Chương 66: Investigation

Lyra stared in shock, coughing slightly at the dust that hung in the atmosphere. She was still crouched, her hand hovering around her ears. She got a peek at the water beyond the trees, reverberating with the aftershock.

"You were saying?" Arielle had a very smug look on her face, which was a nice change from her usual lack of expressiveness, even if the joke was at Lyra's expense. Lyra blinked at her in disbelief, just as in the background, a branch that had been hanging on by a thread finally fell and landed with a dull, anticlimactic thud, punctuating the silence.

"Wh... what just happened?" For once, Arielle didn't jump in to answer the question in that superior way of hers. She instead cocked her head and asked.

"Are you asking because you do not understand, or did the spell addle your brain?" She's not saying it as an insult, Lyra reminded herself as a snippy retort jumped to her lips. She truly wants to know the answer to the question. The same way Lyra wanted a genuine answer to hers. What had caused that explosion? Because it couldn't be her. Lyra could barely cast a vitality spell with certainty, so there was no way she had cast [Spore Burst] of all things when plenty of Masters struggled with that spell.

It couldn't have come from her. It was Arielle. She had done something, maybe cast a spell simultaneously to elicit that effect. Or maybe there had been something special about the runes she'd been given, even though runes weren't meant to help her cast spells that were that far out of her league. But Arielle was special. She could have made a special rune. Lyra looked down at the rune that had reformed after use, looking perfectly intact once more.

"How did you make this?" Lyra asked her. She shrugged.

"I just did it. Telip helped."

"He did?" Somehow, that was the most incredible part of that statement.

"Yes. I had to read about a seventh of the book he gave me. It took me some time, and I slept four hours each night, but I managed to do enough, and he was impressed with my effort."

"Of course." Lyra had initially thought it strange that Telip had reversed his stance on helping Arielle so readily, but now that she thought about it again, it wasn't strange. Not only was Telip helpful by nature, but he was likely drawn to Arielle's talent and tenacity.

"Are you going to stay like that?" Arielle asked.

"I have more spells I want us to try." Lyra straightened first, then doubled back down and picked up her wand. She took a second to take in the damage, a sense of wonder starting to replace her shock, her heart beating in excitement for what felt like the first time in her life.

"I really did that?"

"Yes. The rune simply reduced the effect of what your aunt did to you. Everything else was your own ability."

"Wow." Lyra shook her head and stared down at the hand that held her wand. She'd always considered her fingers thin and feeble, knobbly like her grandmother's. Whenever she failed at a spell, she would look down at her fingers and hate how weak they appeared. Yet her weak hands had cast [Spore Burst]. A darn tier-6 spell! And it was all thanks to Arielle. Lyra stared at her friend now, whose form was silhouetted by the setting sun. The first time she'd seen her, she'd had a feeling that she would be special.

Ari had proved her right, and Lyra was constantly shocked that Ari even bothered being friends with her. When it came to talent, they were on two different ends of the spectrum. Yet, Arielle was certainly becoming a dear friend to Lyra. For her to go this far... Lyra never imagined it. She'd seen Arielle reading even in the wee hours of the night. She went to bed much later than Lyra did, and these days, she woke up earlier.

Lyra had thought it was simply a slight bump in intensity from her normal routine because she was preparing for severance, but to learn that it had all been for her, to make this rune for her.... Lyra couldn't find the words to express her gratitude. All she could do was put her hand on her chest the same way Arielle had done for Maus, and bow deeply.

"Thank you, Arielle. This is quite literally the kindest, best thing anyone has ever done for me. I may not be in any position to offer you a blood oath, but rest assured, if there's anything you need, and it's within my power, I will do my best to achieve it." When she straightened, Arielle gave her a shockingly wide smile.

"You're welcome. Now, let's try other spells." Lyra was a little scared to do so because she was terrified that the success of the first spell had been a fluke that could not be replicated. However, Arielle showed her two more spells to try, [Petal Storm] and [Echoing Bamboo]. And to her shock, she completed both of them. It took her some time, especially that first one, thanks to a complex spell script. But in the end, she did it and got acknowledgement from the system. NEW SPELL DETECTED. Name: [Spore Burst].

