Chapter 75 - -75: Contamination

Chapter 75: Chapter -75: Contamination

"Contamination."

Albert’s single word seemed to remain suspended in the room, and for several seconds, neither Elena nor I reacted because neither of us had expected to hear that particular word from him.

I looked at Elena.

The faint dark mana surrounding her body was still visible, although it was so subtle that I could barely distinguish it from her ordinary mana, and yet Clara had noticed it immediately.

*Contamination...*

In the magical world, that word had a very specific meaning when it was used alongside evil magic.

It referred to the contamination of one’s mana by ’Evil Essence’, the same corrupted energy that was associated with evil magic arts and the transformation of ordinary magic users into evil magic users.

It was not something that happened overnight, nor did every person exposed to Evil Essence immediately become an evil magic user, but contamination was considered the first step toward that path, because once Evil Essence became deeply integrated into a person’s mana, it could gradually influence their body, mind, and eventually their very nature.

My expression hardened.

Elena as well looked completely shocked.

"How...?" she whispered, staring at Albert in disbelief before suddenly shaking her head. "How is that possible? I have never practiced evil magic arts in my life."

Her voice became increasingly anxious as she spoke.

"I have never even tried anything related to them."

I understood why she was panicking.

The restrictions surrounding evil magic arts were common knowledge among magic users, and among noble families those restrictions were even more strictly taught because of how dangerous the consequences could be.

Elena herself had a Dark attribute, which made the distinction between ordinary dark magic and evil magic particularly important for her, and her parents had made sure that she understood from an early age that she should never experiment with anything associated with evil magic arts.

"She would not do something like that," I said immediately, looking toward Albert. "There would be no reason for her to practice evil magic in the first place."

Elena glanced toward me, and I could see that she was still tense, but my words seemed to at least interrupt the panic that had begun to settle over her.

Clara suddenly raised both hands "Alright, alright, calm down, you two."

Her voice was considerably gentler than usual "We are not accusing Elena of practicing evil magic."

Elena looked toward her "Then why..."

"There are other ways for Evil Essence to enter someone’s mana." Clara’s expression became serious again. "It is called force contamination."

*Force contamination?*

I had heard the term before, although only briefly in the game’s setting information, and it referred to contamination caused by external contact rather than intentional practice of evil magic.

Clara turned toward Albert.

"Could she have been contaminated by that beast-man from the attack?"

Albert shook his head almost immediately.

"No."

His answer was calm and certain.

"That man was contaminated by Evil Essence, but the concentration within him was not sufficient to forcibly contaminate another person merely through physical contact."

I narrowed my eyes.

*So he really was contaminated.*

Until now, that had still been an assumption based on what I had sensed from him, but Albert’s words confirmed it.

And if that man had been contaminated...

Then the suspicion I had been carrying since the attack became considerably more difficult to ignore.

*So it really was the Rhasa Sect.*

The Bloodied Hound and that beast-like man had both displayed signs associated with Evil Essence, and now Elena had somehow acquired a fresh trace of the same corruption.

There were too many connections for me to dismiss them as coincidence.

Albert looked toward Elena again.

"Regardless of how it happened, this needs to be reported to Principal Alfred."

Elena’s expression became slightly tense.

"Is it dangerous?"

"It can be," Albert replied honestly, "but there is no reason to panic at this stage."

He paused before adding, "The amount of contamination is extremely small, and it has not penetrated deeply into your mana. It should be relatively easy to remove."

A little relief appeared on Elena’s face.

Clara nodded "I only noticed it because my body is unusually sensitive to changes in mana."

I looked at her.

That explained something I had been wondering about since the moment she had interrupted Albert’s lesson.

Clara’s sensitivity was not merely a characteristic of her being an ice spirit; apparently, it allowed her to detect abnormalities in mana that most people would overlook.

"I will inform the principal." Albert said.

"I will stay with them," Clara said.

Albert gave a brief nod before leaving the room.

Elena watched him disappear through the door, then looked down at her own hands.

I could tell that she was still trying to understand how something like this could have happened to her.

I wanted to tell her that everything would be fine, but I was not certain enough to make such a promise. So I simply remained beside her.

A few minutes passed.

Then the light in one corner of the room suddenly distorted.

I immediately turned toward it.

The space itself seemed to bend for an instant, as though the air had become a thin sheet of glass being twisted from the other side, and the next moment two figures appeared where there had been nothing only a second earlier.

Albert stood there and beside him was Principal Alfred.

*So this is the level of a Peak Grand Mage?*

I knew that Principal Alfred did not possess the space attribute, yet he had arrived here almost as though he had been teleported.

Whatever method principal has used to teleport, the sheer precision involved was enough to remind me once again that the gap between ordinary mages and people at their level was enormous.

Elena and I immediately stood "Principal Alfred."

"Good evening, Principal."

Alfred returned our greetings with a kind nod "Good evening."

