Chapter 1412 An Explosion <TOC> Chapter 1414 Conditions
Translator: SumTLMan
The ultimate outcome was just so.
There was but a single explosion, its reach wasn’t vast. The Soul Domain beneath the Corpse Forest was unaffected. The only regrettable incident was the destruction of the surface structures of Black Castle.
For the witches of Black Castle, the dent in their reputation might be more significant. Failing to protect even their iconic buildings. However, in reality, the tangible losses were limited, especially since most of the extraordinary resources were stored underground.
By the time Sanders finished recounting the entire sequence of events, Isabelle’s treatment was nearing its end.
“How is Isabella faring now?” Kimberly inquired. Although she wasn’t fond of Isabella, Isabella had taken responsibility for this incident, hence Kimberly was genuinely concerned about her condition.
“Her situation has stabilized for now, but…” Isabelle hesitated for a moment before adding, “The backlash from the spell was severe, and coupled with the impact from the explosion, her mental space has been affected. Quick recovery seems unlikely.”
Hearing this, Kimberly’s brow furrowed slightly. She hadn’t anticipated Isabella’s injuries to be this severe.
She glanced at Isabella, intending to offer some comforting words, but noticed that Isabella didn’t seem overly sorrowful. Instead, she looked at Isabelle with appreciative eyes, seemingly grateful for Isabelle’s evident concern.
“Only through destruction can rebirth occur.” Isabella responded softly.
Isabelle looked surprisingly at her usually troublesome student. Ever since her return to the Southern Region, Isabelle had mostly disapproved of Isabella’s actions. Yet, in this moment, she finally felt a touch of relief.
“If you can think like this, it’s good,” Isabelle nodded, “I hope you’ll learn from this event and genuinely change. Maybe then, there’s a chance for you to walk that path, otherwise…”
Even though Isabelle left the ‘otherwise’ hanging, Isabella clearly understood the sentiment her mentor was trying to convey.
In her heart, she felt a secret joy; this was the first time Isabelle had shown expectations towards her since returning to the Southern Region.
The reason Isabella had become so obsessed over these millennia was precisely because of Isabelle’s departure. Fearing the effects of aging and the possibility that Isabelle would return to see her aged visage, she devised the blood baptism ritual.
Yet, after Isabelle’s return from the Southern Region, even without speaking it aloud, Isabella herself had ceased the blood baptism ritual.
Isabella couldn’t help but nod earnestly, “I understand.”
Upon hearing Isabella’s response, Isabelle said no more. Whether they could progress further, only the future would tell. Now, they had to address the root of the chaos.
As Isabelle stood up, intending to speak with Angel, she heard a mournful query from her side: “Lady Isabelle, what has transpired? Why is Black Castle… gone?”
The ones speaking were the witches who had accompanied them. Their expressions were somber, clearly grieving over the fall of Black Castle.
Isabelle remained silent, but Kimberly succinctly explained the sequence of events.
Even after the explanation, the expressions of the witches remained dejected. Observing their downtrodden looks, Isabelle couldn’t help but shake her head, “It’s just a surface structure that has been destroyed, nothing to be heartbroken over. As Isabella said, ‘Only through destruction can rebirth occur.'”
“Over the years, Black Castle had already begun to decay from within, riddled with rot. If we wish to truly revitalize it, then a thorough upheaval from the roots is necessary. This calamity serves as the catalyst.”
Regardless of whether the others understood her intentions, when she allowed the giant serpent to explode in the Corpse Forest, she had this in mind. True to being her disciple, Isabella was the first to grasp her intentions.
Isabelle then approached Angel’s side.
Her gaze first settled on Angel, emotions swirling complexly within her eyes. While Angel had inadvertently hastened the explosion, without him, the devastation wrought by the three massive ghosts might have been even more terrifying.
Therefore, Isabelle’s mixed feelings towards Angel weren’t rooted in negativity. Instead, she was torn between gratitude and admiration. Angel’s foresight and ability to handle the series of events that transpired surpassed many in Black Castle, including its apprentices and perhaps even some formal wizards.
Moreover, Angel was a member of the Research Institute.
Such talent, if he were to come to Black Castle, Isabelle would accept him into their ranks regardless of his gender.
A pity.
Pushing aside her inner contemplations, Isabelle solemnly uttered a “Thank you” to Angel. Given her stature, expressing gratitude to Angel spoke volumes of her magnanimity, something Isabella couldn’t possibly match.
Isabelle’s attention shifted from Angel to Princess Guman.
Towards Princess Guman, Isabelle’s gaze turned significantly colder. The other witches also gathered around, their expressions filled with indignation towards the princess.
