madnovel Chapter 194 White Shadow Under the Lightning
Chapter 194 White Shadow Under the Lightning
Chapter 194 White Shadow Under the Lightning
As soon as he finished speaking, Logan Susas pointed his staff at Kane once more.
Anger flashed across her face, and her tone was hostile: "Nord, are you trying so hard to provoke me?"
Kane looked at the short staff so close to his face and calmly replied, "I'm just suggesting a possibility."
Seeing the female mage's face darken completely, Kane smiled slightly.
He had already planned to advance as a strategic retreat; now was the real opportunity to persuade her.
"Master Logan, under the spell of Truth Words, I cannot lie."
He continued.
"As far as I know, before the Deans' Council decided to intervene in Susas affairs, two Deans with voting rights disappeared one after another."
It's hard not to draw parallels.
Of the eight academies, your academy seems to only have a good relationship with the Academy of Confusion and Control, while your relationship with the Academy of Protection and Prophecy is rather ordinary, is that correct?
Logan Susas gritted his teeth, staring at Kane's confident expression, but his heart sank.
It is a fact that the Necromancer and Bewitching schools have a bad reputation.
The former spends his days surrounded by death and corpses, while the latter is seen as a mind-manipulator.
Many of the most horrific disasters in history have been inextricably linked to these two types of monks.
As a result, their reputation is not good both inside and outside the hospital.
"Even so, this is not a reason for you to doubt a dean of academies."
Logan said coldly.
Kane took a half step back and glanced around: "Even if I don't say anything, wouldn't the mages in the other colleges, especially the mages in the Protection and Prophecy colleges, gossip about it?"
"As a member of the Necromancy Division, haven't you heard a single word about it?"
Logan Susas took a deep breath and slowly lowered his staff: "Just say it. What exactly are you trying to do after going through all this trouble?"
"Help me find out the truth about this."
Kane said, "Consider it repaying the favor I did for you in our previous duel."
Besides, clarifying this matter will benefit you and your department as well.
Logan closed his eyes, and after a long while, he opened them again, looking at Kane with a complicated expression: "————I understand."
But I have a question: Why didn't you go to Arundel? The Illusion Department is closer to you, isn't it?
Kane shrugged: "Precisely because we're so close."
What I do and who I contact can be detected, and I can even be subtly influenced, can't I?
Logan frowned: "You suspect them?"
I doubt everyone equally.
Logan nodded as if he had just realized something.
"Then why did you come to me?"
"Because I think you're smart enough," Kane replied.
Before he finished speaking, a faint red glow suddenly emanated from his body.
The Truth-Telling Technique determines that he is lying.
"----Um?"
Logan instantly understood, and anger surged across his face.
Kane gave a helpless smirk.
He hadn't expected that even a polite remark would be judged as a lie by the Truth-Telling Spell, so he could only continue, "My true thought is that the possibility of a member of the royal family like you, who values honor so much, being involved in such a conspiracy is very low."
The red light slowly dissipated, proving that his words were true.
Logan snorted coldly, his expression softening slightly: "I will conduct a brief investigation into the disappearance of the two deans."
As for you, you can leave now.
Kane smiled slightly.
This was essentially a dismissal, but he had already achieved his goal.
He glanced at Logan's still-angry expression, bowed slightly, and turned to walk towards the door.
The maid standing by opened the door for him at the right moment, and Kane stepped into the deepening night.
Half an hour had passed between entering and leaving Logan's residence.
The academy was shrouded in the thick darkness of night, with dark clouds and no one on the road.
Perhaps it's because this place is often filled with the aura of necromancy, and the negative energy is particularly strong.
Kane felt the air was cold and damp, and even the bushes along the roadside seemed to exude a chilling aura.
As we returned along the same route, a muffled clap of thunder rolled across the sky.
Kane looked up and saw dark clouds churning.
He frowned and quickened his pace.
After walking a few steps, the rain began to fall in a light drizzle.
"Water manipulation technique".
Kane's mind stirred slightly, and the rain around him paused.
Fine streams of water formed a thin, barely visible film on his body, barely keeping out the splashing rain.
With his current abilities, he cannot control the continuous rain over a large area; maintaining such a thin film of water is already his limit.
Even so, the boots inevitably got wet while walking.
He quickened his pace and hurried toward the house where he was staying temporarily.
He suddenly caught a glimpse of it when he was not far from his residence.
