C80
"Damn! Am I too late?"
Thad, who had ridden a carriage all night, teleported to the main gate as soon as he entered Creas. As expected, the guards just stood there without showing any reaction.
It was dark magic.
And it was of an incredibly high level.
'I have to find Master first.'
Thad turned to the teachers' quarters. However, before taking ten steps, he heard the distinctive roar of teleportation from the sky.
At the same time as Thad, alerted, entered the Spirit Zone, and Ethela descended on a beam of light.
"Teacher Ethela! What's the situation?"
When Thad, who had just returned from a business trip, asked a question as if he knew what had happened at the school, Ethela was puzzled. However, as time was of the essence, she went straight to the point.
"It seems we've been hit by dark magic. All students and teachers have lost their memories."
Thad was stunned by the reality, even though he had expected it. No matter how crazy he is, it was insane to attack Alpheas Magic School, one of the five prestigious institutions of the kingdom.
"We don't have much time. Please tell me what's going on."
"From what I've observed in the Spirit Zone, the entire student body is climbing a mountain. It seems to be heading towards the impassable bridge. There are three leaders, and three people are tailing them. Among the teachers... It seems that I barely managed to escape."
Viltor Arcane's dark magic was on the level of an archmage, but since Ethela was also a bishop of the Karsys Monastery, it was impossible for her to be controlled. Thad explained what he knew, grateful for that fact.
"Let me tell you quickly. The perpetrator is Viltor Arcane, an archmage who disturbed the world 40 years ago."
"I've heard of him. But why would someone like that attack a magic school...?"
Thad bit his lip. He was in the bad personal history of his mentor, Alpheas. However, Ethela was the only person he could rely on at the moment, and he believed she would accept it without prejudice.
"Viltor Arcane is... the principal's master."
Ethela blinked but did not imagine any further than what Thad had anticipated.
"I see. However, Arcane doesn't seem to be among those taking the students. I don't know the circumstances, but we should rescue the students first."
"That won't work. As Miss Etella must have felt, once caught in a mind spell, it's not easy to break free. If we try to save the students one by one, we'll end up being counterattacked."
"We can't just leave them either."
"You said there are three people tailing them. Do you know who they are?"
"I couldn't confirm exactly, but... it might be Shirone and his friends."
"Shirone?"
The moment he heard Etella's words, Thad immediately realized. The time when Arcane's magic was cast would have been roughly 24 hours ago. The only students who could have been outside the school at that time were Shirone and his friends, who had been suspended.
"I can't be sure since I didn't confirm their appearances. But in terms of temperament, they were likely Shirone, Nade, and Iruki.”
“Perhaps it is. Those kids should be fine for a while. They're smart and will know what to do. Instead, Teacher Ethela, please find Arcane."
"What will you do, Teacher Thad?"
"I'll look for the principal. Our priority is to find Master and remove the dark magic."
Ethela nodded in agreement.
"Alright, I'll find Arcane."
Thad looked around the mountainous terrain. The grounds of the magic school were so vast that it was hard to guess where Arcane might be.
"Hundreds of people have been affected at once. With such a large-scale magic, their mental energy must have been significantly drained. They're likely hiding in a place with no people. Searching around the mountain will be faster. What is the radius of the spirit zone when expanded with Joiner?”
"Um, about 2 kilometers in diameter."
Thad, who calculated the estimate, nodded.
"Five points should be enough. Patrol based on the training grounds. I'll go to the school."
"Yes. I'll save the students after catching Arcane."
"Don't push yourself too hard. Arcane is..."
Thad swallowed his words. Saying the opponent was strong would only fuel her sense of duty. Who else could be trusted if not a bishop of the Karsys Monastery and a nationally recognized Joiner? (카르시스 수도회의 비숍이자 국가가 인정한 조너를 믿지 않으면 누구를 믿겠는가?/I’ll look into it later.)
"No, I'm asking you."
Tags:
Infinite Mage (Novel)
