Chapter 296: Inferno Within

After answering a few disappointing questions, Cadis’s white ink had already faded from its original pale color to a near gray, the strokes so thin and broken that they could barely be read.

Seeing Saul’s displeasure with Cadis’s answers, Herman immediately jumped in.

The diary flipped forward two pages.

[Herman: Master, I know a bit more about the Soul Devouring Flower.]

“Speak.” Saul couldn’t be bothered to ask one question at a time anymore.

[When the seed of a Soul Devouring Flower leaves a mark inside a person’s or other creature’s soul body, the mark can gradually grow stronger under deliberate cultivation, eventually allowing the host to be controlled. While it won’t alter someone’s memories like you feared, it can indeed cloud one’s mind temporarily, or apply a powerful influence at a critical moment, forcing the host into a specific action. However, the content of that action must be etched into the seed before the mark is planted. The cultivation process only strengthens this influence.]

“It’s like a mental suggestion,” Saul nodded, his tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxing. “It can influence someone subconsciously to carry out a specific act. Looks like I was just a tool Land Drifters wanted to use.”

As a near-Third Rank apprentice, Saul wasn’t disappointed.

If everyone had treated him like a true wizard instead, that would’ve been a reason to be nervous.

[Also, there’s another use for the mark—Mark Detonation. If detonated directly inside the target’s soul body, it can cause significant damage.]

“Short-term control, momentary manipulation, and detonation… this Soul Devouring Flower really is powerful, with a wide range of functions. No wonder it’s one of Land Drifters’ trump cards. If the seeds weren’t so rare, their organization wouldn’t be this small.”

Just then, Agu jumped in again.

[Agu: Master, though the Soul Devouring Flower seems powerful, it has many limitations. It’s even less effective on True Wizards. To influence a True Wizard even slightly, you either need the flower’s main blossom or a long period of cultivation. Besides, your diary can devour the mark the instant it’s detected. Other True Wizards, while not as powerful as you, surely have their own ways to erase the mark.]

“True,” Saul nodded, “the mark isn’t exactly subtle. Anyone with soul power at the level of a True Wizard can detect it easily. Unless this ‘third party’ Cadis mentioned has a way to conceal the mark’s presence, it’ll still raise my suspicion and I’d report it to the Tower Master.”

If Saul hadn’t bound the diary as his locator before entering Black Castle, he might not have noticed the mark immediately. When that third party arrived to take over—so long as they didn’t pose an immediate lethal threat—he really could have ended up unknowingly under control.

If he brought that mark back to the Wizard Tower and carried out some act at a critical moment that caused great harm to the Tower Master…

Saul knew Gorsa wouldn’t forgive him.

Whoever was targeting him clearly knew he was strong. They sent a Third Rank apprentice to ambush him, and used the Slender Wraith—delivered by Wizard Buri—to slip past the Devil Vine undetected.

This person not only knew Saul fairly well, but was also quite familiar with Black Castle.

“The more I think about it, the more suspicious Lady Yura becomes!” Saul crossed his arms, tapping his fingers rhythmically on his arm.

Beside him, the Devil Vine found it odd that after Saul asked it two questions, he simply stood there, face shifting constantly. But having been nearly drained dry by Little Algae, it dared not speak out of turn.

“If I was marked, then to ensure the Soul Devouring Flower’s influence lasts or activates at a critical moment—the person maintaining the mark would need regular contact with me… meaning they must be someone from the Wizard Tower!”

Saul suddenly stood straight, his eyes spinning with thoughts.

“Wait… maybe I can…”

He quickly had the diary flip back to the page with Cadis. “Cadis, before and after you attacked me, did you speak with anyone about our fight or its outcome?”

[N-No.]

The weakness in Cadis’s handwriting was obvious.

“So, you didn’t manage to complete the marking. That means only you and I know about this.”

[…Yes.]

A faint smile curved Saul’s lips.

“The Inferno Within experiment, step one—can I simulate the mark?”

The diary within his mental space suddenly spat out a dim, dull imprint.

Saul recognized it at once—it was the exact mark the Soul Devouring Flower’s seed had left in his mental body.

He immediately activated it with his mental power, making it flicker with ease.

“Perfect. The mark’s authentic, indistinguishable from the real thing. I was thinking I’d have to mimic it myself with mental power. Didn’t expect the diary to just give it to me. Now, can the diary decipher the embedded influence within the mark?”

Unfortunately, this time the diary gave no response.

Saul wasn’t discouraged. He clapped lightly.

“Either way, I’ve got the mark.” He looked back to the diary. “Now, Cadis, what kind of mark did your captain want you to leave at the entrance to Black Castle Forest?”

After answering Saul’s final question, Cadis’s faint, nearly invisible handwriting finally broke off.

The black fifth chapter page in Saul’s mental space shattered and vanished, the fragments burrowing away to unknown places.

“Devil Vine, can you check if there’s anyone watching the entrance to Black Castle Forest?”

[I can’t monitor areas that are far away.]

“Is that so,” Saul smacked his lips. “Then I’ll handle it myself.”

He stepped forward, hand poised to press on the Devil Vine.

[W-Wait, wait, Lord Saul! I’ll do my best—I’ll try—no, I can do it!!!]

Saul’s hand stopped just a centimeter from the Devil Vine’s main root.

Though he was threatening it, in truth he felt relieved that he wouldn’t have to engage in another plant-mind communion.

“This concerns my safety going forward. Please look carefully.”

[Yes, yes, of course.]

Ten minutes later, at the entrance to Black Castle Forest—

A blood-soaked figure stumbled toward the forest. As he neared the entrance, he nearly fell, catching himself on a tree trunk and leaving behind a blood-streaked, pale green sprig. Then he turned and staggered off in another direction, vanishing into the dark woods.

About an hour later, a patrol squad passed by the forest on their way back to Borderfall City.

At that moment, the lead knight noticed a faint bloodstain on a tree trunk.

“Go check it out,” he said casually to one of the soldiers.

The chosen soldier looked reluctant. Regular folk like them had no desire to get involved with the Wizard Tower.

It wasn’t like they could gain anything, and it was far too easy to just disappear forever.

This soldier, though, was lucky. He approached cautiously, tiptoeing to peer at the mark, stretching his neck while keeping his body at a safe distance.

Once he saw clearly, he dashed back.

“My lord, there’s a partial blood handprint on the trunk. The nearby ground shows some broken branches, and based on the footprints, whoever it was didn’t leave the forest. There’s also a bit of blood on the ground.”

The soldier gave his report seriously, not noticing that the knight’s eyes were fixed on his collar.

A tiny, bloodstained, pale green sprout had landed there.

“…My lord, should we report this?”

“No need,” the knight tugged his reins, leading his horse forward slowly. “Looks like just another commoner who wandered into Black Castle Forest. People who break the ban like that—if they die, they deserve it.”

(End of Chapter)

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