Chapter 73: The New Trial Ground

The Third Enclosed Ecological Zone.

When those words appeared on Cecilia’s identity card, Victor said nothing. He read the emergency resolution the academy’s board had just passed from beginning to end. There was no mention of a postponement or cancellation. Even the scheduled time of the freshman screening remained unchanged.

Only then did his expression darken.

A serious accident had just occurred at the Seventh Magical Beast Trial Ground.

Eleven researchers were dead, an artificial Astral vessel had appeared, and a Star Devouring Shadow Beast implanted with an Abyss Induction Crystal had gone out of control.

Under normal circumstances, the academy’s first priority should have been to seal off the site, investigate everyone involved, and inspect the remaining trial grounds. Instead, the board had voted in less than half an hour and found a replacement site that had been closed for four years.

Efficiency alone could not explain that. Someone had been prepared. Perhaps the Seventh Trial Ground had never been their only option.

"Who’s in charge of the Third Ecological Zone now?" Victor asked.

Albert took the identity card from Cecilia and scrolled through the rest of the resolution.

"Officially, no one. Since it was closed, the academy’s Asset Management Office has maintained the outer barrier and conducted a minimal ecological inspection every six months. Apart from making sure the magical beast population doesn’t get out of control, almost no one goes inside."

"When was the last inspection?"

"A little over a month ago."

"Any problems?"

"The report says everything was normal."

Albert paused after saying it.

Normal... They had heard that word far too often lately.

Elena’s death was normal. The Seventh Trial Ground’s access permissions were normal. Grant Carter’s board permissions were normal. The eleven researchers’ entry had been normal.

Taken separately, none of it seemed suspicious. Put together, "normal" had become the least convincing word of all.

Victor looked at Cecilia. "Who proposed moving the screening to the Third Ecological Zone?"

"The resolution doesn’t name the proposer. It says the proposal came from a temporary safety committee."

"Who’s on it?"

Cecilia searched further. A moment later, her expression turned strange.

"Seven people. Two academy vice deans, the head of the Magical Beast Research Institute, two board members, and two permanent instructors from the safety committee."

"Is Albert one of them?"

"No."

Victor looked up at him.

The vice dean’s face had darkened. "I only just learned this so called emergency meeting happened."

So even a vice dean handling the Seventh Trial Ground accident had been left out.

How urgently had they wanted this vote passed?

Leah had remained silent until she heard that the Third Enclosed Ecological Zone had once been connected to her mother.

"What did my mother do there?" she asked quietly.

Albert was silent for a moment. "It wasn’t a project she led alone. Four years ago, part of the Third Ecological Zone was set aside to test the compatibility between ancient professions and the energy of special magical beasts. Elena’s research into Astral Spirit Envoys was one of its subprojects."

"What happened afterward?"

"The research produced no results." Albert paused. "At least, that’s what the academy’s records say."

This time, no one treated the records as unquestionable fact.

Victor had noticed something else.

"Four years ago."

"Yes."

"Elena died three years ago."

"That’s right."

The zone had been closed roughly a year before Elena’s official death.

"Why was it closed?"

"Irreversible abnormalities in the magical beast ecosystem," Albert answered at once. "Several species with no mental attributes suddenly became agitated at the same time. The mana concentration inside the zone also began shifting in cycles. The academy investigated for over a month without finding a clear cause, then closed the entire area to prevent an accident."

"Did anyone die?"

"No."

"Go missing?"

Something changed in Albert’s eyes, and Victor saw it.

"Yes," the vice dean finally said. "An assistant researcher named Devin Hall."

"His body?"

"Never found."

Leah looked at him sharply.

Another researcher. Another person connected to an area where Elena had worked. And he had disappeared around the time the zone was closed.

Cecilia was already searching the royal archives. Seconds later, her frown deepened.

"There’s very little on Devin Hall. Just his basic employment record."

"What was his research field?"

"Mana based life structures."

Different from Ron’s work on magical beast energy cores, but close to the field of artificial life.

"Did he know Elena well?" Leah asked.

Albert shook his head. "I don’t know."

"Did my mother have many people working under her?"

"Not especially, but researchers were shared across different projects. She wouldn’t necessarily have known everyone involved."

It was a reasonable answer. Victor did not press him. There were too many leads. Forcing every person into the same theory would only send them in the wrong direction.

The immediate question was the screening in two days.

Would it still take place?

And would Leah participate?

As though she knew what he was thinking, Leah said, "I’m going."

Victor turned toward her. "I haven’t asked."

"But you’re thinking about it."

Her eyes were still a little red, but her voice had steadied.

"If they’ve gone this far for my Astral Core, skipping the screening won’t make them stop."

She was right about that.

"So you’re going to walk straight in?"

"I’m going in," Leah said, meeting his gaze, "and I’m coming out alive."

A few days ago, Victor would probably have called this an emotional decision. After what had happened today, though, Leah understood that she was facing something far more dangerous than ordinary competition at the academy.

That was growth. Still, it did not mean she could act recklessly.

"Do you know what’s inside the Third Ecological Zone?"

"No."

"Do you know how much it’s changed since it was closed?"

"No."

"Do you know whether your Astral Core will be drawn toward something again once you enter?"

"No."

After his third question, Leah fell silent.

"Then don’t rush to prove you aren’t afraid of dying," Victor said, his tone even. "You can participate. First, we find out everything we can."

Leah watched him for two seconds before nodding.

"All right."

Cecilia suddenly smiled. "You’re starting to sound like you’re looking after someone."

"She’s my investment," Victor said casually. "Of course I have to look after her."

The expression Leah had only just managed to compose became complicated again.

Cecilia glanced at her, then at Victor. "Just an investment?"

The question felt familiar. Evelyn had asked something like it before.

Why did women always get caught up on those particular words? 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

"We’re discussing the screening," Victor said, changing the subject.

Cecilia’s smile widened, but she did not pursue it. Albert acted as though he had heard nothing.

...