Yavi slowly opened the door and walked inside.
The light in the conference room was not dazzling, but the moment he stepped in, countless eyes fell on him as if they were real. Some were curious, some were scrutinizing, and a few were filled with well-meaning concern.
Yavi did not lower his head, nor did he raise his head deliberately. He just calmly faced these gazes and walked side by side to the center of the hall with Yennefer. His School of the Wolf armor was polished, and his boots made a steady sound when he stepped on the stone bricks. Every step carried the unique and leisurely rhythm of a witcher.
In the center of the hall, Red, Ailiya and two other sorceress apprentices were already standing there. Red was in the most embarrassing condition - his arm was wrapped in a thick bandage and a fracture plate, hung on his chest with a strip of cloth, his left shoulder and under his ribs were also wrapped in bandages, and several parts of his body were cut and stitched, revealing wounds covered with herbs underneath.
But his back was straight and his chin was slightly raised, standing there like a fortress that had been baptized by the flames of war. Ailiya and two other sorceresses stood beside him. Although his face was still a little pale, he looked in good spirits and had no obvious injuries on his body.
As Yavi and Yennefer walked into the center and stood still, the surrounding lights dimmed instantly, leaving only a white beam of light falling straight from the top of the dome, illuminating the people in the center. Yavi squinted slightly to adapt to the light, and then raised his eyes to look at the judgment seat outside the light - there, Tissaia de Vries was sitting on a high-backed stone chair, with his hands folded on the armrests, and his pale face looked particularly grim in the shadows.
Sitting on both sides of her were several warlock elders, including Sicco Jett who was sitting in a wheelchair and Loriess who was pushing his wheelchair. Farther away in the spectator seats, there were some warlocks and apprentices from the academy, sitting in a dense crowd. The whole hall was so quiet that only the sound of breathing was left.
"The operation leader of this mission--" Tissaia's voice was still as cold as frost, echoing clearly under the dome, "Senior Warlock, Alf Red Raven, reports on the progress of this operation."
Red took half a step forward and bowed slightly. Then he began to report: from receiving the mission, to arriving at Saize Village, to the evacuation of the villagers, to Ghoul's night attack, to the mutation of the priest's body in the church, to Cahir suddenly bursting out in front of the teleportation array, killing his companions and merging and devouring them.
His report was detailed, from tactical deployment to personnel positions, from enemy types to mutation time, every detail was explained clearly. Tissaia did not interrupt him midway, and the other elders did not interrupt, but listened quietly. When Red talked about Cahir turning into a black giant whip and himself being whipped away and seriously injured, several suppressed gasps came from the spectators.
After Red finished the report, Tissaia asked Ailiya and the other two sorceresses in turn. The statements they received were basically consistent with what Red said. The detection crystal placed on the black velvet pad in front of her always emitted a faint light quietly without any strange flickering.
"Yavi."
Tissaia's voice suddenly became extremely clear, and even the title changed from "Demon Hunter" to his first name. Yavi raised her head and met a pair of cold gray eyes on her pale face.
"Key report - After everyone retreated through the teleportation array, you were left alone to face Cahir and the black matter."
Yavi took a deep breath and began to tell the truth: after Red and the warlocks left, how he and Cahir had a second round of confrontation in the ruins, how he replaced the Dimeritium sword, how Cahir retreated in front of Demon Breaker, and the final horizontal slash - Cahir was cut in half, but the black material split into upper and lower parts. How he used Laser Eyes to burn his upper body, and how his lower body took the opportunity to climb up. He told how he was killed by the black The material was wrapped, the limbs were hooped, the mouth and nose were sealed, and cold touches penetrated into the body from all directions. Only when he mentioned Laser Eyes, he changed his words and claimed that it was the magic he cast himself.
"I have practiced a special fire spell, which is released from the eyes. The temperature is extremely high, enough to burn monsters."
This statement is barely correct - Laser Eyes is indeed the fire attribute magic damage shot from his eyes. If the existence of Talisman is ignored, it is not a lie to say that he "cast it himself". The detection crystal in front of Tissaia is still calm, without anything unusual.
Then, Yavi said that the black substance completely enveloped him, and he could not move his limbs, and his consciousness gradually faded in the cold.
"I lost consciousness after that." He said truthfully. "When I woke up again, I was already lying on the bed in the college."
This sentence is indeed true - he still doesn't know how he survived. Tiger Talisman's help is just a speculation. He did not see the light with his own eyes and could not explain what happened after that. The crystal is still calm.
Tissaia was silent for a moment, and his eyes fell on the detection crystal, as if he was repeatedly confirming the calm surface. Not only Tissaia, everyone's eyes were focused on the round and crystal clear crystal - it lay quietly on the black velvet cushion, with a faint, normal light flowing inside. This silence lasted for several seconds.
"Since there is nothing untrue in what Yavi said -" Tissaia finally spoke, his voice still cold, but with a rare hint of consideration in his tone, "Then, the biggest doubt in this incident cannot be avoided."
She turned her head slightly and glanced at the elders beside her.
