Chapter 55: Light and Darkness Can Also Coexist in Harmony (Please Recommend, Please Add to Favorites)

As a deity of extreme order, Amanata adheres strictly to the letter of the law rather than its spirit. If something is not explicitly prohibited by the law, it is considered permissible—even open to interpretation and manipulation. This is reminiscent of those who exploit legal loopholes, like using the Adverse Possession Act to acquire someone else's property without payment, or the woman who registered ownership of the sun and attempted to levy taxes on the entire world. Such cases are classic examples of bending the rules to one's own advantage.

For Byrne, the laws of the Nether Inspectorate were child's play; it took him only three months to fully master their legal code, and he was no less adept with the academy’s explicit regulations. As for the trick used to frame Cook, Byrne found it embarrassingly crude—a tactic no more sophisticated than what a schoolchild might devise. If it had been up to him, he could think of at least a dozen ways to bring Cook down without anyone ever suspecting a thing.

“Since neither the academy nor the DuPont family have intervened this time, it’s clearly a conflict among the students themselves,” he observed.

Matters between children do not warrant the involvement of their elders; that would be beneath their dignity.

“Which in line of succession is Cook within the DuPont family?” he asked.

Lispell, momentarily surprised, replied, “Seventh. Why do you ask? Are you suggesting that someone in the DuPonts wants to pull Cook down to climb up themselves?”

“Seventh!” Byrne exclaimed with a sigh. “A large and prosperous family, to have so many heirs. Unlike my own family, the Iolums, who nearly always have a single heir per generation. Thankfully, in a world touched by the extraordinary, there are many ways to prolong life. With someone like Gordon, you might even outlive the next generation; if I fail, the Earl himself might have to return to the fray.”

“What’s there to fight for in being seventh? Isn’t it always the first three who are at each other’s throats?” Byrne continued. “Besides, this isn’t the Underdark, where the elves are forever scheming against their superiors. Members of the main family rarely resort to such underhandedness—it’s not worth the risk. If caught using such low tactics, they’d be cast out. Only outsiders would attempt such a thing.”

With a faint smile, Byrne added, “But then, what is crisis if not opportunity in disguise? If Cook manages to extricate himself through his own efforts, his place in the line of succession might just move up a notch.”

“So we’re just going to sit and wait?” Lispell asked anxiously.

“No. Influence, family ties, and friendship—these are all forms of strength,” Byrne replied with a smile, extending his right hand. “I have few friends, but Cook is one of them.”

Lispell regarded Byrne seriously for a moment, then returned his smile with sincerity, reaching out to clasp his hand.

“Yes.”

…

Word that Lispell, the president of the Arcane Society, had entered Byrne’s underground laboratory soon reached Anderson’s ears.

Crash—

Shards of fine porcelain scattered across the floor as one piece after another was swept to the ground. Even Kelly, standing nearby, winced at the destruction.

“I told you not to tell the captain,” McCarthy said helplessly.

“How long did you think you could keep it from him?” Gerard shot McCarthy a sidelong glance.

“Uh… Fair enough.”

After a while, Anderson calmed himself from his fit of rage, straightened his clothes, and once again wore the elegant demeanor of a nobleman.

“All right, how are things progressing?” Anderson asked as he poured himself a glass of Macallan from the bottle at hand, swirling the wine with practiced grace that perfectly demonstrated aristocratic etiquette.

Gerard frowned slightly at the sight of the wine in Anderson’s hand but said nothing.

“C-captain, it’s done,” McCarthy quickly reported. “All traces have been dealt with; the intermediary has left Sevendon—probably feeding the goblins by now.”

“Good. Kelly, your end?”

“Captain, I’ve called on my family’s connections and erased the informant’s identity from the Inspectorate’s files.”

“Excellent. Let’s see how that wretch gets out of this one,” Anderson sneered, his eyes cold enough to send a chill through the room.

