Dark magic

At the construction site, Sally was controlling a small, blue Mage Hand, carefully lifting a bucket of water while Alex quietly guided her from beside her.

By now, almost all the magic apprentices had mastered Mage Hand and were putting it to use at the construction site.

Of them all, Alex was naturally the best, while Sally was the worst.

She seemed to learn especially slowly, so once she could control Mage Hand, it meant that every magic apprentice had learned it.

That was, of course, thanks to Rhode.

Over the past few days, Rhode had spent a great deal of time teaching the magic apprentices Mage Hand, and their progress had been remarkable.

Now, every magic apprentice in the Magic Tower regarded Rhode as their true mentor.

After all, although President Audric was a good man, he was not a good teacher.

He was nowhere to be seen all day, and his teaching methods were crude. He would demonstrate a spell, toss a simple diagram in their faces, then leave them to think it through, figure it out, and practice on their own.

Some mages might be able to learn magic that way, but everyone had different levels of talent and understanding. Once they ran into something they could not grasp, they could easily get stuck and make no progress for a long time.

That was why some magic apprentices failed to truly master even one spell after years of study.

Rhode was different. Quite apart from how detailed his teaching materials-the spell models he had created himself-were, he explained every circuit and every node thoroughly during his lessons, helping the apprentices understand what each part did and what they needed to watch out for.

He also taught them little tricks for practicing magic, and even offered individual explanations and instruction based on each person's progress and talent.

Their teaching abilities were worlds apart.

Moreover, Rhode was friendly to everyone. He treated not only the apprentices in the Magic Tower but also the craftsmen at the construction site-or rather, the beggars-equally.

At first, the magic apprentices found it a little awkward. How could anyone regard nobles and commoners as the same sort of people? Was Lord Rhode merely putting on an act?

But as time passed, they realized that everything Rhode did came from the heart. In his eyes, there had never been any distinction between high and low, noble and common.

That left the magic apprentices feeling rather ashamed.

Rhode must have come from an immensely wealthy and distinguished family, and his mastery of magic was profound, yet he put on no airs and got along with everyone. What right did they have to act superior when they were merely lowly magic apprentices?

Gradually, they became willing to chat with the beggars.

Besides, working alongside them at the construction site every day gave them more opportunities to interact, and they discovered that these beggars were not really any different from themselves.

They were all ordinary people who loved life and wanted to live it. What reason was there to draw a line between them?

And so everyone grew closer.

Meanwhile, Rhode's standing in everyone's eyes naturally rose as well.

In other words, everyone loved Rhode!

Of course, for Sally, that "love" might have meant something more...

Under the control of Mage Hand, the bucket slowly rose into the air, floated to a corner of the construction site, then gently descended beside a worker.

The worker waved to Sally in thanks.

Sally nodded and smiled at him, then dismissed Mage Hand. Letting out a sigh of relief, she took out the towel she had prepared earlier and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

She looked up at the sky and estimated the time.

It was almost evening again. Time to prepare dinner for Deputy Branch President Rhode.

Sally said goodbye to Alex and was about to head toward the Magic Tower when she suddenly felt a powerful mana surge.

Had Mage Rhode come down himself?

Sally turned around, her face lighting up with delight.

But it was not him.

Sally bowed to him and said softly,

"Welcome back, President."

Rhode was still in his study, reading a report.

Lieutenant Drake had sent it over. It covered the murders that had occurred near Durnholde Keep over the past year.

Just as Rhode had expected, apart from a few cases in which the stolen items could not be determined, most of the evidence indicated that the killer's targets had been necklaces.

Specifically, necklaces set with gemstones, most commonly ruby necklaces.

That made things clearer. These were serial murders, and ruby necklaces were the motive.

Combined with Audric's mention of a type of Ruby Necklace that was a magical item, and the signs at the crime scenes that pointed to a mage, the whole chain of reasoning fell into place.

Of course, there were still a few things Rhode had not figured out. For instance, the earlier crime scenes showed signs of conventional methods, such as the use of blades, while the two most recent murders had been committed purely through magic.

Could this mage's magical ability have improved over the past few months, leaving him unwilling to bother with blades? That was possible.

So Rhode intended to read through the report carefully and see whether there were any further clues to be found.

He had also had Lieutenant Drake take Lilia along. It was a good opportunity for her to practice her swordsmanship; otherwise, the little girl might have gone mad with boredom.

As he leafed through the report, Rhode suddenly heard a sound from the stairway.

Then he saw Audric, dressed in mage robes.

After several days away, Audric looked a little haggard, and his beard had grown considerably.

"Mr. Audric, you're back." Rhode set down the report and went to greet him.

"Haha... looks like you've been doing well. It's quite lively outside," Audric said with a smile.

His voice was full of delight.

Presumably, this was exactly the outcome he had wanted when he put Rhode in charge of Audric's Tower.

"Where have you been all this time, Mr. Audric?" Rhode thought, You've certainly been enjoying yourself, leaving all the work to me.

Audric replied, "First, I went to Dalaran. On my way back, I stopped by Hearthglen's home before returning here. You really are something. I could tell that Hearthglen holds you in both awe and fear."

So he had spent the past few days in Dalaran.

But why had he gone to Hearthglen's home? Didn't he despise Hearthglen more than anyone?

Audric clearly noticed Rhode's confusion and continued, "I have a few things... to deal with."

Rhode could tell that something was weighing on Audric's mind.

"What things? If you trust me, you can tell me about them. Perhaps I can help," Rhode said.

That was true enough. These days, Hearthglen acted like a chick facing a hawk whenever he was in Rhode's presence. If this involved him, Rhode really might be able to lend a hand.

Then Rhode saw Audric's expression grow much more serious, as though he were hesitating over something.

Could something have happened in Dalaran?

Surely not.

Rhode briefly searched his memory.

Before Arthas led the Scourge into Dalaran, nothing major should have happened in that magical city during these years, right?

Perhaps Audric was debating whether to tell Rhode about the matter he was handling.

In the end, perhaps the favorable impression Rhode had made on Audric helped, or perhaps Audric truly needed assistance. Whatever the reason, Audric seemed to make up his mind and took a step toward Rhode.

He lowered his voice, leaned close to Rhode's face, and asked quietly,

"Have you... heard of dark magic?"