything in mind, she must have been an extremely regular morning runner. It took several more moments before it occurred to Cadeus that there was a danger of her running into him. But once he had given some thought to it, Cadeus knew that that was never going to happen. The girl was not exactly running towards him, its just that she happened to be running along the same walking lane that he¡¯s on. Besides, while the girl was running at the very centre of the walking lane, Cadeus was standing at the extreme left. She would not crash him, not unless she harboured the ill intent to do so. Like what he expected, the girl ran past him. However, within that very instance when she ran past him, Cadeus recognized the face of the person who absent-mindedly ran past him without being aware of his existence. Ok, perhaps not that absentminded, for it took around ten more steps until that girl realized she ran past someone she recognizes. Once she became aware of his existence, she instantly ceased running forward and quickly backtracked to confirm Cadeus¡¯s face. ¡°Hm? Oh! It¡¯s Cadeus. I knew I saw that face somewhere before. What are you doing so early in the morning?¡± ¡®I knew I saw that face somewhere before¡¯ huh¡­ As usual, She¡¯s totally straightforward as always¡­ ¡°Hi Rieze, I can see that you are running as usual.¡± Wearing nothing but a black sleeveless tank top over a red sleeveless undershirt, with an extremely short sport dark blue pants, accompanied by a grey cotton jacket wrapped around her waist, the auspicious going girl¡¯s name was Rieze Krustzugar. She¡¯s a Zeffernon local born Dark Mage, and currently a first year student like Cadeus. If you want the simplest words to describe her, it would be energetic and straightforward. Having known her for the past three months, those were the only two words Cadeus could come up with to express this kind of girl he was acquainted with. Calling her odd would be overdoing it, as she¡¯s not entirely difficult to communicate. ¡°What are you doing running so early in the morning?¡± ¡°What do you mean? This is my usual routine run that I commit to everyday.¡± ¡°You wake up this early everyday to run? Wow.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. Besides, I¡¯m more interested in why are you up so early. In these past three months since I know you, this is the first time I am seeing you this early.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing really. I just got up earlier that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Rieze crossed her arms. ¡°What time is it now?¡± she asked. ¡°Erm¡­ 5:38 am?¡± ¡°For someone who always wakes up just before breakfast, today is very unusual indeed.¡± ¡°Is it?¡± ¡°Normally people who wake up very early just drop back to sleep. But you bothered to change and come down to take a long morning walk. All in all, I can think of only one reason why you would be up so early in the morning.¡± ¡°Really?¡± What kind of unusual idea did she think of this time? ¡°You feel very bad about something that happened yesterday. Feeling guilty has robbed you of your sleep, hence you are spending time walking now to come up with an idea to resolve the issue.¡± ¡°Wrong.¡± Totally wrong. Seriously¡­ how on earth could she come up with this sort of logic? ¡°Come on now, you can talk to me if something happens.¡± ¡°Why are you buying your conjured logic before confirming the actual situation?¡± Seriously¡­ she gets too straightforward at times¡­ ¡°Hm? If that is the case, what are you doing up here so early in the morning?¡± ¡°True, I did wake up earlier than expected. But I thought that if I sleeping again, the chosen option might result in me waking up late later, which is definitely not good since being late does not serve you any good.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I see. So its not some psychological behaviour?¡± ¡°¡­ What makes you think that this is a psychological behaviour?¡± ¡°When someone feels extremely guilty, psychologically he will not find peace until he resolves the issue. Waking up extremely early is a rather explicit expression of such a psychological outbreak due to the culmination of an unresolved event.¡± ¡°Where exactly did you read all of this?¡± ¡°I read it from a book that has been confiscated recently. That¡¯s really strange. That writer seems to be highly confident that the behaviour is an express of severe psychological distress.¡± ¡°Please burn that book if you are not going to make any sense out of it.¡± How on earth did she get her hands on such a book? She was never a book person to begin with. ¡°Ah! I just remembered!¡± ¡°Hm? Did you forget something?¡± ¡°No, no, no. Just recently, I heard that you are one of the competitors for Procona Powder. Is that correct?¡± ¡°¡­ Word seems to travel very fast. Don¡¯t tell me that I have become something akin to a celebrity?¡± ¡°With that family name of yours, you are already one big celebrity. Is that correct?¡± ¡°Please¡­ don¡¯t remind me.¡± This is getting nowhere. Cadeus changed the topic back to its original direction. ¡°Rieze, why did you mention Procona?¡± ¡°Well, I have been overhearing tons of stuff regarding that certain ingredient.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure.¡± Well¡­ given the taxing demand for such a common ingredient, its pretty obvious you would hear some news in regards to the current situation. Cadeus thought. ¡°So what have you been hearing?¡± ¡°I was not paying attention at that particular moment, but it seems that people are saying things in regards to Board Quests related to Procona. It could be rumours, but I think you might want to confirm on that.¡± ¡°Rumours?¡± Cadeus mood swung for the worst. The very mention of the word ¡®rumour¡¯ brought back some pretty nasty memories. As students need adult mages to commission Board Quests to earn their own keep in the world of Zeffernon, fully established mages also needed the help of students as well. Fully established mages usually did not return to the Academy campus once they have settled down in their various professions. They were too busy to accommodate time and effort to travel all the way back to the island. However, being mages who had graduated from Triple Orb Academy, graduates would always remember two important things. First, there will always be students looking for odd jobs to earn extra pocket money. Second, certain ingredients could only be harvested in areas within Academy grounds, particularly that of the three Colour Sectors. As such, Mages who were in need of extra help or ingredients would always commission Board Quests for the students to work or harvest the desired ingredients in their stead. Students usually did not concern themselves with details of the commissioners or their works. Whenever it comes to Board Quests, the standard blissful setting would be to accept the quest, get the job done, submit all the necessary requirements and be rewarded. However, when rumours start to circulate around the commissioners, or the Board Quest. Well¡­ let¡¯s just say nothing good never comes out of it, in most cases. Bad things always happen whenever there were rumours regarding Board Quests or their commissioners, particularly before the Board Quest was completed. It¡¯s a kind of jinx that was rather deeply circulated amongst the students in the Academy. At first Cadeus was reluctant to believe in all these sorts of phenomenal speculations. However, after a series of paranormal events within these past three months he had spent living in the world of magic, the word ¡®jinx¡¯ or ¡®phenomena¡¯ became a term Cadeus took seriously to the extreme. Rumours were always built upon doubtful truths that were often swayed with implausible interpretations. If magic were at work, these rumours circulated by ill intentions would sometimes result in a jinx or a phenomenon curse. Ever since Cadeus first set foot in a world where magic prevailed over science, he had experienced multiple events that involved various kinds of such phenomenal speculations and anticipations. It first started with the enrollment trials, then the events during Colours classes, and finally the Board Quests, whereby the ¡®Mystical Box Quest¡¯ left its heaviest mark. Cadeus was extremely lucky when Sing and Nadav were there to help him. If it weren¡¯t for their experience in handling situations related to the immaterial, Cadeus would have been severely injured, or worse, dead. Thus, Cadeus became someone who used to completely disregard jinxes, to someone who treats everything phenomenal and ominous with extreme caution. As such, whenever there was something he¡¯s doing that might be jinxed, Cadeus always hoped that he¡¯s not affected. ¡°Please¡­ no rumours.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ I think there was something else.¡± ¡°What? Oh no¡­ please, not more rumours?¡± ¡°Ah! There is one more matter I think you ought to know.¡± ¡°Please, don¡¯t say that it is a rumour.¡± ¡°I heard that you are involved in two fights recently too. Is that correct?¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Huh?¡± What¡¯s with this sudden change of topic? Cadeus was glad that there were no additional rumours, but how exactly did the conversation turn into this direction? Plus, how did she know of this? Those events only happened just yesterday. ¡°Um¡­ ok, first off, let me make a slight correction. The correct number is one. I was involved in a fight yesterday in Tenebris Vacuum when the three idiots wanted trouble. However, the ¡®second fight¡¯ did not occur at all since Davian was there to make sure it didn¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°Oh! So Davian was there. Did you get a warning from the Student Council?¡± ¡°Why would he give me a warning when I am not the instigator? Besides, these incidents just happened yesterday. Where exactly did you get all of these information?¡± ¡°Well Educator Cecilia off course.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Then, it came to Cadeus¡¯s head. ¡°Oh right. Educator Cecilia¡­ I forgot that she is your Educator.¡± Educator Cecilia was one of the five Educators in Tenebris Vacuum. She¡¯s the Educator who was responsible for overseeing Rieze¡¯s class, which happened to be the only all girls class in Tenebris Vacuum. Aside from being an Educator, Educator Cecilia also had a secondary Specialization as a Dark Apothecary. She was one of the few Educators who served as the Academy¡¯s nurses, tending to any needs should someone get landed in the infirmary. Should any student get any sickness or injury, she would always be there to patch things up. Since she was a Dark Mage, she often had to deal with the notorious numbers of Dark Mage students who landed up with a few broken limbs due to countless pointless fights and other incidences that happened both within and sometimes outside the Academy. If there were any Dark Mage that landed in the infirmary, she would be the one who deals with them. That was one of the main reasons why she was so updated with news of recent events, especially those about fights sparked by Dark Mage students or those that get involved with them. Her careful tending and knowledge of such matters eventually led her to be a constant consulting witness for the Discipline Committee, who often drop by her office to collate information that might help them in finding the true culprit who was the cause of upstart fights. ¡°Shit¡­ was Educator Cecilia complaining about it?¡± ¡°Nah. She wasn¡¯t exactly complaining about it.¡± ¡°But she was talking about it. Am I right?¡± ¡°Pretty much. I just happen to be there when she mentioned your name to Viegra.¡± ¡°Wait, hold on. She was not talking to you?¡± ¡°Not exactly.¡± Not exactly? ¡°So¡­ you eavesdrop on her?¡± ¡°No I did not. I was just overheard her when she was talking about it.¡± ¡°¡­ Isn¡¯t that just the same as eavesdropping?¡± ¡°Wrong. Eavesdropping means that you are intentionally trying to listen secretly to a conversation behind the backs of the conversers. I was not there with any intentions of listening secretly behind Miss Cecilia¡¯s back.¡± ¡°Right¡­ so let¡¯s say you overheard it accidentally.¡± ¡°I did overhear it accidentally.¡± ¡°So¡­ did Educator Cecilia mention anything in stall for me?¡± ¡°Well¡­ from what I recall, she definitely did not place you at fault. Though the second fight did not become a fight, you definitely gave her extra work to do with the first fight.¡± ¡°I see¡­ that¡¯s rather safe.¡± ¡°But she did mention how you have this awful habit of giving your all to put your opponents into total knock out.¡± ¡°Irrelevant. Wait¡­¡± After rewinding the conversation in his head, Cadeus realized that she mentioned another critical piece of information. ¡°Did you just mention that Educator Cecilia was talking to Viegra?¡± ¡°Yes? Is that correct? I did mention her did I?¡± That¡¯s bad, very bad. Cadeus did not like the sound of it. ¡°¡­ Why would Educator Cecilia be talking to the Head of the Disciplinary Committee?¡± ¡°Sorting out fights is the Disciplinary Committee¡¯s job. I guess Viegra probably heard about the fights that you are involved in.¡± ¡°Yes I know that, but why Viegra specifically? Why does she have to hear about this?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe she¡¯s just there because she happens to be there?¡± ¡°¡­ This situation is so not good at all.¡± In seeing Cadeus slightly worked up just over the mention of Viegra, Rieze gave him a pat on the back. ¡°Relax. You are not the instigator this time. The Disciplinary committee only deals with idiots who instigate fights. Am I correct?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Thanks, that sounds very assuring.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± ¡°So¡­ did Viegra mention anything about me?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ well, all I know is that she already placed you in her tracking list.¡± ¡°Shit. That means that I am already noted am I?¡± ¡°I think Viegra probably noticed you already a long time ago. I mean, with your family name and all.¡± ¡°Rieze, you are not exactly helping here.¡± For once, Cadeus moaned openly. Cadeus was fine if Educator Cecilia is talking to some random person who¡¯s part of the Disciplinary Committee. The usual members of the Disciplinary Committee were not entirely bothered once the situation had been resolved, but Viegra? The Head of the Disciplinary Committee? Viegra was bad news, very bad news. Especially when you were the one who¡¯s her current target of disciplinary enforcement. ¡°Rieze, can I at least hear a guarantee that Viegra won¡¯t take my head?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ nah. I don¡¯t think so. Viegra does not seem that interested in you to the point where she will keep tabs on you. Besides, I¡¯m sure she has tons of delinquents to look after. Besides, if Viegra ever comes looking for you, I think it¡¯ll just be a warning. She only acts and deals disciplinary actions only when some idiots refuse to listen to her.¡± ¡°¡­ Thanks. That¡¯s pretty nice to hear.¡± Rieze proceeds to stretch her legs. ¡°Well, I need to start running again or else my adrenaline will go down. I¡¯ll see you at breakfast later.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ right. I¡¯ll see you then.¡± Ending this conversation, Rieze started dashing fast down the walking lane. Leaving Cadeus rooted to the ground to observe her disappearing silhouette. The time now should be¡­ Cadeus took out his pocket watch. 6:34 am It¡¯s already approaching the time where he usually gets up. By now, the other students should already start to wake up. It should be a good idea to return to the dormitory. Or perhaps, he could enjoy a couple ten more minutes? Hm¡­ Cadeus could just walk straight to Coral Hall, but out of customary obligation, he decided to go back to the male dormitory. Waking up Nadav was usually his job. This was because whenever Nadav wakes up late, the usual morning pace will suddenly speed up very quickly when Cadeus had to get him back on schedule. There might still be some distance to cover in order to get back to the boys dormitory, but Cadeus was confidant that he will still be punctual. Even if Cadeus takes his time, he would not be counted as late. Besides, he had already changed and ready to proceed to Coral Hall. Keeping his pocket watch, Cadeus turned and started walking back towards the boy¡¯s dormitory. TOA Cadeus knocked hard on Nadav¡¯s door three times, and it was immediately answered. ¡°You sure took longer than usual to get to my door.¡± ¡°You sure took faster than usual to get ready for Breakfast.¡± ¡°You are five minutes late.¡± ¡°You woke up before I came.¡± ¡°Right¡­ this morning is full of abnormalities.¡± ¡°Just say that today seems unusual. You better not accidentally jinx something like what happened last time during the ¡®Mystical Box Quest¡¯.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ right¡­ What took you so long today?¡± ¡°Long?¡± ¡°I mean. You always show up on time.¡± ¡°And you? It always take me five minutes of pounding on your door, ten minutes to get you out of the bed, and fifteen minutes to wait for you to get ready to move to Coral Hall. If you ask me, I¡¯m the one who is surprised.¡± ¡°I dunno¡­ just happen to wake up full of energy.¡± ¡°I see¡­ please keep up this standard. You will save me a lot of energy.¡± ¡°Oi! That¡¯s mean!¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m just direct.¡± ¡°So what about you? You sure took your time.¡± ¡°Woke up an hour early, decided to take a walk.¡± ¡°A walk? Seems too damn long for a simple walk.¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite a rare moment to wake up early, so I thought I would take my time. Before I knew it, it sure took longer than expected to admire the Academy during a quiet morning.¡± ¡°Right¡­ knowing you, you love quiet places so I shan¡¯t comment.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Did you take the opportunity to steal a peek at the girl¡¯s dorm?¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ Why are you bringing this up?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s a whole quiet morning on the outside. I can picture a very nice scene, where ¨C ¡± ¡°Shut it, before I am forced to shove my fist into your face.¡± ¡°Oh come on! It¡¯ll be an adventure!¡± ¡°The only adventure I see is getting thrown into the detention room.¡± ¡°Avoiding the detention room is easy. All we need to do is not get caught.¡± ¡°And what? Do you realize that if we get caught doing something this outrageous, we¡¯d get expelled?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine! Next time we get the opportunity to wake up early, we¡¯re going to the girl¡¯s dorm to take some sneak shots!¡± ¡°Good luck. I¡¯m not going.¡± ¡°Tch! You are no fun.¡± Cadeus ignored that. Coming back to the matter at hand, the time is already past 7:00 am. ¡°Come on. I bet Sing is already waiting for us.¡± ¡°Right, right. Lead the way. I¡¯m right behind you.¡± TOA After getting breakfast, the two of them went for their usual spot. However, when they approached their usual sitting area inside Coral Hall, Sing was not there at all. ¡°Funny¡­¡± Nadav said. ¡°Yes¡­ where is Sing?¡± Cadeus followed. The two of them glanced around the entire hall, hoping to see her silhouette somewhere near the food station or the spot that it¡¯s usually taken by White Mages. But¡­ ¡°She not there.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ and she¡¯s also not there.¡± ¡°Where could she be? She¡¯s usually earlier than the two of us.¡± ¡°Maybe she went to get something. Never mind, let¡¯s just wait first. She¡¯ll show up eventually.¡± The two of them waited for ten minutes, but still no sign of the last member. With breakfast getting cold, Nadav¡¯s stomach could not hold out much longer. ¡°Shit, I¡¯m hungry.¡± ¡°No you don¡¯t. We wait for Sing before we start, bear with it.¡± ¡°But Sing is still not here, and do you know what makes matters worse?¡± ¡°Your stomach?¡± ¡°Well that¡¯s an answer but not the one I have particularly in mind.¡± ¡°Which is?¡± ¡°Sing is late, and Sing was rarely late. Can¡¯t you see any implications?¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Cadeus gave a thought. ¡°If Sing will not be joining us, knowing her, she would sent someone who is already on their way here to inform us to carry on without her.¡± ¡°But no one came to us.¡± ¡°Correct. That means¡­¡± ¡°That means, what?¡± ¡°If she was in trouble or injured, she would also ask someone to inform us. Which means¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Nadav, what time did we left the girls dorm yesterday?¡± ¡°Just before lights out?¡± ¡°What time does Sing sleep usually again?¡± ¡°10:30 pm sharp, but what does sleep got to do with any of this?¡± To answer Nadav¡¯s question, Sing appeared dragging herself to her usual seating opposite the two of them. ¡° *Yawn* Good morning.¡± At the very instance she sat down, she leaned towards the table and stretch herself. Then she wrapped her arms underneath her chin and nested her head to rest, eyes closed. As they saw this abnormal display in front of their eyes, Cadeus and Nadav initiated another of their private conversations. ¡°Hey¡­ She yawned.¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°She did not get breakfast before sitting down.¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°She¡¯s sleeping on the desk.¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°She even got dark circles underneath her eyes.¡± ¡°Yes Nadav, I can see all that.¡± She arrived without getting breakfast, folded her arms, made an attempt to sleep on the table and she even got dark circles under her eyes. Clearly, the Sing this morning is not the usual Sing the two of them know very well. With all the abnormalities indicated in front of them, the two friends both looked at each other and came to a common conclusion. There¡¯s only one cause for Sing¡¯s current unusual behaviour. ¡°¡°She definitely stayed up late last night, again¡±¡± The two said together. ¡°Obvioiusly. Sing¡¯s a living schedule. She rarely sleeps past 10:30 pm.¡± ¡°Could it be due to over reading in regards to the powder making?¡± ¡°It could be¡­ but she¡¯s a fast reader¡­¡± In seeing that Sing is not very keen on shifting her current position, Cadeus could only take the initiative to start a conversation. ¡°Um¡­ Sing, are you ok?¡± Sing spoke back without even raising her head in a rather lethargic tone. ¡°Cadeus, be a good man and get me some breakfast.¡± She did not even look up¡­ now that means something. ¡°Um¡­ ok? What do you want?¡± ¡°Two large sized German sausages and three upsized American pancakes. For the pancakes, I want two scoops of butter and three scoops of syrup. Oh, and help me get two cups of milk.¡± Cadeus and Nadav looked at each other again. That¡¯s a lot of calories for a girl¡¯s morning breakfast. For as long as they both knew her, Sing rarely ate this much during breakfasts. But when she did, it¡¯s either she overworked herself in the previous night, or the night before was not a night she wants to remember, the former being the more likely. Since asking further would not be radically ideal, Cadeus could only get up from his seat. In seeing this opportunity, Nadav edged in a request of his own. ¡°Oh Cadeus. Get me some eggs as well.¡± ¡°It better not be three eggs again.¡± Nadav opened his mouth to respond, but since Cadeus guessed the right number of eggs, he suddenly lost the right words to say. ¡°¡­ You¡¯ll only get one.¡± ¡°Geh! At least help me take two.¡± Cadeus pointed at Nadav¡¯s breakfast plate. ¡°You already have two eggs lying down there. That is way too many eggs for the morning. Plus, recently you have been eating five eggs per day. That is definitely way too much. If you want a fourth egg, just get it yourself.¡± ¡°Tch! Shouldn¡¯t have trusted this asshole.¡± Ignoring Nadav¡¯s cockiness, Cadeus left for the food station. TOA Meanwhile, at the other side of the hall¡­ ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Susan rested her head on her folded elbows. ¡°What¡¯s wrong Susan?¡± Padrela asked. ¡°What am I going to do?¡± ¡°Do about what?¡± ¡°The sandwiches.¡± ¡°Hm? Oh¡­ you mean the three different types you made two nights ago?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°They look nice, you even made me try a sample. They are very good.¡± ¡°Yes but that is not the problem.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Having a ¡®?¡¯ appearing above her head, Padrela could not help but tilt her head in confusion. While she was trying to find an answer to her friend¡¯s plight, Susan suddenly tilted her head towards her. ¡°What am I going to do Padrela? What if he does not like them?¡± Padrela is still trying to figure out what was tormenting her friend. However, from the instance Susan mentioned the word ¡®he¡¯, she immediately knew who Susan was talking about. ¡°Before we continue this conversation, you are talking about Cadeus aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand. Haven¡¯t you passed him the sandwiches already?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°So? If Jouna and I are happy with it, I see no reason why he wouldn¡¯t like it.¡± ¡°But when we saw him yesterday, he did not mention a single word about it. Oh no¡­ what am I going to do?¡± Susan started scratching her hair with both her hands. In seeing her friend in such disarray, Padrela paused for a moment and thought about the possible outcomes Cadeus would have in response to the sandwiches. ¡°From what I have seen so far, Cadeus does not seem to be a bad person. Even though the sandwiches may not taste good, I¡¯m sure Cadeus will appreciate the effort you spent.¡± Susan looked back at Padrela. ¡°Really?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure of it. Look, you even bought one of those expansive food boxes to preserve the sandwiches. I¡¯m sure Cadeus would take your presentation into account. He is not that bad for a person right?¡± Padrela thought that she said the right words to encourage her friend. However, the deduced response failed to lighten up Susan¡¯s mood. ¡°Sigh¡­ I should have asked him about it when we bumped into him yesterday.¡± Just when Padrela wanted to say something that might encourage her, Jouna swooped down her breakfast plate and gave Susan a slap on the back. ¡°Yo! Morning.¡± ¡°Jouna, eating five upsized pancakes with an abundance of butter and syrup is going to make you fat.¡± Padrela commented. ¡°It¡¯s ok, no problem~. I burn more calories than the two of you combined anyway.¡± Totally uninterested in the current conversation, Susan merely rested her head and sighed again In seeing her mood so down, Jouna could only have a ¡®?¡¯ appear on her head. ¡°Did something happen?¡± she asked Padrela. ¡°She¡¯s worried about her guy.¡± ¡°Ah! You mean Cadeus? What¡¯s the issue?¡± ¡°Do you remember the three sandwiches Susan made?¡± ¡°Yes? What about them?¡± ¡°Apparently Susan gave them to Cadeus yesterday and now she¡¯s worried about his opinion.¡± ¡°Really? Come on Susan. What¡¯s there to worry? If your sandwiches are good enough to make me want to have a sixth helping, why would someone like Cadeus not like them? ¡°You don¡¯t understand Jouna. Sigh¡­¡± ¡°Ah¡­ but we saw him yesterday. He¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°He¡¯s not thinking about the sandwich at that point of time¡­! What if he has not even eaten them yet? Ah! What should I do?¡± Unlike Padrela who is still trying to find a way to encourage her friend with words, Jouna quickly lost interest in Susan¡¯s emotional crisis. Looking around to satisfy her current boredom, Jouna suddenly got a glimpse at a certain Dark Mage they are just talking about. He is alone, and he is heading to the buffet station. ¡°Oh! I think I see a chance!¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Following the direction of Jouna¡¯s gaze, the two of them could see Cadeus approaching the buffet station. In seeing this new opportunity for interaction, Jouna grabbed Susan by the shoulders and dragged her up to her feet. ¡°Come Susan! Let¡¯s go get your man!¡± ¡°Eh? W-Wait! What are you ¨C ¡± TOA Two large German sausages, three pancakes, three scoops of syrup, two scoops of butter, two glasses of milk and one last egg for Nadav. Cadeus repeated the sequence as he used the provided tong to gather the dishes. When he was done, he took one last look at the buffet station to see if he really needs anything else. Guess not¡­ He was about to head back when two familiar faces blocked his path. ¡°Morning Cadeus.¡± ¡°M-Morning.¡± It¡¯s Jouna and Susan again, but for some reason Padrela is absent from their group, and Susan does not seem to be in her usual self. ¡°Good Morning. That¡¯s odd, where¡¯s Padrela?¡± ¡°Oh! You noticed Padrela is missing! Yay! She¡¯s going to be happy!¡± Jouna exclaimed. ¡°¡­ It¡¯s no big deal. It¡¯s just that I imagined that the three of you will always be together.¡± ¡°Yup! Best friends for the win! We¡¯ll definitely say something like that if we are still on Earth.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ except that we are not on Earth right now.¡± ¡°So, I take it that the grey guy yesterday survived?¡± Cadeus knew instantly that she¡¯s talking about Nadav. ¡°He did, barely though.¡± ¡°Oh lucky him. Did you guys ran into the Warelock?¡± Though it was not easy to notice, there is a slight indirect implication that she meant ¡®oh, that¡¯s a shame¡¯ in her first three words earlier. It was hard to tell if she is being intentional or just looking for amusement. Cadeus felt that it leaned towards the latter, but he eventually decided to let the matter slide. ¡°Well, we did came across a canine, but I¡¯m not too sure whether that¡¯s the Warelock.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ if the two of you managed to leave the forests without that much of scratch I¡¯d say that¡¯s not the Warelock.¡± ¡°Perhaps.¡± Jouna took a peek at the huge plate Cadeus is holding. ¡°Wow, you really eat a lot Cadeus.¡± She said. ¡°¡­ Still not as much as you Jouna.¡± Susan added. ¡°Hey! You can¡¯t blame someone for having a huge appetite in the morning.¡± Seeing such a friendly scene in front of him could only bring a smile to Cadeus¡¯s face. ¡°Jouna, you misunderstand. This it not for me.¡± ¡°Oh really? Who is it then?¡± ¡°Most of it is for Sirena, the rest is for Nadav.¡± Upon hearing Sirena¡¯s name, Susan twitched her left eyebrow slightly. ¡°Cadeus¡­ you help to bring breakfast for that White?¡± ¡°Yes, just for today.¡± ¡°Why are you already around for that White?¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ Susan, stop calling her that.¡± Susan just gave him the ¡®you better not talk back to me¡¯ face. Uh oh¡­ Better back off just a little bit here. ¡°There is nothing wrong with that. I¡¯m just stating a fact. She¡¯s White. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Cadeus could not find any will to make a counter statement. Jouna on the other hand, is not that entirely bothered with the fact that Cadeus is hanging out with someone who has a different colour of magic. Mages who originate from Earth are not entirely sensitive to the colour discriminative issues that Mages from Zeffernon would have. While being totally oblivious to the current topic at hand, Jouna indirectly changed the topic. ¡°Three upsized pancakes? Is that all she¡¯s taking?¡± ¡°Um¡­ not exactly three pancakes. The two large sausages are also for her.¡± ¡°Does she eat so much?¡± ¡°No. Today is an exception. It seems she pulled up an all nighters last night. She tends to get extra hungry in the next morning when she does that.¡± ¡°I see¡­ anyways, do you want to hear an interesting rumour?¡± ¡°Rumour?¡± ¡°It has something to do with your board quest.¡± Now at that, Cadeus gave a slightly serious expression. The sudden shift in topic suddenly rose what Rieze mentioned earlier. In his mind, Cadeus thought that now might be the time to ask some serious questions. ¡°¡­ What¡¯s the story?¡± ¡°Ok listen, there are two parts to this. The first part has to do with the commissioners.¡± ¡°The commissioners? What did the commissioner did this time¡­ wait. You said commisioner(s). You stressed the ¡®s¡¯, does that mean that more than one commissioner is involved with this?¡± ¡°Yup, a whole group of them to be more precise.¡± ¡°A whole group?¡± Cadeus is not liking the sound of that. ¡°So what about the commissioners? Are they dubious personals?¡± ¡°No, no, no, none of those kinds. You see, different people write all sorts of commissions correct?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Ok, so due to the sudden large number of procona requests, the general idea of the current situation is that various kinds of Alchemists are in great need of Procona because of some supply crisis, Procona Fever.¡± ¡°I can see that everyone is getting well informed with the news.¡± ¡°Ah but you see, the rumours seem to state things differently.¡± ¡°How so?¡± ¡°Well, people are saying that the commissioners behind the quests behind Procona Powder are all mostly false names.¡± ¡°False names?¡± Now that sounded very dubious. ¡°Word has been going that an unknown group of Alchemists are giving multiple Board Quests for the powder. They commission the quests in a multiple fashion under false names, but at the end of the day, this unknown group will get all the powder there is to have.¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°Where did all this speculation originate?¡± ¡°Well, you have been in the thick of this Procona issue. Have you heard anything about a particularly expressive group that has been on the wild hunt for Procona?¡± Cadeus suddenly thought about what the first shopkeeper said yesterday when he was in Demerith¡¯s Street. ¡°Wait¡­ something does not make sense. Why go through such lengthy methods just to get one ingredient? Are we looking at market competition?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ for as far as I know, the main problem behind this is that Alchemists always have a limit in regards to the amount of ingredients they can get from trading, harvesting and from Board Quests.¡± ¡°By limit you mean law?¡± ¡°Yup. It¡¯s an annual limit set up by the High Council in order to control the market ingredient stock.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ I thought that the High Council is all about politics. I didn¡¯t know that they take care of the economy too.¡± ¡°I doubt they care too much about economy. It¡¯s the High Council¡¯s way of controlling the ingredient market in case things got out of hand. Besides, I am not too sure how the High Council settles things, but part of it does deal with the ingredient stocks. But that¡¯s a fact you might want to confirm.¡± She added. Hm¡­ It seems that Jouna was not totally in the know on how the High Council roughly operates. But regardless, the current conversation was falling astray. Cadeus decided to be Jouna back on topic. ¡°So¡­ coming back to the topic at hand.¡± ¡°Yes, so if we follow this speculation, it means that some Alchemists are going way above the annual limit chart.¡± ¡°Or at least a group of them are.¡± ¡°Well you how it is, such groups are obviously courting for trouble. Getting ingredients beyond the limit count is something akin to breaking a minor law.¡± ¡°What can you do with so much powder?¡± ¡°Who knows? Maybe they are intending to make a nuke.¡± ¡°¡­ You can¡¯t make a nuke with Procona. You need uranium. Wait¡­ are you telling me you can make a nuke with Procona?¡± ¡°Hm? Oh no, no, no. I¡¯m just joking.¡± That is not one assumption you ought to be joking about Jouna¡­ Cadeus thought. ¡°What¡¯s the second part of the rumour?¡± ¡°There are speculations that the High Council is going to enforce a temporary ban on Procona Powder.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°You heard me, a temporary ban.¡± ¡°What the heck? Did they mention any reason?¡± ¡°No reason. Like I said, speculation. The High Council did not ban Procona yet.¡± ¡°But I thought that Procona is an effective alchemical medium. Why would the High Council ban such a necessity?¡± ¡°Who knows? Maybe it is to control such groups who were keen on getting mass quantities that is beyond what they ought to have.¡± ¡°But if you ban an ingredient, you affect the whole alchemical society. Plus, haven¡¯t the High Council already banned another list recently? The Alchemists in the capital are already quite edgy in regards to this new change. If the High Council bans another key ingredient¡­¡± Cadeus did not finish his statement, but Jouna seems to understand where he was going. However, a speculation is still a speculation. Jouna shrugged her shoulders and waved her palms out to give the ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯ posture. ¡°I¡¯ve already said it, the rumour on the ban is speculation. It has not happened, it might happen, maybe it even won¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± ¡°But if I were you, I¡¯d better get all the powder I can get before the rumours turn into true events.¡± ¡°¡­ You¡¯re just one girl full of all kinds of information aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Hehe~ I just like these kinds of things.¡± It took several more seconds before Cadeus remembered what he was holding all this while. ¡°Oh shucks¡­ I better be getting back to pass these over.¡± ¡°Oh right¡­ you better do. Whoever is supposed to eat that sure is going to be very hungry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t remind me about it. I¡¯ll see you guys later in Tenerbis Vacuum.¡± ¡°Sure, see you.¡± With that, Cadeus left. Though it would take him a couple more minutes to realize that Susan remained quiet for most of the conversation. TOA As Jouna watched Cadeus back, she turned to Susan and made one reproaching comment. ¡°In the end, you did not ask him about the sandwiches.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Susan instantly shot Jouna the ¡®who¡¯s really to blame¡¯ look. ¡°Woah¡­ what¡¯s with the ice?¡± ¡°What¡¯s with the ice? Have you spared a thought to think about what you just did?¡± ¡°¡­ Am I at fault?¡± ¡°You think? You just took the entire conversation from me!¡± ¡°Woah, woah. Chill¡­ let¡¯s take one step back and relax.¡± ¡°Relax?¡± Perhaps Jouna chose the wrong time to say ¡®relax¡¯, as Susan¡¯s mood turned for the worst. ¡°You were supposed to help me ask about the sandwiches! How did the conversation shift to his Board Quest?¡± ¡°Well¡­ you had trouble finding the right words so I just brought up a random topic in the hopes that you will regain your confidence to ask.¡± ¡°And your random topic got his undivided attention. Do you think I could interject when you two were talking about something serious? Plus, you end up helping him in the process! How is that going to help me?¡± ¡°But I wasn¡¯t hitting on him that¡¯s for sure¡­ uh oh.¡± Jouna instantly regretted saying that. She had to look away in order to avoid Susan¡¯s accusing gaze. ¡°W-Well¡­ not all is lost. Look, you have colour class again later right?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t you have plenty of opportunities to ask him about the sandwich?¡± ¡°But I can¡¯t ask him directly¡­¡± ¡°You can. Ask, and it shall be received, or don¡¯t ask and remain forever in the dark.¡± ¡°But what if he does not like the sandwiches?¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Faced with a friend who is so indecisive when it comes to matters regarding the famous ¡®L¡¯ word, Jouna can only place her palm on her forehead. Seeing Susan in such distress, Jouna could only try to help her come up with an idea. ¡°Tell you what, why don¡¯t you make another batch and present it to him? You can ask about the previous sandwiches while you do it.¡± ¡°How am I exactly going to do that?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you do something along the lines of ¡®Hi Cadeus, how are the sandwiches I made for you the last time? I made another batch. Would you like to give it a try?¡¯ or something similar?¡± ¡°¡­ What if he refuses?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he is the kind of person who would refuse a generous offer. All the more since he knows you, and If he did refuse, I¡¯ll put a curse on him.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I can¡¯t bear the thought of¡­¡± ¡°Of what? Cadeus rejecting the sandwiches?¡± Susan gave a weak nod. ¡°Come on now Susan, it¡¯s not like he¡¯s outright rejecting you. You haven¡¯t even confessed.¡± ¡°¡­ I know¡­¡± Oh gosh. Now she looks even more dejected. Jouna racked her brains to give Susan some encouragement. ¡°Ok, let¡¯s put the plan for some other time. Why don¡¯t you start by just making three more sandwiches?¡± ¡°And let them all end up in your stomach?¡± ¡°Hey hey, there¡¯s no need to get so worked up.¡± ¡°Do you know how much effort I put into making sure you did not mistake the final products for the prototypes?¡± ¡°Ouch¡­ that hurts.¡± ¡°Besides, I¡¯ll need to use that preservative box again¡­ oh!¡± Susan grabbed her hair with her hands. ¡°I forgot! I passed that box to Cadeus and I forgot to ask him to pass me back!¡± ¡°Then just go and ask him for it. There is nothing wrong about taking back what is yours. Perhaps that could be another opportunity to ask him about the sandwiches.¡± ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know¡­¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m seeing this. Susan!¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Jouna grabbed her by the shoulders and gazed straight into her eye. ¡°When you ask him for the box, you ask him about the sandwiches got it? I¡¯m not going to take a no for an answer this time you hear me?¡± ¡°Y-Yes!¡± ¡°Good.¡± Satisfied, Jouna released her grip on an intimidated Susan. ¡°Jouna¡­ you can be quite scary at times.¡± ¡°Susan, I¡¯m going to be very honest with you. If you remain indecisive and fail to confess, one day another girl could beat you to it and she might be the one who gets all of Cadeus¡¯s affections.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not possible. Many people do not like Cadeus.¡± ¡°Not true, I find him cute. That means that you are not the only one who might develop any keen interest in¡­ don¡¯t look at me like that Susan, you know precisely what I¡¯m talking about.¡± ¡°¡­¡± It seems that Susan got the wrong end of the message, but thankfully Jouna managed to get her actual message through. ¡°Look¡­ my point is, don¡¯t hesitate to approach him and ask for the box. The box is yours isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Then isn¡¯t it natural to ask for it back?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°All I am asking is for you to ask about the sandwiches when you do. Simple?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Good. Just take this one step at a time.¡± ¡°You sound so confident Jouna¡­ have you ever been in a relationship before?¡± ¡°No¡­ but I have seen a lot of cases back in my hometown. I can get a lot of case reference.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°You just said ¡®how helpful is this friend going to be¡¯ in your head but I¡¯m going to ignore it. In any case, priority number one is to ask Cadeus about the sandwiches while getting your box back got it?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± ¡°Once you have established a strong relationship in the future, then will we think of something.¡± ¡°We?¡± ¡°We all will. You, me and Padrela. We¡¯ll all come up with the perfect scenario.¡± ¡°What for?¡± ¡°What for? For you to confess of course!¡± At that very remark, Susan¡¯s face turned bright red. ¡°C-Confess?¡± ¡°Hey. Don¡¯t look at me like that. He¡¯s your man isn¡¯t he? You have to act decisively at the right moment, or you¡¯ll miss the boat forever.¡± Susan suddenly just stood there as if she just entered a long period of shock, but when she recovered, it was clear that she¡¯s aware of what she had to do in future. ¡°Ok. I got it. But if you are going to help me again, you better not repeat what you did just now.¡± ¡°Before I promise I want to confirm again. What do you mean when you said just now?¡± ¡°Getting all his attention.¡± ¡°Yeah sure. I promise.¡± On an off handed note, Jouna decided that Susan must never know about Cadeus¡¯s visit to the girl¡¯s dormitory yesterday. Based on what she had seen so far, Jouna was positive that Susan¡¯s the kind who gets pesky if she sees the boy she likes getting attracted to other women. If Susan gets the wind of it, not only would Cadeus be affected, but she and Padrela would never hear the end of it. TOA Sing was clearly not looking very happy when Cadeus got back. She really gave him a pure ¡®I¡¯m hungry and angry¡¯ look and even puffed her own cheeks in irritation. ¡°Yes I know. I¡¯m late, you¡¯re hungry, and I¡¯m sorry¡­ wait did I just did an end rhyme?¡± ¡°Who cares Cadeus? Can you please put the plate down?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ sorry.¡± An angry Sing was never someone you want to cross. Cadeus quickly laid the plate in front of her and let her start eating on her own. But from the moment he did so, he and Nadav witness yet another sight of Sing that they were only privileged to see as her very close friends. Whatever happened last night, it clearly left Sing extremely hungry and it gave her an appetite enormously unusual for a girl of her age. At the very instance Cadeus laid the plate in front of her, Sing started gorging nonstop. She instantly sliced a large portion of her pancake and chewed furiously, she tore through the large sized sausages and gobbled down her two glasses of milk. In a flash, she was already done with cleaning up her plate. ¡°I¡¯ll be back.¡± She added. The next thing Cadeus and Nadav knew, Sing immediately got out of her chair and left the table for the buffet station, obviously craving for more food. Leaving them stunned, Cadeus and Nadav could only look at each other. The previous night must have been a very tedious night for Sing, as she¡¯s totally not her usual elegant self. Realizing that staying stunned would only make breakfast colder, Cadeus eventually went back to filling his stomach. While he did so, Nadav began his interrogation. ¡°So, that¡¯s quite some time you spent.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Nadav gave him a playful sneer. ¡°Don¡¯t playing dumb. We both saw you talking to Susan and Jouna.¡± Cadeus could already read Nadav¡¯s mischevious thoughts. He sighed and gave Nadav one single word before continuing his breakfast. ¡°No.¡± ¡°No?¡± ¡°No, and don¡¯t you dare start thinking of any funny ideas.¡± Watching his friend chewing his food, Nadav was not satisfied. ¡°Come on, spill the beans. Jouna asked you out didn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°Why is it that girls and relationships are the only things you are capable of thinking?¡± Cadeus uttered. ¡°Ha! Think you can avoid this? Fess up now Cadeus, before Sing gets back. Which girl did you have in mind?¡± ¡°None.¡± ¡°None? Come now Cadeus. At this rate, you¡¯ll never get a girlfriend by summer break. Do you want your mother to keep you out of the house?¡± ¡°What kind of mother shuts her own son out for not bringing back a girlfriend?¡± ¡°Um¡­ For as far as I know, your mother seems like the only kind of mother who would do that. Are you sure you don¡¯t want to risk it?¡± ¡°¡­ True.¡± Cadeus could not argue against that, whenever it comes to the subject of girlfriends, his mother can get very¡­ enthusiastic. ¡°Never mind, it¡¯s ok. If I can¡¯t get a girlfriend by summer break I¡¯ll just refrain from going back to Earth.¡± ¡°Um¡­ isn¡¯t that a little harsh on your mother?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t she the one who¡¯s harsh to begin with? Besides, why are you so keen in my relationship issues?¡± ¡°Nothing, just helping your mother do some spot checking.¡± Cadeus gave Nadav a disapproving glare. ¡°My mother did not ask for your help so don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Would you like me to call her to ask?¡± ¡°If you do, I swear I will punch you.¡± ¡°Ouch¡­ I guess I better not volunteer than¡­¡± This current conversation seems to be going nowhere, so Nadav decided to change the subject. ¡°So¡­ if you are really not going back to Earth during summer break, where will you stay?¡± ¡°Maybe the Academy to do some side jobs, or maybe I¡¯ll head over with you to your grandmother¡¯s.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ that¡¯s not a bad idea. Grandma always welcomes extra company. You¡¯ll get to enjoy her famous scones. Oh! I can even get to introduce you to Cassandra! Wait¡­ that¡­ actually might not be a good idea.¡± ¡°Really? Why?¡± ¡°I already have you in the Academy to beat me back to shape. I don¡¯t need double punishment when I get home.¡± ¡°Oh wow¡­¡± Cadeus immediately developed a sense of respect for this Untouched girl named Cassandra. If she could reign Nadav¡¯s nonsense in without being able to use magic, she must really be one special kind of a girl. ¡°Sounds like this Cassandra of yours had a rough time reigning your nonsense in.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to ignore that.¡± Sing soon got back and resumed eating her second helpful. Since she was not entirely in the right mood, Cadeus thought that perhaps she could help him reign in their enthusiastic friend. ¡°Oh by the way, Sing.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Nadav recently came up with a very interesting plan.¡± ¡°Eh? Did I? Yup! I did!¡± Nadav was caught off guard at that very comment. But, as a person who always treats any situation as ¡®it comes as it goes¡¯, Nadav feigned knowledge despite not knowing what Cadeus was talking about. Sing on the other hand, did not seem quite interested in this. In fact, she seemed reluctant to hear the details. ¡°¡­ Why do I get the feeling I do not want to hear this?¡± Sing said. ¡°Trust me, you will want to hear of this.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ Cadeus, before you continue, which plan are you talking about?¡± ¡°Strange thing is, we both woke up earlier than expected, Nadav suggested we go and peek at the girls while they change in their dormitory.¡± ¡°¡­ Eh?¡± Taken totally surprised by Cadeus¡¯s sudden betrayal, Nadav could only leave himself stunned and rooted in his current position. In response to this new revelation, Sing could only sigh while placing a palm on her head. ¡°You really can count on Nadav to come up with such a bizarre plan. I¡¯d take it that you managed to reign him in?¡± ¡°At the moment, I managed to discouraged him. Whether he is keen on this plan in the future, I dare not say.¡± ¡°Cadeus! Why did you betray me?!¡± Now all is left was for the princess to announce the final sentence. Sing made a girly tilt of the head, closed her eyes and gave Nadav the cold oppressive smile. At the very sight of such a scary lady, Nadav was instantly reduced to extreme paleness and cold sweat. ¡°Nadav, I¡¯ll pretend not to hear that. However, if you ever get caught peeking at girls, you¡¯ll get one heavy punishment from me, personally.¡± ¡°R-Right¡­ whatever you say¡­ my lady.¡± ¡°No, I am serious. Even if you get yourself expelled in the process, I¡¯ll make sure to find you, and give you one deserving lecture that will grind you until you turn over to a new leaf.¡± ¡°Ok! Ok! I won¡¯t do anything funny, crazy or perverted so don¡¯t give me a lecture! Please!¡± Sing left a suspense following to make sure that her message got through. Facing a really harsh smile, Nadav could only hold in his breath. With her message gettting through, Sing decided to let Nadav off the hook this time, and she soon returned to eating her second wave of breakfast. Relieved, Nadav finally let out the air he has been holding up for the past thirty seconds. ¡°Phew¡­ dodged that one big bullet.¡± ¡°You clearly ask for that.¡± Cadeus added. ¡°Ask for that? I didn¡¯t ask for that! Shut up!¡± Done with her second helping, Sing looked like she was thoroughly satisfied. With breakfast out of the way, on to more important matters, Sing took out her sling bag and rested it on her thighs. ¡°Ok guys. Update on the special item.¡± At the very instance she said that, the two boys stopped whatever they were doing and gave Sing their undivided attention. Sing reached for within her sling bag and took out two containers. One of which is the same sapphire container that Cadeus and Sing got when the two of them are at Demerith¡¯s street yesterday. The other container is just about the same size, but it is made out of tin. ¡°This one over here is what Cadeus and I got from Demerith¡¯s street. While this is what I managed to make last night.¡± Cadeus and Nadav just gazed at the tin container like two idiots who failed to see thought a simple magic trick. For some reason, they seem to fail to register the event right before their eyes. ¡°Um¡­ Sing¡­ this is¡­¡± ¡°Did you really just made a sample last night?¡± ¡°What else do you think?¡± ¡°¡°¡­¡±¡± Slowly, Cadeus reached out for the tin container. Opening it, he could smell the familiar scent of expired ethanol. As He and Nadav looked in for inspection, they saw nothing but refined grey sand. Reaching out for the sapphire container, they compared the contents within. Both samples looked exactly the same. There appeared to be no deviations of any kind. While Nadav just stared at the powder in the tin container blankly, Cadeus began asking the important questions. ¡°How much grams is this?¡± ¡°About 25 grams. In considering the fact that we still got three flasks, I think we should have enough to make 800 grams, or maybe more.¡± Cadeus and Nadav looked at each other and gave each other the satisfying smile of anticipated triumph. This was great news indeed. This morning could not start any better. ¡°How long till you can make that 800 grams?¡± ¡°It should take me the whole afternoon. If all goes well, we can submit the powder to the commissioner by evening.¡± Cadeus and Nadav gave each other the look of anticipated triumph. ¡°Did it take a lot of the fluid to produce something of this quantity Sing?¡± ¡°No, not much. I still got a large handful from the first flask you handed me two days ago.¡± ¡°How long did it take for you to do this?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ for the first time I managed to get the powder state after around forty minutes. But that is because I had insufficient equipment. But don¡¯t worry. I managed to book a lab room in the 3rd Laboratory so I think I should be able to replicate the same process in around¡­ twenty minutes?¡± ¡°¡°You what?¡±¡± Cadeus and Nadav were stunned at Sing¡¯s disclosure. Of course they would be. There¡¯s a reason for their surprise. Triple Orb Academy had three laboratory buildings, whereby each laboratory had its own level of clearances aligned according to their locations and the Academy¡¯s rules. All three were greatly utilized for teaching the art of Alchemy and Conjunctions. In addition, they were also widely used by various Masters and Specialists for their ever-expanding areas of research. The 3rd laboratory was one of the two laboratories in the larger island. It¡¯s more of a general utility laboratory open to mages from all different levels. While the 3rd was more open to the entire Academy, the 2nd was more restricted to the Apprentices and above since it was built in the smaller island to suit those who follow the tertiary curriculum. The 1st however, appeared to be more dubious. Even though it¡¯s also on the larger island, it only granted access to senior staff members who were only of rank Specialists and above. Students such as Cadeus, Nadav and Sing were denied access to all three laboratories obviously due to their lowest status as Students in the magi hierarchy. But the more important reason was due to the fact that Alchemy was not part of their first year module. Since they did not have any fundamental knowledge, the Educators could not afford any accidents happening in the laboratories. Without any exposure to the basics of alchemy, there¡¯s a high chance of conjunction blunders and people could easily get hurt. The only way for Cadeus and his friends to gain entry was only for them to pass their trials and become Acolytes. Once they become Acolytes, they would get the study course for basic Alchemy, which in turn would allow them to enter the laboratories. How Sing managed to secure an entry before this, was something that¡¯s definitely out of the ordinary. ¡°Students aren¡¯t allowed in the laboratories. How did you manage to get access Sing?¡± ¡°I got permission from Educator Giselle.¡± ¡°When did this happen?¡± ¡°While you and Nadav were in the Tenerbis Vacuum yesterday.¡± ¡°How did you do it?¡± ¡°I aced three major tests and four quizzes in a roll. Getting permission to use the labs seems like an appropriate reward.¡± Cadeus and Nadav paused and look at each other. As it always turns out, Sing was always a few steps ahead of them. ¡°Don¡¯t get too confident yet boys. I still need time to get familiar with the process.¡± ¡°Do you need any help? We can just drop by after lunch should you need anything.¡± ¡°Nah, I will be fine. The last thing I need is for Nadav to mess up my equipments, especially when our big deadline is tomorrow.¡± ¡°Oi!¡± ¡°No seriously. Is there anything we can help you with that does not necessarily have to involve us with your lab work?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ now that you mentioned it¡­ I think I might need a few more things to help me get the powder processed.¡± ¡°Really? Like what?¡± ¡°Charcoal and sulphur. I have a feeling I will run out of those very quickly, especially the sulphur.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t there be enough in the 3rd Laboratories?¡± ¡°I managed to book the room for usage, but I¡¯m not confident that the lab room will have enough of those two ingredients. I have a feeling I will be using them¡­ a lot.¡± ¡°So our only option now is to get them outside the Academy. They are not costly¡­ right?¡± ¡°Hm? Oh no. They are cheap and bountiful. Charcoal and sulphur are a must in several key Alchemical processes. No Alchemical shop can run without these two ingredients. If they don¡¯t well¡­ let¡¯s just say that the shop is not exactly an Alchemical shop.¡± ¡°Where did you¡­ oh never mind.¡± Cadeus was about to ask Sing where she learned all of this, but after a quick though, he decided to forget about it. Even though Alchemy was not a subject they were required to learn in their first year, it should come as no surprise if Sing read about Alchemy in advance. Besides, she must have gotten more information from her father¡¯s notes when she attempted powder making last night. ¡°So sulphur and charcoal. How much do you need?¡± ¡°Get me around¡­ hm¡­ 950 grams of each.¡± ¡°Ok. Looks like you¡¯ll be coming with me to the Capital again this afternoon Nadav.¡± ¡°1.9 kg of charcoal and sulphur. This should be a piece of cake. We ought to have plenty of time once we are done¡­Wait! Hang on a sec! I got a perfect idea!¡± ¡°Before you say anything further, we are not going to spend the extra time hitting on girls.¡± ¡°Damn it¡­ I was so close. Cadeus, you are no fun at all.¡± It seemed like the clown immediately forgot that his frivolous nature just almost got him killed. Both Sing and Cadeus instantly sighed in response to this carefree attitude. Deducing Nadav¡¯s mischievous intentions without any need of using their ears was a skill that the two of them subconsciously refined overtime. Putting aside this conversation, Sing noted the time difference and reached for her own watch. ¡°We better finish up, clock¡¯s ticking gentlemen.¡± ¡°What? It¡¯s already coming to 9 am?¡± ¡°Ok, ok. Just let me finish my egg ¨C ¡± Nadav froze at his spot for a few seconds. ¡°Hold on.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Where¡¯s my egg?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You know, the one where you brought back for me from the food station.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ It was on Sing¡¯s plate?¡± ¡°Eh? SING! You ate my egg!¡± ¡°¡­ Opps.¡± Nadav instantly shot an accusing finger towards Cadeus. ¡°Cadeus! This is your fault! You did not put the egg on my plate!¡± ¡°Quite whining. You already ate two, you definitely need to cut down on the egg yokes or else you¡¯ll fill your body with unnecessary cholesterols.¡± TOA ¡°Ok¡­ let¡¯s try this again¡­ [Thermal Fuse]!¡± ¡°Eh? It didn¡¯t work? Shit!¡± ¡°Argh! Stupid paper! Why won¡¯t you BURN?!¡± The scene shifts back to Tenebris Vacuum where Cadeus and his class are finally going through a proper lesson. The class is being held in one of the training halls in the Academia building. As what Educator Garth mentioned yesterday, today it is [Distance Spells]. [Distance Spells] as the term suggest, are spells that are casted and resolved from a distance away from the caster. They are set differently from the basic [Point Spells], as magic is not casted directly from any focused point of the human body. If we go back to the First Absolute Rule of Magic, Magic begins from the Blood. The first source of magic was blood, but if used wisely, magic within the blood could manifest beyond the physical vassal. In order to cast a successful [Distance Spell], the influence of the human mind is the most critical. If one wrong calculation is made, the casting process will fail, and the spell will disintegrate the moment it is casted. In order to make this session fulfill its practical significance, Educator Garth had prepared an exercise for them. The exercise was very simple. Practice stands were prepared and spread all around the edge of the hall. Students were required to practice casting [Distance Spells] of any elemental choice to destroy any three targets. Destroy three of them, and you¡¯re free for the rest of the lesson. The lesson plan was simple and straightforward, but there¡¯s one slight problem. Educator Garth was not around to help them out. After giving them instructions for the exercise, all he did was wrote additional instructions on the casting procedures on a nearby chalkboard. Once that is done, he went like ¡®I have to teach you, but I just got another breakthrough. I¡¯ll tell you guys what. I¡¯ll write down simple instructions on the board, you¡¯ll all just have to figure everything by yourselves for today¡¯, before disappearing back to his office. With such a simple explanation, the exercise seemed to be too simple that many students around Cadeus quickly assumed that things would be over after five minutes. After that, they can get to spend the remaining three hours of Colour Class doing whatever they want. They were wrong. Twelve minutes have already passed, and not one single person had been successful in destroying one single target stand. ¡°Sigh¡­ Well this looks encouraging.¡± Cadeus muttered. ¡°What is?¡± Susan asked. Cadeus made a gesture to the whole depressive scenario. ¡°Well, it is our first time doing this together as a class.¡± Susan added. ¡°First time?¡± Cadeus raised an eyebrow. ¡°Susan, you and a lot of people here knew magic long before I did. Casting [Distance Spells] should be a piece of cake to you.¡± ¡°Um¡­ well, about that.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Susan paused right there as if to prove Cadeus wrong. For some reason, it seems she could not comply with the assumption he made automatically. With that level of quietness, it was easy to gauge the reason behind it. ¡°Susan¡­ please don¡¯t tell me you have never touched on [Distance Spells] before?¡± ¡°Um¡­ haha¡­ no.¡± ¡°No? Even someone as good as you have not casted one [Distance Spell] before?¡± ¡°Well, [Point Spells] is just what been all we have been exposed to before enrollment. We don¡¯t really start on [Distance Spells] until we became the Academy¡¯s students. I¡¯m sure everyone here is just as clueless as you are.¡± ¡°Clueless¡­ eh?¡± Cadeus sighed. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be stuck clueless if Educator Garth is here to properly train us.¡± Before he retreated back to his office, Educator Garth only taught them two [Distance Spells]. A fire elemental based [Thermal Fuse], and a lightning elemental based [Shocking trigger]. The technique to cast both spells were the same, it¡¯s just that they were of different elements. The instructions to the casting procedures were already written on a nearby chalkboard. Educator Garth spent quite the effort to make the procedures as clear as day before abandoning the class for his recent ¡®breakthrough¡¯, so the class was continuing despite the absence of its teacher. This apparent abandonment of his present duties was the reason why Cadeus got the impression that this exercise was nothing more than a simple push over for Educator Garth to pre-occupy his students while he dubiously returns to writing his conjuration thesis. Sad to say, this only reflects poorly on how less interested Educator Garth was on the overall well being of his students. Although¡­ that might change in the future to come once he decides to take a break from his thesis, if he ever gets to decide. Miraculously, the class was still operating at full attendance. Given the usual nature of disgruntled students, it¡¯s really a surprise people were actually taking things seriously. Cadeus thought that half the class would drop out from this hall to skip the practice session, but it seems that his classmates were keen on seeing this through, regardless of all the unsuccessful attempts just to cast one [Distance Spell]. In addition to the lack of inspiration within this class, Cadeus could see that Claire was totally not in the mood for this. Looking bored, she retreated towards the wall behind and started reading a book. Cadeus guessed that she must be highly confident in her capabilities if she could afford to lay off just like that. ¡°It quite assuring to see that some of us are more confident than the others.¡± Susan followed Cadeus¡¯s gaze and knew what he was referring to. ¡°Claire is on a different level. I¡¯m sure she knows a lot more kinds of spells compared to the rest of us.¡± ¡°Just because she¡¯s a pure born princess? If she is so great in spells and magic, then why hasn¡¯t she graduated yet?¡± ¡°Shh! Please don¡¯t say that out loud! What happens if she heard you? Plus the reason why Claire has not graduated yet is because it take a lot more to be a Mage than just getting spells right!¡± Susan instantly added in a loud whisper. ¡°Relax Susan. I doubt she would be bothered with a slight comment like that. Besides, I¡¯m sure she probably thinks of this exercise as a whole bloody waste of time.¡± ¡°Well¡­ maybe it is a waste of time to her. But it is not for us.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ true, and here I thought I am always behind the rest of the others.¡± ¡°Cadeus, stop looking and start practicing.¡± ¡°Hm? Oh sorry. My mind is lost in thought.¡± ¡°If you keep slacking off when everyone around us is trying so hard, what are you going to do when everyone has advanced a level whereas you are still stuck not knowing what to do?¡± Slacking off? Cadeus did not believe that he¡¯s slacking off. He was merely observing things around him before he starts his attempts. Besides, since everyone around him had yet to succeed in casting one [Distance Spell], it did count as a good idea to sit back and observe first before he wastes pointless energy. Plus if there were anyone who did succeed, Cadeus could learn a tip or two if he observed well. He wanted to provide a counter argument, but from the moment he attempt to open his mouth, Susan gave him a ¡®you better not argue back¡¯ look. Knowing her, Cadeus is quite confident she would not take no for an answer. In seeing how Susan¡¯s expression will not change, Cadeus raised his arms in a surrendering motion. ¡°All right, I get it. I¡¯ll start practicing.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Still, I¡¯m wondering why no one bothered skipping this class since Educator Garth is not here in person to inspect us ¨C ¡± ¡°AH! THAT¡¯S IT! I¡¯M LEAVING!¡± Before Cadeus can finish his sentence, a huge cry of frustration could be heard from the other side of the hall. It seems that one of the male students had given up on the apparent futile casting attempts. That student marched up to his practice board, slammed it with his fist and proceeds to stomp angrily out of the hall. He indirectly drew the entire class¡¯s attention onto himself, but it seems that he does not give a damn. While observing this new fold of events, Susan tilted her head towards Cadeus and made a slight comment. ¡°You just said why no one bothers leaving to skip this class right?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°I think you are going to find out about that pretty soon.¡± The student who gave up was just several steps away from the hall¡¯s massive doors, when suddenly a supernatural phenomenon happened. Wait scratch that, the word ¡®phenomenon¡¯ is underdoing it. It was more of a materialization of some elemental spell rather than an actual phenomenon. Small, translucent bright bluish lights began to materialize around the hall¡¯s entrance. Their numbers were few, but gradually more lights began to manifest. Soon, the hall¡¯s entrance was swarming with small bright bluish lights. Eventually the student who attempted to ditch the class was forced to stop in his tracks. Upon seeing the bright blue lights, his face suddenly started to turn slightly pale. Cadeus was not an expert on spells yet, but he could feel strong magic within the mass of small bluish lights. From the looks of every student in the room, it looks like they could feel it too. The swarm of bluish lights began to assume a physical form, and the huge mass took the shape of a massive blue translucent golem. The student who defiantly wanted to leave, became stone cold. Unsure of what to do, he did only one thing that anyone in his situation could do, panic. ¡°AAAHHH!!!!¡± With a frantic cry, he started shooting out aggressive [Point Spells] towards the translucent golem. [Lightning Pulse], [Fire Ball] and [Thermal Pulse], the student kept throwing these three spells and continuously cast them without ever considering his own Cast Limit. All his attacks proved to be ineffective, as the golem continued to walk towards him. Be it lightning or fire, the elemental golem proved to be unaffected as it continues to walk towards that doomed student. By the time the golem was directly in front of the student, the student had already begun to show symptoms of hitting his own Cast Limit. He started hyperventilating and lost the strength to stand up straight. With one knee on the floor, that student began to look around the hall towards his fellow students, hoping that some would offer aid to fight against this monster. No one moved a muscle. Everyone was well aware that student will not be spared. Since he was the lone target of such a monster, no one was offering to be a Good Samaritan and get in its way. Even though he was wavering and kneeling on the ground, the blue translucent golem showed no mercy. It raised its clenched fist and slammed it square on the student¡¯s head. A loud sound akin to a huge electric shock resonated throughout the hall. Once the translucent golem did its job, it dispersed itself back into numerous small blue lights. Before long, they all started to dim until they faded from existence. Once the entire scene is over, the entire class shifted back their attention to whatever they were doing. While Cadeus was absorbing the events that just unfolded, Susan turned her head back to him. ¡°Do you still want to skip this class?¡± ¡°Right¡­ I was not exactly expecting that.¡± That thing that just electrocuted that student was Educator Garth¡¯s familiar. Rather than a living being, it was actually an Elemental Construct. From what Cadeus and Susan knew, that thing was created as a by-product when Educator Garth was conducting one of his experiments for his conjuration thesis. That thing can assume any shape at any size, and it can even switch in-between elements of its choice. ¡°To think that he¡¯d sent this very familiar to inspect the class on his behalf¡­ Educator Garth must really want to confine his students before they really cause some trouble.¡± ¡°That¡¯s actually rather typical of him.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± It seems that the whole class just chose to move on without caring for the student that was mercilessly punished. In fact, due to this recent development, Cadeus¡¯s classmates seem to be more motivated in casting three successive [Distance Spells]. Everyone just got back to the exercise, continuously attempting to cast a [Distance Spell] without success. Those that had given up due to the lack of results earlier immediately got back into practicing, regardless of how hopeless the casting progress may be. While waiting for someone to successfully cast one [Distance Spell], Cadeus¡¯s eyes went to the fallen student by the hall¡¯s entrance. Curiosity got the better of him. Cadeus decided to approach his unconscious classmate. No one would care if all he did were a bit of observation, and it¡¯s not like he¡¯s ditching class. Cadeus doubt that the Elemental Construct would go for him. In seeing that Cadeus was still not practicing, Susan lost focus and turn her attention to him. ¡°Cadeus, what are you doing?¡± When Cadeus chose not to answer her, she moved up to him to see exactly what he is up to. Cadeus knelt and took a good look at the student who suffered the consequences of attempting to skip this class. He just laid there unmoving. Cadeus then placed his right fingers just an inch away from his nose and then checked his carotid artery. His pulse is weak, and his breathing is slow. He¡¯ll live, but he¡¯d best get to the infirmary if he wants at least an additional 60% survivability rate. If he is left lying there, there is a chance that he will loose his breathing and pulse in such an unconscious state. If so, he will have a higher chance of death. ¡°Someone better call Educator Garth.¡± Susan said. ¡°No need. His familiar should notify him automatically.¡± ¡°Is Educator Garth going to come back?¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Silence followed to several seconds since Cadeus was not entirely sure of what to do. If they attempt to leave without completing their exercise, Garth¡¯s familiar would show up again and give them the same disciplinary treatment. If they really want to help this poor fellow, they have to get their three [Distance Spells] done before they could really do anything. The only thing they could do was to stay and wait for someone outside the class to intervene and bring the fallen student to the infirmary. However, Cadeus doubt that someone would bother poking their eyes into a boring session like this. Educator Garth had a rather bold reputation of not being present whenever he was needed, and Educator Cecilia probably would be busy teaching to take note of this event. As for Educator Norex and the others¡­ they would probably be elsewhere. In the midst of the silence, an unexpected voice broke the uncomfortable atmosphere. ¡°He¡¯ll live. You better not waste your time with him.¡± Claire interjected. Cadeus turned to see her still reading her book. ¡°You are not going to help?¡± ¡°Why bother? He got what he deserved.¡± Ouch¡­ as expected of a harsh princess. ¡°Besides, shouldn¡¯t you worry about yourself?¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°Have you casted your three [Distance Spells]?¡± ¡°¡­ No.¡± ¡°Then you should. Besides, even if you did cast your three spells, you can¡¯t get that student out since he failed to cast his own set of three. It will take Educator Garth to reinstruct his own familiar in order to let the failures pass.¡± ¡°You have got to be kidding, even though he is down?¡± Claire did not return any comments. She probably felt that she had said enough. Feeling uninterested, she returned to reading her book, totally disregarding the possibility that the fallen student could face death within minutes. Cadeus wanted to say more in regards to that matter, but Susan grabbed his arm and stopped him. ¡°That¡¯s enough Cadeus. Let it go.¡± ¡°Susan.¡± ¡°Please Cadeus. Honestly, I don¡¯t think Educator Garth is going to come back. Just worry about yourself and cast your three, or we might be stuck here for at least the rest of the day.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Whatever remaining moral conscious was left in Cadeus, leaving someone that might die was something he would not do. But now was not a time for moralities. Cadeus had to come to terms with the fact that he had yet to cast any [Distance Spell]. He needs to cast three of them in order for Educator Garth¡¯s familiar to let him pass. If he could not accomplish the goal of the lesson, helping the unconscious student is already something out of his league. Furthermore, he did not want to drag Susan into one of his confrontations with Claire. It¡¯s definitely inappropriate, especially when Susan was a Lesser Noble. Dragging her into such a confrontation with a Greater Noble was absolutely not in her interest, nor will it help her in the future. Besides, the conversation was between Cadeus and Claire, and Susan had no part in any of it. Rather, Susan refused to interrupt or insert any comments in consideration of her own social standings among Nobles. Any further debate with Claire might make matters worse for her. Ultimately, Cadeus decided to let the matter go and allow Susan to lead him by the arm away from Claire towards the target practice boards. TOA Once they are at a distance away from all the target stands, Susan let Cadeus go and got ready to make an attempt to cast a spell. ¡°Ok¡­ here goes¡­¡± ¡°What are you going to cast?¡± ¡°[Thermal Fuse].¡± ¡°Ah, the fire spell. Don¡¯t accidentally cast a big one.¡± ¡°Like that will happen.¡± Susan took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Cadeus could feel Susan building up the magic within her. She brought her right hand up, opened her palm and looked at it to make it her focus point. According to the instructions written by Educator Garth on the chalkboard, there were two main components to cast a [Distance Spell]. They¡¯re the location for the spell to manifest, and the right amount of magic needed to make it happen. Picturing the spell form is easy, but the problem was to get the mass of energy to evoke the spell and materialize its form at the desired location. The trick to doing so, was to have precise control over the flow of magic from within your blood towards the area outside of your body. The steps were written as the following:
  1. Picture the spell in your head
  2. Gather the flow of magic into your fingers/palms
  3. Leak parts of the magic out towards the target of your choice
  4. Materialize the spell
The steps might appear to be easy, but the third step was what causing everyone to reach dead ends. The part where you have to leak portions of magic out of your body was something entirely alien to Cadeus and his class. Normally, spells were casted directly from focused points around the body like the hands or feet by amassing the magic within, harnessing it and project it with the spell form that was imagined from the mind. Leaking the magic from within towards the target away from the body before casting the spell was something never attempted before. Without Educator Garth around to provide proper guidance, this class became a whole new experience altogether. Stepping up, Susan crouched slightly and started getting ready to cast her spell. Closing his eyes, Cadeus could feel the movements of the energy within Susan¡¯s blood. Susan redirected the flow of magic within her towards the palm of her hands. Since [Thermal Fuse] was a fire spell, the palm of the hands is a common focus point for mages to cast fire spells. Slowly and steadily, Susan raised her open hand and began leaking the magic towards the target of her choice. There was nothing wrong with what she was doing up to this point. But strangely enough, Susan¡¯s magic slowly dispersed the instance the paranormal energy left her body. There were fragments of her magic left around the target. However, it was not enough to cast a spell. Like the rest of the students Cadeus had been observing, The bulk of the magic needed to cast the spell all dispersed around the air. A spell could not be casted with the remaining small pockets of magic around the target. When Susan was ready, she opened her eyes. It looks like she intends to continue despite the fact that her current magic build was not enough. ¡°[Thermal Fuse]!¡± Cadeus folded his arms and waited for the anticipated results. His eyes went to the direction of Susan¡¯s target stand. Nothing happened, just as Cadeus expected. ¡°¡­What?¡± Susan stared at her own hands in disbelief. ¡°How? I thought I followed the instructions?¡± ¡°Perhaps there is not enough magic around the target.¡± ¡°No it shouldn¡¯t be. I followed the instructions.¡± Cadeus kept quiet. Susan was unaware of the fact that her magic slowly dispersed from the moment it left her body. Well, this was not something new. Cadeus was long aware that Susan did not have the same acute sense of magic that he had. Knowing Susan, she would not take it very well if Cadeus tried explaining something that she cannot see or sense strongly. If he starts blabbering about the current of magic, which was something that she could not feel nor see, it might seem pretty nonsensical, and Cadeus disliked being nonsensical in front of others. The only course of action left, was for Cadeus to try to cast one [Distance Spell] on his own. If he could produce a different result, he could understand how the magic should orientate once it leaves the body. If he succeeds, he might be able to help Susan with her error. Cadeus got ready; time to give this a shot. Stepping up in a position where he would be parallel to one of the target stands, Cadeus closed his eyes and brought his right hand up. Cadeus decided to cast [Shocking Trigger] since he¡¯s more comfortable with the element lightning. As he was using a lightning orientated spell, the fingertips would be the spell¡¯s focus point. Getting ready, Cadeus gathered the magic within his blood and directed it towards his fingertips. Slowly, small light bluish sparks could soon be seen materializing around his fingertips. Once he had gathered enough mass of magic around his focus point, Cadeus leaked portions of that mass towards the target stand of his choice. This was where things started to get complicated. While leaking part of the magic out of the fingertips seems easy, getting the leaked portions to the target was another thing altogether. Upon the initial stages of leaking the magic from his fingertips, Cadeus soon discovered that he had to multitask between holding the energy within his fingertips, and sustaining the portions that were leaked towards the target. While ensuring that magic was leaked steadily from the fingertips, Cadeus also had to keep an eye out to prevent the leaked magic from dispersing. As he carried out this procedure, Cadeus soon realized that he had to finish this quickly. If he drags this tedious procedure, he would eventually lose focus. If he fails, it would result in an incomplete spell, and everyone knew what would happen when a spell was incompletely casted. Gathering what he could around the target, Cadeus quickly install the spell form in his head and casted the spell. ¡°Invoke, [Shocking Trigger].¡± Cadeus snapped his fingers and waited for the spell to manifest across the other side of the hall. Nothing happened. The target practice stand Cadeus chose stood there untouched and undamaged. With a tilt of his head, Cadeus looked at his own hand. ¡°¡­Ok?¡± Not that bad for a first attempt¡­ was what he might say in his head. Everyone around him had failed casting even one spell for the past twenty minutes or so. This should count as normal, but deep down Cadeus really felt that he could have done better. Did he miss out something? ¡°You got it all wrong imposter.¡± Once again, that unexpected voice intruded itself into his thoughts. Cadeus turned to see Claire still having her eyes on her book. ¡°I was not expecting your help.¡± Claire flipped a page, eyes still focused on the book. ¡°Who¡¯s helping you? You idiot, I¡¯m just stating that you got it all wrong.¡± ¡°Then why even bother telling me?¡± ¡°Would you rather I don¡¯t? Besides, your attempts are so pathetic I can hardly look.¡± Dosen¡¯t that apply to the rest of us? So why me? Cadeus thought. ¡°Then don¡¯t look. Besides, I am quite surprised you even bothered looking since you are reading your book and all.¡± ¡°How rude.¡± Claire flipped another page, eyes still focused on the book. ¡°I can see that you always fail to control that uncouth mouth of yours.¡± ¡°At least I am doing something, as compared to a certain someone who has done nothing except reading her book.¡± Claire looked up at Cadeus in response to that retaliation. ¡°What did you say?¡± Though it was only for an instance, the two of them casted hostile glares at each other. From the moment they did so, the surrounding students ceased whatever they are doing and looked at them. Since everyone was quite familiar with Cadeus¡¯s bad relationships with the nobles, seeing a stand off between him and one of the Greater Nobles was often a common sight. But in normal circumstances, the viewers would just continue on their business to avoid getting dragged into unnecessary trouble. Besides, who wants to stay and dig their own grave by observing? Which idiot wants to get in the bad books of a Greater Noble? That was what would normally happen. But since today they were all stuck in the same hall, this was one spectacle no one could avoid. Staring at this rather familiar scene, the observers could only wait with various anticipated results. Is he going to get his ass kicked? Is Claire going to punish him with a curse or one of her special spells? Or, is Claire going to let him off again with an insult he cannot return? How obvious. People could be so predictable at times. Cadeus was not in the least affected. He knew that despite the sparking exchanges between Claire and himself, nothing major would happen. Usually, confrontations with Claire under the eyes of the open public tend to end off with the third option. Knowing Claire, her upbringing would not let her attack someone under broad daylight without a legit reason. The most she could do was to leave him dangling there with some nasty comment before ¡®majestically¡¯ leaving the scene with her usual dominating aura. But that was not going to happen either. They were all stuck in this hall, and no one¡¯s going to leave until they hit their quota. As luck would have it, he was not the only one who was aware of the kind situation they are in. Once she became aware that they had become the centre of attraction, Claire gave a warning gaze to her surroundings. The students instantly scattered away to continue their futile attempts to cast a [Distance Spell]. While Susan was reluctant to leave, but she quickly got out of the way when Claire shot her another warning glare. With the busybodies out of the way, the two of them can return to exchanging barbs without the need to worry about onlookers. Cadeus thought that Claire might resume her bombard of provoking insults, but surprisingly, Claire stood up from leaning against the wall and started walking towards him. Feeling uncomfortable with this sudden change of pace, Cadeus could only voice his concern. ¡°¡­ What do you want?¡± ¡°To see if you are not as dumb as I thought you are.¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± Cadeus braced himself. The next few words she says might instigate a lot of anger. Gosh¡­ he really needs to hold in all the emotions in order to not make matters worst. ¡°Cast another spell.¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Ok, that was rather unexpected. ¡°Sorry?¡± ¡°Are you deaf? I said cast another spell.¡± Making such unreasonable requests out of the blue can only come from someone like Claire. Arguing at this point is completely useless. Cadeus took a deep breath and decided to make another attempt. Repeating the same procedure he did to alter the flow of magic in his body, he gathered what he could and re-casted the spell. ¡°Invoke, [Shocking Trigger].¡± Nothing happened. The target stand opposite him lay there as plain as day. ¡°¡­I must have missed something.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t just missed something, you missed a lot of things.¡± Claire adverted her gaze away to the multiple number of target stands at the other end of the hall. ¡°Well, your initial intake of the procedures from the failure of others is not necessary wrong.¡± ¡°Yes, I can see that. Your point?¡± Claire look at him with a smile that was full of collaborating schemes. ¡°What¡¯s with that look imposter? Can¡¯t solve the answer on your own. If you want my help, you¡¯ll have to owe me another one.¡± ¡°No thank you.¡± ¡°¡­That was rather quick.¡± Cadeus rather fail a trial than owe Claire another favour. He had enough trouble coming from any of her dubious requests. If he keeps piling up favours one after the other, one of these days, she¡¯s really going to get him killed. Wanting to have nothing more to do with her, Cadeus turned his head back towards the target stands. Keeping this hostile conversation would serve no greater purpose. ¡°Hm¡­¡± Claire looked up with her eyes closed, as if she was in deep thought. ¡°Sigh¡­ what now?¡± At the very next second, Claire snapped her book close with a flick of her hand. She smiled. ¡°Hm. I am in a very good mood today.¡± ¡°What good mood? Weren¡¯t you just in a bad mood exchanging barbs with me just now?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ look at the mood of the class, you can feel the dread of futility all around. How filthy.¡± ¡°You are deliberately ignoring me aren¡¯t you?¡± Claire swung her book and placed it just inches away from Cadeus¡¯s nose. It was done so fast that Cadeus ended up moving back slightly on reflex. ¡°Be grateful. Since I am in a good mood, I¡¯ll spare you the humiliation and give a live demonstration.¡± Pop! Cadeus felt a huge vein pop within his forehead. Claire really knows how to mince up the words to piss him off. But retaliating against her in any format would only make the situation worst, so Cadeus bit his tongue and did his best to refrain himself from further instigating this unpredictable noble. Claire kept her book to the side and proceeds to move up until she is at a comfortable distance away from the target stands. Then, Cadeus sensed it. The whole actual process lasted for about five seconds, but what Claire did was a lot for Cadeus to digest. First, there was the buildup. Though he cannot see it, Cadeus could sense a dangerous level of magic building up within her. Then, as she continued to build up the magic within her, Claire leaked out portions of the magic she gathered out of her body. It was exactly the same that Cadeus did earlier. But Claire did not direct any of the magic to a focus point. She just leaked the magic out of her like a leaky gas pipe with multiple small gaps and holes. Sensing the flow of magic, Cadeus followed the invisible trail until it reached the opposite side of the hall with all the target practice boards. The magic Claire was leaking soon developed into the form of a spinning whirlpool. Surprisingly, the invisible whirlpool was retaining all the energy that Claire leaked from her body. Though some of it ended up dispersing to the surroundings, the majority of it was still left intact at the very centre of the invisible whirlpool. As Claire continuously amassed the whirlpool with magic, Cadeus had difficulty understanding her intentions. Even for a simple [Distance Spell], Cadeus knew that the amount of magic Claire amassed was more than necessary for just one spell. She could cast the spell in an instance with just a flick of the finger, but Claire chose to slowly build up the level of magic that is within and around her. What was she up to? Gradually, the environment around them underwent the usual changes whenever the corruptive nature of Dark Magic was present. The temperature increased and the air was sucked of its humid moisture. Although they were in the middle of a hall, the comfort of shelter was soon replaced by suffocating thin air, as if oxygen had become deprived to the human nose. Whatever Claire intends to cast, she¡¯s going to do it big, and it would take a while for the environment to recover its previous state. After a few more moments, Cadeus knew, she¡¯s finally ready. At the very last minute, Claire directed the rest of the massive energies she had been saving within her to the other side of the hall. She then brought her right fingers up, and snapped her middle finger against her thumb. ¡°[Thermal Fuse]!¡± In a flash, a huge burst of fire materialized at the centre of the practice hall and engulfed the entire area at the opposite side. The spell covered a wide radius, engulfing everything around it like wildfire. Every target practice board within its radius was incinerated in the process. Once the spell is finally resolved, the remaining scene revealed how deadly that single [Distance Spell] was. The target practice boards that were within the spell¡¯s radius became roasted with black scorches and ashy rusts. Those who were right in the middle of the spell¡¯s materialization were melted hot into grey waxy wastes. As they saw how Claire laid waste to a considerable number of target stands, the whole class just stood there rooted to the ground. Claire just literally burned over half the numbers of target practice stands, and she did it as if it was nothing. In the midst of absorbing the scene before him, Cadeus could not help but feel an element of awe. This was not to say that he had new found respects for Claire, but it would be a lie if he said that he never admire her capabilities to cast magic this freely and affluently. In Cadeus¡¯s eyes, the spell was cast perfectly. Satisfied with her handiwork, Claire returned her attention to Cadeus. ¡°Did you get it?¡± Cadeus could only shrug his shoulders. ¡°More or less.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± It seems that she had nothing more to say. Claire turned and proceeded to leave the hall. ¡°The rest is up to you. If you still have not got anything out of this live demonstration, then you really are an idiot.¡± Is that so? As expected, that monster of a familiar did not stop Claire from leaving the hall. Once her silhouette disappeared, Cadeus returned to the focus of the lesson. After several more seconds, the rest of the class also reverted back to its smaller groupings and the persistently failed attempts. With Claire out of the way, Susan returned to Cadeus¡¯s side. ¡°What was that all about?¡± ¡°I would like to know myself.¡± ¡°Did you know what just happened?¡± ¡°You saw what happened, so why are you asking me?¡± ¡°You just got Claire¡¯s help. I never saw Claire like that before. She seems more¡­ friendly to you doesn¡¯t she?¡± Cadeus could not believe what he is hearing right now. ¡°You call that being friendly?¡± ¡°She did help you didn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Though for what reasons, I cannot say.¡± Susan mouth curled downwards in disapproval. ¡°What exactly did you do that prompt this change?¡± ¡°What have I done? I¡¯d like to know that myself.¡± ¡°Did you owe her another one?¡± ¡°No. If she were to bring it up, I¡¯ll just tell her that does not count. Well, time to see if I can replicate what Claire did.¡± Putting the conversation to an end, Cadeus redirected his attention to the target stands in front of him. Choosing a new one for the job, Cadeus thought back on what Claire did earlier and made another attempt. First, gather all the magic he needs into one single part of his body. Leak out some of it from multiple parts of the body towards the specific targeted location in the form of a circular whirlpool. Then, once all the magic had left the physical vassal, activate the spell as if you were lighting up a fuse at the very last minute. When Cadeus reached the very peek of all these procedures, he snapped his left finger as he triggered the spell to manifest. At the very next second, a loud screeching sound filled the air. A small light bluish ball of electricity could be seen materializing at the very centre of the target. After that, there was a flash of extreme bright light, and then everything was gone. What was left in place of the small bluish ball of electricity is a large scorched gap big enough to almost tear the target practice board into two, along with lingering small arcs of sparkling electricity to boast the lasting effects of the [Distance Spell]. TOA After grabbing her sling bag from the unused lecture hall, Claire proceeded to walk down the tall corridors of the Academia building. Little did she expect company so soon. As she walked down the corridor, she saw an acquaintance leaning against the wall arms folded and looking at her. Judging by the body language, he must have been waiting for her for quite some time. ¡°Oh my. If it isn¡¯t Acriscius? I thought Educator Norex is having another lecture regarding magical theory. You must be highly confidant about acing the theory exams if you can afford to lay off here of all places.¡± ¡°Spare me your sarcasm. Oh¡­ and if you were wondering, Educator Norex finished his lecture ten minutes ago.¡± ¡°Then why are you here? Do you have any business with me? Or are you requesting a rematch? If you lose the duel you¡¯ll have to owe me another one, like the last time, and the last, and the last".¡± Acriscius shook a free hand left and right. ¡°I¡¯m not here about any of those. I hear you have been keeping tabs on the imposter.¡± When she heard this, Claire rolled her eyes. ¡°Sigh¡­ Cadeus again?¡± Acriscius raised an eyebrow. ¡°Cadeus? You can say his name now?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that. I am getting a little tired of saying the word ¡®imposter¡¯. Speaking two syllables definitely saves more energy compared to speaking three.¡± ¡°Are you now?¡± There¡¯s definitely the hint of suspicion in Acriscius¡¯s voice. Whatever was in his head, Claire was sure that he suspects her of something. ¡°All right, out with it. What are you concerned about?¡± ¡°Why would I want to tell you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll strike off three favours you owe me for a solid answer.¡± ¡°¡­What is it with you keeping tabs on that fellow?¡± ¡°Keeping tabs? Cadeus owes me plenty. I¡¯m just making sure he stays unspoiled until he finish his usefulness.¡± ¡°And just how would an imposter be useful?¡± ¡°He may be an imposter, and a low born. But you cannot deny that he has talent.¡± ¡°Are you saying that the imposter has a capability of magic that is undeserving of him?¡± ¡°He¡¯s Pure Blooded. I think that ought to be a strong point to consider. How many Pure Blooded Dark Mages are there as compared to the other two colours?¡± Acriscius gave a look that came close to spitting in disgust. But as much as he hated it, Claire had a valid point. There¡¯s always the issue of the shortage of Pure Blooded Dark Mages. Even though the numbers of Greater Noble Families were equally piled across the three colours of Magic, the same cannot be said for the Lesser Nobles. In terms of numbers, Pure Blooded Dark mages have always been of a low count ever since the end of the Trebunus Crisis. Also, according to the latest statistics reports leaked from the High Council¡¯s investigations, the general birth rate of Pure Blooded Dark Mages had dropped into a dangerous slim for the worst since the last century. As such, Pure Blooded Dark Mages were always valued highly like the sort of the dying breed, especially since the Progenitor family of Dark Mages died out long ago. ¡°It really bothers me that the disgusting imposter is Pure Blooded.¡± ¡°He is, whether you like it or not.¡± At that very comment, Acriscius became more suspicious of Claire¡¯s intentions. Unaware of her schemes and goals, Acriscius asked her one question. ¡°Aren¡¯t you being overly considerate?¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°Why are you even considering that the imposter has any value? Are you getting friendly with him deliberately?¡± ¡°Please, don¡¯t be ridiculous. Why would I bother forming ties with someone who does not bring me any actual benefit?¡± ¡°If what you say is true, then can you please explain why did you help him cast a [Distance Spell] when you can leave him to his witless end? On top of that, you do not leverage him with the bombardment of favours.¡± At the comment, now it¡¯s Claire¡¯s turn to raise an eyebrow. Even though it is recent news, its no surprise that Acrisicus would hear about it so soon. Though he is a little of a thuggish character, Acriscius had his own network of information. If Claire were to assume the most accurate, it would be that some of his lackeys that happened to be in her class got itchy mouths and started blabbering without thinking of the consequences. ¡°Perhaps I ought to silence your lackeys who turn out to be in my class.¡± Acriscius held up his hands in a non-aggressive motion. ¡°Relax. No one is telling any funny stories. I properly instructed them not to do so.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Just doing what must be done. Now, could you please explain your actions?¡± Claire took a moment to gather her thoughts. She really needs to phrase her answer carefully as to not breed any further misunderstanding. ¡°Think of it as a small investment.¡± ¡°A small investment?¡± ¡°Cadeus owes me remember?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°He may be an imposter, but he has some worth being an exceptionally skilled mage. If I ¡®help¡¯ him, he would prove more useful in serving me if I need him to do something dangerous for me.¡± ¡°So basically, you are using him as a meat shield to accomplish something with a degree of danger in your stead.¡± ¡°Precisely.¡± ¡°But why help him? If he owes you, he is practically a meat shield. Why bother investing in his skills where you can use others who probably owes you more.¡± ¡°Because he is Pure Blooded and he just happen to be in my class.¡± ¡°¡­ Is that it?¡± ¡°Is there anyone else more capable in my class?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then, stop asking. Besides, I got good something out of it.¡± Acriscius raised an eyebrow. ¡°Which is?¡± Claire reach for the gap within her sling bag and took out a black book. As she moved the book side by side, Acrisicus widened his eyes in recognition of the black leather and the silver ornamented wordings on the cover page. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ one of the Progenitor Black Books.¡± ¡°Indeed. It¡¯s legit.¡± Claire extended her hand that held the book, prompting Acriscius to judge the rare treasure himself. Though Acriscius was cautious about the book¡¯s origins, he eventually took it. ¡°Are the curses within curbed?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. You want to look inside?¡± ¡°Have you?¡± ¡°Do you take me for an idiot?¡± ¡°No.¡± Being overly cautious was a must when it comes to tempering the Progenitor Black Books. Who knows how many deadly curses were placed in the book to protect the knowledge that the Progenitors meant only for their own kind. Judging from how Claire could hold the book without any issues, the cursed that were probably engraved on the book¡¯s cover were most likely curbed. However, looking within, was an entirely different issue altogether. Slowly, Acriscius reached out his hand and took the book for his own evaluation. There were a few methods to test if the book was authentic, but such matters were meant for the experts. If there were a first handed method that Acrisicus know of, it would be to test the magic essence stored within the book for its potency to inflict a large degree of harm, physically and mentally. It may not be entirely efficient in determining the actual origins of the book, but it should be enough to see if it is at least legit. Gripping the book tightly, Acriscius applied his own magic to scan every section of the book. On the surface it seems plain and simple with a few traceable enchantments here and there. But as he searched deeper, the magic essence within the book revealed a far more apprehensive network filled with layers and layers of coded runic inscriptions. Though Acriscius could identify the runic inscriptions, their natures differ amongst various types, and most of them were unfamiliar. Whether they are curses or other forms of enchantment seals, Acriscius did not know. But if handled wrongly, they could deal a considerate amount of damage. The network was so deep, that Acriscius dare not probe any further. ¡°It does seem legit. Where did you get this?¡± ¡°From Cadeus¡¯s sling bag.¡± Acriscius frowned. ¡°How did that imposter come by such a treasure?¡± ¡°Who knows?¡± ¡°How did you ever find out that he had one?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t. I took the liberty of fumbling his belongings to see if he had anything interesting. When I searched his sling bag, I found it.¡± ¡°You stole it.¡± ¡°Taking something highly dangerous from someone¡¯s careless hands for safe guarding does not count as stealing.¡± ¡°I see¡­ and this happened¡­ when?¡± ¡°After I left the class. I did finish my lesson quota way before the others.¡± ¡°The imposter does not have his bag with him?¡± ¡°No, today we went through practical. We all left our bags behind in the lecture hall.¡± ¡°I see. So you weren¡¯t seen.¡± ¡°Obviously?¡± Acriscius handed the book back to her. ¡°He¡¯ll notice that it will be gone.¡± ¡°So what? At least the book is in safer hands.¡± ¡°You mean your hands. Are you going to decipher the coded passages and take the knowledge for yourself?¡± ¡°If it does bring me any benefit, why not?¡± ¡°Do you even know what are the topics of research within the book?¡± ¡°No, but I got a name.¡± ¡°The author?¡± ¡°Zelnarius Pride ve Lu, got any idea what he is known for?¡± Acriscius gave a thought. ¡°No. The name does not ring a bell.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Acriscius gave a look of concern. ¡°Are you sure you ought to be probing inside that book without the assistant of the Intellectuals?¡± ¡°The less people knew I had this, the better.¡± ¡°Do you have at least one Intellectual to consult?¡± ¡°Yes. Privately hired.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ family consultant?¡± ¡°Yes. But I¡¯ll only approach him when I need to, I don¡¯t want my father to confiscate this from me before I find out what kind of knowledge this book withholds.¡± ¡°But doing this alone would ¨C ¡± ¡°Deciphering runic codes can be done with proper study. Once the right knowledge has been attained, anyone can do it.¡± ¡°You do realize that it is going to take years to decipher just one book.¡± ¡°Who said I¡¯m going to decipher the whole book?¡± ¡°You mean you¡¯re not?¡± Claire waved the book back and forth. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what is in it. Once I have deciphered enough to gauge what this book is about, then I¡¯ll think about deciphering the whole thing.¡± ¡°I see¡­ still. It really troubles me that the imposter managed to get it.¡± ¡°It could have been anyone else. It could have been¡­ an ambitious old Mixed Blood who would use the knowledge for selfish reasons. It could have been a White Mage who had thoughts of destroying the book. It could have been in the hands of a Intellectual who¡¯d rather have it on display in a dusty glass stand than have any actual use of it. It could even fall in the hands of Saymeur.¡± Acriscius got a slight goose bump when Claire mentioned that name. ¡°Don¡¯t say that name again.¡± ¡°Sorry. But did you get my point?¡± ¡°Yes. Point taken.¡± Claire kept the book back into her own sling bag. ¡°Is that all you want from me?¡± Though it is obvious that he had nothing more for her, Acriscius just chose to add a reminder at the end. ¡°¡­ You better not make it seem that you are establishing a ¡®friendly¡¯ relationship with him.¡± Claire could only sigh. ¡°You worry too much.¡± Wanting no more to do with this conversation, Claire just walked past Acrisicus and continued on her way. While he watched her back, Acriscius could only shake his head. Claire maight see herself fit to judge the situation, but Acriscius knew that by having any ties to that imposter, she¡¯s indirectly getting herself into unnecessary trouble. She may be confident, but Acriscius doubt that she would wade herself out of it if she ended up getting dragged into a huge major trouble. There¡¯s also the matter of that book. Acriscius was not sure where she got that level of confidence, but that was one of the infamous Black Books. Deciphering it was never an easy task, and the curses within are all said to be extremely dangerous to the point where professional help was a must to have. Acriscius often wondered what would make Claire go through that extra mile for that imposter and for something so dangerous. Volume 1 - Chapter 6 - Predestined Troubles With his three targets destroyed, Cadeus proceeded to show Susan how cast a proper [Distance Spell]. After around ten minutes, Susan finally managed to destroy her own set of three, just barely though. Since they had finished their quota, leaving the hall is no longer a problem. Educator Garth¡¯s familiar did not materialize to block their way now that they have finished what is required of them to do. This made Cadeus and Susan the second and third student to leave the hall. Though Cadeus did felt slightly bad leaving the rest of his class to their continuous cycle of futility, none of his fellow classmates opened their mouths to ask for help. Even if he would offer it, they would reject it out either out of pride or for the fear of the other nobles. There was also the matter of that fallen student. Luckily for them, Educator Garth quickly called for Educator Cecilia once they brought up the issue to him when they reached his office. After that, it is time to collect the belongings they left back in the lecture hall. Though they had finished their quota, the morning was still young. The time is still pretty much 9:45 am. There¡¯s still around two hours more before lunch time starts. Hm¡­ Cadeus paused to give a thought. What to do with that amount of time? Should he get to the Library to read? Maybe he could spend the time to go through the black book he got yesterday. ¡°Um¡­ Cadeus?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± For some reason, Susan¡¯s face turned a little bright pink around the cheeks. Did something happen to her? ¡°I¡­ I think I might have left my box with you.¡± ¡°A box?¡± Cadeus pondered about what she meant for a second. It did not take long before he hit a brainwave. ¡°Oh right¡­ that preservative box.¡± ¡°Y-Yes. That¡¯s the one. Do you still have it?¡± Cadeus reached for his sling bag and gave a search. As he found the box at a corner section of the bag, he froze. The black book he bought yesterday was gone. ¡°Um¡­ Cadeus?¡± ¡°Huh? Oh right.¡± Cadeus took out the box and gave it back to her, but from the moment the box left his fingers Cadeus resumed searching his bag for the black book. ¡°Thanks. Um¡­ can I ask you something?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Cadeus said absentmindedly. Susan braced herself. She had avoided the topic since she was focusing on today¡¯s lesson. But now that lesson was over, she now has to face this predicament. As she took a deep breath, she let out the question. ¡°The sandwiches¡­ are they good?¡± At that, Cadeus stopped searching and gave a thought. ¡°Yes. They are very nice, the presentation really gave quite the impression.¡± ¡°Do they taste funny?¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± While he resumed searching, Cadeus was not entirely sure on how to reply this. It¡¯s not like he ate all three sandwiches, and Cadeus would feel slightly bad if he mentioned that Sing and Nadav ate the other two without her consent. Perhaps it would be better if he just gave a general review based on the single sandwich he ate. ¡°I love the crustiness of the bread, and the sauces on the inside match the flavours and I would say that there¡¯s a good variety of combinations between the meat and the vegetables. The portions were well divided too, I would say that you did a very good job.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­ that¡¯s good. Um¡­ would you like me to make another badge of three?¡± ¡°Sure. Why not?¡± ¡°Any time?¡± ¡°Any time.¡± If Cadeus was not focused on finding his black book, he would have noticed the happy smile that appeared on Susan¡¯s face, and that if Susan did not check her emotions, she might have probably leaped for joy. While feeling happy about his reply, Susan suddenly thought of an important matter. ¡°Oh Cadeus, before I forget.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Braig wants to see you.¡± ¡°Braig?¡± Now that¡¯s a very unexpected name. ¡°I don¡¯t know what he wants with you, but he says that he has some information he thinks you¡¯ll need.¡± ¡°Got it. Did he say the usual place?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°Ok. I¡¯ll see you then.¡± As Susan disappeared, Cadeus spent the next couple of minutes pondering about the lost book. Cadeus was absolutely certain that his bag still had the book before they proceeded to the practical hall. This means that in-between, someone must have searched his belongings and stole it. But if there was a thief, it could not have been someone from outside the class. Since they left behind their belongings unattended, Educator Garth had set up a magical barrier the entrance to the Lecture Hall that only permitted students from his class to enter. Could it have been Educator Garth? As much of a serious man of knowledge, Cadeus doubt that he would be the one to steal the book just like that. If he had been in the least aware that Cadeus had one of the Progenitor Black Books, he would have posed a warning. Or if a little more extreme, confiscate it upfront. That only leaves the assumption that a student within his class was responsible. Hm¡­ Could it have been Claire? She was the first to leave after all. Since Cadeus and Susan were the next who are able to leave the practical hall, there could not be anyone else. If she¡¯s the culprit, Cadeus wondered why. He doubts that Claire would be someone who would bring herself to do something so low. She¡¯s a Noble who¡¯s proud of her etiquette and status, doing a cheap action like stealing did not fit her character at all. Wait¡­ assuming that she¡¯s the culprit, perhaps the reason why she did so was because she¡¯s a noble? The Black Books were famous relics from the Progenitor Family of Dark Mages. Though the Pride ve Lu had long died out, the knowledge they left behind was considered to be extraordinary, but also extremely dangerous at the same time. Perhaps Claire took the book on the basis that it¡¯s hers by right? Nah¡­ on closer thought that did not fit her as well. Regardless of her motives, Cadeus was highly confident that Claire now possesses the book. All that remains was to confront her on the issue, with substantial proof of course, but that¡¯s just a matter of time. Cadeus doubt that confronting Claire now would solve anything. Avoiding the attention of the other students, Cadeus left the Academia building and went towards a secluded section at the edge of Tenebris Vacuum¡¯s forest. TOA The reason for such an isolated location was due to the person he was soon about to meet. Braig, otherwise known as Braig ve Karvaso, aws a Lesser Noble Cadeus was acquainted with. While the rest of the nobles in Tenebris Vacuum are unwelcoming to Cadeus¡¯s unique family circumstances, Braig looked at it with complete indifference. He, like Susan, is one of the few nobles that did not have the deep-rooted highborn class prejudice that most nobles usually have. Not only does he lack prejudice, he is not as hotheaded and proud as his other noble peers. Thanks to these two character traits, Cadeus found himself comfortable talking to Braig. Should the situation calls for it, they would even step in to help one another. But of course, moments like that have to be done with discretion, as Braig also had to maintain relationships with his other noble peers. Hence, the location. A small cleared opening by the edge of the forest. At the centre of the clearing lies a collapsed obelisk, old, ruined and somehow perfectly shaped to be used as a sitting area. Braig was already there, seated at one of the higher stones waving at Cadeus to come closer. ¡°Yo, how are things¡­¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Yo? Cadeus was caught off guard with that rather informal opening address. Only people from Earth would open their conversations with that slang. But to hear that coming from a Lesser Noble born in Zeffernon¡­ was really something that¡¯s literally out of the ordinary. ¡°Eh? Did I say it wrong? You, how are things¡­ wait that does not make any sense. Ok how about¡­ Ye, how are things¡­ wait that does not sound right either.¡± ¡°No¡­ Yo is definitely correct.¡± ¡°Is it now? Then what is with that reaction?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I did not expect you to say ¡®Yo¡¯ suddenly out of the blue. It seems so¡­ Earth like.¡± ¡°Earth like? You mean that I really sound like someone from Earth?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Oh great! So I did say it right.¡± ¡°No¡­ it makes more sense if people from Earth say that. To hear that word coming from you seems¡­ inappropriate.¡± ¡°Is it? Damn it¡­ I thought that was normal.¡± Cadeus sighed. ¡°No¡­ it is not. Besides, do you think your parents will take this kindly if they see you use this sort of slang without care?¡± ¡°Right¡­ guess I better not use it.¡± Braig¡¯s parents both works with the High Council. His father works in the magistracy in the Capital, while his mother served as a secretary to one of the High Councilors. Thanks to their occupation, Braig had direct access to a rather limited degree of High Council information. Rather limited, but still better than nothing. Not wanting to waste anymore time, Cadeus went to the original purpose of their meeting. ¡°So what¡¯s the news?¡± ¡°Straight to the point as always. Got something that might interest you. But before we start.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Braig took out what looks like a half filled bottle of whiskey. ¡°Want some?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­ Are you aware of the fact that we are still minors?¡± ¡°Relax.¡± Brag proceeds to pull out the cocktail that was evidently pulled out before. ¡°This thing only has 20% alcohol in it. Plus it was opened yesterday. One glass or two won¡¯t kill you.¡± ¡°How the heck did you ever get your hands on something like this?¡± ¡°I went to my mom¡¯s workplace to deliver her some documents from dad. It seems they had some big conference going on. Then, I saw this left over bottle at one side and it seems that no one is looking, then ¨C ¡± ¡°Your fingers got itchy.¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ It¡¯s precisely this that gives me concern. This, and still choosing to drink even though you are aware we are still minors.¡± ¡°Are you going to just stand there or are you going to sit down and drink?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll sit down, but I¡¯m definitely not going to drink.¡± ¡°I see¡­ then don¡¯t mind me.¡± Brag took one deep gulp of the whiskey and let out a big breath of relief. ¡°Whoo! You can trust the High Council to provide the best vintages.¡± Cadeus slyly took the bottle away from him as he said that. ¡°You better stop now or else you¡¯ll get drunk for real.¡± ¡°Right!¡± Braig wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his uniform. ¡°The information I got for you. Before I start, how have things been recently for you?¡± Cadeus instantly knew that he was referring to the case of the current Board Quest. ¡°I have been hearing the rumours regarding a certain ingredient.¡± ¡°So you are in the know. That¡¯s good. You saved me the trouble of explaining things. Down to business then, how much powder do you have on you right now?¡± ¡°We couldn¡¯t get anymore from the Alchemical shops, so we¡¯re making it instead. We should have enough by the evening.¡± ¡°I see¡­ that¡¯s good news indeed.¡± ¡°So what gives? Why is the High Council getting so worked up just because of one ingredient?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ as far as I am concerned, this is more of the issue of the Enforcers. The High Council had little to do with this.¡± ¡°The Enforcers?¡± The Enforcers were the police force in Otium. They¡¯re magi Specialists who were commissioned by the High Council to preserve law and order. They were one of the most prestigious sectors of the magi government, retaining a high level of authority over many of the other government sectors. While the High Council debate long-term politics, the Enforcers took to the streets and the country¡¯s underworld, arresting criminals and apprehending all sorts of illegal belligerents. They were said to be very powerful users of magic capable of detaining even a Master. If they¡¯re involved¡­ ¡°If the Enforcers are involved¡­ what exactly went wrong?¡± ¡°Before I answer you, what rumours have you heard so far?¡± ¡°Usage of false names, exceeding the ingredient limit, that sort of thing.¡± ¡°They are all accurate.¡± Well that came out pretty quick. ¡°Accurate as in¡­ the commissioners really submitted false names and exceed the limit they ought to keep?¡± ¡°They really hit beyond the limit that is required of them, totally.¡± ¡°By how much?¡± ¡°Well¡­ the official report I happened to ¡®see¡¯ mentioned fifty times that is required of them, whoever they are.¡± ¡°Ouch.¡± ¡°Yup, ouch. Do you know what Procona is used for?¡± ¡°Ritual medium, alchemical base.¡± ¡°Alchemical diffusion paste used to separate critical nutrients and key ingredients from a single source.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know you studied Alchemy.¡± ¡°Not part of our year¡¯s syllabus I know. But my parents insisted I studied enough to get by in preparation for next year. They were mentioning how hard the Alchemical trials are, and then they thought that perhaps, studying a few months in advance would give me a heads up.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°But you got the ritual part right. I¡¯ll give you that.¡± ¡°So just because a group of mages have an abundance of a important Alchemical diffusion paste, they warranted the attention of the Enforcers?¡± ¡°They were given fair warnings, if that¡¯s what you are looking for. But as expected of egoistic chumps, they ignored the warnings and continue to amass the powder. They made quite a few scenes too in the merchant streets demanding the ingredient, or have you not heard?¡± Cadeus instantly recalled what the shopkeeper in Demerith¡¯s Street said yesterday. ¡°No I definitely heard about that.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s an issue of stubbornness, the Enforcers won¡¯t really pay that much attention to detail. But upsetting public areas? Now that¡¯s a different story. The more attention they warranted from the Enforcers, the more the Enforcers will notice that something is not right. That¡¯s where the false names comes in.¡± ¡°I see¡­ no doubt the Enforcers will have thoughts about apprehending the commissioners.¡± ¡°Indeed. I believe ¡®no shit¡¯ is the proper Earth terminology to use in this case.¡± ¡°Yes, no shit indeed. But you better not pick up that sort of language.¡± ¡°Ah shame¡­ some of your Earth terminologies are quite convenient to use.¡± ¡°If you are a common person I wouldn¡¯t mind. But I won¡¯t forget you are a noble.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t see me as a noble.¡± ¡°You know I can¡¯t do that. Taking that tie off does not change anything.¡± ¡°Argh¡­ now we are straying from the important topic. Anyways, you better forget about the quest.¡± ¡°Forget about it? I can¡¯t just forget about the quest. Not after all that I have been through.¡± ¡°It¡¯s nasty business, getting this dangerously involved.¡± ¡°Do you mean me? Or the commissioners?¡± ¡°Oh it¡¯s definitely them that¡¯s for sure. But whether you get pulled into this, it entirely depends on you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t foresee myself getting thrown into jail. I haven¡¯t the intention of committing a crime.¡± ¡°Well, all that I¡¯m saying is, you might want to think twice before you submit that powder to your commissioner, whoever he is.¡± ¡°Or, I could just submit the powder before the rumours become actual truth.¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°There is no confirmation or statement from the Enforcers or the High Council. We weren¡¯t supposed to know of that report that you happen to¡­ ¡®see¡¯. So officially, we are ignorant of what is transpiring. I doubt the Enforcers would have the right to just cuff us when we are not even aware of what our commissioners are up to.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ that could work, assuming that the Enforcers still do not make a statement. But they do, they have all the right.¡± ¡°Then I best hurry. I¡¯m not going to let hard work go to waste.¡± Braig took back the bottle of whiskey from Cadeus. ¡°Up to you, my friend. Don¡¯t say I didn¡¯t warn you.¡± His business done, Braig collected his own sling bag and left the scene, drinking merrily in the process. TOA Cadeus let out a sigh as he rested his head on the table. What dilemma indeed. With all the information he has gathered so far, Cadeus can only see two¡­ no make that three paths in front of him, and his friends. The first path would be to hand over the powder, get the payment as rewarded and just leave without getting further involved with whatever is rumoured. This is assuming that the Enforcers did not act or make any statement. The second would be to not submit the powder and ensure that they do not get dragged into anything funny, but that would mean that they lose the 160 profit, and three days worth of effort would go down to waste. The third would be to act even if the Enforcers made a statement. Hand over the powder, get the payment as rewarded, and risk ending up supporting would-be criminals, which in turn would make them eligible for an arrest warrant. Sigh¡­ what to do¡­ ¡°Why the long face?¡± Cadeus tilt his head to see Nadav with their lunch plates on his hands. ¡°Thanks for getting lunch.¡± ¡°Since when did I become your butler?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you been our butler for quite sometime?¡± ¡°Tch! This asshole.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Sing?¡± Nadav laid the food in front of Cadeus¡¯s head. ¡°Sing says that we can go ahead without her. She wants to spend more time working on our ingredient.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°So what¡¯s the plan?¡± ¡°Huh? Get the charcoal and sulphur and get back to Sing. Why?¡± ¡°Well, aside from getting 1.8 kg worth of charcoal and sulphur. That ought to take us up till 3 pm in the afternoon. What other plans you have for the day?¡± ¡°Nothing. So I think I¡¯ll just help Sing make more powder?¡± ¡°¡­ I hate you so much. Why did I bother asking this workaholic?¡± As Cadeus started eating, it feels that trouble does not go away. There is always something lurking within his head, bothering him until Cadeus start experiencing something akin to a headache. Perhaps what Braig said must have left quite an extensive impression, but the more Cadeus thought about it, the more it does not seem to be the case. Trying to figure out the possible cause, Cadeus soon discovered that the cause of the uneasiness is not the negative implications they face for their Board Quest. But rather, it is the result of a hostile presence that has been building up somewhere around him. Cadeus can feel someone¡­ or some people, building up a high intensive level of magic within their bodies enough to cast a strong spell. Whatever it is for, the intentions are clearly hostile. Usually Cadeus won¡¯t be bothered with what is going on around him for as long as they do not affect him. But the strange thing is, that for some reason, the rise in tension is all directed towards him. Turning his head slightly, Cadeus¡¯s eyes fell upon three other dark mages, who in turn stared back with hostile gazes. ¡°Looks like trouble¡¯s coming. Three O¡¯clock.¡± ¡°I see them.¡± Nadav took out a marked purse from his sling bag and poured out the dirt and earth from within. Once all of the earth was laid on the table, Nadav bumped his clenched knuckles together. ¡°[Rock Fist].¡± With a single rough sound, Nadav¡¯s hands became covered with the same hardened Earth Gauntlets. But since the amount of dirt is rather limited due to the small size of the purse, Nadav could only forge a single layer of hard rock. Cadeus remained looking at his food until the three Dark Mages move up to step behind him. Guessing that he could not avoid the confrontation, Cadeus turn around and look at them straight in the face. Judging from the special ties the three students were wearing around their neck, they¡¯re all Lesser Nobles. From that alone, Cadeus could already guess a reason why they came with hostile intentions. They probably want to beat him up because they feel disgusted about his family name. That might appear to be a very biased assumption. If they want a confrontation, why would they want to do it here in public space when they could do as such when he¡¯s alone? With the continuous silence, the Lesser Nobles frown in annoyance. ¡°Well? How long are you just going to stare at us?¡± That was rather rude. Guess these nobles could never conceal their sparks of dislikes. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Unbelievable. Look, he does not even know how to greet.¡± ¡°Perhaps he needs some ¡®education¡¯ to whip him up to shape.¡± One of the nobles cracked his knuckles to emphasize his hostile intentions. Even when the threat is clearly in front of his eyes, Cadeus is not in the slightest bit intimidated. The leading noble seems a lot more composed compared to his two friends. Whatever he came here for, he clearly had a proper reason compared to his two friends. ¡°I heard you gave my friends some trouble yesterday at Demerith¡¯s Street.¡± Oh really now? ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie imposter. I heard you got them into trouble with Davian. Otherwise, how the heck did they all end up in the detention room?¡± It seems that Davian was able to apprehend the correct culprits that gave Cadeus trouble in Demerith¡¯s Street yesterday, but this fellow here did not seem to like it. Well, it¡¯s not Cadeus¡¯s fault to begin with. Those idiots who wanted to fight him yesterday were the instigators who deserved their punishment. If this noble was here to brag about it, it probably meant that his friends who got locked up gave him the wrong story. While listening to the story, Nadav chose to keep quiet. Though he was still equipped with his single layer of [Rock Fist], he hid them under the table and acted as if he¡¯s minding his own business. For the moment, Cadeus had to work this out on his own. Now¡­ how would he get out of this one? It probably would be better if they hear the truth of what happened. Cadeus was not entirely confident that they would take his side of the story, but what¡¯s the harm in trying? ¡°First of all, there was never a fight. Your friends confronted me with the obvious intent to beat me up. But Davian just happened to be on scene to stop them.¡± Judging from the lack of changes in their facial expressions, the nobles aren¡¯t convinced, just as what Cadeus expected. While the two nobles behind made dissatisfying grunts, the lead noble at least tried to understand the overall picture. ¡°Let¡¯s say that your story is true and that my friends are to blame. But why would Davian be there? He usually locks himself inside the Student Council room. Plus, if you were there, why aren¡¯t you in the detention room?¡± ¡°Because I am not the one looking for trouble?¡± ¡°Instigator or not. Both sides always get locked up in the detention room. The fact that you alone got out of it makes me wonder if you deliberately set our guys up with Davian.¡± ¡°Set them up? Now since when did I ever had the connection with Davian to set your friends up? Davian probably hates me just as much as you and your friends do.¡± The leading noble remained composed. After several more seconds of silence, he opened his mouth. ¡°But still, my friends got lock up because of you. Don¡¯t you think some compensation is in order?¡± ¡°What kind of compensation are you talking about?¡± The two nobles behind gave sneers. One of them quickly gave the answer, expecting Cadeus to comply to their wishes. ¡°One hundred Duches up front.¡± The lead noble tilted his head backwards in slight confusion. It seems that the 100 Duches demand must have been something that his friend decided on impulse without properly consulting the others. Well, whatever the demand, it is clear that the others are playing along with the demand because they don¡¯t feel like debating for something so trifle. ¡°A hundred Duches, and we¡¯ll just walk away without hitting you.¡± Cadeus was not going to comply. ¡°Um¡­ I don¡¯t think so.¡± At that very instance, the mood turned for the worst. The nobles were clearly unsatisfied with that answer. ¡°All right, that¡¯s it.¡± The other noble behind lashed out in response to that remark. Unlike his two friends, this one seemed to be getting rather impatient with the fact that Cadeus is not in the least intimidated by them. ¡°I honestly wanted to play this nicely. But you continue to infuriate me with your lack of respect. Buckle up imposter. This one goes out for all your rude endeavours!¡± The Lesser Noble shot forth a fist for a punch, but it did not land on Cadeus. Instead, the punch landed on Nadav, who placed his broad and sturdy torso in Cadeus¡¯s former position. ¡°You know, for a Noble, you ought to watch that aggressive attitude buddy.¡± The Lesser Noble does not take Nadav¡¯s presence kindly. ¡°Piss off you common peasant filth ¨C ¡± Before he could finish, Nadav grabbed his face with an open handed [Rock Fist] and forcefully push him backwards. With the strength of the centrifugal force, the Lesser Noble landed himself onto a nearby eatery desk along with the students who all then became irritated with this sudden intrusion. ¡°Oh ho! Nice one ¨C ¡± Punch! Before he could finish what he said, the leading noble gave Nadav a punch on the face. For all the sound that punch produced, it was only strong enough to tilt Nadav¡¯s head to the side. If there was one thing common among Nobles, most of them lack the physical punch. Nadav simply responded by giving him a [Rock Fist] to the face, sending him flying and crashing towards the other side of Coral hall. Before the last noble could properly react, Nadav redirected the earth from his hands to his shin, and sent him an upper kick that also sent him flying to the other side. Needless to say, this triggered off a new series of fights around the unsatisfied victims, and these resulting new fights triggered other fights around other areas of the hall. Soon throughout the hall, Mages wearing different colours started fighting each other, and the hall turned from an eatery to an all out brawl. Cadeus and Nadav soon had to defend themselves from students around all sides. Cadeus soon saw a Grey student coming at him with a molded steel blade. ¡°[Bolt Pulse]!¡± The poor student was soon discharged by a stun spell that came with the form of a small plasma charge of electricity. A surge of wind soon enveloped Cadeus and threw him to the side. Moaning from the blunt trauma, Cadeus looked up to see a White trying to target him with a gust of whirlwind that¡¯s developing in his right hand. But before he could do his dirty trick, he was soon knocked by another Dark who just targeted him based on colour discrimination. Another Grey fell beside him and Cadeus quickly rolled out of the way before he could be dragged into another fight. Now that he had realized it, the entire hall was bursting with shouts and paranormal intensity with all the spell casting. ¡°Oh no¡­ this is not good.¡± Although this big fight helped to distract trouble away from Cadeus and Nadav, the situation was becoming more dangerous by the second. Indiscriminate fights often start with random picked opponents just like what is going on now. If they do not get out of here soon, both Cadeus and Nadav would soon be dragged into more fights that they had nothing to do with. Thinking about this now instantly triggered Cadeus to scout for Nadav. ¡°Nadav! We need to get out of here now bef ¨C ¡± Before he could finish, a random Grey mage entered his fiend of vision with a fist raised. Cadeus tilted his head to dodge the punch and gave that Grey a stunning electric spell to the gut. ¡°Nadav?¡± Cadeus soon realized that Nadav is totally swayed by the current flow of events, as he can be seen whacking his [Rock Fists] at any mage who came at him with a smiling glee on his face. ¡°COME ON!!!! COME AT ME!!!!! WHERE¡¯S YOUR CHIVALRY????!!!!!¡± Looking at such a sight, Cadeus could only give himself a face palm. ¡°Oh come on¡­¡± Pang! The sound of something heavy can be heard landing from one of the Hall¡¯s entrance. Turning to the direction, Cadeus can see two steel tampered earth golems manifesting from the Hall¡¯s east entrance. They are the golems that were utilized by the Disciplinary Committee. That means¡­ Before Nadav could continue another fight, Cadeus ran up to him, grab him by the shoulder and quickly lead him towards the hall¡¯s northern entrance. ¡°Eh? Eh? Why are we moving out?¡± ¡°You think? Did you just see those two golems? Sooner of later the Discipline Committee is going to appear. Do you want to be here when Viegra shows up?¡± ¡°¡­ Shit.¡± With no further resistance from Nadav, Cadeus released his grip on Nadav¡¯s shoulders and the two of them ran as fast as they can, away from the scene of the crime. TOA ¡°All right! Here¡¯s the charcoal. 950 grams.¡± ¡°Thanks Felkor. We owe you one.¡± ¡°Nah, it¡¯s nothing. You guys are paying me anyways. That¡¯ll be 15 Duches.¡± While Cadeus counted the coins in his purse, Nadav scooped the pack of Charcoal and slipped it in his sling bag. ¡°Here. 15 Duches.¡± ¡°All right. How¡¯s that powder search going?¡± ¡°Um¡­ okay¡­ I guess?¡± Cadeus replied. ¡°Hm¡­ I hear a sight hesitation there, are things good?¡± ¡°Well¡­ like what you said, all the shops we came across are all busted. We only got a small tin container worth of powder, but it¡¯s not enough. So Sing is going to make more.¡± Nadav said. ¡°Ah¡­ so hence the charcoal. That girl is quite bright for her age.¡± Felkor said. ¡°Yeah. She also needs sulphur.¡± ¡°Sulphur? What¡¯s she up to?¡± ¡°Well¡­ she¡¯s attempting a mixture.¡± Cadeus added ¡°Hm¡­ that¡¯s really odd. I don¡¯t seem to recall sulphur being part of any formula.¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s for something else.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ no. Not really. You might want to ask her to check with me. Just in case.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll tell her that. In the meantime, do you know where we can get sulphur?¡± Nadav asked. ¡°Just go to any Alchemical shop in Carmith¡¯s. You can even try the one that¡¯s a few blocks down. Sulphur is a very common and steady ingredient. Unlike Procona, I doubt it will be out of stock.¡± ¡°I see¡­ thanks Felkor.¡± ¡°Thanks for the powder.¡± ¡°Watch out for the streets you two, be wary of any weird mages strolling around in groups.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to keep telling us that Felkor, see you.¡± As Cadeus turned the door open, he bumped into a female stranger. The two of them exchanged eye contact for a moment before Cadeus exchanged manners. ¡°Oh sorry¡­¡± ¡°No worries.¡± The lady simply let the two of them leave first. Once the two boys are out of sight, she proceeded to sit at the table directly in front of Felkor, who in turn was still wiping his wet teacups when he saw the lady in front of him. ¡°Oh! Miss Allis! You are very early today. Happy hour menu is not up yet, so you¡¯ll have to deal with the normal one.¡± ¡°Thanks Felkor, I think I¡¯ll just have a fruit tea then.¡± ¡°Just give me a sec.¡± ¡°Just now, who was that?¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The Pure Blood.¡± ¡°Oh, the name is Cadeus. He¡¯s not a noble.¡± ¡°He¡¯s a Pure Blood, yet not a noble?¡± ¡°Yes. talk about strange eh?¡± ¡°Strange indeed.¡± Felkor soon laid the order in front of her. ¡°So, how can I help you today?¡± TOA ¡°Well that was costly.¡± Nadav added. ¡°Really?¡± After closing the Alchemical shop¡¯s door, Cadeus took another good look at the receipt. ¡°I thought it was cheap?¡± ¡°Cheap? You call that price cheap?¡± ¡°The price for the sulphur is cheap, or at least cheaper than what I had expected.¡± ¡°25 Duches for 950 grams? It¡¯s a definitely more costly than the charcoal Felkor charged us.¡± ¡°True, but you see, unlike charcoal, sulphur is less assessable.¡± ¡°Not going to argue. Time check?¡± Cadeus flipped open his pocket watch. ¡°2:04 pm. It is going to take us at least ten more minutes to get to the nearest carriage stand.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± ¡°But, if we take a short cut, we¡¯ll cut that timing by at least half.¡± ¡°And where exactly is this short cut of yours?¡± Cadeus pointed. ¡°That back alley will do the trick. If I get our bearings right, that back alley will align itself into the major shopping complexes in Carmith¡¯s Street. Figured that it¡¯ll be better than going through one big round for nothing, since are not buying anything else to begin with.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ true. Well, I¡¯m not going to be a paranoid like you, but Felkor just said to keep out of trouble.¡± Cadeus decided to ignore that ¡®paranoid¡¯ bit. ¡°What exactly are you concerned about?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think something might happen if we walk into a random back alley?¡± ¡°No. Nothing will happen. This is a proper back alley within a shopping district where shopkeepers use for storage, getting deliveries and smoke break, not some dubious abandoned street owned by gangs or mafias.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I see that you have a point.¡± ¡°Less talking more walking, let¡¯s go.¡± As it turns out, taking that short cut might be one of the worst decisions Cadeus made today. He did not expect it to be that bad five minutes ago. In fact, everything about that paper seems to be entirely ridiculous. All it took was just the next five minutes to prove how wrong Cadeus was. TOA All it took was just two clues. The first clue was how deserted the back alley was. Usually there would be some merchants loitering around either taking a few puffs of cigarettes or moving stocks in the back store. But there was no one visible. The whole place was strangely deserted.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. The second clue was how quiet the entire area is. Well¡­ quiet is not necessary the right word for it as Cadeus can still hear the echoing noises from the main streets beyond the alley. The unusual part was that he could hear the echoing noises clearly when usually he could not. This meant that the alley was quiet, too quiet compared to what it normally should be. ¡°Hm¡­ maybe I¡¯m just over thinking it.¡± ¡°Hm? You said something?¡± ¡°No.¡± Cadeus took flipped out his pocket watch. Time now is 2:03 pm, definitely way past lunch break. The merchants would definitely be inside their shops. They should not be out by around 3 pm. With this plausible fact in mind, Cadeus decided not to pay that much heed. ¡°Did that noble give you any more trouble?¡± Nadav asked to break the silence. Noble? ¡°Are you talking about Susan?¡± ¡°No, the other one.¡± ¡°Which one? There are so many nobles.¡± ¡°That Greater Noble.¡± Cadeus paused. ¡°¡­ You have to be a lot more specific than that.¡± ¡°The one that cut your cheek yesterday.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ that one.¡± ¡°What¡¯s her name? Rogust something¡­¡± ¡°Rrogust ve Chroma. Claire Rrogust ve Chroma, make sure you get it right when you are in front of her.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be in front of her. I¡¯ll run from her.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ just make sure she does not find out that you don¡¯t know her name. You¡¯ll never hear the end of it.¡± ¡°Is this coming from personal experience?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What exactly happened between the two of you?¡± ¡°The usual, my family name.¡± ¡°I mean besides that.¡± ¡°The usual, the fact that I¡¯m Pure Blood gets on her nerves amazingly well.¡± ¡°I mean besides that.¡± ¡°What exactly do you want to hear?¡± ¡°How did you two exactly meet?¡± ¡°In class?¡± ¡°Was there an opportunity before that?¡± ¡°Why are we discussing this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m curious. You never told us much about what happened in Tenebris Vacuum.¡± ¡°Did I ask you anything about Rigor-atque Cinereo?¡± ¡°Nope, but that¡¯s just you lacking any initiatives.¡± Cadeus gave a thought and smiled. Time to give Nadav a taste of his own medicine. ¡°Hm¡­ all right. Since you suggested I needed some initiative, who¡¯s Cassandra? How did you two meet?¡± Nadav¡¯s face turned from being the scheming predator, to the captured prey with no escape. ¡°Ok. Let¡¯s not go there.¡± ¡°Oh ho? Retreating immediately without putting up a fight? Now I¡¯m starting to get curious.¡± ¡°No you are not.¡± ¡°Come on. I only got to know this little.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t use your fingers to emphasize. You don¡¯t have to know anything about her.¡± ¡°Getting touchy on the topic eh?¡± ¡°Cadeus, shut up, before I shut you up myself.¡± It would seem that Cassandra could be counted as one of Nadav¡¯s sensitive topics. An adopted relative who happens to be an Untouched, Cadeus would love to hear more of this in the future. Bong! Bong! ¡°Hm?¡± A soft sound, soft but distinctively clear. Paying attention, Cadeus stopped Nadav and prompted him to do the same. Bong! Bong! ¡°Did you hear that?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Bong! Bong! ¡°It sounds like¡­¡± ¡°Something bouncing.¡± Bong! Bong! ¡°A ball?¡± ¡°Nah¡­ a ball would sound softer. This is something of a much harder material.¡± Bong! Bong! After a few more seconds, something round can be seen bouncing towards them. As the thing got closer, Cadeus noticed that the thing is just a dark purple ball. When the ball was just only a few feet from them, it ceased moving forward and continued bouncing vertically. ¡°What the shit is this?¡± Nadav said. ¡°It looks like it is a ball after all.¡± ¡°Not the kind of ball we had in our heads. Besides¡­ what kind of ball this is? A crystal ball?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ from this height it keeps bouncing? No. A crystal ball would have fractured long ago.¡± ¡°It could be coated with fortifying magic. Pretty simple spell, you can just cover the ball in a thin layer of dirt, and then all you have to do to utilize the magical properties of the element Earth to give that layer a firm structure.¡± ¡°Kind of like your [Rock Fists]¡± ¡°Yeah! Kind of.¡± ¡°So you are saying that this ball is the result of a Grey Spell?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just saying it¡¯s a possibility. The magic in this ball is too thick for me to discern it¡¯s actual properties. Besides, I smell more Dark in this than Grey.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ fair enough.¡± The ball continued to bounce vertically at that exact spot. Unaware of it¡¯s properties, the two of them moved around the ball cautiously, not wanting to trigger any paranormal effect. Once they got past the ball, the two of them decided to spend a moment to study this strange bouncing ball. But after several minutes without any results, Cadeus soon lost interest. ¡°We¡¯re wasting time. Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Wait.¡± Nadav massaged his chin. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°My investigator switch is still turning itself on.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Cadeus turned his back on the ball, eyes still on his curious friend. ¡°Nothing happened when we encounter it, nothing happened in the past few minutes, and nothing will happen in the next few minutes to come. This ball is just a trinket of some mage who was unfortunate to lose it.¡± ¡°But a bouncing ball that never stops bouncing, isn¡¯t that already something we ought to be bothered about?¡± ¡°Absolutely not.¡± Cadeus pointed. ¡°The exit is in that direction, let¡¯s just stay focused.¡± ¡°Oh no no no. There is definitely something fishy about this ball.¡± ¡°Nadav, give me one reason why I ought to be bothered about this.¡± ¡°This things has Dark magic in it.¡± ¡°We both agreed on that already. So?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fishy, very fishy. We are alone, and this ball just came upon us. No matter what thoughts came across my head, this clearly is suspicious.¡± ¡°So what if it¡¯s suspicious? We don¡¯t have to be bothered by it.¡± ¡°It could be a trap.¡± ¡°Like that will affect us.¡± ¡°Or¡­ maybe it¡¯s a hidden quest that will reward us with extra exp and rewards!¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Cadeus gave himself a face palm. ¡°You play way too many rpgs back on Earth buddy.¡± ¡°Cadeus, you are Pure Blooded right?¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Pure Bloods have little to no penalty when messing around with Dark magic right?¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t one of the absolute rules.¡± ¡°But am I still correct?¡± ¡°¡­ To a rather debatable extent yes.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just see what¡¯s inside. Come Cadeus!¡± Nadav instantly grabbed his hand and moved it towards the ball. ¡°This thing ricks of Dark Magic. It¡¯s time for you to shine~!¡± Grab Cadeus gripped his free fingers firmly onto Nadav¡¯s face before he could try anything funny. ¡°Ah! Ah! It¡¯s hurts! Ok! Ok! You can let go of me now!¡± ¡°Hm¡­ I don''t think so.¡± ¡°Ow! Ow! OW!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just see what is inside? Shouldn¡¯t you be at least cautious? What if this ball is hooked with a kind of spell that activates once you touch it?¡± ¡°OW ¨C Oh¡­ if that¡¯s the case, we¡¯ll just throw it aside before the spell resolves.¡± ¡°¡­ You really are not bothered with the possibility that the spell could be activated at the very instance your hands come into contact with the ball? ¡°It¡¯s ok. What¡¯s the worst that could happen?¡± ¡°¡­ Why do I get the feeling you don¡¯t mind seeing me get caught in some sort of weird spell?¡± ¡°Oh come on! If anything happens, all I need to do is just drag you to a nearby Apothecary.¡± Cadeus applied more pressure on his death grip. ¡°AAAHHHHH!!!!!!¡± ¡°And what happens if this certain apothecary fails to deduce what is wrong with me?¡± ¡°AAAAHHHH ¨C Oh? Then I¡¯ll just get referred to another Specialist who probably best knows what¡¯s wrong with you.¡± ¡°You are surprisingly enduring this pretty well.¡± ¡°I get by everything. You know me.¡± ¡°Besides, the word ¡®probably¡¯ is not entirely that convincing Nadav.¡± ¡°Relax. Even if something were to happen, it is only a matter of time till we figure out the cure.¡± ¡°And in the meantime, I¡¯ll get stuck in limbo, or some state similar to that condition.¡± ¡°Tch! Come on! Scary cat! Touch it! I want to see what happens.¡± ¡°¡­ [Lightning Pulse].¡± BBBBBZZZZZZZ ¡°AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!¡± TOA Cadeus placed his fingers a few inches away from the ball reluctantly, as if he is going to make the worst decision ever. ¡°If I get stuck in limbo for more than two weeks, I¡¯m going to roast you.¡± ¡°That is if you get stuck in limbo.¡± Cadeus paused to ready himself. At the very instance his fingers caught the ball, he immediately tossed it away towards the side. Once the ball left his fingers, Cadeus and Nadav quickly braced themselves for some sort of impact. The ball resumed its course, slowly bouncing around randomly. Cadeus and Nadav continued to hold their breaths waiting in anticipation. The next ten seconds suddenly felt like ten minutes, but after they felt that nothing major is happening, the two of them finally let out breaths of relief. ¡°I guess that is all to the anticipation. You see, no limbo.¡± ¡°Luckily for you.¡± ¡°You sound extremely disappointed.¡± ¡°Can you blame me? Damn it¡­ just missed another chance to catch another funny face.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Pah! Nadav instantly caught another punch flying towards his face. Seriously, what kind of a childhood friend is this? After Nadav released his fist, Cadeus pressed for the time. ¡°Well, now that we have wasted enough time, let¡¯s get going.¡± ¡°What about the ball?¡± ¡°You still on about it? Leave it.¡± ¡°You sure?¡± ¡°We have absolutely no reason to pursue this funny matter since we both got more important things to do. The exit is just over there, let¡¯s get ourselves a carriage back to the Academy.¡± ¡°Um¡­ Cadeus?¡± ¡° *Irritated sigh* What now?¡± ¡°The ball¡­¡± ¡°Enough with the ball already will you.¡± ¡°No look, the ball.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Looking at where Nadav was pointing, Cadeus saw that there were six spots on the ground glowing in bright purple. Looking at the ball, Cadeus realized that it was creating the glowing spots whenever it made contact with the ground. It took him several more seconds to grasp that the ball was moving to cover a circular circumference. Before he knew it, the ball worked its way to its seventh spot before it could make a complete circle. ¡°Nadav, stop the ball now.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Now!¡± Ping! Upon completing the circumference, the eight spots shot a glow towards the very centre triggering what looks to be a series of enchanted runes. ¡°Ah¡­¡± ¡°Ah?¡± Then all of a sudden, a bright intensive purple light flashed all around them causing the two of them to cover their eyes with their sleeves. When it is all over, Cadeus and Nadav found themselves surrounding by four different translucent walls of swirling black and purple. Looking around in further detail, Cadeus discovered that there were other roof tiles spread all around the back alley enough to guarantee a trigger. Whoever did this had the absolute intention of trapping Cadeus and Nadav. ¡°What the heck is this?!¡± ¡°It looks like a remotely triggered barrier¡­¡± ¡°DAMN IT!¡± Nadav¡¯s hand instantly went for the ball that finally stopped bouncing. ¡°Damn it! We just need to deactivate the barrier!¡± Nadav slammed the ball against the ground, hard enough to fracture it into two concrete parts. There are no changes to the barrier surrounding them. ¡°DAMN IT!¡± Nadav equipped himself with his favourite [Rock Fists] and continuously slammed the divided ball until it is broken into multiple small pieces. But no matter how hard he tries, there were no additional changes to the barriers all around them. Staring at the depressed floor with the dozen pieces of broken¡­ was it glass or was clay? Anyways, Nadav turned back his attention to Cadeus. ¡°¡­ Any idea how to get out of here?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking.¡± Cadeus racked his brain for a possible solution. However, at the very midst of his thought processing he was interrupted by a strange occurrence. ¡°Cadeus¡­ the barrier is getting wider!¡± ¡°What?¡± Nadav isn¡¯t lying, the barrier was slowly expanding its borders. But that is not the only thing that was happening. For some reason, the brightness of the afternoon sunlight dimmed in darkness. Cadeus had a guess that this barrier might have the function of isolating its captives both externally and internally. The barrier might cover itself in total darkness, a classic tactic to trap their sense of sight. As he waited, Cadeus felt the presence of a stranger approaching them. He instantly prepared [Lightning Pulse] on hold at his right hand. Whoever did this is going to reveal himself sooner or later. Relying on his ears, Cadeus can hear footsteps getting closer. The surrounding brightness increased. Once he knew that the person is directly behind him, he turned, [Lightning Pulse] at the ready. Lightning jabs began to form at his right fingertips. He was just about to send the first volts of lighting over when someone suddenly grabbed his right wrist. Looking up, Cadeus found himself staring at a rather striking lady dressed in casual civilian clothes closely matching those he saw back on Earth. Looking closely, Cadeus saw that this lady was that same lady he was when they exited Felkor¡¯s earlier. Feeling slightly intimidated by the hostile gesture, Cadeus bent his fingers to the right angle and shot [Lightning Pulse]. However, at the very instance, the unknown lady grasped Cadeus¡¯s fingers with her other hand and drained the electric current out of his fingers. Upon seeing this newfound enemy, Nadav launched both of his [Flying Rock Fists] to the hostile figure, one after the other in a parallel formation. Miraculously, the strange female simply raised her free hand and cast a lightning spell unfamiliar to Cadeus. It¡¯s a [Point Spell]. Cadeus is highly confident of that. Lighting arcs left the female¡¯s fingertips, all concentrated into one common point in mid air at the center of her palms, before shooting itself into intercepting Nadav¡¯s two [Flying Rock Fists]. The lightning arc tore itself through the multi-layer hard earth, crushed the first fist and still had enough raw power to spearhead itself into the second fist. By the time Cadeus managed to absorb the current flow of events, both of Nadav¡¯s [Flying Rock Fists] had been totally disintegrated. Before they could react any further, the female utilized some sort of close combat martial arts to flip Cadeus to the ground and pin him there without much effort. While this was happening, Nadav pressed his palms on the floor and equipped himself with another badge of [Rock Fists]. While he rushed to the lady, she merely snapped her fingers, and Nadav almost slammed himself to a translucent electric barrier. ¡°Eh? What the¡­ A barrier?¡± Realizing that he could not count on Nadav for any help right now, Cadeus twisted his body to give his free hand the angle he needs to fire another spell. But the lady, experienced in martial arts, twisted his wrist to apply the necessary pressure need to pin Cadeus in a continuous lock down. With no other options, Nadav started bashing against the barrier under the assumption that the barrier will give way to brute force. But the more he punched, the more his [Rock Fists] slowly withered layer by layer due to the powerful electric voltage the barrier is giving out. Realizing that banging against the electric wall was not going to help, Nadav started looking for alternatives. The first thing that came to his head, was the possibility that the barrier must have been of the same runic category as the one that first trapped them. As such, destroying the runic source will definitely dissolve this barrier. With that in mind, Nadav instantly looked around for some runic imprints that he can destroy to get rid of this barrier. But there were no such runic inscriptions. The more Nadav searched, the more he came to realize that this barrier seems more to be of the result of a [Point Spell], rather than that of a runic inscription. Without much left to do, Nadav could only slam his fist against the floor to open up a path to the underground sewers. Little did he know, the barrier was not two-dimensional, it¡¯s four-dimensional. When Nadav cleared a portion of the debris from the ground, he saw a translucent eclectic light streaming with electricity below within the floor. It was only then did he realize that he was encaged on all six sides. Since breaking down to the underground sewers is out, there¡¯s one last thing Nadav thinks he could do. Unlike White Magic and Dark magic, Grey Magic had access to all seven elements, which means that Nadav could use the element of lightning too. If he could use lightning to alter the barrier, he might be able to get out. With one last idea in his head, Nadav focused the magic within himself to his hands and enchased his flesh with electricity. Pressing his sizzling blue palms against the barrier, Nadav attempted to pry open the barrier. But in response to this attempt, the barrier automatically increased its voltage and repelled Nadav¡¯s prying hands. Now that there¡¯s nothing else that he can do, Nadav is forced stand straight with his hands up at his sides as a gesture of surrender. Satisfied with the outcome, the woman looked down on Cadeus and let out her voice. ¡°Good, now that we have settled down, your actions are no good boy. Even if someone is following you, it will not do you any good if you use that to knock people out instantly without finding out who they are or what their motives are.¡± TOA Upon hearing that light toned voice, Cadeus stopped resisting and took the chance to look back in order to study this feminine figure. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°Just a friendly passerby.¡± ¡°Right¡­ a stranger suddenly trapped us, pinned me down and locked my friend up in a barrier. Now she is calling herself a friendly passerby. Is this a new way of greeting people you don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°Well, I initially wanted to say hi, but you two are at fault for making such hostile gestures. Casting spells against a lady? Tsk, tsk, tsk.¡± ¡°If you wanted to say hi, you wouldn¡¯t even need to trap us within this barrier to begin with.¡± ¡°Ah but you see, this barrier is not hostile.¡± ¡°You still trapped us. Isn¡¯t that already a hostile gesture?¡± ¡°Not all barriers are meant for trapping people.¡± ¡°But you are still confining us within this fixed set of boundaries.¡± ¡°Ah, it seems I found myself a philosopher. We could spend the rest of the day debating vocabulary and terminology usage, but don¡¯t you think time would be better spent getting to the heart of the issue at hand?¡± ¡°¡­ What do you want?¡± ¡°If I let you go, would you and your friend be so kind as to not run and listen to what I have to say?¡± ¡°Well, you managed to trap us. So I¡¯ll say that we will be idiots if we make another attempt to escape without first knowing what else you might have in stall for us.¡± ¡°Smart boy. What about you Grey one?¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m stuck. I doubt I can do anything in my current situation.¡± ¡°Then I think I¡¯ll just leave you in there.¡± ¡°I promise! I promise I won¡¯t run so can you get me out of this thing?!¡± Still smiling, the lady released her hold off Cadeus and dismissed the barrier allowing Nadav the freedom to move where he wants so as long as he does not make an attempt to run. As he stood up and moved to where Nadav was, Cadeus casted a suspicious glace towards the lady. Doesn¡¯t she have a Cast Limit to consider? If Nadav chose to remain in the barrier, how long could she keep up that six-sided barrier? Going from the crooked nature of her spells, she is also a Dark Mage like himself. Curious as to her identity, Cadeus initiated the conversation. ¡°All right, now that we have both agreed not to run, who are you?¡± The lady responded by taking out an untied robe slash containing a special pattern, a pattern all too familiar to Cadeus for he had seen that ranking pattern before on Educator Garth. It was the mark of a legitimate Specialist, a Mage who has chosen a Specialism and has advanced further into the deeper studies of magic. Whoever this lady is, she appears to be of the same standard level as Educator Garth. Meaning, that it will take a lot to try to outsmart her. But that is not all. In addition, the back of her hand holding the robe slash began glowing in bright gold. Focusing his vision, Cadeus saw that the bright glow revealed a complex circular pattern, complex, but not unfamiliar. The circular insignia was that of a tower in the centre surrounded by three orbs. When Cadeus and Nadav saw that insignia, their eyes widened in recognition. The person in front of them right now is an Enforcer, an extensive agent of the High Council. ¡°She is an Enforcer? Cadeus did you see that? She¡¯s an Enforcer!¡± ¡°Yes Nadav I can see that.¡± ¡°What would an Enforcer want with us? We are law abiding mages.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think law abiding is the issue here. Besides¡­¡± Cadeus stared at the female lady with cold eyes. ¡°What kind of an Enforcer traps ordinary civilians?¡± The female just smiled at the accusation. ¡°Ah but you see, you aren¡¯t just any ordinary civilian.¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± "Well, I was just wandering around, and then, the most unlikely person. Pale Caucasian skin, white hair, and cold dark black eyes. You''re a Pure Blood." ¡°That can¡¯t be the only reason.¡± ¡°And why not?¡± ¡°Because agents of the High Council don¡¯t have much time to indulge in random pricks of curiosity. Well¡­ at least pricks not related to their work.¡± ¡°Ah but you see, you are related to my work.¡± "¡­ Impossible.¡± ¡°No, not impossible. In fact, it is extremely safe to say that you are involved with my current case. I doubt you can be considered ¡®ordinary¡¯.¡± ¡°Interesting story. Anyone can make that up.¡± ¡°Not entirely convinced aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Anyone can impersonate being an Enforcer.¡± ¡°True, but my mark is legit. Whether you choose to believe it or not, that¡¯s not a matter for me.¡± ¡°I see. But as you can see, we are but simple students who don¡¯t know much about magic or the adult society.¡± ¡°Aye, you don¡¯t know much, which is precisely why I am approaching you.¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± Still smiling, the female who has yet to properly introduce herself decided to play the guessing game a little longer. ¡°Care to give a guess Dark one?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Although he was highly reluctant, Cadeus decided that it would be best to bring in the sensitive card. ¡°¡­ Our Board Quest?¡± The lady gave Cadeus several soft claps of approval. ¡°Please wait for a second.¡± Cadeus grabbed Nadav by the elbow and lead him back a few steps to initiate a private conversation. ¡°This looks serious.¡± ¡°You think? Everything is quite the tension now whenever we bring up the Procona ingredient.¡± ¡°We need to be careful. Something tells me this woman is more than what she seems to be.¡± ¡°What ¡®we¡¯? You talk to her.¡± ¡°¡­ Why am I the only one doing the talking?¡± ¡°Because she¡¯s Dark, and you¡¯re Dark.¡± ¡°That¡¯s being discriminative, please don¡¯t make me punch you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not. You are clearly more used to dealing with shady characters than I am.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t there also shady characters among Grey Mages?¡± ¡°Not what I am uncomfortable dealing with, but a Dark Mage lady who is also an Enforcer? Give me one reason why I shouldn¡¯t be extremely wary of her.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ you got a point.¡± ¡°Even if you were to roast me this very instance I still won¡¯t talk to her.¡± Nadav stole a glance towards Miss Allis and spoke in a softer voice. ¡°She seems the inquisitive type. It¡¯s giving me the creeps.¡± ¡° *Irritated sigh* Fine then!¡± Deciding that the clown will be of no use for the moment, Cadeus took several daring steps closer. ¡°Ready to talk? Now, that¡¯s better isn¡¯t it?¡± The female Mage said. Cadeus still refused to be courteous. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°You can call me Allis as for now.¡± ¡°I see, a cover name. Well, better than nothing.¡± The Dark Mage lady merely stood there with her hands on her hips. Though he cannot see her face, Cadeus can tell that she is¡­ well sizing him up might not be a nice way to put it, but yes, that¡¯s what she¡¯s doing. Plus from that tone from the her last few words, Cadeus felt that she knew his name from some other source. Perhaps she knew Mr. Morrison, perhaps she didn¡¯t. Feeling uncomfortable with the current situation Cadeus pressed he questions. He really wants to find out what kind of situation are they dragging themselves in. ¡°Why did you do this?¡± Cadeus indicated the barrier. ¡°Well you see. It¡¯s a rather convenient barrier. You see, people won¡¯t see us or hear our conversation.¡± ¡°But what if people were to accidentally walk into ¨C ¡± Cadeus quickly corrected himself. ¡°Ignore that last question. You must have already taken care of that, considering how quiet it was when we walked into your trap.¡± ¡°Glad to see that you are quick to catch the wind of things.¡± ¡°So¡­ Procona. Is the situation that bad as what I think?¡± ¡°Bad~, very bad~.¡± ¡°¡­ Your sarcasm is not helping you here you know.¡± Miss Allis just continue to give him the smile. She said the word, but from her sarcastic tone it does not sound as appalling as what Cadeus had imagined. This lady is refusing to divulge the severity of the situation by trying to keep things cool. Perhaps she is deliberately not letting them know the severity of the situation so that she can guarantee their co-operation. ¡°So what do you want with us? Are you planning on confiscating the powder we have?¡± ¡°Nope, not exactly. Quite the contrary.¡± ¡°Then what do you want?¡± ¡°Straight to the point, I like it. Saves me the trouble of beating around the bush. What I am interested in is not the powder, but your client.¡± Given the rumours Cadeus had heard that¡¯s not something surprising. ¡°What is with the client?¡± ¡°Do you know who your client is?¡± ¡°No. But going by the signature, the name is Fremin. My take is that he must have been an Alchemist.¡± ¡°Bingo. There have been recent activities by this man and his friends where they had bought large quantities of the powder, and recently created quite some ruse to obtain it. Have you heard of such scenes?¡± ¡°Yes. You are saying that this Fremin and his friends are the cause of it?¡± ¡°Correct. In fact, he might as well be the very reason this Procona Fever is coming about.¡± ¡°So what do you want us to do? You can¡¯t possibly expect us to ask him what are his plans for his arsenal of Procona.¡± ¡°Oh but we can. Truth to be told, my department had our eyes on him for quite some time. We did march up to his door for some questioning but he definitely won¡¯t give us the full picture. But for you? A random student who happens to help him obtain more powder could be someone he would open up.¡± ¡°What makes you so sure that he would open up to us?¡± ¡°Ask him a few questions. Show him that you are a group of curious students keen in Alchemy.¡± ¡°¡­ And risk getting involved in a three hour egoistic lecture?¡± ¡°You might get him to spill the beans. Think about it, a keen innocent student and an egoistic Specialist who think himself to be on par with the masters. You can work it out.¡± ¡°And what would happen if we fail?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If you get involve in something deep, we¡¯ll guarantee your protection. If you managed to help us, it¡¯ll go well with your resume. All the more reason because I¡¯ll pay you.¡± ¡°Pay?¡± ¡°1200 Duches.¡± Nadav dropped his mouth at the offer. ¡°What?¡± Cadeus repeated, he thought he misheard her. ¡°I repeat, 1200 Duches if you find anything, useful or not.¡± A thousand over Duches for just a piece of information is overdoing it no matter how simple it sounds. Why is this Enforcer going such lengths to recruit them to her cause? Given her position, she would have asked any other student to help them. Cadeus did not believe in something so fragile as luck. There has to be an incentive behind all of this. Folding his arms, Cadeus daringly asked another question. ¡°Why us specifically?¡± Not believing that his friend would still not take such a generous offer, Nadav cut himself into the conversation. ¡°1200 Duches, and she¡¯s got the law on her side. Why haven¡¯t you said yes?!¡± ¡°This is not the time to be money minded.¡± ¡°Oh come on! You heard her! If we get into trouble she¡¯ll help us!¡± ¡°I believe she can do a lot more than guaranteeing protection.¡± ¡°Why are you still refusing Cadeus! Just accept the job and ¨C ¡± SLAM! Nadav went to his knees grasping a bump on his head. Ignoring the idiot, Cadeus resume his questioning. ¡°Given the resources that you have, I take it that you have already approached the other students who are involved with this Board Quest?¡± ¡°Yes I did. The thing is, when they thought I was going to apprehend them for possessing the powder, most of them attempted to run, and some surprisingly retaliated by casting some nasty spells. Since they are so stubborn, I confiscated their Board Quest and powder using my authority as an Enforcer.¡± It seems that this woman is rather unreserved when it comes to the usage of her status. She may not be the type to abuse it, but if she must she will definitely make full use of her authority to accomplaish her goals. Nadav took a gulp. If they weren¡¯t careful enough that could have been them too. ¡°So, the question now is, are you two going to help me?¡± If you put it that way, how can we refuse? Cadeus thought. Truth to be told, Cadeus did not like his current situation. There is definitely something wrong with this, and it is not about refusing to help an Enforcer. Since Miss Allis here is refraining from letting them know the severity of the situation, Cadeus cannot predict what kind of dangers they will be facing. Even if she were to guarantee protection Cadeus doubt that the Enforcers would be quick enough to help them if they happen to come across some sinister plot. But still, refusing to help an Enforcer would definitely spire trouble of a different kind. Should Cadeus refuse to help Miss Aliss, there is a chance that they might get arrested as an accomplice if their commissioner is proven to be a criminal. Even if they had nothing to do with the case, they will be placed under suspicions, and the most that could happen was a minor fine or jail term depending on how much the Enforcers are willing to overlook their involvement. Long story short, Cadeus rather be in the Enforcer¡¯s good looks than to risk getting arrested for a dubious plot he and his friends are not part of. ¡°If we choose to help you, how do we know that we can trust you?¡± When he heard that, Nadav instantly sprang to his feet. ¡°Cadeus! She¡¯s an Enforcer! What the heck are you ¨C ¡± Punch! Cadeus could not help but give Nadav another punch sending him down to the ground. ¡°Think of the risks we will be involving ourselves in you idiot!¡± ¡°Ow¡­¡± Never be quick to trust or accept any task from a stranger regardless of the stranger¡¯s occupation, especially when that stranger is a fellow Dark Mage. Cadeus turned his attention back to Miss Allis, who in turn gave him an intrigued look. ¡°Hm? Doubting the word of an Enforcer? Now aren¡¯t you a daring one?¡± Cadeus ignored her. ¡°Using that much money as a leverage, your side must be getting desperate.¡± Miss Allis could only shrug her shoulders. So¡­ she¡¯s not going to deny it, the situation must be pretty bad. Cadeus thought. Well, trouble would come no matter what route Cadeus chose. Since he could have the law on his side, Cadeus figured that helping Miss Allis would count as a form of insurance. Even if Miss Allis was lying about being an Enforcer, Cadeus doubt that the actual Enforcers would persecute them for their situation. As such, Cadeus found no reason why he should decline Miss Allis¡¯s offer. ¡°We¡¯ll help. But we won¡¯t promise anything.¡± Miss Allis¡¯s smile widened in satisfactory. ¡°That¡¯s what I want to hear. And since we are at it, take this.¡± She passed him what looks like a circular stone disk the size of a palm. ¡°¡­ What the heck is this?¡± ¡°Hm? Not familiar with that? Perhaps your grey friend can tell you.¡± Cadeus turned his head back to Nadav. ¡°That¡¯s a Caller Disk, aka the Caller. It¡¯s something like a phone.¡± ¡°¡­ A phone?¡± ¡°Yup, you heard me. A phone.¡± ¡°Why hasn¡¯t the Academy issued such a useful item to us?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m not too sure, but according to my grandma, those callers are meant to be given as rewards after some trials. We¡¯ll all get it eventually.¡± Cadeus kept the Caller in his pocket. With another major rumour lingering in his head, he decided to ask Miss Allis to confirm the facts. ¡°I heard that the High Council is going to impose a temporary ban on Procona. Is that true?¡± Miss Allis did not hesitate to reply. ¡°It¡¯ll be true, depending on what your clients do with it.¡± ¡°I see. So everything will have to depend on the actions of my client, or his group.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you around 83 points.¡± So everything would be decided based on how Cadeus¡¯s Commissioner decides to move, which means that the probability of a ban will be verified after Cadeus submits his Board Quest. That actually is not too much of a problem, for as long as Cadeus gets his reward for the past few days worth of work, he does not care how many ingredients the High Council would ban. One of the few things Cadeus hated the most was handwork being put to waste. ¡°Are we done now? We have a schedule to follow.¡± ¡°Yes, we are done. Why so hostile? If you managed to help me, your big sister here will definitely treat you for a lunch.¡± ¡°Sorry, but I don¡¯t date older girls.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your big sister here does not have that kind of fetish.¡± ¡°Please stop assuming the role of a big sister with people you just met.¡± Seriously, just how frivolous can this lady be? Is she really an Enforcer? Wanting to end this conversation as soon as possible, Cadeus made a gesture to the barrier around them. ¡°Can we go now?¡± Miss Allis giggled to herself. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡± Cadeus asked. ¡°Cautious, pragmatic, with a slight hint of ice around strangers, you are just like what Mr. Morrison said.¡± At the mere mention of the very person who first introduced Cadeus to the world of Magic, Cadeus blinked his eyes in surprise. ¡°You know Mr. Morrison?¡± ¡°Yup. He and I simultaneously graduated from the Academy seven years ago. Before we knew it, we were both collegues working for the High Council.¡± ¡°I see¡­ so he told you about me.¡± ¡°Yup, I know everything about you Cadeus. But I¡¯m not going to indulge into your family circumstances. I just thought I could use your help.¡± ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s pretty reassuring.¡± With nothing left to say, Allis dispelled the barrier around them and turned away. TOA ¡°Cadeus, what¡¯s the matter? You are spacing out.¡± Sing asked. ¡°Hm? Oh sorry.¡± ¡°A penny for your thoughts?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ well I never thought I would feel so nostalgic to the extent of thinking that I am really back on Earth.¡± ¡°Oh yes, the building does have that sort of effect.¡± Done with their business with Agent Allis, the scene shifts back to the Academy in a rather unusual building. Though the interior of the Laboratory felt like a scientific research facility, the architectural design resembles more of a general hospital one would normally see back on Earth. The atmosphere was so bewitching that Cadeus felt that he really was back home on Earth. I must have missed home¡­ Cadeus thought to himself. Shaking his head, Cadeus kept moving forward to catch up with the other two. After returning to the Academy, it only took a couple more minutes before they are allowed to enter the 3rd Laboratory. As usual, Sing was always a few steps ahead of them. She had already submitted the necessary entry clearances for the two of them long before they arrived. It did not take long for the receptionist to call her out to escort her two friends in. While following Sing from behind, Cadeus posed a question. ¡°How goes the powder making Sing?¡± ¡°Oh it¡¯s going very well. I think I managed to get around 150 grams worth by now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. Are you still sure you don¡¯t need our help?¡± ¡°Actually¡­ in fact I think I do need your help after all.¡± ¡°Oh? Why the sudden change?¡± ¡°I need your hands.¡± ¡°¡­ Come again?¡± ¡°Well¡­ you see, there are only a couple of steps involved, but there are quite a number of things to do within those steps. After making a couple more grams of powder, I figured that in the long run I¡¯m going to need some help. Of course, I can continue to spear head the process, but the quality of the powder will not be as promising.¡± ¡°I can see where this is going. Assuming that our client is going to be as egoistic as the other Alchemists that we had come across, he might just throw out our powder out of the window and refuse to pay us for our efforts.¡± ¡°Bingo. So in order to keep producing the powder at the optimum quality, I¡¯ll need your help. Hopefully, without messing with the equipments.¡± Sing gave Nadav a harsh stare while she said that. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you always mess things up when we specifically told you not to.¡± ¡°I have not!¡± ¡°You have so. Or unless you want me to reminiscence what happened to the school science labs while we are still on Earth?¡± ¡°¡­¡± With nothing left to defend himself, Nadav looked down slightly with a dejected look. Sing shook her head and continue to take the lead. After a few more turns, Sing led them to a lab that had the size of a classroom. It¡¯s remarkably neat. Aside from the equipment that Sing had already set up at one of the tables, the rest of the room seems to be unused. Dozens of flasks and beakers were all neatly arranged in the wardrobes, while common Alchemical ingredients are all packed and neatly categorized in their labels at the other side. It is either the room was not greatly utilized to it¡¯s finest, or that the laboratory cleaners took great pride in making things tidy. As he stepped in, Nadav blew a loud whistle. ¡°Sing, do we seriously get to have this all to ourselves?¡± he asked. ¡°Yes, for around the next three hours.¡± Cadeus closed the door. ¡°Can I take this off now?¡± Cadeus took out an ornamental tablet that was dangling from his neck. ¡°Sorry Cadeus, but no.¡± ¡°Do we really have to wear this all the time?¡± ¡°Unless you want to be automatically teleported to the receptionist and waste more time walking back here.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± ¡°All right, where are your charcoal and sulphur?¡± While waiting for Sing to finish reviewing their charcoal and sulphur, the two boys soon proceeded to make themselves comfortable in the lab room. They first started by deciding to take a look at the equipment that Sing had already set up, some of which were already boiling hot. ¡°What is that?¡± Nadav asked. He pointed at a round-bottomed flask placed above a burning artifact, which was slow boiling some sort of brownish solute. ¡°Oh that? I am making a concoction.¡± ¡°What kind of concoction?¡± ¡°Purely for medical purposes. Think of it as some kind of herbal brew.¡± ¡°A potion?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t stare too close Nadav. If you break that, I¡¯m going to kill you.¡± Nadav immediately retracted his nose that was just about a few inches away from the hot round-bottomed flask. ¡°What about that?¡± Cadeus pointed to another set, this time a slow boiling red thick fluid. ¡°Oh that? Tomato soup.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Tomato what?¡± Both boys stared at Sing with eyes filled with bewilderment. ¡°What? The rules did not state that you can¡¯t cook normal food using lab materials. This lab has enough equipment to substitute for a small kitchen. I¡¯m simply making use of the resources available.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Cadeus stole a look at the nearby trashbin. ¡°That would explain the peeled garlic skins.¡± ¡°Hm? What¡¯s with that look Nadav? Mouth watering already?¡± Sing asked. ¡°Um¡­ I don¡¯t know what are you talking about.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I made enough for the three of us.¡± ¡°All right! Sing! You are the best!¡± Cadeus soon found himself feeling uncomfortable due to the lack of activity. ¡°So¡­ what now?¡± he added. ¡°Now?¡± Sing finalized her thoughts about the charcoal and sulphur. ¡°Now, we get to work.¡± All right, time to be serious. ¡°All right boys. Before we start, be careful now. Everything in here is extremely fragile so ¨C ¡± CRASH! The sound of glass shattering can be heard at a very close distance. Turing their heads instantly, Cadeus and Sing saw what appears to be a collapsed wooden test tube holder with multiple broken test tubes. They are all in a mess right next to Nadav¡¯s right feet. While Nadav stared back at the two of them, he pointed the glass and stated a very unconvincing statement. ¡°Um¡­ that¡¯s not me.¡± ¡°¡°As if.¡±¡± Sing sighed and moved to the broken glass. As she went to her knees to pick up the pieces, Cadeus gave Nadav a jab to the head. ¡°Why is it that whenever we tell you to be careful, you always mess things up?¡± ¡°Hey! It¡¯s not entirely my fault!¡± ¡°Oh is it?¡± ¡°W-Well¡­ maybe around 10%?¡± ¡°10?¡± ¡°Um¡­ 35%?¡± ¡°35 huh?¡± ¡°¡­ Maybe 75%?¡± ¡°You still have the gall to say 75?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Totally defeated, Nadav could only drop his head in shame. ¡°It¡¯s ok boys. I can fix this.¡± After re-arranging every fragmented pieces to a large pile, Sing took out a chalk and drew a runic circle with a hexagon within. Once she is done, she pressed her left fingertips at the chalk bordered lines and cast a spell. ¡°The conditions are set, [Materialistic Restoration], start.¡± All it took was a flash of white light, and the broken test tubes were all in their pre-broken state, all neatly pilled up on the wooden test tube holder on the floor. After placing the test tubes back on the table, Sing could not help but see how Nadav is staring at her with mystified eyes. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Since when did you know about runic circles? Did your class went through it?¡± Nadav asked. ¡°No. I picked it up myself.¡± When he heard that, Nadav went to his hands and knees. Cadeus is not sure what exactly is going on in the clown¡¯s head, but it might be due to the fact that now, he is the only one of out the three of them who still did not know how to cast a runic spell. Well, he shouldn¡¯t fret much. Runic spells will soon be taught once they had progressed further into their curriculum. It¡¯s all a matter of when you pick it up, honestly. Ignoring the common idiot, Sing clapped her hands loudly to get both their attention. ¡°Now that we are done fooling around, we got work to do.¡± Upon hearing that, Nadav sighed and forced himself to stand straight up. ¡°What am I going to do?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll entrust you with the brainless work.¡± ¡°Great! Wait¡­ for some reason I don''t feel that good.¡± Sing walked towards the cabinets and took out a set of mortar and pestle. With each item in each hand, she passed them to Nadav. ¡°Here you go.¡± ¡°¡­ What¡¯s with this?¡± ¡°I want you to grind all the charcoal we until they are all in a powdered state.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s simple enough.¡± One crucial thing to note, is that whenever it comes to making stuff the boys never dared argued with Sing. Since they are not that academically adept as her, they always tend to just take in her orders and instructions, since most of the stuff she knows would not make sense to them¡­ yet. While Nadav mindlessly proceed to grind the charcoal, Cadeus¡¯s gaze went to a nearby chalkboard. The handwriting clearly belongs to Sing, illustrating the various steps for the powder making process. Basically, there were a total of eight processes steps to make the powder.
  1. Grind the charcoal into a powdered state
  2. Mix the charcoal and sulphur together in the ratio of 2:1
  3. Gradually mix 500 ml of the fluid with 75 grams of the powdered mixture in the following order for five minutes ¨C clockwise, anticlockwise, clockwise, anticlockwise, anticlockwise (Caution: expect violent reactions akin to runaway polymerization during gradual mixing)
  4. Separate the mixture into five conical flasks
  5. Leave the mixtures to breathe for fifteen minutes (oxidization separates Luellegin from Trycoris)
  6. Filter Trycoris and charcoal from the mixture using filter paper
  7. Heat the remaining mixture with the Evapouration Dish until precipitate is obtained
  8. Use a magnet to separate Luellegin from Procona, go through this step for at least five times before repeating procedure
Looking at the set of instructions, Cadeus asked Sing a theoretical question. ¡°These procedures you¡¯ve written seem so complicated. Why can¡¯t we just heat up the fluid until we get the powdered state?¡± Sing sighed. ¡°I wish things would be that easy.¡± ¡°You mean it¡¯s actually not?¡± ¡°No. You see, the reason why Procona is a universal ingredient versatile for various Alchemical procedures is because the powder is a pure substance that rarely creates any deviated complications. It¡¯s a singular property that mixes fluently with many other substances to create multiple desired results.¡± ¡°So the powder is a singular chemical element.¡± ¡°That''s¡­ kind of the definition in chemistry but yes. The fluid you guys got me definitely has Procona, but it also contains a number of impurities.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°Well you see ¨C ¡± ¡°Ok, stop. I have a feeling you are about to throw all the alien terminology towards me.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll all learn this next year once we had progressed to Acolytes. What¡¯s the harm in learning now?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather face the unknown than risk getting a headache over new terms and definitions.¡± ¡°All right, suit yourself.¡± ¡°So what do you need me to do?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Sing handed him a few stopwatches. ¡°Since Nadav is mostly likely incapable of working beyond step 2, I would like you to help out from steps 3 to 5. I¡¯ll handle the last three steps.¡± Ouch¡­ that was a rather cruel verdict of Nadav¡¯s working capacity¡­ ¡°If there is not enough powdered charcoal, you can help Nadav.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± ¡°Oh and, one more thing.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Sing opened a closet, reached for within and threw out something white and light. Cadeus caught it with his free hand, only to realize that he was holding onto a robe resembling a lad coat. ¡°What¡¯s this for?¡± ¡°Have you read step 3?¡± ¡°Violent reactions during mixture. This is for protection?¡± ¡°Better. The enchantments on the fabric revolve around protective hexes and runes, most primarily of the Anglo-Saxon rune Algiz and Scandinavian rune Thurisaz.¡± Cadeus got confused for a second there. ¡°¡­ Meaning?¡± ¡°It¡¯s definitely ten times better than the protective enchantments the Academy placed on our uniforms.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Cadeus was about to put the lab robe on when he noticed something unusual. ¡°This thing smells.¡± ¡°Must be the closet.¡± ¡°No it¡¯s not about fragrance¡­ you mention protective hexes.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°White Magic. No wonder.¡± ¡°Are you saying that the lab robe smells of White Magic?¡± ¡°At least that¡¯s what my nose is telling me.¡± ¡°Bravo. Your sense of magic is improving. Keep this up, and you can soon sense magical presences from a mile away.¡± Cadeus began putting the lad robe on. The size was a little big, probably meant for an adult. But Cadeus thought that he can work with it, at least he did not have to squeeze in some tight robe. After securing the waist, Cadeus looked up to see Sing giving him a satisfying smirk. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You look good in white robes.¡± Cadeus gave a good look at himself. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t seem to think that way. I look funny.¡± ¡°Nonsense.¡± ¡°I feel funny too. Maybe I¡¯m just too used to black. Can¡¯t imagine myself wearing White to begin with.¡± ¡°What if you can? No sorry. What if¡­ you were born a White Mage instead?¡± ¡°Then I won¡¯t have to worry about my magic being a harm to my surroundings.¡± ¡°And we both might be in the same class.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ I¡¯ll consider that an extreme blessing.¡± ¡°I¡¯m honored. But enough chatter. The last few steps require my upmost attention. We have to get 800 grams worth of powder by 4 pm if we want to finish this Board Quest by today.¡± Without any more time to waste, the three of them ceased talking and just focused on their powder processing. By the time the clock hits 4 pm, they managed to get their 800 grams of Procona Powder. TOA Cadeus closed the carriage door and gave the driver his fee. As the carriage about turned and left to return to the city centre, Cadeus stepped right next to Sing and took a moment to view their surroundings. ¡°This is it?¡± ¡°Well¡­ the sign back there did say Lute de Cremoth.¡± ¡°35 Duches just to get here¡­ this is daylight robbery.¡± ¡°Well, this is part of the city outskirts. Carriage drivers usually do not like venturing this far out. They get less clients compared to the city centre.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Unlike the congested districts in the city center, the outskirts resembled more of a populated countryside. Houses were arranged by plots of lands, granting owners the rare privilege of space around their neighbours. Apparently, wealth in this area seems to be displayed by the acres of land each house possess. Looking in front, Cadeus and his friends found themselves staring at a rather old mansion with a considerable plot of land around it. Comparing this mansion to the other smaller houses around it, one could easily tell that the owner of this mansion was richer and better off than his peers. But for all its grandeur in size and space, there was a breach in the lack of elegancy and dignity. Its walls were covered in vines and moss, and it¡¯s iron-bronze gates were rusted in brown and green. Looking around, Cadeus had his doubts that they are at the right place. ¡°Are you sure this is the place?¡± ¡°Well¡­ there ought to be an address somewhere. We just have to start looking.¡± As he said that, Nadav pressed his hands against the gate and started moving them around to feel for some sort of identification label. He had to stop to dust the rust and dirt away from his hands from time to time, but it did not take long for him to find what he was looking for. ¡°What do we have here?¡± A few more moments of touch and feel, and Nadav came across a rectangular section that looked like an address label. Using the back of his hand, Nadav scrubbed the very surface of the rusts to get a few good letters. ¡°What does it say?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ Vermanoth¡¯s Mansion.¡± ¡°Is it correct Sing?¡± Sing took a look at their Board Quest form. ¡°Yes, it seems we are at the right spot.¡± ¡°But how do we let the owner know that we are here? Is there a doorbell or something?¡± ¡°Maybe there¡¯s a rune stone. People usually put that at the centre of the gate.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ as if I will miss something as obvious as that. There¡¯s no rune stone.¡± ¡°Keep searching then.¡± ¡°Do you think this is easy? Ah! Wait I think I found it.¡± Nadav pointed at a protruding button at the side of the gate. It seems to be ill maintained, as there are obvious signs of rust. In fact, the doorbell is also covered in the gate¡¯s greenish gale to the point where it blended perfectly to the degraded form of the front gate. Whoever owns this mansion, seriously need to do a renovation check. Nadav pressed the button and stepped back. Then all of a sudden, the gate moved. At the centre of the gate, a part of the rusted metal within swelled into a bulge. The bulge then shifted its form into something round, before it opened itself from the center revealing a rather large eyeball. ¡°Geh! Creepy¡­¡± ¡°What is that? An eye?¡± Sing took a step forward for a closer look. ¡°Yes¡­ that¡¯s an eye. If I remember correctly, that¡¯s [Scout¡¯s Eye]. It¡¯s a Grey Spell under the sensory category.¡± ¡°Is it a [Point Spell]?¡± ¡°That would be half correct. It involves quite a bit of conjuration. If you are thinking about enchantments and runes well¡­ that¡¯s not exactly the correct answer.¡± The eye looked around the three of them, as if prompting them to show reason for their presence. Thinking that was the message, Nadav opened his mouth. ¡°Um¡­ hello? We are here for the Board Quest. Procona Powder.¡± The eye just stood there staring at them with no new reaction. ¡°I doubt that thing has ears Nadav.¡± ¡°All right then Mr. Einstein. Let¡¯s see you try something then.¡± Sing just separated the boys before they could get themselves into a brawl and flashed the Board Quest form in front of the eye. The eye just blinked twice, and then it blended in back to the gate. Then, the rusty gates opened automatically with the strong notable sound of friction, which was the result of the grinding of two rusty surfaces. Whoever owned this mansion must be an isolated loner who had very few guests. It¡¯s either that, or he¡¯s a frequent teleporter who chose not to use the front gates at all. Stepping into the mansion, Cadeus could not help but notice how the interior of the mansion was just as bad as the outside gate. The mansion garden that was placed directly behind the gate was left in a sorry state, outgrown weeds and moss filled the walkways and covered the marble tiles. The fountain at the centre never ran clean water. Instead, what was in the fountain pool was some greenish liquid that does not look environmentally suitable to host small aquatic lifeforms. Calling it neat would be generous, as Cadeus felt that he would be reminded of Tenebris Vacuum¡¯s infamous swamps if the garden were in a worst shape. Even the house exterior was in a similar state. If it weren¡¯t for the few gaps of white marble and a bit of gold, Cadeus thought that the house would have been stained in a heavy green. As they approach the house¡¯s front doors, they found that the doors were already opened with someone waiting for them. It was a man in his thirties, dressed in ornamented alchemical robes coloured in grey shades, which most likely revealed his colour alignment in magic. It was apparently clear that they did not have to wait again. As she was leading the group of trio, Sing took the initiative. ¡°Good day. Are you Mr. Fremin?¡± ¡°Yes I am, just call me Fremin. Welcome! Welcome.¡± Oh? He seems like a nice guy¡­ Cadeus thought. ¡°You three must be the students who took up my Board Quest right?¡± ¡°Yes. We managed to get your desired amount.¡± ¡°Ah that¡¯s good. I¡¯ll take a look at them later. Come in for tea. That¡¯s one of the things I can do to show some gratitude for your efforts.¡± So far¡­ he does not appear to be a scheming Alchemist deserving the warrant of the Enforcers¡­ Could Miss Allis be mistaken? Cadeus followed the thought. It is still too soon to determine if the Alchemist is really what he seems. When they stepped into his mansion, it¡¯s like they entered a different realm. Amazingly, the inside is much more neater compared to the outside. Fitting of a mansion, the inner halls are kept clean and tidy. Vases and furniture are arranged neatly and orderly, the carpets are bright as new, and various illustrious paintings of events and individuals were hung on polished wooden walls. The next thing they knew, the three of them found themselves at the second floor, sitting in the guest room at a small round table drinking tea and eating cookies. Fremin had taken the Powder from Sing and left somewhere to review it. Probably his laboratory, but for now, the three had a moment of privacy. ¡°Comfortable. This I like.¡± Nadav crossed his arms behind his back and crossed his legs on the table. Sing looked at him with disapproval. ¡°Nadav. Please behave.¡± ¡°What? It¡¯s not like he¡¯s going to be here in the next second. He¡¯s going to take a while to analyze the powder. Give it ten or fifteen minutes.¡± ¡°We are guests. This is not how you should treat the host¡¯s property.¡± Curious, Cadeus got up. Sensing that something was amiss, Sing looked at Cadeus and opened her mouth. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°Observing.¡± ¡°Cadeus please, not you too.¡± ¡°What harm is there to look around?¡± ¡°And invade our host¡¯s privacy? That¡¯s being rude you know?¡± ¡°He invited us in.¡± ¡°But that does not mean you can ignore basic courteously.¡± ¡°If he wanted us to stay here, he would have said so himself before leaving us to boredom.¡± ¡°Some things can be seen and done without the need for words.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just being initiative to maintain a code of conduct. If he did not specify it, he¡¯s at fault.¡± ¡°Cadeus¡­¡± ¡°Relax. I¡¯m just going to look at the nearby rooms. I saw a drawing room while he was bringing us in, I¡¯ll just be there and then I¡¯ll be back.¡± ¡°You do realize that if we offend him, he can just kick us out without giving us our payment right?¡± ¡°How long is he going to take to check the purity of 800 grams of Procona? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll be back in a couple of minutes.¡± That was a lie. Cadeus lied about just looking at the nearby rooms. In fact, he already knew that the nearby rooms were rather insignificant. As they were walking in earlier, Cadeus noted that other than the guest rooms, the nearby rooms was the drawing room, a billiard room, and a small lounge installed with a piano. While Cadeus implied that he was going to those rooms, he took another path to another section of the mansion. Reaching the first unfamiliar door in sight, he opened and stumbled upon a room filled with bookshelves. ¡°This must be his private library¡­ interesting.¡± Stepping in, Cadeus¡¯s fingers fumbled through a few books at the nearest shelf. An Alchemical insight, by Master Zeirgerth ve Luberight Harvesting results ¨C a record of common alchemical processes, by Master Luwert ve Forithgard Arthropod Glands and their Alchemical Properties, by Specialist Mal Vegerth A comparison of Bestial Hearts, by Master Verloid Garwin And the list just goes on. After a general scan, Cadeus saw that all the books are Alchemical related. Well¡­ of course they had to be, in considering who the owner was. Loosing interest, Cadeus moved out of the library and continued to explore the rooms that were the furthest. After moving around, he noticed a room with the door still opened. Moving closer, he edged himself so that he can see a general view of the room at a specific angle. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Looking in, Cadeus had to refrain himself from making any grasps. He saw multiple jars filled with all sorts of organic creatures and organs. Shifting his gaze, Cadeus could not help but notice a section filled with multiple magical circles drawn on walls and papers. It may seem common due to the owner¡¯s occupation. But on a closer look, things felt a lot more sinister concerning the items in this room. Cadeus got a nasty feeling about this. For some reason, the magical energy of this room reeks of the familiar sensation of Dark Magic. It¡¯s peculiar and extremely suspicious in considering that the owner was a Grey. Even if he was a Grey-Dark, the majority of Grey Magic in his blood concentration should not allow him to explore this deeply into Dark Magic. This was the point in time where Cadeus felt that he had poked around enough. Leaving the door untouched, he did an about turn and quickly proceeds back to the guest room. TOA Now for the next two important questions. Firstly, should he divulge this discovery with his friends or not? Cadeus instantly deduced that would be meaningless to tell Sing about such a matter since she would strike it off as poking their noses into unnecessary business. Nadav? Maybe, after all, he and Cadeus were on the look out for anything suspicious to do with Fremin. Perhaps they could gain something by discussing about this, but definitely not in front of Sing. Then here comes the next important question. Cadeus reached for his pocket and felt the Caller Disk. Should he give a call to Miss Allis right now? Hm¡­ The thought did cross his mind. They could use some professional aid. Cadeus paused and look around. What were the chances that he will be seen making a call to an Enforcer? The chances of being seen by human eyes were close to zero, but what about unhuman eyes? Given that weird eyeball they had encountered at the gate, how many such ¡®eyes¡¯ are around him? Did Fremin already noticed that he had trespassed on private territory? Cadeus would not be surprised if Mr. Fremin was already notified of his daring exploration. But roaming around a host¡¯s house does not count so much as a security alert as long as Cadeus does not temper or touch anything. Besides, Cadeus only confined himself to the entire floor. It¡¯s not like he was deliberately looking for something that he was not supposed to see, though that can be a matter up for debate. However, making a call to an Enforcer to report suspicious activity was an entirely different matter. If Cadeus report Mr. Fremin to the Enforcers on unfounded evidence, he would risk getting him and his friends into different sorts of troubles. In the end, Cadeus released his hold on the caller. Cadeus thought that it would better if he made a call outside the mansion. When Cadeus opened the door to the guest room, he immediately saw Sing in front of him, arms crossed with an extremely scary look on her face. ¡°Um¡­ yes?¡± ¡°Where were you?¡± ¡°¡­ Just at the corridor?¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t at the drawing room, nor were you in the surrounding rooms.¡± ¡°You came after me?¡± ¡°Of course?¡± ¡°¡­ Why?¡± Sing arched her eyebrows up as if to say ¡®You still dare ask me this?¡¯. Uh oh¡­ ¡°Well¡­ I stumbled upon his library.¡± ¡°Where?¡± Cadeus pointed over there. ¡°Down that corridor¡­ I got bored quickly since they were all Alchemical books.¡± Sing looked at him in the eye for the next couple of seconds. ¡°Relax Sing, nothing went wrong ¨C ¡± ¡°Just get in.¡± ¡°¡­ Aye ma¡¯am.¡± Cadeus quickly entered the room and sat down before things got worse. As Sing closed the door, Nadav gave him a jab at the knee with the sole of his shoes. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You deserve it.¡± What are you talking about?¡± ¡°You made Sing worried sick. Next time, at least take me along. I sure as hell do not want to remain in the same room as Sing when she gets edgy over you.¡± ¡°What did you just say Nadav?¡± ¡°NOTHING! Nothing at all Sing!¡± The door to the guest room opened. Fremin came back, most notably with empty hands. Where¡¯s the reward? Cadeus raised an eyebrow to that. Sing caught his reaction and managed to deduce the reasoning behind it. Nevertheless, she gave Cadeus a warning eye not to be rude to the commissioner. ¡°How¡¯s the powder?¡± ¡°In excellent quality. I rarely attained such high quality of Procona with the minimum impurities. Tell me, how did you three managed to get it?¡± Cadeus answered before anyone could give away the correct answer. ¡°We had an adult friend who was a former Alchemist. He just happened to have some Procona lying in storage.¡± While Sing gave him a rather reserved look, Cadeus quickly stepped hard on Nadav feet before he could open his mouth. ¡°Mr. Fremin.¡± Cadeus continued. ¡°Just call me Fremin.¡± ¡°Um¡­ ok. Fremin. Tell us about your work.¡± ¡°My work?¡± ¡°Yes. I¡¯m curious.¡± ¡°Oh the usual. I tend to use a lot of Procona in my Alchemical theories. If you studied enough years in my field of knowledge, you¡¯ll find that Procona is a must in almost every Alchemical procedures.¡± ¡°It sure must be hard to imagine a procedure without Procona.¡± ¡°Oh it¡¯s not that hard. You¡¯ll just hit a few more failures here and there.¡± ¡°Any thing in particular you are working on now?¡± Fremin gave Cadeus a rather reversed look. ¡°Cadeus.¡± Sing cut herself in. ¡°Sorry Fremin. My friend here is not very sensitive about how you Specialists treat your research.¡± She continued. ¡°Oh that¡¯s all right, a slight misunderstanding. Well, if you are curious, I¡¯m currently researching on advanced ritual circles.¡± ¡°Ritual circles?¡± ¡°Yes. Not your everyday ritual circles. I¡¯m talking about those on a much grander scale.¡± ¡°Anything specific in mind?¡± Cadeus asked again. ¡°Hm¡­ I could go on explaining, but you three are still students, if I tell you everything, you will get terribly confused.¡± ¡°Try us. Who knows, we could be Alchemists in the making.¡± Nadav gave Cadeus the stare as if to say ¡®Have you gone bonkers?¡¯. Fremin laughed. ¡°I appreciate your interest in my work, but I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t disclose anything until I¡¯ve ensured that it is perfect.¡± Guess he does not want to divulge in his work. Cadeus felt that probing further would raise some suspicions, so he decided to let the matter drop. Fremin clapped his hands together as a gesture that this conversation is over. ¡°Now. Before I pay and you three leave. I would like you to try a new set of tea leaves I got from Logxius.¡± Cadeus got up. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s about time we leave, we got curfew ¨C ¡± Sing quickly reach out for his shoulder and urged Cadeus to sit again. ¡°We¡¯d be happy to try it out.¡± ¡°Oh great! Just let me get to the kitchen.¡± Once Fremin was out of sight, Sing gave Cadeus an inquisitive stare. ¡°All right. Spit it out. What were you doing?¡± ¡°Just asking?¡± Sing tilt her head to the side and gave Cadeus an extremely scary smile. Uh oh¡­ ¡°The Cadeus I knew would not be this interested in Alchemy. What were you doing?¡± ¡°Um¡­ well¡­¡± Before he could answer, Fremin reappeared, and may Cadeus highlight, in the nick of time with a tray holding a porcelain jar, three teacups and three teaspoons. Fremin laid the tray down and started pouring out the brown liquid rich in the sent of herbal leaves. ¡°This is a special kind of leaves I got from Logxius. It has multiple nutrients and fibers that really helps your concentration and metabolism. It¡¯s aid to originate from the Chinese, but the herbal merchant I got this from added a little of soothing magic into the fibres.¡± The three of them took their time to drink the tea. Fremin reached for his robes and took out a fat purse. ¡°Here you go, 300 Duches.¡± Cadeus lean forward to grab that fat purse, when all of a sudden, Cadeus felt his head getting heavier. Oh wait¡­ It¡¯s not just his head, his entire body felt heavy. Cadeus sluggishly reached for his head. ¡°Um¡­ guys¡­ I think I might not be feeling well¡­¡± Thud! (Loud sound of Nadav¡¯s head crashing into the table) Crash! (Loud sound of Sing dropping her teacup and collapsing out of her chair) ¡°W-What the¡­¡± Cadeus tried to get up, but his centre of gravity was thrown off by this sudden drowsiness that is gradually getting stronger. Instead of standing straight up, Cadeus had to lean his hand on his chair to make the effort count. However, it soon felt like the whole world went upside down. Cadeus lost his sense of balance, and ended up falling onto the floor. Cadeus struggled to take a good look at the situation around them. Slowly, Cadeus¡¯s whole world became shrouded with darkness. Volume 1 - Chapter 7 - Out of the frying pan, into the fire When he next regained his conscious, his head felt heavy and a little hazy. ¡°What happened¡­¡± His legs were in front of him, but his arms were behind him. Was he sleeping in such an awkward position? Gathering whatever conscious he had, Cadeus tried to get up only to find that he can¡¯t. As he tried again, he soon realized that his hands and legs were bound together by something. ¡°Huh?¡± With a few more movements, the sound of chain clutters could be heard. Hands and legs were properly chained together. ¡°Ah great¡­ this is just great¡­¡± Feeling a slight tingle of pain at his right arm, Cadeus turned his head down at an angle to see that his right sleeve was folded up. A small bandage was wrapped around his elbow. With that small patch of red, Cadeus assumed that he was drugged via a syringe. Now then¡­ the first few questions, where was he, and how did he end up here? Cadeus pulled his head back, trying to recall the latest set of memories edged in his brain. He remembered Nadav and Sing, Fremin, and then the tea. Did they collapse? Cadeus could not remember. Looking around, he saw that he¡¯s in a place that greatly resembled some dark cellar. There is not a lot of light. Cadeus sighed. In considering his current situation, he needed to free himself first without making a ruckus. Casting a [Point Spell] was out of the question. A fire spell or lighting spell would definitely put his own flesh at risk, especially when Cadeus could not see his own arms. Besides, even if he could, the sounds generated through the spell would definitely attract sentry attention, assuming of course that there were some sentries outside his cell door. With these thoughts, there¡¯s only one way out of these chains. Folding his wrists, Cadeus clasped the palm of his left hand on the chains around his wrists and prepared himself to use ¡®that¡¯ again. He had always been reluctant to use this gift, but this time, he needed it. ¡®That¡¯ would definitely get him out of these chains without raising any alarms. Closing his eyes to focus, Cadeus took a deep breath first to slowly gather his mind. When he was ready, he casted ¡®that¡¯, and before long, he can hear the familiar sizzling sounds of corrosion at work. Clang! Cadeus felt the weight of the chains leave his wrist. Bringing his hands in front, Cadeus took a moment to dust the powdered rusts off his arms before he did the same thing to his legs. Looking at the feet of the door, Cadeus could see some degree of light. There were no shadows moving, which thoroughly indicates that there would be no one outside. Getting up, Cadeus spent a few moments to think about escape. First, he had to find out where he was, get his belongings, and what happened to his friends. Finding out who exactly were his enemies would only be secondary only until he found his friends. That ought to be the game plan for now. Now then, let¡¯s get out of here. Feeling the door, Cadeus found that it is made of solid wood with a metal doorknob. Casting a [Fire Ball] to blast the door open would be too flashy. Lighting spells won¡¯t help either, and Cadeus did not know any useful enchantments. If Sing were here, she would have immediately thought of something good. Unfortunately, she¡¯s not around right now. No choice then¡­ Cadeus pressed his left hand against the locked doorknob. Casting ¡®that¡¯ again, it did not take long for a rusted block of metal to drop from loose wooden chips. Opening the door silently, Cadeus exited only to find himself at the edge of a corridor. Whoever imprisoned him must have really wanted to isolate him. The funny thing was that there were no sentries, but Cadeus knew, that fact would change in the long run. TOA After a few more turns, Cadeus found himself stumbling on a group of two individuals guarding another cellar door. Pausing his actions, Cadeus soon saw that the two of them were too engrossed in their current conversation to take note of any discrete movements. On a closer observation, they wore pre-sixteenth century leather armour with an addition of several pieces of layered metal plate. In addition, Cadeus can see that they were carrying swords. With such a dress code, a single word appeared in Cadeus¡¯s head. ¡°Untouched?¡± Untouched, human beings who were born on Zeffernon without the gift to use magic. The lowest of the lowest among Magi society, to the point where their social class could not even be considered a class. Shunned, ignored and mostly looked down upon, the Untouched humans faced the bulk of social discrimination and could only struggle with petty job occupations like cleaners, guards and clerks. At this point, Cadeus was not sure if he should be happy or disappointed. Under official circumstances, prisons in Otium would be under the charge of full fledge Mages who had completed their training in one of the Magic Academies on Zeffernon. Though it¡¯s common to have golems and other artificial constructs to act as sentries, the actual personals in charge would still be the mages. Most of these Mages would have already attained the rank of Specialist, and like the Enforcers, they would be extremely difficult threat to deal with as an enemy. Or at least, that was the impression Cadeus had gotten after meeting the likes of Mr. Morrison. Well, at the very least, Cadeus was glad that his current enemies could not cast spells. If he were to fight against a full fledge Mage, measurement of success would amount to only 27%. It would be a huge bother to come up with an appropriate plan to deal with a superior foe, especially when he could not fully grasp the fluidity of spells a full fledge Mage could cast. Thinking about this now, Cadeus had to ask himself. Why were these Untouched doing here? Given their current circumstances, were they actually kidnapped by this particular group of Untouched? ¡°Why are we here?¡± One of them said. ¡°Well I heard the Master caught a few young ones.¡± ¡°Yes I know that, but why do we have to stay at this area and stand guard? These corridors all lead back to the lounge. He usually does not care if we are at this corridor or at the other.¡± ¡°Well not for this case. I hear that one of the new prisoners is some high born Pure Blood.¡± ¡°Seriously? How high?¡± ¡°Very high. In fact, the Master seems to be acting as if he was from the very top.¡± ¡°¡­ No way.¡± ¡°I¡¯m serious. I stole a peek inside. He had this unusual white hair, and his skin is unusually pale.¡± ¡°Which family is he from?¡± ¡°How would I know? Besides, He¡¯s not wearing any family insignia of the sort.¡± ¡°No family insignia? Is he disowned?¡± ¡°Who cares? Maybe the Master got something to deal with him.¡± Just from the word ¡®Master¡¯, Cadeus could already identify that their employer would be a Mage. It¡¯s hardly any surprise considering their place in society. The main problem at present would be, the exact rank of their Master, and number of Untouched being employed by this mage. From what Cadeus had seen so far, the Untouched usually refer their employers as ¡®Sir¡¯ or ¡®Master¡¯. Discerning the rank of their employer would be difficult, a fair shame, for Cadeus hoped to estimate their opponent¡¯s capacity at least before they try to resist. But in considering the question of who would be rich enough to employ a large group of armed Untouched, the answer would be someone who was at least of the rank of Master. Now then¡­ how exactly is he going to get out of this? Attacking them head on would be very stupid. Even though they were Untouched, Cadeus had to keep in mind that their physical build was much stronger and tougher than the average mage. Also, the Untouched did not have to worry about something as troublesome as hitting the Cast Limit. Even if Cadeus did managed to overwhelm them with a spell or two, there are other sentries to think about. If they raised the alarm, it would be a challenge to deal with every single sentry with the limited number of spells he can cast at the very moment. Cadeus eventually decided that he would have to leave them alone. From what he had seen, these two sentries were highly reluctant to roam about. So as long as they were stationary, Cadeus would not have to worry about security alert. Just as Cadeus was about to move to the opposite direction, a familiar voice cut itself into the air. ¡°Let me get this straight, you guys are locked down here with me just for the sake of keeping an eye on me? How boring can that get?¡± ¡°Damn it, he¡¯s talking again! This guy won¡¯t shut up.¡± ¡°You two are stuck here until your Master, or whoever the heck he is, returns. That''s a lot of time between here and now.¡± ¡°Well, our time here isn¡¯t going to be as boring if we get to kick your ass. So shut up!¡± ¡°Ah but you see, you are not kicking my ass so I presume you are not allowed to.¡± ¡°Someone please shut him up.¡± ¡°I mean, what are you guys going to do with all this time? Are you just going to sit there? Sing songs? Read a book? Solve riddles? Oh I know! How about a crossword puzzle? Let¡¯s see¡­ A seven word pattern, one has three letters, one has seven and another has ¨C ¡± ¡°That¡¯s it. I¡¯m going in to gag him.¡± ¡°Wait. No one enters. Master¡¯s orders.¡± ¡°The Master is not going to be here to listen to him wail for the next couple of hours! Do me a favour and open that door so I can shut his yap!¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Nadav, that idiot. Now Cadeus could not leave things as it was. His friend was confined and could be subjected to torture. Although stealth was a key thing in this situation, Cadeus was not going to abandon his friend just like that. Cadeus watched as one of the Untouched unlocked the door while the other got himself a rather big piece of cloth. Cadeus froze there for a second to ponder about his next course of actions. The two Untouched were now distracted, perhaps he could catch them off guard. Moving slightly closer, Cadeus formulated a plan. Discretion is the key element, so Cadeus decided to utilize an element he rarely used, Darkness. Those born with Pure Dark Magic only had access to three of the seven elements ¨C Fire, Lightning, and Darkness. Fire and Lightning spells were mostly authentic in their offensive and wild nature, but Darkness was a unique element. Many would recognize Darkness for its covertness, but covertness would be an underestimation, for it would be accurate to say that covertness was one of the many properties of the element Darkness. Cadeus did not want to thing too much on the matter. Darkness was a complex element, it would be foolish to dismiss it just what you see on the surface. It was the reason why even Educator Garth refused to instruct them about the third element until they had progress to the next level, but that¡¯s a story for another time. Current Cast Limit estimation ¨C about 19 [Point Spells] Nineteen¡­ that was his current maximum limit¡­ If there was one thing Cadeus was grateful for this supposed kidnapping, whatever was used to drug him did a fine job of rejuvenating his energy to it¡¯s fullest boundary. Spreading his fingers, Cadeus made sure his palm captured their image. ¡°[Sunset].