A few days later, Lind entered the West Inn in the city where Carthus and the others were staying.
A deliberately created tranquility permeated the air, yet it could not conceal the barely suppressed anxiety in Casas's eyes.
Upon seeing Lind, he practically jumped up from his chair:
"Viscount Linde! Is there any news of Miss Alice?"
Casas's voice was filled with urgent longing, his eyes fixed on Lind.
Linde did not answer immediately, but walked to the head seat and sat down on his own, his movements unhurried.
He gestured for the servants to leave, then took out a small silver pot and a matching teacup from his exquisite leather bag and slowly poured himself a cup of hot tea.
The wafting aroma of tea filled the slightly oppressive room, creating a silent, oppressive stillness.
Carsas's facial muscles twitched slightly, clearly angered by Lind's almost dismissive attitude.
He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging anger, and tried his best to maintain the dignity of a mage as he sat down again, though his posture appeared somewhat stiff.
“Your Excellency,” Carsas’s voice deepened, carrying a barely perceptible warning, “please inform us of Miss Alice’s whereabouts. The academy is busy, and we cannot linger here.”
Lind then raised his eyes, his sharp purple eyes calmly sweeping over Casas, as if trying to pierce through his feigned composure.
He took a small sip of tea before speaking slowly, his tone calm and even: "The person has been found."
Carsas's eyes instantly erupted with undisguised ecstasy, the light of which was astonishing!
However, beneath this ecstatic backdrop, a fleeting, subtle, and sinister smile, like the flick of a viper's tongue, briefly crossed his lips, so quickly it was almost an illusion.
But Linde's keen, eagle-like eyes caught this subtle change clearly!
"Great! Where is she? Please take me to see her immediately!" Carsas's voice trembled slightly with excitement, and he leaned forward impatiently.
"See her?" Lind set down his teacup, making a very soft tapping sound that was unusually clear in the quiet room. "Sure. But on the condition that you tell me who sent you? What is your real purpose in seeing Alice?"
His gaze was like a cold blade, piercing straight into Caras's heart.
The eagerness on Casas's face froze instantly, as if he had been doused with a bucket of cold water.
His eyes flickered for a moment, then he quickly regained the composure and caution characteristic of academics, leaning back slightly in his chair.
"Why do you say that, Your Excellency? As I just said, I came at the request of Dean Lurie to visit and exchange academic ideas. Is your doubt due to a lack of trust in the academy, or to disrespect for Dean Lurie?"
He tried to intimidate people by using the name of the college and the dean.
Linde's lips curled into a cold smile. He said nothing more, but slowly took out an item from his pocket—a small and exquisite metal badge, clearly engraved with the symbol of the Royal Academy of Mages and the name Alice Erna.
This is Alice's identification badge at the academy, enough to prove that Lind does indeed know her whereabouts.
Upon seeing the plaque, Casas' tense shoulders relaxed almost imperceptibly, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
He let out a long, almost imperceptible sigh, a relaxation born of impending accomplishment.
"I see... Your Excellency is indeed extraordinary."
Casas put on a formulaic smile again, even with a hint of ingratiation.
"Now that you have found Miss Alice, things will be much easier."
He stopped insisting on meeting and instead carefully took out a parchment envelope sealed with dark purple sealing wax from the inner pocket of his mage's robe.
The sealing wax on the envelope had intricate patterns and carried a faint magical aura, clearly indicating that it was a specially made seal.
"This is a personal letter from His Excellency the Dean to Miss Alice, and it is of utmost importance."
Casas handed the envelope to Lind with both hands, his expression extremely solemn.
"Please make sure that this letter is delivered to her personally, Your Excellency. The Dean has repeatedly instructed that this letter contains core secrets of the academy and family matters, and only Miss Alice herself may open it."
Linde took the envelope; it felt slightly heavy in his hand, the parchment texture carrying the roughness of age.
A barely perceptible hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
That's it? A letter?
This is far removed from the conspiracies or coercive measures he had anticipated against Alice.
Was the previous "smirk" just an illusion? Or was the letter itself a trap?
His first instinct was to open the envelope and check it in front of Casas.
"No!"
Casas suddenly spoke up to stop him, his voice tinged with tension.
