Chapter 333: I Leave It To You
Outside a room shrouded in layers of barriers beneath the Magic Association.
Serie stood with her arms crossed, leaning somewhat impatiently against the stone wall. She had rushed over right after assigning tasks to her disappointing disciples, but unexpectedly, Rhodes's interrogation hadn't finished yet, so she could only wait outside.
Finally, the door opened, and Rhodes walked out. She immediately straightened up and went to meet him.
"Well? Did you get anything?"
Serie knew Rhodes mastered a unique mental magic that could guide the subconscious without harming the subject's soul, making them speak the truth unconsciously. It was the best method for interrogation.
However, the drawback was obvious: if the interrogation process was disturbed, the subject could easily lose their memory, or in severe cases, become an idiot.
Rhodes let out a soft breath and nodded. "Quite a bit, but the clues are limited."
Walking side by side with Serie, he briefly narrated the results. "According to the confession of the lead warrior and the other attackers, there is indeed an organization targeting us behind them."
"Oh?" Serie raised an eyebrow.
"Since we returned to the Magic Association, they have dispatched a large number of personnel to lurk around the Association for long-term surveillance."
"Moreover, to avoid detection by our magic as much as possible, the vast majority of the watchers they chose were ordinary people with no mana fluctuations, or magic apprentices with negligible strength."
Serie understood instantly. "No wonder! I have been maintaining basic alert barriers, and you have kept your detection magic on, yet we never found any obvious anomalies. So it was just a bunch of ordinary people..."
For powerhouses at their level, being accustomed to sensing powerful energy fluctuations around them made it easy to overlook ordinary individuals with average strength.
This was indeed a blind spot in their thinking.
After all, even if these people launched a sudden attack, they couldn't break their defense, so naturally, they weren't paid any mind.
"Correct," Rhodes confirmed. "Since we left the Association this afternoon, these people have been tailing us. They were very patient, waiting for the most suitable moment to strike. And to avoid detection, they switched trackers periodically."
Serie immediately associated this with the conflict on the street earlier. "So, encountering Alvin and the others arguing with those adventurers was also chaos they deliberately manufactured to attract our attention?"
Rhodes shook his head. "That was not it. That conflict was purely coincidental, not planned by them. However, the leader of that adventurer team was indeed one of them. Seeing such a perfect distance for an attack, he couldn't resist acting directly. His ordinary team members knew nothing about it."
Serie's face darkened. "It seems there are quite a few disgusting fellows hiding in this capital."
Rhodes continued, "Based on their confessions, I obtained some names of people targeting us. Unfortunately, these are all peripheral members. They do not know who the true mastermind is."
"It doesn't matter." A fierce light flashed in Serie's eyes. "Since we have a list, we will catch them one by one! Follow the vine to get the melon, checking layer by layer. I don't believe we can't drag out the true mastermind!"
Rhodes also felt this method was simple, direct, and currently the most effective.
"Fine. Anyway, as long as they still covet the so-called immortality magic, there is a high probability they won't leave the capital easily. We have plenty of time to play with them slowly."
With business concluded, Rhodes asked, "How did you handle Alvin and those little guys?"
At the mention of her disciples, Serie huffed grumpily. "How else could I handle them? A bunch of idiots with no basic combat experience! I had Flamme and Ela drag them to the training ground. They need to be trained severely."
Just then, a lightbulb seemed to go off in Serie's head.
Her eyes lit up slightly, and she grabbed Rhodes's hand. "Follow me!"
Rhodes was puzzled but let her drag him along to the training ground in the middle layer of the Association.
At this moment, magical brilliance flashed constantly inside the training ground, and explosions rang out one after another.
Alvin, Legolas, and the other three disciples were fleeing wretchedly around the arena.
Above them, Flamme and Ela hovered in mid-air, expressionlessly releasing various intermediate spells, forcing them to jump up and down.
"Stop for a moment!"
Serie's cool voice rang out, pressing the pause button on this one-sided abuse.
Hearing her voice, Flamme and Ela stopped immediately, retracted their mana, and landed.
Alvin and the others collapsed on the ground like they were about to expire, gasping for breath, looking utterly wretched.
To dodge the attacks of these two senior sisters, everyone had been dodging for their lives. Although taking a hit wouldn't kill them, it would definitely hurt.
"Listen up. I have a mission for you now," Serie said straight to the point.
Mission? The disciples looked at each other in dismay.
They really couldn't imagine what mission Master Serie would assign them at a time like this.
Serie didn't keep them guessing. "According to reliable information, a group of people intending to harm Rhodes and me are currently hiding in the capital. Your mission is to find them for me, and then... eliminate them all."
"What?!"
Alvin was stunned instantly, almost thinking he had heard wrong. He blurted out subconsciously, "Just... just us?"
He didn't need a brain to guess that those who dared to harbor malicious designs against Master Serie and Lord Rhodes were definitely among the top powerhouses on the continent.
For a few rookies like them, who couldn't even beat street adventurers, to go trouble these people? That wasn't just throwing eggs at a rock; it was actively delivering themselves to death.
The other disciples, including the slightly older Legolas, also showed expressions of disbelief.
Seeing their worthless appearance, Serie got angry, but she suppressed the urge to scold them and added, "Of course not just you. Flamme will go with you."
"Me?" Flamme, standing to the side, was also stunned. She hadn't expected to be involved.
She spoke with some difficulty. "Teacher, if I take them on a mission, what about the internal affairs of the Association?"
Serie waved her hand impatiently before Flamme could finish, interrupting her. "Isn't Ela still in the Association? Let her temporarily take over for you."
Flamme's gaze subconsciously turned to Ela, who hadn't reacted yet.
Can Sister Ela handle it?
Flamme still remembered the last time Ela handled Association affairs; the entire place had been thrown into chaos.
She opened her mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but seeing Serie's unquestionable gaze, she swallowed the words back.
"Yes, Teacher. I understand." Flamme lowered her head, accepting this sudden assignment.
Only then did Serie nod in satisfaction. She looked back at the disciples still digesting this shocking news. "This mission is your best practical combat lesson. Pull yourselves together. Don't die out there and embarrass me!"
The training ground fell silent.
Alvin and the others looked at the stern-faced Serie, then at Rhodes, who wore an expression that said 'Good luck to you,' and felt mixed emotions.
Can we really do this?
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