Chapter 871: The Headmaster

Ten people entered a large castle, that seemed as if pulled straight out from Hogwarts. The architecture was impressive, with towering spires and intricate stonework that spoke of ancient power and knowledge.

It was bustling with crowd, many gathered here and there while discussing something in hushed, urgent tones. The atmosphere was charged with an intensity that only came from serious research and breakthrough discoveries.

They all were madly studying the glyphs, scribbling notes and comparing theories with fervent energy.

Vritra walked leisurely in the castle, his presence commanding despite his casual demeanor, and asked someone: "Where is the grandmaster?"

"Uh you can find him at the top floor, that belong solely to the headmaster." The other person replied absent mindedly, while writing something, barely sparing a glance at the newcomers.

"Okay thanks." Nodding, the ten continued forward, drawing some curious glances from the scholars they passed.

"H- Huh? Who was that?" only now did the man noticed it, his mind finally registering what his eyes had seen, but then he shrugged and returned to his work, dismissing the strange interruption.

Before long, Vritra and the other nine had arrived on the top floor, it was locked by some magical locks that glowed with faint runic patterns.

Shitless stepped forward and knocked with measured force, asking: "Is grandmaster inside?" His knuckles rapped against the heavy wooden door.

But no response came, only the echo of his knock returned. He tried a couple more times then simply tore the door apart as if paper, the solid wood crumbling under his strength like it was made of parchment.

They stepped inside and found the entire floor to be a mess, chaos and disorder everywhere, which they had all expected.

After all such crazy people goes mad in their experiments, losing themselves to their research.

But instead of glyphs and paper scattered about, the whole floor was covered by empty wine bottles and food plates which created a stench that made several of them grimace. The smell was overwhelming—a mixture of alcohol, rotting food, and neglect.

"..." they looked around carefully, their eyes scanning the disarray, and saw a thin man lying on the floor, he was clearly drunk, his body unmoving except for the faint rise and fall of his breathing.

His robe was in complete disarray, torn and stained with various substances, and his beard over a metre long, spread over his body like a blanket that he had fashioned into a makeshift covering.

"This is the headmaster? Did he really go mad?" Vritra frowned deeply, his disappointment evident, and gestured for Onest or Shitless to wake him up. Neither looked particularly enthusiastic about the task.

The two quarrelled for a bit, both reluctant to touch the drunk man, finally Onest slapped the headmaster lightly but didn’t succeed in rousing him. The man merely groaned and rolled over.

He picked up a half filled wine bottle and poured the content down on his face without hesitation, watching to see if it would have the desired effect.

"Aaaaaah Flood!! F- FLOOD! RUN!" The man suddenly woke up with a start, crying out in dread and panic, thrashing about. But then he noticed that the flood seemed to be of his favourite wine, the expensive kind he savored.

So he relaxed and licked lips, savoring the taste, then his eyes fell over the women standing away from him, their forms barely visible in the dim lighting of the chamber.

"H- Heaven? Am I in heaven?! Haha fairies, come to me..." laughing like a madman, his sanity clearly questionable, he ran towards them with open arms and unrealistic expectations.

BANG

But was tossed back upon receiving a kick to his belly delivered with casual strength, vomiting out a mixture of various things onto the floor. His body flew backward, colliding with the stone wall.

That seemed to sober him up somewhat, the shock of impact cutting through his drunken haze.

"Ughh W- Who are y- you people?" he asked with a terrified look, finally realizing that these were not ordinary visitors. His eyes darted between them, assessing the danger.

The group leaked a bit of their auras, which scared the headmaster into stupification, his entire body freezing in fear. The raw power they exuded was suffocating, pressing down on him like a physical weight.

Vritra didn’t want to waste any time on pleasantries or negotiations, so he asked Psyche to just search his memories. He had patience for many things, but not for unnecessary delays.

"Yes master." Psyche appeared in her usual ethereal form and immediately got to work, her hands glowing as she extracted all his memory. The process was thorough and invasive, leaving nothing hidden.

And Vritra also got the memories at the same time through their connection, experiencing everything the man had experienced.

He shook his head slowly, disappointed, and explained to others: "This guy is just a fraud, just got lucky upon finding a special inheritance left behind by Roderick Mecha, whose only condition was to create RMS- Roderick Mecha Squad. And spread these glyphs to all over the planet." His tone was matter-of-fact, devoid of emotion.

So the upgrade came from Roderick himself while this guy got lucky and was enjoying his life here, living off the work of a man long dead.

"This is a dead end too?" Teresa asked, frustration creeping into her voice. They had followed so many leads, only to find disappointment again.

"But why would Roderick try to spread his glyphs all over the planet? It certainly won’t be for the good of the people." Yennefer voiced her opinion, her sharp mind already working through the implications. She knew that such elaborate plans always had darker purposes.

"Yea, he certainly had some shady plan, even after so many years of leaving this planet he arranged for these glyphs to spread everywhere." Maeve said, thinking hard about his plans and motivations. The complexity of it all suggested a master strategist at work.

"The inheritance is present below this castle, this place is more of a magical seal that Roderick had arranged, let’s go and check that inheritance." Vritra decided, his tone brooking no argument. There had to be more here, something substantial.

After they all nodded in agreement, with a snap, Yennefer sent everyone in the castle outside, clearing the area to prevent collateral damage. The spell was executed flawlessly, the crowd vanishing in an instant.

And then Yasmine touched the wall which instantly made it explode in a shower of stone and dust. The power in her touch was casual but devastating, the barrier between them and the underground crumbling like paper.

A shield created by Teresa’s wall appeared around them, protecting them even from the wild winds created by the explosion. The magical barrier shimmered with golden light, keeping them safe in the eye of the storm.

Before long, the ten were underground walking along a long cave system, the path leading them deeper into the earth. Shitless dragged the headmaster who was pretending to be dead, his body limp, though occasionally his eyes would flicker open.

Despite being level 7 demi gods, they were still being careful, that Roderick guy was too cunning to trust, too strategic to overlook. They had learned enough from the headmaster’s memories to know that Roderick left nothing to chance.

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