Chapter 30
Vivian slowly placed the towel back into the basin.
She was wiping Azek's face and hands with warm water.
It was the day of the Church's Holy Council meeting.
Azek was still unconscious, so Theodore attended along with Professor Ashvile and Professor Sevile.
She looked out of the window toward the Church's direction.
Clouds covered the entire sky.
It was a gloomy day.
...
Theodore alighted from the carriage and saw the magnificent building standing in all its glory.
Two young priests stood on standby and immediately greeted them.
Bishop Elion guided them toward the meeting destination through intertwined paths.
People moved busily about, as the Holy Council had gathered today.
Theodore glanced at the small staircase leading to the basement, where Methilia was supposedly confined.
The pathway was unassuming and would not warrant suspicion. Most would overlook it.
However, Theodore discreetly cast a small wind spell and sensed observing eyes watching everything that passed through the corridor, ready to act.
The spell slowly made its way toward the iron doors, but a holy barrier repelled it.
He immediately recalled it before suspicion could be aroused.
They are really putting a lot of effort into this, he concluded, continuing to follow Elion as if nothing had happened.
Cecil took his seat, and the whole room fell silent.
He looked toward the oval-shaped meeting table. Theodore and his professors sat directly across from him. Cardinal Dominicus and Magnus were seated beside him, while the remaining seats were occupied by High Council members.
There was palpable tension in the air.
He cleared his throat and began.
"This meeting is held to discuss a new phenomenon that occurred at the Academy. A student supposedly attempted a new spell to expel the poison of black magic—and apparently, he succeeded without backlash. Cardinal Magnus has testified that no external device assisted him, as he had been with the student the entire time.
I have personally examined him and concluded that he is now completely free of contamination."
Gasps echoed across the chamber.
The tension rose visibly.
A hand was immediately raised.
The Pope gestured for the person to speak.
"If, Cardinal Magnus was with him after he passed out then who was supervising him when he became contaminated at first?"
Pope Cecil looked toward Theodore.
"Professor Diaz and Professor Sevile were in charge of the matter," Theodore replied succinctly.
Sevile inhaled.
"No external disturbances were observed during the period of contamination."
"And how are you so certain of that?"
Sevile looked toward the speaker—
Roberveil Ironheart.
The retired cardinal of the previous generation had once attempted to uproot the last Pope's authority. He was an unprecedented force when it came to supporting Cecil's methods and possessed an unorthodox approach toward black magic.
He had been the first to master Holy Fire and gain approval for its widespread use.
Sevile could not simply brush off his question.
"I do not understand the meaning of your question," Sevile said calmly.
"Holy Fire is the only proven method to eradicate contamination. And suddenly you claim a young student has discovered another method and succeeded. Are you certain this isn't a smokescreen to divert attention from the main issue?"
Sevile looked at him straight.
"And how are you so certain Holy Fire is the only method? It did not even exist twenty years ago when we were desperately searching for a countermeasure."
There were sparks in the air—figuratively and almost literally.
He continued.
"The student did not act blindly. While average in magical talent, his understanding of mana surpasses most. He has previously rewritten spells, producing outcomes entirely different from their standard form."
He stood.
A magic crystal shattered in his hand.
Mana surged violently.
Sevile stepped to the center and demonstrated a simplified version of the new spell compared to the traditional incantation.
He explained in clear, simple terms—even the Pope could grasp the fundamental difference.
"Lastly, this was not a calibrated experiment. It was a moment between life and death."
A recorded image appeared—Azek vomiting black blood, his expression twisted in agony, every orifice bleeding as his mana core collapsed.
Another image followed—Cardinal Magnus stabilizing him during his final desperate attempt.
"We presume that because he had attempted this method before, his body instinctively tried to preserve itself from internal collapse. After his mana core shattered, the poison seeped out due to the highly excited mana, and he formed another core."
He took a pause. All eyes watched him with full concentration.
"Under normal circumstances, forming a new core would be impossible. However, the Pope's holy spell remained within him, and Cardinal Magnus was present. This allowed stabilization without fatal injury.
Even now, he remains unconscious. Cardinal Dominicus had to supplement him with ample healing power before attending this meeting."
Sevile concluded.
"I will entertain questions to seek truth—not baseless suspicion simply because the individual is a student and history has not recorded such an event."
Pope Cecil nodded.
"Then tell me—what was his condition immediately after contamination?"
"Symptoms did not manifest immediately. He survived the seventy-two-hour threshold. It is suspected that he did not exhibit full symptoms because he had already expelled most of the poison."
"When he examined Methilia, what did he discover?"
Questions after questions followed.
Ashvile spoke.
"He touched her mana core and discovered it was the root of contamination. The moment this occurred, a trigger activated. The base of the East Tower—where laboratory sample monsters were stored—was destroyed. It revealed the true source.
We are still investigating how the trigger was connected to Methilia's core. It is also the reason we chose to keep her alive."
"So, in conclusion, you are suggesting he may be the first person to eliminate the source without transforming into a monster?"
A gentle voice echoed through the hall.
An aged woman with a kind expression spoke.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
It was Naira—the Saintess of the previous generation, whose prophecy had secured Cecil's rise to power.
Though she had relinquished her formal duties, her influence remained immense.
"That is correct, Your Holiness," Ashvile responded respectfully.
"And what of the other child?"
She did not need to say Methilia's name.
"She is confined in the Church's basement, bound to the Black Moon artifact. Suppressed—but her core is completely consumed. We do not know what would happen if she were executed. A tragedy has already occurred."
Naira closed her eyes briefly.
"Take radical measures for her security. She is unfortunate to have fallen victim—but we do not yet understand the perpetrator's true purpose."
Her words shifted the direction of the meeting.
The debate evolved.
Concern began to outweigh suspicion.
The Academy complied fully with the Church's inquisition.
Theodore returned to the Academy filled with cautious hope.