Elric stared at the ceiling of Vittoria’s bedroom.
He wasn’t sure what time it was or how long he’d been sleeping.
When he woke up, the sun was shining through her ridiculously small window, and Vittoria had left him a note saying she was going to the council meeting and would be back after it was done.
He hoped that was soon. He desperately needed to use the privy, but he didn't trust himself to stand.
He still felt godawfully weak.
It made sense considering he’d almost died. Or turned into a demonkin, which was as good as dying.
He still hadn't digested that yet.
It wasn’t his first near-death experience; far from it.
Being an Archmage came with a lot of privileges, like automatic membership of the Assembly, even if not in the council, and the ability to bend the law to a certain extent and command jurisdiction almost anywhere you went. All Archmages were free to take on whatever civilian job they wanted, be it working for the ministry, or becoming a commander, or simply, if you were affluent enough, not working a job at all.
High-paying positions were preferentially given to archmages because of their magical expertise, but some archmages chose not to work, relying on quest rewards instead.
However, the one thing archmages could not refuse were the often deadly quests given by the system. They were attempts to circumvent that, by either passing on the quest to a junior or rebelling and going into relative hiding like Vittoria had done. But those were only granted to the most powerful and only in special circumstances.
Elric's earlier quests as a master had been relatively tame and had not prepared him for what he had to face as an Archmage. As such, the first time he had been assigned to restrain a giant from attacking a nearby village, he had nearly lost his life.
It was a simple mistake–he had lost his concentration for just a second, causing his barrier to falter and his body to nearly get crushed by a large, hairy foot.
That experience sobered him, and it had also traumatized him so much that he had needed psychiatric help for a few weeks.
He would likely need that after this experience, too.
If he closed his eyes, he could still see the behemoth that had faced him. He could feel the constantly changing environments trying to trap him and hear the Overlord's voice in his head.
And the pain. He could feel the deep, agonizing pain.
Yet, it had not yet dawned on him entirely. He was still relatively numb to it all, a delayed reaction. It would hit him in the weeks to come, and when he was done healing physically, he would probably have to deal with the mental and emotional repercussions of this, too.
That would be fun.
There was a knock on his door, and it opened to reveal Inara.
Up till then, he had forgotten the girl was home. She was very good at staying quiet and making herself completely inconspicuous.
Elric knew that wasn't a good thing.
"I heard you were awake," she said, not meeting his gaze. It reminded him again of Ari with a notable difference; Ari's was a pathological habit, Inara's was born of fear. "Would you like something to eat?"
He was currently on a mostly liquid diet, so he shook his head and said with the gentlest tone he could manage, "Not right now. Let me recover some strength first."
She nodded and was about to retreat when he said, "Wait."
She stopped abruptly.
"How are you feeling? I heard you got hurt."
"I'm fine," she said quickly. "I was only hurt a little, and Lady Vittoria already took care of that."
Lady Vittoria? Elric smiled. Well, technically, she is a princess, but she's going to hate being called that.
"I wanted to thank you again for helping those two in their mission to save me," he said. "And apologize for dragging you into my mess. I'm sorry."
He expected her to murmur some sort of shy denial to the floor, but she didn't.
She finally looked up for the first time and met his gaze, without flinching. "I'm not."
He raised an eyebrow, but before he could say anything, a whoosh accompanied by colorful cursing told him Vittoria was home.
She walked in, and Inara immediately bowed to her and scuttled away. Vittoria barely noticed, her eyes on Elric. “You look good.”
“I feel better,” he said. “How did it go?”
She sighed, and Elric’s stomach immediately plunged to his feet. It couldn’t be. He’d presented an airtight case, with all the evidence possible. Yseult could not have escaped punishment.
“It's mostly good news,” she said as she sat down at the end of the bed. “Yseult was charged by unanimous vote from the council and given an indefinite mana suppression for a period no less than fifty years.”