¡± Just one word, and the level of brightness around them dimmed at a gradual pace. Cadeus did not swarm them with Darkness, it¡¯s stupid to do so as it would only alert them. All he needed was to dim their surroundings so that they would not sense him coming. Holding the spell [Sunset] in his head, Cadeus sprang into action. All ten Fingers glittering with lightning sparks, Cadeus made quick soft steps and crept up behind his first target. Before the first Untouched could turn around, Cadeus reached for the one spot in the human body where an electric stun would be highly effective and also extremely deadly, the neck. Clasping one hand on his neck, and the other at his mouth, Cadeus gave his all in that one [Point Spell]. There was no sound, the Untouched¡¯s body shook and jiggled like a squid flushing out its tentacles at a desperate attempt to escape. It only took a couple of seconds before Cadeus felt the weight drop, and that was the cue that he was finally unconscious. Looking up, Cadeus can still see the second Untouched busy with silencing Nadav¡¯s mouth. Laying the body down gently, Cadeus realized that he made a mistake. Whilst laying the body down, he indirectly allowed [Sunset] to resolve completely. The corridor¡¯s brightness suddenly increased in a drastic flash. Finally realizing that something was out of place, the second Untouched ceased continuing gagging Nadav and made a turn. When he saw Cadeus over his fallen friend, his eyes widened in surprise, but Cadeus was not going to give him another chance. Dropping the first Untouched, Cadeus jumped at the second Untouched and used his weight to pin him down. One hand went to his throat, the other went to restrain the Untouched¡¯s right wrist. Before Cadeus could quickly cast a spell, the Untouched quickly clasped Cadeus¡¯s lower face with his other free hand. Wiggling with his grip, the Untouched struggled to get Cadeus off him. In order to avoid falling off to his disadvantage, Cadeus quickly used his right knee to pin the second Untouched down and moved the hand from the Untouched¡¯s throat, to his forehead. ¡°Sorry, but I am going to have you sleep for a while. [Lightning Caste].¡± With a faint flash of bright bluish light, the second Untouched ceased moving. Getting up, Cadeus took five deep breaths to bring his exhilarated mind under control. Nadav, in seeing one of the two faces he¡¯d expected to bust him out, rustled in excitement. ¡°Yes, yes. I got it.¡± First, the mouth. ¡°Stop moving like that. Do you want to keep chewing on this gag?¡± With Nadav¡¯s restless rustling, it took a while before Cadeus managed to pry the gag of cloth out off his mouth. ¡°Cadeus! You¡¯re here!¡± ¡°Obviously?¡± ¡°Wait, where¡¯s Sing?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know yet. Do you recall anything?¡± ¡°Huh? No. I just woke up in this state.¡± Cadeus noted that Nadav¡¯s sleeves were unfolded. ¡°Excuse me for a second.¡± ¡°Huh? What are you ¨C ¡± Moving to the back, Cadeus rolled up Nadav¡¯s sleeves, only to see that there were no bandages of the kind. ¡°They didn¡¯t drug you with a syringe?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ no I don¡¯t think so. Why?¡± ¡°That because I think they did so to me.¡± ¡°Not surprising. You¡¯re a Dark Mage after all, wouldn¡¯t hurt to take that extra precaution.¡± ¡°Thank you for pointing out the painful.¡± Cadeus was just about to unbind Nadav straight on the dot when he realized that he should not go about casting ¡®that¡¯ in front of his friends. Besides, there were keyholes on his chains. ¡°¡­ Where would your keys be?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know? Check those two.¡± Cadeus searched the two Untouched until he found a key ring filled with multiple keys. ¡°Which ones are for your chains I wonder?¡± ¡°Who cares? How long are you going to stand there? Aren¡¯t you going to get me out?¡± Cadeus gave a thought. ¡°Hm¡­ no.¡± ¡°¡­ Come again?¡± ¡°Nope, I¡¯m not going to free you yet.¡± Nadav blinked his eyes, as if he thought he misheard something. ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°Sorry Nadav, you are going to stay silent here for a couple more seconds.¡± ¡°Huh? What are you ¨C ¡± Before Nadav can utter a few more words, Cadeus forced that gag of cloth again into his mouth. ¡°MMMM! Wwww aaaaaa eeeee uuuu? (Hey! What are you doing?)¡± ¡°Sorry. I¡¯ll be back later.¡± Cadeus quickly dragged the unconscious sentries in and closed the cellar door. The key thing in this situation, was stealth. That was a quality that Nadav seriously lacked. Having him around would definitely cause more problems than solving them. If there was a time to free him, Cadeus rather have Sing around first, rather than having to proceed with things the other way round. Looking around, Cadeus deduced that there should be a couple more cellars around this level. ¡°Now then¡­ where is Sing?¡± TOA It was not long before he encountered another group of sentries. Towards the end of the corridor, Cadeus encountered what seemed to be a¡­ well, Cadeus was going to say the word lodge, but perhaps the word barracks would suit the place better. The room had a few beds and a small armoury. There were a total of five sentries armed similarly with steel swords and leather armour. At a closer look, they all seem to be leisurly playing a game of dice. Moving stealthily, Cadeus paused at a hidden corner and gave a thought. ¡°Five of them, they can''t use magic, but that does not mean that they are not a threat.¡± Tapping his right knee with his right index finger, Cadeus first thought about his current Cast Limit. Current Cast Limit estimation ¨C about 19 [Point Spells] Like the previous encounter, he was outnumbered, serverly outnumbered. But unlike the previous encounter, there was no one to distract the Untouched for Cadeus. There might be a chance that he would be forced to confront all of them in order to resolve this. But before he could do so, the main situation called for a few things that Cadeus needed to take note of. Given the lack of concrete information about his location, Cadeus did not know which level he currently was. Should he make a massive scene out of this engagement, the alarm would go off, and every sentry in this building would soon be looking for him. ¡°Hm¡­ now then, with this in mind, how am I going to go about doing this?¡± Cadeus laid out all his cards before him. First, he had to deal with these sentries quickly, and second, it¡¯s a must to minimize the number of spells he needed to cast. Checking his spell choices, Cadeus instantly knew that the offensive spells he had in mind are all elemental spells. They were efficient enough to render the sentires unconscious, but Cadeus worry about the showiness of such an approach. The usual [Point Spells] would deal the desired damage, but the continuous casting of such noisy spells would compromise discretion. If there were other sentries nearby, they would definitely respond. What about stealth? Cadeus considered utilizing the Element Darkness to mask his presence, but he soon thought that it would not be helpful either. Even if he got past every sentry to reach Sing, he still would have to return this way for Nadav. Cadeus was not a man who often counts on his luck. There will be a point in time where stealth alone will fail him. Cadeus may have some confidence in his stealth, but not enough to completely sneak past the entire compound. Hm¡­ no good¡­ Cadeus leaned back against the wall. None of the options above would produce the desired result. There was another option, but that would mean relying on ¡®that¡¯ again. Cadeus paused and looked down at his right hand. Should he resort to using ¡®that¡¯ again? ¡®That¡¯, would not make much noise. ¡®That¡¯, would not use up as much Cast Limit as the other elemental spells would. However, if he were not careful, ¡®that¡¯ would definitely result in instant kills. Since ending the lives of the Untouched did not fall under his calculations, Cadeus forsook the option to use ¡®that¡¯. Besides, Cadeus hated having to rely on ¡®that¡¯ on a continuous basis. He had used enough of ¡®that¡¯ for the time being. Pondering further, Cadeus thought of one last option. It¡¯s a good one suited to the current situation, but it was also an option Cadeus had low confidence in. That would be, the sword. Throughout his three months since enrollment, Cadeus had only experienced twelve lessons where he actually held a sword. The reason being was that the Educators wanted the students to experience what was it like to wield a sword against an Untouched. It was a highly unusual lesson. The main arsenal of a Mage was spells. The idea of holding and using a sword was alien to all but a small minority of White Mages. Initially, the lesson managed to proceed well. Holding the sword was not the issue. Wielding it was where the problem starts. Hacking and slashing, the whole cohort of student mages appeared like an undisciplined mob that had no idea how to properly use a physical weapon. Besides¡­ was there even a need to know how to use a physical weapon to fight Untouched? At first, many of his fellow students laughed and scoffed at the idea about taking the Untouched seriously. But when they were asked what would happen if they could not use any spells, well, the situation changed a little bit. It was only up to then were they told that the motive behind the scenario was to simulate what would happen if a Mage, exhausted by casting spells, could only use physical means to defeat Untouched opponents. Despite the logic, many students still neglected the sword, but not Cadeus. In fact, after several lessons, he soon expressed interest in it. Back on Earth, there was really not much use for swords. With the existence of guns, swords had lost their purpose, resulting in a severe lack of serious treatement towards the blade. Although there were the various club activities of saber fencing, kenjutsu, and various others, Cadeus did not expressed any interest in them due to the lack of practicality in that world. Even if one wanted to pursue the path of the blade, there was not much he could take away for his actions are only limited to self-defense, and it was forbidden to carry real swords in public. Plus, if one would want to collect swords, a license was needed just to buy one. In addition, swords were expensive collectables. On Zeffernon, there were no guns, and swords were an accepted assesory. Since there was a more practical need for the blade on Zeffernon, learning how to use it was an opportunity Cadeus felt that he should not let go to waste. Of course, he was clumsy at the beginning, extremely clumsy. But using the sword was a matter of adjusting to the right forms. However, despite taking sword lessons, he was still an amateur when it comes to the blade. Using the sword against a group of professionally trained Untouched was definitely something that calls for the lack of confidence. A total lack of confidence? Maybe not so much. That is, if Cadeus used the sword alone. Perhaps some small magic could help him? Hm¡­ His thoughts in deep consideration, Cadeus closed his eyes and gave a moment to relax his mind. Pacing his breathing, he pictured himself surrounded by a sea of black. Focusing his energy within, he felt his eyes narrow, and soon there was a stressful bulge forming in between his eyes. He felt his pulse pumping and soon the familiar sense of exhilaration kicking in. His mind and body felt clearer and lighter, and his mind entered into some sort of transcended state. Feeling the weight of the magic, Cadeus momentarily surrendered himself to the growing exhilaration within. As he did so, Cadeus soon heard his own heartbeat pumping loudly like a continuous siren, and he could feel the faint magical presences within the five Untouched. With his thoughts in the clear, Cadeus soon formulated several scenarios using different methods and different outcomes. When he finally opened his eyes. He soon knew what to do and how to go about achieving it. He waited, for the opportune moment. One of the five soon threw his hands into the air in anger and left the group while the others ridiculed his lack of winning rows. Moving towards Cadeus¡¯s position, he stopped at a table to put his sword down and pour himself a pint of beer. That was when Cadeus acted. Springing from his hidden location, the Untouched only saw him at the very last minute. As his eyes widened, Cadeus clasped his hands onto his face, and gave him an electric shock. It was not a complete [Point Spell]. It¡¯s just a simple application of the element Lightning, but it was more than enough to knock him out. Without waiting for the body to fall, Cadeus grabbed the steel sword and quickly turned towards the other four. Although he was light footed, he was soon identified when one of the other Untouched saw him approaching. By the time the rest were alerted, Cadeus had already unsheathed the steel sword he had taken and took the basic battle stance with his hands together. Although handling the sword was still something Cadeus was uncomfortable with, he was not entirely oblivious to the point of unfamiliarity. When the Untouched were all on their feet, Cadeus quickly enhanced the blade with a thin layer of electricity. A few sparks and the blade was thourouhly coated. The coating element was not entirely visible to the eye, but some flickers of bluish white could be seen sparkling around the blade. At first, the Untouched were wary of Cadeus. Student or not, he still appeared to be a mage, and it was within the Untouches¡¯s natural instincts to regard mages with caution. However¡­ ¡°Wait¡­ This kid, he¡¯s holding a sword?¡± ¡°Careful, he¡¯s a mage.¡± ¡°Even if he was, why isn¡¯t he casting any spells?¡± ¡°Maybe he could not cast any at the moment.¡± With that thought blurted out, three of the four exchanged smirks of new founded confidence. They came at once, swords already drawn. Cadeus merely raised his sword in a slanted defensive stance. Although the Untouched identified the flickers of electricity around his blade, they still came at him with confidence. The steel sword felt heavier than Cadeus expected, at least heavier than the practice swords that the Academy provided, but it¡¯ll suffice. The Untouched on his left gave a high swing with his sword. Moving his own sword up, steel soon clashed against steel. From the moment the blades collided, the electricity raced from Cadeus¡¯s blade to the opposing steel. The Untouched staggered a little due to the small electric charges, but it was all that Cadeus needed. Repositioning the sword, Cadeus immediately brought up his blade to his right shoulder and parried another strike. When the second Untouched staggered, Cadeus quickly stepped back to avoid another swing from the third Untouched. It was a dangerous swing, but Cadeus had long grown used to the sense of danger. Bringing his sword up once again, all Cadeus had to do was to deflect another blow to give the third Untouched the eletric shock. Once all all three opponents staggered struggling to regain proper control over their bodies, Cadeus quickly brought his hands out in front of him. While one hand still held onto the sword, Cadeus brought the magical energies to his fingertips and casted one of his favourites. ¡°[Lightning Pulse]!¡± Three bright hot arcs of lightning flew out of each set of fingertips and ensnared the first two Untouched. Redirecting the energy, Cadeus connected them together with the third. Before long, the three Untouhed found themselves being cacooned in eletricity. They were soon lifted off the ground and started spinning in all sorts of directions. After holding the spell for several more seconds, Cadeus allowed the spell to fully resolve resulting. Once the ensnaring eletricity dissapeared, their spinning captives were soon flung towards three different directions, crashing either into the wall or the ground. Whichever part of the room they landed, they never got up again. With one last person remaining, Cadeus¡¯s attention went to the last man. In seeing that he was the last one, the sole remaining Untouched soon dropped his weapon and quickly collapsed butt first onto the floor. ¡°Wait! Wait! I¡¯m just a simple guard. I¡¯m just doing my duty. Please, just spare me and walk away. I¡¯ll pretend that I didn¡¯t see you.¡± Well, this saved Cadeus the effort to interrogate him. ¡°I need answers, and you are going to give them to me.¡± ¡°Sure! Sure! Anything.¡± ¡°First, who is your master?¡± ¡°How would I know? You mages are all the same!¡± So he did not know his master¡¯s identity after all, shame. ¡°Where am I?¡± ¡°The Master¡¯s Mansion.¡± ¡°A mansion? Here? You could have thought of a better lie.¡± ¡°I did not! This is the underground level!¡± Well that¡¯s something good to know, now for the exact number of enemies. ¡°How many other guards are there?¡± ¡°The others? Currently there were only the seven of us. There were two others that were stationed at the corridor where you came from. Well, since they are not here, perhaps¡­ they are dealt with¡­¡± ¡°How many of you Untouched did your master employ?¡± ¡°A-A couple dozen, but most of them had already left. The master took them when he left the mansion three hours ago.¡± ¡°So is there no other guards in our present location?¡± ¡°N-No!¡± Three hours¡­ they must have left either by foot or teleportation, but it did not matter. What was important was that there were no other guards around. Time for the last question. ¡°When your master imprisoned us, there was a girl dressed in white. Where is she?¡± ¡°Ah yes! I remember. She¡¯s isolated in the other corridor on the right.¡± As he pointed, Cadeus quickly made that mental note before deciding what to do next. Time was of the essence. Cadeus soon felt that he had to quickly wrap this up if he wants to move on. There could be other potent threat in this unknown environment. Without further due, Cadeus grabbed the man¡¯s throat and gave him an eletric shock. The last Untouched jiggled like a squid. It did not take long for him to lose conscious. With the room quiet, Cadeus took some time to pile up the unconscious bodies to a corner. Once he was done, he covered them slightly with a few bundles of fabric cloths before moving onwards to look for Sing. TOA After peeking in a few more cellars down the designated corridor, Cadeus noted that the rest seemed to be deserted. With his observations so far, Cadeus started making a deduction; a near empty prison, Untoucheds for sentries, with the three of them as the only prisoners. This must be a private jail, one that has no ties to the Enforcers or any legal government. With a few more glances, it did not take Cadeus long enough to find the right one. Unlocking the door, Cadeus opened to find Sing on the floor bounded in the same manner just like he was just a couple of minutes ago. She¡¯s still unconscious. Her clothes were still intact. Good, their captors did not give her any rough treatment. Cadeus moved up to her and patted her shoulder. ¡°Sing? Wake up.¡± After a few more attempts, Sing struggled and she eventually opened her eyes. The look on her face when she identified his appearance reflects confusion and . It took her a moment before she finally realized that the boy in front of her was indeed her close childhood friend. ¡°Cadeus?¡± Cadeus went behind her and started with her wrists, trying to figure out the right key in the process. ¡°You all right?¡± ¡°Just¡­ woke up. What happened?¡± ¡°What do you remember?¡± Cadeus rolled up Sing¡¯s sleeves to get a better look, only to see that there was no syringe piercing on her elbows either. ¡°We were with Fremin¡­ then the tea!¡± ¡°The tea?¡± ¡°Yes. I think we collapsed after drinking the tea. He must have placed some sort of sleeping concoction in our cups.¡± Ah¡­ now Cadeus fully remembered. ¡°If Nadav was here, he would say something like ¡®Sounds familiar, wait. This is just like the police drama back on Earth¡¯.¡± ¡°You mean Nadav is not with you?¡± ¡°No. At least not right now.¡± ¡°Do you know where Nadav is?¡± ¡°Yes. In a cell just at the other corridor.¡± ¡°You did not break him out?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just say he¡¯s more likely to cause more trouble without his chains.¡± ¡°Cadeus¡­¡± ¡°Relax. I¡¯m obviously not going to leave him behind. Just after I got to you first.¡± Click! With the switch of the right key, Cadeus finally got Sing¡¯s arms free. Giving her room to feel her wrists, Cadeus passed her the key ring so that she could free her legs herself. While fiddling with the keys, Sing asked Cadeus a rhetorical question. ¡°How did you get out of your cell?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°These chains are not normal chains. They are made of Derithmodule Quartz. Should you attempt to cast any spells, the quartz will absorb the magic before you can use it to assume a spell form.¡± ¡°Derithmodule Quartz? Sounds like that Derithmodule statue guy at¡­ what¡¯s that street? Derithmodule¡¯s Monument?¡± ¡°Same person. He made the quartz. You still have not answered my question.¡± Hm¡­ now how would Cadeus make this sound right? Cadeus can¡¯t tell Sing about ¡®that¡¯, as ¡®that¡¯ would be one of the last things he wanted his close friends to know. ¡°Let¡¯s just say that I used something Dark.¡± Sing gave him a frown, but with the awareness of Cadeus¡¯s capabilities as a Dark Mage, she never pursued the issue. Finding the right key, Sing made short work of her remaining chains. Helping her up, Cadeus turned and gave her a little room for her personal space. ¡°When you are ready, we better go back for Nadav.¡± ¡°Hold it.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Turn around.¡± ¡°Is there something you need? ¡­Eh?¡± Before he knew it, Sing reached out to him, wrapped her arms around his abdomen and drew him close. What the¡­ ¡°Sing?¡± ¡°Just¡­ let me do this for a second.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Sing hugged Cadeus. Was he dreaming? Cadeus had never been this up close to Sing before. Hold on, why is this even happening? With so many questions bubbling in his head, Cadeus stood like a rock without a change in his cold face. Silence resumed for the next couple of seconds. Cadeus could hear her deep, slow breaths and feel her heartbeat. Thanks to her tight grip around him, Cadeus could feel her slim body and her natural curves, not to mention a certain developing part above her abdomen, which was the primary cause for him to blush slightly. For a second there, Cadeus gave a thought about wrapping his arms around her in return to give her some comfort. There was nothing wrong with that since that was what people do normally. However, Cadeus could not do it. Or rather, he was not sure if he should. There was a saying that there was a time and place for everything. Cadeus was unsure if the action of hugging her was appropriate given the situation around them. Should he comfort her? Or should he respect her personal poace? Ah screw it¡­ what¡¯s the harm? He thought. Slowly and awkwardly, Cadeus rested his right hand on Sing¡¯s head and slowly stroke her soft hair while the other hand went to her back. This current experience¡­ felt slightly awkward at first. But Cadeus knew that Sing had her own circumstances. Even the mightiest minds could have their own arcs of crisis. Cadeus would not be surprised if Sing was currently experiencing some sort of emotional breakdown. Eventually, Sing decided to let him go. When she did, the two of them automatically kept a distance from each other. After Sing spent a moment gathering her usual self, she opened her mouth in apology. ¡°Sorry. It can be scary for a girl to wake up only to discover that she had been kidnapped. I¡¯m used to being teleported out of nowhere, but I¡¯m definitely not used to people drugging me and shutting me off for unknown motives.¡± ¡°¡­ No problem. In fact, I¡¯m quite surprised you could handle our first few dubious quests. Remember what happened during the Gordon¡¯s Mirror Board Quest? I nearly chicken myself out after being teleported into that weird dimension. But you were so calm when we found each other.¡± ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m used to being teleported out of nowhere.¡± ¡°Childhood training?¡± ¡°Yes. Something I can thank my father for.¡± Before they knew it, the two of them then just stood there staring at each other. Just for a brief second, Sing was the whole world to Cadeus. He found himself mesmerized by her brown eyes, her russet brown hair, her intelligence and her elegant character. There was always something in her that captivated him, something in her that existed ever since they both first worked together back when they were younger on Earth. It definitely was not love on sight. Cadeus was not drooling over her when he first laid eyes on her, but it was certainly a feeling that slowly developed the more time he spent around her. Cadeus did not know how Sing saw him as a person, perhaps he will never know. But at least¡­ No. Cadeus inwardly shook his head. He should not. How could he dare reach out to such a girl when he could not even bring himself to tell her about ¡®that¡¯? If he ever dare make a mention about ¡®that¡¯ to her, she would definitely view him differently. Cadeus was highly confident of that. A moralistic person like Sing who already despised the working ethics of Dark Mutators would definitely not overlook this dreadful ability he possessed. No, no, no¡­ Wanting desperately to break out of this extremely uncomfortable silence, Cadeus looked away and abruptly changed the subject. ¡°We better head back to Nadav.¡± ¡°¡­ Agreed.¡± Cadeus about turned and was just about to move out to the corridor when Sing called for him again. ¡°Cadeus¡­¡± ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°Thank you. For finding me.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± TOA ¡°MMMMM!!!!! WWWWWWWW!!!!! MMMMMMM!!!!! (Strongly muted muffled sounds)¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ I got it. I got it.¡± Cadeus slowly pried that piece of gag off Nadav¡¯s mouth. ¡°WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR? LEAVING ME BEHIND!¡± ¡°Relax, at least you are now more comfortable than before.¡± ¡°MORE COMFORTABLE? ARE YOU NUTS?¡± Cadeus walked behind Nadav. ¡°Quit moving so wildly. Do you want these chains off or not?¡± ¡°OH! Now you decided to free me? Seriously? Can you believe this guy Sing?¡± ¡°Well he did saved you from those Untouched. You can¡¯t argue against that.¡± ¡°Geh! That may be true, but that still does not give him the excuse to just leave me bounded when he should have freed me!¡± ¡°Stealth was never your strong suit Nadav. If I were to let you out of the bag, where¡¯s the guarantee that you won¡¯t blow out our secret escape.¡± ¡°But¡­ But still!¡± ¡°Enough!¡± As usual, Sing cut herself in before things got out of hand. ¡°Less in-fighting, more brain storming. We still don¡¯t know where we are.¡± Cadeus freed Nadav¡¯s wrists and passed him the keys to let him do the rest. Walking out, Cadeus gave Sing his own set of deductions. ¡°If you want my guess, we are most likely in a private jail. Given how there is absolutely no window and sunlight, we are most likely in the basement.¡± ¡°And our culprit is most likely our commissioner.¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯ll find out about that soon enough. Next question, how long were we unconscious?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the time?¡± Cadeus waved his palms out in an ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯ fashion. ¡°No belongings, no watch.¡± ¡°Then I guess we have to recover them first.¡± Nadav finally freed his legs and tossed the chains aside. ¡°So? What¡¯s the game plan?¡± ¡°We find our belongings, bust ourselves out, and then¡­ we decided how to continue.¡± ¡°Right! Belongings!¡± Nadav puffed his chest out and gave it a slam of confidence. ¡°Leave that to me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What? Why are you two looking at me with those ¡®I doubt this person can do it¡¯ eyes?¡± ¡°Well¡­ Let¡¯s just say that Sing and I are very doubtful about your capabilities to contribute anything useful at this point of time.¡± ¡°Oi! That¡¯s mean! Even I got my own aces up my sleeves.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry to say this too Nadav, but in most cases, your aces usually do not make a lot of difference.¡± ¡°Not Sing too!!!! Is my awesome Nadav screen time going to be cut flat just like this?!¡± ¡°Screen time? What do you think this is? A movie?¡± ¡°If this was a movie, I would be surprised that Nadav got that much screen time.¡± Getting arrowed by his two close friends, Nadav dropped down to his hands and knees. ¡°This is the end¡­ this is the end of the line. Am I just going to be a simple footnote in this life?¡± Sing gave Cadeus the ¡®Oh dear, it looks like we went too far¡­¡¯ look. Well, perhaps having a plan is still better than having no plan¡­ Cadeus folded his arms. ¡°What do you have in mind Nadav?¡± Nadav instantly got up with a chalk in his hand. ¡°This!¡± Oh! He came back to life. ¡°¡­ How exactly can a chalk help us?¡± Nadav reached for his pocket and took out a piece of crumpled paper. Using the chalk, he drew a circle with the four points of North, South, East and West. ¡°¡­ Please don¡¯t tell me that¡¯s a compass.¡± ¡°Relax. It¡¯s a trick I picked up from my grandmother.¡± ¡°Let me guess. This piece of paper is going to show us where your belongings are going to be.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ wait, how did you know about this?¡± ¡°By observation.¡± Cadeus rubbed his temple to get rid of the mild headache that started developing in his forehead, for good reason. This is going to be a bad idea. ¡°Well, well, it¡¯s not as bad as it looks. Remember the game Call of Duty?¡± ¡°This is not the time to get gaming inspirations Nadav.¡± Sing said. ¡°Wait, wait. This is the trick. You see, there is a homing stone emblem in my sling bag. All I need to do, is to cast the spell, and then¡­¡± Nadav worked his own magic, and then, a bright yellow dot can be seen at the edge of the circle inidicating the direction of east. ¡°There we go. All we have to do then is just proceed until we get our stuff!¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What? Are you two impressed? You are both impressed right?¡± Contrary to Nadav¡¯s belief, his two friends are far from impressed. ¡°¡­ This is just a simple form of tracing magic, a child¡¯s play.¡± ¡°Yeah, I have to agree with Sing. It¡¯s nothing amazing.¡± ¡°Oi! If that¡¯s the case, then why is it that you two failed to come up with something like this?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because I have a better idea.¡± Sing said. ¡°Oh? Let¡¯s hear it then!¡± Behaving like a kid, Nadav folded his arms and dared Sing to prove his idea wrong. Sing reached out her palm for the chalk in Nadav¡¯s hand. ¡°May I?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Though reluctantly, Nadav passed the chalk over. Sing reached for her hair and took off her hairclip. Flipping the hairclip upside down, Sing revealed a rune mark. It¡¯s a strange rune not from a culture that was familiar to Cadeus. It¡¯s a rather simple rune; three curl lines formed the borders while there was a marked symbol at the centre. Since it was not from a distinguished culture from Earth, Cadeus assumed that it could be one of Zeffernon¡¯s many arcane runes, but that¡¯s another topic for another day. Bending her knee, she copied the rune and traced it on the floor. It looks like she was not going to use the rune that was on her hairclip. Well, it makes sense. Once used, the rune will disappear. If you can''t memorize the rune, it would definitely be more efficient to create and utilize another copy. Once she was done, Sing placed her fingers on the edge of the rune she marked on the floor, and applied a small amount of magic. ¡°[Locate and Retrieve].¡± She uttered. With her White Magic, the rune that she marked on the floor glowed in bright white and soon, there was a sudden flash of white. Cadeus and Nadav had to cover their eyes to minimize the blindness. When they opened their eyes again, the white light was gone, and so was the rune on the floor. But what was in place of the rune Sing marked on the floor, were all their belongings. Satisfied, Sing returned the chalk to a mystified looking Nadav and made a gesture towards her proud handiwork. ¡°There we go. Isn¡¯t this much simpler?¡± Sing asked. ¡°Well, it definitely saves more time as compared to Nadav¡¯s idea.¡± Cadeus followed. ¡°Ah! Damn it! Why is it that you two always look down on my capabilities? Are you two freaking Cassandra?¡± Suddenly viewing his friends as his presumed, oppressive non-blood related sibling, Nadav could only look at Sing with a slightly cold expression and ask her his next question. ¡°So? How exactly did you pull that one off?¡± To answer Nadav¡¯s question, Cadeus went up to his sling bag and noticed a glowing rune similar to the one he saw on Sing¡¯s hairclip. ¡°She marked our bags with the same rune on her hair clip.¡± ¡°Geh! Are you serious?¡± ¡°See it for yourself.¡± Nadav went up and took his own sling bag. ¡°You¡¯re right. The rune is there.¡± Nadav flashed that part of the bag towards Sing. ¡°When did this happen?¡± ¡°Since Gordan¡¯s Mirror.¡± ¡°Ah! ¡­Crap I hated that Board Quest.¡± Nadav said. ¡°So Cadeus, what''s the time?¡± Sing asked. Cadeus went to his sling bag and spent several seconds searching. Thankfully, whoever confiscated their belongings decided to just leave everything in their bags. Cadeus¡¯s pocket watch was left untouched and untempered. Cadeus was glad. That pocket watch had been one of his mother¡¯s farewell presents; he¡¯d really hated it if he lost it. ¡°Time now is¡­ 5:13 am?¡± ¡°Geh! It¡¯s morning already? OH NO! We did not make it for curfew!!¡± ¡°Calm down Nadav. It¡¯s not the end of the world.¡± ¡°We need to get back to the Aademy!!! We need to get back to the Academy!!!¡± ¡°And how exactly are we going to do that? Where exactly are we going to get a carriage, this early, in this area?¡± Cadeus said. ¡°Gh!¡± In seeing that that managed to shut him up, Cadeus sighed and quickly brought the three of them back into focus. Since they had their belongings, their priority should be getting out. Other than those two sentries, Cadeus doubt that there were anyone else at present on this current level. All they got to do now is discretely find their way out. Well, since there were in the basement, there can only be one direction, up. TOA After a rough count of twenty minutes, the trio ascended from a series of stairs only to find themselves in a familiar hall. ¡°This is¡­ Fremin¡¯s Mansion right?¡± ¡°Yup, it looks like Sing right on the dot. Fremin was our abductor.¡± Stepping into the hall, the three of them saw that they were back on the ground level in Fremin¡¯s mansion. Looking back, Cadeus saw that they came out what seemed like a carefully constructed sealed door. Since the door opened outwards from a concealed stone structure, Cadeus assumed that other than a concealed switch, the door could be easily unlocked and revealed from the inside. Moving around, the mansion appears to be deserted. There were no lights, no signs of activity. There were no maidservants, no other Untouched and clearly not even the master of the house was present. Perhaps that guard was speaking truth when he said that their master took everybody else. In this situation, the next ideal route would be to find a way to escape and secure their own personal safety. The three of them were still in enemy territory. If they do not find somewhere safe, they would be captured again. However, if there were really no one present at the moment, perhaps they could investigate why they were in cellars. Thinking about this option, Cadeus turned to Sing. ¡°Sing, could you find out if there is anyone else in this mansion?¡± Sing gave a thought. ¡°If I use that same spell during the Mystical Box Quest, sure. But let me confirm this, you just want me to find out if there are no other humans in this mansion right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Ok. Give me a minute.¡± Sing knelt down on the floor folding her legs underneath her thighs. She brought her hands up, spread her fingers, and invert her hands so that both her index and middle fingers faced each other. Closing her eyes, she pictured the spell form in her head. When she was ready, she opened her eyes and stared hard ahead. ¡°[Far Sight]!¡± Just for a short moment, Sing¡¯s pupils changed from her usual brown, to a bright glittering dawn blue. Nothing happened after that, but Cadeus knew that Sing was steadily processing the information they need. [Far Sight] is a White Clairvoyance spell. It grants the user a brief glimpse scanning past physical objects around a full 180-degree angle. While scanning, the spell would also allow the user to pick up certain life signs within a specified radius, whose size was determined by the caster¡¯s own estimations. The only downside to this spell is that the scan only works on humans. If there were other magical presences such as familiars or sentry golems, the spell will not pick them up. After scanning for a couple of minutes, Sing¡¯s pupils returned to normal, hinting that she was done. ¡°So how did it go?¡± Cadeus asked. Sing gave them a thumbs up. ¡°All clear.¡± It was clear that other than the basement dungeon, the mansion was clearly deserted. Nadav rested his hands behind his back. ¡°So¡­ since there is no one here, what do we do now?¡± ¡°We just got abducted. I believe we should find out why.¡± Sing said. ¡°¡­ Isn''t that a little dangerous Sing? We just barely got out with all our limbs intact¡­ How about this? We¡¯ll quickly find a way to get out of this mansion, quickly find a way to get back to the Academy and we can just forget about all of this¡­¡± As usual, the two friends had other plans in mind. ¡°No. I agree with Sing. We stay and find out why we were in that state.¡± ¡°You too Cadeus? What¡¯s going on with all of you? Am I the only one at present who is worried about our damn curfew? What if the Academy suspends us?¡±Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Funny¡­ he always had different priorities¡­ perhaps one of these days I ought to cut open his brain for analysis¡­ could end up being useful in the long run¡­ Cadeus thought to himself. ¡°We won¡¯t get suspended Nadav. We¡¯ll only get punished. The Educators will probably make us to cleaning jobs for the next few days at most.¡± ¡°Isn''t that worse than being suspended?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry Nadav, if curfew is the main concern, not all is lost. Breakfast commences at 7:30. We have three hours at most to return to the Academy. If we made it back in time, the Educators would just mark us off as having spent the night in the capital. Plus, we can get Felkor to vouch for our stay in the capital if we ask him to.¡± Sing said. Unconvinced, Nadav threw an accusing gaze at Sing. ¡°Impossible. That¡¯s not going to happen.¡± ¡°Actually, it is possible. Given that our carriage ride here is at least 35 minutes, it should take us roughly at least an hour and a half of walking to reach the capital outskirts. After that, all we have to do is to get a carriage to Felkor¡¯s, ask him to help us write and sign a letter of witness, and then get a carriage back again into the Academy.¡± Cadeus interjected. With absolutely nothing to counter their combined prowess of deduction, Nadav sighed in frustration and gave up. ¡°All right. Fine. Since you two have the plan, I¡¯ll leave things to you.¡± Cadeus gave another rough scan to the empty mansion. ¡°Let¡¯s head back up to the second level. Perhaps we can find out how and why he kidnapped us.¡± TOA Within minutes, the trio found themselves staring at the exact same spot they previously were before the knock out. Even with the dim lighted room, Cadeus can see tilted and broken teacups all around the table floor with dried tea spills that gave a heavy dark stain. It appears that Fremin did not have the luxury of time to clean up this mess. Why indeed? If he was indeed involved in some dubious plot as Miss Allis suspected, was he in a rush for it? Moving up, Sing went up to the teapot, opened the lid and sniffed the scent within. ¡°Tea still smells normal despite the cold. I¡¯ll see if there is anything that might have caused us to lose our conscious. If not, he might have casted a sleeping spell on us, a powerful one at that.¡± Sing soon got herself busy, taking out a small pouch, she unzipped it and took out all sorts of apparatus. ¡°Oh! He forgot to take the payment! Lucky~!¡± Perhaps the only one who was rather dense about the severity of their current situation, Nadav leisurely quickly went to the table and snatched the coin purse that was obviously left behind. ¡°I¡¯ll keep this for safekeeping.¡± Yes, yes, whatever. After glancing around, Cadeus ended up dismissing the rest of the room. There was nothing else worthy of interest, and he could not sense any other magical presences. If there were any sort of enchantments or concealed traps, he would have at least felt some degree of danger. Since there was nothing, this room was roughly safe. Moving up, Cadeus could only lean his elbow against the wall while waiting for Sing to complete her analysis. ¡°Hm¡­ reaction to Arturis Powder¡­ Fortuvite? No¡­ Jurdesfur?¡± Sing uttered. Again, more unfamiliar terms. Cadeus closed his eyes and tried to ignore the words that were coming out of Sing¡¯s mouth. The more he hears and digests her words, the more confused he would get. Turning around, Cadeus exited the room and his gaze went to the corridor that would eventually lead to that mysterious room right next to the library. Sing was to first to notice this change. Seeing Cadeus staring into space, she called out to him. ¡°Cadeus?¡± Cadeus did not reply. His mind was in deep thought. After thinking about what should be done, Cadeus eventually decided to pay that room another visit. ¡°Guys, I¡¯ll be looking ahead.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Sing turned in surprise. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°There was a room I came across yesterday that seems outwardly suspicious. I¡¯m going to have a look.¡± ¡°Are you sure? Isn¡¯t it much safer if we move as a group?¡± ¡°You look like you¡¯ll take some time. Don¡¯t forget, if we intend to return to the academy by 7:30 am, we got to leave soon.¡± ¡°But Cadeus¡­¡± ¡°Relax. There is no one else present in this building right?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll come as well. There¡¯s nothing else for me to do here actually.¡± Nadav volunteered. Sing looked at her two friends with strong reluctance in her eyes, but in the end, she sighed and gave up. ¡°Be careful the two of you. Even though there are no more people in this building, the same could not be said of other magical presences. Don¡¯t go wandering into a magical trap now.¡± ¡°No worries, no worries! I Nadav! Can smell traps from a mile away!¡± ¡°Again with the exaggerations¡­ please keep an eye on him Cadeus.¡± ¡°I definitely will.¡± Leaving Sing to her own devises, Cadeus and Nadav left her and proceed to the mysterious room. TOA As soon as they entered the mysterious room, the first thing Nadav did, was to dust the dirt off his uniform, rub his hands together and went ¡°bababababababababababababa¡±. Looking at this ridiculous display, Cadeus could not help but ask. ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡± ¡°Can''t you see? I¡¯m warding!¡± ¡°Warding what?¡± ¡°Warding curses away from me.¡± Cadeus was this close to giving himself a face palm. The term ¡®warding off curses¡¯ stems of ignorance on the part of those who were not familiar with how curses exactly work. Magic was indeed a superstitious subject, but Nadav¡¯s currently actions went beyond what would normally be accepted as magically superstitious. In short, pure nonsense. You can curb, or lift the curse. But there is no such thing as warding off curses. ¡°¡­ Even if there is such a thing as ¡®warding off curses¡¯, I do not think that is how you do it.¡± ¡°Shut up! I have my own way of doing things!¡± ¡°You better stop it. Besides, there is nothing wrong with being in this room.¡± ¡°Nothing wrong? Can''t you see how dark this place is?¡± ¡°Yes I can feel that. There is definitely Dark Magic at work here, but the magic aura in this place is not that dangerous.¡± ¡°Not dangerous? Are you mad? Don¡¯t you feel the heat of it in the air?¡± ¡°That¡¯s just a natural trait of Dark Magic. It¡¯s the same back when we are at the swamp. Don¡¯t you remember?¡± ¡°Nope, I don''t, and I don¡¯t even want to remember. That place is as horrible as it is here right now. In fact, all Dark places are horrible.¡± ¡°Apologize. Apologize to all the Dark Mages out there right now.¡± ¡°What would you do if I don¡¯t?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll beat you.¡± ¡°Bababababababababababababa.¡± In seeing his idiotic friend stubbornly sticking to his nonsensical way of warding off curses, Cadeus could only shake his head and return his attention to the contents of this room. So far, the contents of this room greatly resembled to what Cadeus saw in the Dark Laboratory in Tenebris Vacuum. Jars full of questionable organs, research notes aligned with magic circles, were all radiating the familiar sensation of Dark Magic. The more Cadeus observed the various objects in this room, the more this Fremin character deemed dubious. What caught the most of his attention was a huge manuscript that was hung on the side of the wall. What was drawn on the paper was a huge magic circle crossed with many symmetrical patterns accompanied by various symbols and runic inscriptions. With the singular colour of deep red, the symbols all looked gothic in nature, but Cadeus suspected a more sophisticated origin. Moving up, Cadeus reached out his fingers and felt the thick lines. At first, he thought it was paint, or ink. However, when he felt a strong presence of magic within the red strokes and lines, blood felt more like a convincing material. Whether it was animal blood or human blood, it remains to be seen. At the bottom of the circle, Cadeus eyes went to a small handwritten note. If he was not paying a full 100% alert, he would definitely have missed it and dismiss the shade as an outlying shadow. ¡°¡­ Must further develop Corruption research?¡± That was what was written. Cadeus, unable to comprehend this small note, came to a consensus. Was Fremin really a Grey? That was what Cadeus wanted to ask. Whatever this Fremin was researching, it was too Dark. Besides¡­ Corruption research. Was that a reference to corruptive nature of Dark Magic? Cadeus did come across that term once or twice. But he was not fully aware of that that term represents. After several more minutes, Sing entered the room. When she saw Nadav¡¯s superstitious behaviour, she looked to Cadeus for an explanation. Cadeus merely shrugged his shoulders helplessly, and the two soon left their clownish friend to his own devices. ¡°Wow¡­ this is quite a room.¡± Sing said after taking an over glance at the state of this room. ¡°Any results Sing?¡± Cadeus asked. ¡°I can¡¯t tell if it was Fringustuv or Jurdesfur.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Not knowing what the heck Fringustuv or Jurdesfur was, Cadeus decided to ignore those terms and allowed Sing some space to observe her surroundings. She stared at the organs in the jars, and then the ambiguous runic circles. ¡°This¡­ is quite the research. Even I don¡¯t dare to know what Fremin was attempting to study.¡± ¡°It seems odd doesn¡¯t it? Fremin is a Grey Mage, and yet he is studying a lot of things related to Dark Magic.¡± ¡°He couldn¡¯t. His blood concentration would not allow him to dwell into something this deep. There must be an accomplice. It¡¯s either that, or Fremin is lying about his identity.¡± ¡°Well, that is not for us to find out.¡± Sing turned to Cadeus with concern in her eyes. ¡°Whatever it is, this is clearly beyond what we can comprehend. I think we might have stumbled upon something we are not supposed to see. If we get dragged deeper into this, I fear we may bite more than we can chew.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the surprise? We have been through a lot that was similar.¡± Cadeus made a side reference to the dubious quests they had taken up of late. Sing gave a soft laugh, but her expression soon became serious. ¡°We got lucky, really lucky to made it out in the past few Board Quests. But, I think we better not get further involved in this, least¡­ we get the attention of the Enforcers.¡± With the simple word ¡®Enforcers¡¯, a bulb flashed itself in Cadeus¡¯s head. ¡°Sing, you are amazing.¡± Sing raised her eyebrows in amazement. ¡°Eh? Am I?¡± ¡°Yes you absolutely are. You just reminded me that we have a way out of all of this.¡± ¡°And that is?¡± Cadeus wasted no further time. He brought his sling bag in front of him and started searching. Curious, Sing moved forward slightly to get a closer look. After several more searches with the hand, Cadeus took out the Caller that was recently passed to him. When Nadav saw the Caller in his hands, he soon stopped his nonsensical actions and gave a huge cry. ¡°OOOHHHH!!!! Is that what I think it is?!¡± ¡°Quit making such a fuss Nadav.¡± ¡°You are going to call her?¡± ¡°What else?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­Call her?¡± Unaware of what exactly was going on, Sing found herself being left out. ¡°Guys? What exactly is going on? Cadeus, who are you calling? How did you get that Caller?¡± ¡°Wait¡­ how on earth do I work this out?¡± ¡°Huh? You are saying you don¡¯t know how to operate that thing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my first time holding one.¡± ¡°Aw man, you suck!¡± ¡°Quit being useless and help me do this call.¡± ¡°Ok, ok.¡± Nadav quickly walked over to Cadeus¡¯s side. While they both busy themselves over the Caller, both made the terrible mistake of leaving Sing out of the loop. ¡°So? How exactly do you work this thing? There are no buttons to dial. Is this a one-sided thing?¡± Nadav took the Caller from Cadeus¡¯s hands and held it up with both his hands at each of the device¡¯s side. ¡°You are supposed to apply magic into it, and just imagine the person¡¯s face while you do so.¡± ¡°Is that it? Just apply magic and imagine anyone?¡± ¡°Yup¡­ that¡¯s just basically about it.¡± ¡°Are you kidding me? It¡¯s that simple? You mean to tell me that you can call anyone on the planet with just one of these devices?¡± ¡°So as long as they have the same group link. Group links have certain runic signatures that can be copied or written with magic within the Caller. Once you got a link, you can call anyone who shares that same link. That is, assuming that you know anyone within the group link. If not, you can always create a new link with a new rune.¡± ¡°Heh¡­ so they are not so universal as compared to Earth¡¯s smart phones.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I heard that the Caller is still a work in progress.¡± ¡°And if others call you, how would you answer it?¡± ¡°Just press this button at the centre. Hold on, I think I got it.¡± The Caller finally reacted, and soon an image appeared right in front of their eyes. ¡°HELLO~! Miss your big sister already?¡± ¡°¡­ How many times do I have to say not to force the image of an older sister to people you have just met.¡± ¡°Ahaha~ it¡¯s ok! Even if you don¡¯t want it, your big sister here will still treat you like her own little brother.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m not sure what to make of this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ok~ just count yourself lucky you have a big sister to watch over you.¡± What appeared in front of the trio was a small 3d image of Miss Allis. Unlike the casual civilian get up from the last time they met her, this time, Miss Allis was dressed in what looks like the Enforcer¡¯s working uniform. Though it was a relatively small image, it was clear that she is currently in a sitting position. She had a desk in front of her, and she was sitting whilst leaning forward against her left elbow. Although her left hand casually went to a ¡®V¡¯ pose next to her eyes, with that desk and her uniform, it was rather clear where she was at this moment in time. ¡°What the¡­ it¡¯s only 5 am in the morning and you are already at office?¡± ¡°Yeah! I know right? This is what happens when we do not have enough manpower for all the work we have to do. Even right now I am drowned in paper work¡­ Sigh¡­ this is what happens when we don¡¯t have a lot of Dark Mages in office.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Seeing Miss Allis¡¯s state currently before him, Cadeus was suddenly reminded about a certain lone Dark Mage who had to handle all the complain and damage reports in the Academy¡¯s Student Council. ¡°Hey Cadeus¡­ hurry up and graduate so that you can join the Enforcers. Don¡¯t worry. Your big sister here will be very nice to you~.¡± ¡°¡­ Graduation is a long way. Even if I were to join the Enforcers, there is still no guarantee that I will be assigned to your squad.¡± ¡°Tch! So boring. At least try to be more optimistic.¡± ¡°¡­ I am not so sure if being in your squad counts as optimistic¡­ wait, why are we even talking so casually like this?¡± Reminded of the sense of danger he and his friends are currently in, Cadeus quickly changed the topic. ¡°Miss Allis, we ¨C ¡± ¡°Come to think of it, it¡¯s still 5 am, why are you guys calling me so early in the morning?¡± ¡°¡­ It took you this long to ask something as obvious as that?¡± Cadeus gave a sigh. ¡°Miss Allis, We are currently at Fremin¡¯s place. When we handed the powder over to him yesterday, we were drugged and locked up in a basement dungeon.¡± When she head that, Miss Allis went into silence. Though it was an after image of the real person, Cadeus can clearly see the fire that was slowly developing in her eyes. ¡°Cadeus. What did you just said?¡± ¡°I said, we are currently at Fremin¡¯s place. When we handed the powder over to him yesterday, we were drugged and locked up in a basement dung ¨C ¡± ¡°YYYYYAAAAAHHHHHOOOOOO!!!!!!!!¡± Miss Allis suddenly gave a huge cry. ¡°W¡­What?¡± ¡°A LEAD!!!!!!!!! I have been stuck in a deadlock for three days straight because of the lack of any activities. But finally! I can act!¡± ¡°¡­ You aren¡¯t in the least concerned that something crucial might have happened to us?¡± ¡°All right. You big sister is all fired up. Buckle up boys, your cute older sister will instantly be at your present location.¡± ¡°Oh good, help is on the way¡­ wait¡­ did you just said instantly?¡± Miss Allis then exited from the image frame. Though Cadeus could not see her, her voice could still be heard from a distance. ¡°Let me finalize the stuff I need to bring¡­ oh! I better inform the others too¡­¡± It took several more seconds until she reappeared into the Caller¡¯s image screen. ¡°Ok I¡¯m good.¡± ¡°Is it me or are you really going to just show yourself up over at our side within the next few seconds? Do you know that physically that is impossible?¡± ¡°Ok, here goes¡­ Hold on~.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Before the three of them knew it, a magic circle began to form itself in front of them. All it took was a flash of light, and the three of them found themselves staring at three Enforcers. One of them was half obese. Though he still had a broad figure, some areas around his cheeks and waist swelled with body fat. The other is lean and skinny. He had a stoic look, cold eyes and his blonde hair is cut on a high slope. Of course, Miss Allis was in the center, in the flesh. Based on the black emblem on their uniform, they are all Dark Mages. ¡°What the¡­¡± ¡°Hello~. Did you miss me?¡± Miss Allis waved. Cadeus turned his head to Nadav. ¡°She can teleport with the Caller? You didn¡¯t tell me that the Caller had this special feature.¡± ¡°Hey don¡¯t look at me, I didn¡¯t know either.¡± One of Miss Allis¡¯s colleagues gave a look around. Satisfied with their current location, the half-obese Enforcer gave Cadeus a word of thanks. ¡°You are the one with the Caller? Thanks a lot, you saved us. It has been a pain trying to find a way into his Mansion, not when there are so many enchantments and defences outside. This Fremin is too cautious to invite us in, so we could not get a chance to inscript a separate teleportation circle from the inside. Who would have thought that giving a potential witness a Caller would be this effective?¡± The other lean Enforcer quickly gave a deductive analysis. ¡°Strange to see that this room is full of Dark energies¡­ and here we thought that Fremin was indeed a Grey.¡± ¡°Calm down now guys, didn¡¯t we just came up with the possibility that he could have had an accomplice?¡± Miss Allis interjected. ¡°Hm¡­ true. Well, now that we are here, we might as well search this place for evidence.¡± As the two began their work, Miss Allis turned her head again to the confused trio. ¡°Cadeus! My dear boy, did anything happen to you?¡± ¡°You chose this moment to ask this question?¡± ¡°Just saying in case you thought I did not ask.¡± ¡°You never asked.¡± Miss Allis ignored him. ¡°Anyways, in case you are wondering, the fat guy is Enforcer Gezath, and the scary looking one is Enforcer Kutsurov.¡± ¡°Miss Allis! I heard that!¡± ¡°Oh come on Gezath! Everyone can tell that you are fat from a mile away!¡± Enforcer Kutsurov went up to Miss Allis. Now that he was closer, Cadeus gave him his full attention. That name Kutsurov, is he a Russian? ¡°Allis, something has to be done about the children. Even thought they may be important witnesses, this is not the best place for them.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ Then shall I bring them back to the office?¡± ¡°The office is not a good place for them either. Send them back to the Academy. Since they are the Academy¡¯s students, it will be easy to find them when we need them. Did you take down their names for the report?¡± ¡°Done.¡± ¡°Then be quick with them, I doubt we have much time here.¡± Seeing this exchange between colleagues, Cadeus had gotten the impression that the timing of the situation might actually be a lot more crucial than what he had previously thought. Without much left to be said, Miss Allis quickly left Enforcer Kutsurov and returned her attention to the three friends. ¡°All right, long story short. With this, you three are officially my witnesses. You will be placed under close observation for the time being until the closure of this case. Since it would not be nice for you to remain here, I will have to ask you to leave.¡± ¡°¡­ If we can help you as official witnesses, why wouldn¡¯t it be nice for us to be here?¡± ¡°Because as witnesses, you can be a hazard when it comes to tampering with evidence. Don''t worry. Your big sister here will ensure that things do not get out of hand, both for you and for us. So this is the current game plan. You leave the investigation to your reliable big sister here, I¡¯ll make sure you get back to the Academy in one piece.¡± Cadeus was not that entirely sure about the ¡®reliable¡¯ part. But still, as an Enforcer, she could really be of help to their current situation. ¡°Um¡­ Miss Allis?¡± ¡°Yes my dear?¡± She already started referring to me as ¡®my dear¡¯. Who does she think she is? My mother? Cadeus thought. ¡°Um¡­ if it is about returning to the Academy, we are wondering if you could help us. With our abduction, we missed the Academy¡¯s curfew and currently we do not think we can reach back in time ¨C ¡± ¡°Of course my dear. I¡¯ll write in a letter of cooperation for you, it¡¯s all paper work anyway. I¡¯ll just leave someone back in base to do it. Should there be anything, just ask them to refer to me. Your big sister here will definitely vouch for you.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± From this conversational exchange, Cadeus deduced, rather accurately at that, that Miss Allis was a person who definitely preferred physical action rather than be confined to the office desk. Miss Allis clapped her hands. ¡°Now then! Now the professionals are here, you three can just head back to the Academy.¡± ¡°Um¡­ how do we go about doing that? We can''t get a carriage.¡± ¡°Oh don''t worry. Your big sister here will solve everything.¡± She said she would handle everything like it was nothing. What a rather bold claim indeed¡­ Miss Allis took out a chalk and started drawing a large circle on the floor. Listening to the strikes made by the white chalk, Cadeus posed a question. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Is it not obvious? I am drawing a teleportation circle.¡± ¡°Teleport? You mean to teleport us back to the Academy? But I thought you need a starting point and an end point to teleport from one end to another?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct. But as long as the end circle is already drawn, you can still draw the start circle anywhere and just teleport to the other side.¡± ¡°But that would require the teleportation inscription¡­ You know the teleportation inscription to return to the Academy?¡± ¡°Of course? Did you forget I¡¯m a graduate? By the time you become an Apprentice you should definitely learn about teleportation inscription. Plus, when you become an Apprentice, you will be doing a lot of traveling. Obviously you will need to know the teleportation inscription to the Academy if you want to return there instantly.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Since you three are still students, it would be better if I teleport you back to Converse Hall¡­ Quick! Converse Hall or Coral Hall? Make a pick.¡± ¡°Um¡­ Coral Hall then.¡± ¡°Ok! This rune goes here¡­ inscription over there¡­ Ok! Done!¡± Miss Allis got up, clapped her hands to emphasize a job well done and made a final gesture to the teleportation circle she completed. ¡°All right you three, hurry up, chop chop! I haven¡¯t got all day to collect all the evidence I need.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± Cadeus and his two friends quickly stepped into the teleportation circle and waited for Miss Allis to activate her magic. TOA After getting breakfast, the hunger finally sets in. Cadeus then realized that he had not eaten dinner yesterday. Joining his friends in the usual seating arrangement, the three of them ate like hungry lions engulfing a rather large catch. One breakfast set was not enough, they got up for a second serving, even a third. Throughout the next frothy minutes, they never spoke a word. All efforst were spent purely to satisfy their hunger. It was only until they finished their third serving that the three gave pause to let their stomachs do the rest of the job. While patting his bursting stomach, Nadav turned to Cadeus and opened the first conversation during breakfast. ¡°Hey Cadeus, why is Miss Allis like that?¡± ¡°¡­ What do you mean, like that?¡± Nadav waved his arms in a gesture to say everything. ¡°All of it! Why does she speak like she does, why does she do things on a whim without giving us room to breath?¡± ¡°Why are you asking me? It is not like I know her personally.¡± ¡°But she gets along with you surprisingly well. Did you notice that she never looked at me or Sing when she opens her mouth?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that because she¡¯s only talking to me?¡± ¡°You see! That¡¯s precisely what I am talking about.¡± ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t see the problem.¡± ¡°She is only comfortable talking to you!¡± ¡°How is that even possible?¡± ¡°Because you are both Dark!¡± ¡°Nadav, I like you. Please do not make me punch you. Besides, if it¡¯s just the talking, why didn''t you say something then?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I got the feeling that if I interrupt¡­¡± ¡°Isn''t that just you hesitating? What does that got to do with me?¡± ¡°Boys¡­¡± ¡°¡°¡­!¡±¡± Sing had remained silent ever since Miss Allis showed up. However, Cadeus and Nadav could feel an increasing amount of pressure from their female friend. From the looks of it, a hard, honest explanation better be in due, or else... Cadeus made a quick check of the time with his pocket watch. The time now is 6:23 am. First period today starts at 8:00 am. Before they knew it, the whole next hour was spent solely on appeasing Sing¡¯s anger and frustration for being left out of recent events. TOA Lessons resumed as per normal, there was relatively nothing new at present. It¡¯s the same repetitive process altogether; attend lectures, note taking, and practical sessions. Four periods passed in a flash, and the whole morning was finally over. Since Cadeus had ¡®officially¡¯ finished his Procona Board Quest, the afternoon that was supposed to be used for such said Board Quests ended up becoming a free period. Although the trio could always take up another assignment, Cadeus had already voiced out that he needed some time of his own during lunch. With this newly acquired free time, Cadeus decided to seek some sanctuary in the Academy¡¯s Library. It had been some time since he visited his favourite section, the reference archives. Reaching his designated destination, Cadeus double-checked the time before moving down to the basement level. He went to an isolated section towards the far right. Now this section is slightly special, as Cadeus went closer he soon saw the barricading bars separating the reference section away from the rest of the level. The purpose of the bars are quite simple, to keep people out least they end up reading about something they shouldn''t. This was the infamous D-reference section, the reference section that only Pure Blooded Dark Mages were allowed access. Before he approached the entrance, Cadeus went to a table just a few paces away. There was a box on the table, containing a few packed sterile syringes. Unpacking one of them, Cadeus pierced the metal tip of the syringe onto his elbow and drew out a small quantity of his own blood. With that done, he slowly approached the section door. Stopping just directly a few feet away, Cadeus¡¯s gaze went down to a magical circle before the entrance door. The magical circle was a Seal Circle that was directly linked to the door, and there was only one way of unlocking it. Raising the syringe, he pressed and drained the blood, allowing deep red droplets to fall onto the magic circle. When the blood was fully drained, Cadeus paused and waited for his blood to unlock the door. The Seal Circle reacted by unlocking a switch. Some turning of gears could be heard, and the entrance door finally opened. Cadeus walked in and slowly took his time to appreciate the sound of the gate closing behind him. Despite this painful procedure, Cadeus frequently came down here to find solitude. One positive fact about the D-reference section was that it was usually empty. There were only so few Pure Blood Dark Mages present in the Academy who could come down to this section, and fewer even bothered coming down here unless they really needed to. From the moment Cadeus entered, he could tell. Currently, he was the only person present. Passing by a few rolls of bookshelves, he finally came across that which he was looking for. A small, customized bookshelf specially isolated from the rest with its own special space. AL R Index P003 ¨C P014 The books labeled as such on this bookshelf were all bound in black leather, cover words ornamented in rare expensive roman silver. They all look very luxurious, old and extremely priceless. Oddly enough, there existed only one copy of each book. ¡®AL¡¯ represents Academia Library. ¡®R¡¯ was a clear indication that the book labeled was strictly meant for reference and not for borrowing. ¡®Index¡¯ grades the book as a very valuable copy, which meant that the publication press ceased producing copies ages ago; coming across another copy of the graded book outside of the Academy would be an extremely rare find. ¡®P¡¯ on the other hand, meant Progenitor. These books that were so carefully preserved on this customized bookshelf, were none other than the infamous Black Books, written by the long deceased Progenitor family ¨C Pride ve Lu. Ever since he first arrived to this academy, Cadeus felt drawn to these books. He felt that the books had some sort of aura around them that seeks to lure him in. It was only natural for him to feel so. The knowledge within the Black Books were all said to be highly valuable. After all, they were written by the long lost Progenitors. However, Cadeus always had the awareness that the Black Books were highly dangerous and must be treated with extreme precaution. During the first few visits, he was able to ignore the Black Books. But the more frequent his visits, the more he was tempted. Tempted to just stretch out his hand, take down a copy, sit down, and open the cover page. No matter how hard he tried to resist, by his fifth visit, Cadeus eventually ended up giving in into his desire to learn. But, when he opened one of the Black Books for the first time, what hit him was not a series of the rumoured terrible enchanted curses, but an endless wave of promising knowledge. Despite what many had said about the heavy coding within the text, Cadeus felt that he understood every word in every page. Ever since that experience, Cadeus never failed to read at least one of the Black Books whenever he dropped by the Library. Over time, these books soon offered him a great number of guidance, guidance that Educator Garth would have provided if he were not so engrossed in his conjuration thesis. But that despite this guidance, Cadeus still had a long way to go. For the knowledge he had attained so far was still not comparable to Sing¡¯s academic achievements. Grabbing the few that he currently needs, Cadeus sat down and started flipping. Out of pure curiosity, Cadeus decided to see if he could find the term ¡®Corruption research¡¯. Cadeus knew that he should leave Fremin¡¯s case to Miss Allis and the other Enforcers. However, he still could not help but be curious about that blood red circle. He did come across the subject in one of these books, but Cadeus chose not to indulge himself due to the term¡¯s complexity. But since he currently had some interest, perhaps now was a good time for some deep reading. Flipping through the deep brown parchments, Cadeus¡¯s eyes glanced through symbols, magic circles and sentences written in a coded language unknown to the human eye. After glancing and putting two books at the side, it was only until the third book that Cadeus finally found it. ¡°Which book is this again? Ah¡­ Void Densities, by Reliana Pride ve Lu.¡± Perhaps one of the most heavily in-depth amongst the Black Books currently in the Library, ¡®Void Densities¡¯ was one book Cadeus could not understand on a whim. Prior advanced knowledge was definitely needed if one wanted to understand the contents within. Even though Cadeus could decode the sentences on sight, his lack of knowledge on magical matters annulled this special advantage. But still, regardless of the inability to understand the text on a whim, Cadeus still continued reading. Bracing himself, Cadeus immediately started from the top. While he read, the coded language glowed in dim silver. ''As the nature of Vita conflicts with Occassus, it is only natural for Occassus to have the ¡®Bou¡¯ energy. Though the term ¡®corruption¡¯ would be a more general term, it is only but a poor means to categorize the ¡®Bou¡¯. Despite the similarities of both planes, the subject ¡®Corruption Research¡¯ stems purely to link the energy between planes and draw the ¡®Bou¡¯ together from the two sides (see diagram for reference). However, as it is the nature of the ¡®Bou¡¯ to be highly destructive, the attempt to link two volatile forces would only escalate the opposition. Hence, the vassal would but all disintegrate no matter how high the endurance.'' Here, Cadeus stopped reading and messaged his eyes. As usual, he could not make much out of that paragraph. Although some words are recognizable, the unfamiliar terminologies all but made him more confused than ever. Flipping through the next few pages, Cadeus could see two or three more references to the term ¡®Corruption Research¡¯ before hitting another dead end. Looking back and forth, Cadeus still could not make anything new of this. Hm¡­ should he ask a Master? This seemed to be a highly educated topic. Would the Master even give him the right answer? If so, would Cadeus understand, or would he get more confused? ¡°I knew it. You are indeed engrossed with the Black Books. How shamelessly low can you get?¡± That very voice cut itself deeply into Cadeus private thoughts. In a library where silence was extremely golden, a single utter of sound would be considered a grave sin. Shutting the Black Book, snapping his head up, he immediately shot a hostile glare to the source that so daringly disturbed his personal sanctuary. When he first registered her identity, not only did he not greet her, but he also clicked his tongue rather loudly in annoyance. With such a look and response unbefitting of a gentleman, Claire could not help but widen her eyes in amazement. ¡°So, you basically degraded yourself from a rude imposter, to a total degenerative barbarian.¡± ¡°The true barbarian at present broke the most important rule in a Library.¡± ¡°Interrupting the true barbarian¡¯s wild thoughts is definitely not a rule in a Library.¡± Needless to say, the sudden intruder was none other than Claire Rrogust ve Chroma. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Claire folded her arms with disapproval in her eyes. ¡°You¡­ are you saying that I, a Pure Blood, am not welcomed here?¡± ¡°Leave.¡± Cadeus absolutely did not want to exchange insults with her right now. He was not in the right mood for it. Shifting his gaze back down to resume reading the book, Cadeus soon felt something hard land on his head. Since it did not hurt, Cadeus chose to ignore it. However, as time passed, he eventually could not ignore the sharp beak¡¯s continuous pecking. ¡°Did you forget who was it who owe someone favours? Did you also forget that by owing favours to that gracious person, a certain barbarian is still left alone, not persecuted by his more intelligent peers?¡± With his eyebrows full of ire, Cadeus closed the Black Book once again, sat up straight, and looked back at Claire. Her crystal bird still latched itself on his head, clenching his white hair with its small crystal claws, but Cadeus ignored it gave his full attention to this bitch of a Greater Noble. ¡°What exactly do you want?¡± To answer his question, Claire flashed a black book in front of Cadeus. As she swayed it from side to side with her right hand, Cadeus instantly recognized it. It¡¯s that black book that Cadeus bought and lost. ¡°You¡­ where did you ¨C ¡± ¡°That''s the question I ought to be asking, not you.¡± ¡°You stole it.¡± Claire rolled her eyes to ward off the accusation tone. When he saw her reaction, a small spark of rage ignited itself in Cadeus causing him to frown. It was good that he got to know who was the thief, but the fact that she could coldly act so naturally without even bother denying his accusation sets him off greatly. ¡°Where did you get this?¡± ¡°Why would I want to answer a thief?¡± ¡°So rude.¡± Claire rested the book on her left elbow and stroke it¡¯s leather cover with her right hand. ¡°Do you realize how dangerous this book can be?¡± ¡°Dangerous? The curses within are curbed.¡± ¡°They are not.¡± They are not? Impossible. That shopkeeper told him that it was safe to read it. Was Claire trying to mess with him? Or, did she really used some means to determine the safety of reading the book? Reading her face, Cadeus then tried to pry more information. ¡°¡­ Did you actually try to read it?¡± ¡°You are indeed, a dimwit. Do you honestly think I would do something so careless?¡± ¡°¡­ Then how did you know the curses inside aren¡¯t curbed?¡± ¡°I got someone else to read it.¡± That means that Claire got someone to be her guinea pig. The questions were, who, and what degree of damage was inflicted? ¡°Who exactly?¡± As if to state something that was commonly natural, Claire brushed her hair to the side with her left hand. ¡°One of the Untouched maidservants who happened to be cleaning right next to me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Cadeus had somehow attained a new impression of the Greater Noble called Claire Rrogust ve Chroma. Noticing the change of the look in his eyes, Claire posed a question. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I never thought you would be someone to sacrifice a person¡¯s life just like that.¡± Claire hugged the book and rested it on her chest. ¡°So rude. Would you have done the same?¡± ¡°Of course not?¡± ¡°Then what would you have done? Besides, the girl¡¯s life is not that heavily threatened. She¡¯s now in the infirmary, and the cause of her misfortune was registered under accidental contact.¡± ¡°You are not in the least concerned of her well being?¡± ¡°Why should I?¡± The tone of her voice, and the look in her eyes completely made it clear to Cadeus. From the very beginning, the life of an Untouched was equivalent to a life of an annoying insect. That was how Claire saw the Untouched, an exact duplicated image of how medieval highborn nobles harshly look down upon the life of insignificant peasants. Although Cadeus do not share the same sentiments, such thoughts were not uncommon amongst the magi. After all, in the world of magic, the inability to use magic was a serious handicap. In seeing Cadeus deep in thought, Claire was able to attain a rough gauge of what he¡¯s thinking. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me you are actually concern over that Untouched¡¯s well being?¡± ¡°She¡¯s human, just like you and me.¡± ¡°A rather insignificant and incapable human.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ A rather insightful statement, and what does that make you? A rather significant and capable human, who just happened to be born with the right blood.¡± Claire rolled her eyes again. It was clear to Cadeus that she refused to debate further. ¡°You sounded shocked when I mentioned that the curses within were not curbed. Have you actually read the first few pages?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then?¡± Cadeus refused to answer her. With the lack of new words coming out of Cadeus¡¯s mouth, Claire decided to throw in another question. ¡°You could not have gotten this from a quest reward. Who sold you this? How much did he charge you?¡± Not only did she discern that he bought it from a source, she was also convinced Cadeus probably paid a fortune for it. As expected of Claire, this Greater Noble was not someone Cadeus could take lightly. ¡°Why are you interested?¡± ¡°Because whoever did sell this to you could have inflicted you a serious injury if you attempted to read the book.¡± Was she looking out for me? Cadeus thought Now that threw him into a slight state of confusion. ¡°Why would you care?¡± ¡°You forget, you owe me three favours. I would prefer you remained whole until you paid your debts.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I see.¡± Absurdly practical, as always¡­ ¡°Moreover, he also knew how unexpectedly stupid you were to just take his word that the book would be safe to read.¡± Ok, that last one was an insult. Cadeus knew all too well Claire was just being haughty. It¡¯s nothing new, she¡¯s just being herself. Still having not received the answer she wants hear, the next words that came out of Claire¡¯s mouth carried the unmistaken tone of a hostile threat. ¡°You still have not answered the main question.¡± Cadeus sighed. ¡°Bought it off a random shop for 20 Duches.¡± Though her eyes clearly reflected her disbelief, Claire nearly dropped her mouth in shock. It must have taken a lot of effort to maintain her cold compression. Deep in shock, Claire leaned back against the wall, rested her arms, and then pressed her left fingers against her eyes. ¡°Who¡­ who would be so¡­ irresponsible?¡± Irresponsible? Wow¡­ That was not a word Cadeus heard often from a highly brought up Claire. Whatever it was that shopkeeper had in mind, selling such a valuable book easily on a cheap whim was clearly something Claire could not tolerate. ¡°What¡¯s his name? Where¡¯s his shop?¡± ¡°Hey¡­ let¡¯s not start prosecuting now.¡± ¡°Prosecuting? That shopkeeper deserved to be hanged!¡± ¡°All right, all right.¡± Cadeus brought his hands up in an effort to calm her down. ¡°Whatever you think it was that happened, it¡¯s not exactly so. That shopkeeper sold this copy three times for it¡¯s standard price of over one million Duches. Three times it was bought, three times it was returned for a refund. He simply sold it to me because he did not want it collecting dust in his shop.¡± ¡°That is still no excuse to treat this book like some cheap commercial bargain!¡± ¡°He¡¯s a merchant who only sees the book as a source of profit. What else could you expect? Besides¡­ at least he sold it to the right person.¡± ¡°You? The right person? Ha!¡± Claire snorted at that comment. ¡°A useless Pure Blood, not to mention an imposter, thinks that he is the right owner of this book?¡± ¡°At least I can read it¡­¡± Though it was just a mere slip of the tongue, the air between them suddenly froze. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Oh crap¡­ maybe I should not have said that. Cadeus thought. ¡°Just now¡­ What did you say?¡± With that menacing tone in her voice, it was clear that Claire had not misheard him. If Cadeus attempt to feign ignorance, he would just be digging his own grave. Sighing inwardly, Cadeus could not help but repeat the exact words he just said. ¡°I said, at least I can read it.¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡°You¡­ are you serious?¡± ¡°I am.¡± ¡°You are either the most terrible liar, or the worst idiot to have existed. Did you know that the books written by the Progenitors were all heavily coded and that they have protective curses? ¡°Or so I have heard.¡± ¡°And yet?¡± Cadeus took a short moment to prepare the right words. ¡°And yet, it is as I have just said. I can read the Black Books with ease. I do not know the full details of the phenomenon, but it appears that I can read through the coding and not trigger the curses.¡± ¡°You lie.¡± Cadeus reopened the book in front of him and returned his gaze to the pages. ¡°I am not asking you to believe me. If you want to affirm it, you can test me with a Black Book that you have already read.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Claire moved herself to the seat right next to Cadeus. Laying the Black Book and her own sling bag down, she bent her body and started searching within. At this near distance, Cadeus caught wind of a certain scent radiating from the highborn princess. Perfume? It must have been an expensive one¡­ Cadeus thought. Realizing that Cadeus was staring at her, Claire tilted her head to his side. ¡°What?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a very alluring perfume.¡± ¡°¡­ Is that an attempt to flirt? Please drop it. You are far from my match.¡± ¡°Not that I care, since I am not even a noble. But speaking of your match, who do you look up to? Acriscius? Davian?¡± ¡°Are you insulting me? Acriscius is a muscle blockhead. Davian would make a terrible husband.¡± ¡°¡­ Ouch.¡± Cadeus would not care for the likes of Acriscius, but he did felt sorry for Davian. ¡°Then¡­ who exactly would you choose to be a husband.¡± ¡°A matter not of importance right now and one that you should not dig your dirty nose into.¡± Without wasting any further time, Claire took out what seems to be a purple folder. Flipping through, she took out a folded piece of parchment. ¡°Here, have you read this?¡± Cadeus took the parchment from her and gave a look. The parchment is old, and filled with the same coded language and symbols seen in the Black Books. The edges of the page was worn and torn, as if this piece of parchment had suffered being passed from hand to hand over the decades. ¡°¡­ Please don¡¯t tell me you tore this off a Black Book.¡± Claire frowned. ¡°First off, do you think I would do something like that? Second, do you even think that I have the capacity to do such a thing?¡± ¡°¡­ No and no.¡± ¡°Then stop asking questions when you already know the answer. It really makes you look stupid. I am sure you have at least one intelligent question.¡± Cadeus ignored the obvious insults in her words. ¡°Is this authentic? Or is it a copy?¡± ¡°A copy, you can call it a physical evidence of past attempts to decode the book the extract came from. The intellectuals would, after curbing the curses within, copy the coded language and symbols by hand on a separate piece of paper for further study.¡± ¡°What book did this extract come from?¡± ¡°Unknown.¡± ¡°¡­ You just don¡¯t want to tell me do you?¡± ¡°If I tell you everything, how am I going to test you?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ true enough.¡± Cadeus flickered the parchment. Since this was a copy, it was not that important to him. ¡°Why would something like this be in your bag? Lucky charm?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that superstitious, if that is what you are asking. Read it out loud. I have already read the decoded version. You can¡¯t fool me.¡± ¡°Right¡­¡± He soon started reading. Since this was not an authentic page from the Black Books, the coded language did not glow in the usual dim silver, but Cadeus could still make up the words as per normal. ''In comparing the latest set of parameters, it appears that the template strands of Pure Bloods contain the same dual sequence of singularity. Although the Nucleotides still vary in accordance to ancestry, the three sets of parameters all contain three distinctive set of genetic code. The codon is sequenced in such a manner that ¨C '' ¡°Hold a moment!¡± Claire quickly moved to his side and stared hard at the parchment. To Cadeus, it all made sense. But to Claire, all she saw was nothing but the unfamiliar coded language. Not believing what she had just heard, Claire rushed back to her folder. Taking out what seems to be the decoded version of the paper, Claire compared what was written to what Cadeus just said. The look in her eyes turned from shock, into further disbelieve. It seems she was unable to believe what she had just heard. Besides¡­ Cadeus looked back to the parchment in front of him. What exactly was this about? Parameters? Nucleotides? This sounds too much like biology. ¡°Cadeus!¡± ¡°Yes?¡± Not imposter, not barbarian, but Cadeus? Cadeus raised an eyebrow. Claire rarely called him by his name. But whenever she did so, it was because of something very serious, and Cadeus would see nothing of her usual haughty character. Throughout the past three months since he known her, this was around the second or third time Claire referred to him by name. Unwilling to comprehend what had just happened, Claire snapped her head high and gave Cadeus a hard look. Moving swiftly, Claire soon grabbed the Black Book she stole from Cadeus and thrust it into his hands. ¡°First page, now!¡± ¡°¡­ Didn¡¯t you just say that the curses inside are still not curbed?¡± ¡°First, Page, Now!¡± Cadeus could only comply. Cadeus laid the book on the table and stared at the cover page. ¡°¡­ The Book of Spirits, by Zelnarius Pride ve Lu.¡± His fingers at the edge of the book cover, although he was confident that the curses within would not activate, Cadeus still prepared for the worst and flipped the black leather cover to the side. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Nothing. With nothing else to worry about, Cadeus flipped through the first empty page, the title page, the second title page with the Progenitor¡¯s seal, the preface, the content page, and then the introduction. Like all the words in all Black Books, every word is coded. ¡°The introduction seems to be quite heavy. Will this do?¡± Claire quickly nodded. Thus, Cadeus started reading. As usual, the words in the book glowed in dim silver. ''The concept of spirits has been a source of debate for a very long time. Various kinds of spirits were encountered and very few had the knowledge to distinguish and separate them in accordance to their anatomy. In fact, the over usage of the term ¡®spirit¡¯, merely results in the generalization of the subject and prevents further understanding of the topic as a whole. This is mostly due to the fault of ignorance and the confusion as to what ¡®spirit¡¯ really means. It is extremely important to be able to differentiate between the various kinds of ¡®spirits¡¯. First off, the definition of the term ¡®spirit¡¯ must be clear. ¡®Spirit¡¯ as we most commonly understand, would be a term either used to refer to the non-physical part of a person¡¯s entity that determines that person¡¯s character, attitude, and emotions, or the immaterial manifestation of a paranormal creature. Most individuals would use ¡®spirit¡¯ to identify the later, as they would find it very easy to just simply dismiss what they perceive as such and seek to exorcise the issue through a limited set of techniques, which in many cases may not have the desired effect. Complete exorcism is very rare, whereby chances of such success comes once in every hundred cases. This is highly because the common exorcism techniques merely banish the paranormal existence, but it did not address the heart of the issue. That is why there are prolonged cases whereby one exorcism was not enough. If handled poorly, the phenomena may expand and inflict more damage than what was normally required. Through decades of research, I have come to believe that the word ¡®Spirit¡¯ may mean more than what was commonly perceived. Though related to the general consensus of a paranormal manifestation, I believe that the term ¡®Spirit¡¯ is something more intermediate between the boundaries of the mental and the physical. Depending on the situation, there are several ways to approach this issue. For the mental, the word ¡®spirit¡¯ can be seen as the strength of mind, for a person¡¯s mental state could affect the phenomena of the spiritual events around him. For the physical, it appeals more to the actions and implications exchanged between the paranormal and the physical body.'' As he read, Claire could not help but witness the scene unfolding before her. He could read it. He could read the coded text. This was no illusion. Claire was certain of that. It also did not feel that he was lying. Claire knew that Cadeus was not academically adequate when it comes to matters of magical knowledge. If he was making stuff up, he would not have sound as academically as he would right now. Not to mention, there was also the fact that the curses guarding the book failed to activate. Or rather, it did not activate. Cadeus had already flipped through at least six pages, and yet he was still unharmed. Plus, the written words in the book were all glowing in dim silver. Claire had extreme difficulty taking this scene in, and there was a basis that prevents her from doing so. The Rrogust ve Chroma family had possession of two such Black Books. Both of which were written by their founding ancestor Rrogustus Pride ve Lu. Of the two books, one had already been fully decoded several generations ago. Claire¡¯s father had taken it upon himself to decode the second. Although an Archmage in his own right, he refused political participation in the High Council and chose the simple life of handling family matters. When she was still a little girl, Claire had often witnessed her own father spending days trudging through the coded text page by page. Numerous hours were spent on attempts to decode the right words, and he had to be extremely careful when it comes to avoiding the unpredictable curses. He made little progression everyday, and whenever Claire saw him rub his forehead in frustration, she knew instantly that he had hit a dead end. Honestly speaking, Claire was slightly grateful for it. For whenever her father would hit a dead end, he would temporary give up and spend time playing with her to prevent frustration from getting into him. Her father, a highly skilled Pure Blood, had a lot of difficulty going through one single page. And yet, this nobody in front of her could read the coded language with ease without any prior knowledge. How could this be? Cadeus, of course, was too engrossed in reading to see that Claire was regarding him in a new light. When he felt that he had read enough, he closed the book and returned his gaze to Claire. He had expected her to be quick to dismiss his reading on the presumption that he was making things up. However, the next words that came out of her mouth had hints of admiration. ¡°You truly can read the book without troubles¡­¡± She actually believed it? Cadeus raised an eyebrow out of confusion. ¡°You believe what I said?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t sound like you are making things up. Further more¡­¡± Claire made a gesture to his unscathed body. ¡°You are unharmed, surprisingly so.¡± ¡°Well¡­ At least you now know I¡¯m not lying.¡± Claire spent the next few seconds in silence. Cadeus guessed that she probably needed time to fully comprehend what she had just witnessed. ¡°Do you know¡­ the danger of having such a capability?¡± Claire asked. ¡°¡­ I could imagine a little.¡± ¡°You better. You have the insane ability to decode the book on sight, and on top of that, avoid the curses that were so carefully meant to safeguard the book from privy eyes. Decades spent on decoding and curbing the terrible spells within, all effortlessly denied by you. Do you think people are just going to ignore that?¡± With nothing to comment, Cadeus kept quiet. ¡°If word got out about this unique gift you possessed, you will attract unwanted attention. There will be many who will want to exploit this gift to conveniently gain knowledge from other Black Books. In addition, there will also be a number of mages who would want to study your abnormally. You will probably be experimented upon. Also, should you also die in suspicion circumstances, your corpse would still be used as precious study material.¡± What Claire said was of no surprise to Cadeus. Since no one knew about his capability to read the Black Books, Cadeus had originally paid no heed to the possible dangers. But, if he had actually spent some effort to think about the implications of this abnormal gift, he definitely would have come up with the same possibilities that Claire had mentioned. ¡°Now then¡­¡± Claire said. She moved slightly closer to Cadeus. ¡°Now that I know that you have this capability, what do you think I should do?¡± The air around the two of them instantly became colder. Before he knew it, Claire acted first. Moving quickly, she bend her right elbow, pressed her right hand against his upper sternum and pushed him backwards. The chair immediately lost it¡¯s center of gravity and the momentum of the fall gave Cadeus no time to think. Claire¡¯s Crystal bird released its grip on his hair and took to the air. With a loud ¡®bump¡¯, Cadeus could feel the impact of his back connecting to the fallen chair. Cadeus struggled to get up, but before he could even regain his own sense of balance, Claire was already above him. Spreading her legs, Claire stood over Cadeus and bent her body down. One of her hand went to his neck, and the other went to his right eye. Spreading his eyelids open, Claire openly announced her own suspicions. ¡°Perhaps¡­ it is just your eyes. Maybe you were born with a set of special eyes, or maybe, you found a way to enchant your eyes to see though the meddlesome coding.¡± At this very close distance, Cadeus felt his pulse increasing. Not out of fear, but rather due to the unusual closeness he had with someone of the opposite sex. Claire had never been this up close before. Her face was literally just a few inches away from his. Although Cadeus knew that she was just observing his eyes, this sudden closeness with a girl was more than enough to make him feel extremely uncomfortable. This experience was different to Sing¡¯s. True, he never got along with Claire. In fact, Cadeus wished that he had little to do with her. Nevertheless, Claire was still a beautiful girl. Having this beautiful face up close, would definitely set a man¡¯s heart racing. ¡°Perhaps I ought to take your eyes. It should not be a surprise to see if your eyes had something special.¡± With this close distance, Cadeus can sense that her intentions are pure. In the next few seconds, he could be blinded. But despite this current situation, Cadeus still let out one daring comment. ¡°Casting spells in the Library is a grave offense punishable by suspension.¡± Perhaps stunned, Claire gave him a look with eyes that judged him in a new light. ¡°You¡­ can still say such a thing calmly considering your situation?¡± ¡°What else do you want me to say? If you are truly intent to act as you have said. Do you think I have the power to stop you? Even if my abnormally would raise questions, it still will not justify your actions. If you do take my eyes, you will be in for a huge explanation. Tell me, as a Greater Noble, do you think the Educators or even the Masters could ignore what you did?¡± The words hit home. Without a counter statement, Claire sighed. ¡°Well, whatever.¡± The cold atmosphere between them had returned to normal. Claire released her grip and stood up straight. Moving to the side, she gave Cadeus room to breath, and put his chair back into place. While he did so, Claire can be seen sitting cross-legged on the table whilst feeling the corners of the opened Black Book. Once Cadeus finished placing the chair back to the original position, Claire posed another question. ¡°I¡¯m curious. What kind of knowledge do you seek within the Black Books?¡± Standing up straight, Cadeus gave her an elusive answer. ¡°Hm¡­ how about I don¡¯t tell you?¡± ¡°Are you forgetting that you owe me?¡± ¡°If I were to tell you, would you strike off all my debts?¡± ¡°Do you think you are in any position to negotiate? You better not push your luck.¡± Within those words, there was definitely an underlying reference to the fact that Claire now knows his secret ability to read the Black Books with ease. With this in mind, Cadeus did thought of the possibility that Claire might use that as a leverage in future conversations, but somehow, Cadeus doubt that she would give out this information freely. Claire may had the thought that she had the upper hand in this conversation, but Cadeus chose to go against her supposed threat and just gave her another elusive answer. ¡°Even if I were to tell you, you would not believe this barbarian anyway.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Claire suddenly gave a look of shock. Whether this was an act or not, Cadeus could not really say. ¡°You admitted to being a barbarian?! Did I unconsciously awaken a degree of intelligence? Oh no¡­¡± Claire turned to the side with her hand to her mouth. ¡°Cadeus realized that he is a barbarian. With this newly acquired intelligence, would he further degrade himself into the level of a beast?¡± Oh screw her, she¡¯s definitely acting. ¡°You¡­ really do love to piss me off don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Oh dear! The barbarian is getting violent. Should I flee? Shout for help before he jumps onto me?¡± ¡°Are you really so free that you can afford to waste time by just throwing insults at me?¡± Feeling extremely irritated at her continuous presence, Cadeus finally committed his brain to work. Claire had never disturbed him when he was in the library before. The only times where they clash words against each other was only during Colours. Even if they were to bump onto each other outside of Tenebris Vacuum, they would always ignore each other and refrained from causing an open scene. So, with this in mind, why would Claire show herself and instigate him in the Library? Given her character and upbringing, she would not have done such a thing for it goes against her own code of conducts. Thinking about this now, Cadeus paused himself and considered a broader picture. The two of them were currently alone, in a place where even Educator Garth would be denied entry. This was an ideal place for the sharing of confident information. Perhaps the purchased Black Book was her intended topic all along. Well, it is not like Cadeus could blame her. Knowledge highly coded within the Black Books was extremely hard to come by, and their contents could easily instigate various kinds of issues. Recalling the past conversations, Cadeus noted that she implicated a lot of focus on the term ¡®Black Books¡¯. ¡°¡­ Is my interest of the Black Books something so sensitive?¡± ¡°You think? An imposter such as yourself thinks he could read the sacred knowledge the Progenitor family left behind. If this is not sensitive, then what is it?¡± Cadeus ignored her sarcasm. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who¡¯s oversensitive with the whole ¡®Progenitor¡¯ thing?¡± ¡°Oversensitive? Is that how you see it with your ignorant eyes?¡± ¡°All I see with my eyes, is that you nobles always make a big deal out of a family who died off four hundred years ago and you are all still treating this dead family as if they were still alive.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­¡± That being said, Claire¡¯s crystal bird landed itself on Cadeus¡¯s head. Although it did not do it¡¯s annoying pecking, Cadeus could feel the bird tightening its grip on his hair. Cadeus knew that this time, he might have overstepped his boundaries. But his previous words were all honest thoughts devoid of underlying motives. Claire seemed to have sensed that as well. If she hadn¡¯t, she would have felt insulted, and she would have retaliated using violence. That was why she did nothing. A small, uncomfortable silence followed. Claire stared at Cadeus, Cadeus back to her. As far as Cadeus could tell, there was no hostility in Claire¡¯s eyes. The current intent behind her eyes suggested that her thoughts aligned more of towards ¡®what am I going to do with this person¡¯. She¡¯s contemplating. Contemplating what however, Cadeus could not say. After several more seconds, Claire made up her mind and opened her mouth. ¡°Pride ve Lu. Do you know exactly what that name represents?¡± Cadeus raised an eyebrow to that obvious question. ¡°The name of the Progenitor family of Dark Mages?¡± Claire shook her head, it was clear that his answer was not she wanted to hear. ¡°That is what the name is. I am asking if you knew what it represents.¡± ¡°¡­ Power?¡± Claire looked up in consideration before giving him a nod of approval. ¡°Power is one thing. But there is something else, something more¡­ supreme.¡± Something that wields more supremacy to power? Just what would it be? Cadeus wanted to ask Claire a question in regards to that. However, he eventually decided to let her continue. ¡°With the exception of the other two Progenitor families, you could say that it was the very reason why the Pride ve Lu family is capable of excreting absolute authority over all the other noble houses.¡± ¡°Again with the present tense. The Pride ve Lu family is wiped out. Why are you still referring it, as if to say that there are surviving members?¡± Claire kept quiet in response to the question. Why is she hesitating? He thought. It honestly felt as if the current topic of conversation was slowly steering towards a very dangerous direction. If Claire was hesitating, the subject matter she was about to bring up must be an issue that requires the confidence of disclosure. Meaning that this must had been a very sensitive topic if Claire had to be this careful about what she could say. What exactly could be preventing her from being direct? What exactly would be this sensitive? Cadeus previously brought up the implication that there were surviving members of the lost family. Although he had said as such, it should not be so, for everyone Cadeus met and knew were all convinced that the Progenitor¡¯s bloodline had long died out since the 1400s. If there were indeed survivors, people would have at least mentioned it, and the Progenitor family would not have the unchallenged impression that they were indeed extinct. Looking around, Claire spread her hands open and Cadeus could feel her concentrating. He instantly knew that Claire was going to cast a spell. Bright purple light appeared at her hands, and they soon emitted waves of thin circles. Though Cadeus could not identify the spell, he could at least gauge its purpose. Claire was trying to detect something. It did not seem to be onlookers. If it were, she would have used her crystal birds instead like that last time they were in the swamps together. If Cadeus could make a guess, Claire was confirming to see if there were any magical devices that would be capable of listening to what she was about to say. Once she was finished, Claire folded her arms together. Staring at him hard, Claire finally opened her mouth. ¡°Cadeus.¡± Again, not imposter, but Cadeus. Just what is wrong with her? Despite waiting in anticipation, the next few words that Claire threw out of her mouth threw him into a greater state of bewilderment. ¡°Do you believe in immortality?¡± ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ What? ¡°¡­ What is with the totally unrelated question?¡± ¡°Just answer me.¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ not surprising. What have you learned about immortality?¡± ¡°Nothing much. So far, what I have read only points to immortality as a way of extending one¡¯s lifespan. Various individuals from various cultures had made many attempts to gain the means to extend their lives, the elixir of life, the fountain of youth, the philosopher¡¯s stone, et cetera, et cetera. They all seem to be folk stories to me.¡± ¡°And you think immortality cannot be achieved?¡± ¡° ¡®Immortality is a dream. We all have to die eventually¡¯.¡± Claire tilted her head slightly in curiosity. ¡°That quote, it belonged to Zhcemark.¡± ¡°You recognized the name?¡± ¡°How couldn¡¯t I? He was one of the leading Dark Mages of his generation. How did you come across that name?¡± ¡°I once read a book about famous mages.¡± ¡°The Magus of the generations, by Iquiva Dermuvra.¡± Cadeus was surprised yet again. Not only did she recognize the book he read, she even memorized the title and author? ¡°You read it?¡± ¡°All Pure Bloods are required to read it. As Pure Bloods, it is our duty to aspire to become the best Mage of our generation. By reading that book, we are able to draw examples, both good and bad.¡± ¡°I only skimmed through. All I knew is that Zchemark failed in his quest to attain immortality.¡± ¡°He did. That famous quote was uttered on his deathbed. How pathetic, he failed in the end.¡± ¡°Hey¡­ he was ninety-four when he died.¡± ¡°So, you don¡¯t think that attaining immortality is possible?¡± ¡°No one has succeeded in attaining immortality as of late. Even if there were successive reports, there ought to be some varying downsides.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ you are referring to the experiments that managed to temporary extend one¡¯s lifespan. Those can''t be counted as immortality¡± ¡°Why is that so?¡± ¡°Because even if the lifespan was extended, there are still various complications and drawbacks, and the mages who succeeded in doing so still ended up dying in the end.¡± This conversation was more than enough to give Cadeus a headache. First off, they drifted off topic. Cadeus was not sure how Claire saw this talk of immortality to be linked to the Black Books. Even if it was of some relevance, Cadeus did not come across any reference to the word ¡®immorality¡¯ when he was reading the Black Books. Why would Claire drift to such an ambiguous topic? ¡°What I am about to say, is highly confidential, even amongst the Greater Nobles.¡± Claire resumed their conversation. ¡°And why would you be telling me such a thing?¡± ¡°Because firstly, you are a Pure Blood. You may not know this, but being one of the highly rare Pure Blooded Dark Mages, you have a high value in society, regardless of your impersonating lineage.¡± ¡°Hey. How many times do you want me to say that my family name is pure coincidence?¡± Claire ignored him. ¡°Secondly, as a Pure Blood, there are some¡­ sensitive knowledge you need to know. Of course, such knowledge must be restricted to trustful personal. But since you are a Pure Blood, you need to know this for your own personal safety.¡± ¡°Wow, I did not know you placed such a high value on me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you are a Pure Blood. I must take that into consideration, even though it is disgustingly low. Be grateful, an imposter like yourself rarely can enjoy this privilege.¡± ¡°Right, right¡­ so, what is this sensitive information?¡± Claire brought her voice low. ¡°The reason why the Progenitor house Pride ve Lu still commands the respect and absolute authority over the other noble families, was because of one man.¡± ¡°One man?¡± Cadeus raised an eyebrow. ¡°If he is such an important person, why have I not come across any reference about such an individual in that ¡®Magus of the generations¡¯ book?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you will never find ¡®his¡¯ name anywhere. ¡®He¡¯ made it so.¡± ¡°He must have been a very important man. Who is he?¡± Claire paused to gather herself. Leaning forward with her hands at the edge of the table, she finally whispered the answer. ¡°The Legendary Immortal, the Mage of End, Provinus Pride ve Lu.¡± Cadeus stood there rooted for the next couple of seconds. Although he felt cynical about the ¡®Immortal¡¯ part, Cadeus also felt that the name ¡®Provinus¡¯ carried a heavy weight. He had never came across such a name, and yet, he could not help but feel that the name commanded a rare sense of authority and power. As he slowly digested this piece of information, it did not take him long to interpret the word ¡®Immortal¡¯ as a form of a metaphoric epithet. Perhaps this Provinus must have been a very important mage. Though he had passed on from this world, his contributions to magi society must have been regarded in high esteem. Believing that to be the case, Cadeus opened his mouth again. ¡°Interesting¡­ from what I hear from you, he must have been dead for over a thousand years.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°To have actually achieved the epithet ¡®Immortal¡¯, he must have contributed a lot to magi society, contributions that must have been crucial to linger to this day. Hence the reference ¡®Immortal¡¯, but how strange that I have never come across such a name.¡± Claire stared at him as if to question if he had gone bonkers, but it did not take her long to realize that Cadeus misinterpreted her words. ¡°You are mistaken.¡± ¡°Am I? In what way did I mistake your words?¡± Claire kept silent. Finding the lack of clarity in her silence, Cadeus posed another related question. ¡°The Pride ve Lu family is extinct isn¡¯t it?¡± Claire shook her head. With doubt forming in his head, Cadeus could not help but take the literal interpretation of her words. ¡°Are you¡­ actually saying that this Provinus managed to attain complete, flawless eternal life, on this earth?¡± The crystal bird latching on his head took off and landed on Claire¡¯s shoulder, as if to say that he is correct. Before Cadeus could ask more, Claire silenced him by placing her right index finger on her lip. ¡°This is knowledge very few possessed. Our parents even warned us not to speak of this before our enrollment.¡± ¡°You have got to be kidding.¡± ¡°Am I? Do you honestly think that I would bother wasting time coming down here to throw a joke at you?¡± ¡°Guess not.¡± Cadeus sighed. ¡°Who else knew?¡± ¡°Presently in this Academy? Acriscius, Davian, four other Greater Nobles, the Archmage and possibly some of the Masters. The others would be our parents, and possibly even several members of the High Council. Of course, the nobles of the other colours might have heard of the Immortal, but they would not be as convinced compared to us.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Since now was an opportunity to gain answers, Cadeus asked Claire another question. "Have you seen this Immortal before?