In the garden,
"Jack, I have told you before... I am not your fucking dog that cos running whenever you call. I have things to do—I am busy—"
The voice cut off abruptly from the orb.
"Well... he said it," Jack muttered with an awkward smile, glancing at the table mbers. They sat in eerie silence, their faces concealed beneath the deep hoods of their robes.
Jack's gaze swept over them. Each hooded figure varied in size, making their presence feel even more mysterious.
This was the first ti he was seeing them all together in person rather than through a hologram.
The first figure to the left of Master Snape spoke in an irritated tone, "See? That bastard! I told you—we should just force him to—"
"Enough," Master Snape's voice cut through the tension like a blade, his tone firm yet calm. "Do not bring your personal hatred to this table."
".." That hooded figure—Alaric, unmistakably—gritted his teeth but gave a reluctant nod, hiding his expression behind the cloak.
Master Snape turned his attention to Jack, observing him with an unreadable expression before nodding slowly, "I understand his frustration. After all, his empire was attacked while he was away. Anyone in his position would be furious." He leaned back slightly and added, "Any news about Sandra?"
The smallest hooded figure, seated beside Alaric, shook its head. Its voice was soft and hesitant, "N-No, Master. All I could gather was that tensions were rising between the Empire's joint border. Victor has deployed additional soldiers along the borders, locking down teleportation routes. However, there has been no ntion of Empress Marisandra's whereabouts... or even a single whisper of her na. It's as if she has vanished entirely."
A deep frown creased the Master's face. "Victor is up to sothing... that much is clear," he muttered, tapping his fingers rhythmically against the table. "And if he's keeping information about her under such tight control, that ans he has sothing planned for her."
"What if she told him about us?" one of the hooded figures questioned.
"Not a chance," another interjected imdiately. "She was in enemy hands, completely unaware that Victor was on our side. Even if she had revealed anything, it would have backfired on her. She's not foolish—she knows how to survive."
Master Snape nodded his expression grave, " and Victor is no fool either. He wouldn't be keeping her location a secret unless he had a reason. Either he intends to use her..." His voice darkened, "... Or she's already dead."
A sharp chill ran through the room.
Everyone flinched at the possibility.
"T-Then—" One of them started to speak, panic creeping into his voice.
The Master raised a hand, "Calm yourselves. I am just guessing the possibility... If she were already dead, Victor would have used her death to his advantage. He wouldn't just let it fade into silence. No... as long as she holds value to him, he will keep her alive for now."
That's what he predicted by understanding Victor so far!
Jack let out a long sigh, "All this talking... Why don't we just contact him directly and take her back? I an, Victor isn't exactly our enemy, right?
If anything, he'd be more than happy to cooperate." His voice carried impatience—discussing strategy was never his strong suit.
Master Snape shook his head, "No, Jack. You're oversimplifying things.
Victor is not soone to be trusted so easily.
He betrayed Dora without hesitation—if he could turn on her, he wouldn't think twice about turning on us.
A man like him is a snake... one that coils around your throat without you even realizing it. If you don't handle him with extre caution, he will strike before you can react."
Everyone nodded in understanding.
Jack, however, only frowned, a wicked grin curling on his lips. "If you're so worried about a small snake... I wouldn't mind crushing it myself~" His voice dripped with amusent, but there was an unmistakable edge beneath it.
The Master studied him for a mont before exhaling softly. "No, Jack. Even the deadliest poison has its uses when handled correctly. And rember... Victor is the first living being I have ever encountered with the ability to absorb Arcane energy.
Creatures like that do not appear in history. Killing him now would be a greater loss than a gain.
But make no mistake—once we have completed our plans, he will be my next target. A being like him is too dangerous to be left alive for long." A slow grin spread across his lips, dark and calculating, as if he were already envisioning the mont Victor would be torn apart, piece by piece.
Everyone nodded with satisfaction.
"As for our test subjects..." The Master's gaze shifted toward Alaric. "Are you prepared?"
Alaric straightened, his voice carrying a mix of eagerness and suppressed rage. "Yes, Master. My tribe mbers have evolved. They have reached the peak of their hunger. Once I release them... chaos will follow. The entire Empire will crumble into disorder."