His eyes soon settled on Elena.

"Let me examine your mana myself personally."

Elena nodded.

"Y-yes."

She released her mana again, allowing it to flow more freely throughout her body.

This time, I paid close attention to Principal Alfred’s reaction. His expression barely changed.

But after only a few seconds, his eyes narrowed slightly "There is indeed contamination."

Elena’s shoulders tensed "How serious is it?"

"Very minor." Principal Alfred’s tone remained calm.

"But it is fresh. The Evil Essence has not had enough time to spread deeply through the structure of her mana, which means the contamination occurred not too long ago."

The room became quiet. There was really only one event that could explain the timing.

That day’s terrorist attack.

Elena’s contamination had most likely happened during the incident, which meant that at least one of the attackers had somehow managed to expose her to Evil Essence without us realizing it.

My hands tightened slightly.

*I should have noticed.*

I had known that Elena would eventually become a target.

I had spent so much time thinking about the possibility of something happening to her, and yet when the attack actually occurred, I had failed to prevent this from happening.

If Clara had not noticed the abnormality today, none of us would have known.

And if the contamination had been allowed to remain inside Elena for a longer period, removing it might not have been nearly simple.

"Can it be treated immediately?" I asked.

"Yes." Principal Alfred said and raised one hand. A soft golden light immediately gathered around his fingers.

Unlike ordinary light magic, which could feel warm or bright, the mana surrounding principal Alfred seemed almost completely devoid of unnecessary movement, with every trace of energy responding to his will with absolute precision.

The golden light makes contact with Elena’s mana. She flinched slightly but remained still. I watched carefully as the light moved through her body.

Then I saw it.

A faint purple-black substance slowly separated from her mana.

It looked almost like a thin strand of poisonous smoke, except it moved against the natural flow of her mana, twisting and resisting the surrounding light.

*Evil Essence.*

Principal Alfred’s control did not falter even for a moment as the golden light surrounded the contaminated energy completely before compressing it into an increasingly smaller point.

The purple-black trace struggled for only a moment before being completely erased.

There was no explosion or anything, it simply disappeared beneath Alfred’s absolute control.

Elena slowly released a breath. I also felt some of the tension leave my body.

"Thank you." We both thanked him.

Alfred looked at Elena "Although the contamination has been removed, the matter itself is not finished."

Elena looked at him in confusion "Not finished?"

"The academy cannot conceal something like this from your family, especially when there is evidence that the contamination may be connected to the attack."

His expression remained serious "You should inform your parents that the academy requests their presence."

At those words, Elena suddenly looked up.

"Actually..." She paused as though remembering something "I exchanged letters with my family a few days ago, and my mother told me that she was coming to the capital."

I looked toward her.

*Right.*

She had mentioned that to me a few days ago. I had completely forgotten.

"She should arrive by this evening," Elena continued.

Alfred nodded "That is convenient. Tell Marchioness Adelia to visit the academy tomorrow morning."

Elena nodded "Yes, Principal."

Several students’ families had already visited the capital following the attack, while others who could not come immediately had begun making arrangements to arrive in the following days.

My own parents were among those who had not come.

They had sent a letter explaining that some urgent matter had arisen in the territory and prevented them from leaving.

*What could be so important?*

I had considered asking about it several times, but they did not write anything in detail about it in the letters.

At least I was not completely alone in the capital so that’s why they might not be so worried. My uncle’s family was still here, and if I needed something, I could rely on them.

Principal Alfred turned toward Albert.

"I may need your assistance in investigating the source of the contamination."

Teacher Albert nodded "Of course."

Then a faint golden light surrounded principal Alfred.

The same strange distortion that had accompanied his arrival appeared again, and before I could properly analyze it, his figure disappeared.

But before the room can become quiet for more than a second, Clara suddenly spoke out while tilting her head.

"Marchioness Adelia?" She frowned thoughtfully "why does that name sound familiar?"

Albert sighed "Because Elena’s surname is Mizo, her father is Marquise Gael Mizo."

Clara blinked, then a light of sudden understanding appeared across her face.

"Oh." She looked toward Elena. "Does not that mean..."

She paused, apparently piecing together a memory "Elena is my distant niece?"

Elena stared at her "What?"

I was equally confused *Distant niece?*

Clara suddenly seemed to realize that neither of us understood what she meant.

She smiled awkwardly "Ah, right."

She suddenly placed a hand against her chest and straightened herself "I have not properly introduced myself to you."

She looked directly at Elena "My name is Clara Ross."

Her cheerful expression returned, although there was something strangely formal about the way she introduced herself this time.

"I am the daughter of a branch family of Saffron, and in terms of family relation, I am a distant cousin of your father."

Hearing that Elena’s eyes widened and were mine.

And then another realization struck me, far more important than the family connection she had just revealed.

*Wait.* My gaze moved toward Clara’s translucent, spirit-like body. *So she is not a naturally born spirit?!*