Your journey continues on M V L
From Pearney, Ivan learned quite a bit about Billerie.
Billerie was the only apprentice with 5th Class talent, genteel and diligent; he was simply a born winner in life.
Billerie had now turned into a wild beast, a madman with a drastically changed personality; he might have colluded with that thief.
Given Billerie's current situation, he was bound to stir up trouble and kill Toyennes to eliminate the source of the curse power.
Moreover, the castle was surrounded by a sorcery array that could interfere with the Secret Method Seal and also provide a certain level of protection for the castle; hence, it was safer inside the castle than outside.
She explained that she had walked into the trap herself merely to seek a way to suppress the curse and, additionally, did not want to be captured as an accomplice of Billerie.
Now, she was detained near Eckerz's residence, in a position further to the right, guarded by a Cloud Fog servant; the surveillance was not very strict, offering a chance to rescue her amid the chaos.
"If the curse can't be resolved, tackling the source of the curse is indeed a good approach."
Clasping the subdued Secret Method Seal Bead, a fierce glint flashed in Ivan's eyes, but then he shook his head.
Having heard about the deeds of Apprentice Aaron, he unusually suffered from insomnia that night, only falling asleep in the latter half of the night.
The spirit of a sorcerer apprentice was different; he was still energetic the next day.
"Laurie no longer dares to be arrogant, probably burying himself in hard practice to catch up with you soon. We also can't be complacent, hoping to break through to a 2nd Class apprentice; talent really is a wonderful thing."
In the cafeteria, Justine was, as usual, talking about the events happening around them.
Life inside the castle was particularly monotonous, with nothing much worth mentioning besides some minor conflicts among them.
Ivan said, "Be a bit more cautious these days."
"Why do you say that?"
"A few days ago, I saw that Pearney you mentioned being caught by Lahr."
"What? You mean Pearney----"
Hearing his words, Justine gasped; she quickly covered her mouth, her eyes flickering uncertainly.
On the castle walls, a membrane formed by the runes sorcery array stood in the path of the incoming attack and an explosion ensued.
It was a clash between energies.
In less than a second, the attack breached the runes sorcery array's barrier. The energy particles' membrane was still there, but the majority of the deep cyan mist continued into the castle, shooting toward the center of the castle.
"Look quickly!"
"Mother of God, someone has come to attack Sorcerer Toyennes."
The confrontation at the runes sorcery array was not insignificant, alarming the apprentices inside the castle. Some went out to take a look and, frightened, hastily returned to their rooms, closing the doors and windows tightly.
Some were bolder, immediately finding a better vantage point to quietly observe how things would turn out and to witness the might of Sorcerer Toyennes, like Ivan for instance.
"Sorcerer Toyennes, do you need my help to intercept?" At a higher position in the castle, the little green winged snake appeared before Toyennes immediately.
"Lahr, step aside." Looking at the energy ball racing towards him, Toyennes' face was especially stern; he was already targeted, and regardless, the attack from the opposite side was bound to hit him.
Glancing behind at the laboratory, Toyennes grimly moved to the other side.
Rays of lightning blazed with an air of panic.
Thunder gathered quickly around Toyennes, and with a wave of his hand, the thunder transformed into a bolt of destructive lightning that tore through the sky and struck directly at the oncoming deep cyan mist.
Under the siege of the lightning, the deep cyan mist vibrated violently but remained stubbornly strong, with over half of it remaining and directly charging at Toyennes.
In the critical moment, a defensive shield emerged around Toyennes, shrouded with the Frosty Air — his Talent Sorcery, the Ocean Blue Frost Shield, also the last layer of defense for a sorcerer.
"Boom."
The Ocean Blue Frost Shield failed to completely block the mist, causing Toyennes to step back several paces, slamming into the wall behind him.
The impact didn't cause much damage, but his body involuntarily absorbed the deep cyan mist, making his complexion exceedingly grim; even faint cyan patterns appeared on his face, resembling scars.
"Lahr, have everyone go after him; I want to extract that person's soul."
Toyennes staggered to his feet, stepped forward, and gave orders to the little green winged snake.
"At your command." The little green winged snake immediately summoned nearby Cloud Fog servants and flew towards the mountain base.
Toyennes stood still, waiting to stabilize the turmoil of power within him, then dashed towards the castle.