Chapter 129: Lucen's Wrath And Ron's dilemma
Outside the dungeon,
The air turned heavy—thicker than mana, thicker than silence.
No one could speak.
Zane's words still echoed like a curse.
"Arin Blake is a traitor. He was the spy."
Celeste's knees trembled.
Her sapphire-blue eyes widened, disbelief and tears mixing as her voice cracked,
"N-No... that's impossible. He can't be a spy... not Arin..."
Zane exhaled softly, his expression unreadable.
"You can see for yourself."
He knelt and gently laid the corpse on the ground.
The lifeless body of Arin Blake—once full of laughter and restless energy—was now pale, broken.
His uniform was torn and blood-soaked, deep wounds carving across his arms and torso.
A hollow hole gaped in his chest, right where the heart should've been.
Filthy, corrupted mana still clung to him, like a black mist refusing to fade.
Celeste fell to her knees beside him.
Her trembling fingers brushed his face.
"Arin... wake up... please..." she whispered, tears dripping onto his motionless cheek.
The others—Ron, Lia, Jax, Lirael, Selene, Torren—stood frozen.
Their hearts ached, confusion and grief battling the truth their professor had spoken.
Mira finally stepped forward, her sharp eyes narrowing behind her lenses.
"If he was their spy..." she said slowly, "then why would they kill him?"
Zane shook his head, his tone calm yet distant.
"Well... I don't know."
He stood there quietly, watching the fading traces of corruption around the body.
"But one thing is certain—His corpse has that filthy mana that means he was working with them.
Celeste's voice cracked through the tense air.
"No... no... it can't be..."
Her sobs echoed across the clearing, raw and painful.
Zane glanced at her quietly.
In his mind, a thought slipped through.
Poor girl... she's fallen for the system's little trick.And that boy didn't even consider her his heroine...
He almost smiled faintly. It's kind of funny, in a sad way.
Aurelian stepped forward, his expression hard but calm.
He knelt beside Celeste and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.
"Come on, Celeste..."
But she didn't respond—her mind lost somewhere between disbelief and heartbreak.
Aurelian sighed softly, then lifted her up in his arms.
Her tears still stained his chest as she quietly cried.
He turned toward the professors and bowed slightly.
"I'm leaving with Celeste, professors."
Zane nodded once, expression steady.
The other professors followed with small nods of agreement.
Without another word, Aurelian carried Celeste away, his steps quiet against the stone.
Moments later, one of the academy servants stepped forward and announced,
"All students may now return to their respective dorms. If there are any injuries, please report to the healers stationed here.
As for the results of this dungeon expedition, they will be announced in your classes."
The field grew restless as the surviving students slowly began to move.
Relief and sorrow mixed in their expressions.
Ron stood silently among them, his mind replaying the image of Arin's lifeless body.
He couldn't shake off the unease—the weight of what happened between them, and what Professor Zane had done.
Lia, holding onto Ron's arm, looked equally disturbed.
Lirael, Jax, Selene, and Torren followed behind, each heavy with thoughts they couldn't voice.
Before leaving, Ron turned once more.
Zane met his gaze and gave him a calm, reassuring smile.
But that only made Ron feel even more uneasy.
He exhaled and walked away with the rest.
Zane's eyes lingered on the boy's back.
He'll come back to ask questions, he thought. And when he does... he'll get his answers.
Then, turning back to the professors, Zane's tone grew composed again.
"Inform Vice-Chairman Lucen to prepare for these five. We'll begin their interrogation soon."
The academy servants nodded and hurried toward the academy gates.
Varris crossed his arms, his deep voice following,
"We'll be joining the interrogation as well."
Iralyn and Mira both nodded in agreement.
Mira adjusted her glasses and added,
"Until then, let's return to our residences. We'll need to prepare the proper seals for containment."
Zane gave a small nod.
"Agreed."
They gave the final order to close the dungeon gates.
And as the light dimmed, the four professors walked back toward the academy—
the echoes of what happened lingering behind them like shadows refusing to fade.
Inside the Vice-Chairman's office, the atmosphere had turned heavy. The faint ticking of the mana clock on the wall was the only sound that dared exist.
Lucen Merrith stood near his desk, his hand gripping the edge tightly as he read through the report again. His usual calm expression had vanished, replaced by one that radiated cold fury. The mana around him stirred faintly, making the temperature in the room drop.
"Damn it!!" he roared suddenly, slamming the papers on the table with such force that the mana crystal lamp on his desk flickered for a second.
His raven-black eyes narrowed as he stared down at the sheet.
"If not for Zane... those students would've been dead," he muttered, voice low but sharp enough to slice through the silence. "To think someone would dare to do such thing inside Astralis Arcanum..."
Standing a few steps away, Seris Velmira adjusted her glasses, her composed demeanor unshaken despite the pressure Lucen's presence carried. Her dark green hair shimmered slightly under the light as she looked up from her clipboard.
Lucen exhaled, rubbing his temple before sinking back into his chair. "Seris," he said finally, his tone quieter but colder. "Call Corvin. I want him to lead the interrogation of those five insects."
