"He did say the source was his apartment," Pierta recalled the last words of Farhad and how happy he seemed after pinpointing the cause.
But to most, it just seemed like delirious talks of someone dying. They had searched the rooms before and hadn't found any sign of foul play. No curses or supernatural beings were detected.
Maxim even went as far as to do a source scan, losing one of his fingers in response. But the result remained the same.
Nothing was detected at that moment, which made the situation hard for this small group from Radiance.
But, Pierta never expected Remira to bring such a huge clue to them.
"So what language is it?" Remira asked, curious about her finding.
"All I can say for sure is that this is from the mundane world, nothing else." The moment Pierta said those words, Remira got confused.
The knowledge about the mundane world is known to few and its culture is even harder to learn about. All the world knows is that magically stops working in that world and one loses all blessings after transferring over it.
It's a punishment specifically used for irredeemable individuals that are hard to kill. And the gate to that world can open only during a specific time.
And from what Remira knew, it's been almost four to five decades since the last time a gate to that cursed place was opened up.
As for why Remira was confused. The languages in the mundane world are, how to say it, mundane.
They don't hold any magic unlike the runic of the sun kingdom or the writings of sylphs. So she wondered, why would one leave those writings around the runes on that wooden slab under Farhad's bed.
"Whoever inscribed this, is a learned individual."
"So you are sure it was an individual targeting us and not a supernatural force?" Remira wished to confirm this wondering whether it was something she could kill.
And to her expectation, Pierta nodded with a sigh. "If a supernatural force was at work, it would not need to use these methods to deal with us. Someone is targeting us. Someone that doesn't wish for us to succeed." Pierta might not know the function of the runes on the slab or what the writings meant. But she knew their enemy was just a human and nothing more.
If it was not illusory, then it can be killed.
"But why would someone wish to stop us from cleansing this street?' Pierta wondered, ignoring Remira who had started to enjoy her beer to celebrate her great find.
*****
Remira didn't stay in the library for long, they still had two days before Marshall Maisel arrives to take over his boy's body. And when he arrives, it would become harder to move as much.
"Wonder how that old cot will react to it?" Remira wondered, recalling the eyeless face of Maxim, before turning around the corner and looking for a cab.
Her next course of action was simple; ignore the cursed street and focus on the death of Farhad as she finds the one responsible for marking the boy.
She even wondered what kind of individual was capable of this. Because a mark is not simple, it's the sign that someone is under the gaze of a higher entity, and most of the time, it doesn't bode well for many.
Farhad was the greatest example, and the second was Maxim himself, who was marked by a greater entity.
How he saved his life, Remira didn't know. All she knew was that one day he had his eyes and the next time they were gone while Maxim aged by decades at once.
Which tells the price he paid to retain his life.
One shouldn't look at Maxim and think he is an old man. He was just 45 years old this year, but his body looks like that of a 70year old.
"I am here." Getting out of the cab, she stared at a stone slab in the middle of the city. A slab around which there was security standing around.
"The security is unusually high." She wondered, but her answer was soon answered.
A car, pitch black silently drove next to her, giving her goosebumps in the process.
This attracted her attention, the radiance in her blood was boiling, wishing to get out and kill the entity. But she soon calmed her body down and only stared at the car.
'An unmarked car?' Being someone that has focused most of her time on training, it was hard to learn about the model of this vehicle. But she can feel the slight hint of rune craft from the car, which told her that this was expensive.
And few were able to afford something like this in the city.
'A bit shot.' Remira thought, staring at the car silently.
And when the doors of the car opened up it was the face of an old man. But calling him old would be a disservice to old people, as this man seemed closer to being mummified.
'That cane, the headmaster of Lucien's abode, the academy that the boy went to.'
The aura of the headmaster was icy cold, making her blood of radiance boil, unbeknownst to her.
Which attracted the old man's attention.
– "A Hunter from Radiance?" The lips of the old man didn't move, but everyone around the headmaster heard those words clearly.
Causing the handlers of the headmaster to go on defense, sending goosebumps to Remira.
'The meeting ended too soon?' She scoffed, cursing Maxim for not being able to hold back this old man for long.
But now that she was found out, there was no reason to lie or feign ignorance anymore. So without any more delay, she bowed and introduced herself.
"Remira Wyrmwood from the 21st generation of Radiance hunter, it's a pleasure to meet you Headmaster Kariut."
Ignoring the wary gazes towards her which were ready to attack her anytime. She fearlessly moved her body and introduced herself.
A power play and a display of respect toward the headmaster.
But this small act didn't calm the anger of the old man. So in his usual deadpan tone, he asked her. "Then Remira Wyrmwood of the 21st generation, what are you doing at the gates of my academy?"
His voice sounded in everyone's ears, a voice that held a mocking tone. The old man was plainly aware of why she was here, he just wished to know what her excuse would be.
But to his surprise, Remira's answer turned out to be a bit unexpected.
"I just wish to visit Farhad Maisals dormitory. His death was random and leaving the dormitory to live in some dirty apartment didn't seem to gel for someone of his background." Remira was not the kind to shy away from her fault, if she was found out, so be it. She will use this to her advantage. "So I wish to check if there was something wrong in his dorm that directed him to leave it for the outside."
Hearing these words, the surroundings got silent, before one of the handlers reprimanded Remira. "I would suggest, you should choose your next words carefully. Otherwise, we won't be able to ignore any more of your offenses toward our headmaster anymore."
From Remira's words, one would think she was blaming the academy for Farhad's death, and in a way she was.
Claiming that something or someone in the academy drove Farhad to live in that cursed apartment building would push the blame of his death on the academy as well and at the moment no one wishes to hold this hot potato. Farhad's identity was a bit too sensitive.
"Offenses? I never intended for any of that. I am just doing my job and only wish to do a small investigation in your college, nothing more." Remira explained her intentions clearly. But from the way things were going, the chances of success seemed infinitely low.
– "Miss Radiance Hunter, the academy is not open to strangers, not in times when one of those strangers might be complicit in the death of one of our students."
– "So the answer is no and it would remain as such unless you are absolved of all your crimes."
– "And till that happens, I would pray that you stay away from my school for your own good."
The moment the old man stopped speaking, Remira felt a strange pain in her head, causing her to stumble back a bit.
She can feel something wriggling in her head, like a worm.
Something that was soon burned by her blood.
But it still left her in shock, and when she looked up, the old man had already left with the teleportation slab turning inactive.
"I failed."
She might have known this, but she didn't know how big of an opportunity she had just lost. But if she knew, there would be no reason for her to come here and deal with an old man who held similar hate for the Radiance society as I do.
Which made him an unlikely ally in this whole game.
But I have spoken too much about it.
Let's go back to our Heroine, who left the scene with a disappointed face. There was no method to infiltrate that college unless the stone slab was used.
No method for now at least.
"Hmm?"
But while going back, she paused.
Hmm, I wonder why she would stop at this time. But guess I don't need to worry as she started on her way back to the library.
Who am I kidding, each action of an individual has a meaning and if she stopped then there must be a reason for that as well.
Which by the method of elimination would leave with one thing.
"She is suspicious about me. What a wonderful little girl, it's been a while since someone was capable of noticing my presence. These Radiance bastards never disappoint me."