He nodded. It wasn’t a permanent suppression by name, but a suppression that long would undoubtedly be a torturous existence. Fifty years might not seem like a long time to an Archmage, but mana suppression of someone with Yseult's capacity would render him in agonizing pain, so bad that he might not live to the end of his sentence.
And it could always be extended when more evidence of his misdeeds was revealed.
All in all, it was as good a punishment as he could hope for.
“As a result of his punishment, he has also lost his archmage post, and you've moved up a rank,” she added with a smile. You should have seen his face when they announced he would no longer be an archmage or a representative on the council. Wesley clapped loudly before his nephew jabbed an elbow in his side."
“But…” Elric knew that the good news was about to end.
“But no imprisonment or detention,” she said. “He managed to convince the Ascendant of the validity of his 'research' and claimed he had found a way to control demons and also heal demonic ailments."
"That's ridiculous."
"Yes, but it made for a compelling argument. So, he will now be working with the council to teach them everything he learned. While not imprisoned himself, he gave the names of those who pioneered this disaster in the first place. The sect leaders most involved are facing dungeon time, and the rest of the sect will be under strict surveillance for the next ten years."
"Surveillance from whom?"
"Who else has the skill to do something like that?" She gave him a sardonic look, and Elric closed his eyes.
"Gio Li."
"Yes," he said. "In addition to that, Gio is now the interim leader in charge of the sect, acting as Viceroy for the High Ascendant, along with two others selected by the council to act as checks and balances. They must report monthly on the activities of the sect to the council."
Elric nodded slowly.
It wasn't a bad choice. It would be hard to get anything past Gio, and the archmage had no love for either Yseult or the demonic sect. He would be harder to manipulate, too, given his powers and his hatred for demons. He hunted them with a relish he reserved for little else.
But if Gio ever turned, then they were all in serious trouble.
“Who else is part of this team?” he asked.
"Archmage Mahmoud and...." She gave him a look.
"Me?”
She nodded. “Gio actually recommended you after he was chosen. He said you were a logical choice, since you were the one who discovered all this was going on, and because, and I quote, 'his bleeding heart will help us earn the trust of the civilians.' He also mentioned that the two of you have become quite close and work well together.”
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
While Vittoria grinned, Elric frowned.
This was not what he hoped for.
He was glad about the outcome, but he had hoped this would be the end of his involvement with the demonic sect.
Also, working with Gio even more did not appeal to him in the slightest.
He trusted Gio only slightly more than he trusted Yseult, and Gio already knew far more about Arielle than he was comfortable with.
However, this could also be an opportunity to keep an eye on him.
"The sect is currently being raided by Gio and his group of investigators,” she said. "They're confiscating everything and pulling everyone for questioning. I assume he’s taking care of the demons there while he's at it. If he finds them, that is. I don't imagine they’ll wait around.”
“Yes. Which is what makes it even more imperative that we protect Arielle." Yseult was vindictive, and he would certainly come after everyone Elric cared about.
Vittoria smirked. "I wouldn't be so worried about her if I were you. I have a feeling she can hold her own. Besides, I left a tag on her. I'll know if she's in trouble."
"What if it's too late by then?" He instantly panicked. "Should I pull her out of school?”
“No, that's essentially putting a target on her back. Not to mention, there are anti-demonic charms at school. She’s better protected there than almost anywhere else, as long as she doesn't leave campus."
"That might be too much to ask of her," he said. "What if he tries to lure her using her family?"
"Already ahead of you. I have tags on them too."
Elric smiled. "Since you're so good at surveillance, why weren't you chosen to watch Yseult instead of Gio?"
"I mean, I already am," she smirked. "But officially, the council didn't think I was a good fit. I'm a proven hothead, and I already abandoned my post once, so the council is not convinced enough of my commitment to give me such an important post."
"So you're back in the fold, huh?"
"Unfortunately," she said.
"You don't look as angry about it as I would expect."
She shrugged. "It's pointless to be angry about something you can't change."
He glanced at her, not trusting her sudden zen. But his mind was dragged back to his worry about Arielle.
