A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 205 Expansion of the Investigation

When the "Secret Meeting at the Hermitage" ended, Rorschach returned to the Tower of Stars, put down his luggage, and went straight to the research building.

"Master Kano, long time no see!" Rorschach knocked on the master's office door, only to see Kano with a surprised expression: "Rorschach? What brings you back?"

Is this a sign that I'm not welcome? Rorschach raised an eyebrow: "Looks like I shouldn't have come back here."

"No, no, no, that's not what I meant. I just thought you'd stay in the Empire longer, maybe to visit your hometown again or something. Rorschach, you don't have anything to do right now, so why are you in such a hurry to come back?" The old Valuwanan didn't quite understand Rorschach's hurried state. If it were Cano, he would definitely choose to wander around for another month or two before making a decision.

"Can't I come back to study in a hurry?" Rorschach took out the gifts he had prepared, and took out a dozen apple and a dozen orange-flavored sodas from the ring.

Kano watched as Rorschach took out bottle after bottle, filling his desk, and then asked, "That's it? Only drinks?"

The master and apprentice exchanged barbs: "You can have whatever you want in the Holy Kingdom. If you want to bring back local specialties, these are just some soft drinks, oh, and some white wine from Würzburg." The grand finale was a beautifully packaged glass bottle of fine wine, its small packaging a result of improved bottling technology. With sterilization measures, corks, and wax seals, the shelf life was greatly extended compared to traditional barrel transportation.

"This is good." Cano took the white wine, examining the label and the pale golden liquid repeatedly, before putting it in his wine cabinet. Then, leaving a bottle of green soda, he waved his hand and said, "Take the rest, distribute them to the rest of the group."

Rorschach recounted what the Kingdom of Bain had done, which moved the teacher somewhat. He picked up the glass bottle and said, "Even a small glass bottle like this wasn't easy to make. But I still think you should stay in Bain, and perhaps even build your own magic tower."

Rorschach still believed that returning to the Holy Kingdom was necessary. He currently lacked funds for construction, and his magical studies were not yet complete. At the Arcane Tower, he was merely a visitor, constantly hindered from accessing the library. Studying legitimately here would allow him to improve his magic more effectively.

He had subtly inquired with Bart during their conversation and learned that the officers and units of the Empire's Southern Army were being mobilized and were temporarily out of combat capability, indicating that the Holy Kingdom would be safe for some time to come.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing I need to tell you. Even if you stay in Byrne, I'm going to call you back."

When Luo Xia saw Cano suddenly become serious, a bad feeling arose in him.

As expected, the Archmage clasped his hands together and informed Rorschach that the High Master of Valuwana had suspended teaching activities.

"You've been suspended from school?" Luo Xia asked incredulously. He had planned to come back and create a set of final exam papers!

It turns out that in the following period, several more students awakened their own little magic tricks. Some could summon small flames, while others could make objects float slightly. The most serious accident occurred during a playground activity when a student accelerated himself, lost control, and crashed into a wall.

This result greatly shocked the guild. It was clear that other schools did not have as many children with magical talent who could independently comprehend spellcasting techniques, even if it was just a trick.

Thus, the investigation into this "Magic Awakening" school resumed. The guild was still unsure whether the mages had unintentionally conveyed magic-related concepts during their teaching activities, or whether a mage had deliberately taught spellcasting techniques to gifted children.

After discussion, it was confirmed that the involvement of mages in teaching activities caused the current situation. Halfway through the investigation, many teachers from the Tower of Stars resigned in anger, and, due to unknown instigation, His Majesty the King issued a royal decree to close the school.

All activities ceased.

The investigation is still ongoing, and Rorschach and Pascal, who were once teachers, will likely face another round of questioning. If there were indeed teachers who taught magic to high masters, the guild has not stated how it will handle the situation, only continuing to investigate.

"What about the students? What about the effort, time, energy, and resources that the sponsors and teachers have invested?" This was something that Rorschach suggested to the King. Although he had some reservations about the board of directors and was only a temporary teacher after the school was established, Rorschach could not accept that it would end so hastily.

I haven't even finished making the final exams to torture those brats yet!

Kano shook his head: "I understand your feelings, and I also oppose wasting the guild and affiliated merchants' initial investments like this. But given the outcome, it's clear that many people have been obstructing things."

"Since you object, why not let the guild try a different approach? Why is the guild withdrawing from running the school?" Luo Xia still felt disgusted when he recalled that humiliating interrogation, and he never expected to have to go through it again.

"I admit that as the chief of the Tower of Stars, I have considerable influence over the activities of the Magic Guild in the Holy Kingdom. However, I am neither Charles XVI of the magic world nor is the Tower of Stars the only major magic tower in the Holy Kingdom. The investigation is in accordance with procedures, so I can only remain neutral."

Fortunately, Kano hadn't finished speaking: "At least on the surface, we're neutral. It's still unclear who's behind this, and the rational thing to do is not to rush into a statement now. Even if I were the only one to speak, it wouldn't be enough to stop the investigation easily."

"As long as it continues, I will have time to find out who is the mastermind behind instigating the Senate of Arcane Law." Kano said this with a grim expression, probably also angry with the Senate.

"Originally, I was thinking that if you stayed in Bain, I could deflect your questioning on behalf of my student. However, since neither you, Rorschach nor Pascal, want to see the Higher Normal Schools shut down, why not give it a try? I support you."

".thank you."

But what kind of "effort" should he make? He probably needs to prepare for an inquiry first. Rorschach insists on not changing his lecture notes, and his senior agrees to let him continue teaching according to those notes. Rorschach, unable to find Pascal, finds himself unexpectedly outside the campus of the Valuana Higher Normal School.

The wrought iron gate was loosely locked. Luo Xia looked inside; it was quiet and deserted. Although it was late spring and early summer, there was a sense of desolation. The lawn on the playground had grown very tall and hadn't been mowed.

He looked around, but no one noticed the closed school. He then extended his fingertip, and a red light flashed. The chain that had been broken was snapped, and Rorschach pushed open the creaking iron gate and entered.

After walking through the deserted playground, courtyard, corridors, and offices, Rorschach unexpectedly encountered someone other than himself in the classroom. A boy was sitting in a seat, copying notes from tattered textbooks onto paper.

"Andrei?"

The boy was startled, but when he looked up and saw a familiar face, his surprise turned to joy: "Teacher! You still remember my name!"

So you think if I mispronounce your name once, you'll remember it for the rest of your life?

"When were classes suspended?"

"After spring break, we were told we didn't need to come anymore," Andrei said, his head drooping again. "My father lost his job again. Luckily, I can read, so I work as a clerk at the Chamber of Commerce. When I'm not working, I can climb over the wall and just sit at a desk."

Andrei was recommended by the church grammar school, students from families that were usually of modest means. Now Rorschach noticed that his clothes were dirtier and older than when he was in school.

Do you still keep in touch with your other classmates?

"Yes, yes." Andrei named several people, and their faces flashed through Rorschach's mind. Andrei's eyes reddened, and he choked back tears as he confided in Rorschach, who wasn't much older than him, "We all really want to continue going to school. Teacher, if I don't know magic, will the school still be able to close?"

Luo Xia let out a long breath: "Andrei, it's not your fault."

Due to time constraints, I would like to thank the authors whose work will be combined with tomorrow's post.

Chapter 203 is a prologue-like chapter, the Kingdom Turmoil Chapter, a proper serialized story!

(End of this chapter)