I made up magic and taught a world-destroying witch?

The group descended the stone steps of the old diversion well, with Allen leading the way, holding a small round shield. Brewster's standard light spell hovered above their heads, the white light steadily illuminating the steps ahead.

It has to be said that although Brewster is annoyed, his Light spell is really not bad; it's what normal magic should be like.

To be honest, Joseph was a little envious. If his Red Gold Sparks were even half as obedient as Brewster's Light spell, he wouldn't be questioning his life, and he could have made a fortune from this inexplicable spell slot before running away.

Pity.

The stone steps led down to the bottom, and because it had been closed off for so long and no one had entered, there was an indescribable stench inside.

Allen walked ahead, reminding them as he went:

"Watch your step, everyone, hahaha, some of the steps here have collapsed. Last night, one of the patrol team members almost slipped and fell."

Joseph: "..." Perhaps this is the mental state of a church knight.

Lance walked behind Brewster, holding a small recording crystal in his hand as he walked through the intermediary, his face still bearing that expression as if everyone owed him ten million gold coins.

Sister Evelyn was behind Lance, with Joseph walking at the very back.

To be honest, it was worth it for him to dawdle and wait until the last one to go down. If something happened ahead, those few people would hold the line first, and he could immediately turn back and study the escape route.

After all, adventure is what young knights and unlucky protagonists should do, while staying alive is the basic principle that mature adults should adhere to.

The group continued walking forward.

The passage began to widen, and some badly worn runes could be seen on the stone walls. There were also some groove-like things on the ground covered with a black film.

"Black wax," Lance said, stopping in his tracks and glancing down at it.

The group stopped. These black, hard lumps looked like a layer of dried resin, with some around them already cracked into pieces.

Allen scratched his head and said:

"We spent a long time trying to pry this open last night. Maybe it's because it's been too long, or for some other reason, that we only managed to pry it open a little bit."

Evelyn crouched down and looked for a while before saying:

"Old records mention that there is a sealed layer beneath the abandoned portal, but its purpose is not described in detail."

"The academy's public records only say that this place is closed and dangerous areas are off-limits. The specific formula and uses of black wax are probably only in the old archives," Brewster said, frowning.

Lance glanced at them and said with a hint of disdain:

"The Royal Academy and the White Dove Church have been next to the abandoned portal for so many years, yet they don't even know the purpose of the sealed layer?"

Upon hearing this, Allen abruptly suppressed the laugh that was about to burst from his face.

Joseph actually agreed.

Yeah, you've been guarding this place for so many years, how come you don't know anything? Now he's stuck here smelling the stench of the past.

  

However, he's on the Royal Academy's side now, so saying that would feel like he'd insulted himself.

Brewster said coldly:

"Since the royal court knows so much about this, Lord Lance can explain it to us directly."

"All I know is that this item was initially confirmed and sealed by the Magic Association, the Church, and the Royal Family. As for why the records are missing later, that's probably what we need to find out now."

"Haha, nobody knows, so let's all find out together! That's the point of a cooperative investigation!" Allen quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

But no one responded at this point, then Evelyn said softly:

"Let's head ahead and see. The people who were trapped last night are just ahead."

Continuing forward, a relatively wide space appears at the end of the passage. That should be where the trapped people were last night. There are still some messy footprints and several black lines on the surrounding walls.

Those black lines were stuck between the cracks in the stone wall and the ground, and some of them had already broken.

"Last night I heard the knights say that these black lines contract when touched?" Evelyn asked softly.

"Um, I think I saw it moving at the time. When we broke it with the badge, the black line shrank like a worm. But when we looked again later, there was no reaction at all. I don't know if we were too nervous and saw it wrong," Allen said, somewhat troubled.

Brewster took a step closer, and under the illumination of the light spell, the black lines still clung to the wall like decorations, looking utterly unremarkable.

But the more ordinary it seemed, the more Joseph felt something was amiss. According to the usual storytelling patterns, even if this thing were truly dead, it wouldn't cause such a commotion.

Brewster watched for a while and then said:

"It's best to wait for the Magic Association to confirm that the black line has persisted for so long after being sealed and has reacted to the church's emblem, so it cannot be moved casually."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Joseph and asked, "What does Professor Grantham think?"

"Professor Brewster is right. It's best to leave these things as they are on site and wait for the association's observers to arrive before deciding what to do next."

Unfortunately, not everyone at the scene had the caution expected of a mature adult.

Lance seemed to have no desire to wait any longer. He pulled a glass bottle and a glass tube from his pocket, squatted down, and prepared to peel away the black lines stuck to the stone wall.

"Don't touch it," Brewster said immediately.

Evelyn whispered, "Lord Lance, please be careful."

"The royal family can't let rumors spread everywhere. What's the point of staring at a line like this?" Lance said.

Joseph felt a headache coming on.

Is this a necessary process in another world?

Why is it that every time something seems obviously wrong, someone has to reach out and touch it when everyone else is telling them not to... Is this some kind of curse?

Joseph quickly glanced at the surrounding route.

The entrance is at the back. The stone steps leading up here were very narrow. If something happens and everyone runs back together, it will definitely cause a traffic jam.

There is a half-collapsed side path on the left, and it seems impossible to see where it leads. It is probably impassable. There is a crack in the ground on the right that can be barely crossed, but it is also impossible to see where it leads.

If something really happens, the best course of action is to retreat towards the entrance first.

Just as he finished thinking, the glass tube in Lance's hand gently touched the black line. The black line suddenly contracted, and the next second, a small friction sound came from all around. Several black lines emerged from the cracks around them and rushed towards Lance and Allen, who were closest to him!

Fortunately, Allen reacted quickly, raising his shield and shouting, "Back off!"

A faint white light shone on the small round shield, and the black line made a sizzling sound as it hit the shield. Brewster immediately chanted a spell and sent several small fireballs toward the black line.

Evelyn clasped her hands together in front of her chest and whispered a prayer. A ring of light appeared beneath her feet, and as the light swept across the ground, the black lines, like Allen's white light, made them crackle.

Joseph breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this.

Fortunately, at least these people aren't just for show; with this setup, they shouldn't be wiped out.

Unexpectedly, the black line that had been burned off by the fireball suddenly emitted a glimmer of light the next second.

"They're draining magic!" Brewster exclaimed, his expression changing.