The two Water Riders in charge of the investigation descended some creaky wooden stairs into the damp basement where Professor Iakopo was being held.
“I can’t believe this,” the guy said. “Him? Do this? Why?”
“Beats me,” the woman replied, frowning. “Listen, our job is to bring him back to the Academy. The Principal will take care of the rest.”
The air smelled of mold and decay, and both, who had arguably gone through worse, felt sick to their stomach.
The evidence was, despite the fact that they partially refused to believe their eyes, pretty damning.
The traces of Space Water over the bodies of the dead couldn’t be faked.
And neither knew even one person who had mastered Space Water other than Professor Iakopo.
When they entered the cell, both felt their stomachs churn and capsize, threatening to spill their contents on the floor.
The man in front of them had possibly tarnished the honor of the Academy in the most heinous way.
Iakopo sat slumped against the far wall, bound at his wrists and ankles by mana-absorbing cuffs.
Additional chains criss-crossed his body, each link glowing faintly as it siphoned away any trace of magical energy.
The Professor was too strong to only use cuffs on him—that was why they had gone the extra mile to ensure he couldn’t get free by accessing his terrifying Affinity.
The man looked haggard and rattled his chains as he shifted against the wall.
As the investigators approached, Iakopo raised his head, his gaze unfocused and weary.
The female Water Rider spoke first, her voice cold and professional.
“Professor Iakopo, we’ve made a disturbing discovery that we need to discuss with you.”
Iakopo said nothing, merely watching them with a detached expression.
The male investigator continued.
“We’ve found bodies, Professor. Dozens of them, hidden throughout the city. They bear the unmistakable marks of Space Water magic.”
At this, Iakopo’s eyes widened slightly, a flicker of something—shock, disbelief, perhaps even fear—passing across his face.
He opened his mouth as if to speak, then closed it again, seemingly at a loss for words.
“The evidence is damning,” the female Water Rider pressed on. “These deaths, combined with the other findings... it’s enough to warrant execution. You’ve stained the honor of all Water Riders with your actions. We’ll bring you in for sentencing tomorrow. Do you have anything to say in your defense?”
For a long moment, Iakopo remained silent, his gaze fixed on some unseen point beyond the dank basement walls.
Then, to the investigators’ shock and disgust, he began to laugh.
It started as a low chuckle, building into a full-bodied laugh that shook his entire frame.
Tears streamed down his face as he laughed, the sound echoing off the stone walls in a cacophony of madness.
The two Water Riders exchanged uneasy glances.
The man’s laughter, tinged with hysteria and despair, was as good as a confession in their eyes.
“I think we’ve seen enough,” the male investigator muttered, turning towards the stairs.
His partner nodded in agreement, casting one last disgusted look at the still-laughing Iakopo before following her colleague out of the basement.
As the door slammed shut behind them, Iakopo’s laughter gradually subsided, and the tears dried on his cheeks.
He leaned his head back against the cold stone wall, his eyes closed in resignation.
“So this is how it ends,” he murmured to himself, his voice hoarse. “Is this fate’s way of settling the score?”
Confined in the basement, bound like a feral dog, Iakopo’s thoughts turned inward.
The weight of the past was much worse than all the chains that they had draped around his body than the accusations they were moving toward him.
“I might not be guilty of this,” he whispered, his tone tinged with madness. "They might be framing me. But... don’t I deserve this? After all these years trying to prove I wasn’t responsible... Maybe this is the moment of truth—the moment I finally pay for what I’ve done.”
His mind drifted back to that fateful day two decades ago, to the choice that had haunted him ever since.
“I should have killed her before then when I found the bodies the first time,” he muttered, his fists clenching despite the restraints. “If I had... none of this would have happened.”
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As the reality of his situation sank in, Iakopo felt a strange sense of relief wash over him.
The burden he had carried for so long, the constant struggle to redeem himself, to prove his worth, seemed to fall away in the face of this final judgment.
“Maybe this is for the best,” he said to the empty room. “An end to it all. A chance to finally face the consequences of my actions.”
With that thought, Iakopo closed his eyes, surrendering to whatever fate awaited him.
* * *
The talk of Professor Iakopo’s arrest spread among the students.
Many still couldn’t believe what they were hearing, nor wanted to.
Someone had leaked news about the bodies that had been found by the two investigators, and now everyone seemed horrified.
No one wanted to believe Professor Iakopo had done it.
But the evidence was too strong to be ignored.
“Listen up, everyone,” Mira called out, her voice cutting through the chatter. “I know you all have questions about what’s happening with Professor Iakopo. While I can’t discuss the details of it, I can tell you this: our mission here in Placid City remains unchanged.”
Mira had gathered them in the hall of the villa where they were staying and now raised a hand for silence.
“The expeditions into the Placid Cave will resume shortly after the preliminary verdict on the Professor’s guilt is reached. I have communicated with the investigators, and they agree that just because the Professor might have committed crimes, we’re not to be withdrawn before clearing out the Placid Cave. We don’t want the place overrun by monsters, and it’s great practice. The investigators have checked the Dungeon and have cleared out some semi-evolved Torpedo Snappers that they think Professor Iakopo had been raising at the end of the cave.”
