Chapter 322: Dark Demon’s Unwavering Move (4k)
“Come back, Ditto.”
Dark raised the mana card, ending the summoning.
The Ditto, which had melted into a liquid, gradually dissipated into light, piercing through the “Six-Column Light Prison” and returning to the mana card.
Dark smiled as he gently adjusted the Ditto, which was regaining its form on the card.
Tonight’s plan went smoothly thanks to Ditto, who deserved credit for being the main contributor!
From luring Wit with a transformed girl to enticing Vlad by transforming into Wit, its two performances were impeccable.
Especially the latter, which was highly challenging even for Dark himself.
But Ditto, a mana spirit with the “Transformer” skill, excelled at imitation.
When portraying Wit, it had to not only capture his appearance but also match his voice perfectly, leaving no room for error.
Speaking of voice…
Dark was still surprised; he hadn’t expected Wit’s voice to be so perfect.
At this thought,
Dark looked up again. The breeze from Professor Shylph’s gift occasionally passed through his golden hair, emitting a faint green glow.
“So, the blessing of the wind spirit can do more than just shield against one disaster—it can transmit sound?”
“Professor Shylph can even use it as a substitute for sight, but that’s likely advanced usage.”
Dark pondered briefly and refocused on the “Six-Column Light Prison.”
Though Vlad appeared to have committed suicide, the actual situation needed verification.
Given vampires’ devious nature, it could be an illusion.
Without a host, Vlad’s abilities were limited, making it impossible to deceive Professor Kazel’s detection.
…
Under many people’s watchful eyes, Professor Kazel approached the “Six-Column Light Prison.”
He wasn’t particularly saddened by Vlad’s apparent suicide.
Originally, they had planned to eliminate Vlad here to prevent his escape. Now, it was simply a bit sooner.
Professor Kazel raised his wand and touched the light screen between two light columns, then recited a spell. The tip of the wand lit up, causing ripples on the contact point of the light screen.
Then, the wand penetrated the light, delving inside.
Professor Kazel took out a mana card from his left hand. Mana flowed between the mana card and the wand, channeling the card’s power through the wand.
Glowing circles continuously emanated from the wand’s tip, spreading throughout the light prison.
After about three minutes,
Professor Kazel stopped.
Professor Shylph asked, “Kazel, how is it?”
Professor Kazel retracted his wand and smiled. “Confirmed death. But its soul fragments are still locked in the ‘Six-Column Light Prison.’ Wait a moment.”
With that, he took out a small glass bottle from his deck and placed it inside the light prison to collect the fragments.
Dark couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Professor, do souls have fragments?”
Professor Kazel explained while fiddling with the bottle, “Souls certainly have fragments. Ultimately, both soul and body are carriers of consciousness. Death means the end of consciousness.”
“We bury bodies in the ground, where they decompose. We bury soul fragments in the wind, where they dissipate.”
Dark nodded in understanding.
Different worlds, different rules.
To truly understand the rules of this world, one must correctly perceive its contradictions and internalize them.
Magic is essentially mind-dependent.
Only the death of consciousness (the heart) is true death.
…
In the “Six-Column Light Prison,” tiny star-like points appeared under Professor Kazel’s spell.
These “soul fragments” were gathered and ground into fine powder, collected in the small bottle.
In the alchemist’s concept, this soul fragment powder is called “Soul Powder,” a very useful alchemical material.
Once all the “Soul Powder” was transferred to the small bottle, Professor Kazel sealed the top with a barrier and put on the cap.
Then, he shook the bottle and looked at the glowing powder inside, handing it to Dark Demon. “Tonight’s vampire hunt was almost entirely your work. Consider this bottle of vampire ‘Soul Powder’ as your reward.”
Dark accepted the bottle, his expression slightly moved.
…
At the same time,
In the tower shrouded in the night,
In Professor Metia Bartholomew’s dormitory,
Metia Bartholomew was conversing with a beautiful lady with blood-red hair tied atop her head.
Both wore matching pajamas, pulling black velvet curtains tightly shut to block out any light.
It was late at night, yet neither of the two stunning women showed any signs of sleepiness.
Between them lay not a mana book nor a star chart for calculations.
Instead, a set of Mana Chess!
“Metia, why does Wit like such an unbalanced game?”
The lady with blood-red hair supported her chin, her gaze wandering, clearly not focused on the chessboard.
Metia took advantage of the distraction and captured one of her opponent’s pieces, then said, “Perhaps because it’s fun.”
Red-haired lady: “Fun?”
Metia: “Yes, fun.”
Red-haired lady: “As expected, he’s still a child.”
Metia: “He is a child.”
Red-haired lady: “Twelve years old, he should already be thinking about starting a family.”
Metia: “Times have changed, Leah.”
Called “Leah,” the red-haired lady sighed slightly, about to express some thoughts on the passage of time, when she suddenly felt something and stood up.
Metia asked in puzzlement, “What’s wrong?”
Leah gave a mysterious smile and picked up a thirteen-centimeter-diameter glass bottle from a low cabinet beside the bookshelf, placing it carefully on the table.
“What is this?” Metia couldn’t help but look over curiously.
Inside the bottle was a special liquid.
The liquid was transparent, with numerous tiny bubbles floating within.
Although Metia lived with this lady Leah, she never invaded her privacy.
She asked in confusion, “When did you get this?”
“Hush!” Leah raised her index finger, signaling her to be quiet, then gently shook the bottle.
The liquid inside swayed with the movement of the bottle.
