“Can you still find any residual traces of that Magic Circle?”
Colin stood amidst the ruins of the burnt-down laboratory, scanning the surroundings as he spoke to Sifney.
Sifney stared at the ceiling, her brows tightly furrowed.
She had already tried several methods to detect any trace of that Magic Circle, but found nothing.
“No luck. There’s nothing at all.”
“What could be the reason?”
“There could be many reasons. After so much time, the traces of the Magic Circle might have naturally dissipated; or perhaps the Destruction Magic Circle used earlier erased all remnants; or maybe that Magic Circle itself had the ability to leave no traces.”
Hearing Sifney’s explanation, Colin frowned deeply.
“Sounds bad.”
“Worse than bad.”
Sifney cast a magical scan over the debris, but aside from some stones and dust, there was nothing of value.
“Tch, the destruction was thorough—there really isn’t anything left.”
Sifney shook her head and sighed helplessly at Colin.
“Alright, let’s head back. There’s nothing here. Instead of wasting our effort, it’s better to check the library in the city.”
Colin looked around the ruins somewhat unwillingly, hoping to find something useful.
“By the way, did Alek leave anything behind before he died?”
At Colin’s mention of the Demon Clan Remnant they had been hunting, Sifney recalled carefully.
“No, he didn’t leave anything. Or rather…”
She paused, a strange tone in her voice, and then said, “To be precise, it’s not that he didn’t leave anything—it’s that he didn’t have time to.”
Hearing this, Colin raised an eyebrow.
“Didn’t have time? What do you mean?”
“Uh, well…”
Seeing Colin’s interest, Sifney elaborated.
“You remember, right? I’m well-versed in the Demon Race’s language, knowledge, and history. I’ve also investigated some of the interpersonal relationships within the Demon Race during the Demon King’s reign. From what I know…”
Hearing Sifney’s words, Colin recalled when she first joined the team.
Back then, Colin’s squad was newly formed, and Lavinia and Liyami hadn’t joined yet.
Most of the dangerous cases Colin faced were related to the Demon Race, but apart from vague childhood memories, both Colin and Eleanor had lived in the Sanctuary and had limited knowledge of the Demons.
At his wit’s end, Sifney appeared, introducing herself as a mage skilled in Demon Race studies. She promised to help with anything related to the Demons.
Colin didn’t believe her at first, mainly for two reasons.
The first was that he had never heard of any mage specializing in Demon Race language and history.
Even now, Sifney remained the only one he knew.
The second was that back then, Sifney looked like a rebellious kid who’d just run away from home—completely unreliable.
And even now, aside from having grown more developed physically, she still looked young, so much so that Colin often wondered if she was truly an adult.
But in the end, her exceptional performance earned Colin’s trust and a place on the team.
Recalling that time, Colin couldn’t help but smile.
“Hey! Why are you smiling like that? Are you even listening to me?”
Sifney’s dissatisfied question snapped Colin out of his reverie.
He looked at her and saw her cheeks puff slightly, giving him a displeased glare.
Clearing his throat, Colin steered the conversation back.
“Sorry, I got distracted. Where were you?”
Seeing Colin avoid her question and return to the topic, Sifney could only click her tongue in annoyance.
“Listen carefully, I’ll say it again. Although Alek had little information within the Demon Race, he was still a cadre. And as far as I know, he liked to hole up at home doing research, ignored the Demon King’s orders, and only slacked off…”
For some reason, Sifney’s voice brimmed with resentment here, but she regained composure before Colin could ask.
“In short, Alek only cared about his research, with no concern for the Demon Race’s survival. Things like Demon honor were just lip service to him—he’d never put it into practice. If humans caught him, he’d probably spill all the Demon Race’s secrets to save himself. And given his personality, it makes no sense that he suddenly chose to self-destruct in the end.”
“Couldn’t it be that he had a change of heart?”
Sifney shook her head.
“Unlikely. If he had planned to self-destruct from the start, I could have stopped him at the last moment. But he only exploded a few minutes after we started fighting him. Before that, I didn’t sense anything unusual.”
Listening to Sifney, Colin frowned in thought.
At that moment, something caught his eye from the corner of his vision.
He gestured for Sifney to follow him.
“What is it? Something here…oh?”
“There’s a secret door here. It’s also where I was caught in a trap earlier.”
Colin and Sifney approached a damaged hidden door.
Colin peered inside and noticed scorch marks in places, but overall it seemed intact.
“Looks like the Destruction Magic didn’t affect this spot much—probably a design flaw by Alek. Check if there are any clues inside.”
Sifney entered through the secret door and began scanning the area with magic.
After a while, she slowly opened her eyes.
“There’s something. I found an exhausted Magic Circle—looks like one used for summoning High-Rank Demons. But this kind of magic usually requires a heavy price.”
Colin nodded.
“I killed that High Demon and also drained the Magic Circle’s energy.”
Hearing this, Sifney raised her eyebrows, quickly understanding the situation.
“So Alek’s sudden self-destruction in the end was the cost of this Magic Circle.”
“I see…so this is connected to Liyami’s Magic Circle?”
Colin looked at Sifney expectantly, but her answer disappointed him.
“No. Although this Magic Circle is advanced, it can’t compare to Liyami’s at all.”
After a moment of thought, Sifney added, “However, even though this Magic Circle isn’t related to Liyami’s, we might be able to ask it for clues—see if it knows anything about her Magic Circle.”
Seeing this, a spark of hope lit up in Colin’s eyes.
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