Chapter 76: Lathel and Lyra - NO!!!

Lucien widened his eyes as he looked at Selvia, thinking to himself: ’Why is she requesting a soul-nourishing medicine? Could it be... did Lathel do something terrible to her?’ ’Damn it! That bastard Lathel—if he dared to hurt her, I’ll... I’ll...’ Lucien clenched his teeth, but in the end, he didn’t know what he could do to Lathel. All he could do was sigh and wait for Lyra’s response. Professor Lyra frowned, glancing at Selvia with a confused look. "I’ve examined you—your soul is perfectly fine. What do you need a soul-nourishing medicine for?" Selvia pressed her lips together and quickly explained, "Master, Lathel said that his strength is increasing too fast, and he can’t keep up with it." "Moreover, he realized that his soul has been damaged, which is causing him trouble when trying to control his energy." "He’s currently trying to resolve that problem, but I thought that using a soul-nourishing medicine would help him recover faster." Upon hearing this, Lyra frowned in thought: ’Perhaps Lathel’s soul was affected by the Dark Mist, which is why he’s suffering damage.’ ’And in recent days, his power has indeed grown rapidly—so fast it even surprised me.’ ’Looks like... his soul really is under immense pressure.’ Lyra immediately connected it to the Dark Mist—after all, it was the most reasonable explanation. Besides, over the past few days, she had personally instructed Lathel, Selvia, and even Mira in magic studies. She was well aware of just how much Lathel had progressed. However, as she recalled those moments of tutoring Lathel in magic, her cheeks suddenly flushed slightly. Lyra took a deep breath, trying to push away the strange thoughts that had appeared in her mind. Then she looked toward Lucien and Selvia and said, "I do have a soul-nourishing pill. However..." "I only have one." She continued calmly, "Therefore, Lucien, I must ask you to leave." "What?!" Lucien exclaimed in shock. He immediately pleaded, "Professor, please... I really need that pill." "You need it, but so does my disciple," Lyra replied, frowning. "Of course, I’ll prioritize my disciple." "No! Professor Lyra, I know you’re biased toward him, but he’s lying!" Lucien shouted, clearly on the verge of losing control. "He’s just a useless nobody—how could he possibly struggle to control his energy?" "Professor Lyra, please, are you really going to let my friend die just to favor that liar?" Upon hearing this, Lyra’s gaze turned sharp and radiated a terrifying killing intent. She had been watching Lathel closely these past few days—his growth was undeniable. While it might be true that his Awakening was triggered by the Dark Mist, Lyra could not deny his talent or his relentless effort. In just a few days, from a newly Awakened individual, he had already reached Level 1 – Mid Stage. Even the most talented genius with the highest potential in the academy couldn’t achieve such a feat. That was why Lyra didn’t doubt the explanation Lathel gave. Rapid level-up leading to loss of energy control. Awakening through Dark Mist resulting in soul damage. Everything made perfect sense—so seamless there wasn’t a single hole in the logic. Because of this, the more Lucien spoke, the more Selvia and Lyra despised him. Lucien could feel the hostility and killing intent in the eyes of both women in the room, and his heart trembled. "I... I was only speaking the truth," Lucien tried to explain. "Anyone in the Kingdom of Terith knows that he’s nothing but a useless fraud." "If he really was an Awakened, then why didn’t anyone know about it the entire time he lived there?" "Besides, he was the one who burned down an entire village—thousands of people, even children. No one survived." "Why would you trust someone like that?" After saying this, Lucien was left gasping, feeling slightly relieved as if he had finally released something he had long suppressed. However, in the face of those words, Selvia and Lyra both stared at him with anger and disdain. "Are you done?" Lyra sighed and said, "You call him a liar, a murderer who slaughtered thousands. Then... your words should come with proof." "Lucien, where is your proof?" "Ugh! I... I..." Lucien stammered, wanting to say something. Proof? It was all just speculation. Even the part about Lathel wiping out an entire village of thousands was something he only saw in a dream. He knew it all, but he had no concrete evidence. And that’s why when Lyra questioned him, he stumbled and had no answer. "That’s enough..." Lyra sighed, her face clearly showing disappointment. "Leave. Don’t come here again. You’re not welcome." "Professor Lyra, I..." "Hm?!" Lucien tried to speak again, but Lyra’s cold, killing-intent-filled glare forced him to swallow his words. "If you won’t leave, then..." Lyra didn’t finish her sentence, but with the murderous aura and sharpness in her eyes, Lucien could only sigh. "What I said is true. One day, you’ll understand," Lucien said, shaking his head. "Professor Lyra, that pill is very important to me. Could you please give it to me?" "I’ll do anything you ask—just give me that pill." Lyra glanced at him and frowned. "Then... if I ask you to give up Selvia, will you do it?" "That..." Lucien froze, stunned by the question. "I... I..." "Can’t decide?" Lyra mocked. Lucien truly couldn’t decide. On one hand, there was his master. On the other, the woman he loved most. Both were important. He... really couldn’t choose. "Selvia, you see it now, don’t you?" Lyra said coldly. "He says it’s important. He says it’s to save a friend. But when I asked him to choose between that friend and you, he hesitated." "Seems like... he doesn’t love you that much, and that friend of his isn’t all that important to him either." "I..." Lucien wanted to say something, but the words couldn’t leave his throat. No matter what he chose, he would be criticized. If he chose his friend, it meant Selvia wasn’t that important to