"Your Excellency! This letter is sealed with the Dean's unique 'Heart Lock Seal,' which is bound to Miss Alice's life mark! Anyone other than her who attempts to forcibly open it will immediately trigger the seal, and the letter and its contents will be reduced to ashes in an instant, with no chance of survival! Please do not attempt it!"
His explanation sounded reasonable, emphasizing the privacy and security of the letters.
Linde gave Casas a deep look; the urgency and "worry" on the other's face seemed genuine.
He nodded, carefully put the envelope away, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority:
"Don't worry, I will personally deliver this letter to Alice."
Having achieved his goal, Carsas seemed unwilling to linger for even a moment longer.
He immediately stood up, and together with his several student assistants who also seemed relieved, bid farewell to Lind:
"Now that the letter has been delivered, and we have completed our mission at the academy, we will not disturb Your Excellency any longer. Thank you for your hospitality, farewell."
His attitude was respectful, yet there was a sense of urgency to get away.
Linde did not try to stop them, but simply watched them leave the castle in a hurry, led by their attendants, until their figures disappeared in the direction leading to the mountain pass.
Only after confirming that they had completely left Blackrock Territory's sphere of influence did Linde turn around, carrying the heavy letter, and return to his study deep within the castle, which was protected by multiple layers of soundproofing and protective barriers.
The heavy oak door closed silently behind us.
Lind stood alone at his desk, the firelight from the fireplace dancing on his face. Without hesitation, he placed the purple letter directly on the table.
"Deconstruction!"
As he silently recited the mantra, an invisible halo instantly enveloped the letter.
Its powerful analytical capabilities, like the most precise scanner, instantly penetrated the fibers of the parchment, reaching deep into the magical structure of the seal, and... the extremely minute amount of anomalous substance hidden inside the envelope!
The flow of information washed over Lind's consciousness like a cold waterfall:
> Objective: To seal letters (on parchment paper).
> Additional Status:
> 1. 'Heart Lock' Magic Seal: Intricately structured and bound to a specific life imprint (Alice Erna).
If an unbound user forcibly activates the system, it will trigger a self-destruct mechanism.
> 2. Hidden substance: 'Whisper of the Ghost' neurotoxin (modified).
> Status: Trace quantity, inertly encapsulated in a special interlayer inside the sealing wax.
Triggering condition: The moment the seal is broken, the magical fluctuations activate the encapsulation structure, and the toxins will be released in the form of aerosols.
> Effect: Targets the caster's mental state.
Inhalation causes severe mental pain, magical disorder, and collapse of spellcasting concentration.
High doses or long-term exposure can lead to permanent mental damage and atrophy of the magic circuits.
It has little effect on non-spellcasters.
> Source analysis: Non-natural product, highly purified, with characteristics of a fusion of alchemy and curse magic.
The craftsmanship is excellent, targeting professional apothecaries or high-level curse mages.
really!
A chilling glint flashed in Linde's eyes! Carsas's sinister smile that moment was no illusion! This letter itself was a dagger coated with deadly poison!
The so-called "heart lock seal" is nothing more than a safety measure to ensure that Alice herself must pull out this poisoned blade!
Once she excitedly opens the letter from her mother (as she thought) she's receiving, a devastating psychological blow awaits her! What a vicious tactic!
"Trying to mess with my people? Damn it..."
Lind's voice was as cold as the western winds, carrying a chilling killing intent.
Without the slightest hesitation, he activated the deconstruction halo once more, his target clearly aimed at the envelope itself and the deadly toxin!
"break down!"
The power of the halo is precise and domineering.
The trace amount of "Whispering Ghost" toxin, sealed within the core layer of the sealing wax and in an inert state, was instantly decomposed and reduced to the most basic harmless elemental particles, like a thin mist under the sunlight, completely dissipating without leaving any trace.
The deadly poisoned blade was silently stripped of its edge before it was even drawn.
Having dealt with the immediate threat, Linde did not stop.
His gaze deepened, the deconstruction aura continued to unfold, and his target was no longer the material present, but rather to capture the "traces" left by the letter during its formation and transmission—those residual, faint fragments of information.
"Going back to the past!"
Buzz—
Linde's consciousness seemed to be pulled into a blurry, fragmented flashback scene.
That was the beginning of the writing of this letter.
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