Princess Guman, on the other hand, glared at Isabelle with venomous eyes, dark energy almost tangibly wrapping around her.
Isabelle posed a few questions to Princess Guman, but she remained silent, repeatedly muttering, “I hate, I hate… Why do you witches still live, why…”
“Lady Isabelle, she must be utterly obliterated!” A witch, still resentful over Black Castle’s destruction, declared with animosity in his eyes.
“We can’t let her off so easily; we need to torment her with the Soul Extinguishing Ritual!”
Malicious suggestions came one after another, but the countenance of Princess Guman remained unaltered. For a being that was half a ghost, fear was alien to her. Moreover, she had already passed away; no matter the torment, she couldn’t be revived. At worst, she’d merely vanish into the ether.
And so, facing the malevolence of the crowd, Princess Guman responded with a defiant and resentful sneer.
If looks could cast spells, perhaps no one present would escape Princess Guman’s curse.
Unable to communicate with her, Isabelle pondered her next move. It was then that Angel interrupted, “Lady Isabelle, I have a request.”
Isabelle turned to him, her demeanor much gentler when facing Angel. “Speak.”
“Hand her over to me,” Angel gestured towards Princess Guman.
His words stirred displeasure amongst the crowd. To them, Princess Guman was the root of all chaos. Only by eradicating her could they quench their rage. Was Angel advocating for this detestable specter?
Isabelle furrowed her brows, “What do you mean?”
“She’s an exceptional subject for my experiments. I need to gather more data, make some records,” as Angel spoke, he deftly spun the Prelude of Reincarnation between his fingers.
While the other witches couldn’t fathom the true purpose of the Prelude of Reincarnation, Isabelle did.
She quickly grasped Angel’s intentions.
“You intend to use the white light bullet on her?” Isabelle inquired.
Angel nodded, “I need to gather more data, to better understand the Prelude of Reincarnation.”
Hearing this, Isabelle hesitated. If it were any other experiment, she might’ve consented, but an experiment involving the Prelude of Reincarnation… Whenever Angel mentioned it, guilt gnawed at Isabelle. After all, the Prelude of Reincarnation was the cornerstone of Angel’s ascension to mysterious alchemist, and she had unceremoniously claimed it for herself.
However, there’s a hesitancy to just hand over Princess Guman to Angel.
As for such a special ghost as Princess Guman, Isabelle was eager to study her. After all, being a soul-based wizard, she truly didn’t want to miss out.
During Isabelle’s moment of indecision, a mental link connected to her.
Startled, Isabelle still accepted the mental link. As soon as the connection was established, she heard Sanders’ voice: “Firstly, Princess Guman was captured by Angel, so Angel holds at least half the rights to her.”
“Secondly, since Angel inadvertently created Princess Guman, there’s a sense of closure in entrusting her back to him now.”
“Thirdly, if you wish to extract information from Princess Guman, you won’t be able to do so in her current state. But, if you transform her into a soul, wouldn’t many things become clear? Also, Angel shouldn’t just use the white light bullet on her without reason. Therefore, it’s logical for her to Belong To Angel, isn’t it?”
After Sanders finished, before Isabelle could retort, even Angel couldn’t help but mutter in his mind, “Sophistry.”
Such audacious words were not something Angel would utter. Well, at least not when facing a giant like Isabelle.
Isabelle was both annoyed and amused. If one were to trace the origins, it was Angel’s creation of Princess Guman that led to the current upheaval in Black Castle. He certainly played a role in the sequence of events and couldn’t shirk all responsibility.
However, as Isabelle prepared her counter-argument, Sanders suddenly interjected: “The white light bullet is currently the only known tool in the Southern Region’s Wizarding World capable of transforming a ghost back into a soul. Its value is immeasurable. To those who don’t care, it’s worthless. But to those who do, it’s invaluable. For instance, for wizards whose loved ones have become ghosts, they could use the white light bullet to revert them back. Similarly, for certain special ghosts, like the Infant Spirit, transforming them into souls would be of immense significance…”
After Sanders spoke his piece, Isabelle clearly understood his intentions.
He reminded Isabelle that she had once received an Infant Spirit from Angel, and only Angel has the capability to purify this ghost into a pure soul.
Given that Isabelle is now merely a vestige of her original soul, the value of the Infant Spirits to her surpasses that of the rebellious and resentful Princess of Guman Kingdom.
Hearing this, Isabelle finally admitted defeat.
She let out a deep sigh, “Alright, I can agree to hand her over to Angel for handling, and the rest of the inhabitants of Black Castle will have no objections. However, I have a few conditions.”