"The black substance that was supposed to swallow Yavi and seize his body did not succeed. After the academy's warlocks dissected Cahir's body, it was confirmed that there was no residual black active substance in the body. This kind of contact with living people will cause it to be devoured The substance used to seize the body had no effect on Yavi - he only woke up from a coma for seven days, and his body functions were normal after waking up. During Yavi's coma, the college sent people to test his body many times, but no trace of the black substance was found."
She paused, and her cold gray eyes fell on Yavi again.
"Then the question is - where did the black matter go?"
Yavi did not answer, because he did not know the answer. He did remember the golden light before losing consciousness, but that was the power of Tiger Talisman, a part of Talisman System in his body. He was not sure whether he could or should say it, and he was not sure how he would be treated after saying it.
Tissaia glanced at the crystal again, but there was still nothing strange. She frowned slightly, and then turned her eyes to Sicco Jett beside her. The old man touched his gray beard and spoke slowly:
"If I have to give an explanation... maybe it has something to do with Chaos Magic in Yavi's body." His voice was calm and calm, as if he was stating a hypothesis that had been considered repeatedly, "The Chaos Magic in Yavi's body was originally disorganized and unable to freely cast spells like a normal warlock. After many years of my guidance, he could only barely control his own chaotic energy. As for losing control, Loriess later guided him to master elementary wind magic, but according to our evaluation, if nothing unexpected happens, Yavi will never be able to cast spells as freely as a real warlock throughout his life."
He paused and met Tissaia's gaze, "But Chaos Magic itself is extremely exclusive and engulfing. If the black substance conflicts with Chaos Magic when it invades Yavi's body - then it may not be Yavi that is swallowed."
There was a low discussion in the conference room. This speculation is reasonable, but it cannot be confirmed - after all, no other person has the conditions for Chaos Magic and black matter to work at the same time, let alone repeated verification.
The warlock elders chatted in low voices for several rounds. Some suggested that Yavi should be observed for a longer period of time and more systematically. Some suggested that the residue of black matter should be tracked. Others advocated taking measures against Yavi before confirming that it is harmless. Certain restrictive measures. But in the end, under the ruling of Tissaia, the meeting concluded that Yavi should be subject to regular observation without restricting his personal freedom, but if any abnormality is discovered, it must be reported to the college immediately.
When Yavi heard this result, the tight string in his heart finally relaxed. There was no big reaction on his face, he just nodded slightly in agreement, but the clothes on his back were soaked with cold sweat. He was really afraid of being used for research - being tied to the experimental table, cutting the skin and flesh, drawing blood, and probing over and over again. Fortunately, Aretuza is a formal magic academy, not one of those messy dark wizard laboratories.
"Yavi."
The voice of Tissaia sounded again. She leaned over the seat and took out two things - two swords, one silver and one gray. It was his Moonlight Cursed Blade and Demon Breaker. The sword blades had been carefully wiped, and the silver sword once again glowed with a cold moon-white light. The gray sword remained as dull as ever, and the two straight blood grooves silently extended to the tip of the sword.
"Where did these two swords come from?" Tissaia's gaze fell on Demon Breaker, and an unconcealed inquiry finally appeared in those cold gray eyes, "Especially this sword made of pure Dimeritium... The material is extremely rare, and the forging process is beyond the capabilities of ordinary blacksmiths. Where did you, a young demon hunter, get such a thing?"
Yavi didn't hide it. To tell the truth, Loriess also knew about these things. After all, the entire academy was under her control, and she knew all about Yavi's little moves.
After saying these words, the detection crystal remained calm. Tissaia did not speak, his eyes stayed on Demon Breaker for a moment, and he rubbed it gently with his fingers, obviously weighing it in his mind. Dimeritium is extremely rare, and the pure Dimeritium sword of weapon level is even rarer. But the dean of the academy is obviously not the kind of person who will be driven by greed and seize the apprentice's sword in public. She just nodded.
"Put these swords away yourself. The Dimeritium sword is extremely effective against magic. Since you used it to gain an advantage in the battle with the black matter, don't let it leave you again."
Yavi was slightly surprised. He took two steps forward and took the two swords. Moonlight Cursed Blade and Demon Breaker both clasped them behind their backs. The heavy weight returned to their bodies, and the familiar sense of solidity also settled.
"The meeting is dismissed."
Tissaia stood up, and the two words uttered from his thin lips announced the end of this meeting. The warlock elders left the table one after another, and the people in the spectator seats also dispersed in twos and threes, talking in low voices about the shocking news they had just heard. Content. Ailiya helped Red down the steps, and Yennefer also touched Yavi's arm lightly, gesturing for him to go together.
Yavi did not take a step immediately. He turned around and walked towards Red.
"Your hand," Yavi looked at the fracture plate hanging on Red's chest, frowning slightly, "How is it?"
Red looked down at his right arm, grinned, and shook the injured arm nonchalantly. "It's a small injury. I'll be able to swing the sword again after ten days and a half. Do you think I'm standing and talking to you?" He patted his chest, his voice still loud and hearty, "Everything else is fine. Ailiya and the others are all fine too. It's just that the magic power was consumed a bit. They went back to catch up on some sleep and drank a few more bottles of magic replenishing potion and they recovered."
Yavi nodded and didn't say anything more. He just reached out and patted Red's uninjured shoulder.
Yennefer was watching this scene from the side, with the corner of his mouth slightly curved.