East Wing, Saratoga Castle.
Located in one of the many towers of this humongous castle, the common room for the graduate students residing in the east wing provided a breathtaking view of Marian Lake and the mountain ranges beyond.
The room was wide and circular with arched windows, allowing natural light to flood in and illuminate the place.
It was decorated in shades of white and gray, exuding an air of elegance as well as serenity. The walls were lined with bookshelves containing volus on various subjects.
Although, no arcane textbooks could be found here. One could only access them inside the Grand Library.
Within the common room, comfortable armchairs and study tables were placed strategically, encouraging students to relax as well as study. The atmosphere was calm and contemplative, perfect for quiet study and reflection.
Sitting by the fireplace, Adam had a solemn expression on his face as he jotted down notes on his grimoire.
It had been almost a month since he had initiated the contract with the Thunderbirds, and two months since he had left the castle grounds.
The threat of the Umbra Thieves outside allowed Adam room to focus on his academic pursuits. He felt completely safe inside the castle. There was no one outside that would dare to attack him in here.
This sense of security was sothing that the youth greatly cherished and was even thankful for. If he wasn't a part of this big institution, he would have probably been on the run.
Over the last two months, he had been paying full attention to his academic curriculum. The days went by as he practiced his herbalism skills, improving them by leaps and bounds.
However, his progress when it ca to mindfulness had greatly stagnated. Although he knew that a regular Mana Liquefaction Magus would take decades to advance to the next rank, it still irked him.
That is why he so desperately wished to get his hands on runic magic so he could use it to his advantage and hasten his progress.
The looming threat of the clandestine criminal organization gave him a sense of urgency that he had never felt before. Even while he was back in the Southern Federation, he had always had it easy compared to the dangers he was facing now.
He wanted to gain strength as quickly as possible, but he knew that he also needed to be patient. After all, when one is patient, one has access to a wider range of options that they might have overlooked in their haste.
Apart from that, he also paid a lot of attention to his three students. He made several potions and dicinal baths for them that allowed them to strengthen their physical bodies. This would lay the perfect foundation for them when they advanced to higher ranks.
Over ti, his bonds with the three kids greatly deepened. He had never thought that there would ever co a ti when he would actually enjoy the feeling of teaching the art of magic to others.
Adam didn't think he had it in him to ntor children. But seeing them slowly progress in front of his own eyes brought him a deep sense of gratification.
Currently, he was working on sothing that had been on his mind ever since he left Moon City and arrived here.
Soulmark Retribution!
It was this very technique that had been the source of the greatest misfortune and setback that he had ever experienced thanks to the Gracie Family. As a result of it, he had nearly died several tis.
This mysterious technique was typically used by Magus Families to let them know about the life status of their mbers.
It was used in tandem with the Soulmark Lantern that carried the spiritual power signature of a Magus. The holder of the lantern would know the life status of the owner of the signature upon the latter's death.
When a Magus with the Soulmark Retribution technique perished, a tracking mark would be released from their corpse and bury itself inside the murderer.
The Soulmark Lantern would then guide the caster to the murderer. This technique was used as a deterrent as well as a guide for revenge by the powerful Magi Family, allowing them to protect or avenge their family mbers.
Back in the Southern Federation, Adam had learned that unbeknownst to him Berger had used this technique on him when he was still a first-year student at Clover Academy. The old gno had later revealed it to him after the war with the orcs had ended.
Having already been a subject of this technique, from both ends, Adam now had an idea about how it worked.
It was known that this technique was nigh impossible to tamper with. However, Adam had found a way around it, and that was to use spiritual power!
When this technique is cast on soone, the mark hides within their physical bodies in a concealed state, He thought to himself as the quill in his hand danced across the pages of his grimoire.
However, upon the death of this person, the tracking mark erges from their physical body and shoots toward the soul body of the murderer. Hmm, so I just need to create a spell that prevents it from coming in contact with my soul body…
The reason why the tracking mark stuck itself to the murderer's soul body and not the physical body was that it would be very easy for the person to remove the tracker if it was on their physical body.
On the other hand, if the tracker attached itself to the soul body of the person, they wouldn't be able to remove it.
Firstly, they would have to find this marker, which was practically impossible. Secondly and most importantly, even if they did find the marker, in order to remove it, they would be severely injuring their souls in the process.
An injury to the soul, in nine out of ten cases, could never be healed. That is why tampering with the Soulmark Retribution was considered to be impossible.
But if I can use the white lotus as the focus, I might be able to co up with a new spell that blocks the tracker… perhaps even trick it! Adam's eyes shone with brilliance as he started drawing the blueprint for the magic circle. But right at that mont, the space beside him started to saturate and a small portal to the Spirit World was ford.
A ssenger owl from the Brotherhood? Adam glanced at the portal in confusion. But what he saw next, caused him to be greatly surprised.
It wasn't an owl that ca out of the portal.
Instead…
It was a black, furry puppy!
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