Inwardly, Alaric smirked darkly, his thoughts seething. 'Finally... I will make that bitch pay for humiliating by sleeping with a re servant!' But then, a flicker of doubt crossed his face, as if rembering sothing unsettling.
The Master looked pleased. He gave a slow nod, satisfied that at least one of his plans was unfolding smoothly.
"Master... what about that boy... Aether? The one who is supposed to be the actual Arcane King?" Alaric asked, his tone filled with curiosity and a hint of scepticism.
"hmm... " Master Snape humd thoughtfully, his fingers tapping rhythmically against the table.
Truthfully, Alaric's ntion of Aether had caught him off guard. He hadn't expected that old man to pull off such a stunt—sothing so audacious that it was beyond his calculations. 'Just what is that old fossil plotting? What was he thinking?' he wondered. He had been certain that the old man had perished because of the curse, most likely having angered the Arcane itself by playing with forbidden powers.
"Well... to be honest, it's not possible to strip soone of their Arcane power—unless..." Master trailed off, his mind carefully analyzing every possibility. "Unless he knew sothing we don't." His gaze darkened slightly before he exhaled and shrugged. "Oh well, it doesn't matter now. The old man is dead. Whatever secrets he had, they died with him. There's no way to uncover them now, no matter how much we speculate."
"But Master, I wasn't asking about the old man. I was talking about Aether—the servant," Alaric clarified. "Should we eliminate him too? He is still alive, after all."
Master frowned beneath his hood, his expression unreadable. "And for what purpose?" he asked, his voice calm yet firm,
"That boy is nothing more than a kite with a severed string, drifting without direction. No power, no influence... nothing. He holds no value to us, nor is he a real threat. After all... he has lost everything." His voice carried a weight that almost sounded nostalgic as if he were reminded of sothing from the past—sothing that lingered like a shadow in his mory.
"B-But Master, he still possesses so power. If he were to—"
"Tsk." Master clicked his tongue in irritation, cutting Alaric off mid-sentence. "If you're so concerned, then do as you please. But only after everything else is finished. And Alaric..." His voice dropped lower, his words edged with warning. "Don't you dare ss this up again."
A wide grin stretched across Alaric's lips, his eyes glinting with wicked anticipation. 'Oh, I'm going to enjoy this~' he thought, his mind already racing with possibilities.
"What about Dora?" the hooded figure seated on the right spoke up, breaking the mont of silence. "How are we supposed to bring her in? Should we move forward with the plan now, or wait?"
Master's expression darkened, his fingers interlocking as he rested his hands on the table. "Well... I already have a plan for that," he said, his tone careful and asured. His gaze drifted across the table mbers.
He couldn't afford to reveal too much.... Soone among them had betrayed him, after all!
The person who had aided Aqualina and Celestia was sitting at this very table.
He didn't know who it was or what their true motives were, but the fact that a traitor lurked among them was a problem he couldn't ignore.
However, he dared not cause an uproar now. They were too close to their goal, and any paranoia at this stage could be disastrous. He couldn't afford to create tension or sow doubt among his most valuable mbers. No... he would do exactly what he did with Sandra—keep his plan hidden and move in silence.
His gaze landed on the bulky figure seated across from him, its head tilted slightly back, completely obscured beneath the heavy hood. Master slowly lifted a finger and pointed at him.
"And you," he said, his voice carrying quiet authority. "Assist him. Take back what you lost. And do it properly this ti. Understood?"
The bulky figure nodded furiously, his entire fra tensing with determination. "Yes, Master!" he answered without hesitation.
Since Master had growing doubts about Alaric and the tiny hooded figure, he ensured that soone was assigned to secretly keep an eye on them.
And this brainless idiot would be a perfect one for Alaric!
....
...
anwhile, back at the academy—after explaining everything that had happened—
"Huh? So you didn't help us escape?" Celestia asked her face a mix of shock and confusion.
Victor folded his arms, his brows furrowing slightly. "Well... I'm absolutely certain I had nothing to do with getting you out of that cube you were trapped in," he muttered, disbelief evident in his tone... Soone had opened the cube for them and helped them!!
'So... soone inside the Organization betrayed Master? Of all people?'
A slow grin stretched across Victor's lips, his eyes glinting with intrigue.
'Now this is getting interesting... hehe~'
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