stjorthotic Chapter 178 Two Opinions from the Academy
Chapter 178 Two Opinions from the Academy
Chapter 178 Two Opinions from the Academy
The following day, on the southern outskirts of the royal court of Susas, the agreed-upon location was a grove of trees on the outskirts of the city.
Kane and Arundel waited there.
The two were dressed very differently:
Kane has re-equipped himself through Ashran:
He carried two curved swords from the Free City on his back, crossed them, and had a dagger at his waist. He was wearing leather armor.
Although he had been intimate with Ella until late last night, thanks to his immortality, the slight fatigue had already dissipated.
Arendl, however, was still dressed in his standard mage attire, holding a short staff.
"The letter has been sent," Arundel said.
In silence, the two began to wait.
Kane was holding a bottle of potion, which Arundel had given him just in case.
If you encounter a large-scale attack by melting wax demons or an army, taking it will allow you to use illusion magic to hide your figure and quickly retreat.
Time slips away quietly.
The sun was rising higher and slowly setting in the west. It was well past noon, yet there was still no movement around.
Kane pondered, his brow furrowing slightly.
Arundel guessed, "Perhaps something delayed them."
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Kane shook his head: "Wait ten more minutes. If they don't come by then, we'll leave."
If even something as simple as connecting the connectors can be delayed, it only means that the risks have exceeded what is manageable.
Arundel frowned upon hearing this.
After waiting for a while, a soft "whoosh" sound suddenly came from the distance in the woods.
The two exchanged a glance and quickly swallowed the medicine.
Arundel chanted incantations in a low voice, and the two figures gradually blurred, melting into the texture of the trees behind them as if they were melting away.
A figure appeared in the woods.
The newcomer was a mage dressed in a red robe, with a white beard and a long scar on his face, making him look somewhat fierce.
"Asler!"
A look of delight flashed in Arundel's eyes, and he immediately tried to step out of the illusion's range.
Kane grabbed him and whispered, "Wait."
He had not forgotten that, upon entering the underground passage, the Wax Demon had twice transformed into the appearance of this red-robed mage.
Even if Asler himself did not die, the fact that the demon chose to impersonate him at least shows that he was inextricably linked to danger.
Either he has met with misfortune, or his surroundings are already riddled with traps.
Seeing Arundel's puzzled expression, Kane explained, "I won't hurt him, I'm just testing him."
Arundel thought of the elusive Molten Wax Demon, pondered for a moment, and finally nodded: "————Alright."
Before he could finish speaking, Kane suddenly lunged forward! The magnitude of his movement instantly freed him from the illusion's cover.
The curved blade in his hand slashed at the red-robed mage like a whirlwind!
Upon hearing the sound of the wind, the other party's expression changed. He hurled a handful of thin metal fragments and shouted, "Debris Scattering!"
Driven by magic, the metal sheet suddenly accelerated, its speed no less than that of a crossbow bolt!
Kane dodged to the side and retreated rapidly.
Most of the thin slices were deeply embedded in the soil, with only one slice being cut open by his knife.
Seeing Kane stand still, the red-robed mage Asler asked in a deep voice, "Why did you attack me? Where is Arundel?"
Kane's mind raced, and he feigned a malicious smile: "He's already dead. Next, it's you."
According to Arundel, the two were close friends.
According to Arundel, the two are good friends.
In this way, we might be able to find out whether the other party is the real person, a demon in disguise, or something else entirely.
"Damn it!"
As expected, Asler's face was filled with rage, and he raised his hands to cast a spell.
Just as Kane was about to dodge, the ground beneath his feet suddenly churned, and several stone tentacles burst forth from the earth, causing the surrounding area to undulate like waves, making it difficult to stand.
Kane immediately used his Spider Stalking technique, quickly crawling across the undulating ground to get closer to his opponent.
Just as they were about to get close, several sharp stone spikes came hurtling up from below!
Kane leaped into the air, but Asler seized the opportunity to throw out a rope.
The rope seemed to come alive, winding and extending towards Kane in the air.
Just then, a muffled thud exploded in the air!
Kane felt a push and, without resisting, drifted backward.
The rope's magic seemed to be affected as well, and it limply fell to the ground.
That's enough.
Arundel's figure emerged from the illusion.
Upon seeing him, Asler was initially taken aback, but then his face lit up with delight.
Kane sheathed his sword and stood silently to the side.
Arundel looked at Asler apologetically: "I'm sorry, we've been through a lot—it's understandable that Your Excellency Kane is a bit wary."
Asler frowned and glanced at Kane, then turned to Arundel: "Being vigilant is not a bad thing."
But Arundel, you shouldn't be hanging out with them. They are, after all, wanted criminals who attempted to assassinate Prince Grayson.
You shouldn't just listen to their side of the story.
Arundel shook his head: "Demons do exist. We've encountered several in the passage into the city, and they can even take on your appearance."
Now that the demons have infiltrated the royal court, the Duke's recent unusual actions—his large-scale recruitment of adventurers from merchant guilds across the land and his obstruction of the noble council's investigation of his territory—all become clear.
Asler replied, "So what? Demons are a minor problem."
The mage academy only needs to remain in its current state. Even if the duke becomes King Susas, what does that have to do with us?
Even after he comes to power, he will still recruit us.
At that time, we can use our position to demand that he eliminate the demon.
Arundel shook his head again: "Asler, that's just wishful thinking on your part. The turmoil caused by the demons could lead to risks that could even plunge Susas into crisis, affecting other countries."
Kane's eyes flickered slightly. Their argument clearly revealed divisions within the mage academy:
One faction advocates detachment from worldly affairs, believing that political turmoil will not affect the academy's status.
Another group, represented by Arundel, believes that early intervention is necessary to prevent problems from arising in advance.
It seems that even after making contact with the mage academy, there will still be a lot of trouble ahead. Kane pondered to himself.
At this point, Asler asked, "Just the two of you? Where are the others?"
Arundel replied, "They will not be coming for the time being."
"In that case—come with me, I will lead you back to the academy."
The academy is currently under martial law, and the passage procedures are complicated, requiring multiple verifications.
Just as the three of them brushed past each other, about to travel together...
A barely concealed hint of malice flashed across Asler's eyes.
His hand quietly reached towards a certain bulge in his clothes.
However, before he could even touch it, a hand gripped his wrist like an iron clamp!
Immediately afterwards, his other hand transformed into a blade, slashing heavily at the back of his neck.
Before Asler could even utter a sound, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed limply to the ground, unconscious.
This sudden turn of events caught Arundel completely off guard.
He glared at Kane and instantly drew his short staff, aiming it at him.
Kane, however, didn't care at all.
He bent down and took something from Asler's arms—a dagger.
The blade gleamed with a dark, ominous light, clearly indicating that it was coated with a potent poison.
Upon seeing this object, Arundel's face turned deathly pale.
"An enchanted dagger imbued with the spell 'Corruption' —"
"Once injured by this blade, without a suitable high-level antidote to alleviate the pain, the victim will only slowly die in extreme agony."
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Arundel's voice trembled slightly as he looked incredulously at his friend lying on the ground.
"He betrayed me?"
Overwhelmed with grief and anger, Arundel spun his staff and aimed it at Asler on the ground.
Kane reached out and gently pressed down on the tip of his cane.
"No," Kane said calmly.
"He may have just been bewitched by a spell."
He may not be acting out of his own volition now, but is merely a puppet carrying the will of others.
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