Outside the door of my room, there seemed to be a white shadow standing, emerging from inside the door—
Who?
Kane's gaze sharpened, and he quickened his pace.
The sound of splashing through puddles was particularly clear in the rainy night, and the white figure seemed to be startled as well, appearing elusive in the darkness.
Click—!
A pale bolt of lightning tore through the night and struck the ground nearby.
In the fleeting glimmer of light, Kane made out the face of the white figure.
There was nothing there except three deep, twisted black holes.
What monster?
Kane was certain he had never seen a demon of this appearance in any record or anecdote.
He exerted force with his feet, and the water film around his body suddenly dispersed.
He then urged his blood to flow faster, and his whole body shot towards the white figure like an arrow.
The white shadow blurred again after the lightning disappeared.
It darted off in another direction, its silhouette appearing and disappearing in the night rain.
Under the rainy night sky, Kane and the eerie white figure chased each other through the academy buildings and forest paths.
Kane frowned.
He relied on water manipulation to accelerate his blood flow, thus reaching the speed of a second-tier ranger.
But the white figure ahead was not caught.
It seems I'll have to learn a spell to increase my speed.
We walked through the bushes, around the edge of the woodland, and past several buildings.
Just as they were about to reach the corner of the pure white tower of the Illusion Department, a white shadow flashed and disappeared behind the corner.
Kane followed closely behind, only to find nothing there.
He stopped, raindrops dripping from his forehead.
Looking around, only that white tower stood silently.
"Illusion Department —"
He whispered the name.
Upon arriving here, the other party's traces completely disappeared.
Although he was skilled in water manipulation and had learned many techniques from the Night's Watch.
But the torrential rain had already washed away all possible clues.
"Did they hide inside—or did they deliberately lure me here?"
He stared at the tightly closed gates of the mage tower, his mind filled with doubts, and he considered whether to enter.
"Lord Kane?"
A familiar voice came from behind me.
Kane turned around and saw Arundel wearing a slightly worn red robe and holding an umbrella.
He was walking out of a nearby building, seemingly heading into the mage tower.
Upon seeing Kane, who was soaking wet, he quickly took a few steps and held the umbrella over the two of them.
"You've already come out of the dungeon? Did you come to see me?"
Arundel spoke with a hint of doubt.
Kane looked at him.
His beard was white and gray, his robes were neat, and although his shoes were wet, his breathing was steady and normal, without the slightest sign of panting.
"Yes," Kane said, "I was just coming to tell you about it."
Arundel gave a wry smile and shook his head: "It's not too late to talk about this tomorrow."
You're soaking wet, why don't you come in and change your clothes?
"No need," Kane refused. "Just lend me your umbrella."
2
Arundel nodded and handed over the umbrella.
"Very well. Also, the meeting regarding the delegation will be held tomorrow at the Control Branch, and all eight branches must send representatives to attend."
"I see."
Kane took the umbrella.
"Well then, good night," Arundel said.
Kane turned to leave, but suddenly stopped, turned his head and asked, "Arundel, do you remember the first time we met?"
"Hmm?" Arundel looked puzzled. "Wasn't it through the Finafenne family's introduction? Why are you suddenly asking about this?"
"—No, it's nothing."
Kane shook his head, opened his umbrella, and stepped into the rain.
Behind him, Arundel watched his receding figure, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.
At the unnoticed spire of the tower, a white figure stood silently, taking in everything below.
Back at his lodgings, Kane placed his wet umbrella by the door and lit the fireplace.
Flames leaped up, driving away the chill in the room.
He changed out of his wet clothes and carefully inspected the room.
Everything seemed to remain unchanged, without any signs of being disturbed.
But he did not let his guard down.
Since that strange white figure left his house, it's impossible that it did nothing.
So, the most valuable thing in this house is—
Kane's eyes flickered slightly. He walked to the desk, opened a drawer, and took out a notebook.
He has always had a habit of keeping records, which he started in the war city and continued after arriving at the mage academy.
The notes are still written in Chinese characters.
He wasn't worried about being exposed, as many mages or organizations have their own set of secret texts.
To outsiders, Chinese characters are probably nothing more than some kind of obscure symbols.
He turned to the third page.
The strand of hair stuck between the pages was still there, and its position seemed to remain unchanged.
Kane shook his head.
"As expected, this is the target."
"Although it put the hair back in place, I used saliva to hold it in place, so it won't fall off so easily."
"What exactly is that thing? A demon? A disguised mage? Or some kind of—experimental product?"
