Heidel, headquarters of the Pale Hand, perpetually shrouded in mist and grey haze, steeped in a gloomy, somber atmosphere.
"Roughly only one two-thousandth of an atom..." Felipe seemed to be speaking to the shallow grey sky above, which had a strange, almost frozen quality to it. "He's catching up faster than I imagined. I can't afford to be lax anymore. However, a simple discovery of a new particle that hasn't been proven related to an atom's internal structure still shouldn't be enough to make him a high-tier Archanist..."
A flicker of doubt crossed his dark, pallid face.
Suddenly, Felipe raised his hand and spoke into the deep black bracelet on his wrist: "Mr. Rogelio, have you found anything about Lucian Evans?"
Rogelio's voice emanated from within the bracelet: "Yes. It wasn't classified — the Administrative Affairs Committee can access the records easily. Felipe, the Miracle Experiment was designed and completed by Lucian Evans."
"It was him?" Felipe was both stunned and as though something long suspected had finally been confirmed. All along, he had believed the Miracle Experiment was connected to the Professor — otherwise there was no way the Elemental Will could have found its direction so quickly after his paper was published and produced such a stunning experiment. But suspicion was one thing, and confirmation another. His face seemed to grow even paler as he said through clenched teeth: "Truly worthy of being called 'ruthless, insidious, cunning, and merciless' by the Church — the Professor."
Rogelio harbored a similar note of bitterness: "So I suspect that the progress in overturning the theory of vital force in the human body has been under his control all along."
"No, it must have been an accident at the time. But after he advanced to the middle tier, things may have slipped beyond our control." Felipe recalled the situation back then. Judging from Lucian's reactions and emotional shifts, his intelligence certainly hadn't yet reached the terrifying level of incorporating even unexpected events into his plans and disguising them so flawlessly. In truth, aside from the "Prophet," no other legendary mage could manage such a feat. Even the "Prophet" would struggle to foresee and grasp the majority of details when plotting against an enemy of comparable or even greater strength.
"It seems we should thank Traquair's assassination attempt — it disrupted his plans and made things develop in the direction we wanted." It was unclear whether Rogelio was being ironic about Traquair or genuinely felt fortunate. "Anyway, Felipe, the fact that Lucian Evans has advanced to the high tier and become a member of the Arcane Review Committee is done. Don't dwell on it too much. At least your magical rank still surpasses his. And with him only at the fifth ring, even a wealth of high-tier magical artifacts won't save him from the Church's inevitable retaliation over the next few years. Perhaps in a year or two, we'll be attending his real funeral."
"The only regret is that Lucian Evans is currently under close protection, and the Church certainly wouldn't choose this moment of heightened vigilance by the Council to attempt an assassination. We'll have to wait another year or two before we can enjoy that particular spectacle."
He was a member of the Administrative Affairs Committee and knew full well that Lucian had already held one funeral. He also knew that the proud and arrogant Felipe had never been able to let go of his fixation on "the Professor" Lucian Evans, regarding him as his greatest rival — even though their areas of expertise overlapped only in elements and alchemy.
"In a few years..." Felipe shook his head. By then, the Professor would most likely have advanced to the high tier as well.
He did not doubt for a moment that Lucian would become a high-tier mage before the age of thirty. His only question was how far in advance.
After sharing the intelligence with Felipe through the electromagnetic telecommunication spell, Rogelio severed the connection. He was busy with his own research — with the impact factor of *Arcane Magic* having risen to 3.0, he saw hope of advancing to eighth-tier Archanist within ten years.
A burst of raspy static crackled from within the bracelet before falling silent again. Felipe exhaled softly and muttered in a tone steeped with bitterness: "The Miracle Experiment... the new particle..."
"Very well, Committee Member Lucian Evans!"
"Felipe, you don't look very pleased?" A dark, hoarse voice suddenly spoke from behind him in the otherwise empty room.
Felipe was not surprised. He slowly turned his head. "It's not a matter of being pleased or displeased. This has only fueled my passion for arcane research. Both *Arcane* and *Arcane Magic* have an impact factor of 3.0 now. If I complete a few more high-rated, high-discussion-value papers, I can enter the ranks of high-tier Archanists within a year."
He himself was not far from the sixth tier.
In the chair across from the desk, a figure slowly materialized — no, not a figure, but an undead being whose facial muscles had decayed and congealed, with white bone clearly visible beneath. It wore a black robe adorned with elaborate, exotic patterns, and it laughed with a rasping, throaty sound, as though imitating a human: "Would you like my help? I haven't studied Arcane much, but I know of several places in the Lands of Death and some unique materials that would be of great benefit to strengthening your necromantic powers. Sign a companion pact with me, and within five years, you'll be able to enter the ranks of seventh-ring mages."
"Angus, I will handle my own affairs. I don't need you worrying about them. Remember — you are merely a high-tier undead that I summoned. I am your master. When I don't need you to speak, you will remain silent. Understood?" Felipe's deep, dark eyes gazed upon Angus with haughty disdain.
Angus's skeletal frame produced a faint creak: "Yes, my master."
Felipe thrust his hands back into the pockets of his black coat and walked toward the study door. As he passed Angus, he spoke in the manner of addressing a menial servant: "Very well. I'm about to begin my magical experiment. Unless there is urgent intelligence from the Council or the organization, do not let anyone disturb me."
"As you command, master." Angus answered respectfully. Only after Felipe's silhouette had vanished through the doorway did he mutter under his breath: "Arrogant to the point of idiocy!"
In the corridor, a cold smile crept across Felipe's lips: "Fool. Couldn't the undead of the Lands of Death have sent someone with a modicum of intelligence to sign a master-servant summoning pact with me? Does he take me for the sort of idiot who would be lured in by such bizarre circumstances?"