Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 9: Bribe

“Ah, the young ones nowadays are quite capable.”

“Yes, especially that girl who has managed to grasp the umbra elemental magic spell. As I recall, only that old witch can use this type of magic in Mystralora City.”

While Sein and Leena were both apprehended by the academy overseers, in the deepest part of the black street, two mysterious figures were communicating with each other via mental focus in the deepest part of Black Street.

Only full-fledged black mages were able to communicate with each other in such a way.

The rumors were right. Full-fledged black mages were indeed involved with some of the shops on Black Street.

Although the two full-fledged black mages were powerful enough to intervene in the conflict between Sein, Leena, and Jack, they chose to do nothing and watch instead.

It was no surprise though, as most black mages were known to be cold-blooded and aloof. They were not bothered either, as the battle had not escalated to their vicinity.

On the other hand, Mystralora City had been enjoying a prolonged period of peace. The two black mages were simply bored, having spent countless hours on mundane magic experiments. Hence, the street fight served as a form of entertainment to relieve their boredom.

“Huh? I thought they would be publicly executed to set an example to others. Could it be that those two have influential connections?”

“Look, the old witch has arrived! I knew it, that girl has some kind of connection to her! Strange, I haven’t heard of the old witch taking on any apprentices.” The two continued their conversation via mental focus.

With the arrival of more academy overseers and full-fledged black mages, the farce on Black Street was finally brought to an end.

***

Inside a dimly lit dungeon, a middle-aged black mage clad in black robe reprimanded angrily, “Horrendous, simply horrendous!”

Sein and Leena were still bound by Aero Chains at this moment. Yet, the middle-aged black mage’s anger was not directed at the two of them; it was the corpulent old witch who was standing before him.

The middle-aged black mage, known as Dedaelon, continued ranting. “Three intermediate initiates were dead, one was severely wounded, and more than ten junior initiates have been harmed. The damage caused to the Black Street is immeasurable. These initiates who so brazenly defied the rules of the academy should be...”

Not all black mages shared the same indifference toward initiates. The Black Magic Academy had its rules, and the presence of academy overseers served a purpose.

If the academy could not even maintain discipline among its initiates, what kind of academy would it become?

Dedaelon was about to pronounce a death sentence for Sein and Leena when the old witch before him interrupted in her raspy voice, “Vice Dean Dedaelon, we’re only talking about a bunch of weak losers here. They had more numbers on their side and still could not hold their own. It’s only fitting that they met their end for picking such a fight.”

“The resources of the Black Magic Academy are limited. Are you seriously going to continue nurturing such a group of underachievers? I'll pay as much autrum as needed to cover the damages to Black Street.” The old witch’s voice carried an uncaring tone as she dismissed the fate of the three dead intermediate initiates.

“This goes beyond a simple matter of compensation. The dean has remained in seclusion for so many years. As the vice dean, it’s my solemn duty to maintain the order of the academy...” Dedaelon trailed off as his gaze was captivated by an orange glow emanating from an energy crystal the old witch had just produced.

Indeed, this was not solely about compensation. However, when a Grade One energy crystal entered the equation, the situation took on a whole new dimension.

Sein had an energy crystal as well, it was a piece of loot he had acquired from Elrik’s remains.

However, the geo-attribute energy crystal in his possession was incomparable to the one presented by the old witch. The difference between them was like comparing a speck of dust to a brilliant star.

Due to limited knowledge, Sein was unaware that the geo-attribute energy crystal in his possession was only comparable to the magic core of a low-level magic beast.

As for the Grade One energy crystal in the old witch’s hand, it was a true treasure comparable to the magic core of a Rank One magic beast or creature.

A Rank One magic beast or creature was as powerful as a weakest full-fledged black mage.

Dedaelon, as one of the three vice deans of the Black Magic Academy, was a Rank Two black mage. Naturally, he was superior to a Rank One black mage in terms of strength.

In the Magus World and Astral Realm, a difference of one rank often indicated a significant gap in one’s quality of life.

While a typical Rank Two mage from the surface world might not bat an eye at this Grade One energy crystal, it was not the same case in Gloomhaven.

There were no decent energy crystal mines in Underworld, so a Grade One energy crystal definitely piqued Dedaelon’s interest.

Experiments conducted by mages were often resource-intensive. Unless they specialized in alchemy or potion crafting and could generate wealth with it, the circumstances for most mages were far less comfortable than outsiders might envision.

Was trading the lives of three intermediate initiates for a Grade One energy crystal a good bargain?

Absolutely!

The damage to Black Street was mostly confined to a few scorched storefronts. Repairing them would not cost much autrum.

Vice Dean Master Dedaelon’s reprimand came to an abrupt halt after the old witch offered him a Grade One energy crystal.

It was at this moment, the apathy of black mages toward human life became strikingly evident.

Yet, it was only Leena whom the old witch had interceded for, not Sein.

Just as Vice Dean Dedaelon was prepared to condemn Sein, Leena quickly pleaded, “Aunt Fareena, please save Sein!”

Aunt?! Did Leena just call that old witch her aunt?

It was only at this moment Sein recalled Leena’s late mentor, who tragically perished in a certain experiment. Leena was also involved in the failed experiment that left her permanently scarred.

That old witch must have been apprenticed to the same mentor as Leena’s late mentor. That would explain her willingness to expend considerable resources to rescue Leena.

Just because the old witch was willing to give up a Grade One energy crystal to save Leena did not mean she was willing to do the same for Sein.

As for the vice dean, he appeared to be a man of strong principles. Anyone seeking to bribe him would need to offer something substantial, or their efforts would be in vain.

The old witch merely smiled and asked, “Oh, is this your little boyfriend?”

She continued coldly, “An initiate like you should be focusing on your studies rather than wasting your time on boys. I have no idea how you even earned your promotion!”

Understanding that the old witch had no intention of helping him, Sein could only rely on himself in this predicament.

“I am the fifth apprentice of Master Morsidor! My magic medal is proof!” Sein hurriedly said.

This revelation immediately caused Dedaelon and the old witch to exchange bewildered glances with each other.

“When did Morsidor take on another apprentice?” the old witch asked curiously.

Hoot! Hoot!

One of the owls that had escorted Sein and Leena to the dungeon suddenly reacted.