Although he had already seen that the wings in front of him were clearly fake, Aslan's expression remained neutral. He pulled out a monocle from his magical attire and leaned in, pretending to closely examine the amber. Beside him, Akuta Hinako curled her lips and turned her attention to the so-called plant seed amber as well.
These seed ambers were indeed genuine. After all, they weren't as rare as elf wing amber. Naturally, there was a reason Hinako chose to enter the Botany Department—she truly had an interest in it.
Otherwise, given her personality, she would probably have enrolled in the department with the fewest students.
A rare smile crept across Akuta Hinako's face. From that smile, Aslan immediately understood—these ancient seeds might actually be the real deal. That was infuriating. Why was he, a genius in fairy script, not worthy of an elaborate trap? Why did a low-profile botany student get something authentic while he received a pathetic fake?
Hey! I'm so angry! Don't treat me like this! Even a replica of the fairy script would've been better than these ordinary wings!
The man in the black suit, noticing that the pair's attention was fixed on the amber, quietly drew a silver-glowing Western sword from his pocket. On closer inspection, the surface of the sword shimmered as if liquid flowed across it. The weapon had been gradually assembled from his pocket—otherwise, there was no way that slender blade could have fit inside.
Fortunately, this time the man in the black suit seemed to understand who the real threat was. He pointed the slender sword at Aslan's back, preparing to drive it straight through his heart. After all, Aslan was a researcher of fairy script, and the diversity of fairy characters reflected the depth of their power.
The attacker knew he had to land a fatal blow—otherwise, he'd face barriers, fire, or worse.
Without hesitation, he lunged forward.
The only response he got was two cold words: "Evaporate."
The silver sword instantly turned to vapor and exploded. Then, under the influence of [Solidify], it condensed into molten slag and fell to the ground with a hiss.
"So it was mercury. But isn't that a bit too obvious of a setup?"
The primary component of Kayneth's magic attire was mercury. Killing Aslan with a mercury weapon could frame Kayneth for the attack—but only superficially. For one, even if mercury was the base material, the composition and ratio would differ.
Besides, would Kayneth really be so stupid as to leave such an obvious trail back to himself?
Clearly, the faction behind this attack was relying on their political power within the Clock Tower to try and cover it up. Tch, the upper echelons of the Clock Tower were all rotten to the core.
From the looks of it, Kayneth's enemies had been preparing for this. Otherwise, they wouldn't have used such a laughably weak ploy to take out someone like Aslan.
If you think about it, it was absurd that Waver had so easily intercepted Kayneth's package before the Holy Grail War. That delivery came from a Monarch of the Clock Tower—and it was related to the Holy Grail War. No matter how little Kayneth cared for the War, he wouldn't have been careless with something that important. A scrap of the King of Conquerors' cloak was a treasure, even as a mere collector's item.
It was hard to believe that no one had tampered with the process.
Once Kayneth died, the entire faction would suffer a massive blow. And the saboteurs only had to ensure the relic didn't reach Kayneth. Even if the incident were investigated, Waver alone would shoulder the blame.
Whoever orchestrated this had merely twisted a few strings to make sure the Twelve Monarchs' relics never reached their intended target.
The man in the black suit quickly backed away, shaking his injured hands. The evaporated mercury had splashed back on him, embedding droplets into his palms. If not treated soon, it might not be fatal, but his hand was as good as ruined.
"What are you waiting for? Get him!"
At his shout, more attackers emerged from the shadows—each carrying specialized weapons brimming with mercury. They clearly intended to go through with this frame-up, no matter how blatant it became.
Aslan glanced at the advancing group, then turned to Akuta Hinako.
"They must have sealed the exits," he said. "Which means no one else will be coming. If you've been feeling frustrated lately… well, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance."
Akuta Hinako stared at the men in black, then smiled.
Indeed, these were the only ones involved in this conspiracy—and all of them were doomed. After all, it was kill or be killed now.
And she had plenty of frustration to vent.
With a swift motion, Akuta Hinako removed her glasses. Her magician's robe shifted, transforming into form-fitting combat gear. Her long black hair spread dramatically behind her.
"You garbage," she hissed. "Can you stop wasting my time? Just roll over and die already. Watching disgusting, ignorant humans like you suffer is so cathartic."
Her venomous words cut through the air like daggers. The black-clad magi, clutching their mercury weapons, stared at her in disbelief. Their wide eyes practically screamed: What the hell is wrong with this woman?
Just because she knew fairy script, did she think she was some kind of divine arbiter?
Akuta Hinako saw their expressions and let out a long sigh—equal parts mockery and disappointment.
"I tried to warn you. But fine, you chose the hard way."
She extended her hands, a sinister energy crackling at her fingertips.
"Perfect. I'll unleash everything I've bottled up."
Her eyes burned.
"Do you want to see hell? Then cry for mercy!"
"The lucky ones will perish quickly. Through the agony of death, feel my envy… and my hatred!"
-End Chapter-
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