Chapter 65
Dylan laughed and continued reading. It went on to give historical accounts of demonic summonings by various cults and the consequences they had on people. There were many cities destroyed, huge territories infected with demonic energy, and the number of people perverted and killed in these conflicts was measured in the millions. There were several examples of demonic cruelty, and Dylan felt extremely uneasy just reading about it.
What he found curious was that the book didn't mention why demon worshipers summon demons or what ultimately happens to them. But Dylan understood that in the best case scenario, they become demons, and in the worst case, their souls are eaten.
The second part of the book was devoted to the fight of the holy church against demons. How valiant and all-powerful the book presented them spoke of the extreme bias of the author. Of course, Dylan understood that they were the best opponents due to the fact that holy magic is a bane for demons. But in every significant conflict, millions died before the church could fight back. The author tried to justify the church to the reader by the large scale of the world, but Dylan thought this was a pathetic excuse. Of course, the current world is many times larger than the earth, but did this really matter to an organization that existed for millennia and had many portals for long-distance travel. He could not understand this.
After finishing the book, Dylan was extremely disappointed with it. There was almost no mention of magic and weapons that did not have a holy affinity that were effective against demons. Therefore, Dylan put this book in the church propaganda section, because of this, he did not want to read a book that was supposed to tell more about the organization than he already knew.
Closing it and placing it on the table, hoping to never touch it again, Dylan took out the book "How to Become a Great Mage" and continued practicing.
...
Pow. Cullen Golden Crow
In the academy office, closed even to teachers, sat Cullen. Today he decided to lead the meeting of the Academy Reincarnators as unofficial leader. At a round table for more than several dozen people, he sat waiting for the others and rereading the information he had obtained about the new candidates.
Name: Cullen Golden Crow, 17 years old
Race: Human [Uncommon] Lvl 100
Class: Magnificent Artifact Merchant [Rare] Lvl 25
Class: Warrior-Mage of Mirata Arts [Rare] Lvl 32
At the appointed time, the rest of the people began to come in. The first to come, as always, was Shin with his favorite snake Tasteless, despite his appearance as a fan of forbidden arts, he had the kindest character among the others. Of course, he was not sociable, it was very difficult to understand his quiet character, but after several months of close communication, Kallen considered him his friend.
Name: Shin Nivser, 16 years old
Race: Human [Uncommon] Lvl 100
Class: Poison Mage [Rare] Lvl 28
Class: Poisonous Creature Tamer [Rare] Lvl 100
Shin said hello quietly and immediately after that, Tasteless hissed, expressing his attention. This caused a slight smile to appear on Kalenn's face.
"Sit down wherever you like, the others are in no hurry to come." Shin nodded in response and chose the closest place in it, sitting down at the table he continued to stroke the snake, quietly talking to it. Cullen did not know how high the intelligence of Tasteless was, but the way the snake hissed and occasionally nodded, made him think that he might open classes soon.
A few minutes later, a brunette entered, tall, with sharp features and the grace of a true magician. His gait was extremely slow and smooth, the way he walked with his head down so low often made those around him think about his low constitution.
"Hello everyone." He said, taking his seat without further ado.
Name: Edgar Steelarm 16 years old
Race: Human [Uncommon] Lvl 100
Class: Poison Metal Mage [Rare] Lvl 43
Class: Rune Mage [Rare] Lvl 10
Four more followed him in. After greeting those present, they sat down in their places and began to make small talk. Ajax and Walter were brunettes, had a strong build and a handsome appearance. Thomas, as always, looked a little sloppy, his black hair was tangled, there were large bruises under his eyes, and his fingers were slightly trembling. If Cullen hadn't known that he was a Mind Mage, he might well have thought that he was sick, but this was all the excess of very complex magic and many hours of missed sleep. Emilia, as always, looked great, her blond hair was neatly braided, her perfect figure could make any girl envious. At first, Cullen suspected her of mind magic, later of very high charisma, because of how attractive she was. But her cold nature and cruel intellect killed all sympathy in him, now they were exclusively colleagues. He wouldn't say that she was a bad person, they just had different outlooks on life.
Name: Ajax Renworth, 16
Раса: Human [Uncommon] Lvl 100
Class: Lightning Mage [Rare] Lvl 49
Class: Dagger Adept [Rare] Lvl 33
Name: Thomas Merten, 17 years old
Раса: Human [Uncommon] Lvl 100
Class: Mind Mage [Rare] Lvl 31
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Class: Arcane Mage Apprentice [Uncommon] Lvl 43
Name: Walter Weese, 16 years old
Раса: Human [Uncommon] Lvl 100
Class: Spear and Shield Adept [Rare] Lvl 50
Class: Arcane Mage Apprentice [Uncommon] Lvl 60
Name: Emilia Light, 17 years old
Раса: Human [Uncommon] Lvl 100
Class: Light Mage [Rare] Lvl 45
Class: Arcane Mage [Rare] 36
Denis entered last and hurried to take his place. The others stopped chatting and concentrated on the meeting.
Name: Denis Unbreakable Stone, 16 years old
Раса: Human [Uncommon] Lvl 65
Class: Rune Architect [Rare] Lvl 20
Class: Arcane Mage [Rare] Lvl 32
"I apologize for being late, since everyone is here Cullen you should tell us why you have gathered us."
"Of course, of course." He answered and stood up from the table.
"As you all know, the new school year has started and I want to congratulate us all, I have found five Reincarnators." He said with a satisfied smile and cast an illusion spell showing them on it with a brief description and their identification. "Three of them are from prestigious noble families, one is from the Baron's house, and the last one is a vampire from the Scarlet Blood House."
While Cullen stood there with a wide smile, pleased with his skills and potential allies, the others quietly pondered as they read the short description.
