Tower Attendants

(I'm especially obsessed with the sound of tubular bells... Love it!)

"Infected... spread the fog. Begin the capture."

"That Rhodes Island girl—I want her alive. Her Originium Arts are very interesting."

They were a group of casters funded by the tower nobles. They secretly studied forbidden witchcraft, and the Infected were the finest experimental material.

Although Mudrock's squad had repeatedly tried to avoid conflicts with other factions, they were still drawn into disputes again and again. Their reputation in Leithania had grown ever more prominent.

This had also caught the attention of the tower casters who needed the Infected as experimental material.

They had set their sights on this squad long ago.

This was their prey. Originally, they had intended to achieve their goal through a prolonged hunt—that would have been the safest approach. After all, the Originium Arts wielded by the captain of this Infected squad were not so easily dealt with.

Create panic, wear them down as they fled, then pick them off one by one. That was the best strategy.

Unfortunately, the Holy Word Bai Ye had unleashed last night had drawn their attention.

They had never seen Originium Arts or energy fluctuations in that form before. So when they discovered Bai Ye had gathered with Mudrock, they decided to act ahead of schedule.

"We've already been surrounded..."

Bai Ye's eyes seemed able to see through the fog. He spotted the vague silhouettes concealed among the trees, barely visible through the mist.

They were Leithanian casters in tall hats.

"I've never seen their methods before... Perhaps this is what Logos asked me to investigate—using the Infected as casting units..." Bai Ye looked grimly at the dying Infected lying on the ground.

"It may be theoretically possible, but whether in terms of ethics or difficulty... they must be