Lynn's sword remained suspended in mid-air, as Nour's words weren't difficult to confirm. All Laut needed to do was to inquire about those "whistles" again, and they would know whether the bounty had been rescinded.
In other words, it was highly likely that the inner circle of the Blood-Red Thorns had already deciphered the airship's manufacturing method. The only question was whether they had confirmed that it relied on gas within the envelope with lower density than air to stay afloat.
This might seem like an easy discovery, but the mainstream flight theory in the land of wizards relied on propulsion or the use of shape-shifting magic to mimic bird flight. Even though elemental magic practitioners had long discovered the existence of gases like hydrogen, helium, neon, and ammonia, the buoyancy provided by these gases on their own was incredibly weak.
To put it into perspective, to lift a person, one would need to maintain a hydrogen gas cloud of at least sixty cubic meters around them at all times, and the magical energy required for this was incalculable. No wizard would consider flying in such a manner.
Because of this, shortly after the flight experiment a few days ago, rumors began to circulate that Lydia had installed some sort of alchemical device beneath the airship's chamber to continuously provide lift. However, this kind of misdirection could only last for so long. The massive envelope of the airship was too conspicuous, and it wouldn't take long for someone to suspect that it was the gas inside the envelope that was responsible for the lift.
Once they obtained the blueprints, they would be able to confirm this immediately, as there were no machines in the chamber providing propulsion. Following that, with repeated experiments, they would quickly discover the gas suitable for providing lift.
"So, do you know what the important figure from the Blood-Red Thorns wants to do with the airship?" Lynn turned to Nour and questioned him again.
He was more concerned about the intentions of these individuals than the risk of technical leaks. If they were to cause any trouble with the airship, such as bombing an important town, it might ultimately be blamed on him. After all, everyone knew that the skyship was his exclusive alchemical creation.
"It's for...," Nour began, but his expression suddenly contorted in excruciating pain. He opened his mouth wide, as though someone was strangling him, and then began to slam his head violently against the ground.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
With each loud impact, Nour's previously firm forehead immediately swelled, blood oozing from the wound, yet he seemed oblivious to the pain.
Faced with Nour's sudden frenzy, Lynn was taken aback. He reached out and held Nour's head to stop him from bashing it into the ground, but the next moment, he realized that Nour had gone completely still.
Lynn lifted Nour's cheek, finding his forehead covered in blood, his eyes wide open and his expression twisted in a grotesque manner.
He checked for signs of breathing and a pulse, only to discover that Nour had already died.
As Lynn looked at Nour, who had suddenly gone mad and died right in front of him, a chill ran down his spine. He quickly glanced around, but there was no sign of anyone, and he hadn't noticed any movement beforehand.
"Fossil to Mud," Lynn chanted, using magic to free Nour's half-buried body from the ground. He held his sword tightly in his right hand, ready to fend off any potential surprise attacks.
However, nothing he feared came to pass. Nour's skin remained a healthy green, and the sword wounds on his body had already healed; there was no visible sign of any problems.
Could it be some form of attack on the soul? Lynn suddenly thought of this because Nour's condition was somewhat similar to Dove's. They both showed no physical injuries, so it was likely a spiritual injury.
The difference was that when Dove unleashed the "Soul Wail," Archbishop Anluke, who possessed some divine power, had counterattacked, while Nour had been attacked the moment he began discussing the airship's usage.
It was possible that someone had imprinted a certain magic in his mind, which activated when he spoke about something he wasn't supposed to reveal, destroying his brain.
Only a psychic wizard who had a profound understanding of the soul could accomplish such a feat.
Lynn immediately realized that this wizard organization called the "Blood-Red Thorns" was likely even more complex and dangerous than he had imagined.
Apart from their involvement in magical modifications (morphology/shape-shifting/transfiguration) and the research on methods to elevate novice wizards to official status, they might also be delving into psychic magic, something that had been entirely banned in the wizarding world.
What troubled Lynn even more was that when he had questioned Nour earlier, the wizard had revealed significant information about the members of the Blood-Red Thorns without triggering this mechanism. Yet it activated while discussing the airship...
Deep in thought, the sound of hurried footsteps suddenly reached his ears.
Lynn turned to look, a fireball had already ignited in his palm, but it quickly extinguished.
The newcomer was Laut, accompanied by a few of his trusted associates.
"Lord Lynn?" Laut stared at the unfamiliar wizard before him, somewhat uncertain.
"It's me." Lynn nodded, not bothering to hide his identity.
Laut breathed a sigh of relief, not surprised by Lynn's slightly altered appearance. Back in the Harbor Town, he had already seen that Lynn was a skilled shape-shifting wizard. Moreover, he'd had a memorable encounter with Lynn, who had disguised himself as Rabe.
"Is this Nour? He doesn't quite match the description in the intel..." Laut quickly noticed the greenish corpse lying next to Lynn.
Nour's towering two-meter frame had shrunk due to the depletion of magical energy, but his skin remained green, and his identity was still somewhat recognizable from his facial features.
Could this be some form of torturous magic?
"It's the result of a transfiguration potion, likely related to the 'defects' you mentioned earlier..." Lynn interrupted Laut's speculation, using ice magic to freeze Nour, then continued, "Bring a few more people to take him back, but do it discreetly, so others won't see."
Lynn was genuinely interested in these so-called 'defects.' Of course, it didn't mean he wanted to turn into a "green giant" himself. Instead, he planned to research how this transfiguration potion worked, how it could significantly enhance a person's physical qualities and grant them the ability to heal injuries in an extremely short amount of time. If some wizards considered individuals like Nour as "defects," there must be perfected versions of this potion.
Once Laut and his team concealed Nour, it was approaching dinnertime, and Lynn didn't rush into his research. Instead, he headed straight back to the dormitory in Iyeta Academy.
Upon entering his room, Lynn's steps suddenly halted, and he became highly vigilant.
A scarlet-sealed envelope was leaning on the shelf of his desk.
And there definitely wasn't one of these before he left.
TL/n -
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You can read -
Scientific Wizard (up to Chapter 200)
Wizard + System (up to Chapter 155)