Chapter 266

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Chapter 266

Sylas pouted and reluctantly said, "I can’t be completely sure, I can only make a guess…"

Xerath was very firm in her attitude, "Then I want to hear that guess." She even omitted the formerly common words "please" and "hope".

"I guess… it’s because of the ‘Shame Mark’." After saying this word, she saw the furrows on Xerath’s brow deepen, silently urging her to continue. "Sauran’s ‘Shame Mark’ is not a witchcraft, but a demon spell, and demon spells need a basis to be cast."

"What is it?"

"…soul."

"Go on."

"In demon spells, there is a very important fundamental skill called ‘Soul Fragmentation’. Demons know how to separate a tiny thread of the soul to use as a medium for casting spells. This weak force of reliance often returns to the caster’s body after the spell is cast in an instant, but for a continuous spell, like ‘Hunting Mark’… the soul needs to stay outside for a long time."

"So Sauran’s ‘Shame Mark’ is actually the ‘Hunting Mark’ of demon spells?"

"Yes."

"So how did they find you? Just by the scent on Sauran, the hellhounds could find you? Something like that? Or could they learn everything about you from fragments of your soul? It’s too miraculous, I’ve never ventured into this area before."

"Uh, I think it might be… very simple. The Hunting Mark is a symbol of competition among demons. For example," Sylas answered very seriously, "If Antihazza marks me, the weaker demons won’t dare touch her prey. But if someone stronger, like Kuowa, doesn’t care about Antihazza, she would use another mark to replace Antihazza’s. Then Antihazza’s soul would return to her, unless it’s captured by a few special vessels."

Xerath squeezed Sylas’s hand a little, immediately sensing the nervousness and itchiness. "You’re okay with letting your soul float outside?"

"Only, only a little!" She gestured with a tiny gesture, trying to make Xerath not mind about this.

"So, someone removed Sauran’s ‘Hunting Mark’ and then chased your soul to find you?" The bone-chilling sensation of being locked in finally disappeared. The archmage withdrew his gaze and pondered with his chin resting on his hand. "So, Sauran’s only purpose is this… no wonder he turned into a ‘puppet.’"

"What exactly is a ‘puppet’?"

As the name suggests, a ‘puppet’ is a wooden doll controlled by strings. Sauran himself has no control, everything on his body is controlled by invisible strings. But this is not the defining characteristic of shadow magic, instead, many witchcraft claim to have such effects.

"Most of the legends about puppets appear in the assassination sections of some legendary novels, but they actually exist. Every country has similar puppetry, with different principles."

"No wonder they recognized it so quickly…"

The small interruption didn’t end Xerath’s interrogation. After the puppetry topic came to an end, Xerath asked again, "Did Kuowa teach you demon spells?"

"Yes… yes."

The archmage sat back and fell into deep thought. "So, this matter is related to Kuowa, isn’t it?"

"Wh-why?"

"It’s obvious. Demon spells were taught by her, and only she knows this is the Hunting Mark. But it’s strange because demons usually don’t get involved in human conspiracies."

"Th-then why?" Is it because demons are too proud to associate with humans?

"Because Kuowa is too lazy. all her interest is in Eilan. Unless Eilan becomes corrupt and Kuowa is commanded by Eilan… but that’s not very likely. I think Kuowa is only interested in the human body. If Eilan is reduced to a skeleton or an urn…"

Can a demon-like creature really love an urn full of ashes?

Sylas sensed the same question in Xerath’s eyes and quickly defended her teammate, saying, "Definitely not! Kuowa has ulterior motives… um… um…"

The vigilant owner of the miraculous unicorn asked, "What ulterior motives?"

Sensing Sylas’s hesitation, Xerath secretly exerted force in her hand. With a sigh, Sylas moved to the side, looking at Xerath with a reluctant expression, refusing to speak.

Hyectra, no longer on her side, was pulled by the blue waves towards the archmage, her stiff knuckles pressing against her waist. She enjoyed the physical contact with Xerath, but wished it wasn’t so confrontational…

"Sylas." The archmage’s gray eyes locked onto her, a sharp smile curling at the corner of his mouth, as if he had spotted his prey.

"Well… um… Kuowa wanted to trap me into revealing something, so she insisted on teaching me demon spells in exchange."

"Trap you into revealing what?"

