Witch Hunter Rhapsody

Viya's laboratory.

It has been sealed off and investigated, and everything inside has been destroyed. Only the faint smell of bitter almonds in the air hints at what happened here.

"In the name of Tranicaven, the god of silence, I silence this place."

Tranica's silencing technique.

After shielding the sound inside the room to ensure it wouldn't be overheard by the patrols outside, Alistair continued with the next spell.

"Transform the flow of magic, restoring clarity from defilement..."

Anonymous - Eye of Flowing Magic.

This spell allows one to see the flow of magic within the room.

Alistair has confirmed that those guys in the city who dare to call themselves wizards without rigorous academic achievements have given up the investigation, probably due to pressure from their teachers.

"This place, really, with such poor ventilation, I wouldn't be surprised if I killed myself while doing a dangerous experiment one day."

He grumbled as he inspected the ground. Based on his understanding of Viya, he knew she wouldn't completely follow her teacher's instructions and obediently keep her laboratory at such a small size.

"Ah, I found it."

He and Viya were friends, at least for a considerable period of time. He knew Viya's secret, and his teacher also knew that he was an insider. This is probably why his teacher was willing to send him over to investigate.

He knew what kind of person Viya was: a scholar obsessed with academic research, an excellent wizard, but also very undisciplined and always disdainful of discipline and rules.

This led her to make a mistake later on.

Alistair found the connection point of magic on the ground, a fairly complex magic seal. Unfortunately, after the setter died, it had not been able to receive magic replenishment for a long time, and now the seal had become somewhat weak and powerless.

He continued to recall things about Viya; her skill in traps was only average, but just to be safe, he used mage armor to create a defensive barrier around his body.

The hidden door was opened, and Alistair heard a gasp.

"Oh, when did her experiments reach this level?"

He squeezed out a series of strange and terrifying syllables from his throat, his fingers holding different materials, which would seem odd to any wizard with a little knowledge of the arts.

Why would he continue to cast Zarastine Dimensional Shield when he already had a mage shield?

Unlike the previously released Zarastian Mage Shield, the Zarastian Dimensional Shield is a shield that flows across the surface of the wizard's body.

The noisy sounds filled the space in a moment, like the cries of a baby and the scratching of fingernails on a rough surface, which was quite irritating.

Amidst the sound, a dark figure crashed into Alistair.

Alistair, having activated the Eye of Magic Flow, was able to see what it was.

It was a woman, or rather something that looked like a woman, petite in stature, with sharp blades in her hands, stitches on her skin, and a huge lump in the place of her heart.

There were no obvious magic storage devices or magic transport lines, nor were there any non-physical parts.

Is it artificial life?

Viya actually came up with something like this?

Alistair saw the girl swing her sharp claws at the shield.

Zarastir's Shield is a standard mage shield, consisting of 256 hexagonal units arranged to form a spherical shield that surrounds the body.

With Alistair's magical power, ordinary warriors and spells would have absolutely no way to break through it.

However, the artificial girl in front of them tore through these hexagonal units, lowered her center, and stretched out her other hand, rushing towards Alistair.

The powerful impact sent Alistair flying and crashing heavily onto the roof. Had the area not been quieted down beforehand, it would have certainly attracted the attention of others.

"Damn it, so many of the dimensional shields are destroyed too!"

The principle of dimensional shields is similar to that of spell shields, except that the units created by dimensional shields are attached to the wizard's body, making the defensive effect more flexible.

Alistair began to regret coming alone. After all, wizards need a vanguard, and it was rather absurd for someone who did research to go into battle.

Damn it, if no one creates a safe enough environment for me to cast spells...

With no more time to think, Alistair made a decision in a moment, took out materials from his pouch, and began chanting in a way that was even more difficult to understand.

High-speed chanting, achieved by accelerating the chanting speed and compressing the pronunciation, is a skill that ordinary wizards cannot master.

"Summoning the master of the shadow world, calling forth the slaves of yesterday's illusions..."

The created life form began to charge, her speed far exceeding that of ordinary people. Her body was also changing; the stitches began to disappear, and even the sharp claws on her hands were falling off.

She became more like a person.

"I release you in the name of the Lord of the Underworld..."

puff.

It was the sound of flesh being torn and pierced. Alistair's chest was pierced by the girl. His spell had just been completed, but it had no obvious effect.

It seems to have failed.

The girl didn't stop, but continued to tear at him. In just a few seconds, the wizard Alistair was reduced to a pile of minced meat.

Then, the girl's attention was drawn to the opened hidden door. The strange smell coming from the laboratory made her feel a little dizzy. She shook her head and then quickly disappeared into the dark room.

……

"Huh, is it that dangerous?"

Etherra held a cup of coffee in her hand, surrounded by her friends, all young women from the city. These daughters of artisans and merchants were now listening with great astonishment to Vitas's story.

Vitas sat in the main seat. Even though he was somewhat annoyed by the story, it was Etherra's request, and he ultimately decided to recount his recent experience with the Flying Eagle Knights.

"So, Guros really does exist."

Are there really savages living in the forest?

"Mr. Vitalius! Have you ever tasted the flavor of Guros?"

The girls' reactions were somewhat different from what Vitas had imagined; their curiosity about the adventure itself clearly outweighed their other concerns.

After this lively and noisy experience, everyone went home, and Vitas naturally escorted Ether home.

Even though Ethera had invited him, as her friend, it was his duty to send her back.

"Vitas, thank you so much for today!"

"Your friends are really just like you."

Ether walked along the edge of the road, searching for balance along the edges of the dirt and stone slabs, like a tightrope walker.

After hearing Vitas's words, she turned around and said.

"That's why we became friends! Everyone wants to see the outside world and its stories, just like Helena."

Suddenly, she lowered her voice mysteriously.

"Well, actually I don't think Miss Helena is much better off than us; she's never even left this city. But you're different."

She sighed.

"How come we've never seen someone like you before? You seem to know everything and have experienced tragedies we can't even imagine, like a noble knight in a book. My God, I even feel like you have a lover in your heart, waiting for you to return from afar."

Vitas suddenly found it somewhat amusing, he said.

"Aesera, this is too beautiful. The knights in the stories always manage to find their princesses, but in reality, knights can only find the prostitutes they like. Most people have forgotten what love feels like because of killing and war."

Are you one too?

Noticing the change in her tone, Vitas began to wonder if he shouldn't have told her these things.

"Me? I don't consider myself a good person, but I wouldn't call myself a bastard either. It's just that my attitude towards women is really not commendable."

Have you ever had a lover?

Vitas looked at Ether; she didn't seem drunk.

"I have had many lovers, but as for a lover, I don't think I'm worthy of having one."

"What kind of women are you admiring...?"

"It's not what you think, little Etherra. It's just a solitary pastime, a physical sensation."

"And what about me?"

Ether stopped, her face slightly flushed, but she still stared into Vitas's eyes.

"And Vitas, what do you think of me? If I wanted to be your lover, how would you answer?"

Vitas did not avoid her gaze, and after a long while, he sighed.

"This is a complex problem."