Almost nobody ventures into the basement of Rodrix Manor, not even Merkel. The only one who would come here is Shiller, or rather, a certain persona of Shiller's.
The body of Master Andrew was carelessly strewn on the frigid floor. Pamela caught a whiff of an odd smell as soon as she walked in.
But this was not unexpected. The day's highest temperature was near forty degrees, and even a typically cool cellar reached around twenty-seven to twenty-eight degrees. The decomposition rate of a human corpse surpasses that of most animals.
"The ingredients don't look fresh," Pamela furrowed her brows as she stated, "Are you sure they are still edible?"
Shiller glanced at the corpse on the ground and replied indifferently, "No, Miss, that's not our food. The moment of his death rendered him inedible, at most he could serve as bait."
Pamela eyed Shiller with some puzzlement. She didn't understand what Shiller was referring to, but she truly had no desire to approach the corpse that was quickly turning into a high state of decay.
Suddenly, a stirring was heard from the corridor door outside the cellar room. Pamela swiftly turned around and within the shadowy corridor, an individual donned in a cloak could be spotted.
"Did you kill Andrew?" A harsh, hoarse voice echoed, bringing a mysterious touch typical of a mage, but Pamela's gaze toward the figure softened with a touch of pity.
The figure stepped out from the darkness, removing her cloak, revealing a pair of pale hands. Between her black hair, a pair of apparent goat horns stood out. This was a woman with a succubus lineage, and Pamela swore she saw the most dissatisfied expression she'd ever witnessed on Shiller's face.
"You're a half-breed? Not entirely human?" Shiller turned to face the half-succubus who appeared at the door. His eyes momentarily lingered on the swaying tail behind her. Unaware, the succubus said, "Though Andrew was a fool, that outsider named Strange has even less qualification to shape the future of the magic realm."
"Banning demons from freely interacting with the human race, what a joke!" The half-succubus sneered saying, "Are we supposed to fraternize with those frail commoners from now on, scrambling daily for a scrap of food? Without the power of demons, what difference would there be between mages and ordinary individuals?"
Just then, another gaunt figure emerged from behind the half-succubus. He removed his own cloak revealing a furrowed, aged face beneath.
Shiller calmly called out his name, "Grand Mage Kaz, so you're still alive."
"Those winged rodents won't kill me off that easily," Kaz laughed in a manner akin to a ghost, adding, "Death, decay, filth, I am the master of these things, they merely outlive."
"Shahlia, stop wasting your breath. Take Andrew's body, and I can use it to curse the one who killed him. Supreme Magician? We'll soon meet him in the Abyss of the Black!"
The next second, the cellar was pitch black. Pamela completely missed how Shiller disappeared.
Half an hour later, Strange came down the stairs of the manor, massaging his slightly throbbing head, and said to Shiller, who was setting the table, "They won't be easy to deal with, the troubles are endless."
"Could you enlighten me on what you've recently discovered?" Shiller inserted a bunch of daisies into a transparent vase with light green patterns, placed it directly in front of the dining table cloth, and then started to fold napkins in a complex manner.
"The demon's corrosion is far deeper than we imagined. Some people have almost lost their self-consciousness, but they think they have. They believe all their choices are based on their own will, but the fact is quite the opposite."
"This situation mainly appears in mages with demonic bloodlines. The more concentrated the bloodline, the more severe the corruption. Andrew's appointment as a grand mage is not unrelated to his own bloodline."
Strange walked opposite of Shiller, picked up a napkin, and started folding it in the same way as Shiller did. Suddenly, he frowned and sniffed, uncertain if he smelled a faint trace of blood in the air.
He brushed it off as an illusion, and said, "We've all made one mistake. Although impulsive young people are attracted by power and will do anything for it, Grand Mages with demon's blood are the real threats."
"When I realized this, it was already too late. They are openly assembling, claiming that none of us can represent the will of the human race. We should vote or raise hands to decide, otherwise, the magic defense network must not be completed."
"They said they have the freedom to seek power, the freedom to know the truth and to communicate with the outside world. They said the magical defense network is our cage and we should negotiate with demons in a more gentle way."
Shiller looked up at Strange whose face wore a semblance of a smile. He knew that these words could not sway Strange. This extreme human supremacist wouldn't give heed to such nonsense.
"My only mistake was not realizing that even if I forcibly completed the magical defense network, some demons and angels can still communicate with their descendants through their blood. Andrew and several other surviving grand mages have been bewitched, and perhaps even more people. Those maggots expelled from the magic realm are lurking in the shadow, watching closely."