¡± ¡°Never. Even I am a little skeptical over the facts.¡± ¡°Then?¡± Claire shook her head. Looking to the side, Claire spoke as if she were reminiscing something of the past. ¡°My parents have met him. They had to, since they were Greater Nobles. When they speak to me about him, they would have this tone of reverence in their voices. They say that he¡¯s a very powerful mage, powerful, to the point of absolution.¡± ¡°He sure sounds like a living legend if you say it like that.¡± ¡°More like a living myth. Whether you choose to believe it or not, it is up to you. I¡¯m telling you this so that you would not overstep your boundaries. Having an interest in the Black Books is something that is very common. But remember, the Black Books are all coded for a reason. The high level of censorship is meant to prevent such sensitive knowledge from falling into the wrong hands. If you keep digging into the Black Books without proper authorization, you will definitely attract unwanted attraction.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Any further and he might garner the attention of the dangerous Immortal? Sitting down, Cadeus took a deep breath. His situation had become slightly complicated. Putting this heavy matter aside¡­ Cadeus soon thought that given her social status, Claire probably received the higher advantage when it comes to her education. Cadeus was not sure how deep her knowledge spans, but he was confident that she should at least know something about the term ¡®Corruption Research¡¯. ¡°Claire, can I ask you something?¡± ¡°I already helped you with [Distance Spells] yesterday. You¡¯ll have to owe me another favour if you need my help.¡± You didn''t help me. That was just you showing off! Cadeus retorted in his head. ¡°¡­ Why are you so calculative?¡± ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°So, will you owe me another one? Or would you choose to rely on someone less capable.¡± ¡°You really have a high opinion of yourself, do you know that?¡± ¡°Of course? I am a Greater Noble after all.¡± But that still does not give you the excuse to act like you are above everybody else¡­ Cadeus thought. Sighing inwardly, Cadeus decided to accumulate another loan with the purple princess. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll owe you another one.¡± Claire smiled. It was a haughty smile, the kind that had the underlying message of ¡®Now I have the perfect excuse to use you to do whatever I want¡¯. It was also the kind of smile that always pissed Cadeus off. ¡°So, now you owe me four. Now, what do you need?¡± Chewing his own displeasure deep into his throat, Cadeus spat out the question. ¡°Are you familiar with the term ¡®Corruption Research¡¯?¡± When she heard that, Claire frowned. ¡°Where did you hear that?¡± ¡°I was involved with an Enforcer¡¯s investigation until much recently.¡± ¡°An Enforcer¡¯s investigation? What was the issue?¡± ¡°Procona.¡± Being in the know of the latest issue regarding Procona fever, Claire was not entirely surprised. ¡°¡­ What does Procona got to do with ¡®Corruption Research¡¯?¡± ¡°I don''t know. But I happened to see a blood red circle with a note that said ¡®Must further develop corruption research¡¯.¡± ¡°A Blood red circle? Did the Enforcers say anything?¡± Cadeus shook his head. ¡°I was forced to leave due to the concerns that I might have pampered with the evidence.¡± ¡°Good thing that you left then.¡± Claire brought her right fingers to her lips in deep thought. ¡°¡®Corruption Research¡¯ is considered to be one of the deep researches aimed to discover the primal nature of Dark Magic. It involves a huge combination of Conjuration, Alchemy and Intellectual knowledge. The research used to be welcomed back in the early days of the High Council since it was a rather stimulating study. However, as time passed, there were an increasing number of casualties due to the huge risks involved tampering with Dark Magic on such a massive scale. Hence, it became a highly dangerous research topic.¡± ¡°¡­A massive influx of Dark Magic swelled into one single spell. That definitely sounds like trouble.¡± ¡°Well¡­ that is not the main problem. The main problem is, unless you had the proper clearances, ¡®Corruption Research¡¯ is currently banned by the High Council.¡± ¡°What? It¡¯s banned?¡± ¡°Of course it is. Do you think the High Council would approve of such a dangerous research topic? Not to mention, the general population of Dark Mages had always been in the low count. If the High Council did not impose a ban, our population would have dropped down to a dangerous number.¡± ¡°If that is the case, then why would people still look into such a reckless research when they clearly know the risk? What would they gain?¡± ¡°The only thing they will gain, is either satisfaction to their curiosity, or the quick dangerous path to power. In which most cases, both outcomes always bring about disasters.¡± ¡°Disasters huh¡­ no wonder the Enforcers are particularly keen on the investigation. I guess my commissioner is really looking for trouble researching something like that. Well, it¡¯s no longer my problem to begin with.¡± Closing the Black Book, Cadeus took that slip of paper and flashed it in front of her. ¡°By the way, this is no simple text. Where did this extract come from?¡± Claire reached out and took the extract from him. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know? How can you not know?¡± ¡°This came from an unknown source. The experts on the Black Books had already compared the extract to the other books that were available. There was not a successive match.¡± ¡°Meaning, it came from a book that was yet to be seen?¡± ¡°Probably. We do not have a complete list of all the Black Books. Many of them were lost around six hundred years ago.¡± ¡°Around the same period the family went extinct.¡± ¡°Well, if you are not counting the Immortal then yes. They all went extinct.¡± Claire¡¯s gaze went to ¡®The Book of Spirits¡¯. ¡°What are you going to do with that?¡± ¡°¡­ Aren''t you going to deny me the possession of this book?¡± ¡°Did you forget? I only took it from you because you might hurt yourself. Since you can somehow bypass the curses encrypted, I see no reason to deny you ownership.¡± ¡°Just like that?¡± Cadeus refused to believe that statement. ¡°Claire, I know you too well. Please, what¡¯s the catch?¡± Claire smiled. ¡°The catch, is that I get to know who can read these Black Books effortlessly. Since you will eventually read the book entirely, I want a full uncoded translation from you once you are done.¡± ¡°So basically, I am to be your private Black Book translator.¡± ¡°Extremely private. Aren¡¯t I generous? You want me to be discrete about your unique ability and I shall, since it is clear I will benefit from it. It is clearly mutual benefit.¡± ¡°¡­ More like a one sided extortion.¡± Claire chose to ignore him. ¡°You will be getting busy once summer break is over. I will definitely try to sneak out some of my father¡¯s notes once I return to the manor. Oh what should I do? Maybe I will give him the translated version as a birthday present.¡± ¡°¡­ You really must love your father.¡± ¡°Are you telling me you don''t love yours?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a father. It''s just me and my mother.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ I see.¡± For some reason, that comment caught Claire off guard. Perhaps she was not expecting to hear such a thing. After several more seconds, Claire shook her head and restored her dignified noblewoman¡¯s aura. Turning around, she signaled the end of the current conversation by walking away towards the reference section¡¯s gate. ¡°In any case, I will come looking for you once I have the notes. So make yourself available when I want your eyes.¡± ¡°Please stop demanding things from others at your own bloody convenience.¡± ¡°Oh? I¡¯m merely asking for your service, and since you wish me to be discrete you are under obligation to serve me.¡± Cadeus soon gave up arguing with this haughty self-centered princess. Claire gave a wave with the back of her palm. ¡°Until then.¡± I seriously hope that ¡®until then¡¯ equates to a dozen months from now¡­ Cadeus thought to himself. TOA Dinner, was styled French. That could mean a great deal for most of the food lovers in the Academy, for French cusine was an extreme rarity that was placed out on the table only when the chef felt like it. Based on the previous reviews, French cusine in the Academy ranked amongst one of the top food choices. Plus, the extremely rare moments of servings only adds further to the positive remarks anyone can speculate regarding the taste of the French dishes that the chef would place out. But after all that had happened, Cadeus did not have an appetite. The kidnapping, getting involved with the Enforcers, getting his Black Book back, and learning that there was possibly an Immortal was more than enough to drain hunger from his mind. Even though Dinner was French. But since dinner was the famously French, Cadeus did give a thought about forcing himself to consume the one-time specialty dishes. However in the end, the lack of any stimulation from the thought of consuming the famous French only further anchored Cadeus to his seat. ¡°Dinner is French!¡± Nadav dropped down right next to him and placed his plate before him. ¡°Eh? Are you not eating? We don''t got this sort of menu often.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hungry.¡± ¡°What? Are you kidding me? This food is good!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have the appetite.¡± ¡°No, no, no. I am not going to hear something as depressing as that. Not when there is such good food today.¡± ¡°Before you do anything, please don¡¯t get me a plate.¡± ¡°No screw you. I¡¯ll get you a plate.¡± Before Cadeus could say anything further, Nadav instantly left for the pantry and he soon came back and placed another plate before Cadeus. ¡°Come! Eat up! We should enjoy food while we can.¡± Cadeus stared at his plate. Eight thick-sliced meat with a thin layer of fat, grilled sliced potatoes along with various herbal vegetables. So far, there was nothing unusual. Unless you want to count four pieces of snail shells arranged neatly around the edge of the plate. ¡°¡­ What the heck is this?¡± ¡°Ah ha! Glad you asked!¡± Nadav puff his chest out with pride and gave him the answer. ¡°Magret de Canard, combined with Escargot.¡± ¡°Your pronunciation is off. That¡¯s not how the French say it.¡± ¡°Shut up! Do you know how hard it is for me to get the first word right?¡± Comparing his dish to Nadav, there was no difference. ¡°Can you eat snails?¡± ¡°First time trying.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t throw up.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t. It will be disrespectful.¡± Giving Cadeus a set of his own cutleries, Cadeus could only stare at his food. Despite the appealing presentation that confirms the food¡¯s deliciousness, Cadeus still did not feel hungry. ¡°¡­ I thought I said I¡¯m not hungry?¡± ¡°Hungry or not, you better eat. Or else, your stomach suffers later.¡± ¡°I doubt I will get gastric.¡± ¡°Nadav is right Cadeus. If you do not eat, your stomach will experience gastric later. You know that all eateries in the Academy closes after 7 pm. If you are hungry by then, you won¡¯t be getting any food, so you better eat now and satisfy your stomach. ¡°Am I allowed to fast Sing?¡± Dropping to her usual seat opposite them, Sing gave Cadeus her usual smile that definitely had the word ¡®no¡¯ underlined within. Looking at her plate, there was an oddly looking piece of meat surrounded with some sort of brownish sauce, accompanied by a spot of cubed salad, along with heart shaped green leaves. On a smaller second plate, one butter croissant bread with two colourful macarons. ¡°You meat looks so different from ours.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s Foie Gras.¡± ¡°Fog-what?¡± ¡°Goose liver.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Goose liver? Cadeus had never experience eating goose liver before. The French really had some interesting recipes¡­ Seeing his friends dig into their respective plates so leisurely, Cadeus could only use his utensils and slice a piece of meat. Once food came into contact with his tongue, he never stopped chewing. But in the midst of an intensive Procona issue, one rarely gets to enjoy peaceful moments like this, especially when one was so deeply involved. Just when Cadeus was enjoying himself, something vibrated in one of his many pockets. Putting his utensils down, Cadeus reached for underneath his uniform¡¯s blazer and took out the Caller. Looking at the vibrating object, it was clear who was the one giving him the call. Catching the attention of his friends, Nadav soon opened his mouth, despite the tough meat still in his mouth. ¡°Miss Allis is calling?¡± ¡°Seems like it.¡± ¡°Good news? Or bad?¡± ¡°¡­ Let¡¯s hope it¡¯s good.¡± Without further due, Cadeus pressed the center button and allowed the small 3d image to flash itself. ¡°Hello~ if it isn¡¯t my favourite little brother?¡± As usual, she¡¯s still insistent on playing the role of an self-imposed older sister. ¡°I don''t mean to be frank, but seriously speaking, aren¡¯t you a professional? Are you sure it¡¯s ok to be this informal with a case witness?¡± ¡°Oh come on, it¡¯s not like you are an adult. You are children who are wrongly framed! As an Enforcer, it¡¯s my duty to make sure nothing bad befalls onto you!¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a rather heroic view on things.¡± ¡°Anyways, back to business.¡± ¡°¡­ Is there something wrong?¡± ¡°Yes bad! Bad! Very bad!¡± ¡°¡­ Ok? What happened?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t tell you right now. Come and meet me immediately in Tenebris Vacuum.¡± ¡°¡­ You are already in the Academy?¡± ¡°Yes, be quick! Your big sister needs you!¡± She¡¯s still into that big sister thing? ¡°¡­ Can my friends come too?¡± ¡°Yes they can, but they must know that this is going to be dangerous.¡± ¡°¡­ If it is dangerous, why are you fine with just me going through it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because your big sister here is absolutely confident you will be fine.¡± ¡°¡­ Why do I get this sort of special treatment?¡± ¡°Come! Quick! Before things get out of hand!¡± And with that, Miss Allis terminated the call. Looking up to his two friends, Cadeus could not help but sigh. Getting up, he could only use his head to make a gesture towards the hall¡¯s exit. ¡°Let¡¯s go. We are their case witnesses anyway.¡± ¡°Seriously? Do we have to?¡± ¡°Quit complaining Nadav.¡± ¡°She only wanted you, you brought us into the picture.¡± ¡°We are all in the picture the moment Fremin knocked us out. Even if I were to go alone, the Enforcers will still come back for you eventually. We might as well just clear everything in one go.¡± ¡°Tch! This Asshole and his sense of logic.¡± ¡°You can stay here if you want Nadav. I¡¯m going as well.¡± ¡°¡­ Now you both know that I am not going to sit here and do nothing!¡± TOA Fifteen minutes was all it took for Cadeus and his friends to arrive at Converse Hall. Stepping onto the platform of black marble, Cadeus stood at the edge of the teleportation circle that would lead them into Tenebris Vacuum. ¡°Beautiful¡­¡± Sing uttered. ¡°Come again?¡± he asked. ¡°The teleporation circle to your colour sector. It¡¯s so beautiful.¡± ¡°Beautiful? Ha! Come on Sing, everybody knows that the teleportation circle of Baeto Caeli was the best looking circle amongst all of them.¡± Nadav added. ¡°It¡¯s all just gold. It gets really boring after a while. I find marble to be a more attractive material.¡± ¡°Tch! Don¡¯t let the beauty of the circle decieve you. What lies beyond is a whole nest of trouble. Weird chimeras, an extremely disgusting swamp, and weird bull like creatures that won¡¯t hestiate to crush you with a stampede. Also, not to mention Dark Mage chicks who would even joke about using people as meat shields to survive!¡± Whilst ignoring Nadav¡¯s usual rants, Sing turned her head to Cadeus and asked a serious question. ¡°Is the experience going to be that bad?¡± ¡°Maybe for first timers. But once you become a frequent visitor, you¡¯ll get use to the sense of danger.¡± ¡°¡­ Has it always been like this for you?¡± ¡°I have gotten used to it to the point where it does not bother me anymore. Come to think of it¡­¡± Cadeus paused and took a look at Sing. ¡°What? Is there something on my face?¡± ¡°No. Now that I think of it, this is the first time you are going to Tenebris Vaccum isn¡¯t it Sing?¡± Sing soon widen her eyes at the thought. ¡°Yes¡­ I think so.¡± When she said that, something hit Cadeus hard on the inside. Ah¡­ no good, this is not good at all. Cadeus thought. Why didn¡¯t he realize this sooner? The realization itself hit Cadeus hard in the head. Moaning inwardly, Cadeus had to resist giving himself a face palm. When he brought Nadav into Tenebris Vacuum the other time, Cadeus was fully aware that for a Grey to visit Tenebris Vacuum, it was indeed something uncommon but not out of the ordinary. But Sing? Sing was a White. The idea of a White stepping into Tenebris Vacuum was something insanely absurd. Staring at his face, Sing was soon able to gauge the issue after rewinding the current conversation in her head. ¡°Cadeus, you don¡¯t have to worry about me. I¡¯ll manage.¡± ¡°Sing, this is not like Demerith¡¯s Street where we have to worry about random anti-White thugs. Tenebris Vacuum is the real deal of danger. You should be aware of the low survival rate.¡± When he heard that, Nadav threw Cadeus a punch that was dodged rather easily. ¡°Low survival rate? You asshole, if you are that concerned for Sing, why the hell did you bring me in there the other day then?¡± Cadeus ignored him. Sing just looked at Cadeus, she soon gave him a warm smile. ¡°Cadeus, you know I am smarter than this. This is not just about whether I can protect myself. You are also concerned about what I will witness in Tenebris Vacuum. Am I right?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes.¡± As expected, Sing catches on very quickly. ¡°It¡¯s true that I am aware of the stories about your colour sector, but I don''t see why that should be a problem. Rumours are always exaggerated, and I don''t plan to let that create a biased impression when I have not even seen the place.¡± ¡°¡­ Are you still sure you want to go?¡± ¡°Why should it be a problem? We¡¯ve both been into Demerith¡¯s Street.¡± ¡°That may be true, but this is different.¡± ¡°How is it different? Is it because it¡¯s Tenebris Vacuum?¡± ¡°Precisely because it¡¯s Tenebris Vacuum.¡± ¡°Cadeus, for the past three months since enrollment you have been a frequent visitor of Tenebris Vacuum. If Tenebris Vacuum is truly as bad as what people have been saying, you would have been heavily influenced, and you would not be the same Cadeus I knew. But for all that you had seen in Tenebris Vacuum, you are still you. I don''t think that the place would be that bad.¡± Cadeus moaned inwardly. ¡°Are you seriously saying that? Even a six year old kid knows that Tenebris Vacuum is ten times more dangerous compared to Demerith¡¯s Street.¡± ¡°All the more reason why I ought to come along. If I am not around, who is going to heal you when you get hurt?¡± ¡°Sing, there are things in there that even White Magic can¡¯t save you.¡± Sing laughed and widened the smile on her face, and the pressure on Cadeus increased three fold. ¡°Cadeus, if I let you two go knowing that you guys are going to be in danger, do you really think I would be sane enough to forgive myself if something does happen to you?¡± ¡°Well¡­ that is true, but still¡­¡± ¡°True, I admit I had been a little forceful when it comes to my views regarding Dark Magic. But that does not affect us. We have been through various things together. I don¡¯t see why I ought to be left out of the loop when it comes to Tenebris Vacuum.¡± ¡°Hear, hear. I vote for Sing¡¯s admittance into Tenebris Vacuum.¡± Nadav raised his hand. ¡°Nadav you bloody traitor.¡± ¡°Cadeus, you better give up. You know Sing is not going to let the both of us go when she knows we can¡¯t managed without her.¡± Nadav said. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Well, are you just going to stand there or are you going to activate that circle? We haven''t got all day.¡± He added. With nothing left to back up his current stance, Cadeus could only sigh and gave up arguing. Personally, Cadeus did not welcome the idea of Sing visiting Tenebris Vacuum. It may sound hyprocritical, but Cadeus did not want Sing to witness what he did. This was not a question of safety. Cadeus did not doubt Sing¡¯s capabilities as a mage. Even though she had not experienced the dangers of Tenebris Vacuum, Cadeus had all the confidence that she had the capacity to look after herself. If there were any encounters with anti-White thugs, she had Cadeus and Nadav for support. The main issue at hand was how Sing would fair being in a place where various practices of Dark Magic exist. He may sound concerned for her due to their close friendship, but the bulk of the reasoning was something more abstract. There were quite a few things about Dark Magic that Sing strongly stood up against due to the ethical concerns behind them. It was not the first she had voiced out her displeasure, and neither will she cease stating her discomfort. Cadeus feared that if she witnessed anything more that was ethnically wrong, it might further affect how she would view Dark Magic as a whole, and if worse, him as a person. But it would appear that he lacked the power to prevent Sing from entering Tenebris Vacuum. Taking a deep breath, Cadeus could only cross his fingers and hope for the better. Activating the circle with his magic, the circle soon glowed in bright purple, and Cadeus soon felt the familiar sensation of his body being lifted again. Volume 1 - Chapter 8 - The Catacombs, and a giant Arthropod colony When Sing set her eyes onto Tenebris Vacuum for the first time, Cadeus expected words of criticism. However, the first thing that came out of Sing¡¯s mouth, was something entirely unexpected. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Cadeus paused. He turned. ¡°Wow?¡± ¡°Yes, wow.¡± ¡°You are impressed?¡± ¡°Yes. In a good way.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°What can I say, your colour sector is all I expected it to be.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Sing gave a gesture towards everything. ¡°A barren land with few signs of life, in a distance an old tropical forest, and to the side a dark suspicious Academia building. Dark and authentic, obviously I would come to be attracted to it.¡± ¡°You make Beato Caeli sound like something entirely different.¡± ¡°Nah, there¡¯s nothing special. True, we had skylines and floating landscapes, but that is just about it.¡± ¡°Skylines and floating landscapes? What is this? A fairy tale?¡± ¡°Well¡­ it can be. Some egoistic Educators of my colour sector insisted that White Magic is a pure art of expression. They said that Beato Caeli was a manifested example made to broadcast that attribute. But as far as I could tell, it was just biased ego talking.¡± ¡°Guys, less talking more working.¡± Nadav interrupted. ¡°Oh! The clown is getting serious.¡± Sing said. ¡°Shut up! I just want to be done with this Enforcer thing asap.¡± ¡°Why the sudden rush Nadav?¡± Sing asked. ¡°First off, I hate this place. Second, getting marked by the Enforcers for whatever reason is sure not a good resume for hitting chicks! Cadeus! How long are you just going to stand there?¡± Cadeus took out the Caller. ¡°Well, she did never tell us where we should meet her specifically. It did not take long before Miss Allis¡¯s face turned up. ¡°Miss Allis, we just reached Tenebris Vacuum.¡± ¡°Oh good! Quick! Meet me at the catacomb entrance. The others are already there,¡± ¡°Wait¡­ did you just said the catacomb entrance?¡± Without even a reply, Miss Allis ended the call. ¡°What¡¯s this? She seems to be in a hurry.¡± Nadav said. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Is there something wrong Cadeus? You seemed taken back when she mentioned the catacomb entrance.¡± Sing asked. ¡°With good reason¡­¡± Cadeus sighed. ¡°The catacomb is an extremely dangerous place. I do not know the details, but students are forbidden to enter for safety issues.¡± ¡°Hold on a second, this definitely sounds shady, but why the heck does your colour sector have a frigging catacomb? Is it some sort of burial ground?¡± Nadav exclaimed. ¡°¡­ Maybe?¡± ¡°So what should we expect? Zombies?¡± ¡°You idiot. This is not a random drama on some zombie apocalypse. If there were actual zombies in this reality, we would long have an epidemic on our hands.¡± ¡°Anything else we should expect?¡± ¡°How would I know? I had never been there before.¡± ¡°Any shady rumours?¡± ¡°¡­ You actually turn to rumours for your source of information?¡± ¡°An absurd rumour may in nearly every instance be traced to an actual occurance.¡± ¡°And do you know that in all cases these rumours get deformed the more they spread?¡± ¡°But we can still know something right?¡± ¡°¡­ Even if I were to say it, it won¡¯t really make a difference.¡± ¡°Just tell us already!¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ people have been saying that the catacomb was a housing pet house for the Academy¡¯s most viscious Chimeras.¡± ¡°¡­ Viscious Chimeras? Like the one we face that other evening?¡± ¡°Worse, which is why the Educators won¡¯t let them out in the forest. From the impression we all get, accidental encounters would be quite common in there. That¡¯s probably the main reason why students are denied entry.¡± ¡°WAIT! WAIT! WAIT! WAIT A MINUTE! You seem to be saying that these beasts are allowed to roam freely.¡± ¡°They usually are. What about it?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t they keeping those beasts in pens?¡± ¡°They usually don¡¯t. The Dark Mutators usually allow the Chimeras to roam freely so that they can collate accurate habitual data.¡± ¡°Have they gone bonkers?! What is Miss Allis thinking calling us to such a place?¡± ¡°How would I know?¡± ¡°¡­ In the event where we really have to enter the Catacombs, won¡¯t your Educators say anything?¡± Nadav added. ¡°Miss Allis is an Enforcer under the employment of the High Council. I doubt our Educators can have a say in our involvement even if they wanted to. Besides, we are her important witnesses.¡± ¡°Argh¡­¡± ¡°Relax Nadav. We may be going there, but that does not mean that we are definitely going into the Catacombs. Maybe Miss Allis is there for other business. Since she is here, maybe she wants to wrap up our case as well.¡± ¡°¡­ If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll hold on to your word.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just say this first, no promises.¡± ¡°Tch! This pessimistic asshole! I can¡¯t believe I followed him back here again!¡± ¡°¡­You came here on your own accord. Are you at the very least aware of that?¡± ¡°Objection! You both forced me to come down here.¡± ¡°Is that so? I don¡¯t recall Sing and I ever forcing you to come down here.¡± ¡°But you two know that I won¡¯t leave you guys while you both go on facing some serious shit. Do you honestly think that I could face myself tomorrow if something really bad were to happen to you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s kind generosity on your part Nadav, one that we are really grateful for. We are not asking much from you actually. In the first place, we aren¡¯t expecting you to follow us since we both know you are extremely uncomfortable coming to Tenebris Vacuum.¡± Sing added. Nadav stared at her blankly for a few seconds. ¡°This is strange. I feel that you are trying to encourage me, but I also feel that you are trying to degrade me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just your imagination. Cadeus and I both fully acknowledge your bravery coming back here for us.¡± For some reason that seemed to have an effect, because Nadav soon started scratching the back of his hair. ¡°Well¡­ if Sing puts it that way¡­¡± The clown soon ceased ranting and started moving his feet. As he did so, Cadeus went to Sing¡¯s side and whispered in her ear to initiate another private conversation. ¡°Wow¡­ I seriously did not expect you to persuade him. You have no idea what a challenge it is for me to convince him to stay with me the other time.¡± ¡°Perhaps you ought to try using sweeter words.¡± ¡°Nah¡­ I¡¯m not good with that kind of stuff. Besides, if I over do it with the sweetness, it kinda makes me feel creepy.¡± Nadav soon broke the private conversation with a new conversational topic. ¡°Cadeus, do me a favour. Please remind me to report to the infirmary once we are done.¡± ¡°For what?¡± ¡°Just remind me once we are done damn it.¡± ¡°Sure I will, but the infirmary? Whatever for?¡± ¡°I need to do a body check to see if I am missing a limb, an organ, or a face.¡± ¡°For the last time Nadav, you can¡¯t loose your face with Dark Magic just like that.¡± ¡°Aha! But you do admit that there¡¯s a chance that I can loose a limb or an organ throughout the duration of my stay!¡± ¡°Well¡­ I don''t deny the possibility.¡± ¡°You see?! You see what I mean Sing? That¡¯s it! You know what, I¡¯m going to stay here. When you are done, come look for me.¡± The sweet words Sing used earlier all went down the drain. ¡°Come on Nadav, this is not the right time for this sort of joke.¡± Sing said. ¡°Ha! As if I am going to step into that hazard of death sentences.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ Never mind Sing. Leave him.¡± ¡°Eh? Are you sure?¡± ¡°He¡¯ll come around. Besides, if he chooses to stay here, all he has to do is to watch out for the Aru Centipedes.¡± At the very mention of the unusual animal, Nadav¡¯s face turned slightly pale. ¡°Did I just hear you say Aru Centipedes?¡± ¡°You didn''t know? Oh right. You did not see them the last time you were here.¡± ¡°Quit beating around the bush Cadeus, just what are Aru Centipedes?¡± ¡°As the name suggests, Aru Centipedes are chimera centipedes that are extremely comfortable with barren type landscapes to be their habitat. If you haven''t noticed, this platform and the area around it are all barren. Seeing an Aru Centipede or two wandering at this region is something pretty common. You¡¯ll probably have to fight, but be careful, they are huge.¡± ¡°Ah ha ha¡­ this is a joke. You are just saying that to frighten me.¡± ¡°Oh no really, it is entirely up for you to believe. Well then, Sing and I will be going. We will be back here in about¡­¡± Cadeus checked his pocket watch. ¡°Three hours, so until then.¡± Cadeus turned and led Sing the way, but before he could take an additional step, Nadav gave a sharp cry. ¡°Wait a frigging damn minute! Three hours?! Are you guys going to be gone that long?¡± The pair of white and black turned to look at their grey friend. ¡°Well¡­ we are probably going to undergo a lengthy questioning session with the Enforcers, so I think it should be that long.¡± ¡°And you are telling me to sit here for three hours straight? Do you think I can last three hours alone in this hell hole?¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m not the one asking you to stay here.¡± ¡°Ah forget it! I¡¯ll just come with you.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ he recovered instantly.¡± Sing said. ¡°Perhaps too instantly¡­¡± Cadeus followed. TOA The Catacomb entrance was situated at the Academia Building¡¯s left with a distance of five kilometers. It could be found in the middle of two barren ridges at the base of an overstretched cliff. Finding it was never a problem for it stood out rather obviously. The entrance was made with three huge rectangular stone blocks along with a depressive flight of stairs. Before the entrance, there¡¯s a depressive a ring of disfigured and collapsed obelisks that often served as a common landmark. When it came into sight, Cadeus soon noticed that something was out of place. ¡°That¡¯s strange¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s strange?¡± Sing asked. Cadeus walked until he reached a certain point. ¡°Usually there would be a translucent magical barrier here to ward off entry. There is no such barrier now¡­¡± ¡°Could the Enforcers have dispelled it as they went in?¡± Cadeus shook his head. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, they would have reenacted the barrier once they got in consideration for student safety.¡± At the ring of collapsed obelisks, it looks like there were some people there. There were three of them, and they were Dark Mage students. What were they doing there? Even if it¡¯s curiosity, they should well know that coming to the catacomb entrance was extremely dangerous and suicidal. But when he got closer to see who they were, Cadeus suddenly stopped at his tracks. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Sing asked. ¡°Not good¡­¡± When he got to have a closer look, Cadeus saw that the three students wore crimson red armbands high on their left blazer sleeves. With that crimson red fire edged at the very centre, these three students belong to the Red Flame, a gang or clich¨¦ that belonged to a certain infamous noble. If they were here, it could only mean¡­ ¡°You¡­ Why are you here?¡± Turning to the direction of that voice, Cadeus immediately saw a very tall student with vibrant red hair with intimidating cold dark eyes. Flanked by two more students wearing that red armband, the tall youth was wearing black customized uniformed robes heavily decorated with carmine red, crimson red and heavy gold edges. With a robe slash bearing the symbol of a sizzling flame, his identity was easily distinguishable. ¡°Acriscius¡­¡± Acriscius Incendium ve Ustrina, the noble who was highly likely to be behind the previous attacks to make him drop his Board quest. A second was all it took, and they immediately regard each other in total distaste. To the person in question, Cadeus would be the most insulting existence ever to walk into his life. As for Cadeus, this student would be the most annoying person he would ever come across. ¡°It¡¯s forbidden for students to approach the catacomb entrance. What are you here for?¡± ¡°I am the one asking the questions imposter, not you.¡± Noticing that their boss had showed up, the three other students from the obelisk ring soon came over. When they also saw Cadeus and his friends, they too immediately expressed hostility. Looking at their faces, Cadeus saw that it¡¯s the usual five who were always seen around Acriscius; Vanderburg, Douglas, Glavand, Trion and Valryan. Realizing that Cadeus had company, Acriscius turn his attention to his friends. It took just one glance for Acriscius to dismiss Nadav as the stereotypical dimwitted clown. But when his eyes turned to Sing, the expression on his face changed for the worst. ¡°You brought in a White?¡± As he spat out the word, the other students soon turned their attention to Sing. Realizing that she became the center of attention, she could only look back at them with an indifferent smile on her face. Cadeus on the other hand, gave Acriscius a defiant look in his eyes. ¡°Who I work with is no concern of yours Acriscius.¡± His mood turning for the worst, the air started flicking with the volatile nature of Dark Magic. As usual, his patience is forever thin¡­ Cadeus thought. Before things could get any worse, Vanderburg stepped forward and opened his mouth. ¡°Don''t get ahead of yourself imposter. My master always had endured your presence no matter how much he dislikes you. Besides, there are five of us and there are only three of you. I highly suggest you don''t get smart.¡± With that tattoo on his cheek, Vanderburg may appear to be intimidating, but he¡¯s certainly one of the few people within Acriscius¡¯s gang/clich¨¦ who disliked pointless fighting. Through experience, Cadeus knew that cooperating with Vanderburg was the safest route to avoiding Acriscius. ¡°¡­ Understood. I¡¯ll be careful with what I say in the future.¡± Vanderburg nodded and turned to Acriscius. ¡°Sir, the imposter recognizes his position. There is no need to direct your precious energy on the likes of him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not enough Vanderburg. I want this imposter to have a piece of my mind.¡± And that was the cue that a fight was inevitable for the other students begun cracking their knuckles. Before he knew it, Cadeus placed himself in front of Sing. Sensing the bad atmosphere, Nadav quickly covered from behind and mentally prepared himself to cast [Rock Fist] at any second. But just before anyone could fire any spells, something intruded amongst them. Three bright purple flashes soon intercepted. Orienting around them, the three bright purple made sure that none of either party could instigate a fight. When Cadeus noticed that the bright flashes were actually crystal birds, it did not take him long to realize who was the mastermind. ¡°Damn it¡­ now she¡¯s going to make me owe her another one.¡± It would appear that Acriscius too realized the identity of the perpetrator, for when the three crystal birds returned to their owner, he could not help but click his tongue in annoyance. ¡°Claire¡­¡± Dressed in her usual customized black robes with tyrian purple, blue and gold, Claire Rrogust ve Chroma was soon found sitting at a distance on one of the collapsed obelisks. What is she doing here? Or more importantly, why were these two Greater Nobles here? Cadeus thought. Cadeus really did not like the idea that these two Greater Nobles were together. Claire crystal birds soon rested their small feet on her lap and shoulders. Even though they may seem harmless, those crystal birds had already proven their lethal capacity. To dare challenge Claire at this stage would indeed be suicidal. ¡°Can you lot please stop thrashing at each other for once? Aren''t we all here for a job?¡± Acriscius, irritated and unhappy, folded his arms and directed his attention towards his peer. ¡°Claire Rrogust ve Chroma, what¡¯s the meaning of this?¡± Carassing the crystal bird that was resting on her lap, Claire turned her attention to Acriscius. ¡°It¡¯s just as I had said. Could you guys do something other than thrashing each other to pieces? It¡¯s honestly nothing new to the point of absolute boredom.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not my main question. Why did you help that imposter.¡± ¡°Cadeus is my asset of the day. If you want to scotch him, please do so another day.¡± ¡°Your asset?¡± ¡°He owes me.¡± ¡°Tch!¡± Although Acriscius had the option to ignore Claire and allowed his subordinates to continue, he eventually decided that he¡¯d rather not going up against Claire. Besides, like Cadeus, Acriscius also had owed Claire his fair share of favours. Going up against her would definitely bold ill effects in the long run. ¡°What are you doing here? Please don''t tell me that the Enforcers called you too?¡± ¡°I¡¯m guessing that they called you too. Oh dear, oh dear, it would seem that they called such troublesome characters. So? Are you all going to start killing each other even before we get to know what the Enforcers want with us?¡± Acriscius looked like he wanted to open his mouth. But after much thought, he ended the conversation with a ¡®hmph¡¯ and moved to sit on one of the collapsed obelisks far from Claire. His subordinates soon followed, and they soon minded their own business. With the dispute resolved, Cadeus focused his attention to a particular piece of information. Miss Allis called them? Now this was news to Cadeus. If they needed to call these two Greater Nobles, it would seem that¡­ Feeling that someone was tapping his left shoulder, Cadeus glanced to the side to see Sing right next to him. ¡°Who¡¯s that noble? He¡¯s scary.¡± ¡°Ah right¡­ I never told you about him didn¡¯t I? He¡¯s Acriscius Incendium ve Ustrina. He¡¯s a Greater Noble.¡± ¡°It sounds like you two have quite the bad history for me to hear such vibes between the two of you.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ I won''t deny that. Acriscius was the very reason why I am labeled as an imposter.¡± ¡°So he is one that started the whole imposter thing?¡± ¡°Not really. Claire was among the first to discover my coincidental family name. Although she was initially quiet about it, my class ended up making a mess out of it when I did introductions on day 1. That was how the whole imposter thing started. Acriscius got wind of it after hearing the story from Claire and since then he was the most outspoken towards my case. Given his obvious influence as a Greater Noble, the nickname soon circulated quickly throughout the student body like wild fire and everyone knows that he hates me. Long story short, he¡¯s highly responsible for the troublesome days I had to experience in Tenebris Vacuum.¡± ¡°But you did tell him that it''s pure coincidence?¡± ¡°I did. But Acriscius still refused to acknowledge my existence. I don¡¯t know how his brain functions, but he¡¯s entirely convinced I¡¯m an asshole who abuses a historic name.¡± ¡°Wow, he sure sounds like a nutcase.¡± Nadav added. ¡°I¡­ wouldn¡¯t go that far yet, but yes his character is the brash and violent type.¡± ¡°Wow again, it definitely makes him someone hard to forget. Since he¡¯s a Greater Noble, what¡¯s his specialty?¡± ¡°I have not seen his Blood Gift up close, but I heard that it had something to do with the element fire. In fact, everyone in Tenebris Vacuum knows that Acriscius is a reputed user of the element fire.¡± ¡°So in case there¡¯s a heads up, we utilize the element water.¡± Nadav concluded instantly. ¡°My thoughts exactly.¡± ¡°Have you ever fought him in person?¡± ¡°No. Thankfully no.¡± ¡°What about that other person? The one with the tattoo on his cheek?¡± ¡°He¡¯s called Vanderburg. Oh, in case you are wondering, he¡¯s not a noble.¡± ¡°Not a noble? Then what¡¯s his relationship to Acriscius.¡± ¡°He¡¯s the son of the family butler¡­ or something like that.¡± ¡°So that tattoo guy is his butler?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, despite his tattoo, he¡¯s not that bad of a character.¡± ¡°Not bad of a character? He just said ¡®five of us¡¯, not counting Acriscius. It seems that this Vanderburg fellow believed that it was unnecessary for Acriscius to get his hands dirty eh?¡± Nadav added. ¡°It may seem so on the surface, but he¡¯s just trying to make me shut up nicely so that there won¡¯t be a fight.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ so that¡¯s why you suddenly cooperated.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the gist of it.¡± ¡°I see¡­ ok putting the dudes aside, is that hot purple blonde the one who cut your cheek previously?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Oya! What¡¯s with the silence? Did I just detect something suspicious?¡± ¡°Keep your volume down before she slices you up with her crystal birds. Yes, she the one who sliced my cheek the other time.¡± ¡°She butted in just in time to save your neck. My, my, there¡¯s definitely something going on between the two of you. My investigator switch is flipping itself on.¡± ¡°Just how on earth did you arrive to that sort of conclusion?¡± ¡°I think the evidence speaks for itself, Mr. ¡®My asset of the day¡¯. Oh dear, so personal.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it. I¡¯m going to hit you.¡± Nadav swung his arms open straight to the side as if daring Cadeus to do it. ¡°Try me!¡± Tired of hearing his nonsense, Cadues swung a hit that sent the idiot face flat to the ground. That¡¯s one problem solved, but little did Cadeus knew, another problem was brewing right next to him. ¡°Cadeus, I seem to misunderstand what kind of relationship do you exactly have with her. Please explain further.¡± ¡°Um¡­ Sing? Why do you sound angry?¡± ¡°Maybe she¡¯s concerned for you.¡± Nadav jokingly theorized. Cadeus threw Nadav a ¡®she¡¯s definitely not¡¯ face. ¡°She said you are her asset of the day. This is not something that¡¯s based on past favours. Something definitely happened between you and her recently. What is it?¡± ¡°Sing, are you aware that there¡¯s a hint of spitefulness in your voice?¡± ¡°Just answer the question.¡± ¡°Nothing¡­ I just owe her one.¡± ¡°I already knew that. Did you owe her another one?¡± ¡°Um¡­ yes?¡± ¡°How did that happen? When did that happen?¡± Woah¡­ since when did she get this scary? ¡°W-Well¡­¡± Finding himself in a bind, Cadeus suddenly found difficulty gathering his thoughts together. Before this conversation could get anywhere else, Miss Allis¡¯s voice soon resonated throughout the scene. ¡°Ok! It looks like everybody is here!¡± Everyone soon turned to see Miss Allis coming from the direction of the Academia building. Unlike the last time Cadeus saw her, this time she came alone. With her rather bizarre appearance, everyone turned their attention to her. With Sing and Nadav turning to this new development, Cadeus was safe for the moment. Whew¡­ dodged that one big bullet¡­ Cadeus thought. ¡°HI everyone! Thank you so much for coming down here~!¡± ¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡± ¡°Oh come on, don¡¯t give this big sister that look. You are going to make her cry! Can¡¯t you guys at least say hi?¡± For some strange reason, no one seems that particularly interested in the presence of the Enforcer. Acriscius just sat there staring as if he¡¯d rather go for a gym session, while Claire could only read her book with an extreme lack of interest to her surroundings. As for the other students¡­ let¡¯s just say that there were at least one or two who bothered themselves to be interested in what might come later. Given the lack of response coming from the youths, Cadeus suddenly got a sense of d¨¦j¨¤ vu. ¡°For some reason, this feels like a boring class session¡­¡± Sing uttered. ¡°I totally agree.¡± With the continuous silence stirring between the young students, Acriscius eventually chose to open his mouth first. ¡°So, what is it that you Enforcers need this time?¡± This time? Cadeus raised an eyebrow. Did Acriscius and Claire had past experience working with Enforcers before? ¡°Oh come on Mr. Incendium, don¡¯t give me that jaded look. It¡¯s not like we have never worked together before.¡± ¡°It¡¯s Lord Incendium, and the only reason why this is a drag to me is because you Enforcers always demand this and that. Whenever something happens you all come running to us and drag us into all sorts of nonsense. Why is it that your higher ups always demand our involvement? Can¡¯t they just come down and settle everything themselves?¡± ¡°My dear friend. Need I remind you that our higher ups are not so conveniently available to be directly on scene? We don¡¯t have a lot of Dark Mages within the force, so we are always spread thin. Besides, as a Greater Noble, you are entitled to help the Enforcers should the need arise. Am I right~?¡± Acriscius responded by clicking his tongue in disgust. Miss Allis flashed him a smile. When Cadeus gave further thought to this, he soon realized that it should be a normal occurrence for members of the Greater Noble Houses to have constant dealings with employees associated with the High Council, particularly the Enforcers. If he were to apply that logic, Cadeus guessed that this was one of the many routine cases Acriscius had to deal with the Enforcers. From the looks of things, his past experiences dealing with Enforcers were not as pleasant as one would normally expect. With enough chattering, Miss Allis gave one last smile before putting up a serious face. ¡°We need your support to help us track down a dangerous criminal.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ Fremin was immediately upgraded from a suspect to a dangerous criminal overnight, yippee¡­¡± Sing said. When they heard the word dangerous criminal, both Claire and Acriscius stared at her with frowns on their eyebrows. ¡°Please explain.¡± Acriscius continued. ¡°The target name is Fremin Augesqwer. He¡¯s a Master Alchemist. As of the latest update we got, he and a group of subordinates have planted a class 5 ritual underneath the catacombs of Tenebris Vacuum.¡± ¡°Class 5 ritual?¡± Sing uttered. Cadeus turned to Sing and initialted a private conversation. ¡°Hey Sing, what is a Class 5 ritual?¡± ¡°A ritual enacted that will trigger a radius effect of at least 20 kilometers.¡± ¡°¡­ I take it that it is not good.¡± ¡°It depends on the type of ritual. Class 5 rituals exist because there are beneficial effects that mages want to be applicable on a large scale. For an example, there¡¯s Schinover¡¯s Bio-Abau, a Class 5 ritual that enhances the fertility and growth rate of any land regardless of climate and habitat. There¡¯s also Bohdigur¡¯s Mind, a similar Class 5 ritual that plays with matter materialization based on the famous Schrodinger¡¯s cat theory.¡± ¡°Any bad rituals you know of?¡± ¡°Not a chance. Do you think the the High Council would want to include bad formulae in our textbooks?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ true. Now that I think of it, it would seem that the situation had progressed even further than what most would expect.¡± ¡°What do you mean Cadeus?¡± ¡°If the Enforcers needed to call in those two Greater Nobles¡­ it means that they require support from members of the Greater Noble houses to act. If that¡¯s really the case, it means that the actions they will take requires a degree of political approval.¡± ¡°I see¡­ since the Enforcers are employed by the High Council, their movements are restricted to some extent. Having support from members of the Greater Noble Houses signifies that the actions that they take can be justified. Well, it is not out of the ordinary. As a legal government working force, the Enforcers need something to fall back in case something did not work out.¡± Claire raised a hand. ¡°I got a question. What kind of a Class 5 are we looking at?¡± ¡°A Class 5 corruption ritual using 6000 grams of Procona as a catalyst medium.¡± When they all heard that, only Claire, Acriscius, Cadeus and Sing held serious faces. The rest were just clueless as to what corruption ritual really is. ¡°Does this Fremin guy want to blow up the Academy?¡± Acriscius said. ¡°If he succeeds, that would be the estimated damage.¡± ¡°We have never been into the Catacombs before. How deep are they?¡± ¡°Well, the Catacombs are several layers of labyrinths, but it is roughly up to twelve levels deep. The upper levels are usually in the clear, and we Enforcers had already cleared the path to the fifth basement. The problem comes after that. Criminal activity has been located from the eighth to tenth, which would be the inner sanctum. The eleventh and twelfth levels have been sealed off for unknown reasons, but I doubt they would do anything funny there.¡± ¡°How many unfriendlies are we expecting?¡± Acriscius asked. ¡°About four Apprentices, three Mages and a couple dozen Untouched. The Mages have a variety of skills involving conjuration and illusion. The apprentices well¡­ either they will assist the Mages or fight off on hteir own. But since you have blood gifts, they should not pose a problem.¡± ¡°Any other accomplices?¡± Claire asked. ¡°Well¡­ we did mark some Specialists who are close aquitances of Fremin. If they do show up, the Enforcers will deal with them. You good kids just focus on Fremin¡¯s underlings.¡± ¡°What about other threats?¡± ¡°Viciously mutated chimeras that the Educators here do not release into the forests.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ f***. This sounds like a huge drag.¡± Nadav indirectly added. Cadeus raised his hand. ¡°I got a question. How long until the ritual takes effect.¡± ¡°The familiar we just sent into the Catacomb managed to inform us that Fremin just started marking the ritual circle. It should take him around fifty minutes to finish setting up his fireworks.¡± ¡°Fifty minutes¡­ that¡¯s quite some time.¡± Cadeus uttered. ¡°It¡¯s a Class 5 ritual after all. Proper and flawless preparation is needed.¡± Sing followed. ¡°Is there anything magical we ought to expect on our way down?¡± Acriscius said. ¡°Two of my colleagues just went in to clear the upper levels. You guys just follow me until we need to split up. Any other questions? Cause we are running out of time.¡± Everyone shook their heads. Happy with the response, Miss Allis threw a fist into the air. ¡°Then let¡¯s start operation Kick Fremin¡¯s butt!¡± ¡°For some reason¡­ this feels like some comedian pre-operation briefing.¡± Nadav added. Cadeus could not agree more. TOA The first two levels were clear. There was nothing that suggested danger. But as they went deeper, the threat of danger became more apparent. There was something ominous the air. The deeper they went, the stronger it felt. It may sound superstitious, but in Zeffernon, superstitious means that the immaterial is seriously at work. Cadeus paused for a moment and focused his senses to confirm it once more. He was right. The presence of Dark Magic here was stronger than it was compared to the swamps. This highly condensed energy in the air could easily make any mage uncomfortable, but to Cadeus, it was the kind that felt like an addictive drug. It was the kind of corruptive energy that will easily make him feel exhilarated. Whatever it was, Cadeus knew he was uniquely sensitive to it. Was it because he was a Pure Blood? Or was it because of some other reason? ¡°Don''t go falling into a trance.¡± A voice interrupted him from behind. Once he regained his senses, Cadeus realized that he was already behind the others. Turning around, Cadeus was surprised to see Claire. ¡°¡­ Why are you staring at me like you think you are hallucinating?¡± she said. ¡°I thought you were up front with Acriscius.¡± ¡°Then clearly you weren¡¯t paying attention.¡± ¡°How long have you been behind us?¡± ¡°Since the start?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be up front?¡± ¡°How rude. I can take care of myself you know?¡± ¡°Then why do you choose to be behind me?¡± ¡°Because it is fun watching you cower in fear.¡± ¡°Claire, no matter how much I hated it, you and I have been working together for quite some time now. You should know that it¡¯ll take more than spooky places to scare me.¡± ¡°True, which is why it would be a real blast to see you scared. Oh dear, oh dear, the imposter is leaking his pants. Will he be the first to break for it?¡± Cadeus chose to ignore her. By the time they reached the third level below, there were renments of clashes between opposing magical forces. The heat of the magical conflict was in the air, and the terran was scorched with traces of spell casts. As it turns out, there was more than one team of Enforcers on site. Once they reached a huge chamber, Cadeus soon saw numerous Enforcers. Some were salvaging evidence at the current crime scene, others were working on extracting runes and enchantments, and a small number were acting as sentries guarding at the edge of descending pathways to the lower levels. Moving up to the center, Miss Allis came behind Enforcer Kutsurov who was taking notes regarding a disrupted rune seal on the ground. ¡°HI~! Anything new?¡± ¡°Miss Allis? Oh, you brought the kids.¡± ¡°Hi Kutsurov, how¡¯s your familiar?¡± ¡°Do you mean how is its present condition? Or what new news did it provide?¡± ¡°The latter.¡± ¡°Well I got bad news. Fremin ¡®let the cat out of the bag¡¯.¡± When he said that, Miss Allis sighed and pressed her hand onto her forehead. ¡°Why is it that the villains always love to make things difficult for the heros?¡± ¡°Why are they called villains otherwise?¡± ¡°True¡­ wait. Is that the White student from Fremin¡¯s mansion?¡± When Kutsurov said that, the nearby Enfocers who happened to heard him turned to look at Sing. On a side note, these Enforcers were mostly compromised of Dark Mages with a few additional Grey Mages. None of them were White Mages. Since Sing was the only White Mage present, she really stood out amongst all of them. ¡°Come on Kutsurov, what¡¯s with that amazed look? It¡¯s not like we don¡¯t see a lot of White Mages paying old Tenebris Vacuum a visit.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about her being a White I¡¯m concerned with. Are you aware of the fact that she¡¯s a Student?! Since when were White students allowed to come into Tenebris Vacuum? As far as I can remember, White Mages need to be at least finish their initial trials in order to be allowed access into Tenebris Vacuum. What are you thinking letting her come in here?¡± ¡°Relax Kutsurov. She¡¯s already our important witness. That¡¯s already quite the exception.¡± ¡°¡­ I¡¯m not going to argue, nor am I going to be blamed for this if something happens to her.¡± Ignoring Kutsurov¡¯s last comment, Miss Allis turned around to face the students to give them the update. ¡°Bad news my little kittens.¡± ¡°Is she treating us like her cute animals now?¡± Cadeus uttered. ¡°Fremin unleashed all the chimera under strict confinement. They are roaming on the loose, so there¡¯s a high chance that we may have to face some hardliner beasts.¡± The only ones keeping a straight face when they heard that were only Cadeus, Acriscius and Claire. While Sing was somewhat able to register the severity of this new development, the other students soon broke into small private conversations of disbelief. As for Nadav¡­ well¡­ let¡¯s just say that he sank to his knees and started tearing his hair the moment he heard the bad news. ¡°That¡¯s it, that¡¯s bloody it! That¡¯s the damn cue that my life is about to end! AAAHHH!!!! Why did I bother coming down here in the first place? I always knew that coming here is a bad idea so why did I ignore my conscious?!¡± ¡°I think I am getting sick and tired of hearing his rants. Can I beat him up?¡± Cadeus asked. ¡°Don¡¯t bother. Hitting him will only make matters worse. If you end up hitting his head, he might end up being less intelligent than usual.¡± Sing replied. Miss Allis clapped her hands to get back everybody¡¯s full attention. ¡°All right, all right. I know this is not a good development, so obviously we are going to improvise.¡± ¡°Improvise? Why do I get the feeling that the word is going to mean more trouble?¡± Nadav sobbed while saying so. Miss Allis continued since she knew that the main players were still listening. ¡°We need to flush out those Chimera. That¡¯s our only option. If we choose to go after Fremin now, the various chimeras will no doubt cause us more problems later. That is why, I need you to split into three groups and scour out the next few lower levels.¡± When Acriscius¡¯s subordinates heard that, they moaned. From the sound of it, it was clear that the Enforcers would not help them. They would be left on their own to scour out unknown territory. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, the chimeras you will face would not be that dangerous. The more dangerous ones are situated on the deeper levels. Of course, we Enforcers will definitely handle those. Now then, I need you all to take these.¡± Reaching for a nearby box with the Enforcer¡¯s emblem, Miss Allis took out two Callers similar to the one she gave Cadeus previously. She gave one to Acriscius and the other to Claire. ¡°I¡¯m definitely sure you nobles know how to handle this. Or is a crash course needed?¡± ¡°Irrelevant.¡± Acriscius said. He and Claire soon pocketed the Callers. Miss Allis clapped her hands together again. ¡°All right! Now we are all set to go, keep your movements to the lower two levels. Proceed deeper only when we give the clear go. Beware of enchanted runes and traps. They are very common safety measures against possible chimera breakouts.¡± ¡°¡­ I totally could not feel serious at all. Just what on earth is this? A school camp?¡± Cadeus uttered. Miss Allis must have heard him, for she gave him a wink. Without waiting, Acriscius and his five subordinates soon left for one of the pathways leading down to the level below. Looking at the direction they went, Cadeus turned to his friends and made a suggestion. ¡°Well, Acriscius is heading that way, let¡¯s not stick to his turf.¡± ¡°Where do we go?¡± Sing asked. ¡°The opposite direction, that way.¡± Cadeus pointed. ¡°Aww¡­ do we really have to?¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ what¡¯s the problem now Nadav? You need the loo?¡± ¡°Ha, ha. Very funny.¡± ¡°Then quit complaining.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t blame me! I¡¯m getting very bad vibes about the lower levels! Do you have any idea how much I would love to bail out right now? This place is even worse than that disgusting swamp!¡± ¡°Sing would find this place more uncomfortable than you would. She¡¯s far more sensitive than you here being a White and she¡¯s not complaining. What do you have to say about yourself?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± Stealing a glance towards Sing, Nadav soon lost the will to continue his rants. ¡°Sigh¡­ If it helps you Nadav, let¡¯s just wrap things up as fast as we can. I doubt the Enforcers would allow us to deal with Fremin directly since we are important case witnesses. I think they just need us here mainly for the post operation debrief.¡± ¡°You see, that is the problem. If that was the case, why the heck are the Enforcers making us do their job?¡± The nearby Enforcers successfully managed to shut the clown¡¯s mouth by turning gazes towards him. Sighing at the idiot¡¯s lack of sensitivity to his surroundings, Cadeus turned to Sing. ¡°Anything you want to add Sing?¡± Sing shook her head. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s move out.¡± ¡°Hold on a minute.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong Sing?¡± Sing pointed towards Claire. It appears that she was talking with some of the Enforcers. She¡¯s most likely getting further information that Miss Allis failed to provide. ¡°What about her? Are you saying that we ought to ask for more information before we go?¡± ¡°Well there¡¯s that. But more importantly, don''t you want to ask her to join us?¡± What the f¡­? Cadeus was this close to dropping his own jaw. ¡°Are you seriously asking me this question? You want Claire to join us?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just asking since you know her better than I do.¡± ¡°Ok Sing, I think I understand why you have that line of thought, but believe me. You don''t want that noble in our group.¡± ¡°Is she weak?¡± ¡°No? Claire is insanely strong.¡± ¡°Oh good, that''s one new party member.¡± Grab. Before she could walk off to talk to Claire, Cadeus quickly grabbed Sing by her arm. ¡°Stop, stop. Just wait a minute before you seriously go asking her.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°Claire is the problem. She dislikes groups and only prefers to work with one person at a time.¡± ¡°Are you telling me this because you don''t like her?¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you this because I know her well enough. Claire is somewhat of a lone wolf. She sees herself differently and she refuses to lower herself to work with the whims and minds of commoners. Do not forget, she¡¯s a Greater Noble. Even I had difficulties working with her when I had to clear the favours I owe her.¡± ¡°But she¡¯s comfortable working with you.¡± ¡°No clearly she isn''t. She¡¯s just exploiting the fact that I owe her and that I am available when she needs someone to do her work.¡± ¡°What happens when you are not available?¡± ¡°If I had company she will usually leave me alone. If I am alone, she will demand it in such a way that I can spend time with her.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ that sounds like a typical high born noble.¡± ¡°That is why I said that she sees herself differently.¡± ¡°So she will never joins us?¡± ¡°No. Well¡­ unless she wants to.¡± ¡°That is good, because she¡¯s approaching us right now.¡± ¡°What?¡± Turning to Sing¡¯s indication, Cadeus saw Claire approaching them. Why is she coming here? Please don¡¯t tell me that she really intents to join us? Cadeus thought. If that was seriously the case, Cadeus felt that he would soon develop a serious headache. Claire stopped when she was an arms length from the two of them. The first thing she did was obviously not to say hi, but instead, Claire¡¯s eyes went to Sing. ¡°Heh¡­ so it¡¯s true when they say you hang out with a White. At first I did not believe it, but when I see her now¡­¡± Cadeus did not like the fact that Claire was studying Sing like a Dark Mutator studying a specimen. ¡°What do you want Claire?¡± ¡°Where are your manners Imposter? Let¡¯s see¡­ I save you from Acriscius earlier, shouldn¡¯t a certain someone be more grateful?¡± Tch! There it is again. Cadeus thought. Cadeus placed an arm behind him, bowed, and redid his opening statement. ¡°Good day my lady, on what occasion did you grace us with your presence?¡± ¡°Pff¡­¡± The acting was so funny that Sing had to press her own mouth to contain her laughter. ¡°I see that you still fail to capture the elegancy of the nobility. But since you are a low born I¡¯ll be forgiving and let you off the hook.¡± ¡°Oh wonderful. I have been blessed with your great generosity, how befitting for a member of the Greater Noble Houses.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a limit to your nonsense imposter, you better not push it.¡± Claire sighed knowing fully well that Cadeus was attempting to make fun of her. Ignoring the imposter that she was very much used to, Claire returned her attention to the two new faces she had often heard of but never got the chance to see. When her sights went to Nadav, Nadav immediately threw his arms around, opened his mouth with a concentrated ¡®Hou¡¯ and started acting like a kung fu master taking a threatening defensive stance. ¡°¡­ Is he always like this?¡± ¡°Please ignore him. He¡¯s an idiot.¡± ¡°I see¡­ he¡¯s your source of examples not to follow.¡± Claire turned to Sing again. ¡°So, you are the model student from Beato Caeli.¡± Sirena gave a bow. ¡°Nice to meet you, my name is Sirena Delnarius.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ Lacking in elegance and grace. But then again, she¡¯s using the commoner¡¯s bow. It¡¯ll suffice.¡± Claire responded with a proper noble¡¯s bow. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you. My name is Claire Rrogust ve Chroma.¡± Ok¡­ everything seems normal so far¡­ Cadeus thought. ¡°So, what exactly is your relationship with this imposter?¡± ¡°We are childhood friends.¡± ¡°Childhood friends? Heh¡­¡± Claire turned and gave Cadeus a look full of suspicious motives. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± ¡°Then why do I get the feeling that you suddenly see me in some new light?¡± ¡°Just what is with that Enforcer? She said to split into three groups. Does she know that forming three groups is definitely impossible with the current people that we have?¡± ¡°Now you are just ignoring me for your own convenience.¡± ¡°As a person who works frequently for the High Council, she must have some idea that we nobles don¡¯t always get along with each other.¡± In seeing that Claire totally changed the subject, Cadeus could only sigh and follow the current conversational flow. ¡°Please be honest with me Claire, why are you here?¡± Claire stared at Cadeus with disapproving eyes. Perhaps she was expecting him to entertain her further with his defiance. But since time was initially not on their side, she soon got to the point. ¡°That muscle brain Acriscius and his dimwitted lackeys all left straight away without gathering sufficient information. But knowing Acriscius, he¡¯ll just burn his way through without even thinking about what he is fighting against.¡± ¡°I¡¯m assuming that you got some handy information.¡± Cadeus said. ¡°Well, the level directly below us is a working center that supervises the observation pens three levels further below. It had not been in use for quite some time. According to the records, the last usage was about a month ago.¡± ¡°That¡¯s strange, I thought the Dark Mutators do constant check ups and reviews over the chimeras that they mutated.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, they do. But apparently the chimeras within those three levels had finished their purpose. Whoever they were, the Dark Mutators in charge of those chimera left to die.¡± ¡°To die?¡± Sing said. Cadeus stole a glance towards her. One of the things Sing hated would be the issue of animal abuse. Not good¡­ I better say something before things get out of hand. Cadeus thought. ¡°To die eh¡­ That sounds rather irresponsible.¡± Cadeus said. ¡°It depends on the point of view, but the logic was for efficiency.¡± ¡°Efficiency?¡± ¡°Most chimeras have shorter life spans compared to the original species. Rather than spending effort to kill them one by one, it is better to let them die off naturally. This catacomb is not environmentally supportive for life to begin with. Give an estimation of two to three months, the bulk of the sample intake would have died off without proper attention.¡± Wow¡­ it sounds cold, but it definitely does sound efficient. Cadeus thought but dare not say out loud. ¡°Hm¡­ if Miss Allis needs us to clear those levels, I take it that those chimeras are still alive.¡± ¡°They are. Although we don''t know the exact number.¡± ¡°What are we looking at?¡± ¡°Mutated canids and insects. But since the more dangerous chimeras stationed in the deeper levels had been let loose, we might have a bigger party on the way.¡± ¡°If that was the case, we could just wait for them to kill each other off.¡± ¡°I asked the other Enforcers about that same possibility myself, but we do not have the time to wait.¡± ¡°I see¡­ and I am guessing that you are telling me all this because I still owe you and you don¡¯t want me to die before I finish paying you back all my favours etc, etc.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t sound grateful.¡± ¡°Oh! Thank you for your kind attention my lady. Oh! How blessed am I! I should yell to the whole world! (Poorly exaggerated happiness)¡± ¡°Mfffff!!¡± Sing was desperately trying her best to control her laughter. Nadav on the other hand could only gape at Cadeus as if he just saw something he could not believe. After ceasing his poorly intended acting, Cadeus soon brought up another issue. ¡°Acriscius took all his lackeys with him. Are you going to be fine? Not that I doubt your capabilities, but aren¡¯t the catacombs ten times more dangerous compared to the forests?¡± ¡°In the first place, those dimwits would never listen to me. Do you think that they are capable of following someone other than Acriscius?¡± ¡°Not exactly. You¡¯ll be wasting your breath trying to recruit them.¡± ¡°Exactly. Besides, I already noticed something was off the moment that easy going Enforcer mentioned the catacomb entrance. I brought extra gadgets that I have been saving for big events.¡± By extra gadgets she probably meant more crystal stuff. It looks like there was no need to worry for her after all. ¡°Hm¡­ just so to let you know, there is no way in hell am I going to let you join us.¡± Sing instantly shot him with questioning eyes but Cadeus ignored her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if you begged, I still would not bring myself to clean up your mess.¡± ¡°Oh? Aren¡¯t you going to say something like ¡®You¡­ are the worst, gentlemen, ever. Do you really have the conscious to let a girl like me walk alone in this dark catacomb¡¯? For a second there I thought you might expect something like that out of me.¡± ¡°It marvels me to no end how could you come up with something like that.¡± Cadeus crossed his arms and Claire soon crossed hers. ¡°Well knowing you, you always grab someone to help you when you are always alone. Whilst doing so you will definitely exploit any opportunity to make that person cough up more favours to owe you. If said person refuse to work with you, you¡¯ll definitely say something like ¡®You¡­ are one incredibly frustrating piece of work, despicable¡¯ etc, etc, making it seem that said person is the usual terrible gentleman of your expectations. Facing no other choice, said person is forced to allow you to tag along and when trouble comes, you¡¯ll definitely stick behind said person and use him as a meat shield.¡± ¡°Your brain must be a grizzled shit waste of brain juice for you to think that I am someone that low.¡± ¡°You may be a Greater Noble, but the moment people start working with you they¡¯ll always end up being in debt.¡± ¡°It¡¯s called owing me a favour!¡± ¡°Which you continuously stack up to use people whenever you feel like it!¡± Before they both knew it, Cadeus and Claire ended up staring daggers at each other with their faces just a few inches away from each other. While looking at this extremely unusual exchange, Sing and Nadav initiated a private conversation. ¡°Wow¡­ Cadeus really must be very confident to talk back to a Greater Noble like that.¡± Nadav whispered. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ from the sound of it, they are used to working with each other.¡± ¡°Strange¡­ I thought he hated her.¡± ¡°Maybe he was forced to work for her. I mean he has the favours and all that.¡± ¡°Ah true, true. But still, what is with this messed up relationship? I mean Cadeus could get his assed kicked severely just by talking back to a Greater Noble.¡± ¡°Well¡­ if you are someone labeled as an imposter by a noble and ended up being hated by almost every other noble, then I am sure that you will definitely show a lack of respect to the very people who wrongly judge you.¡± ¡°If that is the case, this makes this conversation even weirder. They actually seem rather close don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°¡°AS IF!!¡±¡± The two Pure Blooded Dark Mages shot Nadav a threatening look. ¡°Woah¡­ that¡¯s a lot of ice¡­¡± The two Pure Blooded Dark Mages ignored the idiot and resumed glaring at each other. In an attempt to break up the argument, Nadav chose the wrong moment to open his mouth. ¡°Well¡­ the catacombs are dangerous so¡­ safety in numbers! Don¡¯t worry, we are very open to new people. You are a beautiful badass noble, I don''t think it will be a problem if a badass chick like yourself were to tag along.¡± Claire raised an eyebrow to Nadav¡¯s strange terminology usage. ¡°¡­ Cadeus, is this vulgar friend of yours trying to hit on me?¡± ¡°Just ignore him. He¡¯s an idiot.¡± ¡°Um¡­ Nadav, I think you are missing the point. The problem is not whether if Claire is uncomfortable with us or not¡­¡± Sing said. ¡°Eh? Is it not?¡± Cadeus shot Nadav a warning glare. ¡°Nadav, I swear that if we bring Claire along because of you, I¡¯ll turn two blind eyes away when she uses you as a meat shield.¡± ¡°Hey! That meat shield death joke is something that only Dark chicks can say! You have no right to say it! Sing! Talk some sense into this guy!¡± ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t think I am up for a debate regarding meat shields.¡± ¡°Not that! Convince this idiot to allow the noble chick to tag along!¡± Sensing further trouble coming out of his mouth, Cadeus sent Sing a silent glare. When Sing saw his gaze, she nodded and knew what she had to do. Grabbing Nadav by the arm, Sing led him to the other side. ¡°Come on Nadav, let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Eh? Eh?¡± ¡°Cadeus will catch up later. Let¡¯s go.¡± Once Nadav and Sing were out of sight, Claire took a long deep breath before folding her arms in extreme annoyance. ¡°¡­ His lack of proper manners greatly irritates me. Can I sue him for sexual harassment?¡± ¡°Don''t bother wasting your time. No matter how much bad stuff happens to him, he¡¯s the type that will still walk away smiling like nobody¡¯s business.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s a clown?¡± ¡°Yes. A clown, as well as my source of examples not to follow.¡± ¡°Heh¡­¡± ¡°Now that I think of it, since you and Acriscius are both here, where¡¯s Davian? Didn¡¯t the Enforcers call him too?¡± ¡°Hmph! Do you honestly think that workaholic has time for something like this? He¡¯s probably buried himself with complain forms and damage reports to the point of being useless when he¡¯s really needed.¡± ¡°But does he know what is going on here right now?¡± ¡°Given the urgency of the situation? Probably not.¡± ¡°But Davian is from the Student Council is he not?¡± ¡°What does that got to do with anything? Do you think that the Student Council could afford to get themselves involved in something as discrete as this?¡± ¡°Not exactly¡­ but won''t they be in the know once this case is all settled? I doubt they would stay quiet if they are left out of the loop.¡± ¡°Let them complain all they want. It¡¯s not like they can do anything to me since I am a Greater Noble.¡± ¡°The Student Council President is a Progenitor. I doubt she''ll let you off.¡± ¡°A Progenitor of the wrong colour. We do not answer to a Grey.¡± ¡°Then does that mean you¡¯ll answer to Davian?¡± ¡°Do you think that fellow has any authority over me?¡± ¡°¡­ You nobles are so complicated.¡± Claire ignored him. ¡°So, who¡¯s usually in charge?¡± ¡°In charge? In charge of what?¡± ¡°Amongst the three of you, who is the leader?¡± ¡°No one is exactly in charge. Nadav is just there to lighten up the mood, Sing helps us think of plans, and I¡¯m just here to make sure everyone stays safe.¡± ¡°Sing?¡± ¡°Hm? Oh¡­ Sing is Sirena¡¯s nickname.¡± ¡°Heh¡­ so you even gave that White a nickname¡­¡± ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°You two sound so intimate.¡± ¡°Well, we¡¯re childhood friends after all.¡± ¡°Not that kind of intimate. Are you seeing her out?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­Huh?¡± What¡¯s with this unexpected question? ¡°Where the heck did you get that impression?¡± ¡°Well, compared to that idiotic Grey, you two always seem to be on the same page.¡± ¡°How does that lead to the assumption that I¡¯m seeing her out?¡± ¡°You two appear to understand each other with minimum effort. All it takes is a few silent glances and you know what the other person wants. That kind of intimate understanding can only exist within extremely close couples. If you two managed to achieve this not by dating, then what could possibly explain this?¡± Wow¡­ she¡¯s spot on. I¡¯ll give her that. Now then, how am I going to turn this misunderstanding around? He thought. ¡°Hm¡­ true, I won''t deny that sometimes we instantly know what the other person wants. But you are mistaken. The reason why we can do so is not because we are dating, but we just got to know each other too well after all that we have been through.¡± ¡°All you had been through?¡± ¡°Yes. Hm¡­ perhaps I can use an example to help you understand this. Did you read the news?¡± ¡°Occasionally.¡± ¡°Then there should be an article last month about a dubious mirror that causes distortions in dimensions.¡± ¡°The one on Gordan¡¯s Mirror? Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± ¡°Yup, me and my two friends were at the very center of it. We were separated from the moment we stepped into the mirror¡¯s field of influence and we were forcefully transferred from dimension to dimension. Since Nadav is totally unreliable, Sing and I had to find a way to establish some sort of contact. We had to find a way for us to know what the other is thinking, how the other would think that way, and how to reply to the other¡¯s thoughts.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ quite a challenge.¡± ¡°It was. Well thankfully, the mirror recycles the dimensions it uses, so all it took was finding a way to leave a message at the right place. Once contact was established, we had to figure out a way to counter the forced teleportation so that not all of us would be forcefully teleported at the same time. Then once the three of us are together again, the next step would be how to break out of the cycle.¡± ¡°Sounds like there was a lot of guess work involved.¡± ¡°There was. But it was not much of a problem since I can roughly gauge Sing¡¯s thought processes.¡± ¡°You make it sound so simple.¡± Cadeus could only shrug his shoulders and rest his hands behind his head. ¡°Well, I knew Sing ever since I was little. If you knew someone that long, it ought to be easier trying to figure out what they are thinking without the need to put in a lot of words.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ I supposed there¡¯s some element of truth to that, and you are saying that that was one of many episodes where you get to understand that White just based on familiarity?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Heh¡­ no wonder you two seem to be that close. In fact, dangerously close. People might automatically assume that you two are dating. If you two aren¡¯t dating, you better not make it that obvious.¡± ¡°¡­ Did we seem that obvious?¡± Claire chose not to answer him. Feeling that she has wasted enough time, Claire gently swapped her hair to the side with the back of her left hand. ¡°Be careful. The reason why the Catacombs are, as you said, ten times more dangerous compared to the forests is not only because of the chimeras. The enchantments and traps scripted here had the capacity to hold these dangerous chimeras in place. The harm they can inflict to the animals can be applied to us. Make sure you do not let your guard down.¡± ¡°¡­ Don¡¯t we know it all already?¡± Without answering him, Claire made an about turn and left for one of the other pathways to the lower level. It would actually be a lot nicer if Claire added a little more emotion to those last words¡­ Cadeus indirectly thought. TOA Cadeus approached his friends who were at one of the pathways leading down to the lower level. ¡°Are we ready to descend?¡± ¡°Hey Cadeus. What happened to that noble chick?¡± ¡°She¡¯s not joining.¡± ¡°Ehhhhhhhh¡­¡± Putting the clown aside, Cadeus soon realized that that Sing had been giggling to herself. ¡°What¡¯s so funny Sing?¡± ¡°Your conversation with Claire.¡± Her face full of laughter, Sing turned her gaze to Cadeus. ¡°Did you really greet her like that every time you have Colours?¡± ¡°If I have to greet her like that every time I¡¯d sooner request a transfer to Acriscius¡¯s class.¡± ¡°Is that so? But you still work with her from time to time. Can you say that you are someone who greatly despises her?¡± ¡°That was me trying to clear off my favours with her. But for some reason there will always be messy turnouts here and there, and I ended up in owing her more than what she deserves.¡± ¡°I supposed this is called biting more than you can chew. To owe favours to such a woman¡­ you masochist.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Now that was unexpected. ¡°Why are you saying that?¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Nadav briefly intruded upon this conversation. ¡°What is it now Nadav?¡± ¡°Why is it that you always hang out with such dangerous chicks?¡± ¡°Do I look I want to hang out with someone as haughty as Claire?¡± ¡°Who knows? That noble chick might be the type that satisfies your fetishes.¡± ¡°Say that again and I promise your face will hit the dirt.¡± If they could joke comfortably like this it means that they were all set to go. Cadeus brought them all back to focus by bringing up the important questions. ¡°So, who¡¯s going to take point this time?¡± Nadav instantly raised his hands. ¡°I¡¯m taking the back.¡± Both Sing and Cadeus stared at him with the hint of warning in their eyes. ¡°You better not go running off when the situation gets hot.¡± ¡°Oi! Have I ever done that before?¡± ¡°There is always a first time for everything.¡± Cadeus sighed. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll take point. Sing, I have a feeling that it¡¯s going to be dark down there. We¡¯re going to need a light source.¡± ¡°Got it. Give me a moment.¡± Sing brought her palm up and made its center the focus point. ¡°[Ender¡¯s Light].¡± A glowing round sphere of dim white light soon hovered over her palm. Nodding his head, Cadeus soon led them down the pathway. As they walked, the area around them glowed. It should be relatively easy to navigate their way around. TOA ¡°Master, those guys have arrived.¡± An apprentice reported. ¡°Huh? Which ones?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. But they said that they are the ¡®ones with the cart¡¯.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ those guys. Very well, lead me to them.¡± At the tenth basement level of the Catacomb, there was nothing but a huge ruined platform linking the ninth basement to the eleventh. There was huge activity at work here, and Fremin was at the thick of it. ¡°Are the paths linking the eighth and ninth level sealed?¡± ¡°Yes Master. The chimeras should not give us any trouble.¡± ¡°Good. The teleport circle?¡± ¡°Done and ready for use.¡± ¡°How are the runic lights for the backup escape pathways?¡± ¡°Marked and made invisible except for those who had the runic crest you issued.¡± ¡°Any news on the Enforcers?¡± ¡°They are stuck on the fifth level. The chimeras we unleashed should stall us all the time we need.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ we may need more time though¡­¡± The Apprentice led Fremin to a group of suspiscious characters wearing white masks. From the black robes they were wearing they all were Dark Mages. Sitting high on one of the collapsed structures was a shorthaired man in his late twenties. Unlike the others he had no hood and he wore no mask. ¡°Viper. It has been a while.¡± ¡°Fremin the esteemed Alchemist. I see you are getting busy.¡± Fremin folded his arms together. ¡°I did my side of the bargain Viper, time for you to do the same.¡± ¡°Relax. What¡¯s the rush? We are a credible organization.¡± ¡°Then prove your credibility by showing us our ¡®cart¡¯.¡± Viper snapped his left fingers and the other masked characters soon drew a separate teleportation circle. All it took was a few different runic alignments, an application of magic, and soon a bright light flashed. What appeared on the end circle were stacks of crates, sacks and glass bottles containing numerous Alchemical ingredients. Viper made a gesture to the stack of ingredients. ¡°Here you go, every item that is on the banned list instituted by the High Council. Of course, we also included the additional ingredients in the latest banned list.¡± Fremin slowly walked towards the stack, the greed very obvious in his eyes. When he verified some of the more potent ingredients, he only made one comment on the ¡®cart¡¯. ¡°We need some time to verify everything.¡± ¡°Of course, I understand. Take all the time you need.¡± Nodding to Viper, Fremin signaled two of his Apprentices to verify the bulk of the ¡®cart¡¯. Viper jumped off the collapsed structure he was sitting on and started walking beside Fremin. ¡°How¡¯s the project coming along?¡± ¡°We still can¡¯t find the door to the eleventh level. Are your superiors still sure that there is a eleventh level?¡± ¡°Definitely. The door is shut by complex magic, and the seal prevents it from being visible. Whatever the ancient mages did, the door was concealed well. That is why we need to commit a large corruption ritual to destabilize the seal. Since you are the expert, I trust that you have all the necessary needs to accomplish this.¡± ¡°Easier said then done. Figuring how to break this seal is going to take a lot more Corruption Magic that we estimated.¡± ¡°But it should not be a problem right? I mean, you recently got yourself one of the purest conduits for this ritual.¡± Fremin paused. ¡°¡­ What do you mean?¡± ¡°I hear that you kidnapped a Pure Blooded Dark Mage.¡± ¡°Where did you hear such a thing?¡± ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry, your subordinates all have tight lips. My organization has other means to find that information.¡± This might be a problem. Fremin had intended for the kidnapping to be a kept a secret since in normal circumstances, attaining a Pure Blood was only possible through apprenticeship. Stacking banned products was a serious offense by High Council Law. But kidnapping an extremely rare Pure Blooded Dark Mage was far worse as you could be instantly punishable by death. Once news got out that he had kidnapped that Pure Blood, the High Council would never let him off. ¡°¡­ What would it take for me to silence your organization?¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Viper recollected his thoughts. ¡°Hushing Information is never free, and since we are talking about an extremely valuable Pure Blood, my boss will be charging you specifically.¡± ¡°How much?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m all for the big digits, but money is of no interest to my boss. My boss wants something else, something you can give that we do not have.¡± ¡°Then what? An Alchemical ingredient?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t I provided you with almost everything you cannot gain on a legal basis?¡± ¡° *Exasperated Sigh* Then what does your boss want?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ what was it again?¡± Viper brought his hand to his chin in deep thought. ¡°Ah! I got it! If I quote my boss heavily, ¡®I want Blood vials, specifically blood from that Pure Blood Fremin captured¡¯.¡± ¡°¡­ Out of the question.¡± Fremin could give Viper anything, but the blood of a Pure Blood was one of the purest mediums of magic that had attained legendary status. It was a valuable ingredient that can cost up to millions. Fremin was not going to hand over such a precious item easily. In response, Viper acted familiarity by wrapping his left arm around Fremin¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Now now, you are currently being a little unreasonable. You can extract all the blood you want since you have a source. All my boss wants is just several Blood vials from that Pure Blood for silence. I¡¯m sure you have at least several vials with you at the moment.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Fremin hesitated. Viper was right. He currently had a few vials of blood with him, and there was some element of logic in what he said. What are a few vials compared to a source? Even though Fremin estimated that he might not have that Pure Blood for long, he still would have plenty of time after this incident to extract all the blood he needs. ¡°All right. I have three vials on me at the moment. You¡¯ll only get two vials.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a good man!¡± Fremin called for one of the Untouched who brought over a small wooden box. After removing a few enchanted effects, Fremin opened the box revealing three blood vials. Taking one blood vial, Fremin presented the box to Viper.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°This box has preservative properties. It¡¯ll make sure that the other two vials are kept in peak condition.¡± Taking one blood out of the box, Viper brought it close up to his eye. ¡°Wow¡­ amazing. No wonder the boss wants something like this. It¡¯s only in such a small quantity and I can already feel such an intensive concentration of magic¡­¡± ¡°Are you done? You can always review it later.¡± Viper placed the vial back and motion for one of the masked characters to take the box. ¡°Now then¡­ where were we?¡± ¡°Where¡¯s the door?¡± ¡°You mean where¡¯s the seal.¡± ¡°Right¡­ since your organization was the one who wanted to do this, your boss should know where¡¯s the seal.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ true. Well, you are standing on it.¡± Fremin looked at his feet to confirm again. There was nothing. There were no traces of any magic. ¡°You¡¯re joking.¡± ¡°Not true. What I just said came directly from my boss¡¯s mouth, so technically my boss is joking, not me.¡± ¡°Oi¡­ I thought we are being serious here.¡± ¡°Now, now. Don''t get so uptight. The seal is below us that¡¯s for sure. So what we ought to do now, is to start that Corruption Ritual.¡± ¡°¡­Are you sure the safe plan is applicable?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ well, the safest places amongst all rituals within the circumference and at the center. All we got to do is to apply a White Magic based protective enchantment circle around the ritual casters. Don¡¯t worry, I got White Mages with me. We¡¯ll handle that part for you.¡± ¡°I still have doubts Viper.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I already said it before haven¡¯t I? We all share a risk doing this. Obviously I do not want some unfortunate accident to happen since my boss would have my head if something were to happen to a potential business partner.¡± ¡°Well¡­ if you put it that way.¡± ¡°Good! Now that we have this out of the way, let¡¯s start preparing the ritual.¡± TOA With the light in Sing¡¯s hand, the trio came across a huge section after finishing their flight if stairs. With the thick stonewalls, the section can be easily identified as a tomb chamber. However, there were broken glass panels, old office desks and collapsed cabinet shelves. With the scattered notes and books on the floor, this place had a stronger feel of an office-situated environment. ¡°Is this some sort of abandoned library?¡± Sing asked. ¡°A library in a catacomb? I doubt it.¡± Nadav said. Cadeus moved to a nearby desk and took one of the scattered papers. Long days of neglect had left it in a much sorry state. Glancing at a few sentences, the purpose of this room soon became relatively obvious. ¡°This must be a work place the Dark Mutators used.¡± Cadeus said. ¡°Come again?¡± Nadav asked. Cadeus passed the paper to Sing. ¡°These are research notes regarding cross breeding two arthropod breeds and enlarging them to harvest a unique magical pheromone.¡± Both Sing and Nadav soon turned their attention to the paper. ¡°Arthropod¡­ what¡¯s an Arthopod?¡± ¡°It¡¯s rather obvious you weren¡¯t listening during science classes when we are on Earth. Arthropod is a scientific name used to classify insects, spiders and centipedes.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s insects then why can¡¯t they just say insects?¡± Cadeus and Sing both chose to ignore him. When Sing finished glancing through the paper, she asked an important question. ¡°Does that mean that the Arthropods written here are nearby?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I won¡¯t deny that there¡¯s a high chance. This level might be one of the observation platforms Miss Allis mentioned. It would not be strange that the breeding grounds would be in the next room or chamber.¡± ¡°Not good¡­ the primary Arthropods arranged for Dark Mutation are Araneae and Formicidae.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­Shit.¡± Perhaps the only one still clueless, Nadav had to open his mouth to clarify the situation. ¡°Huh? What are you two talking about?¡± ¡°To put it in simple English, the Dark Mutators here were cross breeding spiders and ants, and they are also enlarging them in the process. Meaning to say, there¡¯s a possibility that the Dark Mutators here were creating a colony of huge spiders with an even bigger spider queen.¡± ¡°WHAT?! AND YOU ARE SAYING THAT THEY COULD BE RIGHT IN THIS CORRIDOR?!¡± The least intelligent member of the group finally realized the possible danger of the road ahead. Realizing what this could mean, Cadeus instantly shot a warning glance at Sing. When Sing caught his gaze, she instantly knew what to expect. A few seconds later, it happened. Nadav tail turned and bailed out. ¡°SREW THIS SHIT! I''M NOT GOING TO BECOME SPIDER FOOD!!!¡± ¡°[Blessed Glaze].¡± ¡°[Electric Pulse].¡± Splash! (The sound of something big and wet slapping itself onto Nadav¡¯s back) ¡°Oof!¡± (The sound of a hard landing confirming that there was a slip of the foot due to a sudden slippery floor) BBBBBzzzzzz!!! (The sound of an unfortunate victim experiencing an uncomfortable electric shock.) ¡°Aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhnnnnn??!!!!!¡± Nadav¡¯s body soon jiggled like a jelly on steroids for around three seconds before he stopped moving. To summarize what had happened, Cadeus and Sing had utilized an elemental combination to stop their cowardly friend. While Sing provided the water to ensure that Nadav would make a slip, Cadeus provided the electricity to give Nadav what people would normally call a full body short circuit. Although it was non lethal, this full body short circuit Nadav just experienced should never be compared to the soothing sensations of electrotherapy. ¡°Ha¡­. Ha¡­ Ha¡­¡± ¡°Still feel like running you idiot?¡± ¡°Cadeus¡­ Ha¡­ Damn you¡­ Ha¡­ and your¡­ Ha¡­ quick thinking¡­ Ha¡­ Do you¡­ Ha¡­ seriously¡­ Ha¡­ want to kill me?¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ I thought we have been through this already. If I seriously wanted to kill you Nadav I should have let you run off. Given the hugeness of this place you are bound to get lost. When that happens, there¡¯s a high chance some horrendous chimera will find you and tear you apart. Just like what could happen in the forest.¡± ¡°You¡­ Ha¡­ evil shit.¡± ¡°Sorry Nadav, but I¡¯m with Cadeus on this one. If we let you off running, it might be the last time we see you.¡± ¡°Ha¡­ Ha¡­¡± Nadav slowly got up. ¡°If there¡¯s trouble and I can¡¯t run because of this, I¡¯m definitely going to haunt you two if I ended up in the afterlife!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m absolutely confident that you should be able to run after the next fifteen minutes.¡± The electric shock Cadeus applied in his [Electric Pulse] had minimum voltage. Its effects should wear off moments after It Nadav was back on his feet. For now he should still be able to walk, but regaining the ability to run would still have to wait. Returning his attention to the matter at hand, this chamber only had two exits not including the one they came from. If they were going to proceed further, they need to know which path was the right one. ¡°Sing, could you use your clairvoyance to scour out again?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll try. What am I supposed to look at?¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Cadeus had to be specific, as there were various kinds of Clairvoyance spells out there each with different features. ¡°Then, could you help us create a map of the surrounding area this time?¡± ¡°All right.¡± With a flick of a finger, the glowing [Ender¡¯s Light] hopped off Sing¡¯s palm and hovered itself in mid air. Moving to one of the unused desks, Sing swapped off the dust and took out a blank piece of paper from her sling bag. Leaning forward, she placed the paper on the table. With a pencil in hand, she soon placed both hands at the table edge and began concentrating. ¡°[Carving Sight]¡± After she casted her White clairvoyance spell, Sing¡¯s pupils turned again from her usual brown to a glittering dawn blue. As she focused on the spell, the hand that held the pencil began sketching with absolute precision. Although she was looking ahead, her hand moved with superb speed and accuracy. A few seconds was all it took and Sing jotted down all the neighbouring sectors and chambers. ¡°Ok, here we go.¡± Sing said. Cadeus and Nadav moved in closer to look. What Sing managed to cover was enough to accommodate for a level within a school block. From their present location, the path to the left led to a dead end whereas the other path will lead them further in. Overall there was only one long stretch of a corridor that serves to connect several dozen chambers at once. The end of the map appeared ambiguous, as Sing did not finish drawing what could be the end of the pathway. ¡°Sing¡­ you did not finish drawing the map.¡± ¡°Well¡­ let¡¯s just say that currently there¡¯s a limit as to how far I can extend [Carving Sight].¡± ¡°I see¡­ so you just left the map as it was to indicate that there was something further.¡± Sing gave Cadeus a wink. ¡°Heh¡­ then it¡¯s obvious which path we should take next¡­ Hey Sing, did you managed to see if there¡¯s anything when you scanned the nearby areas?¡± Nadav said. ¡°If you are referring to living things and other magical presences, then my answer is a no. [Carving Sight] only allows me to see environmental structures.¡± ¡°Shit. Then that means we are still going in blind.¡± ¡°Nadav, how can we be blind if we know where we are going?¡± ¡°Not that Sing! What I¡¯m talking about is that we don''t know what sort of chimera we¡¯ll come across.¡± ¡°Then you better start praying that we don''t come across any.¡± Sing searched for within her sling bag. ¡°Well boys, if we are going to proceed further, we are going to need something stronger to let us see in the dark. I¡¯ll keep sustaining [Ender¡¯s Light], but that won''t be enough in the long run.¡± When the two boys heard that, they instantly knew what¡¯s going to happen next. ¡°Wait¡­ Sing, don¡¯t tell me¡­ are you going to make us drink that again?¡± Cadeus asked. Smiling to them, Sing took out three enclosed test tubes each with a purple liquid solution. When he saw that, Nadav gave a cry. ¡°There it is! That suspicious concoction with an extremely weird taste!¡± Sing passed two of the test tubes out to them with her left hand. ¡°Come on boys. Fremin is not going to wait for us to spring up his favourite drama.¡± ¡°¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.¡±¡± Slowly but reluctantly, Cadeus was the first to reach out to her fingers and pry the test tube off. Knowing that he could not go up against the two of them, Nadav followed suit and took his own test tube. As the three of them opened the test tube cock, the perturbed odor soon filled the air. ¡°Damn it¡­ why does this has to taste so weird?¡± Nadav complained. Bringing the test tube to his lips, Cadeus raised the test tube and slowly ingested the contents within. There was the unusual combined taste of blueberry jam and beetroot that was disturbing to the tongue. After swallowing, a burning sensation soon entered his throat. Feeling the magic take effect, Cadeus soon felt his eyeballs squeezing inwards. Once he started feeling more comfortable, Cadeus opened his eyes to see the illuminated changes. Parts of his visage that previously saw black became dawn blue, and the edges of his field of vision became blurred with a whitish circumference. Whatever the case, his sight was improved to match the dark catacombs. With that, the trio followed Sing¡¯s newly made map and continued moving further deeper into the catacomb. TOA Although Sing¡¯s map was pretty well detailed, the trio knew that it only covered one of many sections of the entire level. If every basement floor were part of a huge labyrinth, it would take more than what Sing identified to cover the entire level. If there were one good thing of late, it would be that there were still no encounters with any dangerous chimeras. Soon, the trio approached the end of Sing¡¯s map, the ambiguous unfinished section that failed to discern that goes beyond. Looking up ahead and down at the map he was holding, Cadeus could only voice his discomfort. ¡°That¡¯s strange¡­ Sing¡¯s map dictates that the path should continue, so why are we looking at another dead end?¡± he said. A wall of collapsed rubble stood in their way. It probably collapsed from a section above. From the looks of it, it was there for quite some time. ¡°Well¡­ it does not matter. All we got to do is to clear the rubble.¡± Sing replied. Nadav soon jumped and shot a fist into the air. ¡°All right! It¡¯s time for my depute!¡± ¡°¡°Ah¡­ there he goes again.¡±¡± Cadeus and Sing could only give each other the ¡®we might as well let him have his way¡¯ look and watch as Nadav stepped forward. ¡°Time for the Great Nadav to shine in this perfect screen time! Look and behold! The Great Nadav now will instantly clear this obstacle with one single spell! Geh heh~ heh~ I think I already know how to do this.¡± While they both looked at their clownish friend, Cadeus tilted his head towards Sing and uttered his conscious. ¡°As usual, I get the feeling that things won¡¯t go as he had planned.¡± ¡°Well¡­ even if things did not work, nothing worse could happen.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ true.¡± Nadav got himself ready in a stance shot his right hand out in a punching fist and shouted. ¡°[Boulder Shift]!¡± All three pair of eyes instantly glued themselves to the rubble before them. Nothing happened. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Wow¡­ it didn''t work.¡± Cadeus voiced the obvious. ¡°HOLD ON A MINUTE! How can this be?! I thought I nailed the spell just as I always did! Did the negative environmental energies of Dark Magic suck out all my magic powers? NNNOOOO!!!!¡± Nadav soon dropped to his knees and started tearing his hair. ¡°Hey Sing¡­ is this [Boulder Shift] a legit spell?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ it is. As the name suggests, it''s a very simple [Distance Spell] that allows any Grey Mage to move boulders of rocks effortlessly. It really makes me wonder how Nadav would fail to do something extremely easy.¡± ¡°Now just hold on for a minute! There could be a legit reason why this spell did not work!¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing but earth rubbles there Nadav. I just don¡¯t see how you could fail to manipulate the Element you should be so comfortable with.¡± Sing said. ¡°Just wait a minute. Just wait a freaking minute! There is nothing wrong with the spell!¡± Blocking out all the noise from his ears, Cadeus moved forward and stared at the rubble. Staring at the map that Sing drew earlier, there were two main things that felt off. First, Nadav may be an idiot, but Cadeus had the confidence that there was nothing wrong with [Boulder Shift]. Second, given Sing¡¯s precision in her clairvoyance, the rubble should have been labeled distinctively on her map. ¡°Hm¡­ if Sing¡¯s clairvoyance failed to identify this rubble, we might be looking at an illusion.¡± ¡°Yes! That¡¯s it! The reason why my spell failed to work is because there¡¯s no rubble there to begin with! An illusion that¡¯s one of the defensive mechanisms of this Catacomb! Yes, yes, it makes sense!¡± Cadeus moved up and pressed his hand against the rubble. ¡°That¡¯s strange. If this is an illusion, I would not have felt anything.¡± ¡°Not true. More powerful illusions can alter all five senses. Since this place was made to contain dangerous chimera, it should not be surprising that powerful illusions are installed to ward off the chimera that were let loose.¡± Sing added. ¡°Hm¡­ it does seem real and legit. But something still feels off.¡± ¡°What feels off?¡± Nadav asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Nadav, you are the expert. Come over here and help me find out.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°Just come here and help me out.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ right.¡± Nadav moved up and pressed his hand against the wall. ¡°Hm¡­ you are right, there is something funny about this rubble. Now that I really took some time to look at this, I¡¯m seeing a huge stack of rubble before me, but it does not feel as if there is a solid wall in front of me.¡± ¡°Correct. If this is a powerful illusion, this rubble should have the feel of a true hard wall. But instead¡­¡± Cadeus applied pressure on his fingers and they sank into the rubble. ¡°This rubble is brittle.¡± ¡°Rather than an illusion, Could this be some artificial construct? [Boulder Shift] only works when there are heavy chunks of rocks. If this wall is nothing but a thin layer of dirt, the spell can¡¯t perform properly.¡± Nadav added. ¡°Hm¡­¡± As Cadeus further applied pressure on his fingers, it was not long before he noticed another strange thing. There are white cobwebs in-between the rubble gaps. Pulling a few strands out, it felt extremely sticky. What could this mean? ¡°Cadeus? Is there something wrong?¡± Sing asked. ¡°Yes¡­ take a look at this.¡± Cadeus brought the strange cobweb around, and presented it to Sing. ¡°The more I move it, the more my fingers get tangled. Sounds familiar?¡± ¡°It does¡­ Cadeus, don¡¯t you suppose¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Cadeus looked at the rubble. ¡°This is not a rubble. It¡¯s a concealed wall made up of dirt and cobweb. It¡¯s probably used by the Arthropods to establish the edge of the colony¡¯s territory.¡± ¡°You are telling me that the big spiders are at the other side? Right! Let¡¯s not go there and just go somewhere else.¡± Ignoring the clown who could not contribute anything to the current conversation, Sing and Cadeus thought of the implications. Looking down at the map, Cadeus saw that the straight path was only provided until the chambers beyond this rubble. Any further and they would be out of the map¡¯s jurisdiction. ¡°Should we still go through this way?¡± Cadeus said. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ the colony could be big.¡± Sing said. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. If you remember what Claire said, the Dark Mutators left this place unattended for a month. Without a stable food source I doubt they have much numbers.¡± ¡°But the danger is still there. Let¡¯s see if there are any other pathways we could follow.¡± ¡°Um¡­ why are you two ignoring me?¡± ¡°Nadav, please keep your mouth shut for a couple of minutes, we can think better if you stop ranting your mouth.¡± Sing mercilessly mentioned. Being ignored thoroughly, Nadav could only curl up in his knees and sulk silently at a corner. Sing and Cadeus looked at the map again. Other than the straight path provided, there was no alternate path for them to follow. ¡°Could you cast [Carving Sight] again to check?¡± ¡°The Cast Limit of [Carving Sight] is equivalent to three [Point Spells]. If I am going to keep using it for the next few lower levels, I will hit my Cast Limit faster than I expected. Are you sure you want me to be incapable of casting spells when the situation gets hot?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ true.¡± Sketching the entire level was currently out of the question. ¡°Then I guess there is only one way. Forward.¡± ¡°You want to go through a colony full of giant spiders? Nice, count me out.¡± Nadav grumbled. ¡°What if there¡¯s nothing in there? For all we know, the spiders could be out here instead.¡± ¡°¡­ You are joking.¡± ¡°Would you like to try me?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Well, since [Boulder Shift] did not work, would you like to try something else?¡± Cadeus added. ¡°Like what?¡± To answer his question, Cadeus took Nadav¡¯s palm and wrote the Chinese character ¡®Huo¡¯ (Fire) on it with his finger. ¡°Huh? A [Fire ball]?¡± ¡°It should be easy for you.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Nadav soon stood up and casted a fireball. The blast was more than enough to clear the false rubble, revealing a much more hideous pathway ahead of them. Webs could be seen at every surface area. It became rather obvious that the following areas had been customarily made to suit the Arthropod colony. ¡°Hey¡­ Do we still have to go through this?¡± Nadav whispered. Cadeus answered the question by proceeding to walk forward. ¡°Sing?¡± Sing proceeded to follow Cadeus, leaving Nadav alone behind. Finding the thought of being alone in this catacomb unbearable, Nadav quickly followed them with haste. TOA So far, the webs were only visible at the corners of the pathway. The floor was still quite clean, which probably meant that the Arthropods probably preferred moving on the ceiling and walls. The trio passed by chambers finding absolutely nothing. After walking for more than ten minutes, Sing voiced out her concerns. ¡°Cadeus, we just barely scratched the edge of the colony. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange that we still have not come across a single Arthropod?¡± ¡°True, it¡¯s strange. But the fact that we still have not met one of the supposed Arthropods probably meant that their numbers were either very low. It¡¯s either that or they were all just somewhere else.¡± ¡°Um¡­ we are not walking into a trap are we? I had a hard time sleeping after watching that hobbit getting stung unexpectedly from that giant spider in that third movie.