"We'll need to at least inform the dean of what's going on, so that he can better protect Arielle. Perhaps they need to hire more guards at the school.”
"I know," Vittoria said with a smile. "I never thought you would be this overprotective. You're not like this with any of your half-siblings."
"I barely know them," he admitted. "And they have ample protections. Arielle has none."
"Hmm," she commented. "By the way, you should know that I know she can see essences."
Elric froze, turning his head in horror.
"She's not good at hiding," Vittoria said. "Making her do it is only going to lead to the very thing that you're trying to avoid. Eventually, someone else is going to take notice, and with just a little intelligent observation, they will realize what she's capable of."
Elric wanted to argue, but there was nothing he could argue against. Everything Vittoria said was the truth, and he couldn't deny it.
"On the other hand," she said, putting her hand on the back of his palm. "I have a better idea of how she can stay protected."
Elric opened his mouth to ask what the idea was, but a pressure in his pelvis reminded him of another urgency.
"Erm...Vittoria...I hate to ask, but..."
"Yeah, I know." Her eyes twinkled as she cast magic to bring a chamberpot into the room. "This is going to be fun."
***
The first person Arielle ran into on her way to campus was, unfortunately, Wulfric.
She had parted ways with Rava, who'd said she had to fix a leak, and almost immediately spotted Wulfric, a head taller than the rest of the group he was with.
He was leaning against a tree near the ocean, surrounded by a few people, including his brother.
They were all third years to the best of her knowledge. Arielle didn't pay much attention as she strolled past, her mind occupied with the questions she was going to ask Professor Woden.
“Hey!” Wulfric called out, but she didn’t stop until she heard him add, “Arielle.”
Her steps faltered as she regarded him. “Yes?”
“How...erm...how is everything?” His words were stilted, as though those weren’t the words he meant to say, but he changed his mind at the last minute.
“In what sense?” Ari asked, now taking note of the fact that his companions were also staring at her. There were about five girls and only one boy apart from Edward Wesley. They all watched her except Edward, who was giving his brother a narrow-eyed look.
Wulfric cleared his throat. “I mean with…you know…” He seemed to hesitate to say Elric’s name, and he brushed his hand through his hair in that artful way of his. “With the thing you left campus for.”
She realized that he might not want to expose her secret to the observers. That was nice of him.
“I’m okay.” She repeated the words Vittoria told her to say if anyone asked her about her cousin. “He’s doing better now.”
“That’s good. So...can we continue our conversation now?"
That got an indignant look from one of his companions, who had very harmonious features and eyes like crystals. She said in an acerbic tone. “I thought we were talking.”
“We are.” Wulfric flashed a smile at her. “It's just that Arielle and I have a budding friendship, and I have to teach her to dance at the ball."
"You're taking her?" Another girl asked.
"No. She's our guest of honor this year, so technically she has more right to be there than I do." He chuckled, but that earned him a glare.
“Don’t you ever think you have too many friends?” the first girl said with a bite in her tone.
“No such thing,” he winked. “The more the merrier."
She rolled her eyes at him with a huff and walked away, throwing a quick scanning look at Arielle while she did. A few others followed, although one girl who seemed amused by the whole thing stuck around.
Arielle herself had no clue what just happened.
She responded to Wulfric's request. “We can talk later. I’m busy right now.”
“Seems you’re always busy,” Edward said, with a strange smugness in his voice.
“Yes,” Arielle said, and as the two boys looked at each other, there was an interplay of emotions on their features that she didn’t quite understand.
However, her curiosity about the brothers only extended so far. Most importantly, she wanted to talk to Professor Woden.
She said nothing as she abruptly left them to it, continuing her journey. Wulfric called her name again, but this time she did not stop, nor did she answer. She went to the dorms first, and up to her room, intending to put down the sack she was carrying, which held both of the books that she had taken from the sect.
Vittoria taught her a spell to prevent anyone else from seeing what was in the sack, but also advised her to stash it somewhere safe.
Her room was empty, so Arielle did just that, using a combination of [Warden Seal] and [Glamour] spells to ensure that it remained hidden.
