Arcane Academy: The Divine Extraction Legacy

619 Assistance

"What's that?"

"An Airship! Is it from the capital?"

"Oh no… Are they going to increase the taxes again?"

"They might even kill us at this rate!"

The news immediately sparked concern among the people. The arrival of an Airship from the capital typically signified trouble. If the Royal Knights descended upon their town, it would likely not be for assistance, but rather to penalize them for supporting the Marquis!

"No... Look at that flag! It's the enigmatic Airship from the cursed forest!"

As soon as someone said this, they immediately looked closely. They didn't even care even if their eyes were hurting from the sun.

"You're right! We're saved!"

"Hurry! Wave something! Do your best to catch their attention!"

Upon the officers' directive, the townspeople hastily utilized clothes and other items to attract the airship's notice. They feared that the mysterious vessel might bypass them and head for larger towns or cities instead.

Although they communicated with the people of this airship, they knew that they were a better choice than the royal knights.

Luckily, their efforts proved fruitful as the airship decelerated and began its descent.

To their surprise, a figure leaped from the deck and descended even faster than the airship itself. It was unmistakably an Arcanist!

"We're saved!" Lilia realized that the arrival of a flying Arcanist offered hope for resolving the situation without resorting to lethal measures against Miss Parkinson.

However, as the figure drew closer, an overwhelming presence emanated from her. The descending individual was a pallid woman exuding an aura of darkness.

'A Vampire?' Lilia speculated inwardly, refraining from voicing her thoughts. She didn't want the crowd to panic if they heard her words.

It was not uncommon to encounter Arcanists with various alterations or peculiarities in their physiques. These alterations were often observed in rogue Arcanists who lacked proper training to combat the madness induced by the Special State that enables their entry into their Magic Zone.

'I hope we can ask her to deal with this without killing Miss Parkinson…' Lilia pondered as she stepped forward to address the airborne Arcanist.

Before Lilia could address the female Arcanist, who she suspected might be a Vampire, the Arcanist swiftly moved to subdue the possessed flower shop owner.

"Esteemed Arcanist! Please don't kill her!" Lilia urgently pleaded, unwilling to let the two children be left orphaned.

Thankfully, the female Arcanist appeared conscious of her actions. Unperturbed by Lilia's plea, she caused several dark tendrils to emerge from the ground, swiftly immobilizing Miss Parkinson.

'A Dark Magician?' Lilia mused.

'No wonder they're in the cursed forest, they're probably hiding from the Holy Arts Faction.'

"Grrraaahhh!"

Miss Parkinson bellowed desperately, unleashing a wave of mysterious energy that was exuding an aura of death.

However, the female Arcanist promptly quelled this deathly aura, exhibiting complete mastery over it.

Obviously, the female Arcanist was a master of Dark Arts!

Since the possessed woman was already lacking substantial energy because she used everything in that roar, the battle didn't last that long.

Soon, the dark tendrils enshrouded her entire form.

Subsequently, agonizing cries reverberated, this time originating from Miss Parkinson's true voice!

"Ma!" The children shouted as soon as they heard their mother's voice. There was also a hint of relief in their voice as they thought that they could never hear her true voice again.

Just as Lilia was about to intercede once more, the dark tendrils enveloping Miss Parkinson suddenly dissipated, leaving the nearly unclothed woman to vomit the contents of her stomach.

Blegh~

Miss Parkinson reverted to her normal state as she expelled the things she had eaten a while ago.

Her purple complexion had vanished, and although she may have sustained injuries, she remained alive!

Lisa furrowed her brow as she descended beside the woman who had fallen victim to an 'Evil Spirit'.

'I don't feel good about this…' Lisa mused.

The entity that had possessed the woman was no ordinary evil spirit. Lisa suspected it was a powerful entity, possibly a Phantom Spirit capable of harnessing the Arcane Spells of the Arcanist it had possessed.

Unlike ordinary evil spirits, Phantom Spirits could access an Arcanist's Spell Lights and employ them to their advantage. If there are many of these Spirits roaming around this region, normal evil-warding talismans, low-grade holy water, and weak fate protection amulet may not work on them.

'This could be quite a predicament if they've spread to many towns and villages... Good thing we have the perfect item for this situation…' Lisa reflected.

In hindsight, she should have utilized the Evil-Warding Talisman to demonstrate its effectiveness in expelling spirits from the possessed individual.

"Esteemed Arcanist! Thank you for aiding us! I'm Lilia, the Mayor of this town... You've been providing us with various potions and talismans, and now, you've even assisted us in dealing with the Evil Spirit," Lilia said gratefully.

"Oh? I believe this is our first visit here…" Lisa remarked. She was always with Chad when going out to sell their products so she knew that they've never sold a product here.

"True, but you've visited the neighboring town, and they have shared your blessings with us and spread word about your enigmatic merchant airship…" Lilia explained as she recalled how the Mayor of another town had given them a few supplies of potions that they've needed.

They were lucky that their relationship with other towns was great, so they were able to survive for a long time. It was all thanks to the late Mayor.

"I see. We have a limited supply of potions and talismans, so we haven't been able to reach all the small towns. However, we have scaled up our production this time and plan to visit all the towns and villages surrounding the forest…" Lisa responded with a smile, confident in the success of their enterprise.

Just now, the locals lauded her actions, seemingly unconcerned about her practice of Dark Arts. It was evident that the influence of the Church of the Fortune Goddess did not hold sway here.

"It seems true that only the believers of the Church of the Divine Sorcerer reside here." Lisa pondered as she was soon invited to the Mayor's house.

It was time to turn a profit!