Tier: Adept Experience Points: 3 NEW SPELL DETECTED. Name: [Echoing Bamboo]. Tier: Adept Experience Points: 3 NEW SPELL DETECTED. Name: [Petal Storm]. Tier: Master Experience Points: 4 Would you like to incorporate it into your Grimoire? Calculations ongoing for [Hidden Ability] Marker… Hidden Ability Indicated. She gasped and put her hand over her mouth.

"I just got the hidden ability marker."

"I thought that might happen." Arielle sounded far too calm for the gravity of the situation"You did?" A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"Yes. You just cast two upper adept spells and one master spell. Hidden Ability should be indicated." But how did she say it so casually? A [Hidden Ability] marker was not something to be casual about. It was something only the most skilled and specialized mages had, a point of pride for many of them. Lyra was not one of them. Up until today, she had been at the bottom of the barrel in her class, despite her hard work.

Now it felt like she had soared somewhere to, well, not to the top of their class because that spot was reserved for Arielle and a few of the talented ones in Class A, like Antigones and others who had bloodline spells. She didn't know where she was, but she was no longer at the bottom. And it was all thanks to Arielle, who looked distracted as she stared off into space, smiling at nothing. She did that often, so Lyra wasn't really worried. She'd gotten used to it. What a strange and powerful person she was.

With a heart of gold, too. So very kind with abilities that blew Lyra's mind.

"I can't believe this," she said, and she incorporated the spells. Her excitement was interrupted by a problem she foresaw."I'm almost out of Vitae for the week."

"It's the weekend."

"Yes, but these spells take up a lot of Vitae, and I need more practice with them."

"We should have the headmaster adjust your EPUQ allowance to increase Vitae and reduce everything else."

"That's not possible in the first year, because they're trying to encourage balance."

"He must make an exception for you," Ari said with such conviction that Lyra had to smile. It was almost like she was the one giving the orders at the academy.

"Arielle, I may not be able to use any of those spells during severance," she said.

"It's too much. It might hurt my opponent. And also, it won't help me during the core balancing test because I can't use a rune for that, and my cores are still very unbalanced."

"Yes, but your ability should make up for that. Let's go right now and talk to the Dean. And Professor Llywyd, too. I'm sure she'll understand." Lyra reluctantly nodded. However, a few minutes later, after a short explanation and a demonstration, Professor Llywd was staring at them as though they'd broken her brain.

Elric stepped off his carriage into the soot-choked air of Hama. He couldn't even tell where it was coming from. They were always burning something here. The air was soaked with sin, too, tiny particles of darkness that were remnants of demonic attacks that they could never quite get rid of. Because of that, and the long rainy season, the sky was permanently overcast.

The buildings were sophisticated clay huts arranged in a protective axis along the sprawling gated courtyard, surrounding the central palace where the Draco descendants lived. The central palace featured golden-glazed roof tiles sweeping up into flying eaves, bordered by identical fountains, a cherry-blossom garden, and structures of the protective spirits.

Magical scripts and protective charms had been etched into the main palace's stucco and marbled walls, and they would activate liches that would protect the palace from attackers. That was only one of the numerous security measures that were in place, protecting the last living of the Draco clan that would one day rule the sect. From what he'd heard, they were also insufferable brats. Part of it was the madness that was said to plague the clan.

The other part of it being that they were showered with special treatment from the moment they were born.

"Archmage Elric." A stooped old man greeted him, standing at the top of a long, ceremonial staircase, bordered by two dragon statues that looked up at the apex of the palace.

"Elder Hattus," Elric said as he ascended. The man bowed deeply once he reached.

"We are honored to have you grace us with your presence."

"I bet," he commented, amused because he knew that was a complete lie. The demonic sect didn't like visitors, and they especially didn't like visitors they couldn't easily shoo away like Elric.

"Hopefully, it's a short visit. I just have a few questions for you, as my letter stated."

"Of course. I am the most knowledgeable about the event you requested. I will answer all that the Archmage asks to the best of my abilities." Elric wasn't fooled by the deference. He knew the man was about to lie and misconstrue for all he was worth. He was led to a parlor with high, honeycombed ceilings, enspelled nettings to protect from the semi-toxic atmosphere, and intricate handwoven cushions placed on the floor. A girl stood in black robes and bowed as she offered him a bowl of water.

He accepted it with a murmured thanks, but overestimated the weight of the bowl and picked it up with a little more force than he should have, making the liquid slosh over to his robe.

