Chapter 202 - Faustina's Plans (Part 2)

The next day, Faustina was able to only focus on studying as she investigates in her free time. Usually, after class, she would stroll down to places holding her journal as she tries to take note of the things that she sees. And as time passed by, weeks already passed with her doing this routinely.

She sent fire letters to the king, but he had no response, so Faustina stopped doing so and only informed Orwell. She didn't want to be a nuisance to the king, after all. Days passed and Faustina was still having dreams about Eula more frequently than ever. Sometimes Eula appeared in her dreams as young, and sometimes, sick. It was bizarre how those dreams didn't exactly look like dreams at all, given the fact that Faustina could easily evoke Eula's appearance so vividly.

How could dreams look so real?

It bothered her.

"Miss Faustina."

"Y-yes, Ma'am!"

"Please pay more attention to class. If you would prefer to daydream, then you can go to the gardens and do it under a parasol." Professor Lotus said. "Now then. Can someone tell me more of the quotations linked under alchemy? Yes, Miss Michelle."

Faustina was now in the class of Professor Lotus Madne, but she couldn't pay attention. She had drifted to her thoughts again. About the things she needed to investigate.

"Now your mediums of magic are said to link to your very roots," said the professor. "People would often say that alchemy isn't connected to mediums because it's a completely different branch, let me just say it is wrong. Mediums of magics can actually be linked to alchemy—and that answer lies into what we can consider to be the gems on the peak of your staves, or the ones at the top of your wands."

**

"Where is the maid?"

The maid was gone, but that doesn't mean that it won't attack. The corpse walked forward. And despite the corpse being several meters away from Faustina, she could still smell its foul smell. The scent was as putrid as can be, even way worse than anything she had caught a whiff of. 

"This is good." Says one of the nobles. Faustina believes her name was Violet, the one who ranks fifth from the race. 

"If the corpse had no clothes, we can easily track the weak spot."

That's right. Their job was to track the weak spot and possibly destroy it while Claire and the other two are fighting the undead king. Faustina turned to the three—they were conjuring large scales of magical attacks, but the corpse—even at its feeble appearance—was easily evading the attacks.

"But isn't the weak spot supposed to be the undead king's heart?"

The undead king's heart wasn't there. There was a hole in his chest, and in that hole, they could see the other end of the place. 

"Let's go!"

The nobles then charged towards the undead king and surrounded him. Faustina trailed behind, looking observantly to the undead king's body. There was no sign of insignia from their distance, so they had to get close to the corpse to observe properly.

Although Faustina knew they were in a dire situation, she couldn't take her mind from the song the undead maid had sung. 

She felt that it bore a meaning… but she still couldn't tell what was it.

"Terram!"

"Ventus exacuare vade!"

The three were still attacking the corpse, making it focus only on them. This had given the nobles the opportunity to view the undead king up-close. But there was nothing else but its charred body. No mark whatsoever.

"You."

Faustina blinked—that voice. 

The maid's voice.

"You are special."

"D-did you guys hear that?" Faustina asked.

"Hear what?... We ought to back away, come on!"

Faustina and the nobles drew away from the undead king. Faustina looked into her left and right, finding the source of the voice. The voice wasn't speaking their language, but Faustina could still understand her, nonetheless.

"Why are you in a place where you do not belong?" 

Faustina's eyes widened as she turned to her side where the voice had materialized.

The undead maid was beside her.

And she was now a corpse, as well.

"FAUSTINA!" Anakin and Leviticus called her name in chorus as the both of them rushed towards her. 

And then, time stopped.

At least, for Faustina.

"Rest, my love, rest. I will take care of your heart and hide it in my treasure chest. Do not fret, my love… your heart is safe. Just believe in me, as I believe in fate."

"Rest, warlock king, for time had stopped. Your frozen heart is already beside my snow-clad corpse. I am here, my love, to treasure your heart. My death is nothing but the beginning of our love."