"What is its purpose? To investigate my connection to the dean's disappearance? Or does it have some other motive?"
A series of questions weighed on my mind, but one thing was certain:
This magic academy was far from being as peaceful as it appeared, much less as safe as he had imagined.
Kane tapped his fingers lightly on the table unconsciously, recalling the "Arundel" he had just seen.
His timing was perfect; from the moment the white figure disappeared until he reappeared, there was just enough time to change clothes and adjust his breathing.
Yet his intuition still made him feel a vague sense of unease.
"Arendl is a mage after all, even if he uses spells like 'oiling his feet' and 'cat's grace'."
"After such a rapid pace, one shouldn't be completely out of breath, or even show any signs of sweat."
"But if the white figure isn't him, then what's the point of doing this?"
"Was it a warning that you deliberately let me see it?"
Kane's eyes darted around as he rapidly calculated in his mind.
"Here's the clue you wanted," Logan said, handing Kane a stack of papers.
"According to my research, the two deans of the Academy of Prophecy and the Academy of Protection previously obtained a clue about the ancient Susas Labyrinth."
Then the two of them went out to investigate together.
Kane frowned slightly.
"Are they going to their deaths?"
Logan glared at him, annoyed. "Those are the two deans, top-tier even among third-tier mages!"
"Three-ring spell—ha."
Kane sneered and offered no explanation.
Since the gods retreated, the ether tide receded, and the magic network collapsed and was repaired, the power ceiling of professionals is no longer what it used to be.
During the Drow Wars a thousand years ago, even third-circle spells were barely qualified to be used on the battlefield.
Those ancient labyrinths were mostly built by powerful individuals to conceal secrets, and they were fraught with danger.
In many countries today, some labyrinths have been discovered to varying degrees.
But basically, the process involved first sending death row inmates and hiring adventurers to scout ahead at the risk of their lives, and then sending troops to clear the way gradually.
Even so, they could only penetrate into the outer areas, and the cost was not worth it.
Therefore, although Kane has the advantage of immortality, he still has no intention of going through this maze for the time being.
Otherwise, in this material plane, no one knows more about the labyrinth than him.
"So, isn't that enough to prove my advisor's innocence?"
Logan Susas stared intently at him.
"Then how can you prove that the clue wasn't secretly given to them by your advisor?"
"You—" Logan was speechless with anger.
Kane smiled. "Sorry, it's just a professional habit."
"Occupational habits?"
"Anyway," Kane said, straightening his expression.
"If the main reason for their disappearance is the clues in the maze, then as long as we find out who gave them the clues, the direction will become clear."
What do you think, Mage Logan?
Logan frowned deeply: "It could be another dean, it could be one of their trusted confidants, or the clues could come from outside—"
""
"so."
Kane took over the conversation.
"We need help. With their own dean missing, their students and cronies will not stand idly by while the power vacuum persists."
Just like if Dean Kugui disappeared, you would definitely do everything in your power to find him, wouldn't you?
Logan was somewhat unhappy with the analogy, but he still understood what Kane meant.
"You want to contact people who prophesy and protect the two houses?"
"good."
"Tomorrow night, Dean Ling Shu will preside over the delegation meeting at the Confusion Control Branch, and all eight branches must send representatives to attend."
Logan paused for a moment, then said, "You can come with me."
"I would be delighted."
The Bewitching School, along with the Necromancer School, is considered one of the two most feared schools in the Academy.
After all, no ordinary person would want to get involved with magic that can manipulate other people's thoughts and minds.
Kane, dressed in black, walked with Logan into the mage tower of the Bewitching Academy and into the spacious conference room.
His appearance drew the attention of several people.
Most notably, he stood side by side with Logan Susas.
The magical duel that took place not long ago is still fresh in many people's memories.
There were only seven people in the room.
Arundel and Asler looked surprised.
-
Kane was not surprised.
The two represent the Illusion and Transmutation departments, respectively.
He merely nodded slightly in acknowledgment, but his gaze lingered for a moment on Asler's face, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
The remaining four people, three men and one woman, all looked at him with different expressions.
Kane's gaze fell on two of them.
A male monk, dressed in a red robe, was tall and thin with a withered face, and appeared to be about forty years old.
The other female monk, around thirty years old, had a gentle smile on her face, revealing no emotion.
These two were his targets.
The students of the two missing deans of the Academy of Protection and the Academy of Prophecy.