It had been over a month since they left Caugust.

During that time, no one else had come to pursue Saul.

In the end, it was Morden—who was more familiar with Bayton—who guessed some of it based on An’s account.

[Morden: The Inverted Tree, Andasonia. I haven’t heard of that name before, but judging from how it tracked us and even commanded a First Rank true wizard, it must possess Third Rank strength.]

[An: Such a terrifying entity… and it even has a master. Could its master be…?]

But Agu shook his head. “It can’t be a Fourth Rank. I think this so-called master is more likely the Inverted Tree itself, or some Third Rank who has control over it.”

“Why?” Saul asked.

“Because of magic radiation. If a Fourth Rank wizard was present, there’s no way they could conceal their presence. I’ve never seen one myself, but I’ve heard that a Fourth Rank stands out like a bright lamp in a dark house.”

[Morden: True, there are only a handful of Fourth Ranks in this world. One wouldn’t just appear out of nowhere. Honestly, I suspect that the master of the Inverted Tree is the old dean of Bayton Academy.]

“I read in a book that when the Bayton family came out of the Borderland, they had only a little over a hundred people left. But because they had a Third Rank wizard among them, they demanded that the Kema Empire give up half its land.”

Morden had the most authority on this matter. However, since half his soul body disappeared after death and the other half turned into a heavily polluted wraith, his memories and emotions about the events of that time had become blurry.

[Morden: I don’t even remember why I dared to go to war with Bayton back then. I only recall that their Third Rank wizard broke the agreement not to slaughter large numbers of low-rank wizards and ordinary people. He brought down an entire mountain and crushed over ten thousand of my soldiers to death.]

There was no expression in the writing, but Saul could feel the sorrow and fear in Morden’s heart through the diary.

A single strike from a Third Rank wizard could destroy an entire city. Combined with the unique terrain of Hanging Hands Valley, the Kema Empire ultimately lost the war—paying the price of over a hundred wizards and apprentice wizards, along with countless ordinary lives.

The empire splintered as a result.

But Bayton’s Third Rank wizard died shortly after unleashing that powerful spell.

Without their Third Rank, Bayton, though victorious, was forced to retreat to a coastal city under mediation from other Third Rank wizards.

After occupying a corner of Kema’s territory, they did not expand outward again. Instead, they recruited a large number of wizards and apprentices and established Bayton Academy.

The academy dedicated itself to researching all kinds of novel magical tools, and eventually transformed the city of Caugust—where it was located—into a unique, modern metropolis.

[An: Back then, the one who proposed we concentrate all our forces to fight Bayton was Dumo of the Bloodrose family. I was against it, but Dumo was a wizard more favored by the family than me, so I failed. Who would have thought everything he did was for the sake of a vague and illusory legend, wanting to kill off all his close-blood relatives.]

Hmm, that explanation…

Saul immediately thought of a certain great fraud. One of the wizard families of the old Kema Empire had indeed been among Kismet’s victims.

[Herman: So you’re from the Bloodrose family. How did your soul end up in the Bloodthorn Family’s laboratory, with Ralph?]

[An: I was one of the few survivors from Hanging Hands Valley. I accidentally discovered the family’s destruction was largely tied to Dumo, so I stole his treasure and hid it among the Bloodthorn family’s branch group, which had long since separated from the main family, and fled the capital. Later, I was discovered by a Bloodthorn wizard. Combined with the pollution I suffered, I died on the way. Afterward, I drifted aimlessly until I was awakened by my master.]

“So when you found Dumo’s psychic signature on the root that attacked you outside Caugust, you were already planning to seek him out again and take revenge through reverse devouring?”

As Saul said this, the atmosphere inside the carriage grew tense.

Even if An had her reasons, her private actions and concealed truth couldn’t be easily forgiven. Saul had already punished her using the diary.

Once a consciousness became a black page, a single thought from Saul could inflict unbearable pain upon them.

After a few days of obedient punishment, An handed over a piece of knowledge she had stolen from Dumo—the ultimate form of flesh magic: Flesh-Soul Fusion.

Combined with the Third Rank fire-element spell Lava Eruption from the fifth black page—Kent—Saul no longer had to worry about lacking high-level spells to study, at least for now.

Next, Saul, carrying several chests of wraiths he had acquired from Shaya, advanced resolutely toward the Borderland with tense but determined resolve.

Meanwhile, inside Bayton Academy—which Saul had been on guard against for over a month—new changes were taking place.

“Master Beth, I don’t understand…”

Dean Pond’s sentence was cut short.

“Call me Beth.”

The gaunt woman wore a floor-length, high-collared gown of dark blue, her exposed skin appearing deathly pale in contrast.

But she was too thin—so much so that she had lost all traces of feminine delicacy. She looked more like a skeleton propping up a dress.

And this skeletal woman… was actually being called mentor by Dean Pond!

“Beth… Didn’t you say Saul’s soul body was very special? Why not send someone to capture him again? He’s clearly grown suspicious—he might never return.”

Pond seemed anxious, a far cry from the friendliness he had shown Saul.

“The way he took that soul from the Tree’s Heart really was unique. Even Andasonia couldn’t best him,” Beth said, her hands resting calmly in front of her abdomen, expression serene. “But he carries a chaotic aura… and another hidden one. I don’t want to interact with either of them right now. Let him go.”

“Even you can’t deal with it?” Pond was stunned. Was Saul really just a First Rank wizard?

Why did he carry so many secrets?

“I’m not in a position to act yet. One of the auras on Saul comes from Gorsa. He may be stationed in the northern sea now, but he clearly hasn’t abandoned his little apprentice. As for the other force—I can’t identify it, but I suspect it’s connected to the eyeball pollution that Kent carried.”

At the mention of “eyeball pollution,” even the Second Rank wizard Pond’s expression changed.

“That pollution didn’t seem to actively spread. Otherwise, back in that high-rise building, none of us would’ve made it out alive.”

Beth lowered her head, staring at her toes in silence.

She didn’t tell Pond the full truth—that those eyes gave her a terrible feeling. It was as if they were some kind of gaze from another world. Until she completed her nutrient absorption plan, she didn’t want to provoke that kind of existence.

“Forget it. The pollution has vanished now. We need to continue developing the city.” Beth raised her head, straightened her spine, and silently walked forward. “Caugust still needs more ordinary people… and more wizards.”

(End of Chapter)

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