"Rest your soul, and do not wake. Warlock king, my love, only close your eyes. Your wrath does not belong in this accursed land. Fall into a deep slumber and pay no heed. I will treasure your heart for all eternity."

Faustina glanced at the undead maid's chest.

And without thinking, Faustina reached her hand onto her rotten flesh.

Light emanated from Faustina's palms, the same way the marionette in Feuer capital had illuminated the sewers. The undead maid only stared at Faustina. There was no hint of remorse or anything wicked in her face despite her terrifying appearance.

She only looked… at peace.

"You are special."

Faustina blinked as the sees two hearts merged and were enclosed into a piece of jewel-like ice.

"You, who hold a warlock's staff…" The undead maid closed her eyes. "Belongs to a different place."

Faustina blinked as the light engulfed the entirety of the space. The undead maid and the undead king vanished into thin air. Their remains—which became a hoard of dark butterflies—merged into one as they vanished into the light.

Faustina fell to her knees as she held her staff.

"W-we…"

"We defeated… we defeated the undead king!!!!!!"

"We won!"

"WE PASSED THE EXAM!!!"

Rejoice.

She had to rejoice.

But Faustina knew she was the only one who understood the undead maid's words. She would be the only one who wouldn't be able to celebrate to her heart's content.

Warlock staff…

She has a warlock's staff?

**

Memories of the undead maid's claim about her staff drifted around Faustina's head until the end of the class. Faustina knew that there may or may not be true to her words… but there was still the underlying issue whereas to why she was able to understand her, while others cannot.

She said this to Orwell, who became fascinated with the theory that perhaps Heilens could also understand ancient texts, and so he sent her different languages to translate. But to no avail, Faustina wasn't able to read one.

"If you are indeed holding a warlock's staff, then you are a warlock. But what makes a warlock a 'warlock', is that he can use black magic because it's rooted in his veins whilst being able to use elemental magic as well. Mages who try to use black magic will just be corrupted and would be unable to use elemental magic again—so warlocks are special cases because they have infernal blood and are natural-born magicians as well." He said. "Although your staff is odd-looking, it doesn't look like the staves of warlocks."

It was true; Faustina dug through the books in her dormitory's library to look at the Warlock staves, but there was nothing else but pitch-black staves in it. 

**

Faustina returned to her room after eating dinner at the great hall of her dormitory. This day was considerably having less academic workload, so students would just lounge around the common room, the hallways, and of course, the hall. After the cleanup for the dinner, the Ianua VI students were chattering around with each other.

"I'm going first," Michelle said. "I have to study hard since there's a quiz on magical theory next week."

"Isn't that too early?" Anakin asked.

"Well, Lord Scion, I'm not as gifted as you are, so I need to double my efforts."

Anakin smirked. "Oh. I see."

"You're making his head bigger than it should, Mich." Leviticus asserted.

"What bigger? Michelle just said the truth,"

"Oh really. Then explain the smug face."

And so, the banter started.

"You're so hardworking, Michelle." Faustina exclaimed. 

Michelle smiled, "well, I do have a dream to be in the first Ianua, so I have to double and triple all my efforts so I won't be a failure to my family."

Faustina smiled.

"Alright."

**

After a while, when the students finally began to gradually decrease as night fell deep, Faustina headed towards her planned destination. The curfew on her dorm is an hour before midnight, so she still got quite some time.

Faustina ambled her way towards the bridge, and then finally to the island where Magierstadt's main castle is located. She was carrying an oil lamp as she walked. Faustina looked around, there were artificial fireflies wandering around still. There wasn't also many people in sight, considering the time.

Faustina entered the main castle which was dimly-lit with lamps. It was quiet, eerily so. Faustina took a deep breath before resuming her walk.

"What are you doing?"

"Eek!" Faustina shrieked, eyes widening as she turned towards that certain voice.

"Y-you're…"