She wanted… she wanted to know who my ‘master’ was…" As she spoke the word, she trembled all over. Her master was right in front of her, unaware of what sentiments he held, while her classmates in school, including the demon himself, were all eager to taunt her about her secret admiration for her "master.

"Why do you want to know? How did she know that you would have an ‘owner’? A normal person wouldn’t think about it in terms of a contract."

Sylas thought to herself, "Shouldn’t you be blamed for being too famous?"

But the knuckles pressed against her waist poked her, and Sylas reluctantly confessed her hunting experience.

After listening, Xerath couldn’t help but ask, "So, your example of being hunted by a demon happened like this?"

"Yes… The Nightmare Sisters disguised themselves as you, but when they tried to attack me, they were blocked by a circle of golden flames."

"So, when Kuowa went back to her hometown to seek justice for you, she heard about the golden flames?"

Sylas nodded, believing that she didn’t doubt for a moment that she had said those words under the influence of the succubus’s charm.

"Then what is it exactly… what is it?"

Xerath said, "It might be a reaction to the branding, because there are few cases, and many scholars even suspect it’s just a coincidence."

"Mark reaction?"

Xerath suddenly smiled and said, "Do you really think there are no benefits to becoming an archmage’s demon beast?"

Sylas’s heart suddenly raced at the sight of this faint smile. What benefits would there be to becoming an archmage’s demon beast? Until now, she had only known it as a distant and torturous dream.

"During dangerous times, the master provides some kind of protection for their pet, like a ‘mark reaction.’ By the way, when did this happen?"

Sylas obediently revealed the date, which was clearly written in the Yearbook.

Xerath nodded coldly, "I have a feeling about this, so I’m certain it’s a mark reaction."

This marked the end of her questioning, and she settled back into Hyectra’s broad embrace, closing her eyes to rest in the specks of light.

The afternoon forest was extremely quiet, with the wind rustling the leaves, creating a soft and high-pitched sound. Occasionally, bird calls could be heard from afar or nearby, and the only other sound was the soft crunch of wheels rolling on the ground.

These sounds gradually became part of the background of this scenery, just like the constant wind in Aimekotes.

But Sylas’s ears were filled with the sound of her own pounding heartbeat, and her mind kept echoing Xerath’s words that she had just said.

She has… a connection with me…

At this moment, Xerath seemed to realize her peculiarity and laughed softly, saying, "You probably don’t think being my pet has any benefits, do you? But I’ve never tested it personally before, I’ll secretly study it in the future."

"Why secretly?" The always honest archmage suddenly said the word "secretly" in a very cute manner. Sylas leaned against her, using her hand to prop up her chin, just like Xerath.

Even back in Aimekotes, they didn’t have much opportunity to talk this closely. Having a big house is not good at all. If Aimekotes was only as big as a carriage, they would have to be together every day.

Xerath said, "If there was a way to enslave someone, many people wouldn’t pass up that opportunity."

Sylas asked curiously, "But what does that have to do with anything? Even without a forced contract, slaves are legally present in many places."

The archmage flicked her messy hair and said, "People should be equal."

Sylas was taken aback by this statement and secretly glanced at Xerath, thinking, "Back then, you didn’t even ask me and just had me sign the contract, did you?"

But Xerath seemed to have sensed it, and gave her a meaningful glance.

Surprisingly, Sylas found it quite amusing and burst out laughing, not expecting that Xerath would laugh too. But Sylas’s memory of their first meeting was of a stern and serious archmage, not at all like the person smiling in front of her.

"In any case, this indicates that there must be demons or users of demon spells in the opposing camp, just like you, because they were able to find you based on the fragments of your soul." After a moment of inexplicable silence, the archmage turned to her and summarized.

Sylas stared back at her without any defense, but Xerath didn’t immediately avert her gaze as usual. Instead, she narrowed her eyes and said, "You resemble your mother quite a lot."

"…Is this an unusual phenomenon?" She had a feeling that Xerath had more to say, otherwise she wouldn’t have brought up the topic at all.

"Yes, of course. I like your… sharp intuition," Xerath nodded. "Normally, daughters resemble their fathers, unless your father looks like me."

It was a very… very strange statement, and Sylas didn’t know how to respond.

"Blonde hair and light-colored eyes, and also good-looking."

"Why would such a conclusion be reached?"