Chapter 18 –
The place was brightly lit.
Ashvile and Sevile were standing at the center.
Theodore silently casted a spell.
Mana interwinded as rune after rune was written in sophisticated precision.
He gave a signal after he was done.
Ashvile, after receiving the signal, slowly removed the spell enveloping source.
Gradually, a black mass with multiple eyes and grotesque veins was revealed.
The stench made Magnus bend over and gasp for breath. A thin, needle-like mana strand slowly extended from a corner and pierced the mass.
The vein made its way inside and reached toward the core.
Professor Selvian maneuvered slowly through the mass, a cloth covering his eyes.
He was able to "see" inside the spell and recreate the memory trace as he reached toward the core and examined it.
Mana gradually concentrated towards the core.
When he made contact with core he sensed something but couldn't comprehend it.
When he tried to focus to understand it,
a voice resounded in his ears: "I guess it's a failure."
And suddenly everything went dark. The black mass deconstructed itself and dripped onto the floor, forming a bloody pool.
The Cardinal immediately channeled holy mana, and the blood burned in holy flames.
Selvian removed the veil from his eyes, releasing the spell.
Blood trickled down from his eyes.
"Sevile, you can remove the spell. What is inside has already turned useless."
Sevile's eyes widened, and after a moment's pause he released the spell. Blood splattered onto the floor and was burned away.
Cardinal Magnus cast another spell afterward.
A faint, bloody stench tickled his nose—almost too faint to be described as real.
He looked in that direction and saw Methilia standing there, maintaining the protective barrier.
The sensation vanished as soon as it appeared. Maybe it's the aftereffects of the earlier stench, he thought.
"What did you see, Selvian?"
"The perpetrator is most likely from a noble family, and he isn't located in the academy. But he has planted a source here.
I heard his voice calling this experiment a failure.
He feels like he's in his thirties, with considerable authority." He hesitated, then continued, "This is my personal judgment after examining the mass: the contamination isn't solely related to black magic."
"And what makes you think so?" Theodore asked.
Magnus interjected, "What exactly did you feel when looking into it?"
"It felt alive… something mixed with black magic, like a will—maybe. But I'm not sure. It felt truly sinister. Even in distorted form, black magic doesn't possess emotions humans are capable of feeling."
"Do you think it is related to demon fragments?" Magnus asked. The bishops turned pale.
"Your Holiness!" they exclaimed in trembling voices.
He raised his hand, and they immediately fell silent.
"No. I don't think it was a demon fragment. I am certain of that. It's something I can't pinpoint, but I can only describe it as deeply uncomfortable to even look at."
Selvian sighed in resignation.
Elion had already healed his eyes.
"What do you think, Cardinal?" Theodore asked in a heavy tone.
Magnus sighed. "Right now, we can only hope to find the origin of the source as soon as possible. Today we were able to save another student from falling victim. But we don't know how many more incidents could take place in the meantime. We have to act fast.
We only have time until tomorrow.
Otherwise, I'm afraid this will need to be discussed with the Pope and His Royal Highness."
Theodore's expression darkened.
Silence filled the room.
"You did well," Theodore said, patting Selvian's shoulder. "Take tomorrow to rest."
Selvian nodded. After leaving the underground lab of the East Tower, he fell into deep thought.
The voice had sounded too normal for someone affiliated with black magic—almost mechanical.
He headed toward the faculty office.
A small, pupil-less eyeball watched him from the end of the North Tower before fading away.