Foltest nodded slightly, remaining silent.
The male sorcerer turned decisively, leaving the hall through the side passage without a trace of reluctance.
On the throne, Foltest watched Keira, who sat on the floor as if her soul had left her.
His fingers tapped the armrest of the throne; his face remained expressionless, but deep inside, his feelings were complex.
On one hand, he indeed needed these sorcerers to provide expert advice on specific matters.
But on the other hand, Adda's curse made him harbor deeper caution and distance towards all sorcerers.
Now, the Brotherhood personally stepping in to clean house saved him some trouble. Fortunately, Keira wasn't his only advisor.
He shook his head as if to cast off those thoughts, then waved to a court guard standing by, and calmly ordered, "Take her out."
Two fully armed guards immediately stepped forward, one on each side, and unceremoniously hoisted the limp Keira from the floor.
Keira showed no reaction—no struggle, no cries, not even a focused gaze.
She was like a puppet with its strings cut, allowing the guards to drag her away from the audience hall, a place symbolizing power and glory.
Her court career and her promising future in the Northern Kingdoms.
On this day, at this moment, came to a complete and utterly ignominious end.
When Triss learned of the Brotherhood's final verdict on Keira from Fikat, who had temporarily replaced Keira as the royal advisor that day.
She froze, her face filled with surprise, her heart heavy with complex emotions.
Although Keira's previous actions had angered and disappointed her.
The two of them had been friends for many years, having known each other since their studies at Aretuza Academy and shared many moments together.
She immediately set off to find Keira, hoping to at least say goodbye or see if she needed help.
However, when she arrived at Keira's residence and laboratory in Vizima, she found it empty.
The laboratory was in disarray; many commonly used alchemy tools, lab benches, and even some personal clothes had not been taken, clearly indicating that the owner had left in a great hurry.
Only the magic books containing valuable knowledge had been taken away.
Looking at the mess and the empty air, Triss could only shake her head helplessly and let out a sigh.
She understood that her once-close friend had now completely drifted away from her.
Keira hadn't even been willing to meet her or say goodbye before leaving.
This decisiveness caused Triss a pang of pain, but she also knew that, ultimately, it was Keira's own doing.
After a moment of regret, Triss tried to adjust her mindset.
Life had to go on, and her mastery of spells couldn't afford too many distractions.
She turned and left Keira's old residence, refocusing her energy on the in-depth study of Alzur's spell... Ban Ard Academy, the morning mist had not yet fully dispersed.
Karl learned the Brotherhood's verdict on Keira in advance from his teacher, Hen.
A thrill of satisfaction flowed through his heart like a clear spring; his lips unconsciously curved into a slight smile. Now Keira was going to tend to cows twenty years earlier than expected.
He displayed a relaxed smile and sincerely said to Hen, "Thank you, Teacher."
Hen waved his hand, his expression calm but with an undeniable authority: "You are my apprentice. If someone bullies you, it is only natural for me to stand up for you."
"What's more, Keira Metz's actions are well-documented and severely violate the Brotherhood's core law strictly prohibiting the use of mind spells on colleagues. Punishing her is only right."
Karl was somewhat surprised by the efficiency with which the Brotherhood handled the matter.
But then he remembered Hen's transcendent status as one of the founding members, and it all seemed natural again.
When such a powerful figure personally pays attention to and pushes something, it's hard for the process to slow down.
Subsequently, Hen brought the conversation back on track, asking Karl with concern, "Tell me about your specific feelings when you cast spells yesterday..."
"Were there any parts that didn't match the descriptions in the book you read before?"
Karl thought for a moment, then clearly replied, "Teacher, the last time I cast a fireball, I could distinctly feel a portion of my internal energy decrease."
"The entire process wasn't like what was described in the book. I felt the magic was difficult to control and required extreme effort to guide."
"But the energy within me felt very smooth, like swinging an arm, very easily guiding and releasing that energy according to the spell circuit."
Hen listened, then was silent for a moment, his brown eyebrows slightly furrowed.
He looked up, his gaze sharp as he looked at Karl: "Karl, from your first attempt at casting to your final success, a crucial step is missing..."
"You didn't draw free magic from the outside world; you consumed entirely your own stored energy."
He explained in detail: "Normal sorcerers cast spells by relying on specific incantation syllables, triggering magic resonance, and assisting mental focus with hand gestures."
"This is used to guide and shape external magic, or to mobilize magic previously drawn and stored within the body, thereby achieving the spell effect."
"In this process, any tiny mistake, whether it's a syllable deviation, a wrong gesture, or a lack of mental focus."
"It will lead to the collapse of the spell structure and trigger a magic backlash, resulting in injury at best, and death at worst."
Karl pondered, then asked, "Then why did I fail so many times before? If I consumed my own energy, it should theoretically be easier to control."
Hen mused for a moment, then used an analogy: "This point... is somewhat similar to the state of a magic source before it is fully awakened."
"Many magic sources, before their talent manifests, have unknowingly tried to cast spells, but were unable to mobilize any external magic until a certain catalyst caused their abilities to suddenly erupt..."
"One magic source, before awakening, one day just idly picked his nose."
"As a result, an uncontrolled energy surge blew his own house sky-high. The difference is..."
Hen glanced at Karl, his tone a little strange: "Your awakening seems a bit late, and it's much milder and more controllable."
"And according to my own experience, most magic sources cause some anomalies around the age of five, and their magical talent fully manifests by the age of eleven or twelve."
Karl was speechless. Hen's words inadvertently revealed a key point.
That is, from his birth until the system activation, most of his energy was stored in the system's energy pool.
And after the system was activated, the time he truly absorbed energy by sunbathing was, at most, less than three months.
From the perspective of energy accumulation, saying that he had been in a state of underdevelopment before seemed to make sense...
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