Chapter 83: The Tower of Arcana
The pitch-black train painted in the Black Vulture colors slowly came to a halt in front of them, its doors wide open.
As the two stepped into the empty carriage, the doors immediately shut.
This was a train specially equipped by the military for Ingrid, the Director of the Inspection Bureau, and Rast was merely someone brought along.
Dean Silver crouched on Rast’s shoulder, staring at Ingrid for a long time, even forgetting her usual habit of munching on a dried sardine for no reason.
“Forget it, you’re neither my student now, nor that old man’s student…”
“You’re now the Director of the Inspection Bureau of the Empire’s Military. We can’t control you anymore.”
After a long silence, she flicked his tail.
In those ruby-like beast eyes, a flash of silvery moonlight passed in an instant.
Rast had seen this moonlight before — the last time it was used, a poor soul named Ishta had ended up confined by Dean Silver.
But this time, the target of Dean Silver’s ability was not someone else — it was herself.
Like being erased with a rubber, the figure of the snow-white creature gradually faded in the moonlight, eventually vanishing completely.
Only a lazy voice remained, directly echoing in Rast’s mind via the 「Whisper Under the Moon」.
“I feel out of place in a situation like this, so I’m going to take a nap in a subdimensional subspace.”
“I left a spiritual mark on you. Just call me if anything comes up.”
With that, the image of the snow weasel dean vanished completely.
Rast stared speechlessly at his now-empty shoulder.
You finished your spat and then ran off — what am I supposed to do now?
But—
He glanced at the tall figure beside him, clad in a pitch-black military uniform, and couldn’t help but grow curious.
Because he knew he’d need to make contact with Ingrid, he had looked up information about this senior earlier that morning.
Unlike Akxia’s 「Angel of Death’s Decree」, which was so highly classified that only vague rumors existed,
Ingrid’s Nightblade had a wealth of available information.
Her internal title within the academy was “Iron Shade”, and her Nightblade was also called “Iron Shade”.
Humans, as living beings, possessed the instinct to survive.
Thus, no matter how much a normal person pushed themselves to their limits, the instinct for survival would never allow one to cross the boundary — it would always retain a minimum of strength necessary to preserve life.
For example, when subjected to extreme pain, the body would forcibly make a person lose consciousness.
The Nightblade “Iron Shade”, however, was an ability that acted upon the wielder themselves, directly commanding the body to forget pain, to shut down its self-protection systems.
Free from the shackles of instinct, it could extract from the soul a power that living beings were never meant to use.
In terms from online novels of Rast’s past life — it was like unlocking the so-called “gene lock”.
But the price was steep — after activating the Nightblade, the user often fell unconscious due to the immense pain.
Overuse could even cause permanent life span loss or soul damage due to excessive strain.
It was, without a doubt, an extremely mediocre Nightblade.
A power that traded self-harm, even physical destruction, for a momentary transcendence of biological limits — and yet, even that power was nothing compared to truly formidable Nightblades.
And yet—
This senior before him had relied on this mediocre Nightblade to become the second seat of her round table cohort and now the Director of the Inspection Bureau.
With this thought in mind, Ingrid turned her gaze to the vanishing moonlight that had once lingered on Rast’s shoulder.
She sat down on the train’s cushioned seat, her posture still radiating the sharp, lethal aura of the military.
Ingrid gave a wry smile. “I knew this would happen.”
“Senior, do you not get along with Dean Silver?” Rast asked.
“It’s not that we don’t get along.”
“But I’ve known for a long time that Dean Silver prefers students like Shiltina — people like her and the current first seat…”
“Those with pure convictions, able to devote their entire lives without hesitation for a single belief.”
Ingrid stared out the window at the rapidly shifting scenery, and the Starfall University that was receding further and further away.
“But me, I could never be like them.”
“Ten years ago, when I held Starfall University’s admission letter in my hands, riding that crowded green train to the Imperial Capital — when I saw the dazzling world before me—”
“I knew then, even if I were to die, I would die here.”
“I swore in my heart that one day, I would control my own fate and obtain everything I used to yearn for in silence.”
She brushed away a lock of messy black hair blown by the wind outside the window.
“Of course, everything I’ve longed for, envied, and pursued by any means necessary…”
…might be the very sights that Shiltina and the others had long grown weary of, even wanting to escape from.
“But I just happen to be this impure and absurdly complicated person.”
Ingrid withdrew her gaze from the shrinking silhouette of the academy.
“Sorry. It’s been a while since I returned to campus. The scenery stirred up some memories… and I ended up rambling in front of you.”
She spoke with slight guilt. “Especially since it might’ve affected your relationship with Dean Silver, and maybe even Shiltina. That might put you in a tough spot.”
“It’s fine—”
Rast shook his head. “In fact, I should be thanking you, Senior. Without your help, I wouldn’t have found any leads on Canaan, and you even offered to personally escort me.”
“It’s nothing worth mentioning. I was just coming back for the anniversary, so it was on the way anyway.”
Ingrid chuckled. “Besides, I’ve heard about you too.”
“They say you also came from a remote, isolated little village — and by some accident or coincidence, you came into contact with the Nightworld and became a Night Traveler, enrolling at Starfall University.”
“Our backgrounds are quite similar — both of us had no one in the Imperial Capital or at Starfall University. Naturally, we should support each other.”
“But you’re clearly more impressive than me, being so close with Dean Silver shows that, even after seeing the big city’s lights and glamor, you still kept your heart pure.”
She shook her head in self-mockery. “Unlike me, filled with nothing but ambition.”
…
No wonder he’d felt an inexplicable sense of closeness while talking to this senior.
So, she had seen him as someone who, like her, came from a backwater town seeking education in the capital.
Though technically not wrong — after all, his hometown was indeed a forgotten village on the frontier, and he truly had no one in the capital.
With a loud whistle, the train crossed the golden plains.
Neither of them spoke again, and with Dean Silver snoozing away in his subspace on a mountain of sardines, silence reigned in the compartment.
Until—
The train gradually began to slow down.
And outside the window, beyond the heavily guarded military zone, a towering black spire loomed in the distance.
The main headquarters of the 「Tower of Arcana」 had arrived.