"And what does this mean for us, from the perspective of the academy? We are still unsure of the leadership and whether our priorities align with them." Metal Mage Edgar said.
"It's safe to say that they don't want us to die soon, although if they could make us slaves with an artifact that affects the soul, things might turn out differently." Tamer Shin said quietly.
The rest of the room grimaced darkly, because they knew that high-level criminals under such a collar were truly slaves; no one knew of a more painful and effective method of control.
Slamming his hands on the table several times, Cullen spoke.
"I think we should stop starting this conversation with every meeting and stop doubting the Academy's leadership, they have done nothing wrong to any of us and when another Reincarnator appears they provide him with significant support without any obligations. I understand that my words may seem to you as if I have been brainwashed, but at this rate we will not be able to take advantage of all the resources that are offered to us for cooperation, and I am not even talking about training."
Everyone looked at him more closely than he would have considered polite, two even casting Mind Magic spells to make sure he wasn't under obvious influence. Finding nothing, they decided it was either high-level magic or he was truly insane. Cullen stood firm through the two spells and suspicious looks, trying to somehow defuse the situation, he continued speaking.
"I understand that most of us don't trust the academy, the church, and the kingdom as a whole, for many reasons. But everyone should understand that this is a race against time, the Demons can come in a century, or they can break through tomorrow. Therefore, we need to quickly increase our strength, if anyone knows a better option than submitting to the Academy, can they offer it?"
No one said a word, so he the continued. "That's what I'm saying, we have no choice. So our immediate goal is to study at the academy and gather information. If something unexpected happens, we'll change our plans."
The others reluctantly nodded, agreeing with him. Years of searching for information really didn't yield a place where they could receive better training than the academy connected to the Tower of Mages. Of course, there was the church, but no one even discussed it. Since in order to advance in the ranks, it was necessary to have several skills related to the Faith.
"Let's leave that question aside, how do you rate the new Reincarnators?" Spear Adept Walter asked with interest after reading the entire summary.
"Very well, from what I've learned three of them are real monsters... for the rest of course. But I'd say they're pretty strong, I've met each of them and in my opinion the strongest of them is Cassandra Vampire. But the others aren't far behind."
"A young vampire means a very strong race, in the future it will be able to create minions connected to the hierarchy of vampires. Which I think the church should not allow, regardless of how it will help in the fight against demons. And of course, most likely it is at the top of the list of "Liquidation of Reincarnators". I would suggest somehow protecting it, but we are all weaklings here, let's hope that its "relatives" can handle it." Said the Mage of Reason Thomas, emphasizing the word.
"Oh, oh, oh! What's with this vampire racism? Of course they'll try their best." Cullen replied.
"We know that vampires are indeed dangerous and bloodthirsty, prejudice is acceptable. And of course I should remind you that despite your assurances that she is not susceptible to the vampire essence, we should be afraid of her." Thomas replied.
"Of course... Any other questions?" Cullen said, not taking his words to heart.
"Yes, are you sure that Max Lifewarden and Ariana Kilsten are not Reincarnators, if I'm not mistaken, that's exactly what the church was betting on." Light Mage Emilia said.
"Hmm, they could certainly be suitable, but the Academy does not think so. I used several artifacts to reveal the power of the soul and tried to find at least some tangible karmic connection between us, but it was all in vain, also my skills did not show anything interesting. I do not exclude the possibility that there may be someone who can deceive me and the Academy, but this is unlikely." Cullen answered, the others accepted his answer. Since none of them had the skills and tools to reveal the Reincarnator.
For the next few minutes, there was silence. Such meetings were rare, so everyone was thinking about what they wanted to know or receive. Rune Architect Denis began to tap his fingers on the table, which earned everyone's attention.
"How are the searches for the Reincarnators who couldn't get into the academy and those who were reborn in the Beastmen Republic going? Mine are going extremely poorly, I've already lost two people with two [Rare] classes above level 100. What's most offensive is that I don't even know how they died in two different cities. I would write it off as an accident, but their disguised communication artifacts were destroyed." The others immediately became even more serious upon hearing this news.
"Am I the only one who thought that there was a mole in his house?" Spear Adept Walter said, to which most nodded thoughtfully.
"It's unlikely, but if it is, then this person is high in the hierarchy of my house, and most importantly, he only answers to me, my father, and the patriarch."
"So the options are even worse? If this one is ruled out, then either your relatives are to blame for this, or another organization with significant resources." Walter continued.
"Yes." Denis answered gloomily, clasping his hands on the table.
"You should bring all the documents so that our people can investigate. It is quite possible that we can figure out how they found them, or find another clue." Cullen said to which Denis nodded. "As for the search, I have had no success, anyone who now shows significant achievements at the age of 15-17 is checked, but I don't have time to check everyone before they disappear without a trace. One thing I can say for sure, someone is creating significant competition for the kingdom and the church in the search for Reincarnators. This of course explains the excessive security of the academy."
"I have no success either. But let's be honest, any person from our world would immediately go underground, or keep a low profile for at least a few years, gradually building up strength and gathering information... But even that is difficult in the current circumstances." Said Metal Mage Edgar.
"It's annoying that we all have to act so passively. It's annoying that the academy won't talk to us about their plans, not to mention what they might do to us. I don't like being powerless at all." Spear Adept Walter said, earning the group's full support.
"Okay, time to stop talking about bad things, I take it no one minds inviting the rest of the Reincarnators to our group?" No one minds, so Cullen smiled widely and continued. "So no one wants to tell us about the new spells and skill combinations?"
The discussion then turned to much lighter topics. At first, some of them shared interesting discoveries in magic, and later the others quickly picked up the conversation, even Emilia was closer to the others than before. Cullen felt that with time their connection would change from forced to truly friendly. But most importantly, he was eager to draw new people into their circle.