He paused for a moment, his gaze drifting toward the window, where the academy's towers could be seen in the distance.
"Do everything it takes to make them talk. I want to know who sent them and why. No one moves inside my academy without me knowing."
Seris lowered her clipboard slightly. "Understood, Vice-Chairman."
She hesitated for just a brief moment before speaking again. "Also... all four professors have requested permission to attend the interrogation."
Lucen thought for a while, his fingers tapping lightly against the desk. Then, with a low sigh, he said, "Let three of them stay behind the observation wall."
His voice hardened again.
"I want Zane to be inside with Corvin. He brought those bastards in — he'll see it through."
Seris's glasses caught the light as she gave a calm nod. "As you wish, Vice-Chairman."
Lucen didn't respond immediately. His eyes drifted back toward the paper, the faint reflection of mana light dancing in his raven-black eyes.
"...Whoever's behind this," he muttered under his breath, "they've made a grave mistake."
Seris turned silently and left the room, her footsteps fading down the corridor as she went to summon Professor Corvin.
The office grew quiet again. The flicker of blue mana from the crystal lamp danced over Lucen's face as he leaned back in his chair, eyes filled with restrained frustration.
"Damn it..." he whispered. "If Aldren were here, he would've sensed them long before. He lives near the forest... near where the dungeon appeared..."
Lucen clenched his fist, the mana around his hand rippling faintly. "I'm ashamed I couldn't sense those five insects myself... I was too engrossed in these damn reports and paperwork..."
His gaze lifted toward the ceiling, his voice dropping to a weary murmur.
"Chairman Caelum... when will you return?"
The room fell into complete silence once more — the kind that carried both anger and regret.
--
After some time, Zane was walking through the quiet corridors of Astralis Arcanum. The marble floor reflected the faint glow of floating mana lanterns, each step echoing softly in the empty hallway.
Lucen had called all four professors who had witnessed the dungeon incident, and Zane was heading to the Vice-Chairman's office in response.
His hands were casually tucked into his coat pockets, his expression calm as ever.
'Those five are still in the academy's prison,' he thought to himself, eyes glinting faintly with amusement. 'Looks like their interrogation is about to begin.'
A small, knowing smile curved his lips.
'Although I already know everything—where they came from, their objectives, even who sent them...' he mused. 'After all, I already extracted every fragment of their memories when I captured them. Still, it might be interesting to see how they break under pressure.'
As he walked, he sensed something,the corner of his mouth lifted slightly. "About time..." he muttered under his breath.
And before he could take another step—
"Professor Zane!!"
The familiar voice made him stop. He turned around, his expression softening as he saw two figures jogging toward him.
Ron and Lia.
Ron looked a bit hesitant, as if unsure whether he should've called out at all, while Lia's expression carried a mix of nervousness and curiosity.
Zane smiled gently, the kind that seemed effortless yet carried a quiet depth. "Yes, kids," he said, his tone warm and composed. "What happened?"
Ron looked like he wanted to say something, his lips parting and closing again as if the words were trapped in his throat. Lia stood beside him, her eyes darting from one corner of the corridor to another, scanning nervously as though checking if someone was eavesdropping.
Zane watched them both silently for a moment — the tension in their posture, the hesitation in their eyes — and then smiled faintly.
With a soft snap of his fingers, a faint ripple of blue mana expanded outward, surrounding them in a thin, transparent dome. The air shimmered once before settling back into stillness.
"You can say anything now," Zane said calmly, his tone carrying quiet assurance. "We're inside an invisible barrier. No one can hear us."
Ron and Lia both widened their eyes — he had read their unease like an open book.
For a moment, neither of them spoke. Then Ron clenched his fists, gathering his courage.
"Professor Zane," he began, his voice low but firm. "I want to know something... Was Arin really a spy, as you said back then?"
Zane's expression didn't change. His eyes held a still, steady calm — like a lake untouched by the wind.
"No," he said flatly. "He was not a spy. In fact, he didn't even know those five men."
The answer hit Ron like a cold gust. His shoulders tensed, guilt flashing across his face.
"But... but you're branding him as one," Ron said, voice trembling slightly. "That's wrong. I—"
Lia bit her lip, glancing between the two, unable to find the right words.
Zane let out a quiet sigh, his gaze softening just a little. "Don't worry, kid," he said, his tone carrying a strange gentleness. "You didn't do anything to an innocent person. He wasn't innocent... not really. He was controlled, yes—but he still chose his path."
Ron looked up, confused. Lia frowned slightly, sensing there was more behind those words.
Zane folded his arms, his faint smile returning — but this time, there was something cold behind it.
"Let me tell you," he said slowly, "what he really was."
Both Ron and Lia stiffened, their eyes locked on him.
Ron swallowed. "What was he, Professor?"
Zane's eyes glimmered faintly with a deep, mysterious purple hue as he looked at the two.
"He was born to kill you," Zane said quietly. "And he was not from this world."