“We must not let our guard down. Byrne Iolum may already have intervened,” Gerard cautioned.

Anderson snorted at the mention of the name, anger flaring anew. It was all because of Byrne Iolum that the Arcane Society’s second-in-command was utterly without authority within the academy.

Knock, knock—

There was a knock at the door.

“Come in!”

A member of the enforcement team entered. “Captain, the president has returned.”

“Very well,” Anderson nodded, turning to McCarthy. “McCarthy, take the documents to our esteemed president.”

McCarthy hesitated. “Captain, aren’t you going yourself? Wouldn’t that be more appropriate?”

“The head of External Affairs has been taken away by the Inspectorate. The president can hardly escape responsibility. She may not even keep her position. Just say that morale is low at the academy and I am out on patrol.”

“Uh… understood.”

…

Lispell glanced around and saw that everyone was present except Anderson, making her clench her fist a little tighter.

Daliana, noticing the president’s foul mood, hastened to explain, “The enforcement team reported that Anderson is out on patrol.”

Beron sneered, “That man is a fair-weather friend—whenever there’s trouble, he’s the first to disappear.”

“Anderson?” The name struck a chord with Byrne. After a moment’s reflection, he recalled that he had once single-handedly bested Anderson’s entire enforcement squad. In hindsight, his actions then seemed rather brash.

Looking at the Arcane Society’s senior members, Byrne mused that factionalism existed everywhere.

“These are the materials you’ve gathered?” Byrne asked, casually picking up an investigative report. A quick glance revealed the information was a haphazard collection of unrelated notes.

“We checked with the Notary Church for the charges against Cook. The case was classified as too high-level for us to access. It was reported, and the informant’s identity is being kept secret,” Beron explained.

Too high-level to investigate? Byrne felt a sudden realization and began sifting rapidly through the documents. Nothing?

“Do you still have the cursed stones you picked up from the lizardfolk tribe?” he asked. Though the others didn’t know why Byrne brought this up, they all responded.

“I used some for experiments.”

“So did I, for testing a [Ray of Enfeeblement].”

“I haven’t used mine yet…”

Byrne picked up Cook’s experimental material log and pointed out, “Cook’s recent research has focused on elemental summoning. That doesn’t add up.”

The others were puzzled. Cook excelled at summoning, so it was only natural for his experiments to involve that. What was strange about it?

Sighing, Byrne thought to himself that arcane scholars were never lacking in intellect—perhaps this was just a common blind spot among researchers. Maybe one day he should take this group to experience the world’s darker, more treacherous side.

He continued, “Those cursed stones are temporary magical items tainted by the core. Over time, they revert to ordinary stones. Since you all knew to use them quickly, Cook would’ve known too. But none of his recent experiment logs mention them. Where did his stones go?”

The group exchanged glances, the answer slowly dawning.

“I… I think I know,” Jennifer said shyly, raising her hand. “When we were storing the cursed stones, I noticed Cook used a peculiar sealed vessel. A few days ago, I saw him leave the academy with that vessel. He was probably trading with someone outside.”

“Then that’s it. Someone dug a pit, and Cook walked right in.”

Those stones, though merely tainted by the corrupted core, made excellent materials for pollution. With the recent evil contamination in Sevendon and the priests of Jaeger deliberately shirking their duties, all it would take was someone discreetly scattering a few stones at the scene. Add an anonymous tip, and as the saying goes: throw mud on someone’s pants—whether it’s filth or not, it looks the part.

Amanata is the Lord of Radiance, the embodiment of light, yet he maintains a cordial relationship with Jaeger. Unlike the traditional literary trope of light and darkness being mortal enemies, here the two powers coexist harmoniously. Even when Amanata’s temple grew in strength, Jaeger never objected, thanks to the example set by these two mighty leaders—relations among their followers are amiable as well. Sometimes, they even assist each other; imagine the odd sight of a radiant paladin enforcing the law side by side with a mummy priest.

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