NABC Chapter 164 Questioning Identity
Chapter 164 Questioning Identity
Chapter 164 Questioning Identity
The Susas Academy of Magecraft is a behemoth.
It is not only the most powerful spellcasting force in the kingdom, but also deeply rooted in the principle of "education for all".
In theory, anyone with sufficient etheric perception talent can be nurtured here.
This is why Susas has far more spellcasters than other nations such as Nords and the Free Cities.
The academy's internal structure bears some resemblance to the war city of Nord, with numerous towering mage towers standing tall.
These towers belong to the eight houses: Necromancy, Evocation, Illusion, Enchanting, Conjuration, Protection, Prophecy, and Transmutation.
In name, each branch is headed by a third-level mage.
But Kane knew that this academy, established after the invasion of the continent by the forces of the Underdark, had a foundation far greater than this.
The academy also has many monks who call themselves scholars and travel to various places and even countries.
The man in front of us, Arundel, is one of them.
The attitudes of mages towards war have always been mixed.
In the turbulent times that Kane remembered, when Susas was besieged by a demonic army, the mages made different choices:
Some fought, some surrendered, some fled, and some even turned against their own side.
The fourth-tier archmage, who stood at the top of the academy, only made a move at the very last moment.
He eventually exhausted his spell slots when the royal palace was overrun by demons and fell at the hands of the patriarch of the demon cult.
"What I need to do now is to use intelligence to push this behemoth into the battlefield and join the fight against the demon cult as much as possible."
Kane's mind stirred slightly. He looked at Arundel, who had already sworn an oath, and bowed slightly, asking, "May I ask how I should address you?"
"You can still call me Arundel; I am not using a pseudonym."
"Lord Arundel. Now that you have come here in person and revealed your identity, you must already know the relevant information."
"If that's the case, why not report it directly to the college?"
Arundel looked at Kane and said slowly, "Intelligence is ultimately just a clue. Moreover, this matter involves the Duke, the royal family, and the interests of many parties—the situation is complicated."
We need a more reliable and formal way to request intervention.
He paused, then said, "I hope that Lord Kane will return with me to the Susas Mage Academy."
We will hold a college meeting. Only with the consent of more than two-thirds of the colleges can the college formally take action.
"Two-thirds—" Kane wasn't surprised.
Large organizations have their own cumbersome decision-making mechanisms, let alone an institution like a magic academy. He weighed the options silently.
Arundel waited.
After a moment, Kane spoke up, "Okay, I'll go with you. But I'll take two people with me."
"Of course, that's no problem." Arundel laughed.
Outside the village where Kane once stayed in the savanna.
Ella and Risa had stepped down from the carriage and were standing in front of a cluster of tombstones outside the village. The wind blew, and the wild grass rippled like waves.
Ella, watching Risa stare at the tombstone, asked疑惑地问道, "Mage Dorothy, do you know the owner of this tombstone?"
Risa said, "I know him. He was one of the mercenaries hired by the Brotherhood who followed Kane back then."
Mercenaries? Brotherhood?
Ella's eyes flickered slightly as she tentatively asked, "What happened to them? Did they die here?"
Risa shrugged: "For a pittance, they betrayed Kane, and ended up being wiped out in one fell swoop."
Her tone was casual, but Ella's mind was in turmoil.
Born into nobility, she wondered to herself: Is this a threat? No, it definitely is.
Risa hadn't expected Ella to think that way.
The two looked into the distance, where the wind rustled through the grass, and they could see Kane in the distance, along with another somewhat familiar figure beside him.
Risa seemed to have seen this person before in the primal memories of this body.
Ella suppressed her speculations and looked on with a puzzled expression.
Soon, Kane and Arundel approached. Upon seeing Risa's "appearance," Arundel's brow furrowed sharply: "Dorothy? What are you doing here? You betrayed your mentor Lucas?"
Risa was taken aback by what she heard, and glanced at Kane with a questioning look in her eyes, asking, "What should we do?"
Kane was about to explain when Arundel's expression changed drastically: "No! The concentration of ether around you is too low, not even at the apprentice level! You—you are not her!"
He shouted angrily, "Who are you? — You possess my body, you are a demon!"
Ella was momentarily bewildered, not knowing what had happened.
Arundel suddenly retreated, his lips moving rapidly as he chanted an incantation, and a burst of intense heat suddenly erupted from his hand.
Risa took a half step back and placed her hand on the dagger at her waist.
Kane instantly drew his sword, placing the curved blade behind his back, not pointing it at Arundel, but at an empty space to the side.
The air seemed completely empty.
Under the puzzled gazes of the two women, Arundel's figure, who was chanting a spell, suddenly became blurry and disappeared like a phantom.
In the empty space where Kane's blade was pointing, a figure suddenly appeared—it was Arundel himself.
An ordinary Sussas-style scimitar, its tip pressed against his throat.
His face turned pale, and he stopped chanting the incantation.
Kane sighed and sheathed his sword.
Seeing that this action showed no intention to kill, Arundel said in a deep voice, "Lord Kane, I need an explanation."
He looked at Risa and continued, "Although Dorothy was expelled from the House, she was once one of us."
Her body was possessed by another consciousness—a provocation against the academy.
Kane nodded. "But what if she's indispensable?"
He roughly understood Arundel's position, reassured Risa with his eyes, and then said, "She is the main contributor to my discovery of the mastermind behind this incident."
I was able to obtain crucial intelligence mostly thanks to her.
"After all, not all demons collude with demon cults."
There are always exceptions, just as you cannot guarantee that all humans will always stand on the side of humanity. Isn't that right?
Arundel's eyes sparkled.
Kane frowned. He had let Risa take over Dorothy's body simply because he didn't want to waste a usable body, but he hadn't expected it to provoke such fierce hostility from Arundel.
However, for humans in the material plane, this act is indeed too evil.
He values the outcome, but he doesn't regret it.
Given the circumstances at the time, finding a suitable body for Risa was by no means an easy task.
Looking at Arundel, who still held a hostile expression and pressed his hand to his short staff, Kane sighed softly: "Mage Arundel, if you cannot let go of your grudges about this matter—we may have no choice but to leave and seek help elsewhere."
"If you are willing to stand idly by and watch the skies of the Susas royal court be shrouded in demons, the great king fall victim to conspiracy, and the mage towers crumble one after another—"
Then please continue to be hostile towards us.
Kane sheathed his scimitar completely and called to Ella and Risa, "Let's go."
During the conversation, Ella realized that Risa was a demon, not "Dorothy," and her heart was filled with turmoil, her face turning pale and then red.
But without Kane's support, she would find it difficult to make any progress in Sussas.
In the end, she lowered her head and followed.
The three turned around and walked in another direction.
Arundel watched the three figures disappear into the distance, pondering Kane's words.
He gritted his teeth and called out, "Wait a minute!"
On the other side, Kane and Risa exchanged a glance and stopped in their tracks.