Chapter 296: Found

Three days had quickly passed after Vale infiltrated the castle.

At this time, even the students in the Academy had been informed that the place where Philip was being held was destroyed by an Arcanist known as the Masked Devil Incarnate.

No one knew which Faction this Arcanist belonged to, but according to the noble family that was attacked, the Masked Devil was capable of using Dark Arts, and he had various Mystical Artifacts that allowed him to summon lightning, use an Aura, and possess a monstrous strength.

In short, the Masked Devil certainly had an organization supporting him behind the scenes.

Because of this, the Dark Arts Faction was blamed for the death of many innocent people working in the castle.

Of course, the Faction didn't stay silent after being accused by those people. The Dark Sorcerer Refuge released a statement that the Faction wasn't involved in the destruction of the castle.

It wasn't just that. They also spread a piece of information related to the Secret Organization.

They hinted that the Viscount's family must be involved with the said Organization searching for the relics of the three Paragons. They suspected that the Organization must've offended someone they shouldn't, so they received such a strong retaliation for the Masked Devil.

In the Vermont Academy, Headmaster Jean was reading the newspaper with a frown.

He then looked at the tall, middle-aged man seated on his office couch.

"Isaac... Do you think Vale was involved in this thing? To be fair, it feels like something he could do..." Jean said after putting down the newspaper.

"Aren't you overestimating the kid?" Isaac asked as he played around with the card he was holding.

Jean shook his head at this as he explained. "I'm not saying he did this alone. However, he must be involved in some way, considering how the Dark Seers failed to account for the appearance of the Masked Devil and how Vale volunteered to check out the situation... I believe it wasn't just a coincidence."

Isaac went silent for a brief moment before he nodded.

"If he inherited the secret treasures of the Chambers Family and if Heinz didn't tell you everything about his experiment, then perhaps, this is related to Vale." Isaac said. He was also considering how the Masked Devil summoned such a bolt of lightning that even the five Churches had to be wary of.

The churches may not have spoken out loud about this matter, but according to their sources, even the Cardinals were mobilized to try and subdue this Masked Devil.

Unfortunately, this person disappeared after the incident, and until now, no one knows his whereabouts.

"Mhmm... I wonder when will he return... He's really taking his time." Jean muttered as he summoned Vale's shadow in his palm.

"Speaking of which, what about Philip's shadow?" Isaac asked.

Jean smiled at this and showed Philip's lively shadow.

"He's fine... He still has plenty of energy. It seems that he was really saved. I'm guessing that while the Masked Devil was causing chaos outside the castle, Vale must've sneaked in and saved Philip in the process." Jean replied before keeping the two's shadows back to his body.

As the two continued chatting about the news they'd recently received.

The people they've been waiting for have finally arrived.

The door of the office opened, and a group of seven Dark Alchemists entered the room.

"Good afternoon, Headmaster Jean. I'm Zach Everette, the Captain of the Vessel's Alchemy Division. I've heard plenty of things about you."

Zach, a tall and skinny man in his twenties, introduced himself with a gentle smile on his face. His blond hair, which was slowly turning white from its roots, was quite eye-catching since he was too young to have white hair.

"I should've greeted you outside, but I had another visitor to attend to—" Headmaster Jean said as he gestured to Isaac, who was sitting comfortably on the couch.

"It's alright, Headmaster Jean. We're basically interrupting your operations in the Academy by coming here on such short notice." Zack waved his hands.

He didn't really mind meeting here in the office. He felt that this was much better than welcoming them in the dockyard.

"In any case, I'm already excited to see Master Heinz's apprentice... When can I meet him?" Zach asked the Headmaster.

This time, the other six who had also come with him looked at Headmaster Jean with an expectant gaze.

***

In the meantime, in the middle of the day in Carmen Village, where Vale and Philip are staying, a couple of Arcanists started looking around its surroundings.

The two of them looked very calm as they silently scanned the whole village.

"Seriously, did the enemy think we won't find them here?" A man wearing a black trench coat and top hot said with a hint of confusion.

"Erika, go ahead and report this to the Viscount." The man said as he looked at his assistant.

"Sir Sherman, the enemy this time is very strong. Are you sure you can handle this yourself?" Erika asked after some hesitation.

"I'm fine. You'll just hold me back if you stay here." Sherman replied as he waved his hand to send Erika away.

Erika could no longer stop her boss as she swiftly left to find the Viscount. If she could bring back reinforcements as quickly as possible, then that would be the biggest contribution she could make.

***

At this time, Vale stood up as he suddenly felt something was off. He immediately entered his Phantasm State as he spread his Magic Zone...

'They found us?' Vale silently thought.

There were tiny fluctuations of energy in the surroundings. Although it was barely noticeable, there was no way he would miss these changes after being on high alert over the past couple of days.

"Is something wrong, Vale?" Philip asked after seeing Vale looking so serious.

Philip had already woken up last night. He was still weak, but besides forgetting numerous things while he was captured, he seemed okay.

Before Vale could even answer, the house they were at started shaking!

The walls and ceilings started to crack as Vale had no choice but to be on the defensive.

Boom!

A powerful tornado spell seemed to have been used as the roof of the rented house was blown away in just a few seconds!