"Ah!" The girl reacted in absolute shock and dismay, trembling in fear as she dropped the tray.

"I'm so sorry. I-""Foolish girl," the Elder berated.

"How could you stain the Archmage's robes?" Elric cut him a look.

"It's fine," he said.

"It's my fault, and it's just water."

"No, it's not. This foolish thing must answer for her clumsiness."

"I said it's fine," Elric's voice was a bit harsher.

"And the fact that you've gone on to call her foolish twice for an error I caused really disappoints me, Elder."

"Oh?" The man looked surprised.

"I was just ensuring that–""You should apologize to her," Elric said as he took a sip of the water. The man's face twisted in disgust.

"I can never apologize to her kind." Her kind? Because she was a mundane? Elric's wrath rose swiftly but surely.

"Apologize," Elric ordered, channeling his inner Ari and letting a bit of his authority leak. The Elder immediately reacted to it, turning and giving a reluctant and hasty bow to the maid, one that made her mortified. Elric raised an eyebrow, and the man cleared his throat.

"Yes, erm. Sorry… you." The Elder trailed off, like he couldn't even bring himself to say her name. Perhaps the man didn't even remember it. Elric's lips curled. He wanted to push the issue, but it would probably make it worse for the maid. Already, this stunt might backfire on her, and that made him sorry about the whole thing, although he couldn't regret sticking up for her. This is what I get for acting without thinking. Elric sighed.

He would check if there was a means to take her out of this palace lest she suffer for his actions. Perhaps he would make her an offer to be his maid, though he did not need one, and he doubted she would agree to any offer he made. Family ties were big in the demonic realm. He would think of something else.

"You can go," he told her, and she didn't hesitate. She bowed one more time and ran off.

"You are not to punish her for this," he told the Elder.

"Do you understand?" The Elder's barely shielded anger at what Elric had made him do was replaced by confusion.

"Are you interested in her?" Elric made a face. She was young enough to be his daughter several times over. She was only slightly older than Arielle. That was a disgusting assertion to make. The Elder seemed to realize and rushed to say, "Not that I'm accusing you of... I just wanted you to know we have much finer options in the–""I'm not here about your options," Elric cut the man off before he could dig himself into an even bigger hole.

"I'm here to talk about the incident at the Overpass. The demon summoning. Get me all the reports related to that event. And know the maid is not to be harmed. That's my supreme decree."

"Ah, yes, sir. I assumed that you would want me to explain the Overpass incident–""I will ask you when I need something explained."

"Of course, sir." Elder Hattus left and returned with scrolls, some of them old and seemingly written by a drunk cleric. Elric painstakingly went through it, using his powers to separate the lie from the truth.

"Where did they die?" he asked the cleric. He would need to visit the site and see for himself what had happened. He had already visited the site of the summoning at the Overpass and had watched the incident triggered by the masked cult, but it was confusing. They had just stood there, doing nothing. They had just watched, and then, from nowhere, the rift appeared.

"Well, that's a little... you see..." Before the Elder could say more, the Elder felt a movement in the doorway. There was a girl clad in rich robes with half her face obscured by a fan who stared at him.

"Archmage Elric." She gave an elegant curtsy rather than a bow.

"I heard my maid made a dire mistake and disrespected you. I wanted to come and apologize personally." Elder Hattus practically choked and jerked up to his feet.

"Oh my Lady, you don't need to–""She doesn't need to apologize. The mistake was mine." Elric focused on his scrolls once more. He typically wasn't rude, but he didn't want conversation. He was in a hurry and wanted to leave. This whole pace made him feel deeply uncomfortable. Besides, there was one more place he needed to stop by before he headed back to town. He wanted to ask the rest of the villagers about Cornelius Draco.

"Did you find her?" The girl said.

"Who?"

"The mage who saved my brother and Bromsley. I would like to thank her in person." Elric tried not to stiffen.

"No, we have not found them. We do not know if it's a 'her' yet."

"Oh, she is definitely a her. I have true sight. Her real form is definitely female." Elric's head snapped up, and once more he struggled to withhold his horror.

"I could not see through her glamor, but I know the shape of her soul," she continued.

"If I meet her again, I will know who she is."

"I see," Elric swallowed. Well, that just complicated everything.