Academy Trial

Dago looked at the charred crater with a complicated expression. Though the Flame Core Air Bullet was ridiculously powerful, it had many drawbacks: it drained too much mana and took too long to charge.

Its biggest flaw was that it left no spoils behind. It reduced enemies directly to ashes, truly getting everything done in one go.

But on second thought, surviving was already a great blessing. What spoils did he need?

Dago took a deep breath and murmured, "It feels so good to be alive."

There was still plenty of cleanup to do, and many wizards' investigations to evade.

Too many people had died this time, especially an Academy Half-Step Formal Wizard. The Academy would definitely investigate this to the very end.

It was late at night, and thick clouds covered the sky. The fields were deathly silent, transformed into a paradise of darkness.

Only the swaying firelight atop the distant watchtower shone through the wind, like a lighthouse.

Dragging his exhausted, battered body, Dago slowly made his way to the watchtower. The wooden hut had already burned down completely, reduced to a pile of charred ruins.

He continued moving toward the area where Mariko's body had been.

Earlier, sparks from Raymond's falling fireball had burned Mariko's body to nothing, leaving behind only a small amount of ashes.

By the watchtower's firelight, Dago gathered the ashes bit by bit and placed them into his storage pouch.

Just then, a rustling sound came from the distance.

He cast his Detection Technique toward its source, and a familiar mental fluctuation reached him. It was Selena.

She furtively hid herself beneath her cloak, hunched over as she approached Dago step by step.

Dago shouted at her, "Selena, come out. It's Dago."

Upon hearing that, Selena pulled off her cloak, straightened up, and quickly ran toward Dago.

The light in her eyes seemed to ignite like sparks, instantly becoming dazzlingly bright.

Before Dago could react, she had already thrown herself at him. Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, and her whole body nearly hung from him.

"That's wonderful!" Selena's voice carried a smile, and even the end of her words trembled with excited joy. Her shoulders shook lightly from happiness she could not contain.

Dago staggered half a step back from the impact before steadying himself. He could clearly feel her pounding heartbeat and her unreserved delight.

He patted Selena's back to comfort her before gently pulling free. They still had much to clean up, and time was short.

The joy on Selena's face turned to guilt when she saw Dago's battered body. She immediately took out the Healing Potion and Mental Potion she carried and handed them to him.

Then she chanted a spell at Dago and cast Healing Technique.

Dago uncorked both bottles and drank them in one gulp. His own potions had long since been used up during the battle.

The effects were immediate. His complexion improved greatly, and the burning pain across his body eased considerably.

After a while, Dago had recovered quite a bit. He tore off the remaining strips of cloak around him.

He considered how to deal with the Academy's investigation. First, an entire patrol team had died, leaving only the two of them alive. That alone was extremely suspicious.

But the only wizards who had truly died at Dago's hands were Raymond and Vissel. Their bodies had basically been destroyed beyond recognition, so it would be difficult to trace anything back to him.

No one could possibly imagine that Dago had killed Raymond. Even if he said it himself, no one at the Academy would believe him.

So the main thing was to create an alibi. After discussing it with Selena, Dago made several misleading alterations to the scene and erased the traces of their presence.

Then they created the illusion that they had fled toward the forest in panic, tossing some of their personal belongings along the road leading into the forest.

As the two headed toward the forest, they scattered strips of torn cloak behind them.

Though Dago worried that the Academy might possess supernatural methods of detection, there was nothing he could do to prevent it. He could only leave it to fate.

Besides, if they truly tore off all pretense, Dago could only become one of the Black-Robed Wizards. In the wizarding world, black robes or white robes did not matter. Only strength mattered.

Dago and Selena took a long detour and returned directly to the Wizard Inn.

Seeing Selena's unease, Dago comforted her. "So much happened today. Go back and get some proper rest. Don't worry. Everything will get better."

Selena nodded, and the two returned to their respective rooms.

Dago took off his tattered wizard robe, fetched some hot water from the bathroom, and used a towel to wipe the mixture of blood and mud from his body.

Even with supernatural potions and Healing Technique, wounds still needed time to heal.

After tending to his injuries, Dago lay directly on the bed and fell into a deep sleep. He had been far too exhausted today.

The next morning, the weather was clear. In the courtyard of the Wizard Inn.

