"Merian Schmidt, Great Alchemist. An alchemist under the Jade Federation Bi Chao Guild, am I right?"
The air froze in that instant.
Merian's heart tightened suddenly; he had never mentioned his name, and no one had asked. Even those young alchemy apprentices only knew him as a researcher.
Yet the person before him stripped all his identities away with just one sentence.
His mind raced: Who could have said it? Was it those captured apprentices? Or had the guild already betrayed him?
He wanted to argue, to say it was just a misunderstanding, but his throat felt like it was clogged, unable to make a sound.
Fear crept up, inch by inch.
This sense of powerlessness was not unfamiliar. In the research institute of the Green Tide Guild, whenever his superiors questioned him coldly, he had felt this suffocation, only this time it was more complete.
Though Louis' gaze wasn't sharp, and even carried a hint of patience, his calm demeanor made it hard to breathe.