¡± Nadav timidly added. ¡°If you are talking about them sneaking and attacking us from behind, it¡¯s possible, but it¡¯s not likely to happen.¡± ¡°Why do you think so?¡± ¡°We are talking about a colony, which probably meant that the Arthropods are sociable. Sneaking and trapping is something more suited to loners on the hunt for their own prey. If we think about it this way, colony members will confront their victims with numbers directly.¡± ¡°Wow, someone is an expert.¡± Sing said. ¡°I¡¯m not an expert. I just got this knowledge from watching documentaries.¡± ¡°Do you think that the Arthropods had probably left to deal with some other threat?¡± She asked. ¡°Perhaps. I would not be surprised if they are currently dealing with Acriscius. That guy loves explosive spells. I bet the whole colony can hear him from a mile away the moment he starts fighting the scouts.¡± Cadeus soon stopped in his tracks. The reason was due to the fact that the path before them soon divulged into two. ¡°¡­ Shit. Now where do we go?¡± Nadav was just behind them when he suddenly saw an overturned gigantic dead spider in one of the chambers. On a closer look, it seems to be dead. ¡°Hey guys¡­ look at this.¡± Putting the matter of direction aside for now, Cadeus and Sing looked back at him. When they saw Nadav moving to one of the chambers, they could only look at each other and follow suit. When they saw the carcass, the first thing they did was to take note of the size. ¡°Hm¡­ the Arthropod should be just at the height of our waists.¡± Sing estimated. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Cadeus agreed. ¡°Is it dead?¡± Nadav asked. ¡°Hm¡­¡± Cadeus moved up with a [Fire Ball] in hand and touched the carcass. ¡°Rather than the actual thing, this looks like molted skin.¡± ¡°Skin?¡± Cadeus allowed the [Fire Ball] to disintegrate. ¡°Some spiders molt their skin a couple of times before they die. The spider specimen the Dark Mutators used for mutation must have that sort of trait.¡± Cadeus bent his knees and peeled the heavy hard skin upwards to take a good look at this chimera¡¯s exoskeleton. Like all Arthropods, its body was divided into three primary segments ¨C the head, the thorax and the abdomen. Looking at the head, it appears that this chimera had inherited a set of mandibles and jackknife chelicerae. It had no Antennas, but the eight empty eyes sockets revealed that the chimera probably relied more on its sight. Compared to the other parts of the body, the head seemed to be the most heavily armoured for the bulk of the head above the eyes had a thick protruding shield. From the various documentaries Cadeus had watched back when he was back on Earth, Cadeus knew that Arthropods generally do not have large brains. Instead, the large head contain muscles enabling the Arthropods to utilize their mandibles/chelicerae to deal maximum damage to foes, or lift extremely heavy objects. The thorax appeared to be the smallest section, but it was where all the eight legs were connected. On a closer look, the legs are tightly crowded together, and with the thick armour it probably meant that they were slow moving creatures. Moving fast can only happen for a short period of time. Each of the eight legs had protruding lines of fine hair while their footing had two sharp tips and a hooked claw meant for web spinning. While the legs were an obvious target, hitting the thorax directly would seem to be a challenge for it was well protected by the head¡¯s protruding shield. The abdomen was by far the longest section, but it¡¯s the least protected part of the exoskeleton. The multi-segmented abdomen was light and frail, and the only thing worth noting was an extensive pair of spinnerets. Overall, this Arthropod chimera had inherited a lot from its Araneae parent. ¡°It¡¯s hard on the outside, and it looks like there are multiple layers. Dealing damage is going to be hard. Keeping a distance away from its head would be a wise course of action. Other than that, another possible danger to consider would be poison.¡± ¡°¡­ That¡¯s not good news.¡± Nadav said. According to the research notes, the Dark Mutators had started a colony. If this thing was just one of the many workers, then how big would their queen be? Thinking about this, Cadeus dropped the skin and stood up. ¡°We are going to need enchantments. Sing, I think this is where you come in.¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Sing knelt down with her legs below her tights and placed her bag in front of her. Reaching within her sling bag, she began an all too familiar procedure. She took out a syringe pack, her blood vial and three rectangular pieces of paste paper scripted with the Zeffernon rune ¡®Nilth¡¯. Using the syringe, she made a blood withdrawal and deposited it onto the three papers. Passing Nadav and Cadeus their own slip of paste papers, the three of them soon folded up their sleeves and placed the wet paste paper on their arms. Once the paper had dried, they peeled it off. A glowing blood red mark of the rune ¡®Nilth¡¯ could now be seen on their skins. After confirming the mark on all their elbows, Sing took out a book full of various incantations and laid it down before her. With two fingers on her own mark, she used her free hand to flip through the pages until she came across the enchantments she needed. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ all right. [Aura Shift], [Glyph of Precision] and [Heroic Might].¡± As Sing uttered the enchantments and applied White Magic onto the two fingers above her mark, the blood rune ¡®Nilth¡¯ soon extended itself downwards and formed three other symbols. These three symbols soon began glowing in the different colours of blue, yellow and green. Looking at their own arms, Cadeus and Nadav confirmed the magic and felt similar effects happening on their own bodies. Now, it looks like there were glowing tattoos on all their arms all brimming with magical energies. ¡°All right boys. With this, my Cast Limit now only has an estimate of fourteen [Point Spells] left. If I am going to last to the end, I am going to have to play passive for a while.¡± ¡°Sure thing! With Sing¡¯s enchantments we are invincible! Wha ha ha! Leave the offense to us!¡± While it¡¯s true that Sing¡¯s enchantments provided lots of benefits, Cadeus was not entirely sure if ¡®invincible¡¯ was a suitable word. Enchantments work fundamentally different from the more simple [Point Spells] and [Distance Spells]. Like runes, their life shelves were long and once casted they were gradually sustainable for long periods of time. In order for an enchantment to work, you first need a base rune to amplify primary effects, followed by secondary incantations to add improvements. Sing¡¯s enchantment was one of many meant for sharing benefits with multiple party members. ¡®Nilth¡¯ was a base runes that had the specific function of linking groups of people together. Since Sing was providing the enchantment effects, she would act as the primary conduit to link the three of them together allowing Cadeus and Nadav to receive similar effects. This was further enhanced since Sing used her own blood as a catalyst. [Aura Shift] enchants the whole body with a layer of magical aura that acts as a repellent to any hostile attacks, which gradually wears itself out by the number of damaged inflicted. [Glyph of Precision] enhances biological movements and spell-casting effects, increasing spell power and accuracy for a fixed duration. [Heroic Might] increases adrenaline rush by a small margin whilst reducing fatigue, enhancing body movements and making spell casting much easier. On the surface, these three enchantments did make them seem invincible, but Cadeus knew that the effects would wear off in time. Since Sing only had around fourteen [Point Spells] before she hits her Cast Limit, Cadeus did not want her to waste more energy on the enchantments. Looking again at the skin left behind, Cadeus realized that the molted skin looked really authentic to be easily passable as the real thing. When he thought of that, another thing came into mind. ¡°Wait¡­ if the skin is still remarkably whole, it must have been molted recently. If that¡¯s the case, then where is the actual thing?¡± His answer appeared a few seconds later. Nadav was looking behind Sing when he saw something big gliding down. ¡°Oh¡­ shit.¡± Before the two could figure what he just said, Nadav quickly reached for the earth and equipped himself with his favourite [Rock Fist]. Sing barely had time to react when Nadav¡¯s [Flying Rock Fist] flew past her face. It only took a loud unnatural screech for Cadeus and Sing to get what was going on. Turning around, Cadeus and Sing saw a giant spider struggling to get up. Wasting no time, Cadeus and Nadav quickly placed themselves in front of Sing getting ready to cast their own set of spells. The Arthropod soon got up, and Cadeus saw that it was exactly the same as the empty exoskeleton behind them. But rather than engaging them, the chimera started acting in a curious behaviour; it stood itself upright and started rattling its abdomen. With the numerous segments of its abdomen rattling together, the Arthropod soon generated some sort of noise on a consistent frequency. ¡°What the¡­ what is it doing?¡± Nadav asked. It took Cadeus a couple of seconds to come up with a theory. ¡°Ants rarely work alone, and when their colony is at risk, they always address the threat using their strength of numbers. If this chimera had that trait mark, it must be using that sound to summon it¡¯s companions.¡± ¡°Shit! Isn¡¯t that bad for us?¡± Nadav cried. ¡°Nadav, we must kill it now. The longer that thing makes that sound, the higher the colony will perceive the threat, and more of its kind will come.¡± ¡°Then what do you suggest we do?¡± ¡°Keep a distance from its jaws and mandibles. Oh, and watch out for it¡¯s abdomen. Some Ants have the ability to spray poisonous gas or acid to paralyze its victim, and some spiders can shoot out webs from a distance. It¡¯s possible that this chimera had either ability, or both.¡± ¡°Geh! If we can¡¯t approach its head or even its butt then what can we do?¡± Cadeus racked his brain for an idea. In the midst if everything, Sing uttered a spell. ¡°Guys, close your eyes now! [Shattering sight]!¡± Following her instructions, the two instantly shut their eyelids. At first there was darkness, but then a bright orange light flashed. Opening their eyes, the two boys saw the chimera struggling to keep itself upright. Sing must have stunned its eyes with a light elemental spell. ¡°[Lightning Caste]!¡± Seizing this opportunity, Cadeus casted [Lightning Caste]. The scent of burning flesh filled the air. The chimera staggered, but it was not stunned. Seeing his own chance, Nadav spearheaded the chimera with his remaining [Rock Fist] in hand. ¡°[Drilling Fist]!¡± Nadav¡¯s other [Rock Fist] soon molded itself into a spinning drill of solidified earth. Stepping deep into the earth in just an inch away from the chimera, Nadav pulled his elbow back and rammed the spinning drill into the chimera¡¯s head. The sound of something smashing and splattering soon resonated in the air. Thick fluids and chunks of translucent flesh flew in all directions. The chimera only had a few seconds to shake before dropping itself dead. In seeing that the Arthropod was dead, Nadav remolded his [Rock Fist] and punched it at the very centre of its disturbing eyes. ¡°You are one ugly son of a ¨C ¡± Before he could finish, Nadav caught a glance of three more spiders coming his way. All thee were moving quickly towards him on the ceiling and on the walls. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.Uh oh.¡± Cadeus and Nadav instinctively moved back a few paces. The mere sight of three enlarged mutated spiders moving towards you could deal a decent amount of psychological fear and damage. Thirty meters became twenty meters, twenty meters became fifteen meters. ¡°Er¡­ Er¡­ Er¡­ What to do? What to do?¡± ¡°Nadav, use your [Board Quake] to knock them off.¡± Sing commanded. ¡°Right¡­ Um¡­ [Board Quake]!¡± With a stomp of the feet, the Arthropod chimeras were knocked off from their respective surfaces. Sing reaches for within her sling bag and took out what looks like a white ball. After exchanging eye contacts with Sing, Cadeus knew what that white ball is and what he should do next. What Sing had in hand was a self made bomb with a flammable smoke composition. Sing twisted her body to the side and threw that ball towards the chimeras. Once that ball exploded, a huge chunk of white powder was dispersed into the air. Cadeus wasted no time opening his palm to gather a fireball in his hands. ¡°[Fire Ball]!¡± Cadeus threw that fireball into the gaseous complex, and soon an explosion ignited. Nadav instantly raised a wall of earth to provide some cover. After the fire cleared out, he dissolved the wall of earth to reveal three overturned chimeras, all scorched and unmoving. Fearing that more of them might pop out anytime soon, Cadeus quickly account for the most important thing needed for their survival. ¡°Cast Limit check?¡± ¡°I have roughly thirteen [Point Spells] left.¡± Sing said. ¡°I¡¯m at eighteen.¡± Nadav added. ¡°I¡¯m at sixteen.¡± Cadeus followed. Everything was good so far¡­ Although hitting the Cast Limit was something they had to avoid at all cost, it was not something to be uptight about. With the recovery of energy and stamina overtime, the Cast Limit will gradually go down giving them room to cast more spells. One just had to be careful not to waste spells and make every spell cast count. After reviewing everyone¡¯s casting capacities, Cadeus soon returned his attention to their surroundings. As of now, there were no other chimeras in sight. ¡°¡­ Why are the others not coming?¡± Nadav asked. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°If this was an ant colony, we would have been swarmed by countless army ants by now¡­¡± ¡°Maybe they do not have the right numbers to make a full fledge colony. Even if they are busy somewhere else, there should be more than enough chimeras to protect the colony. If the numbers do not match up to our expectations, then it must be a small colony.¡± Sing suggested. ¡°Well¡­ they were abandoned for about a month to die off on their own. I won¡¯t be surprised if the queen had reduced laying eggs due to the shortage of food sources. If there was anything else, cannibalism might be involved to keep the entire colony alive. Some spiders are known to eat their young after all.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ right¡­ well let¡¯s not hang around here anymore!¡± Nadav was just about to make an about turn when Cadeus grabbed him. ¡°We are at the end of Sing¡¯s map. If you go back, you¡¯ll just end up going back to the Enforcers. If Miss Allis is still there, I doubt she will take kindly that you returned alone empty handed. She would either send you back down here, or she¡¯ll force you to go explore some other section alone. Would you want that?¡± ¡°¡­ No?¡± ¡°Then stop whining like a baby and help us see this through.¡± TOA Before long, the trio stumbled upon a huge chamber that was the largest they had come across. Given the activity within the chamber, it seemed to be an important part of the colony. There were numerous web sacks of captured prey all hanging on the chamber walls and ceiling, and about a dozen Arthropod chimeras could be seen busying themselves by sorting out the captured prey. When they saw this scene, the trio quickly sort cover at one of the collapsed rubble. ¡°What the heck is with this place?¡± Nadav whispered. ¡°I think this might be one of the Arthropod colony¡¯s feeding chambers.¡± Sing followed. ¡°Does that mean that the Queen¡¯s nearby?¡± ¡°Not necessary. Ant queens usually have their own chambers. I suspect that the chimera Queen would most likely be somewhere else.¡± Looking around, Cadeus saw that aside from the corridor they came from, there were two other entrances at the extreme corners. It¡¯s possible that either or both would lead to the Arthropod Queen. Glancing to the side, Cadeus noticed a few more sacks of captured prey. They were dangling in mid air, but reaching out to them would take little effort. On a closer look, there were swords dangling at the edges of the web sacks, and the shape of the sacks resembled round mummified wrappings. It did not take long for Cadeus to realize that these sacks were actually human remains bound in spider silk. Focusing his gaze onto those swords, there was only one thing Cadeus could think of. ¡°Untouched?¡± he uttered. ¡°Huh? Untouched? Here? Where?¡± Nadav whispered. Cadeus quietly moved towards the nearest sack and made an attempt to bring it down. Pressing his hands on the stranded cobweb, his hands immediately felt the stickiness of the web. Pulling it down took some effort. After a few strong pulls, the thick strand holding the sack came loose and the sack fell with a ¡®thud¡¯. Checking his surroundings, Cadeus saw that the chimeras above were too busy to be interested in what¡¯s going on below. Returning his attention to the sack, Cadeus moved to the head¡¯s area and began prying the silky web open. A man¡¯s face was soon revealed. ¡°Wow¡­ I never expect to find an unlucky guy in here. Is he dead?¡± Nadav asked. ¡°His skin was pale, but he¡¯s still breathing. This must be a recent catch. If I had to guess, I¡¯d say that he must have been one of Fremin¡¯s Untouched subordinates. He must have been caught when Fremin was making his way below.¡± ¡°He should count himself lucky. He¡¯s stuck in here for a while and yet the giant spiders still did not eat him. Boy I can imagine them chewing the shit out of him.¡± ¡°Nadav, technically spiders do not constantly chew to eat their prey. They don¡¯t have the necessary teeth for that. Food is first externally digested by vomiting digestive fluids, with a bit of chewing with their chelicerae, the spiders eventually suck back liquefied meat and vital fluids.¡± ¡°¡­ That¡¯s disgusting.¡± ¡°Then make sure you don¡¯t get caught. From what I know, spiders take their time to consume captured prey and they often fail to finish eating everything. Usually what¡¯s left would be a discarded ball of residue.¡± ¡°¡­ That¡¯s even more disgusting.¡± ¡°If those ball of residues were not properly disposed off, they are potent causes for the growth of mold and fungi.¡± ¡°Ok! Stop it! Say anymore of your documentary stuff and you¡¯ll get a punch from me!¡± Sing quickly shut Nadav¡¯s mouth due to his increasing volume, but the damage had been done. Several of the Arthropod chimeras detected the change in the atmospheric vibrations and they soon directed their attention to the surface below. With the identification of foreign infiltrators, three chimeras soon rattled their abdomen in the same fashion as the previous chimera while the others raced to the bottom. ¡°Eh? AAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! More of them are coming!¡± The idiot Nadav could only scream. Grabbing the hilt, Cadeus sliced the sword free from the silky web. ¡°Nadav! Sword!¡± Tossing the hilt to Nadav, Cadeus reached up for another blade. Looking at the blade in his right hand, Nadav suddenly got a renewed sense of confidence. ¡°All right!!! Time for the Great Nadav to shine again! A filthy Lvl 5 giant spider is no match for the Lvl 15 Warrior Mage Class Nadav!¡± Sing could only give herself a face palm. ¡°¡­ Again he¡¯s getting gaming inspirations out of nowhere.¡± Slapping his left fingers onto the sword¡¯s rain-guard, Nadav generated a coating layer of red fire. One of the spiders soon came within striking distance. Swinging the blade to the side, Nadav lashed forward. From the moment the blade came into direct contact with the chimera, there was a mini explosion, and the chimera soon found itself being incinerated by fire. In seeing the chimera getting overwhelmed by the flames, Nadav gave himself a broad smile and he threw his left fist into the air. ¡°First strike, and instant kill!¡± Three more chimeras soon followed suit. The sight of their burning comrade only served to agitate their movements. As he closed the distance, the chimeras began lashing out their deadly mandibles with a painful resonance of clucks. With the enchantment [Heroic Might] glowing consistently in effect, Nadav charged forward with a sudden surge of adrenaline rush. Landing the ball of his right foot deep into the cemented surface, Nadav leaped forward and swung his blade from the left, grazing the first chimera¡¯s mandibles and severing one of its legs. Checking his footsteps, Nadav spun his body in a clockwise direction and redirected his blade to the head of the second chimera. His blade may fail to penetrate deep into the hard exoskeleton, but a large scratch was all he needed. With the third chimera bearing down onto him, Nadav brought his blade low and gave a clean slice upwards, severing the third chimera¡¯s chelicerae and slicing two eyes out in the process. With speed on his side, Nadav had nothing to worry about. All he needed was to sink the blade into the exoskeleton for the fire coating to incinerate the entire body. Once the blade came into contact with the chimera¡¯s exoskeleton, a small explosion soon occurred and the chimera¡¯s body began to burn in fire. All three chimeras soon succumbed to their respective burns and they soon ceased to move. Without turning around, Nadav moved forward and continued to face the following chimeras. Slicing to his heart¡¯s content, a huge grin appeared on the clown¡¯s face. With that kind of smile on his face, it was rather evident that a certain gaming addict was enjoying himself. ¡°Gya ha ha ha ha ha!!!!! One hit! One kill! That¡¯ll be 34xp for each dead giant spider! YAHOO!!!¡± Growing increasingly concern for their clownish friend, Sing turn her head to Cadeus who was still trying to free the second sword from the sticky webs. ¡°Are you sure we should be leaving him alone out there?¡± Sing asked. ¡°No need. This is better than him running at the first opportunity to desert.¡± Pulling the second sword free, Cadeus quickly turned to see a chimera moving towards Sing. With an increasing sense of alarm, Cadeus quickly moved up and coated the blade with a layer of electricity. Swinging a stroke, sword came into contact with exoskeleton. However, something felt off. Although the blade did dealt some damage with a ¡®clang¡¯, and the electricity failed to deal any form of damage to the chimera. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me¡­ lightning does not work on this thing?¡± The chimera soon raised two of its legs and jabbed their sharp tips forward. One of the legs landed a hit on Cadeus¡¯s left flank, but [Aura Shift] took the damage in his stead and the arthropod¡¯s leg was deflected with a flash of gold. Whilst keeping his distance from the chimera, Cadeus felt an itch on his arm. Stealing a glance at the enchantment mark, Cadeus could see that the glowing symbol for [Aura Shift] underneath his sleeve started flickering on and off. ¡°Shit.¡± The chimera merely leaned backwards before lashing out with its mandibles. Cadeus barely had time to jump backwards before the mandibles chew into his former position. With the chimera¡¯s eyes before him, Cadeus raised the sword vertically and stabbed into two of the chimera¡¯s eyes. With [Glyph of Precision], his blade never missed. A shriek was all that was needed for Cadeus to confirm that he dealt some damage. Pulling the blade out, Cadeus backed away and shot another [Fire Ball] in the middle of the chimera¡¯s wound site. The blast was satisfactory, but for some reason, it was not as effective compared to Nadav¡¯s fire spells. ¡°What the heck?¡± The chimera just shook its head and continued lashing out with it¡¯s mandibles. Chewing into [Aura Shift], the mandibles were soon deflected with another flash of gold, but the blast of the impact forced Cadeus to fall on his butt. That was the second hit. With the continuous flickering of the symbol on his arm, Cadeus knew that it was a matter of time before the enchantment would wear itself off completely. Before he could think of any alternatives, Sing rushed forward and placed herself in front. Clenching her right fist, she brought two of her left fingers to the tip of her knuckles. ¡°[Ray¡¯s Light].¡± Pulling her two fingers to the side, Sing had generated a blade of light from her knuckles. With the chimera bearing down onto her, Sing merely utilized the passive effects of [Heroic Might] using the chimera¡¯s head as a jumping platform. In mid air, she gracefully twisted her body like a ballerina and gave a downward slice. The blade of light sliced through the chimera¡¯s shielded head clean and splattered all sorts of translucent fluids. But that was not all. Even with the chimera dead, Sing did not stop moving. Before her were three more chimeras moving up to defend their colony. With the blade of light still protruding from her knuckles, Sing moved forward with the balls of her feet. With [Heroic Might] consistently glowing in effect, Sing also experienced a surge of adrenaline rush. Aided by magic, her movements increased by three fold. She instantly closed the distance and swung her blade of light against the chimera¡¯s head. Her strikes were not repelled, nor were there any difficulty in dealing damage. The blade of light cleanly sliced through the tough exoskeleton like knife cutting butter. Once she finished swinging that arc, Cadeus saw that the blade of light managed to slice through the head and thorax. As the blade left the exoskeleton, translucent fluids and tissues flew in all sorts of directions. Without pausing, Sing continued increasing her speed. She sliced the second chimera from the side splitting the exoskeleton into two, and finished the third chimera with a stab to the eyes before slicing the blade out. After slicing the third chimera, Sing rotated her body anti clockwise by skidding on the floor to prepare for any possible counter attacks. The damage dealt was far more devastating than she had expected. With such critical damage, the chimeras could no longer function as a capable organism. Returning the attention to himself, Cadeus thought that something needs to be done about the growing number of chimeras. Looking at the broad picture, Cadeus saw that more chimeras were drawn to Nadav more than to the two of them. With Nadav burning the bulk of the chimera rushing to defend the colony, the chimeras had prioritized defeating him. Turning his attention to the chamber entrances, Cadeus saw that the bulk of the chimeras were coming out of the left corner entrance. From his knowledge Cadeus knew that there would be no retreat for these chimeras. Typical of ant behaviour, these chimeras would do all they could to defeat the invaders when their colony was threatened. If they could somehow cut off that entrance, they would not be in such a difficult position trying to fend off the growing numbers whilst keeping the Cast Limit in mind. In seeing that he had a plan in mind, Sing returned to his side. ¡°A Duches for your thoughts?¡± Cadeus pointed. ¡°We need to cut off that entrance, or we¡¯ll face an endless wave of chimeras.¡± ¡°The stones are solid thick. We are going to need Nadav.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ speaking of which, how¡¯s Nadav doing?¡± Turning to the clown¡¯s direction, the duo soon heard a distant idiotic cry. ¡°Gya ha ha ha ha ha!!!! I''m INCINVIBLEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!¡± Other than the burning sword in his hand, Nadav was casting multiple elemental spells against the raging chimeras. As he fought, it was clear that Nadav¡¯s [Aura Shift] had faced the worst damage for he was not paying attention to his enchantments during engagement. ¡°He¡¯s just spamming spells without thinking about his enchantments and Cast Limit.¡± Sing sighed. ¡°He totally lost it. When it comes to fighting that idiot always treat this world like some sort of game. It¡¯s a marvel how he could still be standing there alive.¡± Cadeus followed. The more Sing watched their clownish friend, the more she could not take it. ¡°Let¡¯s just stop him¡­ at this rate he¡¯s going to bite off more than he could chew.¡± ¡°If you want to stop him, we best do so after we destroy that entrance. Besides, he seems to be pretty drawn in. Are you sure you want to stop him when he is having his fun?¡± ¡°What happens if he gets too carried away and wander to a place that¡¯s more dangerous?¡± ¡°If that happens he will wake up and run back here.¡± ¡°Cadeus, I appreciate the thought, but quit messing around and help me wake this idiot before something terrible happens.¡± Knowing that he just trended upon her level of patience, Cadeus quickly brought his hands up in the gesture of surrender. ¡°All right, all right. Don¡¯t get mad.¡± Sing forgave him with a smirk. ¡°So, chamber entrance. How do you want to do this? As far as what I can see, the polished stone around it are quite thick.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ what are the chances of that entrance caving in?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t recommend it. If we set off an explosion within the chamber there¡¯s a chance that the ceiling might collapse onto us. This place seems old enough for such things to happen. ¡°The ceiling might collapse¡­¡± Cadeus soon had a brain wave. ¡°That¡¯s it. We don¡¯t have to destroy the entrance. We can just cave in the corridor beyond the entrance.¡± Sing merely blinked her eyes in response. ¡°What? Is it no good?¡± ¡°No. It was a good plan, but how exactly do we do that while there were still chimeras coming out of the corridor?¡± That¡¯s right. Even if they had the plan, there¡¯s still the crucial matter of the continuous wave of chimeras pouring out of the entrance. But Cadeus already had an idea to address that issue. ¡°Well that should be simple. We could your white bombs.¡± When Sing heard that, she had her doubts. ¡°Eh? You want to use those? That can be risky you know? There¡¯s a chance that the powder could spread into this chamber. If we ignite the powder under that circumstance, the impact might affect the architecture of this chamber.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. If we utilize the Element Wind, we can prevent that risk from happening.¡± This idea might not be the best, but there¡¯s no other alternative. The plan had its risks, but Sing still decided to trust him anyway. ¡°How many bombs do you need? I only got five more on me.¡± ¡°Two should be fine. We just need to concentrate the powder in one location. But first.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Cadeus pointed to the ceiling. ¡°We need to take out those three chimeras sounding the alarm.¡± TOA Even though they could cut off the rest of the colony by caving in the entrance, their efforts would be meaningless if there were still chimeras rattling their abdomens. The rattling vibrations would still draw other chimeras to their position though other corridor passages. Once the nearby chimeras detect the rattling, it would respond to the defensive mechanism by spraying a leading pheromone. As more chimeras poured from the main entrance, the pheromones leaking from their abdomens would only serve to draw others to help their cause. That in turn would cause the others to leak more pheromones. The stronger the pheromone trail, the more the chimeras would follow. In order to resolve the current situation, Cadeus and Sing must take out the source for the call of reinforcements. The colony would only stop sending in defenders once the rattling stops. Since Sing currently had a low count of spells she could cast, Cadeus offered to do the honours again. Even if he knew that his elemental spells somehow did not have a lot of effect on the chimeras, the priority was to dislodge the three chimeras from the ceiling. If he managed to kill them, it would be a good bonus. Since these chimeras proved to be more resistant to electricity, Cadeus opted for the Element Fire. Gathering the magic first into his palms, Cadeus molded that energy in his head and casted the spell. ¡°[Bolt Barrage].¡± Throwing his fingertips into the air, five bolts of fire exited from his palm and surged up towards the ceiling. The fire blasts were not enough to kill off the three chimeras, but it was more than enough to dislodge them from their webs to make them fall from the ceiling. Once they fell to the ground, they ended up getting mopped by Nadav¡¯s delusional gaming impersonation. With that out of the way, Sing passed Cadeus two white bombs, and Cadeus gathered himself. Nodding to Sing, he twisted his body and threw with all his might. When he did, a spiraling surge of wind flew straight past above his head. It intercepted the two bombs in the air and guided them straight to the corridor past the chamber entrance. All Cadeus need was to hear an explosion and see the white mist, and he immediately threw a [Fire Ball] in the right direction. A huge explosion followed and the corridor collapsed, rock and rubble squashing chimeras and cutting off the entrance. TOA With three more smacks with [Rock Fist], Nadav finished the last chimera currently at his attention. He was just about to see if there were any more when Cadeus grabbed his arm tightly. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Stop¡­ just stop.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ sorry.¡± Coming back to his senses, the Adrenaline rush receded and Nadav could think straight again. ¡°Sing, please see if you can do something about his enchantments?¡± Cadeus asked. ¡°I¡¯ll try.¡± Sing merely just placed the same two fingers at the tip of the blade of light and shelved it by pushing the tip back to her knuckles. ¡°Nadav, show me your mark.¡± Pulling up his sleeve, the enchantment marks appeared to be scorched badly. The glowing symbols were dim and weak to the point where it looked like they could be extinguished any minute. ¡°Sigh¡­ why is it that you always do not think about the enchantments that I give you?¡± Sing complained. ¡°It¡¯s all right Sing, your enchantments are always too passive for me to take note of. Besides, this is not the first time for this to happen.¡± Nadav cheerfully replied. ¡°Don¡¯t you see that that¡¯s precisely the problem?¡± ¡°Why is it a problem?¡± ¡°¡­ I give up.¡± Placing two fingers on the ¡®Nilth¡¯ mark, Sing rejuvenated the enchantments by applying more White Magic. On the other hand, Nadav made a gesture towards the numerous dead chimeras and started blabbering his mouth like a kid showing off his scoreboard. ¡°Did you both see that? I killed all those chimeras!¡± ¡°Yes Nadav, we can see that.¡± Cadeus reluctantly replied. ¡°I got a killing streak, so that means that the score¡¯s going to be doubled. So in total that¡¯s¡­ 2744xp!!! Wait¡­ that does not make any sense¡­ how did that online MMO calculate killing streaks again?¡± ¡°Oh dear, the adrenaline rush is gone and this clown is still thinking about games?¡± Sing sounded like her disbelief was developing into despair. In an attempt to wake up his friend, Cadeus opened his mouth and rebuked his friend. ¡°You idiot. Have you spared a thought about your Cast Limit? How many more spells can you cast when we have to face the queen?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­Oh.¡± Realizing that he had forgotten to save his spells for the not-yet-final boss fight, Nadav immediately sat down in a meditation stance. ¡°Hey! What are you doing? I am not finished with your enchantments!¡± ¡°Shit! Ok guys, wait here, I¡¯m going to meditate to recover my mana!¡± ¡°Have you gone delusional to the point where you even forget your classes? There¡¯s no such thing as mana you idiot.¡± ¡°EEEHHHHH? No mana? Then how do we cast spells again?¡± Tired of hearing his friend¡¯s nonsense, Cadeus clenched a fist and punched it into Nadav¡¯s face. As of the Triumphal Verdict of 1289, the definition of the word ¡®mana¡¯ as a source of supernatural powers was officially scrapped from the magic encyclopedia. This was the result of an accumulative set of conclusions drawn from studying the relationship between ¡®mana¡¯ and magic. The cause for such an occurrence was due to the varying definitions of ¡®mana¡¯ that led to much confusion in regards to its possible relationship to magic. Throughout history, ¡®mana¡¯ had been portrayed in numerous cultures. Many of which had the similarity of accepting ¡®mana¡¯ as a spiritual energy, or more specifically a paranormal force that can exist in places, objects and organisms. In an attempt to understand this strange similarity to magic, many mages had attempted to study the subject. Studies had often linked ¡®mana¡¯ closely to magic, resulting several hypotheses. Some assumed that ¡®mana¡¯ is a form of magic, others assumed that ¡®mana¡¯ provides magic, and a selected few even termed ¡®mana¡¯ as the lighthearted magic. Hence, the Intellectuals embarked on a long quest of research to prove the accuracy of the existence of ¡®mana¡¯ and it¡¯s possible relationships with magic. However, as more research was directed into the origins of ¡®mana¡¯, the Intellectuals were soon convinced that ¡®mana¡¯ had nothing to do with magic. The first breakthrough in research that brought about the conviction was this; even if ¡®mana¡¯ were to exist as a paranormal force, it was not something a mage could use as a source for magical powers. Firstly, for ¡®mana¡¯ to be a source of magical phenomenon, it had to be drawn from a specific part of the body to be molded and used in accordance to the mage¡¯s imagination. Countless research had been made into trying to discover which part of the body produces ¡®mana¡¯. Even if certain biological sites within the body could be said to produce ¡®mana¡¯, it was not an energy that could be easily manipulated as compared to the magic within the blood. In fact, the Intellectuals found it difficult to determine if the Mage was indeed using ¡®mana¡¯ or the magic directly from his own blood. Since the standard procedures of casting spells were all from the result of using magic within the blood, it was impossible to develop a casting procedure that could replace blood with ¡®mana¡¯. As a result, the Intellectuals could only conclude that ¡®mana¡¯ could be seen as a life force, but it was not a supernatural power usable by mages to create a magical phenomenon. This soon led to a second breakthrough, which primarily raised the fact that ¡®mana¡¯ was never the cause of any physical manifestations. One important property of magic was that there would always be physical manifestations of the immaterial. Since a Mage could not even use ¡®mana¡¯, there was no sample case of a phenomenon that could be caused by ¡®mana¡¯. Even though there were accounts of people using this life force to better circulate and condition the body, it all counted as advanced physical therapy, not magic. As such, the Intellectuals soon concluded that ¡®mana¡¯ could be seen as a form of energy, but there was nothing to support any conjecture that ¡®mana¡¯ was directly involved in the creation of a phenomena. ¡®Mana¡¯ was not a magical source, hence it was not related to magic. This could only force the Intellectuals to acknowledge ¡®mana¡¯ culturally as a spiritual energy, but not an energy that could be used to create a magical phenomenon. This further separates ¡®mana¡¯ from magic, and the continuous failure to link the two would only serve to prove that the definition of ¡®mana¡¯ as a source of supernatural powers was nothing but fallacious. In the light of more research, the Intellectuals discovered a paradoxical attribute of ¡®mana¡¯. According to the various cultures, ¡®mana¡¯ was suggested to be an energy that should be universal. This meant that it was an energy that could be utilized by anybody. If one went by this definition, ¡®mana¡¯ could be seen as a constant universal source of power that could not be divided nor classified. This soon brought up the troubling concern that ¡®mana¡¯ did not fall into either one of the three colours of magic. The three colours of magic were vital to determine a mage¡¯s strengths and limits. If ¡®mana¡¯ could not be categorized in accordance to the Absolute Rules of Magic, it could not be judged as a source of supernatural powers. With such conclusive evidence that ¡®mana¡¯ had no connection to magic, the Intellectuals collated all their research and made a valid statement that the definition of ¡®mana¡¯ as a source of supernatural powers was ultimately wrong. Hence, ¡®mana¡¯ was officially removed from the magic encyclopedia ever since the Triumphal Verdict of 1289. Lying down on the floor, Nadav was just about to rise up to protest when a small tremor shook within the chamber. ¡°What the¡­ an earthquake?¡± Nadav exclaimed. Sing shot a worrisome gaze towards Cadeus. ¡°No Sing, this is definitely not from us collapsing that corridor. If our actions were the cause of it, we would have been buried long ago.¡± The tremors were continuous. But as Nadav paid more attention, he noticed that there was something odd. ¡°Guys¡­ the tremors were inconsistent.¡± ¡°Inconsistent? What do you mean?¡± ¡°If we are talking about some earthquake that will cause cave ins, the tremors will resonate consistently from a single source. But I am sensing tremors coming from multiple sources.¡± ¡°Meaning to say that there are small explosions here and there that caused the tremors right?¡± ¡°Yes, and¡­¡± Nadav pointed. ¡°The tremors are coming from over there.¡± What Nadav ended up pointing at was the corridor from the other corner entrance. From the weak tremors, the explosions must have occurred somewhere deep within the other side. ¡°Magic is thick in the air. Someone is casting spells.¡± Sing uttered. ¡°Probably someone engaging the chimeras. Well whoever it is, they either belong to Fremin or they belong to us. We might as well find out who they are and which side they are on.¡± Cadeus followed. Cadeus dropped his sword. He won¡¯t be needing it against other mages. Nadav followed likewise. ¡°What happens if they belong to Fremin?¡± Nadav asked. ¡°Then we can either roast them, fry them or knock them out before handling them over to the Enforcers.¡± TOA When they arrived at the scene that caused the tremors, the trio saw a surprising sight. Like the previous chamber, this one also had three entrances linking three different pathways. But that was not all. The Arthropod chimeras were turning on each other. Wait¡­ scratch that. The Arthropod chimeras were fight against what appeared to be crystallized versions of themselves. A huge group of living, biological chimeras were fighting against seven crystallized chimeras. Crystallized chimeras made entirely out of translucent energy crystals were engaging the living defenders, and it was obvious which side was winning. As the biological chimeras chewed into their crystal counterparts, the crystals that came into contact with the mandibles soon exploded. Facing a direct blast into the face, the biological chimeras were quick to loose their heads. By the time every living chimera was dead, the seven crystallized chimeras soon replaced broken limbs by fusing with each other, such that by the end of everything, there were five crystallized chimeras. Cadeus assumed that they would be targeted next, but when the crystallized chimeras registered their presence they just stood still, as if they were programmed to do so. ¡°What the¡­ what just happened?¡± Nadav asked. Looking closely at the crystallized beings, Cadeus knew who exactly might be the mastermind behind all of this. ¡°Tch. It¡¯s her again.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Cadeus turned around. ¡°Never mind. Let¡¯s just turn around and forget that we ever saw this.¡± Just as when he was about to walk away, a purple crystal bird landed on his head before jumping onto his shoulder. Looking at the bird, it did not take long for him to hear approaching footsteps belonging to a certain haughty noble. ¡°Oh my, oh my. Given the circular architect of the catacombs, I thought that I would bump into Acriscius by now. Who would have thought that I would first meet up with you of all people?¡± Looking back to the voice¡¯s source, the first thing Cadeus saw was three hovering [Fire Balls], and there stood Claire Rrogust ve Chroma with another crystal bird on her right shoulder. When she stopped at a distance, she folded her arms and stared at Cadeus with an indifferent look in her eyes. As she appeared, the five remaining crystallized chimera returned to their master¡¯s side. When Nadav saw her, he pointed at her and gave a large cry. ¡°Ah!!! It¡¯s that noble chick Cadeus utterly failed to persuade into joining us!¡± Cadeus and Sing instantly shot him a warning glare, but the damage had been done. ¡°¡­ I am definitely going to sue him once this is all over.¡± Claire uttered. Sighing for his friend¡¯s stupidity, Cadeus walked up to her. The crystal bird on his shoulder reminding him how much Claire would love to see him under her mercy. The first thing he did, as usual, was not to greet her. Instead, his gaze went to her crystallized chimeras. ¡°First crystal birds, now an enlarged Arthropod chimera. Do you want to start some sort of collection?¡± ¡°More or less. I wouldn¡¯t mind adding you to my collection if you still don¡¯t watch your manners.¡± ¡°Oh wow. If that happens will I expect to see a crystallized version of myself?¡± ¡°If that happens, the crystal will replace you and I will be liberated of your rudeness.¡± ¡°¡­ Ouch.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. So consider yourself blessed for still being alive under my presence. Aren¡¯t you fortunate you are dealing with a very tolerant noble?¡± And there she goes again with her usual self-centered thoughts. Cadeus had to shake his head to ward off the words that could not be processed. ¡°So where did you come from?¡± he asked again. ¡°Where else? From behind.¡± Claire pointed with her thumb. ¡°How far have you ventured?¡± ¡°About enough to cover for a section of Carmith¡¯s Street.¡± If that were the case, the sections Claire came from would have already been cleared. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°Well, we came from one long stretch of a corridor only to hit a huge chamber that turned out to be one of the chimera¡¯s feeding grounds.¡± ¡°And you managed to get out alive? Oh wow, it looks like you are tougher than I thought.¡± ¡°You already know it. You¡¯re just exaggerating for no good reason.¡± Claire chose to ignore him. ¡°All right, you seem to know something about these chimeras.¡± ¡°What makes you think that?¡± ¡°Just earlier, you mentioned ¡®enlarged Arthropod chimera¡¯ when you could have easily said that it¡¯s a giant spider. No matter how one looks at it, that is a research term people use only when they had prior knowledge to research notes. You definitely must have come across one of the research rooms that uses this level as an observational platform.¡± Cadeus cursed his own carelessness. Now she¡¯s going to demand information. Knowing that he could not keep any thing of relevance from her, Cadeus could only shrug his shoulders and explain. ¡°The Dark Mutators here were cross breeding spiders and ants to harvest some sort of pheromone. In order to get a bountiful harvest they enlarged the chimeras in the process.¡± When Claire heard that, she gave a bored look that told Cadeus that this was nothing new. ¡°I see¡­ well this is something of the ordinary.¡± ¡°So, if the paths we both came from were cleared, that would leave¡­¡± The two Pure Blooded Dark Mages turned their eyes to a path that they had yet to venture. When Nadav and Sing deduced what they were thinking, Nadav let out a sigh. ¡°This place is a damn maze. How can we ever get to the end of this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s called a catacomb and a labyrinth to begin with Nadav.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the whole problem. If the Enforcers knew that this place would have been a damn maze, then why the heck did they not prepare any map to begin with! In the first place, there should have been some form of blueprint or structural layout to this place when they made it! Shouldn¡¯t the Enforcers provide us with a map so that it¡¯ll save us the trouble of exploring? Aren¡¯t we in a freaking precarious situation where time is precious?¡± This sudden burst of logical knowledge coming out of the clown¡¯s mouth generated shock amongst the three who were there to witness it. ¡°¡­ Cadeus, could it be that your perverted friend here is a hidden genius?¡± ¡°Oh no. Don¡¯t say it like you really mean it. Now that idiot is going to take your word for it and start thinking that he¡¯s really a genius.¡± True to his word, Nadav soon stood up straight and assumed a self-advertising pose. ¡°That¡¯s right! As that hot noble chick stated, I am a genius! I am the brain that kept this entire group going. So come! Claire Pocusk de Roma! Join us and ¨C Bluehhhhhh?!¡± Before he could say anything more stupid, Claire snapped her fingers and the five crystallized chimeras soon charged and mowed down the idiot. ¡°¡­ I can''t believe he even got my name wrong.¡± ¡°That¡¯s his own fault. I already warned him to remember your name.¡± Sing went to help Nadav up, and while she was at it she rejuvenated his enchantments. While that was all happening Cadeus decided to get some information. Putting the idiot aside, Cadeus brought up another matter. The matter about how his elemental spells did not have much of an effect against these chimeras. ¡°Claire, did you find that there¡¯s something wrong about these chimeras?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t state the obvious imposter, it makes you look stupid. Be more specific.¡± ¡°These chimeras are more resistant to elemental [Point Spells] casted by Dark Mages. Don¡¯t you feel there¡¯s something like this along the lines?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t deny that possibility. After all, this place had a large density of Dark Magic. I won''t be surprised if these Arthropods are indeed resistant to our magic. But it does not matter. It¡¯s not like they are immune to Blood Gifts.¡± ¡°You mean your crystals.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± In order to demonstrate her point, Claire walked up to one of the living chimera carcass. Raising her hand, she stopped short of a few inches and positioned her palm directly above the carcass. And then, Cadeus witnessed it. A dark purple mist gathered around her hand, and she unleashed it upon the carcass. Claire¡¯s purple mist spread itself out and enveloped the carcass totally. While he watched, the exoskeleton surface that came into contact with the purple mist soon started crystallizing. By the end of the procedure, the purple mist dissolved revealing a functional crystallized chimera. ¡°Claire¡­ what did you just do?¡± Claire turned to look at him with an indifferent gaze. ¡°You still can¡¯t tell? That was my Blood Gift. My Blood Gift generates a purple mist that corrupts living flesh and crystallizes them into crystallized beings. They possess some level of intelligence to act as sentries, but they still need instructions from their masters to act properly.¡± It took a long while for Cadeus to process this. What Claire just used was strongly similar to the black mist he possessed. If her purple mist is her Blood Gift, would that imply that the black mist count as a Blood Gift? Shaking his head, Cadeus turned to the unexplored path and returned his thoughts to the current issue at hand. ¡°Given the fact that we are still in the exterior of the chimera colony, I have a feeling that we might soon encounter the Arthropod Queen.¡± ¡°Well, the Enforcers told us to clear this level anyway. Encountering the queen is something that¡¯s unavoidable.¡± Claire agreed. ¡°Is there a way for you to use your crystallized familiars to scout the areas ahead?¡± To answer his question, Claire snapped her fingers and the crystal bird on Cadeus¡¯s shoulder flapped its wings before taking into the air. When it flew into the unexplored corridor, Claire reached for her pocket and took out a palm-sized crystal. Peering into the crystal, Cadeus saw what Claire saw, a bird¡¯s eye view of the neighbouring passages. As the bird continuously revealed the following chambers, Cadeus thought about writing all of these details down on another paper. With the thoughts of making another map, Cadeus turned to Claire. ¡°Hey wait¡­ don¡¯t we need to write all these passages down on a paper?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need. This crystal has a storage capacity that saves all structural layouts revealed by my familiars. All I need to do is this, and¡­¡± After twisting the crystal to the side, the crystal soon projected a mystical 3D image showcasing all the known pathways within this level. As her crystal bird continued to scour ahead, the mystical image slowly extended. ¡°Oh, since you came from the other side, why don¡¯t you tell me where does your corridor lead?¡± ¡°Sure. Ok this entrance leads to a feeding chamber that had three entrances to three coridors. One corridor collapsed¡­ the other leads to many other small chambers over here¡­ then we have the research lab at the end¡­ and then the stairs to the upper level where we came from.¡± As he directed the layout, the mystical image slowly shaped itself to his description. When he finished updating the crystal, Claire suddenly gave a small cry. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I think I found the queen.¡± ¡°¡­Eh?¡± Cadeus edged closer and stared into the crystal. And there it was, a large Arthropod chimera four to five times the size of the usual chimeras they had faced. It¡¯s currently laying eggs in a transparent bubble sac. From its size, it¡¯s going to take a lot of effort if they really need to bring this down. ¡°Shit¡­ it¡¯s big. Where is this?¡± ¡°It should be about here.¡± Claire pointed at a large distinctive chamber isolated from the rest of the labyrinth. There were four corner stairways leading down to this chamber. Other than that, there were no other leading pathways to it. ¡°Hm¡­ that¡¯s not that far off from here. It looks like Acriscius is totally on the other side.¡± ¡°Did I just sense that you wished Acriscius would be there to help us? I thought you hate Acriscius to the bone.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t deny that I hate him. But I won¡¯t deny that we could really use his help either. Even if it meant keeping our distance from each other in the process.¡± ¡°Heh¡­ so you are not so uptight as I thought.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Done with their own business, Sing and Nadav moved back to the two Pure Bloods. ¡°So what¡¯s going on?¡± Nadav opened his mouth. ¡°Have you gotten back your senses?¡± Cadeus said. ¡°Oi! That¡¯s mean!¡± Cadeus sighed. ¡°So what¡¯s going on?¡± Sing asked this time. ¡°We found the spider queen.¡± ¡°EEEHHHH!!!! Where?! Where?!¡± ¡°She¡¯s not here you idiot. Claire¡¯s crystal bird found her in a different chamber.¡± After a few more seconds, Sing had Claire¡¯s crystal in her hand, and the two childhood friends were gluing their eyes into the crystal. ¡°Wow¡­ she¡¯s big. Is she laying her eggs? Oh dear¡­ they all look so cute~! The chimeras all look so small in there. This really feels like I¡¯m watching an ant documentary.¡± Sing uttered. ¡°¡­ If she¡¯s like four times bigger than the others¡­ how do we beat her? Her HP must be very high¡­ at least 156300 points¡­¡± Leaving the two to their own thoughts, Cadeus returned his attention to Claire. ¡°Could you send another bird to look for Acriscius?¡± ¡°I already did that. So far that bird has been hitting dead ends and it had to restart at numerous checkpoints. Wherever Acriscius is at this point, it¡¯s clearly somewhere unreachable at the moment.¡± ¡°Have you tried using the Caller?¡± ¡°The Caller only connects us to Miss Allis.¡± ¡°¡­ How disappointing. They could have linked us all together.¡± ¡°They should have. It¡¯s called professionalism. The more I think about this, the more I suspect that it¡¯s probably that female Enforcer¡¯s way of pulling our legs.¡± ¡°Miss Allis?¡± ¡°She seems the type to do this sort of things.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ true.¡± Poor Miss Allis, her frivolous attitude had led to many unfavourable opinions amongst the nobility. ¡°If it is just going to be the four of us, we need a thorough plan to take out the queen.¡± ¡°Excuse me? Since when did you assume that I would be joining you?¡± ¡°Then what? Are you going to tank the queen all by yourself? I thought you are a smarter person than that Claire.¡± ¡°Who says I¡¯m going to take the queen? ¡°Then do you honestly think the three of us could handle it? We just barely survived out of the consideration of preserving our Cast Limit in case things with Fremin got hot.¡± ¡°And who said that Fremin is someone for you to handle? The Enforcers want Fremin, not you. Why do you even have to spare a thought about saving your Cast Limit for the likes of him?¡± ¡°¡­ Let¡¯s just say I owe him a punch to the face.¡± Claire blinked her eyes three times when she heard that. ¡°For what?¡± ¡°For our attempted kidnapping yesterday.¡± ¡°You were kidnapped? By Fremin?¡± ¡°¡­ Yes. We only got out because we got that Caller from Miss Allis.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Claire spent a few moments in deep thought before she made a decision. ¡°Well good for you, I changed my mind.¡± Cadeus blinked his eyes. At first he wondered why she would just change her mind like that, but he soon remembered that Claire had this tendency to switch her decisions whenever she felt like it. But still, he felt slightly uncomfortable. ¡°... Why the sudden change?¡± ¡°Would you rather I not help you?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± Putting all possible ulterior motives aside, Cadeus could not afford to let her walk away right now. ¡°All right. I gratefully accept your help.¡± ¡°An excellent reply.¡± ¡°Do I still have to owe you?¡± ¡°Of course?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Claire took out a notebook and flipped to a page that had his name on it. ¡°That makes five favours in total.¡± ¡°You even recorded it in a handbook?¡± Sing and Nadav went to Claire to return her the crystal. ¡°So what¡¯s the game plan?¡± Nadav asked. ¡°Claire is going to join us to take down the queen.¡± Cadeus replied. When they both heard that, the look on their faces soon developed into serious shock. ¡°Cadeus finally convinced the noble chick to join us?! Why the sudden success? Did Cadeus finally capture the heart of ¨C wwww mmmm vvvv wwwww? ¡± Before things could get seriously out of hand, Cadeus and Sing quickly pressed their hands onto his mouth. Stealing a glance at her, Cadeus saw Claire was just able to maintain her indifferent look with a few twitches to the eyebrow. ¡°¡­ Please ignore what he just said.¡± ¡°I will, but I¡¯m only doing it for my own sanity.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m still going to sue him once all of this is over.¡± TOA HHIIIIIEEEE!!!! (Arthropod Shriek) BOOOOMMMM!!!! SNARL!!!! (Sounds of chimeras fighting) ¡­ There was no need to fight at all. Ever since Claire joined the team, her crystallized chimeras were doing all the work. Even if the crystallized chimeras would get damaged, Claire would either use her Blood Gift to repair them, or she could just create more crystallized chimeras. Since Claire had her crystal familiars, she offered to take the lead. Although it may seem highly contradictory to her usual haughty character, she did it for the sake of avoiding Nadav¡¯s incomprehensible ranting. Even if she could still hear his nonsense, Claire decided that she would feel better if she did not have to face such a clown. Thanks to that, the situation was developed in such a way that the trio could just sit back and relax. Realizing that there was nothing he could do, Cadeus could only take a deep breath and welcome the change. Feeling that someone was tapping his shoulder, Cadeus turned around to see Sing. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°You sure look relaxed. Don¡¯t you feel out of place?¡± Sing said. ¡°Even if I would feel out of place, there is nothing I could really do. Besides, with this, our Cast Limit can cool down automatically.¡± ¡°Ah true¡­¡± Even when she brought up a conversation like this, Cadeus could tell that Sing had something else in mind. ¡°All right, hit me.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± ¡°You wanted to ask me something else.¡± ¡°Oh dear¡­ it seems we got an esper amongst us.¡± Sing giggled before placing her hands behind her. ¡°Satisfy my curiosity.¡± ¡°All right, what are you curious about?¡± ¡°Two things. First. Initially, you are strongly against Claire joining us. But now you invited her?¡± ¡°Can you come up with a better idea as compared to just the three of us against the queen?¡± ¡°I thought so¡­ all right. Now secondly, even if you had the change of heart to bring Claire along, how did you managed to convince her to help us? As far as what I can understand, this is definitely not a case of noblesse oblige.¡± ¡°Well¡­ to be honest I did not know what happened myself. Claire just changed her mind on a whim.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°I told her of our apparent kidnapping, and then for some reason, Claire changed her mind.¡± ¡°Just like that?¡± ¡°Just like that. Well¡­ of course I have to owe her another one so¡­¡± Cadeus immediately shut his mouth when the look on Sing¡¯s face turned into a disapproving glare. ¡°You really do not mind owing her favours do you?¡± ¡°You think? Do I look like I enjoy owing her faovurs?¡± ¡°If you hated it then why do you keep owing her favours?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s complicated.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± Feeling the pressure from her gaze, Cadeus directed his sight away only to see Nadav giving him an awful sneer. When he realized that the clown was not going to offer any assistance, Cadeus could only gesture his hands up in surrender. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ll be more careful in future.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I wanted to hear.¡± With Sing giving him a forgiving smile, Cadeus turn around. Looking at how Claire could use her blood gift so easily and effectively, Cadeus raised a question. ¡°Hey Sing, Blood Gifts do not normally take a lot of Cast Limit to cast. Do you know why?¡± ¡°Well, for as far as I know, Blood Gifts are an atypical form of magic that takes distinctive roots within a person¡¯s blood. They are a separate category as compared to the usual spells we use. Normally people who share the same colour of magic could use the same spells. However, the common spells we use are all created from raw untempered magic. Hence, it takes a considerable portion of one¡¯s Cast Limit to cast a spell due to the molding process prior to casting. Blood Gifts on the other hand were already deep rooted inside the blood, so it is already processed magic the instant one wishes to use it. As such, Blood Gifts are said to be entirely personal, and only a very small number of people can share the same Blood gift.¡± ¡°Heh¡­ not only is she good looking, she has the brains too. No wonder the Educators called you a role model student.¡± The two looked to see Claire listening into their conversation. Since her attention was not entirely on her chimeras, she must have left them into their automated mode long ago. Feeling bored, she must have joined their conversation conveniently to relieve some boredom. ¡°The White¡¯s correct. Since Blood Gift is magic already processed, there is no need to spend any additional effort to mold it since the magic is already ready for use. Thus, it does not require a considerable portion of Cast Limit to mold Blood Gifts into reality.¡± ¡°Heh¡­ no wonder it seems extremely natural for Blood Gifts to be used effortlessly.¡± Cadeus commented. Claire continued her explanation without stopping. ¡°However, such convenience comes at a price. Blood Gifts are easily subservient to change due to their genetical affiliations. You need to be born with a specific set of DNA in order to possess the ability to manipulate a specific Blood Gift. That is why Bloodlines are extremely important in our society.¡± From the very instant she touched the word ¡®bloodlines¡¯, she shot a stabbing gaze towards Cadeus. Cadeus deduced that that must have been a retaliztive comeback against his lack of interest to take the idea of lineage seriously, but he chose to ignore it. With all these information in mind, Cadeus brought up a related question. ¡°So long story short, a Blood Gift is processed magic within our blood. Does that mean that anyone can possess a Blood Gift?¡± ¡°You clearly did not listen to what I said earlier you imposter. You need to have a specific set of DNA to manipulate a specific Blood Gift.¡± ¡°I heard what you said clearly, but does that mean that ordinary mages can have Blood Gifts?¡± ¡°No. Normally they can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because ordinary mages had too much variety of genetical makeup regardless of lineage, especially when they are all Mixed Bloods.¡± ¡°What does being a Mixed Blood got to do with it?¡± ¡°Everything. Imposter, what is the third Absolute Rule of Magic?¡± ¡°What colour of magic you gain is dependent on your blood.¡± ¡°And what does that mean?¡± ¡°What colour of magic you receive is entirely dependable on your parents. This is to say that parents determine the colour of magic in the offspring¡¯s blood, and the potency of the offspring¡¯s colour concentrations.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. If we look further into this Absolute Rule, one variable interpretation of it is that what kind of magic you gain is dependable on your parents. This interpretation explains and determines your chances to inherit the Blood Gift. Coming back to the issue of Mixed Bloods, Mixed Bloods had a greater pool of genetic makeup that deeply affects their ability to cast magic, especially since each parent had two different colours of magic in their blood. When two different sets of genes are crossed together where each set shared two different colours of magic, it only creates a larger pool of genes that could possibly be inherited, and not every gene can be inherited from the parent. Hence, there is a huge ambiguity in terms to the possible traits an offspring could inherit.¡± ¡°What about the cases of Mixed Bloods that do develop Blood Gifts?¡± ¡°True, I admit. There are cases of Mixed Bloods attaining Blood Gifts that are unique even to us Pure Bloods, but it¡¯s not an ability that could be inherited consistently over the generations. With such an inconsistency of inheritable traits, it is hard to determine if some Blood Gifts are tied to a dominant trait, or a recessive one. As such, the chances of inheriting a legit Blood Gift are extremely slim for Mixed Blooded commoners.¡± ¡°And you believe that Pure Bloods do not have this problem?¡± ¡°I do not just believe. It¡¯s a proven fact. As compared to Mixed Bloods, Pure Bloods had a smaller pool of genetic make up due to the fact that we only have one colour of magic in our blood. Since the colour purity is not tampered, the number of genetic traits we can inherit are rather small. A smaller pool of genetic traits just means that there¡¯s a higher chance of inheriting the desired Blood Gift, and since there is a large practice of selective breeding amongst Pure Bloods, our genetic pool is generally recycled from time to time. Of course, I¡¯m not saying that our chances are absolute. Some offspring may not inherit a desired Blood Gift, but they will still inherit a Blood Gift. Even though we may not inherit the father¡¯s Blood Gift, we can still inherit the mother¡¯s. Regardless of whatever Blood Gift we inherit, we will still retain the singular colour of magic and serve as carriers for the other traits recessive traits.¡± With all this talk comparing Pure Bloods and Mixed Bloods, Cadeus had the feeling that Sing and Nadav might feel slightly offended since they¡¯re both Mixed Bloods. When he stole a few glances in their general directions, Sing was nodding in agreement with Claire¡¯s words as if they were doing study revision. Nadav on the other hand, was clearly not paying attention since he¡¯s just staring absentmindedly into the air as if he was trying to find a way to relieve his boredom. From this exchange, Cadeus could tell that Claire words were already established facts accepted by magi society regardless of how discriminative it may sound. Oh well¡­ as long as they are not angry¡­ Cadeus thought. Cadeus soon let out an absentminded thought. ¡°So it all comes down to selective breeding huh¡­¡± Claire gave Cadeus a disapproving frown. ¡°Why are you speaking on the pretext that this does not involve you? You are a Pure Blood as well Cadeus. You will also be subjected to this selective breeding program.¡± When Cadeus heard that, he folded his arms in disagreement. ¡°No way, count me out. I¡¯m not even a noble.¡± ¡°You may not be a noble, but you are still a Pure Blood. You are already entitled to take part in the selective breeding program. No matter how much you dislike it, the High Council would never let you off.¡± ¡°So what? The High Council is going to hook me up with a girl I do not even know? I don¡¯t even have a Blood Gift.¡± ¡°Do you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Cadeus could not retaliate that with absolute confidence. A Pure Blood without a Blood Gift was by far, unheard off. Claire definitely must have her own suspicions that Cadeus was in possession of a Blood Gift. Regardless of her supposed suspicions, Claire chose to let the current issue slide since they had more important things to do. ¡°Anyways¡­¡± Claire redirected her attention to the crystal in her hand. ¡°We are approaching the queen¡¯s chamber.¡± TOA Once the crystallized chimeras finished clearing the way, the four of them soon approached the designated flight of stairs that would lead them down into the queen¡¯s chamber. As the four of them moved closer, Nadav saw something extremely unusual. ¡°Hey guys¡­ look at this.¡± Nadav pointed at a few dead living chimeras. Nothing was out of the norm except for the black-charcoaled carcasses. These chimeras suffered under heavy burns that were obviously dealt by some serious spells. The trail of black-charcoaled blocks were somehow arranged to make a trail starting from an opposite corridor to the flight of stairs. Whoever did this was not from among them. Just as Cadeus was about to wonder what might have caused this, Claire moved up to one of the carcass and squatted to take a closer look. ¡°Just like I thought.¡± ¡°What is it Claire?¡± Claire stood up and answered Cadeus. ¡°It¡¯s Acriscius, he¡¯s here. Isn¡¯t that good for you Cadeus? With him and his lackeys, taking down the queen would be much easier.¡± Whilst staring at the charcoaled carcasses, Cadeus came to a realization. ¡°Wait¡­ are you saying that Acriscius could be fighting the queen at this very moment?¡± ¡°It sure looks like it.¡± ¡°How the heck did he get here before us?¡± ¡°My crystal bird must have missed him. Perhaps he was not so far off after all.¡± With that in mind, Claire gave a mental signal to the crystal bird in question, which in no doubt would turn tail and return to it¡¯s master. While checking to see that there were no more living chimeras around, Claire soon snapped her fingers and all the crystallized chimeras all shrunk into solidified crystal figurines. With a wave of magic, the small crystal soon floated up into her grasp before she pocketed them into her sling bag. Looking down at the descending stairway, Cadeus could hear some distinctive sounds of spell clashes and explosions. ¡°It sounds pretty rowdy down there.¡± ¡°Of course it does. That idiot Acriscius only knows how to flex his muscles. He¡¯s all fists and no brains.¡± ¡°We better start moving.¡± ¡°Why the hurry? Even if it¡¯s Acriscius, he should be able to stand on his own.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you at the very least concerned that he could be in big trouble?¡± ¡°Well he ought to be. It serves him right for being such a blockhead who can''t even pause to think. In fact, he should just die.¡± Ouch¡­ That was harsh¡­ very harsh¡­ Cadeus always knew that Claire was one demanding girl. But even so, she condemned Acriscius just like that without even a hint of hesitation. What exactly could have happened between these two Greater Nobles? Cadeus decided from then on that he did not want to know. ¡°Well¡­ we can¡¯t just sit here and do nothing.¡± ¡°Excuse me, if Acriscius made it out alive, isn¡¯t that all the more worse for you? Just imagine this, if you had to face him again after all this is over, he will definitely still try to pick on you.¡± ¡°¡­ I won¡¯t deny that, but¡­¡± Aren¡¯t you the one who has been going on about how there are so few Pure Blooded Dark Mages? Cadeus thought. Unsure of Claire¡¯s current approach, Cadeus turned to his two childhood friends. ¡°What do you guys think?¡± ¡°Oh, finally! I thought this asshole here completely forgot about us.¡± Nadav grumbled. ¡°Nadav, just because I have not been asking for you as of late, it does not mean that I had completely forgotten about you.¡± ¡°Tch! This high and mighty asshole had a noble chick all to himself, and he still thinks that he¡¯s so self righteous.¡± ¡°If you want to trade places with me you are free to be my guest.¡± ¡°Sweet!!!! Wait¡­ why are you giving up your position so easily?¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ ¡° It looks like this idiot is still not going to contribute anything useful.¡± When he realized that, Cadeus turned a set of pleading eyes towards Sing. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ if you want my honest opinion having more mages around would definitely help.¡± ¡°So you think we ought to help him, my current thoughts exactly.¡± Cadeus returned his attention to Claire. ¡°We go in and help Acriscius.¡± ¡°Then you are the idiot.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, once the idiot saves that Greater Noble, that Greater Noble must acknowledge the fact that he received help from the idiot.¡± ¡°Acriscius will never accept your help.¡± ¡°But he knows fully well that at this rate, he¡¯ll loose his lackeys. Which is better? To loose your lackeys? Or to have the idiot charge in and help them instead?¡± Claire was trying to process his words when she came into a realization. ¡°You are trying to make Acriscius owe you. Not bad, not bad.¡± ¡°¡­ Although I do not have such an ulterior motive, it¡¯s not a bad idea either.¡± ¡°So when Acriscius owes you, what are you going to make him do? Stop harassing you?¡± ¡°The more I hear you talk the more I am having mixed feelings about this. As much as I hate Acriscius, it¡¯ll be a real shame for him to perish when we have yet to confront Fremin. His Blood Gift could be of use to us.¡± ¡°Oh my, so you intend to make full use of his ability to kick Fremin in the butt?¡± ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t know if you are being serious or if you are just pulling my leg.¡± ¡°All right then, let¡¯s make a bet. If Acriscius falls, I¡¯ll strike off three favours.¡± ¡°I hope Acriscius falls.¡± And with that, the course of action was determined. Besides¡­ kick Fremin in the butt? Cadeus did not expect to hear such language coming from a highborn noble like Claire, especially Claire. TOA To Cadeus¡¯s extreme disappointment, Acriscius did not fall. When they entered the queen¡¯s chambers, what they saw was quite the opposite. Acriscius was at the very thick of a massive brawl between himself and a swarming number of chimeras. As the numerous chimeras came bearing down upon him, Acriscius surrounded himself with some sort of orange translucent sphere that easily dealt burning damage to the chimeras that came too close. With that as his defense, it was more than enough to provide Acriscius with the confidence to go full fledge on the offensive. With his fists burning with flames, Acriscius started smacking his fists without any consideration to the scenario around him. Truly, he was just like what Claire mercilessly described, all fists but no brains. While he was at the very center of things, the five subordinates behind were behind supporting each other from getting chewed. Out of the five subordinates, Douglas and Glavand were wounded. Cadeus could see that they were lying at the side of some collapsed debris holding their wounds while the other three provided cover. He could not see where exactly they were injured at this distance, but it sure looks a little critical. But they sure had it easier since Acriscius had the full attention of the bulk of the chimera defenders. There were not a lot of chimeras going after them. Vanderburg seemed to be looking after things at the moment. He, Trion and Valryan were currently sitting on the floor crossed legged in a meditation stance. By pressing their hands together, the three of them were maintaining a basic non-elemental barrier called [Repulsive Act], which was by far successful at repelling some of the chimera¡¯s consistent advances. After getting the rough idea of the situation, Cadeus first moved up to the two wounded students who apparently still had enough energy to be busy chatting away, despite their wounds. ¡°Damn it¡­ the one moment where we want Educator Cecilia to be around¡­¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ tell me about it ¨C Geh! The imposter! What are you doing here?¡± ¡°We¡¯re here to save your asses of course.¡± Cadeus replied. ¡°Hah! As if we would accept help from the likes of you!¡± ¡°Yeah Imposter! Go away! We don¡¯t want you here!¡± ¡°Wow¡­ talk about being jerks.¡± Nadav said. Ignoring all the salt and iron in their words, Cadeus turned to Sing. ¡°Sing, can you attend to the wounded?¡± ¡°Wow, you are surprisingly compassionate. For a second there I thought you would just leave them alone.¡± ¡°Oi¡­ don¡¯t make me sound like a monster. Can you help them?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me.¡± Sing then moved to Douglas. ¡°What the¡­ the White? What are you ¨C ¡± ¡°Relax. I¡¯m can cast healing magic. Show me your wound.¡± ¡°Wait! Who said that I need you help?¡± Ignoring the voice of the wounded, Sing reviewed the wounded sites. Once she¡¯s done, Sing hovered her hands over his wounds and casted her healing restoration spells. Soon the sensations of pain on Douglas¡¯s face faded, replaced by the feelings of comfort and ecstasy. ¡°Oh dear¡­ she¡¯s an angel¡­ I¡¯m in heaven.¡± Glavand stared at his friend in disbelief. ¡°What? Are you freaking serious? She¡¯s a damn White!¡± Sing finished healing the first student and went on to the second who still stubbornly refused her help. ¡°Wait! Stop! I refuse to let you ¨C Oh¡­ yeah¡­ that felt good¡­ very good¡­¡± ¡°¡­ For some reason, that all sounds so wrong.¡± Nadav added. While ignoring the nonsense behind them, Cadeus and Claire moved up to Vanderburg. ¡°Hi Vanderburg, how are things?¡± ¡°Eh? Imposter? What are you doing here?¡± Cadeus quickly pointed to Claire with his thumb. ¡°Um¡­ You are forgetting someone very important here.¡± Vanderburg could not see Claire because of the angle of his head, but only took a turn to the other side for Cadeus to see Shock suddenly develop in his eyes. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry Ma¡¯am. I didn¡¯t realize you are here.¡± ¡°Mm.¡± Fortunately for Vanderburg, Claire was more interested in observing Acriscius¡¯s current movements. ¡°Vanderburg.¡± ¡°Yes Ma¡¯am?¡± ¡°How long has that muscle brain been going at it?¡± ¡°You mean master Acriscius? Um¡­ if you are asking how long since we entered this chamber it should be around¡­ ten minutes?¡± ¡°And he¡¯s still going on like that without sparing a thought about his Cast Limit? Knowing Acriscius he would have long started throwing his spells ever since we all came down from the upper level. How long do you think it¡¯ll take before he hits his Cast Limit?¡± ¡°Well¡­ the master does keep his Cast Limit in check frequently so¡­¡± ¡°How pathetic. As his personal butler you ought to criticize your master when things get dangerous. If Acriscius accidentally dies here, how would you face the true master of his house?¡± ¡°T-True¡­ your words are graciously educational. I¡¯ll commit them to heart.¡± Wow¡­ In stout contrast to his behaviour in front of his master, Vanderburg sure appeared ineffective when it comes to dealing with another Greater Noble. ¡°Ok¡­ putting aside the scolding, where¡¯s the chimera queen?¡± With his hands still together to maintain the barrier, Vanderburg made a gesture with his head to direct their eyes upwards. Looking up, the two Pure Bloods saw the queen at the back of the chamber hovering on the webs. Her egg sack was left detached below her, so she must have moved up some time ago to keep away from all fighting. ¡°That¡¯s strange, she¡¯s just sitting there. Why is she not engaging?¡± Claire asked. ¡°Ant colony queens generally do not take part in any fights because their priority is to stay alive and breed more larvae. Once the queen dies, so does the colony. That¡¯s why the queen always avoids being part of the front lines. All she needs is just to sit back and let all of her brood take care of the invaders since she could just breed more eggs to replace lost numbers. Since this chimera is a cross of Ants, it must possess such behaviour as well.¡± Cadeus replied. Claire stared at him silently for the next couple of seconds. ¡°What? Did that not make any sense?¡± ¡°Where did you learn this?¡± ¡°When I was back on Earth. Do you seriously do not know about ants?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not inclined to study animals that are not part of the magic encyclopedia.¡± ¡°¡­ Right.¡± ¡°So, what do you recommend we do next?¡± ¡°The queen won¡¯t fight unless we force her to. Even if we were to kill all of her workers she would just escape using either one of the chamber entrances.¡± ¡°So let¡¯s seal the entrances. That muscle brain can take care of the underlings for us.¡± ¡°We need to seal off all three entrances at once. If we attempt to destroy them one at a time, the queen will figure out what¡¯s going on and attempt to flee before we could finish.¡± ¡°That will be simple. You and I will take one, your White and Grey friend will take out the other, Vanderburg and his two friends here will take the third.¡± Vanderburg gave Claire a look of shock. ¡°Um¡­ Ma¡¯am, if we move from this spot, the barrier will fall. The chimeras could end up killing our two friends back there.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that would be a problem.¡± Cadeus made a gesture. Turning back, Vanderburg saw his two injured friends standing up as if they were never wounded to begin with. ¡°What the¡­¡± ¡°You forget. One of my Friend¡¯s a White.¡± ¡°She can cast healing spells?!¡± Soon, everyone had gathered around Claire expecting her to provide them with the next set of instructions. Feeling that explaining things was beneath her, Claire chose to rub it off on Cadeus. ¡°I¡¯m not going to go through the troublesome procedure of explaining. The imposter will talk in my stead.¡± Acriscius¡¯s lackeys soon made moans of disgusts, but with one warning glare from Claire, they all soon shrunk and nodded in obedience. ¡°Wait. Why am I even the one doing the explaining?¡± ¡°You are the one with the plan. You explain.¡± ¡°If they listen to you more than they would for me then shouldn¡¯t you be the one to explain?¡± Cadeus instantly shut his mouth when Claire gave him the warning look. ¡°Right¡­ ¡®ahem¡¯. So the current game plan to deal with the queen is to seal off all the exits other than the one behind us. With Acriscius distracting the chimeras, we will be given some free reign to act accordingly. Claire and I will handle the entrance below the queen, Sing and Nadav will handle the one on the right, Vanderburg and friends can handle the last one. Oh¡­ we also need three of you guys to maintain this barrier so that we still have a proper exit.¡± All four of Acriscius¡¯s subordinates turned their gaze to Vanderburg, who in turn could only shrug. ¡°I¡¯ll take full responsibility. We¡¯ll follow what the Imposter said.¡± TOA Glavand, Trion and Valryan soon became the new barrier holders. Once the three subordinates created a gap within the barrier, Claire sent her crystallized chimeras out first to clear the way. With the living chimeras occupied with their crystallized counterparts, the three groups moved out quickly to take down the entrances. With the bulk of the chimeras distracted, Sing, Nadav, Vanderburg and Douglas should not have any difficulty. Looking in front of him, Cadeus saw a bizarre scene of moving flames. Acriscius¡¯s movements were largely inconsistent for he¡¯s just smashing his flaming fists without a thought for his Cast Limit. His attacks may seem highly effective, however the chimeras present all had a natural resistance to Dark Magic. There were some charcoaled carcasses, but the burnt damage was only done to a limited surface area. Cadeus could only deduce that it took Acriscius some time before he could get rid of one chimera. With such wild movements, one could never predict when he would throw a fireball Going around the muscle head was definitely not an option. While moving forward with that in mind, Cadeus turned his attention to Claire. ¡°Acriscius is in the way.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°He¡¯s like, hugely, in the way.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°You know we can¡¯t go around him.¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m assuming you know what we should do next.¡± ¡°We go in, stop his brainless momentum, and make him do some proper work for us.¡± ¡°¡­Right.¡± Claire was stating that they could use Acriscius¡¯s destructive powers to help them take down the corridor entrance. It¡¯s a good idea, but the only thing keeping Cadeus from rating it to brilliant was the fact that Acriscius was part of the equation. Claire took out two palm-sized crystals where there was one in each hand. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with the surrounding chimeras, you will set up a barrier to contain Acriscius. Can you cast [Repulsive Act] around us?¡± ¡°Sure¡­¡± Crossing her arms together, she threw the crystals out and snapped her fingers. The two crystals spun in mid air before bursting into smaller shards. At first there bright lights, and then these bright lights flew in all directions around Acriscius. Wherever the bright lights landed, there was a huge explosion, and all the chimeras that got caught within the blast had their limbs blown off. This resulted in creating a gap between Acriscius an the chimeras. Moving quickly, Cadeus stopped short behind Acriscius and erected the barrier. Claire just managed to be right behind him when Cadeus surrounded them with a hemispheric barrier. Realizing that he was stuck, Acriscius came to his senses. ¡°What the¡­¡± ¡°Hi Acriscius.¡± ¡°Geh! Imposter?!¡± ¡°Hi muscle head.¡± ¡°Claire too?!!¡± When Acriscius registered the two before him, he soon stopped his rampaging and stared hard at the two of them. ¡°What are you two doing here? Especially you!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to answer you. Ask Claire for the details.¡± ¡°Claire?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to answer you. Ask the Imposter for the details.¡± ¡°Not happening. I got the barrier on my hands.¡± ¡°Are you two kidding me?!¡± Not wanting to waste anymore time, Claire pointed towards the entrance underneath the queen. ¡°If you want to take down the queen, we need to take that down first.¡± While staring at the entrance, Acriscius failed to register how destroying the entrances would help them. ¡°What? The entrance?¡± ¡°Just do it you muscle blockhead!¡± ¡°Shit! You two have a lot of explaining to do! Especially you Claire!¡± ¡°Are you forgetting that you owe me Acriscius?¡± Once Cadeus dropped the barrier, Acriscius ran for the entrance while Claire moved to cover his back. ¡°Imposter, duck to your knees.¡± Following her instructions, Cadeus immediately ducked with his hands behind his head. Claire soon filled her hands with her purple mist before unleashing it in all directions. The chimeras that came charging towards them were all crystallized, and they soon turned around to defend their new master. Typical of his character, Acriscius was quick to send three strong waves of [Bolt Barrages] to destroy the entrance structure. Once Acriscius followed proper strategy, everything went smoothly. Turning to see the situation around them, Cadeus saw that Nadav was able to use [Boulder Shift] to pull down the huge blocks of stone to collapse his entrance, while Vanderburg made do with his entrance by using two rounds of [Lightning Caste]. With the three entrances out of the way, it was rather easy to guess what might happen next. Cadeus looked up, and he saw something big falling. ¡°Claire!¡± ¡°Yes?¡± When Claire involuntarily turned around, Cadeus grabbed her by her waist and quickly jumped back towards their point of entry. The Chimera Queen had descended. TOA The queen did not just simply descend by slowly moving her legs. She jumped. She leaped from the webbings above and landed with a huge ¡®boom¡¯. If Cadeus had not grabbed Claire by her waist and jumped, they would both be squashed by the weight of the giant Arthropod queen. Luckily, Claire was not that heavy. Jumping away with her in his hands was not a difficult thing to do. The queen¡¯s landing impact sent them forward a few meters more. As he jumped, Cadeus made sure to twist his body so that he would land with his back first in order to protect Claire who would then be above him. Now the good news was that Cadeus managed to avoid the queen¡¯s slam. The bad news was that Claire would definitely not be happy. Given how fast things went, Claire was first at a loss at what just happened. But when she pressed her hands against the ground to lift herself up, she came to realize what had happened when she saw Cadeus right below her. Firstly, she was grabbed. Secondly, when they landed, it was very easy to interpret their current position to be a lover¡¯s hug. And what happens when you hug a Greater Noble who happens to not like you very much? ¡°You¡­ YOUUUUU!!!!!!¡± ¡°Wait, wait, wait! I did it to save you!¡± Without sparring a thought to listen to reason, Claire quickly got up and stomped the heel of her boot onto his face. Please do not interpret this as some sort of sexual fetish. When a girl stomps the heel of her boot on your face, it¡¯s not funny, and it bloody hurts. That was why Cadeus refused to let her stomp his face by crossing his arms before him. His arms felt the blunt of her stomp, but it was enough to protect his face. ¡°Claire! The queen! The queen!¡± Three stomps followed until Claire finally stopped and when she did so, Cadeus separated his arms only to see her blushing heavily. She got off him and turned around, refusing to let this strange development linger further. When Cadeus finally got back on his feet, he saw Sing and Nadav staring at him blankly at a distance. ¡°No¡­ wait, this is not what you guys think!¡± Both of his childhood friends turned and gave him the ¡®I don¡¯t know you¡¯ attitude. TOA The Arthropod queen was at least four to five times the size of the usual chimeras they had faced so far. It had all the same features albeit a smaller head, a larger abdomen and a much thicker armour crust on her exoskeleton. The first thing Nadav said when viewing such a beast up close was this. ¡°What kind of a boss fight is this? Dark Mutation should be banned.¡± ¡°Say that in Carmith¡¯s street and every Dark Mage aspiring to be a Dark Mutator will have your head.¡± ¡°Shut up. I don¡¯t want to hear that from you who groped a noble chick.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t grope her you idiot. I simply grabbed her and moved her out of harm¡¯s way.¡± ¡°You have the cheek to say that as if you are some sort of knight in shining armour! That pisses me off!¡± ¡°Shut up Nadav. If I didn¡¯t do that, we¡¯ll both be squashed by that huge Arthropod queen.¡± ¡°Will the both of you shut it?¡± Claire snapped. She stared daggers at Cadeus in the process. It really appears that she did not want to remember what had just happened. Needless to say, the fight had already started. The number of the chimera workers had dwindled due to Claire¡¯s crystallized chimeras. It was only a matter of time before they were all wiped out. Since the surrounding entrances had been cut off, the queen only had one escape route left. After dropping from above, she abandoned her smaller workers and rushed to the last entrance. Currently, the only thing standing in her way would be the barrier that Glavand, Trion and Valryan were still holding up. In order to prevent her from escaping, Vanderburg and Douglas locked the queen down with another [Repulsive Act]. The queen soon found herself trapped in another hemispherical barrier with Acriscius inside with her. At first things seemed to be going as fine as it is. However, there was a new development. The Arthropod Queen spread her mandibles and chelicerae, and gave a huge sound shriek that generated a huge sonic boom strong enough to throw Acriscius back and break the barrier shield around her. The sonic boom was so piercing to the ears that even Cadeus and the others had to press their ears for protection. Once the queen stopped her sound shriek, Cadeus saw that Glavand, Trion and Valryan had ceased maintaining their barriers. In seeing this opportunity, the queen rushed to the remaining entrance. ¡°Shit¡­ Nadav!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me!¡± Reaching for the earth, Nadav equipped himself with another set of [Rock Fist], and sent them both flying towards the queen. The two [Flying Rock Fist] landed solidly on the queen¡¯s abdomen. It can¡¯t deal considerable damage, but it was more than enough to stagger the queen just by a little bit so that Glavand, Trion and Valryan could set up another solid barrier. The last entrance was once again sealed, but the three of them were still vulnerable to another sonic boom. Realizing this weakness, Sing clasped her hand onto Cadeus¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Cadeus, I¡¯m going to do something to help those three maintaining the barrier. Cover me.¡± ¡°Got it. But once you¡¯re done get back here. I need you here in case the queen tries something funny again.¡± ¡°Understood.¡± ¡°Claire, could you help¡­¡± Cadeus was about to ask her for more help when Claire threw him another threatening gaze. ¡°Hmph!¡± Claire turned her head away in disgust. She soon proceeded to move according to her own pace. ¡°¡­ I guess she¡¯s still mad at me.¡± Cadues ignored her. This was not the right time for this. ¡°[Electric Pulse]!¡± Slamming his hands onto the surface floor, Cadeus sent a wave of high voltage electricity across the floor towards the queen. Right now, the priority was to contain the queen within this chamber. Everything else comes later. Staggering her, getting her attention, anything helps, and that was what Cadeus intent for everyone to do. Meanwhile, Sing ran to the three still holding the barrier. When they first saw her coming towards them, they were unsure of what to do. ¡°Open up. Quickly.¡± The three of them could only comply. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Nothing. Just keep focusing on the barrier.¡± The three boys looked at each other and raised their shoulders in confusion, but they soon refocused their attention onto the barrier. Sing took out her book of incantations until she flipped to the page that she needed. She then took out three more pieces of paste papers written with the rune ¡®Nilth¡¯. ¡°All right boys. You remember that sonic boom that chimera queen did?¡± ¡°¡°¡°Yes?¡±¡±¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to cast a White Enchantment onto you so that your ears will not perceive those sonic booms.¡± ¡°Eh? You can do that?¡± ¡°How are you going to do that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to stick a paper on the back of your necks. Don¡¯t move.¡± ¡°Ehhhh¡­ a girl is going to stick a paper at the back of my neck?¡± Ignoring the comments, Sing pressed the paste papers behind their necks and soon applied the enchantment needed. TOA Feeling a strange itch on his arm, Cadeus folded up his sleeve to see a new glowing incantation. Looking back, he saw Sing leaving the barrier, and she¡¯s now running towards him. ¡°What did you do?¡± ¡°I casted a new enchantment called [Lobe Shutter]. Now, our ears are resistant to sonic booms.¡± ¡°You did that to those three maintaining the barrier?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Sweet! Now that our ears are resistant, we can get back to kicking the beast¡¯s ass!¡± Nadav cried. With her new enchantment, Sing, Cadeus, Nadav and the three friends maintaining [Repulsive Act] were now immune to sonic booms. It¡¯ll take a lot more now from the queen to destroy the barrier. But that did not mean that the others were safe from it. When Acrisicus and his subordinates made another attempt to contain her within a barrier, she let out another sonic boom that threw everyone off. Needless to say, getting rid of that sonic boom became everyone¡¯s new priority. ¡°Hm¡­ now that we are immune, how the heck do we get rid of that shriek?¡± Nadav asked. ¡°We need to take out its vocal cords¡­ or something like that.¡± ¡°How? Do we flip it upside down and slice her throat?¡± ¡°That actually is not a bad idea. Can you over turn her?¡± ¡°With [Bed Rock]? It¡¯s possible, but it all comes down to that spider queen¡¯s weight.¡± ¡°I see. All right. On my mark, cast [Bed Rock].¡± Cadeus then proceeded to call the weaker players back. ¡°Vanderburg, Douglas, fall back!¡± ¡°Like hell am I going to listen to you now Imposter!¡± ¡°Yeah! We only listen to the boss!¡± ¡°¡­ It looks like I have to take these two out of the equation.¡± Sighing to himself, Cadues tapped Nadav¡¯s shoulder to give him the cue to cast [Bed Rock]. Nadav stomped his feet until they were about a shoulder width apart before bending his back to press his hands against the ground. Once he gathered himself, he did a lifting motion with effort, and ripped off the earth that was directly under the Arthropod queen. The plan was to capsize the chunk of earth so that the queen could be overturned. If all goes well Nadav would be able to drop the chunk of rock on the queen to immobilize her, and then Cadeus could move in to sever the throat. But before the intended damage could be dealt, the queen quickly bent her legs and leaped away onto another section of the chamber. For her large size, this queen was quite agile. ¡°What the heck? Can she do that?!¡± Nadav exclaimed. The queen quickly avoided Acriscius¡¯s wild punches and made an attempt to chew Vanderburg who happened to be behind. Realizing that he was still holding that huge chunk of earth, Nadav made an attempt to throw that huge block against the Queen, but she unexpectedly jumped away again. ¡°Damn it, she got away again!¡± She was fast to get away from attacks that seemed dangerous and she was quick to strike against those who seemed to be less of a threat. In short, this was one cunning beast. Just what breed of ants and spiders did those Dark Mutators used? Cadeus thought. This is becoming a huge headache. Cadeus racked his head for a plan. So far, the queen only used that sonic boom when she felt extremely threatened. This only happened when Vanderburg and Douglas tried to contain her with [Repulsive Act]. If Cadeus could somehow place the queen under the same situation¡­ No¡­ Cadeus shook his head. It was not possible. Even if he could get underneath the queen, there¡¯s no telling how tough her exoskeleton would be. Plus, even though he could succeed in severing the queen¡¯s throat, there¡¯s no guarantee that the queen would die. Besides, in considering their remaining Cast Limit, it would be much more convenient to kill the queen entirely instead of spending all the effort just to silence her sonic boom. So what should they do? Before Cadeus could come up with a concrete plan, there was a new development. The Arthropod queen leaped up into her webbings above and she soon did something that the worker chimeras could not. Raising its abdomen, the queen shot out multiple balls of sticky webs from the tip of her abdomen like a scorpion sting. Acriscius was the first to be hit. His spherical orange aura drew the queen¡¯s attention and it made him an obvious choice of target. As usual, Acriscius did not care about the changes for he automatically assumed that his orange aura would be able to disintegrate the web shots. He was wrong. The orange aura did burn the web shots. However, it only succeeded in burning the outer most layers. The bulk of the web shots landed on his robe and the weight of the impact sent Acriscius to the ground. As he attempted to get up, Acriscius soon found himself ensnared by the webbing that spread all over him like fish in a trapping net upon impact. With Acriscius currently immobilized, the Arthropod queen directed her attention elsewhere. ¡°Shit¡­ everyone get some cover!¡± Soon, there was a continuous barrage of silky web shots fired all across the chamber room. ¡°[Bed Rock]!!¡± Nadav raised another block of Earth from the ground and used it as a shield against the Arthropod Queen¡¯s web shots whilst moving for more cover. ¡°Damn it! I thought ant queens are all immobile and incapable of fighting! Why the heck does this queen has so much capacity to kick ass?!¡± Nadav yelled. As he shouted that, Cadeus quickly grabbed Sing¡¯s hand and went behind one of the collapsed debris for cover. Even though the three of them had [Aura Shift], the continuous barrage would eventually wear it down. Seeking cover was the best course of action. While waiting for the barrage to end, Cadeus moved out slightly only to see that Acriscius managed to free himself with the flames on his hands, but just when he was about to resume charging towards the queen, the queen soon sent Acriscius back to the ground with another hit from the web shots. Vanderburg and Douglas soon ran out of cover to give him a hand, but they were soon overrun by the same web shots. Even thought the three could free themselves, it was only a matter of time before they got hit again. Those three won¡¯t be able to do anything useful. Not when they are stuck and ensnared by the webs. If they keep this up, they would soon hit their Cast Limit. ¡°Sigh¡­ at this rate, this drawn out fight might result in our loss.¡± ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Sing asked. Cadeus made a gesture to everything. ¡°Does the fight look like it¡¯s going our way?¡± ¡°The reason why this fight is not going smoothly is because everyone is not working together.¡± ¡°If we can work together it¡¯s already a miracle. We got a hotheaded Greater Noble who hates me to the core, his underlings refuse to listen to me, Claire does not want anything to do with me because of¡­ well you know.¡± ¡°Whose fault is that? Who ask you to hug her in the middle of the battle?¡± ¡°First of all, I did not hug her in that manner. Second, I did that to save her. You should know that better by now.¡± ¡°True, but she may not perceive it that way. Think of it in her position. She¡¯s a Greater Noble with a high standard of morality. Won¡¯t she feel extremely uncomfortable with what had happened?¡± ¡°¡­ True.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t you apologize.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Apologize to Claire, and clear up this misunderstanding. I¡¯m sure she could be of great help to us if we really want to take this queen down.¡± ¡° *Exasperated sigh* This is not going to work.¡± ¡°No it will work. You are just worried about what she¡¯ll do to you in return.¡± ¡°She¡¯ll probably do more than just make me owe her another one¡­¡± ¡°Did you just say something?¡± ¡°Nothing¡­¡± Scanning around for Claire, Cadeus saw that her crystallized chimeras were stationary. The web shots were hitting them, but it did not have much of an effect on them. As Cadeus searched further, he soon saw her standing calmly behind a bunch of her crystallized chimeras, who apparently stacked on top of each other to create a wall to protect their master. With no other plan, Cadeus and Sing made a run towards her. Several web shots managed to hit them, but they were repelled since [Aura Shift] was still in effect. When they finally reached her, Cadeus awkwardly opened up a conversation. ¡°Um¡­ Hi?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Claire gave him a doubtful set of eyes. ¡°Look. I know you are angry at me for ¨C ¡± ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°¡­Eh?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not angry at you. If you hadn¡¯t done what you did, we would have been squashed. I came to this realization once my head cooled down a little.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Turning around, Cadeus saw Sing giving him the thumbs up. Does this mean that I don''t have to apologize? Cadeus thought. ¡°So, what do you want?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m in the midst of trying to come up with a plan to deal with the queen and¡­¡± ¡°And what?¡± ¡°I hit a wall.¡± ¡°And?¡± ¡°¡­ Can you help me?¡± Claire spent the next few seconds considering it. ¡°Sigh¡­ fine. I¡¯m getting bored with this situation anyway. What do you have in mind?¡± ¡°Well¡­ in regards to the sonic boom, we tried overturning her to immobilize her so that we could cut her throat. It did not work.¡± ¡°I know. I saw.¡± ¡°The more I think about the sonic boom, the more I felt that it¡¯ll be better to just find a way to kill the queen in one go rather than having to spend all the effort to silence that sonic boom.¡± ¡°You are correct.¡± ¡°But here¡¯s the thing. Whenever we try to do something the queen either use her sonic bloom, or she¡¯ll just jump away from reach. It¡¯s getting a real pain.¡± ¡°Well. If you want my opinion, the main problem stems from the queen¡¯s mobility. So the answer is simple. Cut off her legs.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ easier said than done. She¡¯s too fast. Besides, we need to stop her from shooting out her web shots.¡± ¡°And there¡¯s the sonic boom.¡± ¡°That¡¯s no longer a problem. Sing can cast an Enchantment that can make your ears resistant to the sonic boom.¡± ¡°An enchantment?¡± To further illustrate his point, Cadeus rolled up his sleeve to show Claire the glowing incantations on his arm. ¡°Ah¡­ White Enchantments.¡± Claire spent a few seconds to study the glowing incantations on Cadeus¡¯s arm. ¡°[Heroic Might], [Aura Shift], [Glyph of Precision], and oh¡­ [Lobe Shutter].¡± Sing opened her mouth. ¡°Would you like a set as well Lady Rrogust ve Chroma?¡± ¡°No need. I¡¯ll manage.¡± Claire turned her attention to the Arthropod queen who apparently was still shooting out those web shots from her abdomen. ¡°I could use my crystallized chimeras to hold her legs down, but we¡¯ll need to stop her from jumping around. Chasing her all around would definitely take some time, so I¡¯d prefer it if we could trap her with some rune to prevent her from moving.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± Sing brought her left hand up. ¡°In other words, all we had to do is just to suppress the queen so she can stop moving. Even if it¡¯s for a moment?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the current plan.¡± Sing pondered a little bit longer, and then she came into a conscious. ¡°I got it. I¡¯ll suppress the queen¡¯s movements.¡± Cadeus could not help but ask despite knowing that she had some plan in mind. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to use the suppressive rune [Yyavark] with the double joint sequence to pin her exoskeleton down. When that happens, Lady Rrogust ve Chroma can use her crystallized chimeras to pin her legs down.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea.¡± Claire said. ¡°¡­¡± Cadeus was not familiar with the term ¡®double joint sequence¡¯. But as long as Claire agrees with it, there was no need to be against it. ¡°Well, putting the technical terms aside, the only question I have is this. How are you going to get up close and pin the queen with your rune? Is this something that needs to be triggered as long as the queen moves over it?¡± Cadeus asked. Sing shook her head with a smile and pointed upwards. Knowing what pointing upwards means, Cadeus frowned. ¡°Hey¡­ this may be a huge chamber, but you do not have the necessary space for maneuvering.¡± ¡°That hurts, are you saying that you doubt my skills?¡± ¡°You know that I am referring to something else.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The web shots won¡¯t hit me. My [Aura Shift] is still in effect.¡± ¡°What¡¯s your Cast Limit?¡± ¡°I have not been casting a lot of spells lately so¡­ maybe around seventeen [Point Spells]?¡± ¡°Are you sure you are going to be ok?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry Cadeus. Since my enchantments are still in effect I should use no more than around five [Point Spells].¡± ¡°Five eh¡­¡± Well, she had the better plan, and it was a plan worth trying. Knowing that she had won, Sing took a moment to prepare herself. ¡°[Zenth¡¯s Weight].¡± She uttered. Snapping her fingers, Sing soon covered herself with a thin layer of White Magic. ¡°[Ray¡¯s Light].¡± And she drew another blade of light from her right knuckles. In the midst of the ongoing barrage of web shots, Sing kicked herself against the ground and took up into the air. She then started maneuvering herself freely, gliding in the air like a swift sparrow. ¡°¡­ She¡¯s flying?¡± Claire opened her eyes in surprise. She turned her face to Cadeus. ¡°She can use flight magic unaided at her current level?¡± Cadeus could only shrug his shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s an honour student for you.¡± With [Heroic Might], the adrenaline rush gave Sing the necessary stamina she needed to maintain [Zenth¡¯s Weight]. Whenever a web shot would hit her, Sing could either utilize [Glyph of Precision] to sever the web shot into two with [Ray¡¯s Light], or they would just be automatically repelled with [Aura Shift]. With such free maneuvering, defending herself against the ongoing barrage of web shots became as easy as a breeze. It appeared that the Arthropod queen had caught onto this new threat for she soon directed most of her web shots towards her. However, Sing was not going to engage the Arthropod queen directly. Even if she could, it would be just another drawn out battle since the Arthropod queen would just use her legs to jump to another area. Instead, Sing flew up until she was just above the queen. The higher she flew, the less she got hit because the angle became too steep for the Arthropod queen¡¯s abdomen to be accurate. The queen still had Sing in her sights. That was going to be a problem. In order to counter this, Cadeus signaled to Nadav to come to his position. Realizing that there was a plan, Nadav was quick to move up with his [Bed Rock] to provide cover. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± Cadeus pointed. ¡°Sing is going to cast something big and the queen has noticed it. We are going to distract her by freeing the guys who are stuck.¡± ¡°So we are going to charge straight up to her. Nice!¡± Cadeus turned his attention to Claire. ¡°Are you fine just waiting here?¡± ¡°Go ahead. My role only comes when the queen stops moving.