The substance resembling bubbles within the liquid came into contact and slowly merged, eventually forming a fist-sized bubble.
“Indeed!”
Leah stared intently at the bubble, looking very excited.
But Metia was utterly confused.
She couldn’t help but ask again, “So, what exactly is this?”
Leah straightened her posture and finally answered, “This is a soul.”
Metia’s puzzled expression turned into shock. “A soul?”
“Yes.” Leah smirked coldly. “I extracted some fragments of souls, cultivated them in a growth tank, and made something similar to a lich’s phylactery. Once its host dies…”
Metia: “Whose soul? Is he dead now?”
Leah composed herself, becoming gentle, but merely shook her head. “It’s a secret.”
“It’s a secret…”
Metia’s mind raced. She suddenly leaned in, hugging Leah’s arm and shaking it. “What secret is so important? Tell me… I won’t tell anyone else.”
But Leah shook her head again. “I’m not worried about you telling anyone. Anyway, let’s continue the game. We’ve only played half of it.”
…
In the castle’s classroom,
Dark carefully observed the “Soul Powder” in the bottle.
Vampire “Soul Powder” was clearly a precious material, but he hadn’t decided how to use it.
“Let’s put it away for now,” Professor Kazel said.
Dark nodded and slipped the small bottle into a hidden compartment in his deck.
The matter seemed resolved, but they didn’t fully achieve their expectations.
Now that they confirmed the existence of the vampire Vlad, eliminating him would mainly involve extracting him from Robert’s body.
Tonight, they used a method that wasn’t straightforward.
One reason was to increase safety, and another was to spread the word about the “vampire hunt,” making some people think they had an opportunity.
While the former goal was achieved, the latter expectation was completely dashed.
Professor Kazel and Professor Shylph set up layers of networks in the castle’s second floor but found no trace of the “invisible person.”
Therefore…
They felt a slight regret.
The vampire Vlad was eliminated!
Even though both professors felt it was too smooth, they couldn’t figure out what they might have missed.
To ensure everything was thoroughly handled, Professor Kazel didn’t return immediately.
He began controlling the constructs in the entire second floor, conducting a “disinfection” of the castle’s corners.
Professor Shylph, meanwhile, was responsible for sending three students back to their dormitories.
They first went to the Knight Academy’s tower.
At the bridge entrance of the tower, Professor Shylph sternly criticized and educated Wit and Robert for their misconduct.
But towards the end, her tone softened as she apologized for Robert’s ordeal tonight and praised Wit’s “voice acting,” rewarding them with credits to soothe their hearts.
Naturally, the necessary confidentiality requirements were also mentioned.
Dark watched Professor Shylph’s handling until she sent Wit and Robert into the tower, then walked with her to the Noble Academy’s tower.
Without Wit and Robert, they spoke more freely.
Professor Shylph said solemnly, “The possibility of the target being Vlad has decreased.”
Dark nodded. “Looks like it. Also, the likelihood of Ophelia Brad being in the academy has decreased.”
Professor Shylph couldn’t help but sigh, “That’s true. Since we found the reason for Robert seeing Ophelia in the mist… No, does this mean Vlad knew Ophelia?”
Dark: “It’s not strange for a vampire to know the last princess of the Blood Tribe.”
Professor Shylph pondered, “True, but would someone leave such a deep impression that it shows up in a love divination?”
Dark: “Professor, that’s a kind of mental guidance and projection, combining rhetoric and mana technology. What I mean is, he might have thought of the Blood Princess at that moment.”
Professor Shylph: “So, why did he associate the Blood Princess at that moment?”
Dark couldn’t help but stop and looked up. “That’s the question.”
Professor Shylph also paused.
Moonlight fell on her pale gold hair, ethereal.
She deliberated, “We need to consider this matter carefully. The existence of the invisible person remains a problem, but since it didn’t appear until Vlad’s soul disappeared, logically, we can temporarily separate its purpose from Vlad’s existence. To draw it out now, we might need to restart the ‘Key’ plan.”
Dark shook his head slightly. “That plan is too obvious. If even Vlad’s incident couldn’t draw it out, the person behind it is either harmless or deeply cunning. Creating a fake key probably wouldn’t fool it.”
Professor Shylph smiled coldly. “Then create a real one. Since Vlad has been proven not to be in the secret passage, the passage can’t stay closed forever.”
Dark thought for a moment and suddenly had an idea. “Professor, I don’t think creating a key to break the seal of the secret passage is meaningful. Instead, why not make a set of door cards?”
Professor Shylph was surprised. “Door cards?”
Dark nodded. “Door cards. Only those with the door card can enter the secret passage. This prevents unpredictable changes due to too many people inside and effectively utilizes the special nature of the passage. As you said, the existence of the passage is part of Saint Maryan, and it can’t stay closed forever.”
Professor Shylph thought for a long time, somewhat intrigued. “Seems reasonable. In all these years, none of us ever considered this perspective.”
Dark: “Different perspectives. From the professors’ viewpoint, they’re more concerned about students encountering danger in the secret passage, so they want to utilize it but instinctively reject it, hence not considering this approach.”
“You’re right,” Professor Shylph nodded. “After handling Vlad’s case, I’ll discuss this possibility with Altair.”
Dark: “This is indeed a decision that needs serious consideration, hoping the principal will be open-minded.”
Professor Shylph couldn’t help but smile. “I see now, you want to enter the secret passage yourself, don’t you?”
Dark looked at her without hesitation. “Exactly.”
Professor Shylph was backlit by the moon, but her smile was even brighter than the moonlight.