him. But if he chose Selvia, he wouldn’t be able to obtain the pill for his Master. Lucien clenched his teeth, took a deep breath, then turned and quickly left. As he reached the door, he stopped, turned around, and said with unwavering determination, "I will make you see his true face. I swear..." With that, he walked away, each step firm as if declaring to the world that he would absolutely fulfill what he had just said. Selvia let out a sigh, feeling exhausted. Her eyes turned to Lyra with a pleading look. "Master, next time... please don’t let someone like that into this place. I don’t want Lathel to misunderstand." Lyra nodded. "At first, I thought he had come to apologize for what he’d done. I thought he might turn back and seek forgiveness." "But I was wrong. And it seems... he’s on the verge of losing control." "Heh?! What do you mean, Master?" Selvia asked in confusion. Lyra began to explain, "Before, I wasn’t certain. But now, I can be sure—he’s made a pact with the Demon Race." "Those who make deals with the Demon Race worship the Demon King, and their souls slowly begin to erode. That’s why he’s looking for soul-nourishing medicine—he’s probably starting to notice the effects." "Luckily, he hasn’t started eating humans yet..." "What?" Selvia was stunned. "Eating humans? Master, are you serious?" Lyra nodded slightly. "You didn’t mishear me. Most people who borrow the power of demons eventually reach that point. But just now, I didn’t sense any Resentful Energy or blood scent from him." "Perhaps... he’s still restraining himself, but it’s only a matter of time before he loses control." "Enough about him. Take me to see Lathel. I’m worried that he might be experiencing issues with his soul too." ... Inside the room, Lathel sat on the bed while Lyra sat beside it, her fingertip gently pressing against his forehead. Right now, the room only had the two of them. Although the space was quiet, it made the atmosphere strangely awkward... and left Lyra feeling slightly embarrassed. As her finger touched his forehead, shameful images from the past few days suddenly surfaced in her mind. Those times when she guided him in practicing magic, their occasional touches—even a moment when Lathel had held her hand. That was also the first time she’d had such close contact with a man, and she nearly jerked her hand away. But thinking about that handsome, warm face, Lyra didn’t know why she allowed him to keep holding her hand. In fact, at that moment, a strange feeling had begun to stir in her heart—as if she were secretly anticipating something. And now, being this close to him again, Lyra could feel her heart racing once more, along with that odd, fluttering emotion slowly blooming inside her. Lathel sat still, his eyes seeming to look forward but in reality, he was looking at the system information panel. [Ding! Congratulations, Lyra’s favorability points have reached 80%. Please continue to try your best.] Lathel smiled contentedly in his heart, his eyes glancing towards Lyra. Her beautiful face combined with her green hair made her look like she had just stepped out from the light. Lyra sensed Lathel’s burning gaze, her heart trembling, but she still tried to calm herself: ’Lyra, what are you thinking? He is your disciple, why are you feeling shy?’ It seemed that she had stabilized her emotions, Lyra let out a long sigh, then said: "Lathel, your soul is a bit unstable. Perhaps that is the consequence of you awakening with Dark Mist." "However, don’t worry. I have a soul-nourishing medicine. Currently, I only have one pill, you use it first, I will try to gather enough ingredients to concoct more for you." "Master..." Lathel looked at Lyra, smiling like warm sunshine that made her heart tremble: "Thank you. You have helped me so much, how can I repay you?" "That..." Lyra shyly stammered: "I... I am just doing my duty as a Master, you... you don’t need to repay me." "Alright, hurry and take the medicine." Lathel received the small porcelain bottle about the size of two fingers. He poured out from the bottle a purple pill, on top of which there was a golden vein emitting a faint light. He didn’t hesitate, pushing the pill into his mouth, but in reality, he didn’t swallow it but instead used his spatial talent to create a membrane to wrap it up. "Thank you, Master." Lathel smiled and said: "I... Um..." Suddenly, Lathel clutched his chest, his expression uncomfortable, his face gradually becoming pale. "Lathel! Lathel..." Lyra was startled, hurriedly sitting down beside him, one hand placed on his back, the other on his chest. "This..." Lyra felt puzzled because she sensed the energy inside Lathel’s body becoming chaotic like rivers in flood season. "Could it be that my medicine has a problem? No... it’s very perfect, how could there be a problem?" Lyra puzzled, muttering as if asking herself. "GAH!!" Lathel suddenly shouted, a burst of air pressure exploding, causing Lyra to retreat backward. In reality, she could have stopped it, but that would injure Lathel, so she could only dodge. At this moment, Lathel stood in the midst of the rubble, surrounded by black smoke drifting out with an evil and mysterious aura. "That is... Dark Mist?" Lyra was startled upon seeing that smoke, immediately recognizing what it was. Whoosh! Suddenly, Lathel moved, his body fast like the wind, making Lyra a bit surprised. Although she was much stronger than him, in this situation, everything happened too unexpectedly, making it hard for her to defend. Moreover, Lathel’s speed at this moment seemed to have surpassed the scope and Lyra’s ability to resist. BAM! Lathel rushed forward, his two hands forcefully pinning Lyra to the ground, his face at this moment showing no emotion, his two eyes completely turned black. "Lathel... wake up..." Lyra gritted her teeth, trying to wake him but it seemed everything was meaningless. Suddenly, he grabbed her collar, then... Smash! "No!!!"