¡± Cadeus and Nadav soon moved out using [Bed Rock] as a shield as they advanced forward to help Acriscius and his lackeys. This caught the queen¡¯s attention, and she soon directed her web shot towards them. [Bed Rock] was a perfect spell for cover. Even though the queen saw them moving towards her, her web shots proved to be ineffective, as they could not hit them. Since Vanderburg and Douglas were closer, Cadeus and Nadav freed them first. ¡°This does not mean that I owe you Imposter.¡± Douglas said. ¡°Yes, yes. I know. Listen. My White friend is going to cast something to immobilize the queen. I need you guys to help us draw the queen¡¯s attention while ¨C ¡± ¡°Not happening Imposter. We only listen to what the boss says.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Vanderburg?¡±¡¯ ¡°Sorry Imposter, not now either.¡± ¡°I see¡­ well, truth to be told I don¡¯t care what you guys think. I just need you and Acriscius to do your usual stuff.¡± ¡°Oi! What do you mean by that!¡± Douglas retorted. While this was all happening below, Sing was getting herself busy. Once she¡¯s at the right height, she dispelled her blade of light and directed her attention to her left fingers. By focusing her White Magic, a bright ball of light flashed at the tips of her left index and middle fingers. Using that, Sing then began drawing the character lines for [Yyavark]. When she¡¯s finished, Sing left the glowing rune to hover in midair. With a small gesture of the hand, the same rune was reflected on the ground enlarged and inscribed just below the queen. When she felt that the timing was right, Sing raised her hand and did a downward slam. The rune that was hovering in midair descended quickly like a lift that lost its wire strings. There was no real impact. However, from the moment the rune landed on the queen, an immense pressure was suddenly built up between the two runes. That huge pressure prevented her from moving, and that was the window of opportunity. Claire had been observing Sing¡¯s movements ever since Cadeus left her side. When she saw the rune landing, she immediately sent a mental command sending all her crystallized chimeras to hold the queen¡¯s legs in place with their strong mandibles. In response to this sudden entrapment, the queen spread out her mandibles and used her sonic boom again. The sonic blast tore through the entire chamber forcing Claire, Acriscius, Vanderburg and Douglas to press their ears. This time, Cadeus and Nadav were immune thanks to Sing¡¯s enchantment. But that does not mean that they could hear each other clearly ¡°Nadav! Can you use the Element Water to help me slide under the queen¡¯s head?¡± ¡°What?!¡± ¡°I said! Can you use the Element Water to help me slide under the queen?!¡± ¡°You want a water slide?! You got it!¡± Nadav took a step back behind Cadeus and casted [Blessed Glaze]. A small flood of water soon exploded from his hands and pushed Cadeus forward. Using the wave¡¯s momentum to his advantage, Cadeus slid down and grab one of the queen¡¯s chelicerae at the very last minute. While hanging on, Cadeus filled his right hand with a layer of electricity before bringing it up to stab the queen deep into her throat. The queen¡¯s sonic boom became shrieks of actual pain. She struggled to move her head to shake Cadeus off. However, the building pressure between the two runes restrained her movements, and she could only wail in pain as Cadeus slowly carved a fine line across her throat. By the time Cadeus was finished, translucent fluids and tissues were falling onto his face. Realizing that he had done enough, Cadeus tried pulling himself up to get away from the chimera queen only to find out that Sing¡¯s [Yyavark] rune was affecting him as well. ¡°Oh¡­ you¡¯ve got to be kidding me!¡± TOA Sing landed gracefully on hard ground before noticing that Cadeus was not present. ¡°Nadav, where¡¯s Cadeus?¡± ¡°He¡¯s right there below the queen¡¯s head. For some reason, I think he¡¯s experiencing some sort of difficulty. Why?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­Opps, I forgot to warn him about that.¡± Claire moved up to them. ¡°He¡¯s stuck. Well, my crystallized chimeras are holding the queen down now. How long until the rune looses the effect?¡± ¡°Well¡­ a few minutes?¡± ¡°Do you think he can survive when he¡¯s that close to the queen¡¯s mandibles?¡± ¡°Well¡­ he still has [Aura Shit], so¡­¡± ¡°Can you say with absolute confidence that he¡¯ll survive once the rune wears off?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± ¡°Hm¡­ I thought so.¡± ¡°Why do you care?¡± ¡°Because he owes me. I want him to at least finish repaying his debt before he dies off.¡± ¡°Ouch¡­¡± Nadav whispered. Meanwhile, a certain hotheaded Greater Noble finally lost his temper. ¡°THAT BEAST!!!!¡± The trio turned their head to see Acriscius burning with rage. ¡°What¡¯s with him?¡± Sing asked. ¡°He¡¯s probably fed up with the continuous failure to land a solid hit onto the queen. Just ignore him.¡± Claire replied. With the accumulating anger, Acriscius started building up a dangerous concentration of Dark Magic within his arms. Before long, a dark red mist began to form around his hands. When they saw that, both Vanderburg and Douglas began backing off. ¡°That idiot is activating his Blood Gift now?¡± Claire exclaimed. ¡°YOU BLOODY BEAST!!!¡± Acriscius charged with the red mist sizzling in his hands. ¡°Not good. If Acriscius hits the queen with that, there¡¯s a high chance that Imposter will be caught into it.¡± Claire said. ¡°Wait what? What¡¯s going to happen?¡± Nadav asked. Without replying, Claire started running. She snapped her fingers quickly and her crystal birds instantly flew at a fast speed. While struggling to get off, Cadeus heard the cries and saw Acriscius coming in fast. ¡°Wait¡­ is he seriously going to charge in while I¡¯m still underneath here?¡± Realizing the new danger he was in, Cadeus desperately struggled to get out but to no avail. Just when Acriscius was about to deliver the punch from the side, Claire¡¯s crystal birds grabbed his ankle by their claws and his punch soon became disorientated. Instead of punching directly into the queen¡¯s jaws, Acriscius accidentally slipped and his hands went to the ground for support. When his hands came into contact with the earth, the red mist sizzled and seared through the hard floor creating a huge depression. With the floor¡¯s structure corroded severely, the ground gave in and collapsed. Before they all knew it, Cadeus, Claire and Acriscius soon fell down deep into the lower level, the Arthropod queen accompanying them. Volume 1 - Chapter 9 - Golems, Fairy, Ritual ¡°Master. The Enforcers are at the eighth level. It¡¯s only a matter of time before they breached the ninth.¡± ¡°Already?¡± Fremin turned to his apprentice in surprise. ¡°What about the sixth and seventh level?¡± ¡°Unknown¡­ but we believe that it¡¯s compromised as well.¡± ¡°How?! I thought there¡¯s a giant Arthropod colony there? What about the golems?!¡± The apprentice could only shake his head due to the uncertainty. ¡°Speed up the procedure! Start outlining the Procona powder on the critical spots! I want that ritual circle to be complete within the next five minutes!!!¡± ¡°Relax Fremin, it¡¯s not like the Enforcers will be here yet.¡± ¡°Shut up Viper! I don¡¯t want to hear that from someone as laid back as you! Wait¡­ is that a piece of meat sandwiched between two pieces of bread? Why are you eating so leisurely when everybody else is so busy?!!!!!¡± ¡°Like I said Fremin, relax. It¡¯s not the end of everything. Besides, did you know that this special arrangement of meat and bread was referred to as a burger? I hear it¡¯s quite a delicate cuisine people from the other world enjoy. Apparently they pan fry the bread, deep fry the meat, top it up with seasoning sauces and place sesame seeds on the top.¡± ¡°I DON¡¯T CARE!!! Well¡­ maybe I¡¯m a little interested but that¡¯s not the point!!!! Can¡¯t you sense the severity of the situation?!¡± Viper leisurely munched off a piece of meat from his burger. ¡°The Enforcers are always short on manpower especially when the department is filled with Dark Mages. If the Enforcers have reached the eighth level, they must have skipped the sixth and seventh.¡± ¡°They can¡¯t have skipped levels! Even if they have the means to teleport themselves there, the timing is too soon! Besides, won¡¯t they be busy with the chimeras and the golems?¡± ¡°Golems? There are golems here?¡± ¡°Of course? They are sentries assigned to prevent the Chimeras from roaming to the wrong places. They may fall under the category of the standard models but they still can be a major threat if a mage is not careful. I tweaked some of those who are in key locations to be irresponsive to anyone and attack.¡± ¡°Is there some sort of password to negate the tweaked golems?¡± ¡°There is, but only me and my close friends know!¡± ¡°Close friends? Ah¡­ the four other Masters that will come to help you with the ritual. Speaking of which, when will they be arriving?¡± ¡°Soon, very soon. By the time they arrive we will be ready to start the ritual procession. Which is why it is so odd that the Enforcers would breach the eight level so quickly!¡± ¡°Hm¡­ I¡¯m not familiar with the landscape of the catacombs. But what if there are warp gates stationed throughout the various points of the labyrinth?¡± Fremin shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s no such thing.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I see¡­¡± ¡°We need to improve our defences! Hey you! Get a team back up the levels and manually seal the corridors! I want the corridors collapsed! Collapsed! You hear me?!¡± While watching Fremin yell instructions at an unfortunate Apprentice, Viper could only take another bite. Since Fremin was too stressed to listen, Viper soon lost interest talking to him. While busy munching and savouring the taste of the burger, Viper soon thought of something. ¡°What if they got outside help?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°What if the Enforcers had somehow acquired the help of Pure Blooded Dark Mages? It should not be strange for Pure Bloods to easily clear the levels with the help of their Blood Gifts, nor would it be that strange for one or two Pure Bloods to work within the Enforcers. Plus, the environmental energies of this place is full of Dark Magic. Won¡¯t the presence of Dark Pure Bloods be extremely beneficial for the Enforcers?¡± ¡°¡­ Impossible. We are talking about the extremely rare Pure Blooded Dark Mages. Even if it¡¯s one of them, how could the Enforcers gather the help of Pure Bloods in such a short time?¡± ¡°Well¡­ if I remember my intelligence correctly, there are quite a few students enrolling that are members of the Greater Noble Houses. There ought to be a couple of Dark Pure Bloods¡­ Oh¡­ there are also two Progenitor kids here as well.¡± ¡°Impossible.¡± Fremin shook his head. ¡°As powerful as those kids can be, they are still children. I doubt that the Enforcers would risk brining them into such a dangerous place.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ that might be true, but you see. As nobles, those children are entitled to help the Enforcers should the situation call for it. They might have been forced to help them out.¡± ¡°And what? Risk getting the ire of the most powerful families in this society? If anything were to happen to those children, I bet that even the High Council will abstain themselves to cover for the Enforcers. Not to mention the fact that the bulk of the High Councilors are made up of the Greater Noble Families!¡± ¡°Hm¡­ well, there¡¯s no point wasting energy pondering about all this. Besides, didn¡¯t we set up twelve barriers in the ninth level in case the Enforcers break through? We already have the means to stall them. Besides, we are speeding up the ritual after all. The sooner we are done with this ritual, the faster we can explore the eleventh level.¡± Fremin looked behind Viper¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Your subordinates look tough. Could you send them to deal with the Enforcers?¡± ¡°I could, and I can. However, that¡¯s not part of my instructions.¡± ¡°Do you want to see this ritual succeed or not?¡± ¡°Oh I do. Believe me, I do. But my boss told me to strictly keep a low profile. Trust me, I did bring this up to the boss on numerous occasions, but my boss is still affirmed that we should not stick out.¡± ¡°Does your boss not care about this ritual?¡± ¡°I think my boss should. But unfortunately, what the boss exactly had in mind is not for me to divulge. I¡¯m merely following instructions.¡± ¡°Tch!¡± Frustrated that Viper would not be of any help, Fremin turned and redirected his attention to the ritual circle. ¡°Speed up the ritual outline!¡± Even with his back turned, Viper kept his smile. But once Viper turned and started walking away, the smile disappeared from his face completely. ¡°Do we want to see this ritual succeed? Well¡­ not exactly.¡± Viper signaled for one of the masked characters. ¡°Patch us to the boss. We need to report about this unexpected development.¡± The masked character moved up closely to give his report. ¡°Already done sir. The boss said not to worry. The increase in the Enforcers movements was part of the plan.¡± ¡°Part of the plan? That¡¯s strange¡­ I was not told about this. Was there some strange development back at base?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know sir.¡± Viper scratched his hair. The fact that the Enforcers could easily clear two levels this quickly was already an unusual feat. Even if they had the help of Pure Bloods, it was still unusual for them to be able to move this quickly. It was too unusual to the point of being unnatural. Viper suspected something else might have a hand in this, and for some reason, his suspicions were soon directed to his boss. If it was within the boss¡¯s calculations to speed up the Enforcers, the situation was just too convenient. The boss must have somehow provided the enforcers some tips here and there on how to move quickly within the catacombs. ¡°Has the boss somehow gotten impatient? Or is this one of the cases where cleaning up must be absolutely perfect?¡± In any case, it was not in Viper¡¯s position to know the entity of the boss¡¯s plan. ¡°Ah well¡­ whatever. We already got what we came here for anyway.¡± One of Fremin¡¯s apprentices came running to Viper. ¡°Excuse me sir?¡± ¡°Ya?¡± ¡°We finished drawing the outline of the ritual circle. Our master wants your White Mages to draw in the protective seals.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ ok. Yes, yes. Don¡¯t worry. We know where to draw up the protective seals, the ritual circumference and the center. We¡¯ll be along soon.¡± The apprentice nodded and soon returned to the ritual circle. ¡°I almost completely forgot about that.¡± Viper added. ¡°So what now?¡± The masked character stood there waiting for further instructions. ¡°Hm¡­ let¡¯s prepare to leave. Oh, tell our White friends to ¡®change¡¯ their protective seals. I want them to converse their Cast Limit in case things don¡¯t go as planned.¡± There was never such a thing as a safe plan when it comes to Corruption Research. Even if the protective seals were to work, the highly destructive energies of Dark Magic would overrun the weak White Magic. All these alchemists were doomed from the start anyway, and that was precisely what Viper wanted. TOA When she came to, Claire was at a loss. Everything was dark, and she was lying down on her back. At first she thought she was in her dormitory room. However, the unnatural hardness of the material she was lying on suggested otherwise. As she soon got up, the first thing that came to her mind was the fight with the Arthropod queen. ¡°Oh right¡­ we fell. Damn you and your muscle brain Acriscius.¡± Checking her body, Claire found that she was not hurt. After pondering for a few more seconds, she then remembered that she covered herself with a protective layer of [Repulsive Act] as they fell. Putting her attention away to her surroundings, Claire soon sensed the presences of her nearby crystallized chimeras. They were all still intact, and they were just standing still waiting for further instructions. ¡°Light¡­ I need some light¡­¡± Wanting some light, Claire casted three [Fire Balls] with her left hand and she left them hovering around her. Claire soon found herself in a large quiet hall different from the chambers in the upper levels. There was a huge vastness of space, which suggested that this level of the labyrinth might be larger than the one above. Looking up above, Claire could not see the ceiling. But she was confident that there would be a hole somewhere up there. The general colour of this hall was a lot darker and the air was more humid. Even the temperature was gotten considerably colder. With a thought in mind, Claire took a deep breath in and out. When she sucked in the air, she felt elated and rejuvenated with an overpowering energy. When she breathed out, white misty vapours exited her mouth. ¡°I see¡­ so the deeper we go, the more concentrated Dark Magic is in the environment.¡± That counts as good news. Since she¡¯s a Dark Pure Blood, drawing the concentrated energy from the environment should not be a problem. Looking at her side, Claire saw the Arthropod Queen. She became startled, but when she saw that the queen was not moving, she realized that it¡¯s dead. ¡°Now how did this thing die? I thought this thing had quite the endurance?¡± Moving up to the chimera queen, Claire saw a concentrated spot of translucent fluids and tissues near the head. ¡°Did she squash her head?¡± A closer examination suggested otherwise. Snapping her fingers, her three crystal birds soon grabbed the queen¡¯s head and tilted it up only to reveal a fine cut across the queen¡¯s throat. ¡°Ah¡­ that imposter was underneath that queen¡¯s head earlier. I guess this was what he did back then. Speaking of the imposter¡­¡± It then occurred to Claire that she, Acriscius and the imposter fell together. If they all landed in this area, they ought to be somewhere nearby. ¡°Now where exactly could they be?¡± Snapping her fingers again, the three [Fire Balls] hovering around her expanded their size and they moved further up into the ceiling. Claire also shrunk her crystallized chimeras into their figurine forms so that they would not block her view. With the area fully illuminated, the Arthropod queen¡¯s carcass came into full view. Claire saw no sign of Acriscius. In fact, when she observed the Arthropod queen a little closer, a part of her thorax was incinerated. Although it was rather easy to deduce that Acriscius was the culprit, Claire certainly did not remember this inflicted damage before they fell. ¡°That muscle brain must have done this to vent his anger when he regained conscious. From the look of things, I guess he must have moved on without even considering the fact that I am close by¡­ what a jerk.¡± The next time Acricius owes her, Claire would definitely maximize the debt. With a wave of her hand, Claire brought the small chimera figurines to her hand and kept them into her sling bag, Circling to the side, Claire finally saw Cadeus lying at the side of the dead Arthropod queen. ¡°There he is¡­ Hey, get up. Huh?¡± Claire saw that Cadeus was unconscious, and his head was bleeding at the side. ¡°What?¡± Did he suffer a concussion from a blow to the head? Was he dead? ¡°Oh no¡­ you still owe me. You are not going to die.¡± Bending down at his side, Claire pressed her hand against his head to arrest the hemorrhage. While she did so, she checked his vitals. His pulse was stable, and he¡¯s breathing. When she saw that his condition was stable, she breathed a sigh of relief. Cadeus¡¯s life was not in a critical condition, but that might change if he did not get medical attention. Using her free hand, Claire reached for her sling bag behind her. She took out a set of packed sterilized bandages. Tearing the plastic with her teeth, she began wrapping the bandage around his head. With that, Claire was successful in giving first aid treatment. The rest would have to wait for the Apothecary. Resting his head on his own sling bag, Claire spent a moment to look at her blood stained hand. When she saw how red and wet her hand became, she finally realized something. Blood was a natural resource of magic, and the blood of Pure Bloods were said to possess powerful magic. Cadeus was a Pure Blood. Since he was here lying unconscious, Claire thought about doing a blood test. Now in case you start off wondering, this was not the typical blood tests the hospitals on Earth conduct to check on drug allergies and the other degrading whatnots. Blood tests on Zeffernon were conducted differently. These tests were primary used to determine the strength of magic within a person¡¯s blood in accordance to the mage¡¯s colour concentrations. A mage could be a Pure Blood or a Mixed Blood, and inheriting one or two colours of magic could greatly affect their performance as a mage. In order to assess the strengths of the varying colours of magic within the person¡¯s blood, blood tests were conducted to determine the blood potency of each colour of magic. The proper term for this colour potency was called Blood Strength. There were four categories to determine the Blood Strength of a person¡¯s blood. They were diluted, filled, concentrated and highly concentrated. Obviously with a more concentrated Blood Strength, the presence of the colour of magic is stronger and the easier it was for the mage to be able to cast spells belonging to said colour of magic. This was a great opportunity for Claire to figure out how strong Cadeus could be as a Pure Blood. Even though it was obvious that Cadeus only possess one colour of magic, the Blood Strengths of Pure Bloods would be either concentrated or highly concentrated. What Claire wanted to find out was how Cadeus would be as a Pure Blood. The reason was because ever since the day she knew him, Claire had always failed to discern his potential as a Mage. When she first met him, she was applauded to see him rescue Susan from the Armugorus. When she found out that he was a Pure Blood, Claire had high expectations from him to perform greatly as a Mage of the highest caliber. But the more she observed, the more Claire felt that Cadeus was a mage that falls amongst the category of the least impressive. His constant failure to grasp lessons and his ignorance of magical knowledge only served to irritate her. He was slow, messy, and on top of all that, extremely rude. He could not even take the effort to learn the basic manners required to address someone of her social status. On top of everything, there¡¯s the issue of the family name, but that¡¯s a separate issue. The only thing that caught her attention was the remarkable improvement rate he had achieved these past three months. When he first started the curriculum, Cadeus failed to grasp even the most fundamental modules in the curriculum. However, once he was able to fully understand the lesson, he was able to pick up the learning and master the spells required of him to learn in a short period of time. He might have started out poorly but in the end, Cadeus managed to attain the standard level required to qualify as a mage. Sometimes, he even surpasses that expectation. Such vast gap of improvement was rarely heard of, and that resulted in numerous haters accusing the imposter of cheating using special artifacts. But Claire knew better. She knew that the imposter had no knowledge of such artifacts. Instead, what she saw was the accumulative result of hard work and effort. By her own estimates, Cadeus would be on the right track to make it for the trials. But how did this imposter accomplish this? This had greatly aroused her curiosity, and the answer should lie in his blood. Claire may not have the necessary equipment to get an accurate reading. However, there was an off-handed method. It¡¯s not entirely accurate, but it could provide a general assessment. That is, by tasting the blood sample in question. From what Claire knew, blood tasting would trigger a spontaneous influx of energy due to the sensitivity mages had towards magic. The more concentrated the Blood Strength, the higher the influx of energy. Since magic begins from the blood, any direct contacts with blood itself could sometimes trigger sensitive reactions. This was not the first time she had attempted such a thing. As a noble of her standing, Claire had been educated to differentiate Blood Strengths prior to her enrollment. Differentiating Blood Strengths was important due to the benefits of blood tasting. In times of emergency, magic within the blood could be used to replenish lost energy. If one was experienced enough to manipulate the energy within the blood, he could even draw the magical energies out from foreign blood and reuse them to his needs. Blood tasting was one such method to replenish lost energy, and the stronger the Blood Strength, the more the energy was recovered. Claire was given some training for that purpose. As such, blood tasting was not a strange thing to her. Claire brought her blood stained hand close to her face. After staring at the blood for a few seconds, she opened her mouth slowly brought it to her tongue. ¡°¡­¡± Cadeus¡¯s blood had a murky texture with a strong taste of iron. However, with that high concentration of Dark Magic, it had a very sweet energetic flavour. Looking forward to the influx of energy, Claire gulped down the blood and waited for the effects. The wait only lasted for several seconds before Claire experienced a slight seizure. It felt like a bang. Her entire body became hot. The magical energies within her began bubbling crazily like a corrosive solution. Grasping her throat, Claire thought that she was going to suffocate. However, this intensive exchange of sensations was only temporary. Once the worst had past, all sense of fatigue and physical stress was wiped out from her body. Her mind became clear, and she felt greatly rejuvenated. But what was more surprising was the fact that her Cast Limit was thoroughly reset to a fresh start. This was unprecedented. None of her previous blood tastings had an effect of this standing, not even when she tasted her own blood. Cadeus¡¯s Blood Strength was highly concentrated. Perhaps even more concentrated as compared to hers. This mere thought of the imposter having a much stronger Blood Strength than hers was more than enough to make her feel uncomfortable. ¡°How¡­?¡± Claire had inherited a strong Blood Strength due to her blood lineage since she belonged to one of the fifteen Greater Noble families. If the blood she inherited was weaker than that of the imposter, this meant that Cadeus somehow had a superior lineage. But by what lineage did this imposter came from? The only lineage Claire could think of that could be superior to hers would be that of the Progenitor family Pride ve Lu. However, everybody knows that the line had long died out. ¡°Just¡­ who in the world are you?¡± That was the very question Cadeus asked himself countless time. It¡¯s just that Claire didn¡¯t know. TOA Cadeus opened his eyes. After looking at the ceiling for a couple of seconds, he turned his head to the left and saw Claire right next to him. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­Claire?!¡± Cadeus instantly shot up his back. ¡°What are you ¨C Ouch!¡± Cadeus instantly brought his back down and raised his right hand to the side of his head. ¡°Relax. There¡¯s a laceration on the side of your head. I already wrapped a bandage over it. You should be fine, as long as you don¡¯t move around too often.¡± ¡°Argh¡­¡± Cadeus sat up straight. When his thoughts gathered together, he soon recalled the most recent events. ¡°We fell¡­¡± ¡°Yes, thanks to that muscle head.¡± ¡°Acriscius?¡± Come to think of it, he fell together with them right? ¡°Where¡¯s Acriscius?¡± ¡°Gone. He was not present when I regained conscious.¡± Now that was a surprise. ¡°You mean to say that he just left without checking on you?¡± ¡°You think?¡± The venom in her voice confirmed Cadeus¡¯s suspicions. Cadeus turned his gaze upwards. He could not see the ceiling, and this hall appears to be considerably larger compared to the chambers on the upper level. This level might be much more spacious as compared to the previous one. ¡°Well¡­ given the fact that we fell considerably long, there might be a chance that Acriscius might have winded up in a distant part of this hall.¡± ¡°That¡¯s still no excuse to not explore every inch of this hall before you leave. That muscle head is so going to get it once I see him again.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Although he did not care what plans Claire had in stall Acriscius, Cadeus really hoped that she punch it in. Screw Acriscius. In fact, Cadeus wished Claire did her worst. Cadeus would give anything to see that red headed noble suffer. With his fingers feeling the bandage over the wound site¡­ Wait¡­ what? Cadeus instantly shot Claire a dubious look. ¡°What?¡± Cadeus pointed to the bandage on his head ¡°You did this?¡± ¡°Do you see any other person around?¡± ¡°You can actually use a bandage?¡± ¡°I find that question to be very insulting.¡± ¡°Shit¡­ now you are going to make me owe you more than what I can handle.¡± When she heard that, Claire twitched her left eyebrow. ¡°Now hold on a minute. I cannot ignore what you just said. What is with that self imposed image of me being some vile vixen that never lacks ulterior motives?¡± ¡°Whenever you do something for me, you make me owe you. How is that not an ulterior motive?¡± Anger was soon reflected on Claire¡¯s face. ¡°After all I did to make sure that you¡¯re not dead, this is the thanks I get?¡± ¡°What thanks? Everyone knows that the reason why you would bother saving someone, is because that someone owes you and you want to make sure that that someone repays all his debts before that someone is allowed to die. Am I wrong?¡± ¡°You should just die. Just die!¡± ¡°Not happening. I prefer to live.¡± Turning his gaze to his arm, Cadeus checked the enchantments on his arm. The rune ¡®Nilth¡¯ was still glowing brightly in full effect. [Heroic Might] and [Glyph of Precision] were a little weak, but it should still be manageable. [Aura Shift] however, was in a sorry state. Cadeus suspected that the fall from the previous level must have taken the most out of it. In fact, he was surprised that the enchantment was still in effect after all of that. Knowing Sing, Cadeus was confident that she would rejuvenate her own enchantments from time to time. When that happens, Cadeus¡¯s enchantments would also rejuvenate themselves through the link they shared via ¡®Nilth¡¯. However, should his enchantments wear out first, Sing¡¯s rejuvenation effects would fail to have any effect. As Cadeus was thinking more on this subject, Claire stomped off in anger. ¡°Hey, are you going to proceed further all by yourself?¡± ¡°Silence. I refuse to work further with the likes of you.¡± Cadeus got up and followed her from behind regardless. ¡°You know that is impossible given our current situation.¡± ¡°I have familiars to do all the fighting for me.¡± ¡°Even if you rely on your Blood Gift, you still have a Cast Limit.¡± Claire stopped short before turning around with her short sword in her hand. Before he could react further, Claire placed the sword¡¯s cutting edge at the tip of his Adam¡¯s apple. ¡°Another word form you, and I¡¯ll cut your throat.¡± Her reaction totally confirmed that Cadeus had nailed the harsh truth. But if he said anything more than he should, Cadeus was confident that Claire would not forgive him for it. As such, Cadeus responded by keeping silent and by raising his arms in a gesture of surrender. Knowing that her message got through, Claire brought her blade away and resumed walking to the nearest exit. ¡°¡­¡± Cadeus could only sigh inwardly and resume following her. He also made a mental note to keep a fixed distance of at least seven feet away from her. TOA They never spoke to each other for the next couple of minutes. Claire was entirely focused on what¡¯s in front of her without sparing a thought to look behind. It seems as though she refuses to acknowledge Cadeus¡¯s presence for the moment. With her crystal bird scouting ahead along with that palm-sized crystal in her hand, navigating through this level was not difficult at all. As they walked, Cadeus also noted that one of Claire¡¯s crystal birds was continuously staring at him while resting its legs on its master¡¯s shoulders. It¡¯s as if the bird was saying ¡®try anything stupid and I¡¯ll inform my master¡¯. Seriously¡­ was Claire that angry with him for stating the obvious? As he was having these thoughts, Claire stopped walking. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Claire was continuously staring at her crystal. Curious as to what kind of development would stop Claire in her tracks, Cadeus brought his attention to the crystal. Looking within the crystal, Cadeus soon saw that the crystal bird up ahead was staring at an all too familiar artificial construct. ¡°A Golem? I guess there are still artificial constructs in here.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ for this thing to be in good condition, the catacomb¡¯s security must still be functioning well.¡± Golems were amongst the most common artificial constructs in the world of the magi. They vary in sizes and functions, and their simplicity in construction and mind programming made them popular servants. If you think about the saying ¡®dogs are man¡¯s best friend¡¯ on Earth, then ¡®golems are mage¡¯s best companion¡¯ on Zeffernon. After all, a golem only exists to serve its master in the most conventional way possible. Looking at this golem, it¡¯s a towering structure made out of rock and steel. Other than that, it did not appear to have any special features. Despite it¡¯s simplicity, a golem of that size could still be a major threat to any mage should it turn hostile. Based on the Golem¡¯s glowing white eyes, it¡¯s probably still functional. But the question of how much it¡¯s thoroughly maintained was a different thing altogether. As he continued observing the golem, Cadeus noticed it was looking straight at them. ¡°If it¡¯s staring at us, does that mean that it¡¯s staring at your crystal bird?¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s why I¡¯m wondering what to do next.¡± ¡°Could your bird fly over it?¡± ¡°It could. But it does that, the golem¡¯s programming might treat the next visitor as an enemy.¡± In this scenario, the golem was acting as a sentry guard against the chimeras. Taking that into account, it must have the programming to recognize and differentiate threats. ¡°Claire, what are the chances of that thing not recognizing us as a target?¡± ¡°If you want me to guess, I¡¯d say we have a fifty-fifty chance of being safe. If that golem just has the basic programming, it should not attack any human. But if the golem has the advanced programming to attack unauthorized personal, then we got a problem on our hands.¡± ¡°Is there a chance to reason with it?¡± ¡°Only if our reasoning falls within it¡¯s programming.¡± ¡°I see. Remind me again. When this becomes a violent encounter, what¡¯s the strategy to deal with a golem?¡± ¡°That would be to break its armour and destroy the Essence of Magic within.¡± ¡°¡­That sounds pretty straight forward enough, but it actually sounds like something that¡¯s easier said than done.¡± And thus, the two Pure Bloods entered the hall where the golem awaits them. As soon as they entered the room, the crystal bird that Claire sent ahead soon rested its claws onto her shoulder. When the golem registered their presence, it simply stared at them with its cold white eyes without moving an inch. ¡°Hey¡­ if this thing is not going to move, is there a chance where we can just encircle around it?¡± ¡°You idiot. That thing already has its eyes on us. Are you so quick to instigate him to attack?¡± Once they were a few feet away from the golem, it finally reacted. There was no mouth on the golem¡¯s face. However, a metallic hollow voice soon resonated across the room. ¡°|Mage identified. Not amongst registered list. Identify self.|¡± ¡°Ok¡­ this thing does not even have a mouth and yet it¡¯s speaking fluently. Nice¡­¡± ¡°Imposter, we must do this very carefully. Artificial constructs are only as smart as they are programmed to be. Sometimes common sense will not apply to them. They will only act just as they are programmed to.¡± ¡°But they can think can they?¡± ¡°They could.¡± ¡°Can we trick it?¡± ¡°You are not the first with that line of thought. If this is one of the general constructs, you only have three chances to confuse it.¡± ¡°Only three chances? What happens if I failed three times?¡± ¡°Then the golem will go berserk and kill everything movable within a fixed period of time. Unless of course, we say the right words.¡± ¡°Right, then let¡¯s save that as a last option. Now then¡­ how should we start this?¡± Saying ¡®we are students, please let us through¡¯, was definitely out of the question. If this was a golem stationed in the Academy then yes, it just might work. However, dealing with a golem stationed within the catacombs demands a different approach. ¡°Ask it if it will attack us.¡± Claire said. ¡°All right. But if you think the conversation is going the wrong way, you better stop me.¡± Cadeus projected his voice. ¡°Will you attack us?¡± ¡°|Mage not amongst registered list. Identify self.|¡± Cadeus tilted his head towards Claire. ¡°I think this golem will not react until we tell it who we are.¡± ¡°Then you better, before it registers us as a threat.¡± Cadeus resumed his dialogue. ¡°We are not on the list, but we are guests.¡± ¡°|Correspondence. Mage identify self as a guest. Identify guide.|¡± ¡°Guide?¡± Cadeus uttered. Claire brought her hand to her chin. ¡°I see¡­ that golem must have a protocol installed that demands guests to have a staff escort.¡± ¡°Shit¡­ we do not know anyone now do we? What now? Do we try to ask it which staff personal he¡¯s referring to?¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Claire spent the next few minutes in deep thought. ¡°Tell it that we are lost and that we do not know which staff to look out for.¡± Cadeus continued. ¡°We are guests, but we were separated from the main group. We are unsure of who to look for now.¡± ¡°|Recalculating. Mage has not announced guide. Identify guide.|¡± ¡°I guess that does not work. We need to mention someone.¡± Cadeus uttered. ¡°All right. Before we start shooting out names on a whim let¡¯s think about this closely. Who do you think does this golem answers too?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ it has a registered list of staff members, which means that it probably had a list of names belong to the Dark Mutators who used this place. Do we know any Dark Mutators that could be of use to us?¡± Claire shook her head. ¡°I may know some names and faces, but from as far as what I could recall, they are not Academy staff. I doubt that using their names might work.¡± ¡°For a moment there I thought you would have some useful names given your influence as a Greater Noble.¡± ¡°Is that meant to be an insult?¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m just curious because I always have the impression that knowing names is an important commodity amongst the nobility.¡± ¡°It is, and that will never change.¡± Cadeus waved his hands to the side to make the gesture of ¡®so what?¡¯. ¡°And it never cease to trouble you that you do not know any Dark Mutators that are part of the Academy staff?¡± Claire placed her hands on her hips in an elegant manner and gave him a glare full of annoyance. ¡°According to the rules of Tenebris Vacuum, no one is allowed to approach the Dark Mutators nor interfere with their work unless it¡¯s about lessons or about their apprenticeship. Given the fact that we are students, we will not start learning about the basics of Dark Mutation until we become Acolytes, and since we are not yet acolytes, we have no right to start thinking about apprenticeship. In addition, the Dark Mutators always seclude themselves within the Dark Laboratory, which is somewhere in an isolated section within the Academia building. Their identities are mostly ambiguous guesses until we get to meet them. So what makes you think that I can get the right names?¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± It took every muscle in Cadeus¡¯s face to help him not to make a smirk. ¡°Come to think of it, before you met me, you mentioned that you came across a research room.¡± Claire mentioned. ¡°Don¡¯t expect any names out of me. The research notes were all scattered and filled with various terminologies that I could not understand. The last thing that I will pay attention to is names.¡± ¡°How wasted. Who are you then to criticize me for having the lack of names?¡± Cadeus chose to ignore her. Whilst thinking about names and list, Cadeus soon came up with an idea. ¡°Wait¡­ I got it.¡± ¡°You have a name?¡± ¡°No. But I know someone who can provide us with a name list.¡± ¡°?¡± Cadeus reached for his sling bag and took out the Caller. ¡°Oh¡­ you are referring to the Enforcers. That¡¯s not entirely a bad idea. But that Caller directly links us to that woman right?¡± ¡°Yes. Miss Allis can either give us a name or maybe she could even help us convince this golem.¡± ¡°Of all people, you want to ask that woman? I wouldn¡¯t want to count on the likes of her.¡± ¡°I agree that Miss Allis may not be entirely reliable, but it¡¯s not like we have a choice. Do you remember? This thing only connects us to Miss Allis. If I can call someone else, I would be doing just that.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Cadeus held the caller in his hand and activated the call. He sincerely hoped that he would not regret this. After a few seconds of waiting, Miss Alli¡¯s small 3d figure materialized. ¡°Hello~ Need something?¡± Her carefree personality totally did not fit with the background noises of spell castings and the violent cries of commands. Cadeus did not know exactly what was going at the other side, but he knew that this might not be the best moment to interrupt an Enforcer at work. ¡°Um¡­ should we call again at another time?¡± Cadeus said. Her first few words were said without paying any attention to the caller¡¯s identity. That was why when Miss Allis finally registered Cadeus¡¯s face, her expression soon brightened and her tone changed for the better. ¡°Cadeus! My cute little brother~!¡± ¡°I am going to say this again. Please throw out that self imposed image of an older sister.¡± ¡°Oh my! What am I seeing? You are currently with Lady Rrogust ve Chroma? My dear lady, pardon the lack of proper manners. As you can see, I¡¯m not in a situation where I can bow.¡± ¡°Yes, I can see that.¡± ¡°So what brings you two to give this caring big sister a call?¡± ¡°We ran into a golem sentry. It¡¯s demanding us to provide a name belonging to a registered staff member in order to let us pass.¡± ¡°A golem? Oh right! Just try to confuse it¡¯s programming, or just go ahead and kick it¡¯s rocky ass.¡± ¡°Um¡­ are we so quick to resort to violence?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry!! In such an emergency, we can turn a blind eye towards destruction of property!¡± ¡°That¡¯s definitely not an answer an Enforcer of the law ought to be saying.¡± Seriously, is Miss Allis on steroids? Does she really watch her words whenever she speaks to someone? Cadeus thought. ¡°Isn¡¯t there a better way? Look, the golem has a registered list of names. If we can provide one, it¡¯ll let us pass. Do you know any Dark Mutators that have been using the catacombs from two months ago?¡± ¡°Sorry! Can''t help! Things are getting very rowdy on my end.¡± ¡°Is there at least someone you can patch us through to go through the list?¡± ¡°No can do! If it¡¯s paper work you want, you are asking the wrong person!¡± ¡°You are not very helpful at all, do you know that?¡± Miss Allis chose to ignore him. At that very instance, a call from the other side demanded Miss Allis¡¯s attention. ¡°Miss Allis! What are you doing?!¡± ¡°Oh dear. That¡¯s the cue that I need to go. All right! This big sister needs to go now. Feel free to call me back if you are still alive~.¡± Miss Allis closed the call the very instance she finished that sentence. ¡°Feel free to call her back if we are still alive? I can¡¯t believe she said that when it¡¯s her job to make sure that does not happen to us.¡± Cadeus said. Cold silence followed for the next couple of seconds. Although Cadeus did not see it, he could strongly tell that Claire¡¯s shoulders were shaking in anger. ¡°Hey¡­ don¡¯t get mad over this. It¡¯s Miss Allis. She always has a loose screw in her head.¡± ¡°Does she know her place? It¡¯s not like we owe her anything. That woman requested the help of us nobles! Who is she to scrub off her responsibility when we are in need of some aid?! How could the Enforcers employ someone so irresponsible when they are an organization of professional distinctions?!¡± Ouch¡­ Claire soon took in a deep breath before venting all her anger in one loud breath. In an attempt to help her calm down, Cadeus quickly pocketed the useless Caller. It did not take that long for Claire to return her attention to the matter at hand. But when she opened her mouth, it was clear that she was getting impatient with the stalling situation. ¡°Let¡¯s put aside the matter of Dark Mutators and think about the other possible people this golem would answer to.¡± Cadeus could only comply. He did not want to get in the way of an angry lady. ¡°All right, what about the Educators?¡± ¡°No good. Those that we are familiar with have nothing to do with the Catacombs. Educator Garth is a conjurer, Educator Norex is an Intellectual who specializes in Magical Theory, and Educator Cecilia is a Dark Apothecary. None of these names will be of any use to us.¡± ¡°What about the Archmage and Master Morgan?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think the Archmage frequents himself down here. As for Master Morgan, well¡­ it¡¯s worth a try. Since Master Morgan is in charge of Tenebris Vacuum, she¡¯s typically in charge of the catacomb security. If this golem was part of security detail it should recognize Master Morgan¡¯s name. Besides, it should also be part of the norm for Master Morgan to deal with the various Dark Mutators who wished to use the catacomb levels as an observation platform for their chimera experiments.¡± ¡°Speaking of Master Morgan, why is she not here? Is she away for something?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Cadeus brought up a question that suddenly caught Claire off guard. Now that he mentioned it, Claire thought that it was extremely unusual for her to not see the Master who¡¯s in charge of Tenebris Vacuum. Bringing this to mind, Claire could already guess a few possible reasons. But now was not the time for such thoughts. They had a much more pressing issue at hand. ¡°Let¡¯s think about this later. For now, the golem.¡± ¡°All right. Master Morgan it is.¡± Cadeus returned his attention to the golem. ¡°Our guide is the Master in charge of Tenebris Vacuum. Morgan ve Fortzen.¡± ¡°|Analyzing. Name: Morgan ve Fortzen. Rank: Master.|¡± The golem took a few moments to process the name. ¡°This golem is not that smart now isn¡¯t it?¡± Cadeus said. Well, that¡¯s the basic programming for you. This golem¡¯s function is to act as a sentry after all. It¡¯s not expected to have a quick mind when it comes to dealing with strangers. On the other hand, Claire¡¯s growing impatience was becoming more evident. With her arms folded her right fingers were consistently tapping against her left elbow, while her left feet began tapping consistently on the ground at the same frequency. Cadeus could not help but quietly hope that the golem would quickly let them pass. The golem soon responded. ¡°|Guide mentioned identified. Name matches registered list. Master Morgan of the Academy.|¡± Cadeus silently breathed a sigh of relief. That¡¯s good. It looks like using Master Morgan¡¯s name worked. ¡°Can you let us pass?¡± ¡°|Error. Identified name failed to match specific parameters. Any further attempts to intrude will result in fatality.|¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­What?¡± It did not work? Cadeus raised his eyebrow. In all circumstances, using Master Morgan¡¯s name would work. Since she¡¯s the Master of this Colour Sector, every security detail within the sector falls under her jurisdiction. So how could her name fail to trigger any effect? With her growing impatience, Claire took a step forward. ¡°We are students of the Academy under the guidance of Master Morgan. Let us pass this very instance.¡± Was that an order? Cadeus quickly shot her a warning glare. I know you are impatient, but are you so quick to provoke a sentry who may instantly register you as a threat? He thought but dare not say out loud. ¡°|Warning. Error in identification. Any further attempts to intrude will result in fatality.|¡± ¡°Error again?¡± Cadeus raised his eyebrow. The golem managed to register Master Morgan¡¯s name, but it somehow failed to discern the meaning of it. This should not be so. If they had missed something essential like a pass code of the sort, the golem would have demanded for it upon recognizing Master Morgan¡¯s name. Instead, it was as if the golem¡¯s programming automatically resets itself whenever it was trying to process information. This could not be good, and Cadeus was not referring to the fact that Master Morgan¡¯s name failed to work. Even if Master Morgan¡¯s name did not work, they could just resolve into tricking the golem. But if they were to trick this thing, how could this thing be tricked if its thought processes continuously resets itself? Wait¡­ resets itself? Cadeus soon had a brainwave. What if Fremin had tampered with the golem¡¯s programming on his way down? According to Miss Allis¡¯s words previously, she stated that Fremin was currently at the tenth level. If he managed to penetrate this deep into the catacombs, what were the odds of him tampering with the golem¡¯s programming on his way down? Despite his current notoriety, Fremin was a capable Master. It should not be strange for him to be familiar with the workings of a golem. Even though he¡¯s a specialized Alchemist, it should be in the norm for Fremin to have advanced knowledge of a different field. Wait¡­ but this did not make any sense. Even if it¡¯s just one golem, reprogramming it¡¯s mind would take a lot of time and effort. Unless Fremin had planned his ritual for years, in which Cadeus highly doubt, he couldn¡¯t have reprogrammed every golem sentry in here especially when someone as strong as Master Morgan would be around. Cadeus shook his head. This line of thoughts fell under Enforcers work. It was not in his place to think about this. But if it was true that Fremin had somehow hacked the golem¡¯s programming, it looks like they would have to have to fight with all the golems in this level. Thinking about this possibility, Cadeus turned to share his thoughts with Claire. ¡°Claire. Is it simple for a Master like Fremin to reprogram a golem¡¯s mind?¡± At that very instance, Cadeus could not tell how he knew, but he knew. Something within Claire snapped. With one loud stomp with the heel of her boot, she soon unfolded her arms and passed her sling bag to Cadeus. Once Cadeus got her sling bag, Claire proceeded to walk towards the golem. With those quick heavy steps, only an idiot would fail to see that her intentions were clearly hostile. ¡°Hey¡­ what exactly are you ¨C ¡± ¡°Imposter. I¡¯m warning you. Do not get in my way.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Experience taught Cadeus that nothing would be achieved by debating or arguing with Claire. Sighing, Cadeus resigned himself and watched as Claire proceeded to walk towards the golem. ¡°|Warning. Identification unverified. Any further attempts to intrude will result in fatality.|¡± Claire continuously walked forward without having a care, as if she intends to dare the golem into attacking her. ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me¡­ Is she seriously going to walk straight up to it in order to engage it?¡± Cadeus said. Knowing Claire, she¡¯s definitely the type who was more comfortable fighting from a distance. What did she hope to gain by being so up close? Did she intent to crystallize that golem? From the moment Claire was just several feet away, the golem stomped it¡¯s feet and took a stance showing hostility. But Claire did not care. A few more seconds, and the golem soon acted. The golem slowly raised one of its clenched fists and made an attempt to swing a punch. In the face of this new threat, Claire just merely waved an arm full of purple mist and corrupted the golem¡¯s arm before it could swing an arc. With the golem¡¯s arm crystallized, manipulating it was not an issue. The golem soon found itself struggling to take a swing. Registering the error in its functions, the golem raised the other arm and made an attempt to replicate the process. But Cadeus knew that it was already too late. By the time the golem registered its next course of actions, Claire was already a few inches away from the golem¡¯s body. She raised a hand near the hard armour and activated her Blood Gift. From the moment the purple mist came into contact with the golem¡¯s exterior, the golem¡¯s exterior around her hand started crystallizing. But like a budding flower, the crystallization spread all around the golem¡¯s structure at an extremely fast rate. Once the corruption extended throughout the lower half of the golem¡¯s structure, all Claire ever needed was to clench her hand. With sounds resembling glass shatter, the entity of the golem¡¯s crystallized exterior shattered. With the numerous crystal fragments flying in all directions, Claire merely stood tall and firm while her hair fluttered around her. Needless to say, the golem soon lost its balance and it¡¯s upper body collapsed onto the floor with a huge bang. From what Cadeus had seen, there was no need for Claire to use any powerful spells or advanced procedures. All she ever needed was just her Blood Gift, quick, simple and extremely deadly. It was extremely one sided to the point where it¡¯s very convincing that Claire was just merely venting her frustration. Due to its limited programming, the golem failed to register its current dilemma and it could only struggle to get up. With the golem lying against the floor, the crystal fragments of the armour slowly chipped away until Cadeus saw an interesting sight. At the very center within the layers of rock and steel, there was a small oval object glowing in green. With those paranormal green mists surrounding it, it was rather obvious that that oval object was the essence of magic. Taking three steps forward, Claire bent her waist and reached out for the Essence before tearing it out. If it weren¡¯t for the paranormal presence of magic, Cadeus would have thought that she was tearing out a piece of hardware away from multiple wires. Without it¡¯s essence, the golem could no longer function. The waving arms soon collapsed, and the golem ceased to move. Now that the battle was over, Cadeus moved up to the defeated golem. Looking at the way Claire was gripping the Essence, it did not look like she planned to destroy it. That¡¯s rather odd. Claire soon gestured for her sling bag and Cadeus passed it back to her. In seeing the curiosity in his face, Claire opened her mouth. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°¡­Are you not going to destroy the essence?¡± ¡°Why should I?¡± ¡°I thought you mentioned that destroying the Essence was a necessity to defeat the golem?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a strategy best suited for you. In case you haven¡¯t noticed.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Of course, how could he have not seen that? Claire brought up about destroying the Essence because she initially assumed that Cadeus would be doing all the fighting. Since she personally saw to the golem¡¯s defeat, there was no need for her to conform to that strategy. ¡°So what are you planning to do with that Essence? Use it¡¯s magical reserves to cast spells?¡± ¡°?¡± Claire gave a look that told Cadeus she was confused. After she rewinds the conversation in her head, she understood what he was referring to. ¡°Ah¡­ you thought that Essences are sources of magical energy. You idiot. Essences are not energy sources, they are magical regulators meant to aid magical processes and install paranormal procedures. You could say that they are the things that are behind the golem¡¯s programming.¡± What? Did you mean that it¡¯s like a computer processor? Cadeus thought. ¡°So¡­ they do not provide magic?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t. If you are talking about energy sources, that would refer to this.¡± With a snap of her fingers, her crystal birds flew straight into the gap within the golem and tore out what seemed to be a large crystal shard the size of an oval American football. Flapping their wings, the crystal birds clasped the crystal shard and brought it to their master¡¯s hand. Claire then brought up the crystal shard to Cadeus¡¯s face. ¡°Can you sense the magic within?¡± Claire asked. Althought it was faint, Cadeus felt it. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s weak.¡± ¡°Very weak.¡± Claire tossed the crystal shard to the side. ¡°If this shard is not replaced, the golem would soon run out of power.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Claire played around the essence by continuously tossing it up and catching it. ¡°If that Essence is not a energy source, then what exactly do you need it for?¡± ¡°This thing can fetch a price of at least 90 Duches at the forest entrance.¡± ¡°Of all things it¡¯s for the money?¡± Cadeus sighed. Rather than selling it, won¡¯t a tampered Essence help the Enforcers in their investigations? Cadeus gave a thought about asking Claire to let him have the Essence. She might not agree to it, but it¡¯s worth asking. ¡°May I have the Essence?¡± Claire gave him a calculating look. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°When this golem was still functioning a minute ago it recognizes Master Morgan¡¯s name but failed to register the meaning of it. I have a thought that perhaps, Fremin might have tampered with it¡¯s programming when he was on his way down. I¡¯m thinking of giving it to the Enforcers so that they could analyze it.¡± Cadeus almost said the word ¡®hacked¡¯, but he refrained himself and replaced the word with tampered because he knew that Claire would not understand him. Claire continued to play around with the Essence by tossing it up and catching it. ¡°Save yourself the trouble imposter. If an imposter like yourself could think of that possibility, the Enforcers would have long gotten the wind of it. This is not the only golem in this level, nor should this level be the only one to station them. The Enforcers will have plenty of opportunities to analyze all the essences that they need. If you are still insistent on getting this Essence, I¡¯ll charge you 90 Duches to take this off my hands.¡± ¡°Then forget it.¡± Claire made one final catch with the Essence before she made an announcement. ¡°I¡¯m done. I¡¯m heading back up to the surface.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± For a second there Cadeus thought he misheard her. ¡°You¡¯re done? What is that? Are you saying that you can just quit in the middle of a crisis?¡± ¡°I can, and I will.¡± ¡°Are you just pulling my leg?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± Claire pocketed the Essence within one of her waist pockets. ¡°The Enforcers are currently in the eight level, or perhaps they have even penetrated the ninth. Fremin is at the tenth level. It will not take that long for the Enforcers to immobilize him.¡± ¡°Fremin is a Master with powerful connections. I would not be surprised if there were multiple Masters backing him up from the shadows. What if they are down there helping Fremin?¡± ¡°Unlikely. No one will ever get in the way of the Enforcers in the middle of the crime scene. Even if Fremin had powerful friends it¡¯s not like they are going to intervene. If his ¡®powerful connections¡¯ are smart enough, they will do all they can to erase any traces linking them to Fremin to avoid getting arrested. Besides, do you honestly think the Enforcers need us to apprehend Fremin?¡± ¡°¡­¡± There¡¯s some element of logic in Claire¡¯s words. As if willing to discuss this topic, Claire pushed the conversation further. ¡°Why do you think the Enforcers called us in?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not because of your Blood Gifts, am I correct?¡± Claire¡¯s disapproving gaze confirmed his suspicions, so Cadeus gave his best answer. ¡°Politics.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Claire brushed her hair to the side. ¡°If the situation is that urgent, and if the Enforcers truly needed us to arrest Fremin in the first place, then they would have included us in their party when they invaded the lower levels. Instead, Miss Allis told us to help them clear the sixth and seventh level. On the outside, this may seem to be strategy; help the Enforcers cover their backs while they storm the front. But underneath that fa?ade, the Enforcers are indirectly pushing us to keep to the side lines.¡± ¡°¡­I think I can see where you are getting at. But I still don¡¯t understand. Can you please elaborate?¡± Claire sighed. ¡°Firstly, do you honestly think that the chimeras from our level is capable of attacking the Enforcers from behind? You saw the state of the golem. Given the surviving integrity of the security within this catacomb, do you believe that the chimeras could overcome the various restrictions and cross between levels?¡± ¡°Not entirely.¡± ¡°Good. Now secondly, if the Enforcers could penetrate the eight level so easily, what makes you think that the sixth and seventh levels are a concern?¡± ¡°¡­If they managed to apprehend Fremin, what use would it be if they could not get out?¡± ¡°Point taken, but if the Enforcers could instantly transport themselves from the fifth level to the eighth, what could prevent them from achieving the opposite? Or rather, transport the entire party directly back to the surface?¡± ¡°¡­True.¡± ¡°Thirdly, clearing the entity of the levels from the sixth to the ninth is something that¡¯s easily doable for Mages of their caliber. Given the fact that the Enforcers teleported themselves directly to the eighth level, the sixth and the seventh level were already condemned as irrelevant obstacles that was avoided at first opportunity. So my question is this, why are we assigned to deal with unrelated areas when time is of the essence?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°To be an Enforcer is to declare that you are a Mage of the highest caliber. For a noble of my standing I already bore witness to plenty of situations similar to this current crisis, and in nine out of ten cases the Enforcers never fail.¡± ¡°All right, I understand. The Enforcers just need you and Acriscius because you guys are Greater Nobles. So if you and Acriscius are here just for the sake of providing political support, then why did they bother to drag you all the way down here to help them out? If political backing is all that¡¯s needed, couldn''t they have just simply asked you to sign an agreeing statement?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that simple as you think.¡± Claire sighed again. ¡°We don¡¯t sign an agreeing statement saying that we support the Enforcers. It¡¯s not right, for such a document can be easily used against us when accountability becomes an issue.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°In times of crisis such as this particular case, things can get very chaotic. In order to ensure that the criminals are all apprehended, the Enforcers might be pushed to use drastic measures. In the case where it does happen, some of their actions might cause more damage than resolution. When that happens, the Enforcers must have something to fall back on to justify their actions. That¡¯s where we nobles come in. As nobles, we have a similar responsibility with the Enforcers to ensure that the laws established by the High Council are properly obeyed. But unlike the Enforcers, we follow a different set of rules. Our duty as nobles is to manage the land and protect the people that lived under the High Council¡¯s jurisdiction. Sometimes the actions of the Enforcers might compromise that responsibility. That is why, like what Miss Allis said earlier, nobles are obliged to help the Enforcers in times of crisis to ensure that they don¡¯t overstep their boundaries. As such, we must be present at the scenes of the crime to make sure that the Enforcers do not go too far in their pursuit for justice. We may not like to be involved at times, but our sense of responsibility prevents us from pulling out.¡± ¡°But you are clearly pulling out now¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get smart imposter. I¡¯m pulling out now because there¡¯s nothing left for me to do. So coming back at where we left off, since we are obliged to help them regardless of how we feel, the Enforcers always end up hiring the free hands instead. After all, having a Pure Blooded Greater Noble with a Blood Gift is a big boon to the combat frontier.¡± ¡°I see¡­ and how does that lead to something about keeping to the side lines?¡± Claire brushed the back of her hair to the side again. ¡°Whatever the Enforcers deal with, not everything is for us to see. There are often cases where the Enforcers stumbled upon an extremely sensitive issue that had political links. Although they could get the support from us Greater Nobles, some things could get out of hand when the wrong people see it. In order to avoid this problem, we are usually assigned to unrelated areas. If you want a real time example, look at where we are right now. Are the sixth and seventh level of any significance to the current case?¡± ¡°So¡­ the Enforcers pulled you in for political support and then just throw you guys at the sidelines so you don''t see anything that¡¯s case class sensitive?¡± ¡°Yes, and the most annoying thing is that we don¡¯t even get paid for going through this crap.¡± Cadeus decided to keep quiet about the fact that Miss Allis agreed to pay him 1200 Duches for his assistance. ¡°Even if what you say is true, what valid cause would still allow you to leave in the middle of their work? Wouldn¡¯t that affect poorly for your relationship with the Enforcers?¡± ¡°Our relationship with the Enforcers is already bad enough. I don''t even trust them.¡± ¡°You don''t trust them?¡± ¡°After all that I told you, why do you sound so surprised?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°To make things even more questioning, I have not heard anything from Master Morgan.¡± ¡°Master Morgan?¡± ¡°Yes. All registered Dark Mage students of the nobility have a direct Caller to Master Morgan in case situations like these pop up. It¡¯s a way for Master Morgan to keep trace of our safety and if needed be, interfere with our activities to make sure we don''t do anything stupid. The funny thing, is that I have not heard anything from her from the very start. Now that¡¯s unusual. ¡°I see¡­ Now that you mention it, where is Master Morgan?¡± ¡°I can think of two possibilities. It¡¯s either Master Morgan is currently not reachable, or the Enforcers started all this without letting her in the know.¡± ¡°Without letting her in the know? I understand that this is an emergency but is this possible? This is Tenebris Vacuum. It¡¯s right in the middle of her turf.¡± ¡°Which is probably the reason why the Enforcers bypassed the normal procedures. Given the severity of the situation, time is an extremely decisive factor. Once the whole situation is cleared up, the Enforcers will come back to the paper work.¡± ¡°I see¡­ does that mean that Master Morgan could join us in the middle of all this?¡± ¡°Who knows? That¡¯s something for you to find out.¡± It looks like Claire was seriously going to leave. As much as he hated her, Cadeus found it difficult to accept that she would just leave like that so easily. ¡°Do you even care about the corruption ritual at all?¡± ¡°I have the confidence that the Enforcers are well trained enough to deal with the situation.¡± ¡°What if Fremin were to succeed?¡± ¡°Then all the more reason for me to leave. As one of the very few Pure Blooded nobles, I have a responsibility to protect myself.¡± ¡°¡­Even though I sort of know your character, I am finding it extremely hard to believe that you¡¯ll leave just like that.¡± ¡°Imposter, don¡¯t forget your place. You don¡¯t know me. I¡¯d prefer things are kept that way between us.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°But don¡¯t worry. Knowing you, you¡¯ll definitely continue your way down to give a Fremin the punch he so deserves. Since it¡¯s unlikely that you¡¯ll survive on your own, I¡¯ll grant you one token of generousity.¡± ¡°Hell no.¡± Cadeus could instantly smell more favours coming his way. He already owed Claire this much. He refused to owe her more. ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot. You¡¯ll never survive here in your current state.¡± ¡°On the contrary, I have a high confidence in my capability to survive.¡± ¡°If you were to die here, you¡¯ll never repay the favours you owe me. Do you honestly think I will let that off?¡± ¡°Does it matter? You¡¯ll probably make me owe you another one for this.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll owe me only when I say so. This is different.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Under normal circumstances, Cadeus still would have refused Claire even though such favours come for free. This was highly due to his negative opinion of her and the fact that he¡¯d prefer to have less contact with her. ¡°Sigh¡­ so what¡¯s going to happen? Are you going to loan me one of your crystal birds?¡± ¡°Let me see your enchantments.¡± Ok¡­ that was rather unexpected. ¡°¡­Why?¡± ¡°Just show it to me.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Although he was reluctant, Cadeus folded up his sleeve. Staring at the enchantments growing weary, Claire helped herself with a smirk. ¡°Ha! Look at the state of your enchantments. Do you seriously think you can survive the catacombs with your enchantments in this state?¡± ¡°Not that I could do anything about it. I don¡¯t know any enchantments.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Then as a token of my generousity, I shall grant you a new set of enchantments.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What? What¡¯s with that look?¡± ¡°You are not going to cast something weird on me are you?¡± ¡°How rude.¡± Claire brushed the back of her hair to the side. ¡°Remember, you have a debt to owe me. If you were to die by some lucky chance, I would have wasted my favours. As much as I wished you would just conveniently die someday, now is not the time.¡± ¡°Do you know that you sound so unlady-like when you keep using the word ¡®die¡¯?¡± Claire chose to ignore him. Reaching for her own sling bag, Claire took out a blood vial and a syringe pack. ¡°Hey. What are you doing?¡± ¡°Your White friend used her blood to cast enchantments am I right?¡± ¡°Yes that¡¯s true, but using your own blood? I thought there are other methods to enchant something.¡± ¡°There are, but using blood was by far the most long lasting medium.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°What exactly is on your mind?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I was considering that a noble of such high stature wouldn¡¯t bother to use her blood for someone easily labeled as an imposter.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You are very accurate. Now get on your hands and knees and bow your head to show your gratitude.¡± ¡°If I were to do that, I will be the dumbest person to exist on both worlds. Why don¡¯t you use my blood?¡± ¡°Do you honestly think that I want to touch the blood of an imposter?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ true.¡± Before she began her procedure, Claire placed the tip of her index and middle finger on the ¡®Nilth¡¯ rune on Cadeus¡¯s arm. ¡°Un!¡± Cadeus sensed Claire swelling her magic within her fingertips before unleashing them with a bang. In that very instance, Sing¡¯s ¡®Nilth¡¯ rune was banished from his arm, along with all the other enchantments. ¡°Hey¡­ those enchantments still could be of use regardless of their durability.¡± ¡°I got rid of them because they¡¯ll be in the way. White Enchantments have a tendency to interfere with Dark Enchantments when they are applied within close proximity.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Due to his own ignorance, Cadeus was unsure of the credibility of such a claim. Perhaps he could ask Sing later when he sees her again. ¡°Just to be clear, what is your combat preference?¡± ¡°Combat preference?¡± ¡°Be it Arcane Warfare or the usual fights, I noticed that you always love to move up close to hit your enemies. Are you just practicing close combat? Or are you in actuality more comfortable firing spells from the back?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ well if I am allowed to be greedy I¡¯d prefer to be at the back. But if you want honesty, I prefer my opponent to be right in front of me.¡± ¡°Then close combat it is.¡± Claire used the syringe to make a blood withdrawal and deposited the amount to her fingertips. She then placed her two fingers just below Cadeus¡¯s wrist and swapped her blood downwards. Applying her magic, the blood below Cadeus¡¯s wrist solidified and latched itself onto Cadeus¡¯s skin, molding itself into a different mark that looked like a general ¡®Q¡¯. Like Sing¡¯s rune ¡®Nilth¡¯, it glowed in a bright deep red. ¡°So what is with this rune?¡± ¡°The base rune I used on you is called ¡®Quith¡¯. Unlike ¡®Nilth¡¯ that allows the caster to share enchantments with multiple parties, ¡®Quith¡¯ focuses more on the self.¡± That sounds rather self-centered, but Cadeus chose to ignore it. The enchantments were meant for him alone anyway. ¡°What are the benefits and trade offs?¡± ¡°Incantation effects will be magnified to enhance the enchanted. The trade off is that the Incantations supplied will only be tied to the enchanted. Any attempts to link the incantations to other parties will result in the base rune¡¯s utter termination.¡±This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you two enchantments. Let¡¯s see¡­ Let¡¯s go with [Environmental Leech], [Consumption] and a hex would be good.¡± As she said that, the glowing blood mark below his wrist soon extended and formed three different incantation marks that glowed in a dark gloomy colour. As the incantations were thoroughly established, Cadeus soon felt his body being covered in an aura of Dark Magic. Whilst hearing all the dubious terms, Cadeus could not help but open his mouth for clarification. ¡°¡­Just what exactly are you giving me?¡± ¡°[Environmental Leech] and [Consumption] are a passive combination that will help you stabilize your energy expenditure. [Environmental Leech] is an enchanted aura that slowly corrupts the environment to produce Dark magical energies before absorbing it in passively to help the body replace lost energy. This effect increases or decreases in accordance to the density of Dark Magic present in the environment. Since the environmental energies of the catacombs are naturally Dark Magic, this should help you draw in the environmental energies by a significant degree. One good thing about this aura is that you don¡¯t have to be consciously active to use this ability, as your body will automatically leech on the environment whenever it¡¯s in need of energy replenishment. [Consumption] on the other hand, passively taxes the body¡¯s magical reserves to produce a stronger input into spell casting. Whether you like it or not, your body will now automatically use more magical energies to cast stronger spells. This means that you might probably hit your Cast Limit faster. But with [Environmental Leech], that will soon be an unnecessary worry since your body will automatically recuperate and replenish the magical energies needed to avoid hitting your Cast Limit. Think of it as a continuous cycle between exhaustion and replenishment.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ I can see the difference between your set of enchantments as compared to my White friend¡¯s. But what¡¯s the theory involved?¡± ¡°Typical of White Magic, the enchantments your White friend uses fall more under the category of [Shared Charms] due to its equal distribution of passive effects. Obviously my enchantments differ because Dark Magic is never about equal distribution.¡± ¡°Right¡­ I heard you mentioning a hex.¡± ¡°Are you familiar with Hexes?¡± ¡°Yes. If I remember my lessons correctly, hexes are a form of phenomenal curses that are inflicted through the usage of invocations or incantations. Since enchantments are a form of incantations, hexing can also be achieved by enchanting the victim.¡± ¡°Good. Now, have you casted a hex before?¡± ¡°If you are asking if I had cursed anyone, the answer is a no.¡± ¡°I see. Then I¡¯ll explain it to you. [Nerve Hex] is a Dark Enchantment that targets the victim¡¯s nervous system to magnify the sensation of pain. The hex can only be activated manually. Once you succeed in establishing a hex, the target that got hexed will develop a hex mark. Once the target has the hex mark, the hex will be consistently active until the caster frees the target, or until the hex mark was removed.¡± ¡°How do you remove a hex mark?¡± ¡°The same treatment anyone would do with curses. If you are a Grey or White, you expel the mark. Of you are a Dark, you curb it.¡± ¡°I see. Are there any guarding techniques against hexes?¡± ¡°The most common methods I know are Enchantment Auras.¡± Cadeus took a good look at the glowing symbol that represents the hex. ¡°You mentioned that the hex has to be activated manually, so how do I use it?¡± ¡°Do you feel the magic within the hex symbol?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Draw that magic into your bloodstream and unleash it upon your target.¡± ¡°¡­That sounds simple enough.¡± ¡°It sounds simple because this is the simplified technique using prepared hexes. Proper hexes are often casted directly from the mind just like any [Point Spells]. It just takes advanced training to pull something like that off.¡± ¡°I see¡­ wait a minute, [Nerve Hex] only works on biological organisms that have the capability to feel pain. How exactly is [Nerve Hex] going to help me against an artificial construct that can never feel?¡± ¡°Who ever said that [Nerve Hex] is for the golems?¡± ¡°Oh¡­¡± The golems were not the only threat in this catacomb. There were far more vicious chimeras, and then there¡¯s Fremin and his subordinates. Besides, [Environmental Leech] and [Consumption] should more than enough to help him stand his ground against the golems. Thinking about the fact that enchantments can get exhausted over time, Cadeus soon noticed that Claire was not going to create her own set of enchantments. ¡°Let me confirm something. If I happen to exhaust these enchantments on my arm, can I supplement them on my own?¡± ¡°The answer should be obvious.¡± ¡°I see¡­ thank you.¡± And that confirms the fact that as long as the Enchantments are Dark Magic, Cadeus should be able to rejuvenate them on his own. That¡¯s good news. At least Cadeus did not have to rely on another party to maintain his enchantments. ¡°But what happens if the enchantments were casted by a Mixed Blood?¡± ¡°As long as the overall nature of the enchantment aligns to Dark Magic, there should not be a problem.¡± Claire flipped her wrist upwards and looked at the part of her bracelet that was directly over her pulse. Magic circles and paranormal lines soon manifested in the shape of a clock, revealing the current time. ¡°It¡¯s coming to 7:42 pm. I¡¯m leaving. Sigh¡­I want to be back by 8:15 pm. I really need a shower.¡± ¡°How exactly are you going to get back up?¡± ¡°I have my ways.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t tell me¡­ you know some spells related to flight magic?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave that to your imagination. The enchantments I give you should be sufficient enough to help you on the way down. As a Pure Blood, you should not face any difficulty. Make sure you survive imposter. You still owe me.¡± Claire turned her back and started walking back towards the place they landed earlier. TOA With Claire¡¯s unexpected departure, Cadeus was at a loss in regards to how he ought to respond to this sudden change. One part of him felt grateful that Claire was no longer around. If he had stuck with her for the remainder of this event, he would somehow owe her more favours. However, another part of him felt that it was a shame for her to go. Without her crystal abilities, Cadeus could only navigate blindly. He could still use the classic method of writing directions on paper. However, paper was currently an extremely limited recourse. If he were to keep relying on it, Cadeus would be out of paper at a very fast rate. ¡°Sigh¡­ what should I do now?¡± Searching within his bag for a possible answer, Cadeus soon stumbled upon the Black Book that Claire returned him earlier; The Book of Spirits, written by the long deceased Zelnarius Pride ve Lu. ¡°¡­¡± Using the collapsed golem as a chair, Cadeus sat down and flipped to the page depicting the table of contents hoping to find some alternatives. As his eyes fell upon the page, the coded symbols and letters soon glowed in bright silver. Dismissing the top few lines, Cadeus slowly glanced downwards until he saw a particular section that caught his attention. Chapter 2 ¨C A Magi¡¯s Spirit and his surroundings
  1. Spirit and Paranormal Association
  2. Spirit traces and spirit tracing
¡°Spirit Tracing? What is this? For this to exist within a Black Book, is this a clairvoyance spell I can use?¡± Flipping through, Cadeus arrived at the indicated page and read the first sentence. ''As it is commonly recognized, the theory of Paranormal Association defines the irreversible effect of magical influences between the mage and the environment. By drawing the immaterial into manifestation, the mage will leave behind a paranormal impression around the area of effect that will persist until the magical energies expire. However, in creating a lingering impression, the mage is tied to the environment momentarily due to the fact that he was the caster. If we follow this theory of Paranormal Association, the term ¡®Spirit¡¯ can also be interpreted as a series of paranormal links between a person and his surroundings. This is only achieved through the establishment of spirit traces. Spirit traces are fragments of spiritual presences a person leaves behind upon making an impact upon the area around him. Any form of contact either through the physical or paranormal would indirectly leave spirit traces. The more frequent the contact established, the stronger the trace, especially when the paranormal link is established by magic. Magical spells are the manifestation of the immaterial, whereby such manifestations are influenced by a person¡¯s thoughts. Since a person¡¯s mental strength and imaginary capability are vital in creating a successive manifestation, one can conclude that spells contain strong fragments of a person¡¯s thoughts. Thoughts are link to a person¡¯s character, which is thoroughly defined by his spirit. As such, spells contain fragments of a person¡¯s spirit and they will leave behind spirit traces once resolved. The establishment of spirit traces is involuntarily passive, as it is a mark of evidence that confirms the presence of the ¡®Spirit¡¯. Hence, once the paranormal link is identified, the ¡®Spirit¡¯ of the person involved may also be identified.'' Understanding the basic concept, Cadeus skipped the rest of the theories and moved to the part about spirit tracing. ''If a mage were sensitive and experienced enough to understand the paranormal links between the mage and the environment, he or she would soon gain the capacity to identify spirit traces. Spirit Tracing is the act of identifying a spirit trace and using that trace to identify the source of the phenomena. It can be seen as a form of clairvoyance. But unlike White Clairvoyance spells, this can be done universally by any mage. Thus, there¡¯s no need to be concerned about colour alignment. Learning this skill may take time and patience for the strength to identify spirit traces is dependant on the mage¡¯s sensitivity to paranormal activities, which can be improved over time. There are only three steps to trace a spirit fragment back to its source; Spirit scan, Spirit identification, and Spirit links. Spirit scanning is the act of browsing through the spell in order to isolate the human factor. Since spells always contain fragments of the caster¡¯s ¡®Spirit¡¯, every spell contain a certain human factor that ties the caster to the spell. It is important to identify the part of the spell that feels human, for it is the most critical part of the procedure. Once the human factor is isolated, identifying the spirit fragment should be easy. Identifying the spirit fragment allows the seeker to recognize the caster¡¯s spirit link. Spirit links are connective bonds that continuously tie the caster paranormally to the environment. As per the theory of paranormal association, the more frequent the mage tempers the environment with his magic, the more spirit links he leaves behind. Once the link is identified, what remains would be to search for the other links that shared the same spirit fragments. The convenient part about this is that each individual mage has his/her own human factor within their spells. As such, even though there are multiple spirit fragments within a specific location, it won¡¯t be easy to misplace the target caster¡¯s spirit link.'' The rest of the chapter involved advanced techniques on how to use spirit links to trace the caster directly in addition to several examples of multiple case scenarios. Wow¡­ whoever this Zelnarius fellow was, he sure was someone thorough. Unfortunately, the part about using spirit links to trace the caster directly had to be ignored. The reason was because Cadeus had doubts in his current capability to absorb such in-depth information. Now then¡­ what could be an item his friends have that would contain their spirit traces? The answer soon revealed itself when Cadeus recalled that Sing had an imprinted rune on her hairclip. Turning his sling bag over, he soon saw the spot where Sing had marked her rune on his sling bag. Sensing the presence of White Magic¡­ no, Sing¡¯s magic, Cadeus saw that the rune she imprinted on his bag could help lead him to her. Sitting in a meditation stance, Cadeus took a deep breath and tried to peer into her rune. Spirit scan, spirit identification, and then search for spirit links. Cadeus continuously repeated this sequence in his head as he made an attempt to analyze Sing¡¯s magic. All he felt was white. The rune was giving out the obvious nature of White Magic, but he had to go even further. Following the instructions in the Black Book, Cadeus had go beyond the veil of White Magic and find the part of the rune that belonged specifically to Sing. Now then, which part of this rune feels like Sing? Cadeus spent the next few minutes trying to feel sense Sing¡¯s spirit fragment. It was not easy. Sing¡¯s rune was a small mark of magic meant to fulfill a small function. There was not much Cadeus could make of it. But in just a few more seconds, he finally felt a glimpse of it. At the upper right section of the rune, there was a small part that felt like Sing. Wait¡­ let him correct that. There was a small fragment of Sing¡¯s presence, a small part of it that felt just like her. On first hand, it felt like a nostalgic memory. But beyond that, Cadeus felt her reason for casting the rune that founded the basis of the rune¡¯s purpose. That was the spirit fragment. Following the book¡¯s instructions, Cadeus then made an attempt to search for other sources that had the same spirit trace. In conclusion, this was the sequence that happened. Spirit scan: Spirit trace identified Spirit identification: Sirena Delnarius Spirit link: Three links present ¡°Three links?¡± Two of the three links came from the same source, while the last was separated at a short distance. Cadeus was a little lost in thought when he soon remembered that Sing casted four runes in total; three for each of their sling bags, and the last on her hairclip. Not counting his, there was indeed three other spirit links, one from Nadav, and two from Sing. Focusing his attention to the three links, Cadeus sensed that they were currently together. Now that he knows where the links roughly were, Cadeus soon got up and started moving towards them. TOA ¡°|Mage identified. Not amongst registered list. Identify self.|¡± ¡°Ah¡­ crap.¡± Another golem. Now in normal circumstances Cadeus would bother spending time to talk his way out of any confrontation. But time was of the essence. Cadeus was not going to waste any time to wait for Fremin to discharge his ritual. As such, he decided to go straight to the offensive. Moving fast, he felt his blood pumping as he gathered Dark Magic within his palm. Once he was ready, Cadeus stopped his feet and shot out a [Fire Ball] from his open palm. At this distance, he could not miss. With [Consumption], the effects of the [Fireball] was amplified. Once the [Fire Ball] landed on the golem¡¯s torso, it spread out and seared though the entire surface area. As he watched, Cadeus had the confidence that the golem¡¯s outer layers would be melted down. Once the flames had cleared, he should be able to see the Essence. However, his confidence was soon unfounded for the golem took a few steps forward with it¡¯s armour still fully intact. With the lingering flames burning away, Cadeus was left clueless as to what could have protected the golem¡¯s exterior. As the golem slowly walked forward, Cadeus saw a bright red rune shining at the top of the golem¡¯s torso. With that rune in effect, the flames from his [Fire Ball] gradually extinguished. ¡°Oh come on. This guy has protection from fire?¡± The golem soon bent its knees before starting a dash. As it ran, the floor pounded with every step. ¡°What the¡­ it suddenly took up speed?¡± Realizing that he would soon get caught in the stampede, Cadeus quickly jumped to the side. Landing on his stomach, he immediately got up to see the Golem still dashing forward until it stopped to turn. Since it was just dashing blindly in a straight line, it must have been a one off ability of limited use. ¡°How clich¨¦¡­ it¡¯s totally like some RPG game from Earth. If Nadav were here he would definitely shout ¡®copycat¡¯ and quote Witcher 2 or some other game that has the exact copyrights. Now then¡­ how should I ¨C ¡± The golem bent its knees and started another brainless charge. ¡°Oh no¡­ you got to be kidding me.¡± The next time he got up, Cadeus stopped thinking of strategies and immediately ran towards the nearest exit. TOA From start of Prologue to the end of Prologue. TOA After turning in a few more turns, the two childhood friends came across one long corridor. Once they had hit beyond the halfway mark the two could not run any further. In an attempt to deceive the Conmetarus, Nadav bit in the growing pain within his abdomen and raised his arms up. At that very instance where it seemed as if he was carrying a huge weight, Nadav uttered two spells. ¡°[Boulder Erect], [Cement].¡± A part of the ground before them rose up in the shape of a huge cuboid. In accordance to the spell, the chunk of earth automatically positioned itself with perfect proportion against the walls on either side. After the cuboid successfully placed itself straight up at a perfect 90 degrees, [Cement] was used to alter the earth into wet sticky clay. When there was enough clay, Nadav used his magic to manipulate the clay into sealing the edges of the cuboid with the walls. By the end of all the procedures, there was an artificially created wall that¡¯s easily passable as a random dead end. Once he was finished, Nadav¡¯s legs gave way and he collapsed on his buttocks. Feeling the painful stitches within their abdomen, the two took a moment to catch their breaths. Bending his knees, Cadeus rested his hands against his tights and took in deep breaths. Running crazily like that caused the much hated anaerobic respirations. Despite the few adrenaline rushes, the rapid build up of lactic acids was more than enough to prevent him from continuing. Nadav had it slightly better, for Cadeus could see [Heroic Might] still glowing on his forearm. That White enchantment would help Nadav to recover his stamina at a quicker rate. After a few more minutes, Nadav was on his legs again. Once Cadeus had recovered, they soon moved on, hoping that they would not encounter the Conmetarus again. ¡°Hey Cadeus, does that Conme-thing has an acute sense of smell?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Don¡¯t ask me. I don¡¯t even know what the heck that thing was made from.¡± ¡°So what happened to you? The last time I saw you, you took quite a long fall. What happened to the red head gang boss and that noble chick?¡± ¡°When I came to, Acriscius is no longer there, and Claire was right next to me. Apparently, she¡¯s the one who gave me this before I woke.¡± Cadeus pointed to the bandage on his head. Nadav suddenly paused. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You were unconscious, she helped you with a bandage, and when you woke up she happens to be right next to you?¡± Oh no¡­ not again? This idiot¡¯s couple relationship switch flipped for all the wrong reasons. ¡°Before you say anything about me and Claire being an item, you better stop because if you do, I swear that in the next instance, my fist will bury itself into your face.¡± Nadav opened his mouth before closing it again. ¡°All right, all right. I won¡¯t try to implement anything, but just let me ask you one question.¡± ¡°Knowing you, you¡¯ll just fire away even though I said stop asking.¡± ¡°Did she give you a lap pillow?¡± Cadeus nearly fell on his face when he heard that. He knew Nadav would say something that¡¯s entirely unfounded, but this? ¡°Lap pillow? How in the f***ing f*** did you arrive to that sort of conclusion?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. The two of you strike me as¡­ I don¡¯t know, an item?¡± Cadeus turned and swung a fist to Nadav¡¯s nose. ¡°Oof!¡± Since it¡¯s his own fault for failing to see that coming, Nadav took the blunt of the force and collapsed to the floor. Seriously, just how nonsensical could this childhood friend get? Putting aside the matter about Claire, Nadav went to the more important details. ¡°So what happened next? Since that noble chick is not here with you, did something happened?¡± ¡°The hacked golems were what happened. The first golem we came across was hacked so it refused to let us pass. We called Miss Allis for some names or passwords, but she did not help at all. Claire got sick of the entire situation and she just singlehandedly trashed the golem. She left for the surface afterwards.¡± ¡°She just left? Can she do that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know, and don¡¯t start thinking that we can as well. Unlike Claire, we are not nobles.¡± ¡°Shit¡­ you just have to say it do you?¡± How easily predictable, Cadeus was glad that he managed to shut that idea out before it was developed beyond control. ¡°But enough about me, what about you? What happened on your end after I fell?¡± ¡°Well after you fell down, Sing used another Clairvoyance spell and found a stairway leading down to this level.¡± ¡°Sing casted another Clairvoyance spell? After all that fighting with the Arthropod Queen? [Carving Sight] is equivalent to three [Point Spells]. How¡¯s her Cast Limit holding up?¡± ¡°I asked the same question myself. Apparently she had only a couple of [Point Spells] left before she hits her limit.¡± ¡°How exactly is that good?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t, but hey. If she hadn¡¯t done that, we wouldn¡¯t know how the heck to get to this lower level to find you.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ true.¡± ¡°So, coming back to where we left off. Once we descended to this level, the guy with the tattoo on his cheek left with his friends.¡± ¡°Vanderburg?¡± ¡°Yes that¡¯s the one. He said something along the lines of ¡®Thank you, but you guys are now on your own¡¯ and left to look for his boss.¡± ¡°I see. What happened next?¡± ¡°We ran into two golems.¡± ¡°Did they attack you?¡± ¡°No. They both registered us as Humans and just simply let us pass.¡± ¡°They let you pass? The ones I came across had their programming hacked. They refused to let me through, so violence is the only answer.¡± ¡°I know, I saw.¡± ¡°So, did the Conmaterus come after that?¡± ¡°Of course it did. Sing and I were taking a few turns here and there until we came across an artificially created habitat meant to support the various chimera life forms.¡± ¡°What? Do you mean a forest?¡± ¡°Nah¡­ it¡¯s more like a zoo. The problem is, there¡¯s no bloody security to make sure that the beasts keep to their pens. When we arrived, there¡¯s evidence of predatory activities. There¡¯s a ton of carcasses and rotting bones. That¡¯s when we encountered the Conma-whatever-shit-it-is. We were just walking through when we saw it chasing a smaller chimera probably from a similar experiment. It jumped on it and sank its jaws into the poor thing¡¯s throat.¡± ¡°What?¡± Cadeus raised an eyebrow. Calling an extremely dangerous chimera a ¡®poor thing¡¯ did sound wrong to his ears, regardless of the predatory circumstances. ¡°The poor thing? Seriously?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what Sing said.¡± ¡°I guess she¡¯s not happy to see such a sight.¡± ¡°Oh she¡¯s pissed. You know her. But before she could make a fuss out of it, the Conma-I-don¡¯t-give-a-shit saw us and started attacking us. That¡¯s where we split up.¡± ¡°Why did the two of you even split up in the first place? This can¡¯t be Sing¡¯s idea. Is it yours?¡± ¡°Um¡­ yes¡­¡± ¡°I thought so, and in doing so you forsake Sing to be lost in this dangerous catacomb. Brilliant.¡± ¡°It¡­ it was just a spur of the moment.¡± ¡°If something happens to Sing, don¡¯t come running to me if she becomes a wraith and haunts you.¡± ¡°¡­She won¡¯t, right?¡± Cadeus was about to leave him hanging there when he recalled something unusual. ¡°How did being chased by that Conmaterus ended up with you hanging onto the edge of an extremely narrow cliff?¡± ¡°Trust me, if you are being chased consistently by that Conma-shit, hanging onto the edge of a cliff might not be a bad idea.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Deciding that he did not want to know anything further, Cadeus returned to the matter at hand. He was reunited with Nadav. That was a good start. Now what they need was to find Sing and help Miss Allis in the Eighth level. Ignoring the idiot, Cadeus turned his attention to the rune on his sling bag and resumed his spirit tracing. Closing his eyes, Cadeus meditated and sensed that the two remaining spirit links to Sing were still active. Sing was still somewhere in this level. Noticing that Cadeus was meditating, Nadav waited until he opened his eyes before asking. ¡°You done?¡± ¡°Yes. I know where Sing is.¡± Nadav noticed a strange sense of confidence within his friend. ¡°You do? How?¡± ¡°Just so it happens, I recalled I had a Clairvoyance spell up my sleeve.¡± ¡°A Dark Clairvoyance spell?¡± Nadav gave Cadeus eyes full of doubt. ¡°You don¡¯t have to give me that look. No, this spell is not Dark, nor did I use any suspicious means to acquire Sing¡¯s location. What I just used is universal. You could use it if you know how to do it.¡± ¡°Is it? All right, once we are done with this incident, give me a crash course.¡± ¡°Are you sure? There¡¯s going to be a lot of theory involved.¡± ¡°¡­You know what, never mind¡­¡± As they moved on, Nadav soon caught wind of a change he did not sense until now. Whenever Sing casted her enchantments on them, there would always be a faint presence of White Magic around the three of them. Even now, Nadav could sense a small fragment of White Magic around him due to Sing¡¯s enchantments. However, Nadav could not feel said presence around Cadeus. ¡°Cadeus, what happened to your enchantments?¡± TOA At another part of the eighth level, Sirena was looking back at the path leading back to the artificially created habitat. After waiting for several more minutes, Sirena could only voice out a conclusive statement. ¡°¡­ I knew it. He¡¯s not coming back.¡± Ever since Nadav successfully ¡®led¡¯ the chimera away, things took a different turn. For one, she was now alone. Just as she had expected, Nadav did not return. He must have gotten lost after loosing the chimera. Well that¡¯s not something surprising. Knowing Nadav, he would loose the pursuer, get lost in the process and somehow miraculously survive to see another day. Even in the midst of this dangerous catacomb, Sirena was not even worried for her clownish friend. But that was not the main problem. Turning back to the path before her, Sing let out a concerning thought. ¡°Now then¡­ how exactly do I proceed from now?¡± Given the situation, remaining in the artificially created habitat was not an option since there¡¯s the possibility that other deadly chimeras might show up. That was why she left the enlarged chamber for good. But how she should proceed beyond this point was extremely important. ¡°¡­It¡¯s not like I am out of any options.¡± She had a few clairvoyance spells, but those had a limited range. Having experienced how insanely large this catacomb labyrinth could be, Sirena doubted that her current list of clairvoyance spells could be of any use other than wasting her Cast Limit. Sing soon turned her attention to the enchantments on her arm. They were all still glowing strongly. She won¡¯t be rejuvenating them for a while. Current Cast Limit estimation ¨C about fifteen [Point Spells] Endar¡¯s Light was still passively active, but that was not enough to help her navigate this whole place without running into trouble. Thinking about how she should proceed, Sirena concluded that her best option would be to try to find Cadeus in order to contact the Enforcers. If she recalled, Cadeus had a Caller. If she could find him in this level, they could link up with Miss Allis and hopefully they could send someone working off scene to help trace Nadav¡¯s location. Setting her sights on this newfound goal, Sirena had spent the next few minutes moving on her own. With [Endar¡¯s Light] in her hand, Sirena was fully aware that she was making herself a wide target for the possible chimeras who were nocturnal. However, it was a risk she was willing to take. Before long, Sirena soon encountered what looks like another experimental laboratory filled with various mutative experimentations. Only this time, it was a little different. There were a large number of shelves that displayed glass jars of various sizes that were either empty or broken. Those that were still filled contained various sorts of twisted small chimeras. Given the glossy state of the liquid within, the chimeras inside were long dead. In fact, it would be right to say that everything here was dead. Staring at all these dead animals used for the horrendous experiments, Sirena could not help but feel an emotion growing within her. And yes, that emotion was anger. But that anger was soon short lived as Sirena felt a familiar presence within this dead room. ¡°White Magic?¡± Feeling a small shred of White Magic, Sirena focused her attention on the lingering presence of magic. ¡°This feeling¡­ something¡¯s alive!¡± Retaining her focus on that lingering presence, Sing quickly searched around and tried tracing that sensation to its source. With such a small presence, it was hard to pin point the exact location of the source. But once she reached the source, what Sirena ended up stumbling upon was a small jar that had a bit of light. Grabbing that small jar, Sirena saw a small glowing creature within the glass. It was a creature she knew all too well. ¡°A fairy?¡± Fairies are a species of tiny magical creatures strongly associate with various folklores and myths. They were originally native to Earth, but the bulk of their population had migrated to Zeffernon sometime prior to the Great Pilgrimage. Controversial to popular belief, fairies are creatures incapable of speech. However, they were strongly reputed to be able to convey thoughts and ideas through a unique form of magical telegraphy that¡¯s unknown even to humans. As she looked into the jar, the fairy remained unresponsive. It just resumed being cuddled up without being aware of what¡¯s transpiring around her. ¡°Strange¡­ if I can feel her presence, she should be able to feel mine. For a magical being to be unresponsive to its surroundings, its mind must be mentally isolated from the world outside.¡± It¡¯s no surprise that the fairy¡¯s mind would be targeted. Since fairies can convey thoughts, they can sometimes influence the human mind to do their bidding. The Dark Mutators who captured it must have isolated its mental capacity as a form of safety measure. ¡°But how did they do it¡­ oh, it¡¯s the jar.¡± On closer observation, the jar tip that envelop into the jar¡¯s cover was encoded with glowing yellow runic inscriptions. The inscriptions were arranged like a ring around the jar tip before extending downwards like cage bars. With such a representation of a trapped bird, it¡¯s no wonder why this fairy would be in such a predicament. Prying off the jar¡¯s cover, the runic inscriptions dispersed and voided the isolation effects. Tilting the jar downwards, Sirena allowed the fairy to drop gently onto her hand. Now that the fairy was directly before her, Sirena could sense that its magical presence was weak, very weak. In fact, it was so weak that the fairy¡¯s glow was extremely dim. It soon became rather obvious to Sirena that this fairy was on the verge of dying. Caressing the small being in her hand, Sirena slowly fed it with a portion of her own White Magic. Based on her own knowledge, Sirena knew that fairies were magical creatures that lived on magic. Without a feeding source of magic that shared its colours, the fairy will die. As she fed it, the fairy resumed its glow. Soon, the fairy regained its energy and it started fluttering its small wings. Moving her hand forward, Sirena gave the fairy the room it needs and waited as it soon took off. It flew around the room until it hovered in front of her in mid air. With its wings glittering with graceful light, Sirena felt it conveying it¡¯s thanks to her telegraphically. ¡°Oh no worries. It¡¯s my pleasure. How did you end up in such a place?¡± Sirena sensed sadness within the fairy. It soon conveyed thoughts of fear and suppression, fear for its companions and suppression from the bad people in black. Wait¡­ fear for its companions? ¡°There are other fairies here?¡± The fairy nodded. Sirena could instantly guess what might have happened to them. ¡°Did the bad people in black turn them?¡± The fairy shrunk in sadness and nodded, as if it knew what became of its comrades long before it was mentally isolated. As if to confirm its own fears, the fairy glided into the air until it arrived at a shelf that displayed lifeless small jars filled with twisted mutated chimeras with wings. Staring at her twisted friends that would no longer take into the air, the fairy could only turn and sit on the edge of a nearby table. Although Sirena could not see it, it was obvious that the fairy was moaning in grief. Staring at this sad scene, Sirena could not help but feel sorry for the fairy. She did not know why the Dark Mutators would do something so terrible, but she refused to let this fairy remain in this twisted place. ¡°Do you have anywhere to go?¡± The fairy shook its head. ¡°I see¡­ if that¡¯s the case, would you like to come with me?¡± The fairy gazed at her with confusion and uncertainty. ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving this place soon. But before that, I need to find my friends. Would you like to come with me?¡± The fairy considered. After several minutes, it nodded. TOA ¡°Untouched?¡± ¡°Not entirely¡­ one of them is casting spells.¡± ¡°What colour?¡± ¡°He¡¯s using the element Earth, so I guess he¡¯s a Grey.¡± ¡°How far are they?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ not that far. I¡¯d say they are at least¡­ twenty two meters away?¡± ¡°What kind of estimation is that?¡± Whilst tracing Sing with his Spirit Tracing, Cadeus and Nadav overheard sounds of moving rubbles from a distance. Following the direction of the noise, they soon encountered the base of a short chasm. In seeing light above one side of the cliffs, Nadav offered using one of his Earth elemental spells to level up the earth to bring them up. However, Cadeus disagreed due to his uncertainty as to whether they will bump into foes. In the end, the two decided on the old classic way of a human ladder, which resulted in Cadeus standing on Nadav¡¯s shoulders to get a clear view of things. ¡°Seven Untouched, one mage. I saw his robe slash. He¡¯s an Apprentice.¡± ¡°An Apprentice? Crap¡­ that¡¯s two ranks up.¡± ¡°He¡¯s also carrying a staff.¡± ¡°A staff? I guess he¡¯s not the athletic type then. Did he sense us?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think so. With such density of Dark Magic in the air, I doubt he will be able to notice us at this distance.¡± ¡°What were they doing?¡± ¡°They were trying to seal off a catacomb passageway.¡± ¡°What? No wonder they are so loud. But why would they do such a thing? Are they sealing the passageway because there¡¯s a dangerous chimera close by?¡± ¡°If that were the case, that mage would have acted with haste. But instead, he is taking his own time. It must be for another reason.¡± ¡°Then it must be for a strange reason. I mean, why are they bothering to do something so tedious when the chimeras they unleash could scare the Enforcers away?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe the chimeras failed to scare the Enforcers away.¡± ¡°I hope that¡¯s the case. If it is, I¡¯m sure Fremin must be getting panicked to place an Apprentice this far from the ritual circle.¡± After seeing all he needed to, Cadeus pressed his left hand on a lower rocky edge before hopping off Nadav¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Or maybe, this group just happened to be lost.¡± GGRROOOWWWLLLLL!!!! The two could only pause in response to that powerful roar. ¡°¡­Please don¡¯t tell me that¡¯s the Conma-bloody-thing.¡± ¡°¡­I think so.¡± Nadav started looking around frantically. ¡°Is it us? Is it us?¡± A human cry soon resonated, and the two soon heard swords unsheathing. ¡°I think the Conmaterus found them instead.¡± Cadeus felt magic casting and he soon heard war cries. ¡°Nadav. Give me a lift.¡± ¡°Again?¡± ¡°Just help me.¡± Nadav bent a knee and allowed Cadeus to place his feet onto his shoulders. As he watched, Cadeus saw that the Untouched had surrounded the Conmaterus. The Apprentice was busy casting enchantment effects. The Untouched swords soon glowed in bright blue, but Cadeus doubted that it would make any difference. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Nadav asked. ¡°The Untouched had surrounded the Conmaterus and they are now charging in without any plan. The Apprentice is cursing at them for breaking formation.¡± ¡°I guess he¡¯s not happy. He probably assumes that the Untouched will listen to him.¡± ¡°I guess not. Ok, the Untouched landed several blows onto the Conmaterus.¡± ¡°Did they get him?¡± ¡°Um¡­ no.