Then she went to Professor Woden’s greenhouse. It was a weekend, but CPR meetings were postponed till after severance was over.
So it was just Woden in the lab, pruning a plant, humming to himself.
He looked up at her entrance, his goggles looking like fishbowls.
“Arielle Blacksoil,” he said. “I see that notebook in your hands. You’ve come to plague me with questions, haven’t you?”
“I have,” Arielle admitted.
He chuckled. “Well, any other student, I would tell you to come back during my office hours, but since I’m fond of you, you can stay. I suppose this is about your presentation? Are your group members pulling their weight?”
She nodded. Though they hadn’t had time to meet up lately, and productivity across the board had been down thanks to the trials, she had seen Riorke, Lacey, and Cuthbert often carrying textbooks into the dining hall. They read slower than her, so typically they would only parrot things that Arielle herself had already read weeks ago, but that still counted as pulling their weight, she thought, because at least they were trying.
Their presentation was in a week. She planned to spend much of the next few days organizing it with them, so they knew their talking points.
“Fantastic.” Woden considered a curling leaf and brushed his finger over it before deciding to cut it off. “Now, tell me. What can I do for you?”
“I wanted to ask if you know anything about the Church of the Wayward,” she said. “And a boy named Heimenech."
He straightened, brushing his chin. “Church of the Wayward… it sounds familiar, but I’m not sure where I’ve heard it. Although the Heimenech boy, I do know. He went missing a few years ago. He’s an urban legend now, but it’s most likely that he ran away because of his troubled home life. Or if you’re whimsical, he was whisked into the afterlife by a ghost.” He chuckled at his own joke, but Arielle didn't laugh.
“Do you know anything else about him?” Arielle asked.
“No. He was before my time. You’re not the first person to ask me about him, you know. There was another student we had that was so obsessed with him.”
“Who was it?”
“His name was Plutarch,” he said. “He was a mentor of Telip’s, a fellow Vacu-dominant. Or at least that was what he wanted to be. His parents were both from a historical Calor-dominant clan, but he was obsessed with Vacu.”
“Why?”
“Who knows? He was strange in the way Vacu dominants tend to be.” He winked at Arielle. “I’m sure you’ve heard that we’re all crazy, but it’s not as simple as that. Some esoterics believe that certain personality types attract certain essence affinities. Calor-dominants tend to be hotheaded. Luxa-dominants are manipulative. Massa-dominants are more down-to-earth and grounded." He glanced at her. "What do you think of when you think of Vacu?"
She thought back to her first impression of the Vacu orbs that she’d seen. “Shy.”
“That’s a new one. Most people just say unstable or mysterious.”
“I don’t think it’s trying to be mysterious. I think it’s just shy and constantly unsure of its own place in the world.”
He stared at her for some time, pausing his pruning. “Interesting take." He turned back to his leaf. "People say that Vacu tends to make people unlucky; however, I think it's the other way round. I think unlucky people are drawn to Vacu. In my honest, albeit pseudoscientific, experience, people who form an affinity with Vacu have a certain quality that's hard to describe until you meet them. They have an ephemeral nature. Do you know what that means?"
She shook her head. She knew what ephemeral meant but wasn't sure about the context he was using it in.
"They tend to be people who are perhaps not meant to be here for long, as they are searching for something we do not have. People who, for some reason, have a void within them that they are trying to fill," he said. "That's part of what makes them prone to addictive or antisocial behaviors. It's what makes them seem unstable, too. Because they themselves don't know what they're searching for. However, they often fall into trouble looking for it."
His words rang with a certain significance that felt familiar to Arielle. She thought about what she was searching for and why.
"So he disappeared?" Arielle asked. "This Plutarch?"
"Yes," he said. "And it was strange too the manner in which it happened. There was no sign that he ever left the campus. Our barriers were not broken, and there was no invasion. He was simply gone. The last person to see him was Telip."
"Where?"
"Where they usually met. In the library."
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter