Chapter 282: Marking

Saul gave Wright a three-second moment of silence, then asked, “Why were you inside Wright Rarnel’s body, Madam?”

“Didn’t you tell me Wright might’ve been controlled by the Land Drifters? I came out to meet up with him and track them down, and along the way, I confiscated a bunch of goodies they’d prepared both in secret and out in the open. If they dare reach into the Wizard Tower, then they’d better be ready to have their whole arm chopped off.”

Wright probably hadn’t expected that what started as a classic undercover counterattack arc would end in his sudden, accidental death.

Turns out, even for a Third Rank apprentice, this world is still terrifyingly dangerous.

“You still haven’t told me. Why did that Penny let you out?”

“Because… She’s a Nightmare Butterfly. And I have one of her cocoons.”

“Nightmare Butterfly?” Yura showed a flicker of confusion on her face.

She didn’t know what a Nightmare Butterfly was?

That didn’t seem right. As a soul who studied the dark element, she should’ve at least heard of it.

Especially since his current focus was on resurrection—an academic field closely tied to soul-type entities.

“I’m not exactly clear on the Nightmare Butterfly’s attributes,” Saul admitted, “But I know it can alter a person’s perception of themselves and of the world.”

Haywood definitely knew more about this sort of thing, so Saul couldn’t just pretend to be totally clueless.

“Oh?” As expected, Yura perked up. “Are you selling it?”

Saul remained composed and shook his head lightly. “It’s not that I won’t sell it—it’s that I can’t.”

Yura frowned. “It’s part of the terms for you leaving that little town, isn’t it?”

Smart.

“What kind of deal did you make?”

Saul merely stared at her in silence.

Yura looked visibly annoyed. She leaned back in her seat. “If you signed anything problematic, just go tell Gorsa. He always has some weird tricks up his sleeve.”

She folded her arms and sat there quietly for a moment, then suddenly looked up again. “So why were you in that town?”

“I was originally heading for Borderfall City, but when I passed through, I remembered my… friend. I went to check in and discovered they had…”

“You mean that lunatic you brought back?”

Saul paused, then shook his head. “No, that was my friend’s neighbor.”

The carriage rolled on in silence. Since they weren’t in a huge rush, it was already past noon when the group reached Black Castle on the outskirts of Borderfall City.

But as Saul arrived, he saw the once-slender tower had withered overnight, as if aged by time and weather. The outer walls were flaking and crumbling in large patches.

“What happened?” Saul stood before the gate. Even the eye that used to be embedded in the door was nowhere to be seen.

“There was a vine inside Black Castle, one that Mochi Mochi raised. He’d infused it with his mental energy. Now that he’s dead, it couldn’t survive either.”

Yura walked up and pushed the door open, heading down the narrow hallway.

Even the once opulent grand hall was now shrouded in darkness, as if it too had died with its former master.

Yura seemed familiar with the place. She led Saul downward until they reached a wine cellar.

Though called a cellar, there wasn’t even a trace of wine. Instead, the air smelled more like something had rotted.

They walked all the way to the end of the cellar, where Yura pushed open a hidden door.

This entrance had no tidy stone steps—just a dirt path.

When Yura stepped forward, the damp soil nearly reached the top of her shoes. She seemed like she wanted to frown, but her doll-like face couldn’t display that much emotion.

Saul followed behind, observing everything carefully. This was a place he hadn’t set foot in during either of his previous visits.

He could almost feel tiny droplets suspended in the air, sliding into his lungs with each breath.

It was damp. Stifling.

The passage had the same narrow design as the tower above, and walking through it, Saul and Yura resembled two burrowing moles.

After descending dozens of meters, they finally encountered something other than dirt.

Tiny, glowing white mushrooms began appearing in the corners of the tunnel—strangely familiar-looking.

Eventually, the sloping tunnel began to level out.

And then, a massive black shadow loomed ahead.

It was the vine’s root system. Enormous, thick roots still lay buried deep in the earth.

“Black Castle needs a temporary master,” Yura said, her glowing fingers casting light into the dark burrow. “Otherwise, the upper part of the tower will collapse before long. Inject your mental energy and become the temporary master of Black Castle.”

“Me?”

“Of course. I’m heading back soon, and only you can stay here for now.” Yura shifted her body, her back nearly pressed against the dirt wall to make room for Saul.

Saul stepped forward and placed a hand on the thick root. In the next moment, he seemed to hear a voice.

[Is Mochi Mochi dead?]

“…Yes.”

[He was the master who stayed with me the longest. And how long will you last? I hate changing masters—it’s uncomfortable.]

Yura, arms crossed and expressionless, said flatly, “Tell it this: at most ten days, no more than fifteen, someone from the Tower will come. If it can afford to wait, fine. But the second vault certainly can’t.”

Saul gave a slight nod and relayed, “I’m just a temporary caretaker. Someone will take over within fifteen days.”

[So annoying. I don’t like temporary masters. But fine—what choice do I have if I can’t last fifteen days myself? Stinky brat, push your mental energy in. Try not to puke—it’s an acquired taste.]

Saul raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like being the Black Castle’s temporary master isn’t going to be a pleasant experience.”

The diary in his soul body remained unchanged.

Narrowing his eyes, Saul channeled his mental energy through his fingers into the vine root, which was over three meters thick.

Instantly, a massive force surged into his mind.

In that moment, Saul felt as if his senses were fused with the vine.

He could feel the roots beneath his feet absorbing moisture and nutrients through tiny pores in the soil. He felt the vine writhing and growing underground, breaking through to spots of sunlight and air. But more than that—he felt an overwhelming sense of constraint.

It was growing, yes. But it was also tightly bound, unable to deviate from its set path. Not an inch beyond.

Saul’s brows slowly furrowed.

The sensation was unbearable—like being wrapped tightly in bandages, limbs crushed together. And when you tried to move, you realized there was an iron coffin outside the bandages, holding you utterly still.

It was worse than suffocation. It was despair.

Saul wanted to scream, to vent the pressure, but even his lips couldn’t part.

“Are you done yet?” Yura’s questioning voice broke through the haze.

Saul snapped his eyes open. Every cell in his body finally felt released. The terrible pressure vanished.

And yet, just the memory of it was enough to make him shudder.

“What’s wrong? You have a strong mental aptitude—it shouldn’t be that hard for you.”

Saul lowered his hand. He could now faintly sense the goings-on around the tower above him.

Who approached, who wandered inside… he could feel it all.

“It’s marked,” Saul told her.

Only then did Yura relax. “You stood there for so long, I thought something went wrong.”

“The marking process wasn’t exactly comfortable.”

“Of course not. But with your strength, it was already much easier than it would’ve been for others.”

…Was it?

Still reeling, Saul couldn’t even imagine how much worse it could’ve been.

One thing was for sure—after what he just experienced, he wasn’t eager to go through it again anytime soon.

(End of Chapter)

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