Everyone’s eyes went wide.
“We will all go together this time as one group. We must take care of Placid City and make it safe for its citizens. So, we’ll do one last push together and clear out the normal Torpedo Snappers in the Dungeon.”
Standing near the back of the room with Keanu, Talia felt a chill run down her spine at Mira’s words. She knew they were running out of time to uncover the truth.
Mira’s voice took on a harder edge as she continued, “I want to make one thing perfectly clear: those who are unable to use Mana Board will still fail out of the Academy, even though Professor Iakopo has been arrested. As a member of the Kane Family and under the authority our superiors gave me, I will be taking over the course until the Academy finds a suitable replacement for Professor Iakopo.”
Talia knew that she needed to act fast if she was going to confirm Iakopo’s innocence and uncover whatever trouble was brewing in Placid City.
As the meeting dispersed, Talia slipped away from the crowd, making her way back to her small room.
She closed the door behind her, leaning against it for a moment as she gathered her thoughts.
“It’s now or never,” she muttered to herself, moving to sit cross-legged on her bed. “I need to prepare.”
Talia closed her eyes, focusing her mind inward to access her Akashic Record.
[Name: Talia]
[Age: 16]
[Class: Lifestealer Lv. 10]
[Rank: Novice]
[Primary Mana Channel (Water): Level 1 {Dormant}]
[Secondary Mana Channel (Blood): Level 5 {Flowing}]
[Secondary Mana Channel (Dark Water): Level 1 {Dormant}]
[Core Skill #1: Blood Siphon Lv. 10]
[Core Skill #2: Hemomancy Lv. 11]
[Core Skill #3: Eyes of the Abyss Lv. 8]
[Auxiliary Skill #1: Missile Swimming Lv. 4]
[Auxiliary Skill #2: Crimson Wisdom Lv. 6]
[Auxiliary Skill #3: Blood Confluence Lv. 3]
[Strength: 20]
[Agility: 4]
[Constitution: 3]
[Intelligence: 1]
[Wisdom: 0]
[Charisma: 0]
[Free Attributes: 0]
[Talent Trees:
* Bloodborne Warrior
* Carmine Thunder
* Sanguine Guardian
* Hemomantic Artisan (1)
* Crimson Sage (1)
* Life Thief
]
[Free Talent Points: 3]
Talia could now see two of her Talent Trees’ paths, Hemomantic Artisan and Crimson Sage.
So, she took a look at the Skills they offered since she had earned two Talent Points by leveling up [Blood Siphon] and [Hemomancy] beyond Level 10.
She needed to get into the cave, but before her sister arrived in Placid City, she needed to take care of a Boss with several levels on her.
A suicide mission, she thought bitterly.
Having fought a giant Abyssal Scuttler Boss together with Lani, Talia knew how dangerous those things could be and, more importantly, how resilient they were.
So, she looked at the options.
[Hemomantic Artisan:
1. Blood Weaving
2. Arterial Surge
3. Vitality Tap
]
[Crimson Sage:
1. Crimson Meditation
2. Blood Wraith
3. Well of Blood
]
Together with the paths, she could instinctively feel what the Skills did, a major upgrade from not having any Talent Point spent in one Tree and going blind, even though these cost two Talent Points each, meaning she could only choose one.
[Blood Weaving] was the first Skill she checked out and, perhaps, the most interesting she had seen so far.
It would allow her to control the spilled blood of her enemies.
If Talia had been a Caster, she would have immediately picked such a Skill since it would have allowed her to use the entire battleground to her advantage.
To understand how stupidly powerful that would have been, it would basically be as if Fiora could summon Sunwater from pretty much any part of the battlefield instead of just her proximity.
[Blood Weaving] definitely sounded like something Talia would definitely reconsider in the future, especially as her reliance on Blood Water would increase.
[Arterial Surge] allowed her to burn her blood and turn it into Blood Water, essentially allowing her to increase her output manyfold in one burst.
It made sense that this belonged to the Hemomantic Artisan Talent Tree since it clearly would benefit a Caster more than her.
[Vitality Tap] was somewhat similar in scope to [Arterial Surge], but instead of burning one’s own blood, it would draw from the spilled blood of enemies and, if paired with [Blood Siphon], from their vitality.
While enticing, none of these Skills would give her a clear advantage to kill the Slashing Cruster Boss.
So, she turned to the [Crimson Sage] Talent Tree.
[Crimson Meditation] was pretty straightforward.
It accelerated her Mana regeneration but required it to be stationary while using it.
[Blood Wraith] summoned a familiar made of Blood Water that would fight alongside Talia.
[Well of Blood] would increase her reserves of Blood Water Attuned Mana.
Sadly, they were all useless to her as things stood.
And so, she turned toward the Talent Trees that she had not yet unlocked.
[Talent Trees:
* Bloodborne Warrior
* Carmine Thunder
* Sanguine Guardian
* Life Thief
]
She immediately excluded Life Thief.
Any Charisma-based Skill would do nothing for her as things stood.
And that left three Talent Trees.
Incidentally, she had three Free Talent Points.