¡± In fact, it probably made things worst, for the Conmaterus snarled with its sharp teeth and leaped onto a nearby Untouched. With one snap of the jaw, the Conmaterus jumped away and faced the others. By the time his friends got to him, the fallen Untouched was long dead with his throat torn out. ¡°Ouch¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°One of the Untouched went down.¡± ¡°I thought so¡­ what about the Apprentice?¡± As the Apprentice waved his arms around, Cadeus could feel him gathering magic to cast a spell. Typical of all staff wielders, the Apprentice casted his spell by placing the focus point at the base of the staff and activated his magic by slamming the staff¡¯s bottom tip down onto the floor. A red circle soon materialized around the Conmaterus and it started inflicting burning pain around it. But that only served to aggravate the chimera, for the Apprentice soon became its new target. Ignoring the other Untouched, the chimera went straight for the Apprentice. ¡°Anything new?¡± Nadav asked. ¡°The Apprentice casted something, and now the Conmaterus is after him. Either it¡¯s smart, or it just tackles whoever is the immediate threat.¡± In response to this sudden development, the Apprentice brought his staff before him and casted a spherical barrier of eletricity. When the Conmaterus charged into the barrier, there was a blast of energy. The Conmaterus fell back to the ground just as Cadeus had expected, but when he saw the barrier disappear and the Apprentice knocked back due to the impact, he could not restraint his surprise. ¡°¡­He¡¯s surprisingly not that strong.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°The Apprentice.¡± ¡°How so?¡± As the Apprentice struggled to get up, the Conmaterus was about to jump at him when four Untouched sank their blades into it¡¯s back. Snarling in pain, the Conmaterus turned and lashed out one of its paws. Claws came into contact with steel. With such unchallenged strength, the chimera¡¯s claws tore through the numerous blades. Some of the Untouched lost their grip, while those who still had swords in their hands soon lost half of their blade length. ¡°Wow¡­ those blades either had some lousy enchantments, or their quality sucks.¡± ¡°Say what?¡± ¡°Nothing.¡± Loosing their only means of defense was the cue the Untouched need to forsake the fight. Four of them soon turned and ran for the first available path they could find. The remaining three were still hesitating and that was their downfall. Seizing an opening, the Conmaterus jumped at two more Untouched and crushed their ribs with its claws. The last one tried to flee, but the Conmaterus soon leaped at it and sank its teeth into his throat, and while the beast had its teeth in that poor man¡¯s throat it ¨C ¡°It sure does sound very rowdy up there. What¡¯s the development?¡± ¡°The Untouched are down.¡± ¡°All of them?¡± ¡°Four of them ran for it. The other three are dead.¡± ¡°Shit.¡± Yes, and let¡¯s leave it as that. Cadeus did not want to explain the following gruesome details further. Cursing their incompetence and cowardice, the Apprentice who got up threw out a large [Fire Ball]. ¡°Wait¡­ seriously?¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Of all things the Apprentice could use, he used a [Fire Ball]? Well¡­ there was nothing wrong with it. The size of the [Fire Ball] was much larger than what Cadeus could manage, and the range of the spell was considerably longer. But as a student of the tertiary curriculum, that Apprentice should have access to a larger list of spell types. He could have used a proper hex, a runic sequence, or maybe even something related conjuration. If he had casted any of those, it would have been an interesting learning experience. But of all the mentioned possibilities, he casted a [Fire Ball]? How disappointing¡­ ¡°Wow¡­ a basic [Fire Ball] at your level? I seriously expected more.¡± ¡°The Apprentice casted a [Fire Ball]?¡± ¡°Yes, and¡­¡± Cadeus stopped short when the Conmaterus ignored the [Fire Ball]. It simply ran into the fire and triggered a huge explosion. ¡°What? What? What¡¯s happening?¡± Nadav asked. Ignoring Nadav for now, Cadeus focused on the ongoing events. The Conmaterus burst from the wall of flames and resumed its charge towards the Apprentice. Since there was any lack of burn marks on the chimera¡¯s skin, it must have a natural resistance to the Element Fire. If this Apprentice only knew fire spells, he¡¯s toast. ¡°Nadav, help me keep a note.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°The Conma-you-don¡¯t-give-a-shit is immune to fire.¡± ¡°Eh? Is it? Well I use Earth more often, so I¡¯m not too concern about it.¡± In order to get away from the chimera, the Apprentice jabbed the bottom tip of his staff onto the Earth, and his entire body spirited away to another location. What the¡­ he warped? Warping, an advanced teleportation spell that could instantly transport the mage in any short distance without the need of any teleportation circle or incantation. This was the first time Cadeus had seen the real deal. While taking advantage of the chimera¡¯s confusion and disorientation, the Apprentice attempted to cast another spell. ¡°Dude¡­ shouldn¡¯t you be running?¡± ¡°Come again?¡± ¡°Nothing¡­¡± As a junior, he probably had not right to comment. However, even though Cadeus did not know the full extent of that Apprentice¡¯s capability as a mage, it was rather obvious that the chimera was out of his league. If Cadeus was in his position, he would have retreated rather than staying to fight. ¡°This guy might not be very smart¡­¡± Waving his arms around, the Apprentice enveloped his entire body with a spiraling circumference of fire before adding the finishing touch. An elemental construct, or something akin to it, manifested in front of the Apprentice. ¡°So he¡¯s using conjuration now, now that¡¯s something. Wait¡­ fire again?¡± The elemental construct was made entirely out of flames. Although it had a head and a set of arms, the bulk of its body resembled a flaming cyclone. ¡°Are you kidding me? Your [Fire Ball] earlier did not make a scratch on the Conmaterus. Why the heck are you using fire again?¡± Given the chimera¡¯s resistance to the earlier [Fire Ball], fire was definitely not a smart choice. What is this guy doing? Does he have some kind of plan? As Cadeus watched, the flaming cyclone burned through the air as it proceeds to engage the chimera. As it threw its flaming fists at the chimera, Cadeus doubt that it was dealing much damage. In response to this new threat, the Conmaterus merely snarled at the Elemental Construct and smacked it with its claws. But such physical attacks would prove to be useless, as the best way to deal with Elemental Constructs would be to utilize its opposing element, or take out the caster behind it. While the chimeras was busying itself with the flaming cyclone, the Apprentice was casting something new. Waving his arms around again, the Apprentice casted a spell that generated a green eerie aura. Sensing the magic within the spell, Cadeus felt that it was directed towards the corpses of the fallen Untouched. The spell encased the corpses with the same eerie aura before the lumps of flesh slowly rose up one by one. ¡°Necromancy?¡± Now that¡¯s one advanced specialization that Cadeus wanted to see in action. ¡°Oi¡­ what¡¯s going on up there? I¡¯m getting a very weird feeling?¡± Nadav voiced out his concerns. ¡°Nothing happened. Just ignore it.¡± ¡°Why do I get the feeling that something very Dark was casted?¡± Cadeus chose not to answer him. The undead Untouched went first for whatever swords that were available and mindlessly charged at the chimera. With a swipe of its paw, the Conmaterus tore through the flesh of the nearest undead and knocked several bodies backwards. Now before anyone could say weak, the Conmaterus had a ridiculous amount of muscle, and using undead had its own disadvantages. Undead had a very low vitality being corpses, and since they are dead they could not think, thus they require directional instructions from the caster. The more undead the caster used, the more micro-management was involved to ensure that all undead follow the same set of instructions. It takes a lot of skill to learn Necromancy and utilize it to efficiency. Obviously this Apprentice was not as skilled as it was normally required since the undead¡¯s actions were limited to being meat fodders whilst charging blindly against the chimera. Ignoring all the annoying obstructions, the Comnaterus ran straight for the Apprentice. ¡° *Whistle* Damn this chimera is smart.¡± Realizing that his minions would not help, the Apprentice then quickly swapped his fingers in the air and drew three separate magic runes. But before the runic effects could be put into place, it was already too late. Before the Apprentice could finish resolving the runic spell, the Conamterus plunged its paws against his arms and restrained them onto the ground. It sank it¡¯s jaws into the Apprentice¡¯s neck, and¡­ ¡°Ok, that¡¯s it. The Apprentice is down.¡± ¡°Did he get the chimera?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Aw¡­ shame.¡± With the Apprentice dead, the flaming cyclone disintegrated and the remaining Undead collapsed. Then, as if it was picking up a familiar scent, the Conmaterus sniffed around in the air. As Cadeus observed it, the more it felt as if the Conmaterus was searching for something. ¡°Wait¡­ please don¡¯t tell me that he¡¯s sniffing out for us?¡± If the Apprentice couldn¡¯t even sense them, what made this beast capable of¨C Cadeus held that thought. Oh¡­ right. It¡¯s a beast. It must have an acute sense of smell. Cadeus made the crucial mistake of not getting out of sight quickly. When the Conmaterus successfully established eye contact with him, Cadeus soon realized his mistake. ¡°Oh f*** this shit.¡± Screw this shit. There¡¯s no way Cadeus¡¯s going fight this thing. Cadeus immediately dropped from Nadav¡¯s shoulder. ¡°RUN!¡± ¡°EEEEHHHHH? YOU MEAN TO SAY THAT THE BEAST FOUND US???¡± Without even bothering to reply, Cadeus quickly turned and ran with Nadav right behind him. The two of them just barely got back into the smaller passageways when the Conmaterus descended onto them. With its huge size, it could not fit into the tight space. While it watched as its prey got away again, the Conmaterus roared in anger. TOA ¡°Ha¡­ Ha¡­ I hope we never see that thing again.¡± ¡°My thoughts exactly¡­ Ha¡­¡± The two spent a moment to recollect their stamina before moving out again. ¡°So¡­ where to now?¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Cadeus brought his attention to Sing¡¯s rune again and resumed his spirit tracing. When he felt Sing¡¯s spirit link, the link¡¯s new location caught him off guard. ¡°Sing¡¯s at the ninth level?¡± ¡°Huh? What?¡± Cadeus stared below his feet. ¡°Sing¡¯s somewhere below us. I don''t know in which direction.¡± ¡°Hey, hey¡­ you¡¯ve got to be kidding me. I was with Sing not long ago. How could she be at the ninth level so quickly?¡± Just when Cadeus was about to open his mouth, he felt something vibrating rigorously within his pocket. Taking out the shaking Caller, Cadeus was slightly hesitant to answer the call. He got an obnoxious feeling, knowing that Miss Allis would most likely throw something out of the blue Nevertheless, Cadeus reluctantly pressed the centre button all the while hoping that he¡¯ll not regret answering. It was one of those situations where he would regret doing something he knew he would regret, but the image that came into view totally surprised him. What he saw was a small 3D image of Sing, not Miss Allis. ¡°Sing?¡± TOA Sitting on one of the high debris and resting comfortably against a smooth collapsed pillar, Viper was about to fall asleep when he was interrupted by one of his masked henchman. ¡°Sir, the Enforcers have breached the third barrier.¡± ¡°Ha?¡± When he first heard it, questions flashed inside his brain. What barrier? Which one? Which number? Where is the barrier stationed? As he struggled to process the information, Viper felt that he was loosing his focus. Perhaps he was just feeling tired, or his mind just automatically shut it¡¯s processers since there was nothing much to do. Regardless, it only took Viper an additional minute before he recalled that twelve barriers were set up within the ninth level to stall the Enforcers. ¡°Third barrier? That¡¯s still quite far.¡± Getting up, Viper swapped the dust of the back of his pants before stretching his shoulders. ¡°So, how are our Alchemy friends doing?¡± ¡°They are already done with the circle. The four Masters that Fremin was waiting for had arrived.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ that means that they are starting soon.¡± Viper leaped off the high debris and landed in front of his henchman. ¡°Any news from the boss?¡± ¡°No sir. Nothing from HQ.¡± ¡°Good. Then that means we can continue proceeding without any fear of last minute changes, great!¡± Humming a joyous melody that was definitely inappropriate for their current location, Viper casually moved only to see that the number of mages in this level had increased. There were more Apprentices and some Mages. No doubt they belong to the other Masters Fremin invited to partake in this ritual, but Viper saw little sense in bringing them. His thoughts about their presences were soon interrupted when he got a full view of the completed ritual circle. It was all Grey. Of course it was, it was made entirely out of that powder. Two huge circles were laid out at the very center of the platform, the larger surrounding the smaller. Within each circle, four intersections were displaced with the White protective circles Viper¡¯s team added. Why did it take so long for this circle to be prepared? The answer lied within the gaps between the circles and the ritual center. There were multiple layers of symbols and runic inscriptions stacked above one another, all intertwined with multiple patterns of inner lines and circles. Viper did not know the exact details of this ritual circle, but he did know that the complexity of the symbols and patterns involved emblematized the corruptive nature of Dark Magic. Such convoluted figuration taxes preciseness, especially when the entire circle was made of powder. With powder, one must be very careful with regards to the measurement and precision regardless of form and property. Removing his sights from the ritual circle, Viper turned his attention to a group of mages who were standing near the ¡®cart¡¯ filled with the banned ingredients. Given their robes and demeanour, it was rather obvious that they were the various Masters Fremin was expecting to help him carry out the ritual. Fremin was amongst them, and it appears that they were enjoying themselves with the various banned ingredients. No doubt Fremin had promised his colleagues a portion of the banned ingredients once this entire event was over. Noticing Viper approaching, Fremin turned and greeted him with a smile. ¡°Ah Viper, there you are.¡± He then made a gesture to his colleagues. ¡°Everyone, this is Viper. Viper, meet Master, Master, Master and Master.¡± The only reason why the various names aren¡¯t heard was because Viper dismissed them the very instance he heard them. He merely put up a smile, feigned interest, and briefly ended the introductions without caring who was what and all. They all looked the same to him anyway, old and grim. Even if they were all powerful Dark Mages, Viper did not care. ¡°So, since everyone is here, when will the ritual start?¡± Viper said. Fremin smiled. ¡°The circle is ready. We will be starting in a minute.¡± ¡°All right, good. Did you know that the Enforcers have breached the third barrier?¡± When Fremin heard that, he and the other Masters expressed some shock. Perhaps they were not expecting the Enforcers to breach the ninth level this quickly. ¡°I guess not.¡± Viper added. The outburst followed. ¡°That¡¯s too fast!¡± ¡°How could we finish the ritual on time?!¡± ¡°If the Enforcers catch up to us while we are still in the midst of the ritual, we¡¯re done for!¡± Fremin clapped his hands to calm down his friends. ¡°Now, now. All is not lost. Even if the Enforcers could break past the barriers, we should be done by then. All we need to do is to finish the ritual, and we can then leave through the teleportation circles we set up many hours prior. As long as we leave before the Enforcers show up, there should not be a problem.¡± The other masters muttered in slight agreement. ¡°We just need finish the ritual, as per our agreement. Is that not right Viper?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Nothing wrong so far.¡± ¡°All right. Let¡¯s start the ritual now.¡± His colleagues nodded and started moving towards the ritual circle calling their assistances to get ready. While his colleagues busy themselves, Fremin turned his attention to Viper. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ well since time is now of the essence. You guys just do what you have to do. I¡¯ll bring my guys up and settle with the Enforcers before they could interfere.¡± Fremin was surprised to hear that, happily too. ¡°I thought your boss told you to keep a low profile?¡± ¡°When my boss mentioned keeping a low profile, it refers to the refraining of any direct confrontations. What we are going to do is simply to distract the Enforcers and lure them away from the tenth level. I¡¯m sure we are still keeping the low profile part in tact. Besides, my boss wanted to see this ritual succeed, so I¡¯m sure my boss won¡¯t mind if we step up a little bit to see to the ritual¡¯s succession.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I see¡­¡± ¡°But be warned. Once we are forced into direct engagement, I have orders to withdraw. But I suppose you guys will be done by then.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± Without any more time to waste, Fremin started walking to the ritual circle. He moved to the very center of the ritual circle and watched as his four colleagues and their assistances stood at their respective places within the protective circles. Four Mages stood at the inner circle while the four Master stood at the outer circle. ¡°All right. Let¡¯s begin.¡± All nine Mages started concentrating magic. As Viper watched, he soon felt a gathering reservoir of Dark Magic. One by one, the casters sank into a meditative trance. As the Mages went in deeper into the ritual, the grey powder glowed with a pale white light. Before long, the air within the ritual circle began resonating in a spiral of Dark Magic, adding to the already strenuous environmental energies of Dark Magic, creating a spiraling vortex of corruption. That was the all the cue Viper needed to signal his henchmen to leave. Using their own separate teleportation circle, Viper continued watching the ritual as his subordinates left in groups of three. As his henchmen left one by one, Viper waited until the white protective circles they had installed activate their magic. Satisfied, he turned and stepped into the teleportation circle. TOA With the fairy sitting on her shoulder, the illumination around her surroundings was much stronger. Well, it naturally should be so, for fairies had their own natural glow. Sirena¡¯s decision to take the fairy with her was a good one. The fairy had a strange Clairvoyance skill to determine which path would best help lead Sirena back to her friends. Whenever the two of them would encountered a crossroad, the fairy would spent several seconds flying around the paths before it helped Sirena make a decision. After traveling for a few more minutes, there was a new encounter. The fairy sensed a presence. It belonged to a person ¡°A person? All alone?¡± The fairy nodded its head. ¡°Who would be alone in this catacomb?¡± Well¡­ it¡¯s not like Sirena could say much since she was alone just now for a brief moment in time. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s my friend?¡± The fairy conveyed thoughts of uncertainty. It also informed her telepathically that the presence it sensed was heading their way. ¡°All right¡­ is it hostile?¡± The fairy shook its head. Staring at the empty path before her, Sirena could only wait with the fairy right next to her. A few more seconds, Sirena heard footsteps. Then, a massive silhouette of a man soon appeared from the other side. With his tall height and fiery red hair, his identity was an easy guess. ¡°¡­ Lord Acriscius?¡± Did she add a Lord? Yes she did. When Acriscius registered whom she was, his soon disregarded any interest in her. ¡°Oh¡­ it¡¯s you.¡± When she heard that Sirena knew that in his eyes, Acriscius probably viewed her as ¡®a friend of that loathsome guy¡¯. Obviously, he¡¯s not happy with her presence. While she contemplates on how to treat this unfamiliar character, the fairy¡¯s wings fluttered strongly as it watched vigilantly against Acriscius. Sirena could sense the fairy¡¯s extreme dislike for Acriscius, which is something understandable since Acriscius was a Dark Mage. Since Acriscius was of the same colour alignment as the Dark Mutators, Sirena figured that the fairy must have picked up a similar semblance between the Greater Noble and her captors. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him. He¡¯s not like the bad people in black. I can vouch for him.¡± Sirena sensed hesitation within the fairy, but it soon nodded its head. Staring at this unusually exchange, Acriscius opened his mouth. ¡°Where did you get it the fairy?¡± ¡°I freed it from one of the experimental laboratories. It decided to follow me for the time being.¡± ¡°That sounds handy.¡± Sirena did not like his tone and implication. ¡°The fairy is my friend. Not a familiar.¡± ¡°Not my concern.¡± Acriscius then expressed irritation. But Sirena doubted that their conversation was the cause of it. The Greater Noble was paying attention to his left arm. Although she could not see it, she could tell that Acriscius was experiencing some sensations of pain. ¡°Are you wounded my lord?¡± ¡°Not your concern.¡± All right, since he was not going to bother showing her, Sirena decided to risk one [Point Spell] worth of Cast Limit. ¡°[Var¡¯s Sight].¡± With her pupils turning bright yellow, Sirena could momentarily scan through Acriscius¡¯s biological anatomy to see if there was anything strange. Her sight fell onto the part of the arm he was hiding, and she soon saw an abnormally. Acriscius had a fractured Ulna and a skin avulsion around the fractured forearm. The cause for such an injury was a sever blunt trauma, which Sing suspected Acriscius received from the fall between the two levels. Sirena may not be a qualify doctor, but she knew well enough that if such an injury was left untreated, it will deteriorate and the only option for treatment left would be amputation. All the more she needs to heal it now, especially when she knows that Acriscius had been enduring the pain all this while. Since Acriscius was highly reluctant to show her the wound site, Sirena gathered her magical reserves for a [Distance Spell]. ¡°[Restoration ¨C Mark].¡± A golden magical circle soon materialized above Acriscius¡¯s fractured forearm. With [Var¡¯s Sight] still in effect, healing it was a piece of cake. Acriscius could not help but widen his eyes in surprise as he felt a tingling sensation around the wound site. There was no pain, but it felt as if splintered bone, exposed muscle and torn skin were molding back into proper place. After several more seconds, the arm was as good as it was before it received the blunt trauma. With the lack of any further pain, Acriscius folded his bloodied sleeves up and spent a few moments looking at his former wound site. ¡°¡­Thank you.¡± ¡°My pleasure.¡± Well that seemed to calm him down a little. ¡°Oh¡­ by the way. I was with Vanderburg previously when we were at the previous level.¡± Acriscius shot his head towards her, now that caught his attention. ¡°You were with Vanderburg?¡± ¡°Momentarily. We split up after reaching this level. He said that he was looking for you with the others.¡± ¡°Good man. The others are fine?¡± ¡°The last time I saw them they were all doing well. Vanderburg seems to be taking charge for the time being.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Slowly and steadily, Acriscius¡¯s opinion of Sirena had improved for the better. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯ll be best to look for the Enforcers. The Enforcers are skilled at finding people after all.¡± Sirena nodded. Even though a noble of Acriscius¡¯s standing could easily establish a Caller network with his subordinates, Callers will not be issued to students until their initial trials. There were other methods to contact people, but such methods required advanced techniques that would only be taught once they had progressed to Acolytes. That was why Acriscius currently did not have any methods to contact Vanderburg. Sirena could sympathize with this frustration. ¡°Then that should be simple. Miss Allis gave you a Caller didn¡¯t she?¡± The mere mention of Miss Allis was more than enough to turn Acriscius off. ¡°¡­The mere thought of talking to that woman infuriates me.¡± ¡°If it is comfortable with you, I can talk to her on your behalf. The faster we meet up with the Enforcers, the faster you can find Vanderburg and the others¡­ my lord.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Acriscius took out the Caller and gave it to her. A few more minutes, and Miss Allis¡¯s small figure soon materialized above the disk. ¡°Hello~! Need something? Oh! It¡¯s you!¡± Upon registering Sirena¡¯s identiy, Miss Allis¡¯s mood brightened enthusiastically to the point where Sirena could guess what she might be after. ¡°You can cast healing spells, am I right? We got some wounded guys at our side. Do you mind if I teleport you over so that you can heal them quickly? If it is also comfortable with you, will you mind if you stick with us all the way until the operation is over? We could really use a healer on our side especially when things get hot. Is the Cast Limit a concern? No need to worry. We are pretty good in avoiding damage. It¡¯s just that sometimes we still take some hits, so you won¡¯t be casting healing spells all the time. Would you rather we pay you instead? Not to worry, we can even arrange the right price if you want to receive compensation.¡± ¡°Um¡­ well¡­¡± Wow¡­ She¡¯s not even afraid to hide her demands. This lady really had no sense of shame. Wait¡­ how did she even know that I could cast healing spells? Sirena thought. Sirena did not recall ever mentioning that she could cast healing spells. Well at least, not in front of an Enforcer. Was it a stereotypical assumption that all White Mages could cast healing spells? That should not be so. It should be common knowledge that not all White Mages had the concentration of White Magic required to cast healing spells. Did Cadeus tell her? Sirena doubted he did. Knowing him, he definitely disliked someone as unreliable as Miss Allis. Was it the Academia registry then? Did Miss Allis learn about this when she did research on the three of them? It should be in the norm for the Enforcers to investigate the background information of their witnesses in order to determine their credibility. Perhaps that was how she knew. Before Sirena could say anything further, Acriscius took the Caller from her hand. It did not take long for him to show his antipathy towards the person on the 3D screen. ¡°Enough of this nonsense. Just teleport us over to your side already.¡± Miss Allis was not even baffled by his sudden appearance. ¡°Ah! If it isn¡¯t Lord Acriscius! That¡¯s very good! We also need your firepower! All right, hold on! I¡¯ll prepare the circle in just a second.¡± And with that, Miss Allis terminated the call from her side. ¡°Tch! This annoying woman.¡± Although Sirena fully agree with Acriscius, she did not voice out her thoughts. In any case, Miss Allis should soon teleport them over. Just when Sirena was thinking about this, a teleportation circle soon materialized around the two of them. All it took was a flash of light, and the teleportation was completed. TOA When Sirena and Acriscius reached the other side, things weren¡¯t looking good. The two of them teleported into what seemed to be a huge chamber filled with dismembered chimera corpses. The scent of blood and magic was strong in the air, and there was not one space free of blood and severed lumps of flesh. Even the ground they were stepping on was sticky with blood and various biological fluids. Now Sirena was not a stranger to blood. She saw various traumas, and she healed wounds. But the level of biological devastation present was more than enough to make her feel extremely uncomfortable. In witnessing such a scene, Sirena almost threw up. She clasped her hand on her mouth and she was experiencing trouble breathing. ¡°[Doth¡¯s End].¡± With a wave of his hand, Acriscius casted [Doth¡¯s End], a simple spell that temporary alter any form of psychological trauma and converts the mind into its pre trauma state. After the spell was fully resolved, the nausea feeling was soon gone and Sirena soon felt comfortable again. ¡°Um¡­ Thanks¡­ my lord.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it.¡± Looking at Acriscius, it¡¯s a whole marvel how he could last this long without throwing up. By the look on his eyes, Sirena could tell that he was used to such a sight. Bringing her attention to the room, the Enforcers were in a rough state. Their numbers were around thirty, which was about the same as what Sirena remembered back at the fifth level. They were not particularly demoralized, but they appear to be recuperating. Whatever fight they just had, it was consuming, but not something they couldn¡¯t handle. Long story short, the Enforcers were in good shape despite all that they went through. In fact, it would be safe to say that they could handle this crisis just fine on their own. Sirena could already guess why Acriscius and Claire were rather annoyed when the Enforcers dragged them into such a situation; they were clearly not needed. Moving towards their location, Miss Allis finally welcomed them¡­ or more accurately Sirena, by throwing her hands onto her shoulders. ¡°Welcome~! We¡¯re so glad you could join us!¡± Hold on¡­ am I hallucinating? Sirena thought. If it weren¡¯t for the intensive corruptive presence of Dark Magic in the air, Sirena would have thought that she was hallucinating. There were tears literally flowing from Miss Allis¡¯s eyes. They must be that desperately in need of a healer. ¡°We got one extremely bad case! If you weren¡¯t here, we thought this could be the end of him!¡± Ok¡­ they seriously need a healer for things to sound that bad. For some reason, Acriscius¡¯s presence was utterly forgotten and Miss Allis strangely failed to notice the fairy when it¡¯s presence stood out clearly. Grabbing her shoulders, Miss Allis immediately brought Sirena to a set up tentage where all the wounded Enforcers were lying with their wounds covered with first aid bandages. ¡°Guys! Your angel in heaven is here to see you~!¡± Miss Allis announced. When the wounded Enforcers looked at her way, they all expressed relief at the sight of the only White student they saw previously back at the fifth level. Taking a general glance, Sirena saw up to ten Enforcers with multiple traumas. The worst case she had seen was a man with a deep slash across his lower abdomen. It looked like he had lost quite a lot of blood, and a part of his intestines was edged out. Under normal circumstances, this man would have died long ago. However, the bandages the Enforcers were using were specially enchanted to halt any progressive trauma and place any wound site into a stagnate state. Meaning to say, although this man looked like he had lost a lot of blood, the paranormal reality prevents him from being so. Other than this particular bad case, the rest did not seem that urgent. Finishing her triage, Sirena moved to the man with the abdominal wound. She quickly took out a pair of surgical gloves and gently pushed back the intestine that edged out. Clasping the opening with one hand, she quickly casted one of her healing spells. ¡°Conditions set, [Heal].¡± With a flash of gold, the deep cut was gone, and the intestine was no longer visible. Feeling the change, the wounded Enforcer quickly brought his hands and felt the former wound site. ¡°Wow¡­ thanks. You are amazing.¡± ¡°That should deal with the issue of bleeding for now, but I would still advise avoiding any further strenuous activities. Also, please visit the Apothecary to check your internals once this whole operation is done.¡± ¡°Of course, thank you. Little lady.¡± After repeating the same healing procedures for the other Enforcers, Sirena¡¯s Cast Limit was considerably spent. Feeling the strain in the over usage of magic, Sirena sat and rested at the tentage. ¡°Good work~!¡± Pleased with her work, Miss Allis passed a sports drink to her. ¡°Oh¡­ thanks.¡± ¡°You are really good at what you do. Do you want to consider part timing with the Enforcers?¡± ¡°¡­Unfortunately I have to decline. As you can see I am still a student.¡± ¡°Students work part time in multiple jobs here and then. Just Join the Enforcers~! There¡¯s not much of a difference anyway. You¡¯ll be working off field.¡± ¡°Um¡­ well¡­¡± The more she hear, the more Sirena was convinced that there was a screw loose somewhere in Miss Allis¡¯s brain. Just what exactly would make her think that a student like her would be suitable to work with the Enforcers? Even if it were to be part time, Enforcers work was something of a whole different level. The sort of work Enforcers usually get themselves involved with should not be compared to the usual small part timing jobs students take up to earn extra pocket money. In the first place, it¡¯s unthinkable for a student to work part time with the Enforcers. Just when Miss Allis was going to be persistent in recruiting Sirena, Acriscius dropped himself in to the rescue. ¡°Hey. When are you going to remember that I exist?¡± ¡°Oh my! Excuse me my lord. The anticipation of the little girl¡¯s success triggered a huge adrenaline rush. I totally overlooked your presence. Please do forgive this humble commoner~!¡± ¡°Tch! You may have used the right words, but that does not mean that I¡¯ll overlook this.¡± ¡°Eh? That¡¯s strange. I seem to remember that you have some friends with you. Have your numbers suddenly depleted that badly?¡± Pop! Sirena could have sworn that one of Acriscius¡¯s veins popped loudly. Oh no¡­ not good. She thought. Sirena did recall Cadeus mentioning something about Acriscius being quick to anger. With Miss Allis¡¯s character it was hard to tell if she was teasing him deliberately or unknowingly. In any case, any outburst from a man like Acriscius was a scene much to be avoided. In an attempt to calm the situation, Sirena voiced out a question regarding the reason why she sought out for the Enforcers in the first place. ¡°Miss Allis, may I borrow your Caller? I need it to reach Cadeus.¡± Acriscius raised an eyebrow when he heard the name, but Sirena paid him no heed. ¡°Oh sure! Of course! We could use the extra hand as well.¡± Miss Allis passed Sirena her own Caller. ¡°When you want to teleport him over, let me know~.¡± ¡°Miss Allis! We need you over here!¡± ¡°On my way!¡± Raising up a hand in response, Miss Allis slyly left the scene. Staring at her departing silhouette, Acriscius clicked his tongue out of disgust. Well¡­ ignoring the hostility, Sirena brought her focus onto the Caller. Asking Miss Allis for help was as useless as undesirable. Besides, she already knew how to use one, and she also knew how to teleport the person from the other side. ¡°Hey.¡± Acriscius called out to her. ¡°Yes my lord?¡± ¡°Are you seriously going to bring in that imposter?¡± ¡°Well¡­ he¡¯s my friend. I definitely want to know if he¡¯s safe.¡± ¡°Tch¡­ how is it possible for an imposter like that to have a friend like you?¡± Sirena had a guess about what he¡¯s trying to imply, but she chose to take it as a compliment. ¡°He¡¯s my childhood friend.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I see¡­¡± Well, it turns out Acriscius could be someone understandable. ¡°I hope that he did not cause you that much trouble my lord.¡± ¡°No need to feel concern. My business with him is something personal. You don¡¯t have to get yourself involved with this.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Wow¡­ Acriscius was surprisingly cooperative. Despite what she heard from Cadeus, this current experience was more than enough for Sirena to see him as a different person. I wonder if that will change the moment Cadeus shows up¡­ Sirena thought. With this thought in her head, Sirena activated the Caller and sent Cadeus a call. A few seconds, and Cadeus¡¯s 3D image materialized. ¡°Sing?¡± He sounded surprised, nothing unexpected. ¡°Hi Cadeus.¡± ¡°Oh shit! It¡¯s seriously Sing!¡± To Sirena¡¯s surprise, Nadav¡¯s figure popped up right next to Cadeus. When she saw that they were both safe, she breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Hi guys. I¡¯m at the lower level with the Enforcers. Are things fine on your side? I can teleport you two over using the Caller I am using.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. There¡¯s nothing much for us to do on our current level anyway.¡± Cadeus said. ¡°Ok guys. Hold on.¡± Sirena started the necessary procedure, and activated the teleportation circles. TOA When the teleportation was over, Cadeus and Nadav soon found themselves in a room unlike their previous location. ¡°Aw¡­ shit! The smell!¡± Nadav instantly covered his nose. When his gaze turned to the multiple lumps of flesh and blood, it did not take him long to start puking. Cadeus on the other hand, had no reaction. Since he had stared at the face of death multiple times, he had grown rather used to it. Waiting for them were two individuals. One of them was obviously Sing. However, her arm-folding companion was someone entirely unexpected. ¡°¡­Acriscius?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Lord Acriscius. Imposter.¡± Cadeus instantly frowned. Why was this asshole with Sing? Did he harm her? If he did, Cadeus would make sure that he¡¯s regret it. They both shot each other hostile glares until Acriscius went off with an unacknowledged grunt. Staring at his back, he went to the nearby Enforcers. With Acriscius out of the way, Cadeus walked to Sing. Of course, he did not fail to notice that glowing fairy sitting on her shoulder. ¡°What the¡­ is that what I think it is?¡± While recovering from his puking, Nadav saw the fairy as well. ¡°Eh? A fairy? Sing, since when did you have a fairy?¡± he said. ¡°Guys. The fairy is not a familiar.¡± While Nadav failed to register her words due to his puking, Cadeus expressed confusion. It took him a couple seconds more to catch her meaning. ¡°Ah¡­ a new partner, I see.¡± Cadeus turned his attention to the fairy. ¡°Hello. I¡¯m¡­¡± The fairy fluttered its wings strongly as it watched vigilantly against him. ¡°Opps¡­ I guess it does not like you.¡± Sing said. ¡°Hm¡­ well. I can guess a reason.¡± Sing gave him a smile. ¡°It¡¯s not what you think. This fairy was used in one of the experiments the Dark Mutators set up. It¡¯s become very wary of other Dark Mages.¡± ¡°So in normal circumstances it won¡¯t dislike me? That¡¯s refreshing.¡± The fairy retaliated by sticking out its tongue. Well¡­ it¡¯s not like Cadeus really cared. When Nadav threw up another round of puke, the fairy expressed concern before flying towards him. As if patting him on the back, the fairy hovered over him and radiated elements of White Magic towards him. While looking at it, Cadeus raised a question. ¡°Can that fairy heal? If it could, it could really help us.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ I don''t really want to involve that poor thing further with what''s about to come.¡± Sing replied. ¡°But at the moment, she¡¯s stuck with you am I right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± As Sing turned her gaze towards him, she instantly felt that something was slightly off about Cadeus. Searching for the source of the abnormity, she soon noticed something wrong with his elbow. ¡°Cadeus, what happened to your enchantments?¡± ¡°Um¡­ well¡­ let¡¯s just say that a lot of things happened and¡­¡± In realizing that Cadeus¡¯s dodging the question, Sing moved closer and sized his elbow. Pulling up his sleeve, she instantly saw the various incantations Claire gave him. Sing looked up at Cadeus. ¡°Pure Dark Magic, and on top of that, I sense that the magic does not belong to you.¡± With a piercing gaze, Sing pulled back down his sleeve. ¡°Who gave you this?¡± ¡°Wait¡­ I can answer that¡­ The one who gave him that set of enchantments is that noble chick who ¨C BLEEEEEEHHHHH ¡± Perhaps thanks to good fortune, Nadav puked up more vomit before he could finish his sentence. However, the mere mention of ¡®that noble chick¡¯ was more than enough for Sing to register a certain Greater Noble. ¡°Cadeus, care to explain?¡± Cadeus sighed and told her about what had transpired between him and Claire. TOA ¡°I see¡­ so she gave you that set of enchantments to help you survive as a matter of insurance eh?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­Are you sure she hates you?¡± ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Cadeus sighed. Turning to the side, Cadeus could see the no-good Miss Allis with her colleagues. ¡°Tch¡­ that annoying woman.¡± Sing chose to keep quiet about the fact that Acriscius said the exact same words just a couple of seconds earlier. ¡°What have they been up to?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°How long have they been discussing?¡± ¡°For quite a while.¡± Cadeus turned his face to her. ¡°So¡­ Care to explain what happened between you and Acriscius?¡± ¡°He did not touch me. If that¡¯s what¡¯s on your mind.¡± Cadeus raised an eyebrow. ¡°Really? That¡¯s rather surprising.¡± ¡°Yes. He¡¯s surprisingly cooperative.¡± ¡°¡­What did you do?¡± ¡°Nothing much. I just healed him and told him what I know of Vanderburg.¡± ¡°You healed him? For what?¡± ¡°Forearm Fracture and skin avulsion.¡± ¡°Ouch¡­ he must have gotten that from the fall.¡± ¡°I thought so too.¡± ¡°Fracture and skin avulsion¡­ that¡¯s bloody painful. I can see why he¡¯ll see you in a new light for healing him.¡± ¡°And telling him about Vanderburg.¡± ¡°That as well¡­ As much as I hate to admit it, Acriscius does take good care of his lackeys¡­ so what happened next?¡± ¡°I borrowed Acriscius¡¯s Caller and called Miss Allis.¡± ¡°You what?¡± Keeping a safe distance from Acriscius was one thing. But to gain his cooperation to the level of borrowing items¡­ just what? Sing smiled at the apparent shock reflecting on Cadeus¡¯s face. ¡°If you can get along and talk with him, asking for the Caller is a possible thing.¡± ¡°Right¡­ what happened next?¡± ¡°¡­Let¡¯s just say that Miss Allis teleported me over to heal her injured comrades.¡± Cadeus could half-guess what had happened. ¡°So she just teleported you over on a whim?¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Cadeus clicked his tongue. Damn Miss Allis and her unreliability. When it came to him and Claire, they were both utterly ignored. But when it came to Sing and Acriscius, she teleported them over just because she needed Sing¡¯s healing abilities? What kind of bullshit is this? Cadeus thought. Speaking of which, the woman in question finished her conversation with her colleagues. When she saw Cadeus, she went back to him. ¡°Hi Cadeus~! So glad you could join us!¡± ¡°¡°¡­¡±¡± Miss Allis chose to ignore the hesitation that was reflected on Cadeus¡¯s and Sing¡¯s faces. ¡°¡­What¡¯s the news?¡± Cadeus opened his mouth. ¡°Ah¡­ not good. From the magical energies radiating from the lower levels, Fremin has started the ritual.¡± ¡°Shit¡­ that¡¯s not good.¡± ¡°Oh but there¡¯s more. We got news from an external source that Fremin got some help. We confirmed four more Masters on site.¡± ¡°¡°¡°¡­What?¡±¡±¡± Four more Masters? Cadeus felt a large headache developing within his forehead, and it looks like he was not the only one. Sing was also giving out the exact same expression. ¡°¡­If that¡¯s the case, then what kind of plan do the Enforcers have in mind?¡± ¡°Well, we fought chimeras, apprehended a couple of Apprentices, and we busted seven barriers so far. As for a plan well¡­ Nothing¡¯s change. We breach the barriers until we reach the tenth level~! And when that happens, we kick the criminal butts and rough up the day~!¡± ¡°¡°¡­¡±¡± Her unimpressive presentation did little to provide them a good image of the Enforcers. Just what have the Enforcers been doing all these while? Oh right¡­ fighting dangerous chimeras. Wait¡­ barriers? ¡°Miss Allis, did I hear you mentioned barriers?¡± ¡°Hm? Oh yes. When we first arrived on this level, we did a paranormal scan to check if there are any funny traps ahead. Aside from some funny traps here and there, we found twelve barriers blocking our advances to the tenth level. We already breached three, so there¡¯s only nine left.¡± ¡°I see¡­ and since you guys are tearing barrier by barrier, I guess there¡¯s no way to skim past the barrier through some alternate means¡­ It¡¯s either that, or the barriers were intentionally set up along the most convenient routes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct~! You never ask stupid questions! This big sister of yours is very impressed!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Cadeus gave up on reprimanding her on the image of a self-imposed older sister. Just when Miss Allis was about to continue her nonsense, Enforcer Kutsurov came over and clasped his hand on her shoulder with Enforcer Gezath right next to him. ¡°Miss Allis, enough with the children. We got to move.¡± Enforcer Kutsurov said. Oh? Just as Enforcer Kutsurov said, the rest of the Enforcers began to move to new areas. Oh finally¡­ things are progressing. He thought. But before he could ask anything, Sing raised her hand. ¡°Um¡­ excuse me¡­ what about those that I just healed?¡± ¡°Don''t worry. I already sent them back to the surface. They won¡¯t be partaking any further than this.¡± Enforcer Gezath replied. They were sent back? Since when? Cadeus looked around. When did they have a teleportation circle? If they were teleported back to the surface, shouldn¡¯t there be a flash of light somewhere? Oh well¡­ not like it matters anyway. Cadeus thought. Enforcer Kutsurov stared at Cadeus and Sing before turning his attention to Miss Allis. ¡°While I agree that we could use the help of the Pure Blood, I still don¡¯t think that involving the White girl here would be a wise course of action.¡± ¡°What are you saying Kutsurov? The White girl could heal!¡± ¡°We already have a team of Apothecaries standing by on the surface.¡± ¡°Those guys are a mile away! We already have a healer now! Didn¡¯t you see how she helped our colleagues?¡± ¡°True, her abilities are admirable. But she¡¯s still a child, and the inner sanctum is not a place for an inexperienced mage. In fact, I would feel better if all the children return to the surface.¡± ¡°Then blame the administration for not providing us a White Enforcer!¡± Kutsurov sighed. A few more Enforcers joined them. ¡°Hey Kutsurov, is your division done? We are about to move¡­ a Pure Blood? Is that the one you guys were telling us? The one who helped you guys break into Fremin¡¯s mansion?¡± ¡°Yup. He¡¯s the one. Cadeus, meet Enforcer Cliffrai, Enforcer Navia and Enforcer Lagrez. They are the other division leaders.¡± Enforcer Gazeth said. ¡°Oh¡­ hello.¡± Cadeus doubted that he would remember the names, but he quickly registered their faces nonetheless. ¡°You guys can go ahead. We just need to settle one last issue before we ¨C ¡± ¡°Navia! Lagrez! Help~! Kutsurov wants to send the kids back! Kids! Don¡¯t listen to him! Listen to your older sister! Stay!¡± With a quick motion, Enforcer Kutsurov gave Miss Allis a quick non-lethal chop to the neck. As Miss Allis fell into a puddle of flesh and blood, Enforcer Gezath sighed. Staring at Miss Allis¡¯s back, the other Enforcers sent Enforcer Kutsurov questioning gazes. ¡°¡­Just forget whatever she said and go. We are running out of time.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t fall behind.¡± The other Enforcers soon left. Ignoring Miss Allis for now, he turned his attention to the three of them. ¡°The Enforcers appreciate the help you have given us, but there is no longer any need for you students to be continuously involved. If you wish to leave, I can teleport all of you back to the surface.¡± ¡°Um¡­ Kutsurov, Miss Allis¡¯s neck is in a strange position. If you do not help her soon then¡­¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± While Enforcer Kutsurov helped Miss Allis shift into a more comfortable position, Enforcer Gezath turned his attention to the children. ¡°I apologies for my eccentric colleague. As you can see, she can be difficult to deal with.¡± ¡°¡­You must have had it rough.¡± ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Enforcer Gezath gave a wry smile. ¡°Since you are students, we won¡¯t force you to stay, but I just would like to add that we really could use the help of a Pure Blood. Of course, if the healer could choose to stay, it¡¯ll be an additional bonus for us.¡± ¡°Oi. What are you saying?¡± Enforcer Gazeth ignored Enforcer Kutsurov. Ho? Unlike Enforcer Kutsurov who really did feel guilty about involving underage students, Enforcer Gezath had a different approach in mind. ¡°Not feeling as guilty as Enforcer Kutsurov are you?¡± ¡°Well¡­ let¡¯s just say that the bulk of us present will feel better if you two were to tag along. Of course, we won''t force you. We will respect your decisions to stay or go.¡± ¡°Gazeth, I¡¯m warning you.¡± ¡°What? I understand your concerns when the White girl¡¯s involved, but we defintiely need a Pure Blood for this one.¡± ¡°He¡¯s just a kid.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like we are going to push him to the front now are we?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Enforcer Kutsurov merely shook his head. ¡°Hm¡­¡± This was a big decision to make. Cadeus needed to understand every aspect of what¡¯s to come if he chooses to stay. There¡¯s definitely no problem if he chooses to leave. But what if he chose to stay? Cadeus folded his arms. Despite the moral implications, it was not wrong of the Enforcers to ask students like Cadeus for help in dangerous work like this current event. It¡¯s unacceptable on Earth, but not on Zeffernon. In Zeffernon, once a mage starts studying in a magic Academy, he or she is already considered an adult. Although the legal age of an Adult is still 21 on paper, it had little significance to Mages who were constantly exposed to the dangers of magic. Studying magic, using magic, and reacting to events involving magic were all extraordinary events that can save or destroy other people¡¯s lives. As such, the very act of using magic comes with a great responsibility. Thanks to this responsibility, young students like Cadeus had the freedom to choose to be involved in various events involving magic when approached. If Cadeus choose to stay and help the Enforcers despite knowing the possible danger of death, his choice will be respected and like an adult there¡¯s no going back. That was why there was no such thing as a parent¡¯s consent in Zeffernon. If Cadeus chooses to stay, he must consider the possibility that he might die. If he dies, the most that could happen would be that compensating money would be given to his mother. But the loss of a son was not something Cadeus would like his mother to experience. But deep down within, Cadeus had a bad feeling in what¡¯s about to come. It was not the kind of ¡®bad¡¯ feeling where the danger must be avoided. It¡¯s the kind of ¡®bad¡¯ that tells Cadeus he must do something to prevent the danger. Cadeus was fully aware that he would be dealing with a corruption ritual, and standing very close to it during its discharging was a guaranteed 300% death sentence. But there was something else. Perhaps it was due to his sensitivity to the current environment, but Cadeus felt something more sinister behind the ritual. It¡¯s all the more unnerving when Cadeus did not know what it was. But would staying behind and facing such an unknown factor something that¡¯s within his interest? Cadeus knew that currently he did not have it in him to stay. He was not some kind of hero who would just charge into the unknown for the sake of justice, greater good, or whatever baseless reasons you can name them. True, the Enforcers need a Pure Blood, but they already had Acriscius. Since Acriscius still had his lackeys stranded somewhere, he would obviously stay. The Enforcers would have their Pure Blood and things will still progress to their advantage. There must be enough reason and gains to convince him to stay. It¡¯s either that, or Cadeus would obviously choose to walk away. Yup, that¡¯s the kind of man Cadeus is. There must be something more to convince him to stay. Perhaps Enforcer Gazeth could help him with that. ¡°What happens specifically if we stay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don''t really want to fight. In fact, for the lady you don¡¯t even have to fight.¡± Enforcer Gezath turned his gaze to Sing. ¡°You can just standby behind and help only when we really need it. But as for you¡­¡± Enforcer Gezath returned his gaze to Cadeus. ¡°I know. I¡¯m a Pure Blood. There¡¯s a high chance that I will be dragged into the center of events.¡± ¡°Thank you for your understanding.¡± Enforcer Gezath bowed his head in appreciation. So if Cadeus continued to stay, he would be draw to the center of the fighting. Risk of death was high. Ah¡­ screw it. Cadeus made his decision not to stay. As if hearing his thoughts, Enforcer Gazeth used one last card to persuade him over. ¡°Of course, this off handed employment may be unofficial, but the Enforcers will still compensate you thoroughly.¡± Compensate? Did Cadeus hear that right? Does that mean¡­ ¡°Do you mean money?¡± ¡°Definitely.¡± ¡°By how much?¡± Cadeus added. Sing gave him a look but he ignored her. ¡°Hm¡­ I don¡¯t know the exact number, but I can give you a few figures. Um¡­ for normal students it¡¯ll amount to 2500 Duches. If the student dies, there will be a separate compensation payment made to the parents But if we are talking about a Pure Blood like yourself, I reckon it¡¯ll be around 9000 Duches?¡± Cadeus started counting the money in his head. 9000 Duches, in addition to 1200 that Miss Allis promised him would round up to 10200 Duches. That¡¯s indeed a lot of money. Cadeus nodded in his head. 10200 Duches should be sufficient to make him stay and confront this unknown thing behind the ritual. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll stay. But I can''t speak the same for my friends.¡± ¡°Thank you!¡± Enforcer Gezath put up a bright smile before returning his gaze to Sing. ¡°What about the young lady?¡± Sing gave Cadeus a wary look. ¡°Do you really have to ask about the money?¡± Sing asked. ¡°What did you expect? I¡¯m risking my life for people I just barely met. Enforcer or not, there must be a form of compensation. Don¡¯t feel bad about this.¡± ¡°I fully agree. There¡¯s nothing wrong with that mindset.¡± Enforcer Gazeth interjected. Sing was about to open her mouth to provide some sort of counter argument. But since this was not the time and place for such talk she gave up. ¡°Well¡­ If you are going to fight and get hurt, I¡¯ll definitely know how to heal you better when I¡¯m there to see what caused it.¡± ¡°Do I take that as a yes?¡± Sing nodded her head. ¡°All right, what about your Grey friend over there?¡± As Cadeus and Sing turned their attention to Nadav, he had fully recovered from his puking. ¡°Huh? Did something happen?¡± ¡°Sing and I are going further down to help the Enforcers. What about you?¡± ¡°Me? I don¡¯t know¡­ I kinda want to leave¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get paid 2500 Duches.¡± At that very instance, Nadav¡¯s eyes sparkled with the idea of getting a considerable amount. ¡°2500? Count me in!¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ this problematic clown.¡± Sing gave herself a face palm, and Cadeus needn¡¯t mention the happy smile on Enforcer Gazeth¡¯s face. As for Enforcer Kutsurov, well¡­ ¡°Sigh¡­ if they are going to stay, don¡¯t expect me to be active. I¡¯ll watch other them.¡± ¡°You sure? Oh well. Anyways, thank you three for agreeing to stay~!¡± ¡°If you are done courting the kids, please help me carry Miss Allis until she regains conscious.¡± ¡°Ok~!¡± As Enforcer Gazeth left with Miss Allis on his shoulder, Cadeus wondered of the implications in regards to the Enforcers employing such contradictory characters. ¡°Cadeus¡­¡± Sing opened her mouth. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Cadeus, that was your chance to walk away from all this. True, Fremin did some injustice to us, but the Enforcers won¡¯t let him get away with it. You know this so don¡¯t try to hide it. Why did you decide to stay?¡± Cadeus gave her a blank stare. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? I did it for the money.¡± ¡°Liar. I know you are better than that.¡± ¡°Fine. I want to kick Fremin in the butt.¡± ¡°Now you are just joking.¡± Sing sighed. The fairy hovered and sat on Sing¡¯s shoulders giving her a concerned look. ¡°Please be serious. Why?¡± ¡°Well, I was honest about the money and about kicking Fremin¡¯s butt, but those are just leverage means to convince me to stay.¡± ¡°And the main reason?¡± ¡°I got a hunch¡­ no, call it a very bad feeling. It¡¯s a feeling I can¡¯t seem to shake off. I think there¡¯s something wrong about the corruption ritual Fremin¡¯s undertaking.¡± In Zeffernon, whenever Cadeus said that he had a bad feeling regarding something paranormal it¡¯s something Sing would always take note off. As a Pure Blood, Cadeus was more sensitive to the paranormal events around him. There were things he could perceive where Sing would not. Although Cadeus lacked the academic knowledge to identify the uneasiness, in nine out of ten cases, the cause of his bad feelings would always reveal themselves later. ¡°¡­Please specify.¡± ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s not exactly the ritual. It¡¯s what comes after the ritual. I have a strange feeling that if the ritual discharges successfully, it¡¯ll trigger something bad.¡± ¡°Are you referring to the massive explosion of corruptive energies that will distort the environment?¡± ¡°No. The environment of the Catacombs is already distorted to the point where I doubt the ritual would make any difference. Something worst will come after that. As to what kind of worst¡­ I don¡¯t really know.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ well, we¡¯ll find out since we are staying anyway.¡± ¡°True¡­¡± ¡°Hey, imposter.¡± ¡°Tch!¡± Cadeus clicked his tongue and turned to the red headed Greater Noble. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You asshole. Where¡¯s Claire?¡± You are asking me this even though you, Claire and I all landed in the same area prior? Cadeus thought. Cadeus thought it funny to see that Acriscius was thinking about Claire when previously he just left without bothering to search the entire hall for her. Hm¡­ maybe I¡¯ll tell him to piss off. Cadeus thought. But wait¡­ if someone like Acriscius was coming to him for help, isn''t this an opportunity to exploit him? With this in mind, Cadeus adopted a business mindset and used a few familiar words. ¡°Hm¡­ let¡¯s see¡­ I¡¯ll tell you what you what you want to know, for a price.¡± ¡°Tch! Only Claire would say something like that. You sure pick up some irritating habits.¡± ¡°Come on now. Some information doesn¡¯t come for free. I think I¡¯ll charge you 50 Duches for telling you about Claire.¡± ¡°Whelp! Do you think you can get away by intimidating a Greater Noble!¡± One second was all it took, and they both viewed each other with upmost hatred. In seeing this unproductive scene, Sing could only sigh. Before the two could engage in a fist fight, Sing stepped in between the two of them and placed her fingers on both their uniform robes. ¡°You two¡­ stop fighting when the actual fight is about to come upon us. Cadeus, just because you don¡¯t like someone it does not mean that you have to be openly hostile the instance you see them. You are being extremely rude, not to mention of the fact that you are addressing a Greater Noble. Lord Acriscius is at fault to. I understand that you may not like Cadeus, but as a Noble you should not let anger override the etiquettes and manners you are raised with. It pays well to ask people nicely, and it also reflects positively on your house, education and status.¡± ¡°¡°¡­¡±¡± ¡®WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!¡¯ was what Cadeus wanted to screamed in his head. Why would she intervene? Not to mention reprimand a Greater Noble for his actions? That¡¯s something that very few people could get away with! Well¡­ it¡¯s not like Cadeus had much to talk since he¡¯s practically going up against every Noble in Tenebris Vacuum¡­ but still! While struggling to comprehend what she just did, Cadeus immediately feared for her safety due to a certain noble¡¯s possible retaliations. Given his quick anger, would Acriscius strike out against Sing? Turning his attention to the noble in question, Cadeus was surprised to see that Acriscius was not angry. Instead, Acriscius gave a look of deep thought as if he¡¯s considering Sing¡¯s words. ¡°¡­Understood.¡± Wait¡­ He actually relented?! Cadeus nearly dropped his jaw when he saw Acriscius cooperating. Cadeus was surprised that he did. Acriscius turned to Cadeus. He looked like he was struggling to swallow all the disgust he had for him but he eventually opened his mouth. ¡°Imposter. I would like to know about Claire¡¯s whereabouts. Could you please share with me all the details you know.¡± Oh no¡­ what Acriscius just said was something entirely out of his character. Could he be dreaming? A part of Cadeus feared that his sense of reality was slowly drifting apart. ¡°¡­What do I get out of this?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell my guys to leave you alone for a month.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± Wanting to end this awkward experience as soon as possible, Cadeus told Acriscius what had happened between him and Claire. ¡°Tch¡­ so she left after all knowing that it¡¯s wrong for her to do so. How irresponsible of her.¡± ¡°My thoughts exactly. I can understand that she hates being here, but to leave before the entire operation finishes just¡­¡± The two Pure Blooded Dark Mages sighed. ¡°If that¡¯s the case. Then I have no choice but to stay here. As a Greater Noble I have a responsibility to help the Enforcers see this through to the end and make sure that they do not resort to extreme methods. Not when we are in Academy grounds.¡± ¡°¡­If you stay, what about Vanderburg and the others?¡± Sing asked. ¡°No need to worry about them. I have already spoken with the Enforcers. They have sent some personal to recover them. Besides, this current crisis would be too much for them to handle anyway. Even if they are currently with me, I would still have asked them to leave at this stage.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Hm? What about you? Why are you still here?¡± ¡°The Enforcers need a healer.¡± ¡°They can use a healer when they return to the surface later. Why are you still down here? Things are going to get very rough from now on, especially when we are at the brink of entering the catacomb¡¯s inner sanctum. I may not have been there before, but the environmental concentration of Dark Magic down there is ten times more potent as compared to what you have experienced up to now. I¡¯ll say this as a Dark Mage. As a White, you will not have much room to cast any spells.¡± ¡°I am fully aware of that, but as an underage student, I will not be expected to participate physically. My only purpose is to heal the injured, and I intend to keep my involvement to just that.¡± ¡°Even when it comes to risking your life by standing near the ritual that could discharge at any minute?¡± ¡°Even when it comes to risking my life.¡± Acriscius glared at Cadeus. ¡°And you? You¡¯ll just stand there and encourage your friend into risking her life?¡± ¡°I did not make that decision for her. Sirena is free to choose whether to stay or go. Her decision is not something for you to interfere with. I¡¯m sure you should know that far better than anyone.¡± ¡°Tch!¡± Unable to stomach the imposter¡¯s presence any further, Acriscius stomped off in anger. TOA In the tenth level of the Catacomb inner sanctum, the air was slowly turned into a swirling vortex of energy. The Untouched stationed at the edge of the platform all rubbed their elbows with extreme discomfort. At the very centre of the ritual circle, Fremin felt that they had gathered enough magic to initiate the corruption circle. All that¡¯s left would be to start the ritual with a purest medium of magic. Since they had enough manpower for this ritual, the approximate time taken to discharge the ritual would be an estimation of thirty minutes. Even if the Enforcers were to breach the barriers in the ninth level, Fremin had already prepared a team for the last defense. If the Enforcers were to breach the tenth before the discharge, all would be lost. But Fremin had the confidence that they could hold out long enough, especially since Viper offered to help him distract the Enforcers. As he struggled to move within the swirling vortex of energy, he slowly brought his hands to his pockets and took out a syringe along with the blood vial. The blood of the Pure Blood was a medium of magic that had achieved legendary status. It was the perfect medium for this ritual, and many other alchemical processes. ¡°Fu fu¡­ that Viper. Two blood vials was more than what he could ever bargain for. But never mind. I¡¯ll make sure to bleed that Pure Blood dry once this is all over.¡± Fremin smiled in delight with that thought. While the other Masters helped to maintain the massive magical energy, Fremin inserted the syringe tip into the blood vial and withdrew a few drops of blood. Dropping the few drops onto the ritual circle, magic soon flickered and illuminated the grey powder with bright white light. The light raced throughout the lines and curves, igniting a sudden surge in magical presence. Soon, the entire level flickered with the extreme volatile energy of Dark Magic. Even as he stood in the center, Fremin felt as if his skin was tearing. The sudden influx of corruption energy was more than enough to distort his sense of control. Fremin instantly knew that if he had not prepared enough manpower for this ritual, he would instantly loose control of the ritual, and the entire process will backfire with disastrous consequences. But in the midst of all of this danger, Fremin could not help but open his mouth in awe. The magical power within the blood was more than what he expected. ¡°Wo¡­ WWWWWOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!¡± His ignited enthusiasm was soon reflected by the large grin on his face. ¡°AMAZING! THAT BOY¡¯S BLOOD IS THIS STRONG!!!! WWWOOOO!!! I CAN FEEL THE POOWWEER!!!!!¡± TOA Since Enforcer Kutsurov took it upon himself to watch over the trio, there was really nothing much for them to do. Following the Enforcers, they met few resistances aside from several golems running amok and some minor chimeras. Whenever they would encounter a threat, the Enforcers took care of them before the trio could even do anything. In addition, there was Acriscius. With Acriscius, the time taken to demolish the enemy barriers was reduced significantly. After all, Acriscius¡¯s destructive Blood Gift was plentiful when it comes to dealing with defenses. After twenty minutes, the group came to the last barrier. There were four golems guarding the barrier, but the Enforcers engaged them with relative ease. Once the combat started, Cadeus deviated his gaze from the various actions the Enforcers undertook. After seeing so many unfamiliar spells, Cadeus gave up on the possibility of learning anything new. Even if Enforcer Kutsurov were to explain the spell details, Cadeus would only get more confused due to his own the lack of fundamental understanding. While all the action was going on around them, Nadav closed his eyes and folded his arms. ¡°Hm¡­¡± ¡°What''s the matter Nadav?¡± Sing asked. Nadav appeared to be in deep thought. ¡°I just find it very strange.¡± ¡°What is strange?¡± ¡°We have broken through quite a number of enemy barriers, but we encountered little resistance. True, we had to fight some chimeras and golems here and there, but the enemy defenses are a little disappointing. If the enemy really wants to keep us out, they should have done a better job at this. I mean¡­ the barriers are all that¡¯s keeping us from Fremin. For something this crucial, they ought to prepare a boss fight for every barrier right?¡± Cadeus was about to reprimand Nadav for thinking about games at this stage, but what he said actually made sense. Speaking in game mechanics was just one of Nadav¡¯s main ways to communicate. When he put in extra thought, Cadeus realized what Nadav said actually made sense. It¡¯s rather strange that the barriers were left unattended. It feels that someone had deliberately removed the advanced settings for the defenses and allowed the Enforcers to progress this quickly. ¡°¡­Or maybe they did not have enough resources to protect the barriers. Perhaps they were spread thin.¡± Nadav continued. ¡°Hm¡­ that actually sounds more convincing.¡± ¡°It does, because that makes more sense.¡± Enforcer Kutsurov interjected. ¡°Fremin may have attained the rank of Master, but even a Master like him had limited resources to pull off an operation this big. Even if he had backing from other Masters, their support is still insufficient unless we are dealing with a major group compromising of several dozen Masters. It¡¯s not entirely out of the norm for such groups to exist, but in regards to Fremin¡¯s background I hardly see that sort of scenario. Besides, the bulk of the enemy is on the tenth level. We¡¯ll be facing the whole lot of them once we head down anyway.¡± As Acriscius started to demolish the barrier with his Blood Gift, Cadeus asked Enforcer Kutsurov about the golem¡¯s odd functioning capacities. ¡°Enforcer Kutsurov.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Is there a possibility that Fremin might have hacked the essences of the golems that were initially stationed as sentries?¡± ¡°Hack? Ah¡­ we already noted of such deviations on the golem¡¯s performance. It is possible. Any ways, we already extracted some of the essences for further study later. Once we apprehended Fremin and his accomplices, we¡¯ll figure it all out.¡± Good thing that Kutsurov was originally from Earth. It saved Cadeus the trouble of feeling awkward when people failed to understand what hacking means. Once Acriscius tore down the last barrier. Kutsurov immediately sent his owl familiar into the lower level to help scout out the area. As Cadeus¡¯s gaze followed the owl down the stairs leading to the lower level, he felt it. A sudden surge of corruptive energy flowed past his face, followed by a slight paranormal tremor beneath his feet. Cadeus knew instantly that the cause of such a phenomenon was the corruption ritual. Uh oh¡­ Cadeus thought. It appears that he was not the only one who had felt it. Sing shot him a worrisome gaze, while Nadav could only frown. Looking at the Enforcers, they all showed a grim face. ¡°We need to get down there now!¡± Enforcer Gazeth said. ¡°Wait¡­ Incoming!¡± Enforcer Kutsurov declared. A war cry echoed and several dozen Untouched poured from beyond the other side with their swords drawn. Several Mages followed and started firing hostile spells of various colours. When he saw the Mages, the first thing Cadeus did was to look at their robe slashes to see their rank. He did not manage to get a clear view, but he did saw a couple of Apprentices, and a smaller number of legitimate Mages. After registering the enemy formations, the Enforcers instantly went on the move. Several warped themselves behind the enemy and started apprehended the more dangerous threat. Before the enemy Mages could cast any more spells, the Enforcers behind ensnared them with several binding spells such as [Lightning Pulse], [Enwrap Bind] and other unidentified spells. Those that were experience enough casted defensive barriers to avoid getting caught, while the others who were not so lucky were immediately immobilized. With a part of their forces facing the mages, the others moved to the front to deal with the Untouched. With such movements, it¡¯s as if they already engraved a textbook formation and strategy into their heads and habitually carried out knowing that it¡¯ll succeed. In terms of numbers, the enemy definitely outnumbered the Enforcers. But Enforcers were combat mages of the highest caliber, and they had two Pure Bloods with them. As Cadeus comprehended the odds in his head, one of the Untouched came at him with a sword in his hand. ¡°Tch! You just have to interrupt me do you?¡± Current Cast Limit estimation ¨C about 18 [Point Spells] With [Environmental Leech], Cadeus did not have to be overly conscious about his Cast Limit. As such, he instantly fired a concentrated [Lighting Caste] against the Untouched. The spell caught him and threw him back to the other side. Cadeus did not have to look again to confirm that he¡¯s knocked out. Moving on to his surroundings, Cadeus saw that the battle was almost over the instance it begun. The surrounding Untouched were either casted into sleeping, or were apprehended with binding spells. It all happened too quickly that Cadeus failed to follow up on what exactly happened. ¡°For some reason¡­ this fight feels too one sided.¡± The remaining combatants still in action were the Mages under Fremin¡¯s employment, but they could not hold their own ground against the Enforcers. After all, they were alchemists. Combat was not their forte. Aside from a few common offensive spells, they really were not much of a threat. It only took the Enforcers five more minutes to wrap up the battle. Before long, all of Fremin¡¯s subordinates were tied up and left to sit at the side. Leaving behind a team or two to handle the prisoners, the rest waited for Enforcer Kutsurov to provide enemy positions before storming down to the tenth level. TOA The Enforcer went ahead and stormed into the tenth level. Since Kutsurov¡¯s familiar verified the number of enemies and their various positions, charging straight in was no longer considered a foolish move. As they went in, each went to his/her own designated targets. When Cadeus finished the steps and entered the tenth level, he saw nothing but a huge flat platform. In response to this quick intrusion, all the Mages uninvolved with the ritual stopped whatever they were doing and dashed straight to the entrance to engage the Enforcers. Oddly enough, there were with no other exits. In fact, the platform looks as if it''s the very end of the Catacomb depths. As expected, the presence of Dark Magic in this level was much more concentrated compared to the previous levels. Turning his attention to his friends, Cadeus could see their faces turning pale. The nausea build up must be immense. Cadeus knew that those two won¡¯t be using magic for a while. At the very center of the ritual, Cadeus could see the transpiring ritual. As he looked upwards, Cadeus could feel the massive build up of dark corruption energy. It felt like facing a hurricane. Although there was not a physical hurricane, the paranormal waves of corruptive magical energies were volatile enough to present that effect. Turning his attention to the fight before him, Cadeus could see the Enforcers doing what they do best. Acriscius was also making himself busy at the thick of it. Hm? Compared to the previous engagement, there appears to be more Mages present under Fremin¡¯s side. ¡°How odd¡­ in fact¡­ why would there be so many Mages under Fremin¡¯s side? There are five masters in total right? They should not have so many surboridnates¡­¡± In fact, on a closer look, there were more Mages than Apprentices fighting the Enforcers. ¡°If they are all Alchemists¡­ ah¡­¡± Cadeus soon understood. These Mages were probably discontented alchemists who strongly disapprove of the High Council¡¯s recent ban on a new list of ingredients. ¡°Wow¡­ if they can all ban together easily like this, they must be part of some major Alchemist rights association party thing.¡± Wait¡­ a political party full of egoistic Alchemists? Cadeus dreaded the possible reality. Regardless, Acriscius and the Enforcers could take care of themselves. Knowing this, Cadeus dismissed all the action and focused his attention to the ritual circle. From the looks of it, all the mages within were in some sort of trance. Their arms were outstretched to the sides and their eyes appeared lost and distant. The only one appearing to be still conscious was Fremin. Well¡­ of course he¡¯s conscious, he¡¯s the one who needs to be mentally active to direct the ritual¡¯s progress. But as Cadeus paid more attention to the state of the ritual, he soon developed a feeling that the ritual was ready enough to be fired at anytime. ¡°With that amount of corruptive energy¡­ it¡¯ll be too late to stop them.¡± He uttered. Cadeus wanted to call out to Enforcer Kutsurov, but he was busy engaging two adult Mages at the moment. ¡°Ah shit. If I distract him now it¡¯ll probably cost him his life.¡± Thinking back on the implications, Cadeus educed that the Enforcers probably knew the impending danger all too well. But these Alchemical fanatics were keeping them too busy at the moment. Even though the Enforcers were good at their profession at apprehending mages, they would not make it in time to stop the ritual. Cadeus also further doubted that Acriscius paid enough attention to notice this fact, given how busy he was currently at the moment. What if he did something? Would it make any difference? Cadeus turned to his friends with this thought in mind. Nadav had more or less regained his composure, but Sing was still leaning forward in nausea. Since Sing and Nadav could not move or cast magic efficiently, Cadeus knew that they would not be entirely involved with the combat front. Cadeus was a Dark Pure Blood. The environmental afflictions did not affect him. Currently, he was in a position where he could act where others couldn¡¯t. Perhaps it¡¯s time for him to extort that advantage. But before he could do anything, he must check on his friends first. ¡°How are you feeling Nadav?¡± ¡°I feel like I¡¯m in hell.¡± ¡°Of course you will. This is obviously not a place for non-Darks.¡± Cadeus turned his eyes to Sing. ¡°Could you look after her?¡± ¡°Oh dear¡­ Are you going to do something stupid?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ it may seem stupid to you, but I¡¯m just doing what must be done.¡± ¡°Oi¡­ Don¡¯t say that clich¨¦ line off the hero script.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll still leave the best phrases for you.¡± All right¡­ let¡¯s do this. Cadeus thought. With no one paying any attention to him, Cadeus casted a stealth related spell using the element Darkness to hide his presence. ¡°[Fading Presence].¡± Snapping his fingers, Cadeus enveloped his entire body with a thin layer of Dark Magic. When he was confident, he ran. Ignoring all the flashes of lights and spell casts, Cadeus made a straight dash for the ritual center. With his spell in effect, no one really noticed him. Even if they would, Fremin¡¯s men would be more concerned with the Enforcers. Whenever anyone from either side would bump into him, he would shove them off and never stop running. Ritual centers were the key. If he can knock Fremin out of the ritual center, the ritual will loose the central focus and fail. He must stop the ritual. He must! When he was just around five meters away from the ritual circumference, Cadeus threw a [Lighting Caste] across the platform. Thanks to his sense of urgency Cadeus gained a moment of adrenaline rush, which only served to amplify the effects of [Consumption]. As a result, the spell¡¯s range and power increased threefold. The five forks of electricity raced through the platform straight like a buzz of plasma. Noticing the danger, Fremin clicked his tongue and threw up a barrier compromised of three layers of circular enactment. Despite the fact that the bulk of his magical reserves were directed towards the ritual center, Fremin was confident that the three circular barriers could repel such a futile attempt to keep him out of the ritual circle. It did not. All five shots stabbed past the three barriers and they did not miss. Before he knew it, Fremin was hit directly in the chest and the force was more than enough to knock him off from the ritual center. Fremin was soon sent flying a few meters away from the ritual exterior. His collaborators seemed to have caught the wind of it, but they were forced to stay put within the ritual circle order to control the ritual form. Cadeus thought that he had dealt significant damage. But when Fremin managed to sit up, there was not a shred of damage or electrical burn marks anywhere. At first Fremin expressed surprise. But when he saw Cadeus¡¯s face, his eyes widened in shock and anger. ¡°You¡­ YOU BBBRRRAAATTTTT!!!!!¡± Fremin stood up straight. ¡°¡­No damage?¡± ¡°Of course it did not work! Who do you think I am?! I am a Master of the Magi! Rendering a simple [Point Spell] useless is nothing to me!¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Well¡­ Cadeus never expected to deal that much damage anyway. The point of it all was to pin Fremin away from the ritual center, which was what he successfully did. Without Fremin to hold the center, the ritual began to crumble. The vortex of energy within the ritual center began to loose its form. Even though the other Masters were still sustaining the ritual from the circle exterior, there was no center to hold it all together. It was only a matter of time before such a vast amount of swirling magical energy result in a massive discharge. In the midst of the deteriorating situation, white circles began glowing around the four masters and the other assistances. Eight white barriers enacted, surrounding the mages within the circle. Sensing the White Magic within, Cadeus guessed that it must have been some sort of protective barrier. But what about Fremin? Since Fremin was no longer in his initial position, the conditions were not met, and his circle was not activated. ¡°No¡­ no, no, no, NO! The ritual!¡± Taking a few hard steps forward, Fremin struggled to get back to the ritual center for the white circle¡¯s protection. However, the volatile vortex of energy was pushing him away. So he has to be in that ritual center to activate a protective circle? For a Mage of his caliber, Can¡¯t he just activate a circle on his own? Does he need to be at a specific spot to activate a special kind of circle? Wait¡­ why am I not even worrying about myself? Cadeus thought. With the ritual gradually going out of control, mages from both sides all sensed the bad atmosphere. The remaining mages that were under Fremin¡¯s employment eventually figured that they would feel better elsewhere, they soon broke like a disorganized mob and fled for the nearest teleportation circle that they installed hours prior to the start of ritual. The same could be said of the remaining Untouched, they threw down their weapons and abandoned their posts. But since they could not use magic, they ran for the nearest physical exit available, the stairs leading up to the ninth level. As for the other mages that were still within the circle, they seem to express confidence that the white circles will protect them. But as they felt the full blunt of the deteriorating situation, their faces began to pale, and they began to doubt that they would be safe. At the very last minute, they attempted to flee, but the white barriers refused to let them out. With the air around the ritual circle disintegrating, Cadeus took a step back, and another, before turning his back to the ritual circle. ¡°Shit!¡± There was no time to debate whether he did the right thing, or if he had actually made things worst, what Cadeus needed right now was to find some sort of cover. As he ran back, he saw that the Enforcers already barricaded themselves within some kind of green spherical barrier that was projected by some kind of seal stone. Since every Enforcer was using the same seal stone, it must be an artifact of standard issue. Whatever the case, it should be effective to guard against what was about to come. ¡°Cadeus!¡± Turning to the source of the voice, Cadeus saw Nadav helping Sing up with her left arm over his left shoulder. Sing looked pale, extremely pale, but she grasped the severity of the situation. Moving her hands, Cadeus could see Sing creating a glowing blue barrier around them. Running back to her, Cadeus managed to enter her barrier in the nick of time. However, just as the ritual was about to break, an unexpected person joined them. ¡°Excuse me!!!!¡± Miss Allis ran into their barrier and activated her own green barrier. ¡°Miss Allis?¡± Sing asked. ¡°Sorry! But [Erador¡¯s Light] is not going to be an effective barrier against corruption magic of that scale! We¡¯ll be better off with this~!¡± Miss Allis¡¯s green barrier soon enveloped the group. The timing was just right before the entire ritual exploded. TOA Once that entire mass of energy discharged, the blast covered the entire platform. The mass of volatile energy surged throughout the entire floor and engulfed the entire level. Dust, powder and ash flew in every direction. When Cadeus saw the incoming wall of dust, he quickly brought his head down with his hands behind his back. As the surge of corruption energy flew past their green spherical barrier, the ground shook in resonance. Cadeus had expected to hear numerous cracks to be formed around the green barrier. Fortunately, the barrier was holding itself pretty well. When it was all over, Miss Allis waited for Kutsurov to provide the ok before letting down her green barrier. Once all the Enforcers released their respective barriers, Cadeus looked up to see the ritual circle in ruins. Red scorches and ash filled the entire area, and for some reason, the eight mages who were standing within the ritual circle prior were no longer there. The various contents of lines and runic inscriptions Fremin set up earlier were all gone. Speaking of Fremin¡­ Cadeus scanned the area and saw Fremin to his right. The man in question was on his butt with his arms behind him to support his weight. With the dispersing grey barrier around him, it was rather clear that Fremin saved himself with a superior barrier spell. Since he had difficulty in supporting his own weight, he must have overstretched his Cast Limit. From the Fifth Absolute Rule of Magic, over usage of magic always comes with a price. Fremin must be suffering from the mental and physical penalties from the over usage of magic. ¡°Miss Allis.¡± In seeing this opportunity, Cadeus called to Miss Allis and pointed to Fremin. When Miss Allis caught Fremin in her eyes, she soon got his meaning. ¡°[Toruk¡¯s Bind], [Reaver¡¯s Cage], [Twark¡¯s barrier]!¡± Wait what? Did Cadeus just hear Reaver¡¯s Cage? Snapping her fingers three times, Miss Allis casted three spells unfamiliar to Cadeus¡¯s ears. In that very instance, Fremin¡¯s limbs were binded in green paranormal cuffs and he was soon encased in two different barriers. ¡°Eh? AHHHHHH!¡± From that reaction, those binding spells were clearly not so comfortable. ¡°¡­Just what exactly did you just use on him?¡± ¡°Fu fu fu~ it¡¯s a secret~!¡± ¡°¡­¡± Cadeus decided not to pry any further. ¡°Release me! Hey! I demand that you release me!¡± Oh wow¡­ For a Mage who overshot his Cast Limit, Fremin was rather energetic. ¡°Does this guy not even realize his own current position?¡± ¡°Nah, don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll come along those high and mighty types. Usually we¡¯ll just gag him. Just like that.¡± As Miss Allis pointed out, several Enforcers went to secure Fremin. As they stood guard, one of them moved into the barrier and forced a gag of cloth into Fremin¡¯s mouth. Well, that took care of an annoying mouth. ¡°Well then. I¡¯ll go see if there¡¯s anything worth of note.¡± Miss Allis said. And with that, Miss Allis left for the ritual circle. Cadeus turned to see Nadav helping Sing to sit down. She¡¯s still looking pale, but at least she¡¯s not vomiting. ¡°How¡¯s Sing holding up?¡± ¡°Oh she¡¯s good. She just needs to be careful not to move so much.¡± ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ good too. I can cast a spell or two but¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t. The last thing you¡¯ll want is to get knocked out by the environment.¡± Enforcer Kutsurov soon came over. ¡°Is everything all right?¡± Cadeus and Nadav nodded, but the lack of response from Sing gave Kutsurov concern. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about her. She just needs more time.¡± Cadeus said. ¡°I told her she shouldn¡¯t come along. Well, as long as it¡¯s nothing serious.¡± Enforcer Kutsurov then gave Cadeus a frown. ¡°I understand that you are a Pure Blood, but don¡¯t do something stupid like that again.¡± Cadeus instantly knew that he was referring to his charge to the ritual circle. ¡°Oh¡­ you saw.¡± ¡°Of course I did. This time the end justified the means, but don¡¯t expect this recknessless to work everytime.¡± ¡°Noted.¡± Arguing with Enforcer Kutsurov would achieve nothing. Besides, Cadeus knew that his action counts under the foolish category. As such, he just took in the lecture with a pinch of salt. Perhaps surprised by his quietness, Enforcer Kutsurov looked like he wanted to add a few words. But he soon gave up on it. Whilst looking at Miss Allis studying the ritual circle, Cadeus soon recalled about the missing Mages that were standing within the ritual circle just a few seconds ago. ¡°Enforcer Kutsurov, I seem to recall Miss Allis mentioning that there were four other Masters. Could they have been the ones that were standing in the ritual circle earlier?¡± Cadeus asked. ¡°Yes. They were. It¡¯s not an easy feat to carry out a corruption ritual. The Masters must have taken it upon themselves to direct the ritual.¡± Enforcer Kutsurov said. ¡°Just a second ago they were safe with those White protective barriers, but now¡­ Do you have any idea what happened to them?¡± ¡°Well, if they had died, there would have been obvious evidences such as bloodstains or dismembered limbs. But I don¡¯t see anything of that sort.¡± ¡°It was either they were completely disintegrated, or their were just spirited away.¡± ¡°Enforcer Kutsurov, my money¡¯s on the disintegration.¡± ¡°I appreciate the bet, but enough.¡± And then¡­ Something happened. Cadeus got an obnoxious feeling. It¡¯s coming from the ritual circle. Turning his gaze to the ritual circle, Cadeus saw an unbelievable sight. At the very center of the ritual circle, a black mist began to form. Volume 1 - Chapter 10 - Wraith, Aftermath When he saw that mist, Cadeus¡¯s face grew pale. For some reason, that mist resembled ¡®that¡¯. It was the same black mist he possessed. ¡°What the¡­ what is happening?¡± Miss Allis was at the edge of the engraved ritual circle when it happened. When she saw that mist, her expression changed into one that was stone cold. ¡°Oh dear¡­ crap. EVERYONE! GET IN THE CLEAR!¡± She yelled. ¡°Shit¡­ if it takes Miss Allis to say something like that¡­¡± Enforcer Kutsurov exclaimed. Since the four of them were already at a distance, Enforcer Kutsurov used his green barrier anyway. Everyone soon ran for the platform edge and activated their barriers. Those who were watching the struggling Fremin grabbed him at the elbows and pulled him to the side. Whatever this mist was about to unfold, the Enforcers kept their guard up for any possibility. It was as if the black mist was trying to give birth to something. Whatever it was, it¡¯s giving Cadeus the creeps. ¡°Cadeus¡­ Cadeus¡­¡± Cadeus turned to see Sing pressing her hands against the side of her head. She appears to be in great pain. The fairy was on the ground and appeared to be in the same state. ¡°Sing? What¡¯s wrong?!¡± Sing was not the only one experiencing such difficulty. Nadav was expressing the same symptoms. In addition, the Grey Enforcers and all the other existing Grey Mages on site were expressing difficulty standing up. ¡°Enforcer Kutsurov! What¡¯s wrong with ¨C ¡± ¡°The corruption energy in the air is affecting them. The reason why we are unaffected is because we are Dark Mages.¡± ¡°Is there anything we can do?¡± ¡°Put their bodies down into a supine position. That would help them feel more comfortable.¡± Cadeus wasted no time helping Sing lie down onto the floor before helping Nadav do the same. As he did so, Cadeus caught Fremin still struggling to free himself of his bonds. If he still had energy to thrash around like that, it just confirmed that Fremin was indeed a Dark. The whole perception of him being a Grey was a total fa?ade. Ignoring him at the moment, Cadeus turned his attention back to his friends. ¡°Enforcer Kutsurov. Is there really nothing we could do for them?¡± ¡°Picture a fish on dry land with its gills getting dry and dysfunctional. That¡¯s what your friends are experiencing right now. There¡¯s nothing we could do because they are not Dark Mages. Just leave them be. More importantly¡­¡± Redirecting their attentions to the black mist, there was a new development. Althought he could not see it, Cadeus could feel that something materialized within the black mist. The air suddenly grew colder, and the corruption energy within the air boiled in response. The energies of Dark Magic boiled in the air, and the black mist started giving out an extreme eerie feeling. Then without warning, a black ghostly figure of a rather large armoured knight materialized out of the mist. It was in a kneeling position before it stood up straight. Black armour and a black tattered cape, whatever it was, Cadeus was definitely sure it was not something made out of flesh. ¡°¡­What the heck is this? Dark Souls?¡± Cadeus uttered. Enforcer Kutsurov however, had a much more sensible answer. ¡°A wraith. A highly dangerous one at that.¡± ¡°That thing is a wraith?¡± Although he had heard the term a couple of times in various rumours associated with Tenebris Vacuum, this was the first time Cadeus encountered the real thing. From the knowledge he had gathered, wraiths were the highest level of specters a mage could come across. They may not be intelligent, but they were extremely dangerous and powerful, to the point where normal exorcism methods would not work on them. In fact, it¡¯ll take the help of a specialized Master to repel the threat of wraiths. ¡°¡­What are our options?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ we could isolate it and seal it. That might be our only option. In fact¡­¡± Enforcer Kutsurov went into deep thought. ¡°Could it be¡­ that the wraith was already sealed before, but the attempted corruption ritual destabilized the seal?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not an expert, but that definitely sounded logical.¡± The wraith took a moment to study its surroundings. After it registered a number of the living, it reached for its side and drew out what looks to be a phantom sword. When Cadeus identified the weapon in its hand, the psychological impact was bad enough that he had to gulped saliva painfully down his dry throat. The Enforcers however, remained composed. Well¡­ given that they were mages of high caliber they must be familiar with the weapon in its hand. In a split second, up to seven Enforcers shouted something with a ¡®Barrier!¡¯ and isolated the wraith in some sort of white cuboid blockade. Since there were seven people casting the same spell, the wraith was isolated by multiple layers of the same barrier. But that was not enough. Even with multiple barriers, it only took the wraith around five to six swings to shatter its prison. Swinging its sword to the side, the armoured wraith before chose its first victim. In a flash, the wraith warped itself to the side and impaled its sword into one of the Enforcers. Before the others could react, it flung the impaled man away with a swing of its arm and sliced a female Enforcer into two from the top of her left shoulder to the edge of her right waist. Even with the sudden deaths, the Enforcers remained unfazed. Everyone soon sprinted into action. Those who were near the wraith tried to create some distance, while those who were already far from it dragged their disoriented Grey colleagues away from the danger. In another attempt to isolate it, six Enforcers ran forward. They each surrounded the wraith in formation before casting a spell. ¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°¡°[Baras Hexagon]!¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡±¡± Clasping their hands together, the six Enforcers created a hexagon barrier. The wraith, knowing that it was caught again in a barrier, took a moment to analyze the barrier before making another slash at the layer. This time, the blade was repelled. Curious, the wraith made another hack. The blade was repelled again. Good. Whatever that baras thing was, it worked. Those six Enforcers sure bought some valuable time. Unsure of what he should do, Cadeus turned to Enforcer Kutsurov. ¡°Enforcer Kutsurov, what should we do?¡± ¡°You stay away from that thing. I¡¯m going to take these two back up first. If they continue to stay here, their minds will be severely affected.¡± Enforcer Kutsurov moved to his lying friends. ¡°Stay out of trouble and don¡¯t do anything until I¡¯m back.¡± Easy for you to say¡­ Enforcer Kutsurov reached for his belt. A magic circle soon glowed on the leather strip and a larger magic circle soon materialized around him and his friends. With a flash, they disappeared, fairy included. When they did, Cadeus saw a teleportation end circle imprinted on the ground. Enforcer Kutsurov should be coming back later. Now then¡­ Turning his attention to the wraith, Cadeus saw that it had ceased hacking against the barrier. It¡¯s now staring at its own blade in curiosity, as if it was figuring a way out of this predicament. ¡°Let¡¯s hope this thing does not have any brains¡­¡± Of course, Cadeus knew that¡¯s not possible. If the rumours were true, strong wraiths had high intelligence. Looking to the side, Cadeus saw Miss Allis at a distance with Enforcer Gazeth along with Acriscius. Even though he did not like that Greater Noble, Cadeus still went to them to find out what the Enforcers had in mind. ¡°Miss Allis.¡± ¡°Hey! There you are! Where¡¯s Kutsurov?¡± ¡°He went back to the surface with my friends.¡± ¡°What? He took back the healer?¡± Enforcer Gazeth exclaimed. ¡°¡­Even if she¡¯s here I doubt she could be of use given the environmental interferences.¡± Cadeus followed. ¡°Sigh¡­ after my persuasion to get her to stay¡­ oh well.¡± ¡°So¡­ Is there anything I ought to know about that phantom blade?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t want to get cut by that thing boy.¡± ¡°¡­Will I become a wraith if I do?¡± ¡°Ha¡­hahahaha¡­ nice, but no. A single cut or stab will damage not only the physical, but also the immaterial.¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°That blade can cut magic circuits. If the damage was permanent enough, it could leave a mage incapable of casting magic spells for life.¡± ¡°Ouch¡­¡± ¡°So don¡¯t get hit. After all, phantom blades are ranked amongst the most deadly amongst all magical armaments. There are a couple of us present who could make their own phantom blades. It¡¯s useful against specters, but I doubt it could really help us against a wraith of that cabliber.¡± The wraith soon clenched its free hand into a fist and started hammering against the barrier with no new development. after further thinking, it soon turned hits attention on one of the six Enforcers. ¡°Uh oh¡­¡± The wraith started moving towards the Enforcer. ¡°Ah¡­ Shit¡­ it looks like it figured out the barrier¡¯s weakness.¡± ¡°What? You mean it¡¯s the ¡®one caster falls, the whole barrier will fall¡¯ kind of weakness?¡± Cadeus added. ¡°Yes¡­ unfortunately.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Oh come on, every barrier has a weakness.¡± ¡°¡­You sound awfully calm for such a deteriorating situation.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. We¡¯ve been through a lot. We know what to do, look.¡± Following Enforcer Gazeth¡¯s eye. Cadeus saw that the other divisions soon moved to help the targeted Enforcer. As the wraith used its phantom blade to hack against the barrier, the surrounding Enforcers reinforced that part of the barrier with their magic. Before Cadeus could ask Enforcer Gazeth on the next course of action, he caught Acriscius coming at the corner of his eye. Needless to say, the two Pure Bloods regarded each other with extreme distaste. ¡°Your friends are not around. Why the heck are you still here?¡± Cadeus chose not to reply. Instead, he gave Acriscius an astonished gaze. ¡°I just noticed, you not charging in.¡± ¡°You idiot. That¡¯s a freaking wraith. There¡¯s no way ordinary methods will work.¡± ¡°Shame that you have to be so smart now. You could have done me a huge favour.¡± ¡°You asshole. Is that an insult?¡± ¡°Boys! No fighting~!¡± Miss Allis stepped in and placed each hand on their shoulders before they could get into a brawl. The two Pure Bloods gave each other blood shot eyes before turning their faces away from each other. Enforcer Gazeth could only sigh at such a poor spectacle. Acriscius did not come alone. There were the other division leaders Enforcer Cliffrai, Enforcer Navia and Enforcer Lagrez. Ignoring the two Pure Bloods, they turned their attention to Enforcer Gazeth. ¡°Where¡¯s Kutsurov?¡± ¡°Teleported the other kids to the surface. He¡¯ll be back.¡± ¡°So¡­ what now?¡± ¡°We clearly do not have the means to exorcize the wraith. It¡¯s too powerful for the conventional methods, and we can''t contact the specialists¡± ¡°Then let¡¯s seal it. We have the methods and the means.¡± The Enforcers stared at Enforcer Gazeth. ¡°What? It¡¯s clearly all we could do. Given the unexpected turn of events¡­ right? Look, we can do the [Karmien¡¯s Seal], the [Ritropref Seal] or even the [Berokgma Seal]. In fact, in this case I highly encourage the [Berokgma Seal]. Plus, we got two Pure Bloods. Are we lacking in anything?¡± The what, what and what? Listening to their conversation, Cadeus turned to Miss Allis. ¡°I¡¯m lost.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll learn all about seals in due time boy. Of course, you won¡¯t learn specialized seals of this detail unless you join the Enforcers.¡± ¡°Spare me the recruitment attempt.¡± ¡°Aha! I¡¯ve been seen through. Shame.¡± ¡°They mentioned something about the specialists. What¡¯s with the specialists?¡± ¡°Well¡­ you see, even in our profession, a wraith that powerful is a rare encounter. In times like this, we got a few wraith specialists within the force we that can rely on. But the thing is, they are currently unreachable.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Since there was no better alternative, the division leaders agreed on the plan. They soon spent a few seconds on a quick contemplation on their strategy. ¡°So¡­ what¡¯s this seal that they are going to use?¡± Cadeus asked Miss Allis again. ¡°The [Berokgma Seal]? I don¡¯t know much about seals, but I do know that in this situation it¡¯s the most effective of the three.¡± ¡°You just repeated what Enforcer Gazeth said Miss Allis¡­¡± ¡°Wouldn''t you agree Lord Acriscius?¡± Miss Allis chose to ignore him. On the other hand, Acriscius nodded. ¡°[Berokgma Seal] is a unadorned Class 4 seal involving eighteen smaller seals and four regenerative spiral edges, am I correct?¡± ¡°Definitely. Even a wraith like that would experience difficulty breaking out.¡± ¡°But I heard that it takes the guidance of a proper Seal Specialist to pull something like that off.¡± ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry! Gazeth is a full fledge Sealing Specialist.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Cadeus decided to flush out all the unfamiliar terms before he starts developing a serious headache. He decided to raise another issue. ¡°Enforcer Gazeth also mentioned something about Pure Bloods. How do we fit in all of this?¡± ¡°Yes. I want to know that as well.¡± Acriscius interrupted. ¡°Eh? Eh? I¡¯m not good with plans¡­ If you are talking about strategies, I think you are asking the wrong person here?!¡± Omg¡­ why did I even bother asking her then? Cadeus really wanted to give himself a face palm. ¡°Perhaps I could answer that question.¡± Enforcer Gazeth interfered. As they all turned to him, the other division leaders had already left to start laying the outlines for the seal. ¡°You see¡­ in order to activate a powerful seal, we need a strong medium of magic. But if we are talking about a wraith that¡¯s this powerful, we may need something that¡¯s stronger than our regular ¡®strong medium of magic¡¯. Just so it happens, we got the perfect medium with us right now.¡± Enforcer Gazeth continued. While Cadeus was still unsure of what he meant, Acriscius understood the underlying motive. ¡°¡­You want my blood.¡± ¡°Definitely. After all, the blood of a Pure Blood is a medium of magic that had gained legendary status.¡± Cadeus was marveled at this revelation, but he managed to keep his poker face. Acriscius folded his arms and gave a thought. ¡°Hm¡­ fine. I¡¯ll contribute my blood to your cause. But I¡¯ll expect the normal compensation.¡± ¡°Money?¡± ¡°If I remember¡­ the discounted charges for the Enforcers would be 500,000 Duches.¡± Half a million?! Plus it¡¯s discounted?! Cadeus just discovered he saw a fraction of the reason why Pure Bloods were valuable in magi society. ¡°Hm¡­ understood. I¡¯m not the one who needs to go through all the paper work anyway. Transaction will be complete once we submit our investigation report. Feel free to lodge a complain if you did not get your payment. Not that I care about the department in charge of the paperwork anyways.¡± Oi, oi, oi¡­ are you sure you¡¯re supposed to say something like that? Acriscius reached for his sling bag and took out the usual needs for a self blood draw; Velcro strap, alcohol swap, and a syringe pack. Oh? His syringe pack is customized with an attached blood vial. I could use something like that. Cadeus thought. While Acriscius was focusing on his blood, the wraith broke through the barrier with one final stab. Unfortunately, the targeted Enforcer did not have time to move. The broad phantom blade stabbed him right through the gut. Just as half of the phantom blade was visible behind his back, the wraith lifted him up and threw him to the other side of the platform. That¡¯s another dead man. Even though the wraith broke through, the Enforcers remain unshaken. Nearby divisions soon dedicated themselves into buying time for their colleagues who were preparing the sealing circle. As Cadeus watched, two Enforcers rushed to the wraith drawing phantom blades of their own. Their blades had a slightly different colour, and they come in different forms. Cadeus saw a sword and an axe. Once they got the wraith¡¯s attention, the wraith warped a few feet before them and gave a low swing. Bringing their blades together, the two Enforcers parried the blade perfectly. But the wraith responded quickly by moving a leg forward and grabbed the nearest Enforcers by his throat. Ignoring the following stabs and slashes made by his partner, the wraith lifted the man up and started to drain him of his magical reserves. As Cadeus watched the flow of magic leaving the man¡¯s body, his life force and biological warmth went with it. Even as his partner sliced his own phantom blade against the wraith¡¯s wrist, the wraith¡¯s hand remained connected to its arm. From this, it was rather obvious that a phantom blade would not work against this particular wraith. The entire process lasted about ten seconds. By the end of it, the Enforcer¡¯s appearance changed to that of a mummified husk. All life left his eyes and the wraith merely allowed him to drop onto the floor like a lump of dough. ¡°¡­What the shit?¡± What kind of broken ability was that? Just as the wraith turned his attention to the other Enforcers, another group of four Enforcers came rushed towards it. Surrounding the wraith, they casted a flashy spell imprisoning the wraith in some sort of warp sphere. In response, the wraith gathered Dark Magic into a swelling mass within its torso before letting out a massive corruptive discharge. The corruptive discharge tempered with the sphere and caused it to dysfunction. But without waiting for the barrier to completely break, the wraith gathered fire in its free hand, and it used its burning fingers to draw an oddly shaped fire rune in the air. Once the barrier broke, the fire rune was beaming with heat and the wraith activated its magic. While waiting in anticipation, the Enforcers created some distance by warping themselves backwards. Those who had Grey Magic in their blood started enchanting the group with Grey Magic. Before long, each Enforcer had three strong Water Elemental barriers in preparation against what might come. However, that was not enough to protect them. The wraith¡¯s corruptive discharge tore beyond the barrier and covered enough distance to interfere with their Water Elemental barriers. Once their barrier was infected, Grey Magic was thrown into disorder and the Water Elemental barriers could not maintain their form. But before the Enforcers could react to the sudden change, the wraith¡¯s fire rune replicated and shot themselves towards the four Enforcers. The fire runes burned though the disorientated Grey Magic and imprinted themselves onto the Enforcers. Needless to say, the Enforcers were all burned instantly into a crisp. By the end of everything, the four Enforcers were reduced into four fresh ash pits. That¡¯s four more deaths, but that was still not enough to damper the Enforcers. Another group soon moved up to stall the wraith with their own strategies. Turning his eyes to the other Enforcers at work, Cadeus saw that they had used the remnants of the corruption ritual circle as a base outline for their own seal. Using magical tools and utility artifacts, the Enforcers continue to imprint various inscriptions and patterns with the help of basic alchemical materials such as salt, white chalk, wax and lead. From the circumference, they outlined jagged lines that protrude towards the center, making it look as if the circumference was eating the circle from the inside. Once the outer circle was done, the Enforcers split in accordance to their divisions and started marking extensive smaller circles along with other symbols and patterns. Everything was done quickly such that after four to five minutes, the outlay was done and the Enforcers began engraving magic into the hard earth in accordance to the markings they had made. While they were all busy doing this, Acriscius was done with his blood withdrawal. Once Enforcer Gazeth got the blood he needed, he and Miss Allis soon moved to the various segments, dropping Acriscius¡¯s blood at different key points of the sealing circle. Good. In just a few more minutes, they will be ready to seal the wraith. Just as Cadeus was thinking that, the wraith materialized into his view. It warped straight in front of him directly. Just as the other Enforcers soon noted of it¡¯s breakout, the wraith impaled its phantom blade into the nearest Enforcer who was about to finish his side of the engraving. With his sudden death, the segment he was working on failed to connect to the rest of the sealing circle. Out of reflex, Cadeus and Acriscius moved back, but that proved to be a mistake. Their reaction caught the wraith¡¯s attention, prompting it to turn its head towards them. At that moment, Cadeus froze. He froze out of the possibility that he might be next. He forsook everything around him and focused on himself. Could this be the end of him? Would his next few seconds be his last being alive? Cadeus soon thought of his mother. He did not know why but he thought of his mother. As the wraith spent a moment to observe them, the Enforcers who had a bit of Grey Magic in their blood utilized the element Earth to hurl chunks of rocks over as a missile projection. Distracted, the wraith soon turned its attention to the other side as several more Enforcers moved in. Seizing this chance, Cadeus and Acriscius moved away from the wraith. Since direct engagement could not work, the same group of Enforcers changed their strategy and focused their efforts into stalling the wraith until the seal was ready. In an attempt to create a deterrent, the Enforcers gathered the larger debris around the platform and molded them into walls of stone before trapping the wraith in a five-sided cube. The Enforcers then used incantations, runic inscriptions and other forms of enchantments to secure the cube. In addition to that, they also set up three alignment circles of unknown properties around the cube above all of it. But even with all that additional enhancements, it was still not enough. With a couple of slashes, the wraith weakened the wall before casting an explosive spell. The area around the wraith was soon bombarded with chunks of large debris. When he saw one of the large chunks of debris flew towards him, Cadeus threw a [Lighting Caste] to demolish it in order to avoid getting squashed. When the other landed right next to him, he used it as a cover to avoid getting hit by the other debris. Taking a moment to study his surroundings, Cadeus saw one of the larger debris landing on a cart of alchemical ingredients. ¡°Ouch¡­ those Alchemists won¡¯t like that.