Though sunlight shone down on them, their hearts remained as heavy and cold as the wind blowing outside.

Beneath the old plum tree in the corner of the courtyard was a mound of fresh earth. Mariko's urn was buried there, and Dago had bought that piece of land from the Wizard Inn.

They had wanted to take him back to the treehouse in the forest for burial, but the forest had essentially become a partially fallen zone, and the Academy had forbidden anyone from entering or leaving.

Placed atop the earth was a faded old robe, washed nearly white. It was the robe Mariko had often worn in life, its collar still edged with worn fraying. It had been neatly folded, as though its owner had merely left for a while.

"Mariko, it's getting cold. I brought you some wine."

Dago's voice was low, as if afraid of disturbing someone. As he spoke, he poured wine into a clay cup and slowly spilled it before the mound. The instant the wine seeped into the soil, tiny bubbles appeared.

The memorial ritual was so simple it was almost careless. He and Selena merely stood quietly, occasionally adding more wine or straightening the robe when the wind disturbed it.

When the sun climbed overhead, Academy investigation wizards came for them. Dago placed a stone atop the folded robe, and when he turned to leave, his footsteps were exceptionally light.

The two followed several investigation wizards out of the Wizard Inn and into the Academy's castle. Blindfolded, they were brought to a sealed room. This was the Academy's most mysterious Trial Chamber.

Cold seeped from the stone walls of the Trial Chamber. Twelve obsidian pillars carved with runes cast twisted shadows beneath the candlelight.

The two being interrogated sat at the center of a Rune Array. Silver shackles locked around their wrists, and each time they moved, the shackles glowed faint blue.

The presiding Academy wizard sat in a high-backed chair, tapping the Academy Codex on the table with his fingertips. His voice was as steady as a frozen lake. "For the third time, what happened to the Town Patrol last night?"

The candle flames suddenly flickered. Dago abruptly raised his head, and sweat from his forehead dripped onto the Rune Array, sending out a ring of tiny sparks.

"I already told you. Selena and I were returning from patrol when we saw bodies all over the ground and a black-robed wizard. Lord Raymond fought him to save us, while we fled toward the forest." His voice was hoarse, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

"Oh, is that so? Then why were only the two of you left alive? Everyone else died, and even Raymond vanished without a corpse, leaving no proof behind."

"We only need the truth. Since you are so certain of your testimony, I will now cast Truth Spell. If either of you lies, the Truth Spell will detect it."

The Academy wizard stopped tapping his fingers, chanted an incantation, and drew his wand, pointing it toward the Rune Array at the center.

The candle flames flickered again, stretching the shadows of the twelve pillars longer, as though countless eyes were silently watching this trial from within the cracks in the stone.

Dago's shoulders trembled. The shackles' runes suddenly tightened, cutting several bloody marks into his wrists. It looks like I'll be done for today.

The Rune Array suddenly hummed. An inexplicable energy emerged and shot straight into both of their Mental Spaces.

In an instant, Selena seemed to lose her soul. Her eyes went blank, and she sat stiffly in her chair.

The moment that mental energy entered Dago's Mental Space, it was instantly extinguished by the surging waves of the endless black sea, without even raising a splash.

Dago imitated Selena's vacant expression and sat foolishly in his chair.

The presiding Academy wizard spoke directly and asked three questions. "Did you betray the Academy? Did you participate in killing Academy wizards? Do you know what happened to Raymond?"

After hearing the questions, Dago and Selena answered in utterly emotionless voices, "No. No. No."

The runes on one of the twelve stone pillars lit up green. The presiding Academy wizard's breathing grew slightly more rapid, and he stopped channeling mental power into the Rune Array. He appeared to have expended quite a bit.

The Rune Array stopped humming. Selena gradually regained her senses, her face pale as paper. Dago, meanwhile, clutched his head in pain, concealing the fact that his face was not pale.

The Academy wizard said to the two after they came to their senses, "You have passed the Truth Spell examination. This spell has minor side effects on the soul. You may return and recuperate properly."

"We will not wrong a good person, nor will we ever let a bad person go."

With that, he rose and left the Trial Chamber. Not long afterward, several investigation wizards entered carrying blindfolds. They placed them over the pair's heads and helped them out of the Trial Chamber.