The man called Haddock pulled one of his elite wizards to conjure up Alicia’s fainting mind. That wizard brought his magic wand closer to her temple, then cast the spell Artificalis Desiderium. All of a sudden, the stupor girl reached Orb and let Haddock receive pure Arcane in blue thread woven on a stick. Haddock's body erupted in a flash of light, shining with holy radiance. It was refreshing, and optimism vined his being. All but making him an utter degenerate, unlike the addicts of Protos particle.

“Agosh Grendi, do you have any idea how many places we must sweep, just to find you in super secret magic court?” Haddock complained, pointing at the necromancer with his magic stick.

“Grand Magus Lachlan Haddock, head of the Magisterium of Arcane Plane congregation, ‘Earth’s Greatest Magus!’” cackled the necromancer. “So nice to see you here. If you’re saying this court is a super-secret court, then trying the Arcane girl at the downtown courthouse isn’t a suitable location. Don’t you have the Magisterium nerve center in the sky?”

Haddock was momentarily stunned. “Whoa. You are actually quite right.”

The bolt of arcane energy from Haddock lanced forth and struck Agosh Grendi, the renowned necromancer, with unerring accuracy. Agosh had called forth the undead to serve as his shield, but Haddock's lightning reduced those eternal minions to naught but a pile of dust and ashes with ease. Caught off guard and unable to mount a counterattack, Agosh was subjected to a barrage of searing plasma. He spun his sceptre, hoping to banish Haddock's attack, but the Grand Magus's Arcane power was unlike anything Alicia had ever wielded. His bolts sought out their target like homing missiles, unpredictable and devastatingly heavy. And when Haddock unleashed a massive burst of energy, Agosh thrust his sceptre forward, the pitch-black skull adorning its tip capturing the divine power. Grimacing with frustration, Agosh swung the staff away, harnessing the magic force to redirect the Arcane projectile back at the Grand Magus himself!

With a flick of his gilded blue emerald wand, Haddock summoned his golden broom to deflect the plasma energy with its bristles, causing a tremendous explosion. Haddock was pushed back. Now, this trial was not so secret anymore, was it not? His favourite broom was flung to the top of the chair steps, losing its magic.

“My turn, my turn, my turn!” shouted Agosh, ordering Platenix-3499 to spit out spattered maggots at the newly awakened Grand Magus. Graciously, he fluttered his wand to dislodge the flock of incoming maggots. He approached Agosh and Platenix-3499 like a conductor conducting the rhythm while tapping his feet.

Tenacious, his hand movements were. Flawless, his body contour was. Was there only him, it would not be a magical hostility, but a ballet performance.

When he got close enough, Haddock cast a spell Vulnus, creating an energy tear that extended like a slash of a sword, splitting Platenix-3499 in two. Poor creature, it abruptly erupted due to the inevitable reaction of pure Arcane and Khaos.

Agosh screeched, “No! My Work!”

The necromancer's patience had been cut short. No more magical jester of the Dead from now on. He pulled out the scythe from his sceptre, then dashed towards Lachlan Haddock. Haddock also came prepared, his wand was pointed at the day sky, exposed by the shattered dome.

“Fractionem Tonitrua Custos!”

Thunder boomed as lightning bolts, both blue and red, struck Agosh Grendi, who gnashed his teeth in ire. He was thrown back, but the Grand Magus did not conclude their affair. Haddock held his wand back. He was accumulating mana fused with the Arcane might, becoming more prominent with each passing time. It constructed a great expanse that covered the wizard in shadow.

A grand avian was brought into existence.

Agosh knelt down laughing out loud, awaiting punishment from the Magisterium regent.

“Oh, that’s so beautiful. What a skilled magic sculptor!” Agosh said, whether it was a sincere compliment or a rant of sarcasm.

The entire living eyes could not ignore that enormous Arcane bird. Shame Alicia did not have the chance to witness it. Seeing what Arcane could be capable of from the hand of a Grand Magus would guarantee her euphoria.

“Agosh Grendi!" said Haddock. "In the name of the Magisterium of Arcane Plane, your heinous acts end here!”

He threw the gigantic kite to the open horizon.

“Caleum Phoenix!”

"A picturesque bird! What a pity I have to leave you for now. Don't worry, don't worry, don't worry! We'll surely meet again very soon!”

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The undead in the room ran towards their master, hugging and swarming the mad mage until the bridge of his nose was nowhere to be seen.

The pure Arcane bird full of its intricate flow flew towards the necromancer while carrying the Arcane air that made Agosh’s Khaos breath heavy. The phoenix swept away the horde of undead to the dust of nothingness.

Agosh Grendi disappeared in the arms of dozens of bodies, unfortunately.

The conclusion of the grotesque battle had to be adjourned. Those who survived were busy collecting the victims and cleaning the rest of the hall. Bartholomew approached his jeering employer.

“Oh, look, boss. The threat has been neutralised. Praise to you.”

“I probably won’t praise myself, now I can’t help but have to go on patrol again—”

Bartholomew hit Haddock in the head from behind.

