Turning Chapter 1261

Yuder paused briefly before looking down. The information on the parchment was scant.

The Cantinto family, a noble lineage of considerable age, presided over a modest territory situated between the Central and Western regions. Beyond this, little of note marked their standing. The current head, a woman in her forties, was reportedly a niece to Melach Cantinto.

Within the family archives, details concerning Melach Cantinto’s early life were remarkably brief. Born the fourth son, he, like many aspiring mages, underwent the mana reaction test in his youth, subsequently becoming a mage. His initial tutelage began under a mage with ties to his parents.

After years of honing his skills, he secured a position within the Royal Mage Office, entering through a recommendation. He served there for almost two decades, diligently but without any significant accomplishments to his name.

His final entry recorded a transfer from the Royal Mage Office to a newly formed entity, the Imperial Mana Institute. Brief assignments in various locations followed over a few years, culminating in his demise due to an accident at his last post.

As a gesture of sympathy, the Royal Mage Office provided substantial compensation. Following Melach’s wishes and with no immediate family, the Cantinto family inherited and subsequently liquidated his possessions.

It was an exceedingly commonplace life story. Had the subject not been his grandfather, Yuder might have found the account so dull as to induce yawning. He gazed at the document for a moment before turning the page, which detailed the various places Melach Cantinto had been stationed.

“His life was so unremarkable that uncovering anything unusual proved challenging. However, a few mages from his era are still alive, allowing us to pursue leads and formulate some educated guesses.”

Kishiar moved closer, his finger tapping a section on the paper Yuder held. “Observe this. The mage who mentored Melach Cantinto had several other disciples. All of them hailed from noble families, and rumors suggest they were all associated with the same magical academy.”

The same magical academy. The mention brought to Yuder’s mind the image of Sallandin, whom he’d encountered during his visit to his ancestral home, and the symbol-like mark upon his grandfather’s arm.

“The one reputed to receive the ‘Blessing of the Great Mage’… That obscure magical sect.”

“Precisely. As it required no significant commitment, it appears close acquaintances joined it lightheartedly in their youth. Yet, after Melach Cantinto joined the Royal Mage Office, their connections seemingly began to fray.”

Kishiar indicated a line further down. “Melach Cantinto transferred to the Royal Mage Office following his master’s passing. The other mages who shared that master had also aspired to join, but only Melach was accepted.”

This wasn’t due to any inferiority in the other mages compared to Melach. The Royal Mage Office had selected him based on their high regard for his mana sensitivity.

“At that time, the Royal Mage Office was in the process of establishing a new department dedicated to researching mana distribution throughout the Empire.”

Indeed, this was the Imperial Mana Institute.

“They sought to recruit an individual suitable for this endeavor, and they deemed Melach to be the ideal candidate. However, the precise reasons remained unknown, apparently leading to considerable jealousy and resentment directed towards him.”

“Still, mana sensitivity is a component of a mage’s abilities, is it not? I fail to grasp the reason for such envy.”

“Even amongst mages, there's a tendency to diminish the value of intangible strengths.”

Kishiar offered a wry smile. “Consider it this way: imagine a knight possessing minimal personal combat prowess but an exceptional talent for identifying potential in others. The prevailing sentiment was that mages with merely high mana sensitivity were only useful for vetting young applicants.”

Yuder recalled Kanna’s reading from the previous day concerning the mage robe. ‘It’s not particularly ostentatious, but it is a robe awarded to those who served the Imperial Household. It seems the wearer took great pride in this fact. Someone once remarked to them—so you’ve been recognized for being born with mana sensitivity, despite your mediocre power. Congratulations… Cantinto.’

Could the individual who uttered those words have been one of Melach Cantinto’s youthful companions? After hearing Kishiar’s explanation, it all began to make sense.

“Now, regarding the next section.”

Kishiar presented another sheet of paper. “A condensed version of the final report extracted from the records of the Imperial Mana Institute.”

It was difficult to comprehend how Kishiar had absorbed and retained such a volume of information after a single reading. Even transcribing it from the original would have been a time-consuming task.

“You needn’t peruse the entirety. We already possess a general understanding of the incident. What is crucial is what follows—the accounts compiled by the investigators dispatched subsequently.”

The official designation of the incident detailed in the document was: The Airik Expedition Investigation Group Death Incident.

“A total of sixteen individuals were dispatched. Eight were Royal Mages, seven were support personnel, and one was a family member accompanying a dispatched mage.”

It occurred during the late autumn, as the season transitioned into winter. A sudden monster outbreak besieged the village where the dispatched mages were stationed. Reports indicated a variety of monster species were involved, including some capable of breathing fire.

Fire.

Among the support personnel was a knight assigned for their protection. However, by the incident's conclusion, approximately 50 villagers, in addition to the dispatched group, had perished. The investigators tasked with examining the aftermath documented the following:

• All accounts concur that by the time rescue signals summoned individuals from neighboring villages and the base of the mountain, the village was already largely consumed by flames, with only faint embers remaining as the fire had nearly extinguished itself.
• Two monsters were found alive, though injured by the fire and consequently dealt with easily.
• Given the horrific condition of the deceased, victim identification necessitated the use of personal effects.

So, the fire had essentially extinguished itself without external intervention?

Yuder’s attention intensely focused on the details concerning the fire.

• As the fire originated from the monsters, it is presumed to have subsided once the monsters were eliminated.
• The reason the majority of the monsters were already deceased prior to the rescuers' arrival is speculated to be due to them turning on each other after the victims had already succumbed.
• The containment of the fire, preventing it from spreading beyond a specific perimeter, remains unexplained. However, this range closely aligns with the area encompassed by a seven-layer defensive barrier that had been erected around the village. A theory suggests that the mana stones incorporated into this barrier may have inhibited the fire's propagation.
• All mana stones were found destroyed and melted, rendering an examination of their origin and grade impossible.

In essence, even the Royal Mage Office expressed bewilderment as to why the fire did not engulf the entire mountain range and why nearly all the monsters were found deceased upon discovery.

Lacking a definitive conclusion, they ultimately included hypotheses and conjectures in the official report before concluding the investigation. Nevertheless, their speculations were not entirely without basis.

Spontaneous conflict among monsters during an outbreak is not an unprecedented occurrence.

Still, the true explanation likely resided elsewhere.

“When the rescuers arrived to find the monsters already dead and the fire extinguished without spreading—it all appears as evidence of the ‘Blessing of the Great Mage’ manifesting.”

“That was my initial thought as well.”

Kishiar offered a nod of agreement.

“I delved deeper into records pertaining to mages suspected of having received the Great Mage’s Blessing in the past, and remarkably, the events preceding and following these instances bear a striking resemblance. Please turn to the subsequent page.”

Yuder flipped the page. In that brief interval, Kishiar had somehow located and transcribed actual records from that era. This was not mere legend or hearsay—it appeared to be authentic documentation exchanged between the Pearl Tower and officials of that time.

“How... did you manage to unearth this? Did you make contact with the Pearl Tower?”

“Haha, not directly, but I do have acquaintances among the mages, you see.”

Kishiar responded with a secretive smile.

“In any event, according to this account, the mage at the heart of the incident truly ceased breathing, only to revive. This is corroborated by appended temple records. Furthermore, there exists testimony indicating he attempted to rescue others before his demise, and it appears individuals whose lives were spared due to that mage's actions dispatched numerous letters of gratitude.”