¡± Turning to the side, he saw Acriscius doing the same; using the other as a hiding spot. ¡°Tch¡­ I was hoping that he would get squashed¡­ but whatever.¡± Cadeus turned again to the platform center and watched as the wraith activated a new spell. Reaching down, the wraith pressed its hand onto the floor before releasing a miasma of pale grey ash from its body. Five Enforcers who got too close to the wraith immediately threw up a defensive barrier, but the miasma¡¯s purpose was not to cause damage. Instead, once the Enforcers came into contact with the mist, black circles with skull emblems manifested around their waists. ¡°Oh shit¡­ that¡¯s definitely not good.¡± Without giving the Enforcers time to respond, the wraith stood up and charged. As it did, the black circles drained the five Enforcers of their magical reserves, repeating what had happened earlier with the previous Enforcer. ¡°So basically, if we leave it alone, it¡¯ll come for you and if we engage it, it¡¯ll drain our magical reserves and life force to make itself stronger. Wow¡­ I¡¯m so gloomy today.¡± In response to the wraith¡¯s sudden aggression, the nearest Enforcer instantly imprinted an orange runic circle that immediately disappeared on the wraith¡¯s path. From the moment the wraith stepped into the circle, a huge explosion occurred leaving a huge discharge of smoke and ash. But the wraith soon moved out of the smoke and impaled its blade into that Enforcer. ¡°What is this? For all they did the Enforcers barely scratched it. Are high-level wraiths this broken? Just what exactly could make this thing so powerful? ¡° With their dropping numbers, those who were working on the sealing circle sped up their movements. From the looks of it, the sealing circle was almost complete. But the wraith¡¯s high intelligence allowed it to register the threat the seal provided. Its constant interference prevented them from finishing the job, and the Enforcers were starting to be low on numbers. In the midst of everything, Cadeus noticed something odd. Why did the wraith previously not kill them on the spot? When that wraith turned its attention to them earlier, it did not rush to kill them, nor did it express any hostility. It merely stared at them, as if it was accessing their threat level first. Did the wraith not attack them because they did not show it any hostility? ¡°Tch!¡± Acriscius clicked his tongue. ¡°There¡¯s no point in sitting here and doing nothing.¡± ¡­Eh? Acriscius stepped out of his cover. What? Seriously? He¡¯s going to charge out? Before he could anything rash, Cadeus called out towards him. ¡°Oi! Even if you are a Pure Blood, that thing is too dangerous.¡± ¡°Shut up imposter. Of course I know that.¡± ¡°And what? Charge in anyway and assume that you can make a difference? Are you an idiot? Did you see what that thing could do? Even if you have your Blood Gift, that thing could probably finish you at a distance before you could close in for a strike!¡± ¡°Shut up! It¡¯s definitely far better than hiding here and doing nothing!¡± ¡°Are you serious?!¡± Fully intent to enter the fray, Acriscius¡¯s hands began burning with his red mist. Cadeus acted quickly before Acriscius could cast his protective orange sphere. ¡°[Enwrap Bind]!¡± In a flash, Acriscius was bounded with a magical binding spell that restricted movement from his upper arm, forearm and knees. ¡°What the¡­¡± Manipulating his fingers, Cadeus tightened the bind and manipulated its form to force Acriscius down. Without the freedom of movement, Acriscius lost his sense of balance and fell. It did not take him long to figure out who¡¯s responsible. ¡°You! You bloody imposter!¡± As he struggled to move, Cadeus grabbed him by his collar before dragging him back to cover. ¡°You¡¯ll thank me later once we are out of this. That wraith is no joke even for a Pure Blood like yourself.¡± Acriscius snapped the binding easily with his Blood Gift. ¡°Damn you! I have always endured your disgusting presence, but this time I¡¯m definitely going to kill you ¨C ¡± ¡°Quit being such an impulsive muscle head and listen to what I have to say! You are the only son of your house am I correct? If you die here, what¡¯s to become of your house? Aren¡¯t you being irresponsible here?!¡± ¡°¡­!!¡± Before Acriscius could do so much as to make a rebuttal, a flash of light happened. Staring at the source, they both saw that the light came from a teleportation circle. Or to be more exact, a teleportation circle manifested at the imprinted end circle Enforcer Kutsurov placed earlier. With another flash of light, Enforcer Kutsurov came back. When he found himself staring at ongoing slaughter of his colleagues, surprise appeared on his eyes. ¡°Enforcer Kutsurov! Here!¡± Turning his head, Enforcer Kutsurov soon came over. ¡°Good to see that you are still alive. You to Lord Acriscius.¡± ¡°Perhaps you can help me talk some sense into this useless lord from charging blind into action.¡± ¡°WHO ARE YOU CALLING A USELSESS LORD?!!¡± Enforcer Kutsurov grabbed Acriscius¡¯s arm before he could do something to Cadeus. ¡°I don¡¯t know what history exist between the two of you but¡­ can you two please not do this while we are in the middle of a crisis?!¡± It took another explosion to stop them from doing something stupid. Once the explosion had died down, the disruption was more than enough for Acriscius to realize how silly this seems. He shoved Enforcer Kutsurov¡¯s grip off, but did not do anything further. Breathing a sigh of relief, Enforcer Kutsurov turned to Acriscius. ¡°Now that you have calm down, I just want to say that your companions are safe. Vanderburg wants me to tell you that everything is ok. I have personally seen to that.¡± ¡°Is¡­ is that so?¡± Well¡­ that did calm Acriscius down considerably. Cadeus turned to Enforcer Kutsurov. ¡°What about my friends?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. The Apothecaries are tending to them. They should be fine. So¡­ what happened?¡± Cadeus explained everything from top to bottom. ¡°I see¡­ I expected things to get bad, but not this quickly¡­¡± Enforcer Kutsurov turned his attention to the incomplete sealing circle. ¡°I agree with Gazeth that sealing it would be the best option. But if this circle is still not finished in five minutes we will have an unsolvable problem.¡± Cadeus decided to raise the possibility of the wraith not attacking them. ¡°Enforcer Kutsurov, what are the chances that the wraith would not attack us.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry I don¡¯t follow.¡± ¡°I mean to say, what if the wraith only attacks hostile people? Earlier, when Acriscius and I got its attention, it did not seek to kill us outright. Instead it just studied us, as if it was deciding we are a threat.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m a little skeptical about this possibility Cadeus. Although I welcome all sorts of possibilities at this stage, didn¡¯t you say that the wraith start killing the Enforcers the moment it materialized?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ok¡­ you see¡­ actually, when the wraith manifested, your colleagues acted first by imprisoning it in some sort of barrier. So technically, your colleagues acted with hostility first.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± Enforcer Kutsurov brought a hand to his chin. ¡°Well, even if what you say could be true, we do not have the time to confirm it. At the moment, it¡¯s too risky to act based on that assumption. Besides, regardless of whether it attacks hostile enemies or not, we still need to seal it. If we do not seal this wraith, the Academy could be at risk.¡± Enforcer Kutsurov turned his attention to the two Pure Ploods. ¡°The sealing circle, which is crucial to our current strategy, is still incomplete. The wraith is also constantly deterring my colleagues from finishing it. At this rate, all my colleagues will be forced to spend their efforts to contain the wraith and the sealing circle will never be complete. I would like to ask the two of your prioritize the circle and help us complete it while we focus on stalling the wraith. Don¡¯t worry. You are not expected to know the seal works. All you need to do is to engrave your magic on the platform floor in accordance to the prepared outline.¡± ¡°¡°¡­¡±¡± ¡°Prioritize the circle. If the wraith comes for you, drop everything and get away. Do not engage the wraith.¡± With what¡¯s at stake, there¡¯s no time for any debate. The two Pure Bloods could only nod their heads. TOA In the next couple of minutes, Cadeus was on his knees engraving his own magic into the seal outline. Acriscius was somewhere at the other side, engraving the sealing circle in a separate segment. Engraving magic was the act of inserting magic onto a specific platform (e.g. paper, stone). Unlike incantation, it enables the inscription to have a much stronger foundation. Unique to its purpose, seals can only function once magic was completely engraved into a physical platform. This specific characteristic allows seals to be five times more durable compared to their enchantment counterparts. But their singular purpose made them a rather inflexible tool. According to Enforcer Kutsurov, the seal was roughly 93% finished. The remaining 7% would be to finish engraving the magic in order to fully connect all the segments of the sealing circle. This must be done so that the seal could be firmly segregated onto the platform floor. While Cadeus and Acriscius busy themselves, Enforcer Kutsurov met up with the other division leaders and drafted a new strategy. Now that the two Pure Bloods were working on the circle, the Enforcers could fully dedicate themselves to deal with the wraith. Since their current methods did not work, they had to improvise. Going for their belts, the Enforcers reached for an attached runic stone and activated flight magic. The remaining ten to twenty Enforcers took to the air leaving Cadeus and Acriscius to work on the last few sections of the circle. Circling around the wraith, some of the Enforcers began shooting basic offensive spells at the wraith to get its attention. Annoyed, the wraith looked up at them before it elevated itself into the air. Uh oh¡­ better focus on my job¡­ Cadeus thought. Cadeus finished his segment before moving to another. The wraith was not as fast as the Enforcers, but that did not mean that it had a handicap. Thinking that they had the advantage of speed, some of the Enforcers unleashed a series of barriers between them. But the wraith anticipated their moves and warped itself away before it could get caught. By warping, the wraith managed to avoid getting caught, and on top of everything it also help decrease its distance between the nearest Enforcers. By repeating this method, the wraith soon managed to reduce its distance to some Enforcers. When it was close enough to a group, it gathered magic within its free hand and unleashed a light wave of corruption energy. When that light wave of corruption energy hit the nearby enforcers, it interfered with their flight capacity and infected their enchantments, removing the various benefits the Enforcers prepared before hand. Vulnerable and exposed to paranormal factors, the wraith pointed two fingers and hexed six of the Enforcers within its line of sight. Despite having prepared an anti-hex enchantment, the corrupted enchantment could no longer protect them as the hex mark managed to imprint itself upon the four Enforcers. The hex mark injected the wraith¡¯s corruptive magic into their bodies. Clenching its fist, the wraith tainted their magic circuits, which momentarily removed their capability to use magic to maintain their flight. As they fell, the wraith soon picked them off one by one. Some Enforcers were saved by their colleagues, others were not as fortunate. Meanwhile, Cadeus and Acriscius were almost done with the final touch ups. They finished engraving four minor circles and three spiral runic inscriptions. The only thing left would be to finish the most important piece, the center circle. When they both approached the circle, Cadeus and Acriscius gave each other a look of hostility, but they soon broke off and pressed their hands on the circle outline. As they focused, the circle glowed as their magic were imprinted onto the level floor in accordance to the circle outline. Once the circle was complete, the entire sealing circle glowed with a dim colour. ¡°Enforcer Kutsurov!¡± Realizing that their work was over, Enforcer Kutsurov gave hand signals to the other division leaders. Soon, every surviving Enforcers dived down to the sealing circle. Moving next to Enforcer Gazeth, Enforcer Gazeth nodded to Enforcer Kutsurov before taking out Acriscius¡¯s blood vial. From the moment they landed, Enforcer Kutsurov motioned for Cadeus and Acriscius to move away with him while Enforcer Gazeth moved for the center circle. ¡°So¡­ what now?¡± ¡°What¡¯s left would be to lure the wraith somewhere within the sealing circle¡¯s range. If it hovers over the seal or step anywhere on this platform, the seal will automatically activate.¡± ¡°¡­Won¡¯t we get caught into the seal?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. The runic inscription on the seal gave it specific instructions not to affect any humans. We should be just fine.¡± The wraith soon followed. Noticing the seal¡¯s completion, it stopped short before landing and hovered at the platform¡¯s edge. Realizing the change in its current stance, Cadeus turned to Enforcer Kutsurov. ¡°It must have noticed the seal¡¯s activation conditions.¡± ¡°Hm¡­ if that¡¯s the case, the wraith would do all it could to prevent itself from stepping a foot on this platform. We might have to drag it in.¡± ¡°Drag it in? Do you intent to bind it somehow?¡± ¡°If we can, using whatever we can.¡± The wraith used its free hand again to apply some unknown runes upon itself. Without the need for words, the Enforcers intervened before it could finish. They threw a few [Enwarp Binds] and other binding spells to pull the wraith over. The wraith resisted by using its phantom blade to cut though some bindings. But even if it could cut through some binds, the Enforcers would recast their spells and bind the wraith again. Facing against numerous binding spells, the wraith struggled to fend against the bindings but it was eventually pulled closer to the platform. When it was hovering above the inner part of the platform edge, the Enforcers gradually manipulated their binds to bring the wraith lower until it eventually touched the platform floor. The sealing circle glowed brightly and activated its magic. Gathering a huge swirl of energy, a huge paranormal force soon surged from the epicenter and seized the wraith while it¡¯s in mid air. Now that the seal was in effect, the Enforcers released their hold and watched as the wraith was pulled towards the seal¡¯s epicenter. While it was being dragged towards the center, the wraith severed the last binding trends and finished self-imprinting its runes. But even with the additional buffs, the wraith could not withstand the seal. In a last attempt to thwart the seal, the wraith raised its phantom blade and pierced the tip down onto the seal¡¯s structural outline to disrupt the seal¡¯s functions. As the phantom blade cut through the seal¡¯s workings, the sealing circle flashed on and off. Registering the new threat, the Enforcer resumed bombarding the wraith with various offensive spells. As it got hit, the various impacts misplaced the wraith¡¯s hold on its phantom blade. Although it did not entirely loose its grip, the wraith was forced to pull the blade out of the ground.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The seal resumed its effects and the wraith was pulled closer to the center. Once it¡¯s hovering above the seal¡¯s inner segments, the wraith turned it¡¯s gaze up one final time before it saw Enforcer Gazeth standing at the epicenter with Acriscius¡¯s blood vial in his hand. Popping open the vial cock, Enforcer Gazeth emptied the vial. The seal swirled with Dark Magic once more before enveloping the wraith in a mass of energy. The sudden influx of magic disoriented the wraith and threw it out of balance. With a burst of magic, Enforcer Gazeth ran away from the center. As he looked back, the wraith was engulfed in a small vortex of energy similar to the corruption ritual earlier. The epicenter soon materialized a circular portal to the seal¡¯s isolated dimension. As the wraith¡¯s body was sucked into the seal¡¯s epicenter, its phantom blade dispersed and the wraith struggled to reach out to the air. But even if it could cast another spell, it did not have the time. The seal dragged it fully into the epicenter and ended it all with a flash. Eyes on the epicenter, the Enforcers spent the next few minutes panting softly. Even though things may be over, they still needed to be sure that the thing wouldn¡¯t come out again. When they were assured of their success, the Enforcers turned their attention to registering their wounded and making sure that Fremin was still in his bounds. Now that the worst was over, Cadeus breathed a small sigh of relief. However, his blissful moment was soon interrupted when Miss Allis came to check on him. ¡°Cadeus! My little brother!¡± ¡°For the last time, I¡¯m not your little brother.¡± Dismissing the two of them, Enforcer Kutsurov turned his attention to Acriscius. ¡°The Enforcers will take over from here. Is this turnout satisfactory to you? Or would you prefer to oversee the clean up?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s fine. I see no problem with the actions the Enforcers undertook.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great. Give me a moment. I¡¯ll get you guys to the surface.¡± Just when Enforcer Kutsurov was about to activate the teleportation circle on his belt, the entire platform shook. All eyes returned to the sealing circle when the wraith¡¯s arm tore through the paranormal dimension and materialized out of the ground. ¡°What the¡­¡± ¡°Oi, oi, oi ,OI! You have got to be kidding!!¡± ¡°The Pure Blood¡¯s blood did not work?¡± The various key points of the sealing circle that had Acriscius¡¯s blood were continuously blinking on and off while the wraith¡¯s fingers dug a strong grip on the ground. It then attempted to pull itself out. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. What is the meaning of this?¡± Acriscius said. The nearest Enforcers moved in to cast barriers and anti-hex enchantments in preparation. While they busy themselves, the other division leaders soon moved to Enforcer Gazeth and Kutsurov. ¡°Hey. What¡¯s the meaning of this? Gazeth, you are the sealing Specialist. Did the seal not work?¡± Enforcer Lagrez asked. Enforcer Cliffrai and Enforcer Navia held similar grim expressions. Enforcer Gazeth placed a few fingers on his chin. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with the seal. In fact, I would say that the seal is in perfect working condition¡± Enforcer Kutsurov opened his mouth. ¡°Could the wraith¡¯s earlier disruption cause any disruption to the seal?¡± ¡°Yes. The wraith did cut into the seal¡¯s structural outline earlier. Could there been any tampered effects?¡± Enforcer Navia followed. Enforcer Gazeth waved their concerns away. ¡°No it shouldn¡¯t be. The circle is too large for such a small cut to cause any major effect. Plus, as long as the key points were still untouched, there should not be a problem with the seal. The only explanation would be¡­¡± The surrounding Enforcers waited in anticipation. ¡°¡­I can only think of one explanation. The blood we used was not strong enough to completely seal the wraith.¡± Acriscius frowned. ¡°Are you saying that my Blood Strength is not enough?¡± Of course, for a Greater Noble Pure Blood to be told that his Blood Strength was weak, it was definitely quite an insult. ¡°Take no offense Lord Acriscius. This just means that this wraith must be a very strong being. In fact, it¡¯s too strong to be something that came out of Fremin¡¯s attempted corruption ritual. No¡­ I have a feeling that this wraith must be much more ancient.¡± ¡°Meaning to say that it¡¯s made a very long time ago.¡± ¡°It¡¯s highly possible. Whoever made this wraith must be an ancient Pure Blood who had a much stronger Blood Strength than Lord Acriscius here.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Acriscius could not make a rebuttal to that analysis. Since Acriscius was not going to open his mouth, Enforcer Gazeth continued his analysis. ¡°Perhaps the ancients intended for this wraith to be some sort of guardian.¡± ¡°Guardian for what?¡± ¡°Who knows¡­ maybe the last two levels?¡± Enforcer Cliffrai cut in at this stage. ¡°So what do we do? The lord¡¯s blood did not work, and I doubt that we have a stronger medium to reseal this wraith.¡± Cadeus soon had a brainwave. ¡°Then how about using my blood for another attempt?¡± Everyone turned their surprise faces to him. ¡°The imposter thinks he has a higher Blood Strength than me?¡± Acriscius exclaimed. The Enforcers had a different opinion. ¡°It could work.¡± ¡°Anything.¡± ¡°As long as we have a chance to get rid of that thing.¡± Enforcer Kutsurov took out a syringe and a blood vial. ¡°Here, use these and be quick. Miss Allis, from now on Cadeus is your responsibility. Gazeth, you stay here with him. Once he gives you his blood, redo what you have to do. The rest of us will move to the seal¡¯s epicenter. If we hit it hard enough, we might be able to push it back into the seal for good.¡± The plan sounds good. The other division leaders nodded. When the seal shook again, everyone turned to see that the wraith had successfully dragged its head and upper torso out. Soon, both of its hands were free. But even with both hands out, the seal was still active in sucking the wraith back in. The wraith was forced to place both hands on the platform to help pull it out. ¡°Shit!¡± While the Enforcers went back to the sealing circle, Cadeus quickly took out his Velcro and put it on. Flexing his muscles, Cadeus selected a vein before piercing the tip of the syringe into his skin. Meanwhile, the Enforcers started another barrage of offensive spells. But when the wraith noticed their presence, it quickly ceased pulling itself out and casted a spherical barrier around it for protection. Although this action caused it to sink back in, the wraith was quick to grip the floor and resume pulling itself out. Passing the blood vial to Enforcer Gazeth, Cadeus watched as he ran to the key points of the sealing circle again. Dropped the blood onto the same key points, Enforcer Gazeth was dripping in cold sweat. He must work quickly, for the wraith could pull itself out at any moment. Once he¡¯s done, Enforcer Gazeth reached down for the sealing outline and activated a separate sequence. In order to secure the wraith at it¡¯s current position, Enforcer Gazeth quickly finished dropping Cadeus¡¯s blood onto the last key point before activating a separate sequence. The various key points of the sealing circle flared up in a different colour before shooting out paranormal chains towards the epicenter. The wraith became restrained in its movements. Although it was still hanging by the edge, it still stubbornly held itself at that same spot. But that was all Enforcer Gazeth needed. Noticing this change, the division leaders gave signals to the other Enforcers to cease-fire while Enforcer Gazeth ran for the epicenter. Reaching the epicenter, Enforcer Gazeth was this close to the wraith, but the wraith could only do as much as look at him. ¡°Get sealed and stay sealed you beast.¡± Without wasting anymore time, Enforcer Gazeth emptied the blood vial. The seal glowed brightly once more before sucking the wraith strongly back into the seal. The wraith struggled to keep its grip, but even though its fingers were strong, the platform floor was not. Part of the floor gave way and it¡¯s griping fingers soon slide back down. Before the wraith could grasp another hold, it was completely sucked in. The seal closed the paranormal gap between dimensions, and the wraith was gone with a flash and boom. After waiting for an additional five minutes, someone broke the silence. ¡°Is it over?¡± The Enforcers remained vigilant for a couple of minutes until they were more certain. ¡°It¡¯s over. The wraith is not coming out.¡± Breathing a huge sigh of relief, the Enforcers relaxed. Following safety protocol, the Division leaders soon recalled their own team to check on their conditions. Once everyone¡¯s safety was accounted for, Enforcer Gazeth and Kutsurov met again with Allis before addressing Acriscius. ¡°So for the sake of accountability let me ask you again. Is this turnout satisfactory?¡± Enforcer Kutsurov said. ¡°Hmph. Everything was fine. But what vexed me was that the Imposter¡¯s blood worked.¡± ¡°My lord! Would you rather it failed?¡± Enforcer Gazeth exclaimed. Not caring about the history between the two Pure Bloods, Enforcer Kutsurov looked around for the ¡®imposter¡¯ in question. ¡°Miss Allis, where¡¯s the lad?¡± As the three Enforcers turned to look, Cadeus was nowhere to be found. ¡°Um¡­ Cadeus?¡± Miss Allis called. ¡°Damn it Miss Allis. I thought I said that the boy¡¯s your responsibility?¡± While the three started to search frantically for their Pure Blooded friend, Enforcer Navia came towards them. ¡°This is bad. Fremin¡¯s gone.¡± ¡°¡°¡°¡°¡­What?¡±¡±¡±¡± ¡°How?¡± Enforcer Kutsurov demanded. ¡°He left behind a body double and casted an illusion on it.¡± ¡°Damn these Alchemists. They always love to use all sorts of things.¡± TOA Fermin limped as quickly as he can. When the Enforcers apprehended him earlier, the bindings sprained one of his ankles. He could not run, but he still could walk. After he managed to free his limbs, Fremin reached for one of his many pockets and took out a small object that serves as a mini double of himself. Using magic to expand the item, Fremin also spent whatever remains of his Cast Limit to cast an illusion. Now, his body double looked like the real him. Fremin had expected some of the Enforcers to notice his escape. But since no one bothered to look at his way, Fremin quickly seized the opportunity and left the platform. Five mintues later, and he¡¯s on the ninth level. It was rather surprising that no one noticed his absence. Well of course they wouldn¡¯t. They were too preoccupied with that wraith anyway. Pausing to take a breath, Fremin spent a moment to recollect on his situation. At the moment, he could not cast any more magic. Fremin was already suffering from the drawbacks of over using magic. Physical penalties were on the toll, but Fremin was barely able to keep his fatigue in check. But all was not lost. Before the ritual started, Fremin had instructed his Apprentice to place runic lights around specific pathways to serve as a backup escape route should teleportation fail to work. The runic lights would only react to you if you have a special mark. As such, the Enforcers should have a hard time figuring out which passage way he took. By now, the entrance would be swarming with Enforcers, and his mansion should be under raid and inspection. But that did not matter. Fremin had prepared safe houses throughout all of Otium. Even if he¡¯s a wanted man in Central, there were various means to escape the law. All Fremin had to do was to wait at a safe distance before he had recovered enough magic to teleport to a safer place. But still, Fremin was surprised at how things went crazily wrong. Things had developed way beyond what he could comprehend, and there were two major reasons for it. Firstly, the Enforcers intervened too fast. Fremin was aware that the Enforcers were Mages of the highest caliber. But then, there should have been enough obstacles prepared to buy them the necessary time. The closest estimation Fremin could make was that the Enforcers to show up at most five minutes after he managed to discharge the ritual and escape the area with the cart via teleportation. ¡°Come to think of it, Viper said that he would help me distract the Enforcers for a little longer. Did something happen to him?¡± Viper did not mention anything about meeting him again. He had done his part in bringing Fremin the cart, and that was all there was to be. He did not seem to be interested in the ritual¡¯s success or failure, but shouldn¡¯t he at least stay through to the end to report the outcome to his boss? Secondly, his friends all died in the ritual attempt. Even though the white protective circles Viper¡¯s team set up were supposed to help them, they ended up dying anyway. How was it possible? Viper assured Fremin that the white circles were strong enough to withstand the corruption ritual. ¡°Wait¡­ hold on.¡± As he recalled the last few moments of the ritual, rather than protect them, Fremin was sure that the white protective circles were somehow trapping his friends more rather than protecting them. They were trying to break out, but the white barriers prevented them from leaving. Was it a protective measure? The more Fremin pondered about this, the more Fremin got the feeling that Viper did not deliver what he promised. First he promised protection against the corruption ritual, and then he promised distracting the Enforcers. Both were not delivered, and instead it felt like they were abandoned. It did not take Fremin that long to figure out a conclusion. ¡°Damn it Viper! You freaking back stabber!¡± Viper must have long expected that things won¡¯t go as planned, and chose to leave them behind anyway. ¡°Come to think of it, did he also sabotage the barrier defenses so that the Enforcers could reach us faster? Damn him! Wait till I get out of here! Once I¡¯m free from the Enforcers¡­ wait¡­ perhaps I could turn myself into the Enforcers. I could make up a story about how I was tricked into making that corruption ritual! The Enforcers might not buy it entirely, but if there¡¯s a lead to another suspect, they¡¯ll be sure to let me have some degree of freedom!¡± With such a twisted plan in mind, Fremin nodded his head with absolute certainty. That¡¯s right, he was going to make Viper regret ever crossing him. ¡°Just wait Viper. If your boss gets hold of the information that the Enforcers had a lead to you, you¡¯ll definitely not get away with it. GYA HA HA HA HA!¡± BBBZZZZZZZZZ! In that very instance, something struck Fremin hard. He was thrown up in the air for a short moment, before collapsing to the side. ¡°Eh¡­ eh?¡± It felt like a bang. Aside from feeling a short glimpse of pain, Fremin smelled something that was burnt and part of his body felt strangely numb. With the glittering remnants of blue electric sparks all over his body, it did not take Fremin that long to realize that he had been hit by a lightning spell. ¡°This stunning sensation¡­ [Lightning Caste]?¡± While marveling at the fact that he got hit by such a simple spell, Fermin tried to get up. ... ... No good. His limbs are completely in pain, and he could not move. The most he could do was to move his neck. Taking a look at his own body, Fremin saw that part of his robes had burned. The exposed skin was scorched red and black. Since he was not feeling any pain, it should be a third degree burn. This was an attack, but who did it? If it were an imprinted rune for booby traps, Fermin would have seen remnants of the runic circle somewhere. But the lightning spell was shot from a vertical angle, as if someone deliberately aimed for him. "W-Who¡¯s there?" Fermin saw a hooded shadow. It''s getting closer to him. But as it got closer, the silhouette is more like a child''s. A student? The figure walked to him until he''s right in front of him. From the light of the runic marking reflected his face. It was that Pure Blood who threw him out of the ritual circle, the same Pure Blood he had kidnapped yesterday. ¡°You? How did you¡­ I see, you noticed me setting up that double and followed me¡­ So, you got me. What now? Turn me in over to the Enforcers? Actually, I would appreciate it if you do, this is a whole set up!" Cadeus did not reply. Instead, he gave Fremin another shocking barrage as multiple Lightning arcs flew from his fingertips. Watching Fremin scream in pain, Cadeus had never felt so relaxing. Giving him space to recover, Cadeus stood looking down him Cadeus held the lightning for several more seconds, and then he released his concentration. "I have questions, you''re going to answer them." Fremin panted before looking up at him again. "You brat, are you crazy?¡± With a worn out old man in front of him, Cadeus seized this opportunity to use one of Claire¡¯s investments. Focusing the magic within his forearm, he reached out and activated the hex she gave him. When Fremin recognized the hex mark on his body, he began dripping on cold sweat. ¡°Ok! Ok! Ok! You¡¯ve made your point! What do you want?¡± ¡°First, the ritual¡¯s purpose and why.¡± ¡°Well¡­ you see, the ritual is not our idea. It¡¯s a collaborative project that was initiated by a rather wealthy client. In exchange for our demands for Alchemical ingredients, we agreed to help them.¡± ¡°What¡¯s in it for you?¡± ¡°The client got our interests with the promises of rare Alchemical ingredients¡­ promises that he actually fulfilled! If you are thinking of comparing them to the usual backstabbing dealers.¡± Of course, it always had something to do with the ingredients¡­ "Go on." "They promised the ingredients, those that I want, those that are even banned by the High Council but who cares? All I have to do is help them do some ritual, and so we did the job.¡± ¡°By planting the corruption ritual directly below the Academy?¡± ¡°Listen up boy. There are risks involving corruption ritual, but we are too far deep for the ritual to have any effect on the surface. Did no one teach you about ¨C oh¡­ I forgot you are still a student. Listen kid, Class 5 rituals may be known for their wide range effect. We may not be able to manipulate the distance, but once we make a few tweaks to the ritual inscriptions, we can manipulate how high the ritual effects would reach.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Boy! Do you think we Alchemists are such terrible villains? If we put the Academy at risk, we might wipe out a future generation of Alchemists!¡± You knew that it¡¯s dangerous for your ¡®future generation of Alchemists¡¯, and yet you chose to plant the ritual anyway¡­ Cadeus thought. If he was truly trying to be sincere, Cadeus found it hard to believe him. ¡°Why the Academy? Why here?¡± ¡°Client request. Something related to the rumoured last two levels. The corruption ritual is meant to destabilize the seal leading to it.¡± ¡°So there¡¯s a seal to the lower levels¡­¡± ¡°Yes there is. We can''t even find it or see it. But we were told that the corruption ritual would destabilize it and reveal the doorway to us.¡± ¡°And instead you unleashed a powerful wraith.¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t know about the wraith! No one told us about it! We were only interested in the ingredients that were promised. We did not know a single thing about that wraith I swear it!¡± ¡°Perhaps your client didn¡¯t even know about it.¡± ¡°Perhaps they didn¡¯t, perhaps they did. At this point in time, I have a feeling that they actually do!¡± Consolidating what he had gathered, Cadeus moved on with his interrogation. ¡°This ritual¡­ is beyond you. Even if you are a Master, even if you have the wealth and connections, you could not have pulled this off. This is a collaboration.¡± ¡°Smart lad. I want you as my Apprentice.¡± Cadeus ignored him. ¡°As for your client¡­ From the way you were speaking, rather than dealing with a certain individual, you dealt with an organization. You were part of something larger. Larger than what the Enforcers initially hoped.¡± ¡°Well¡­ pulling off this grand ritual is definitely beyond us. We already pointed it out to the client.¡± ¡°And in doing so, your client, whoever he was, offered support.¡± ¡°Quick thinking! You have the brains for Alchemy. Say are you interested in ¨C ¡± Cadeus silenced him with a new barrage of electricity. He¡¯s really starting to get tired of these egoistic Alchemical maniacs. Giving Fremin some space and time to gather himself, Cadeus soon got to the heart of the matter. ¡°Who is your client?¡± ¡°A member of a very dangerous organization.¡± ¡°Which is?¡± Fremin smiled. ¡°Are you sure you want to know boy? This organization is beyond you.¡± Not in the mood for more jokes, Cadeus flickered intensifying volts of lightning on his right fingertips once again. Shutting his mouth, Fremin quickly gave Cadeus the answer he sought. ¡°Trebunus Legacy. The organization is called Trebunus Legacy.¡± Cadeus allowed the lightning to die off from his fingers. Trebunus Legacy. Trebunus¡­ Trebunus, Trebunus, Trebunus¡­ Why did that word sound so familiar? ¡°What are the organization''s motives?¡± ¡°They want to destroy the High Council, and all the laws they are using to govern the society.¡± So basically they were an anti High Council organization¡­ Cadeus did not find that new, surprisingly. He always knew that there are people out there who detested the High Council, more so when they form groups to express their various governmental frustrations. It¡¯s all the same on Earth anyway. No government system was perfect. There were bound to be some minority who hates their government for their policies. Wanting to destroy the High Council was something that¡¯s pretty extreme, but good luck with that. Going up against the High Council is like a child going up against a strongly build man of his prime. Cadeus was sure that in the past there are numerous such organizations that challenged the High Council only to be eliminated in the process. Really, how old could this get? "Can you identify those people who approached you?" Fremin shook his head. ¡°I can only identify one by the face. The name he gave me was a false alibi. As for the others, they were wearing masks.¡± Smart¡­ they are smart. Cadeus thought. ¡°I saw no men in masks.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because they weren¡¯t there. They''ve fulfilled their end of the bargain by the time we started that ritual. I saw them place the ingredients I wanted in a cart that was driven by one of my acolytes. The same cart that was lost apparently, when that wraith threw that stone barrage¡­ damn wraith.¡± "And they did not stay to watch the ritual?" "They did not, they said they are confident in my abilities. Besides, they left to distract the Enforcers. Since you never met them it only confirms that Viper backstabbed me.¡± So the guy¡¯s name was Viper¡­ Cadeus saved that alibi name as a mental note. In conclusion, whoever set these alchemists up obviously knew the result. The wraith unleashed would kill them all. They used the Alchemists'' ego and their enthusiasm of getting rare ingredients against them. Whoever they were, they were smart, and extremely dangerous. Trebunus Legacy, Cadeus had the feeling that they were one dangerous organization. "So what now? You got your answers, why don''t you just let me go?" Cadeus snapped back to reality. Fremin was still on the ground, unmoving. The numbness would wear off in a matter of hours. Right now, Cadeus saw two paths ahead of him. The first ideal path would be to turn Fremin in to the Enforcers to help them with their investigation. By doing so, the Enforcers could surely catch this Viper character one day along with the various people associated with this Trebunus Legacy. The other path that was less sensible, would be for Cadeus to take matter in his own hands. In other words, kill Fremin. Why kill Fremin? Egoistic alchemists were not the type to forget being insulted easily. If Cadeus let him off the hook, Fremin would come back and haunt them. Plus it was evident that Fremin held no moral conscious to go for the extremes just to obtain rare alchemical ingredients. Perhaps that was the reason why he was even kidnapped. Miss Allis did mention that the Blood of Pure Bloods were the purest mediums of magic. From that previous syringe hole on his elbow, Fremin must had extracted a little of his blood when he was unconscious. When Cadeus thought about it, was his blood was somehow used for the failed corruption ritual earlier? If a man like Fremin were to walk free again, who¡¯s to say that he won¡¯t kidnap Cadeus again? Or worse, other Pure Bloods? Cadeus closed his eyelids and squeezed his eyeballs. After making a decision, he opened his eyes with cold-hearted resolve. Deep down, Cadeus felt to a huge degree, letting Fremin live would be dangerous for him and his friends in the future. Cadeus knew that he should not be thinking of all these for his age, but there was only one answer. With his right hand at his side, Cadeus spread his right fingers. A pure black hazy mist began to form around his hand. Sensing the odd atmosphere, Fremin soon felt uncomfortable when he saw that black mist in Cadeus¡¯s hand. ¡°What¡­ what are you doing?¡± Cadeus took two steps back as a safety precaution. He did not want his own flesh to get in the way. Fremin looked at that black mist with great effort, until he barely recognizes it. "You¡­ That spell¡­ That deathly sensation¡­ That is no normal spell. There''s only one family of Pure Bloods who can do that." "Really? Then perhaps I''m the first person outside this family to know this spell." ¡°Impossible, that spell is a Blood Gift! You can only use that spell if you are born within that family.¡± Cadeus brought his right hand up. ¡°Wait! Wait! Is this about the kidnapping? Say, which family are you from anyway? If it¡¯s money you want, I can pay you any amount to help you overlook this unfortunate history between us!¡± With a single thought, the black mist departed from his hand and shot itself towards the unfortunate victim. As the black mist engulfed Fremin, he wanted to scream. However, this particular spell could not inflict any pain. Fremin could only watch Cadeus watching him, as his conscious slowly withers away. After several seconds, all that remained of Fremin, are his left over clothes and skeleton. Flesh, blood and tissue were all disintegrated, and his bones left behind a brown-yellowish colour. Now that he had dealt with Fremin, Cadeus felt a lingering vibration in one of his pockets. Taking out the caller, he soon saw the face of Miss Allis screaming at him. ¡°Cadeus! Where are you?!¡± ¡°Hi Miss Allis. I seem to have lost Fremin.¡± ¡°You¡­ what? Eh?¡± ¡°Sorry I took off. I noticed Fremin escaping by setting up a body double. You seemed pretty occupied at the wraith, so I took the liberty of following him.¡± ¡°That¡¯s dangerous! Bad! Bad Cadeus! What if you got his attention?!¡± ¡°No worries. I¡¯m sure Fremin hit his Cast Limit after setting up that double. He seemed to be limping severely while holding his side. I think he might have some intense physical penalties.¡± ¡°That¡¯s still no excuse! Oh never mind! Stay where you are! I¡¯m coming over to your side soon!¡± Miss Allis soon cut the call. Staring down at Fremin¡¯s corpse, Cadeus turned and walked away without any additional thoughts. This was not the first time he had killed a person, and Cadeus surprisingly did not feel any regret. People often say that a human''s state of mind was split in a constant battle between logic and feelings. But Cadeus seriously did not feel anything wrong in taking a person''s life. If another person of his age were to step in his shoes, he would have probably feel guilt and regret in killing a person. But not Cadeus. He just felt¡­ nothing. All he knew, was that he had to do it, and it surprisingly satisfied his sub-conscious. Perhaps that was what made him so different from the rest people around him. Whatever his mind said, his subconscious would be satisfied 90% of the time. That did scared Cadeus at times. Certain thoughts were just beyond a simple teenager¡¯s mind. And yet, here he was, taking a person''s life and feeling nothing wrong about it. TOA Miss Allis was a terrible lecturer. It was rather easy to switch off and act sorry when she reprimanded him. Once the teleportation finished its work, Cadeus found himself back at the surface. The entrance was swarming with Enforcers. After a few more seconds, Cadeus found himself sitting at an Apothecary tentage booth with a towel over his shoulders and a mug of hot chocolate. Miss Allis had to sort out some painful paper works, so Cadeus was eventually left alone. Whilst savouring the sweet taste of chocolate, Cadeus saw Enforcer Kutsurov coming to check on him. ¡°Before you start lecturing me about how stupid I am to chase after Fremin, I already got my full steam from Miss Allis.¡± ¡°Oh it¡¯s definitely stupid, stupid and dangerous. But we also work along the lines of stupid risks and dangers at times, so I¡¯m not going to lecture you.¡± ¡°You Enforcers sure have it tough.¡± ¡°Tell me about it.¡± Enforcer Kutsurov sat next to Cadeus. ¡°So how¡¯s the tenth level?¡± ¡°You blood worked and nothing funny happened. We left the seal alone and started fixing up the rest.¡± ¡°Anything interesting I ought to know?¡± Enforcer Kutsurov took out a small zip lock plastic bag. Apparently, the piece of crime scene evidence inside was a broken used blood vial. ¡°This is not one of ours, and this is not what Lord Acriscius used either. There¡¯s a high chance that this belonged to Fremin.¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s my blood.¡± ¡°¡­Care to elaborate?¡± ¡°When Fremin kidnapped me in that mansion yesterday, I awoke with a syringe hole at my elbow.¡± Cadeus pulled up his sleeve and pointed at the wound site that definitely seem less fresh than the latest blood withdrawal. ¡°I see¡­ well, we still got a few drops of your blood with Enforcer Gazeth, we¡¯ll do a blood comparison just in case.¡± ¡°¡­Is there a chance of you arresting me for being a suspect?¡± ¡°We have every cause to suspect anyone that might be involved. But don¡¯t worry. I have seen your history and past records. You do not have enough motives and evidences to make me suspect you of anything related to this case.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ refreshing.¡± Cadeus brought the mug to his lips. ¡°¡­Enforcer Kutsurov, how are my friends¡± ¡°They¡¯re fine. Nothing serious happened. Their physical and mental conditions are sound, and I just checked that they had just finished their respective debriefings. They were long out of Tenebris Vacuum.¡± ¡°Debriefing? Oh right¡­ just like normal cops.¡± Miss Allis soon returned and dropped opposite Cadeus with a stack of paper with a pen in front of her. ¡°What is this¡± Cadeus asked. ¡°Your debriefing.¡± Enforcer Kutsurov answered. He soon stood up to leave. ¡°Take your time with that mug. Go slow on him Miss Allis.¡± ¡°Gotcha!¡± Watching Enforcer Kutsurov leave, Cadeus soon returned his attention to Miss Allis. ¡°Now then, time for paper work.¡± ¡°I thought you hated paper work.¡± ¡°I do and I still do. You can imagine the current pain I am enduring to work on this first handed report.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Miss Allis sat across Cadeus and fumbled through the various pages. ¡°So¡­ taking out the eighteen Untouched who surrendered, eleven mages are already in binds, two will be isolated in a hospital, and a coupe of individuals missing.¡± Miss Allis filled him in. ¡°Missing? Which ones?¡± ¡°Aside from Fremin, a few unaccounted Mages.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°So let¡¯s just start again, from the very top after you left us.¡± ¡°Fremin set up a body double and casted illusion to make it behave like him. He soon left limping with a hand at his side. He¡¯s suspected to have severe physical penalties due to over usage of magic.¡± ¡°Go on.¡± ¡°It turns out there were some runic markings placed on the catacomb pillars beforehand indicating some sort of trail. I think it was one of their escape routes.¡± ¡°We did come across those. There was more than one route. What else?¡± ¡°Fremin engaged me again. He noticed I was chasing him, then he casted a few offensive [Point Spells] forcing me to seek cover.¡± ¡°Strange¡­ that highly intensive ritual should have taken plenty of his Cast Limit. I guess Masters have quite a high count of Cast Limit. Thankfully he only had to resort to [Point Spells].¡± ¡°Ah¡­ true.¡± ¡°And then after that?¡± Cadeus shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I lost him.¡± ¡°I see¡­ pity¡­ well, the most important thing is that you are safe.¡± ¡°Any chances he would come back for us?¡± That question was unnecessary since Cadeus knew Fremin¡¯s true fate, but he still need to ask for the sake of feigning ignorance, as well as for the sake of diverting any future suspicions. Miss Allis smiled, it looks like she took the story. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I doubt Fremin had you and your friends at the back of his mind. Now that he¡¯s on the run, he has more important things to worry about. Besides, we will catch him one day. If Fremin dare shows himself up, we¡¯ll catch him before he can do something.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ good to know.¡± ¡°Well, aside from all these details, we might need to have a few follow up appointments with you and your friends to verify some information. As such, we might have to call on you tomorrow again. ¡°Right. I understand.¡± At this moment, a rather unexpected voice intruded upon their conversation. ¡°My, my, my. With all that you¡¯ve been through, you¡¯re lucky to still be alive boy.¡± ¡°It can''t be¡­ Mr. Morrison?¡± Cadeus turned to see a shady looking man in his thirties dressed in a heavy trench coat with a pair of sunglasses and a hat. ¡°Miss Allis, if you would please?¡± ¡°Off course.¡± Miss Allis quickly got up and left the two of them to continue her investigation. Now that the two of them were alone, Mr. Morrison pulled out a chair and sat down. ¡°I see you met my subordinate.¡± ¡°And I see that you are still keeping tabs on me, as usual.¡± ¡°Of course I have to. You are the most interesting case I had in seven years. Obviously I have to keep tabs on you to check your progress.¡± ¡°And how is your assessment on my progress.¡± ¡°Pretty damn good. Only, one thing.¡± ¡°Hit me.¡± ¡°Please stop getting into trouble.¡± ¡°There are all kinds of troubles out there Mr. Morrison. You¡¯ll have to be a lot more specific than that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong. Helping the Enforcers is a good thing. Just don¡¯t get dragged into any more of their works. It really saves me from having to worry about you all the time.¡± ¡°You? Worry about me?¡± ¡°Obviously? I was the one who convinced your mother into letting you come here. I¡¯m not a good person to handle sad mothers should any tragedy befall on their sons.¡± It was hard for Cadeus to tell if he was really being serious, or he was joking sarcastically. ¡°Well¡­ you can''t blame me for the simple Board Quests that I have chosen.¡± ¡°Simple? What have you done so far? Gordon¡¯s mirror? Veydra¡¯s Concuction? The Mystical box? Now this?¡± ¡°¡­ It just so happens that the quests my team chooses just turns out to be more than what the surface seems.¡± ¡°It would really help if you could do more of the simple ones.¡± ¡°The simple ones don¡¯t pay much.¡± ¡°I can tell. These jobs you have taken so far have at least 250 Duches for a reward. But you are still a student. Even if the reward was split between the three of you, why do you need so much money anyway?¡± Cadeus did not want to tell him about his plans after graduation. Cadeus planned to stick to his promise to Sing to help her look for her father, but searching for her father after graduation would take up a lot of resources. In order to be thoroughly prepared for their journey, they need money, a lot of it, for both lodging and information. Besides, he also considered staying on Zeffernon to pursue a Specialization. Cadeus doubt that the Academy would cover him financially once he graduates. Getting as many Duches as he could would allow him to survive in Zeffernon for a couple of months before he would get a legitimate job. But Cadeus did not say that out loud either. Sensing the continuous silence between them, Mr. Morrison chose not to purse this irrelevant matter. Instead, he decided to bring up another matter. ¡°I have spoken to your mother recently.¡± ¡°Ensuring her I am not playing lazy and telling her I am apparently having a good time.¡± ¡°Ha! Is that how she sees our appointments?¡± ¡°Who knows? My mother can be¡­ quite eccentric if the moment calls for it.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me about that.¡± ¡°So¡­ any new leads?¡± ¡°About your lineage? Still cold.¡± ¡°¡­Ouch.¡± ¡°But don¡¯t worry, we¡¯ll find the right dots one day.¡± ¡°What does the High Council have to say in regards to this?¡± Mr. Morrison gave a painful face. ¡°Ah¡­ Well¡­ let¡¯s just say that the High Council does not really know about my investigation yet.¡± What? Now that was a surprise. ¡°You did not report to them about me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m planning to do so only after I confirm your actual lineage. I would not want to bring up any misleading hopes of a restoration.¡± ¡°True, that makes sense¡­ but wait. Shouldn''t the Archmage know about my case?¡± ¡°Explicitly. I had to go through some trouble to ask for his cooperation to keep quiet about your case. But fret not, the Archmage and I are acquainted well enough for me to exert some of my own influence.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°But still, you are quite the nutcase. Why is it that you are always getting into fights in Tenebris Vacuum?¡± ¡°Shouldn''t the answer be obvious? Please hurry up and confirm if my lineage is legit or not. If it is, those idiots can finally shut up. If it¡¯s not, I¡¯ll just have to register under an alternate family name. Either way, those idiots would finally leave me alone.¡± ¡°HA HA HA HA! I see that you are as cynical as always.¡± Mr. Morrison brought his hands together. ¡°But please, really, do not get yourself into any more troubles. It¡¯ll make my working days ten times more enjoyable.¡± ¡°Good to know that you still intent to keep close tabs on me.¡± ¡°Well of course! If my investigation turns out to be positive, I¡¯ll be greatly rewarded. In the best scenario, I might even be promoted to the nobility.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t. I think you might regret it.¡± ¡°Ha ha ha ha. You say that because you are ignorant of the adult world. If you become a noble you¡¯ll get lots of perks. But that¡¯s strange. You sound like you do not want to be a noble.¡± Cadeus could only shake his head and drink from his mug of hot chocolate. Having dealt with nobles up close, Cadeus found them to be overall disgusting, especially when it came to dealing with a certain haughty individual. ¡°Come on. Look at the bright side. You are a Pure Blood. That already speaks a lot for Dark Mages. Even if you are not a noble, finding a job in Otium is not a problem, marrying into the nobility is also not a problem. Whatever it is, your life would be comfortable. If you are indeed descended from that family, your life will change immensely. You might even find yourself an extremely influential girl to be your girlfriend. Like that girl from the Rrogust ve Chroma family.¡± ¡°PPPFFFFF!!!¡± Cadeus was barely able to make of that thought when he choked on his hot chocolate. ¡°Claire?! Are you nuts?!¡± ¡°Oh! Is that a shred of intimacy I sense in your voice?¡± Unwillingly to hear any more of this nonsense, Cadeus immediately stood up and went to the apothecary booth for a final checkup. With nothing left to converse, Mr. Morrison smiled and left to resume his investigations. TOA ¡°All right. No bone fractures, no lacerations, nothing serious whatsoever.¡± The Apothecary confirmed. ¡°Can I go now?¡± ¡°Well, Miss Allis told me that she¡¯s done with you so I guess you can go. But before you do, be mindful of your body for the next couple of days. Should you feel anything abnormal per say chest pain, nausea, headaches, any lack of sleep, please report to the Academy¡¯s Infirmary.¡± Taking the towel off his shoulders, Cadeus left the apothecary booth. After teleporting back to Converse Hall, Cadeus was walking down the corridor when he saw a familiar person leaning against the wall arms folded. ¡°You survived.¡± ¡°Yes. Kind of you to notice.¡± Claire pulled herself straight and stretched her back before leaning back against the wall. She¡¯s still wearing the same clothes. ¡°Why are you still here?¡± ¡°I wanted to see if my investment paid off. Clearly it did.¡± ¡°Meaning I¡¯m still alive.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Be grateful.¡± ¡°Well¡­ your enchantments are a huge boon in a way, but dealing with that muscle head later was definitely a worse headache.¡± Claire gave him the glare when he mentioned ¡®in a way¡¯, but she soon showed a hint of sympathy when he said ¡®dealing with that muscle head¡¯. ¡°Ah¡­ of course.¡± Cadeus looked at her excessively from top to bottom. ¡°Your clothes, I thought you said that you were going to shower? Oh wait, let me guess. The Enforcers stationed on the surface caught you sneaking out and forced you to stay till the end.¡± Claire ignored the tone of mockery in his voice. ¡°Wrong. Since I ¡®got lost¡¯, the Enforcers stationed on the surface made me stay in case things got out of hand. Once things got resolved, they merely debriefed me before letting me go.¡± Cadeus raised an eyebrow. ¡°You ¡®got lost¡¯? What an awfully convenient story.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a story. We did get lost.¡± ¡°I seriously wonder. How is getting lost ever a possibility with your crystal abilities?¡± Claire rolled her eyes and ignored him. ¡°So, I heard there was a wraith. Tell me. How did it end?¡± ¡°If you are that interested perhaps you shouldn¡¯t have left.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make me repeat myself.¡± ¡°Well, if you want to know so bad¡­ It was very ghastly, dozens dead, and we were all sweating our pants.¡± Claire rolled her eyes in annoyance. ¡°Save me the drama imposter. If I wanted to hear your pathetic attempts, I would have made sure that many people will be there to witness your embarrassing act.¡± ¡°Right, assuming if you ever cared.¡± Claire gave him the glare. ¡°Sigh¡­ wraith showed up, started killing people. The Enforcers used a class 4 seal since normal exorcism methods will not work. Acriscius offered his blood as a medium, but the first sealing attempt failed.¡± ¡°The first? And it failed? With Acriscius¡¯s blood?¡± ¡°Yup, total failure.¡± ¡°And then?¡± ¡°They used my blood instead. Strange thing is, it worked.¡± Claire bit her lower lip and looked down in self-absorbed silence for the next couple of seconds. ¡°Acriscius will not like it.¡± ¡°Oh he definitely hates me more for it.¡± Claire looked at him again. ¡°If your blood works instead of Acriscius¡¯s, it just means that you have a higher Blood Strength than him. Do you know the implications of this?¡± ¡°Definitely, which is why I¡¯m going to keep quiet. You don¡¯t need to tell me to be discrete about this¡­ uncertain phenomena.¡± Claire gave him a nod of approval. ¡°Good. This piece of information must never get out.¡± ¡°Yes, yes. I know.¡± Claire was not done with him. Cadeus did not know how he knew, but he knew. ¡°Anything else? I¡¯m exhausted. If you want to redeem one of my owed favours, now is not the time. Whatever it is, please keep it simple.¡± Claire let her arms down and stood up straight. ¡°Back in the Arthropod queen¡¯s chamber, you saved me from being squashed. I¡¯ll grant you one reward, as long as it is within reason.¡± Oh? An unexpected reward? Could this be what they call a noble¡¯s reward? ¡°Can you strike off all the favours I owe you?¡± ¡°I said within reason.¡± ¡°¡­Then can you not sue my friend Nadav for sexual harassment?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Claire gave a thought. ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll accept that request. But the next time your vulgar friend talks to me like that ¨C ¡± ¡°Court, fine and jail for sexually harassing a Greater Noble. You don¡¯t have to tell me.¡± Claire smiled. ¡°Good.¡± TOA ¡°Sorry¡­ say what?¡± ¡°Fremin is dead. Viper.¡± ¡°He¡¯s dead? Ah¡­¡± Crossing his legs, Viper scratched his head out of frustration for he did not know what make of this. ¡°I went through the trouble of staying back and sneaking around, only to find out that there is no need to clean up?¡± The mini projections of two masked men looked up to Viper for instructions. ¡°What should we do now?¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± While staring down at the image projected by the Caller, Viper crossed his arms and pondered himself into deep thought. ¡°What should we do? The boss assigned us all with a fail-safe plan, and that was to tie up any loose ends. Well¡­ if you say he¡¯s dead, then all that is left for us would be to verify his death before the Enforcers arrive. Are you currently at where he died?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Ah! Good!¡± Viper soon stood up. ¡°Teleport me over there.¡± It only took them five seconds to do as Viper commanded. When Viper saw the skeletal remains of Fremin, his eyes widened in amazement. ¡°Ho! Unbelievable! Oi, oi oi! Are you two looking at this?¡± ¡°¡°Um¡­ yes.¡±¡± ¡°No really, this is Fremin?¡± ¡°Yes, sir. It is. We aleady checked the clothes and the remaining magical traces on the items he had on possession.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this strange? Isn¡¯t this amazing? How on Zeffernon could Fremin end up in such a sad state? Hey! Were you two here when this happened?¡± ¡°¡°Um¡­ no.¡±¡± ¡°Do you know who is responsible?¡± ¡°¡°No.¡±¡± ¡°Ha? Then how exactly am I going to report this to the boss? Eh?¡± ¡°¡­Maybe he triggered one of the Catacomb defences?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ I¡¯m not sure if the boss would take that story. Sigh¡­ the heart of the problem is that we never see him die.¡± Viper reached down and took a femur. ¡°Hm¡­ the bones seems legit, but the fact that I was not there to see it happen would discredit the claim that this guy is dead for real. Even if we were to ship the bones back for testing, it will take a while to get the results. If this thing turned out to be a body double, I would be in serious trouble.¡± Viper spent a moment to think. ¡°Hm¡­ oh well, I might as well bring back what I can. If this ain¡¯t the right guy, I¡¯ll just kill him if he shows up again. But still¡­¡± Viper spent a few moments to inspect the rotted femur. ¡°But, at least this magic feels real.¡± Viper shoved the femur towards his two surbordinates. ¡°Feel it. Feel the bone. You can even smell it.¡± The two masked men turned to each other with a ¡®?¡¯ as they utterly fail to comprehend what their superior was thinking. But once they paid close attention, Viper could see the frown behind their masks. ¡°¡­This kind of magic feels different. Compared to what we are usually exposed to, this particular spell can¡¯t be cast by a weak Mixed like Fremin.¡± One of them said. ¡°I know right? I bet even we can¡¯t cast something as Dark as this. Whoever casted this spell is no ordinary guy.¡± Viper passed the femur to one of his subordinates. ¡°Gather the bones, all of it, especially the skull. I think the boss might be interested in this. Interested enough to let us off the hook for not killing Fremin personally.¡± TOA ¡°Then, in conclusion for this case, cheers.¡± ¡°CHEERS!¡± Four Enforcers grabbed their glasses of red wine and gave a long, appreciative gulp. ¡°Wow¡­ savouring the expensive wine straight away¡­ this must have been a very big case.¡± Felkor uttered while wiping a glass. ¡°That goes without saying Felkor. Our target this time is a sneaking Master who gave us no end to trouble when it comes to gathering evidence.¡± Miss Allis complained. ¡°Heh? A Master? Is it that rare? Aren¡¯t you the one who always complain that people provide all sorts of trouble regardless of their rank?¡± ¡°Felkor! I¡¯ll take this Midnight Meat Lovers set.¡± Enforcer Gazeth declared. ¡°Yes, one Midnight Meat Lovers set.¡± Fremin noted down. ¡°I¡¯ll take the lamb chop.¡± Enforcer Kutsurov said. ¡°Ok. One lamb chop.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take the pork ribs.¡± Miss Allis said. ¡°One pork ribs.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take the salad.¡± Mr. Morrison said. The three Enforcers all instantly cast gazes at their last colleague. ¡°Huh? What are you all looking at? It just so happens that I do not have the appetite for meat.¡± Once Felkor had secured all of the orders and laid out the food, Enforcer Gazeth soon found himself in extreme ecstasy. ¡°MMMMmmmmm¡­ The best thing in life, is meat after work.¡± Enforcer Gazerth gladly added. ¡°Hey Gezath, you order that every single time we get here. Shouldn¡¯t you really cut down on the meat?¡± ¡°Shut up Allis, leave me alone. A man¡¯s got to enjoy his hard earned meat. Do you know how much Cast Limit did I used today?¡± ¡°You are in no position to say that. I also almost hit my limit covering for those children.¡± ¡°¡°As if.¡±¡± Enforcer Gazeth and Kutsurov interjected. ¡°All right, all right, stop arguing. The case is already closed and we already submitted that agonizing report.¡± Mr. Morrison said. The current time was 11:45 pm. After finalizing their case, the four colleagues under the employment of the High Council were currently enjoing their usual round of supper. After Felkor placed their orders before them, he began refilling their wine glasses. ¡°So, what¡¯s the issue this time? What crime did this Master of yours committed?¡± he asked. ¡°He planted a Class 5 corruption ritual within Tenebris Vacuum¡¯s catacombs.¡± Felkor almost dropped the expensive forty year old wine bottle. ¡°When you say Class 5¡­ you are referring to a ritual that will trigger a wide scale radius effect of at least 20 kilometers?¡± Felkor confirmed. ¡°That¡¯s right, not to mention, it was a corruption ritual.¡± ¡°And when you say Corruption, as in the forbidden research regarding the primal nature of Dark Magic?¡± Felkor confirmed again. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°This Master of yours planned to blow up the Academy?!¡± Felkore exclaimed. ¡°Nasty fellow right? I am so glad we pulled it off.¡± Miss Allis said. ¡°We did not pull it off. Fremin¡¯s current whereabouts are still at large.¡± Enforcer Kutsurov interjected. ¡°Tch! Pesky!¡± Miss Allis retorted. ¡°Well does it matter? If he dares to show himself again, we won¡¯t be the only ones on the look out. By now, every other division would be on the look out. Plus, he would be on the top wanted list of every Noble house whose children are studying at the Academy. If we are lucky, it may not be necessary for us to continue pursuing him relentlessly. But regardless, we¡¯ll deal with him when the time comes. For now, let¡¯s enjoy.¡± Enforcer Gazeth added. ¡°Hear! Hear!¡± Miss Allis happily raised her wine glass. Mr. Morrison stood up. ¡°You guys continue. I need a smoke.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± Enforcer Kutsurov followed. Exiting the caf¨¦, the two moved to the side of the paved road. Before Mr. Morrison could take out his smoke pack, Enforcer Kutsurov offered him one of his cigarettes. ¡°Here.¡± Mr. Morrison stared at the stick before taking it. Lighting their sticks, the two spent the next few minutes in silence. Rain soon followed, and the sudden change in humidity made the night even more enjoyable. ¡°Mr. Morrison. That Pure Blooded boy is from Earth right? Where did you pick him up from?¡± Enforcer Kutsurov questioned. ¡°You seem to be very interested in him.¡± ¡°You¡¯re keeping tabs on him yourself. Besides, why shouldn¡¯t anyone? A white haired Pure Blood who is not tied to any noble family. That¡¯s a huge abnormity.¡± Enforcer Kutsurov brought the cigarette to his lips and soon blew out a huge puff of smoke. ¡°So, what¡¯s his story?¡± ¡°I thought you have seen his history?¡± ¡°Only for the recent Board Quests.¡± Mr. Morrison took in another puff. ¡°Unproven lineage. That¡¯s all I can reveal.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Enforcer Kutsurov soon took another puff. ¡°Well, he¡¯s a Pure Blood after all. If it turns out that he¡¯s one of them¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s stop the conversation right there.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Enforcer Kutsurov complied. This could be a highly sensitive case. ¡°Is the High Council at least aware of this case?¡± ¡°That¡¯s highly confidential.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± With nothing left to pry, Enforcer Kutsurov finished his cigarette and threw it out to the rain. ¡°I¡¯ve read the final report. Thank you for editing out the last bid.¡± Mr. Morrison added. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m well aware that it¡¯ll cause an uproar amongst the nobility when it is revealed that Cadeus¡¯s blood succeeded where Lord Acriscius¡¯s failed.¡± ¡°And the other division leaders?¡± ¡°Saw nothing wrong with the political implications. They all agreed to keep quiet and pass off the second attempt as a retry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± ¡°Is Cadeus aware of this?¡± ¡°About the report? No. About keeping quiet? He should be. I already told him to be very quiet about his name and circumstances ever since he enrolled. But I¡¯ll approach him about this when I see him again for the follow up appointments. Please continue to help me look after him when the time comes for it.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Mr. Morrison took another puff of smoke. ¡°What about the broken blood vial you recovered from the crime scene?¡± ¡°As you requested, the physical evidence has been disposed. As for the forensic report, the blood within was indeed Cadeus¡¯s, but I fabricated it as Fremin¡¯s.¡± ¡°Excellent.¡± All loose ends on the Enforcer¡¯s part were tied. With the confidence that things related to Cadeus would be fine, Mr. Morrison finished his cigarette. TOA In the next morning, the rumours had already spread. Students were already divulging themselves with the recent gossips of what happened in the catacombs. News of the Enforcers¡¯ involvements spread like wild fire. By now, the Academy should know what had happened. With this event, the Academy faced serious questions about the gap in its security measures. Although it was argued that five skilled Masters was involved in such a wide scaled plan, the Academy still had an Archmage and three similarly skilled Masters. There should be no excuse. But that was not a thought for Cadeus to divulge, as such matters are for the adults to handle. Even if he could make all the statements he want, it¡¯s not like he would be in any position to do anything about it. More importantly, due to their own contributions, Cadeus, Sing and Nadav were summoned. By ¡®summoned¡¯, it means that it was a calling the trio could not ignore. Why was it so? The answer was because of the authority behind the summons. It would seem, that the three of them were called in by the Student Council, and Cadeus could already guess why. With the ongoing investigations, the Educators found themselves busy co-operating with the Enforcers to aid their investigations. Since none of the adults were available at the moment, the Student Council was probably tasked in questioning them instead. In order to grasp the full story, it would definitely be better to question them individually, just as how the Enforcers did. At 8:00 am, the trio found themselves waiting outside the Student Council Office. Five seats were piled nicely at the side of the corridor. Since there was no one to bring them in yet, the three of them sat facing the window against the morning sun. In the midst of the waiting, Nadav asked a very simple question. ¡°Hey¡­ if the Student Council wants to hear what had happened, why did they summon us only? I mean¡­ we are not the only ones who were involved.¡± Cadeus sighed. ¡°Maybe the Student Council booked different appointments with the different parties. I doubt Claire or Acriscius could come right now.¡± ¡°But that noble chick is in your colour class right? So why is she not here if she shared the same schedule as you do?¡± ¡°Who knows? She¡¯s a noble. You forget that the normal school rules don¡¯t apply to her.¡± The door to the Student Council Office opened. The person who came out was a tall blonde female with short hair along with a considerably large bust size. Her white uniform designates her as a White Mage, and her robe slash marks her as an Acolyte. From her build, Cadeus guess that she might be a second year student, but what raised his attention was the mark on her robe slash. Her robe slash had a special insignia, which marked her as a member of the nobility. ¡°Excuse me¡­ Sirena Delnarius?¡± ¡°Here. Lady Katherine.¡± Sing raised a hand. ¡°Ok good. You are here. Please come in alone.¡± Lady Katherine? Cadeus raised an eyebrow. Oh¡­ Sing¡¯s a White. It¡¯s obvious that she would know some nobles of her own colour alignment. Cadeus thought. Sing went in first. After an extensive thirty minutes, she came out with the same girl. ¡°All right¡­¡± Said noble girl¡¯s gaze went down the list of names written on the paper she was holding. ¡°Next, Nadav After watching the noble close the door, Cadeus turned his attention to Sing. ¡°So¡­ what do they want?¡± ¡°It¡¯s as you predicted. They want our perspectives on what happened during the catacombs.¡± ¡°I see¡­ so they do want to tally our accounts separately¡­ Tch¡­ so troublesome.¡± ¡°Before you start thinking that it¡¯s just the Student Council and that they have no authority, they do have the authority. It just that¡­¡± ¡°Just what?¡± ¡°¡­No Dark Mage currently ever listens to the Student Council don¡¯t they?¡± ¡°They don¡¯t. They could not be bothered.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ what a bunch of scumbags.¡± ¡°You better not let that thought develop into a stereotypical alignment.¡± ¡°But not all of your peers are like that right? I saw a Dark Mage in there.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ right, Davian. Yes. He¡¯s the only one Dark Mage in the Student Council. ¡°Isn¡¯t he a Greater Noble?¡± ¡°He is. But he does not command that kind of authority you are thinking.¡± ¡°And why not?¡± ¡°Because the problem is, the other two Greater Nobles of my colour sector failed to acknowledge Davian¡¯s position. And may I add, they also do not bother themselves with Student Council activities. So if Claire and Acriscius set up such a negative example, what makes you think that others would give a damn?¡± ¡°¡­So your other Greater Nobles set up a poor example for the masses to follow, and that resulted in the lack of respect in the Student Council?¡± ¡°There¡¯s that, and the fact that no one¡¯s interested in the Student Council because the typical Dark Mage attitude towards such an office equates to extra trouble and a bloody waste of time. And since no one bothers listening to Davian, none could care about any edict that was issued by the Student Council.¡± ¡°¡­You don¡¯t have to call it an edict. ¡®Edict¡¯ sounds a little overboard.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s not an edict than what is it?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ Community change for the better.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll make a good politician.¡± Cadeus soon found himself staring at Sing in thought. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You seem the type for it. Did they ever tried to recruit you into the Student Council?¡± ¡°Me?¡± Sing shook her head. ¡°Impossible. There are already quite a number of White Mage Nobles in the Student Council. Our Progenitor is also in there.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ of course.¡± Well¡­ noble or not, let¡¯s just hope that those White Mages inside there are not total scumbags¡­ Cadeus thought. After fifteen more minutes, the door opened and Nadav came out with that same noble girl. Ah¡­ it¡¯s such a pain since I don¡¯t know her full name. Let¡¯s just dub her ¡®That Katherine girl¡¯. Cadeus thought. That Katherine girl went through her list again before calling out the last member of their group. ¡°All right¡­ Um¡­¡± That Katherine girl¡¯s face expressed difficulty in regards to the next name she had to call out. ¡°Next, Cadeus Pr ¨C ¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say it. Don¡¯t bloody say that family name.¡± That Katherine girl widened her eyes with shock with his tone. ¡°Oh¡­ ok.¡± Sing turned to Cadeus. ¡°Well¡­ good luck.¡± She said. ¡°Don¡¯t need it. It¡¯s not like they are going to do anything to me.¡± TOA That Katherine girl led Cadeus into the Student Council office. Beyond the door, the room was arranged like any typical staff office. Various desks and seats were aligned to their own respective space, and each space had a nametag issued. If it weren¡¯t for the presence of magical artifacts, this room could be easily mistaken for any ordinary working office back on Earth. As that Katherine girl led him further in, Cadeus caught a glance of Davian¡¯s name on one of the desks that was overburdened with numerous stacks of forms and papers. ¡°¡­So he has to deal with that ton of shit everyday? No wonder no one from Tenebris Vacuum wants to join the Student Council.¡± That Katherine girl opened another door and the two of them moved into what looks like a staff meeting room. Three luxurious wooden desks were aligned to each other into an inverted U with numerous chairs of elegant designs arranged neatly behind them. With such extravagant sets of teacups and teapots neatly arranged on the tables, this room had a feel of something that¡¯s reserved for some VIP board of directors. Wait¡­ let¡¯s correct that. This room was meant for special VIPs. After all, those that were seating behind those luxurious wooden desks were all Nobles. Everyone in the room was wearing customized uniform robes. Including that Katherine girl, there were a total of nine members within this room. Cadeus saw a familiar face, Davian, along with various other Whites and Greys. But what got the most of his attention were the three people at the center desk. Make no mistake. The only reason why Cadeus bothered to remember those three Grey Mages was because to their reputation. After all that he had heard, it was impossible to not recognize their identities. Standing arms folded at the extreme left was the notorious head of the Discipline Committee, Viegra Aras ve Murma. Sitting at the right was the former Student Council President and currently in his third and final year within the elementary curriculum, Stronis Varok ve Neixecrus. Last but not least, sitting at the very center with her chin resting on her intertwined fingers was the current Student Council President, Cordelia Quake ve Douvalmni of the Grey Progenitor family. These triple Greys were the most powerful figures amongst all Grey Mages within the Academy. As Cadeus stood at the center of the room, he felt a slight moment of pressure being surrounded by all these nobles but he soon got rid of it. If the purpose of calling him here was to intimidate him, he¡¯ll make sure that they¡¯ll be disappointed. In the midst of the awkward quietness, Cordelia opened her mouth. ¡°So. You are the last one. Cadeus Pride ve Lu.¡± Twitch. Cadeus felt his left eyebrow twitching when she said that name. He always hated it when someone of this world says his name together with that name. But since the one who said that name was the Student Council President, Cadeus bit in his dislike and continued standing straight. Cordelia smiled at his reaction. Cadeus thought that she believed she had touched a raw nerve. If that¡¯s the case, she should have at least heard of his story from Davian¡­ or perhaps she already knew about his unusual case for some time. ¡°Good morning. You can just call me Cadeus for I am aware of the various discrepancies in regards to my family name. It¡¯s nothing but coincidence. Please feel free to ignore it.¡± ¡°Ho? He¡¯s surprisingly polite. For a second there I thought he was one of those stereotypical ruffians. But he¡¯s something different eh?¡± One of the Whites his mouth in surprise. ¡°Zaigen. Slience.¡± Vierga intercepted. ¡°Sorry boss.¡± Zaigen and boss¡­ This Zaigen guy must be from the Discipline Committee. Cordelia waited for silence before returning her attention to Cadeus. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the others. I¡¯ll be doing most of the questioning. Now, we would like to hear your account about what had happened in regards to the recent case regarding the Catacombs, Fremin, and the Enforcers.¡± She continued. ¡°Right.¡± Cadeus then spent the next ten to twenty minutes telling his version of the events. Whenever he mentioned Claire and Acriscius, Cadeus could see Davian sighing and bringing his hand to his face at the mere mention of their names. Knowing that he was moaning silently in regards to the actions of his uncontrollable peers, Cadeus inwardly gave him his sympathies. Once he had finished, the nobles had a mixed reaction amongst themselves. While some seemed indifferent to what Cadeus had said, others had questioning looks. Perhaps they were busy trying to collate a final impression of the incident through three different perspectives. Cordelia shifted her position to that of a more comfortable one. Leaning back against her chair, she addressed the others. ¡°Does anyone has any questions?¡± ¡°I have.¡± The man who raised his hand was a White Mage sitting at the center of the right desk. ¡°I see¡­ go ahead Cenyr.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± The one called Cenyr directed his attention to Cadeus. ¡°After the Enforcers teleported you back to the Academy, why didn¡¯t you report the situation to the Student Council when it¡¯s such a serious case?¡± Was there even a need to? Cadeus thought. ¡°The Enforcers had everything under control, and regardless of whether the Student Council is involved or not, the three of us would eventually be called back to help with the investigations since we are important witness. At that point of time, the three of us believed it to be a private issue since we were not specifically warned or told that something bizarre would happen to us. Since the Enforcers never specified the need for silence or to notify the Student Council, we got the overall impression that silence would probably be the better option.¡± ¡°Is this an opinion that the three of you agreed upon?¡± ¡°The three of us didn¡¯t confirm it, but we knew that we would all remain silent about the matter.¡± ¡°I see¡­ do you believe that any difference could be made if you had informed us about this issue?¡± ¡°No.¡± Several of them were soon taken back by the quick reply, Cordelia included. ¡°Why do you think so?¡± ¡°True to their capabilities, the Enforcers already managed to track Fremin and move in to arrest him in just half a day after we returned to the Academy. Given the swiftness of the professionals, I doubt the Student Council would be in an ideal situation to do anything even thought you are all aware of it.¡± Even though His statement made sense, about half of the nobles in the room frowned. Perhaps they took his meaning the wrong way since it¡¯s possible for them to interpret him saying that their involvement was unnecessary. It¡¯s as equal to him telling them that they were rather powerless to do anything about the situation. Cordelia soon break the uncomfortable silence. ¡°Well¡­ I guess I don¡¯t have anything else to say.¡± Cordelia turned to Cenyr. ¡°Do you have anything else to add?¡± ¡°No¡­ I¡¯m good.¡± ¡°Anyone else?¡± No one responded. ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s it. Katherine?¡± That Katherine girl got up and escorted Cadeus out of the room. TOA ¡°Then in conclusion, Miyako and Cenyr will coordinate with the Enforcers should the need arise. Since this case is more or less covered completely, the rest of us will resume our normal duties.¡± Once everything else was settled, everyone got up and started leaving for their coming classes. Just as Davian was placing the stack of papers under his elbow, Cordelia called him before he could leave. ¡°Davian, wait.¡± ¡°Hm? You need something boss?¡± ¡°I need your opinion on something.¡± Stronis and Viegra turned to wait for Cordelia, but one look from her made them leave the room. Once everyone left the room, Daivan turned his attention to Cordelia. ¡°So what do you need from me boss.¡± ¡°I have a mind, to recruit this Cadeus into the Student Council.¡± Davian instantly dropped the stack of papers. ¡°YOU WHAT?!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll say it again, I have a mind to recruit Cadeus into the Student Council.¡± ¡°Oh ho¡­ ho ho ho¡­ you¡¯re joking, you are really joking.¡± ¡°Davian, you know I don¡¯t joke.¡± Davian took in a deep breath. He soon got to his knees, picked up all the papers. Once he placed the papers at the side on the desk, he turned to Cordelia with a serious look in his eyes. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because I think he¡¯s a very capable individual who could really help you out.¡± ¡°Boss, I¡¯m going to be very frank with you. If you let Cadeus into the Student Council, you¡¯ll get a riot from me, and essentially the entity of the Dark Mage community in Tenebris Vacuum. I¡¯m not saying that Cadeus is a bad person, but if you include him into the Student Council, expect more trouble to pop up. It¡¯ll only reduce whatever remaining respectful opinions the Dark Mages have for the Student Council.¡± ¡°But can you work with him?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Huh? You are not listening to my point!¡± ¡°No, I am aware of your concerns, but what I¡¯m more interested in is if you could work with him. Tell me, is Cadeus someone you can work well with?¡± ¡°¡­Before I say anything I still object to this idea.¡± ¡°Meaning to say that you can work with him?¡± ¡°He¡­ I¡­¡± Davian was at a lost at what to say. ¡°Cadeus¡­ is a very wild card. He¡¯s easy to communicate that¡¯s for sure. Unlike the usual idiots I had to put up with, he¡¯s surprisingly cooperative.¡± ¡°So you can work with him. Excellent.¡± ¡°With all due respect, didn¡¯t I just say that I still object to this idea?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m fully aware of it. but then, the Initiate Tournament is coming up. Cadeus is a Pure Blood isn¡¯t he? If he gets a high result, we¡¯ll reopen this idea again.¡± ¡°You¡­ I¡­ Sigh¡­¡± Knowing that nothing could currently change the President¡¯s mind, Davian could only sigh in frustration. Volume 1 - Epilogue By the next morning, the Academy was filled with several dozen Enforcers. In Tenebris Vacuum, the Catacomb was sealed, and the forest was kept off limits. With the on going investigations within Academy premise, there was nothing much that could be done. In order to refrain student interference, the Educators gave the students a small period of lectures before letting them off. Numerous lessons had been cancelled, and certain areas of the Academy were denied access. Since baseless confinement would be extremely unproductive, the Archmage announced that the students were free to leave the Academy to spend their free time in the Capital, as long as they made it back before curfew. Needless to say, the students welcomed this new policy in open arms, and the following days felt more like a series of half-holidays. As for Cadeus and his friends¡­ In recognition of their success, the Academy awarded the three of them the Certificate of Proper Conduct, a reward of 800 Duches each, and the privilege of getting their own personal familiars even before their trials. But amongst all the rewards, the best the Archmage could ever grant would be for the three of them to be relieved of any classes for the next three days. In addition, they could also spend the next three days outside Academy grounds without any ¨C "No Cerfew! No cerfew! This is the life~!" Nahab cried. He was currently holding five bags of various fried street food, eating them as they walked down the stone paved roads of Infinitas. The three of them were currently at the cuisine corner at Flomernia¡¯s Street to celebrate their release from the investigations. True to Miss Allis¡¯s words, the Enforcers called upon them for a few follow up appointments. As such, it took the trio five more days before they could be formally released from the case. Chewing on his own set of fish and chips, Cadeus and Sing were soon turned off when he saw Nadav squeezing all the food into his mouth. This led to a sudden loss of appetite, and the two of them failed to finish their food. ¡°¡­If you keep munching all the food like that, don¡¯t blame me when you suddenly choke.¡± Cadeus said. ¡°Shut up. Let me enjoy my food. I just survived a great ordeal. I entered the swamps of Tenebris Vacuum, entered the catacombs, fought giant spiders and even a wraith.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t even fight the wraith you idiot.¡± ¡°All in all, I we be sue yr le tns le (gibberish muttering due to the food in his mouth.)¡± ¡°Slowly. Chew slowly and swallow everything together. Are you some ten year old glutton?¡± Nadav gulped down the mass of calories. He was about to rebut against Cadeus when something caught his eye. ¡°Oh! What is that I see? Roasted YAKITORI!!!!¡± ¡°¡­ Not only are you not listening to me, you still on about food?¡± ¡°Cadeus! Hold this! I¡¯m getting more!¡± ¡°¡­ You¡¯ll get fat at this rate you know.¡± ¡°Shut up! Now is the time to enjoy food!¡± Needless to say, Nadav pushed his five bags to Cadeus and rushed to queue at another food stall. ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Finding a seat in one of the obsolete street benches at Carmith¡¯s road side, Cadeus and Sing sat down next to each other and waited for their usual over enthusiastic friend. ¡°Come to think of it, Nadav¡¯s getting sued am I right?¡± Sing mentioned. ¡°Hm? Oh¡­¡± Of course, he could expect Sing to remember her first hand experience working with Claire Rrogust ve Chroma. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that. she call it off eventually.¡± ¡°Did she?¡± Sing gave him a mischevious grin. ¡°Did you have to owe her another one?¡± ¡°Why are you so quick to assume that?¡± ¡°You clearly had quite the favour schemes with her.¡± ¡°¡­I can¡¯t really deny that.¡± Cadeus leaned back against the bench and relaxed his muscles. ¡°Well¡­ interestingly, she approached me and decided to grant me a reward for saving her from the Arthropod Queen.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Come on. That was an accident.¡± "You sexual fiend.¡± ¡°I said it wasn¡¯t intentional¡­ you¡¯re just pulling me leg aren¡¯t you.¡± Sing soon giggled. ¡°So, a reward?¡± ¡°Yup. She said that she would reward me as long as it was within reason. Sadly, requiting me of all the owed favours did not fall under that category.¡± ¡°So you asked her to excuse Nadav¡¯s unrefined behaviour instead.¡± ¡°Presicely.¡± ¡°Lucky him.¡± ¡°Lucky him.¡± Feeling generally tired of the whole event, Cadeus dropped his head back and allowed gravity to pull it down. ¡°I don¡¯t think I want to take any more Board Quest for the time being.¡± ¡°We probably better not. Our first trial is coming up.¡± ¡°Hm? Which one?¡± ¡°The Initiate Tournament.¡± ¡°¡­When will it be?¡± ¡°Within the next few weeks.¡± ¡°Sigh¡­ just when I want things to be quiet for a while.¡± Cadeus stared at the sky for a couple of seconds before closing his eyes and drifted into a semi-sleeping state. Similarly tired, Sing leaned closer, closed her eyes, and rested her head on Cadeus¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Hey¡­¡± ¡°What?¡± Cadeus wanted to say ¡®what are you doing¡¯, but he knew Sing was a smart girl. If she were not comfortable with the current situation, she would not have rested her head on his shoulder. In fact, if she could do such a deed, she must have assumed that Cadeus would not mind it either. Sighing, Cadeus, still with his eyes closed, without moving an inch, finally responded. ¡°You did not ask if you could borrow my shoulder.¡± ¡°May I borrow your shoulder?¡± ¡°Now you are just being funny.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t say no anyway.¡± ¡°¡­ True. But haven¡¯t you considered the implications of your actions?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t see anything wrong with it. We are close friends.¡± ¡°Please. You are a popular girl. I¡¯d hate to be the target of your fan club.¡± ¡°There is no such fan club.¡± ¡°Not officially. But you can''t deny you have admirers.¡± ¡°Let them admire all they want. I choose who I want to be with.¡± ¡°¡­ Are you at least aware that some of your admirers highly disapprove of me being around you?¡± ¡°Would they risk angering me by picking on you?¡± ¡°¡­ No not exactly.¡± ¡°Then why the worry?¡± ¡°Sigh¡­¡± Tired, Cadeus chose not to argue any further. While resting, Cadeus posed another question. ¡°Cenyr, who exactly is he?¡± ¡°He¡¯s the only son in the White Progenitor family.¡± ¡°Oh? So he¡¯s like Cordelia.¡± ¡°Very much. Why? Did he pick on you?¡± ¡°No he did not. I¡¯m just curious.¡± ¡°He and I are in the same class.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Now that was a surprise. ¡°Does he provide a lot of competition?¡± ¡°Nah¡­ not really. He¡¯s a rather free and easy going person. Just¡­ not as extreme like Nadav.¡± ¡°Of course.¡± If the only son of a Progenitor family were to be like Nadav, it¡¯ll probably be a stimulating source of various political scandals. With nothing else to discuss, Cadeus was about to drift into a deep sleep when a voice cut itself into the air. ¡°Sorry to interrupt you love birds.¡±Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Opening their eyes, Cadeus and Sing saw Miss Allis¡¯s face staring down at him. The strange thing Cadeus found about this new vision, was that Miss Allis¡¯s head was upside down. It did not take him long to realize that she was actually standing behind the bench. Snapping his head up, Cadeus and Sing quickly created a small distance away from each other. ¡°Hello Miss Allis. Is it another follow up appointment?¡± Miss Allis gave him a mischevious ¡®fu fu fu¡¯ before arriving at the matter at hand. ¡°Time is prescious¡­ Nah just kidding. I just wanted to give you this.¡± Miss Allis soon moved up to Cadeus before passing him a rather peculiar item. ¡°Here you go.¡± ¡°Hm?¡± What Miss Allis gave him was a black card decorated impressively with gold, with a large vertical oval mirror at the center. Flipping the card behind, Cadeus was grateful to see his name labeled clearly without the ¡®Pride ve Lu¡¯. Other than a few additional particulars, the card also had the logo of the bank that had his current savings. Cadeus almost dismissed the card as a simple banking card, but when it came to Zeffernon, there was more ot every object that meets the eye. ¡°I think I know what this is¡­ but exactly is it?¡± Sing already had an answer. ¡°That¡¯s a Tune Card.¡± Ok¡­ it definitely sounds Zeffernonny, but that was not what Cadeus was expecting. ¡°A what?¡± ¡°Do you want the simplified explanation or the complex edition?¡± ¡°¡­Keep it simple.¡± ¡°They are Zeffernon¡¯s version of banking debit cards.¡± Well, that confirms it. Cadeus looked up back at Miss Allis. ¡°And the reason for this is¡­¡± ¡°Did you forget? Enforcer Gazeth said that you will be compensated with money if you chose to stay with us back in the catacombs.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ right.¡± How could he forget? Things happened so fast in a flash that Cadeus completely forgot that he was promised compensation money from the Enforcers. Damn¡­ he really needed to beef up if he needed to remember something that¡¯s that important. Cadeus soon glued his eyes to the Tune Card in his fingers. ¡°So are you telling me that the amount had already been transferred? Is this what this Tune Card is all about?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the thing, I checked with the bank and it turns out that you don¡¯t have a Tune Card. Since we had quite the large sum to pay you, it¡¯s more convenient for us to transfer the entire amount into your Tune Card. Wouldn¡¯t you agree Miss Delnarius?¡± Sing nodded. She must have already received her compensated payment. Come to think of it, Enforcer Gazeth did not provide a specific number. ¡°¡­How much was it again?¡± ¡°Well¡­ for Miss Delnarius and your Grey friend here, I believe it¡¯s 2800 Duches.¡± Wow¡­ Miss Allis failed to call Nadav by name. He really must be beneath her interests for her to just simply refer him as ¡®Grey friend¡¯. ¡°Now as for you my dear little brother, guess what?! The Enforcers gave you a generous amount of 9800 Duches.¡± Cadeus and Sing nearly dropped their jaws. That was an insane difference in numbers. ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°On top of that, I also promised you 1200 Duches for your assistance didn''t I?¡± ¡°Ah yes¡­ I remember that.¡± Sing immediately raised an eyebrow and gave Cadeus a questioning look. Cadeus could understand her demand to know when did this happen. But for now, he ignored her. ¡°In addition ¡­ you gave us the precious resource for the sealing circle; the Blood of a Pure Blood. According to Administration, the discounted charges for the Enforcers would be 500,000 Duches. So that currently amounts to 511,000 Duches.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Lastly, in recognition for your contributions for the past few troublesome Board Quests, Mr. Morrison gave you a special donation of 3000 Duches.¡± ¡°He what?¡± Mr. Morrison gave him a donation? Whatever for? Miss Allis remained unconcerned with the questions popping in Cadeus¡¯s head and finalized her calculations ¡°So in total, that¡¯s 514,000 Duches. That¡¯s quite a sum to be transferring in coins isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s why we got you the Tune Card! Yay! The registration charge for the Tune Card is also on us too! Super Yay!¡± ¡°Ah ha¡­ Yay?¡± With nothing else, Miss Allis clapped her hands. ¡°All right! Now this big sister has to settle some other things! I hope we meet again soon! Chiao~!¡± And with that, she just exited the scene casually like no body¡¯s business. Not forgetting a certain piece of information, Sing turned her attention back to Cadeus. ¡°Cadeus, I think you owe me an explanation. ¡°Ah¡­ right. Before the whole kidnapping ordeal, Miss Allis promised me a sum of 1200 Duches for any information regarding Fremin.¡± ¡°And when did this happen?¡± ¡°When Nadav and I were scouting out for charcoal and powder for your Procona mixing.¡± ¡°And you agreed without consulting me?¡± ¡°She¡¯s just buying information. That¡¯s all. I didn¡¯t agree to get this involved with the case.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me?¡± ¡°¡­It slipped from my mind to inform you.¡± ¡°Oho¡­¡± Oh crap¡­ now she¡¯s not going to let me off. Cadeus thought. In an attempt to distract her anger, Cadeus brought up the Tune Card in his hands. ¡° *Ahem* In any case, can you tell me something more about this?¡± Giving him the look that said ¡®I won¡¯t forget¡¯, Sing soon gave him the easiest explanation for him to understand. ¡°Tune Cards are identification cards that are magically tied to bank accounts in Zeffernon. Like the debit cards on Earth, Tune Cards are the only means of accessing your bank account. But there is a slight difference in the way they work.¡± ¡°Enlighten me.¡± ¡°Tune Cards can be used to exchange huge amounts of money between different parties. This function is very straightforward. But unlike Earth¡¯s debit cards, you don¡¯t need an ATM (Automated Teller Machine) to transfer money.¡± ¡°I see, that¡¯s pretty understandable. So how do I use it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the mirror.¡± ¡°¡­Just to confirm, this is not some ¡®mirror mirror on the wall, tell me who¡¯s the richest of them all¡¯ right? Because if I have to say that every time I use this thing, it¡¯s pretty lame.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s not as complicated as you think.¡± Sing took out her own Tune Card. It¡¯s of a different design using the various blend of green and gold. But the mirror and her particulars behind were roughly the same. ¡°Let¡¯s see, the minimum transfer amount was 100 Duches. Let¡¯s do a demo.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± ¡°All right, hold out your Tune Card in front of mine.¡± Cadeus did as he was told. ¡°All right. Now, I¡¯m going to transfer 100 Duches straight into your bank account.¡± Once she said that, the mirror on her card faded in colour before it revealed a figure. A -100 soon flashed and the figure diminished in its value. As he looked at his own card, the same thing happened, but with a +100. ¡°Now, repeat what I just did by applying magic and think of the transfer.¡± Cadeus did as he was told, and the reverse happened. ¡°So in terms of function, it¡¯s just like any other artifact.¡± ¡°Correct.¡± Sing kept her own Tune Card. ¡°When did you manage to acquire one?¡± ¡°I had it since¡­ well, after my father left. I inherited everything he owed, and the lump sum he left in the bank account was more than enough for me to owe a Tune Card.¡± ¡°¡­What¡¯s the minimum staple for one to get a Tune Card?¡± ¡°10,000 Duches.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Applying magic again into his own Tune Card, Cadeus saw a sum of 594,530. The initial 80,530 that was provided from his mother was improved with the Enforcer¡¯s payment. That should be more than enough to cover his basic essentials for the next few years. ¡°¡­I can understand half a million since I¡¯m a Pure Blood, but why did Mr. Morrison gave me an additional 3000? It¡¯s not like he owes me anything.¡± Sing immediately had a possible answer. ¡°I think this is probably the Enforcers showing favourable treatment in the hopes that you might be more willing to help them more in the future. You are a Pure Blood after all. The Enforcers must really want your assistance when the time comes for it.¡± ¡°Like what happened in the catacombs? Does Mr. Morrison wants me to be involved or not?¡± Sing soon looked at the Tune Card in Cadeus¡¯s hand. ¡°Your Tune Card¡¯s different form mine.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I also noticed. Which bank are you currently tied to?¡± ¡°The Weed¡¯s Bank. It¡¯s a rather common choice for primary savings. Which bank are your savings currently at?¡± ¡°¡­Pride¡¯s Bank.¡± Sing raised an eyebrow to the implications. ¡°It¡¯s a bank that¡¯s Many Dark Mages love to use. Mr. Morrison helped me set up the account after my mother consented into allowing me to study here.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± Nadav soon returned with a greedy number of Yakitori sticks. ¡°Yo! I bought three sticks for each of you!¡± ¡°Thank you for your consideration Nadav.¡± ¡°Eh? Is that a Tune Card? Did Cadeus just get a Tune Card?¡± ¡°No. I got it from Miss Allis. You just missed her.¡± ¡°That Enforcer? What did she want?¡± ¡°To pay me the 1200 Duches she promised me a few days ago.¡± ¡°Ah! I remember that deal! I was there! Where¡¯s my share?!¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you check your bank account?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ right!¡± Passing Cadeus all his food, Nadav immediately took out his own Tune Card to check his account. Oh? He¡¯s card is also tied to the Weed¡¯s Bank. ¡°Eh? EH?! I¡¯m seeing some amazing numbers in here but where¡¯s my 1200 Duches? Did Miss Allis say something?¡± ¡°¡­Miss Allis made no mention about it.¡± ¡°Huh?! Why?¡± ¡°I think she probably does not remember you negotiating.¡± ¡°You¡¯re joking.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°But¡­ but I convinced you to take up her offer.¡± ¡°Sorry Nadav, Miss Allis failed to mention you. Besides, didn¡¯t a certain someone say that ¡®it takes a Dark to negotiate with another Dark¡¯?¡± ¡°Urgh¡­¡± With his line used against him, Nadav could only shut up and not pursue the issue. ¡°Don¡¯t worry Nadav, Cadeus received a lot more than what we got. In fact he¡¯ll be able to splurge on us more frequently for the next couple of days.¡± What? Cadeus was caught off guard with that remark. ¡°Oh really?¡± Nadav soon shot him a mischievous glare. ¡°Sing.. what are you ¨C ¡± Nadav grabbed Cadeus by the shoulder and led him forward. ¡°You got a lot more than what we got eh? All right you asshole. Sing, you hungry?¡± ¡°You are still hungry after all that Yakitori and fried food?¡± ¡°Shut up Cadeus. I¡¯m not talking to you. Sing?¡± ¡°Hm¡­¡± Sing looked up with her eyes closed in deep thought. After a few seconds, Sing opened her mouth. She smiled. ¡°I guess a buffet is in order.¡± ¡°Wait¡­ a buffet?¡± ¡°Sweet! I know this awesome place at Carmith¡¯s where they have a special store for Korean Barbecue!¡± ¡°A Korean Barbecue? Here? On Zeffernon?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! And before anyone says anything, it¡¯ll be Cadeus¡¯s treat.¡± ¡°¡­ What?¡± ¡°You heard me, your treat.¡± ¡°No way.¡± ¡°I agree.¡± ¡°Sing?!¡± Cadeus was surprised that Sing would be this cooperative, usually she would¡­ Wait, could this all be her retaliation about leaving her in the dark in regards to his first encounter with Miss Allis?! ¡°You just earned 1200 Duches. Surely you can afford to spare about 100 Duches at once. The heck, you even got a Tune Card!¡± Nadav declared. Cadeus clasped his Tune Card. ¡°I just risked my neck for this. Like hell I¡¯m going to spend it away easily.¡± ¡°Who was the idiot who led us into the catacomb to begin with? We risked out lives too! We deserve something!¡± ¡°I have to agree with Nadav on this one Cadeus.¡± ¡°Ha! You see! Even Sing¡¯s on my side! You cannot say ¡®Nein¡¯ to us now!¡± ¡°¡­ What¡¯s with the German word?¡± With Sing on Nadav¡¯s side, Cadeus could not hold himself against the two of them. ¡°Sigh¡­ Fine. Just this once.¡± ¡°YAHOO! KOREAN BARBECUE! HERE WE COME!¡± ¡°Stop that¡­ just¡­ stop that¡­ it¡¯s embarrassing.¡± Sing could not help but bring herself to laugh. TOA After spending approximately three hours on the buffet, Sing wanted to do some shopping. The two boys, being boys, eventually followed her around even though they did not have the slightest interest in shopping. As such, the three of them ended up spending the rest of the afternoon wandering around the entity of Carmith¡¯s Street. At one point of time, Sing was held up in one of the dress shops comparing the various prices. With nothing else to do, Cadeus¡¯s attention soon drew to one of the nearby book stores. In knowing that Sing would take some time, he automatically informed Nadav where he would be and wandered off into the book store. There were so many books, but none ever caught his attention. As Cadeus continued to walk down the lineof bookshelves, hecontinuedto glance here and there, until he reached one particular book. He did not fully notice it at first. But when the corner of his eye registered the first three letters T, R and E, Cadeusstopped. He retraced a step and paused to look. It''s a pretty old copy. It''s a worn out book encased in brown leather and it¡¯s yellowish brown papers spoke volumes of its age. But what catches Cadeus''s attention more is the title of the book printed at the spine. The Trebunus Crisis ¡°¡­The Trebunus crisis?¡± Trebunus... the same word used in the organization Trebunus Legacy? Could this be some sort of coincidence? Cadeus took a moment to look up at the bookshelf category. It was labelled as history. ¡°Is this some sort of historical event?¡± Curiosity for knowledge got the better of him. Cadeus¡¯s hand soon reached out for the book. If the contents of this book had something related to the Trebunus Legacy, he ought to start reading it. There is no telling if he will cross paths with such a dubious organization again... eh? Just when Cadeus''s hand was inches away from the book, hisfingerscollided with another person''shand. Cadeus turned to look. What he ended up staring at was the face of a girl his age. ... ... ¡­ She¡¯s beautiful. That was the first thing that came to his head. If he were to compare her looks to Sing, this lady is even more striking to his eyes. She has graceful smooth pale Caucasian skin, her sharp dark black eyes perfectly contrasts her elegant white silky straight hair. Wait¡­ why did that sound so familiar? And then, it occurred to Cadeus. Her physical features were strongly similar to his own. She¡¯s a Pure Blooded Dark Mage, like himself. Her dress code serves to make her even more stunning. She¡¯s wearing a white dress accompanied with a silver bracelet on each wrist. Silver ruby earrings fitted her ears along with her white high heel shoes. Whoever this girl was, she¡¯s definitely a noble. But which family did she came from? Cadeus searched around her clothings for some sort of insignia when he saw it at the base of her dress. A white skull with a white lily. If she¡¯s a girl of his age, was she not enrolled in Triple Orb Academy? Her looks and questionable backgrounds were so striking that it took a few moments for Cadeus to notice that they were in the same position... and that their hands were still in contact with each other. SNAP! ¡°Gh!¡± Tripping on his ankle, Cadeus soon collapsed. ¡°Huh?¡± He tried to get up, only to fall again. From the pain, it did not take him long to figure that there was an ankle sprain. ¡°What the¡­¡± Staring at the girl, she¡¯s gone. Clasping his hand on the book shelve, Cadeus dragged himself up. Staring at his twisted feet, Cadeus took a few deep breaths to quell the sense of pain before reaching a conclusion. ¡°¡­That was her all right. Was that a Blood Gift?¡± For some reason, Cadeus soon became extremely interested in that girl. He did not know why, but he found himself explicitly drawn to her.