Haddock grimaced. “What was that for?”

“That’s for your incompetence and piling up work. As a result, I must preside over this court instead, while you just vanished into thin air!”

“But I’m hunting this necromancer!”

“Is that true? Running out of excuses, aren’t you? You cannot fool me again.”

“Hey, I did look for him! Perhaps it is my fault to be dilatory finding out where he is, but it’s not for turning this court into a slaughterhouse, you know?"

Bartholomew was still holding a grudge against the Incompetent Haddock, but there was no point in hurling curses as sharp as razor, anyway. After all, he seemed deaf to the nagging of people.

“Why didn’t you just ask The Pigeon to track him?” asked Bartholomew.

“No. No more The Pigeon. We’ll obliterate the whole pigeon race if we keep relying on him."

“Are you joking? You’re worried about the extinction of the race of pigeons, but not with all of your comrades who died being torn by the dead today?”

Haddock looked around. He sighed.

“What a mess, innit? I understand the anger, Bartholomew. But I didn’t mean that. We don’t need to waste time looking for doves. The Necromancer will be back. We just have to be more prepared than ever.”

Haddock then thought of Orb he had sealed in his pocket. He grabbed it and stared at it for a moment before turning his head again to Bartholomew.

“Agosh Grendi is after the owner of this pure Arcane source. Speaking of which, I haven’t actually seen clearly the owner yet. Mind telling me who is it?”

Bartholomew exhaled. “Of course, you didn’t read the documents. You always took them for granted.” The Magisterium Vice escorted his leader to the unconscious Alicia.

“S-she’s the owner? A young girl?” Seen in his eyes, the Grand Magus gave off a feeling of pity. “By Silent Divine, she saw all this?”

“Not just looking, Your Honourable Grand Magus. This stupid girl fought the necromancer alone,” said Kirillios, who happened to be near them. He and the others were busy treating Nixas, his comrade. “Young idiot. Always wanting to prove something.”

“What?” Haddock’s pitch rose half an octave. He turned to Bartholomew who did not even dodge. “What is wrong with all of you? Letting a small child fight the terrorist from the Demon Continent! Did you happen to lose your moral sense or something?”

Kirillios replied, “Man, that little idiot chose to take part in that evil mage’s game. You know what the consequences are, man? My subordinate is dying, losing his hand in exchange for the girl’s life! Then all this... chaos was created. Damn it, you want better news, man? She’s the reason the necromancer came here in the first place!”

The overhearing Nixas persuaded his employer, “Master Kirillios, there’s no need…”

"No Nixas, you just stay in your bed. Listen to me, Grand Magus! You may be the head of the world's magic confederation. But the Eternal Empire doesn’t appreciate your carelessness in not attending this important court, not to mention your thoughtless selection of the court’s location. This is pure Arcane we are talking about, for the sake of Silent Divine! Fix your priorities, Grand Magus. One more fatal mistake that eats the souls of the sons and daughters of Roma, then Roma shall take over this wizarding world confederation! Now seal that magic ball deep, and don’t let this magic blasphemer snatch it away again!”

Thus Kirillios, followed by the other agents, took all the blame on the girl. They saw her as a fitting target for their wrath, a magic heretic unworthy of her noble birth. To wield magic that was not her own was a blasphemy, a defilement of the mystical arts, and an affront to those who practiced it. Apart from the expression of hatred earlier, all these incidents that occurred were, in fact, a manifestation of the cowardice of all the magicians present.

“Magic blasphemer? This girl can’t do magic? Divine Mercy, you’re just embarrassing yourself more.” Haddock’s eyes darted through the frail Nixas. “At least this young man is the only sensible one in this room. You all are not sane.”

“Screw you, man! We’ll report all this to the Eternal Empire. That girl is a Camelot citizen, which will be your responsibility!” Kirilios and the others left them. Haddock and Bartholomew stared at each other.

Bartholomew asked the Grand Magus, “So, you must have some hidden curses for me for neglecting this child?”

Haddock just sighed, “Never mind, Barthie. We’re all the same. I guess we wish to be better of ourselves.”

Haddock studied the girl closely. She somehow looked familiar. Where had he seen this girl before? Next to Alicia, lay her pair of round glasses. He matched the glasses to the girl’s face. It was only then that his mind recalled something.

“Can’t do magic and red hair... Barthie, don’t tell me it’s Ailsa Crimsonmane’s daughter?”

Bartholomew did not tell him.

“Damn it Barthie, you wanted to kill Ailsa Crimsonmane’s daughter on purpose? Can’t you be crueler than this?”

“Call me ruthless, but the magic ball is worth more than her life. If I can’t seize it while she’s alive, it is better to wait for her death. At least what I did back then was an act of kindness. Mother and daughter, reunited again.”

“Were none of those Roman sorcerers chosen by Arcane? You know what? Forget it. How foolish I can be to think those buggers are the chosen ones.”

“So, what about the girl and her orb?”

Haddock was silent for a moment.

“Take them both to Skycastle.” []