yasinovel Chapter 179 The Impending Encirclement
Chapter 179 The Impending Encirclement
Chapter 179 The Impending Encirclement
Bewitchment?
Arundel frowned, glancing at the unconscious Asler on the ground, then turned to Kane: "Where's the evidence?"
Kane replied, "You two are good friends. Even if you disagree, some things shouldn't be resolved in such an extreme way."
He understood.
Arundel and Asler were both members of the Mage Academy. Whether the academy intervened in the conflict between the Royal Court and the Duke was not something that two second-tier mages could decide; it depended on the deans at the top.
He could conclude that Asler had been misled, and the evidence was simple:
During the battle, the panel displayed the following message: [Attacked the second-tier transformation mage Asler (123)]
(Being misled)
Upon seeing this message, Kane had already reached a conclusion: Asler was acting alone and was being controlled.
"If your judgment is correct."
Arundel frowned. "How do we undo this?"
Only a specialist mage from a magic control academy could cast such a spell.
"Could it be possible to break the control if a strong mental shock is applied in a short period of time?" Kane suggested.
"Theoretically, extreme mental fluctuations are possible—"
Arundel's tone was somber.
Kane nodded: "Perhaps we should ask Risa for help."
"Risa? That demon?"
Arundel's face immediately turned ugly.
He was extremely reluctant to hand over his friend and colleague to the devil for mind control.
Kane did not try to persuade him, but simply watched him in silence.
After a long silence, Arundel finally managed to speak with difficulty: "—I understand."
The two quickly cleaned up the scene and quietly left with the unconscious Asler.
To avoid being tracked, Kane carefully erased all possible clues.
Long after they left, a dark shadow, flowing like molten wax, quietly appeared on the desolate forest floor and silently seeped into the earth.
Only a faint, waxy sound remained, and then silence returned.
They were temporarily hiding in a residential house.
Asler was placed on the bed, his hands and feet bound, and he remained unconscious.
"So, why should I help?"
Risa crossed her arms, looking impatient.
"Kane, you have yet to fulfill your promise of a soul. If I were to expend more of my energy weaving dreams for him, my soul would be consumed even more."
Kane fell into thought.
Risa is right. Although she is a demon and has the ability to construct dreams, casting spells also comes at a price.
Souls and flesh are the food that sustains demons, and for dream demons like Risa, the soul is an even more important source of power.
He looked at Arundel.
The latter pondered for a moment, then turned to Risa: "Miss Risa, if it is a soul—the Mage Academy prison holds a group of serious criminals from various countries."
If you are willing to help, I can bring this up with the dean of the academy afterwards. Thank you.
Risa tilted her head and thought for a moment, then finally scoffed: "—Okay."
Kane and Arundel both breathed a sigh of relief.
This means she agreed.
Risa took out a small bottle of psychedelic potion from her bosom and gestured for Arundel to feed it to Asler.
She then pulled up a chair, sat down, and closed her eyes.
Soon, her breathing became steady and long, her chest rising and falling rhythmically, as if she had fallen asleep.
Kane knew this meant she had successfully connected to and entered Asler's dream.
Arundel looked surprised.
The mainstream spellcasting method in the material plane still relies on the magic network, while Risa, as a sleep demon, has a "spellcasting" that is closer to an innate instinct.
Of course, there are also demons who use magic networks to cast spells, but that's another matter.
Time slips away bit by bit.
Risa suddenly opened her eyes and let out a long sigh: "The bewitching spell on him should be broken."
Arundel was both surprised and delighted.
Kane then asked, "What kind of dream did you weave for him?"
"Didn't you want 'mental stimulation'?"
Risa shrugged. "I mixed in some 'materials' for him to experience. For example, encountering a beautiful woman on the street, only to find out she was a man using disguise techniques;
Or perhaps he blows himself up while experimenting with magic—in short, he wrote quite a few similar scenarios, which should be exciting enough.
Arundel's lips twitched slightly, and he subtly moved a little further away from Risa. No one wanted to personally experience that kind of "experience."
Soon, Asler's eyelids twitched, and he opened his eyes.
At first, his gaze was somewhat blank, but as soon as he saw Kane, he was instantly seized by fear: "You—you're here to kill me?!"
He jerked backward and slammed heavily against the wall.
"Kill you?"
Kane glanced at Risa.
The latter looked away and touched his nose.
Kane immediately realized that she had tampered with his dream, probably portraying him as some kind of terrifying figure.
However, the intense, almost overflowing panic in Asler's eyes actually indicated that his mind control had indeed been lifted.
Those who are misled usually do not have such vivid and lively personal emotions.
Arundel, understanding, stepped forward and placed a hand on Asler's shoulder: "Calm down! That was all a dream!"
"Dream--?"
Asler hurriedly touched his body, and only after confirming that he was not injured did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Arundel turned to Kane, slightly apologetic: "I'm sorry, I think he needs some time to settle down—I'd like to speak to him alone."
Kane gestured for Risa to leave the room, leaving only the two mages behind.
After a while, the door was pushed open.
Kane saw Arundel walk out with a deep frown on his face.
"What? Did Risa's treatment leave too many problems?"
No, that's not why.
Arundel shook his head, his tone heavy.
"It's the academy's side—there's an even bigger problem. Besides the internal martial law, many things are changing."
Asler told me that the two deans of the Academy of Prophecy and the Academy of Protection had disappeared on their way back to the academies after their travels in the outside world.
"Missing?" Kane's gaze sharpened.
A dean-level mage is at least a third-tier mage; for them to disappear silently, the opponent's strength is likely no less than high. Could this be related to the Demon Cult?
Recalling what the Wax Demons had said back in Twin Harbor, Kane had a vague guess in his mind, but he didn't say it aloud.
"Are the remaining six deans still able to hold regular college meetings?"
"The meeting can proceed as scheduled."
Arundel said.
"But this makes things much more complicated. Any major decision requires a two-thirds majority, or at least the approval of four deans, to pass."
We cannot guarantee that the remaining deans will support intervention in royal court affairs.
Kane nodded, steer the conversation back to the present: "So, why exactly was Asler bewitched?"
He stared intently at Arundel.
"A second-tier mage in charge of the rendezvous has been mind-controlled, and even the academy's private mountain paths are lurking with demons—"
"I'm sorry, Arundel, I cannot let Risa come with us into the academy until the situation becomes clearer."
"But without her help, I think it will be even more difficult to persuade the other deans," Arundel said, looking troubled.
"But what if—" Kane lowered his voice.
"Among the academy's higher-ups, has the dean already betrayed us? Letting her in rashly could very well expose us all."
Your friend has fallen victim to the manipulation tactics of the Control Division, which is a dangerous sign in itself.
Arundel's face grew increasingly grim, and he remained silent without offering any rebuttal.
Just then, the sound of orderly and heavy footsteps came from outside, growing louder as they approached.
Kane and Arundel both became alert, exchanged a glance, and quickly moved closer to the window.
Through the gap, they saw many nearby half-elf civilians retreating to the roadside in panic.
A mercenary team of about twenty fully armed men is steadily advancing toward the residence.
The leader was an exceptionally tall soldier covered in heavy armor.
Kane recognized him as Oliver.
At this moment, Oliver's eyes were empty and his expression was numb, like a puppet being pulled by strings.
His emotionless voice, punctuated by the rhythmic thud of his iron boots, rang out: "Apprehend the criminals—kill them on the spot—"
>