"The Power Society..." Kenneth thoughtfully mumbled after Cyril relayed to him his findings.
He briefly considered not mentioning Ailanthus, since that might invite suspicion, but Cyril didn't know if he was observed earlier.
That could backfire into inviting even more suspicion, so he shared everything.
The other members were standing watch outside, just in case Jeff was being kept under surveillance.
"There is also this box, but there is a trap inside. Can one of you open it?" Cyril gave him the box he found under the kitchen sink.
Kenneth wordlessly grabbed it and cast a spell in practiced movements. Soon the box opened on its own.
Inside was only money and a simple silver ring. It looks like the man didn't lie about its contents.
Kenneth picked up the ring and observed it from all sides. "It's enchanted with a negligible agility boost. No secret message or sign." He threw it back inside like it was some common trash.
Then he picked up the money with much more care. After counting it, Kenneth gave half to Cyril. "Should be fair this way."
The man on the ground stared at his riches disappearing without any particular feeling. At this point he only felt happy they weren't paying attention to him.
"So, Ailanthus Academy might hold some clues..." Kenneth stood with his arms crossed, sending a sneaky glance at a student nearby.
Jack most likely told them everything he knew about Cyril, so it was pointless to pretend.
"While in the academy, I met a Lapis member searching for the stone, though he didn't know the details himself," Cyril explained without telling a single lie.
He immediately followed up on it: "I investigated on my own already and found nothing that could lead towards any stone. Maybe you'll have better chances."
Kenneth frowned, "I wouldn't want to infiltrate that place. The professors there could be quite scary sometimes, not to mention that principal..."
After a few seconds of contemplation, he hit his palm with a fist. "Alright, better explore the Power Society lead then. It will definitely be easier."
Cyril internally breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't that afraid of being found out; he still trusted Myra and her numerous methods, but he didn't want to waste time pretending to search for a stone whose location was already known.
He lowered his head to look at Jeff, who was pretending to be the dust on the ground. "What should we do with him?"
Cyril wasn't exactly familiar with the normal protocol here.
Kenneth didn't even think about his answer; it looked like it was ready before he even entered through the doors. "First, let me interrogate him again, just to make sure," he somewhat ominously said.
...
That didn't take long at all; the man cooperated like Kenneth had never seen before. It was as easy as taking a relaxing walk in the park.
The man essentially repeated the same information, which made Cyril feel glad he didn't hide anything about Ailanthus.
Kenneth himself didn't seem to mind their employer's identity getting revealed. At least one couldn't tell from his face.
"What did you do to him?" He said to Cyril, his voice sounding impressed, eager to know new methods.
"I used a technique I learned from a master," Cyril replied concisely.
Jack might've told his group about the enigmatic martial artist, Selene, and how she wanted to make Cyril her disciple. She was the perfect scapegoat.
"It's a very impressive one." Kenneth nodded in wonder and didn't question him further.
Private and unique spells were incredibly common. Few mages were willing to share their hard work with the other people, so this was a rather touchy subject for everyone.
Usually one wouldn't even ask like Kenneth did just now. It only spoke of how impressed he was with the results.
In reality this was all done by Rhamn, using her recent gains.
"I told you it was useful. That one drop of blood had my own version of the 'vampire virus.' Once it reached inside of that guy's body, it started rapidly turning all of his blood and flesh, technically making him a special vampire under my control." Rhamn proudly stood nearby, holding her nose high.
She stared at Jeff on the ground with a victorious smirk. "This way, all of his body is now available for me to manipulate as I see fit, like directly affecting his nervous system to evoke pain quite unlike anything else he has felt."
As Cyril was listening to Rhamn's gloating, Kenneth started speaking again, "There is no point in staying here further. Do you mind going out of the building first, as I deal with this guy?"
Finding that reasonable, Cyril nodded and swiftly left the room. There was nothing else interesting here anyways.
In the meantime he continued talking to Rhamn.
This is quite powerful. A single drop of blood is enough to completely dominate a person... He thought with some awe.
Can he get cured from that state?
"Something that cures vampirism will cure this as well," Which meant it wasn't possible for the victim to be freed from that state.
At least Cyril never heard of there being a medicine that can turn a vampire back into a human.
...
When Cyril returned outside, there was no one else around.
With some time to waste, he thoughtfully observed his body through a nearby window's reflection.
It looked like a normal human, without any differences, but it clearly wasn't the case.
Rhamn's ability appeared more miraculous the more time passed. She could transform his body to a surprising degree and even create new life entirely.
And from how Rhamn spoke, it seemed she will be capable of more in the future if they get the right materials.
If there is indeed a race that is capable of all these things... how come we've never heard about it before? Cyril inevitably had these thoughts.
A whole race of people with similar abilities to Cyril's should be a significant force to contend with. How come humans of the Empire don't have any knowledge of them?
Could there be some downside to such abilities? Aside from requiring mana to survive...
"It's pointless to think about this. Let's just focus on ourselves and enjoy life to its fullest!" Rhamn was in high spirits for now.
At this moment she froze, then simply stated the fact without any emotional upheavals. "I lost control over Jeff"
"There is a cure after all, the ultimate one"
Cyril wasn't surprised at such an outcome. It seemed fitting in a way.
He only continued waiting for the other members of this company-funded mercenary group.
...
Once everyone arrived, they decided to briefly discuss their next course of action. But not before Jack cast a spell to isolate their voices from the outside.
In the process he briefly froze, staring warily into the distance.
"What's wrong?" Kenneth asked and prepared for trouble.
Katherine, with a frown, entered a combat-ready stance. "I checked the perimeter; it should've been fine..."
Can Morpho feel anyone close?
"No one," Rhamn replied with a frown.
At this moment Jack raised his hand. "Sorry, I made a mistake. It's nothing," he apologetically said.
Everyone quickly breathed a sigh of relief.
"You scared me there! I almost thought I missed someone..." Katherine's eyes looked particularly tired.
Jack only sheepishly smiled in response and shrugged.
...
"So we'll be going to Power Society next," said Gethyn with some quiet excitement.
He looked eager to visit them. He did look like a person who enjoys a passionate, manly brawl.
From what Cyril saw, these were the kind of people that gang attracted. They appeared a little silly in his eyes.
"I remember they have a hideout on this street too, right?" Jack cut in.
Kenneth nodded. "We'll go there, though this time we'll take action ourselves; we need to be quiet."
He turned towards Cyril. "This time your butterfly will have something to do. Their place acts as a warehouse too. The chances are slim, but the stone might be there."
Morpho fluttered her wings in anticipation; she was getting quite bored sitting around.
Cyril nodded to indicate he understood, then everyone moved to get out of this place.
...
Actually, Morpho could've tracked the stones directly if they gave her something with the same 'scent.' For an example, the box that housed the stones back in the company.
There could be spells to encounter an ability like that, but it was still worth a try.
However, even if it did work, there would be some trouble with that.
Cyril is planning to take the stone for himself, but if they knew he had an ability that could directly track their missing object, it would be harder for him to pretend to miss it.
It would invite too much suspicion, so he didn't mention it.
It wasn't a big deal. Even if they miss it today, now that he knows that the Power Society might have the Black Tulip, he can investigate together with Myra later.