"What's this?" Vale asked the old man as he looked at the two Philip Hoffman.
Using his Divine Sense, he could already tell that the real Philip was the one on the left. Nevertheless, Vale felt that he should act clueless about this in order to learn more about the enemies.
After all, there must be a big reason why they captured Philip and kept him alive for so long instead of just killing him after getting the information they needed.
He wouldn't believe that they couldn't get the information about the Arcana from Philip. With all the various Arcane Spells out there and numerous Potions or Mystical Items with magical effects, they must have a way to get confessions from their prisoners.
The old man ignored his question as he looked at Vale curiously.
"That mask… Do you know what it is?" The old man asked as he squinted his eyes. He wasn't too bothered by how Vale disrupted the flow of Arcane Energy in the surroundings and made all the spells uncontrollable for a brief moment.
He knows that there was a similar Artifact in their organization, but it can only be used a couple of times within a month. The masked man seemed to have done the same, but the range was too small, so he wasn't worried that he could repeat such a thing.
In the meantime, Vale was a bit stunned by the sudden question.
'Oh… Right. I'm wearing this to confirm something from them.' Vale thought as he subtly touched the edge of his mask.
"So you know about the mask. I found it in a bunch of trash, so I took it with me. I like it… Do you have other equipment with this design?" He asked.
"From bunch trash? Ha!" The old man shook his head as he also shifted his gaze to the dagger on Vale's waist.
"So you're the one who triggered that heavenly lightning and also destroyed the Baron's Rare Formation Nodes … How did you summon that lightning?"
'Hm? Rare Formation Nodes? Is he referring to those Immortal Shards?' Vale finally learned something from this.
He thought for a moment before he nodded to the old man.
"Hmmm… So you're not an idiot. I can answer your question, but you have to answer mine as well. I'm curious about your organization. If you tell me something about your organization, I will tell you how I summoned those lightning."
"Hahaha… If I tell you about our organization, you must join us. If I informed the Commander about your skills, I'm sure he wouldn't mind all the lives you've taken. You're worth a hundred Arcanists after all." The old man said as he looked at Vale with a creepy smile.
Vale couldn't help but recall Heinz after seeing this.
"You want me to join your cult?" Vale asked curiously.
He didn't expect a sudden invitation after everything he had done. To be honest, with all the skills or spells he had shown when infiltrating this Castle, he thought that they would consider just fleeing this place.
"Yes… I can tell that you are connected with the Dark Arts Faction after seeing your Spells. Are you sent here by the Vermont Family? You don't have to lie since there was no way you would have that Dark Spirit following you without their family's support. You must be connected to them in one way or another." The old man said as Vale felt a bit confused for a moment but he suddenly had an idea.
"You're right… I'm connected to them in some way." Vale said as he flipped his hand and showed an amulet to the old man.
Needless to say, the amulet he showed was the same item that he got from Professor Charlotte Vermont when he showed the limit of his Magic Zone during his First Year class.
During that time, she used the Protector Amulet, which was exclusively produced by the Vermont Clan, to reward her student. Any practitioner possessing this item would have their Phantasm State extended for a long period without suffering any backlash.
As soon as he showed it, the old man's eyes lit up as expected.
"Heh… So I'm correct. Those bastards are the real problem in the faction. They actually managed to produce a monster like you… Did you learn from Morgan?" The old man asked.
He was probably referring to Morgan Vermont, the man who established the Academy, or the legendary figure who had made all the other Arcane Paths Factions stop their aggression and made the Treaty of Keslore.
As Vale was about to answer, he realized that the old man's preparation had been completed.
Several Soul Draining Chains were slowly creeping out on him and were ready to pounce once he put down his guard.
"I can't answer that… In any case, can you tell me now why you have someone disguised as Philip?" Vale asked.
"The answer is simple… We are not going to give Philip back… Don't you want other items similar to that mask and dagger?"
As the old man said these words, Vale finally felt the chains moving.
'Yvaine, secure our escape route. I have a bad feeling about this…' Vale ordered his Dark Spirit as he dashed forward. He didn't have to wait for her answer as he knew that she would make it happen.
Whoosh~
Vale used his full agility and strength to appear instantly beside the group.
It appears he was about to save the fake Philip on the right side of the old man.
The old man was disappointed that his chains didn't catch the masked man, but he wasn't panicking when Vale got closer.
The moment this person grabbed the fake Philip, this would be over.
Of course, he didn't forget to act.
He acted as if Vale guessed the real Philip as his eyes widened.
"How did you find out?!" He shouted as he tried dragging back "Philip" to his side.
At the same time, he summoned his three Spectral Hands to welcome Vale.
It appears that he also reached the Advanced Realm of this Spell, so Vale thought it would be interesting to summon his Ghost Hands…
As he did that, he didn't stop moving and grabbed the shoulder of the fake Philip.
"Philip! Wake up! Let's escape now!" He shouted.
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